5. The Fourth Day

  

 

I. On the fourth day, Moses, viewing creation in vision as if from the surface of the earth, according to probability, saw a new revelation of divine greatness, when the expanse of the heavens was opened to him, illumined by sun, and moon, and planets, and the millions of more distant stars. His description is that of an eye-witness, and not of an investigator who goes behind the visible fact. It does not mean that the celestial world was created from nothing at this epoch, nor that it was formed from pre-existing matter at this epoch, but that it appeared in existence for the first time to the visionary spectator. The heavenly bodies were not actually made on this day, for the outer planets of our system were cast off from the revolving nebular mass before our earth; and the glowing matter was probably far advanced in the process of condensation into the sun, even if it had not already formed it, at the epoch when Moses takes up the story of the earth on the first day. The glimmering light of the first three days was probably that of the sun, which could only penetrate dimly through the heavy curtain of vapour round the earth. The actual event of the fourth day, the day that succeeded the Carboniferous period of the great vegetation, was the clearing away of the thick layer of gas and aqueous vapour which had for so many years obscured the heavens, the visible appearance of the sun, and the commencement of the order of days and seasons. Geology witnesses to this. The closer texture of plants, their greater variety, and the appearance of season rings in trees, show that sunshine, as we know it, began only at this advanced period of the earth’s development. God is hidden from many men by the voluntary clouds of prejudice and worldliness. Because they cannot see Him they profess disbelief. But He is there all the same.


II. How glorious this earth must have seemed when the full light of the sun streamed upon it for the first time; and there was none to look upon it till Moses saw it in vision millions of years later. How wonderful is the sun! It is the source, not only of light and heat, but of all mechanical force and motion on our earth. Its attraction keeps the great bulk of our globe moving in its orbit. It raises millions of tons of water daily from the sea in the form of clouds. It puts the wind in motion to convey these North and South, and distribute them in rain and snow. This supplies the glaciers and rivers, which by their motion wear down mountains and continents, and transport their débris to form new strata beneath the ocean. The sun supplies substance to plants, which then nourish men and animals for their labours. It has stored in coal all the heat which we now draw forth for the production of power in our machinery. Yet all this is only one part in five hundred millions of the energy radiated by the sun. And what is this to the total energy of the whole universe? And what is that to the infinite power of God? Wonder at it and worship God.


III. The heavens also manifest the immensity of God. Our distance from the sun is ninety-three millions of miles. Suppose this to be represented on a reduced scale as two hundred feet; then the distance of the nearest fixed star in the same proportion would be fifteen thousand miles. Light moves at the rate of one hundred and ninety-five thousand miles in a second. From the sun it reaches us in about eight minutes; from one of the nearest fixed stars (61 Cygni) it takes ten years; from the Polar Star, fifty years; from the nebulae perhaps five million years. Our telescopes cannot penetrate to the ends of the starry world; yet perhaps this is only one corner of the whole of creation; and all creation is no more than the ante-chamber of the divine infinity. God is greater and far beyond all this. How wonderful will be the sight of Him face to face as He is! We can never adore Him and humble ourselves enough before Him. How can creatures dare to disobey, despise, insult, deny such a God! How much will they lose by that folly and sin!