ed, are things inexplicable--concealed germs of
an infinite development, reserved for future ages to unfold."[259] To
the man of learning and reflection, this progressive fullness, and
unfathomable depth of the Scripture, is a most conclusive proof that it
was dictated by Him in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and
knowledge.

But the ignorant scoffers--the great majority--will mock on, and speak
evil of the things they know not. Their mockery is founded on two
assumptions, which they believe to be irrefutable; that the sun is the
only possible source of light to the earth; and that it is impossible
for the sun to exist without illuminating the earth. Unless they can
_prove_ both of these assumptions to be true, they can not prove the
Bible account of creation to be false, nor even show it to be
impossible. Neither of these assumptions can possibly be proved true;
for none of them can explore the universe, to discover the sources of
light, nor put the sun through every possible experiment, to discover
that his light is an inseparable quality. The only thing Infidels can
truly allege against the Bible account of the origin of light is, _their
ignorance of the process_. The argument is simply this: "God could not
cause light without sunshine, _because I don't know how he did it_. Nor
_can I understand_ how the sun shone on a dark earth; therefore, it is
impossible."

These arguments from ignorance need no other answer than the questions,
Do you know how the sun shines at all? Is your ignorance the measure of
God's wisdom?

But I shall demonstrate the utter falsehood of both these assumptions,
by showing the actual existence of many sources of light besides the
sun, and the perfect possibility of the existence of the sun without
sunshine, and of sunshine without any light reaching the earth. Thus,
both the alleged _impossibilities_ upon which the argument against the
truth of the Bible is based will be removed, and the gross ignorance of
natural science displayed by professedly scientific scoffers at the
Bible exposed.

Light, so far from being solely derived from the sun, exists in, and can
be educed from, almost any known substance. Even children are familiar
with the light produced by the friction of two pieces of quartz; and no
one needs to be informed how light may be produced by the combustion of
inflammable substances. But the number of these substances is far
greater than is generally supposed, and lig