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the « arth , the seas , and of all their productions and inhabitants : that God possesses almighty power , unerring wisdom , and unbounded goodness :
and , finally , that there is no other God but One : ; one Creator , one Preserver , one Universal Benefactor , one Being , possessed of infinite power , wisdom and goodness , one sole object of all religious homage and adoration .
These truths Mr . Belsham thinks the writer did not deliver by immediate inspiration , because his narrative " contains many great philosophical errors : " on the other hand , he cannot allow that he attained to the
knowledge of so pure and perfect a system of theology , b y the exercise of his own intellectual powers : the only remaining hypothesis is that he derived his beautiful theism from an anterior revelation , preserved by tradition . The second part of the Sermon is a detail of the account of the creation .
and a specification of the mistakes into which Mr . Belsham supposes the writer to have been led by an erroneous philosophy . His system of philosophy , says the preacher , is that which arises from the observation of the most obvious appearances of the universe , and which existed before
science began . He beheved that light mi g ht exist in the absence of the sun , as it appears to < Jo in the morning and evening twilight . He regarded the firmament as a solid arch , which separated the waters above from the waters
below . He conceived of the sun and moon as lamps fixed in the solid firmament for the convenience and comfort of the inhabitants of the earth , and of the stars as mere ornamental spangles . In these and other particulars , Mr . Belsham regards the writer's account as directl y and palpably inconsistent with what is now
demonstrated to be the true theory of the universe ; and he pronounces the attempts to reconcile the Mosaical cosmogony to philosophical truth to be unsatisfactory and useless , and even injurious to the cause of revealed
religion . This conclusion sets aside the inspiration of- the narrative , but inspiration is not claimed by the writer , nor ^ Hoe s the divin e legation of Moses , as a j * roj > het or lawgiver , depend upon * he supposition . At the same time , the preacher is forward to express his
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unqualified admiration of some p $ u sages of the history . Referring to it » assertion Of the infinite power of God he says , " And this great truth it does not express in explicit language , but in a
manner peculiarly emphatic and sublime ; fey representing the most extraordinary effects as produced instantaneously by a divine command . God said , * Let there be light , and there was light : let there be a firmament , and there was a firmament . ' Thus asserting and illustrating
the infinite facility and the absolute iustantaueity of the Divine operation . There is no lapse of time , however momentary , between the volition and the effect : God wills and it is done . Not that will and power are one and the same thing in the Supreme Being , as some have erroneousl y
asserted ; but they are co-ordinate , coexistent , there is no interval , not an instant between volition and effect . This is a representation of Diviae Omnipotence so original and magnificent , that it nevet
occurred to any Heathen wnter : and ft is for thia reason selected by the most judicious and the most celebrated of all the ancient critics , as a grand and unparalleled example of the true sublime . "Pp . 9 , 10 .
Of the account of the creation of man , he remarks , ' * But th \ ls much we may at least affirm , without fear of contradictiori , that nothing can be more rational , more probable , or more dignified , than this account of the creation of the human
species . There is nothing low or ludicrous in the narrative . The human pair are created at once , both at the same time , male and female , at the fiat of the Almighty : they are made sovereigns of
the new-created world : and are inducted into their high office with all things ready prepared for their accommodation , with a grant of the whole vegetable creation for their food , and of dominion over the various tribes of animals for their
convenience and use . The whole transaction is dignified and subHme , and in all respects worthy of the character and attributes of the great Former and Parent of mankind . "—P . 25 . As this interesting discourse is at this moment a subject of discussion
between our correspondents , we have confined ourselves to such an analyst of its contents as may put the rearfte / in possessipn of Mr . Belsham ' s opinions ; and We shftflf observe only that considerable latitude- W » bett
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1 \ 2 Review . —Bel * ham ' s Sermon on the History of the Creation .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Feb. 2, 1822, page 112, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2509/page/48/
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