Abstract
The history of creation is the only part of Scripture which can be said to involve direct scientific teaching. Elsewhere, indeed, the facts and phenomena of Nature with which Science has to do are frequently alluded to; but inasmuch as these are never the object of Scripture teaching, but only the accessories or illustrations of it; inasmuch, also, as in all such cases there existed a natural knowledge of the matters referred to, on the part both of writers and readers; it is open to the interpreter of Scripture to repudiate all scrutiny or objection of science, on the ground that scientific accuracy was wholly unnecessary to accomplish the end that Scripture had in view, and general fairness of use all that the analogy of Scripture-history would lead us to expect. Whether this twofold plea be considered sufficient or not in the cases referred to, it is clear that in regard to creation it is of no avail. For here no natural knowledge of the facts could exist, to whose partial and phenomenal character any scientific inaccuracy in the record might be ascribed. The knowledge of nature possessed by the original writers and readers of the Bible (revelation beign put on one side) could plainly have extended at most no further than the first appearance of man upon the earth. But the Scriptural cosmogony deals in the main with nature as it was before man's appearance. The narrative which it containes must either, therefore, be a mere string of fancies, the product of human imagination; or, if true, it must be the result of Divine revelation. But, again, the object which this cosmogony has in view is far too intimately connected with the facts it details to allow there to be regarded as non-essential or unimportant. Its design is not merely to use the history of creation in illustration of scriptural truth, but de novo to set forth what that history was, and so convey that teaching which creation rightly regarded is intrinsically fraught with. These considerations show at once the unique position and exalted claim of the Biblical cosmogony, as a professed revelation of otherwise unknown natural facts, whose narration as facts is an essential part of the purpse in view. Whatever may be said, then, of other parts of Scripture, where scientific matters are more or less distantly and indirectly touched upon, this opening section not only allows but demands the keenest scientfic investigtion. To bestow such investigation is the object of the present paper.