Story of Sodom and Gomorrah. We are seemingly required by this story to believe that God keeps a manufactory of brimstone in heaven; for we are told that "the Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven" (Gen. xix.). If we credit this story, we may infer that the Lord keeps a supply of the article on hand, perhaps to be let down occasionally to replenish the bottomless pit. The science of chemistry has demonstrated within the present century that the air is composed of nitrogen and oxygen; and it has also demonstrated that oxygen gas and sulphur or brimstone, when brought into contact, are, with a moderate amount of heat, dissolved, united, and converted into oil of vitriol. Hence, if fire and brimstone rained from heaven in that climate, it is scientifically and chemically certain that the people were pelted with a shower of the oil of vitriol. One square mile of the earth's surface in that locality would be supplied with about thirteen thousand million pounds of oxygen. The requisite amount of brimstone to convert this into oil of vitriol would be about ten thousand million pounds, making in the whole twenty-three thousand millions of pounds. This would have been sufficient to spoil all the Sunday garments of the people, but could not have burned them up; for cold oil will not burn, and the fire and brimstone would have been converted into oil long before they reached the earth, and become too cool for the heat to injure any thing. We are told that several cities were destroyed by this divine judgment. And pray how many cities could exist in a hot and arid desert, where there was not a drop of water that a human being could drink? VII. TOWER OF BABEL. Of all the stories ever recorded in any book, disclosing on the part of the writer a profound ignorance of the sciences,--embracing, at least, astronomy, geography, and philosophy.--that of the Tower of Babel was probably never excelled. A brief enumeration of some of its absurdities will disclose this fact. 1. We are told (in chap. xi. of Genesis), that, after God had discovered by some means that "the children of men" were building a city and a tower to reach to heaven, he "came down to see the city and the tower" (Gen. xi. 6). The statement that he "came down" implies that he was a local being, and not the omnipotent and omnipresent God. 2. If he were not already present, and had to travel and descend in order to be present, we should like to know what mode of travel he adopted. It appears from the story that, if he came down, he must have returned almost immediately, and descended a second time; for, after this, he is represented as saying, "Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language" (Gen. xi. 7). 3. Who was this "us?" The use of this plural pronoun "us" implies that there were several Gods on hand.