Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-04-15
daily S'ir9iniau.
ruR THE yiRGlNIAN.
Scripture and RoologY.

each of the four orders. Fish. Reptile. Bird and
| Mammal can he plainly seen, and hence in II fig
nratnc sens" may bc apporti"nei to them--wns
srnrccly to be perceived because it was not poss-
BILE 10 apply my accurate criterion 10 determine
| the beginnings aud ends oi these series, us to
allo these To the various orders Of animals. sue
rcsstycly: and we further suggested that il this
relation were seen that it would itself constitute
an obstacle To the process of harmoniang Geology
an! the narrative of Genesis.
The Srhrm" proposed is that Of Chalmers, pub
lished more than quarter OF century since, and
has proved ST. unsatisfactory that many Thcologi-
einns and biologists have cssnycd To accomplish
thu same end by different methods in truth tho
after discoveries compelled that some modification
should be made, aud even nm Abandonment of tho
position.
1t consists in rendering tho first verse and part
al th' second 10 deep inclusive ronclsc
statement Of the mere creation ot mauer Wcnro
thea 10 suppose that the Inspired writer passes
over III silence tnt this point) tho whole vast Geo.
logical formations with their dead, consuming in
their creation and life endless ages; when lhc word
"an r introduces us to the history Of the six days
creations, these hcing creations since the end of
Tia" Tertiary or last Of the Geological series
I" 81, nothing Of the strange silence this
subject likely to excite the curiosity of men in
any age, the Pathological question has its difficult
tl"s, lar, rs writer in an orthodox Journal says.
The llchlcw critics dcmur t. the di>i"ining of
the sacred text affirming thnt tho particle which
opens I'll" second division of the new arrange
mrnt implies an ntsepunLic coaf'nHty with tho
former portion. Without pretending to decide
tins kn"tty question, we must all lac conscious of
no little shock to one iden of the Bible, when
nrc told that in its brief history of u world which
thc longest computations make but little better
than seven thousand years; several previous crca-
tons OF incidentally greater duration, nre prefer
mittcd ~"hom notice. in an imaginary interval, in
the middle Of an nppnrrnily continuous sentence"
Th'r" can he hut little doubt that vast numbers
Of men who have embraced the rcnding Of tho
Scriptures as part of their indispensable duties
vet MT possessed of II clear idea ot what Mo-
scs has sad in regard to the creations Of the six
Days: when. however. the words nrc carefully no.
ted, it will be found that he nnrrntcs that on the
first day created Light operating light
and darkness.
Second day-A armament, which God called
Heaven.
Third aay-pry hind appeared out of the seas
Grass herbs and fruit trees created
Fourth day---Lglts in III" armament to divide
day from night, aud to be fer signs and seasons
and days and years and tho Stars.
Fifth day--t'rcat whales. and every living
thing that moycth, which the waters brough forth
ubundantly, and winged fowl,
Sixth dny-Eycry living thing that crccpcth
upon the earth; beast, cattle, and Man.
Shall we expect to find the successive orders
range themselves in reference to tho whole scnfc
OF Geology and of Genesis: or. in reference only
to each portion of the Geologic Series and to be-
put into relation to the days in succession, and
thus show the Tour orders oi animals aud plants
to have made their appearance in both, thus -:
first, Fish; second, Reptile; third, Bird; fourth
Mammal
Suppose TINT it is the latter relation which il
expected to lie lnnnd-wc shall then find the land
plants, grass herbs and fruit trcos greatly in
advance Of Fish. and having an intervening day
upon which the sun and Moon were created;
that in the first step this relation is not to be per
ccived-but it may be the other viz: that looking
from the beginning to the end of the six days
creations we perceive an advance which includes
the Genal order 1t it be this the third day is as
to land creatures before the corresponding animals
two days: and when the animals are created
they rise to the highest at once, Mmmais as rep
resented hv understandable Reptiles arc omitted
il it be said that ''moving creatures mean creep
ing creatures or Reptiles, then they created off
the sixth day, aud there ~ no further elevation
throughout the dny until Man is created. The
relation of plants so far IA Genesis mentions
them, does u It sustain this view any better; they
were created ON the third day in advance of tho
sun and moon and stars, and no further additions
were made 10 the series of plants. they were ap-
parently completed on the third day. Would we
not expect 10 find the fifth and sixth days plants
corresponding in elevation to the types OF animals
On those days as $. X. {. perceived in the days
sons
But if these objections should be found not suf-
fcient to lnv aside Chalmers scheme and seek for
some better mode of reconciliation, there are still
some which are considered ronclusivs against tho
scheme of beginning tho Six days Of Creation
after the last Of the Geological formations.
Tho princi pie of adaptation, principle which
is 30 much and so properly insisted upon is not
permitted to apply; is prevented; by supposing
that plants created before the sun, moon and
stars or in order to nvohl this want of adaptation
pure assumption is demanded, that some other
light Of different character but having the same
kind of influence vegetation substituted
Temporarily and to be removed superseded on
the next day-whch in itself is asking too much
since we inquirng what are the RATIONAL egit-
innate modes of reconciling these two apparently
discrepant histories and thus we are not to con-
ceve that because it was not an impossible thing
for the Creator to have chosen this arrangement
that therefore lie did, and the evidence for this is
merely its conceivabeness as Il possibility.
This theory demands that Chaos should have
Immediately preceded the present Creation; but
which nevertheless permitted great numbers OF
species of plants and animals to cscape-a chaos
which permitted order to lire in ard Through IT.
for small animals contemporaries of the Extinct
Horse Rhinoceras, Bear &c. of tho Tertiary for
nation must have existed before. through and
after this Chaos, if Geologic Science is to be be-
lieved.
Buff the Chaos existed of "a partial character"
q chaos extending over limited district of the
globe, n chaos zen petite' and all the remainder
Of the earth basked in tranquility; DR.. Pye
Smith TO meet the discoveries of Geology since
Chalmers day. suggested; we can scarcely believe
the sacred record to have made SO false an impress
sion as to narrate that chaos existed words to
that effect-when the disturbance was of SO small
and inconsiderable character.
Not only does Geology deny this Chaotic state
Ln.xc hn.. dol 4 2Ln. -,