The Astronomy of the Bible

of the earth. Not only did many English observers travel thither, but the United States of America in the far west, and Japan in the far east sent their

Indian sun. Gradually a dark mysterious circle invaded its lower edge, and covered its brightness; coolness replaced the burning heat; slowly the dark covering crept on; slowly the sunlight

uestions, and obtain all the answers for which this strange veiling of the sun, and still stranger unveiling of his halo-like surroundings, gave opportunity. It was two minutes of intensest strain, of hurried though orderly work; and then a sudden rus

hing the eclipse. At their work, they could hear the sound of a great multitude

unceasing streams towards Holy Mother Gunga; towards Benares, the sacred city; towards Buxar, where the eclipse was central at the river bank. It is always meritori

gns of heaven, and the little companies who had come for thousands of miles over land and sea, rejoicing

t least that each expresses a divinity. This does not in itself seem an unnatural idea when we consider the great benefits that come to us through the instrumentality of the sun and moon. It is the sun that morning by morning rolls back the darkness, and brin

nd in the other members of the heavenly host, but that it is living, intelligent, personal power; that the

minutely in the microscope or telescope; to dissect them, as it were, in the spectroscope; to identify their el

laws, not one law. Thus scientific observations cannot be reconciled with polytheism, for scientif

The actual language of science, as expressed by Profess

ngs. If a state of things is repeated in every detail, it must lead to exactly the same consequences. Any difference between

aw of causality forces itself upon our belief. It may be denied in theory, but not in practice. Any person who denies it, will, if he is watchful enough, catch himself constantly asking himself, if no one else, why this has happened, and not t

ifferent consequences, however small that number might be, and that among these the occurrence of the actual conse

tive, or Neptune is taking an unfair advantage of his brother's sleep; upon whether Diana is bending her silver bow for the battle

ssor Thiele g

good, then every observation gives us a revelation which, when correctly appra

y any process of natural evolution that the intellectual standpoint which has made scientific observation possible should b

avenly host and the heavenly bodies as the heathen do

God created the he

t words of their Sacred B

ople are idols: but the

nation the w

: the Lord our

God, not many gods; that there was but one law-giver; and that therefore there could be no conflict of laws. These first words of Genesis, then, may be called the charter of all the physical sciences, for by them is conferred freedom from all the bonds of unscientific superstitio

h all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all tha

at fundamental assumption of religion as stated in the first words of Genes

y came into existence, or how they might cease to exist; it cannot reason about time or space, as such, but only in the relations of these to phenomena that can be observed. It does not deal with things themselves, but only with the relations between things. Science indeed can only consider the universe as a great machine which is in "going order," and it concerns itself with the relations which some parts of the machine bear to other parts, and with the laws and manner

r how the spirit of man was first formed within him; and this, not merely because these beginnings of things were of

f Genesis. They must have been revealed. Science cannot inquire into them for the purpose of checking their accuracy;

ugh faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear." And a further fact was revealed that man could not have found out for himself; viz.

e might have been a period of almost unlimited duration between its first verse and its fourth; and it was suggested that the six days of creation were six days of twenty-four hours each, in which, after some great cataclysm, 6,000 years ago, the face of the earth was renewed and replenished for the habitation of man, the preceding geological ages being left entirely unnoticed. Some writers have confined the cataclysm and renewal to a small portion of the earth's surface-to "Eden," and its neighbourhood. Other commentators have laid stress on the truth revealed in Scripture that "one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years

in physical details in the material history of this planet; to be in fact a little compendium of the geological and zool

ly conceivable that it should have been the Divine intention so to supply the ages with a condensed manual of the physical sciences. What useful purpose could it have served? What man would have been the wiser o

he might lawfully study nature. For he learnt from them that nature has no power nor vitality of its own; that sun, and sea, and cloud, and wind are n

of the Lord

l them that have

s honour a

eousness endu

wonderful works t

of the leading classes of natural objects, might give definiteness and precision to the teaching that each and all were creatures, things made by the word of God. The bald statement that the heaven and the earth were made by God might still have left room for the imagination that the powers of nature were co-

of sanctity upon the Sabbath. In th

day from all His work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctif

inance imposed by God upon man. For in the fourth of the

. . For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, a

bernacle was being bui

ons, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel for ever: for

se were divisions of time which man would naturally adopt. But there is not an exact number of days in the month, nor an exact number of days or months in the year. Still less does the period of seven days fit precisely into month or season

days of God; and our days of work and rest, our week with its Sabbath, can only be the figure and shadow of that week of God;

led the work of creation in six acts or stages, dignifies and exalts the toil of the labourin

TNO

of the Copenhagen Observatory,

of the Copenhagen Observatory,

CH AND

Assur-nazir-pel, King of Assy

to represent the defeat of

ace p