Part 21 (1/2)

[Footnote 6: The Feathered Serpent is perhaps the representative of the Dragon and Serpent in the Semitic version; but has not the same evil import, and his color gave sacredness to blue and green stones, as the turquois and emerald, both in North and South America, and perhaps also in Asia and Africa.]

[Footnote 7: I do not think it necessary to attach any value to the doubts of certain schools of criticism as to the Mosaic authors.h.i.+p of the Pentateuch. Whatever quibbles may be raised on isolated texts, no rational student can doubt that we have in these books a collection of authentic doc.u.ments of the Exodus. They are absolutely inexplicable on any other supposition.]

[Footnote 8: ”Cosmos,” Otte's translation.]

[Footnote 9: Hamilton, ”Royal Preacher.”]

[Footnote 10: Harvey, ”Nereis Boreali Americana.”]

[Footnote 11: Osburn, ”Monumental History of Egypt.”]

[Footnote 12: On this subject I may refer naturalists to the intimate acquaintance with animals and their habits, indicated by manner of their use as sacred emblems, and as symbols in hieroglyphic writing. Another ill.u.s.tration is afforded by the Mosaic narrative of the miracles and plagues connected with the exodus. The Egyptian king, on this occasion, consulted the _philosophers_ and _augurs_. These learned men evidently regarded the serpent-rod miracle as but a more skilful form of one of the tricks of serpent-charmers. They showed Pharaoh the possibility of reddening the Nile water by artificial means, or perhaps by the development of red algae in it. They explained the inroad of frogs on natural principles, probably referring to the immense abundance ordinarily of the ova and tadpoles of these creatures compared with that of the adults. But when the dust of the land became gnats (”lice” in our version), this was a phenomenon beyond their experience. Either the species was unknown to them, or its production out of the dry ground was an anomaly, or they knew that no larvae adequate to explain it had previously existed. In the case of this plague, therefore, comparatively insignificant and easily simulated, they honestly confessed--”This is the finger of G.o.d.” No better evidence could be desired that the savans here opposed to Moses were men of high character and extensive observation. Many other facts of similar tendency might be cited both from Moses and the Egyptian monuments.]

[Footnote 13: That in Genesis, chap. ii.]

[Footnote 14: Kitto's Cyclopaedia, art. ”Creation.”]

[Footnote 15: Much that is very silly has been written as to the extent of the supposed ”optical view” taken by the Hebrew writers; many worthy literary men appearing to suppose that _scientific_ views of nature must necessarily be different from those which we obtain by the evidence of our senses. The very contrary is the fact; and so long as any writers state correctly what they observe, without insisting on any fanciful hypotheses, science has no fault to find with them. What science most detests is the ignorant speculations of those who have not observed at all, or have observed imperfectly. It is a leading excellence of the Hebrew Scriptures that they state facts without giving any theories to account for them. It is, on the contrary, the circ.u.mstance that unscientific writers will not be content to be ”optical,” but must theorize, that spoils much of our modern literature, especially in its descriptions of nature.]

[Footnote 16: Prof. Hitchc.o.c.k.]

[Footnote 17: McCosh, ”Typical Forms and Special Ends.”]

[Footnote 18: I adopt that view of the date of Job which makes it precede the Exodus, because the religious ideas of the book are patriarchal, and it contains no allusions to the Hebrew history or inst.i.tutions. Were I to suggest an hypothesis as to its origin, it would be that it was written or found by Moses when in exile, and published among his countrymen in Egypt, to revive their monotheistic religion, and cheer them under the apparent desertion of their G.o.d and the evils of their bondage.]

[Footnote 19: Tyndall seems to hold this.]

[Footnote 20: Newton.]

[Footnote 21: John v., 17; Rom. viii., 22; Heb. i., 2; 2 Peter iii.]

[Footnote 22: Heb. i., 2.]

[Footnote 23: Eph. iii., 9.]

[Footnote 24: 1 Tim. i., 17.]

[Footnote 25: Eph. iv., 11.]

[Footnote 26: Job x.x.xviii. and x.x.xix.]

[Footnote 27: Romans i., 20.]

[Footnote 28: Essays on Theism.]

[Footnote 29: Herschel, Dissertation on the Study of Natural Philosophy; Maxwell, Lecture before the British a.s.sociation.]

[Footnote 30: Carpenter, ”Human Physiology.”]

[Footnote 31: Asah.]

[Footnote 32: McDonald, ”Creation and the Fall.”]