The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1871-10-31
For the REGISTER
SpiTituaiistic Exuviae.-NO. 2.

The Spirit gentlemen and ladies arr,
as scientific explorers and devotees, great.
ly exercised about the age of the world
or, at least, rs Moses gave it. They are
very sorry, suppose. that he didn't
crafty them in their very ancient ideas
of its debut among the spheres of the uni.
verse. And they have found "a key"
which shows how extremely modern,
Moses ideas were Of the worlds begin.
ming. Less than six thousand years they
allege he teaches us. in the famous first
chapter Of Genesis. But how do they
prove that ? Why. by tracing the chron.
ology from Adam to the Deluge, which is
no matter how much,-for how does
its sixteen hundred years prove anything
to the purpose ? Was Adam the begin.
ming Of creation ? Moses makes him the
ending. "In the beginning God created
the heavens and the earth,' and on the
sixth day he created man. But, reply
these scientific Spi:itists, Adam, accord
ing to this, was created but six days sub.
seNHusat A son3. 70 81 1.-The beginning."-But six
scientists would like to place it where
best it will suit their Bible-hating pur-
pose. They find sneei a very conven-
lent thing, with which to dispose of the
views Of Chalmers, Buckland. Sedgewick,
Conybeare, Pye Smith, Hitchcock, Nc
Caul aud other eminent divines and geol.
ogists. They call the views of such men,
"straws clutched by drowning theologians
to save them from the unscientifc and es.
pecially the iugeologic character of gene.
steal cosmogomy."
Very well, we don't claim, nobody does
or ever did, that the bible was written es-
pecialy Us scientific treatise, but We
have yet to learn that He who inspired
holy men to write it, caused it to be
written in contravention Of any true sci
euce. 1t has not yet been proved that
He did SO in any. single instance.
But to the point at issue. "Iu the
beginning God created the heavens and
the earth" Now what does Moses act
ually tell US in this language? He says
FIRST, in Reshith mot in the Reshith), Elo.
h,m created the heavens and the earth.
The antiquity and correctness of this
reading" says Dr.. McCaul. "are prov.
ed by the Septuagint, Chaldee.and Syriac
versions" The meaning is plainly seen
in the first verse Of St. Johns gospel,
pointedy referring as it does to Gen. l /;
l. in the beginning" says Dean AL.
ford, sis equivalent to "before the world
was" Tholuck says that the phrase ex-
presses "cternity parte ante. So does
Meyer. De Wette, and the Jewish Tar
gum. The meaning Of the first verse of
Genesis is, "In Reshith (anteriority) j. Q.
in former times, of old. God created the
heavens and the earth" By the omission
of the article, the application ofthe word
is excluded from the order of creation.
The "beginning" was before the creation
begun. 1t refers to duration and not to
order. 1t does not mean what it does
not say. 1t does not say, in the begin.
ming Of creation God created the heavens
and the earth But it means just what
it does say, the very thing which these
dealers in scientific gloss are determined
it shall not mean, if they can prevent
How long ago was this beginning
Thus long -"Of old"-this former dura'
ton, in which God created the heavens
and the earth. Do you want Lyell's
myriad of ages of geologic timer Take
them and however indefinitely long an.
terror to the creation of Adam" you make
it, care not so far as argument is con
cerned, you will find chronological space
enough for all your geologic years.
Where, then, is the contradiction be
tween geology and Genesis? Not in moi
affording duration for all geologists ma!
wish for their most extravagant theories
Moses words are big enough to take il
all the chronological exuviae that dozeI
spirit conventions can by an ayithmanc,
called into being. So much then fo
time. Now word or two respecting tn
fact Of creation. This Is the second point
The proposition is that "God created.
The word Bara He created" the learn
cd tell Us is very peculiar. There ar
three words they inform us employed il
the old Testament in reference to tn
production o. the world; Bara he Great
ed Yatzar, The formed Asah, be made
between which there is this difierenc
that the two last may be and are used o
men. The Aut word Bara is never pre-
di0atsd Of any created being, angel o