ThesupportersofatheorybasedupontheletterofScripture，whohadsolongtakentheoffensive，werenowobligedtofightuponthedefensiveandatfearfulodds。Variouslinesofdefenceweretaken；butperhapsthemostpatheticeffortwasthatmadeintheyear1857，inEngland，byGosse。Asanaturalisthehadrenderedgreatservicestozoologicalscience，buthenowconcentratedhisenergiesupononelastefforttosavetheliteralinterpretationofGenesisandthetheologicalstructurebuiltuponit。InhisworkentitledOmphaloshedevelopedthetheorypreviouslyurgedbyGranvillePenn，andassertedanewprinciplecalled“prochronism。”Inaccordancewiththis，allthingswerecreatedbytheAlmightyhandliterallywithinthesixdays，eachmadeupof“theeveningandthemorning。”andeachgreatbranchofcreationwasbroughtintoexistenceinaninstant。AcceptingadeclarationofDr。Ure，that“neitherreasonnorrevelationwilljustifyusinextendingtheoriginofthematerialsystembeyondsixthousandyearsfromourowndays。”
　　Gosseheldthatalltheevidencesofconvulsivechangesandlongepochsinstrata，rocks，minerals，andfossilsaresimply“APPEARANCES“——onlythatandnothingmore。Amongthesemere“appearances。”allcreatedsimultaneously，weretheglacialfurrowsandscratchesonrocks，themarksofretreatonrockymasses，asatNiagara，thetiltedandtwistedstrata，thepilesoflavafromextinctvolcanoes，thefossilsofeverysortineverypartoftheearth，thefoot-tracksofbirdsandreptiles，thehalf-digestedremainsofweakeranimalsfoundinthefossilizedbodiesofthestronger，themarksofhyenas’teethonfossilizedbonesfoundinvariouscaves，andeventheskeletonoftheSiberianmammothatSt。Petersburgwithlumpsoffleshbearingthemarksofwolves’teeth——allthese，withallgapsandimperfections，heurgedmankindtobelievecameintobeinginaninstant。Theprefaceoftheworkisespeciallytouching，anditendswiththeprayerthatscienceandScripturemaybereconciledbyhistheory，and“thattheGodoftruthwilldeignsotouseit，andifhedo，tohimbealltheglory。”[177]AtthecloseofthewholebookGossedeclared：“Thefieldisleftclearandundisputedfortheonewitnessontheoppositeside，whosetestimonyisasfollows：`InsixdaysJehovahmadeheavenandearth，thesea，andallthatinthemis。’“Thisquotationheplacedincapitalletters，asthefinalrefutationofallthatthescienceofgeologyhadbuilt。
　　[177]SeeGosse，Omphalos，London，1857，p。5，andpassim；andforapassagegivingthekeynoteofthewhole，withamostfarcicalnoteoncoprolites，seepp。353，354。
　　InotherpartsofEuropedesperateattemptsweremadeevenlatertosavetheletterofoursacredbooksbytherevivalofatheoryinsomerespectsmorestriking。Toshapethistheorytorecentneeds，vaguereminiscencesofatextinJobregardingfirebeneaththeearth，andvagueconceptionsofspeculationsmadebyHumboldtandLaplace，weremingledwithJewishtradition。OutofthemixturethusobtainedSchubertdevelopedtheideathattheSatanic“principalitiesandpowers“formerlyinhabitingouruniverseplungeditintothechaosfromwhichitwasnewlycreatedbyaprocessaccuratelydescribedinGenesis。Rougemontmadetheearthoneofthe“morningstars“ofJob，reducedtochaosbyLuciferandhisfollowers，andthencedevelopedinaccordancewiththenebularhypothesis。KurtzevolvedfromthistheoryanopinionthatthegeologicaldisturbanceswerecausedbytheoppositionofthedeviltotherescueofouruniversefromchaosbytheAlmighty。Delitzschputasimilarideaintoamorescholasticjargon；butmostdesperateofallwerethestatementsofDr。AntonWestermeyer，ofMunich，inTheOldTestamentvindicatedfromModernInfidelObjections。Thefollowingpassagewillservetoshowhisideas：“BythefructifyingbroodingoftheDivineSpiritonthewatersofthedeep，creativeforcesbegantostir；thedevilswhoinhabitedtheprimevaldarknessandconsideredittheirownabodesawthattheyweretobedrivenfromtheirpossessions，oratleastthattheirplaceofhabitationwastobecontracted，andtheythereforetriedtofrustrateGod’splanofcreationandexertallthatremainedtothemofmightandpowertohinderoratleasttomarthenewcreation。”Socameintobeing“thehorribleanddestructivemonsters，thesecaricaturesanddistortionsofcreation。”ofwhichwehavefossilremains。Dr。Westermeyergoesontoinsistthat“wholegenerationscalledintoexistencebyGodsuccumbedtothecorruptionofthedevil，andforthatreasonhadtobedestroyed“；andthat“intheworkofthesixdaysGodcausedthedeviltofeelhispowerinallearnest，andmadeSatan’senterpriseappearmiserableandvain。”[178]
　　[178]SeeShields’sFinalPhilosophy，pp。340etseq。，andReusch’sNatureandtheBibleEnglishtranslation，1886，vol。
　　i，pp。318-320。
　　SuchwasthelastimportantassaultuponthestrongholdsofgeologicalscienceinGermany；and，inviewofthisandothersofthesamekind，itislittletobewonderedatthatwhen，in1870，JohannSilberschlagmadeanattempttoagainbasegeologyupontheDelugeofNoah，hefoundsuchdifficultiesthat，inatouchingpassage，heexpressedadesiretogetbacktothetheorythatfossilswere“sportsofNature。”[179]
　　[179]SeeReusch，vol。i，p。264。
　　ButthemostnotedamongeffortstokeepgeologywellwithintheletterofScriptureisofstillmorerecentdate。Intheyear1885Mr。Gladstonefoundtime，amidallhislaboursandcaresasthegreatestparliamentaryleaderinEngland，totakethefieldinthestrugglefortheletterofGenesisagainstgeology。
　　OnthefaceofithiseffortseemedQuixotic，forheconfessedattheoutsetthatinsciencehewas“utterlydestituteofthatkindofknowledgewhichcarriesauthority。”andhisargumentsoonshowedthatthisconfessionwasentirelytrue。
　　Buthehadsomeotherqualitiesofwhichmuchmightbeexpected：
　　greatskillinphrase-making，greatshrewdnessinadaptingthemeaningsofsinglewordstoconflictingnecessitiesindiscussion，wonderfulpowerinerectingshowystructuresofargumentuponthesmallestbasisoffact，andafacilityalmostpreternaturalin“explainingaway“troublesomerealities。Sostrikingwashispowerinthislastrespect，thatahumorousLondonchronicleronceadvisedabigamist，ashisonlyhope，toinduceMr。Gladstonetoexplainawayoneofhiswives。
　　Atthebasisofthistheologico-geologicalstructureMr。
　　GladstoneplacedwhathefoundinthetextofGenesis：“Agrandfourfolddivision“ofanimatedNature“setforthinanorderlysuccessionoftimes。”Andhearrangedthisorderandsuccessionofcreationasfollows：“First，thewaterpopulation；secondly，theairpopulation；thirdly，thelandpopulationofanimals；
　　fourthly，thelandpopulationconsummatedinman。”
　　Hisnextstepwastoslideinuponthisbasistheapparentlyharmlesspropositionthatthisdivisionandsequence“isunderstoodtohavebeensoaffirmedinourtimebynaturalsciencethatitmaybetakenasademonstratedconclusionandestablishedfact。”
　　Finally，uponthesefoundationsheproceededtobuildanargumentoutofthecoincidencesthussecuredbetweentherecordintheHebrewsacredbooksandthetruthsrevealedbyscienceasregardsthisorderandsequence，andheeasilyarrivedatthedesiredconclusionwithwhichhecrownedthewholestructure，namely，asregardsthewriterofGenesis，that“hisknowledgewasdivine。”[180]
　　[180]SeeMr。Gladstone’sDawnofCreationandWorship，areplytoDr。Reville，intheNineteenthCenturyforNovember，1885。
　　Suchwastheskeletonofthestructure；itwasabundantlydecoratedwiththerhetoricinwhichMr。Gladstoneissoskilfulanartificer，andittoweredabove“theaverageman“asastructurebeautifulandinvincible——likesomeChinesefortressinthenineteenthcentury，facedwithporcelainanddefendedwithcrossbows。
　　Itsstrengthwassoonseentobeunreal。Inanessayadmirableinitstemper，overwhelminginitsfacts，andabsolutelyconvincinginitsargument，Prof。Huxley，latePresidentoftheRoyalSociety，anddoubtlessthemosteminentcontemporaryauthorityonthescientificquestionsconcerned，tookupthematter。
　　Mr。Gladstone’sfirstproposition，thatthesacredwritingsgiveusagreat“fourfolddivision“created“inanorderlysuccessionoftimes。”Prof。Huxleydidnotpresumetogainsay。
　　AstoMr。Gladstone’ssecondproposition，that“thisgreatfourfolddivision……createdinanorderlysuccessionoftimes……hasbeensoaffirmedinourowntimebynaturalsciencethatitmaybetakenasademonstratedconclusionandestablishedfact。”Prof。Huxleyshowedthat，asamatteroffact，nosuch“fourfolddivision“and“orderlysuccession“exist；that，sofarfromestablishingMr。Gladstone’sassumptionthatthepopulationofwater，air，andlandfollowedeachotherintheordergiven。”alltheevidencewepossessgoestoprovethattheydidnot“；
　　thatthedistributionoffossilsthroughthevariousstrataprovesthatsomelandanimalsoriginatedbeforeseaanimals；thattherehasbeenamixingofsea，land，andair“population“
　　utterlydestructivetothe“greatfourfolddivision“andtothecreation“inanorderlysuccessionoftimes“；that，sofaristheviewpresentedinthesacredtext，asstatedbyMr。Gladstone，fromhavingbeen“soaffirmedinourowntimebynaturalscience，thatitmaybetakenasademonstratedconclusionandestablishedfact“thatMr。Gladstone’sassertionis“directlycontradictorytofactsknowntoeveryonewhoisacquaintedwiththeelementsofnaturalscience“；thatMr。Gladstone’sonlygeologicalauthority，Cuvier，haddiedmorethanfiftyyearsbefore，whengeologicalsciencewasinitsinfancy[andhemighthaveadded，whenitwasnecessarytomakeeverypossibleconcessiontotheChurch]；and，finally，hechallengedMr。Gladstonetoproduceanycontemporaryauthorityingeologicalsciencewhowouldsupporthisso-calledscripturalview。Andwhen，inarejoinder，Mr。
　　GladstoneattemptedtosupporthisviewontheauthorityofProf。
　　Dana，Prof。HuxleyhadnodifficultyinshowingfromProf。
　　Dana’sworksthatMr。Gladstone’sinferencewasutterlyunfounded。But，whilethefabricrearedbyMr。GladstonehadbeenthusunderminedbyHuxleyonthescientificside，anotheropponentbegananattackfromthebiblicalside。TheRev。CanonDriver，professoratMr。Gladstone’sownUniversityofOxford，tookupthequestioninthelightofscripturalinterpretation。
　　InregardtothecomparativetabledrawnupbySirJ。W。Dawson，showingthesupposedcorrespondencebetweenthescripturalandthegeologicalorderofcreation，CanonDriversaid：“Thetwoseriesareevidentlyatvariance。Thegeologicalrecordcontainsnoevidenceofclearlydefinedperiodscorrespondingtothe`days’ofGenesis。InGenesis，vegetationiscompletetwodaysbeforeanimallifeappears。Geologyshowsthattheyappearsimultaneously——evenifanimallifedoesnotappearfirst。InGenesis，birdsappeartogetherwithaquaticcreatures，andprecedealllandanimals；accordingtotheevidenceofgeology，birdsareunknowntillaperiodmuchlaterthanthatatwhichaquaticcreaturesincludingfishesandamphibiaabound，andtheyareprecededbynumerousspeciesoflandanimals——inparticular，byinsectsandother`creepingthings。’“OftheMosaicaccountoftheexistenceofvegetationbeforethecreationofthesun，CanonDriversaid，“Noreconciliationofthisrepresentationwiththedataofsciencehasyetbeenfound“；andagain：“Fromallthathasbeensaid，howeverreluctantwemaybetomaketheadmission，onlyoneconclusionseemspossible。Readwithoutprejudiceorbias，thenarrativeofGenesisi，createsanimpressionatvariancewiththefactsrevealedbyscience。”Theeminentprofessorendsbysayingthattheeffortsatreconciliationare“differentmodesofobliteratingthecharacteristicfeaturesofGenesis，andofreadingintoitaviewwhichitdoesnotexpress。”
　　ThusfellMr。Gladstone’sfabricofcoincidencesbetweenthe“greatfourfolddivision“inGenesisandthefactsascertainedbygeology。Prof。Huxleyhadshatteredthescientificpartsofthestructure，Prof。Driverhadremoveditsbiblicalfoundations，andthelastgreatfortressoftheopponentsofunfetteredscientificinvestigationwasinruins。
　　InoppositiontoallsuchattemptswemayputanobleutterancebyaclergymanwhohasprobablydonemoretosavewhatisessentialinChristianityamongEnglish-speakingpeoplethananyotherecclesiasticofhistime。ThelateDeanofWestminster，Dr。ArthurStanley，waswidelyknownandbelovedonbothcontinents。InhismemorialsermonafterthefuneralofSirCharlesLyellhesaid：“ItisnowcleartodiligentstudentsoftheBiblethatthefirstandsecondchaptersofGenesiscontaintwonarrativesofthecreationsidebyside，differingfromeachotherinalmosteveryparticularoftimeandplaceandorder。Itiswellknownthat，whenthescienceofgeologyfirstarose，itwasinvolvedinendlessschemesofattemptedreconciliationwiththeletterofScripture。Therewere，thereareperhapsstill，twomodesofreconciliationofScriptureandscience，whichhavebeeneachintheirdayattempted，ANDEACHHASTOTALLYAND
　　DESERVEDLYFAILED。OneistheendeavourtowrestthewordsoftheBiblefromtheirnaturalmeaningandFORCEITTOSPEAKTHE
　　LANGUAGEOFSCIENCE。”Andagain，speakingoftheearliestknownexample，whichwastheinterpolationoftheword“not“inLeviticusxi，6，hecontinues：“ThisistheearliestinstanceofTHEFALSIFICATIONOFSCRIPTURETOMEETTHEDEMANDSOFSCIENCE；