revealed to tell us what was the actual course of evolution of created forms on earth, it would not only have occupied a disproportionate space in the sacred volume, but would have been unintelligible to the world for many centuries, and would have given rise to much doubting and false argument, to the great detriment of men’s spiritual enlightenment.  It would have diverted men’s minds from the great moral and conclusion of the whole (and here it is that the “moral” or conclusion is so important) to set them arguing on points of natural science.

The Bible was never intended (so far we may agree with all the schools of thought) to be a text-book on biology or geology.  We need rather to be impressed with the great facts of God’s Sovereignty and Providence, and to know definitely that all the arrangements of our globe and all forms of life are due to Divinely-created types.  This is exactly secured by the narrative as it stands; but such a purpose would not be served by a narrative which, while it contained these great facts, had them enwrapped in a tissue of unnecessary and false details.  And therefore it is, if I may so far anticipate my conclusion, that the narrative has no direct concern with how, when, and where, the Creation slowly worked itself out under the Divine guidance which is still elaborating the great purpose of the “ages”; it confines our attention to what God, the great Designer, did and said in heaven, as preliminary to all that was to follow on earth.  The former was not a proper subject for revelation, because man would in time come to learn it by his studies on earth; but the latter all ages could only learn—­the first as well as the latest—­from a Divine Revelation.

Again, let me address a few words to those who are tempted, half unconsciously perhaps, to think that any lengthy prelude and “elaborate” explanation of Genesis must condemn the narrative a priori, or be derogatory to the dignity of Revelation.  Why the narrative should be brief and concise I have just suggested.  That it needs explanation of some sort is inevitable, because it must be put into human language; and directly such language is employed, we come upon such terms as “let there be,” “he created,” and “days,” which do not always call forth the same ideas in all minds.

It will not have escaped the attention of any earnest student, that Scripture has several different methods of describing things so as to reveal them to men.  This, a moment’s reflection will enable us to expect.  However high and wonderful the things to be stated are, in order to be brought within reach of human understanding they must be expressed in terms of human thought and experience; and these are imperfect and essentially inadequate.  Hence it is, that many truths have to be brought before us in special or peculiar ways.

How, for instance, are we told of the temptation and fall of man?  How are we to understand what was meant by the Tree of Life or the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, or by the Serpent speaking and beguiling Eve?  We are at a great loss to give a precise explanation, though the practical meaning is not difficult.