It underlies the whole plan of
redemption, and upon it the Mosaic economy, as a part of that plan, is
erected. Why should any one suppose that Moses, who recorded the
establishment of this economy with all its details, omitted to record
the great transactions with the patriarchs which lie at its foundation?
There are other references to the book of Genesis in the law of Moses.
The institution of the Sabbath is expressly based on the order of
creation recorded in the first two chapters; and when the people leave
Egypt they carry with them the bones of Joseph, in accordance with the
oath which he had exacted of them. Gen. 50:25, compared with Exod.
13:19.

To the Mosaic authorship of Genesis it has been objected, that it
contains marks of a _later age_. But these marks, so far as they have
any real existence, belong not to the substance of the book. They are
restricted to a few explanatory notices, which may well have been added
by Ezra or some prophetical man before him, in setting forth a revised
copy of the law. See No. 3, above. The passages which can, with any show
of probability, be referred to a later age, are, taken all together,
very inconsiderable, and they refer only to incidental matters, while
the book, as a whole, bears all the marks of high antiquity.

To the Mosaic authorship of this book it has been objected again, that
it contains the writings of _different authors_. This is especially
argued from the diversity of usage in respect to the divine name, some
passages employing the word _Elohim_, _God_, others the word _Jehovah_,
or a combination of the two terms. Whatever force there may be in this
argument, the validity of which is denied by many who think that the
inspired writer designedly varied his usage between the general term
_God_ and the special covenant name _Jehovah_, it goes only to show that
Moses may have made use of previously existing documents; a supposition
which we need not hesitate to admit, provided we have cogent reasons for
so doing. Whatever may have been the origin of these documents, they
received through Moses the seal of God's authority, and thus became a
part of his inspired word.

Several writers have attempted to distinguish throughout the
book of Genesis the parts which they would assign to different
authors; but beyond the first chapters they are not able to
agree among themselves. All attempts to carry the distinction of
different authors into the la