skill might well occupy an entire day's elaboration to

effect it.

On the Third Day the hitherto intermixed elements of water and solid ground are separated, in order to become serviceable spheres for the business of the great Artificer, to be exercised in them severally; after which God proceeds, on the same day, to command the dry land to clothe itself with verdure and every kind of vegetable life.

Having thus, in part, made provision for the animated nature which was to be brought into being, and especially for the human race, it was suitable, however, before proceeding to that part of the creative work, to perfect the provision necessary for its well-being by the creation of the sun, moon and stars; these, accordingly, were next made, and then set in the firmament, to revolve in those different orbits in which we see them moving. This occupies the Fourth Day.

The Fifth Day was taken up with replenishing the wide world of waters with its living inhabitants, and with filling the air with its varied classes of winged fowl.

On the Sixth Day, the work now approaching its final consummation, the dry land receives the manifold classes of living beings fitted for that element; and then, last of all, everything having been prepared for his being ushered into the world, man, the image of God, is created, and endued with sovereignty over all that lower nature by which he is surrounded.

The reader will observe that the immediate object of this cursory review has been to draw out the feature, that the delineation is carefully adjusted to these views of cosmical phenomena, which, in fact, until within a very few generations, have been generally entertained

amongst mankind, and that the order of sequency observed in the succession of the several parts of the creative work, is just that which would fall in with the feeling of fitness corresponding to those views. This is, I apprehend, the true explanation alike of the one circumstance and of the other. The utterance, fashioned into the form of a parable, might reasonably be expected to speak thus of cosmical objects; it might reasonably be expected, also, thus to describe the succession of creative acts. A different way of describing the objects of nature, or a different way of portraying their successive production, would at once have been wholly uncalled for in a representation which on the very face of it appears to be a parable, and have hindered, rather than helped forward, the acceptance of the religious truth which it aims to impress upon the mind.

Is it not, therefore, unreasonable to urge these notices of cosmical facts, and this method of shadowing forth the work of creation, as constituting objections to the Divine inspiration of the utterance? If it were a plain history, there might, perhaps, have been some ground

do not affirm that there would have been, though I cannot myself see the way for escaping from the inference), but, however, there might, perhaps, have been some ground for urging such objections. But seeing that its whole construction indicates that it does not profess to be a history, but a religious revelation clothed in the form of a parable; and seeing that an inspired parable not merely permits the introduction of the thoughts and notions of men without thereby giving them its sanction, but, in order to do its proper work, may even, in some instances (and this appears to be one), find it the most fitting, if not necessary, to do so, -the inference that these features of the first section of

Genesis bespeak its being a mere human utterance, is proved to be in itself altogether ungrounded; while other evidence, demonstrating the Divine sanction which attaches to this part of Scripture, shows the inference to be false.

VI.

THE RELIGIOUS TEACHING OF THE PARABLE.

AFTER What has been already said, it might be thought almost superfluous to dwell at any length upon the purport of the great parable of creation, viewing it as a means for conveying religious truth. There are some points, however, which it may be well to particularise, and there is one which will claim a somewhat fuller discussion.

First, it is plain to the most cursory reader, that, as has been already repeatedly stated, the one great doctrine which is here inculcated, is that of God being the Maker of the universe,- that the present order of the universe is due, not to a Fate, or a Power of necessary self-evolution, or a Soul essentially and eternally dwelling in the world, or some other of those imaginary forms of being in the conception of which the intellect of man has lost itself while endeavouring to escape from the notion of a Personal God; but to a Living Person, existing before the world, and therefore apart from the world, a Being who wills, and operates, and loves,—an object, therefore, as would readily be inferred, of prayer and spiritual communion, to be obeyed, trusted, loved. Such a God this section reveals to us as the Creator of the universe. And we may suppose that it is for the purpose of making this im

pression the more vivid, that the Great Creator is here portrayed to us, in a form of description, as graphic as dramatic representation can make it, speaking, commanding, working, approving; till at length, under the hands of the Almighty Artificer, the whole of the vast fabric is perfected, owning itself in every part to be the product of His only power.

And let us look at the result. This short passage of Scripture has served to stamp upon the minds of God's people, in all ages, the conviction that God is the Creator of all things with an ineffaceable depth and distinctness, such as has caused the notion to be regarded as the essential characteristic of all true religious belief. So effectually, indeed, has this utterance done the work which, it is plain, it was principally designed to do, that one might almost doubt whether any further proof of its Divine origin needs to be offered. The strong and indelible persuasion which it alone has sufficed to produce of this fundamental truth, is of itself strong evidence for its inspiration. It may say to the believing myriads throughout all ages, "We need no letters of commendation: the seal of my apostleship are ye in the Lord."

All other points of religious instruction which the parable embodies are subordinate and ancillary to this. Yet there are such offering themselves for consideration.

We may notice as a second, the high admiration which the utterance bids us entertain towards the several parts of creation, and especially man, as the workmanship of God. It is not for nothing that we read the oft-repeated statement that God saw that it was good, and the affirmation at the close, that God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was good