contradiction in itself, can have none in its derivations. Or, to speak less abstractly, no statement in the Word of God (understood in its true sense) can contradict any fact in the works of God, or in God Himself, because God's Word was written for the sole purpose of declaring or making known to man truths,—which are, essentially, facts existing either in God Himself and His own Divine Nature, or else existing in man and his mind and soul, or lastly existing in the inferior parts of creation. It is true, indeed, that the main purpose of the inspired Word, was to inform us concerning the two former of these three classes of subjects, namely, concerning God Himself and His Divine Nature and Character, and concerning man, his soul and eternal state. The Divine Word was not intended to be a book of natural history, nor a mere record of physical facts. These were left,—purposely it would seem,—for man's reason and spirit of investigation to employ and delight itself with. The Holy Scripture had higher purposes in view: it was given to instruct man in the things relating to his immortal soul and eternal happiness. In the course of this instruction, therefore, keeping its high object in view, and being obliged to express itself in language suited to man's common ideas of things, it does not hesitate to make use of terms descriptive of natural things not always as they physically are, but as they appear to be. This comes sufficiently near to the physical fact, to accomplish the end in view. Thus it speaks of the sun as rising and setting, although the sun does not, as we know, scientifically speaking, rise or set, but appears to do so; simply in consequence of the earth's turning on its axis. It is a truth, however, that it appears
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