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discussion at starting. For the like reason, it is unnecessary 
to say anything upon the purely hypothetical objection as to 
the creation of light, the expanse, the dry land, and the 
plants, before the celestial bodies. Science knows nothing of the 
past history of these latter, nor even of any epoch beyond the 
history of man when their existence can be certainly demon- 
strated. That there was light in the pre-human ages, is, no 
doubt, most fully proved; that there was day and night and 
seasons, is extremely probable ; but that these necessitate the 
existence of the sun, moon, and stars which we now see, this 
we have yet to learn. 
3rd. The time of creation. — Here we are brought face to 
face with the greatest of all the difficulties which beset our 
subject ; difficulties which it is hopeless to attempt to solve 
without in the first place clearing away the conflicting exege- 
tical theories which have been their principal cause. Two 
questions have to be answered: — (1) Do the six days spoken 
of embrace the whole history of creation, or only its latest 
stage ? (2) Is the word “ day " to be taken in its ordinary 
sense, or otherwise ? To an unprejudiced reader of Genesis, 
knowing nothing of modern controversy, both questions 
would seem to be so trite and simple as not to require a 
moment's consideration. The former alternative in both in- 
stances appears the only one tenable for a moment. Not thus 
lightly, however, can we venture to dismiss their discussion. 
However decisive may be the verdict of such an unbiassed 
mind, there has been too much ingenuity expended on behalf 
of the contrary opinions to allow us to rest on common sense 
merely as a sufficient ground for their rejection. We must 
examine the evidence in detail. 
First, then, of the question, Do the six days embrace the 
whole of creation, or only part ? No one will dispute that the 
cosmogony as a whole embraces the entire history of creation. 
Its opening clause — “ In the beginning God created the hea- 
vens and the earth ;" and its closing subscription — “ These 
are the generations of the heavens and the earth in their crea- 
tion," — are alike conclusive on this point. At the close of this 
whole work of creation, then, we find the sabbath of rest. 
This sabbath, we are repeatedly told, was a rest from all God's 
work, — “ Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and 
all their host. And on the seventh day God ended His work 
which He made; and He rested on the seventh day from all 
His work which He made. And God blessed the seventh day, 
and hallowed it ; because that in it He rested from all His 
work which God, by making, created." The stress upon the 
“all" here is unmistakeable. But the seventh day's rest 
