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SHINAR

THE SCRIPTURE RECORD OF THE CONFUSION OF
LANGUAGE AND THE DISPERSION VERIFIED

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RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET

PUBLISHER IN ORDINARY TO HER MAJESTY

1867

101. e. 126.

BOD

Works by the same Author.

SERMONS in STONES; or, Scripture Confirmed by Geology. Tenth Edition, fep. with 19 Illustrations, 4s.

"The object of the Author in this work is to show that the Mosaic narrative of the Creation is reconcilable with the established facts of geology; and that geology not only establishes the truth of the first page of the Bible, but that it furnishes the most direct and sensible evidence of the fact of Divine inspiration, and thereby authenticates the whole canon of Scripture. The Word of God is thus authenticated by His works.' 'The object of this work is to reconcile the discoveries in geology with the Mosaic account of the Creation. The case is clearly made, and the argument cleverly managed.'-SPECTATOR.

LAST DAYS of JERUSALEM and ROME. 8vo. 10s. 6d.

'The book of a reverent student of Scripture.'-GUARDIAN.

ADAM and the ADAMITE.

Plates.

Crown 8vo. 7s. 6d.

'Dr. M'Causland is an eminent geologist and orthodox Christian, and in this work he endeavours to harmonise the statements of science and revelation. He heartily accepts the recent discoveries of a pre-Adamite mankind, the theory of three distinct races of mankind-the Mongol, the Negro, and the Caucasian-and puts the latest conclusions of science on these points in an intelligible and popular way. The book is attractive and useful.'-NOTES AND QUERIES.

(New Edition in the Press.)

RICHARD BENTLEY, New Burlington Street.

LONDON

PRINTED BY SPOTTIS WOODE AND CO.

NEW-STREET SQUARE

SHINAR.

'God drave asunder and assigned their lot
To all the nations.'

THE rapid progress of scientific discovery, and the great increase of human knowledge, are striking characteristics of the present era of the world. Nature is yielding up her secrets abundantly to the inquisitive spirit and persevering research of the philosopher; and man is calling on each new fact, as it is developed, to aid in the expansion of the comforts and conveniences of civilised life. The ground on which we tread, and the air we breathe-the clouds above, and the ocean around us, so long silent and unheeded by man, are now eloquent of the presence and power of the Creator; and the smallest particle of the matter that contributes to the whole, reflects the wisdom and goodness of the mighty Architect of the universe. Strange it would be, if the lamp of science, which reveals in the stones and dust beneath our feet a deeply interesting and instructive history of their own past existence, did not shed some rays on the ancient records of the Bible, to develope their teaching, and multiply the proofs of their truth and inspiration. To dissociate the works of the Almighty from his word would be to cast a doubt on their having emanated

from the one omniscient source; though many of the best friends of revelation, with strange want of faith, shrink from the recognition of the glorious harmony that subsists between the word and the works of the Most High God; and even deprecate the study of philosophy, as opening a door to scepticism and infidelity. Some minds there are, so constituted as to resent the presentation of a new fact to their consideration, merely because it is a novelty which startles the mind, and requires the adoption of principles of thought to which they have not been accustomed. Others there fortunately are, who welcome new discoveries when it is ascertained that their foundations are sure, and entertain no apprehension that they will be found to be discordant with the pages of Holy Writ. Of such stuff were the foremost spirits in the march of civilisation and the spread of Gospel truth; and without such, the world would stagnate again, as in the middle ages of our Christian era.

For centuries, all Christendom, with few exceptions, believed that God had made the world, and all things in it, in a period of six natural days. The Bible was supposed to have stated such to be the fact, and few believers conceived that there could be any doubt upon the subject. The first chapter of Genesis treats of the creation of the world and its inhabitants. The science of geology instructs us as to the mode in which our globe was formed, and the order in which its vegetable and animal organisms came into existence. When the science was in its infancy, it was generally supposed that the teachings of Genesis and Geology

were wholly irreconcileable; but since it has struggled into its present state of maturity, it has been found that the order in which created beings have been shown by the geologist to have come into existence, is in truly wonderful accordance with that presented to us in the first chapter of Genesis, and proves the truth and inspiration of the Mosaic record-subject only to the condition that we read the word day,' in that chapter, as indicating a long geologic period of time, and not a mere natural day of twenty-four hours. And accordingly, there being abundant evidence within the pages of the Bible that the Hebrew word may be so understood, few persons of enlightened understanding have hesitated to adopt that rendering of the word 'day,' and to appropriate the irresistible evidence of inspiration that it carries with it. If any still desire to adhere to the natural day reading, they can do so; but the valuable testimony that geological science has contributed to the authenticity of Holy Writ will be lost to them.

Again, the Mosaic narrative of the Flood was long considered as recording that all the dry land on the face of the earth had been submerged beneath the waters, and that the overflow had carried destruction to every terrestrial creature, from east to west, and from pole to pole, with the exception of Noah's family, and the few animals that were with them in the ark. The knowledge of later days has corrected our notions in this respect, by showing that such an occurrence as a universal submersion of the dry land could not have taken place within the last 6,000, or even 60,000 years;

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