the truth, if we suppose, though it is no where stated in direct terms, that the deluge was effected by the interchange of level between the former sea and land; or, in other words, that either the bed of the former sea was gradually elevated, or "broken up;" or that the first land was gradually depressed beneath the level of the waters; or, perhaps, by a combination of both; in either of which cases, the effects would be exactly such as are described in the Mosaic Record.

Let us now consider this record itself.

"And God looked upon the earth, and "behold it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God "said unto Noah, The

"before me; for the

end of all flesh is come earth is filled with vio

(men); and behold I

"lence through them "will destroy them, WITH the earth."-" Be"hold I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon "the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the "breath of life, from under heaven; and every

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thing that is in the earth shall die.”—And, "In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the "second month, the seventeenth day of the "month, the same day were all the fountains "of the great deep broken up, and the win"dows of heaven were opened."- "And it

came to
to pass, after seven days, that the

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"waters of the flood were upon the earth.""And the same day were all the fountains of "the great deep broken up, and the windows "of heaven were opened:"-" And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights."" And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth, and "the ark went upon the face of the waters." "And all the high hills, that were under the "whole heaven, were covered."" Fifteen "cubits upwards" (above the highest hills) "did the waters prevail, and the mountains were covered."-" And the waters prevailed

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upon the earth an hundred and fifty days."At length, "God made a wind to pass over the "earth; and the waters assuaged. The foun"tains also of the deep, and the windows of "heaven were stopped, and the rain from "heaven was restrained. And the waters "returned from off the earth continually; and "after the end of the hundred and fifty days "the waters were abated. And the ark rested " in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day

of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. "And the waters decreased continually until "the tenth month in the tenth month, on the "first day of the month, were the tops of "the mountains seen. And it came to pass "at the end of forty days, that Noah opened

"the window of the ark, which he had made. "And he sent forth a raven, which went forth,

to and fro, until the waters were dried up "from off the earth. Also he sent forth a dove "from him, to see if the waters were abated "from off the face of the ground. But the "dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, "and she returned unto him into the ark; for "the waters were on the face of the whole "earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him, into the ark. "And he stayed yet other seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark; "and the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked off: so Noah knew that the waters "were abated from off the earth; and he staid

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yet other seven days, and sent forth the dove, "which returned not again unto him any "more."-" And Noah removed the covering "of the ark, and looked, and behold the face of "the ground was dry. And in the second "month, on the seven and twentieth day of the "month, was the earth dried."*

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#66 According to the account given by Moses, the Ark was 300 cubits long, 50 broad, and 30 high; but the length of this cubit has given rise to much argument and conjecture. Some have supposed it to be 9 feet, and "others 3; but the opinions most worthy of notice, are,

Thus the whole duration of this dreadful event was one year and ten days; or from the seventeenth day of the second month of one year, until the twenty-seventh day of the second month of the next year.

Now, in the whole of this narrative, we find no one circumstance to lead us to a supposition, that the same earth, or dry land, existed after the flood, as had been inhabited previous to that event; or to contradict the united evidence of the declaration of the intention of God to destroy the earth, and of the physical facts with which we are now urrounded, on every part of the present dry land. An erroneous idea is,

"1st, That of Bishop Cumberland, who considered the "Hebrew cubit as about 22 inches, which would make the

Ark 550 feet long, 91 broad, and 55 high. 2nd, That "of the learned Parkhurst, who computes the cubit at something less than 18 inches, which makes the Ark "450 feet long, 75 broad, and 45 high. Even upon the " smallest estimate of this cubit measure, the competency "of the Ark, for the purpose assigned to it, has been satis"factorily proved by different writers; but, especially, by "the ingenious Bishop Wilkins, who has established the

point with a clearness, and exactness, almost amounting "to demonstration, and rather found too much than too "little room. Thus, does this seeming difficulty, like 66 many others connected with Scripture history, the more closely it is investigated, furnish an evidence, instead of an objection to the truth of revealed religion."

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Edin. Encyclop. Ark.

however, very general, with respect to "the "mountains of Ararat," which are commonly considered as having been mountains on the old earth, and known to Noah. There can be no one reason given from the narrative, for this opinion, and there are many of the most decided character to lead us to an opposite conclusion.* The inspired historian is describing to the Jewish nation, many years after the event, and when the continent of Asia had become perfectly well known, and thickly peopled, the circum

* Jerom places Mount Ararat towards the middle of Armenia, near the river Araxes, or Aras, about 280 miles North East of Al Judi, and 12 leagues South East of Erivan. It is detached from the other mountains in its neighbourhood, and stands in the midst of a very extensive plain. It is in the form of a sugar loaf, and has two distinct summits, the largest of which is perpetually covered with snow, and may be seen at a great distance. It is not

a little singular, that the description of Mount Parnassus, by Ovid, should bear so close a resemblance to this account of Ararat :

"Mons ibi verticibus petit arduus astra duobus
"Nomine Parnassus, superatque cacumine nubes."

The surface of the lower part is composed of loose sand, or large masses of free stone. Nothing is to be seen growing upon it, but some juniper, and goat's thorn. The whole mountain is described by travellers, as having a gloomy and disagreeable aspect.

Tournefort, Tavernier, &c.