SECTION VIII.

ALLEGED CONTRADICTIONS TO PHILOSOPHY AND THE NATURE OF

THINGS.

THE Scriptures often refer to matters of fact, which are asserted (though without any proof whatever) to be contradictory to philosophy and to the nature of things. A little consideration, however, will reconcile these alleged repugnances; for it has been well observed by different writers, who have treated on this subject, that the Scriptures were not written with the design of teaching us natural philosophy, but to make known the revealed will of God to man, and to teach us our duties and obligations to our great Creator and Redeemer. Therefore the sacred penman might make use of popular expressions and forms of speech, neither affirming nor denying their philosophical truth. All proverbial sayings and metaphorical expressions introduced by way of illustration or ornament, must be taken from received notions; but they are not therefore asserted in the philosophical sense by him who uses them, any more than the historical truth of parables and similitudes is supposed to be asserted. Further, to have employed philosophical terms and notions only, and to have rectified the vulgar conceptions of men concerning all the phenomena incidentally mentioned in the Scriptures, would have required a large system of philosophy, which would have rendered the Scriptures a book unfit for ordinary capacities, and the greater part of those for whom it is designed. If, indeed, revelation had introduced any the best founded system of modern physics, or if the Almighty Creator had been pleased to disclose the councils themselves of his infinite wisdom, what would have been the consequence? Philosophy would immediately have become matter of faith, and disbelief of any part of it a dangerous heresy. How many infidels would this or that man's fanciful hypothesis concerning the appearances of things have called forth! Besides, if the Scriptures had been made the vehicle for a refined system of natural philosophy, such a theory of nature would have seemed as strange and incredible to most men as miracles do; for there is scarcely any thing which more surprises men, unacquainted with philosophy, than philosophical discoveries. How incredible do the motion of the earth and the rest of the sun appear to all but philosophers, who are now fully convinced of the reality of these phenomena, while the rising and setting of the sun are terms as much in use with those who hold the doctrine of the earth's motion as with others. In fact, if we would be understood, we must continue to make use of this expression; but excepting this one instance, which is and ever will be in use, according to the vulgar conceptions of all nations and languages, (notwithstanding any philosophical discoveries to the contrary,) there is nothing in the Scriptures that is not strictly consistent with the present notions of philosophy. The discoveries both in chemistry and in physics, as well as in natural history, which have been made in later times, concur in many instances to confirm and elucidate the sacred writings. A few examples will illustrate the preceding observations.

1. No fact recorded in the sacred writings has been a more favourite subject of cavil with modern objectors, than the account of the creation, related in the two first chapters of the book of Genesis. Founding their

cavils upon translations, instead of consulting the original Hebrew, (which their ignorance completely disqualified them from doing), they have pretended that the Mosaic narrative is alike inconsistent with reason and with true philosophy. If, however, these writers had impartially considered the modern discoveries in philosophy, they would have found nothing to contradict, but on the contrary much-very much—to confirm the relation of Moses.

"The structure of the earth," says one of the most profound geologists and practical philosophers of the present day," and the mode of distribution of extraneous fossils or petrifactions, are so many direct evidences of the truth of the Scripture account of the formation of the earth; and they might be used as proofs of its author having been inspired; because the mineralogical facts discovered by modern naturalists were unknown to the sacred historian. Even the periods of time, the six days of the Mosaic description,― are not inconsistent with our theories of the earth." Nor are the phenomena of the heavenly bodies at all contradictory to the Mosaic history. Modern opposers of revelation have objected that the historian talks of light before there was any such thing as the sun, and calls the moon a great light, when every one knows it to be an opaque body. But Moses seems to have known what philosophy did not till very lately discover, that the sun is not the original source of light, and therefore he does not call either the sun or the moon a great light, though he represents them both as great luminaries or light-bearers. Had these objectors looked into a Hebrew, Greek, or Latin Bible, they would have found that the word, which in Gen. i. 3. our translators have properly rendered light, is different from that which in the fourteenth verse they have improperly rendered light also. In the third verse the original word is (aur); the Greek, pws; and the vulgate Latin, lur; in the fourteenth verse the corresponding words are N, (mart), pwornpes, and luminaria. Each of the former set of words means that subtile, elastic matter, to which in English we give the name of light; each of the latter, the instruments, or means, by which light is transmitted to men. But surely the moon is as much an instrument of this kind, as the reflector placed behind the lamp of a light-house, for the purpose of transmitting to the mariner at sea the light of that lamp, which would otherwise have passed in an opposite direction to the land. Though the moon is not a light in itself, yet is that planet a light in its effects, as it reflects the light of the sun to us. And both the sun and moon are with great propriety called great, not as being absolutely greater than all other stars and planets, but because they appear greater to us, and are of greater use and consequence to this world. And now, after all our improvements in philosophy and astronomy, we still speak of the light of the moon, as well as of the sun's motion, rising and setting. And the man, who in a moral, theological, or historical discourse, should use a different language, would only render himself ridiculous.

In like manner, had these objectors referred to the original Hebrew of Gen. i. 6, 7, 8. (which in our English authorised version, as well as in other modern versions, is erroneously rendered firmament, after the Septuagint and Vulgate Latin version), they would have rendered it expanse; and they might have known, that it meant the air or atmosphere around us, in which birds fly and clouds are formed, and that it had no reference whatever to a solid firmament; though such an idea was entertained by the antient Greek philosophers, who, with all their boasted wisdom, were nearly as ignorant of the works, as they were of the nature of God. And does not this circumambient air divide the waters from the waters, the waters of the sea from the waters which float above us in clouds and vapours? For there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth. (Jer. x. 13.)

Once more, Moses represents the earth at first in a state of fluidity. The spirit of God, says he, moved upon the face (or surface) of the waters. (Gen.i. 2.) The apostle Peter also speaks of the earth as being formed out of a fluid. The earth

1 Professor Jameson, in page v. of his Preface to Mr. Kerr's translation of M. Cuvier's Essay on the Theory of the Earth.

standing out of the water (more correctly, consisting of water di vdatos ouveswoa), and in the midst of the water. The same tradition reached also some of the antient heathen philosophers; and Thales, in particular, one of the seven wise men and the wisest of them all, as Cicero informs us, said that all things were made out of water. Others after him taught the same doctrine 2: and is it in the least degree contradicted or disproved by modern discoveries? On the contrary, is it not more and more confirmed and illustrated by them? It is well known that if a soft or elastic globular body be rapidly whirled round on its axis, the parts at the poles will be flattened, and the parts on the equator, midway between the north and south poles, will be raised up. This is precisely the shape of our earth; it has the figure of an oblate spheroïd, a figure bearing a close resemblance to that of an orange. Now, if the earth was ever in a state of fluidity, its revolution round its axis must necessarily induce such a figure, because the greatest centrifugal force must necessarily be near the equatorial parts, and consequently there the fluid must rise and swell most. It has been demonstrated by experiment, that the earth is flattened at the poles and raised at the equators: and thus do the Scriptures and philosophy agree together and confirm each other. The Scriptures assert that the earth was in a state of fluidity; and philosophy evinces that it must have been in such a state from its very figure.

The account of the creation of man (Gen. i. 26, 27.) has been ridiculed by all opposers of revelation; but can they furnish us with one more likely to be the true one? Reason will tell us no better than history or tradition does, how man came into the world. This therefore is a subject of divine revelation, and until the objectors to revelation can give us a better account, we may safely affirm that the Mosaic history is perfectly consistent with every idea which right reason teaches us to entertain of the creation of man.

Lastly, objectors to the Scriptures have laid great stress upon the expression in Gen. ii, 3. — God rested the seventh day from all his work, as if it were alone sufficient to destroy the authority of the Mosaic writings. But no one, who impartially considers the noble account there given of the creation, that God is represented as having only spoken and it was done, can reasonably imagine, that the Almighty was tired with labour, as if he had moulded every thing with his hands, and that on the seventh day he lay or sat down for rest. Hast thou not known, says the Hebrew prophet Isaiah,-hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? (Isa. xl. 28.)

The objections drawn by infidel writers from the Mosaic narrative of the deluge have already been noticed in pp. 169–185. of this volume.

2. The declaration of Moses in Deut. i. 10. that God had multiplied the Israelites as the stars of heaven for multitude, has been ridiculed, because to the apprehension of the objector the number of the stars is infinite.'

Let us however consider this subject. How many in number are the stars, which appear to the naked eye? For it is that which appears to the naked eye, which is to govern us in replying to this objection: for God brought Abraham forth abroad,—that is, out of doors, and bade him look towards heaven, (Gen. xv. 5.),

1 Princeps Thales, unus e septem cui sex reliquos concessisse primas ferunt, ex aquæ dixit constare omnia. Ciceronis Academic. Quæst. lib. ii. c. 37. Op. tom. x. p. 118. edit. Bipont. 2 The reader will find the sentiments of the philosophers above alluded to, in the notes to Grotius de Veritate, lib. i. c. 16.

3 This was first conjectured by Sir Isaac Newton, and confirmed by M. Cassini and others, who measured several degrees of latitude at the equator and at the north pole; and found that the difference perfectly justified Sir Isaac Newton's conjecture, and consequently confirmed the truth of the Mosaic narrative. The result of the experiments, instituted to determine this point, proved, that the diameter of the earth at the equator is greater by more than twenty-three miles than it is at the poles.

not with a telescope, but with his naked eyes. Now, let the objector go forth into the open air, and look up in the brightest and most favourable night, and count the stars. Not more than 3010 stars can be seen by the naked eye in both the northern and southern hemispheres; but at the time alluded to, the Israelites, independently of women and children, were more than six hundred thousand. Suppose, however, we even allow, from the late discoveries made by Sir Wm. Herschel and others with telescopes, which have magnified between thirty-five and thirty-six thousand times, that there may be seventy-five millions of stars visible by the aid of such instruments, which is the highest calculation ever made; yet still the divine word stands literally true. Matthew says (i. 17.) that the generations from Abraham to Christ were forty-two. Now we find at the second census, that the fighting men among the Hebrews amounted to 600,000; and the Israelites, who have never ceased to be a distinct people, have so multiplied that, if the aggregate number of them who have ever lived, could be ascertained, it would be found far to exceed the number of all the fixed stars taken together.

3. The speaking of Balaam's ass (Numb. xxii. 28.) has been a standing jest to infidels in almost every age.

If the ass had opened her own mouth, and reproved the rash prophet, we might well be astonished. Maimonides and others have imagined that the matter was transacted in a vision. But it is evident, from the whole tenor of the narration, as well as from the declaration of an inspired writer (2 Pet. ii. 14-16.), that it is to be understood as a literal narrative of a real transaction. The ass, it has been observed, was enabled to utter such and such sounds, probably as parrots do, without understanding them: and, whatever may be said of the construction of the ass's mouth, and of the tongue and jaws being so formed as to be unfit for speaking, yet an adequate cause is assigned for this wonderful effect for it is expressly said, that the Lord opened the mouth of the ass. The miracle was by no means needless or superfluous: it was very proper to convince Balaam, that the mouth and tongue were under God's direction, and that the same divine power, which caused the dumb ass to speak contrary to its nature, could make him in like manner utter blessings contrary to his inclination. The fact is as consonant to reason as any other extraordinary operation; for all miracles are alike, and equally demand our assent, if properly attested. The giving of articulation to a brute is no more to the Deity, than the making of the blind to see, or the deaf to hear. And the reputed baseness of the instrument, of which God was pleased to make use, amounts merely to this, that (as the apostle observes on another occasion) God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. (1 Cor. i. 27.) There was therefore a fitness in the instrument used, for the more vile the means were, the fitter they were to confound the unrighteous prophet.

4. It has been affirmed that the circumstance of the sun and moon standing still, which is recorded in Joshua x. 12. is contrary to philosophy.

Let it however be recollected that the sacred historian expressly relates it as a miracle: it is therefore impossible to account for it on philosophical principles; it must be resolved wholly into the power of God, who hearkened to the voice of à man to stop the luminaries in their diurnal courses, or perhaps the earth's rotation, and by prolonging the day of battle to make them fight for Israel. From the circumstances of the narrative we may collect the time of the day and of the month when it happened, viz. soon after sun-rise, and when the moon was rather past the full.

"Joshua, when summoned by the Gibeonites to come to their succour against the confederate kings, went up from Gilgal all night, and came suddenly (we may conclude about day break) upon the enemy, whom he discomfited with great slaughter, and chased along the way from Gibeon to Beth-horon, in a westerly direction, the Lord co-operating in their destruction by a tremendous shower of great hail-stones, which slew more than the sword of the Israelites, but did not touch the latter. In this situation the sun appeared to rise over Gibeon eastward,

and the moon to set over Ajalon westward, near the Mediterranean Sea, in the tribe of Dan; when Joshua, moved by a divine impulse, uttered this invocation in the sight of Israel: -" Sun, stand thou still over Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon." "So the sun stood still in the hemisphere [at its rising], and hasted not to go down [at its setting] about a whole day; which, in that climate, and shortly after the vernal equinox, might have been about thirteen hours long, thus giving him day-light for the destruction of his enemies for twenty-six hours, during which he took the city of Makkedah, and slew the five kings who hid themselves in a cave near it." (Josh. x. 1-28.)

The object of this miracle was of the most important and impressive nature. The sun and the moon, the two principal gods of the idolatrous heathen nations, were commanded to yield miraculous obedience to the chief servant of the true God; and thereby to contribute to the more effectual conquest of their own worshippers. It was a miracle of the same description as those which had been wrought in Egypt. With respect to the objections to the probability of this miracle, which originate in a consideration of its supposed consequences, it is justly observed by Bishop Watson, that the machine of the universe is in the hand of God: he can stop the motion of any part or of the whole, with less trouble than either of us can stop a watch!' How absurd then are the reasonings of those men who believe in the existence of an omnipotent God, yet deny the possibility of the exertion of his power in other ways, than those which are known to their limited experience! 2

5. The beautiful poetical passage in Judges v. 20. has been stigmatised as a species of Jewish rant and hyperbole.'

6

A tempest meeting the enemy in the face discomfited them: and the torrent Kishon was so suddenly swelled by the rain (which common opinion ascribed to the planets), as to sweep away the greater part of Sisera's army in their precipitate flight. Hence the poetess calls it the first or the prince of torrents. The whole is exceedingly poetical, notwithstanding the censure of the opposers of revelation, whose cavils are characterised not more by want of taste, than by wilful ignorance and malignity of disposition.

6. It is said that such a number of inhabitants, as are stated to have dwelt in the land of Canaan, could not possibly have been supported there, viz. a million and a half of fighting men. (2 Sam. xxiv. 9. 1 Chron. xxi. 5.)

To this it is to be answered, that if there be no mistake in the numbers (which probably are incorrect, as the Syriac version reads eight hundred thousand in 2 Sam. xxiv. 9. and 1 Chron. xxi. 5.) this vast population is to be ascribed to the extraordinary fertility of the soil. Another solution of this apparent contradiction has been offered by a late writers, which is both ingenious and probable. "It appears," he observes," from Chronicles, that there were twelve divisions of generals, who commanded monthly, and whose duty it was to keep guard near the king's person, each having a body of troops consisting of twenty-four thousand men, which jointly formed a grand army of two hundred and eighty thousand: and, as a separate body of twelve thousand men naturally attended on the twelve princes of the twelve tribes, mentioned in the same chapter, the whole will be three hundred thousand; which is the difference between the two last accounts of eight hundred thousand and of one million one hundred thousand. 4 Whence may be deduced this natural solution as to the number of Israel. As to the men of Israel, the author of Samuel does not take notice of the three hundred

1 Dr. Hales's New Analysis of Chronology, vol. i. p. 290. The reader, who is desirous of reading the different opinions of learned men, on the subject of this miracle, is referred to Mr. Hewlett's note on Josh. x. 12. (Comment on the Bible, vol. i.) and to an original and elaborate note of Dr. A. Clarke on the same passage. ? Townsend's arrangement of the Old Testament, vol. i. p. 463. note. 3 The editor of the quarto edition of Calmet's Dictionary of the Bible.

ments, No. xxxvii. pp. 62, 63.

4 Vide Alichot Holam, p. 18.

See Frag