"And the Spirit of God (was) brooding upon the face of the water.
"And God said, 'Let light be' and light was.
"And God saw the light that it was good, and God divided the light
from the darkness.
"And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night.
"And there was evening and there was morning, one day."
The first clause seems to belong rather to the period of action
than to the precedent indefinite period of chaos, and may
therefore be taken as marking the transition from the "beginning"
to the first day, better than as belonging to that beginning
itself. The Jewish interpretation of the clause is untenable in
the light of the doctrine of the Correlation of the Physical
Forces. Till force was evolved there could be neither air nor
motion, and so no wind. The words of course bear on their face an
assertion of the action of the eternal Spirit in the work of
Creation; but when we examine the position which they occupy, it
seems highly probable that they have beyond this a much more
definite signification. In them a sort of localized action is
ascribed to the Spirit--a something very different from the idea
conveyed by the often-repeated phrase, "And God said." What that
something may be it is hard for us to conceive, harder still to
express, but the following considerations may perhaps throw some
glimmering of light upon the matter:--
1. There must be some point in which the Creator comes into
contact, as it were, with His creature--a point at which His Will
first clothes itself in the form of a physical fact--the point to
which all second causes lead up, and at which they lose themselves
in the one first cause, the Will of God. Now this is what all
systems of philosophy require as their starting-point, but it is
entirely out of their unaided reach. But these words supply that
indispensable desideratum.
2. These words come in immediate connexion with the evolution of
light. Light is throughout the Bible intimately connected with the
Deity. It is His chosen emblem. "God is light." It is His abode.
"He dwelleth in the light inaccessible." It is the symbol of His
presence, and the means by which Creation is quickened. "In Him
was life; and the life was the light of men."
3. Light, as we now know, is only one form of the force by which
the universe is upheld. But the phenomena of light lead us to
infer the existence of what we call Ether, which is supposed to be
a perfectly elastic fluid, imponderable, and in fact exempt from
almost all the conditions to which matter, as we know it, is
subject, except that POSSIBLY it offers resistance to bodies
moving in it. [Footnote: Encke's comet shows signs of retardation,
as if moving in a resisting medium; but it is possible that that
resistance may not arise from the ether, but from the nebulous
envelope of the sun.] This fluid must pervade the whole universe,
since it brings to us the light of the most distant star or
nebula. As it is the medium through which light is conveyed, and
as light is now known to be identified with force of all kinds, it
seems by no means improbable that it is the medium through which
all force acts.
These words, then, seem to suggest the idea that the brooding of
the Spirit may have some connexion with the formation of that
ether which is indispensable to the manifestation of light, and
probably to the operations of all force; and that, if so, the
ether may also be the point at which, and the medium through
which, Spirit acts upon Matter. On the one hand, the facts that
force, as used, is constantly in process of degradation, and that
it is also constantly poured forth into space from the Sun and
Planets in the shape of heat, and so lost to our system, seem to
indicate that fresh supplies of it are continually needed; while,
on the other hand, the supply of that need seems to be implied in
the words, "By Him all things consist." "Upholding all things by
the word of His Power."
If this be so, we have a point up to which natural laws may
possibly be traced, but at which they merge in the action of the
Will of God, which is beyond our investigation. Here, then, is a
solution of that great difficulty, which those who are most
familiar with the laws of nature have felt in reconciling the
existence of those laws with a particular Providence and with the
efficacy of Prayer, since we have here the point at which all
forces and all laws begin to act, and at which, therefore, the
amount of the force, and the direction of its action, are capable
of unlimited modification, without any alteration of, or
interference with, the laws by which that action is regulated, and
consequently without the danger of introducing confusion into the
Universe.
"And God said, 'Let light be' and light was." It has already been
pointed out that these words differ from those used in describing
any other creative act. They are the only ones which seem to imply
an instantaneous fulfilment of the command. Another matter which
has long since been observed, is their exact harmony with what
science teaches us respecting the nature of light. Light is not a
material substance, but a "mode of motion." It consists of very
small undulations propagated with inconceivable velocity. Hence of
it, and of it alone, it could not be correctly said that it was
created. To say that God made light would be inexact. The words
which are used exactly suit the circumstances of the case. But the
discovery of the correlation of forces has given to these words a
much more extended significance, while at the same time it
furnishes a satisfactory reason for their occurrence at this
particular point. So long as they were supposed to refer to light
simply, they seemed out of place. Light was not apparently needed
till there were organisms to whose existence it was essential. But
we now know that to call forth light, was to call force in all its
modifications into action. It has been seen that matter and force
are the two elements out of which everything that is discernible
by our senses is built up. The formation of matter has already
been described in the original act of creation. But till force
also was evolved, matter must of necessity remain in that chaotic
state to which verse 2 refers. To matter is now added that which
was required to enable the progressive work of Creation to be
carried on. The first result of this would probably be that the
force of gravitation would begin to act, while, from what the
telescope reveals to us, we may conjecture, that at the same time
the whole incoherent mass would be permeated with light and heat,
and some, at all events, of those elementary substances with which
chemistry makes us acquainted would be developed, and the whole
mass, acted upon by the mutual attraction of its several
particles, would begin to move towards, and accumulate about its
centre of gravity.
It has been shown that Laplace's Nebular Hypothesis, when
substituted for the action of a Creator, broke down in three
important points. Of these the first two were, that it failed to
give any account of the origin of matter, and of the first
commencement of the action of Gravitation. These two defects are
completely supplied by the first three verses of Genesis. We may
probably see in the "Great Nebula" in Orion an illustration of the
condition of the solar system when light first made its
appearance. It is very probable that that nebula has only very
recently become visible. Galileo examined Orion very carefully
with his newly invented telescope, but makes no mention of it.
[Footnote: Webb's Celestial Objects, p. 255, note.] At present it
is visible to the unaided eye even in England, where the
atmospheric conditions and its low altitude are alike
unfavourable. In Italy, where the atmosphere is remarkably pure,
and the meridian altitude is greater by 7 1/2 degrees, it must be
a conspicuous object, and had it been so at the time when Galileo
was observing the constellation, it could hardly have failed to
attract his attention. It was, however, noticed in 1618. It is a
vast, shapeless mass, having its boundaries in some parts
tolerably well defined, while in other directions it fades away
imperceptibly; its light is very faint, and when examined by the
spectroscope is found to proceed from a gaseous source. Professor
Secchi has traced it through an extent of 5 degrees. When it is
remembered that at such a distance the semi-diameter of the
earth's orbit subtends an angle less than 1 inch, some idea of the
enormous extent of this mass of gas may be formed. Drawings of it
have been made from time to time by our most distinguished
astronomers, which are found to differ considerably. Great
allowance must, of course, be made for differences in the
telescopic power employed, and in the visual powers of the several
observers, but the differences in the drawings seem too great to
be explained by those sources of inaccuracy alone, and actual
change in the nebula is therefore strongly suspected. Another
nebula of similar character, in which changes are suspected, is
that which surrounds the star A in the constellation Argo. This is
being very carefully watched through the great telescope recently
erected at Melbourne, and from the observations made there, it is
probable that fresh light may soon be thrown on the subject.
The next act recorded is, that "God divided the light from the
darkness." This is one of those passages which we are very apt to
pass over as unimportant, without giving ourselves any trouble to
ascertain what they mean, or asking if they may not give valuable
information, or supply some important hints. It is evident,
however, that in these words some act of the Creator is implied,
but when we inquire what that act was, the answer does not lie
immediately on the surface. Darkness is simply the absence of
light. It cannot therefore be said that God divided the light from
the darkness in the same sense in which it is said that "a
shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats". Between light and
darkness that division exists in the very nature of things, and it
could not therefore be said to be made by a definite act. Nor
again, is there any sharp well-defined boundary set between light
and darkness, so that we can say, "Here light begins, here
darkness ends." The very opposite is the case, the one blends
imperceptibly into the other. This then cannot be the meaning of
the words. But the next verse guides us to the real meaning. "And
God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night." The
division of light from darkness then is the alternation of night
and day. When God divided the light from the darkness He made
provision for that alternation. But we know that that alternation
is the result of the earth's rotation upon its axis, so that the
dividing the light from the darkness evidently implies the
communication to the accumulated mass of the motion of rotation.
It does not clearly appear in the account of the first day,
whether this alternation of day and night took effect immediately.
Certainly the introduction of it here does not prove that it did
so follow. For there was no way in which the fact of the earth's
rotation could be directly communicated to those for whom the
narrative was primarily intended. They were ignorant of the
spherical form of the earth, and so could not have attached any
idea whatever to a statement that it revolved about its axis.
The only way then in which Moses could speak of that rotation was
in connexion with some phenomenon resulting from it. The only such
phenomenon with which the Jews were acquainted was the alternation
of day and night. There was therefore no way in which Moses could
record the fact except with reference to this ultimate effect. It
does not follow that that effect was immediate. Beside the
rotation of the earth, another condition is required. The light
must come from a single source, and so when the act is recorded by
which that condition is effected, the division of light and
darkness is again noticed. The sun and the moon are set in the
firmament of heaven to divide the light from the darkness. But
that division was potentially effected when the motion of rotation
was given.
The third defect noticed in the Nebular Hypothesis was, that it
did not account for this motion of rotation. This defect, then,
like the two preceding ones, is supplied by the Mosaic Record, and
the hypothesis thus supplemented becomes complete. It is capable
of giving a satisfactory account of the phenomena to which it
applies. But as it is only a theory, and only points out a way in
which the universe might have been constructed, it does not in
itself exclude the possibility that some other plan might in fact
have been adopted, and we have now to examine into the reasons for
supposing that it was the method which was actually employed.
These divide themselves into two classes:--those which render it
probable that similar processes are now in progress; and those
which render it probable that the solar system has passed through
such a process.
It has already been pointed out that the great nebulae in Orion
and Argo seem to represent the condition of our system on the
first appearance of light, and that changes are strongly suspected
to be taking place in both; but we cannot expect to trace any
single nebula through the stages of its development, since that
development must occupy untold ages. All we can do is to inquire
if there are other nebulas which seem to be in more advanced
stages. It must at once be recognized, that if this be one of the
processes now going on, it is not the only one. There are many
nebulas "which have assumed forms for which the law of
gravitation, as we know it, will not enable us to account--such as
the Ring Nebula in Lyra, the Dumb-bell Nebula in Vulpecula, or the
double Horseshoe in Scutum Sobieski. But some nebulas can be found
which arrange themselves so as to illustrate the stages through
which we may suppose our world to have passed. These are chiefly
to be found among the planetary nebulse, which in a small
telescope exhibit a faint circular disc, but in larger instruments
frequently show considerable varieties of structure. Some of them
present the appearance of a condensation of light in the centre,
which gradually fades off; in others there is a bright ring
surrounding the central spot, but separated from it by a darker
space. The Nebula Andromeda 49647, [Footnote: The numbers are
those given by Sir J. Hersohel.] as seen in Mr. Lassel's four-foot
reflector appears as a luminous spot, surrounded by two luminous
rings, which, in the more powerful instrument of Lord Bosse,
combine into a spiral. Its spectrum is gaseous, with one line
indicating some element unknown to us. In another nebula, Draco
4373, there is a double spectrum, the one gaseous, indicating the
presence of hydrogen, nitrogen, and barium; the other, apparently
from the nucleus, continuous, and so representing a solid or fluid
mass, but so faint that the lines belonging to particular elements
cannot be distinguished. [Footnote: Hugging, Philosophical
Transactions, 1864.] Bridanus 846, and Andromeda 116, are probably
similar nebulee occupying different positions with reference to
us. They both give a continuous spectrum. The one in Bridanus is
described as "an eleventh magnitude star, standing in the centre
of a circular nebula, itself placed centrally on a larger and
fainter circle of hazy light." [Footnote: Lassell, quoted in
Webb's "Celestial Objects," p. 227.] The nebula in Andromeda
assumes a lenticular form; that in Bridanus would probably present
the same appearance if we saw it edge-ways. The former has
probably increased in brilliancy in the course of centuries. Mr.
Webb remarks of it, "It is so plain to the naked eye that it is
strange the ancients scarcely mention it." [Footnote: Webb's
"Celestial Objects," p. 180.] In these two nebulas we may perhaps
see the mass ready to break up into separate worlds, the
lenticular form being a natural result of extremely rapid
rotation. Prom the fact that Andromeda 116 gives a continuous
spectrum, Dr. Huggins inclines to the belief that it is an
unresolved star cluster. But the reasons which led Sir W. Herschel
to conclude that the nebula in Orion was gaseous, (a conclusion
which, though for a time discredited by the supposed resolution of
the nebula in Lord Kosse's telescope, was ultimately found to be
correct), are equally applicable here. In general a certain
proportion exists between the telescopic power requisite to render
a star cluster visible as a nebulous spot, and that which will
resolve it into stars; but this nebula, like that in Orion, though
visible to the naked eye, cannot be resolved by the most powerful
instruments yet made. And the nebula in Draco 4373, seems to
present an intermediate stage between the purely gaseous nebula
and this one. The faint continuous spectrum is probably the result
of incipient central condensation. This nebula, if recent
observations by Mr. Gill, of Aberdeen, are confirmed [Footnote:
Popular Science Review, 1871, p. 426.], is much nearer to us than
any of the fixed stars.
"We come now to the reasons derived from the Solar System itself,
and of these there are several, some of them of considerable
weight. The first is to be found in the uniform direction of
almost all the motions of the system. They are from west to east.
The sun rotates upon his axis, the planets revolve about the sun
and rotate upon their axes, and the satellites, with one
exception, revolve about their primaries, and, so far as is known,
rotate upon their axes in the same direction, from west to east,
and the motions take place very nearly in the same plane--the
ecliptic. This seems to point to the conclusion that these motions
have a common origin, as would be the case if all these bodies at
one time existed as a single mass which revolved in the same
direction. The one exception is to be found in the satellites of
Uranus, whose motion is retrograde. But there are certain
phenomena, which lead to the conclusion, that, on the outskirts of
our system, there has at some time or other been an action of a
disturbing force, of which, except from these results, we know
nothing."
[Footnote: Bode's "Law of Planetary Distances," What holds good as
far as Uranus, breaks down in the case of Neptune. Both Leverrier
and Adams were to some extent misled by this law. The new planet
should according to their calculations, based on this law, have
been of greater magnitude and at a greater distance than Neptune.
The polar axis of Uranus, instead of being nearly perpendicular to
the ecliptic, as in the case of all the other planets (except
Venus), is nearly coincident with it. Venus occupies an
intermediate position, the inclination of its equator to its orbit
being 49 degrees 58'.]
There is also strong reason for believing that the sun is still a
nebulous star, that the whole of the original nebula is not yet
gathered up in the vast globe which at ordinary times is all that
we can see. This aspect of the case, however, will come more fully
under our notice when we come to the work of the fourth day. The
figure of the earth, which is that naturally assumed by a plastic
mass revolving about its axis, and the traces which it retains of
a former state of intense heat, are both in accordance with this
theory.
When these facts are duly weighed, there seems to be a reasonable
probability that this process is the one which was actually
employed in the formation of the solar system. The remarkable
manner in which the theory adapts itself to the Mosaic account,
and the fact that that account records special interferences of
the Creator exactly at the points where the theory shows that such
interferences would be necessary, give rise to a very strong
presumption in its favour. We have in it also a clear illustration
of the combination of general laws of nature with special
interferences of Creative Power--the law of gravitation was called
into action, and the work would proceed steadily under that law
for a considerable period, till matters were ripe for a farther
stage in the progress, and then the special interference would
take place, in this instance the imparting the motion of rotation,
and the work would again proceed under the natural law. All this
while, however, the work would be one, and performed by one power,
the only difference being in the direct or indirect action of that
power.
The only point an reference to the first day which remains to be
inquired into is the extent to which the work had proceeded at its
close. As the commencement of the second day's work implies that
at that time the earth had an independent existence, we may
conclude that the first day's work comprehended the casting off of
the several successive rings, and the condensation of those rings,
or some of them, into the corresponding planets and satellites.
These would probably still retain their intense heat, in virtue of
which they would be luminous.
Many of the multiple stars may not improbably present to us much
the same appearance as the solar system then presented. In many
cases we have one large star, with one or more very minute
attendants. Such a star is Orionis, a tolerably conspicuous star,
which has two companions invisible to the naked eye, but visible
with moderate telescopic power. (A telescope of 2.1 inches
aperture, by Cooke, shows them well.) Five more companions are
visible in a 4-inch telescope. In the large telescope at Harvard
no less than 35 minute stars have been seen in apparent connexion
with the brilliant star Vega. In all these cases it is true that
the distances and periods of the companion stars are very much
greater than in the case of the earth; but then our telescopes
will only enable us to discern the more distant companions. Any
small companion stars holding positions corresponding to those of
the four interior planets, would be lost in the light of the
primary star; and if, as is suspected, all the heavenly bodies are
subject to some resistance, however small, from the medium in
which they move, this resistance would in the course of ages
diminish the mean distance, and with it the periodic time of the
companion stars.
The latter part of the 5th verse has already been considered, and
there is no need to recur to it at this point. At the close of the
history we shall be in a better position to ascertain if any light
has been thrown on that mysterious subject.