238 
sequently in the atmosphere. And when the period of deso- 
lation arrived, the retentive power of that atmosphere being 
at God's command withdrawn, all of that portion would, in 
rain and by waterspouts, descend to the earth. Then, as 
to the waters which after the removal of those above the 
heavens, still so covered the earth that they stood above the 
hills, if we only admit that at God's word they were so 
gathered into one place that the dry land appeared, we can 
scarcely fail to see that the only place for their so gathering to- 
gether was not only in seas and oceans, but in recesses of the 
earth, in deep places beneath mountains and valleys, and it 
might be beneath the seas themselves. In the elevation of 
the mountains and the depression of valleys those treasure- 
houses for the deep were formed. From the position they 
severally occupy they are two ; yet inasmuch as they form one 
body or mass of waters, they are one. Now, if into such re- 
cesses those waters must of necessity at God's bidding have 
returned, it must have been from them, or from similar re- 
cesses within the earth, that when the period of desolation 
commenced they issued forth. They are clearly the “ foun- 
tains of the deep " (Prov. viii. 28), which God at the creation 
strengthened ; on which, that is, both previous to the period 
of desolation and subsequently, He has set bolts and bars of 
restraint that they turn not again to cover the earth ; but on 
the withdrawal of which “ the waters issued forth as out of 
the womb." 
PART II. 
Before passing on to the second point in my proposition, 
allow me to summarize what I have thus said on the first. 
It must be quite evident, I should think, to every one, that 
in Genesis ii. the sacred writer speaks not of a partial or local 
deluge, but of one which was universal , — covering the whole 
earth. The same is evident in the words of Psalm civ. 6 : 
“ Thou coveredst it (the earth) with the deep as with a gar- 
ment, the waters stood above the mountains ." Again, it must 
be clear that after the removal into the atmosphere of that 
portion styled “ the waters above the firmament," the remain- 
ing portion was still sufficient to cover the whole earth. The 
dry land did not appear until the waters under the heavens 
were gathered together into one place. And further, we have 
seen reason to conclude that this one place is partly beneath 
the surface of the sea, and partly beneath the dry land. Into 
the recesses and hollows beneath the latter, especially, the 
