Worlds Without Number
A Compilation from Ancient and Modern Documents
Compiled By Glen W. Chapman
1996
Testimonies From 0ld and New Testament Period
Apocryphal Writings
Old Testament Period Writings
"And Satan said to Adam,' I have no need to worship you, I will not worship an inferior being and younger being. I was your senior in the creation. Before you were made I was already made. It is rather your duty to worship me. The angels who are under me refuse to worship You also... Adam I was cast forth from my Glory because of thee, and behold I have caused thee to be expelled from the Garden Paradise because thou didst cause me to become a Stranger in my home in heaven Know thou that I shall never cease to contend against thee and all those who shall come after thee until all go down into my kingdom with me' "
Combat of Adam and Eve 14, 15
"Enoch went to the Lord who taught him all about the creation and his works .He saw matter unorganized before the creation council in Heaven. He saw Satan aspire and get cast out to become the foundation of lower things, beyond which there is great darkness and nothing. And the Lord said 'And now Enoch all that I have explained to thee and all thou has seen on Earth and all thou hast written in thy books. It is my wisdom that I have organized and made all these things and it was by my word that it was carried out,'
....." And every thing found in the world has been before and has passed
before him and has been organized before him ...All the creations of the world have existed in each generation before they came to this world. All the souls of the children of men have been before they came down to the world, formed, before him in Heaven in the very likeness that they have in this world...For all souls are prepared to eternity ,before the formation of the world" 2 Enoch 9
"Enoch answered the people saying, 'before .anything was and before the whole Creation took place, the Lord established the age of creation; and after that he made all of the creation both visible and invisible and after that he created man in his own image .He gave him eyes to see, ears to hear and a heart to think with and a mind to council. I swear to you my children that before man was in the womb of his mother we were prepared, each individual and a place for each spirit that each should sojourn here in his proper time, that man might be tested in the balance".'
2 Enoch 17
"Hear Enoch ....not to my angels have I told
the rise, nor my endless realm, nor have they understood my creating
which I tell thee today. There is born light from light . There
came forth a great age, and showed all creation... I want to create
another world ... and there is no council nor inheritor to My
creations nor assistant, It was I alone who was my advisor: and
it was my own word and-it was carried out. My eye beheld it all
.And now Enoch all that I have explained to thee and written in
thy book. It is in My wisdom that I organized and made all things..'.'
2 Enocb 24:3-5
"Nor have they understood my creating which I tell thee today. There is born light from light, there came forth a great age and showed all creation ... I want to create another world and there is no counselor nor inheritor to my creation .There are 18,000 worlds known only to God. "
Secrets of Enoch 10
"The Lord said to the angel take a book from the deposit and give a pen to Enoch and explain to him and dictate the books to him, so the Angel taught Enoch all the works of Heaven and the earth
and the sea and all elements and all time periods
and commandments and instructions. So he wote the 360 books of
creation " 2Enoch 10
"And now my children, ! know all things ....I have written of the extremities of heavens and what is in them. I have measured the movements of the Hosts. I have completed the counting of the stars a vast multitude. No man can conceive of their revolutions. The angels themselves do not know their number. I have measured and described the Stars." 2 Enoch 13
" And the Angel said to Enoch sit down and write.
All of the Spirits of men and those who have not yet been born
yet, the places which have been prepared for them. All things
were prepared since before the foundation of the world."
2 Enoch 9
"He calls them by name and they answer Him from
eternity to eternity. As the Father of greatness is in the glorious
worlds, so His Son rules among those cosmoses as the first Chief
Lord of all the powers." 1 Enoch 69:
"and the earth and planets are but atoms in
an infinity of like systems. There is an infinite hierarchy in
the worlds…There's an infinite hierarchy in the worlds"
Sefer Yetzirsh , I, 5, in Akiba ben Joseph
"God's creations are en sof, ' without end '
" (Mishanat ha-Zohar 1:127)
" This we have learned .Before the Holy One
created this world, He had created other worlds and destroyed
them" Zohar III (Noah)
" In some worlds, reproduction is carried out
differently from here…There are all sorts of creatures for
if you go to any other world he will be the same, and yet he's
the most individual of all." Zohar
"The heavens are without number, and every one
of the vaults is like an independent world which in turn contains
1,000 other worlds." bin Gorion 1:59
"God. (he hails God), "God! Thou who dost
bring order into the confusion of the universe, ever preparing
and renewing worlds for the righteous." Apocalypse of
Abraham
" Be not afraid, for I am before the world was, a strong God who created even before the light of the world, I am before the worlds, and a mighty God who created the light of the world, I
will show you the Aeons, and reveal to you that which
is secret; and you shall see great things never before beheld
by you; for you have loved to seek me, and I have called you my
friend.... I will show you the Aeons which have been wrought by
my word, and firmly established, created and renewed. "
Apocalypse of Abraham IX
"They have the same common source. They are
the heralds of His thought, by His word they communicate with
each other. They know Him who made them because they are in concord.
They have a common ruler, a common Lord, so they are in concord
with each other, and they communicate with Him and through Him
with each other, for the mouth of the Most High has spoken to
them. The worlds were made by His word and by the thought of
His heart, so they are all as one. There is no rivalry or competition
among them, but they are glorious in their firmaments and agree
among themselves, fitting together like the lashes of an eye.
All rejoice in each other, each being more glorious and bright
than the other. There is a hierarchy of brightness,. the range
going on forever. each more glorious than the next...The worlds
exchange wisdom with each other because they are equally dependent
upon the Most High...They are the heralds of his thoughts . By
His word, they communicate with each other. They knew Him who
made them because they were in converse, for the mouth of the
Most High spake to them. The worlds are made by his word and thoughts
of His heart. So they are all as one... Thy seal is known, and
all thy creatures know it, and thy hosts possess it and the elect
angels are clad with it…Hence one of the joys of existence
is that the worlds constantly exchange with each other what they
have, each possessing something different and peculiar to itself.
There is nothing superfluous anywhere, which means that nothing
is a mere duplication of something else." 12 Ode of Solomon
The Mandeans of Southern Mesopotamia (Israelites)
"Go down to that place where there la no occupied place, where there is no world, and create for us another world after the fashion of the Sons of Salvation" (Mandaean Sakinaa)
"God started out by creating a topoa where His children could settle, there to recognize and to serve Him as their Father"
"Adam, this is the place where you are going to live; your wife Eve will come and Join you here, and here your progeny Will thrive."
"The Father taught me about the worlds. of the Lord and the Glory that abides in them. The Adam of Light treads upon the earth's trembling foundation which is laid
in the midst of the worlds."
"There la no rivalry or competition among them but they are glorious in
their firmaments, and there is agreement among 'thee, fitting together like the lashes to the eye. All rejoice in each other. each being more glorious and bright than the other"
"No words can describe Thy power over all Thy worlds. The Father taught me about the worlds of the Lord and the glory that abides therin. The atom of light treads upon the earth's foundation that is laid in the midst of the worlds"
"When beings from different worlds meet, they exchange garments and treasures as an identification a sign of mutual esteem. For 'the creation of endless worlds
follows a single pattern -- that laid down by God the creator. The planets say, 'Come Lord of the gods, Lord of the entire cosmos.' 'Come be our head, be the head of our whole world'..
"In the millions of worlds that God has made for his sons every world is different from the other and wonderful in its own radiance."
"Among ten thousand times ten thousand worlds
you will find no two alike. Before this world, there had already
been a thousand thousand mysteries and a myriad of planets each
with their own mysteries or ordinances…He who has fulfilled
all the ordinances and has done good work cannot be held back.
We are taught the principles of salvation , so that we cannot
be held back in this world. Those who receive certain teachings
and carry their instructions in this world cannot be held back
in this world or the next" Ginza (Lidzbarski)
"Christ sounded sounded with a trump in the worlds far and near alike. He roused them all alike, For He is the Savior of the worlds. The worlds will come before Him in order and in shining oath…Those who shut the doors against me will be held back in the abode of darkness. Those that open the doors to me will advance in the place of light…Adam thou shalt have progress onward."
Manichaean Psalm-Book
"He determines the number of stars and calls
them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His
understanding has no limit." (Psalms 147:4-5, NIV)
New Testament Period Writings
"There ia an appointed place for everything in the Cosmos. There is 'numeristics' there is a numbering of souls for each world and a dispensation la not completed until the teleos-number (completed number) has been fulfilled for that dispensation. Every soul stays in its appointed place until it has fulfilled the task for the topos, for that place...After the plan of creation was
accepted, it was communicated to all the other worlds, and they approved and rejoiced...All other worlds look to the same God, also to the common Son,
"Other worlds cannot be described in terms of this one. Not only is there nothing common between them, between other worlds and this world, they are as different from each other as any of them is from us...There is a hierarchy among the many worlds. You can visit the order below you, but not the levels or orders above you.
"There are mysteries so much greater than these that they make these look like a grain of flour, just as the sun looks like a grain of flour from distant worlds.
Everyone here on this earth descends, as it were,
to the dregs (earth or dirt) and shares a common substance with
all living things...We are passed on from hand to hand, from degree
to degree!! Our example is Adam, who, having been established
in Christ and God, next established his son Seth in the second
order which was to follow Him on up." From Pistis Sophia
"All the Cosmos follow the pattern of a single
world (called the typos) , Ever since the beginning this has been
so. This pattern keeps the entire Physis (physical Universe) in
a state of joy and rejoicing…When we say 'light', we think
of our kind of light. But that's wrong…Marriage for example
would be entirely different there from what marriage is here;
but we must designate eternal and heavenly marriage by the same
name. Even though the spirits may be eternal and thus equal in
age, they differ in intelligence, appearance and in other things.
These differences are primary. They are as unbegotten as the spirits
themselves " Sophia Christi
" Not only is there nothing common between them,
between other worlds and this world, they are different from each
other as any of them is from us" Codex 88
"There is no permanence in matter, which is always undergoing change, as worlds come into existence and pass away. Everything else changes, but only progeny is eternal. Christ rules in the second place, His rule exactly duplicating the Father's but over a more limited number of cosmoses. If other stars are greater than our world, then it is necessary that they contain life greater than ours
, and greater peace, and greater justice, and greater virtue than ours... "The spirits are equal in age, but different in power, intelligence, and appearance. They have been so
throughout all time." Gospel of Philip
(124:iff) "and we are a special species, true man and son of man . . . sons of the Bridal-chamber (text damaged) in this world. (6ff) The mating in the next world is an entirely different nature from this one; though we use earthly vocabulary in speaking of them, (lOfl) there are other forms of union that transcend all description (naming). (17ff) Indeed, it is not needful that they who have all these things know absolutely everything; let them enjoy what they have. (23f) The teleio's (initiate) cannot he held back, (26) being clothed in the garment of holy light; (3ff) even before he leaves this world."
Gospel of Philip
"Only progeny is immortal, each mounting up
from world to world acquiring ever more treasure while progressing
toward His perfection, which awaits them all. Worlds come and
go; only progeny (sonship) is eternal." Gospel of Philip
123:6-13
"Creation is organization and God is ever bringing
order into the universe and He is progressively ever preparing
and renewing worlds for the righteous... at the time of the creation,
the great thought came to the elements, united with them, spirit
joining with matter." Papyrus Berolinensis 8502
"It is the perfect Father who produced the all,
in whom the all is, in whom all are in need always. Out of the
one come the countless multitudes, but yet they remain in the
One." All the other worlds look to the same God as to a common
sun... All the cosmoses follow the pattern of a single world,
which is called the type, the archetype. Ever since the beginning
this has been so, keeping the entire physis in the state of joy
and rejoicing. The worlds exchange wisdom with each other because
they are equally dependent on the Most High. ..All spaces were
broken and confused at the time of transition from old worlds
to new… Thus the Word of the Father advances in the cosmos,
being the fruit of His heart and the expression of His will. Through
the ordinances one makes progress in knowledge . …When the
flame engulfs substance to form a new unity, then obscurity becomes
light, death becomes life. And old jars are broken to become new…All
spaces come forth from the Father, but at first , they have neither
form nor name. " The Gospel of Truth
"This is not my opinion; this is what the elders
used to teach,. There will be another world after this one. And
in the same way, there were other worlds before this one. We thus
share a common Nature with other worlds." Origen
"God is the Father of all the worlds, He knows
them; they keep their courses and covenants with Him; He calls
them by name, and they answer him from eternity to eternity. As
the Father of greatness is in the glorious world, so his Son rules
among those cosmoses as first chief Lord of all the powers "
1 Clement
"To the Christians is promised endless worlds,
endless cosmoses." Justin Martyr in PG 6:
"I could write to you (Trallians) about the
mysteries of the heavens, but I am afraid to do so. It would do
you harm. I am able to understand the orders of the heavens, the
degrees of angels, the variations among them, and the differences
of dominions, of thrones and powers, and the elevation of the
Holy Ghost and the kingdom of the Lord, and the highest of all
rules of God over everywhere else. There is an infinity of hierarchy
in the world. You're not ready for it yet, and the Church is not
going to have it." Ignatius
"To be true and faithful, God gave the dominion
over the arrangement of the universe to the true and faithful.
Their rule and their advancement go on forever and ever."
Father Papias
"Each star existed for the sake of the whole
to which it contributed its individuality. Each had its particular
part to play, and, thus, by being unique within itself, could
make a contribution of maximum value" Plotins
"Christ came down from his vast rule and kingdoms and other worlds to save one percent of those on this evil earth, and to enroll the human race in the heavenly register... If other stars are greater than our world, then it is necessary that they contain life greater than ours, and greater peace, and greater justice, and greater virtue than ours." Methodius From the eighteenth volume of the Patrologiae Graecae
"Where my Father is, it's entirely different
from this world. There you will see lights that are nobler than
your kind of light. In the millions of worlds that God has made
for his son, every world is different from the others and wonderful
in its own radiance. Hence, one of the joys of existence is that
the worlds constantly exchange with each other what they have,
each possessing something different and peculiar to itself. There
is nothing superfluous anywhere, which means that nothing is a
mere duplication of something else…We share a common substance
with all living things, and from here on out we begin to work
our way up, step by step to a knowledge of all things, ever seeking
for instruction and carrying out the required ordinances that
will lead us to more." Epistle of the Apostles
" In the limited confines of the flesh, which
condition all our thinking, we can't possibly grasp the nature
of other existences or even begin to count the number of other
worlds.. We mortals cant possibly count or reckon the heavens..
The Lord revealed all to me. He who moved among the worlds. Not
only are the countless but the have been going on forever. "
The First Apocalypse of James Nag Hammadi Codex Vol
3
"For the worlds exist, so that intelligent spirits
might come and inhabit them. There are many mansions degrees,
and worlds, and they all have but one law. If you keep that law
you too can become a creator of worlds…Every kingdom requires
space and will need more, but by the law of plentitude, perfect
economy, no space should be wasted and none should be crowded
" Second Coptic Gnostic Work
"There are literally all kinds of strange beasts in other worlds that we can't imagine"
Berlin Papyrus 8502
"at the time of the creation, the great thought came to the elements, united with them, spirit joining with matter."
Papyrus Berolinensls 8502:2,
" When this vitalizing principle touches matter, consciousness is expanded. The worlds of darkness gathered and beheld His brightness. They breathed His fragrance and orbited about Him and bowed anew and worshipped Him." Acts of Thomas 108 (Hymn of the Soul 93-99) in James, Apocryphal NT, pp. 414-415.
"There are many mansions, many regions, degrees,
worlds, spaces and heavens, but all have but one law. If you keep
that law, you, too, can become creators of worlds." The
Askew Manuscript
"The treasure or physical substance used by each spark must be taken from other treasures, and before it can be used it must first be purified... The various elements must be separated, cleansed, and reclassified for reuse, but we separate it out when we reclassify it Every new creation, leaves behind the matter of its old ages (its old aeons). From the beginning, the elements were purified by the holy, living bearers of light. And' from the first context, they were mixed with the background material and have remained so ever since" Manuscript 96
See Schmidt & McDermot, Books of Jeu and the Untitled Text
"There is a place from which all worlds take
their origin and prototype : a place of shadowless light and indescribable
joy ... and there is a veil between the worlds. Above the veil
are the heavens. The Firmament is equipped with veils and gates
that are guarded, far removed from the world in which men dwell."
1 Jeu 39
"In any world as a Yeu becomes a Father in a new world, the Fathers then appoint new Yeu's (Jehovahs) for new worlds who in turn will become Fathers... Each Yeu has created for its host ten thousand times ten thousand... The farther advanced one is, the faster one moves forward...To them that have shall be given more." 1 Jeu 48:8, 50:1-3
" When I lead you to the topos of those who
have received their inheritance . . . the Sun will look like nothing
but a tiny speck of cornmeal, because of the enormous distance,
and because the new world is so much greater. (These higher mysteries
are not for the unqualified, who are terrified of them; they go
far beyond mortal comprehension)" 2 Jeu
New Testament References
Hebrews 1: 1.
"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in
time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
2. Hath in these last days spoken unto us by [his] Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things. by whom also he made the worlds:
3. Through faith we understand that the worlds were
framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were
not made of things which do appear."
Latter Day Scriptures
Doctrine and Covenants 76:
23." For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father
24. That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God.
39. For all the rest shall be brought forth by the resurrection of the dead, through the triumph and the glory of the Lamb, who was slain, who was in the bosom of the Father before the worlds were made.
112. And they shall be servants of the Most High; but where God and Christ dwell they cannot come, worlds without end. "
D&C 93:
9. "The light and the Redeemer of the world; the Spirit of truth, who came into the world, because the world was made by him, and in him was the life of men and the light of men.
10 The worlds were made by him, men were made by
him; all things were made by him, and through him. and of him."
Moses 1:
33."And worlds without number have I created, and I also created them for mine own purpose; and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten.
34. And the first man of all men have I called Adam, which is many.
35. But only an account of this earth, and the inhabitants thereof, give I unto you. For behold, ,there are many worlds that have passed away by the word of my power. And there are many that now stand, and innumerable are they unto man; but all things are numbered unto me, for they are mine and I know them."
36. And it came to pass that Moses spake unto the Lord, saying: Be merciful unto thy servant, O God, and tell me concerning this earth, and the inhabitants thereof, and also the heavens, and then thy servant will be content.
37. And the Lord God spake unto Moses, saying: The heavens, they are many, and they cannot be numbered unto man; but they are numbered unto me, for they are mine.
38. And as one earth shall pass away, and the heavens thereof even so shall another come; and there is no end to my works, neither to my words.
of man.
39. For behold, this is my work and my glory--to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life
40. And now, Moses, my son, I will speak unto thee concerning this earth upon which thou standest; and thou shalt write the things which I shall speak.
41. And in a day when the children of men shall esteem
my words as naught and take many of them from the book which thou
shalt write, behold, I will raise up another like unto thee; and
they shall be had again among the children of men--among as many
as shall believe. "
Abraham 3:
21." I dwell in the midst of them all; I now, therefore, have come down unto thee to declare unto thee the works which my hands have made, wherein my wisdom excelleth them all, for I rule in the heavens above, and in the earth beneath, in all wisdom and prudence, over all the intelligences shine eyes have seen from the beginning; I came down in the beginning in the midst of all the intelligences thou hast seen.
22. Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones;
23. And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make ny rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou west chosen before thou west born.
24. And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell,
26. And they who keep their first estate shall be
added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not
have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first
estate, and they who keep their second estate shall have glory
added upon their heads for ever and ever."
History of The Church Vol. 5:254
"Come to me; here's the mysteries man hath not
seen, Here's our Father in heaven, and Mother, the Queen; Here
are worlds that have been, and the worlds yet to be: Here's eternity,
endless; amen. Come to me." (Joseph Smith)
History of The Church Vol. 6:305
"God himself was once as we are now, and is
an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens! That is
the great secret. If the veil were rent today, and the great God
who holds this world in its orbit, and who upholds all worlds
and all things by His power, was to make himself visible,--I say,
if you were to see him today, you would see him like a man in
form--like yourselves in all the person, image, and very form
as a man; for Adam was created in the very fashion, image and
likeness of God, and received instruction from, and walked, talked
and conversed with Him, as one man talks and communes with another."
(Joseph Smith)
History of The Church Vol. 7:331
"Come to me; here's the mystery that man hath not seen; Here's our Father in heaven, and Mother the Queen, Here are worlds that have been. and the worlds yet to be, Here's
eternity -- endless" (Joseph Smith)
Discourses of Brigham Young p.20
"He presides over the worlds on worlds that illuminate this little planet, and millions on millions of worlds that we cannot see; and yet he looks upon the minutest object of his creations, not one of these creatures escapes his notice; and there is not one of them but his wisdom and power has produced."
Discourses of Brigham Young p. 48.
"The creations of God -- the worlds that are and the worlds that have been, -- who can grasp in the vision of his mind the truth that there never has been a time when there have not been worlds like this, and that there never will be a time when there will not be worlds organized and prepared for intelligent beings to dwell upon? ".
B. H. Roberts, Comprehensive History of the Church, Vol.2, Ch.63, Pg.393 - Pg.394
"It is these differences in intelligences that lead to order in the universe. Those more advanced governing, controlling, devising, organizing, forming societies, making governments, civilizations--all which shall tend to increase the glory and power and joy of all: 'Men are that they might have joy,' is a Book of Mormon passage. 'This is my work and my glory,' Joseph
Smith represents God as saying, 'to bring to pass
the immortality and eternal life of man. ' To this end Divine
Intelligences bring into existence worlds and world systems, sustain
and guide them through immense cycles of time, and through processes
that lead from chaos to cosmos, from telestial to celestial, and
when attaining a point beyond which they may not be exalted in
their present forms, breaking those forms, disintegrating them,
to bring them forth again to reach a grander cosmos--worlds without
number have thus passed away, by the word of God's power, and
many now stand, innumerable unto man; and as one earth and its
heavens shall pass away, so shall another come, and there is no
end to this work, to this evolution, and this devolution. And
so the eternal drama proceeds. Intelligences meanwhile standing
indestructible amidst this organization and disorganization of
worlds; this integrating and disintegrating of things. This movement
is from lower to higher estates, from little to greater excellences;
yet this without attaining to 'highest' or 'perfect,' because,
to repeat, advancement in the infinite knows no ultimates. Meanwhile
intelligences amid these changes, under the law of eternal progress,
are ever increasing in power, glory, might, dominion, benevolence,
charity, justice; and all else that can make for the increase
of their power and glory. In which strivings and achievements
eternal evil is always potentially, and sometimes actively, present.
Indeed it makes necessary and possible, in fact, the very strivings
and achievements, and is the 'foil on which good produces itself,
and becomes known."
B.H. Roberts ,Man's Relationship To Deity
"The Prophet Joseph Smith is credited with having
said that our planet was made up of the fragments of a planet
which previously existed; some mighty convulsions disrupted that
creation and made it desolate. Both its animal and vegetable life
forms were destroyed. And when those convulsions ceased, and the
rent earth was again consolidated, and it became desirable to
replenish it, the work was begun by making a mist to rise, that
it might descend in gentle rain upon the barren earth, that it
might again be fruitful. Then came one of the sons of God to the
earth-Adam. A garden was planted in Eden and the man placed in
it, and there the Lord brought to him every beast of the field
and every fowl of the air, and Adam gave names to them all. Afterwards
was brought to Adam his wife, whom, since she was derived from
man, he named woman; and she became his help-mate, his companion
and the mother of his children. In this nothing is hinted at about
man being made from the dust, and woman manufactured from a rib,
a story which has been a cause of much perplexity to religious
people, and a source of much impious merriment to reckless unbelievers.
We are informed that the Lord God made every plant of the field
before it was in the earth' and every herb before it grew on our
planet. As vegetation was created or made to grow upon some older
earth, and the seeds thereof or the plants themselves were brought
to our earth and made to grow, so likewise man and his helpmate
were brought from some other world to our own."
B.H. Roberts The Truth The Way The Life, Chap. 25
"'Creation' and God. As in the case of the time period of creation, so in the 'manner' of creation, we may not wholly accept either of the theories or any of the variations of them proposed. We start, of course, with God as the Creator of the earth and its heavens. They were created at his command, and by his power, and under the operation of laws of creation. All which, however, does not require us to believe that the creation of the earth and its heavens was made instantly, as by magic, or by any absolutely new process; nor that the things 'created,' any more than the order, were new and for the first time produced. Both the things created and the order of their production must have been many times repeated in the multitudinous worlds of the universe, where creations in some manner have If, as we have presented the case been going on eternally.
There are older worlds than ours in existence, inhabited by myriads of forms of life, vegetable and animal, such as live in the seas and fly in the air and roam over the plains and through the forests; ... the superior intelligences of older worlds have mastered the problems not only of interplanetary and intersolar system communication, but also of interplanetary transportation, indeed universal communication and transportation throughout the universe-then it is possible that some method of transportation may have been employed in conveying life in varied forms from other worlds to ours."