tells us, that In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth; and that after the earth was created, it was without form and void, and then calls it the deep and the waters, he certainly speaks of the creation of the chaos." And what can be more rational than such a conclusion? Unchangeable purposes, can effect. In The pre-existent chaos of the ancients, or of matter existing from eternity, is a doctrine, as we have already seen, which is merely hypothetical, having no foundation in truth. But in the very first sentence of the Bible, Moses seems to determine the point, and to place it in its proper light, when he declares, that "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth:" that he created, or produced them from nothing, as the word signifies. Nor does the effect exceed the cause, when Omnipotent power is the acting Agent; according to the undeniable maxim, That an infinite agent can produce infinite effects. The above expression concerning God's " creating the heavens and the earth," (Gen. i. 1.) must be regarded in a general sense, for his calling into existence the materials of which the whole heavens and the earth, or all the celestial and terrestrial bodies, are composed. For, from generals, Moses descends to particulars in the following verse. Thus does it appear, that the foundations of this most glorious work, are laid by Moses exactly where even reason says they ought to be-namely, in the production of materials on which To confirm this assertion, we have further to observe, that though the Hebrew word 2, which is here rendered created, denotes the production either of substance or form; yet in this first verse it cannot relate to form, because, as it follows in the next verse, "The earth, or terrene mass, was n without form;" or consisted of loose unconnected and confused particles; unlike any thing we can conceive, as the whole was matter, not as we now see it, but in its elementary state. As the word 2 create, therefore, as applied to "the earth," in the first verse, denotes the production not of its form, but of its substance; so for the same reason, when applied to the 66 heavens," it must likewise denote the production not of the form of the heavenly bodies, but of the substance of which they are composed. It is hence to be particularly noticed, that in this first sentence of the sacred volume, we have a general account of the production or creation of the materials of which "the heavens and the earth" are made; or of that substance which entered into the formation of all those bodies which the apostle styles trial," and which consist of Sun, Moon, and Stars, differing from each other in glory. 1 Cor. xv. 40, 41. This is said to have been the first work of God in the material universe; to have been created " In the beginning." This is the sense in which many of the Christian Fathers, as they have been called, understood the passage. Thus," celestial bodies, and bodies terresServerian, in his discourses concerning the creation, considers God as having bestowed the first of the six days, in the creation of his materials.* Augustine, in like manner, by the expression, "the heavens and the earth," Gen. i. 1. understands them to be not properly such in the state in which they now exist, but the matter or substance out of which the whole material world was made. † I find Dr. Macknight, among the moderns, of a similar sentiment. In note 1st, on 2 Pet. iii. 5. he says, "Since Moses * Serverian de Mundi Crea. De Gen. adv. Manich, lib. 1. cap. 7. tom. 1. col. 649, et alib. A question here occurs, which, could it be fairly determined, would settle many a dispute. It relates to the period when that which is here called "the beginning," took place. It is a favourite hypothesis with some, that the Mosaic account of the Creation is to be confined to the earth on which we live; and not to extend to the original creation even of that. They s pose the earth to have had a prior state of existence in the form of what they call a chaos; and that all the creation Moses intends, is merely the fitting up of this old fabric, and of furnishing it with plants and animals, in order to render it a suitable habitation for man. They suppose the rest of the universe, the Sun, Moon, Stars, and other heavenly bodies, to have existed, but from what date they cannot say, previously to the Mosaic account of the creation of the Earth; and that many of the present phenomena of the Earth were occasioned by the actions of these bodies upon it during its formation. But such persons, surely, if they admit the Mosaic account, seem not to understand it. If they would only take the trouble of examining the account itself, they will find that Moses had far more extended ideas of the subject:-That he introduces the Divine Being as first creating, in the true sense of the word, the materials of the heavens and the earth, or of the whole visible universe ;-then, as extending a firmament or expansion to divide this matter into the various celestial and terrestrial bodies;-after that, as consolidating them by making a separation between the concrete and fluid parts;—and, lastly, as illuminating the whole heavens, or visible universe, with Sun, Moon, and Stars. They will find, that these vast generals are in the first place circumstantially effected, and afterwards the individual particulars ;-that this earth is but a small portion of the great Jehovah's work; that he operated on a Universe, on thousands, and perhaps millions of worlds; that he created the matter of them, and formed and arranged them all, in one and the same instant of time; that therefore, if the complicated system of this earth, be such as to excite the wonder and astonishment of men, and to fill their unbelieving minds with ideas of the impossibility of such a stupendous and complicated fabric being formed in the period which Moses assigns to it-here is something greater still to excite their marvel! They will find, that they are directed to the formation, not merely of one world, but of millions, all brought into existence; and from the birth of existence to the most consummate perfection, within that short space! " In one word, they will find, that Moses is speaking not of the creation of the earth only, but also of the heavens; of the sun, moon, and stars, which were created, or made to appear as they continue still to do, on the fourth day;—that he is speaking not of the earth as it regards man only, but also as it regards all other animals, the first of which were brought into existence on the fifth day. I repeat it again, they will indeed find, that it is not the creation of this solitary globe alone, but of the whole universe, of which Moses treats: and that he proceeds in the brief, but admirable order, from the first production of matter in its rude and elemental state, till he has the whole formed and arranged, by gradations the most exquisite, into that orderly and beautiful fabric which it still exhibits! “The beginning," therefore, is that ever memorable and momentous period when the whole visible universe was called into existence. Nor is this beginning which the scripture ascribes to the universe, some past period of utter uncertainty. So far from it, that of this great event, the sacred writers, and the subsequent inhabitants of the globe, have never lost sight: for a continued series of the most authentic chronology, from that moment up to the present times, is evidently demonstrable. Nor can any thing that rises higher than conjecture, be opposed to this rational statement of the origin of things. And what is conjecture when it comes in competition with stubborn facts? "To the Mosaic account of the Creation, and the recent existence of the world, have been objected the antiquity and the multiplicity of certain lavas and volcanoes. But have these observations been accurately made? Volcanoes must have emitted their fiery currents more frequently in the earlier ages, when the earth was more covered with forests, and when the ocean, loaded with its vegetable spoils, supplied more abundant matter to their furnaces. Besides, it is impossible for us (every supernatural cause being equally impenetrable to man) to distinguish between what is old and what is modern in the structure of the world. The hand of creation must have manifested the impress of ages upon it, from the moment of its birth. Were we to suppose it eternal, and aban doned to the laws of motion simply, the period must be long past, when there could not have been the smallest rising on its surface. The action of the rains, of the winds, and of gravity, would have brought down every particle of land to the level of the seas." "It is not in the works of God, but in those of men, that we are enabled to trace epochs. All our monuments announce the late creation of the earth which we inhabit. If it were, I will not say eternal, but of high antiquity only, we should surely find some productions of human industry much older than from three to four thousand years, such as all those are that we are acquainted with. We have certain substances on which time makes no very perceptible alteration. I have seen, in the possession of the intelligent Count de Caylus, constellation rings of gold, or Egyptian talismans, as entire as if they had just come from the hand of the workman. Savages, who have no knowledge of iron, are acquainted with gold, and search after it, as much for its durability as for its shining colour. Instead, then, of finding antiquities of only 3000 or 4000 years, such as those of the most ancient nations, we ought to possess some of 60, of 100, of 200,000 years.-Lucretius, who ascribes the creation of the world to atoms, on a system of physics altogether unintelligible, admits that it is quite a recent production."* It is by a similar train of argumentation, that Bishop Burnet very properly reasons for the recent production of the earth. And for my part, after having seen the utter futility of the method of accounting for the phenomena of the globe, upon the principle of extending the days of the creation to periods of immeasurable length, I conclude that there can be no doubt of the matter, that the earth must have been formed in the space of six days, as Moses expressly asserts, from the period which is here styled the beginning; and that the space which has since elapsed down to the present times, is about five thousand eight hundred and twenty-four years. This important point being thus determined, what remains now to be done is to trace the causes in the original formation and subsequent history of the globe, that shall account * St. Pierre's Studies of Nature. pp. 110, 111. for the phenomena which it still presents. With this view we proceed with the subject in hand. From generals, I say, in verse 1st, Moses descends to particulars in ver. 2. And first he remarks, That "the earth" or terrene mass, "was without form, and void." 66 For the terrene mass to be without form, as we have already seen, signifies that the creative process had been exerted in producing substance only, without imparting to it any other properties. It seems to have had no other property than that of something which existed. While, therefore, the terrene mass was without form," it was also "void;" hollow, empty, as some interpret the word; destitute, as the nature of the subject implies, of the properties of matter-a substance entirely of a sui generis, like nothing in this world, and fit for nothing, unless it went through some further operation effected by the same power that gave it being. It was 66 void;" that perhaps is, destitute or devoid of those properties of figure, density, and the like, which now exist in all matter; and are necessary to its mechanical, chemical, and other operations. It is added, "And darkness was upon the face of the deep," or confused shapeless mass. The word deep, it is to be observed, applies here to the whole of this terrene mass, which, for aught we know, at this time in its clementary state, filled the whole of that immense space which is now the place of the visible universe; and therefore, with propriety may be called the deep, the abyss, the chaos, the confused and formless mass, as the original word signifies; from which all the bodies of the universe, celestial and terrestrial, alike obtained their substance. What mass, therefore, could be denominated the deep, in comparison of a mass which occupied such a space? It is said, "And darkness was upon the face or faces of the deep." It is in the plural. That is, it (viz. darkness) pervaded every particle of matter which the deep contained; not merely the exterior surface, if we can conceive it to have had one, but every particle throughout the whole mass,extending, as we have above seen, to the utmost limits of the visible uni , in its verbal signification, means to impede action or motion; to restrain, keep back, or stop; and therefore, as a noun, as in this passage, it must imply a total want of motion, a state of stagnation, rest, or absolute quiescence. What was it therefore, that was in this state? It was the "deep," the chaos, the earthy or terrene mass, or matter in its primary and original condition as first called into existence, and declared to be "without form and void." And that we seem to be right in our interpretation of this last expression, as signifying a total want of those properties of figure, density, and the like, which are necessary to those mechanical, chemical, and other attractions which incessantly go on in matter in its present state, appears to be pretty clearly demonstrated by the declaration of the fact, that "darkness" or absolute quiescence, or want of motion, or energy of every kind, reigned over the whole chaotic mass; not over its surface only, but pervaded every particle to its very centre. The whole as yet consisted of dead matter, in the true sense of the word; of a stagnant, motionless, inert substance, of which we can scarcely form any conception, without either weight or levity, motion or energy, or any other power whatever.* Nor, let it be observed, was it by the particles of light penetrating the particles of matter in its chaotic state, that first communicated motion and energy to that shapeless, and confused, and stagnant mass. This is, indeed, the hypothesis of which some philosophers appear to be so fond; for they seem disposed to admit any thing, however absurd, rather than acknowledge the immediate operation of a divine agent. But I would here tell them a secret ..... which they do not seem to know, That the first thing which gave energy and motion to the particles of this chaotic mass, was God himself. Ere yet light was created, or wind, or any thing that could cause the smallest motion or breath in the silent dead..... deep "The Spirit of God moved," or л, caused a tremulous, vibratory, or fluttering kind of motion all over the surface, and which penetrated into the very centre: even a motion upon all the " faces of the deep," over which the absolute quiessence reigned:-which motion doubtless communicated to every particle of dead matter, the first principles of those properties which to this day it possesses; and by which alone it is rendered capable of answering all the complication of purposes it is destined to fulfil in the astonishingly curious constitution of this world. To ascribe to light this power, is equally hypothetical as the fortuitous concourse of the atoms of Epicurus; and, upon examination, it will be found to lead to the same atheistical conclusion. But happily for us, the Mosaic account determines the matter, and leaves infidels without excuse, by declaring that God himself first created the chaotic substance of which the material part of the universe is composed; and, secondly, impressed upon it those energies and powers which still fit it to answer so many wonderful purposes in the economy of the world! Thus, therefore, is demonstrated the second effect of Divine creative power. Having determined these points, I observe in the next place, That the chaotic substance in which this motion took place, is called, "waters;" a word which signifies plurality or multitude; alluding, as Mr. Macnab observes,† "to the integrant points or particles of matter, resembling water, though water itself, as we see it, was not yet formed." *This literal representation of the chaos is the very opposite of the description of Milton, who represents the Son of God coming to create the world, attended by the heavenly host, thus---tering or tremulous motion, caused by On heavenly ground they stood; and from the shore They view'd the vast immeasurable abyss Outrageous as the sea, dark, wasteful, wild, Up from the bottom turn'd by furious winds And surging waves, as mountains, to assault Heav'n's highth, and with the centre mix the pole: "Silence, ye troubled waves, and thou deep, peace, Said then the Omnific word; your discord end!" The sweet and sublime singer of the Creation, has here evidently struck the lyre upon the wrong note. + Theory, page 22. From a corrupt tradition of the flut the Spirit of God in the primitive chaos, appears to have arisen the opinion of several heathen nations concerning the world's being formed from an egg.‡ Perhaps by the movement among the chaotic particles, here likened to 'waters," excited by the “ Spirit of 66 See Park. Heb. Lex. under 7, and the God," there were imparted to them authorities there quoted. the first principles of their mechanical, chemical, and other properties; if not in the state in which they now exist, at least in an inferior degree, or that of imparting a tendency to receive them. But who can explain to the foundation, how all this was done? Yet, is not the account simple, and the effect evident? Causa latet, vis est notissima. OVID. Catholic Claims. TO THE EDITOR OF THE IMPERIAL SIR, months. not only inconsistent with, and subversive of, the British Constitution, but that they are also opposed to civil and religious liberty. There are certain dogmas in the Creeds and Articles of most of the different denominations of Christians, that are irreconcileable with, and repugnant to, that Christian charity so strongly inculcated in the Sacred Writings, but which were never practically acted upon as a rule of conduct, or were understood in a sense very different from what the modern acceptation of the words would seem to imply. The claims of the Established Church of England to infallibility, if judged by the literal meaning of some of its Articles, and the damnatory passages of its Creeds, would be scarcely less decided than that of Pontifical Rome itself; but it is both unjust and unreasonable to judge of the Catholics of the present day, by the actions, opinions, and principles, of their ancestors. The atrocious principles with which they have been charged, are disclaimed by all classes of that community, and have in fact no more practical existence among them, than among any other body of Christians. The statement by Omega, that their bishops are sworn to "do their utmost to persecute and destroy all heretics, schismatics, and rebels against our lord the Pope," is incorrect: the Catholics had always strongly proThe prejudices connected with reli- tested against the construction put gious feelings, operate more power-upon this passage by their opponents; fully, and are eradicated with greater difficulty, than those of any other kind. Our prejudices against the Catholics are instilled into our minds from very infancy: the atrocities committed in times of civil discord and dissension, instead of being attributed to the ignorance of the times, are related to us, even before we have left the nursery, as if they were inseparably connected with a particular religious sect; and so strong are the impressions then made, connecting and associating themselves with the best feelings of our nature, that even when reason is convinced of their fallacy, we cannot obliterate the impression. The question of Catholic Emancipation, is one of great importance, and demands a calm and dispassionate discussion. It is but justice to a large portion of our fellow subjects, to inquire, if the principles with which they are charged, are those by which they are guided and actuated? or, if we have not assumed as unquestionable, what has no better authority or foundation than the assertion of their enemies? That the Catholics of Great Britain and Ireland, have abstractedly a right to all the privileges of their fellow subjects, is indisputable; the grounds of their exclusion from some of the most important are, that their principles are No. 16.-VOL. II. but in order to prevent any misunderstanding respecting it, Pius the Sixth, in 1792, caused this clause in the oath to be omitted altogether; since which time it has not been taken by any of the Irish Roman Catholic prelates.* It is well known, that Mr. Pitt, about the year 1789, caused certain questions to be proposed to six of the principal Catholic Universities; viz. Louvain, Douay, Sorbonne, Alcala, Valladolid, and Salamanca, respecting those points which had caused the greatest alarm to Protestants. The tenets imputed to them were distinctly disclaimed by the whole of these learned bodies; and great surprise was expressed, that a people so intelligent as the English, could think such Cox Hippesley, published in 1810, which con* See an Appendix to a speech of Sir John tains a great deal of important information on this question. 2 E |
