did that signify, for neither men nor animals were then created, nor trees, nor shrubs, only a vast mass, the nucleus of the globe, an hard and solid body, upon which the waters rested. The cause of that vicissitude of day and night, which so agreeably diversifies our present state, continued, therefore, to be unapparent; but the cause was now in course of perpetual operation; and thus the second day was completed. THIRD DAY OF CREATION. And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear. And it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Sea. And God saw that it was good. And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after its kind, whose seed is in itself upon the earth. And it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind; and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the third day. Two wonderful events are now recorded by the Sacred Historian; the formation of a basin into which the waters might be gathered from off the surface of the earth, and the consequent appearance of dry land. We read also that the vegetable world was first created, and that the bare and herbless granite was clothed with verdure. The globe itself having been disengaged on the previous day, from its covering of mist, in consequence of the vapours rapidly ascending into the higher regions of the atmosphere, must have presented the appearance of a vast sea. But suddenly the same Almighty word, which removed the dark mantle that had previously enveloped it, which said, "Let there be light, and there was light," now commanded, "Let the waters be gathered together, into one place, and let the dry land appear, and it was so." The Sacred Historian, especially directs our attention to the nature of that change, which must have taken place, when the waters suddenly receded, and left uncovered a vast portion of the habitable globe. He leads us to conclude that a part of the earth's surface must have been instantaneously excavated, and that to a depth so great, as to cause the waters to rush with terrible impetuosity into the vast abyss. It is not for us to say by what means it pleased the Almighty to produce this fearful gulf. We may assume the power of volcanic fires to be one of these. We know that the admission of water to subterraneous fire, occasions volcanic action, and, the fiat of the Most High, which suddenly gave entrance for the incumbent waters, to so great a depth, must have been followed by tremendous explosions. Thus then, most probably, was formed, that one place into which all the waters under the heavens, were to be gathered together; and thus has the inspired penman commemorated the stupendous fact. "The waters stood above the mountains. At thy rebuke (O Lord) they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away. "They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded for them. "Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth." Ps. civ. 6-9. That sudden operation by which a vast abyss was opened for the reception of the waters, is here magnificently represented. They fled from the rebuke, and the thunder of the Most High, to a place appointed for their reception; while the borders of that solid portion, which was converted into dry land, are described as a boundary over which they might not repass. The rebuke, the thunder, and the fleeing of the waters, evidently denote a crisis of stupendous and terrific convulsion. When this great work was finished, when the waters were gone down to their appointed place, and the reserved portion of the earth was exposed to the action of light and air, suddenly sprung forth a new creation. The noble oak, and stately elm, the cocoa, and the palm; trees of all heights, and flowers of all hues, shrubs and grasses, emerged to the sight. All stood forth in their greenness and their beauty, all were so constructed as to maintain a perpetual increase, and succession of vegetable matter; a magnificent garniture of herbs, yielding seeds, and of trees yielding fruit. Meanwhile the atmosphere still continued cloudy. Thus then arose the flowers that delighted our first parents, the green grass that carpeted the earth, on which they trod; the first created trees from which they gathered their fruit. Those flowers had a stem, and beautifully coloured petals; those grasses, their pliant and graceful stalks; those trees, their trunks and branches, their roots and leaves; through which the juices were conveyed, to nourish and sustain the different parts. We observe in the progress of vegetation, that when a tree begins to grow, the ligneous woody folds, which indicate the growth of each year, are soft, or herbaceous, before they acquire the solidity of wood; that the centre ones are uniformly the hardest; while those in the circumference are comparatively tender. The hardness of the folds is, therefore, gradually effected, and in the larger forest trees, years elapse, before they acquire their full growth. A progress is also perceptible before the smallest shrub, or tree, produces fruit. The flower must first be formed, and then emerge from its bud; the petals must open to the sun; the stamens, filaments, and anther must stand in their allotted place; and the pollen duly perform its assigned office. Then comes the ministry of sunbeams, and soft showers, of gentle breezes, or stirring winds, till at length the petals fall away, and the stamens wither, and what was before all fragrance, or all beauty, is succeeded by a ripening fruit, which advances to perfection, either as an apple, or a plum, a cocoa nut, or a plantain. These, independently of their use to man, are designed to produce seed, from which new trees grow up, and thus a succession has been carried on of trees, or herbs, or flowers, from the rapidly unfolded vegetation of the third day, even down to the present time. But it is evident that none of these processes could have taken place with the first created tree, or herb, or flower. They were suddenly called into being, and none of their component parts, required a progressive course, nor did a hardening take place, from a state of softness or herbaceousness; nor did the flowers open, nor the leaf gradually unroll its wondrous mechanism to the sun. For |