Chapter 8—After the Flood
The whole surface of the earth was changed at the flood. A third
dreadful curse now rested upon it in consequence of man’s transgres-
sion. The beautiful trees and shrubbery bearing flowers were destroyed,
yet Noah preserved seed and took it with him in the ark, and God by
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his miraculous power preserved a few of the different kinds of trees
and shrubs alive for future generations. Soon after the flood trees and
plants seemed to spring out of the very rocks. In God’s providence
seeds were scattered and driven into the crevices of the rocks and there
securely hid for the future use of man.
The waters had been fifteen cubits above the highest mountains.
The Lord remembered Noah, and as the waters decreased, he caused
the ark to rest upon the top of a cluster of mountains, which God
in his power had preserved and made them to stand fast all through
that violent storm. These mountains were but a little distance apart,
and the ark moved about and rested upon one, then another of these
mountains, and was no more driven upon the boundless ocean. This
gave great relief to Noah and all within the ark. As the mountains and
hills appeared they were in a broken, rough condition, and all around
them appeared like a sea of roiled water or soft mud.
In the time of the flood the people and beasts also, gathered to the
highest points of land, and as the waters returned from off the earth,
dead bodies were left upon high mountains, and upon the hills as well
as upon the plains. Upon the surface of the earth were the bodies of
men and beasts. But God would not have these to remain upon the face
of the earth to decompose and pollute the atmosphere, therefore he
made of the earth a vast burying ground. He caused a powerful wind
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to pass over the earth for the purpose of drying up the waters, which
moved them with great force—in some instances carrying away the
tops of mountains like mighty avalanches, forming huge hills and high
mountains where there were none to be seen before, and burying the
dead bodies with trees, stones, and earth. These mountains and hills
increased in size and became more irregular in shape by collection of
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