The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1886-07-24
BRIEF NOTES ON THE FIRST
CHAPTER OF GENESIS.
BY REV. W. e. MANLEY, d. D.
Denver, Colo.)
NO. Ix--AND LAST.

Though some OF our remarks in this
article will relate to the first few verses
in the second chapter of Genesis, as
well as being review of the whole
subject, we have not thought best to
change the heading.
These are the generations of the heaUens
and OF the earth aohem they mere created,
IN the dag that the Lord God mode earth
and heaven. ii, 4. We think it great
mistake to suppose that this passage
introduces new account Of creation.
On the contrary, it relates to whas had
gone before, and not to what was to fol-
low after. By generations" the an
thor means those periods that had beea
called days" and they were genera
tions; for at every period something.
had been generated. The same author,
too, calls all these periods dsy Tin
the day that the Lord God mads earth
and heaven" This should settle the
question, as to the meaning of the term,
in the record before us. Besides; the
work assigned to each period required
long time for its accomplishment, and
could not have been done during nst-
ural day, by the application Of any laws
or principles anywhere seen in the uni
verse; And that the Creator brought
into action any other laws or principles
than those that row belong to matter,
is an unwarranteG assumption, with no
evidence from reason or Scripture to
support it.
What was more natural than for the
author, after finishing the record, to
look back, and repeat in general terms,
"These are the generations of the heav-
ems and the earth, +" etc., and especially
after he had given this title to the work
in the first verse Of the account This
view does away with all the discrepen-
cies between the two chapters. When
it is said, 'sThere was not man to till
the ground" there is a. direct reference
back to the time when there was no
vegetation and no RAIN a period dis
tinctly marked in the preceding record.
At that time there was nothing to till,
nor rain to aid tillage;. and mo- need Of
a man to till the ground. The three
things naturally belong together sDd
therefore are associated together by the
writer. Hence as soon as vegetation
commenced, and the rains to fall, man
was made from the ground and the
breath of life breathed into him. This
is in part a repetition of what had
been said before only it is confined to
the body, as more Immediately con-
nected with the prominent idea-the
business of the husbandman.
AS man in the previous record en-
braces both sexes !; so doubtless it does
here. Hence the subsequent passage,
concerning the woman as made out of
a rib, is also repetition, denOting the
manner of her creation as different
from that of man or it must refer las
we think it does) to another matter.
See Biblical Review. Taking the two
passages together, relating to man
and they teach that he was created in
the image of God, which can only refer
to his spirit, and male and female, and
of the dust of the ground; which has
reference to his bodily organism. Other
creatures were made of the dust; fol
the waters and the earth brought then
forth but none of them were made in
the divine image. For this reason
man has dominion over all other erea
lures.
We would remark that, of the frs
three verses of the second chapter, ;
part refers to an event that seems no
, to have taken place, till the delivery O
, the law from Mount Sinai, namely
setting apart and sanctifying the sew
r enth day as a season of rest. 1t ma.
? have been written by Moses, and it ma.
{ have been added by some other author
I The length of the seventh day, whicl
| is given without any limitation, i
s sometimes used as an argument in ia
vor of the great duration Of the othe
t days. The reader will put his own es
? innate upon its value. Surely we can
9 not suppose that the Lord did not worl
Q after the six days; for Jesus said, il
. justification of working on the Sabbath
: ''My Father worketh hitherto, and
work"
y A few observations on the order o
f the creation work will close these arti
t cles. Everything is done at the prope
t time for doing it; nor was any othe