THEO(LOG(ICO-GEOLOG Y, THE''TEACHINGS ]OF SCRIPTURE ILLUSTRATED BY THE CON FORM ATIO N OF THE E ARTtt'S CRUST, A If A D D R E S S Delivered before the Bible Class connected with the ANN ARBOR, MICIIIGAN, IBY A WINCHELL, Professor of Natural History in the University. ANN ARBOR, PRINTED BY DAVIS & COLE,. 1857. Oi Att 3i.,t (pigtopal (C urt V~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-,- ~ m ADD)RESS. 1 cheerfully comply with the invitation of the Bible Class to ad dress them on some subject connected with a proper understanding of the Sacred Scriptures, because it affords me an opportunity to strike a blow at that jealousy which has so often arraved the friends f science and of revelation in opposition to each other. It will enable me also to dilate somewhat upon certain topics which could barely be glanced at in the brief hour that we are weekly, together. It filr niishes me moreover with the occasion, which seld(lotn presents itself, of publicly enforcing the teachings of the Holy Scriptures; of urging the claimns of Natural Science upon the Bil)le student; and of set ting forth, in a familiar way, some points of the close connexionll exist ing between the revealed will of God and the manifestations of it exhibited in some of the works of Creation; and, though I cannot withini the present hour, pursue but a single one of the various trains of reflection which suggest themselves, I trust you will be able to detect in it some food for future contemplation; and that you will be stimulatedl to a closer study of the character of that Being "who plants his footsteps in the sea and rides upon the storm," and who preaches to us daily and hourly in "fire and hail, snow and vapor, and stormy wind, fulfilling his word," The entire scope of man's lawful occupations may be comprised in few words,-to acquaint himself with all the obligations whichl God has imposed upon him, and employ all his capabilities in their faithful discharge. Many of the obl)ligations of men are indeed special and peculiar to themselves; but there are certain great principles of moral and religious obligation, which apply to all men in common; I "OC I ll - I.I",,/J-l t 4 nnd it becomes us to employ every means i,;,ii i)w,,ver tow arriving at a coir,ect and complete undclerstanding of the general moral relatiens in which we are placed, and of the common duties which grow out of these relations. On these all important questions, the Holy Bib6le is undeniably the great text book and chart and statute book of fallen man. Its authority is original; its teachings iare direct and not by inference; it was inspired for man and is addriessed to man; it covers the whole giound of mali's moral requirements, and it comes to us authenticated by all the evidences which the most exacting incredulity could reasonable demard. On all questions connected with man's moral relations the holy Bible is our first and final authority. The man of piety reverences hiis Bible next onlv to his God. He feels that its pages reveal to him the only sovereign remedy for the maladies of his soul-he sees the condition of the world without its saving anrd sanctifying influence —he notices the imbecility of the most gifted intellects, groping and struggling alone for light in the midst of moral darines,, and turns with gratitude and worship toward that God who has all()ted him a birthplace in the midst of Christian associations. and whose spirit has led him into " the better way." But llIas Goed made himnself known to man through no other medlitn than a direct revelation? Are there no other products of the Almighty Mlind( fi,lom which we can gather somie illustrations and corrobor(tious of thie revealed Word? We reply there are many. The soul of mlan itself, the offspring of all creative energy, carries within Eus the evidence of our responsibility, and, if I mistake not, some feeble intimations of our immortality. The whole material world wvithout, is everywhere ieplete with teachings consonant with the Word(l of God. Nature and Natural Religion-what are they? Nature is the material product of the same Mind which inspired tLe Sacred Word. In revelation we listen to the Creator spealcilyg ili nature we behold himn acting. Do we hear him declare himself a Being of immutability? In nature we behold him proceedling throughl endless ages according to changeless plans. Does lie decl'are himself to us a Being of goodness? What is more ,lplalily impressed upon the face cf nature, than tracesof the bene -i 7 ,o,enee which has influenced all the counsels of the Creator. Do he Scriptures declare him a God of justice? Rewards and punishiients are also an essential feature in the ordinations of the material world. Do the Scriptures attribute to God all power in Heaven and Earth? Lookli at the starry host, look at this fabric of a world on which we ride through space at the rate of more than a thousand miles in a minute! Nature-is itself a revelation of God in another form. Can we learn nothitng from the interpretation of the acts of Deity? Obviously, there is much to learn from this source; and this is Natural Religion. Man errs, however, when lie makes Natural Religion take the place of the Scriptures. He errs equally, when he closes his eyes to the light of Nature, and arrays his peculiar interpretations of Scripture against the obvious meaning elsewhere expressed. But it needs no argument to convince you that the character of God can be read inr. his works. You daily witness the fact You muist recognize it. Does he not send his rain upon the growing crops and distribute the gentle showers of summer in suchl a manner that vegetation is adequately watered without producing great and devastating inundations? Are not the soft breezes which fan us under the sultry sun, grateful? And is not the cool water refieshing and agreeable? And do you not feel that these thingi were designed for the enjoyment and happiness of man?. Y(-ou eat a luscioI,s peach, and while its deliciousness is melting on your tongue have you not reflected that this also is a special provision for mnan's nu trition and enjoyment? The delicious pulp is no essential part of the peach, or the cherry, or the alpple. These are onlv accessories. These fruits, so far as the vegetable is concernedl, are designed mere ly for the continuance of the species. This end might have been attained exactly as well by causing the seed of the peach, the cherryv or the apple to grow upon its stem without the delicious pulp sur roundil)g it. Or the pulp might have been made bitter or unwhole some. But this was not the purpose of the Creator, who superad ded to the functional completeness of these fruits, something which is capable of nothing else but adding to the enjoyments of the hlu man famnily. In the tempest you have witnessed the power of God. G You hlave tremibled in tlhe conscious presence of a Being whose orn nilpotence you telt could annihilate you in an instant. And you liave unconsciusly recognized the t,zc7Jaiqea lefiess of that Being to whose soil you have commniitted your see(s, and wlhose rain and sun s'1ine you believe- would cause your crops tolgrow in the future a, thley have (]done in thie past. Ir such a manner, I say, you qa,;: a1l recognized nature as con veying, to us intimations of thIe spirit ancl (lesigrn of that Beinrg who rules in nature. In so fir vou have admiitted that the teachingis of nature tally with d ivine )revelation. Bu,t these are indiU a tios which lie upon thle surface and are patent to eveo,ry persozt's observation and experience. You witnes.s thenm, aTid you recog(nize tliemi, almost unconsciously; yet none the less are they the toaeliings of nature. B'ut do you not suppose tl,at 1; 0obs(,rvinu' nature nmore closely, miany other facts might be l.rouhht! to light, which would be eq lally pertinent and forcible as illustrations of thle Dix'ite word? " eIost assuredly," you reply "the plans an, purpos(-es of Deitv must run throughout the entire creation, and be equIally intelligible in those parts which are hiddien fiom ordinarF observation and those which are open to our daily inspection." But when we penetrate beneath the surface of nature, and bring forth revelations of things not seen by common eyes, men call this science," and sav that science opposes the Bible. Oh, ifolly amazing —irreverent and blind! Could you see as the pious student of nature sees, you would save yourself the reproach of calling science the foe of revelation. Science-what is it? It is ktcwlecdgye. Knowledge of what? Is it not a knowledge of wLat God has ordained to exist. And how can we know a fact in nature to b)e diflerent from uhat it is? If we know it differently fiomn what God has made it, our science is no science. If we know it as God has made it, thatistrue science. And can that lead the heart away firom the truth and firom God? We lie von have seen a hundred instances of the power, wisdoi and goo()(l,es. of thle Creator, where you now see one, will you b(e made tl,erey a mwire wicled rnn? Youi may be more wirlked I admnit, bTut it'is p.t'1iable tl.hat the tendency of your i knowledge would be the other way. Oh, much abused and calumni ated science! best friend of the bible and of the christian religion! When'will men learnf that thie tracing of the foot-prints of the Creator does not lead tl-e student away from Go'? WhL'en will it beJ admitted and felt that he who has penetriated deepest into the recesses of nature, feels himself most sensibly in the presence of almighty power, and most strongly moved to gratitude and worship? Of undevout philosophers I have little to say. They are hard to, be accounted for. But we know that some men turn blessings into curses. They may gormandize upon the wholesome and delicious fruits of the earth until their health is ruiner, not by use, but by abuse. They may apply the genial fire which warms us, to their neighhor's dwelling or store. They may cherish a morbid excitement of some of the better sentiments of human nature, as that of philanthropy, until they become virtually monomaniacs, and curse themselves and society by the wild excesses of a humane and christian sentiment. Thev may even garble passages of qc'ipture until the Bible is made to incalcate the most heinous of vices. And in like manner it is possible for a truly scientific person to be undevout. It is undoubtedly within the power of human audacity to, penetrate into the presence of Deity, and there blaspheme. Such men we pity as we do the murderer, the incendiary or the monomaniac. But will any one have the impiety to assert that a knowledge of God's truth can cause any man to deny the existence and power of God? Depravity, prejudice, stubbornness, worldly interest may cause this; but most obviously, the tendency and teaching and spirit of true science are utterly at war- with such a course. \Ve may be irreligious in spite of our science, but not in conseqnerce of it. If science is God's truth, shall we fear to listen to its teachings? Do we distrust God, and fear that he has betrayed himselfsomewhere in creation, so that we may find somewhere, truth which will undermine our hopes of salvation a By your faith in his revealed word, distrust him not. Is God a man that he should repent, or change, or deceive. Are his purposes different then as a Creator from what they are as a Rtevelator? If we accept the Bible we must 7 believe that Gold's purposes to man, wherever and however intimated, Wvill prove the same. If he is unchangeable and true it is impossible that anything in nature rightly understood, can conflict with anything in revelation rightly understood. Let us accep)t science then as we ought-the complement of revelation-the commentary on revelation written by God himself. It is our purpose to illustrate thiese general remarks by reference to some of the facts whliclh science has brought to light, and the manner in whli.chl- these facts corroborate the Divine WYord, and point the candid inquirer on the way to heaven. Does the name of science in the sacred desk outrage you? Will the array of facts which science has furnished to our hands, desecrate this hallowed place in your eyes, or ill befit the services of this hallowed dav? I pray you throw your prejudice aside, and learn to consider nothing of the Creator's handiwork profane.Behold how we may find "sermons in stones, books in the running brooks, and God in everything." To what portion of the conquests of science we shall turn our attention, to be able to witness most readily, the close correspondence existing between nature and revelation, is a question which must be decided almost at random. All of the sciences, and especially all of the natural sciences, lead us into the mnidst of the operations of almighty power and wisdom; but perhaps one of the subjects best adapted to popular elucidatio;n is the formatioR and constittution of the earth's crust, considered is reference to its adaptation to the requiremeats of the human family. In the brief survey which we propose to take of this field, we expect to establish the following proposition. The progressive development of the existing order of things has proceeded, under divine ~uidance, from the most remote periods, ACCORDING TO A PLAN FIXED FROM THE BEGINNING, and having a constant reference to the wants of those immortal natures to whom the earth has been given as a dwelling place. Now, my friends, to be able to appreciate the views to be presented, we must place ourselves at a scientific stand-point. We must divest our minds of prejudice and the bias of pre-conceived 8 -i I 9 noti,)ns. We must Ipronounce nothiing absurd or impossible, sim,plyv from tlhe manner in whiclh it first strikes our imaginations. The part of discretion is, to accel)t: tlle ob)vious deducLtions of science, whien thev have received tlhe g,eneral assent of those wlio lhave spent their lives in the express l)lsiness of testing their soundness. One of the great pr,blens whichl science has proposed to solve, is that of the age an i phy-)sical iitory of the earthl upon wlhich we dwell. And(, in the li(ght of science, how are we to look upon this terrestrial habiiation? Hee are inoulntlils and valleys, m-aj,stic rivers and n(oisy troolks; here are forests deep and silent as the nighlt, and s sni ting, snni)y fields; ere are pla;ins and d(leserts and seas. and- unfatliomned ocean (el)thls. lHa,ve these all existed under thleir present asf:ets fomn al ete!nity? Or were they a1l brouglit at once into ex,itence, about six thlousand years ago? To both of these qilestionIs science replies in the negative. These mountains and valleys, andc plains and ocean-bedls have been slowly and( progressively elaborated —worked out, as it were, friom the roughi and chaotic materials which existe(l in the beginning —at one timne submitted to the action of flie-at another, to that of water-at another; left throught long ares to the slow action of time-at eachl successive stage of development, showing a closer approximation to the present condclition of thllings, an(l a furthler working out of the great plan, whlich we see announced in tlhe first act of the world's dramna. To become impressed with the truthi and importance of thlese observations, we lmust enter a little into detail. And in doing this, it behooves lus to proceedl thloulghtfully and reverently, -s entel,ing, the house of God. If science unlocks the door to tlle gieat laboratory of the Almiglity, let us not rush in thouglltless.ly an(l profanely. When she shows us his finger-mark or his foot-print, let us remernmber that he is near to us. And wlhen we, re permitted to recognize the purposes whichi actuate him-t,) iread, as it were, the progriamine of lhis operations through all tiine, let us be grateful for his indulgence, and the gift of those exalted powers wh)ich enable 11s to conic in sucht close and inttelligent co,'omm,Jnion 10 withj his spirit, and let us consecrate them to those noble and holorv piriposes for whjich lie haIs vouchlsaf[ed themn to us. For we amre ourselves but his creattures-parts- onlyv of his comnmon creation; anld low consttummate tle folly to set ourselves up as indepeident )eionys, and pass juidgients upon thle operations or the dealings of' that Almighty power, to whose benevolence we owe our existence, and to whose clemency we aie dailv indebted for shelter fiomn the)enalties of sin! Let us now cast our eyes back upon the past. The history of' our earth extends back mnany thousands, probably millions of years. The iatroduction of man upon its surface is one of the very last' events; and thought one which transpired six thousand years ago, is, yet, geologically speaking, exceedingly recent-insomuch that all which has transpired si,'co that event, sinks into insig,nificance itr comparison with the monuments of the earth-'s earlier history. All the indications of science lead us to the following account of the physica! history of our earth. The matter of which the earth and material things are composed,. must have come into existence through some supernatural agency — seome effort of almighty power. After the lapse of an unknown interval of time suhseqtuent to the creation of matter, we find the eartli existiing as a great globe of melted materials, in an incan(lescenlt sta,te. No mountains, no seas, no water, no, atmospherer a() litf(,-eve'rtlhing was fused inll one common glowing, mass. In u,liis state of t"hings, water could exist only as invisible vapor. The same would be true of mnercurty, tin, antimony, arsenic, and manyv tlier sul)stances SLirrounding(r the ignited mass, therefore, was a niixed au, lieterogeieous atmosphere, mnade up of everything whichl, is volactile at sU'-li a degree of' heat. Is this the germ of our earth? A(lil slallt we see announrced firom tliis starting point,.thle plan uepont,, w'licli the cour,se of deve(lopment is to proceed for millions of ages, tlI)ougli.l tilne yet futtie } let us look to the facts. i p\er iod would ariive,. in the, gradual cooling of the earth, when il(ost oinei,l substances on its surface would have assumed their ],',!,)r'st,it,*, (-t so,l.ditv or flAuiditv. A crust would ftori)r upon tie,',:c, ot,:,t' I: i::,ltI,:: i:aturi:titlls, wh\i',,,-h v,t, hil at fi~rst b,e toot' l.iit to. i 11 allow water to rest upon it; and, as the regrions of space around the earth would necessarily be coolerl than the earth's surface, clouds might begin to form. By degrees they would thicken. Tile light of the sun would be shut out, and gloom would enshroud the infant earth. Up to this time, it will be renmembered, the entire bodv of waters now upon the earth would be kept, by the hilgh temperature, suspended in the air. But the c,-eriod has now arrived when rain begins to descend. Every drop, as it srrikes the highly heated crust, hisses and re-mounts as vapor to the upper regions. But the movement of descending rain and ascending vapor, disturbs the electricity of the elements, and lightnings flash and thunders peal in every direction. Thus, for an unknown period, perhaps for a thousand years, a tempest of thunder, lightning, wind and rain, raged fearfully and incessantly over the preparing abode of mortal mat. But now, through the continued refirigeration of the earth's crust, a temperature is reached, at which the waters are suffered to lie in one broad mass, outspreading over the earth's entire surface. ("And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were- under the firmament, from the waters which were above the firmament.") Now approaches a catastrophe of a different character from any which has preceded. You will please mark, now, carefully, the unexpected-the terrific manner in which the inequalities of the surface began to develope-in which the foundations of the nascent mountains were laid. By the laws of coolin)g, a body at a high temperature contracts more rapidly for the same amount of cooling, than a body at a lower temperature. In consequence of this, the gradual, though perhaps equal cooling of the crust of the earth and the melted mass within, would cause that mass to shrink away from the crust. The pressure of the super incumbent waters, together with its own weight, would cause the tcrust to collapse and break in all its parts. Behold now, the ruin and desolation which follow this event. Pen cannot depictimagination cannot conceive the terrible grandeur of this scene, which onlv God and th,o angels were present to witness. The 12 l.)reaking Up of thle crue,t p)reciptiates tle accimulated waters into thle avl-ss of fire beneath. Quicik as th. flaslh of po. ler, the newly c!'eated steam bursts foith. Fragmoents of the shivered crust, mountain large, are hurtled into tile air, and, returning, plunge into the seethitig and boilingo abysnml- somoe to melt awvay, and others to diift tupot the sturfce. Tie entire sea retreats again to the atmosphlere, anrd,again succeed rains, and thunders, and lightnings, as before. Such is tlhe jpower of the AllnightyN, in whose hands worlds are playthiJgs, whllile the elemrcnts execute his will. To the eye of man, such a convulsion would appear as a retrograde movement, but omnipotence n-mikes it an essential step in the preparation of the earth's surface for the reception of man. BuLt it is still loing ages 1)efore maln's introduction upon it. The fragments resulting from ttle late convulsions are floating uponll the mnolten surface. By thle action of the currents, they are (drifted about and aclcumulated in misses. Here and there, thleir hu ge and rugged forms tower above the desolate plain, like icebergs in an arctic sea. Eventuallv a new crust foirms, incorporating into itself the fiagmnents of the last disrul)tion; as the firost of a winter's nilght cemlents togather the ice-fiagierntsof the swollen stream. Again the ocean covers the suLrfatce, but not compl)etely. Thle wild ruin of the last catastrophe has laid the foundations of the moutntains, which are now seen here andcl there, thrustirng their granite peaks ab)ove the wide waste of waters.* Barren, dlesolaLte, silent rocks, on which no voice of bird or beast has yet been heard, and on which no living thling of,animal or vegetable growth has vet f:)und a habitation. But yet islands tliev are, and the miode of their formation has been the aniiounceinent of a method, which we shall see pursued, even down to the present day. \Would you look upon one of those ancient, bald, andl venerable smininits. Go to Mt. Kttahldin in M'aine-gi the Adirond(lacks in New York, go to the lion Mountain in Missouri. Gaze upon them with rev%erence. Salute themn as the l~o)phlets of unfolding preparations *These belong to the system of "igneous," "'Plittonic," or "crystaline" rocks of geologi.sts. k, 13 grown ancient and gray in lo)oking dlown upon thle procession of events tliriouali the l()ng, marchl of ages. By the ol)eration of the saiie laws of refi'igeration as b)efore, the time would eventually arrive. wlhen a,i)tlIei distruption of thle clust would occuri. Anotihar scene of conflsio,n and tu!,ntllt wo-tld f,llow. The fi'agments of thle crutst woul(l, for the most part, enter into new arra,rgments; tll(gh a few solitary pinnacllles seemn to have witlIstood( the storm and have survived to the: preelit lay. Upon the stubsidence of thle agitated( surface, new m)ountail sUIInmits would I)e seen, and some of the ol(1 woultl be somewl:at more elevated, A(gain the rains would descend-thle ocean woul:l accumul',ite-torrents of water would continually ru,sh down the lhill and mountain sid,.s, carryin(g disintegrated particles of tlhe rocks i)nto the sea, and f('rnillg strata of sediirent in the oeean's bedl. SllIall fragments would be borne along into the sea, and l)y the continued lashiing of its watsrs, these fiagments would b)ecome rounded into pebbles, and these would be incorporated wittl the finer materials deposite(l upon the ocean's bed. Bv some agency-perha)s the presslurle of the superincumbent mass of waters-perhapis the heat of the central fi:es-perhaps the cementing action of the substances held in solution in sea-water, or pI)erhlaps by all these and other agencies combined, thle strata of sediment formed in the ocean's bed became solidified. Now came into existence a new order of rocks-those having a stratified arrangement. * Thie progress of refrigeration would cause the materials of the eairthi to continue to shrink; andcl as a consequence, at remtnote inte,rvals, the crust would be to some extent broken up-thie rid;,fes of pre-existifng mountain:s would be more upheaved-thle strata in the ocean's bLed would be tilted up, so as to exhibit various degrees of inclination; and at each tupheaval, the botundaries of drv land would be enlarged, while those of thle sea woulil be proportionally restricted. ("Who shut up the sea with doors when it [,rake forth * * * andl brake up for it my decree(l p)lace, and set bars and doors, and said, Hithert,) shalt thou come but no fur *Those stratified rocks formed before the creation of animals and plants. belong to the "azoic" sys-tem of geologists. 14 tlher, and here shall thy proud waves be staid?") During the intetvais of repose, strata of sedlinentary materials formed in the bed of the ocean, with their thin edges resting upon the sloping flanks of previously upturned strata. The course of deposition and upheaval would, therefore, produce the diversity of i.clination seen in the arrangemients of the stratified rocks. After the recurrence of an unknown number of upheavals, the surface of the earth became sufficiently quiet and attempered during the intervals, to allow the introduction of vegetable life.* The first plants were aquatic, and were endowed with those simtple natures best suited to draw their nourishmnent fromn such mnaterials as this rude and early condition of the earth presented. Do you ask how we know that vegetation appeared before animals? We reply, because the remains of vegetables are found in those deeper strata which were produced in these early times, while the remains of animals, which are much more ilnpmrishable, do not occur. You will notice also, that this agrees with the tIosaic account. "And God said, Let thle waters under the Heaven be gathered together tinto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he seas: and (sod saw that it was good. And God said. Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the firuit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself tipon the earth: anld it was so. And the earth broughtforthgrass, and the herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielilng fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were third dav." We have reason to believe that the mrnild waters of those primeval seas teemed with the lower forms of vegetable life. And what was the peculiar office of this early vegetation in the developmnent of the present order of things? To prepare the way for the introduction of animal life. All animals subsist directly upon organic matter-either vegatable or animal in its nature. Vegetables alone can *Examples of strata containing remains of the very earliest Flora and Fauna of our world may i)e witnessed in the red sandstone of Lake Sulerior-the "Potsdam sandstone" of the American geologists, and lying as the base of the'Siliurian svstemJ." I 16 which covered the earth. Successive catastrophes. occuiring in til)e cooling, an(l shrinking of tihe earth, an(l the b,eakingf or ulphleaving of the cruist, success,ively blo)tte(l out all traces of animal existence fiom its surfacee; anal, as ofteln as tis occurre(l, aliliighty power rel-iaced them with new generations; fir()n time to timne introdci-ig bet)(ings of higher adcl hig-rher rank. Thus, as ral)idly as tile lower had increase(l sufl,,iently f)r the sul)port of the hirghier, the hiillher were intro(-'luced. At the satie till, the intipro)vilg con(dlition of tlhe earthl fi'tel it in succesdion for more lighlylv ogat;ized bt)eings. TlJus we had il, tl(he b(ginning. tlh( zooplyte or c,)ral t)Iil(der, tlhen the sea spider" and liis kindred, thli n the sell fisl" willt tlheir tribes, the, thle, true fishes; anil, aifter land plants I,,ad fl,),uis,hed and mulltiplied, and tlhe co,,ditions of tile land were otherwise favorable, thei eeptiles anal birds apl)ea,ed. Do you wonder how the geologist learns the order of ilntroductio,, of these existences? WVe rel)ly that everytlhing has written its own history. Tile bones and shells of these )eit,igs are found packed between the the sa-ecessive straita of the eaIrtl's crtist. As we unpack these successive layers of stone, and take otit their or-ganic contents, we know to a certaintv tlhat ovsters existed befo)re bir, is, because we find the [tones and even the t'aclks of birds; in the layers which lie a long distance above the layers containing oyster shells. There is even an intitnation of this succession in the divine reco,rd "And God said, let the waters bring forth abundantly the mnoving creatLure that bath life —aind fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales (that is, simply, great marine animals) and everyv living creature that mnoveth, which the waters broughlt forth abundantly aft,er their kind-and every wing(ed fowl after his kind; and God saw that'. was good. And God blessed them. saying, "Be fiuitful and multiply andl fill the waters in the seas-and let fowl intultil)ly in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fiftlh day." At this period in the process of the earth's cooling, it is obvious that the surface must have been much warmer tlian at present. As a consequence, the atmosphere would be more highly charged with vapors ascending from the earthl. Hiere then wee two conditions k 16 which covered the earth. Successive catastropl)hes. occu,rring in tl)e coo.ing an,l shrinking of the earth, an(l the breaking or ul)lIeaving of thle crust, succe ssively blotted out all traces of animal' existence from its strf,tce; anal, as often as thlis occurre(l, ailighty power rel)laced them with new geterations; fr()in time to time introd(icig be(ings of higher and liigher rank. Thus, as ral)idly as tlhe lower ha( increase(l suffitiently for the suplport of the hli,her, the lIigherlel were intro(dluced. At tile sailte timei3, thle ituprovilg con(litionr of tile earthl fitel it in succession for more liighly organiized b)eings. Thljus we lihad in thie beginninig. tl(he zoophyte or c,ral b)lil(-der, thlen the sea spider" and liis kindred, tli n the " slell fislh" witi. lheir tribes, thetl tihe true fishies; anl(, after land plants tl,ad fl,)uri.,hed and muiltiplied, and thle cod(itions of tiie land were otherwise favorali)le, thetn iel-)tiles an lbirds apl)eatred. Do you wonder how the geologist learns the order of introduction of these existences? VWe rel)ly tl)at eveirytlig h-as written its own history. The bones and shells of these )ei;igs are found packed between the the successive stirata of the eartlh's crtist. As we unpack these successive layers of stone., and take ouit their organic contents, we iknow to a certainty that ovsters existed before birils, because we find the bt)ones and even the tracks of birds, in the layers whichi lie a long distance above the layers coIntaiming oyster shells. There is even an intimation of this succession in the divine record "And God said, let the waters bring forth abundantly tl-he mnoving creature that hath life-,-and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales (that is, simplly, great marine animals) and every living creature that rnoveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly after their kind-and every winged fowl after this kind; and God saw that'L was good. And God blessed them. saying, "Be fiuitful and multiply andl fill the waters in the seas-and let fowl mnultil)ly in the earth. And the evening an d the morning were the fifth day." At this period in the proce,.s of the earth's cooling, it is obvious that the surface must hlave been much warmner than at present. As a consequetnce, the atmosphere would be more highly charged with vapors ascen(ldingo from the earth. Tere then wei'e two conditions k ,existing, exceedingly favorable to the luxuriant growth of lan,l *vege tation-warmnth and humidity. \We fii(l the earths surface covered accordingoly with the most profuse abltunlance of v(geta)le lit. Lowly herbs and magnifienet trees sprtung up, fl,ouris ie lad fell; and large tracts, on all parts of the earth, exhibited'he aspect of vast tropical jungles. And what part of the plat-n do you ilnagine this feature was designed specially to fulfill? Is this luxuriant vege tation to flourish anti then to dlecay and disappear entirely? Man is not yet upon the earth to use it; and the lower animals have ro luse for it. Behold the plans of omnipotence. God intenle(I at some t;me in the distant future, to create a being to people the ea'th, who should require large quantities of vegetable material for fuel and other purposes. He foresaw that the soil wou!d not be able at that time, to produce sufficient to meet the denmands of his use and convenience. Accordingly, in this springtime of the earth's existence, when circumstances favor the rapid growth of vegetation, he produces immense crops of fuel, which he stores up for man's future use among the' ditiefrent layers of the rockls t And her, my friends, was the orig,in of those vast deposits of coal which are scattered through all countries. You will notice that they are not limited to the tropical regionts, or any particular portion of the earth. but are brought to every people's thresli hold; and every people is to-day, exhumingi, and buLrningr the coal which Providence stored away for our use, millions of years before Aldam was created. Bnt there is anotlher point to which I oulght now to direct,our attention. I have sp,)ken of the occasional brealking ti, or simple upheaval of the earth's crust, so that tlhe fi'actuel e(lg s o' the rocky lavers are ofteii turned to the stirface, and we are enabled t) tirace a thickness of successive strata, aluoulnting, in some cases, to rmany mi!es. You will at once perceive that we are indebted to such convulsive movements for the pleasing variety of mountain, hill, pla)in, valley, gorge and precipice, which the surface of our earth presents. Ruinous, destructive anid retirogressive as thlese successive caLtatstrophes must have seeme,l to the eye of nian, if he coutld have bt)een pr6sent, I have no doubt they werie the direct andi essential means tThese constitute tle rreat feature of the " Carboniferous System." 3 17 is ,bt whMiic 0Omnipotence purposed to produce the vm'ied and agreea ble scener of our continents. Atid it will fturther [,e observed that thlis tiltino o)f the strata and present-ation of their upturnedl edges to our examiniation, is the o.ly means byv which we coul,l ever heave been adnmitte(d to the successful irvesti.ation of the earth's history. By so unexpected a means, has }lod placed in our reach, the mate rial for riection and rese Brch. By such a meatns, hle has taken the )aiaz,s as it were, to ]iy open to ou,r view tihe plain records of his doings upo.)n ouir earth, for the lorji~, ages prior to mrnan's creation. And b)Y such means he has biddee us to investigate, andl learn what he has done for man, and what dis)ositio;zs he has mnanifested in the arrangeements perfected for mian's intiro,-uction upon theearth for his miental and moral develo:)rnent-andc for his attainment to) a close comrmun.,ion and fellowship with hIis Cireator. By such a means has Provid." cce not onlv diversifiecl the surface of our earth with hill and vale, and unlocled the secrets of the eartlh's development-historyv, lint has also thtrow.n up within. humana reach, all of those metals and mineral produi,ts which enter so largely into the arts and comfiorts of civilized life. Had the different layers of the ear.th's ciust remained in a horizontal position, as they were successively deposited, the riches of the mines would have been fk)rever exclud(ed from humrnan penetration, if not from human knowledge. Ort Weds or' Coal would have latin buried many thousands of feet beneath tlSe surlice. But the benevolence of God did not create these vast resources of ihuman cornfort, and then leave then) at inaccessible depths beneath the suifiice. His plans have been complete, and mi,m, cannot move without iuvolving himseif in an infinite debt of gratitude to almighty care and forelight. But, it will be remembered, that in tracitng the progress of creatio)n, as revealed in the vesti(res contained in the rocks, we have not yet reached any indllications of the existence of quad rupec,s, or "beasts of the field," or, a-s naturalists styvle them, " rzammnals." Tilese stand at the head of Cire-ation, and according to the plan announced, require to be created last. Their bones are found only in the rocks of the upper portions of the earth's crust.* Prior to their -:Tire cration or' r,mrnatias nm':ks tle ad1ve-nt of'.he'' Tertiary [Period.'" T' k iL creation, the earth had beenr swept as much as fifteen or twenty times of all, or nearly a1 of its existi,g atnimal's, and as rmany til(eks repe,(,p'.ed with ifferent, toulgh ki(ndred tribes; withl the introduction at eacht successive creation, of soine higher' types of organization. N2ow the class of idaiinmalls was introdnuced. But as vet man was not. The world must undergl'o a fital and severe ordeal before it is fit for the occupancy of the lord of created things. It will be observed that both nature and revelation indicate first the creation of aquatic tribes and of birnds. Subsequently we find in the rockls the remains of terrest-rial animals. \What does the mIosaic account say of this succession? 1"And God said, Let the earth bring fortlh the living r creature after his kind, cattle and creep ing thing and l)east of the earth after his kindtd; and it was so." (On the fifth day he said, Let tlhe waters bring forth abundantly) And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and everything that creepethl upon the earth after his kind; and Cod saw that it was good." Tell me if we may not assert n7ore than that Sciptutre is simply reconcilable with science. Does not science sublsta2tiate Scripture, and give new mnearing and force to passages befocre unheeded?Suclh a circumstantial correspondence of the divine record with the developments of science mad(e so long subsequent, could only be brought about by the inspiration of hinm who knoweth all things from the beginining to the end. We have now reached a most int,eresting and imnportant point in tracili)g the hlistory of our planet. The general aspect of nature was at this tinie quite simtilar to the present. Thie contilnents had assumed very mnuch of their preset:t dimensions and outlines. The great mountain axes had been markled out many ages before, SuTnmmer followed spring, and autumn and winter followed stummtner.Vegetation smiled upon the landscape, feathered songsters made the air vocal with praise, the btee hbummed over the plain and the beast of prey prowled in the forest,. But yet in a,ll this scene no human formn appeared. It seemied to want but one more effo)rt of creative will, and man should take his placeat the head of the king. doms of nature, and creation should be complete. But such was not I.-9 20 the purpose of Deity. I speak only as taught from the book of naturte. We slall see hereafter that Olnnip,)tece dcsig)e(l to render the earth nmuch more conmfplete, and much more capable of contributing to the comnfort of his last and greatest specimen of handiwork. You will be surprised to learn the means adopted. By degrees, entire continents began to sink, aud the waters of the ocean to encroach again;upon the dry land.* For unknown ages this sulbsidence continued(], until the ocean stood fiur thousand feet up the sides of the miountains. Andc more than tTis. Where tropicael flowers had loodned, arctic winter now reignedl. Ice, ice, ice was evervwhere monarch. Terrestrtial animnals wvere swept out of existence. Mo)ntains of ice fl,oated over the desolate sea, and dashed against the storm-b-)eaten flanks of thlle mountaits. Fromn the hig,her summlits immense glaciers foi)rmedl, and extended to tlhe water's edge. Powerfl i' and devastatitig currents swept f'rom the reimote north toward the south, carrying rocks, stones, sandl and driftwoo(l in immense quatities, over tle preexisting contineits, andt obliterating every feature,y) whichl they could have bee recogntlized. A beingt less than (,mniscient would have pronounced this a retrograde move,nent. The pr,igress whichl ha( been aanlle in the prep'4rati,)u of the eartlh's surfce, seeineli turned back, and( e verything lost. Bat the di,y of m'n's alvent was even now at hand. By deor',ee. the continents begin aguin to be uplifted,. But, a, the h'}igher su mmits rose above the icy waters, fields of ice descendled along, the slipes. M~iny ages were occupied it, the full restitution of the (rv l;nd., Gradually the waters receded, so that every portion of the continent was, by turns, the ocean's shore. The action of the waves tupon the loose materials which had been accumulated dtring the reign of ice, exerted upon themn an assorting agency; so *The author here adopts the most popular theory. Hle is far, however, from considtering it more plausible than the theory of polar elevation, though the absence of an east and west line of ancient sea coast across our continent is readily explained on thle supposition that the waters of the Arctic Sea mintled with those of Mexican Gulf. This might easily havre taken place, without sufficient depression of the Continent to permit the Gulf Stream to sweep through the Mississippi Yalley as has been maintained by Mr. W. Hopkins [See his paper, Quar. Jour. Geolo. Soc. VIII, 56; citedl in Sillimian's Journal [2], XV.] 21 that everywhere the finer materials were left on the surface, constitutinig a deep and ariable loan. Do you see no design ili all tlhis? Finally, the long stubme(rged cotitinents were fully restore,l. New creations of )lants and animnals were introduce(l, mo,stlv the same as have continue(l to exist to the present (:lay. Now flourished the mamtnoth, and, subseqtiently, the masto(lon and great elk, whose remains have been foLund( near the surface in manv coiuntries. But a rich soil had yet to be prepared. Ages were acco"rlii,gly c,lstiined in th, growth and decay of vegetation, arid the g,iidLt.l disintegration atid decomposition of the mieal sul,stallnces exl)()sed to the action,f the elements. Iany and great cl)on(res to,ok l)lace in the cotifiguiration of the imnimediaite suface, d(tring this last l)eii()d of the pre-adamite eurth. Finally, all things being 1)erf-ecte(l accrdling to the 1)11ins of om)ipoter,ce mnan was cr('ate(l, constitltiig the glorious culuiiation of the or(ganic series. It the Ihilnltle l1)Ilyp it commenced, and( proceeded thirough all the successive gridIes of anima,l life, each beitig in tur,ni tlhe hiead( of the series, utintil,l()w tihe work of creatin lhas reahedle(- to tiant, to whose SUl)eri(ir atiitial inature the Creator has added, as if to tn,rk the c,)mllletio)t anil elitlliax of the series, a soul miade in the inmage of thle Creatotr himself."AAndl Go()l ereate.l I,an in his own itntagee; in the imn,ge of God created lie himi; male and feilile create(d le tlemn. * * And God saw everytliiug thItl lie Ihal iade, at(t beltol l it was very good. And the evening in(l the imort)itg were tihe sixtlh dla5." We have f(llowed the chain of events, ft,'m the earliest period of which science gives us any account, down to tl-he advenit of iian upon the earth.* A few general reflections now sugffest thiemselves to the mind. First. In every stage of developmernt, wefind the same general plan prosec?uted with a)n unaltering purpose. Every successive revolution upon the earth's surface left it somewhat nearer to its *It is not within the scope of this address to do more than allude in plain terms, to some of the more easily comprehended features of our earth's physical history, in so far as they have a hearing upon the contents ot the Bible. For a fuller consideration of these topics the reader is referred to "Religion of Geology," by Prof. Hitchcock, the Hugh Miller of America, and to a review of Prof. Lewis' "Six (lays of Creation," y) Prof. Dana, in the "Bbiliotheca Sacra" for January, 1856. destined ultimate condition. Thougli sometimes the catastrophei which supervened seenedl to undlo wlut hlad I,-),eviously been achieved, yet, in the end(, otIitil)otence converts thele into the verly agencies appointed to wvork out the most useful reults. ThIe course of events has flown directly forward, until the concluding act of the drama has been reaclied. What we observe in the hIistorv of organic life upon the globe, bears also upon the same p(ro-)position. The samre general plans of organization have been maintained from the appeltrance of the first seaweed which floated in the p)rimeval seas, to the present time. No new plans or genral types have leen introduced, but the same types have been varied in an infinite number of ways, producing now a sea-weed, now a fern, now a pine and at another time an oak -producing at one time a polyp, at another a starfishi, at another an oyster, at anothei a crab, at another a bird or a reptile, and at another the body of man.* In the very earliest ages of the world, four great tvpes of existence were introduced into the animal creation-or, as another has expressed it, four fundamtental harlmonies, upon which the Creator has played the infinite number of variations which so please and astonish us wlten we engag(e in the study of animated nature. No more than these four types exist at the present day. Not the slightest variations or alterations have ever been neede(l. Perfect from the first, they sllow us conclusively, that ozne Minid lhas ruled in creation fiomn the beginning of things. Another view which bears upon the same prol)osition is the followiing: Different continents, besides possessin, m, anv animials allied to each other by close bonds of relationship, contain also other families of animals, which are peculiar to themselves. Thus, in Africa aloine, are found stuchl ainimals as the giri.iffe, the hippopotatnus, the baboons, the clhimpa-nzee and others; in Asia alone, such as the red orang, the royal tiger, the gavial and others; in Australia, the kangaroo, echidna and( many other very cuirious quadrupeds,as well as fishes; while peculiar to South America, are the tapir, the llama, the vicuna and others. Now what is remarkable * The order of succession of orlanic forms sp ken of in this Adcldress, must not be understood in reference to thefirst a(veut of classes of animals, but only with reference to predomin(ting types. 22 i 23 is, the fact that the sa,me peculiarities are foreshadowed in the fossi remains of those contine nts The saime ittprss had been placed upon the anima)al creation in the several continents, ages before man's advent upon the earth, slhowingr that one lin(l and one purpose have rnled in all the dispensations o)f our p)lanet." Second. The second reflection whichl sng.ests itself is this: In all th!e vicissit,ides which o?tr earti hais trtdergonte, a constattit refe. rertce is m(tnifest, to thec co())ot, conveniiezce ad hapefpiizess of the huma7, famnily. Some of the evidences of this have already been alluded to. Only one or two others will be here tmentioned. The great disturbance whichl the eartth's sLurface has unldervone, and especially the last great sul)tnmetrgece of tlhe continents, has been the means of rendering welli and springr water easilv accessible in nearly all places. \Were the earth's sulrtce a (lead plain, an(l the underlying strata al horizontal, it is obvious that there could be no springs: and since all water falling upon the surface, must continually sink deeper and deeper, man would be dt'iven to the necessity of pene trating to an unknown depthl, in search of the wholesome water which he now finds at the surface. or within a few feet of it. This is another of the conveniences, resulting from such an arrangement of the materials of the eartlh's crust, as causes water percolating through them, to be guided, many times, toward thesurface, instead of away from it. Another special provision for the benefit of man, is seen in his capacity to endiure all climiates, so that hle is eral-)ed to occupy all parts of the earth. Other animals are restricted to particular climates, or even particular districts; but man possesses the whole earth. And, to render this exception the more striking, we find that those aninals, also, which adtrtit of domestication, are capable of traveling with nmat), and sub)sistin,r wherever hie subsists. Were this otherwise, man would derive the benefits of the domestic ani *The latest generalizations on this sutbject are of the most sublime and( thrilling character. For a imasterly preo eutation of the manner in w'hich tlIe comparative hIistory of the pre-adai-ite Faunes of the several continents, foreshahows tl-:e advent of a suler ior bein,, at somne point in the oriental world. See Prof. I)Dana's Addiess l)etore thl-e Am. Assoc. for the Adv. of Science, at Providence; cited in Sillirman's Jour. 2d ser. vol. xxii, p.,n. 24 inals, only while he resildedl in their habitats. And were the whole a nitnal creati,,ii i'iicepeble of doiiiesticatiori, lile the tiger and thle bear, h,ow much would be subtractedl from the cmfoits of hluman existence. Such are a few of the illustrations which a study of the earth's crulst futrnislhes, of the teachi,igs and doctrines of the sacred Scrip turies. It must not, b)y any means, be tliougYht, that we have exhausted this part of the subject; or even (lone it the julstice which it demWnls. We have sinmpl)y lifted the veil and glanced in from a distance, upon some of the hidd(en operations and ag-encies of nature. To hjiin who) is permitted to eriter, andl hold daily and close coIntiluwith the intelligence which discloses itself everywhere-in the little pel)ble or the massive precil-pice; the b)lad(e of grass or the all-shad,iwint bu)nyan, the oyster of to-day or the petrifacetion which lived a thousand gellerations before Adamn- to himn who has the the leisure an(l the dispositi()n to poni(ler uplon0 the inean ing of those characters rec(oirded upon the rocky pages of the eaith.'s history, a power of convicti)n that is oveiwhelming and irriesistab)le arises, aud he feels in his inrmost soul that everythin(2 aiound him speaks with one voice " There is a God, eternal, wise and good; bouw in revert( nce at his shr ine' tremble to offeii(l himi; defer thine own short-sigrhted plans, and let thy will be swallowei unp in his." How niany appeals to the voice of nature do we find in the Bible itself! But ask now the beasts and they shall teach thee, and the fowls of the air and they shall tell thee; or speak to tlhe earth and it shall teach thee, an,l the fishes, of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these p)laces that the hand of the Lord hlath wrought this!" " He putteth forth his hand upon the rock; he overturneih the mountains by the roots. ie cutteth out rivers among the rocks, and his eye :seeth every precious thin." "Which sliaketh the elrth out of her place, and the pillars thereof trembl)le, * * which doeth great things past finding out, yea, and wonde!s without numibec." Lo, the' e ae pa, ts of his ways- 1)lit, how little a portion is heard of im! Bul! tl'e thu luicle of his l)(i we who can uinde.sta-nd?." Wile i G <,q is ze i:e e lie I in tlie atte,)att of thle b -)k,f Job, as spe,-cakin to Job f on the whiilwinl, we find himrn taking his,ext,s, if we mnay so sl)eik, from the book of natu e, anI dieiinf Job)'s atte tion, alm,)st exclu ivey'v, to the maife-;tationis of himsecf in the wondlers and the thlilnclers of his demno:istrations in the iatii! al wvot,il. Oh, that tl ee we-e a truer friendlhip between thle stulent of science and the stu le it of the Bib)e! Woulli that eca h we e always the stulent of bnth! Thei sh,,i u'l w e ee a,k'iowile 1 e l the u,iitv, the identity which ,exi.ts throu7hiut tl e C: eator's works, wheihe: in the c,nst'uction of a world, in thIe oir aTlizatioil,,f a )ird, or in a oue of iTlspire l i'istructions. The i would thie inil le' in vain attem;)t to array the de:luctions of se'e:ce a.,airnst tl'e authliority of the livine woCd: and no lo,mleri would the ilev,tee of sce ice be lookel unoni as the enemy of the" power of godlic'.ie;s." The i wou d tlhe stl e nt of natiie stand, a pce,cher of divi:e truth, by tlhe sid(e of the stil.ec't of theol()iy. each learinin7 of the otlhe!, and each lal)oring, as bef,omes all me-i, to devote the mieaus which he possesses, to thle furtherenee of the interests of immortal souls. ~ i