CHAPTER IV. CHAP. IV. THE historian proceeds to his Second Article; PART II. in which, he relates the events that distinguished the second diurnal revolution of this globe. "And GOD said, Let there be a FIRMAMENT "in the midst of the waters: and let it divide the "waters from the waters. "And GOD made the firmament, and divided "the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firma"ment. "And it was so: and GOD called the firma"ment HEAVEN. "And the evening and the morning were the 66 SECOND DAY." The word 'p, which our version renders firmament, from the Latin firmamentum, is rendered by the Alexandrian interpreters στερέωμα ; which word denotes a firm and permanent support. This support, was to sustain a part of the waters, which were now to be separated from the waters beneath. PART II. CHAP. IV. This article implies; that there were waters above the aqueous surface of the globe, which were separable, though not yet actually separated, from it. It therefore relates; that the universally incumbent watery vapour, which had been continually in course of exhalation, during the preceding day, from the universal watery surface, was now raised to a high elevation above it, by the creation of the aerial atmosphere; so that the vaporous body formed a canopy above the globe, instead of enveloping it, like a cloak, in immediate contact with the water. Rosenmuller well applies, to this place, the remark of Pliny: "what can be more wonderful, than waters stationary in the sky!-quid esse mirabilius "potest aquis in cælo stantibus! 1" The globe was thus disengaged from its incumbent vapour, but still, the effect of light was alone apparent; for, congregated clouds had succeeded to terrestrial mist, and continued to render the cause of that effect non-apparent, and therefore, optically non-existent: as we ourselves experience, during the prevalence of similar weather. It is this that the sacred historian describes, when he says; "for many days "neither sun nor stars appeared." μητε ήλιου μητε αστρων επιφαινόντων επι πλείονας ημερας. Homer 1 PLIN. Hist. Nat. 1. xxxi. 2 Acts, xxvii. 20. describes, much in the same manner, the optical PART II. effect of a continued cloud, enveloping two contending armies during a day of obstinate con flict: ουδε κε φαιης ούτε ποτ' ΗΕΛΙΟΝ στον εμμεναι, ουτε ΣΕΛΗΝΗΝ Around, so dense the murky clouds arise, It seem❜d, nor sun nor moon possessed the skies. The cause of the diversity of day and night, continued therefore to be unapparent, relatively to the earth; but that cause was now in course of perpetual operation, and it therefore now completed the Second Day. CHAP. IV. 1 Iliad. xvii. 366. CHAPTER V. PART II. THE historian now proceeds to his Third Article, which consists of two parts: CHAP. V. "And GOD said; Let the WATERS UNDER THE HEAVEN be gathered together unto ONE PLACE, and let the DRY-LAND appear. And "it was so. "And GOD called the dry-land EARTH, and "the gathering together of the waters called He And GOD saw that it was good. 66 66 SEAS. "And GOD said; Let the EARTH bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the FRUITTREE yielding fruit after its kind, whose seed "is in itself upon the earth. And it was so. 66 66 66 And the earth brought forth grass; and "herb yielding seed after its kind: and the TREE yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after its kind: and God saw that it was good. 66 66 66 "And the evening and the morning were the THIRD DAY." CHAP. V. I. In the first part of this article are briefly PART II. related, two vast and wonderful events; of the most essential importance to the science of a true geology: namely, 1. the formation of a bed, or basin, to receive the mass of waters hitherto equally and interminately diffused over the whole solid and compacted surface of the mineral globe; and, 2. the consequent immediate exposure of a large portion of that globe. The second part of the article, relates the first formation of all the vegetable matter, with which that exposed portion was immediately invested. We may here again observe, with Rosenmuller1; that on, in the second verse, denotes the abyss, not in any sense of a chaos, but simply, of the sea flowing without limits, as Hesychius explains aßuccos; for, what is called the abyss, in the second verse, is in the same verse called also,, the waters; and the same D-waters, in this verse, become 'D', the sea, merely by being congregated in one place, and therefore, being reduced within limits. II. Previous to these amazing operations, the globe, disengaged from its cloak of mist in consequence of the ascent of the vapours into the higher regions of the atmosphere, presents to |