1857.] Science and the Bible. 521
peared in the heavens. Geology, also, makes this an event long after the earth's beginning; and it may be shown to be probable, though not actually demonstrated, that this occurred after the earliest dry land appeared.
The
Bible says that vegetation was created with the first appearance of
land, before animal life. Science gathers but indistinct records from
the earth on this point; yet, plainly, has no counter-statement; and,
as far as there are any indications, they favor the above.1
The Bible says that the world had a beginning. Geology, by its very system of progress, points to a beginning.
Thus
it is clear, that there is an accordance, to a considerable extent;
and that facts in science are stated in the Bible, although not there
recorded simply as scientific facts.
Geological
science commences with the fact of the earth's fluidity, and cannot go
back of this; leaving the hints respecting earlier time to be gathered
from other sciences. If the nebular hypothesis be not true, and the
earth was, at first, a chaotic sphere, then we should infer, from
science, that the light of the first day was the light communicated to the chaos — and similarly, for all parts of the universe, at once. The second day
would be that of the first appearance of the waters, as an ocean,
separated from the " swaddling band " of vapors above. The third day would be that of the first appearance of dry land, and the creation of vegetation ; the fourth, the appearance of the sun, moon, and stars ; the fifth, the
creation of animals, from the lowest to reptiles and birds (with some
inferior quadrupeds in the latter half of the era) ; the sixth, the creation of quadrupeds (age of mammals), and, lastly, of man.2
If the nebular hypothesis be true, as supposed in Professor Guyot's exposition of the chapter, then the light of the first day would be the first light in the great deep or universe chaos. The second day
would correspond, either to the evolution of worlds, including the
earth, from the chaos or nebula, as suggested by Prof. Guyot ; or else,
the earth
1 See our first Article, Bib. Sac.. Jan. 1856.
* This is essentially the view brought out many years ago by Prof. Silliman.
Yol. XIV. No. 55. 45
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