GEOGRAPHY. Every student of God's Word will acknowledge the importance of sacred geo graphy. All the historic narratives of the Bible, and most of its doctrinal truths, are closely con nected with the countries in which they were enacted, and the places where they were revealed. Locality has given a peculiar tone and colouring to the whole literature and language of the Bible. Dr. Stanley has well said that, 'from Genesis to the Apocalypse there are--even when not intend ing, nay, even when deprecating, any stress on the local associations of the events recorded—constant local allusions, such as are the natural result of a faithful, and, as is often the case in the Biblical narrative, of a contemporary history.' Nor is this all. Many statements are incidentally made in Scripture which appear to indicate that the authors were acquainted with the leading facts of geogra phical science, both physical and political. While, on the other hand, passages have been cited from Job, Isaiah, Psalms, and Proverbs, which it has been thought betray a total ignorance of the simplest elements of geography. How are we to undemtand, and how are we to reconcile these seemingly conflicting passages ? What view are we to take of the geographical knowledge of the inspired writers, and by what canons are we to interpret their words? Are we to believe, as some affirm, that they were ignorant of even the elements of geographical science, and are we to interpret their statements accordingly? Or are we to be lieve, as others state, that, whatever may have been their own knowledge, they conformed in their writings to the popular opinions and fallacies of their age ? Or are we to believe that, under the teaching of the Spirit, they embodied scientific truth sometimes in popular, sometimes in poetic, and sometimes in highly figurative language ? We shall best prepare the way for a satisfactory answer to these questions, by laying down one or two general principles.
It must be borne in mind that no part of the Bible was ever intended to furnish a systematic treatise on any of the physical sciences. The object of revelation is to convey to mankind truths which they could not of themselves discover, and which are essential to their salvation. In revealing these truths, the facts of science are often alluded to. Thus, in shelving that God is sole Creator, the history of creation is given ; in shewing the origin of sin, a description of Eden is given; in shewing that God is a universal and just ruler, the history of the deluge, of the dispersion of the human family, of the destruction of Sodom, and of the Exodus, is given. In illustration of the same
truth, allusions are made to the motions of the heavenly bodies, to the changes of the seasons, to the formation of rain and dew, to the clouds, lightnings, and tempests. Knowing the object of revelation, we should not expect such topics to be introduced in a purely scientific manner, or in strictly technical language; but, on the contrary, , in a popular manner, and in such language as ! would be easily intelligible to those immediately addressed.
It must further be borne in mind that the Bible is from God, and that every sentence of it, zohen rightly interpreted, must be in absolnte accordance with fact. We are warranted in concluding that wherever the heavenly bodies are spoken of, and wherever the structure, physical convulsions, and topography of the earth are alluded to, perfect accuracy is observed. It will not do to say that because the first principles of astronomy and geography were unknown to the ancient Hebrews. the inspired writers adopted popular fallacies. It will not do to plead that false views on scientific matters were permitted in the Bible, because true views would have been unintelligible. It will not do to .argue that the sacred writers were inspired on points of doctrine, but not on points of science. It. is true, they used popular language, just as scientific men use it now ; and we must interpret such language in the Bible as we interpret it in popular treaties on astronomy, geography, or general subjects. It is true the ancient Hebrews may have attached to many passages meanings vvklely different from those the scholar attaches to them now—they may have thought that the sky was a solid vault, that the earth has foundations, that the sun rises and sets ; hut we are not con cerned with the false interpretations of ignorant men ; we have only to do with the ideas the Spirit of God intended to convey. It is well known that modern science has corrected the opinions of men in regard. to many natural phenomena. The term which conveyed one idea in former times, conveys another and a widely different one now ; and yet the term may be as proper and as definite now as it was then.