Nevertheless, this supposition, that it was the deluge which transported the shells of the sea into every climate, is the opinion, or rather the superstition, of naturalists. Woodward, Scheutzer, and some more, call these petrified shells the remains of the deluge; they look on them as the medals and monuments which God has left us of this terrible event, in order that it never should be effaced from the human race. In short, they have adopted this hypothesis with so much enthusiasm, that they appear only desirous to reconcile holy scripture with their opinion; and instead of making use of their observations, and deriving light therefrom, they envelope themselves in the clouds of a physical theology, the obscurity of which is derogatory to the simplicity and dignity of religion, and only leaves the absurd to perceive a ridiculous mixture of human ideas and divine truths. To pretend to explain the universal Deluge, and its physical causes; to attempt to teach what passed in the time of that great revolution; to divine what were the effects of it; to add facts to those of Holy Writ, to draw consequences from such facts, is only a presumptuous attempt to measure the power of the Most High. The natural wonders which his benevolent hand performs in an uniform and regular manner, are incomprehensible; and by the strongest reason, these wonderful operations and miracles ought to hold us in awful wonder, and in silent adoration.
But they will say, the universal Deluge being a certain fact, is it not permitted to reason on its consequences? It may be so; but it is requisite that you should begin by allowing that the Deluge could not be performed by physical causes; you ought to consider it is an immediate effect of the will of the Almighty; you ought to confine yourselves to know only what the Holy Writ teaches, and particularly not to blend bad philosophy with the purity of divine truth. These precautions, which the respect we owe to the Almighty exacts, being taken, what remains for examination on the subject of the Deluge? Does the Scripture say mountains were formed by the Deluge? No, it says the contrary. Is it said that the agitation of the waters was so great as to raise up shells from the bottom of the sea, and transport them all over the earth? No; the ark floated quietly on the surface of the waters. Is it said, that the earth suffered a total dissolution? None at all: the recital of the sacred historian is simple and true, that of these naturalists complex and fabulous.
