100 MISREPRESENTATIONS OF GENESIS. Bible. Les livres principaux sont la Bible, le Psautier, le catéchisme." But M. de Luc had more to do with the geologists, and with those who through them were preparing to adopt as a maxim, the very false notion that history had nothing to do with religion, and was in fact no part of it. "The strength of the aggressors,” he writes, “ consisted in their representation of Genesis, which having reduced to an ancient mythology, and thus setting aside all revelation, no positive religion could exist, and though they pretended to derive that conclusion, from their knowledge of Oriental languages', they relied for their support on the pretended results of 1 I may, perhaps, be indulged with one more recollection. I perfectly remember, that on descending from the University pulpit, after the delivery of my third Bampton Lecture, in which I had noticed the memorial of the Prussian Jews, I was met by my friend Dr. Ford, Principal of Magdalen Hall, the Lord Almoner's Reader in Arabic, and a consummate Orientalist. He asked me to accompany him home, that he might show me many letters he had received upon the subject, immediately from Prussia. I did so, and was shown some in German, some in Latin, and some in French. He allowed me to take extracts from them; but as more than twenty-eight years have passed over my head since, it will not be wondered, that I now know not where to look for them. I can only bear my testimony to the concern and surprise expressed by the Professor, at the folly of such proceedings. And that he was aware as well as M. De Luc and myself, that there were persons at that time in existence, and in prominent situations, quite capable, "by arguments drawn from Physics, of invalidating Scripture truths," contrary to Mr. Lyell's supposition, (Vol. i. 68.) who has shown himself, in the place referred to, too much inclined to sneer at those weak persons, who could "take such things for granted," on De Luc's authority !— And yet upon this authority, I am able to relate the following fact. Being in company with several wavering and incredulous Jews, among whom De Luc was arguing in defence of revelation, one happened to enter of more steady faith and principles than the rest of the company, when the following greeting took place," Venez, Rabin! venez ! voici un Naturaliste qui vous fera bien plaisir; il veut prouver que MOISE étoit un Envoyé de Dieu." LA NOUVELLE exegèse. 101 the study of the earth. Thus the Jews who had addressed Dr. T. gave as a motive to abandon the Mosaic history," that the description of the world in Genesis was so different from what the study of nature had shown, that no men of knowledge could continue to believe the inspiration of that book." It seems the mythological interpretation of the book of Genesis was called, "la nouvelle exegese," being a new mode of explaining the Bible, so as to efface all ideas of the direct inspiration of the authors. "It is the same system," says M. de Luc, "that Dr. Geddes, evidently connected with that sect, had attempted to introduce into England by means of his translation of the Bible. An undertaking, however, which the good spirit of the English nation disconcerted." 1 "It is a great illusion to fancy, that the religion of Christ is independent of an inquiry into the character of Genesis. Christianity takes its origin in the fall of man, and the promise of a Redeemer. If Genesis, therefore, can be shown to be a fable, those who attack it know but too well that Christianity will fall with it. The origin of the indifference shown to the latter in most of the states of Germany is, to my certain knowledge, the attack upon Genesis through Geology!" I do not choose to omit the following passage, as it may serve to show, that in the little judgment I 1 The credit here given to the English nation, however just, in 1807, appears to have been but slowly acquired. I have among my papers, a letter, dated July 8th, 1794, in which he expresses his concern, that the first vol. of Dr. Geddes' Bible should have been allowed to circulate for two years ("faire chemin," is his expression) without notice on the part of our divines. But he takes courage from an article just then begun in the British Critic, and which I have reason to know, was in a great measure from the pen of Bishop Horsley. 100 MISREPRESENTATIONS OF GENESIS. Bible. Les livres principaux sont la Bible, le Psautier, le catéchisme." But M. de Luc had more to do with the geologists, and with those who through them were preparing to adopt as a maxim, the very false notion that history had nothing to do with religion, and was in fact no part of it. "The strength of the aggressors," he writes, "consisted in their representation of Genesis, which having reduced to an ancient mythology, and thus setting aside all revelation, no positive religion could exist, and though they pretended to derive that conclusion, from their knowledge of Oriental languages', they relied for their support on the pretended results of I per 1 I may, perhaps, be indulged with one more recollection. fectly remember, that on descending from the University pulpit, after the delivery of my third Bampton Lecture, in which I had noticed the memorial of the Prussian Jews, I was met by my friend Dr. Ford, Principal of Magdalen Hall, the Lord Almoner's Reader in Arabic, and a consummate Orientalist. He asked me to accompany him home, that he might show me many letters he had received upon the subject, immediately from Prussia. I did so, and was shown some in German, some in Latin, and some in French. He allowed me to take extracts from them; but as more than twenty-eight years have passed over my head since, it will not be wondered, that I now know not where to look for them. I can only bear my testimony to the concern and surprise expressed by the Professor, at the folly of such proceedings. And that he was aware as well as M. De Luc and myself, that there were persons at that time in existence, and in prominent situations, quite capable, 66 by arguments drawn from Physics, of invalidating Scripture truths," contrary to Mr. Lyell's supposition, (Vol. i. 68.) who has shown himself, in the place referred to, too much inclined to sneer at those weak persons, who could "take such things for granted," on De Luc's authority!— And yet upon this authority, I am able to relate the following fact. Being in company with several wavering and incredulous Jews, among whom De Luc was arguing in defence of revelation, one happened to enter of more steady faith and principles than the rest of the company, when the following greeting took place,—“ Venez, Rabin! venez! voici un Naturaliste qui vous fera bien plaisir; il veut prouver que MOISE étoit un Envoyé de Dieu." LA NOUVELLE exegèse. 101 the study of the earth. Thus the Jews who had addressed Dr. T. gave as a motive to abandon the Mosaic history," that the description of the world in Genesis was so different from what the study of nature had shown, that no men of knowledge could continue to believe the inspiration of that book." It seems the mythological interpretation of the book of Genesis was called, "la nouvelle exegese," being a new mode of explaining the Bible, so as to efface all ideas of the direct inspiration of the authors. "It is the same system," says M. de Luc, " that Dr. Geddes, evidently connected with that sect, had attempted to introduce into England by means of his translation of the Bible. An undertaking, however, which the good spirit of the English nation disconcerted." 1 "It is a great illusion to fancy, that the religion of Christ is independent of an inquiry into the character of Genesis. Christianity takes its origin in the fall of man, and the promise of a Redeemer. If Genesis, therefore, can be shown to be a fable, those who attack it know but too well that Christianity will fall with it. The origin of the indifference shown to the latter in most of the states of Germany is, to my certain knowledge, the attack upon Genesis through Geology!" I do not choose to omit the following passage, as it may serve to show, that in the little judgment I 1 The credit here given to the English nation, however just, in 1807, appears to have been but slowly acquired. I have among my papers, a letter, dated July 8th, 1794, in which he expresses his concern, that the first vol. of Dr. Geddes' Bible should have been allowed to circulate for two years ("faire chemin," is his expression) without notice on the part of our divines. But he takes courage from an article just then begun in the British Critic, and which I have reason to know, was in a great measure from the pen of Bishop Horsley. 102 HUTTONIAN THEORY. had to exercise upon such a subject, I took leave to differ from my worthy correspondent on some points, since then become of considerable importance. "It appears that Mr. Playfair's Illustrations of the Huttonian Theory of the Earth have made such an impression on you, that they have created more than doubt in your mind on some essential points of the system exposed in my Letters to Professor Blumenbach, which you have translated." Then follow, of course, many remarks upon the Huttonian System, which however ingenious, it would be unseasonable at present to repeat'. It might look as if I had at that time fancied myself to be as competent a judge, and as proper a referee on such points, as the partiality and good opinion of the worthy writer, induced him to think. To say the truth, highly as I estimated his zeal in the cause, I had shown in other parts of my Lecture, that not all the geologists in the world would shake my faith in the book of Genesis, as a real history of our species, and certainly no mythos; besides there were some points, as shall be shown hereafter, in which I did, as far as my 1 Having been for many years much out of the way of literary society, I know not how the following difficulty was ever got over-I see in Playfair, and even in Bakewell, and Herschel, that Sir James Hall's experiments as to the principle of pressure, to modify the effects of heat, in confining the volatile parts of bodies, were applied by Hutton, to substances heated at the bottom of the sea, and under the resistance of a column of water, of 1500 feet, or more.-M. De Luc in his Letter, foretels a failure in this part of the Huttonian theory, "When it comes to be considered, that the pressure exercised at the bottom of the ocean, is not that of a solid, as in Sir James Hall's experiments, but of a liquid, which all the permanent expansible fluids penetrate as soon as formed;" and he appeals to navigators for the effect of the decomposition of vegetables and animals, under water, by the rising of bubbles of air to the surface. |