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and not the popular one. In the discussion of any subject, correct analysis must be maintained between hypotheses and facts, between possibilities and necessities. Reasoning from local phenomena, would appear to be a very uncertain way of arriving at conclusions, upon subject-matter so remote from human observation, as the center of our globe. That the Earth is largest at the equator, and that this shape is suggestive of a liquid center, have been demonstrated by facts; but the nature of that liquid is not, by these facts, defined. The water theory will not only account for these things, but for aqueous rock, so predominant everywhere; for subsidence and upheavals, for the glacial periods, and for every other great change of Earth, noted in historic or fossil age. Men have been altogether too hasty in copying the Grecian myth of central fires. There can be but little doubt, if our artesian wells of oil had been reached, before the action of volcanoes had become known, oil might have been substituted, as a theory of the Earth's center, for melted rock. All the melted lava, thrown out upon the Earth's surface, may have come from local veins, or reservoirs in which the decomposition of coal is taking place, if active, or took place, if extinct. This is farther made evident by the generation of carbonic acid, and the great accumulation of ashes. "The Plutonic theory loses ground as soon as

brought to scientific tests."-Agassiz. the center were molten rock, the crust

of cooling."

Again he

Again he says: "If would melt instead

Neither does the fact of the increase of heat in some localities, as you descend the shaft to lower levels, afford the least proof of the nature of the interior. This kind of phenomenon is very uncertain, and widely dissimilar, in different kinds of rock. A close observation in mining shows, that rock, which readily disintegrates, on being exposed to

air, as a rule, furnishes increased heat. Mining operations equally show that shafts, of great depth, or tunnels, run into rock, that will withstand exposure to the weather, without disintegration, afford but little, or no additional heat. The existence of such heat is suggestive rather of chemical action, than of internal fires. Facts, taken from different parts of the world, go far toward establishing such a theory. From several visits, made during the last six years, we gain the following facts: In the Plumas Eureka mine, situated near Johnstown, Cal., they have entered the mountain by a tunnel, one mile, at such a level, that a perpendicular shaft, to connect with the inner part, must be, not less than two thousand feet. The rock passed through is mostly hornblende, refusing to disintegrate, though exposed for thirty years to the storms of the Sierras. No increased heat is encountered within, but rather less, as you penetrate the mountain. Fifteen or twenty miles south of this mine, we reach the Sierra Buttes.

Here a tunnel penetrates one and a third miles. The rock resemble the Eureka mines, with more serpentine rock. More disintegration, in past ages, took place at the edge of the quartz vein. The abounding iron pyrites in the vein, when coming in contact with water, gives a very slow slack to the rock, and a corresponding small heat is found here; yet the track upon which the cars run, is not much disturbed, with what miners term, the swell-rock, or the slacking of rock, that fills, in time, the passage of the tunnel.

We next visit a tunnel of one and a fourth miles in length, running under Bald Mountain, near Forest City. This opening penetrates the gravel of what is supposed to be the bed of an ancient Eocene river. The mountain is one of accumulated debris, probably of the great glacial period. This is overcapped with lava, which probably accounts for its remaining, while either side was cut down, and washed away,

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by the same causes, by which it was deposited. This ancient river bottom, from four to six hundred feet wide, is found to have been over serpentine and slate, the latter of which is undergoing decomposition. More heat is found here; as, in a few years, the swell-rock will fill the tunnel.

The same principles hold, as we descend perpendicular shafts.

We enter a Virginia mine in Nevada. Everywhere the exposed rock is undergoing rapid decomposition. The percolating waters trickle from heated beds of iron pyrites.

They abound in disintegrating acids and minerals. The heat is found to increase about one degree for every thirty feet. It is reported that many mines in Russia show only one degree for one hundred and thirty feet. Heat and disintegration of rock goes together. It must be seen that no uniform rule for increase of heat, as you enter the earth, has, as yet, been established. In numerous instances, the bore of artesian wells, first showing increase of heat, have reversed appearances, and become colder, as you penetrate at great depths.

These varying degrees of heat, through different rock, point rather to chemical changes, than a melted center.

Our reasoning has too long been, a posteriori, toward an unknown hypothesis, which can never admit of a demonstration. This will never give us a finished cosmology. If possible we must gain a position, where a priori reasoning will take us along the Grand March of Time, in accordance with the known facts of science. Such a Such a position, we maintain, is given us, in the statements of Scripture.

Hitherto scientists have reared hypotheses, and called these standard principles; with which the Christian scientist is called upon to reconcile the Bible. We propose to

take the inspired account of creation as the standard; with

which we may compare the facts, and by which we may measure the hypotheses of science. According to the

standards of science, there is an admitted want of connected links. Some of them are sadly wanting. Facts have been made to bend to these hypotheses. It is perfectly amazing to see how much has been taken for granted, concerning Plutonic rock. The freedom with which Azoic rock has been classed, as either Plutonic or metamorphic, would suggest that something definite must have been proved; whereas, there is no evidence that any of it is either. The evidence is conclusive that all the Azoic rock was submarine, and, as a rule, it has never been heated. The present aspect of science upon some questions is already in accordance with Moses' account of the same. The existence of matter, gravitation, force, heat, light and life are now settled as relative terms, and consequently not eternal. So the existence of one does not necessarily presuppose the existence of all the others. They may have been, and probably they were brought into existence separately, and at times from each other, far remote. The existence of any one of these presupposes the existence of a Creator. matter is not eternal it was made by Special Providence. The mere existence of matter does not necessitate gravitation. That will depend entirely upon its condition. If in equilibrium, with respect to all other matter, as it would be, in gas, equally suffused through immensity of space, it possessed no gravitation. In such a state, no gravitation was created, until the inertia of rest was overcome and centers were formed. This must come from some source outside of the known laws of matter. Hence, gravitation shows Special Providence. Science, in these things, deals only in negations. It can state nothing authoritatively of the origin of any of the before-mentioned principles. Let us venture

If

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upon the standards given in the Bible. These purport to have been seen by certain gifted men, under rare circumstances, while under the inspiration of God. What then, is the theory they set forth, in Scripture, upon the subject of "the creation of all things"? It is given to us, as the Afflatus of prophecy has ever been given, viz: In poetry; but not for this, the less distinct.

"In the beginning

Moses gives the origin of matter: God created the heavens and the earth," i. e., the matter occupying space, and since formed into suns and planets. Here is the only authentic origin of all matter: If matter had been created with motion, then light would have been in existence. It being in equilibrium, the Lord had to "move upon its face" to give motion, light and heat.

With these, force was born.

"And God said let there be light and there was light." Suns took their position here, and henceforth controlled their respective fields of planetary matter, all of which was in motion. The field controlled by our sun is reckoned at sixty trillion of miles in diameter.

In the beginning, when all matter was without form, or in original gases, and they in equilibrium, if the inertia of rest is overcome, it must be by the direct power of God. Gases designed for our sun, with reference to our system, must have but one motion given to them. They must travel straight for the center. A motion of forty miles per hour would take ninety million of years to reach the center.

Gases, designed for planets, must have the centripetal and centrifugal force given them, to throw them into orbit, with balanced motion.

These unmeasured eons, wherein suns were forming, were called an epoch, or evening, preceding first morning; that time, when the "Morning stars sang together, and the sons