Page:Essays ethnological and linguistic.djvu/225

Rh either from ignorance or design, practising on the credulity of their readers, or listeners, with absurd speculations on the approaching termination of the world's existence, on the credit of such a system, and the traditions connected with it. Such practices we find too frequently prevailing, and we cannot too strongly urge their correction.

From analogy, we may certainly recognize the probability of the theory, that as this planet has manifestly undergone many changes, through unknown ages, to fit it for the habitation of different races of beings who have passed over it, so it may yet be destined to undergo others, to fit it for the occupation of a still higher class of beings than ourselves, in accordance also with what is intimated in the Scriptures. At the same time, it is contrary to reason to suppose, that such a consummation could have been ordained to take place in so short a period as has yet been allotted to our race. We may therefore conclude, that many ages may yet elapse before any further change shall occur, as many prophecies have yet to be fulfilled, and much progress to be made towards the perfectibility of our nature. At any rate, the common fallacy of the approaching consummation of all things at the end of the present thousand years, as the completion of the term of 6000 years for which the world has been supposed to have been created, may be denounced as utterly groundless. It was as prevalent at the time of the Apostles as it is in some quarters at present, and perhaps is as far from accomplishment now as it has proved to have been in the interval since then. The dreaded completion of the term of 6000 years of the world's existence has certainly long since passed by, and all present speculations respecting it may be unhesitatingly pronounced to be as futile now as the past have been.

When, however, we find such prepossessions prevailing, we cannot insist too strongly on every means being taken to ensure their correction. This can only be effected by the extension of knowledge, and the freest discussion of every question, which, if honestly entered into, cannot but be conducive to the interests of truth.