afkf^J?£cfx^L^/Vy/

PUBLISHED BT" E Sc-G. ME RRUJi.'WEST BE.OOEFIELD. MASS

THE
CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER OR,
THE CONNECTION OF
SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY
WITH
JUIttatratcfc tottf) lEngrainnfls,

BY THOMAS DICK,
AUTHOR. OF A VARIETY OF LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICA
TIONS IN NICHOLSON'S PHILOSOPHICAL JOURNAL, THE
ANNALS OF PHILOSOPHY, &C- &C.

BROOKF1ELD, MASS,
PUBLISHED BY E. &. G. MEBBIAM.

MDCCCXXVIII.

EXPLANATION OF THE ENGRAVING.
(Fronting the Title.)
The five figures'on the upper part of the plate, marked 1, 2, 3, 4,
&'«. represent the planets Herschel, Saturn, Jupiter, the Earth, and
Moon, in their relative sizes and proportions; together with tele
scopic views of the belts and rings of Saturn, and the belts of Jupi-j
ter. The .two figures immediately below, marked 5 and 6, are in
tended to ^illustrate the, description given of the eye, pp. 98 — 116.
Fig. 5. represents a front view of the human eye. Fig. 6. repre
sents a section of it, exhibiting the' three coals and the three humors
of which it is composed. Fig. 7. represents a rude view of the ap
pearance which the rings and moons of Saturn will exhibit, in cer
tain cases, as beheld from a point 20 or 30 degrees north from his
equator, see pp. 212, 213. The shade on the upper part of the
rings represents the shadow of the body of Saturn, as it appears upon
the rings about midnight.

TO

DAVID BREWSTER, LL. D.
Fellow of the Royal Society of London ; Sec
retary to the Royal Society of Edinburgh ;
Honorary Member of the Royal Irish Aca
demy ; Member of the Royal Swedish Aca
demy of Sciences ; Honorary Associate of
the Royal Academy of Sciences at Lyons,
&c. &c* *-'
THIS VOLUME,
Intended to illustrate the connection of sci
ence and philosophy with religion,,and with the
moral improvement of mankind, is inscribed as
a testimony of respect for the acquisitions
which science has derived from his philosoph
ical discoveries and literary' labours, by his
most obedient, and humble servant,
THE AUTHOR.

VI
If
Bevelation from Heaven ; and, under a firm belief of this
important truth, the Author has embellished his work with
frequent quotations from the energetic and sublime lan
guage of this Sacred Book. It would, therefore, be un
fair in any critic, who entertains doubt's on this point, to
find fault with such quotations, or with the allusions to Bi
ble-phraseology which occur, unless they can be shown to
be introduced without judgment *or discrimination.
The Author has carefully revised every portion of the
present Edition, and introduced a variety of corrections
and modifications. He has likewise introduced additional
matter, to the extent of between 40 and 50 pages, and also
several illustrative engravings. In its present form, the
Author trusts, that, independently of the moral reflections
it contains, it will be found to comprise popular descrip
tions of a greater number of scientific facts, than is to be
found in any other volume of the same size.
Various topics, originally intended to be illustrated, have
been,; unavoidably omitted. Some of these are stated in
the last paragraph of Chapter IV. the illustration of which,
in combination with other kindred topics, would fill a vo
lume of nearly the same size as the present. This subject
(for which the author has abundance of materials) will be
prosecuted in another Volume, under the title of The
Philosophy of Religion ; and will comprise, among
many other subjects of discussion, illustrations of the mo
ral relation of intelligent beings to their Creator, and to
one another — the physical and rational grounds of those
moral laws which the Deity has promulgated — the views
which science affords of the incessant energies of Creating
Power, and of the grand and multifarious objects over which
Divine Providence presides — the relation of science to a
future state, and of the aids which the discoveries of sci
ence afford, for enabling us to form a conception of the
perpetual improvement of the celestial inhabitants in
knowledge and felicity. These subjects will be illustrated
by a variety of interesting details of facts, in relation to
the system of nature, the history of nations, and the moral
state of Christian and general society.
Perth, December, 1824.

15

CONTENTS.

Introduction, ...
Necessity of Revelation. Folly of discarding the Science
of Nature from ReUgion. Beneficial Effects which flow
from the study of the Works of God.
CHAP. I.
OP THE NATURAL ATTRIBUTES OF THE DEITV,
Sect. 1. On the Relation of the Natitral Attbibutes ef
the Deity to Religion, ¦ • • 26
The Christian Religion founded on the Natural Attributes of
God. His Power as interesting a subject as his Mercy.  Il
lustrated in two instances. Evils which arise from imper
fect conceptions of Divine Power. Defects in Religious' In
structions on this subject. Sources of Illustration.
Sect. 2- Illustrations of the Omnipotence of the Deity, 33
The material world exhibits a more striking display of this
Perfection than the supernatural facts recorded in Scrip
ture. Immense quantity of Matter in the vmiverie. Mode
of acquiring the most comprehensive conception of the'
bulk of the Earth — its variety of scenery — its mass of so
lid matter. Magnitude of the bodies which compose the
Solar System. Magnitude and number of the Stars. Pro
cedure of the mind in acquiring the most impressive con
ceptions of such august objects — Reflections.^ . .Rapid Mo
tions of the Celestial Bodies. How we acquire* the ideas
of relative velocities — weight of the Earth — immense phy
sical forces — Grandeur of the motion of Saturn — immense
number of bodies impelled through the heavens — Reflec
tions. Immense Spaces which surround the Heavenly Bodies
— Reflections. Popular illustration of the Motions of the
Earth and Heavens. Extract from Dr. Ridgley, with re-
' marks. Universe intended to adumbrate the Attributes of
God, and to make a sublime impression on created beings.
Similar trains of thought suggested in the Scriptures. Mo
ral Effects of such contemplations. HumUity. Folly of
pride — low rank of men in the scale of being. Reverence
and Veneration — Reason whv mankind feel so little vene
ration of God — how it may be increased. The Deity un
searchable. Hope and Confidence in the prospect of futu
rity — Resurrection — Scenes of Eternity.
Sect. 3. On the Wisdom and Intelligence of the Deity, 66
Wisdom defined — Displayed in the Structure of the Solar
System. Distance of the Sun. Rotation of the Planets

— Principal reason why such a motion exists. Wis
dom displayed in other Systems. Minute displays of ,
this attribute cannot be traced in the heavens. Wis
dom, as displayed in the constitution of our globe — ad
justment of its solid parts to the necessities of the beings
which inhabit it. Mountains, their uses — exist in other
worlds. Diversity of color — argument for a plurality of
worlds — general color which prevails in the scene of na
ture, Water, its use in the system of nature — its composi
tion, evaporation — motion of the liquid element — its bene
ficial effects. The Atmosphere — its weight and pressure —
its component parts— its various properties — necessary to
animal life, flame, sound, twilight — wisdom displayed in its
constitution. Expansion of water in the act of freezing.
Variety op Nature, .... 86
Vegetables — their number and variety. ' Animals — variety
in their organization. Eyes of insects — their exquisite me
chanism. Subterraneous Regions. Atmosphere. The Variety
of Nature affords a faint idea of the infinity of the Creator. Il
lustrated in the number of animal parts and functions. Reflec
tion.' Variety the foundation of our judgments. Beauty
and sublimity of Nature. Primeval state of our globe — other
worlds.
Mechanism of Animated Beings, .... 98
Structure op the Human Eye — its coats, humors, muscles,
orbit, and motions. Wisdom displayed in its construction.
Light — its velocity, minuteness, colors, and adaptation to
the eye. Manner in which Vision is performed — ex
plained by a figure, and an experiment — illustrated by the
view from Salisbury Crags. Multitude of rays which
flow from every object— smallness of the image on the re
tina, illustrated by calculation — what proportion of the
solar light falls on our globe— Reflections. Mechanism for
viewing near"and distant objects— contraction and dilata
tion of the pupil— distance at which we see distinctly.
Summary view of adaptations in the structure of the eye.
Eyes of superior intelligences. Visual organs of the infe-
rior animals. Mechanism of the Bones illustrated— exem
plified in the joints of the fingers, the wrist, and the move
ments of which the head is susceptible. Moral Reflections
on the impropriety of overlooking tbe Divine Wisdom in
the system of nature.
Sect. 4. On the Goodness or Benevolence of the Deity 124
Benevolence of God in relation to Man— considered as a de
praved intelligence. Mercy displayed in the system of na
ture. Benevolence as "displayed towards the lower ani
mals. Extract from Dr. Paley General Reflections.
CHAP II.
A CURSORY VIEW OF SOME OF THE SCIENCES WHICH
ARE RELATED TO RELIGION AND CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY.
Introduction. Extensive range of Theology Bad effects of
getting Religion in opposition to Science. Harmony of the
operations of God in Nature and Revelation. 131

9
Natural History, . . . .134
Its extensive range. Outline of its principal objects— on the sur- 1
face, and in thejgterior recesses of the earth — in the atmos
phere — the vegetable, ; mineral, and animal kingdoms — and
in the region of the heavens. Description of the Banian Tree.
Reflections. Monkey Bread Tree. Splendor and felicity of
insect life. Invisible worlds — infinity of the universe. Reli
gious tendency of this Science. It affords a manifestation of
the Deity, and expands our conceptions of his operations — en
nobles the human mind. Recommended by the Sacred writers.
Geography, . . . 151
Its object — Figure of the Earth — Proofs of its spherical form.
Relation which the discovery of the figure of the earth beats
to the plan of Providence. Magnitude and natural divisions of
the earth. General features of its surface. Mountains — their
general ranges, and the sublime scenes they exhibit. The
Ocean — its extent, depth, bottom, and motions. Rivers — their
number, size, and the quantity of water they pour into the
ocean. How they are supplied — their use in the system of na
ture. Artificial division of the earth. Number and variety of
its inhabitants. Number which has existed since the Crea
tion — number at the resurrection, and the space they would
occupy. Number which the earth would contain— strictures
on Malthus. Utility of the study of Geography to Religion — to
Directors of Missionary Societies — to Private Christians Gran
deur of its physical objects — utility of its moral facts. 177
Geology, Its object and connexion with religion — an interesting subject of
inquiry. Materials which compose the crust of our globe.
Various geological phenomena. Organic remains — Mi jimoth,
Tapir, Elk, Megatherium, &c. Geological deductions not in
consistent .with the Mosaic History — Genesis i.% 2 'explained.
Short duration of the earth in its present form. The Deluge,
and its effects on the earth's strata. Marine shells, eic.
Grand and terrific objects which this science exhibits — illus
trate the sublime descriptions of the Deity recorded in the
Scriptures.
Astronomy, .... 190
Its sublime objects. Apparent motions of the Sun — of the Moon.
Eclipses ofthe Sun and Moon. Apparent motion of the starry
heavens. Stars and planets seen in the day-time, and with
what powers ofthe telescope they may be distinguished. Ap
parent revolution of the celestial vault indicates Almighty
power. Stars never shift their relative positions. Solar Sys
tem. The Sun — his size and probable destination illustrated —
his spots and atmosphere — different kind of rays emitted from
his body — his distance illustrated. Mercury — his size, rota
tion, quantity of light and heat, &c. Proportions of caloric on
the different planets. Venus — her size, phases, mountains,
transits, and general phenomena. Original observations on,
and mode by which her diumal rotation may be determined.
Earth — proofs of its annual and diurnal motions. The Moon —
description of her majestic mountain scenery, luminous spots,

10
celestial appearances, illuminating power, superficial contents,
&c. Mars — his distance, atmosphere, luminous zone, &c
New Plahets — Ceres, Pallas, Juno, and Vesta — their anoma
lies, singularities, and probable origin. Meteoric Stones. Ju
piter — his bulk, rotation, belts, and the appearances of his
moons. Saturn — his figure, belts, moons, and quantity of
light. His Rings, their dimensions, motion, and phenomena —
illustrated by a figure. Splendor of the firmament, as viewed
from this planet (see the engraving.) Herschel — his distance,
size, and quantity oflight. Comets — their tails, velecity, orbits,
size, and number. New Comet. Motion of the solar system
in absolute space — its destination — plurality of worlds intimated
in Scripture. The Fixed Stars — their distance illustrated —
their arrangement, changes — moral reflections. Relation of
Astronomy to Religion — moral effects which its objects have a
tendency to produce — criminality of overlooking the works of
God, &c.
Natural Philosophy, 2 28
Its objects and different departments. Mechanics — subjects it
embraces, and its importance to the improvement of mankind.
Hydrostatics — its leading principles and uses, illustrated by
figures. Pneumatics — its principles, and the experiments by
which they are illustrated. Acoustics. Optics — leading facts
and principles of this science, Burning-glasses, &c. Electricity
— its nature, phenomena, effects, and agency in the system of
nature. Galvanism — its singular effects on "metals, &c. and on
the animal system — various facts which it explains. Magne
tism — its various phenomena and effects. Relation of Natural
Philosophy to Religion — its inventions meliorate the condition
of mankind — illustrated in the case ofthe electric fluid — it un
dermines the influence of superstition — unfolds the incessant
agency of God — indifference to this subject unreasonable.
Chemistry, . . . ,249
Its objects, and present dignified station. General forms of
matter — simple and compound substances. Caloric  its
sources and properties. Oxygen, its properties and combi
nations — nitrous oxide, its singular effects. Nitrogen, its
effects on flame and animal life! Hydrogen, its properties
and uses. Carbon, its nature, combinations, and antiscep-
tic properties. Sulphur, its origin, combinations, and pro
perties. Phosphorus, history of its discoveries — how pre
pared—curious experiments with this substance— Phospho
ric phenomena in the system of nature. Connection of this
science with Religion— it displays the wisdom and benevo
lence of God, and the mode of his present and future ope
rations—improves the condition of man— and carries for
ward our views to a more glorious and auspicious era.
Anatomy and physiology, . . . oca
Their general object— human body, its different parts and di
visions. Bones, their number, form, and positions. Mus
cles, their nature, use, and extraordinary strength. Heart
and blood vessels, and the circulation of the blood. Respi
ration—curious structure of the lungs. Digestion. Per-

11
spiration. Sensation, and the system of nerves. Summary.
Moral reflections — this branch of study teaches us our de-
penaance on a Superior Power — and excites to gratitude.
History, ... . 27S
Its objects, advantages, and connection with Religion. Con
nection of the sciences and of the Divine dispensations with
each other. Concluding remarks.
CHAP. III.
THE RELATION WHICH THE INVENTIONS OF ART BEAR TO
THE OBJECTS OF RELIGION.
Art of Printing, its origin, and beneficial effects — Dr. Church's
Improvements in, . . . 280
Art of Navigation — Mariner's Compass, its discovery and use, 283
The telescope, its invention, and the discoveries made by it —
serves instead of a celestial vehicle — Magnifying powers of
' Dr. Herschel's telescopes, . . . . 287
The Microscope, and the views it exhibits of the wisdom of God 290
Steam Navigation, its utility in promoting the intercourse of
mankind, and its relation to the objects of religion, 292
Air Balloons, utility of, when arrived at perfection — proposed
improvement in. History of their invention — Lunardi's
ascent — the Parachute, .... 294
Acoustic Tunnels. Experiments on the Conveyance of sound.
M. Biot's remarkable experiment — Don Gautier's experi
ment and suggestion. Conclusions in reference to the ex
tensive conveyance of sound, . . • 298
Practical remarks — utility of the arts in relation to the Mil-
lenial era, .... 303
CHAP. IV.
SCRIPTURAL FACTS ILLUSTRATED FROM THE SYSTEM OF
NATURE.
I, Science may frequently serve as. a guide to the true inter
pretation of Scripture. Canon or rule for Scripture inter
pretation — illustrated, . . . 309
II. The Depravity of Man illustrated, from a consideration of
the state of the interior strata of the earth. Volcanoes, and
the terrible ravages they produce. Earthquakes, and their
dreadful effects. Thunder-storms, tempests, and hurri
canes. General Reflections on this subject, . 312
III. The Resurrection illustrated. Transformations of Insects.
Indestructibility of matter — conclusions from this fact, 322
IV. General Conflagration. Concluding reflections. Topics
omitted in this volume, .... 325
CHAP. V.
BENEFICIAL EFFECTS WHICH WOULD RESULT FROM CON".
NECTING SCIENCE WITH RELIGION.
I. The variety of topics would allure the attention of intelli-

12
gent minds to religious subjects. Principle of novelty ^j,;"
tended by the Creator to-be gratified— illustratec" ^oma.
variety which appears in the earth, the heavens, and •.* Tr ^
lume of Revelation, • ¦ •
II. Science enables us to take an extensive survey oj tne em-
jnVe of God— illustrates many sublime passages of the Bi
ble—qualifies us for complying with several Divine Injunc
tions — danger of selfishness and indifference in this respect.
Our conceptions of God depend on our views of the extent
of his dominions, . - ¦ •
HI. Science enlarges our views of the operations of Providence, in ^
relation to the past and present scenes of the world. The
economy of the inferior animals. The physical and moral
economy of the celestial worlds, . • • 344
IV. Science, blended with Religion, would produce a general
expansion of mind, and liberality of views — in reference to
the opinions and actions of men, and to the works and the
ways of God, illustrated at large, . ¦ • 353
V. It would induce a spirit of piety, and profound humUity.
Sources of piety — illustrated by an example. Humility —
illustrated by the examples of Mr. Boyle, of Sir Isaac New-
; ton, and of superior intelligences. General conclusions, 361
No. I. Illustration of the rate of motion in the heavenly bodies,
on the supposition that the earth is at rest, . 367
No. II. Experimental illustrations ofthe pressure of the At
mosphere, • • . . - . 369
No. III. On the means by which it may probably be ascertained
whether the Moon be a habitable world, . • 370
No. IV. Remarks on the late pretended discovery of a Lunar
fortification, ..... 372
No. V. On the ideas of Magnitude, Motion, and Duration, as
expressed by numbers, .... 374
No. VI. On a Plurality of Worlds, . 375
No. VII. On the first Inventor of Printing, . . 378
No. VIII. On Telescopes ; with a brief notice of a JVeie Re
flecting Telescope constructed by the Author, . . 378
No. IX. Ob Steam Navigation, . . . 382
No. X. Strictures on a certain sentiment respecting human
redemption, ¦ . . . . . 387
No. XI. Extract frqm Dr. D wight, . . 390
No. XII. List of Popular Works on the different Sciences
treated of in this Volume, with Occasional Remarks. 391

THE

CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.

INTRODUCTION.
On the subject of religion, mankind have, in all ages,
been prone to run into extremes. While some have beea
disposed to attach too much importance to the mere exer
tions ofthe human intellect, and to imagine, that man, by
the light of unassisted reason, is able to explore the path to
true wisdom and happiness, — the greater part of religionists
on the other hand, have been disposed to treat scientific
knowledge, in its relation to religion, with a degree of in
difference, bordering upon contempt. Both these disposi
tions are equally foolish and preposterous. For, he who
exalts human reason, as the only sure guide to wisdom
and felicity, forgets, that man, in his present state, is a de
praved intelligence, and consequently liable to err; and
that all those who have been left solely to its dictates,
have uniformly failed in attaining these desirable objects.
During, a' period of more than 5;800 years, the greater part
ofthe human race have been left solely to the guidance of
their rational powers, in order to grope their way to the
Temple of Knowledge, and the Portals of Immortality; but
what has been. the result of all their anxious researches ?
Instead of acquiring correct notions of the Great Author of
their existence, and of the nature of that homage which is
due to his perfections, " they have become vain in their
imaginations, and their foolish hearts have been darkened.
Professing themselves to be wise they have become fools,
2

14 INTRODUCTION.
and have changed the glory of the Incorruptible God into
an image made like to corruptible man, and to four-footed
beasts, and creeping things." Instead of acquiring correct
views of the principles of moral aetion, and conducting
themselves according to the eternal rules of rectitude, they
have displayed the operation ofthe most diabolical passions,
indulged in continual warfare, and desolated the earth with
rapine and horrid carnage ; so that the history of the world
presents to our view, little more than a series of revolting
details of the depravity of our species, and of the wrongs
which one tribe of human beings has wilfully inflicted up
on another.
This has been the case, not only among a few uncultivat
ed hordes on the coasts of Africa, in the plains of Tartary,
and the wilds of America, but even among those nations
which stood highest in the ranks of civilization, and of
science. — The ancient Greeks and Romans, who boasted
of their attainments in philosophy, and their progress in
the arts, entertained the most foolish, contradictory, and
unworthy notions of the Object of Divine worship, of the
requirements of religion, and of the eternal destiny of man.
They adored a host of divinities characterized by impiety,
fraud, injustice, falsehood, lewdness, treachery, revenge,
murder, and every other vice which can debase the human
mind, instead of offering a tribute of rational homage te
that Supreme Intelligence who made, and who governs the
universe. Even their priests and philosophers indulged in
the most degrading and abominable practices, and enter
tained the most irrational notions in regard to the origin of
the universe, and the moral government of the world.
Most of them denied a future state of retribution, and all
of them had their doubts respecting the reality of an im
mortal existence : and as to the doctrine of a resurrection
from the dead, they never dreamed of such an event, and
scouted the idea, when proposed to them, as the climax of
absurdity. The glory to which their princes and generals-
aspired, was, to spread death and destruction among their

INTRODUCTION. 15
fellow-men — to carry fire and sword, terror and dismay
and all the engines of destruction through surrounding na
tions — to fill their fields with heaps of slain — to plunder
the survivors of every earthly comfort, and to drag captive
kings at their chariot wheels-^-that they might enjoy the
splendor and the honors of a triumph. What has been
now stated, with regard to the most enlightened nations of
antiquity, will equally apply to the present inhabitants of
China, of Hindostan, of the Japanese Islands, of the Bir-
man Empire, and of every other civilized nation on which
the light of revelation has never shone — with this addition
al consideration, That they have enjoyed an additional pe
riod of 1800 years for making further investigations ; and
are, at this moment, as far from the object of their pursuit
as when they first commenced their researches ; and not
only so, but some of these nations, in modem times, have
mingled with their abominable superstitions and idolatries,
many absurdities and horrid cruelties, which were altogeth
er unknown among the Greek and Roman population.
Such are the melancholy results to which men have been
led, when left to the guidance of unassisted reason, in the
most interesting and important of all investigations. They
have wandered in the mazes of error and delusion ; and
their researches, instead of directing and expanding our
religious views, have tended only to bewilder the human
mind, and to throw a deeper shade of intellectual gloom
over our apostate world. After a period of six thousand
years has been spent in anxious inquiries after the path to
true knowledge and happiness — Ignorance, Superstition,
Idolatry, Vice and Misery, still continue to sway their
sceptre over the great majority of the human race ; and,
if we be allowed to reason from the past to the future, we
may rest assured, that while mankind are destitute of a
Guide superior to the glimmerings of depraved reason,
they would be no neafer the object of their pursuit, after
the lapse of sixty thousand years, than at the present mo-

16 INTRODUCTION.
ment. It is only in connection with the discoveries of
Revelation that we can expect, that the efforts of human
reason and aetivity will be successful in abolishing the
reign of Ignorance and degrading Superstition— in illumi
nating the benighted tribes of the Pagan World— and in
causing " Righteousness, and Order, and Peace, to sprang
forth before all the nations." Though the Christian Re
ligion has never yet been fully understood and recognised,
in all its aspects and bearings, nor its requirements been
cordially complied with, by the great body of those who
profess to believe in its Divine origin, yet it is only in those
nations who have acknowledged its authority, and in some
measure, submitted to its dictates, that any thing approxi
mating to just conceptions of the Supreme Intelligence,
and of his moral government, is found to prevail.
But, on the other hand, though the light of nature is of
itself a feeble and insufficient guide to direct us in our
views of the Supreme Intelligence, and of our eternal de
stination, yet it is a most dangerous and delusive error to
imagine, that Reason and the study of the material world,
ought to be discarded from the science of religion. The
man who would discard the efforts of the human intellect,
and the science of Nature from Religion, forgets — that
He who is the Author of human redemption, is also the
Creator and Governor of the whole system of the material
universe — that it is one end of that moral renovation which
the Gospel effects, to qualify us for contemplating aright
the displays of Divine Perfection which the works of
creation exhibit — that the visible works of God are the
principal medium by whieh he displays the attributes of his
nature to intelligent beings — that the study and contem
plation of these works employ the faculties of intelligences
of a superior order* — that man, had he remained in pri
meval innocence, would have been chiefly employed in
such contemplations — that it is one main design of Divine
* Rev. iv. ll.xv. 3, &e.

INTRODUCTION. 17
Revelation to illustrate the operations of Providence, and
the agency of God in the formation and preservation of all
things — and that the Scriptures are full of sublime descrip
tions of the visible creation, and of interesting refer
ences to the various objects which adorn the scenery of
Nature. Without the cultivation of our reasoning powers,
and an investigation of the laws and economy of Nature,
we could not appreciate many of the excellent characters,
the interesting aspects, and the sublime references of re
vealed religion : we should lose the full evidence of those
arguments by which the existence of God and his attri
butes of Wisdom and Omnipotence are most powerfully
demonstrated : we should remain destitute of those sub
lime conceptions of the perfections and agency of Jehovah
which the grandeur and immensity of his works are calcu
lated to inspire : we should never perceive, in its full force,
the evidence of those proofs on which the Divine authority
of Revelation is founded : we could not give a rational in
terpretation of the spirit and meaning of many parts of
the Sacred Oracles ; nor could we comply with those po
sitive commands of God which enjoin us to contemplate
the wonder of his' power, to " meditate on all his works,
and to talk of all his doings."
Notwithstanding these and many other 'considerations
will show the folly of overlooking the visible manifes
tations of Deity in the exercises of Religion, it has long
been the practice of certain theologians to depreciate the
wonderful works of Jehovah, and to attempt to throw them
into the shade, as if they were unworthy of our serious
contemplation. In their view, to be a bad philosopher is
the surest way to become a good Christian, and, to ex
pand the views of the human mind, is to endanger Chris
tianity, and to render the design of religion abortive.
They seem to consider it as a most noble triumph to the
Christian cause, to degrade the material world, and to
trample under foot, not only the earth, but the visible
2*

18 INTRODUCTION.
heavens, as an old, shattered, and corrupted fabric, which
no longer demands our study or admiration. Their ex
pressions in a variety of instances, would lead us almost to
conclude, that they considered the economy of Nature as
set in opposition to the economy of Redemption, and that
it is not the same God that contrived the system of Nature,
who is also the " Author of eternal salvation to all them
that obey him."
It is, unquestionably, both foolish and impious, to over
look or to undervalue any of the modes by which the Di
vine Being has been pleased to make known his nature and
perfections to mankind. Since he has given a display of
his " Eternal Power and Goflhead" in the grand theatre of
nature, which forms the subject of scientific investigation,
it was surely never intended, and would ill comport with
reverence for its adorable Author, that such magnificent
displays of his Power, Wisdom, and beneficence, as the
material universe exhibits, should be treated, by his intelli
gent offspring, with indifference or neglect. It becomes us
to contemplate, with adoring gratitude, every ray of our
Creator's glory, whether as emanating from the light of
Revelation, or as reflected from the scenery of nature
around us, or as descending from those regions where stars
unnumbered shine, and planets and comets run their so
lemn rounds. Instead of contrasting the one department of
knowledge with the other, with a view of depreciating the
science of nature, our duty is, to derive from both as much
information and instruction as they are calculated to afford •
to mark the harmony of the revelations they respectively
unfold ; and to use the revelations of nature for the pur
pose of confirming, and amplifying, and carrying forward
our views of the revelation contained in the Sacred Scrip
tures. With regard to the revelation derived from the Sacred
Records, it has been imagined by some, that it has little or
no reference to the operations of the material system, and

INTRODUCTION. ig
that, therefore, the study of the visible works of God can
be of little importance in promoting religious knowledge
and holy affections. In the sequel of this volume, I shall
endeavor to show, that this sentiment is extremely falla
cious, and destitute of a foundation. But, in the mean
time, although it were taken for granted, it would form no
argument against the combination of science with religion.
For it ought to be carefully remarked, that Divine Revela
tion is chiefly intended to instruct us, in the knowledge of
those truths which interest us as subjects of the moral ad
ministration of the Governor of the world, — or, in other
words, as apostate creatures, and as moral agents. Its
grand object is to develop the openings and bearings of
the plan of Divine Mercy ; to counteract those evil pro
pensities and passions which sin has introduced ; to incul
cate those holy principles and moral laws which tend to
unite mankind in harmony and love ; and to produce those
amiable tempers and dispositions of mind, which alone can
fit us for enjoying happiness either in this world, or in the
world to come. For this reason, doubtless, it is, that the
moral attributes of Deity are brought more prominently
into view in the Sacred Volume, than his natural perfec
tions ; and that those special arrangements of his Provi
dence, which regard the moral renovation of our species,
are particularly detailed ; while the immense extent of his
universal kingdom, the existence of other worlds, and their
moral economy, are but slightly hinted at, or veiled in ob
scurity. Of such a Revelation we stood in need ; and
had it chiefly embraced subjects of a very different nature,
it would have failed in supplying the remedies requisite for
correcting the disorders which sin has intro dueed among
mankind. — But, surely, it was never intended, even in a
religious point of view, that the powers of the human
mind, in their contemplations and researches, should be
bounded by the range of subjects comprised in that revela
tion which is purely, or chiefly of a moral nature ; since

20 INTRODUCTION.
the Almighty has exhibited so magnificent a spectacle in
the universe- around us, and endowed us with faculties ade
quate to the survey of a considerable portion of its struc
ture, and capable of deducing from it the most noble and
sublime results. To walk in the midst of this " wide ex
tended theatre," and to overlook, or to gaze with indiffer
ence on those striking marks of Divine Omnipotence and
skill, which every where appear, is to overlook the Crea
tor himself, and to contemn the most illustrious displays
he has given of his eternal power and glory. That man's
religious devotions are much to be suspected, whatever
show of piety he may affect, wh o derives no assistance, in
attempting to form some adequate conceptions ofthe ob
ject of his worship, from the sublime discoveries of astro
nomical science ; from those myriads of suns and systems
which form but a small portion of the Creator's immense
empire !* The professing Christian, whose devotional ex
ercises are not invigorated, and whose conceptions of Deity
are not expanded by a contemplation of the magnitude and
variety of his works, may be considered as equally a
stranger to the more elevated strains of piety, and to the
noble emotions excited by a perception of the beautiful
and the sublime.
" The works of the Lord," says an inspired writer, " are
great, and are sought out by all those who have pleasure
therein." They all bear the stamp of Infinite Perfection,
and serve as so many sensible mediums to exalt and ex
pand our conceptions of him, whose invisible glories they
* As some readers seem to have mistaken the Author's meaning, in
this and similar passages, it may be proper to state, that his meaning
is not— that a knowledge of natural science is essential to genuine
piety ; but, that the person who has an opportunity of making himself
acquainted with the science of nature and of contemplating the won.
ders of the heavens in their true light, and who does hot find his views
of the Creator expanded, and his religious emotions elevated by such
studies, has reason to call in question the nature and the sincerity of
ius devotional feelings.

INTRODUCTION. 21
represent and adumbrate. When contemplated in con
nection with the prospects opened by Divine Revelation
they tend to excite the most ardent desires after that state
of enlarged vision, where the plans and operations of Deity
will be more clearly unfolded — and to prepare us for bear
ing a part in the immortal hymn of the church triumphant :
— " Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Al
mighty, just and true are thy ways, thou King of Saints."
The most illustrious characters that have adorned our race in
all ages, have been struck with the beauty and magnificence
of the visible creation, and have devoted a certain portion
of their time and attention in investigating its admirable
economy and arrangement : and there can be no question,
that a portion of our thoughts devoted to the study of the
wondrous works of the Most High, must ultimately be
conducive to the improvement of our intellectual powers,
to our advancement in the Christian life, and to our pre
paration for the exalted employments of the eternal world.
In fine, since the researches of modern times have great
ly enlarged our views of the System of Universal Nature,
and ofthe vast extent to which the operations ofthe Crea
tor are carried on in the distant regions of space, — since
the late discoveries of Naturalists and Experimental Phi
losophers, with respect to the constitution of the atmo
sphere, water, light, heat, the gases, the electric, galvanic,
and magnetic fluids, and the economy and instincts of ani
mated beings, have opened to our view a bright display of
Divine Wisdom, in the contrivance and arrangement of the
different parts of our terrestrial habitation, — since improve
ments in the useful arts have kept pace with the progress
of science, and have been applied to many beneficial pur
poses, which have ultimately a bearing on the interests and
the progress of religion — since a general desire to propa
gate the truths of Christianity in Heathen lands now ani
mates the mass of the religious world — since the nations

22 INTRODUCTION.
of both Continents are now aroused to barst asunder the
shackles of despotism, and to inquire after rational liberty
and mental improvement, — and since all these discoveries,
inventions, and movements, and the energies of the human
mind, from which they spring, are under the direction and
control of that Omnipotent Being who made, and who go
verns the world — they ought to be considered as parts of
those Providential arrangements, in the progress of which
He will ultimately accomplish the illumination of our be
nighted race, and make the cause of righteousness and
truth to triumph among all nations. And, therefore, the
enlightened Christian ought thankfully to appreciate every
exhibition, and every discovery by which his conceptions'
oitlie attributes of God, and of the grandeur of his works,
may be directed and enlarged, in order that he may be
qualified to " speak of the honor of his majesty, and talk
of his power ; to make known to the sons of men his
mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdomi"

CHATPER I.
OF THE NATURAL ATTRIBUTES OF THE DE
ITY, WITH PARTICULAR ILLUSTRATIONS
OF HIS OMNIPOTENCE AND WISDOM.

Section I.
On the Relation of the Natural Attributes of Deity to Re
ligion.

A -firm conviction of the existence of God, and a compe
tent knowledge of his natural perfections, lie at the founda
tion of all religion, both natural and revealed. In propor
tion as our views of the perfections of Deity are limited
and obscure, in a similar proportion will be our conceptions
of ajl the relations in which he stands to his creatures, of
every part of his providential procedure, and of all the
doctrines and requirements of revealed religion.
By the natural or essential attributes of God, we under
stand such perfections as the following : — His Eternity,
Omnipresence, Infinite Knowledge, Infinite Wisdom, Om
nipotence, and Boundless Beneficence. These are the
characters and attributes of Deity, which, we must sup
pose, form the chief subjects of contemplation to angels,
and to all other pure intelligences — and, in investigating
the displays of which, the sons of Adam would have been
chiefly employed, had they continued in primeval inno
cence. These attributes form the groundwork of all those
gracious relations in which the God of salvation stands to
his redeemed people in the, economy of redemption — they
lie at the foundation of the whole Christian superstructure
— and were they not recognized as the corner stones of
that sacred edifice, the whole system of the Scripture-
Revelation would remain a baseless fabric. The full dis
play of these perfections will be exhibited in the future
world— the contemplation of this display will form one of

26 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
the sublime employments " of the saints in light"— andj|
prepare us for engaging in such noble exercises, is one%r
the chief designs of the salvation proclaimed in the Gos
pel. The Christian Revelation ought not to be considered as
superseding the Religion of Nature, but as carrying it
forward to perfection. It introduces the Deity to us un
der new relations, corresponding to the degraded state into
which we have fallen. It is superadded to our natural
relations to God, and takes it for granted, that these na
tural relations must for ever subsist. It is true, indeed,
that the essential attributes of God, and the principles of Na
tural Religion, cannot be fully discovered without the light
of Revelation,' as appears from the past experience of
mankind in every generation ; but it is equally true, that,
when discovered by the aid of this celestial light, they are
of the utmost importance in the Christian system, and are
as essentially connected with it as the foundation of a
building is with the superstructure. Many professed
Christians, however, seem to think, and to act, as if the
Christian Revelation had annulled the natural relations
which subsist between man and the Deity ; and hence the
zealous outcry against every discussion from the pulpit,
that has not a direct relation to what are termed the doc- >
trines of grace. But nothing, surely, can be more absurd
than to carry out such a principle to all its legitimate con
sequences. Can God ever cease to be Omnipotent, or
can man ever cease to be dependent for existence on his
infinite power ? Can the Divine Being ever cease to be
Omnipresent and Omniscient, or can man ever cease to be
the object of his knowledge and superintendence ? Can
Infinite Wisdom ever be detached from the Almighty, or
can man ever be in a situation where he will not expe
rience the effects of his wise arrangements ? Can Good
ness ever fail of being an attribute of Jehovah, or can any
sentient or intelligent beings exist that do not experience !
the effects of his bounty ? In short, can the relation of
Creature and of Creator ever cease between the human
race, in whatever moral or physical situation they may be
placed, and that Almighty Being, " who giveth to all, life
and breath, and all things ?» If none of these things can

NATURAL ATTRIBUTES OF THE DEITY. 27
libly happen, then the relations to which we refer must
be eternal and unchangeable, and must form the basis of
all the other relations in which we can possibly stand to
the Divine Being, either as apostate or as redeemed crea
tures; and, therefore, they ought to be exhibited as sub
jects for our frequent and serious contemplation, as re
ligious and moral agents. But, unless we make such
topics a distinct subject of attention, and endeavor to
acquire clear and comprehensive conceptions of our na
tural relations to God, we can never form a clear concep
tion of those new and interesting relations into which we
have been brought by the mediation of Jesus Christ.
If man had continued in his primitive- state of integrity,
lie would have been for ever exercised in tracing the Pow
der, the Beneficence, and other attributes of Deity, in the
visible creation alone- Now that his fallen state has ren
dered additional revelations necessary, in order to secure
his happiness, — is he completely to throw aside those
contemplations and exercises which constituted his chief
employment, while he remained a pure moral intelligence ?
Surely not. One great «nd of his moral renovation, by
means of the Gospel, must be, to enable him to resume
his primitive exercises, and to qualify him for more en
larged views and contemplations of a similar nature, in
that future world, where the physical and moral impedi
ments which now obstruct his progress will be completely
removed. It appears highly unreasonable, and indicates a selfish
disposition of mind, to magnify one class of the Divine
attributes at the expense of another ; to extol, for ex
ample, the Mercy of God, and neglect to celebrate his
Power and Wisdom — those glorious perfections, the dis
play of which, at the formation of our globe, excited the
rapture and admiration of angels, and of innocent man.
All the attributes of God are equal, because all of them
are infinite ; and therefore to talk of darling, attributes iu
tbe Divine Nature, as some have done, is inconsistent with
reason, unwarranted by Scripture, and tends to exhibit a
distorted view of the Divine character. The Divine mercy
ought to be celebrated with rapture by every individual of
our fallen race ; but with no less rapture should we extol
3

•28 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
the Divine Omnipotence ; for the designs of mercy cannot
be Accomplished without the intervention of Infinite Pow
er." All that we hope for, in consequence ofthe promises,
of God, and of the redemption accomplished by Jesus
Christ, must be founded on the conception we form of tbe
operations of Omnipotence. — An example or two may not
be unnecessary for illustrating this position.
We are warranted, by the sacred Oracles, to •entertain
the hope, that these mortal bodies of ours, after they have
mouldered in the dust, been dissolved intr/ their primary
elementary parts, and become the prey of devouring rep
tiles, during a lapse of generations or of centuries, — shall
spring forth from the tomb to new life and beauty, and be
arrayed in more glorious forms than they now wear ; yea,
that all the inhabitants of our globe, from Adam to the
end of time, though the bodies of thousands of them have
been devoured by cannibals, have.become the food of
fishes and of beasts of prey, and' have been burnt to cin
ders, and their ashes scattered by the winds, over the dif
ferent regjons of sea and land, — shall be reanimated by
the voice ofthe Son of God, and shall appear, each in his
proper person and identical body, before God, the Judge
¦of all. Now, the firmness of our hope of so astonishing
an event, which seems to contradict all experience, and
appears involved in such a mass of difficulties and appa,*
rent contradictions, must be in proportion to the senti
ments we entertain of the Divine Intelligence, Wisdom,
and Omnipotence. And where are we to find the most
striking visible displays of these perfections, except in the
actual operations of the Creator, within the range of our
view in the materia:! world ?
Again, we are informed, in the same Divine records,
that, at some future period, the earth on which we now
dwell shall be wrapt up in devouring flames, and its pre
sent form and constitution for ever destroyed ; that its re
deemed inhabitants, after being released from the grave,
shall be transported to a more glorious region ; and that"
" new heavens and a new earth shall appear, wherein
dwelleth righteousness." The Divine mercy having oiyen
to the faithful the promise of these astonishing revolutions,
and most magnificent events, our hopes of their being

NATURAL ATTRIBUTES OF THE DEITY. 29
folly realized must rest on the infinite wisdom and om
nipotence of Jehovah ; and, consequently, if our views of
these perfections be limited and obscure, our hope, in re
lation to our future destiny, will be proportionably feeble
aud languid ; and will scarcely perform, its office " as an
anchor to the soul both sure and steadfast." It is not
merely by telling a person that God is All-wise,- and All-
powerful, that a full conviction of the accomplishment of
such grand events will be produced. He must be made
to see with his own eyes what the Almighty has already
done, and whathe is now doing in all the regions of uni
versal nature which.; lie open to our inspection ; and this
cannot be effected without directing his contemplations to
those displays of intelligence and power which are exhi
bited in the structure, the economy, and: the revolutions
of the material world.
If the propriety of these sentiments be- admitted, it will
follow,, that the more we are accustomed to contemplate
the wonders of Divine intelligence and power, in the ob
jects with which we are surrounded, the more deeply shall
W&-be impressed with a conviction, and a cOBfident Jicper
that all the purposes "oTdlvThe^mercy will ultimately be
accomplished in our eternal felicity. It will also follow,
that, in proportion as the mind acquires a clear, an exten-
• sive, and a reverential view of the essential attributes of
the Deity, and of those truths in connection with them,
which are objects of contemplation common to all holy
beings, in a similar proportion will it- be impressed, and its
attention arrested, by every other divine subject connected
with them. And it is, doubtless, owing to the want of
such clear and impressive conceptions of the essential cha
racter of Jehovah, and of the first truths of religion, that
the bulk of mankind, are so little impressed and- influenced
by the leading doctrines and duties connected with the
plan ofthe Gospel salvation, and. that they entertain so
many vague and untenable notions respecting the charac
ter and the objects of a superintending Providence. How
often, for example, have we witnessed expressions of the
foolish and limited notions which are frequently /enter
tained respecting, the operations of Omnipotence ? When
.it has been asserted that the earth, with all its load of con-

30 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
tinents and oceans, is in rapid motion through the voids.
of space — that the sun is ten hundred thousand times
langer than the terraqueous globe — and that millions of
such globes are dispersed , throughout the immensity of
Nature — some who have viewed themselves as enlightened
Christians, have exclaimed, at the impossibility of such
facts, as if they were beyond the limits of Divine Power,
and as if such representations were intended to turn away
the mind from God and religion.; while,, at the same time,,
they have yielded a firm assent to all the vulgar notions
respecting omens, appariSons, and hobgoblins, and to the-
supposed extraordinary powers of the professors of divi
nation and witchcrafts How can such persons assent,;
wilh intelligence and rational conviction, to the dictate*
of Revelation respecting the energies of Omnipotence*
which will be exerted. at " the consummation of all things,"*
and in those arrangements which are to succeed the disso
lution of our sublunary system ? A firm belief in the Al
mighty Power and unsearchable wisdom of God,, as dis
played in the constitution and movements of the material'
,J£Sri^k.4i-the utmost importance, to confirm our faith,.
and enliven our hopes, oil' such grand Shd' interesting
events.. >
Notwithstanding the considerations now stated, which
plainly evince the connection ofthe natural.perfections of.
God with- the objects ofthe Christian Revelation^ it ap-,
pears somewhat strange, that,, when certain religious in
structors happen to come in contact with; this topic, they
seem as if they were beginning to tread upon forbidden
ground; and, as if it were unsuitable to their office as
Christian teachers,, to bring forward the stupendous work&
of the Almighty to illustrate his nature and attributes.
Instead of expatiating on the numerous sources of illustra
tion, of which the subject admits, till the minds of their
hearers are thoroughly affected with a view of the essential;
glory of Jehovah-^-they despatch the subject with two or
three vague propositions, which, though logically true,
make no impression upon the heart ; as if they believed
that such contemplations were suited only to carnal men,
apd mere philosophers ; and as if they were afraid; lest
the sanctity ofthe pulpit should be polluted by particular

NATURAL ATTRIBUTES OF THE DEITY. 31
descriptions of those operations of the Deity which are
perceived through the medium of the corporeal senses.
We do not mean to insinuate, that the essential attributes
of God, and the illustrations of them derived from the ma
terial world, should form the sole, or the chief topics of
discussion, in the business of religious, instruction — but, if
the Scriptures frequently direct our attention. to these sub
jects — ir they lie at the foundation of all accurate and ex
tensive views of the Christian Revelation — if they be the
chief subjects of contemplation to angels, and all other
pure intelligences, in every region of the universe—and if
they have a tendency to expand the minds of professed
Christians, to correct their vague and erroneous concep
tions, and to promote, their conformity to the moral cha
racter of God — we cannot find out the shadow of a reason,
why such topics should be almost, if not altogether, over
looked, in the writings and the discourses of those who
profess to instruct mankind in the knowledge of God, and
the duties of bis worship.
We are informed by our Saviour himself, that " this is1
life eternal, to know thee the living and true God," as
well as "Jesus Christ whom he haith sent." The know<-
ledge of God, in the sense here intended, must include in
it the knowledge of the natural and essential attributes of
the Deity, or those properties of his nature by which he is
distinguished from all "the idols of the nations." Such
are, his Self-existence, his All-perfect Knowledge, his
Omnipresence, his Infinite Wisdom, his Boundless Good- ¦
ness, and Almighty Power — attributes, which, as we have
just now seen, lie at the foundation of all the other cha
racters and relations of Deity revealed in the Scriptures.
The acquisition of just and comprehensive conceptions of
these perfections, must, therefore, lie at the foundation of
all profound veneration of the Divine Being, and of all
that is valuable in religion. Destitute of such concep
tions, we can neither feel that ha'bitual humility, and that
reverence of the majesty of Jehovah which his essential
glory is calculated to inspire, nor pay him that tribute of
' adoration and gratitude which is due to his name. Devoid
of such views, we cannot exercise that cordial acquies
cence in the plan of his redemption, in the arrangements
3*

32 -THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER;
of his providence, and in the requirements of his law,
which the Scriptures enjoin.. Yet, how often do^we find
persons who pretend to speculate about the mysteries, ol
the Gospel, displaying,— by their flippancy of speecitre-
specting the eternal councils of the Majesty of Heaven—
by their dogmatical assertions respecting the divine cha
racter, and the dispensations of providence— and by. their
pertinacious opinions respecting the laws by which God
must regulate his own actions — that they have never felt
impressive emotions, of, the grandeur of that Being, whose
"operations are unsearchable,, and his ways past finding
out ?" Though they do nqt call „in question his immensity
and power, his wisdom and goodness, as so many abstract
properties of his .nature,, yet, the unbecoming familiarity
with which they approach this August Being,, and talk
about him, shows that they have never associated in.their'
minds, the stupendous displays which have been given of
these perfections, in the wbrks of his hands ; and that
their religion (if it may be so called) consists merely in a
farrago- of abstract opinions,. or in an empty name.
If, then, it be admitted, that it is. essentially requisite, as>
the foundation of religion, to, have the mind deeply im
pressed with aclear arid comprehensive view of the natural.
perfections of the Deity, it will follow, that the ministers?'
of religion, and all bthers whose province- it is to commu-'*
nicate religious instruction, ought, frequently to dwell,
with particularity, on those proofs, and illustrations which.
t«nd to convey the most definite and impressive concepH
tions of the glory of that Being whom we profess to adore.
But from what sources are such illustrations to be derivedf-
Is it from abstract reasonings and metaphysical distinctions
and definitions, or from a survey of those objects and
movements which lie. open to the inspection of every ob
server ? There can be no difficulty in coming to a decision
on this point. We might affirm, with, the schoolmen,, that
" God is a Being whose centre is every where, and his cir
cumference no where ;" that « he comprehends, infinite
duration in every moment ;" and that " infinite space may
be considered as the sensorium of the Godhead ;" but
Such fanciful illustrations, when strictly analyzed, will be
fou>d to consist merely of words without ideas. -We.

OMNIPOTENCE OF THE DEITY. 3$
might also affirm with truth, that God is a Being of infi
nite perfection, glory and blessedness — that he is without,
all bounds or limits, either actual , or possible — that he is,
possessed" of pow er sufficient to perform all things which
do not imply a, contradiction — that he is independent and'
self-sufficient — that his. wisdom is unerring, and that he
infinitely exceeds all other beings. But these, and other
expressions of a similar, kind, are mere technical terms^
which convey no adequate, nor even tolerable notion of
what- they import. Beings, constituedjike man, whoses
rational spirits are connected with an. organical structure,
and who derive all their knowledge through the medium
of corporeal organs, can derive their clearest and most
affecting ndtions of the Diyinity, chiefly through the -same
medium, namely, by contemplating the effects of his: per
fections, as displayed through the ample range of tbe visi
ble creation. And, to this source of illustration, the in
spired, writers uniformly direct our views— "Lift up your
eyes on high, and behold ! who hathcreated these orbs ?
who bringeth forth their host by number, and calleth them
all by their names ?- The everlasting God, the Lord, by,
the greatness of his might for that he is strong in power"
— "He hath made the earth.by his power; he hath esta
blished the world by his wisdom ; he hath stretched out
the heavens byhis understanding." — These writers do not
perplex our minds by a multitude of technical terms and
subtle reasonings; but lead us directly to the- source,
whence our most ample cbnceptions . of Deity are to be
derived, that,. from a steady and enlightened contemplation
of the effects, we may learn the greatness of the Cause;
and their example, in this respect, ought doubtless, to ba
a pattern for every religious instructor.

Section II.
Illustrations of the Omnipotence of the Deitt.
In order to elucidate more distinctly what has been now.
¦stated, I shall select a few illustrations of some of the,Na»

34 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER-
tural attributes of the Deity. And, in the first place,-!
shall offer a few considerations which have a tendency to
direct, and to amplify our conceptions of Divine Power.
Omnipotence is that attribute of the Divine Being, by
which he can accomplish every thing that does not imply
a contradiction— however far it may transcend the com
prehension of finite minds. By his power the vast system
of universal nature was called from nothing into existence,;
and is continually supported, in all its movements, from
age to age.--In elucidating this perfection of God, we
might derive some striking illustrations from the records
of his dispensations towards man,; in the early ages of the
world — when he overwhelmed the earth with the deluge,
which covered the tops of the highest mountains, and
swept the crowded population of the ancient world into a
watery grave— when he demolished Sodom and Gomorrah,
and the cities around them, with fire from heaven — when
he slew all the first-born of Egypt,' and turned their rivers
into blood — when he divided the Red Sea, and the waters
of Jordan before the tribes of Israel — when he made the-
earth to open its jaws and swallow up Korah and all his
Company — and when he caused Mount Sinai to smoke and
tremble at his presence. But, these and similar events^
however awful, astonishing, and worthy of remembrance,^
were only transitory exertions of divine power, and are not
calculated, and were never intended, to impress the mind"
in so powerful a manner as those displays of Omnipotence
which are exhibited iri the ordinary movements of the ma
terial universe. We have no hesitation in asserting, that, >
with regard to this attribute of the Divinity, there is a more
grand and' impressive display in the Works of Nature, than
in all the events recorded in the Sacred History. Nor
ought this remark to be considered as throwing the least
reflection on the fulness and sufficiency of the Scripture
revelation ; for that revelation as having a special refe
rence to a moral economy, has for its object, to give a
more particular display of the moral than of the natural
perfections of God. The miracles to which wa have now
referred, and every other supernatural fact recorded in the
Bible were not intended so much to display the plenitude:
of the power of Deity, as to bear testimony to the Divine"

OMNIPOTENCE OF THE DEITY. 3&
mission of particular messengers, and to confirm the truths
they declared. It was not, for example, merely to display
the energies of Almighty power, that the waters of the
Red Sea were dried up before the thousand of Israel, but
to give a solemn and striking attestation to all concerned,
that the Most High God had taken this people under his
peculiar protection — that he had appointed. Moses as their
leader and legislator — and that they were bound to receive
and obey the statutes he delivered. The most appropri
ate and impressive illustrations of Omnipotence, are those
which are taken from the permanent operations of Deity,
which are visible every moment in the universe around
us ; or, in other words, those which are derived from a
detail of the facts which have been observed in the mate
rial world, respecting magnitude and motion.
In the first place, the immense quanity of matter con
tained in the universe, presents a most striking display of
Almighty power.
In endeavoring to form a definite notion on this subject,,
the mind is bewildered in its conceptions, and it is at a loss
where to begin or taend its excursions. In order to form
something approximating to a well-defined idea we must
pursue a train of thoaght commencing with those magni
tudes which the mind can easily grasp, proceeding through,
all the intermediate gradations of magnitude, and fixing-
the attention on every portion of the chain, till we arrive
at the object or magnitude of which we wish to form a
conception. We must endeavour, in the first place, to
form a conception of tbe bulk of the world in which' we
dwell, which, though only a point in comparison ofthe
whole material universe, is, in reality, a most astonishing
magnitude, which the mind cannot grasp, without alabo--
rious effort. We can form some definite idea of those
protuberant masses we denominate hills, which rise above
the surface of our plains; but were we transported to the
mountainous scenery- of Switzerland, ta the .stupendous
range of the Andes in South America, or to the Hima
layan mountains in India, where masses of earth and
rocks, in every variety of shape, extend several hundreds
of miles in different directions, aud rear • their projecting
summits beyond the region of the clouds — .we should find

36 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
some difficulty in forming an adequate conception pf the
objects of our contemplation; For, (to use the words of
one who had been a spectator of such scenes) " Amidst
those trackless regions of intense silence and solitude, we
cannot contemplate, but with feelings of. awe and admira
tion, the enormous masses of variegated matter which lie
around, beneath,. and above us. The mind labors, as it
were, to form a definite idea of those objects of oppressive
grandeur, and feels unable to grasp the- august objects
which cosapose the surrounding scene." But what are-
all these- mountainous masses, however variegated and
sublime, when compared with the bulk of the whole-
earth ¦?. Were they hurled from their basis, and precipi^
tatedinto the vast Pacific Ocean, they would all disappear.
in a moment, except perhaps' a few projecting tops, which*:
like a number of small islands, might be seen rising a few
fathoms above the surface of the waters.
The earth is a globe whose diameter is nearly 8,000.
miles, and its circumference about 25,000, and conse
quently, its surface contains nearly two hundred millions-
of square miles — a magnitude too great for the mind, t«*
take in at one conception. In order to form a tolerable
conception jof the whole, wejnust endeavour to take a
leisurely survey of its different parts. Were we to take-
our station on the top of a mountain, of a moderate; siz^B,.,
and survey. the surrounding landscape, we should perceive;
an extent of view stretching 40 miles in every direction,,
forming a circle 80 miles in diameter, and. 250 in circum
ference, and comprehending an area of 5,000 square miles..
In such a situation, the terrestrial scene around .and be
neath us, consisting,of hills and plains, towns and villages,
rivers and lakes — would, form one of the largest, objects
which the eye, or even the imagination, can steadily grasp
at one time* But such an object, grand, and extensive as
it is, forms 'no more- than the forty thousandth part of the
terraqueous globe ; so that before we'can acquire an ade-
' quate conception of the magnitude of our own world, we
must conceive 40,000 landscapes of a similar extent, to
pass in review before us.: and, were a scene, of the mag
nitude now stated, to pass before us every hour, till all the
diversified scenery of the earth were brought under cue

OMNIPOTENCE OF THE DEITY. 37
view, and were 12 hours a-day allotted for the observation
it would require 9 years and 48 days before the whole sur
face ofthe globe could be contemplated, even in this gene
ral and rapid manner. But, such a variety of successive
landscapes passing before the eye, even although it were
possible to be realized, would convey only a very vague
and imperfect conception of the scenery of our world ; .for
objects at the distance of 40 miles cannot be distinctly
perceived ; the only view which would be satisfactory
would be, -that which is comprehended within the range of
3 or 4 miles from -the spectator.
Again, I have already stated, that the surface of the
earth contains nearly 200^,000,000 of square, miles. — Now,
were a person to set out on a minute survey of the terra
queous globe, and to travel till he passed along every
square mile on its surface, and to continue his route with
out intermission, at the rate of 30 miles every day, it
would require 18,264 years before lie could finish his tour,
and complete the survey of " this huge rotundity on which
we tread :" — so that, had he commenced his excursion on
the day in which Adam was created, and continued it to
the ^present hour, he would not have .accomplished one-
third part of this vast tour.
In estimating the size and extent of the earth, we ought
also to^take into consideration, the vast variety of objects
with which it is diversified, and the numerous animated
beings with which it is stored ;- — the great divisions of land
and water, the continents, seas, and islands, into which it
is distributed ; the lofty ranges of mountains which rear
their heads to the, clouds ; the unfathomable abysses of
the ocean ; its vast subterraneous caverns and burning
mountains ; and the lakes, rivers; and stately forests with
which it is so magnificently adorned ; — the many millions
of animals, of every size and form, from the elephant to
the mite, which traverse its surface ; the numerous tribes
of fishes, from tbe enormous whale to the diminutive
shrimp, which " play" in the mighty ocean ; the aerial
tribes which sport in the regions above us, and the vast
mass pf the surrounding atmosphere, which encloses the
earth and all its inhabitants as " with a swaddling band."
The immense variety of beings with which our terrestrial

38 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
habitation is furnished, conspires, with every other consi
deration, to exalt our conceptions of that power by which
our globe, and all that it contains, were brought into ex
istence. The preceding illustrations, however, exhibit the vast
extent of the earth,, considered only as a mere superficies.
But we know that the earth is a solid globe, whose specific
gravity is nearly five times denser than water, or about
twice as dense as the mass of earth and rocks which com
pose its surface. Though we cannot dig into its bowels
beyond a mile in perpendicular depth, to explore its hidden
wonders, yet we may easily conceive' what a vast and in
describable mass of matter must be contained between
the two opposite portions of its external circumference,
reaching 8,000 miles in every direction. The solid con*
tents of this ponderous ball is no less than 263,858,149,120
•cubical miles — a mass of material substance of which we
ican 'form but a very faint and imperfect conception — in
^proportion to which, all the lofty mountains which rise
above its surface, are less than a few grains of sand, when
compared with the largest artificial globe. Were the earth
a hollow sphere, surrounded merely with an external shell
of earth and water, 10 miles thick, its internal cavity
would be sufficient to contain a -quantity of materials one
hundred and 'thirty-three times greater than the whole
mass of continents, islands, and oceans, on its surface,
and the foundations on which they are supported. Wfe
have the strongest reasons, however, to conclude, ,that the
earth, in its general structure, is one solid mass, from the
surface to the centre, excepting, perhaps, a few caverns
scattered, here and there, amidst its subterraneous re
cesses : and that its density gradually increases from its
surface to its central regions. What an enormous mass of
materials, then, is comprehended within the limits of that
globe on which we tread 1 The mind labours, as it were,
to comprehene the mighty idea, and, after all its exertion j
feels itself unable to take in such an astonishing magnitude
at one comprehensive grasp. " How great must be the
power of that Being who commanded it to spring from
nothing into existence, who " measures the ocean in the

OMNIPOTENCE OF THE DEITY. 39.
hollow of his hand, who weigheth the mountains in scales,
and hangeth the earth upon nothing !"
It is essentially requisite, before proceeding to the sur
vey of objects and magnitudes of a superior order, that
we should endeavor, by such a train of thought as the pre
ceding, to form some tolerable and clear conception of the
bulk of the globe we inhabit ; for it is the only body we
can use as a standard of comparison to guide the mind in
its conceptions, when it roams abroad to other regions of
material existence. And, from what has been now stated
it appears, that we have no adequate conception of a mag
nitude of so vast an extent ; or, at .least, that the mind
cannot, in any one instant, form to itself a distinct and
comprehensive idea of it, in any measure corresponding
to the reality.
Hitherto, then, we have fixed only on a determinate
magnitude — on a scale of a few inches, as it were, in order
to assist us in our measurement and eonception of mag
nitudes still more august and astonishing. When we con
template, by the light of science, those magnificent globes
which float around us, in the concave of the sky, the earth,
with all its sublime scenery, stupendous as it is, dwindles
into an inconsiderable ball. If we pass from our globe to
some of the other bodies of the planetary system, we shall
find that one of these stupendous orbs is more than 900
times the size of our world, and encircled with a ring
200,000 miles in diameter, which would nearly reach from
the earth to the moon, and would enclose within its vast
circumference, several hundreds of worlds as large as ours.
Another of these planetary bodies, which appears to the
vulgar eye only as a brilliant speck on the vault of heaven,
is found to be of such a size, that it would require 1,400
globes of the bulk of the earth to form one equal to it in
dimensions. The whole of the bodies which compose the
solar system (without taking the sun and the comets into
account,) contain a mass of matter 2,500 times greater than
that of vthe earth. The sun himself is 520 times larger
than all the planetary globes taken together ; and one mil
lion, three hundred thousand times larger than the terra
queous globe. This is one of the most glorious and mag
nificent visible objects, which either the eye, or the imagt-
4

40 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
nation, can contemplate; especially when we consider,
what perpetual, and incomprehensible, and powerful influ
ence he exerts, what warmth, and beauty,*and activity, he dif
fuses, not only on the globe we inhabit, but over the more ex
tensive regions of surrounding worlds. His energy extends
to the utmost limits of the planetary system — to the planet
Herschel, which revolves at the distance of 1,800 millions
of miles from his surface, and there, he dispenses light,
and colour, and comfort, to all the beings connected with
that far-distant orb, and to all the moons which roll around
it. Here the imagination begins to be overpowered and be
wildered in its conceptions of magnitude, when it has ad
vanced scarcely a single step in its excursions through the
material world : For it is highly probable that all the mat
ter contained within the limits of the solar system, incom
prehensible as its magnitude appears, bears a smaller pro
portion to the whole mass of the material universe, than
a single grain of sand to all the particles of matter con
tained in the body of the sun and his attending planets.
If we extend our views from the solar system to the
starry heavens, we h^e to penetrate, in our imagination,
» space which the swiftest ball that was ever projected,
though in perpetual motion, would not traverse in ten hun
dred thousand years. In those trackless regions of im
mensity, we behold an assemblage of resplendent globes,
similar to the sun in size, and in glory, and, doubtless, ac
companied with a retinue of worlds, revolving, like our
own, around their attractive influence. The immense
distance at which the nearest stars are known to be placed,
proves, that they are bodies of a prodigious size, not in
ferior to own sun, and that they shine, not by reflected
rays, but by their own native light. But bodies encircled
with such refulgent splendor, would be of little use in the
economy of Jehovah's empire, unless surrounding worlds
were cheered by their benign influence, and enlightened
by their beams. Every star is, therefore, with good rea
son, concluded to be a sun, no less spacious than ours,
surrounded by a host of planetary globes, which revolve
around it as a centre, and derive from it light, and heat,
and cofnfort. Nearly a thousand of these luminaries may

OMNIPOTENCE OF THE DEITY. 41
be seen in a clear "winter night, by the naked eye ; so that
a mass of matter equal to a thousand solar systems, or tq
thirteen hundred and twenty millions of globes of the size
ofthe earth, may be perceived, by every common observer,,
in the canopy of heaven. But all the celestial orbs which
are perceived by the unassisted sight, do not form the
eighty thousandth part of those which may be descried by
the help of optical instruments. The telescope has ena
bled us to descry, in certain spaces of the heavens, thou
sands of stars where the naked eye could scarcely discern
twenty. The late celebrated astronomer, Dr. Herschel,
has informed us, that, in the most crowded parts of the
Milky-way, when exploring that region with his best
glasses, he has had fields of view which contained no less
than 588 stars, and these were continued for many mi
nutes : so that " in one quarter of an hour's time there pass
ed no less than one hundred and nxteen thousand stars
through the field of view of his telescope.?'
It has been computed, that nearly one hundred millions
of stars might be perceived by the most perfect instru
ments, were all the regions ofthe sky thoroughly explored :
And yet, all this vast assemblage of suns and worlds, when
compared with- what lies beyond the utmost boundaries of
human vision, in the immeasurable spaces of creation, may
be no more than as the smallest particle of vapor to the-
immense ocean. Immeasurable regions of space lie be
yond the utmost limits of mortal view, into which even.
imagination itself can scarcely penetrate, and which are,.
doubtless, replenished with the operations of Divine Wis
dom and Omnipotence. For, it cannot be supposed, that
a being so diminutive as man,, whose stature scarcely ex
ceeds six feet — who vanishes from the sight at the distance
of a league — whose whole habitation is invisible from the
nearest star — whose powers of vision are so imperfect,
and whose mental faculties are so limited — it cannot be
supposed that man, who: " dwells in tabernacles of clay,
who is crushed before the moth,"- and chained down, by
-the force of gravitation, to the surface of a small planet, —
should be able to descry the utmost boundaries of the em
pire of Him who fills immensity, and dwells in " light un—
approachable." That portion, of his dominions, however,,

42 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
which lies within the range of our view, presents such- a
scene of magnificence and grandeur, as must fill the mind
of every reflecting person with astonishment and reve
rence, and constrain him to exclaim, " Great is our Lord,
and of great power, his understanding is infinite." " When
I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon
and the stars which thou hast ordained, — what is man that*
thou art mindful of him !" "I have heard of thee by the
hearing of the ear ;" I have listened to subtle disquisitions
on thy character and perfections, and have been but little
affected, " but now mine eye seeth thee ; wherefore I hum
ble myself, and repent in dust and ashes."1
In order to feel the full force of the impression made
by such contemplations, the mind must pause at every
step, in its excursions through the boundless regions of
material existence : for it is not by a mere attention to the
figures and numbers by which the magnitudes of the great
bodies of the universe are expressed-, that we arrive at the
most distinct and ample conceptions of objects so grand
and overwhelming. The mind, in its intellectual range,
must dwell on every individual seene it contemplates, and
en the various objects of which it is composed. It must
edd scene to scene, magnitude to magnitude, and compare
smaller objects with greater — a range of' mountains with ,
the whole earth, the earth with the planet Jupiter, Jupiter ,
with the sun, the sun- with a thousand stars-, a thousand
stars with 80 millions, and 80 millions with all the bound--
less extent which lies beyond the limits of mortal vision ;
and, at every step of' this mental process, sufficient time
must be allowed for the imagination to expatiate on the
objects before it, till the- ideas approximate, as near as
possible, to the reality. In order to form a comprehensive.
conception of the extent of the terraqueous globe, the
mind must dwell on an extensive landscape, and the ob
jects with which it is adorned ; it must endeavor to sur- ".
vey the many thousands of diversified landscapes which '
the earth exhibits — the hills and plains, the lakes and ri
vers, and mountains, which stretch in endless variety over
its surface — it must dive into the vast caverns ofthe ocean
— penetrate into the subterraneous regions of the globe,
and wing its way amidst clouds and tempests, through the

OMNIPOTENCE OF THE DEITY. 4$
surrounding atmosphere. It must next extend its flight
through the more expansive regions of the solar system^ ,
realizing, in imagination, those magnificent scenes which* *
can be described neither by the naked eye, nor by the tele
scope ; and comparing the extent of our sublunary world,
with the more magnificent globes that roll around us.
Leaving the sun and all his attendant planets behind, till
they have diminished to the size of a small twinkling star,
it must next wing its way to the starry regions, and pass
from one system of worlds to another, from one Nebula* to
another, from one region of Nebula? to another, till it ar
rive at the utmost boundaries of creation which human-
genius has explored. It must also endeavor to extend its
flight beyond all that is visible by the best telescopes, and
expatiate at large in that boundless expanse into which no
human eye has yet penetrated, and which is, doubtless,
replenished with other worlds, and systems', and firma
ments, where the operations of infinite power and benefi--
cence are displayed in endless variety,, throughout tiie il--
limitable regions of space.
Here, then, with reverence, let us pause, and wonder !
Over all this vast assemblage of material existence, God
presides. Amidst the diversified objects and intelligences
it contains, he is eternally and essentially present. By his
unerring wisdom, all its complicated' movements are di
rected. By his Almighty fiat, it emerged from nothing"
into existence, and is continually supported' front age to
age. " He sfake and it was done ; he commanded-
and it stood fast." " By the word of the Lord were
the heavens made, and all the host of them by the- spirit
of his mouth." What an astonishing display of Divine
power is here exhibited to our view ! How fer transcend
ing all finite comprehension must be the energies of Him
who only " spake, and it was done ;" who only gave the
command, and this mighty system of the universe, with all
its magnificence, started into being ! The infinite ease
with which this vast fabric was reared, leads us irresistibly tc
conclude, that there are powers and energies in the Divine
mind which have never yet been exerted, and which may/
* Eoranaccount of the JVe&u!ffi,,see Ch. II. Art. Astronomy.
4*

44 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
unfold themselves to intelligent beings, in the production
of still more astonishing and magnificent effects, during
an endless succession of existence. That man who is not
impressed with a venerable and overwhelming sense of the
power and majesty of Jehovah, by such contemplationsj
must have a mind incapable of ardent religious emotions!
and unqualified for appreciating the grandeur of that Bemf|
" whose kingdom ruleth over all-"' And shall such enno*
bling views be completely withheld from a Christian au
dience ? Shall it be considered as a matter of mere in
difference, whether their views of the Creator's works be
limited to the sphere of a few miles around them, or ex
tended to ten thousand worlds ? — whether they shall be;
left to vjew the operations of the Almighty throughout
eternity past and to come, as confined to a small globe^
placed in the immensity of space, with a number of bril-i
liant studs fixed in the arch of* heaven, at a few miles dis
tance ;, or, as extending through: the boundless dimensions
of space ? — whether they shall be left to entertain no higher
idea of the Divine majesty that what may be due to one of
the superior orders of the seraphim or cherubim,- — or, whe
ther .they shall be directed to form the most august con
ceptions of the King, eternal, immortal, and invisible, cor
responding, to the displays he has given of bis glory in bis-
visible works? If if be not, both reason and piety re
quire, that such illustrations of the Divine perfections,
should occasionally be exhibited to their view. *j
In the next place, the rapid motions of the great bodies
of the universe, no less than their magnitudes, display then
Infinite' Power of the Creator. **
We can acquire accurate ideas of the relative velocities;
of moving bodies, only by comparing the motions, with>|
which we are familiar, with one another, and with thosel
which lie beyond the general range of our minute inspec
tion. We can acquire a pretty accurate conception ofthe,
velocity of a ship, impelled by the wind — of a steam-boafr
— of a race horse — of a bird darting through, the air — of'
an arrow flying from a bow — and of the clouds when im
pelled by a stormy wind. The velocity of a ship is from..
8 to 12 miles an hour, — of a race horse, from 20 to 3©m
miles— of a bird, say from. 50 to 60 miles, and of thei

OMNIPOTENCE OF THE DEITY. 45
clouds, in a violent hurricane, from 80 to 100 miles an
hour. The motion of a ball from a loaded cannon is in
comparably swifter than any of the motions now stated -r
but of the velocity of such a body we have a less accu
rate idea ; because, its rapidity being so great, we cannot
£race it distinctly by the eye through its whole range, from
ihe mouth of the cannon to the object against which it is
impelled. By experiments, it has been found, that its rate
of motion is from 480 to 800 miles in an hour, but it is
retarded every moment, by the resistance of the air and the
attraction of the earth. This velocity, however, great as
it is, bears no sensible proportion to the rate of motion
which is found among the celestial orbs. That, such enor
mous masses of matter should move at all, is wonderful ;
but when we consider the amazing velocity with which-
they are impelled, we are lost in astonishment. The pla
net Jupiter, in describing his circuit round the sun, moves
at the rate of 29,000 miles' an hour. The planet Venus,'
one of the nearest and most brilliant of the celestial bo
dies, and about the same size as the earth, is found to
move through the spaces of the firmament at tbe rate of
76,000 miles an hour ; and the planet Mercury; with a
velocity of no less than 150,000 miles an hour, or 1750
miles in a minute — a motion too hundred times swifter
than that of a cannon ball.
These velocities will appear still more astonishing, if
we consider the magnitude of tbe bodies which are thus
impelled, and the immense forces which are requisite to
carry them along in their courses. However rapidly a ball
flies from the mouth of a cannon, it is the flight of a body
only Hfeur inches in diameter; but one of the bodies,
whose motion has been just now slated, is eighty-rnine
thousand milts in diameter, and would comprehend, wifhiis
its vast circumference, more than a thousand globes as
large as the earth. — Could we contemplate such motions,
from a fixed point, at the distance of only a few hundreds
of miles from the bodies thus impelled — it would raise our
admiration to its highest pitch, it would overwhelm all our
faculties, and, in our present state, would produee an im
pression of _awe, and even of terror, beyond the power of
language to express. The earth contains a mass of mat-

46 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
ter equal in weight to at feast 2,200,000,000,000,000,000^
. 000 tons, supposing its mean density to be only about 2|
times greater than water. To move this ponderous mass
a single inch beyond its position were it fixed in a quies
cent state, would require a mechanical force almost be
yond the power of numbers to express. The physical;
force of all the myriads of intelligences within the bounds'
ofthe planetary system, though their powers were far su
perior to those of man, would be altogether inadequate toJ
the'. production ef such amotion. . How much more must-
be the force requisite to impel it with a velocity one hun-
dred and forty times swifter than a cannon ball, or 68,000!)
miles an hour, the actual rate of its motion, in its course-
round the sun ! But whatever degree of mechanical
power would be requisite to- produce such a stupendous!
effect, it would require a force one hundred and fifty times
greater to impel the planet Jupiter, in his actual course,1!
, through the heavens ! Even the planet Saturn, one of the-'
slowest moving- bodies of our system, a globe 900> times
-larger than the earth, is impelled through the regions of*
space, at the rate of 22,000 miles an hour, carrying along i
with him two stupenduous rings, and seven moons larger!;
than ours, through his whole course round the central lu- "
mjnary. .Were we placed within a thousand miles of this
stupendous globe, (a station which superior beings may
occasionally occupy) where its hemisphere, encompassed
by its magnificent rings, would fill the whole extent of our*
vision — the view of such a ponderous and glorious object,
flying with such amazing velocity before us, would infi- 1
nitely exceed every idea of grandeur we can derive from
terrestrial, scenes, and overwhelm our powers with astonish
ment and awe.. Under sueh an emotion, we could only**
exclaim, "Great and Marvellous are thy works,
Lord God Almighty !" The ideas of strength and
power implied in> the impulsion of such enormous masses .
of matter, through the illimitable tracts of space; are
forced upon the mind with irresistible energy;, far surpass-
ing what any abstract propositions or reasonings can -con-l
vey ; and constrain; us- to exclaim, " Who is a strong Lord!'*
like unto thee! Thy right hand is become glorious ia
power !. The Lord. God: omnipotent. reigneth!"

OMNIPOTENCE OF THE DEITY. 47
If we consider the immense number of bodies thus im
pelled through the vast spaces of the universe — the rapidi
ty with which the comets, when near the sun, are carried
through the regions they traverse, — if we consider the
high probability, if not absolute certainty, that the sun,
with all his attendant planets and comets, is impelled with
a still greater degree of velocity towards some distant re
gion of space, or around some wide circumference — that
all the thousands of systems of that nebula to which the
sun belongs, are moving in a similar manner — that all the
nebul* in the heavens are moving around some magnifi
cent central body — in- short, that all the suns and worlds
in the universe are in rapid and perpetual motion, as con
stituent portions of one grand and boundless empire, of
which Jehovah is the- Sovereign — and, if we consider still'
farther; that all these mighty movements have been going
on, without intermission, during the course of many centu
ries, and some of them, perhaps, for myriads of ages be-!
fore the foundations of our world were laid — it is impossi
ble for the human mind to form any adequate idea ofthe
stupendous forces which are in incessant operation through
out the unlimited empire of the Almighty. To estimate
such mechanical force, even in a single'lnstance, com
pletely baffles the mathematician's skill, and sets the power
of numbers at defiance. " Language," and figures, and
comparisons, are "¦ lost in wonders so sublime,"' and the
mind, overpowered with such reflections, is irresistibly led
upwards, to search for the cause in that Omnipotent
Bei-ng who upholds the pillars of the universe — the thun
der of whose power none can .comprehend. While con
templating such august objects, how emphatic and im
pressive appears the language of the sacred oracles,
" Canst thou 'by searching find out God ? Canst thou
find out the Almighty to perfection ? Great things doth
he which we cannot comprehend. Thine, 0 Lord, is the
greatness, and the glory, and the majesty ; for all that is
in heaven and earth is thine. Among the gods there is
.none like unto thee, O Lord, neither are there any works
like unto thy works. Thou art great, and dost wondrous
things, thou art God alone. Hast thou not known, hast
thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lordj the

48 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
Creator of all things, fainteth not, neither is weary ?. therfr
is no searching of his understanding. Let all the eartjli
fear the Lord, let all the inhabitants of the world stand in.
awe of him ; for, he spake, and it was done ; he com
manded, and it stood fast."
Again, the immense spaces- which surround the heavenly
bodies, and in which they perform their revolutions, tend
tb expand our conceptions on this subject, and to illustrate!
the magnificence of the Divine operations. In whatev||
point of view we contemplate the scenery ofthe heavens,;
an idea of grandeur irresistibly bursts upon the mind ; and,
if empty space can, in any sense, be considered as an oL.
ject of sublimity, nothing, can fill the mind with a grandS
idea of magnitude and extension, than the amplitude.'!!
the scale, on which planetary systems are constructed.
f Around the body of the sun there is allotted a cubical
space, 3,600 millions of miles in diameter, in which elevfc
planetary globes revolve — every one being separated frorj
another, by intervals of many millions of miles. Thj
space which surrounds the utmost limits of our system
extending, in every direction; to the nearest fixed stars, is,
at least, 40,090,000,000,000 miles in diameter ; aud, itia
Jaghly^prebafele, that^rery star "is surrounded by a> spap|
of equal, or even of greater extent. A body impelled wifflT
the greatest velocity which art can produce, — a cannon ball,,
for instance, would require twenty years to pass through
the space that intervenes between the earth and the sun,
and four millions, seven hundred thousand yeafs, eie it
could reach the nearest star.. Though the stars; seem to«
be crowded together in clusters, and some of them almost'
to touch one another, yet the distance between any two*
stars which, seem to make the nearest approach, is sudd
as neither words can express, nor imagination fathoma
These immense spaces are as unfathomable, on the one]
hand, as the magnitude of the bodies which move in the%j
and their prodigious velocities, are incomprehensible on
the other ; and they form a part of those magnificent pro
portions according to which the fabric of universal ;nj
ture was arranged. — all corresponding to the majesty ;|
that infinite and incomprehensible Being, " who measuf
the ocean in the hollow of his hand, and meteth out!

OMNIPOTENCE OF THE DEITY, 49
neavens with a span." How wonderful that bodies at such
prodigious distances should exert a mutual influence on
one another ! that the moon at the distance of 240,000
miles shouldraise tides in the ocean, and currents in the
atmosphere ! that the sun, at the distance of ninety-five
millions of miles, should raise the vapors, move the ocean,
direct the course of the winds, fructify the earth, and distri
bute light, and heat, and color, through every region of the.
globe ; yea, that his attractive influence, and fructifying
energy should extend even to the planet Herschel, at
the distance of eighteen hundred millions of miles ! So that,
in every point of view in which the universe is contempla
ted, we perceive the same grand scale of operation by
which the Almighty has arranged the provinces of his uni
versal kingdom.
We would now ask, in the name of all that is sacred,
whether such magnificent manifestations of Deify ought to
be considered as irrelevant in the business of religion, and
whether they ought to be thrown completely into the shade,
in the discussions which take place on religious topics, in
•' the assemblies of the saints ?" If religion consists in
the intellectual apprehension of the perfections of God, and
in the moral effects produced by such an apprehension — if
all the rays of glory emitted by the luminaries of heaven,
are only so many reflections of the grandeur of Him who
dwells in light unapproachable — if they have a tendency to
assist the mind in forming its conceptions of that ineffable
Being, whose uncreated glory cannot be directly contem
plated — and if they are calculated to produce a sublime and
awful impression on all created intelligences, — shall we rest
contented with a less glorious idea of God than his works
are calculated to afford ? Shall we disregard trie works of
the Lord, and contemn " the operations of his hands," and
that, too, in the face of all the invitations on this subject,
addressed to us from heaven ? For thus saith Jehovah :
" Lift np your eyes on high, and behold, who hath created
these things, who bringeth forth their host by number. —
I tbe Lord, who maketh all things, who stretcheth forth
the heavens alone, and spread abroad the earth by myself ;
all their host have I commanded." And, if, at the com
mand of God, we lift up our eyes to the "firmament of his

So THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
power," surely we ought to do it, not with a brute " uncon
scious gaze," not with the vacant stare of a savage, not as if
we were still enveloped with the mists and prejudices of the
dark ages— but as surrounded by that blaze of light whic|
modern science has thrown upon the scenery of the sky, $1
order that we may contemplate, with ^fixed attention, all
that enlightened reason, aided by the nicest observationj,
has ascertained respecting the magnificence of the celesty|
orbs. To overlook the sublime discoveries of modern times,
to despise them, or to call in question their reality, as some
religionists have done, because they bring to our ears such
astonishing reports of the " eternal power" and majesty ^
Jehovah — is to act as if we were afraid lest the Deity
should be represented as more grand and magnificent than
he really is, and as if we would be better pleased to pay himft
less share of homage and adoration than is due to his name.
Perhaps some may be disposed to insinuate, that the vieTffi
now stated are above the level of ordinary compreheat
sion, and founded too much on scientific considerations, ta
be stated in detail to a common audience. To any insinu
ations of this kind, it may be replied, that such illustrations!
as those to which we have referred, are more easily compi^
bended than many of those abstract discussions to whicfa
they are frequently accustomed ; since they are definite and
tangible, being derived from those objects which strike thfet
senses and the imagination. Any person of common'
understanding may be made to comprehend the leading
ideas of extended space, magnitude, and motion, which
have been stated above, provided the descriptions be suf
ficiently simple, clear and well defined ; and should they
be at a loss to comprehend the principles on which the con-
elusions rest, or the mode by which the magnificence of
the works of God has been ascertained, an occasional
reference to such topics would excite them to inquiry and
investigation, and to the exercise of their powers of obser
vation and reasoning on such subjects — which are too fre-"
quently directed to far less important objects. The follow
ing illustration, however, stands clear of every objection ofi
this kind, and is level to the comprehension of every man of
common sense. — Either the earth moves round its axis
once in twenty-four hours — or, the sun, moon, planetM

OMNIPOTENCE OF THE DEITY. 51
comets, stars, and the whole frame of the universe move
around the earth, in the same time. There is no alterna
tive, or third opinion, that can be formed on this point. If
the earth revolve on its axis every 24 hours, to produce the
alternate succession of day and night, the portions of its
surface about the equator, must move at the rate of more
than a thousand miles an hour, since the earth is more
than twenty-four thousand miles in circumference. This
view of the fact, when attentively considered, furnishes a
most sublime and astonishing idea. That a globe of so vast
dimensions, with all its load of mountains, continents, and
oceans, comprising within its circumference amiss of two
hundred and sixty-four thousand millions of cubical miles,
should whirl around with so amazing a velocity, gives us a
most august and impressive conception of the greatness of
that Power which first set it in motion, and continues the
rapid whirl from age to age ! Though the huge masses of the
Alpine mountains were in a moment detached from their
foundations, carried aloft through the. regions of the air,
and tossed into the Mediterranean sea, it would convey no
idea of a force equal to that which is every moment exerted,
if the earth revolve on its axis. But should the motion of
-our earth be called in question, or denied, the idea of force,
pr power, will be indefinitely increased. For, in this case,
it must necessarily be admitted, that the heavens, with all
our innumerable host of stars, have a diurnal motion around
the glohe ; which motion must be inconceivably more rapid
than that of the earth, on the supposition of its motion.
For, in proportion as the celestial bodies are distant from the
earth, in the same proportion would be the rapidity of their
movements. The sun, on this supposition; would move at
the rate of 414,000 miles in a minute; the nearest stars, at
the rate of fourteen hundred millions of miles in a second:
and the most distant luminaries, with a degree of swiftness
which no numbers could express.* Such velocities, too,
would be the rate of motion, not merely of a single globe like
the earth, but of all the ten thousand times ten thousand
spacious globes that exist within the boundaries of creation.
This view conveys an idea of power, still more august and
* See Appendix, Ho. 1-
5

52 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
overwhelming than any ofthe views already stated, and we
dare not presume to assert, that such a degree of physic^
force is beyond the limits of Infinite perfection ; but on the
supposition it existed, ifwould confound all our ideas of Ae
wisdom and intelligence'of the Divine mind, and would ap
pear altogether inconsistent with the character which the
scripture gives us of the Deity as " the only wise God.*
For, it would exhibit a stupendous system of means alto
gether disproportioned to the end intended — namely, to pro
duce the alternate succession of day and night to the inhabi
tants of our globe, which is more beautifully and harmoni
ously effected by a simple rotation on its axis, as is the
case with the other globes which compose the planetary sys
tem. Such considerations, however, 6how us, that, on
whatever hypothesis, whether on the vulgar or the scientific
or in whatever other point of view, the frame of nature may
be contemplated, the mind is irresistibly impressed wifL
ideas of power, grandeur, and magnificence. And, there-J
fore, when an inquiring mind is directed to contemplate thei
works of God, on any hypothesis it may choose, it has a,
tendency to rouse reflection, and to stimulate the exercis^
ofthe moral and intellectual faculties, on objects which are
worthy of the dignity of immortal minds.
We may now be, in some measure, prepared to decide,^
whether illustrations of the omnipotence ofthe Deity, de-'
rived from the system of the materia) world, or those vague
and metaphysical disquisitions which are generaUy givenij!„
theological systems, be most calculated to impress tfe:
mind, and to inspire it with reverence and adoration. The
following is a description given of this attribute of God, by
a well known systematic writer, who has generally beenj
considered as a judicious and orthodox divine : —
" God is Almighty, Rev. i. 18. chap iv. 8. This will
evidently appear, in that, if he be infinite in all his other
perfection*, he must be so in power : thus, if he be omni'
scient, he knows what is possible or expedient to be done;
and if he be an infinite sovereign, he wills whatever shall-
come to pass. Now this knowledge would be insignificant,
and his power inefficacious, were he not infinite in powers,
or almighty. Again, this might be argued from his justic||
either in rewarding or punishing ; for if he were not inP

OMNIPOTENCE OF THE DEITY. S3
nite in power, Be could do neither of these, at least so far
as to render him the object of that desire or feaT, which is
agreeable to the nature of these perfections; neither
could infinite faithfulness accomplish all the promises which
he hath made, so as to excite that trust, and dependence
which is a part of religious worship; nor could he say
without limitation, as he does, I have spoken it, I will also
bring it to pass ; I have purposed it, I will also do it. Isa.
xlvi. 11. — But since power is visible in, and demonstated
by its effect, and infinite power, by those effects which
cannot be produced by a creature, we may observe the al
mighty power of God in all his works; both of nature and
grace : thus his eternal power is understood, as the apostle
says, By the things that are made, Rom. i. 20. not that
there was an eternal production of things, but the exerting
this power in time, proves it to be infinite and truly divine;
for no creature can produce the smallest particle of matter
out of nothing, much less furnish the various species of
creatures, with those endowments in which they excel one
another, and set forth their Creator's glory. And the glo
ry of his power is no less visible in the works of provi
dence, whereby he upholds all things, disposes of them
according to his' pleasure, and brings about events which
only he who has- an almighty arm can- effect." — Ridgl'ey's
Body of Divinity, p: 39.
This- is the whole that Dr.'Ridgley judges it necessary to
state, in illustration- of the attribute of Omnipotence, ex
cept what he says in relation to its operation " in the
work of grace,"' in " the propagation and success of the
Gospel," &c. subjects, to which the idea of power, or
physical energy, does not properly apply. Such, however
are the meagre and abstract disquisitions generally given
by most systematic writers. There is a continual play on
the term " Infinite," which, to most minds, conveys no
idea at all, unless it be associated with ample conceptions
of motion, magnitude, and extension ; and it is constantly
applied to subjects to which it was never intended to apply,
such as " infinite faithfulness, infinite justice, infinite
truth," &c. an application of the term which is never
sanctioned by Scripture, and which has a tendency to in
troduce confusion into our conceptions of the perfections

54 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
of God. Granting that the statements and reasonings^in,
such an extract as the above .-were unquestionable, yet
what impression can they make upon the mind ? Woij'd
an ignorant person feel his conceptions of the Divuntyj
much enlarged, or his moral powers aroused by such .vagsfg
and general statements ? And, if not, it .appears somes|
what unaccountable, that those sources of lllustratim
which would convey the most ample and definite views^j
the "eternal power" and glory of God, should be studious
ly concealed from the view. Vague descriptions and
general view s of any object will never be effectual in awaK-,
ening the attention," and arresting the faculties of the mind.
The heart will always remain unimpressed, and the under
standing will never be thoroughly excited in its exercisjj,!
unless the intellect have presented before it a well-defined
and interesting object, and be enabled to survey it in its
various aspects ; and this object must always have a rel§
tion to the material world, whether it be viewed in co
neetion with religion, or with any other subject.
Thus I have endeavoured, in the preceding sketches, ta
present a few detaehed illustrations ofthe omnipotence
and grandeur of the Deity, as displayed in the vast magni- *
tude of the material universe— the stupendous velocities of
the celestial bodies— and in the immeasureable regionsif
space which surround them, and in which their motions are
performed. Such a magnificent spectacle as the fabric of
the universe presents— so majestic, God-like, and over
whelming, to beings who dwell " in tabernacles of clay"1*
was surely never intended to be overlooked, or to be gazeo
at with indifference, by creatures endowed with reason and
intelligence, and destined to an immortal existence. In
forming a universe composed of so many immense systems
and worlds, and replenished with such a variety of sensitive
and intelligent existences, the Creator, doubtless, intended
that it should make a sublime and reverential impression on
the minds of all the intellectual beings to whom it might be
displayed, and that it should convey some palpable idea of
% infinite glories of his nature, in so fat as material ob
jects can be supposed to adumbrate the perfections of a
spiritual and uncreated Essence. Dwelling in "light in-

OMNIPOTENCE OF THE DEITY. 55
accessible" to mortals, and for ever veiled from the highest
created being, by the pure spirituality and immensity of his
nature, there is no conceivable mode by which the infinite
frandeur of Deity could be exhibited to finite intelligences,
ut through the medium of those magnificent operations
which are incessantly going forward throughout the bound
less regions of space. Concealed from the gaze of all the
" principalities and powers" in heaven, in the unfathomable
depths of his Essence, he displays his presence in the
universe he has created, and the glory of his power, by,
launching, magnificent worlds into existence, by adorning
them with diversified splendors, by peopling them with
various ranks of intelligent existence, and by impelling
them in their movements through the illimitable tracts of
creation. It will readily'be admitted by every enlightened Christian,,
that it must be a highly desirable attainment, to acquire
the mo'st glorious- idea of the Divine Being which the limit
ed capacity of our minds is capable of receiving. This is-
one of the grand difficulties in religion. The idea of a
Being purely immaterial, yet pervading infinite space, and
possessed of no sensible qualities, confounds and bewil
ders the human intellect, so. that its conceptions^, on the one
hand, are apt to verge towards extravagancy, while, on the
other,, they are apt to degenerate into something approach
ing to inanity. Mere abstract ideas and reasonings respect
ing infinity, eternity, and absolute perfection,- however
sublime we may conceive them to be, completely fail in
arresting the understanding, and affecting the heart ; our
conceptions become vague, empty, and confused, for want
of a material vehicle to give them order, stability,, and ex
pansion. Something of the nature of vast extension, of
splendid and variegated objects, and of mighty movements,
is absolutely necessary, in order to convey to spirits dwell
ing in bodies of clay, a definite conception ofthe invisible
glories of the Eternal Mind ; and, therefore, in the im
mense variety of material existence with which tbe universe
.is adorned, we find every requisite assistance of this kind
to direct and expand our views of the Great Object of our.
adoration. When the mind is perplexed and overwhelmed
with its conceptions, when it labors, as it were, to ferns
5*

56 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
some well-defined conceptions of an Infinite Being, it here
finds some tangible objects on which to fix, some sensible
substratum for its thoughts to rest upon for a little, while
it attempts to penetrate, in its excursions, into thosedis-
tant regions which eye hath not seen, and to connect the
whole of its mental survey with the energies , of the <
" King, Eternal, Immortal, and Invisible."
To such a train of thought we are uniformly directed
in the sacred oracles, where Jehovah is represented as de-,
scribing himself by the effects which his power and wis-:
dom have produced. — " Israel shall be saved in the Lord"
with an everlasting salvation. For thus saith Jehovah that
created the heavens ; God himself that formed the earth
and made it ; he hath established it, he created it not in
vain;' he formed it to be inhabited ; I am the Lord; and
there is none else." " 1 have made the earth and created
man upon it, my hands have stretched out the heavens, andj
all their host have I commanded." " Hearken unto me, u'
Israel : I am the first, I also am the last. Mine hand alsoj
Jiath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand
Lath spanned the heavens : when I call unto them, they
stand up together." " Who hath measured the waters .in
the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span,-;
and weighed the mountains in- scales ? He who sit
teth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants
thereof, are as grasshoppers ; that stretcheth out the hea
vens as a curtain, that fainteth not, neither is weary.'*
" The Lord made the heavens, the heaven of heavens,
with all their hosts ; honor and majesty are before him,
and his kingdom ruleth over all."* Such sublime descrip- ,
tions of Jehovah, and references, to his material works, are
reiterated in every portion ofthe sacred volume ; and the
import and sublimity of such expressions cannot be fully
appreciated, unless we take into view all the magnificent
objects which science has unveiled in the distant regions
of creation.
. This subject is calculated,- not merely to overpower the
intellect with ideas of sublimity and grandeur, but also to
produce a deep moral impression upon the heart ; and a
* lea. xiv. 18, 12. xlviii. 12, 13. XI. 13, 22, &c^

OMNIPOTENCE OF THE DEITY. 57
Christian philosopher would be deficient in his duty, were
he to overlook this tendency of the objects of his contem
plation. One important moral effect which this subject has a
natural tendency to produce, is, profound humilitv.
What an insignificant being does man appear, when he
compares himself with the magnificence of creation, and
with the myriads of exalted intelligences with which it ik
peopled !' What are all the honors and splendors of this
earthly ball, of which mortals are so proud, when placed
in competition with the resplendent glories of the skies ?
Such a display as the Almighty has given of himself, in
the magnitude and variety of his works, was evidently in
tended " to stain the pride" of all human grandeur, that
"no flesh should glory in his presence." Yet, there is no
disposition that appears so prominent among puny mor
tal's, as pride, ambition, and vain-glory — the very opposite
of humility, and of all those tempers which become those;
" who dwell in tabernacles of clay, and whose foundation
is in the dust." Even without taking into account the.
state of man as a depraved' intelligence, what is there in
his situation that should inspire him with. " lofty looks,"
and induce him to look down on his- fellow-men with su
percilious contempt ? He derived his origin from the dust,
he is allied with the beasts that perish,, and he is fast has
tening to the grave, where his carcass will become the.
food of noisome reptiles. He is every moment dependent
on a Superior Being for every pulse that beats, and every
breath he draws, and for all that he possesses ; he is de
pendent even on the- meanest of his species for his accom
modations and comforts. He holds every enjoyment on
the most precarious tenure, — his friends may be snatched
in a moment from his embrace ;, his riches may take to
themselves wings and fly away ; and his health and beauty
may be blasted in aa hour, by a breath of wind. Hunger
and thirst, cold and heat, poverty and disgrace,, sorrow and
disappointment, pain and disease, mingle themselves with
all his pursuits and enjoyments. . His knowledge is cir
cumscribed within the narrowest limits, his errors and fol
lies are glaring and innumerable ; and he stands as an al
most uridistinguish>ble atom, amidst the immensity of

58 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
God's works. Still, with all these powerful inducemeh|
to the exercise of humility, man dares to be proud and ar
rogant.  — "¦ Man, proud man,,
Dressed in a little brief authority,
PlayB such fantastic tricks before high Heaven
As make the angels weep."
How affecting to contemplate the warrior, flushed wiflji
diabolical pride, pursuing his conquests through heaps of
slain, in order to obtain possession of " a poor- pitiable
speck of perishing earth ; " exclaiming in his rage, " I will
pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil, my lust shall
be satisfied upon them, I will draw my sword, my hand
shall destroy them" — to behold the man of rank gloryinj
in his wealth, and his empty titles, and looking arounjf
upon the inferior orders of his fellow-mortals- as the worn*
of the dust — to behold the man of ambition pushing jjffl
way through bribery, and treachery, and slaughte|j
to gain possession1 of a throne, that he may look down
with proud pre-eminence upon his fellows — to behold]
the haughty airs ofthe noble dame, inflated with the idea
of her beauty, arid her high birth, as she struts alongj
surveying the ignoble crowd as if they were the dust be
neath her feet— to behold the- smatterer in learning, puffei
up with' a vain conceit of his superficial acquirement^!
wheff'he has scarcely entered the porch of knowledge— jm
fine, to behold all ranks, from, the highest to the lowelB
big with an idea of their own importance, and fired with
pride and revenge at the least provocation, whether imagi
nary or real ! How inconsistent the manifestations of],
such tempers, with the many humiliating circumstances of
our present condition, and- with the low rank which we
hold in the scale of Universal Being !:
It is not improbable, that there are in the universej in?'
telligences of a superior order,, iu whose breasts pridfe,
never found a place — to wkom this globe of ours, and all '
its inhabitants, appear as inconsiderable as a drop of watep ;
filled with microscopic animalcule, does to the proud lords;
of this earthly region. There is at least one Being' to'
Whom this sentiment is applicable, in its utmost extent: —
" Before Him all nations are as a- drop of a bucket, and
the inhabitants of the with as grassfioppers ; yea, they

OMNIPOTENCE OF THE DEITY. 59
are s nothing, and are counted to him less than nothing
and vanity.'* Could we wing our way, with the swiftness
of a seraph, from sun to sun, and from world to world,
till we had surveyed all the systems visible to the naked
eye, which are only as a mere speck in the map of the
universe — could we, at the same time, contemplate the
glorious landscapes and scenes of grandeur they exhibit —
eould we also mingle with the pure and exalted intelli
gences which people those resplendent abodes, and behold
their humble and ardent adorations of their Almighty Ma
ker, their benign and condescending deportment towards
one another ; " each esteeming another better than him
self," and all united in the bonds of the purest affection,
without one haughty or discordant feeling — what indigna
tion and astonishment would seize us, on our return to
this obscure corner of creation, to behold beings enve
loped in the mist of ignorance, immersed in depravity
and wickedness, liable to a thousand accidents, exposed
to the ravages of the earthquake, the volcano, and the
storm ; yet proud as Lucifer, and glorying in their shame !'
We should' be apt toview them, as we now do those- bed
lamites, who fancy themselves to be kings, surrounded by
their nobles; while they are chained to the walls of a
noisome dungeon. "Sure pride was never made for
man." H6w abhorrent, then, must it appear in the eyes
of superior beings, who have taken an expansive range
through the field of creation ? How abhorrent it is- in the
sight of the Almighty, and how amiable is the opposite
virtue, we learn from his word: — "Every one that is
proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord." — " God
resisteth the proud, but he giveth grace ta the humble.'* —
" Thus saith the High and Lofty One-,, who inhabiteth
eternity, I dwell in the high and holy place ; with him also
that is of an humble and contrite spirit ; to revive the spi
rit of the humble, and the heart of the contrite ones." —
while, therefore, we contemplate the omnipotence of
God, in the immensity of creation, let us learn to culti
vate humility and self-abasement. This was one of the
lessons which the pious Psalmist deduced, from his survey
ofthe nocturnal heavens. When he beheld the moon
walking in the brightness, and the innumerable host of stats,

60 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
overpowered with a sense of his own insignificance, ani
the greatness of Divine condescension, he exclaimed, " O
Lord ! what is man, that thou art mindful of him, or the
son of man, that thou shouldst visit hiraf!"
Again, this subject is also calculated- to inspire us with
reverence and veneration of God. Profound venera
tion of the Divine Being lies at the foundation of all reli
gious worship and obedience. But, in order to venerate
God aright,, we must know him ; and, in order to acquire-
the true knowledge of bim, we must contemplate bim
through the medium of those works and dispensations, by
which- he displays the glories of his nature to tbe inhabit*.
ants of our world. I have already exhibited a favir specif-
mens of the stupendous operations of his power, in that
portion of the -system of the universe which lies open to
out inspection ; and there is surely,, no mind in which the,
least spark of piety exists, but must feel strong emotions'^
reverence and awe, at the thought of that Almighty audln1-^
comprehensible Being, who impels the huge masses of thej
planetary globes; with so amazing a rapidity through the
sky, and who has diversified the voids of space with so vast
an assemblage of magnificent worlds. Even those mani-:
testations of Deify which are confined to-theglobe we in
habit, when attentively considered, are calculated to rouse,
even tbe unthinking mind, to astonishment and awe. The
lofty mountains, and expansive plains, the mass of water ins
the mighty ocean, the thunders rolling along the sky, the
lightnings flashing from cloud to cloud, the hurricane and
the tempest, the- volcano vomiting rivers of fire, and the
earthquake shaking kingdoms, and leveling cities with the
ground— all proclaim the Majesty of Him, by whom the
elements of nature are arranged and directed, and seem to
address the sons of men in language like this : " The Lord
reigneth, he is clothed with majesty ; at his wrath the earth-
trembles; a fire goeth before him, and burnetii up his ene
mies."—" Let all the earth fearthe Lord, let all the inhabit
ants ofthe world stand. in awe of him."
There is one reason, among others, why tbe bulk of man
kind feel so little veneration of God, and that is, that they
seldom contemplate, with fixed attention, " the operations
of his hands." If we wish to cherish this sublime sent**

OMNIPOTENCE OF THE DEITY. 61
ment in our .hearts, 'we must familiarize our minds to fre
quent excursions over all those scenes of Creation and
Providence, which the volume of nature, and the volume
of inspiration unfold to -view. We must endeavour to assist
our conceptions to the grandeur of these objects, by every
discovery which has been, or may yet be made, and by
•every mode of illustration by which a sublime and compre
hensive idea of the.particular object of contemplation may
be obtained.- — If we would wish to acquire some definite,
though imperfect conception of the physical extent of the
universe, our minds might be assisted, by such illustrations
as, the following : — Light flies from the sun with a velocity
of nearly two hundred thousand miles in a moment of time,
or, about 1,400,000 times swifter than the motion of a can
non ball : Suppose that one of the highest order of intelli
gences is endowed with a power of rapid motion .superior
to that of light, and with a corresponding degree of intel
lectual energy.: that he has neen flying, without intermis
sion, from one province of .creation to another, for six
thousand years, and willcontinue the same. rapid course for
a thousand millions of yearsto come ; itis highly probable,
if not absolutely certain, that, at the end of this vast tour,
;he would have advanced no farther than " the suburbs of
creation" — and that all the magnificent systems of material
and intellectual beings he had surveyed, during his rapid
flight, and for such a length of ages, near no more propor
tion to the whole Empire of Omnipotence, than the smallest
grain of sand does to all the particles, of matter ofthe same
size contained in ten thousand worlds.. Nor need we enter
tain the least fear, that the idea of the extent of the Crea
tor's power, eonveyed by such a representation, exceeds
the bounds of reality. On the -other hand, it must fall
almost infinitely short of it Far, as the poet has justly
. observed — " Can man conceive beyond what God can <fo ?"
Were a seraph, in prosecuting the tour of creation in the
manner now stated, ever to arrive at a limit beyond which
no farther displays of the Divinity could be perceived, the
thought would overwhelm his faculties with unutterable
.anguish and horror : he would feel, that he had now, in
some measure, comprehended all the plans and operations

62 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
*of Omnipotence, and that no farther manifestation of the
Divine glory remained to be explored. But we may rest
assured, that this can never happen in the case of any crea
ted intelligence. We have every reason to believe, both
from the nature of an Infinite Being and from the vast ex-'
tent of creation already explored, that the immense mass of
material existence, and the endless variety of sensitive and
intellectual beings with which the universe is replenished,"
are intended by Jehovah, to present to his rational offspring,
a shadow, an emblem, or a representation, (in so far as fi
nite extended existence can be a representation) of the
Infinite Perfections of his nature, which would otherwise
have remained for ever impalpable to all subordinate intelli
gences. In this manner, then, might we occasionally exercise our
minds on the grand and diversified objects which the uni
verse exhibits ; and, in proportion as we enlarge the sphe
of our contemplations, in a similar proportion will ou
views of God himself be extended, and a corresponding sen
timent of veneration impressed upon the mind. For the
soul of man cannot venerate a mere abstract being, that
was never manifested through a sensible medium, however*
many lofty terms may be used to describe his perfections.
It venerates that Ineffable Being, who conceals himself be
hind the scenes of Creation, through the medium of the
visible displays he exhibits of his Power, Wisdom, and
Beneficence, in the Economy of Nature, and in the Records
of Revelation. — Before the universe was formed, Jehovah
existed alone, possessed of every attribute whicli he now
displays. But, had only one solitary intelligence been
created, and placed in the infinite void, without a material"
substratum beneath and around him, he could never have
been animated with a sentiment of profound veneration for
his Creator; because no objects existed to excite it, or to
show, that his Invisible Maker was invested with those at
tributes which he is now known to possess. Accordingly,
we find, in the eacred writings, that, when a sentiment of
reverence is demanded from the sons of men, those sensi
ble objects which are calculated to excite the emotion, are
uniformly exhibited. " Fear ye not me, saith the Lord ?
Will $e not tremble at my presence ? who have placed the

OMNIPOTENCE OF THE DEITY. 63
sand for the bound of the sea, by a perpetual decree, that it
cannot pass it ; and though the waves thereof toss them
selves, yet they cannot prevail ; though they roar, yet can
they not pass over it." " Who would not fear thee, O
King of nations ? Thou art the true God, and an ever
lasting King. — Thou hast made the "earth by thy power,
thou hast established the world by thy wisdom, thou hast
stretched out the heavens by thy discretion. When thou
utterest thy voice there is a noise of waters in the heavens,
thou causest the vapours to ascend from the ends of the
earth, thou makest lightnings with rain, and bringesf
forth the winds out of thy treasures."*
But, however enlarged and venerable Conceptions of
God we may derive from the manifestations of his power,
they must fall infinitely short of what is due to a being of
boundless perfection. For there may be attributes in the;
Divine Essence, of which we cannot possibly form the
least conception — attributes which cannot be shadowed
forth or represented by any portion of the material or in
tellectual world yet discovered by us, or by all the mighty
achievements by which human redemption was effected — >
attributes which have not been yet displayed, in their ef
fects, to the highest orders of intelligent existence. And,
therefore, as that excellent philosopher and divine, the
honorable Mr. Boyle, has Well observed — " Oar ideas of
God, howeveT so great, will rather express the greatness
of our veneration, than the Immensity of his Perfections;
and the notions worthy the most intelligent men, are fat-
short of being worthy the incomprehensible God-— the
brightest idea we can frame of God being infinitely infe
rior, and no more than a Parhelionf in respect ofthe sun ;
fbr though that meteor is splendid, and resembles the sun,
yet it resides in a cloud, and is not only much beneath the
sun in distance, but inferior in bigness and splendor."
, • • - - - • 11
* Jerem.x. 7 — 13.
f A Parhelion or Mock-Sun, is a meteor in the form of a very bright
light appearing on one side of the sun, and somewhat resembling
the appearance of that lummary. This phenomenon is supposed to
be produced by the refraction and1 reflection: of the sun's rays from
a watery cloud. Sometimes three or four of these parhelia, all of
(hem bearing a certain resemblance tb the real' eun, have been seen
at one time.

64 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
In short, were we habitually to cherish that profound
veneration of God which his works are calculated to in
spire, with what humility would we approach the presence
of this August Being! with what emotions of awe would
we present our adorations ! and with what reverence would
we talk of his inscrutable purposes and incomprehensible
operations ! We would not talk about him, as some writers
have done, with the same ease and indifference, as a ma
thematician would talk about the properties of a triang!ej;;i
or a philosopher, about the effects of a mechanical engine; '
nor would we treat, with a spirit of levity, any of the -so
lemn declarations of his word, or the mighty movements
of his providence. We would be ever ready to join with
ardor in the sublime devotions of the inspired writers,
" Great and marvellous, are thy works, Lord God Al
mighty, just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.
Who would not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name ?
Let all the earth fear the Lord, let all the inhabitants of tht
world stand in awe of him."
Lastly, the views we have taken of the omnipotence!
and grandeur of the Deity are calculated to inspire us .
with hope and confidence in the proepect of that eternal
existence which lies before us. The period of our exist
ence in this terrestrial scene will soon terminate, and
those bodies through which we now hold a correspond
ence with the visible creation, crumbled into dust. The
gradual decay, and the ultimate dissolution of human bo
dies, present a scene at which reason stands aghast ; and,
on a cursory survey of the chambers of the dead, it is apt
to exclaim, in the language of despair, " Can these dry
bones live ?" A thousand difficulties croud upon the mind
which appear repugnant to the idea, that " beauty shall
again spring out of ashes, and life out ofthe dust." But,
when we look abroad to the displays of Divine power and,
intelligence, in the wide expanse of Creation, we perceive,;
that ]
 "Almighty God ^
Has done much more ; nor is his arm impaired i
Thrvigh length of days. — And what he can, he will ;
His faithfulness stands bound to see it done."
We perceive that he has created systems in such vast
profusion, that no man can number them. The worlds,

OMNIPOTENCE OF THE DEITY. 65
every moment under his superintendence and direction, are
unquestionably far more numerous than all the human be
ings who have hitherto existed, or will yet exist till the
close of time. And, if he has not only arranged the ge
neral features of each of these worlds, and established the
physical laws, by which its economy is regulated, but has
also arranged the diversified circumstances, and directs the
minutest movements of the myriads of sensitive and intel
lectual existences it contains, we ought never, for a moment,
to doubt, that the minutest particles of every human body,
however widely separated from each other, and mingled
with other extraneous substances, are known to him whose
presence pervades all space ; and that all the atoms requi
site for the construction ofthe Resurrecti6n-body will be
re- assembled for this purpose " by the energy of that mighty
power,'whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself."
If we suppose that a number of human beings, amounting
to three hundred thousand millions, shall start from the
grave into new life, at the general resurrection, and that
the atoms of each of these bodies are just now under the
special superintendence, of the Almighty — and that, at least
an equal number ofworlds are under his particular care and
direction — the exertion of power and intelligence, in the
former case, cannot be supposed to be greater than what is
requisite in the latter. To a Being possessed of Infinite
power, conjoined with boundless Intelligence, the superin
tendence of countless atoms, and of countless worlds, is
equally easy, where no contradiction is implied. For, as
the poet has well observed, —
" He summons into being, with like ease
A whole creation, and a single grain."
And since this subject tends to strengthen our hope of a
resurrection from the dead, it is also calculated to inspire us
with confidence in the prospect of those eternal scenes
which will burst upon the view, at the dissolution of all
terrestrial things. Beyond the period fixed for the con
flagration of this world, " a wide and unbounded prospect
lies before us ;" and though, at present, " shadows, clouds,
and darkness rest upon it," yet the boundless magnificence
ofthe Divine empire which science has unfolded, throws
aradiance over the scenes of futurity, which is fraught with

86 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
consolation, in the view of " the wreck of matter, and the
crush of worlds." It opens to us a prospect of perpetpal
improvement in knowledge and felicity; It presents a field
in which the human faculties may be for ever expanding,
forever contemplating new scenes of grandeur rising to
the view, in boundless perspective, through an interminable,
succession of existence. It convinces us that the happi
ness of the eternal state will not consist in an unvaried
repetition of the same perception and enjoyments, but that
new displays of the Creator's glory will be continually
bursting on the astonished mind, world without end. And
as we know, that the same beneficence and care which are
displayed in the arrangement of systems of worlds, are
also displayed in supporting and providing for the smallest
microscopic animalcule, we have no reason to harbor the
least fear, lest we should be overlooked in the immensity of
creation, or lost amidst the multiplicity of those works
among which the Deity is incessantly employed ; for, as he
is Omnipresent and Omniscient, his care and influence must;'
extend to every creature he has formed. Therefore, thought
" the elements shall melt with fervent heat, and the earth,
and all the works therein be dissolved," yet, we, according
to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth,;
wherein dwelleth righteousness."

Section III.
On the Wisdom and Intelligence of the Deiti '.
In surveying the system of nature with a Christian and a
Philosophic eye, it may be considered in different points of
view. It may be viewed either as displaying the power
and magnificence of the Deity, in the immense quantity of
materials of which it is composed, and in the august ma
chinery and movements by which its economy is directed;
—or, as manifesting his Wisdom, in the nice adaptation of
every minute circumstance to the end it was intended to
accomplish ;— or, as illustrating his unbounded beneficence

WISDOM OF THE DEITY. 67
in the provision which is made for the accommodation and
happiness of the numerous tribes of sentient and intelligent
beings it contains. Having, in the preceding section, en
deavored to exhibit some of those objects which evince
the Omnipotence of Deity, and the pious emotions they are
calculated to excite, I shall now offer a few popular illus
trations of Divine Wisdom, as displayed, in the arrangements
of the material world — which shall chiefly be confined to
those objects which are most prominent and obvious to the
vulgar eye.
Wisdom is that perfection of an intelligent agent, by
which he is enabled to select and employ the most proper
means in order to accomplish a good and important end.
It includes the idea of knowledge or intelligence, but may
be distinguished from it. Knowledge is opposed to igno
rance, Wisdom is opposed to folly or error in conduct. As
applied to God, it may be considered as comprehending the
operations of his Omniscience and Benevolence, or, in
other words, his knowledge to discern, and his disposition
to choose those means and ends which are calculated to
promote the order and the happiness ofthe universe.
The Wisdom of God is, doubtless, displayed in every
arrangement he has made throughout all the provinces of
his immense and eternal kingdom, however far they may
be removed from the sphere of human observation. But it
is only in those parts ofthe system of nature which lie open
to our particular investigation, that the traces of this per
fection can be distinctly perceived. The Heavens declare
the glory of God's Wisdom, as well as of his power. The
planetary system — that portion of the heavens with which
we are best acquainted — displays both the magnificence
and the skill of its Divine Author, — in the magnitudes, dis
tances, revolutions, proportions, and uses of the various
globes of which it is composed, and in the diversified ap
paratus by which light and darkness are alternately distri
buted. The sun, an immense luminous world, by far the
largest body in the system, is placed in the centre. No
other position would have suited for an equable distribution
of illumination and heat through the different parts of the
system. Around him, at different distances, eleven primary
planets revolve, accompanied with eighteen secondaries, or
6*

68 THEr CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
moons, — all in majestic order and harmony, no one inter
rupting the movements of another, but invariably keeping
the paths prescribed them, and performing their revolutions
in their appointed times. To all these revolving globes,
the sun dispenses motion, light, heat, fertility, and -other
unceasing energies, for the comfort and happiness of their
., respective inhabitants — without which, perpetual sterility,
eternal winter, and eternal night, would reign over every
region of our globe, and throughout surrounding worlds.
This distance at which the heavenly bodies, particularly
the sun, are placed from the earth, is a manifest evidence
of Divine Wisdom. If the sun were much nearer us than;
he is at present, the earth, as now constituted, would be
wasted and parched with excessive heat ; the waters
would be turned into vapor, and the rivers, seas, and
oceans, would soon disappear, leaving nothing behind them.
hut frightful barren dells and gloomy caverns ; vegetatio J
would completely cease, and the tribes of animated nature
languish and die. On the other hand, were the sun much
farther distant than he now is, or were his bulk, or the in
fluence of his rays, diminished one half of what they now
are, the land and the ocean would soon become one
frozen mass and universal desolation and sterility would
overspread the fair face of nature, and, instead of a plea
sant and comfortable abode, our globe woold become a -
frightful desert, a state of misery and perpetual punish
ment* But herein is the wisdom of God displayed, that
he has formed the sun of such a determinate size, and pla
ced it at such a convenient distance, as not to annoy, but
to refresh and cheer us, and to enliven the soil with its ge-
* It forms no objection to these remarks, that caloric, or the matter
of heat, does not altogether depend upon the direct influence of the,
solar rays. The substance of caloric may be chiefly connected with
the constitution of the globe we Inhabit. Bat still, it is quite certain,
that the earth, as presently constituted, would suffer effects most dis
astrous to sentient bemgs, were it removed much nearer to, or much
farther from the central luminary. Those planets which are removed
several hundreds of millions of miles farther from the sun than our
globe, may possibly experience a degree of heat much greater than
ours ,- but, in this case, the constitution of the solid parts of these
globes, and of their surrounding atmospheres, must be very different
nom what obtains m the pbjsical-anwig^nents of our glob*.

WISDOM OF THE DEITY* 69
nial influence ; so that we plainly perceive, to use the lan
guage of the prophet, that " He hath established the world
by his wisdom, and stretched out the heavens by his under
standing." The rotation of the several planetary globes around their
axes, to produce the alternate succession of day and night,
strikingly demonstrates the wisdom and benevolence of
their great Author. Were the earth and the other planet
ary worlds destitute of a diurnal motion, only one half of
their surfaces could be inhabited, and the other half would
remain a dark and cheerless desert. The sun would be
the only heavenly orb which would be recognized by the
inhabitants of each respective world, as existing in the
universe, and that scene of grandeur which night unfolds in
the boundless expanse ofthe sky, would be for ever veiled
from their view. For, it appears to be one grand design
ofthe Creator, in giving these bodies a diurnal motion, not
only to cheer their inhabitants with light and warmth, and
the gray colouring produced by the solar rays ; but also to
open to them a prospect of other portions of his vast
dominions, which are dispersed in endless variety through
out the illimitable regions of space ; in order that they may
acquire a more sublime impression of the glory of his
kingdom, and of his eternal Power and Godhead. But,
were perpetual day to irradiate the planets, it would throw
an eternal and impenetrable veil over the glories of the
sky, behind which, the magnificent operations of Jeho-'
vah's power would be, in a great measure, concealed. It
is this circumstance which we should consider as the
principal reason why a rotatory motion has been impressed
on the planetary globes ; and not merely that a curtain of
darkness might be thrown around their inhabitants, during
the repose of sleep, as in the world in which we dwell.
For, in some of the other planetary worlds belonging to
our system, the intelligent beings with which they are peo
pled, may stand in no need of that nocturnal repose which
is necessary for man ; their physical powers may be inca
pable of being impaired, and their mental energies may be
in perpetual exercise. And in some of those bodies which
are surrounded with an assemblage of rings and moons, as
the planet Saturn, the diveftifiedjjrandeur of their celestial

70 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
phenomena, in the absence of the sun, may present a scene
of contemplation and enjoyment, far more interesting tha%
all the splendors of their noon day. Besides, had the
planets no motion round their axes, and were both their
•hemispheres supposed to be peopled with inhabitants, their
physical state and enjoyments would be as opposite to eack
other, as if they lived under the government of two distinct
independent Beings. While the one class was basking
under the splendors of perpetual day, the other would be
involved in all the horrors of an everlasting night. While
the one hemisphere would be parched with excessive heat,
the other would be bound in the fetters of eternal ice;
and, in such a globe as ours, the motion of the tides, the
ascent of the vapors, the currents ofthe atmosphere, the
course of the winds, the benign influences of the rains and
dews, and a thousand other movements which produce so
many salutary and beneficial effects would be completely
deranged. Hence we find that in all the planetary bodieij
on which observations can conveniently be made, a rota
tory motion actually exists, in the secondary, as well as in
the primary planets, and even in the sun himself, the cen
tre, and the mover ofthe whole : in which arrangement
of the Almighty Creator, the evidences of wisdom and de-
sign are strikingly apparent.
This amazing scene of Divine workmanship and skill,
which the planetary system exhibits, we have reason to be
lieve, is multiplied, and diversified, to an indefinite extent,
throughout all the other systems of creation, displaying to
the intelligences of every region, " the manifold wisdom of
God." For there can be bo question, that every star we
now behold, either by the naked eye, or by the help of a
telescope, is the centre of a system of planetary worlds
where the agency of God, and his unsearchable wisdom!
may be endlessly varied, and, perhaps, more strikingly dis
played than even in the system to which we belong. These
vast globes of light could never have been designed merely
to shed a few glimmering rays on our far distant world;
for the ten ^thousandth part of them has never yet been
seen by the inhabitants ofthe earth, since tbe Mosaic crea
tion, except by a few astronomers ofthe past and the present
age ; and the light of many of them, in all probability, has

WISDOM OF THE DEITY. 71
never yet reached us ; and perhaps never will, till the pe
riod of" the consummation of all terrestrial things." They
were not made in vain ; for such a supposition would be
inconsistent with every idea we can form of the attributes
of a being of infinite perfection. They were not intended
merely to diversify the voids of infinite space with a useless
splendor which has no relation to intellectual natures ; for
this would give us a most distorted and inconsistent idea of
the character of Him who is " the only wise God ;" and
we are told, by an authority which cannot be questioned,
that " by ^Bis wisdom he made the heavens, and stretched
them out by his understanding." The only rational con
clusion, therefore, which can be deduced, is, that they are
destined to distribute illumination and splendor, vivifying
influence, and happiness, among incalculable numbers of
intelligent beings, of various degrees of physical, moral,
and intellectual excellence. And, wherever the Creator
has exerted his Almighty energies in the production of sen
sitive and intellectual natures, we may rest assured, that
there also, his infinite wisdom and intelligence, in an end
less variety of arrangements, contrivances, and adaptations,
are unceasingly displayed.
But, after all, whatever evidences of contrivance and
design the celestial globes may exhibit, it is not in the hea
vens that the most striking displays of Divine wisdom can
be traced by the inhabitants of our world. It is only a few
general relations and adaptations that can be distinctly per
ceived among the orbs of the firmament ; though, in so far
as we are able to trace the purposes which they subserve,
the marks of beauty, order, and design, are uniformly appa
rent. But we are placed al too great a distance from the
orbs of heaven, to be able to investigate the particular
arrangements which enter into the physical and moral eco
nomy of the celestial worlds. Were we transported to the
surface of the planet Jupiter, and had an opportunity of
surveying, at leisure, the regions of that vast globe, and the
tribes of sensitive and intellectual existence which compose
its population — of contemplating the relations of its moons
to the pleasure and comfort of its inhabitants — the consti
tution of its atmosphere as to its reflective and refractive
powers, in producing a degree of illumination to compen-

72 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
sate for the great distance of that planet from the sun— -its
adaptation to the functions of animal life— the construction
of the visual organs of its inhabitants, and the degree o|
sensibility they possess corresponding to the quantity o|
light received from the sun — the temperature ofthe surfacl
and atmosphere of this globe corresponding to its distance
from the central source of heat, and to the physical consti
tution of sensitive beings — in short, could we investigate
, the relations which inanimate nature, in all its varietiesland
sublimities, bears to the necessities and the happiness of
the animated existences that traverse its different regions,
we should, doubtless, behold a scene of Divine wisdonvand
intelligence, far more admirable and astonishing than even
that which is exhibited in our sublunary world. — But since
it is impossible for us to investigate the economy of other
worlds, while we are chained down to this terrestrial sphere^
we must direct our attention to those arrangements and con-,
trivances in the constitution of our own globe, which lie
open to our particular inspection, in order to perceive morel
distinctly the benevolent designs of Him " in whom we live
and move, and have our being." And here an attentive
observer will find, in almost every object, when minutely
examined, a display of goodness and intelligence, which
will constrain him to exclaim, " 0 the depth of the riches
both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God !"
Wisdom, considered as consisting in contrivance, or the
selection of the most proper means in order to accomplish,"
an important end, maybe exemplified and illustrated in a*
variety of familiar objects in the scene of nature.
The earth on which we tread, was evidently intended by
the Creator to support man and other animals, along with
their habitations, and to furnish those vegetable productions
which are necessary for their subsistence ; and, accordingly,
he has given it that exact degree of consistency which is
requisite for these purposes. Were it much harder than it
now is ; Avere it, for example, as dense as a rock, it would
be incapable of cultivation, and vegetables could not be
produced from its surface. Were it softer, it would be in-
sufficient to support us, and we should sink at every step,
like a person wajking in a quagmire. Had this circum
stance not been attended to in its formation, the earth

MOUNTAINS. 73
would have been rendered useless as a habitable world, for
all those animated beings which now traverse its surface.
The exact adjustment ofthe solid parts of our globe to the
nature and necessities of the beings which inhabit it, is
therefore an instance, and an evidence of Wisdom.
The diversity of surface which it every where presents,
in the mountains and vales with which it is variegated, indi
cates the same benevolent contrivance and design. If the
earth were divested of its mountains, and its surface every
where uniformly smooth, there would be no rivers, springs,
or fountains ; for water can flow only from a higher to a
lower place ; the vegetable; tribes would droop and lan
guish; man and other animals would be deprived of what
is necessary for their existence and comfort ; we should be
destitute of many useful stones, minerals, plants, and trees,
which are now produced on the surface, and in the interior of
mountains ; the sea itself would become a stagnant marsh,
or overflow the land ; and the whole surface of nature in
our terrestial sphere, would present an unvaried scene of
dull uniformity. Those picturesque and sublime scenes
which fire the imagination of the poet, and which render
mountainous districts so pleasing to the philosophic travel
ler, would be completely withdrawn ; and all around, when
compared with such diversified landscapes, would appear as
fatiguing to the eye as the vast solitudes of the Arabian de
serts, or the dull monotony of the ocean. But, in conse
quence of the admirable distribution of hills and mountains
over the surface of our globe, a variety of useful and orna
mental effects is produced. Their lofty summits are desti
ned by providence to arrest the vapors which float in the
regions of the air ; their internal cavities form so many
spacious basins for the reception of water distilled from the
clouds ; they are the original sources of springs and rivers,
which water and fertilize the earth ; they form immense
magazines, in which are deposited stones, metals, and
minerals, which are of so essential service in the arts that
promote the comfort of human life; they serve for the pro
duction of a vast variety of herbs and trees ; they arrest the
progress of storms and tempests ; they afford shelter and
entertainment to various animals which minister to the
wants of mankind: In a word, they adorn and embellish

74 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
the face of nature — they form thousands of sublime anil
beautiful landscapes, and afford from their summits ^the,
most delightful prospects of the plains below. All these
circumstances demonstrate the consummate wisdom of the;
Great Architect of nature, and lead us to conclude, that
mountains, so far from being rude excrescences of nature,
as some have asserted, form an essential part in the consti
tution, not only of our globe, but of all habitable worlds.
And this conclusion is confirmed, so far as our observation
extends, with regard to the moon, and several of the plane
tary bodies which belong to our system, whose surfacer&re
found to be diversified by sublime ramifications of moun-
tain scenery ; which circumstance forms one collateral
proof, among many others, that they are the abodes of sen
tient and intellectual beings.
Again, the coloring which is spread over the face of na
ture indicates the wisdom of the Deity. It is essential tft
the present mode of our existence, and it was evidently in|
tended by the Creator, that we should be enabled easilyto
recognize the forms and properties of the various object!
with which we are surrounded. But were the objects of
nature destitute of color, or were the same unvaried hire
spread over the face of creation, we should be destitute of
<¦ all the entertainments of vision, and be at a loss to distin
guish one object from another. We should be unable to dis
tinguish rugged precipices from fruitful hills ; naked rocks
from human habitations; the trees from the hills thatbeM
them, and the tilled from the untilled lands. " We shouldj
hesitate to pronounce whether an adjacent enclosure con
tain a piece of pasturage, a plot of arable land, or a field of
eorn ; and it would require a little journey, and a minute
investigation, to determine such a point. We could not
determine whether the first person we met were a soldier
in his regimentals, or a swain in his Sunday suit ; a bride
in her ornaments, or a widow in her weeds." Such woutu
have been the aspect of nature, and such the inconvenien
ces to which we should have been subjected, had God
allowed us light, without the distinction of colors. We
could have distinguished objects only by intricate train* of
jwasoning, and by circumstances of time, place, and relatrf*
position. And, to what delays and perplexities should we

COLORS. 75
have been reduced, had we been obliged every moment to
distinguish one thing from another by reasoning ! Our whole
life must then have been employed, rather in study than
in action ; and, after all, we must have remained in eternal
uncertainty as to many things, which are now quite obvious
to every one as soon as he opens his eyes. We could
neither have communicated our thoughts by writing, nor
have derived instruction from others through the medium
of books : so that we should now have been almost as igno
rant of the transactions of past ages, as we are of the events
which are passingin the planetary worlds ; and, consequent
ly, we could never have enjoyed a written revelation from
heaven, nor any other infallible guide to direct us in the
path to happiness, if the Almighty had not distinguished
the rays of light, and painted the objects around us with a
diversity of colors, — so essentially connected are the minu
test, and the most magnificent works of Deity. But
now, in the present constitution of things, color charac
terizes the class to which every individual belongs, and
indicates, upon the first inspection, its respective quality.
Every object wears its peculiar livery, and has a distinguish
ing mark by which it is characterized.
The different hues which are spread over the scenery
of the world, are also highly ornamental to the face of
nature, and afford a variety of pleasures to the eye, and the
imagination. It is this circumstance which adds a charm
to the fields, the valleys, and the hills, the lofty moun
tain, the winding river, and the expansive lake; and
which gives a splendor and sublimity to the capacious
vault of heaven. Color, is therefore, an essential requisite
to every world inhabited by sensitive beings; and we know,
that provision has been made for diffusing it throughout all
the globes which may exist in the distant regions which our
telescopes have penetrated ; for the light which radiates
from the most distant stars is capable of being separated into
the prismatic colors, similar to those which are produced
by the solar rays ; which furnishes a presumptive proof, that
they are intended to accomplish designs in their respective
spheres analogous to those which light subserves in our
terrestrial habitation, — or, in other words, that they are
destined to convey to the minds of sentient beings, im-
7

76 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
pressions of light and color, and, consequently, beings,
susceptible of such impressions must reside within the
sphere, or more immediate influence of these far distant
orbs. i
The same benevolent design is apparent in the genefnl
color which prevails throughout the scene of sublunary na
ture. Had the fields been clothed with hues of a deepied,
or a brilliant white, the eye would have been dazzled witj|
the splendor of their aspect. Had a dark-blue, or a black
color, generally prevailed, it would have cast a univ^al
gloom over the face of nature. But an agreeable green
holds the medium between these two extremes, equally
remote from a dismal gloom and excessive splendor, and
bears such a relation to the structure of the eye, that it
refreshes, instead of tiring it, and supports, lustead of dimi?.
nishing its force. Atthesame time, though one general color,
prevails over the landscape of the earth, it is diversified trj|
an admirable variety of shades, so that every individual
object in the vegetable world can be accurately distin-ij
guished from, another ; thus producing a beautiful and'
variegated, appearance over the whole scenery of nature^
" Who sees not in all these things, that the hand of th§;
Lord hath wrought this ?"
If, from the earth we turn our attention to the waters!
we shall perceive similar traces ofthe exquisite wisdom an*
skill of the Author of Nature. Water is one of the most:
essential elementary parts in the constitution of our globe,!)
without which the various tribes of beings which now people
it could not exist. It supplies a necessary beverage to man,'.
and to all the animals that people the earth and the air. It
forms a solvent for a great variety of solid bodies ! it is the
element in which an infinitude. of organized beings pass
their existence ; it acts an important part in conveying life
and nourishment to all the tribes of the vegetable kingdom,
and gives salubrity to the atmospherical regions. Collected
in, immense masses in the basins of the sea, it serves as a,
vehicle for ships, and as a medium of communication*!
between people of the most distant lands. Carried along*
with a progressive motion over the beds of streams and of
rivers, it gives a brisk impulse to the air, and prevents the
unwholesome stagnation of vapors ; itreceiv.es the filthof

WATERS. 77
populous cities, and rids them of a thousand nuisances. By
its impulsion it becomes the mover of a multitude of ma
chines ; and, when rarified into steam, it is transformed into
one of the most powerful aud useful agents under the do
minion ot man. All which beneficialeffects entirely depend
on the exact degree of density, or specific gravity, which
the Creator has given tbits constituent parts.- Had it been
much more rarified than it is, it would have been altogether
unfit to answer the purposes now specified ; the whole face
of the earth would have been a dry and barren waste ; vege
table nature could not have been nourished;! our floating
edifices could not have been supported ; the lightest bodies
would have sunk, and all regular intercourse with distant
nations would have been prevented. On the other hand,
had its parts been much denser than they are ; for- exam^-
ple, had they been of the consistency of a thin jelly, similar
disastrous effects would have inevitably followed ; no
ships could have ploughed the ocean ; no refreshing-beve
rage would have been supplied to the animal tribes ; the
absorbent vessels of trees, herbs and flowers, would have
been unable to imbibe the moisture requisite, for their
nourishment ; and we should thus have been deprived Of all
the beneficial effects- we now derive from the use of that
liquid element, and of all the diversified scenery ofthe
vegetable world. But the configuration and consistency
of its parts are so nicely adjusted to the constitution . of the
other elements, and to the wants of the sensitive and vege
table tribes, as exactly to subserve the ends intended in
the system of nature-
Water has been ascertained to be a compound body
formed by the union of two different kinds of air — oxygen
and hydrogen. It has the property of becoming, in certain
cases, much lighter than air ; though, in its natural liquid
state, it is 80(1 times heavier than that fluid ; and has also
the property of afterwards resuming its natural Weight.
Were it not for this property, evapbration could not be pro
duced ; and, consequently, no'elbads, rain, nor dew, could
be formed, to water and fertilize the different regions df
the earth. But, in consequence of this wonderful property, ,
the ocean becomes an inexhaustible cistern to our world.
From its expansire surface are exhaled those vapors which..

78 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
supply the rivers, and nourish the vegetable productioBsrf
every land. "The air and the sun," says an elegant wrP
ter, "constitute the mighty engine which works without
intermission to raise the liquid treasures ; while the clouds
serve as so many aqueducts to convey them along ike
atmosphere, and distribute them, at seasonable periods,;
and in regular proportions, through all the regions*! the
globe." " !
Notwithstanding the properties now stated, motimlwas
still requisite, to ensure all the advantages we now derive'
from the liquid element. Had the whole mass of waters
been in a stagnant state, a thousand inconveniences and
disastrous consequences would have inevitably ensued.'- But
the All-Wise Creator. has impressed upon its various masses
a circulating motion, which preserves its purity, and widely
extends its beneficial influence. The rills pour their liquid
stores into the rivers ; the rivers roll their watery treasure*
into the ocean ; the waters of the ocean, by a libratory mo
tion, roll backwards and forwards every twelve hours, and,,
by means of currents, aDd the force of winds, are kept in con
stant agination. By the: solar heat, a portion of these wateri
is'carried up into the atmosphere, and, in the form of clouds,
is conveyed by the winds over various regions; till, at last,,
it descends in rain and dew, to supply the springs " wmeh
run among the hills." So that there is a constant motion^
and circulation of the watery element, that it may serve as
an agent for carrying forward the various processes of nature,
and for ministering to the wants of man and beast.
In fine, were the waters in a state of perpetual stao,
tion, the filth of populous cities would be aceumula«L_
to a most unwholesome degree ; the air would be filled
with putrid exhalations, and the vegetable tribes wouldlaa-
guish and die. Were they deprived of the property of being
evaporated, (in which state they occupy a space 1400 times
greater than in their liquid state,) rain and dew could never
be produced, and the earth would be turned into " a dry
and parched wilderness ;" neither grass nor corn could be
sufficiently dried to lay up for use ; our 'clothes, when*
washed, could never be dried ,- and a variety of common,
operations, which now conduce to our convenience and
comfort, ceuld never be carried on. But the infinite wisdom"

ATMOSPHERE. 79
of the Creator, foreseeing all the effects which can pos
sibly arise from these principles of nature, has effectually
provided against such disasters, by arranging all things, in
¦number, weight, and measure, to subserve the beneficial
ends for which- they were ordained.. "He causeth the
vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth ; be sendeth the
springs into the valleys, which run among the hills. They
give drink to every beast of the field ; the wild asses quench
^their thirst. By them the fowls of heaven are refreshed,
which sing among, the branches; He watereth the hills
from his chambers, and the earthris satisfied, with, the fruit
cf his works."
Let us now attend to the atmosphere, in the constitution,
•of which the wisdom- of God is no less conspicuous than in
the other departments of nature..
• The atmosphere is one ofthe most essential appenda
ges to the globe we inhabit, and exhibits a most striking
scene of Divine skill and omnipotence. The term atmo-
sphere ia applied to the whole mass- of fluids, consisting of
-air, vapors,, electric fluid, and other matters, whieh sur
rounds the earth to a certain- height. This, mass . of fluid
matter gravitates toithe earth, revolves. with it in its diur
nal rotation, and is carried along, with.it in its: course round •
the sun every year. It has been computed. to, extend about
45 miles above the earth's surface, and.it presses on the-
earth- with- a force proportioned;, to its height and density.
. From experiments made by the barometer, it has been as
certained-,, that itpresses with, a weight of about 15 pounds:
on every square inch,- of the earth's surface ; and, therefore,,
its pressure on the body of a middle-sized man, is equal to,
about 32, OOOlbs, or 14 tons avoirdupois, a pressure which,
would be insupportable, and even fatal, were it not equal in,
every part, and- counterbalanced: by the spring of the air.-
within us. The pressure of the whole atmosphere upon the
earthy is computed to be- equivalent to that of a globe of'
lead 60 miles in^diameter^ or about 5,000,000,000,000,000 >
tons ;. that is, the whole mass of air which surrounds the-;
globe," compresses the earth with a force or power equal to(
that of five thousand' millions, of millions of tons* Thiss
, .  ,  -_ — , .,.1, ii—
*See Appendix No- II,.

80 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
amazing pressure, is; however, essentially necessary for the
preservation ofthe present constitution of our globe, and
ofthe animated beings which dwell on its surface"- It pre*
vents the heat of the sun from converting water, and all other
fluids on the face of the earth, into vapor ;. and preserve*,
the vessels of all organized beings < in due tone andvigor^j
Were the atmospherical pressure entirely removed^ the
elastic fluids contained in the- finer vessehvof men and , other* j
animals, wouldinevitablyburstthem, andlife wouldbecome
extinct;* and most of the substances on the- face ofihe
earth, particularly liquids; would be dissipated: into- vapor.
The atmosphere is now ascertained to be a compound
substance*- formed of two> very different ingredients, termed;
oxygen and nitrogen gas. Of 100 measures of atmospheric
air, 2! are oxygen* and 79 nitrogen. The one; namel; *"
oxygen-, is the principle- ef combustion, and- tire vehicle •
heat, and is absolutely necessary for the support of' animi
life, and is the most powerful and energetic agent in natun
The other; is altogether incapable of supporting eithe
flame or animal life. jj Were- we to- breathe oxygen, air,, with-ii
out anymixture oralloy; our animal spirits would be raised--
and the, fluids in* bur bodies would- circulate with, greater!
rapidity ;- but we should soon- infallibly perish by the rapid!
and unnatural accumulation of heat in the- animal frame. If
the nitrogen were extracted from, the- air,, and1 the whole
atmosphere contained nothing bu* oxygen or vital air;. com-*;
bustion would not proceed in that gradual manner which; it"

* The necessity of the atmospherical pressure, for the comfort and;
;,^eservataon- of animal life, might be illustrated' by the effects- expe-«
rienced by those who have ascended to the summit* of very hiabf
rZianrVKPr <Z .hT„b?en carM to * Sreat h«ght above «V
surface of the -earth jp- balloons.. Acosta, in his relatiol of a journey
w^,,^^01™^3 °fi,?erU' Stateff' that "be and M» companion^
^erej surprised with such extreme pa-igsof straining and vomituw,™
fioWhoutcastmgup of b bod too, and with: so violfnt a di«l
lh»t they woulft undWebly have died had they regained tTo o
¦three hours lorrgerm that elevated situation." LunTzambeccarll
W ^HT^ ?u°- Tefed in a Moon> o" th« 7th ofNo^l
ber 178$, Jp-a grea,t height, found their hands and feet so swelled
..that n^nscessary-fora surgeon- to n»ke. incisions inlhe skm I*
balance tfc pressure ^efluiZtf r«, %BBt Sufficlsnt to counte^

ATMOSPHERE. St
now does, but with the most dreadful and irresistible rapidt-
ty : not only wood and coals, and other substances now
used for fuel, but even stones, iron, and other metallic sub
stances, would blaze with a rapidity which would carry de
struction through the whole expanse of nature. If even the
proportions of the two airs were materially altered, a vari
ety of pernicious effects would instantly be produced. If
the oxygen were less in quantity than it now is, fire
•would loose its strength, candles would not diffuse a suffi
cient light, and animals would perform their vital func
tions with the utmost difficulty and pain. On the
other hand, were the nitrogen diminished, and the oxy
gen increased, the air taken in by respiration would be
more stimulant, and the circulation of the animal fluids
would become accelerated ; but the tone ofthe vessels thus
stimulated to increased action, would be destroyed, by too-
great an excitement, and the body would inevitably waste
and decay. Again, were the oxygen completely extracted
from the atmosphere, and nothing but nitrogen remained,
fire and flame would be extinguished, and instant destruc
tion would be carried throughout all the departments of
vegetable and animated nature. For a lighted taper will
not burn for a single moment in nitrogen gas, and if an
animal be plunged into it, it is instantly suffocated.
Again, not only the extraction of any one ofthe compo
nent parts of the atmosphere, or the alteration of their re
spective proportions, but even the slightest increase or di
minution of their specific gravity, would be attended with
the most disastrous effects. The nitrogen is. found to be-.
a little lighter than common air, which enables it to rise
towards the higher regions of the atmosphere. In breathr-
ing, the air which is evolved from tbe lungs, at every ex
piration, consists chiefly of nitrogen, which is entirely unfit
to be breathed, again, and therefore rises above our heads
before the next inspiration. Now, had nitrogen, instead
©f being a little lighter, been a slight degree heavier than
common air, or of the (same specific gravity, k would have
'"accumulated on the surface of the earth, and- particularly in
our apartments, to such a degree as to have: produced dis
eases, pestilence, and death, m rapid succession. But be
ing a little lighter than the surrounding air, iit flies upwards^,

82 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
and we never breathe it again, till it enter into new and
salutary combinations. Such is the benevolent skill whick
the Author of Nature has displayed, for promoting the Com
fort and preservation of every thing that lives.*
. Farther, were the air colored, or were its particles much,
larger than they are, we could never obtain a distinct vietl
of any other object. The exhalations: which risefrom thei
earth, being rendered visible, would disfigure the rich land
scape of the universe* and render life disagreeable. . But,
the Almighty, by rendering the air invisible, has enabled!
us not only to take a delightful and distinct survey of the;
objects that surround us,, but has veiled from our view the-
gross humors incessantly perspired from animal bodies,,
the filth exhaled from kitchens, streets, and sewers, ani
every other object that would excite disgust. Again,
were the different portions of the atmosphere completely sta
tionary, and not susceptible of agitation, all nature would
soon be thrown into confusion. The vapors which are
exhaled from che sea by the heat ofthe sun would be sus
pended, and remain forever fixed over those places from-, ,
whence they arose. For want of this- agitation of the air,.
which now scatters and disperses the clouds over, every re
gion, the sun would, constantly scorch some districts, and
be for ever hid from- others-; the balance of nature would
. he destroyed ; navigation would be useless, and we could; .
. no longer enjoy the productions of different climates. In fine,.
* The necessity of atmospherical air for the support of life, was
strikingly exemplified in the -fate of the unhappy men who died jn
the 'Black-hole of Calcutta. On the 20th of June, 1756, about 8
o'clock in the evening, 146 men were forced, at the point ofthe-
. bayonet, into a dungeon only 18 feet square. . They had been but a,
few minutes confined in this infernal prison, before every one, fell-
' into a perspiration so profuse, that no idea can be formed of it. This
brought on a raging thirst, the most difficult respiration, and an out
rageous delirium. Such was the horror of their situation, that every-
insult that could be devised against the guard without, and all. the
opprobrious names that the Viceroy andhis officers coultt be loaded'
"With, were repeated, to provoke the guard to fire upon them, and!
'terminate their sufferings. , Before VI o'clock the-same evening, one-
•ted of the men were dead; and before 6 neit morning, only 23
, aame out alive, but most of them in a. high putrid fever. All
these dreadful effects were occasioned by the want of atmospheric
air, and by their breathing a superabundant quantity of the nitrogeft
emitted from their lungs.

ATMOSPHERE. 8S
were the atmosphere capable of being frozen, or converted
into a solid mass, as another fluids are, (and we know no
reason why it should not be subject to congelation, but the
will ofthe Creator,) the lives of every animal in the air, the
waters, and the earth, would, in a few moments, be com
pletely extinguished. But the admirable adjustment of
every circumstance, in relation to this useful element,, pro
duces all the beneficial effects which we now experience,
aud strikingly demonstrates, that the Intelligent Contriver
of all things is " wonderful in counsel, and excellent in
working." From the instances now stated, we may plainly perceive,
that if the Almighty had not a particular regard to the hap
piness of bis intelligent offspring, and to the comfort of
every animated existence ; or, if he wished to inflict summa
ry punishment on a wicked world, he could easily effect, by
a very slight change in the constitution of the atmosphere,
the entire destruction of the human race, and the entire
conflagration of the great globe they inhabit, — throughout
all its elementary regions. He has only to extract one of
its constituent parts, and the grand catastrophe is at once
accomplished. With what a striking propriety and empha
sis, then, do the inspired writers declare, that, " In Him
we live, and move, and have our being ;" and that " in
His hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of
all mankind !"
A great variety of other admirable properties is> possessed
by the atmosphere, of which I shall briefly notice only the
following : — It is the vehicle of smells, by which we be
come acquainted with the qualiti.es of the food which is set
before us, and learn to avoid those places which are damp,
unwholesome, and dangerous. It is the medium of sounds,
by means of which knowledge is conveyed to our minds.
, Its undulations, like so many couriers, run for evur back
wards aud forwards, to convey our thoughts toothers, and
theirs to us ; and to bring news of transactions which fre
quently occur at a considerable distance. A few strokes
on a large bell, through the ministration of the air, will con
vey signals of distress, or of joy, in a quarter of a minute,
to the population of a city containing, a hundred thousand
inhabitants. So that the air may he considered as the con-

84 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 'y
veyer of the thoughts of mankind, which are the cementjof
society. It transmits to our ears all the harmonies of mu.
sic, and expresses every passion of the soul : it swellslthe
notes of the nightingale, and distributes alike to everyiear
the pleasures which arise from the harmonious soundsiof'fc
eoncert. It produces the blue color ofthe sky,- and is tie
cause ofthe morning and the evening twilight, byits pr^
perty of bending the rays of light, and reflecting them in-all
directions. It forms an essential requisite for carrying, on,
all the processes of the vegetable kingdom, and serves foi
the production of clouds, rain, and dew, which- nourish an#
fertilize the earth. In short, it would be impossibltto
enumerate all the advantages we derive from thisnoblftpp-
pendage to our world. Were the earth divested of its at- ,
Biosphere, or were only two or three of its propertiil
changed or destroyed, it would be left altogether unfifclfor,
the habitation of sentient beings. Were it divestedofitr
undulating quality, we should be deprived of all advan*
tages of speech and conversation — of all the melody ofthe
feathered songsters, and of all tha pleasures of music ; antk.
like the deaf and dumb, we could have no power of com
municating our thoughts but by visible signs. Were it de
prived of its reflective powers, the sun would appear in one
part of the sky of a dazzling brightness, while all around
would appear as dark as midnight, and the stars would**
visible at noon-day. Were it deprived of its refracti#
powers, instead of the gradual approach of the day and the
night which we now experience, at sun-rise, we should|bfr
transported all at once from midnight darkness to the splenV
dor of noon-day: and, at sun-set, should make a suddeK
transition from the splendors of day to all the horrors«of
midnight, which would bewilder the traveller in his jour
ney, and strike the creation with amazement. In fine?
were the oxygen of the atmosphere completely extracted* .,
destruction would seize on all the tribes of the living world, '
throughout every region of earth, air, and sea.
Omitting at present, the consideration of an indefinite va
riety of other particulars, which suggest themselves on this
subject, I shall just notice one circumstance more, which!
has a relation both to the waters and to the atmosphere. It
id a well known law of nature, that all bodies are expanded

EXPANSION OF WATER IN FREEZING. 85
by heat, and contracted by cold. There is only one ex
ception to this law which exists in the economy of our
globe, and that is, the expansion of water in the act of
freezing. — While the parts of every other body are re
duced in bulk, and their specific gravity increased by the
application of cold; water, on the contrary, when con
gealed into ice, is increased in bulk, and becomes of a less
specific gravity than the surrounding water, and, there
fore, swims upon its surface. Now, had the case been
otherwise ; had water, when deprived of a portion of its
heat, followed the general law of nature, and, like all other
bodies, become specifically heavier than it was before, the
present constitution of nature would have been materially
deranged, and many of our present comforts, and even our
very existence, would have been endangered. At what
ever time the temperature of the atmosphere became re
duced to 32° of the common thermometer, or to what is
called the freezing point, the water on the surface of our
rivers and lakes would have been converted into a layer of
ice ; this layer would have sunk to the bottom as it froze ;
another layer of ice would have been immediately pro
duced, which would also have sunk to the former layer,
and so on in succession, till, in the course of time, all our
rivers, from the surface to the bottom, and every other por
tion of water, capable of being frozen, would have been
converted into solid masses of ice, which all the heat of
summer could n,ever have melted. We should have been
deprived of most of tbe advantages we now derive from
the liquid element, and, in a short time, the face of nature
would have' been transformed into a frozen chaos. But,
in the existing constitution of things, all such dismal ef
fects are prevented, in consequence of the Creator having
subjected the waters to a law contrary to that of other
fluids, by means of which the frozen water swims upon
the surface, and preserves the cold from penetrating to any
great depth in the subjacent fluid; and. when the, heat of
the atmosphere is increased, it is. exposed to its genial in
fluence, and is quickly changed into its former liquid state.
How admirably, then, does this exception, to.the general
law of nature display the infiniteintelligence ofthe Great
Contriver of . aW things, and his. providential care for the

86 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
comfort of his creatures, when he arranged and establishel
the economy of nature ! ,
VARIETY OF NATURE.
Asa striking evidence of Divine Intelligence, we may
next consider the immense variety which the Creator has
introduced into every department of the1 material world.
In every region on the surface of our globe, an endless
multiplicity of objects, all differing from one another in
shape, color, and motion, present themselves to the view
of the beholder. Mountains covered with forest, hills
clothed with verdure, spacious plains adorned with vine
yards, orchards, and waving grain; naked rocks, abrupt
precipices, extended vales, deep dells, meandering rivers,
roaring cataracts, brooks and rills ; lakes and gulfs, bays
and promontories, seas and oceans, caverns and grottoes
— meet the eye of the student of Nature, in every country.
with a variety which is at once beautiful and majestic'
Nothing can exceed the variety of the vegetable kingdom%
which pervades all climates, and almost every portion og
the dry land, and of the bed of the ocean. The immense
collections of Natural History which are to be seen in the'
Museum at Paris, show, that Botanists are already ac-1
quainted with nearly fifty-six thousand different species of
plants.* And yet, it is probable, that these form but a vexf
small portion of what actually exists, and that several hun-'
-dreds of thousands of species remain to be explored by"
the industry of future ages. For, by far the greater part
of the vegetable world still remains to be surveyed by the'
scientific botanist. Of the numerous tribes of vegetable
nature which flourish in the interior of Africa and America,
iri the immense islands of New Holland, New Guinea,
Borneo, Sumatra, Java, Ceylon, Madagascar, and Japan ;
in the vast regions of Tartary, Tibet, Siberia, and the Bir-
man empire ; in the Philippines, the Moluccas, the La-
drones, the Carolinas, the Marquesas, the Society, the
Georgian, and in thousands of other Islands which are
-scattered over the Indian and Pacific oceans— little or
nothing is known by the Naturalist of Europe; and yet it
* Edinbutgb. Thuosophical J8«mal, July, 1822, r>. 4.

VARIETY OF NATURE. ft?
is a fact which admits of no dispute, that every country
hitherto explored, produces a variety of species of plants
peculiar to itself ; and those districts in Europe which have
been frequently surveyed, present to every succeeding ex
plorer a new field of investigation, and reward his industry
with new discoveries of the beauties and varieties ofthe
vegetable kingdom. It has been conjectured by some
Naturalists, on the ground of a multitude of observations,
that " there is not a square league of earth, but what pre'
sents some one plant peculiar to itself, or, at least, which
thrives there better, or appears more beautiful than in any
other part ofthe world." This would make the number
of species of vegetables to amount to as many millions as
there are of square' leagues on the surface of the earth.
Now, every one of these species of plants differs from
another, in its size, structure, form, flowers, leaves, fruits,
mode of propagation, color, medicinal virtues, nutritious
qualities, internal vessels, and the odors it exhales. They
are of all sizes, from the microscopic mushroom, invisible
to the naked eye, to the sturdy oak and the cedar of Le
banon, and from the slender willow to the Banian tree,
under whose shade 7000 persons may find ample room to
repose. A thousand different shades of color distinguish
• the different species. Every one wears its peculiar livery,
and is distinguished by its own native hues ; and many of
their inherent beauties can be distinguished <only by the
help of the microscope. Some grow upright, others creep
along in a serpentine form. Some flourish for ages, others
wither and decay in a few months ; some spring np in
moist, others in dry soils ; some turn towards the sun,
others shrink and contract when we approach to touch
them. Not only are the different species of plants and
flowers distinguished from each other, by their different
forms, but even the different individuals of the same spe
cies. In a bed of tulips or carnations, for example, there
is scarcely a flower in which some difference may not be
observed in its structure, size, or assemblage 'of colors •;
aor can any two flowers be found in which the shape and
shades are exactly similar. Of all the hundred thousand
millions of plants, trees, herbs, and flowers, with which
our globe is variegated, there are -not, perhaps* two indi-
8

88 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
viduals precisely alike, in every point of view in which they
may be contemplated ; yea, there is not, perhaps, a singl|
leaf in the forest, when minutely examined, that will not
be found to differ, in certain aspects, from its fellows.
S,uch is the wonderful and infinite diversity with which the
Creator has adorned the vegetable kingdom.
His wisdom is also evidently displayed in this vast pro
fusion of vegetable nature — in adapting each plant to the
soil and situation in which it is destined to nourish— ^in
furnishing it with those vessels by which it absorbs the air
and moisture on which it feeds — and in adapting it tq the
nature and necessities of animated beings. As the earth
teems with animated existence, and as the different tribes
•of animals depend chiefly on the productions of the veger
table kingdom for their subsistence, so there is an abun
dance and a variety of plants adapted to the peculiar con
stitutions of every individual species. This circumstance
demonstrates, that there is a pre-contrived relation and fit
ness between the internal constitution of the animal, and
the nature of the plants which afford it nourishment ; and
shows us, that the animal and the vegetable kingdoms are
the workmanship of one and the same Almighty Being, aud
that, in his arrangements with regard to the one, he had in
view the necessities of the other.
When we direct our attention to the tribes of animated
nature, we behold a scene no less variegated and astonishs,
ing. Above fifty thousand species of animals have been;
detected and described by Naturalists, besides several thou
sands of species which the naked eye cannot discern, and
which people the invisible regions of the waters and the
air. And, as the greater part of the globe has never yet
been thoroughly explored, several hundreds, if not thou
sands, of species unknown to the scientific world, may
exist in the depths of the ocean, and in the unexplored re
gions of the land. All these species differ from one an
other in color, size, and shape ; in the internal structure
of their bodies, in the number of their sensitive organs,
limbs, feet, joints, claws, wings, and fins ; in their dispo-
litions, faculties, movements, and modes of subsistence.
They are of all sizes, from the mite and the gnat, up to
'the elephant a»d the whale, and fromlhe mite downwards

VARIETY OF NATURE. 89
to those invisible animalcule, a hundred thousand of which
would not equal a grain of sand. Some fly through the
atmosphere, some glide through the waters, others traverse.
the solid land. Some walk on two, some on four, some
on twenty, and some on a hundred feet. Some have eyes
furnished with two, some with eight, some with a hundred,
and some with eight thousand distinct transparent globes.
for the purposes of vision.*
Our astonishment at the variety which appears in the
animal kingdom is still farther increased when we con.
sider not only the diversities which are apparent in their
external aspect, but also in their internal structure and Or
ganization. When we reflect on the thousands of move
ments, adjustments, adaptations, and compensations, which,
are requisite in order to the construction of an animal Syg-
* The eyes of beetles, silk-worms, flies, and several other kinds
of insects, are among the most curious and wonderful productions of
the God of Nature. On the head of a fly are two large protube
rances, one on each side ; these constitute its organs of vision. The
whole surface of these protuberances is covered, with a multitude of
small hemispheres placed with the utmost regularity in rows, cross
ing each other ia a kind of lattice work. These httle hemispheres
have each ^)f them a minute transparent convex lens in the middle,
each of which has a distinct branch of the_ optic nerve ministering to
it ; so that the different lenses may be considered as so many distinct
eyes. Mr. Leeuwenhoek counted 6236 in the two eyes of a silk
worm, when in its fly state ; 3l3ti in each eye of a beetle ; and 8000
in the two eyes of a common fly. Mr. Hook reckoned 14,000 in the
eyes of a drone fly ; and, in one of the eyes of a dragon fly, there
have been reckoned 13,500 of these lenses, and, Consequently, in both
eyes, 27,000, every one of which is capable of forming a distinct image
of any object, in the same manner as a common convex glass ; so that
there are 27,000 images formed on the retina of this little animal.
Mr. Leeuwenhoek having prepared the eye of a fly for the purpose,
•placed it a little farther from his microscope than when he would ex
amine an object, so as to leave a proper local distance between it and
the lens of his microscope ; and then looked through both, in the
manner of a telescope, at the steeple of a church, which was 299
feet high, and 750 feet distant, and could plainly see through every
little lens, the1 whole steeple inverted, though not larger than the
point of a fine needle : and then directing it to a neighboring house,
saw through many of these little hemispheres, not only the front of
the house, but also the dpors and windows, and could discern distinct
ly, whether the windows were open or shut. Such an exquisite
piece, of Divine mechanism transcends all human comprehension-

90 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
tem, for enabling it to form its intended functions ;—
when we consider, that every species of animals has a sy^
tem of organization peculiar to itself, consisting of bones;
joints, blood vessels, and muscular motions, differing in a
variety of respects from those of any other species, , and
exactly adapted to its various necessities and modes of ex«
jstence ; — and when we consider, still farther, the income
prehensibly delicate contrivances, and exquisite borings,
polishings, claspings, and adaptations, which enter into the
organization of an animated being ten thousand times less
than a mite; and that the different species of these anif
mais are likewise, all differently ' organized from one an
other, — we cannot but be struck with reverence and asto
nishment, at the Intelligence of that Incomprehensible Be
ing who arranged the organs of all the tribes of animated
nature, who " breathed into them the breath of life," and
who continually upholds them in all their movements !
Could we descend into the subterraneous apartments of
the globe, and penetrate into those unknown recesses1
which lie towards its centre, we should, doubtless, beholf"
a variegated scene of wonders,: even in those dark and im
penetrable regions. But all the labor and industry of man
have not hitherto enabled him to penetrate farther into the|
bowels of the earth than the six thousandth part of its di-|
ameter ; so that we must remain for ever ignorant of thei
immense cavernsand masses of matter tl%at may exist, an <~~
of the processes that may be going on abtmt its central n
gions. In those regions, however, near the surface, whk
lie within the sphere of human inspection, we pereeive^
variety analogous to that which is displayed in the othe .
departments of nature. Here we find substances of vari
ous kinds formed into strata, or layers, of different depths ••
—earths* sand, gravel, marl, clay, sand-stone, free-stone,
marble, lime-stone, fossils, coals, peat, and similar mate^*
rials. In these strata are found metals and minerals of va
rious descriptions — salt, nitrate of potash, ammonia, sul
phur, bitumen, platina, gold, silver, mercury, iron; lead,
tin, copper, zinc, nickel, manganeze, cobalt, antimony," the, -
diamond, rubies, sapphires, jaspers, emeralds, and a count
less variety of other substances, of incalculable benefit to
mankind. Some of these substances are so essentially re- -J

VARIETY OF NATURE. 91
quisite for the comfort of man, that, without them, he
would soon degenerate into the savage state, and be de
prived of all those arts which extend his knowledge, and
which cheer and embellish the abodes of civilized life.
If we turn our'eyes upward to the regions of the atmo
sphere, we may also behold a spectacle of variegated mag
nificence. Sometimes the sky is covered with sable clouds,
or obscured with mists ; at other times it is tinged with a
variety of hues, by the rays of the rising or the setting;
sun. Sometimes it presents a pure azure, at other times
it is diversified with strata of dappled clouds. At one time
we behold the rainbow rearing its majestic arch, adorned
with all the colors of light ; at another, the Aurora Borei-
lis illuminating the sky with its fantastic coruscations. At
one time we behold the fiery meteor sweeping through the
air ; at another, we perceive the forked lightning darting
from the clouds, and hear the thunders rolling through the
sky. Sometimes the vault of heaven appears like a bound
less desert, and at other times adorned with an innumerable
host of stars, and with the moon " walking in brightness."
In short, whether we direct our view to the vegetable or
the animal tribes, to the atmosphere, the ocean, the moun
tains, the plains, or the subterranean recesses of the globe,
we behold a scene of beauty, order, and variety, which',
astonishes and enraptures the contemplative mind, and con
strains us to join in the devout exclamations of the
Psalmist, " How manifold are, thy works, 0 Lord ! In wis
dom hast thou made them all, the earth is full of thy riches ;
so is the great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping,
innjaneraole, both small and great beasts."
This countless variety of objects which appears through
out every department of our sublunary system, not only
displays the depths of Divine wisdom, but also presents us
with a faint idea of the infinity of the Creator, and of the
immense multiplicity of yideas and conceptions which must
have existed in the Eternal Mind, when the fabric of our
globe, and its numerous tribes of inhabitants, were arranged
and brought into existence. And, if every other world
which floats; in tbe immensity of space, be diversified with
a similar variety of existence, altogether different from
ours," (as we have reason to believe, from the variety we-
8*

92 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
already perceive, and from the boundless plans and concept
tions of the Creator,) the human mind is lost and con'
founded, when it attempts to form an idea of those end*.
lessly diversified plans, conceptions? and views, which must
have existed during an eternity past, in ihe Divine mind.
When we would attempt to enter into the conception of so
vast and varied operations, we feel our own littleness, and
the narrow limits of our feeble powers, and can only ex
claim, with the Apostle Paul, " O the depth of the riches
both of the wisdom and knowledge of God ! how unsearch
able are his councils, and his ways ' of creation and provi
dence' past finding out !"
This characteristic of variety, which is stamped on all
the works of Omnipotence, is, doubtless, intended to gratify
the principle of curiosity, and the love of novelty, which are
implanted in the human breast ; and thus to excite rational
beings to the study and investigation of the works of the
Creator ; that therein they may behold the glory of the
Divine character, and be stimulated to the exercise of love,
admiration, and reverence. For, as the records of revellpi
tion, and the dispensations of Providence, display to us the
various aspects of the moral character of Deity, so, the
diversified phenomena, and the multiplicity of objects anfe
operations which the scenery of nature exhibits^ present to
us a specimen ofthe ideas, as it were, of the Eternal mind,
in so far as they can be adumbrated by-material objects,
and exhibited to mortals, through the medium of corporeal
organs. To convey an adequate conception of the number of
these ideas, as exhibited on the globe in which we live,
would baffle the arithmetician's skill, and set his numbers
at defiance. We may, however, assist our conceptions a
little, by confining our attention to one department of na
ture ; for example, the Animal Kingdom.* The number
ofthe different species of animals, taking into account those
which are hitherto undiscovered, and those which, are in
visible to the naked eye, cannot be estimated at less than
3)00,000. In a human body there are reckoned about 446
muscles, in each of which, according to anatomists, there
are at least 10 several intentions, or due qualification's to
fce observed— its proper figure, its just magnitude, the right

VARIETY OF NATURE. 93
disposition of its several ends, upper and lower, the posi
tion ofthe whole, the insertion of its proper nerves, veins,
arteries, &c. so that in the muscular system alone, there
are 4,460 several ends or aims to be attended to — The,
bones are reckoned to be in number about 245, and the
distinct scopes or intentions of each of these are above 40 ;
in all, about 9,800 ; so that the system of bones and mus
cles alone, without taking any other parts into considera
tion, amounts to above 14,000 different intentions or adap
tations. If now, we suppose, that all the species' of ani
mals above stated, are differently constructed, and, taken
one with another, contain at an average, a system of bones
and muscles as numerous as in the human body — the num
ber of species must be multiplied by the number of differ
ent aims or adaptations, and the product will amount to
4,200,000,000. If-we were next to attend to the many
thousands of blood vessels in an animal body, and the nu
merous ligaments, membranes, humors, and fluids of vari
ous descriptions — the skin with its millions of pores, and
every other part of an organical system, with the aims and
intentions of each, we should have another sum of many
hundreds of millions to be multiplied by the former product,
in order to express the diversified ideas which enter into
the construction of the animal world. And, if we still
farther consider, that ofthe hundreds of millions of individu
als belonging to each species, no two individuals exactly
Tesemble each other — that all the myriads of vegetables
with which the earth is covered, are distinguished from
each other, by some one characteristic or another, and that
every grain of sand contained in the mountains, and in the
bed of the ocean, as shown by the microscope; discovers
a different form and configuration from another — we are
here presented with an image of the infinity of the concep
tions of Him in whose incomprehensible mind they all ex
isted, during countless ages, before the universe was
formed. ¦
To overlook this amazing scene of Divine Intelligence,
or to consider it as beneath our notice, as some have done
¦ — if it be not the characteristic of impiety, is at least, the
mark of a weak and undiscriminating mind; The man
who disregards tie visible display* of Infinite wisdom, or

94 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
who neglects to investigate them, when opportunity offers.
acts as if he considered himself already possessed of a suffi
cient portion of intelligence, and stood in no need of such
sensible assistances to direct his conceptions of the Crea
tor. Pride, and false conceptions ofthe nature and design
of true religion, frequently lie at the foundation of all that
indifference and neglect with which the visible works pf
God are treated, by those who make pretensions to a higjitj
degree of spiritual attainments. The truly pious man will;
trace, with wonder and delight, the footsteps of his Father
and his God, wherever they appear in the variegated scene
of creation around him, aDd, will be filled with sorrow, and
contrition of heart, that, amidst his excursions and solitary
walks, he has so often disregarded " the works ofthe Lord,
and the operation of his hands."
In fine, the variety which appears on the face of nature,
not only enlarges our conceptions of Infinite Wisdom, but
is also the foundation of all our discriminations and judg
ments as rational beings, and is ofthe most essential utility,
in the affairs of human society. Such is the variety of,
which the features ofthe human countenance are suscepti
ble, that it is probable, that no two individuals, of all the
millions of the race of Adam, that have existed since the
beginning of time, would be found to resemble each other.
We know no two human beings presently existing, howk
ever similar to each other, but may be distinguished eitheri
by their stature, their forms, or the features of their faces A
and on the ground of this dissimilarity, the various wheelj
ofthe machine of society move onward, without clashing
or confusion. Had it been otherwise— had the faces of
men, and their organs of speech been cast exactly in the
same mould, as would have been the case, had the world
been framed according to the Epicurean system, by blind
chance directing a concourse of atoms, it might have been
as difficult to distinguish one human countenance from
another, as to distinguish the eggs laid by the same hen, or
the drops of water which trickle from the same orifice ; and,
consequently, society would have been thrown into a state
of uhiversal anarchy and confusion. Friends would not have
been distinguished from enemies, villains from the good
and honest, fathers from sons, the culprit from the inno-

VARIETY OF NATURE. 95
cent-person, nor the branches of the same family from one
another. And what a scene of perpetual confusion and
disturbance would thus have been created ! Frauds, thefts,
robberies, murders, assassinations, forgeries, and injustice
of all kinds, might have been daily committed without the
least possibility of detection. — Nay, were even the variety
of tones in the human voice, peculiar to each person, to
cease, and the hand-writing of all men to become perfectly
uniform, a multitude of distressing deceptions and perplexi
ties would be produced in the domestic, civil, and commer
cial transactions of mankind. But the All-wise and Bene
ficent Creator has prevented all such evils and inconve
niences, by the character of variety which he has impressed
on the human species ; and on all his works. By the pe
culiar features of his countenance, every man may be dis
tinguished in the light ; by tbe tones of his voice he may be
recognized in the dark, or when he is separated from his
fellows by an impenetrable partition ; and his hand-writing
can attest his existence and individuality, when continents
and oceans interpose between him and his relations, and be
a witness of his sentiments and purposes to future genera
tions.

Thus, I have taken a very cursory view of some evi
dences of Divine Wisdom, which appear in the general
constitution of the earth, the waters, and the atmosphere,
and in the characteristic of variety, which is impressed on
all the objects of the visible creation. When these and
other admirable arrangements, in our sublunary system,
are seriously contemplated, every rational and pious mind
will be disposed to exclaim with the Psalmist — " There is
none like unto thee, O Lord, neither are there any works
like unto thy works." — " Thou art great, and dost won-
dro'us things, thou art God alone."-1-" O that men would
praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful
works towards the children of men I"1
When we consider not only the utility, but the beauty
and grandeur of the wise arrangements of 'nature, what
reason have we to admire and adore the goodness of the
great Author of our existence ! Were all the diversities

96 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER^?,.
of shape and color, of mountains and vales, of rivers and
lakes, of light and shade, which now embellish the various
landscapes ofthe world, to disappear, and were one un
varied scene perpetually to present itself to the eye, ho#
dull and wearisome, and uninteresting would the aspect of
the universe appear to an intelligent mind J Although the,
variegated beauties which adorn the surface of our globe|
and the vault of heaven, are not essential to our existence!
as sensitive beings, yet, were they completely withdraw®!
and nothing presented to the eye, but a boundless expanse^
of barren sands, the mind would recoil upon itself, its ac-;!
tivity would be destroyed, its powers would be confined, as
it were, to a prison, and it would roam in vain amidst the.
surrounding waste, in search of enjoyment. Even the
luxuries of a palace, were it possible to procure them
amidst such a scene of desolation, would become stale
and insipid, and would leave the rational soul, almost des
titute of ideas and of mental energy, to the tiresome round
of a cheerless existence. But, in the actual state of the
world we live in, there is no landscape in nature, from the
Icebergs of Greenland to the verdant scenes of the Torrid
Zone, in which objects, either of sublimity or of beaut||
in Doundless variety, are not presented to the view ; in or
der to stimulate the mind to activity, to gratify its desire of
novelty, and to elevate its conceptions of the Benefices!
Creator. m
And, if the present constitution of our world displaa
so evident marks of beauty and benevolent design, novr
that it is inhabited by an assemblage of depraved intelli
gences, and its physical aspect deformed, in consequence
of " the wickedness of man" — what transporting beauties
aud sublimities must it have presented, when it appeared
fresh from the hand of its Almighty Maker, and when all
things were pronounced by him to be very good ? After
a deluge of waters has swept many of its primeval beau
ties, and has broken and deranged even its subterraneous
strata, this terrestrial world still presents to the eye a
striking scene of beauty, order, and beneficence. But
we have the strongest reason to believe, that, before sin
had disfigured the aspect of this lower world, all was
" beauty to the eye, and music to the ear" — that " immor-

PRIMEVAL STATE OF NATURE. 97
tality breathed in the winds, flowed in the rivers,!' and ex
haled from every plant and flower. No storms disturbed
the tranquility of nature, nor created the least alarm in
the breasts of its holy inhabitants. No earthquakes shook
the ground, nor rent the foundations of nature. No vol
canoes vomited .their rivers of lava, nor overwhelmed the
plains with deluges of fire. — No barren deserts of heath
and sand disfigured the rich landscape of the world — no
tempests nor hurricanes tossed the ocean, nor scorching
heats, nor piercing colds, nor pestilence, nor disease, an
noyed the human frame. — In the paradisiacal state of the
world, we may reasonably suppose, that all the elements of
nature contributed directly to the pleasure aud enjoyment
of man, and of the other tribes of animated nature ; and
; that they were not subjected, as they now are, to the ope
ration of those natural agents which so frequently spread
destruction and ruin among the abodes of men. To sup
pose the contrary to have happened, would be inconsist
ent with the state of pure and happy intelligences, and
with the benignity of the Creator ; and would imply, that
God was either unwilling, or unable to remove such phy
sical evils. But we cannot suppose it beyond the limits of
Infinite Wisdom and Omnipotence, to create and arrange
a world entirely free from those evils and inconveniences
Which now flow from the operation of certain physical
agents ; without, at the same time, supposing that his
power and intelligence are confined within certain bounds,
beyond which they cannot pass. And, therefore, if, in
the existing constitution of things, the harmony of nature
is occasionally disturbed, and its beauty defaced, by earth
quakes, storms, and tempests — we must remember, that
the inhabitants of the earth are now a depraved race
of mortals, no -longer adorned with primeval purity and
innocence ; and that the physical economy of our globe
has undergone a certain derangement, corresponding to
the moral slate of its present occupants. — But since this
earth, even in its present state of degradation and de
rangement, presents to the view of every beholder so
many objects of beauty and magnificence, and so nume
rous traces of Divine Beneficence — we may reasonably
conclude, that scenes of Divine Wisdom and Goodness,

98 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. d
far more, glorious and transporting, must be displayed i|
thoSe words where moral evil has never shed its maligjf
influence, and where the inhabitants — superior to diseast
and death — bask for ever in the regions of immortality
And, therefore, however admirable the displays of Divio^
Wisdom may appear in the sublunary scene around i|1
they must be considered as inferior to those which areestjl
hibited in many other provinces of Jehovah's empire, in so
far as they are blended with those physical ¦derangementtj
which indicate his displeasure against the sins of men. I

Were we now to direct our attention to the mechanism
of animated beings, and to consider the numberless cott- '
trivances and adaptations in their organical structure and
functions, a thousand instances of exquisite wisdom and de
sign, still more striking and admirable, would crowd upou
our view. For, although the general fabric of the world,
and the immense variety of objects it contains, are evident
proofs of a Wise and Intelligent Contriver, yet it is chiefly
in the minute and delicate contrivances of organical struc
tures, their adaptation to the purposes of life, motion, and
enjoyment, and their relation and correspondence to 'till
surrounding elements, that the consummate skill ofibe
Great Architect of nature is most strikingly perce^T
But as it forms no part of my present plan to enter on]
extensive a field of illustration, on which volumes might*
written, I shall content myself with merely stating an*
ample or two. My first example shall be taken from
THE STRUCTURE OF THE HUMAN EYE.
The eye is one of the nicest pieces of mechanism whicli
the^ human understanding can contemplate ; but as it re
quires a knowledge of its anatomical structure, and ofthe
principles of optics, to enable us to appreciate.its admira
ble/unctions, I shall confine myself to a few general de
scriptions and remarks. _
The eye is nearly of a globular form. 4 It consisteehief- *
ly of three coats, and three humours. The first or outer
coat, is termed Sclerotica ; it is every where white and
opaque, and is joined at its anterior edge to another which
has more convexity than any other part of the globe of the

STRUCTURE OF THE EYE. 99
' - . * i
eye, and, being exceedingly transparent, is called the Cor
nea. These two parts are perfectly different in,,.,their struc
ture, and are supposed, by some anatomists, to be as dis
tinct from each other as the glass of a watch is from the
case into which it is fixed. — Next within this coat is that
called the Choroides, on account of its being furnished
with a great number of vessels. It serves, as it were, for
a lining to the other, and is joined with that part ofthe
eye termed the iris. The iris is an opaque membrane
like the choroides, but of different colors in different eyes,
as grey, black, or hazel. It is composed of two sets of*;
muscular fibres, the one of a circular form, which con
tracts the hole in the middle, called the pupil, when the
light is too strong for the eye; and the other of radial
fibres, tending every where from the circumference of the
iris towards the middle of the pupil ; which fibres, by their
contractions, dilate and enlarge the pupil, when the light
is\weak, in order to let in more of its rays. — The third
coat is called the retina upon which are pai»fc3 the images
of all visible objects, by the rays of l%nt which flow from
them. It spreads like net^wo1^ *11 °ver the inside of the
choroides, and is nothing more than a fine expansion of
the optic nerve ; by which nerve the impressions of visible
objects are conveyed to the brain.
, The inside of the globe of the eye, within these tunics
cjf'coats, is filled with three humours, called the aqueous,
the tcrystalline, and the vitreous. ^The aqueous humour
lies at the fore-part of the eye, and occupies all the space
between the crystalline and the prominent cornea. It has
tbe same specific gravity and refractive power as water,
and seems chiefly of use to prevent the crystalline from
being easily bruised byrubbing, or by a nlow — and per
haps it serves for'the crystalline humour to move forward
in, while we view near, objects ; and backward, for remo
ter objects ; without which, or some other mechanism,
effecting tne same purpose, we could not according to
the law* of optics, perceive objects distinctly, when placed
at different distances. — Behind the aqueous lies the crys-
. tamne humour, which is shaped like a double convex glass,
and is a little more convex on the back than on the fore
part, *«This humour is transparent like crystal, is nearly of

'" 100 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
the consistence of hard jelly, and converges the rays'which,
pass through it, from visible objects, to its focus at the bot
tom, or back part of the eye. — The vitreous humour lies
behind the crystalline, and fills up the greatest parfpf the
orb of the eye, giving it a globular shape. It is nearlyJjfr
the consistence of the white of an egg, and very transpa
rent ; its fore-part is concave, for the crystalline hunJSfcjt
to lodge in, and its back part, being convex, the retina is
spread over it. It serves as a medium to keep the crys:
talline humour and the retina at a due distance. Froffi
what has been now stated, it is obvious, that the images on
external objects are depicted in the retina, in an inverted
position, in the same manner as the images formed bya^
common convex lens ; but how the mind, in this case, '
perceives objects erect, is a question, about which the j
learned have divided in their opinions.* &J
The ball of the eye, as now described, is situated in a
I>ony cavity, called its orbit, composed by the junction of 1
different bones, hollowed out at their edges. This, cavity is.
in all the vacant spaces, filled with a loose fat, which serves
as a proper medium for Hm. eye to rest in, and as a socket
in which it may move. It is sheltered by the eye-brows
which are provided with hair, to prevent the descend! '
sweat ofthe forehead from running down into it. i
still farther protection to this delicate organ, it is furnist,
with the eye-lid, which like a curtain, is drawn overt,
with inconceivable swiftness, for its security, on thejfc-
proach of danger. It also serves to wipe it from sum-
Juous moisture, and to cover it during sleep. . In the up
per part of its orbit, it is furnished with a gland, to supply
it with water sufficient to wash off dust, and to keep its
outer surface moist without which the cornea would be
less transparent, and the rays of light would be distu
in their passage ; and the superfluous water is convej
the nose through a perforation in the bone.

* An idea of .the relative positions ofthe coats and lmmms de-
¦itat^EYE^ ^"f by ? Wmple **£*££ ofle Plate,
*ig. b.— Fig. 5, represents a front view of the numan eve. as lit ap-

*'

STRUCTURE OF THE EYE. 101

For the purpose of enabling the eye to move in its
socket, six muscles are provided. These are admirably
contrived to move it in every direction, upwards or down-1
wards, to the right, or to the left, or in whatever direction
fhe^bccasion may require; and thus we are spared the
trouble of turning our heads continually towards the ob
jects we wish to inspect. If we want to look upward,
one of these muscles lifts up the orb of the eye ; if we
would cast our eyes to the ground, another muscle pulls
them down. A third muscle moves the globe outwards
towards the temples, and a fourth draws it towards the
nose. A fifth, which slides within a cartilaginous ring,
like a cord oveajS. pulley, and is fastened to the globe of
jjhe eye in two points, makes it roll about at pleasure. A
sixth lies under the eye, and is designed to temper and re
strain, within proper bounds, the action of the rest, to keep
it steadily fixed on the object it beholds, and to prevent
those frightful contortions which otherwise might take
place. By these, and a multitude of other mechanical
contrivances, "all acting in harmonious combination, the
eye, as a' natural telescope and microscope, is made to ad
vance, to recede, to move to the right, and to the left, and
in every other direction ; and to view near and distant ob-
sjgpts, with equal distinctness ; so that a single eye, by the
variety of positions it may assume, performs the office of
a thovi'sand.* The utility of these several movement, and the pain and
inconvenience which would be suffered, were any of them
wanting, can scarcely be conceived, by any one whose eyes
have always remained in a sound state. We are so much
accustomed to the regular exercise of our visual organs, that
we seldom reflect on the numerous delicate springs which
must be set in action, before the functions of vision can,
with ease,»<be performed. But were any one ofthe muscu
lar organs,, now described, to fail in its functions, we
should soon experience so many inconveniences, as would
throw a gloom on all the other comforts of life ; and con
vince us, how much we are indebted, every moment, to the
* Flies and other insects, whose eyes are immoveable, have seve
ral thousands of distinct globes in each eye. See note page 89.

102 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.^ '
provident care and goodness of our Beneficent Creator, for
thousands of enjoyments which we seldom think of, and foi
which we are never sufficiently grateful. — "With much
compassion, as well as astonishment, at the goodness of pur
loving Creator," says Dr. Nieuwentyt, "have I cohsi|e|gj|
the sad state of a certain gentleman, who, as to the re|f[
was in pretty good health, but only wanted the use of those
two little muscles that serve to lift up the eyelid, and so had
almost lost the use of his sight — being forced, as long as
this defect lasted, to shove up his eyelids every moment,
with his own hands."*
How admirable, then, is the formation of the eye, and hojq;
grateful ought we to feel at the consideration, that we are
permitted to enjoy all the transporting pleasures of vision,
-without the least perplexity or effort on our part ! If thelosff
of action in a single muscle produces so many distressing
sensations and efforts, what would be the consequenceif all
the muscles of the eye were wanting or deranged? And, is
it man that governs these nice and intricate movements ?
Or is it the eye itself, as a self-directing machine, that thus
turns around, seasonably and significantly, towards every
visible object ? Man knows neither the organs of vision, nor
the functions they ought to perform. The eye is onljyaj'
unconscious machine,in the hands of a Superior Intelligent!
as a watch, or a steam engine, is in the hands of a mecE?
nic. It is God alone who constantly performs its mo|t-
ments, acc6rding%> certain laws, which he has submij|d
to our inclinations and desires; " for in him we livefid
move.'''' — We are desirous to see certain objects around^is :
this is all the share we have in the operations of our eyes ;
and without perplexing our understanding^ without the least
care or management, in regard to any of the fanctionsjwe
can, in a few moments, take a survey of the beautief%d
sublimities of .an extensive landscape, and of the glories-of
the vault of heaven. Thus, the Divine Being operates not
only in this, but in a thousand different^ways, in the.various
senses and contrivances which belong to bur animal system j
-and yet, thoughtless and ungrateful man often inquires, in
the language of doubt and hesitation, " Where is God m^
* Nieuwentyt's Religious Philosopher, vol. 1. p. 232. • -v.,

STRUCTURE OF THE EYE. 103
Maker ?** — He is in us, and around us, directing every move
ment in our animal frame to act in harmony with the sur
rounding elements, and to minister to our enjoyments ; and
Hjftonly when his exquisite operations are deranged by
eSrarnal violence, that we feel inconvenience or pain.
Such are only a few general outlines of the structure of
the eye; for no notice has been taken ofthe numerous
minute veins, arteries, nerves, lymphatics, glands, and many
other particulars which are connected with this organ. But,
all this delicfie and complicated apparatus, in the structure
of the eye, would have been of no use whatever for the
purpose of visiofl1, had not a distinct substance been crea
ted to act upon it, exactly adapted to its nature and func-
.tions. In order that the eye might serve as the medium of
our perceptions of visible objects, Ught was formed, and
made tottravel from its source at the rate of 195,000 miles
in a second of time. This prodigious velocity of light is,
doubtless, essential to the nature of vision ; since it actually
exists, and since we find that it radiates with the same
swiftness from the most distant visible star, as from the sun
which enlightens our system. To abate the foree of this
amazing velocity, its particles have been formed almost
infinitely small — a circumstance which alone prevents this
delightful visitant from becoming the most tremendous and
destructive element in nature. Dr. Nieuwentyt has com
puted, that^ in one second of time, thereVfiows 418,660,000,
000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000* parti
cles of light out of a burning candle, ijgbich number contains
at least 6,387,242,000,000 times the number of grains of
sand in the whale earth, supposing every cubic inch of the
earth to contaiina million of grains. It has beep justly
remarked"! by Mr. Ferguson and other authors, that " if
the particles of light were so large, that a million of them
were equal in bulk to an ordinary grain of sand, we durst no
more open our eyes to the light, than suffer sand to be shot
point blank against them, from the mouth of a cannon."
It may also be remarked, that the property which all bodies
possess, of reflecting light, is essential to the purpose of
vision,"without which, the splendid and variegated scene of
¦ ¦ T" ' ' — — — —
, * See Appendix, No. V.
¦I -' 9* '.'

104 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER*
naturJwouldbe changed into a dreadful gloom ; and were
the rays of light of one uniform color, and not compounded
of various hues, one object could not be distinguished frpm
another, and the beautiful aspect of our globe would in-,
stantly disappear. '"'
Thus we see, that the eye is adapted to lightyand light ,
to the eye ; and in this admirable adaptation the wisdom!
of the Creator is strikingly displayed. For light has no '
effect upon the ear, or upon any other organ of sensation;
"so as to produce a perception of visible objects ; as, on the
other hand, the undulations of the air have no effect upon
the eye, so as to produce the sensation of sound. The ¦
eye did not produce the light, nor did the light, form the
eye ; they are' perfectly distinct from each other, yet so'
nicely adapted in every particular that had any one qualitf
or circumstance been wanting in either, the functions of
vision could not have been performed in the manner in
which they now operate ; which strikingly demonstrates,
that one and the same Intelligent Being, possessed^ of a
wisdom beyond our comprehension, formed the curi
ous structure of the eye, and endued the rays of light with
those properties of colour, motion, and minuteness, which
are calculated, through the medium of this organ, to pro
duce, in sentient beings, the ideas of visible objects. And,,
surely, he'never intended that such exquisite skill and coifc
trivance should be? altogether overlooked by rational be
ings, for whose pleasure and enjoyment all this benevolent
care is exercised. ^
MANNER IN WHICH VISION IS PERFORMED.
Let us now attend a little to the manner in which vision,
is performed, by the medium of light acting on the organs
of sight. If we take a common convex glass — a reading
glass for example — and hold it at some distance from a
eandle or a window sash, placing a piece of white paper
behind thJ&glass, at the distance of its focus, the image of
the candle ir sash will be painted on the paper, in an in
verted position^ This experiment may be performed* with
a better effect, % darkening a room, and placing the con
vex glass in a hole cut out of the window shutter, , whe n the
rays of light flowing from the objects without, and passing

WONDERS OF VISION.

105

through the glass, will form a picture of the objects oppo
site the window, on the white paper, adorned with the most
beautiful colors. In a manner similar to this, are the ima
ges of external objects depicted on the back part ofthe in
ner coat or membrane of the eye. The rays of light, pro
ceeding in all directions, from surrounding objects, and fall
ing on the eye, are transmitted through the, pupil ; and be
ing refracted by the different humours (particularly by the
crystalline humour, which acts the part of a convex lens,)
they converge to a focus on the retina, where the images
of visible objects are painted in an inverted position ; and,
by means of the optic nerve, these images are conveyed to
the mind. „
¦. The following figure will perhaps more distinctly illus

trate this point. Let a, b, c, x, y, represent the globe of
the eye, and A, B, C, an object at a certain distance from
it. Now, it is well known that every point of a visible ob
ject sends out rays of light in all directions ; and therefore,
ascertain portion ofthe rays which &ow from the object
ABC, will fall upon the cornea, between x and y, and,
passing through the aqueous humour, m n, and the crystal
line humour, o p, and the vitreous humour, D E, will be
converged to a focus on the retina, and paint a distinct
picture, a b c, of the object A B C, in an inverted position.
The rays from the point A of the "object, after being re
fracted by the different humours, will be brought to a point
at ay those from B, will be converged at b ; and those
from C, at c ; and, of course, the intermediate rays between
A B, and B C, will be formed between a b, and b c, and
the object will become visible by means of its image or re~
presentation being painted on the retina, in all the colors
and proportions which belong to it. If we take a bullock's

106 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
eye, and cut off the three coats from the back part, and
put a piece of thin white paper over that part, and hold the
eye towards the window, or any bright object, we shall
see the image of the object depicted upon the paper, and
in an inverted position, as stated above.
In order that we may more distinctly perceive the won
ders of vision, and the numerous circumstances on which it
depends, let us Suppose ourselves placed on an eminence,
which commands a view of a variegated and extensive
landscape. Let us suppose ourselves stationed on Arthur's
seat, or on the top of Salisbury Crags, in the vicinity of
Edinburgh. Turning our face to the north-west, the city,
with its castles, spires, and stately edifices, presents itself
to our view. Beyond it, on the north and west, a beauti^i
ful country, adorned with villas, plantations, and fertile*
fields, strrtcbes as far as the eye can reach, till the viewis
bounded by the castle of Sterling, at the distance of more
than thirty miles. On the right hand, we behold the port
of Leith, the shipping in the roads, the coast of Fife, the
isles of Inchkeith and of Maj, and the Frith of Forth, gra
dually losing itself in the German ocean. If we suppose the
length of this landscape to be forty miles, and its breadtH
twenty-five, it will, of course, comprehend an area of a
thousand square miles.
The first circumstance which strikes the mind, is the h
mense multitude of rays of reflected light which flow, in all
directions, from-the myriads of objects which compose the
surrounding scene. In order to form a rude idea of this
infinity of radiations, I fixNmy attention on a single object
I direct my eye to Nelson's monument, on the CaltonhiH
From the parapet at the top, a thousand different points
send forth a thousand different cones of rays, which, enters
ing my eye, render the different parts of it distinctly visible,
besides myriads of rays from the same points, which flow
in every other direction through the open spaces ofthe
atmosphere which surround them. How many thousands
of millions, then, of different radiations, must be issuing
forth every moment from the whole mass of the monument !
And if one object pours forth such a flood of rays, how
immense must be the number of radiations which are issu
ing from all the objects which compose this extensive land-

WONDERS OF VISION. 107
scape ! Myriads of rays, from myriads of objects, must be
crossing each other in an infinity of directions, so that the
mind is confounded at the apparent confusion which seems
to exist in this immensity of radiations ; yet every ray
passes forward in the crowd, in the most perfect order,
and without being blended or confused with any other ray,
produces its specific effect on every eye that is open to re
ceive it. But this is not all : these millions of rays which
flow from the minutest points of the surrounding scene,
before they can produce the sensation of vision, and form
a picture ofthe landscape on the retina, must be compress
ed into a space little more than one-eight of an inch in
diameter, before they can enter the pupil of the eye ; yet
they all pass through this small aperture without the least
confusion, and paint the images of their respective objects in
exactly the same order in which these objects are arrange
ed. Another circumstance demands attention. The!
rays which proceed fron the objects before me, are not all
directed to the spot where I stand, but are diffused through
out every point of the surrounding space, ready to produce
the same effect, wherever sentient beings are present to re
ceive them. Were the whole inhabitants of Edinburgh
t placed on the sloping declivity of Arthur's seat, and along
the top of Salisbury Crags, and were millions of other
spectators suspended in the surrounding atmosphere, simi
lar sensations would be produced, and a scene similar to
that which I now behold, would be depicted in every eye.
Amidst the infinity of cones of light, crossing each other in
an infinity of directions, no confusion would ensue, but
every spectator, whose eyes were in a sound state, would
obtain a correct view ofthe scene before him ; and hence
it happens, that, whenever I shift my position to the right
hand or to the left, other streams of light enter my eye,
and produce the same effect.
Let me now attend to another circumstance, no less ad
mirable than the preceding, and that is, the distinct im
pression which I have ofthe shape, color, and motion, of
|be multiplicity of objects I am now contemplating, and
the small space within which their images are depicted at
the bottom of my eye. Could a painter, after a long series
of ingenious efforts, delineate the extensive landscape now

108 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
before me, on a piece of paper not exceeding the size of a'
silver sixpence, so that every object might be as distinctly
seen, in its proper shape and colour, as it now appears when,
I survey the scene around me, he would be incomparably
superior to all the masters of his art that ever went beforg'
him. This effect, which far transcends the utmost efforts
of human genius, is accomplished in a moment, in millions!
of instance's, by the hand of Nature, or, in other words, b|:
" the finger of God." All the objects leam now surveying
comprehending an extent of a thousand square miles, are
accurately delineated in the bottom of my eye, on a space
less than half an inch in diameter. How delicate, the&
"must be the strokes of that Divine peneil, which has formeF
such a picture ! I turn my eyes to the castle of Edinburgh
which appears one of the most conspicuous objects in tm
field of view. Supposing that portion of it which strrk|||
'my eye to be 500 feet long, and 90 in height, I find, by
calculation, that it occupies only the six hundred thousandth
part ofthe whole landscape, and, consequently, fills in my
eye no more than the twelve hundred thousandth part of an
inch. I next direct my eye towards the Frith of Forth, and
perceive a steam boat ' sailing between Queensferry and
Newhaven. I distinctly trace its motion for the space of 40,
minutes^ at the end of which it reaches the chain pier jt
Newhaven, having passed over a space of five miles W
length, which is but the eighth part of the lineal extent jif
the landscape in that direction ; and, consequently, occu
pies, in the picture formed on my retina, a lineal space 'of
only one-sixteenth of an inch in extent. And, if the^boat
be reckoned about 88 feet in length, its image is onlyHhe
three hundredth part of this extent ; and of course, fills t
space in the eye of only the four thousand eight hundredtl
part of zlineal inch. Yet, my perception of the motiojftfc-
the vessel could be produced only by a corresponding*
tion of its image in my eye ; that is, by the gradual motion
of a point one 4,800th of an inch in diameter, over a;space
one sixteenth of an inch in length. How inconceyably
fine and accurate, then, must be the impression of "those
strokes which the rays of light, from visible objects, pro
duce on the retina of the eye ! The mind is lost in won
der when it attempts to trace so exquisite and admirable
an effect.

WONDERS OF VISION. 109
, I take a reflecting telescope, and, through it, view some
of the distant parts of the landscape. My wonder is still
increased, when I consider the new directions into which
the rays of light are bent — the crossings and recrossings,
the refractions, and reflections, that take place between
ihe mirrors and the lenses ofthe instrument, and the suc
cessive images that are formed — so that, instead of a scene
of confusion, which previous to experience, might have
been expected from the numerous additional bendings and
intersections of the rays — I now perceivethundreds of ob^
jects, with the most perfect distinctness, which were be
fore invisible. Rays of light from distant and minute ob
jects, which a moment before made no sensible impression^
on my eye, being collected and variously modified by the '
telescope, now paint a vivid representation of their objects,
In their true figures, colors, and positions.
From a consideration of the innumerable modifications
ofthe rays of light, and ofthe immeuse variety of effects'
they produce, in every region of the earth — I am led to
investigate what proportion of the solar light falls upon .ma-
globe, in order to produce so diversified a sQene of sublimity
and beauty. Supposing the sun's rays to be chiefly confined,
in their effects, within the limits of the planetary system,
since they diverge in every direction, they must fill a cubi
cal space 3,600,000,000 miles in diameter; which, conse
quently, will contain about 24,000,000,000,000^00,000,-
000,000,000 of cubical miles, so that an eye, placed in any
point of this vast space, would receive a distinct impression
from the solar rays. The solidity of tbe earth is about
*264,000,000,000 cubical miles, and, therefore, it receives
only &* so.ooo.ooo.ooo.flro.oao & Part of the li8ht which

%

9o^ooo,ooo,ooo,ero,ooo

fills the sphere of the solar system. So that the light which
cheers all the inhabitants of the world, and unveils such ava-;
riety of beautiful and magnificent objects, is nothing more
than a single stream of celestial radiance out ©f ninety thou
sand billions of similar streams, which the great source of
light is every moment diffusing throughout surrounding
worlds. But the solar rays are not confined within the bounds
of the planetary system ; their influence extends, in every
direction^' as far as the nearest stars, tilling a cubical space at
least 4O*P00,000,00©,000 miles in diameter, and which

110 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
eontains33,500,000,000,000,000,000,OOQ,000,000,000,000, 000,000^ or thirty-three thousand, five hundred sextillions
of cubical miles. And, were we to institute comparisons]
and calculations, with respect to the possible variety of ef
fects they might produce throughout this immense region,,
whole pages might be filled with figures, cyphers,, andj
computations. We might compute how many globes,sim-
ilar to the earth, or any of the larger planets, might be con,-,
tained within this vast space, allowing several hundreds of.
cubical miles offimpty space around each globe — how ma-,.
ny myriads of refractions and reflections the rays of light;
would suffer, in regard to the peculiar objects connecta"*
. with every one of these globes-r— how many ey^gof se|
*tient beings might be affected by the diversities of cot
or, shape, and motion which would thus be prodfced-
and what a variety of shades of light and color, andwji _
a diversity of scenery would be produced, according io the"
distances of the respective globes from the central lu
minary. After what we have just now stated, however,
we may rest satisfied, with joining in the pious excla-|
mation of one who had just finished a devout survey of
the structure of the human frame : " Marvellous are thy,,
works, and that my soul knoweth right well. How pre-.'
cious are thy thoughts unto me,0 God !" (or, as the wo A-
might be rendered) "How precious are thy wondelfp*
contrivantees concerning me, O God ! how great is the sua*
of them! If I should count them, they are more in nujfe
ber than the sand." In what direction soever I turn mig^
eyes ; whatever portion of thy works I investigate, " 1 m
still with thee."* Thine infinity and unsearchable wisdom
are impressed on every object, so that I feel myself every,,
moment encompassed by thine immensity, and am irresisfc
hly led to wonder and adore. Ir
I shall now conclude these reflections on vision, 'with
twn or three additional remarks, lt is worthy of notice,
in the first place, that the eye has the power of adapting
itself to "objects placed at different distances. By .means |
Vof some delicate pieces of mechanism, not hithert*satis- v
JaQtorily explained, it can perceive, with distinctness, a
1 - ¦ ' " —  i *
* Psalm cjoujx, 14, 17, ,18.

WONDERS OF VISION. m
large object, at the distance of six miles, and the next
moment it can adjust itself to the distinct perception of au
object at the distance of six inches ; so that it acts the part
both of a telescope and a microscope, and ean be instanta
neously adjusted to perform either as the one instrument,
or 'as the other. This necessarily supposes a corresponding
alteration in the state ofthe organ, every time we lift our
eye from a near, to look at a distant object. Either the
cornea is somewhat flattened, or the crystalline humour is
pushed backwards, or both these changes, in combination
with others, may concur in causing the rays from distant
objects to unite exactly on the retina, without which, dis
tinct vision cannot be produced. This contrivance, in
whatever kind of mechanism it may consist, is one which
art would vainly attempt to imitate. We can see objects
that are near us, with a microscope, and those that are dis
tant, with a telescope ; but we would in vain attempt to
see distant objects with the former, or those that are only
a few inches from us, with the latter, without a variety of
changes being made, in the apertures and positions of the
glasses belonging to the respective instruments. In this
respect, therefore, as well as in every other, the eye is an
optical instrument, incomparably superior to any instru-
1 ment or imitation that art can produce ; and, were it not
1 for the peculiar property now described, it would be almost
'unfit for the purpose of vision, notwithstanding all the
'other delicate contrivances which enter into its construe-
! tion. If it were adjusted only for the distinct perception
of 'distant objects, every object within the limits of an ordi
nary apartment would appear a mass of confusion ; and
were it adjusted solely for viewing objects within the limits
of a few feet or inches, the glories of the heavens, and the
beautiful landscape of the earth, would be veiled from our
sight, as if they were enveloped in a mist.
Another circumstance worthy of attention, is, the power
which the pupil of the eye possesses of contracting or en
larging the aperture or hole through which the light is
admitted. When the light is too weak, the pupil is en
larged; when it is too strong, it is again contracted^
Accordingly, we find, that when we enter a darksome apart-''
ment, though, at first, nothing can be accurately distin-
10

112 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
guished, yet, in the course of a minute or two, when the
pupil has had time to dilate, we can perceive most objeels
with considerable distinctness. And, on the other hanfl,
when we pass from a dark room to an apartment lighte*
up with a number of lustres, we feel uneasy at the sudden
glare, till the pupil has contracted itself, and excluded a
portion of the superfluous rays. Were it not for this pro
perty, we should, for the most part, either be surrounded.
with a disagreeable gloom, or oppressed with an excessive
Splendor. It is for this reason that we are unable to look
upon the sun without being dazzled, and are under the
necessity of closing the eye-lids, or of turning*|away the
head, when a strong light suddenly succeeds to -darktos.
Again, it may not be improper to observe, how- wisely
the Author of Nature has fixed the distance at whichwe
ordinarily see near objects most distinctly. This distance
is generally from five to eight inches from the eye. But,
had the eye been formed for distinct vision, at the distance
of only one inch, the object would have obstructed the light.
and room would have been wanting for the performing]
of many necessary operations, which require the hanow
intervene between the eye and the object. And had/the
limits of distinct vision for near objects been beyond two;
or three feet, sufficient light would not have been afforfip
for theinspection of minute objects, and we could neitM
have written a letter, nor have read a book, with the safT
convenience and ease we are now enabled to do. ¦#
From the preceding descriptions and remarks, it will
evidently appear, with what admirable skill the diffejpt
parts of the organs of vision are constructed, and bow
nicely they are adapted to the several ends they werei-
tended to subserve. Were any one of these parts wanting,
or obstructed in its functions, vision would either be im
peded, or rendered painful and distressing, or completely
destroyed. If any of the humors of the eye were wanting
¦ — if they were less transparent — if they were of a different
refractive power — or if they were cf a greater or les3 con
vexity than they now are, however minute the alteration,
might be, vision would inevitably be obstructed, and every
object would appear confused andfindistinct. If the retina,
on which the images of objects are painted, were flat, in-

WONDERS OF VISION. m
stead of being concave, while objects in the middle of the
view appeared distinct, every object towards the sides would
appear dim and confused. If the cornea were as opaque
as the sclerotica, to which it is joined, or if the retina were
not connected with the optic nerve, no visible object could
possibly be perceived. If one of the six muscles of the eye
were wanting, or impeded in its functions, we could not
turn it to the right ; if a second were deficient, we could
not turn it to the left ; if a third, we could not lift it up
wards ; if a fourth, we could not move it downwards ; and
if it were deprived of the other two muscles, it would be
apt to roll about in frightful contortions. If the eyes were
placed in any other part ofthe body than the head — if they
were much more prominent than they now are — if they
were not surrounded by the bony socket in which they are
lodged — and if they were not frequently covered by the
eye-lid — they would be exposed to a thousand accidents
from which they are now protected. If they wanted moist
ure, and if they were not frequently wiped by the eye-lids,
they would become less transparent, and more liable to be
inflamed ; and if they were not sheltered by the eye-brows,
the sweat and moisture of the forehead would frequently
annoy them. Were the light which acts upon them devoid
of color — were it not reflected from objects in every direc
tion — were its motion less swift, or its particles much
larger than they now are — in short, were any one circum
stance connected with the structure of this organ, and with
the modification of the rays of light materially different from
its present arrangement, we should either be subjected to
the hourly recurrence of a thousand painful sensations, or
be altogether deprived of the entertainments of vision.
How admirable an organ, then, is the eye, and how nicely
adapted to unveil to our view the glories of the universe !
Without the application of any skill or laborious efforts, on
our part, it turns in every direction, transports us to every
surrounding object, depicts the nicest shades and colors on
its delicate membranes, and
" Takes in, at once, the landscape ofthe world
Jit a smaU inlet, which a grain might close,
And half createathe wond'rous world we see." — Young-
— How strikingly does it display, in every part of its struc-

j 14 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
ture and adaptations, the marks of benevolent design, and
of Infinite Intelligence ! However common it is to open our
eyes, and to behold, in an instant, the beauties of an exten-
sive landscape, and however little we may be accustomed
to admire this wonderful effect,— there is not a doctnneia/
Religion, nor a fact recorded in Revelation, more mysteri
ous and incomprehensible. An excellent French writer has
well observed—" The sight of a tree and ofthe sun, which
God shows me, is as real and as immediate a Revelation as
that which led Moses towards the burning bush. The onty
difference between both these actions of God on Moses
and me, is, that the first is out of the common order and
economy ; whereas the other is occasioned by the sequel
and connection of those laws which God has established
for the regulation both of man and nature."
If, then, the eye of man ( who is a depraved inhabitant
of a world lying partly in ruins) is an organ so admirably
fitted for extending our prospects of the visible creation—
we may reasonably conclude, that organized beiflgs,.of
superior intelligence and moral purity, possess the sens*|of
vision in a much greater degree of perfection than maf|
in his present state of degradation— and that they may be
enabled, by their natural organs, to penetrate into regions
of the universe far beyond what man, by the aid of artifi
cial helps, will ever be able to descry. It may not be altoj
gether extravagant, nor even beyond the reality of existing
facts, to suppose, that there are intelligences in the region
of Jupiter or Saturn, whose visual organs are in so perfect
a state, that they can descry the mountains of our moon, and
the continents, islands, and oceans which diversify our
globe, and are able to delineate a map of its surface, to
mark the period of its diurnal rotation, and even to distin
guish its cities, rivers, and volcanoes. It is quite evident
that it must be equally easy to Divine Wisdom and Omnip
tence, to form organs with powers of vision far surpassing
¦yvhat I have now supposed, as to form an organ in which
the magnificent scene of heaven and earth is depicted^ in a
moment, within the compass of half an inch. There are
animals whose range of vision is circumscribed within the
limits of a few feet or inches ; and, had we never perceived
objects through an organ in the same state of perfection as

VISUAL ORGANS OF ANIMALS. us
that with which we are furnished, we could have formed as
little conception of the sublimity and extent of our present
range of sight, as we can now do of those powers of vision,
which would enable us to descry the inhabitants of distant
worlds. The invention of the telescope shows, that the
penetrating power of the eye may be indefinitely increased ;
and, since the art of man can extend the limits of natural
vision, it is easy to conceive, that, in the hand of Omnipo
tence, a slight modification of the human eye might enable
it, with the utmost distinctness, to penetrate into regions
to which the imagination can set no bounds. And, there
fore, it is not unreasonable to believe, that, in the future
world, this will be one property, among others, ofthe re
surrection-body, that it will be furnished with organs of
vision, far superior to the present, in order to qualify its
intelligent inhabitant for taking an ample survey of the
" riches and glory" of the empire of God.
I have dwelt somewhat particularly on the functions of
the eye, in order to show, that it is only when we take a
minute inspection of the operations of the Creator, that his
Infinite Wisdom and Intelligence are most distinctly per
ceived. The greater part of Christians will readily admit,
that the Wisdom of God is manifested in every object ; but
few of them take the trouble to inquire, in what particular
contrivances and adaptations, this wisdom is displayed ;
and, therefore, rest satisfied with vague and general views,
which seldom produce any deep impression on the mind.
" The works of the Lord," which are " great" and admi
rable, " must be sought out by all those who have pleasure
therein ;" and the more minutely they are inspected, the
more exquisite and admirable do all his arrangements ap
pear. Were we to enter into an investigation of the visual or
gans of the lower animals, and to consider the numerous
varieties which occur in their structure, position and move
ments, and how nicely the peculiar organization of the eye
is adapted to the general structure of the animal, and to its
various necessities and modes of existence — the ¦ operation
of the same inscrutable Wisdom and Intelligence would
meet our eye at every step. Birds, for example, • which
procure their food by their beak, have the power of seeing
10*

116 „-THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
distinctly at a very small distance ; and, as their rapid mo*
tion through the air renders it necessary that they should
descry objects at a considerable distance, they have two
peculiar mechanical contrivances, connected with their or
gans of vision, for producing both these effects. One of
these contrivances consists in a flexible rim, formed of bone
which surrounds the broadest part of the eye, and, by oc
casionally p%ssing upon its orb, shortens its focal distance,
and thus enables it to inspect very near objects.- The other
consists of a peculiar muscle, which draws back, as occa
sion requires, the crystalline humour, by which means i%
can take a distinct view of a distant landscape ; and caif
pass from the sight of a very near, to the sight of a distant
object, with rapidity and ease, in fishes, which live in a
medium of a different refractive power from that of air, the
crystalline humour has a greater degree of convexity, atd
more nearly approaches to a globular form than that of
land animals — which conformation is essentially requisite to
distinctness of vision in the watery element. A fish, oL
course, cannot see distinctly in air, nor a quadruped udfet'
water ; and every person who has dived into the waterwm
his eyes open, knows, that, though he may perceiveftne
general forms and colors of objects, his vision is obsqpe.
and indistinct. — In hares and rabbits the eyes are very con-
yex and prominent, so that they can see nearly quite roand
them ; whereas, in dogs, which -pursue these animals, the
visual organs are placed mare in the front of the headifc
look rather before, than behind them. — Some animals,fP
cats and owls, which pursue their prey in the dark, have
the pupil of their eye so formed as to be capable of great
expansion, so that a few rays of light may make a lively im?
pression on their retina ; while the eagle, which is able te
look directly at the sun, has its pupil capableof being con
tracted almost to a point. — Insects, such as the beetle, tie
fly, and the butterfly,, whose eyes are incapable of motion,
have several thousands of small transparent globe* set in a
convex hemisphere, every one of which is capable of form
ing an image of an object ; so that they are enabled to
view the abjects around them without moving their heads,
-rBut, it would be beyond the limits of my plan taproser
cute this subject any farther : enough has already been sta-

MECHANISM OF THE BONES. 117
f .
ted, to show, that the eyes of men and other animals are
master-pieces of art, which far transcend the human un
derstanding ; and that they demonstrate the consummate
wisdom of Him, who planned and constructed the organi
cal functions of the various tribes of animated existence.
I shall now conclude this branch of my subject, by pre
senting an instance or two of the mechanism of the bones,
and the movements it is fitted to produce.
The bones ofthe human frame are articulated, jW con
nected together in different ways, but most frequently in
the following manner. — Either, 1. a bone with a round
head is articulated wijtfy, a cavity, and plays in it as a ball in
a socket ; or, 2. they are connected together by a hinge-like
articulation, which enables a bone to move up or down,
backwards or forwards, like a door upon its hinges. An
idea of these two motions, and the purposes they serve, may
be obtained, by considering the construction ofthe pedestal
of a telescope, and the joints on which it moves. One of
the joints is of the nature of a hinge, by which a vertical
photion, or a motion upwards and downwards is produced.
SMsliorizontal motion, or a motion towards the right hand
or the left, is produced by a pivojt moving in a socket ; so
that, by these two motions, the telescope can be made to
point in any direction. Such is the nature of the articula
tions of the bones, and the movements they produce ; and
wherever one or other of these motions, or both of them
combined, are requisite for the comfort and convenience of
the individual, such a power of motion is uniformly found
to exist. If the movement of a joint in every direction
would, in any particular case, be found inconvenient, the
hinge-like articulation is fixed upon ; but if amotion, in
every direction, is required for the convenient use of parti
cular members, and for the variety of evolutions which a
sentient being may ,have occasion to make, the ball and
socket articulation is combined with the former.
For example, let any person, for a moment, consider the
joints of his fingers, and compare them with the joint at his
wrist, where the hand is connected with the fore arm. If he
hold the back of his hand upwards, he will find that he can
move his fingers upwards or downwards ; but he cannot turn
them to the right hand, or to the left, so as to make them de-

118 % THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
If . . .
scribe a circular motion. He will also find that his wrist is ca
pable of a similar movement, so that the hand may be bent
in a vertical direction. But, in addition to this motion, it is
also capable of being turned in a horizontal direction, or
from one side to another. In the former case, we have an
example of the hinge articulation ; in the latter, it is com
bined with' an articulation which produces nearly the same,
effect as a pivot moving in a socket. Now, had the joints
of the fingers been capable of the same motions as the*
wrist, the hand would have lost its firmness, and been inca
pable of performing a variety of mechanical operations'
which require objects to be held wi||b a steady grasp. On
the other hand, if the joint of the wrist had been formed in
the same manner as the joints ofthe fingers, and confined to
a vertical motion, the hand would have been incapable of
one out of a hundred varied movements, which it can now
perform with the greatest ease. In this case, we could not
have bored a hole with a gimblet, cut down corn with a
sickle, digged the earth with a spade, sewed clothes with a-f
needle, tossed up a ball, or turned up the palm of the hand,
for any ofthe useful purposes for which that motion was
ordained. In short, without the rotatory motion of the
wrist, the greater part of the operations connected with gar-.
dening, agriculture, cookery, washing, spinning, Weaving,.
painting, carving, engraving, building, and other mechani
cal arts, could not be performed ; and such of them as
could be effected, would be accomplished only with the
greatest inconvenience and labor. Any person may con
vince himself of this, by holding his hand in a horizontal
position, and preventing his wrist-joint from turning round,
and then by trying what operations he can easily per-.
form without the rotatory motion ; and he will soon per?
ceive with what exquisite skill the numerous movements of
our animal frames have been contrived by the great Author
of our existence. In each hand/there are 27 bones, all of
which are essential to the different motions we wish to per
form. Every finger is composed of three bones, connected
together by articulations, muscles, and ligaments. If, in
stead of three, each finger were composed of only one bone,
It would be quite impossible for us to grasp a single object*
The same admirable contrivance may be perceived in the

MECHANISM OF THE BONES. l\9
movements of which the Head is susceptible. It was requt>
site, in order to our convenience and comfort, that we
should be enabled to move our head backwards or forwards
— to look up towards the heavens, or downwards to the
ground. It was also expedient, that it should have a
power of turning to the right, or to the left, so as to take in
a considerable portion of a circle, without being under the
necessity of turning round the whole body. Accordingly
we find, that both these motions are provided for, in the
manner in which the head is connected with the vertebra.
The head rests upon the uppermost of these bones, to which
it is connected by a hinge joint, similar to those in the
fingers, which allows it to move backward and forward ; and,
by means of a round, longish process, or projection, which
moves in a socket, it is enabled to move horizontally, as
upon an axis. Had the first motion been wanting, we could
not have looked up to the zenith, without laying flat on our
back ; nor could we have looked to the ground, without pla
cing our bodies in a prone position ; and, in such a case, we
could never have seen our own feet, unless when they were
bent considerably forward. Had the second motion been
wanting, we could have looked to nothing, except the
objects directly before us, without the trouble of turning
round the whole body, either to the right, or to the left.
But, in the construction of our coporeal system, every
thing is so arranged and adapted to another, as at once to
contribute to ease, and facility of motion, in all the varied
operations and movements we have occasion to perform ;
which circumstance forcibly demonstrates both the benevo
lent intentions, and the admirable wisdom of Him " whose
hands have made and fashioned us," and who " breathed
into our nostrils the breath of life."
The above are only two or three out of a hundred of
similar instances, which might be produced to show the
benevolent care which has been exercised in arranging and
articulating the system of bones, of which the pfop-work
ofthe human frame is composed. Were we to enter into
an investigation 'of the actions and uses ofthe various mus
cles, the wonderful system of veios and arteries, the action
ofthe heart, stomach, and bowels; the process of respira
tion, and insensible perspiration, and the system of nerves,

120 .... ' THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
glands, lymphatics, and lacteals — a thousand instances «f
Divine wisdom and beneficence would crowd upon our
view, which could noj fail to excite the pious and contem*
plative mind to join in the devotions of the " sweet singer
of Israel," " I will praise thee ; for I am fearfully and won
derfully made ; marvellous are thy works, and that my soul
knoweth right well." — But as I intended to present only a
few specimens ofthe Wisdom of God, as displayed in the
construction of the material world, I shall conclude this
department of my subject with a single reflection.* n-.
How foolish and ungrateful is it for rational beings tu
overlook the wise and benevolent arrangements of the Credit
tor, in the material universe ! How many thousands of hu
man beings pass their existence without once reflecting on
the numerous evidences of divine Wisdom and Benefi
cence, which appear around them, or feeling the least sp A,
of gratitude for their preservation and comforts, to that
Being " in whose hand their breath is, and whose are all
their ways !" Yea, how many are there who consider
themselves as standing high in the ranks of the Chrisffo
profession, who effect to look down, with a certain degHI
of contempt, on the study of the material works of Godf
as if it were too gross a subject for their spiritual attain
ments ! They profess to trace the wisdom of God in -the
Scriptures, and to feel gratitude for his pardoning mercy;
but they seldom feel that gratitude which they ought to do
for those admirable arrangements in their own bodies,^
the elements around them, by which their lives are preser
ved, and their happiness promoted ; and, even seem to in
sinuate, that they have little or nothing to do with the con
trivances of the God of Nature. They leave- it to the ge
nius of infidel philosophers to trace the articulations of the
bones, the branchings of the veins and arteries, the pro
perties of light, and the composition ofthe atmosphere,
* Those who wish to prosecute this subject, particularly that part
of it which relates to the contrivances of Divine Wisdom, which
appear in the animal system, will find ample gratification in Nieu-
wentyt's " Religious Philosopher," Vol. I. and Dr. Paley's " Natural
Theology." A variety of useful remarks on this subject will also be
found in Ray's " Wisdom of God in the Creation," Derham's "Phy-j
sico-Theology," and Bonnet's " Contemplation of Nature."

MORAL REFLECTIONS. 121
while they profess to feast their minds on more sublime
and spiritual entertainments. But, surely, such astonish
ing displays of the wisdom and benignity of the Most
High, as creation exhibits, were never intended to be treat
ed by his intelligent offspring with apathy or indifference ;
and to do so, must indicate a certain degree of base in-
gjatitude towards Him whose incessant energy sustains the
whole assemblage of sentient and intelligent beings, and
who displays himself, in their construction and preserva
tion, to be " wonderful in counsel,^ and excellent in work
ing." Shall we imagine, that, because God stands in the
gracious relation of our Redeemer, he has ceased to stand
in the relation of our Creator and Preserver ? Or shall
we consider those subjects as unworthy of our attention,
which are the theme of the praises of the heavenly host ?
—Rev. iv. 11. Can we suppose that the Almighty dis
played his infinite wisdom in the curious organization of
tbe human eye, that man — the only being in this world
who is endowed with faculties capable of appreciating its
sjjjructure, and for whose use and entertainment it was in
tended — should overlook such a wonderful piece of Divine
workmanship, and feel no gratitude for the bestowment of
so admirable a gift ? Shall we extol the ingenuity display
ed in a clock or a watch, in a chess-player, or steam en
gine, and shall we feel no sentiment of admiration at the
view of millions of instances of Divine mechanism, whieh
infinitely transcend the powers of the human understand
ing ? To act in this manner, as too many are disposed to
do, is unworthy of man, both as a Christian and as an in
telligent agent. Such was not the conduct of the inspired
writers; their spirituality of views did not lead them to
neglect the contemplation of any of the works of God.
"I will meditate on all thy works," says the Psalmist,
" and talk of all thy doings ; I will utter abundantly the
memory of thy great goodness, and speak of all thy won
drous works." Accordingly, we find, that the wonders of
the human frame, the economy of the animal and the ve
getable tribes, the scenery of the "dry land," and of the
"mighty deep," and the glories of the heavens, were the
frequent subjects of their devoutcontemplation. They con
sidered them in relation to the unceasing agency of God,

122 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
by whom they were formed and arranged, and as declaring
his Wisdom," Goodness, and Omnipotence ; and, with this
view, ought all the scenes ofthe visible creation to be in
vestigated by his intelligent creatures. wy
We have reason to .believe, that it is owing, in par^to
want of attention to the Divine wisdom and beneficerSe,
as exhibited in the construction of the visible world, that
many professed Christians entertain so vague and confu
sed ide'as respecting the wisdom and goodness of Deity^Ai
displayed in the economy of Redemption. The terms,
Wisdom, Goodness, and Beneficence, in their mouths, be
come words almost without meaning, to which no precise
or definite ideas are attached ; because they have never
considered the instances and the evidences of these attri
butes, as displayed in the material creation. And, if our
minds have not been impressed with a sense of the wisdoM
and beneficence of God, in those objects which are pre!
sented to the external senses, we cannot be supposedjjo
have luminous and distinct ideas1 of those spiritual objects
and' arrangements which are removed beyond the sphere
of our corporeal organs. For all our ideas, in relation to
Religion and its objects, are primarily derived from the>in-*
timations we receive of external objects, through the me
dium of our senses ; and, consequently, the more cleariyl
we perceive the agency of God, in his visible operations!
the more shall we be qualified. to perceive the wisdom andi'
harmony of his dispensations, as recorded in the volume,tbf
inspiration. f
We live in a world, all the arrangements of which are
the effects of infinite wisdom. We are surrounded with
wonders on every hand ; and, therefore, we cease to ad
mire, or to fix our attention on any one of the wonders
daily performed by God. We have never been accustom
ed to contemplate, or to inhabit a world where benevoleHjji
and wisdom are not displayed ; and, therefore, We are sp
to imagine, that the circumstances of our terrestrialexist^
ence could not have been much otherwise than they ac
tually are. We behold the sun in the morning, ascending
from the east— a thousand shining globes are seen in th6
canopy of the sky, when he has disappeared in the west
We open our eye-lids, and the myriads of objeets whicli

MORAL REFLECTIONS. 123
compose an extensive landscape, are, in a moment, paint
ed on our retina, — we wish to move our bodies, and, iu
an instant, the joints and muscles of our hands and feet
perform their several functions. We spread out our wet
clothes to dry, and in a few hours the moisture is evapo
rated. We behold the fields drenched, with rain, and in a
fe#'8ays it disappears, and is dispersed through the sur
rounding atmosphere, to be again embodied into clouds.
These are all common operations, and, therefore, thought
less and ungrateful man seldom considers the obligations
he is under to the Author of his existence, for the numer
ous enjoyments which flow from these wise arrangements.
But, were the globe we inhabit, and all its appendages, to
remain in their present state— and were only the principle
of evaporation and the refractive and reflective properties
of the air to be destroyed — we' should soon feel, by the
universal gloom which would ensue, and by a thousand
other inconveniences we should suffer, what a miserable
world was allotted for our abode. We should most sensi
bly perceive the wisdom and goodness we had formerly
overlooked, and would most ardently implore the restora
tion of those arrangements for which we were never suffi
ciently grateful. And why should we not now — while we
enjoy so many comforts flowing fro"! fhe plans of Infinite
Wisdom — have our attention ij directed to the benevolent
contrivances within us, and around us, in order that grate
ful emotions may be hourly arising in our hearts, to the
Father of our spirits ? For the essence of true religion
consists chiefly in gratitude to the God of our life, and the
Author of our salvation ; and every pleasing sensation we
feel from the harmonies and the beauties of nature, ought
to inspire us with this sacred emotion. '' Hearken unto
this, 0 man .' stand still, and consider the wonderful works
'of God. Contemplate the balancings of the clouds, the
wondrous works of Him who is perfect in knowledge."
u He hath made the earth by his power, he hath establish
ed the world by his wisdom. When he uttereth his voice,
there is a noise of waters in the heavens ; he causeth the
vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth, and bringeth
the winds out of his treasures." While it is shameful for
man to be inattentive to the wonders which surround him,
11

124, THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
T^hat&an be more pleasing and congenial to a rational, and
""ayout^rnind, than . contemplations on the works of the
fpst fiigh ? "What can be more gratifying," says Sturm,
Ctban to contemplate, in the heavens, in the earth, in, the
Vater, in the night and day, and, indeed, throvjghoujj^all
nature, the proofs which they afford of the wisdom;. the
purity, and the goodness of our great Creator and Preseij
ver ! What can be* more delightful than to recognizeUn
the whole creation, in alj the natural world, in every thjfi
we see, traces of. the ever-working providence, and tefc
d§ r rnercy of the great Father of all ! "

Section 4.
On the -Goodness,, or Benevolence ofthe DEifr.
The Benevolence of God is that perfection of hisna*
ture, by which, he communicates happiness to the variousf
ranks of sensitive and intelligent existence.
The system of Nature, in all its parts, exhibits: an un-
bounded display of this attribute ofthe Divine Mind,<6of]
in relation toman, and Wjation to the subordinate t#
of; animated existence. In relation to Man-^- the magnl
cence and glory ofthe heiwens— the variegated color!
wOuchjs spread over the scene of nature— tbe beau#,
rlftwers, shnibs^and trees, with which the earth is adoitaed,
which nqt only delight the eye, but perfume the air with
their dehcious odorsr-the various kinds of agreeable sounds
ttet cba^m.the ear^-the musicof the feathered songsters,
wtach fill the groves with their melody— the thousand*"
of. pleasant images, which delight the eye, in the nst-
j mJb?lhi*ments of creation— the agreeablfelfeelings
produced by the contact of almost everything wefetfji
casion to touch— the pleasure attached tolatin»dr»-
fcing, muscular motion, and activity— the luxuria* Wfu-
ipn, and neh variety of aliments which, the eartbllfarlL-
XL A ^ereta"8e" ^thought and affe4«bn^aii> pro-
thTilT ^volence of our Almigky.Maker, and shW
taat.the communication of happiness iaone grand, objeefe:

BENEVOLENCE OF THE DElTy. 125
of all his arrangments. For, these circumstances are not
essentially requisite to our existence. We might -have
lived, and breathed,' and walked, though every thing we
touched had produced pain ; .though every thing we ate
and drank had been bitter; though every movement' -of
our hands and feet had been accompanied with uneasiness
and fatigue ; though every sound hadbeen as harsh as tire
saw ofthe carpenter; though no birds had warbled in th'e
groves ; though no flowers had decked the fields, or filled
tiie air with their perfumes ; 4$ough one unvaried scene of
dull uniformity had prevailed, and beauty and sublimity
had been swept from the face of nature ; though the earth
had been covered with a mantle of black, and no radiant
orbs had appeared in our nocturnal sky. But what a mi
serable world should we then have inhabited, compared
with that which we now possess ! Life "would have passed
Away without enjoyment; and pain would have overba
lanced the pleasure of existence. Wheteas, in the existing
constitution of things, all the Objects around us, and every
sense of which we are possessed, when preserved in its
natural vigor, have a direct tehdeiriSy- to_ produce pleasing
sensations, and to contribute to our enjoyment: and it is
chiefly when we indulge in foolish and depraved passions,
and commit immoral actions, that the benevolent intentions
of the Deity are frustrated, and pain and misery produced.
If we consider, farther, that the inexhaustible bounty of
the Creator, and the numerous pleasures we enjoy, are Tie-
stowed upon a guilty race of men, the benevolence of the
Deity will appear in a still mote striking point of view.
Man has dared to rebel against his Maker ; he is a depraved
and ungrateful ereature. The great majority . of our race
have banished God from their thoughts, trampled upon his
laws, neglected tp contemplate his works, refused^to pay
him that tribute of reverence and adoration which his per
fections demand, have been ungrateful for'his favors, "have
blasphemed his name, and have transferred tb " four-footed
beasts, and creeping things," that, homage which is due to
him alone. It has been the chief part of their employ
ment, in all ages, to counteract the effects of his Behefi-
/«ence, hy inflicting injustice, oppression, Wld torture, upon
•each other ; by maiming the human ¦^ftme, burning citiek

126 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
and villages, turning fruitful, fields into a wildernesg.,]»iid,
by every other act of violence, carrying death and destruc
tion "tii'rough the '; world. And, if water, air, and the light
ofVeaven, had been placed .within the limits of their con
trol, it is more than probable, that whole nations would
have been occasionally deprived of these elementSjiso es-
sentiakto human existence. .Yet, notwithstanding the
prevalence of such W&p" raved dispositions, the streams of
Divine benevolence towards our apostate race, have never
yet been interrupted. Theiearth has never stopped in its
career, and thrown nature into a scene of confusion ; tin
light of heaven has never ceased to illume the world ; the'
springs of water have never been dried up, nor has the fer
tile soil ceased to enrich the plains with , golden harvests.
God "hath not left himself without a witness." to his bene
ficence, in any age, in tiiat he hath unceasingly bestowed
on the inhabitants ofthe world, " rain from heaven, and fn'
fuLseasons, filling their hearts with food and gladness." Ti
is one of the characters' of Deity which forms the most pel
feet contrast to the selfish and*ev.engeiul dispositions o:
man, which as farjxttnaeeads human benevolence, as the
heavens in extent surpass the earth — a character calculated
to excite our highest love and admiration, and which weare
called upon, in the Sacred Oracles, to imitate and revpB}
"Be ye mercifol, as your Father who is in heaven is mei>
ciful : for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on th(
good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjus^
" 0 that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, an
for his wonderful worksto the children ofmen." '
From such considerations, we learn, even from the sys
tem of nature, that mercy is an attribute ofthe Deity; fox,
if mercy consists in bestowing favors on those who are un
worthy, or who merit punishment, the greatest sinnersin
all ages have shared in it, and every individual of thi
man race, now existing, enjoys a certain portion j
comforts which flow from the benevolent arranj
which the Creator has established. " He maketh
to rise on the evil and on the good." Though the lotions
jn anient times, as well as at present, " walked in their
own ways," indulging in impiety, falsehood, lewdness, war,
devastations, revenge, abominable idolatries, and every

BENEVOLENCE OF THE DEITY. 127
other violation of his law, he still supported the functions
of their animal frames, ,and Caused the influences of the
sun, the rains, and the dews/ to descend upon their fields,
that they might be refreshed with his bounty, and filled
"with food and gladness." If mercy were not an essen
tial attribute of the Deity, he would, haye cut them down' in
the midst of their first transgressions, shattered to pieces
the globe on which they dwelt, andlbjiried them in eternal
oblivion. But whether Diviue mercy will extend to the
final forgiveness of sin, and the communication of eternal
happiness to such beings, can be learned only from the dis
coveries of revelation.
In relation to the inferior animals — the immense multi
tude of living creatures with, which the earth is replenished,
is a striking evidence ofthe vast profusion^ of Divine Bene
ficence. More than a hundred thousand species o4anima-
ted beings are dispersed through the different regions of the
air, the water, and the earth, besides myriads which are in
visible to the unassisted eye. To estimate the number of
individuals belonging to any one species' is beyond the
power of man. What countless myriads of herrings, for
example, are contained in a single shoal, which is frequent
ly more than six miles long, and three miles broad ! To
estimate the number of individuals in all the different spe
cies would, therefore, be as impossible as to count the
grains of sand in the Arabian deserts. There is not a
single spot, in any region of the globe, but what teems with
animated beings. Yet, all this vast assemblage of sensi
tive existence is amply provided for by the bountiful Crea
tor. " These all wait upon him, "and he giveth them their
meat in due season." They enjoy not only life, but also a
happy existence. The sportive motions, and gesticulations.
of all the animal tribes — the birds skimming through the
air, warbling in the groves, and perching on the trees — the
beasts of the field, bounding in the forests, and through tie
lawns— the fishes sporting in the waters — the reptiles
wriggling in the dust, and the winged insects, by ati^nsand
•Wanton mazes — all declare that they are rejoicing in their
existence, and in the exercise of those powers with which
the Creator has furnished them. So that wherever we
turn our eyes, we evidently perceive, that "the earth is full
11* '

i-28 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
of the goodness of the Lord," and that "his tender met*
cies are over all his works." • . ,. fsy«
This subject is boundless — but it would be inconsisJrf|
with the limited plan of this-work, to enter into any par
ticular details. And it is the less necessary, when we con-;
sider, that every instance of Divine Wisdom is, at the same
.time, an instance ¦ of benevolence ; for it is the ultimatSob-
ject of all the wise contrivances in the system of Nature,
that happiness maybe 'communicated to the various ranks
of sensitive and intelligent- existence. Goodness chooses
the end, and wisdom selectsjjsthe most proper means forks
accomplishment ; so that these two attributes muft
always be considered in simultaneous operation. And,
therefore, the instances I. have already specified, of the
Wisdom and Intelligence of the Creator, may also hjsfcpn-
sidered, as exemplifications of Divine Benevolence".'-r,i
shall therefore conclude this topic with the followmgexr
tract from Dr. Paley : — ,
" Contrivance proves design; and the prominent /ten
dency of the' contrivance, indicates the disposition of . the
designer.' The world abounds with contrivances ; and all
the contrivances we are acquainted with, are directed to
beneficial purposes. : , Evil, no doubt, exists ; but k is
never, that we can perceive, the object of contrivamee,
Teeth are contrived to eat; not to ache; their aching now
and then, is incidental to the contrivance, perhaps insefaJ
.rable from it : or even, if you will, let it be ealied a defalf
in the contrivance, but it is not the object of it. This iji
distinction which well deserves to be attended to. Iu,d&-
^scribing implements of husbandry, you would hardly savlrf
a sickle, that it is made to cut the reaper's, fingers, thwafe
from the construction of the instrument, and thfr manner
of using h\ this mischief often happens. Bnt if yon had
^occasion to describe instruments of torture or executi«M
*is, you would say, is to extend the sinews ; this tojdisltf-
eats, the joints ;. this to break the bones ; this to sco^pfce
soles\f the feet. Here pain and miseKy are the very ofr-
iects ot \he contrivance. Jft»w, nothing of this, sertfe to
be found ^ the works of nafpre. We never diiffovei a
team of contrivance to bring aTmut an evil pwpSm No
anatomist ever discovered, a, spteia of organisation! calou-

BENEVOLENCE OF THE DEITY. 129
lated to produce pain and disease ; or, in explaining the
parts ofthe human body, ever said, this is to irritate ; this
to inflame ; this duct is to convey the gravel to the kid
neys ; this gland to secrete the humor which forms the
gout. If, by chance, he come at a part of which he knows
not the use, the most he can say is, that it is useless ; no
one ever suspects that it is put there to incommode, to an
noy, or torment. Since, then, God hath called forth his
consummate wisdom to contrive and 'provide for our hap
piness, and the world appears to have been constituted with
this design at first, so long as this constitution is upheld by
him, we must, in reason, suppose the same design to con
tinue." — Paley's Moral Philosophy, Book II. Chap. 5. -
Thus, I have endeavored, in this and the preceding sec-
tionhto exhibit a few specimens of the Wisdom and Good
ness of God, in the system of nature. These might have
been multiplied to an indefinite extent, but the instances
adduced, I presume, are sufficient to show, that the eco
nomy of the material world is not altogether a barren sub
ject, to a pious and contemplative mind. Every intelli
gent believer in Revelation, will readily admit, that it
would be a highly, desirable* object, to induce upen the
mass of Christians' such a habit of devout attention to the
visible works of creation, as would lead them, in their so
cial and solitary walks, to recognize the agency of God,
in' every object they behold ; to raise their thoughts to Him
as the Great First Cause, and to expand their hearts with
emotions of gratitude. How very different must be the
sentiments and the piety of the man who looks on the
scene of wisdom and magnificence around him, with a
'," brute unconscious gaze," as thousands of professed
Christians do — and the grateful and pious emotions of him
who recognizes the benevolent agency of God, in the mo
tions of his fingers, and his eye-balls ;> in the pulsation of
his heart ; in the picture of external objects, every moment
formed on his retina ; in the reflection ofthe rays of light,
and the diversified "colors they produce ; in the drying of
his clothes ;. in the constitution ofthe atmosphere ; in the
beauty and magnificence of the earth and the heavens ;
and in every other object that meets his eye, in the ex
panse of nature ! The numberless astonishing instances

130 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
of Divine agency, which every where present themselvjj
to our View in the scene around us, seem evidently intend
ed to arrest the mind to a consideration of an " ever-pres*
ent Deity;" and I envy not the sentiments or the feelings
of that man who imagines, that he stands in no need of such
sensible mediums,, to impress his mind with a senselof the
benevolent care and omnipresence of God. 3

CHAPTER II.
CONTAINING A CURSORY VIEW OF SOME OF
THE SCIENCES WHICH ARE RELATED TO
RELIGION AND CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY.

Theoiogy has generally been viewed as a study of a very
limited range : and hence, when it has been admitted into
the circle of the sciences, a much smaller space has been
allotted for its discussion, than has been devoted to almost
any other department of human knowledge. When con
sidered, however, in its most extensive sense — in its rela
tions to the Divine Being — to his past and present dispen
sations towards the human race — to the present circum
stances, and the future destiny of man— and to the physical
and moral condition of all the sentient and intelligent
beings of which we have any intimation— It ought to be
. viewed as the- most varied and comprehensive of all the
,_ sciences ; as embracing, -withm its extensive grasp, all the
other departments of useful knowledge, both human and
divine. As it has God for its object, it must include a
knowledge ofthe universe he has formed — of the move
ments which are continually going on throughout the wide
extent of his empire, in so far as they lie open to our in
spection— of_the attributes which appear to be displayed
in all his "opera tions — ofthe moral laws he has framed for
the ^regulation of holy intelligences — of 4he merciful ar
rangements he has made for the restoration of fallen man
-j-of the plans by which the knowledge, of his will is to be
circulated and extended in the world far which we live — of
the means by which truth,, and moral purity, and order, are
to be promoted among our^postate race, in order to their
restoration to the happiness they have lost — together with
all those diversified ramifications of knowledge, which
have either a more remote, or a more immediate bearing

132 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
on the grand objects now specified. Like the lines whh&<
proceed from the circumferencf to Hhe centre of an im?
inense circle— all the moral* arts and sciences which ha#
been invented by men — every -department of human^kuow-
ledge, however far it may, at first sight, appear to beire-
moved from religion — may be coasidered as havingjg di
rect bearing on Theology, as the grand central poif
as having a certain tendency to promote its importa
jects. ^
It is much to be regretted, that Theolf^y has so i
been contemplated in this point of view — and that the sci
ences have been considered rather as so many independe||
branches of secular knowledge, than as subservient to tl*
elucidation of the facts and doctrines of religion, andjtothe
accomplishment of its benevolent -designs. Hence, it hits
happened that Philosophy and Religion, instead of mtf"'
ing hand in hand to the portals of immortality,.have freqj'
ly set themselves in hostile'array ; and combats-have en
equally injurious to tiie interests of both parties. Thf
losopher has occasipi«lly been disposed to investig ""
economy of nature, 'wMiout a reference to the attrib
that AlmightyjBerng who presides over its move*
as if the universe were a self-moving and independents!!
enine ; arid has, not unfrequently taken occasion, HErod
certain obscure alid insulated facts,-to throw out insitttt'
tions hostile^ to the truth and the character of the ChrisT
Revelation, tj. The Theologian, on the other hand,
heat o'f his^imemperate zeal against; the infidel philoso
has; Unguardedly, been led" to declaim against the stu1
science, as if it were unfriendly to -religion — 4ias, in efi
set the works of God in opposition to his w&rJfe^i^|rcon-
founded the fooMsh theories of speculative minrfs witljtlie
rational study ofthe works of Deity — and has thus pttm^ea
the mass of mankind from expanding their minds, by the
contemplation of the beauties and subjfeities of nature.
It is now high time that a comple|||freconciliatitm were 3

* The epithet moral is here useditn its applicjgan to artjji, because
there are certain arts which must be considered a£ "Having *&n immws!"
tendency, such as, the art of war, trie art of boxing, of gambling, fcc fte.
andwhteh, therefore, cannot have a direct tendency to proStote the^lJ-
ject%njfieljgioBt ^ *" . .".

INTRODUCTION TO THE SCIENCES. 183
effected between these contendift|^arties. Religion ought
nevfer to disdain to derive her "supports and illustrations
from the researches of science ; for the investigations of
philosophy into the economy of Nature, from whatever
natives fthey may be undertaken, are nothing else than an
inquiry into the plans and operations of the Eternal Mind.
And Philosophy ought always to consider it as her highest
honor, to walk as an handmaid in the train of that religion j
whicn points out the path^to the regions of eternal bliss.
By their mutua#aid, and the subserviency of the one to the
other, the moral and intellectual improvement of man will
•be promoted, and the benevolent purposes of God, in the
kingdom of providence, gradually accomplished. But, when
set ffifopposition to each other, the human mind is bewil
dered and retarded in its. progress, and the Deity is apt to
be considered as set in opposition to himself — as proclaim
ing one system of doctrines from the economy of revela-,
tion;; and another, and an opposite system from the econo
my of nature. But -if the. Christian Revelation, and the
system of the. material world derived their origin from the
same Almighty Being, the most complete harmony must
subsist between the fevelations they respectively unfold ;
and the apparent inconsistencies which occur, must be
owing chiefly to the circumstances of our present station in
'the universe, and to the obscure and limited views we are
: obliged to take of some of the grand and diversified objects''
they embrace. And, therefore, we have reason to believe7
that, when the system of nature shall be more extensively ex
plored, and-the leading objects of revelation contemplated
in a cleargr,Mg^%f ithout being tinged with the false color
ing of party opinions, and contracted views, and when
rational inquirers shall - conduct their researches with a
greater degree of " reverence, humility, and Christian
temper — the beauty and harnrony of all the plans and reve
lations ofthe Deity, in reference both to the physical and
the moral world, will be more distinctly perceived and ap
preciated. "' '' ¦''¦¦*
'f\In the following cursory sketch^ it forms no part of my
plan to trace even an outline of the different sciences which
ate connected with religion, much less to enter into any
particular details,. in relation to their facts and principles.

134 THE CHRISTIAN -PHILOSOPHER. '¦*¦ ':
It would be comparativfly easy tp €11 up the remaining
sheets of this volume with skeleton! of the different s(£
ences ; but such meagrei details as behooved to be brouglj
forward, could not be interesting to the general reader,
and would fail in accomplishing the object proposed. : My
design simply is, to select some leading facts, or general
truths, in relation to some of the physical sciencesMjr the
purpose of showing their connection with the objjX of
religion, and the interestsjiof rational piety. At the same .
time, such definite descriptions will be giv^ri' as will enables]
common readers to appreciate the objects and hearings of*j
the different branches of knowledge which may be prejj
Rented to their view.
; jf The first science? I shall notice is, that of
NATURAL HISTOEV.
This science, taken in its most comprehensive sease,
includes a knowledge and description of all the known facts ,.
in the material universe.
It is to be regretted, that most bookjypublisked under the ,
title of Natural History, to which common readers hsifc^
access, contain nothing more than a general description of •;
animals, as if this science were confined merely to onej'"
class of beings ; whereas there is an infinite varietywpf others
objects seldom noticed, which would appearino less intr
resting, and; in some instances, much more novel and gra
lying to the-g^eral reader, and to the youthful mind.
the diversified forms, of matter-jjjhether existing onl
surface or in the bowels of the earth, in, the ocean, tlfH
atmosphere, or in the heaven's, form the legitimate., objects!)
of this department of the science of nature.
Were we, therefore, to sketch a comprehensive outlne
of the subjects of ; Natural History, we might, in the first

¦ * The term science, iri its most general and extensive sense, signifies
hwmledge, particularly that species of knowledge which is acquirejtyby S
the exertion ofthe human faculties. In a more Restricted sense, it lie- m
notes, a«/ste»u*it:speciesofknbwledge, which consists of rule and or- J
der, such as Mathematics,.Astronomy, Natural JSiloeophy, «$-c— In the!
discussions contained in this work, it is used in its' most geneial sense, *
as denoting the, various departments of human knowledge, in whiclS*!
sense, history, both natural, civil, andsacred, may be firmed science. f

NATURAL HISTORY. 135
irtace; lake a cursoryfeurvey of the globe we inhabit, in re
ference to its magnitude, figure, motions, and general ar
rangements — the form, relations, and extent of its conti
nents — the numerous islands which diversify the surface of
the ocean — the magnitude, the direction, and the extent of
its rivers, and the quantity oi water they pour into the
ocean — the direction, elevation, and extent of the different
ranges of mountains^ which rise from its surface— the
nlains, morasses, lakes, forests,_ dells, and. sandy deserts,
jfvhich diversify its aspect — the? extent, the motions, the
cdlor, and the different aspects of the ocean, and the facts
'which have been ascertained respecting its saltness, its
depth, its bottom, and its different currents. We might.
next' take a more particular view of some of the most re
markable objects on its surface, and give a. detail of the
facts which are known respecting the history of volcanoes
— rtheir number — the countries in which they are situated
— the awful phenomena they exhibit — and the devastations
they have produced : the history of earthquakes, their phe
nomena and effects, and the countries most subject
to their ravages — basaltic and rocky wonders, natural
bridges, precipices, cataracts, ice island-s, icebergs, glaciers,
whirlpools, mineral wells, reciprocating fountains, boiling
-springs, sulphuric mountains, bituminous lakes, volcanic
islands — the various aspects of nature in the different zones,
and the contrasts presented between the verdant scenes of
tropical climes, and the icy cliffs ofthe polar regions. We
would next take a survey of the subterraneous wonderg
which lie beneath the surface of the earth — the immense
chasms and caverns which wind in various directions
among the^nterior strata of our globe — such as the Great
Kentucky cavern, and the grotto of Antiparos — the mines
of salt, coal, copper, lead, diamond, iron, quicksilver, tin,
gold and silver— tbe substances which compose the various
strata, the fossil bones, shells, and petrifactions which are
embedded in the different layers, and the bendings and dis
ruptions which appear to have taken place in the substari-
[Ces which compose the exterior crust of the earth. We
fmight next survey^ Hhe atmosphere with which the earth is
environed, and give a detail of the facts which have been
ascertained respecting its specific gravity and pressure, the
12

136 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
elementary principles of which it is Compounded, itsJiS
fractive and reflective powers, and the ' phenomena, whicfi
result from its various properties and modifications — the\
meteors which appear in its different regions— thunder and
lightning, winds, hail, rain, clouds, rainbows; parhelias
or mock-suns, meteoric stones, the aurora borealis^lumi-
nous arches, ignes fatui, the mirage, the fata morgana, hur
ricanes, monsoons, whirlwinds and waterspouts, sounds and
echoes. In prosecuting'oursurveybf sublunary nature, we would?
next advert to the various orders of the vegetable tribes^.
their anatomical structure — the circulation of their juices:—
the food by which they are nourished — the, influence of
light and air on their growth and motions — their male and
female organs — their periods of longevity— their modes ofj
propagation — their diseases and dissolution — their orders^
genera, and species— their immense variety— their influ
ence on the salubrity of the atmosphere — the relation
which their roots, leaves, and fruits, bear to the wants of
man and other animals, in supplying food, clothing- and
materials for constructing habitations; — the gums and resin
ous substa nees they exude — the odors they, exhale — the
variety of colors they exhibit — the vast diversity of forms
in which they appear — and the beauty and variety which
they spread over the whole face of nature.
The mineral kingdom would next require to be survey^
We would inquire into the facts which have been asCj
tained respecting the earthy, saline, inflammable, and i
tallic substances which are found on the surface and in 1
bowels of the earth — their specific and distinguishing cha
racters — the elementary principles, or simple substances,
of which they are composed— the regions of the earth
where the respective minerals most frequently abound—
and the ends which they are designed to accomplish in the
constitution of the globe. We would consider, more par
ticularly, the various metals, such as iron, copper, leadV
tin, gold, silver, bismuth, zinc, &c. in reference to the
substances with which they are united in their native ores,
-r-the changes produced upon them by the action of oxy-.
gen and the different acids — their combustibility-^their
combination with phosphorus, sulphur, and carbon; the.

NATURAL HISTORY. w
** various compounds into which they may be formed — theit
important uses in the arts which minister to the comfort
and embellishment of human life — their relation to the
multifarious necessities of man — and the wisdom and good
ness of the Creator, as displayed in their arrangement in
the bowels ofthe earth, and in the admirable properties of
which they are possessed. In these details, the natural
history of Iron would hold a promiuent place. In point of
utility, it claims the highest rank in the class of metals, and
is intrinsically more valuable than gold and silver, and
all the diamonds of the East. There is scarcely a mineral
substance in the whole compass of nature, which affords a
more striking instance of the beneficial and harmonious
adaptation of things in the universal system. We would,
therefore, consider it in reference to its vast abundance
in all parts of the world — the numerous substances info
which it enters into combination — its magnetical property
—its capability of being fused and welded — the numerous
useful utensils it has been the means of producing— its
agency in carrying forward improvements in art and set'
ence, in the civilization of barbarous tribes, and in pro
moting the progress of the human mind; and the aids
which it affords to the Christian missionary in heathen
lands. Having surveyed the inanimate parts ef the terraqueous
globe, and its appendages, we might next direct our atten
tion to the animated tribes with which it is peopled. Be
ginning at Man, the head of the animal creation, we would
detail the principal facts which have been ascertained re
specting his structure and organical functions — the muscu
lar movements of the human body, the system of boners,
nerves, veins and arteries ; the process of respiration ;
and the organs of vision, hearing, smelling, tasting, and
Reeling;, by which he holds a correspondence with the ma
terial world — the modifications which appear in his corpo
real frame, and in his mental faculties, during the periods
of infancy, puberty; manhood, and old age — the causes
and phenomena of sleep and dreaming-— the varieties of the
human race, in respect of color, stature, and features —
the deviations from the ordinary course of nature, which
occasionally occur, in the case of monsters, dwarfs, and

138 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
giants-^^tiie moral and intellectual faculties — and those
distinguishing characteristics which prove the superiorit| .-.
of man over the other tribes of animated nature.
The inferior ranks of the animal creation would next de
mand our attention. We would take a survey of the nu
merous tribes of Quadrupeds, Birds, Fishes, Serpents,
Lizards, and Insects, in reference to the characteristic
marks by which the different species are distinguished, —
their food, and habitations — the different modes in which
they display their architective faculty, in constructing pla
ces of abode for shelter and protection^ — the clothing with
which they are furnished — their sagacity in finding out the
proper means for subsistence and self-preservation — their
hostilities — their artifices in catching their prey, and escap
ing their enemies — their modes of propagation — their
transformations from one state and form to another — theia
migrations to different countries and climates — their vari
ous instincts — their care in rearing and protecting theirj
young — their passions, mental characters, and social dispo
sitions — their language, or modes of communication with
each other — their capacities for instruction and im
provement — their different powers of loco-motion — the
adaptation of all their organs to the purposes for which
they seem intended — the indications they give of being
possessed of moral dispositions and rational powers — their
different periods of longevity, and the ends which they S|_
intended to subserve in the system of nature. Along wftf
these details, certain views might be exhibited of the
various forms of sensitive life, and modes of existence,
which obtain in those numerous species of animals which
are invisible to the naked eye, and which the microscope
discovers in almost every department of nature.
Having surveyed the objects which compose our sublunary
system, we would next direct our view to the regions of the
sky, and contemplate the facts which have been discovered
in relation to the celestial orbs. We would first attend to
the apparent motion of the sun, the different points of the.
horizon at which he seems to rise and set, and the different
degrees of elevation to which he arrives, at different sea-
sens of the year, — the different aspects he presents as
viewed from different parts of the earth's surface, and the,

NATURAL HISTORY. 139
different lengths of days and nights, in different parts of the
world. We would next attend to the varied phases of the
moon — the direct and retrograde motions of the planets — •
the apparent diurnal motion of the whole celestial sphere,
from east to west — and the different clusters of stars which
are seen in our nocturnal sky, at different seasons of the
year. We would next consider the deductions which sci
ence has made, respecting the order and arrangement of
the planets which compose the solar system — their dis
tances from the sun, and from the earth — their magni
tudes — the periods of their diurnal and annual revolutions
— the secondary planets, or moons, which accompany them
— their eclipses — the various phenomena which their sur
faces present when viewed through telescopes — the physi
cal influence which some of them produce on the surface
of our globe — and the singular appearance of those bodies
' called Comets, which occasionally visit this part of our
sysieni. We would, in the next place, extend our views
to the starry regions, and consider the number of stars
which present themselves to the naked eye — the immensely
greater numbers which are discovered by telescopes — thei
systems into which they appear to be arranged — the facts
which have been ascertained respecting new stars — double
and treble stars — stars once visible, which have now dis
appeared from the heavens — variable stars, whose lustre is
increased and diminished at different periods of time — and
the structure and position of the many hundreds of Ne
bula, or starry systems, which appear to be .dispersed
throughout the immensity of creation.
All the particulars now stated, and many others which
might have been specified — considered simply as facts
which exist in the system of Nature — form the appropriate
and legitimate objects of Natural History, and demand the
serious attention of every rational intelligence, that wishes
to trace the perfections and agency of the Almighty Crea
tor. To investigate the causes of the diversified pheno
mena which the material world exhibits, and the princi
ples and modes by which many of the facts now alluded to
are ascertained, is the peculiar province of Natural Phi
losophy, Chemistry, and the Mathematical Sciences.
. Amidst so vast a variety of objects as Natural History
12*

140 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
presents, it is difficult to fix on any particular facts, as spe
cimens of the interesting nature of this department of
knowledge, without; going beyond the limits to which I am
necessarily confined in this volume. I shall content my
self with a description of two objects, which have a refer
ence chiefly to the vegetable kingdom. The first of these
is The Banian Tree. — " This tree, which is also called
the Burr tree, or the Indian Fig, is one of the most curious
and beautiful of Nature's productions, in the genial climate
of India, where she sports with the greatest variety and
profusion. Each tree is in itself a grove ; and some of
them are of an amazing size and extent, and, contrary to
most other animal and vegetable productions, seem to be
exempted from decay. Every branch from the main body,
throws out its own roots ; at first, in small tender fibres;
several yards from the ground ; these continually grow,
thicker, until, by a gradual descent, they reach the sur
face, and there, striking in, they increase to large trunks,
and .become parent trees, shooting out new branches from
the tops. These in time suspend their roots, and receiving
nourishment from the earth, swell into trunks, and shoot
forth other branches ; thus continuing in a state of pro
gression, so long as the earth, -the first parent of them all,
contributes her sustenance. A Banian tree, with many
trunks, forms the most beautiful walks, vistas, and cool iig.-
eesses, that can be imagined. The leaves are large, sa^
and of a lively green ; the fruit is a small fig, when ripe, of
a bright scarlet, affording sustenance to monkeys, squirrels,
peacocks, and birds of various kinds, which dwell among
the branches.
, :• u The Hindoos are peculiarly fond ofthe Banian tree ;
fhey consider its long duration, its outstretching arms, and
its overshadowing beneficence, as emblems of the Deity,
and almost pay it divine honors. The Brahmins, who
thus ' find a fane in every sacred grove,' spend much of
}feeir time in religions solitude, under the shade of the Ba
nian tree ; they plant it neariheir temples or pagodas ; and
in those villages where there is no structure erected far
public worship, they place an image under one of these
trees, and tkeje perform a Booming and evening sacrifice.

NATURAL HISTORY. 141
The natives of all castes and tribes are fond of recreating
in the cool recesses, beautiful walks, and lovely vistas of
this umbrageous canopy, impervious to the hottest beams
of a tropical sun. These are the trees under which a sect
of naked philosophers, called Gymnosophists, assembled
in Arrian's days, and this historian of Ancient Greece pre
sents a true picture of the modern Hindoos. ' In winter,'
he says, ' the Gymnosophists enjoy the benefit of the sun's
rays in the open air ; and in summer, when the heat be-
• comes excessive, they pass their time in cool and moist
places, under large trees, which, according to the accounts
of Nearchus, cover a circumference of five acres, and ex
tend their branches so far, that ten thousand men may easily
find shelter under them.'
" On the banks of the river Narbudda, in the province of
Guzzerat, is a Banian tree, supposed, by some persons,
to be the one described by Nearchus, and certainly not in
ferior to it. It is distinguished by the name of Cubbeet-
Burr, which was given it in honor of a famous saint. Higli
floods have, at various times, swept away a considerable
part of this extraordinary tree ; but what still remains, is
nearly two thousand feet in circumference measured round
the principal stems ; the overhanging branches, not yet
struck down, cover a much larger space ; aid under it
grow a number of custard-apple and other fruit trees.
The large trunks of this single tree amount to three hun
dred and fifty ; and the smaller ones exceed three thmtr-
sand ; every one of these is constantly sending forth bran?
ches and hanging roots, to form other trunks, and become
the parents of a future progeny. The Cubheer Burr
is famed throughout Hindostan, not only on account of
its great extent, but also of its surpassing beauty. The
Indian armies generally encamp around it ; and at stated
seasons, solemn Jatarras, or Hindoo festivals, to which
thousands of votaries repair, from every part of the Mogul
empire, are there celebrated. It is said that seven thou
sand persons find ample room to repose under its shade. It
has long been the custom of the British residents in India,
on their hunting and shooting parties, to form extensiveen-
«ampments, and spend weeks together, under this delightful
and magnificent.pavilliQB, which affords a shelter to all tray-

142 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
ellers, particularly to the religions tribes of the Hindoos.
It is generally filled with greenwood pigeons, doves, pea
cocks, and a variety of feathered songsters — with monkeys,
which both divert the spectator, by their antic tricks, and
interest him by the parental affection they display to their
young offspring, in teaching them to select their food, and
to exert themselves in jumping from bough to bough, — and
is shaded by bats of a large size, many of them measuring
upwards of six feet, from the extremity of one wing, to the
other. This tree affords not only shelter, but sustenance,
to all its inhabitants, being covered amid its bright foliage^
with small figs, of a rich scarlet, on which they all regale
with as much delight as the lords of creation on their
more costly fare, in their parties of pleasure." — See Ency
clopedia Britannica, Art. Ficus.
This tree, which is, doubtless, one of the most singulS8jj|
and magnificent objects in the vegetable kingdom, appeal*
to be a world in miniature, in which thousands both of hu-"
man beings, and of the inferior tribes that traverse the
earth and the air, maj* find ample accommodation and
subsistence. What a striking contrast does it present to
the forests of trees, or mushrooms, which are perceived by
the help of the microscope, in a piece of mouldiness —
every plant of which is several hundreds of times smaller
than the point of a fine needle ! Yet both are the effects
ofthe agency ofthe same All wise and Omnipotent Being.
And what an immense variety of gradations is to be founjk
in the vegetable world, between these two extremes—
every part ofthe vast interval being filled up with flowers,
herbs, shrubs, and trees, of every color, form, and size, and
in such vast multitudes and profusion, that no man can
number them !
An object, which approximates in a certain degree to
the one now described, is mentioned in " Staunton's Ac-
eount of Macartney's Embassy to China," p. 70. It is
ealled by Botanists, Adansonia, and is also known by
the name of the Monkey Bread Tree, and was discovered
in the island of St. Jago. " The circumference, or girth
ef the base, was 56 feet, which soon divided into two
•vast branches, the one in a perpendicular direction, whose
periphery, or girth, was 42 feet, the other 26. Another,

NATURAL HISTORY. 143
of the same species, stood near it, whose single trunk girth
ing only 38 feet, was scarcely noticed."
The only other specimen I shall exhibit to the reader,
has a relation both to the animal and to the vegetable king
dom. It is well known that the examination of flowers,
and vegetables of every description, by the microscope,
opens anew and interesting field of wonders to the inquh>
ing naturalist. Sir John Hill has given the following cu
rious account of what appeared on his examining a carna
tion : —
" The principal flower in an elegant bouquet was a car
nation : the fragrance of this led me to enjoy it frequently
and near. The sense of smelling was not the only one
affected on these occasions : while that was satiated with
the powerful sweet, the ear was constantly attacked by an
extremely soft, but agreeable murmuring sound. It was
easy to knoW, that some animal within the covert must be
the musician, and that the little noise must come from some
little creature, suited to produce it. I instantly distended
the lower part of the flower, and placing it in a full light,
could discover troops of little insects frisking, with wild
jollity, among the narrow pedestals that supported its
leaves, and the little threads that occupied its centre.
What a fragrant world for their habitation ! What a per
fect security from all annoyance, in the dusky husk that
surrounded the scene of action ! Adapting a microscope
to take in, at one view, the whole base of the flower, I
gave myself an opportunity of contemplating what they
were about, and this for many days together, without giving
them the least disturbance. Thus, I could discover their
economy, their passions, and their enjoyments. The mi
croscope, on this occasion, had given what nature seemed
to have denied to the objects of contemplation. The base
of the flower extended itself under its influence, to a vast
plain ; the slender stems of the leaves became trunks of
so many stately cedars ; the threads in the middle seemed
columns of massy structure, supporting at the top their
several ornaments ; and the narrow spaces between were
enlarged in walks, parterres, and terraces. On the polish
ed bottoms of these, brighter than Parian marble, walked
in pairs, alone, or in larger companies, the winged inhabit-

444 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
nnts : these, from little dusky flies, for such only the naked
eye would have shown them, were raised to glorious glifc
tering animals, stained with living purple, and with a
glossy gold, that would have made all the labours of the
loom contemptible in the comparison. — I could, af leisure,
as they walked together, admire their elegant limbs,' their
velvet shoulders, and their silken wings ; their backs vying
, with the empyrean in its blue ; and their eyes, each form
ed of a thousand others, out-glittering the little planes on a
brilliant; above description, and too great almost for adt
miration. I could observe them here singling out their fa
vorite females ; courting them with the music of their buzz
ing wings, with little songs, formed for their little organs,
leading them from walk to walk, among the perfumed
shades, and pointing out to their taste, the drop of liquid
nectar, just bursting from some vein within the living
trunk — here, were the perfumed groves, the more than'
mystic shades of the poet's fancy realized. Here the hap
py lovers spent their days in joyful dalliance, or in the
triumph of their little hearts, skipped after one another,
from stem to stem, among the painted trees, or winged
their short flight to the close shadow of some broader leaf,
to revel undisturbed in the heights of all felicity."
This picture of the splendor and felicity of insect.life,
may, to certain readers, appear somewhat overcharged.
But those who have been much in the habitof contem
plating the beauties of the animal and vegetable world,
through microscopes, can easily enter into all the vieWs'
which are here described. I have selected this example,
for the purpose of illustrating the unbounded goodness of
the Creator, in the vast profusion of enjoyment he has
communicated, even to the lowest tribes of animal ex
istence, and as a specimen of those invisible worlds which
exist beyond the range of our natural vision. For it ap
pears, that there is a gradation of worlds downwards, as
well as upwards. However small our globe may appear
when compared with the sun, and with the immensity of
Starry systems which lie dispersed through the infinity of
space, there are worlds filled with myriads of living beings;
which, in point of size and extent, bear as small a propor
tion to the earth, as the earth bears to the vast assem-

NATURAL HISTORY. US
Wage of the celestial worlds. A single flower, a Ieaf,5or
a drop of water, may appear as large, and as diversified ia
its structure, to some of the beings which inhabit it, as the
whole earth appears to the view of man ; and a thousand
scenes of magnificence and beauty may be presented to
their sight, of which no distinct conception can be formed
by the human mind. The many thousands of transparent
globes, of which their eyes are composed, may magnify
and multiply the objects around them without end, so thht
an object scarcely visible to the eye of man, may appear
to them as a vast extended universe.
" Having examined," says St Pierre, " one day, by a
microscope, the flowers of thyme, I distinguished in them,
with equal surprise and delight, superb flagons with a long
neck, of a substance resembling the amethyst, from the
gullets of which seemed to How ingots of liquid gold. I
have never made observations of the corolla, simply of the
smallest flower, without finding it composed of an admira
ble substance, half transparent, studded with brilliants,
and shining in the most lively colors. The beings which
live under a reflex thus enriched, must have ideas very di£*
fereiit from ours, of light, and of the other phenomena of
nature. A drop of dew, filtering in the capillary and
transparent tubes of a plant, presents to them thousands of
cascades ; the same drop fixed as a wave on the extremity
of one of its prickles, an ocean without a shore ; evaporated
into air, a vast aerial sea. — It is credible, then, from ana
logy, that there are animals feeding on the leaves of plants
like the cattle in our meadows, and on our mountains,
which repose under the shades of a down imperceptible to
the naked eye, and which, from goblets formed like so
many subs, quaff nectar ofthe color of gold and silver."
Thus it appears, that the universe extends to infinity on
either hand ; and that whenever matter exists, from the
ponderous globes of heaven down to the invisible atom,
there the Almighty Creator has prepared habitations for
ceuntless orders of existence, from the seraph to the ani-
malcula, in order to demonstrate his boundless beneficence,
and the infinite variety of modes by which he can diffuse
happiness through the universal system.

146 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
" How sweet to muse upon His skill displayed 1 ;
Iufinite skill ! in all that He has made ;
To trace in nature's most minute design, ,
The signature arid stamp of Power Divine ;
Contrivance exquisite, expressed with ease,
Where unassisted sight no beauty sees ;
The shapely limb and lubricated joint,
Within the small dimensions of a point ; ,
Muscle and nerve miraculously spun, *_'
His mighty work who speaks, and it is done. jt •: i'.\
Th' invisible in things scarce seen revealed ; 'pp j
To whom an atom is an ample field !" Cowfeb's Retiremejit.. ,
r
With regard to the religious pendency of the study of
Natural History, it may be remarked — that, as all the,
objects which it embraces are the workmanship of God — ¦
the delineations and descriptions of the Natural Historian,
must be considered as " The history of the operations(of
the Creator ;" or, in other words, so far as the science ex
tends, " The history of the Creator himself :" for the marks
of his incessant agency, his power, wisdom, and benefi
cence, are impressed on every object, however minute,
throughout the three kingdoms of nature, and throughout
every region of earth, air, and sky. As the Deity is invisi
ble to mortal eyes, and cannot be directly contemplate!! by
finite minds, without some material medium of communi
cation — there are but two mediums with which we are
acquainted, by which we can attain a knowledge of his
nature and perfections. These are,*either the facts which
"nave occurred in the course of his providential dispensa
tions towards .our race, since the commencement of time,
and the moral truths connected with them — or, the facts
which are displayed in the economy of nature*^ The first
class of facts is recorded in the Sacred History, and in the
Annals of Nations ; the second class is exhibited in the
diversified objects and motions which appear throughout
the system of the visible universe. The one may be termed
the Moral History, and the other, the Natural History of
the operations of the Creator. It is obviously incumbent
on every rational being, to contemplate the Creator through
both these mediums ; for each of them conveys its distinct
and peculiar revelations; and consequently, our perception
Of Deity through the one medium, does not supersede the

NATURAL HISTORY. 14T
necessity of our contemplating him through the other;
While, therefore, it is our duty to contemplate the perfec*
tions, the providence, and the agency of God, as displayed
in the Scripture-Revelation, it is also incumbent upon us,
to trace his attributes in the System of Nature, in order
that we may be enabled to contemplate the Eternal Je
hovah, in every variety ,of aspect, in which he has been
pleased to exhibit himself, in the universe he has formed.
The visible creation may be considered as a permanent
and sensible manifestation of Deity ; intended every mo
ment tb present to our view, the unceasing energies of Him
"in whom we live and move." And if the train of our
thoughts were directed in its proper channel, we would
perceive God in every object, and in every movement : we
would behold him operating in the whirlwind, and in the
storm ; in the subterraneous cavern, and in the depths of
the ocean ; in the gentle rain, and the refreshing breeze ;
in the rainbow, the fiery meteor, and the lightning's flash ;
in the splendors of the sun, and the majestic movements
of the heavens ; in the frisking of the lambs; the songs of
birds, and the buzz of insects ; in the circulation of our
blood, the movements of our joints, the motion of our eye
balls, and in the rays of light which are continually darting
from surrounding objects, for the purposes of vision. For
these, and ten thousand other agencies in the systems: of
nature, are nothing else but- the voice of deity, proclaiming
to the sons of men, in silent but emphatic language,
" Stand still, and consider the wonderful w«rks of God."
If, then, it be admitted, that the study of'Nature is the
study of %e Creator — to overlook the grand and beautiful
scenery with which we are surrounded, or to undervalue
any thing which Infinite Wisdom has- formed, is- to overlook
and eontema the Creator himself. Whatever God has
thought proper to create, and to present to our view in the
visible world, it becomes man to study- and contemplate,
that, from thence, he may derive motives to excite him to
the exercise of reverence and adoration, of gratitude- and
nraise. In so far as any individual is unacquainted with
the various facts of the history ofnaturej in s© far does he
Ifttoain ignorant of the manifestations of Deity; for every
'object, on the theatre of the universe, exhibits hi^s character
13

148 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. ,
and designs in a different point of view. He who sees
God only as he displays himself in his operations on the
earth, but has never contemplated the firmament with the
eye of reason, must be unacquainted with those amazing en
ergies of eternal Power, which are displayed in the stu
pendous fabric and movements of the orbs 'of heaven. He'
who sees God only in the general appearances of nature,
but neglects to penetrate into his minute operationsjtmust
remain ignorant of those astonishing manifestations of Di
vine wisdom and skill which appear in the contrivances,
adaptations, and functions, ofthe animal and the vegetable
kingdoms. For, the more we know ofthe work, the more
accurate and comprehensive will be our views of the Intel
ligence by whom it was designed ; and the farther we carry
our investigations of the works of God, the more admira
ble and astonishing will his plans and perfections appear.
In short, a devout contemplation of the works of nature
tends to ennoble the human soul, and to dignify and exalt
the affections. It inspires the mind with a relish of the
beauty, the harmony and order which subsist in the uni
verse around us— it elevates the soul to the love and ad
miration of th at Being who is the author of all our com
forts, and of all that is sublime and beneficent in creation,
and excites us to join with all holy beings in a chorus of
praise to the God and Father of all. For they i
" Whom Nature's works can charm, with God himself
Hold converse, grow familiar day by day •
With his conceptions, act upon his plan, .'
And form to his the relish of their souls,"
The man who surveys the vast field of nature, with the eye
of reason and devotion, will not only gain a more compre
hensive view of that illimitable power which organized the
universe, but will find his sources of enjoyment continually
increased, and will feel an ardent desire after that o-lorious
world, where the veil which now hides from our sight some
the grandest manifestations of Deity will be withdrawn,
and the wonders of Omnipotence be displayed in all their
splendor and perfection.
f n conformity with these sentiments, we find the inspired
writers, m numerous instances, calling our attention to the
wonders of creating power and wisdom. In one of the first

NATURAL HISTORY. 149
speeches in which the Almighty is introduced as addressing
the sons of men, and the longest one in the Bible,* our at
tention is exclusively directed to the subjects of Natural
History; — the whole address having a reference to the
economy of Divine Wisdom in the arrangement of the
world at its first creation — the wonders of the ocean, and
of light and darkness — the phenomena of thunder and
Hrhtning, rain, hail, snow, frost, and other meteors in the
5tm$sphere — the intellectual faculties of man, and the eco
nomy and instincts of quadrupeds, birds, fishes, and other
tribes of animated existence. Indeed, the greater part of
the sublime descriptions, contained in the book of Job, has
a direct reference to the agency of God in the material
creation, and to the course of his providence in relation to
the different characters of men ; and the reasonings of the
different speakers, in that sacred, drama, proceed on the
supposition, that their auditors were intimately acquainted
Jjitii the VjUJejLapp£araiiceB--©£ natvwej-and -their-tendency
to exhibit the character and perfections of the Omnipotent
Creator. — We find the Psalmist, in the 104th Psalm, em
ployed in a devout description of similar objects, from the
contemplation of which his mind is raised to adoring views-
of their Almighty Author — and, from the whole of his sur
vey, he deduces the following conclusions : — " How mani
fold are thy works, O Lord ! In wisdom thou hast made
them all ! The earth is full of thy riches ; so is this great
and wide sea, wheiiein are things creeping innumerable,
'.both small and great beasts. The Glory of the Lord shall
endure for ever ; the Lord shall rejoice in all his works.f
* Job, chap, xxxviii. xxxix. xl. xli.
f The glory of the Lord in this passage, denotes the display of his
perfections in the material universe : and the declaration of the in
spired writer plainly intimates, that this display will continue forever,
and will remain as an object of unceasing contemplation to all intelli
gences, and as an eternal monument of lus Power and Wisdom. For,
although the earth and the asrial heavens will be changed at the
close of that dispensation of Providence which respects our' world,
yet the general frame of the universe, in its other parts, will remain
^substantially the same ; and not only so, but will in all probability
De perpetually increasing in magnitude and grandeur. And the
change which will be effected in respect to the terraqueous globe and
"its appendages will be such, that Jehovah will have reason to " re
price" inthis, as well as in all bis other works.

156 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live; I will sing
praises to my God, while I have my being." , •
But, in order to enter into the spirit of such sublime
reflections, we must not content ourselves with a superfi
cial and cursory view of the objects and operations of na-
rure,-we must not think it sufficient to acquiesce in. such
vague propositions as these-" The glory of God is seen
in every blade of grass, and every drop of water; all na
ture is full of wonders from the dust of the earth to thej
stars of the firmament." We must study the works of
creation with ardor, survey them with minute attention,
and endeavour to acquire a specific and comprehensive
knowledge of the Creator's designs. We ,must endeayor
to acquire a knowledge of the particular modes, circum-
itances, contexture, configurations, adaptations, structure,
functions^ and relations of those objects in which benevo
lence and design conspicuously appear— in the animal and
the vegetable worUjJu^the jjcean, the atmosphere, and the
heavens; that the mind may be enabled*to draw the con
clusion with full conviction and intelligence — " In wisdom
thou hast made them all." The pointed interrogatories
..which Jehovah addressed to Job, evidently imply, that
' Job had previously acquired an intimate acquaintance with
the works of nature. It seems to be taken for granted,,as
a matter of course, that he had made himself acquainted^
with the general range of facts in the visible creation*? and
the intention of the several questions presented to his con-
sideration,*evidently was, to impress him with a sense of
his own impotency, and to lead him to the investigation of
the wonders of Creating Power which he had formerly
overlooked. — The conclusion which the Psalmist draws
respecting the Wisdom displayed throughout all the works
of God, plainly intimates, that he had made the different
parts of nature the subject of minute examination, and of
deep reflection ; otherwise he could not have rationally de
duced his conclusion, or felt those emotions which filled his
mind with the pious rapture so beautifully expressed in that
hymn of praise to the Creator of the world.
We have, therefore, reason -to believe, from these and
other instances, that pious men, " in the days of old," were
much more accustomed than modern Christians, to con-

GEOGRAPHY. 151
template and admire the visible works of the Lord — and it
is surely much to be regretted, that we who enjoy so many
superior means of information, and who have access to the
brilliant discoveries of later and more enlightened times,
should manifest so much disregard to " the works of Jeho
vah and the operations of his hands.'' To enable the com
mon mass of Christians to enter into the spirit of this de*-
lightful study and Christian duty, should, therefore, be one
object of those periodical and other religious works which
are put into their hands ; so that they may be enabled,
with vigor and intelligence, to form the pious resolution of
Asaph, " I will meditate on all thy works, 0 Lord ! and
talk of thy doings." " I will utter abundantly the memory
of thy great goodness, and tell of all thy wondrous
works."* GEOGRAFHV. 1 ,
The next department of knowledge I shall notice is the
science, of Geography.
The object of this science is, to describe the world we
inhabit, in reference to the continents, jslands, mountains,
oceans, seas, rivers, empires and kingdoms with which it
is diversified, together with the manners, customs, and re
ligion of the different tribes which people its surface.
;i#In order to form an accurate conception of the relative
positions of objects' on the surface of the earth, and to en
ter, with intelligence, on the study of this subject, it is re
quisite, first of all, to have an accurate idea of its-figure and
magnitude. For a long series of ages, it was supposed by
the bulk of mankind, that the surface of the earth was near
ly a plane, indefinitely extended, and bounded on all sides
by the sky. Lactantius, and several of the Fathers of the
Christian church, strenuously argued that the earth was
extended infinitely downwards, and established upon seve
ral foundations. The ancient philosopher Heraclitus is
said to have believed that the earth was of the shape of a
skiff or canoe, very much hollowed ; and the philosopher
( * A select list of popular works on Natural History, and the other
L sciences, noticed in the Mowing sketches, will be found in the Jhmenjlw.
13* - > -

152 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
Leucippus supposed it to be of the form of a cylinder or a
drum. ' It is only within the period of the last three hun
dred years that the true figure of the earth has been accu
rately ascertained. This figure is now found to be that of
an oblate spheroid, nearly approaching to the shape of a
globe or sphere. — To have asserted this opinion several
ages ago would have been considered as a heresy in reli
gion, and would have subjected its abettors to the anathe^
mas of the church, and even to the peril of their lives.
Historians inform us, that the learned Spigelius, bishop of
Upsal in Sweden, suffered martyrdom at the stake, in de
fence ofthe doctrine ofthe Antipodes ; and we know that,
for asserting the motion of the earth, the celebrated philo
sopher Galileo was immured in a dungeon, and condemned
by an assembly of Cardinals to all the horrors of perpetual
imprisonment. The doctrine he maintained, and which is-
now universally received by every one acquainted with the
subject, was declared by these arrogant ecclesiastics to be
" a proposition absurd in its very nature, false in philoso-:
phy, heretical in religion, and contrary to the Holy Scrip
tures." Such are some ofthe horrible and pernicious con
sequences which flow from ignorance of the phenomena of
nature, and of those laws by which the Almighty governs the*
universe he has formed ; and which prove it to be a Christ
tian duty for every rational being to study the order and'
economy of the visible world.
That the earth is nearly of a globular figure, is proved byf
the following considerations : 1. When we stand on the'
sea shore, while the sea is perfectly calm, we perceive that
the surface of the water is not quite plain, hut convex or
rounded ; and if we are on one side of an arm of the sea,
as the Frith of Forth, and, with our eyes near the water,
look towards the opposite coast, we shall plainly see the
water elevated between our eyes and the opposite shore,
so as to prevent our seeing the land near the edge of the1!
water. The same experiment may be made on any poi^i
¦tion of still water, of a mile or two in extent, when its con-*
verity will be perceived by the eye. A little boat; for in-
|*tance, may be perceived by a man who is any height
Ifcbove the water, but if he stoops down, and lays his eye
near the surface, he will find that the fluid appears to rise,

GEOGRAPHY. 153
and intercept the view of the boat. 2. If we take our sta
tion on the sea-shore, and view the ships leaving the coast,
in any direction — as they retire from our view, we may peri
ceive the masts and rigging of the vessels when the hulls
are out of sight, and, as it were, sunk in the water. On
the other hand, when a ship is approaching the shore,
the first part of her that is seen is the topmast ; as she ap-
aches nearer, the sails becomes visible, and, last of all,
hull comes gradually into view.* The reason of such
appearances obviously is, that the round or convex surface
of the water interposes between our eye and the body of
the ship, when she has reached a certain distance, while,
at the same time, the sails and topmast, from their greater
elevation, may be still in view. To the same cause it is
owing, that the higher the eye is placed, the more exten
sive is the prospect ; and hence it is common for sailors to
climb to the tops of masts, in order to discover' land or
ships at a distance. The contrary of. all this would take
place, if the earth and waters were an extended plane.
When a ship came within view the hull would first make its
appearance, being the largest object, next the sails, and,
last of all, the topmast. These considerations, which hold
true in all parts of the world, prove to a certainty, that the
mass of the ocean is of a globular form ; and if the ocean
be a portion of a sphere, it follows, that the land also is of
the same general figure ; for no portion of the earth's sur
face is elevated above four or five miles above the level of
the ocean. 3. That the earth is round from north to south,
appears from the following circumstance : — When we tra
vel a considerable distance from north- to south, or from
south to north, a number of new stars successively appear
in the heavens, in the quarter to which we are advancing,
and many of those in the opposite quarter gradually disap
pear, which would not happen if the earth were a plane in
that direction. 4. That the earth is round, from east to
west appears from actual experiment ; for many naviga
tors, by sailing in a westerly direction, have gone quite

, * In order to make such observations to advantage, the observer's eye
|, should be, as near as possible, on a level with the sea, and he should
use a telescope to enable him to perceive more distinctly the upper
parts of the vessel. *

154 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
round it, from east to west ; and, were it not for the frozen
seas, within the polar regions, which interrupt navigation
in those directions, it would, long ere now, have been cir
cumnavigated from north to south. 5. All these proofs
are confirmed and illustrated by eclipses of the moon,
which present an ocular demonstration of the earth's ro
tundity. An eclipse of the moon is caused by the inter-,
vention of the. body of the earth between the sun, and
the moon; in which case, the shadow of the earth falls S
upon the moon. This shadow is found in all' cases,
and in . every position of the earth, to be of a circular
figure : which incantrovertibly proves, that the whole mass
of land and water, of which the earth is composed, is near
ly of a globular form. The mountains and vales which di
versify its surface, detract little or nothing from its globular
shape ; for they bear no more proportion to its whole bulk
than a few grains of sand to a common terrestrial globe ;
the highest mountains on its surface being little more than
the two thousandth part of its diameter. Some of the
mountains on the surface of the moon are higher than those
on the earth; and yet that body appears both to the naked
eye, and through telescopes, of a spherical figure.
To some readers, the discovery of the true figure of the
earth may appear as a matter of very trivial importance in
religion. I hesitate not, however, to affirm that it consti
tutes a most important fact in the history of Divine Provi-i
dence. Had not this discovery been made, it is probable,
that the vast continent of America might yet have remained
undiscovered ; for Columbus, who first discovered that new
world, had learned, contrary to the general opinion of
those times, that the earth was of a spherical figure ; and,
from the maps then existing, he began to conjecture, that
the nearest way of sailing to the East Indies, would be to
sail westward. And, although, he missed the object of his
research, he was the means of laying open to view a vast
and unknown region of the earth, destined, in due time, to
receive from the Eastern world, the blessings of know
ledge, civilization, and religion. On the knowledge of the
spherical figure of the earth, the art of navigation, in a
great measure depends ; and all the voyages of discovery, •
which have been made in later years, were undertaken in-*4.
«onsequence of the knowledge of this fact. Had mankind

GEOGRAPHY. 155
remained unacquainted with this discovery, the circumna
vigation of the globe would never have been attempted,
 yast portions of the habitable world would have re
mained unknown and unexplored— no regular intercourse
would have been maintained between the various Oribes of
the human race, and, consequently, the blessings of Divine
Bevelation could never have been communicated to the
greater part ofthe Gentile world. Besides, the knowledge
of the true figure and magnitude of our sublunary world,
[•forms the ground-work of all the sublime discoveries which
have hitherto been made in the regions of the firmament.
For, its diameter forms the base line of those triangles by
which the distances and magnitudes of the celestial globes
; have been determined, without a knowledge of the extent
of which, the important results which have heen deduced,
respecting the system ofthe universe, could not have heen
ascertained, and, consequently, our views ofthe grandeur
>and omnipotence of the Deity, and of the magnificence
^and ^extent of his dominions, must have been much mors
keircumscribed than they now are. Sueh is the intimate
connection that subsists between every part ofthe chain of
Divine dispensations, that if any one link had been either
broken or dissolved, the state of things, in the moral and
intellectual wprld, would have been very different from
I what it now is ; and the plans of Providence, for accom-
. pushing the renovation and improvement of mankind,
p would have been either partially or totaUy frustrated.
f With .regard to the magnitude of the earth — I have
already stated the mode by which we may acquire the
most accurate and comprehensive conception of this parti
cular, in the course of the illustrations which were given
of the Omnipotence of Deity, (pp. 35 — 39). It is neces
sary here only to remark — that, according to the latest
computations, the diameter of the earth is about 7,930
miles, and its- circumference 24,912 miles ; and, conse
quently, the whole surface of the land and water it con
tains, comprehends an area of 197,552,160 miles. The
[ftoportion of land and water on its surface cannot be very
accurately ascertained ; but it is quite evident, from an
' inspection of a map of the world, that the water occupies
at least two-thirds of its surface, and, of course, the land

156 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
cannot occupy more than one-third. Supposing it to be
only one-fourth of the earth's surface, it will contain 49,
388,040 square miles, which is considerably more than
what is stated in most of our late systems of Geography ;
in some of which the extent of the land is rated at 39 mil
lions, and in others, so low as 30 millions of square miles
¦ — the former of which statements being less than one-fifth,
and the latter less than one-sixth of the surface of the
globe. But, it is quite obvious, that the extent of the
land cannot be less than one-fourth cf the area of the
globe, and must, therefore, comprehend at least 50 mil
lions of square miles. And, if a large Arctic continent^
eleven hundred leagues in length, exist around the North
Pole, as some French philosophers infer, from Captain
Parry's late discoveries* — the quantity ' of land on the ter-l
raqueous globe will be much greater than what has been j
now stated. !
General Divisions or the Earth. — The surface/of
the earth is divided, from north to south, by two bands ok-
earth, and two of water. The first band of earth is thei
ancient or Eastern Continent, comprehending Europe, :.
Asia, and Africa ; the greatest length of which is found to
be in a line beginning on the east point of the northern '
part of Tartary, and extending from thence to the Cape
of Good Hope, which measures about 10,000 miles, in a
direction nearly from North-east to South-east ; but if mea
sured according to the meridians, or from north to south, it
extends only 7,500 miles, from the northermost cape in Lap
land to the Cape of Good Hope. This vast body of land con
tains about 36 millions of square miles, forming nearly one-
fifth of the whole surface of the globe; The other band of
earth is, what is commonly called the New Continent,
which comprehends North and South America. Its
greatest length lies in a line beginning at the mouth of the.
river Plata, passing through the island of Jamaica, and
terminating beyond Hudson's Bay ; and it measures about
8,000 miles. This body of land contains about 14 millions
of square miles, or somewhat more than a third of the old
Continent.

See Monthly Magazine, April, 1823, p. 259.

i

GEOGRAPHY. 157
. >
It may not be improper here to remark, that the two
lines now mentioned, -which measure the greatest lengths
ofthe two continents, divide them into two equal parts, so
that an equal portion of land lies on eaeh side of these
lines, and that each of the lines has an inclination of
about 30 degrees to the equator, but in opposite directions;
that of the old continent extending from the north-east to
the south-west ; and that of the new continent, from the
north-west to the south-east ; and that they both terminate
at the same degree of northern and southern latitude. It
may also be noticed, that the old and new continents are
almost opposite to each other, and that the old is more
extensive to the north of the equator, and the new more
extensive to the south. The centre of the old continent is
in the 17th degree of north latitude, and the centre of the
new, in the 17th degree of south latitude: so that they
seem to be made to counterbalance each other, in order to
preserve the equability of the diurnal rotation of the earth.
There is also a singular connection between the two conti
nents, namely, that if they were divided into two parts, all
• four would be surrounded by the sea, were it not for the
two small necks of land called the isthnlusesof Suez an*
Panama.* Between the two continents now mentioned, lie two im-
mense bands of water, termed the Pacific and the Atlantic
oceans, whose greatest length is likewise in a direction
from north to south.
Besides the two bands of earth to which I have adverted,
many extensive portions of land are dispersed through the
ocean, which covers the remaining part of the earth's
i surface ; particularly the extensive regions of New Holland,
which occupy a space nearly %s large as the whole of Eu
rope, and the Arctic continent, which probably exists
within the North Polar regions, and which some French
Writers propose to designate by the name of Boreasia, is,
nVall probability, of equal extent. There are also the
extensive islands of New Guinea, Borneo, Madagascar,
"matra, Japan, Great Britain, New Zealand, Ceylon,
:land, Cuba, Java, and thousands of others, of different
* See Button's Natural History, vol. 1 .

158 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
dhnensions, scattered through the Pacific, the Indian, and
the Atlantic oceans, and which form a very considerable.
portion of the habitable regions of the globe.
General Features of thr Earth's Surface. — In
taking a general survey of the external features of the
earth, the most prominent objects that strike the eye, are
those huge elevations which rise above the level of its ge-,
neral surface, termed Hills and Mountains. These are
distributed in various forms and sizes, through every por
tion ofthe continents and islands ; and, running into im
mense chains, form a sort of connecting band to the other
portion of the earth's surface. The largest mountains:
are generally formed into immense chains, which extend,
in nearly the same direction, for several hundreds, and
even thousands of miles. It has been observed, by some
philosophers, that the most lofty mountains form two im
mense ridges, or belts, which, with some interruptions,
extend around the whole globe, in nearly the/same direc
tion. One of these ridges lies between the 45th and 55th
decree of North latitude. Beginning on the western
shores of France and Spain, it extends eastward, including
the Alps and the Pyrenees, in Europe, the Italian and Al-
taic mountains, in Asia — extending from thence- to the
shores of Kamschatka, and, after a short interruption from
the sea, they rise again on the western coast of America,
and terminate at Canada, near the e/stern shore. It is
supposed that the chain is continued completely round the
globe, through the space that is co/ered by the Atlantic
ocean, and that the Azores, and oraer islands in that direc
tion, are the only summits that «re visible, till we come to
the British isles. The other ridge runs along the Soutlf.
em hemisphere, between the 50th and 30th degrees of
South latitude, of which detached' portions are found in
the mountains of Tucuman and of Paraguay, in. South
America, — of Monomotapa and Caffraria, in, Africa ; inj
New Holland, New Caledonia, the New Hebrides, the!
Friendly* the Society, and other islands in the Pacific*
ocean. EVom these ridges flows a variety of ramifications,
in Both hemispheres, towards the Equator* and the Poles,'"
whichaltogether presjent a magnificent scenery* which di
versifies and enlivens the surface of our globe.

> rF;GEOGRAPHY. 1S9
The highest mountains in the world, according to some.
late accounts published in the " Transactions of the Asia
tic Society," are the Himalaya chain, north of BengaiL on
the borders of Tibet. The highest mountain in this range
is stated to be about 27,000 feet, or a little more than five
miles in .perpendicular height, and is visible at the distance
of 230 miles. Nineteen different mountains in this chain
are stated to be above four miles in perpendicular eleva
tion. Next to the Himalayas, are the Andes, in South
America, which extend more than 4000 miles in length,
from the province of Quito to the straits of Magellan.
The highest summit ofthe Andes, is Chimboracco, which
is said to be 20,600 feet, or nearly four miles, above the
ievel of the sea. The highest mountains in Europe, are
the Alps, which run through Switzerland and the north of
Italy, — the Pyrenees, which separate France from Spain,
and the Dofrafeld, which divide Norway from Sweden.
The most elevated ridges in Asia, are Mount Taurus,
Imaus, Caucausus, Ararat, the Uralian, the Altaian, and
the mountains of Japan, — in Afriea, Mount Atlas, and the
mountains of the Moon. Some of the mountains in these
ranges, are found to contain immense caverns or perfora
tions, of more than two miles in circumference, reaching
from their summits to an immeasurable depth into the
howels of the earth. From these dreadful openings, are
frequently thrown up, to an immense height, torrents of
fire and smoke, rivers of melted metals, clouds of ashes
and cinders, and sometimes red-hot stones and enormous
rocks, to the distance of several miles, accompanied with
thunders, lightnings, darkness, and horrid subterraneous
sounds— producing the most terrible devastations through
all the surrounding districts. The most noted mountains
of this kind in Europe, are mount Hecla,in Iceland; Etna
in Sicily ; and Vesuvius, near the city of Napleg, in Italy.
Numbers of volcanoes are also to be found in South Ame
rica, in Africa, in the islands ofthe Indian ocean, and in
the Empire of Japan.*
We who live in Great Britain, where the highest moun-
* A more particular description, of the phenomena of these terrific
.objects will be found in Chap. iv. Sect 2.
14

160 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
tain is little more than three quarters of a mile in perpendi
cular elevation, can form no adequate idea ot the magnifi
cence arid awful sublimity of the mountain scenery in
some of the countries now mentioned ; especially when
the volcano is belching forth its flames with a raging noise,
and spreading terror and desolation around its base.
From the tops of lofty ridges of the Andes, the most
grand and novel scenes sometimes burst upon the eye of
the astonished traveller. He beholds the upper surface of
the clouds far below him, covering the subjacent plain, and
surrounding, like a vast sea, the foot of the mountain;
while the place on which he stands appears like an island
in the midst of the ocean. He sees the lightnings issuing
from the clouds, and hears the noise of the tempest,
and the thunders rolling far beneath his feet, while all is.
serene around him, and the blue vault of heaven appears
without a cloud. At other times, he contemplates the
most sublime and extensive prospects — mountains ranged
around him, covered with eternal snows, and surrounding,
like a vast amphitheatre, the plains below — rivers winding
from their sources towards the ocean — cataracts dashing'
headlong over tremendous cliffs — enormous rocks detached
from their bases, and rolling down the declivity of tbe
mountains with' a noise louder than thunder — frightful
precipices impending over his head — unfathomable caverns
•yawning, from below — and the distant volcano sending forth
its bellowings, with its top enveloped in the fire and
smoke. — Those who have studied nature on a grand scale,
have always been struck with admiration and astonishment,
at the sublime and awful exhibition of wonders which moun
tainous regiOns^exhibit ; and perhaps, there is no terrestrial1
scene which presents, at one view, so many objects of
overpowering magnitude and grandeur, and which inspires
the mind with so impressive an idea of the power of that
Almighty Being, who " weigheth the mountains inscales,
and taketh up the isles as a very little thing." ''"£
The Ocean. — The ocean surrounds the earth on all
sides, and penetrates into the interior parts of different
countries; sometimes by large openings, and frequently by
small straits. Could the eye take in this immense sheet of
waters at one view, it would appear the most august object

GEOGRAPHY. 161
under the whole heavens. It occupies a space on the sur
face of the globe at least three times greater than that
which is occupied by the land ; comprehending an extent
of 148 millions of square miles. Though the ocean,
strictly speaking, is but one immense body of waters, ex
tending in different directions, yet different names have
been appropriated to different portions of its surface.
That portion of its waters which rolls between the western
coast of America, and the eastern shores of Asia, is called
the Pacific ocean ; and that portion which separates Eu>
rope and Africa from America, the Atlantic ocean. Other
portions are termed the Northern, Southern, and Indian
oceans. When its waters penetrafe into the land, they
form what are called gulfs, and mediterranean seas. But
without following it through all its windings and divisions,
I shall simply state a few general facts.
With regard to the Depth of this body of water, no
certain conclusions have yet been formed. Beyond a cei>
tain depth, it has hitherto been found unfathomable. We
know, in general, that the depth of the sea increases gra*
dually as we leave the shore ; but we have reason to be
lieve that this increase of depth continues only to a certain
distance. The numerous islands scattered every where)
through the ocean, demonstrate, that the bottom of the
waters, so far from uniformly sinking, sometimes rises into
lofty mountains. It is highly probable, that the depth of
the sea is somewhat in proportion to the elevation of the
land ; for there is some reason to conclude, that the pre
sent bed of the ocean formed the inhabited part ofthe an
cient world, previous to the general Deluge, and that we
are now occupying the bed of the former ocean ; and, if so,
its greatestdepth will not exceed four or five miles ; for
there is no mountain that rises higher above the level of
the sea. But the sea has never been actually sounded to
a greater depth than a mile and 66 feet. Along the coast
its depth has always been found proportioned to the height
of the shore ; where the coast is high and mountanous, the
sea that washes it is deep ; but where the coast is low, the
watter is shallow. To calculate the quantity of water it
contains, we must therefore suppose a medium depth. If
we reckon its average'depth at two miles, it will contain

162 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
296 millions of cubical miles of water. We shall have a
more specific idea of this enormous mass'of water, if we
consider, that it is sufficient to cover the whole globe, to
the height of more than eight thousand feet; and if this ,
water were reduced to one spherical mass, it would form a
globe of more than 800 miles in diameter.
With regard to its Bottom — As the sea covers so great
a portion of the globe, we should, no doubt, by exploring
its interior recesses, discover a vast number of interesting
objects. So far as the bed of the ocean has been explored, •
it is found to bear a great resemblance to the surface of
the dry land ; being, like it, full of plains, caverns, rocks,
and mountains, some of which are abrupt and almost per
pendicular, while others rise with a gentle acclivity, and
sometimes tower above the water, and form islands. The
materials, too, which compose the bottom of the sea, are
the same which form the basis of the dry land. It also
resembles the land in another remarkable particular ; —
many fresh springs, and even rivers, rise out of it ; an in
stance of which occurs near Goa, on the western coast of
Hindostan, and in the Mediterranean sea, not far front
Marseilles. The sea sometimes assumes different colors.
The materials which compose its bottom, cause it to re
flect different hues in different places ; and its appearance
is also affectedly the winds and by the sun, while the
clouds that pass over it communicate all their varied and
fleeting colors. When the sun shines, it is green ; when
he gleams through a fog, it is yellow ; near the poles, it is
black ; while in the torrid zone, its color is often brown ;
and, on certain occasions, it assumes a luminous appear
ance, as if sparkling with fire. *
The ocean has three kinds of motions. Theffirst is that
undulation which is produced by the wind, arid which is
entirely confined to its surface. It is now ascertained that
this motion can be destroyed, and its surface rendered
smooth by throwing oil upon its waves. The second mo
tion is that continual tendency which the wholev water in
the sea has towards the west, which is greater, near the
equator than towards the poles. It begins on the west side
of America, where it is moderate ; but as the waters ad
vance westward, their motion is accelerated ; and, after

GEOGRAPHY. 163
having traversed the globe, they return, and strike with great
violence on the eastern shore of America. Being stopped
by that continent, they rush, with impetuosity, into the
Gulf of Mexico, thence they proceed along the coast of
North America, till they come to the south side of the great
bank of Newfoundland, when they turn off and run down
through the Western Isles. This motion is most probably
ojwing to the diurnal revolution of the earth on its axis,
which is in a direction contrary to the motion of the sea.
The third motion of the sea is the tide, which is a regular
swell of the ocean every 12j hours. The motion is now
ascertained to be owing to the attractive influence of the
moon, and also partly to that of the sun. There is always
a flux and reflux at the same time, in two parts of the globe,
and these are opposite to each other; so that when our An
tipodes have high water we have the same. When the at
tractive powers of the sun and moon act in the same direc
tion, which happens at the time of new and full moon, we
have the highest or spring tides ; but when their attraction
is opposed fo each other, which happens at the quarters, we
have the lowest, or neap tides.
Such is the ocean, a most stupendous scene of Omnipo^
fence, which forms the most magnificent feature of the
globe we inhabit. When we stand on the sea shore, and
cast our eyes over the expanse of its waters, till the sky and
the waves seem to mingle, all that the eye can take in at
one survey, is but an inconsiderable speck, less than the hun
dred thousandth part of the whole of this vast abyss. If
every drop of water can be divided into 26 millions of dis
tinct parts, as some philosophers have demonstrated, *what
an immense assemblage of watery particles must be con
tained in the unfathomable caverns of the ocean ! Here the
powers of calculation are completely set at defiance ; and
an image of infinity, immensity, and endless duration, is pre
sented to the mind. This mighty expanse of waters is the
grand reservoir of Nature, and the source of evaporation,
which enriches the earth with fertility and verdure. Every
cloud which floats in the atmosphere, and every fountain and
* The demonstration of this proposition may be seen in Nieuwen-
tyt's Bel. Philosopher, vol. ni. p. 852,
14*

164 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
rivulet, and flowing stream, are indebted to this inexhaustible
"source for those watery treasures which they distribute
through every region of the land. In fine, whether we con
sider the ocean as rearing its tremendous billows in the
midst of the tempest, or as stretched out into a smooth ex
panse — whether we consider its immeasurable extent, its
mighty movements, or the innumerable beings which glide
through its rolling waves — we cannot but be struck with
astonishment at the grandeur of that Omnipotent Being
who holds its waters " in the hollow of his hand," and
who has said to its foaming surges, " Hitherto shalt thou
come, and no farther, and here shall thy proud waves be
stayed." Rivers. — The next feature of the earth's surface which
may be noticed, is, the rivers with which it is indented in
every direction. — These are exceedingly numerous, and
seem to form as essential a part in the constitution of our
globe, as the mountains from which they flow, and as the
ocean to which they direct their course. It is reckoned,
that in the old continent, there are about 430 rivers, which
fall directly into the ocean, or in the Mediterranean, and
the Black seas ; but in the new continent, there are only
about 145 rivers known, which fall directly into the sea.
In this enumeration, however, only the great rivers are in
cluded, such as the Thames, the Danube, the Wolga, and
the Rhone. Besides these, there are many thousands of
streams of smaller dimensions, which, rising from the
mountains, wind in every direction, till they fall into the
large rivers, or are carried into the ocean. The largest
rivers in Europe are — the Wolga, which, rising in the north
ern parts of Russia, runs a course of 1700 miles, till it
falls into the Caspian sea — the Danube, whose course is
1300 miles, from the mountains in Switzerland to the
Black sea — and the Don, which runs a course of 1200
miles. The greatest rivers in Asia are — the Hoanho, in
China, whose course is 2400 miles— the Boo'rha^pooter,
the Euphrates and the Ganges. The longest^river ia
Africa, is the Nile, the course of which is estimated at 2000
miles. In the continent of America, the rivers appear to
be formed on the grandest scale, both as to the length of
their course, and the vast body of waters which they pour

GEOGRAPHY. 165
into the ocean. The Amazons, the largest river in the
world, runs a course of above 3000 miles across the con
tinent of South America, till it falls into the Atlantic ocean,
where it discharges a body of waters 150 miles in breadth,
Next to this is the river St. Lawrence, which is more than
240ft miles from its mouth through the lake of Ontario to
the lake Alempigo and the Assiniboils ; and the rivers La
Plata and Mississippi, each of whose courses is not less
than 2000 miles.
, When we consider the number and the magnitude of
these majestic streams, it is evident, that an enormous
mass of water is continually pouring into the ocean, from
every direction. From observations which have been
made on the river Po, which runs through Lombardy, and
waters a tract of land 380 miles long, and 120 broad, it is
found, that it moves at the rate of four miles an hour, is
1000 feet broad, and 10 feet in depth, and, consequently,
supplies the sea with 5068 millions of cubical feet of wa
ter in a day, or a cubical mile in 29 days. On the suppo
sition that the quantity of water which the sea receives
from the great rivers in all countries, is proportional to the
extent and surface of these countries, it will follow, that
the quantity of waters carried to the sea by all the other
rivers on the globe, is 1083'times greater than that furnish
ed by the Po, (supposing the land, as formerly stated, to
contain about 49 millions of square miles,) and will sup
ply the ocean with 13,630 cubical miles of water in a year.
Now, reckoning the ocean, as formerly, to contain 296
millions of cubical miles of water, this last number divi
ded by the former, will give a quotient of 21,716. Hence
it appears, that, were the ocean completely drained of its
waters, it would require more than twenty thousand years*
before its caverns could be again completely filled by all
the rivers in the world running into it, at their present rate.
Here, , two questions will naturally occur — Whence do
t-  li  , 
* Buffon makes this result to be 812 years, in which he is followed by-
Goldsmith, and most subsequent writers ; but he proceeds on the false
assumption, that the ocean covers only half the surface ofthe globe, and
tthat it contains only 85 millions of square miles, and he estimates the
average depth ofthe ocean to be only 440 yards, or one- fourth of a mile.

166 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
the rivers receive so constant a supply of waters ? and;
why has not the ocean long ago overflowed the world ?
since so prodigious a mass of water is continually flowing
into its abyss. This was a difficulty which long puzzled
philosophers; but it is now satisfactorily solved, from a
consideration of the effects of evaporation. By the Aeat
of the sun, the particles of water are drawn up into the at
mosphere, from the surface of the ocean, and float in the
air in the form of clouds or vapor. These vapors are car
ried, by the winds, over the surface of the land, and are
again condensed into water on the tops and the sides of
mountains, which, gliding down into their crevices and
caverns, at length breaks out into springs, a number of
which meeting in one common valley, becomes a river ; and
many of these united together, at length form such streams
as the Tay, the Thames, the Danube, and the Rhine.
That evaporation is sufficient to account for this effect, has
been demonstrated by many experiments and calculations.
It is found that, from the surface of the Mediterranean Sea,.<
which contains 762,000 square miles, there are drawn up
into the air, every day, by evaporation, 5280 millions of tons ¦
of water, while the rivers which flow into it yield only 1827
millions of tons in the same time; so that there is raised'
in vapor from the Mediterranean nearly three times the
quantity of water which is poured into it by all its rivers. ,
One third of this falls into the sea before it reaches the
land; another part falls on the low lands, for the nourish
ment of plants ; and the other third part is quite sufficient
to supply the sources of all the rivers which run into the
sea. This is in full conformity to what was long ago sta
ted by an inspired Naturalist : " All the rivers run into the
sea, and yet the sea is not full ; unto the place from whence
the rivers came, thither do they return again ;" but, be
fore they regain their former place, they make a circuit ':
over our heads through the regions of the atmosphere.
Such are the varied movements and transformations
which are incessantly going on in the rivers, the ocean, and
the atmosphere, in order to preserve the balance of nature, 1
and to supply the necessities of the animal and the vegeta- 'J
ble tribes ; all under the agency and direction of Him who
" formed the- sea and the dry land," and who has arranged

GEOGRAPHY. 167
all things in number, weight and measure, to subserve the
purposes of his will.
Rivers serve many important purposes in the economy
of our globe. They carry off the redundant waters which
fall in rains, or which ooze from the springs, which might
otherwise settle into stagnant pools ; they supply to the
seas the loss of waters occasioned by their daily evapora
tion ; they cool the air, and give it a gentle circulation ;
they fertilize the countries through which they flow ; their
waters afford a wholesome drink and the fishes they con
tain a delicious food for the nourishment of man ; they fa
cilitate commerce, by conveying the productions of nature
arid art from the inland countries to the sea; they form
mechanical powers for driving machinery of different kinds j
they enliven and diversify the scenery of the countries
through which they pass ; and the cataracts which Ijiey
frequently form among the mountains, present us with
scenes the most pieturesque.and sublime ; so that every
part of the constitution of nature is rendered subservient
Doth to utility and to pleasure.
i Waving the consideration of other particulars, I shall
'simply state some of the artificial divisions ofthe earth,
and two or three facts respecting its inhabitants.
The land has generally been divided into four parts, Eu
rope, Asia, Africa, and America, to which has been lately
added the division called Australasia, which comprehends,
New Holland, New Guinea, New Zealand, Van Dieman's
land, and several other islands in the ' Pacific ocean. Eu
rope comprehends the following countries, Norway, Swe
den, Denmark, Russia, Prussia, Germany, Austria, Tur
key, Italy, Switzerland, France, Holland, or the Nether
lands, Spain, Portugal, and Great Britain and Ireland,
together with the islands of Sicily, Malta, Candia, Corsica,
Sardinia, Majorca, Minorca, Iviea, Zealand, Funen, Goth
land, Iceland, and several others of smaller note. — Asia,
the largest and most populous division of the ancient con-
jtinent, contains the Empires of China and Japan, Chinese
Tartary, Tibet, Hindostan, or British India, the Birman
Empire, Persia, Arabia, Turkey in Asia, Siberia, Indepen
dent Tartary, and a variety of territories inhabited by tribes
with which we are very imperfectly acquainted ; together

168 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
' with the immense islands of Borneo, Sumatra, Java, Cey->
lon, Segalien, the Phillipines, and thousands of others of;
smaller dimensions. It was in Asia where the human race
was first planted; it became the nursery of the world after
the universal deluge, and it was the scene in which the most;
memorable transactions recorded in the sacred history took
place. But its inhabitants are now immersed in Maho
metan and Pagan darkness ; and the Christian religion, ex
cept in a few insulated spots, is almost unknown among its
vast population. It is the richest and most fruitful part of
the world, and produces cotton, silks, spices, tea, coffee,
gold, silver, pearls, diamonds and precious stones: but
despotism, in its worst forms, reigns uncontrolled, tover
every part of this immense region.
Africa comprehends the following kingdoms — Morocco,
Algiers, Tunis, Tripoli, Egypt, Zaara, Negroland, Guinea,
Nubia, Abyssinia, Caffraria, Dahomy, Benin, Congo, An-!
gola, and various other territories. By far the greater part
of Africa remains hitherto iffifexplor'ed, and consequently,.
we are possessed of a very slender portion of information
respecting the numerous tribes that may inhabit it. This
quarter of the world, which once contained several flou->
rishing kingdoms and states, is now reduced to a general-
state of barbarism. That most abominable traffic the slave
trade, is carried on to an unlimited extent on its eastern
coasts, by a set of European ruffians, whose villanies are a,
disgrace to human nature. Its most striking features are
those immense deserts* near its northern parts, which com
prise nearly one third of its surface. The deserts of Zaara
are 1500 miles long, and 800 broad.
America is divided into North and South. It remained
unknown to the inhabitants ofthe Eastern Hemisphere till
the year 1492, when it was discovered by Columbus, who
first landed on Guanahani, or Cat Island, one of the
Bahama isles. North America comprehends the following
countries : The United States, New and Old Mexico, Up
per and Lower Canada, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and
Labrador. South America comprehends the immense
districts called Terra Firma, Peru, Guiana, Amazonia,
Paraguay, Brazil, Chili, and Patagonia. — Between N. and
S. America lie the islands of Cuba, St. Domingo, Jamaica,

GEOGRAPHY. 169
and Porto Rico, known by the name of the West Indies.
Besides these, there are connected with America, the Ba
hama, and Caribbee islands, Newfoundland, Cape Bre
ton, Tobago, Trinidad, Terra del Fuego, &c. America is
distinguished by its numerous and extensive lakes, which
Tesemble large inland seas. Its rivers, also, form one of
its grand and distinguishing features, being the largest on
the globe. It is likewise diversified with lofty and exten
sive ranges of mountains. When first discovered, it was
almost wholly covered with immense forests, and thinly
peopled with a number of savage tribes. Its mingled popu
lation of Aborigines and Europeans, is now making rapid
advances in knowledge, civilization, and commerce.
In regard to the human inhabitants that occupy the dif
ferent regions now specified — they have been divided by
some geographers into the six following classes — 1. The
^dwarfish inhabitants of the polar regions ; as the Lapland
ers, the Greenlanders, and tjjjg, Esquimaux. — 2. The flat-
nosed olive colored tawny race ; as the Tartars, the Chi
nese, and the Japanese. — 3. The blacks of Asia with
'European features. Of this description are the Hindoos,
the Binnaris, and the inhabitants of the islands in the Indian
jfccean. — 4. The woolly-haired negroes of Africa, distin
guished by their black color, their flat noses, and their
.thick lips — 5. The copper-coloured native Americans, dis
tinguished likewise by their black hair, small black eyes,
[high cheek bones, and flat noses. — 6. The sixth variety is
the white European nations, as the, British, the French,
¦the Italians and the Germans.
The number of inhabitants which people the earth at one
time may be estimated to amount to at least eight hundred
millions; of which 500 millions maybe assigned to Asia;
80 millions to Africa; 70 millions to America; and 150
|pillions to Europe. — With regard-to their religion, they
may be estimated as follows : ,
.Pagans, . . 490,000,000
Mahometans, . . 130,000 000
Eoman Catholics, . 100,000,600
Protestants, . . 43,000,000
Greeks and Arminians, . 30,000,000
Jews, . . 7.000,000
800,000,600

170 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
From this estimate it appears, that there are more than
4 Pagans and Mahometans to 1 Christian, and only one
Protestant to 17 of all the other denominations. Al
though all the Roman Catholics, Greeks, and Protestants,
were reckoned true Christians, there still remain more than
620 millions of our fellow men ignorant of the true God,
and of his will as revealed in the Sacred Scriptures ; which
shows what a vast field of exertion still lies open to Chris
tian benevolence, before the blessings of civilization, men
tal improvement, rational liberty, and Christianity, be fully
communicated to the Pagan and Mahometan world.
If we suppose that the earth, at an average, has always
been as populous as it is now, and that it contains 800 mil
lions of inhabitants, as above-stated, and if we reckon 32
years for a generation, at the end of which period the
whole human race is renewed ; it will follow, that 145
¦thousand millions of human beings have existed* on the
earth since the present system of our globe commenced,
reckoning 5829 years from Adam to the present time.*
And, consequently, if mankind had never died, thera
would have been 182 times the present number of the]
earth's inhabitants now in existence. It follows from thffl
statement, that 25 millions of mankind die every yearj'
2853 every hour, and 47 every minute, and that at least,
an equal number, during these periods, are emerging from
non-existence to the stage of life ; so that almost every
moment, a rational and immortal being is ushered into the
world, and another is transported to the invisible state,,.
Whether, therefore, we contemplate the world of matter, j
or the world of mind, we perceive incessant changes and
* This calcuation proceeds on the supposition, that only 4004 years1
elapsed between the Mosaic Creation and the birth of Christ, according^
to the Hebrew Chronology. Bnt Dr. Hales, in his late work on Scripj|
ture Chronology, has proved, almost to a demonstration, that, froial
the Creation to the birth of Christ are to be reckoned 5411 years; and)
this computation nearly agrees with the Samaritan and Septuagint-l
Chronology, and with that of Josephus. According to this computa*
tion, 7235 years are to be reckoned from the Creation to the pre^
eent time ; and, consequently, 2i0 thousand millions of human beings,!
will have existed since the Creation, which is more than 226 times the
awnber of inhabitants presently existing.

GEOGRAPHY.

111%

revolutions going on, which are gradually carrying for
ward the earth and its inhabitants to some important con
summation. — If we suppose, that, before the close of time,
as many human beings will be brought into existence, as
have already existed, during the by-past ages of the world,
there will, of course, be found at the general resurrection,
290,000,000,000 of mankind. Vast as such an assem
blage would be, the whole of the human beings here sup
posed, allowing 6 square feet for every individual, could
be assembled within the space of 62,400 square miles, or
on a tract of land not much larger than that of England,
which contains, according to the most accurate calcula
tion, above 50,000 square miles.
Our world is capable of sustaining a much greater num
ber of inhabitants than has ever yet existed upon it at any
one time. And since we are informed in the Saered Ora
cles, that God " created it not in vain, but farmed it to be
.inhabited," we have reason to believe, that, in future ages,
when the physical arid moral energies of mankind shall be
fully exerted, and when Peace shall wave her olive branch
over the nations, the earth will be much more populous than
it has ever been, and those immense deserts, where rave
nous animals now roam undisturbed, will be transformed
into scenes of fertility and beauty. If it be admitted, that
the produce of 12 acres of land is sufficient to maintain a
family Consisting of six persons, and if we reckon only one-
fourth of the surface of the globe .capable of cultivation,
it can be proved, that the earth could afford sustenance for
16,000 millions of inhabitants, or twenty times the number
that is presently supposed to exist. So that we have no
reason to fear, that the world will be overstocked with in
habitants for many ages to come ; or that a period may
soon arrive when the increase of population will surpass
the means of subsistence, as some of the disciples of Mal-
Lthus have lately insinuated. To suppose, as some of these
gentlemen seem to do, that wars and diseases, povert y and
, pestilence, are necessary evils, in order to prevent the in -
t crease ofthe human race beyond the means of subsist-
. ence which nature can afford — while the immense regions
of New Holland, New Guinea, Borneo, and the greater
part of Africa and America, are almost destitute of inha-

172 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
hitants — is both an insult on the dignity of human nature,
and a reflection on the wisdom and beneficence of Divine
Providence. The Creator is benevolent and bountiful,
and " his tender mercies are over all his works ;" but man,
by his tyranny, ambition, and selfishness, has counteracted
the streams of Divine beneficence, and introduced into the
social state, poverty, disorder, and misery, with all their
attendant train of evils ; and it is not before such demo
ralizing principles be in some measure eradicated, and the]
principles of Christian benevolence brought into active
Operation, that the social state of man will be greatly me
liorated, and the bounties of heaven fully enjoyed ,bythe
human race. If, in the present deranged state of the so
cial and political world, it be found difficult, in any par
ticular country, to find sustenance for its inhabitants, emi
gration is the obvious and natural remedy ; and the rapid
emigrations which are now taking place to tbe Cape of
Good Hope, New Holland, Van Dieman's Land, and
America, are, doubtless, a part of those arrangements of
Providence, by which the Creator will accomplish his de
signs, in peopling the desolate wastes of our globe, and
promoting the progress of knowledge, and of the true reli-;
gion among the scattered tribes of mankind.

With that branch of knowledge to which I have now ad
verted, -every individual of the human race ought to beia
some measure acquainted. For it is unworthy of the dig-
hity of a rational being, to stalk abroad on tie surface of
the earth, and enjoy the bounty of bis Creator, without
considering the nature and extent of his sublunary habita-
faon, the Variety of august objects it eontains, tne relation
in which Be stands to ether tribes of intelligent agents, and j
the wonderful machinery which is in constant operation for '
Supplying his wants, and for producing the revolutions of
Way and night, spring and autumn, summer and winter.—
in a religious point of view, Geography is a science ofpe- 1
«uhar interest. For « the salvation of God," which Chris
tianity unfolds, is destined to be proclaimed in every land,
in order that men of all nations, and -kindreds, and tongues.
may participate in its blessings. But, without exploring

GEOGRAPHY. na
every region of the earth, and the numerous islands which
are scattered over the surface of the ocean, and opening
up a regular intercourse with the different tribes of human
beings which dwell upon its surface, we can never carry
into effect the purpose of God, by " making known his
salvation to the ends of the earth." — As God has ordained,
that " all flesh shall see the salvation" he has accomplished,
and that human beings shall be the agents for carrying his
designs into effect — so, we may rest assured, that he has
ordained every mean requisite for accomplishing this end J
and, consequently, that it is his wiU that men should study
the figure and magnitude of the earth, and all those arts
rby which they may be enabled to traverse and explore the
different regions of land and water, which compose the
terraqueous globe — and that it is also his will, that every
one who feels an interest in the present and eternal happi
ness of his fellow-men, should make, himself acquainted
with the result of all the discoveries in this science that
have been, or may yet be made, in order to stimulate
his activity, in conveying to the wretched sons of Adam,
wherever they may be found, " the unsearchable riches of
*Christ.» To the Missionary, and the Directors of Bible and Mis
sionary Societies, a minute and comprehensive knowledge
of this science, and of all the facts connected with it, is es
sentially requisite ; without which they would often grope
jSn the dark, and spend their money in vain, and "jfcheir la-
'bor for that which doth not profit." They Tmust be inti
mately acquainted with the extensive field'* of operation
which lies before them, and with the physical, the moral,
and the political state ofthe different tribes to which they
intend to send the message of salvation ; otherwise, their
exertions will be made at random, and their schemes be
[conducted without judgment or discrimination. To attempt
to direct the movements of Missionary Societies, without
fan intimate knowledge of this subject, is as foolish and ab
surd as it would be for a land-surveyor to lay down plans
for the improvement of a gentleman's estate, before he had
surveyed the premises, and made himself acquainted with
the objects upon them, in their various aspects, positions,
and bearings. If all those who direct and support the ope*
Tations of such societies, were familiarly acquainted with

174 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. y
the different fields for missionary exertions, and with the
peculiar state and character of the diversified tribes of the
heathen world, so far as they are known, injudicious
schemes might be frustrated before they are carried into^
effect, and the funds of such institutions preserved from be^
ing wasted to no purpose. In this view, it is the duty oft
every Christian, to mark the progress and the results ofthe"
various geographical expeditions .which are now going for
ward in quest of discoveries, in connection with the moral
and political movements which are presently agitating thes
nations : for every navigator, who ploughs the ocean in
search of new islands and continents, and every traveller
who explores the interior of unknown countries, should be
considered as so many pioneers,, sent beforehand, by Di
vine Providence, to prepare the way for the labors of the
missionary, and for the combined exertions of Christian
benevolence.* But even to every private Christian, Geography is an
interesting branch of study, without some knowledge of
which his prayers and his Christian sympathies cannot be
judiciously and extensively directed. We occasionally,
heaj the ministers of religion, at the commencement of
public worship, on the first day of the week, imploring the
Divine blessing on their brethren throughout the Christian
ehurch, who are commencing the same exercises ; and, at
the close of worship in the afternoon, that the same bless- j
ing may seal the instructions which have been delivered in

» * On this subject, the Author feels great- pleasure in referring Ms
¦readers to a small volume, lately published, by James Douglas, Es&,'
of Cavers, entitled, "Hints on Missions,"— a work which deserves the'
attentive perusal, both of the philosopher, the politician, and the Chris-
tian, and particularly of the Directors of Missionary Societies- ana
which is characterized by a spirit of enlightened philanthropy, and
a condensation of thought, which has seldom been equalled in the discus-.
sion of such topics. It concentrates, as it were, into a focus, the light
which has been reflected from hundreds of volumes ; and the originati
hints it suggests, claim the serious consideration of the superintendents
ot missionary schemes ; without an attention to some of which, the'
beneficial effects resulting from such undertakings will be few and un
important.— Should this note happen to strike the eye of the worthy
Author, it is submitted, with all deference, whether a more extensive
circulation of the substance of this volume, in a less expensive form.
andwithafew modifications, to bring it within the range of thought
possessed by general readers, would not have a tendency to promote
Us benevolent objects.

GEOGRAPHY. 175
all the churches of the saints ; as if all the public religious
services of the universal church were, at that moment,
drawing to a close. This is all very well, so far as it
.'goes : the expression of such benevolent wishes is highly
becoming and congenial to the spirit of Christianity.
But a very slight acquaintance with geographical science
will teach us, that, when we in this country are commen
cing the religious services of the first day of the week, our
Christian brethren in the East Indies, who live under a
very different meridian, have finished theirs ; those in Rus
sia, Poland, Greece, Palestine, and on the banks of the
Caspian Sea, have performed one half of their public reli
gious worship and instructions ; and those in New Holland
and Van Dieman's Land have retired to rest, at the close
- of their Sabbath. On the other hand, our friends in the
West India Islands, and in America, at the close 'of our
worship, are only about to commence the public instruc
tions of the Christian Sabbath. If, then, it be admitted,
that our prayers, in eertain cases, ought to be specific, to
have a reference to the particular cases and relations of
certain classes of individuals, there can be no valid reason
assigned, why they should not have a reference to the geo
graphical positions ofthe different portions of the Christian
' church, as well as to those who live on or near our own
meridian : that, for example, in the beginning of our pub
lic devotions, we might implore that the blessing of God
'may accompany the instructions which have been delivered
in the Eastern parts of the world; and at the close of
worship, that the same agency may direct the exercises of
those in the Western hemisphere, who are about to enter
on the sacred services of that day. On the same princi
ple, we may perceive tha absurdity of those " concerts"*
tor prayer in different plaees at the same hour, which were
lately proposed, and attempted by a certain portion of the
religious world. Even within the limits of Europe, this
<ii  ,  : — .  , —
; * 39te author does not seem to mean, that it is absurd for christians
jn(eyery part of .the earth to assemble on the same day in their respective
places of devotion, to pray for a universal extension of Christianity.
This objection woujd lie with equal weight against the sabbath. His
only- objection appears to be against the supposition, that christians
meeting in different parts ofthe earth at the same hour of the day, are
Jttayitigin all places oi the same moment.— tfrnsrican, Edjier.
15*

176 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. *
could not be attempted, with the prospect of Christians
joining in devotion at one and the same time ; for, when it
is six o'clock in one part of Europe, it is eight at another,
and five o'clock at a third place ; much less could sueh a
concert take place throughout Europe, Asia, and America.j
So that science, and a calm consideration of the nature!
and relations of things, may teach us to preserve our devo
tional fervor and zeal within the- bounds of reason and
propriety; and, at the same time, to direct our reflections,.
and our Christian sympathies, to take a wider range than]
that to which they are usually confined.
Besides the considerations now suggested, a serious con
templation of the physical objects and movements which
this science exhibits, has a tendency to excite pious and
reverential emotions. To contemplate this huge globe of :
land and water, flying with rapidity through the voids of
space, conveying its vast population from one region to
another, at the rate of fifteen hundred thousand miles in a
day, and whirling round its axis at the same time, to pro
duce the constant succession ' of day and night, — to con
template the lofty ridges of mountains that stretch around
it in every direction ; the flaming volcanoes ; the roaring
cataracts; the numerous rivers, incessantly rolling their
watery treasures into the seas ; the majestic ocean, and its
unfathomable caverns ; the- vapors rising from its surface.
and replenishing the springs and rivers ; the Avalanche
hurling down the mountain's side with a noise like thun
der ; the luxuriant plains of the torrid zone ; the rugged
cliffs and icebergs of the polar regions ; and thousands of
other objects of diversified beauty and sublimity, — has an
evident tendency to expand the conceptions of the human
mind, to increase its sources of animal enjoyment, and to
elevate the affections to that Ail-Powerful Being who gave
hirth to all the sublimities of Nature, and who incessantly
superintends all its movements.
In fine, from the numerous moral facts, which Geography
unfolds, we learn the vast depth and extent of that moral!
degradation into which the human race has fallen— the'
ferocious tempers, and immoral practices, which are dis
played in the regions of Pagan idolatry— the horrid cruel
ties, and vile abominations, that are daily perpetrated un
der the sanetion of what is termed feligioa— the wide ex-

GEOLOGY. I1*?
tent of population, over which the prince of darkness
sways his sceptre — the difficulties which require to be sur
mounted before the " Gospel of salvation" can extend its
full influence throughout the Pagan world — and the vast
energies which are requisite to accomplish this glorious
event. All these portions of information are calculated to
confirm and illustrate the Scriptural doctrine of the uni
versal depravity of man — to exercise the faith of the
iChristian, on the promises of Jehovah, in reference to the
'conversion of the benighted nations — to rouse his sympa
thies towards his degraded brethren of mankind, to excite
his intercession in their behalf, and to direct his benevo
lence and activity, in devising and executing schemes for
enlightening the people who are sitting " in darkness, and
in the shadow of death." r
GEOLOGV.
Another subject intimately related to the former, is, the
science of Geology. -
This science has for its object, to investigate and de
scribe the internal structure of the earth, the arrangement
of the materials of which it is composed, the circumstances
peculiar to its original formation, the different states under
which it has existed, and the various changes which it ap
pears to have undergone, since the Almighty created the
substance of which it is composed. From a consideration
ofthe vast quantity of materials contained in the internal
structure of our globe, and of the limited extent to which
men can carry their operations, when they attempt to per
netrate into its bowels, it is obvious, that our knowledge
of this subject must be very shallow and imperfect. Tbe
observations, however, which have been made on the
structure of our globe during the last half century, and the
conclusions deduced from them, are highly interesting,
Jboth to the philosopher, and to the Christian. Before the
((facts, on which this branch of Natural History is founded,
were accurately ascertained, a variety of objections to the
^ Mosaic history of the creation were started by certain
sceptical philosophers, founded on partial and erroneous
views of the real structure and economy of the earth.
But it is now found, that the more accurately and minutely
the system of nature is explored, the more distinctly xlo we

178 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
perceive the harmony that subsists between the records of
Revelation, and the operations of the Creator, in the mate
rial world. If both be admitted as the effects of the agen
cy of the same Almighty and Eternal being, they must, m
the nature of things, completely harmonize, and can never
be repugnant to each other— whether we be capable, in
every instance, of perceiving their complete coincidence,
or not. If any facts could be produced in the visible crea
tion which directly contradict the records of the Bible, it
would form a proof, that the oracles which we hold as Di
vine, were not dictated by the Creator and Governor ofthe
universe. But, although some garbled facts have been
triumphantly exhibited in this view, it is now ascertained,,
from the discoveries which have been lately made in rela
tion to the structure and formation of the earth, that the
truth ofthe facts detailed in Sacred History, rests on a so
lid and immutable basis ; and that the Supreme Intelligence
who arranged the fabric of heaven and earth, and he alone,
communicated to the inspired writers the doctrines, and
the facts they have recorded ; and, we have reason to be
lieve, that as Geologists proceed in their researches and
investigations, still more sensible proofs of the authenticity
of Revelation will be brought to light.
Geology has, of late, become an interesting object of
inquiry to the student of general science, and is now pro
secuted with ardor by many distinguished philosophers.
The observations which have been made in various parts
of the world, by late navigators ; the facts which have
been ascertained by Pallas, Saussure, De Luc, Humboldt,
and other intelligent travellers ; and the discoveries which
have been brought to light by modern chemists and mine
ralogists, have all conspired to facilitate Geological inqui
ries, to render them more enlightened and satisfactory, and
to prepare the way for future ages establishing a rational,
scriptural, and substantial theory of the earth. The man
who engages in such inquiries has always at hand a source
of rational investigation and enjoyment. The ground on
which he treads — -the aspect of the surrounding country-^-
the mines, the caves, and the quarries which he explores-—
every new country in -which he travels, every mountain he
climbs, and every new surface of the earth that is laid
open to his inspection, offer to him novel and interesting
stores of information. On descending into mines, we are

GEOLOGY.

17g

not only gratified by displays of human ingenuity, but we
also acquire views of the strata of the earth, and ofthe revo*
lutions it has undergone since the period of its formation.
Our researches on the surface of the earth, amidst abrupt
precipices and lofty mountains, introduce us to the grand
est and most sublime works of the Creator, and present to
our view the effects of stupendous forces, which have over
turned mountains, and rent the foundations of nature. " In
the midst of such scenes, the Geologist feels his mind in
vigorated ; the magnitude of the appearances before him
^extinguishes all the little and contracted notions he may
.have formed in the closet ; and he learns, that it is only by
;' visiting and studying those stupendous works, that he can
form an adequate conception of the great relations of the
crust ofthe globe, and of its mode of formation."*
: The upper crust, or surface of the earth, is found to be
composed of different strata, or beds placed one above
another. These strata, or layers, are very much mixed,
and their direction, matter, thickness, and relative position,
vary considerably in different places. These strata are di
vided into seven classes, as follows : — black earth, clay,
sandy earth, marl, bog, chalk, and scabeous or stony earth.
The- surface of the globe, considered in relation to its ine
qualities, is divided into Highland, Lowland, and the Bot
tom of the sea. Highland comprises Alpine land, compo
sed of mountain groupes, or series of mountain chains :
Lowland comprises those extensive flat tracts which are
almost entirely destitute of small mountain groupes. To
the Bottom of the sea belong the flat, rocky bottom, shoals,
reefs, and islands.
At first sight, the solid mass of the earth appears to be a
confused assemblage of rocky masses, piled on each other
without regularity or order, where none of those admirable
displays of skill and contrivance are to be observed, which
so powerfully excite attention in the structure of animals
iand vegetables. But, on a nearer and more intimate view,
a variety of beautiful arrangements has been traced by the
industry of Geologists, and the light of modern discoveries ;
by which they have been enabled to classify these apparent
* Edinburgh Encyclop. Art. Mineralogy.

l£0 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
irregularities of nature. The materials of which the solid
crust of the earth is composed, have been arranged into the-
four following classes : — 1. Those rocks which contain
neither any animal nor vegetable remains themselves, nor
are intermixed with rocks which do contain them, and are
therefore termed Primitive, or Primary rocks ; the period
of whose formation is considered as antecedent to that of
the creation of organic beings. These are granite, gneiss,
mica slate, and clay slate, which occur abundantly in all
regions of the globe, with quartz rock, serpentine, granular
limestone, &c. which occur more sparingly. — 2. Rocks
containing organic remains, or generally associated with
other rocks in which such substances are found, and which,
as having been formed posterior to the existence of organ.
nized beings, are termed Secondary. These are greywacke, ,
sandstone, limestone, and gypsum of various kinds, slate j
clay, with certain species of trap ; and they are found ly-ji
ing above the primary or older rocks. — 3. Above these se
condary rocks, beds of gravel, sand, earth, and moss, are
found, which have been termed Alluvial rocks, or Forma*
tions. This class comprehends those rocky substances.
formed from previously existing rocks, of which the mate-;
rials have been broken down by the agency of water and
air; they are therefore generally loose in their texture, and
are never covered with any real solid and rocky secondary
strata. — 4. Volcanic rocks ; under which class are compre
hended all those rocks, beds of lava, scoriae, and other mat
ter thrown out at certain points of the earth's surface by the
action of subterraneous fire.
" The phenomena of Geology show, that the original
formation ofthe rocks has been accompanied, in nearly all
its stages, by a process of waste, decay, and recomposition.
The rocks, as they were successfully deposited, were acted
upon by air and water, heat, &c. broken into fragments,
or worn down into grains, out of which new strata were
formed. Even ibe newer secondary rocks, since their con-
' splidation, have been subject to great changes, of which:
very distinct monuments remain. Thus, we have single'
mountains which, from their structure, can be considered!
only as remnants of great formations, or of great conti-a
nents no longer in existence. Mount Meisner, in Hesse/

GEOLOGY. 181
six miles long and three broad, rises about 1800 feet
above its base, and 2100 above the sea, overtopping all the
neighboring hills for 40 or 50 miles round. The lowest
part tf the mountain consists of the same shell, limestone,
and sandstone, which exist in the adjacent country. Above
these are, first, a bed of sand, then a bed of fossil wood, 100
feet thick at some points, and the whole is covered by a
mass of basalt, 500 feet in height. On considering' these
facts, it is impossible to avoid concluding, that this moun
tain which now overtops the neighboring country, occu
pied at one time, the bottom of a cavity in the midst of
higher lands. The vast mass of fossil wood could not all
have grown there, but must have been transported by wa
ter from a more elevated surface, and lodged in what was
then a hollow. The basalt which covers the wood must
also have flowed in a current from a higher site ; but the
soil over which both the wood and the basalt passed, has been
swept away leaving this mountain as a solitary memorial
to attest its existence. Thus, also, on the side of Mount
Jura next the Alps, where no other mountain interposes,
there are found vast blocks of granite (some of 1000 cubic
yards) at the height of more than 2000 feet above the
Lake of Geneva. These blocks are foreign to the rocks
among which they lie, and have evidently come from the
opposite chain of the Alps ; but the land which constituted
the inclined plane over which they were rolled or transport
ed, has been worn away, and the valley of lower Switzer
land, with its lakes, now occupies its place. Transported
masses of primitive rocks pf the same description are found
scattered over the north of Germany, which Von Buch as
certained, by their characters, to belong to the mountains
of Scandinavia ; and which, therefore, carry us back to a
period when an elevated continent, occupying the basin of
the Baltic, connected Saxony with Norway." — Supp. to
Ency. Brit. vol. €.
;, The production of a bed for vegetation is effected by the
decomposition of rocks. This decomposition is effected
Dythe expansion of water iu the poresror fissures of rocks,
hy heat or congelation — by the solvent power of moisture
*— and by electricity, which is known to be a powerful
agent of decomposition. As soon as the rock begins to

382 , THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
be softened, the seeds of lichens, which are constantly
floating in the air, make it their resting place. Their
generations occupy it till a finely divided earth is formed J
which becomes capable of supporting mosses and heathji
acted upon by light and heat, these plants imbibe the dewpl
and convert constituent parts of the air into nourishment^
Their death and decay alford food for a more perfect spe
cies of vegetable; and at length, a mould is formed, in
which even the trees of the forest can fix their roots, and*
which is capable of rewarding the labors of the cultivator.
The decomposition of rocks tends to the renovation of
soils, as well as their cultivation. Finely divided matter is
carried by rivers from the higher districts to the low coun
tries, and alluvial lands are usually extremely fertile. By
these operations, the quantity of habitable surface is con
stantly increased; pecipitous cliffs are generally made^
gentle slopes, lakes are filled up, and islands are formedi
at the mouths of great rivers ; so that as the world grows
older, its capacity for containing an increased number of
inhabitants is gradually enlarging.
Of all the memorials of the past history of our globe,
the most interesting are those myriads of remains of or
ganised bodies which exist in the interior of its outer crusts.
In these, we find traces of innumerable orders of beings
existing under different circumstances, succeeding one an
other at distant epochs, and varying through multiplied
changes of form. " If we examine the secondary rocks^
beginning with the most ancient, the first organic remains
which present themselves, are those of aquatic plants and
large reeds, but Of species different from ours. To these
succeed madrepores, encrenities, and other aquatic zooph
iles, living beings of the simplest forms, which remain at
tached to one spot, and partake, in some degree, of the
nature of vegetables. Posterior to these, are ammonites,'
and other mollusci, still very simple in their forms, and en-^
tirely different from any aniinals now known. After thesgwj
some fishes appear,; and plants, consisting of bamboos antt
ferns, increase, but still different from those which existf
In the next period, along with an increasing number of exl
tinct species of shells and fishes, we meet with amphibil
ous and viviparous quadrupeds, such as crocodiles and torf

GEOLOGY. 183
toises, and some reptiles, as serpents, which show, that dry
Iand now existed. As we approach the newest of the
solid rock formations, we find lamantins, phocae, and other
cetaceous and mammiferous sea animals, with some birds.
And in the newest of tiiese formations, we find the remains
"fif herbiferous land animals of extinct Species, the paleo-
therium, anaplotherium, &c. and of birds, with some fresh
water shells. In the lowest beds of loose soil, and in peat
bogs, are found the remains of the elephant, rhinocerds,
hippopotamus, elk, &c. of different species from those which
now exist, but belonging to the same genera. Lastly, the
bones of the species which are apparently the same with
those now existing alive, are never found except in the
very latest alluvial depositions, orthose which are either
formed in the sides of rivers, the' bottoms of ancient lakes
iand marshes now dried up, in peat beds, in the fissures and
caverns of certain rocks, or at small depths below the pre
sent surface, in places where they may have been over
whelmed by debris, or even buried by man. Human bones
are never found except among those of animal species
now living, and in situations which show, that they have.
been, comparatively speaking, recently deposited." — Supp.
to Ency. Brit. vol. 6.
More than thirty different species of animals have been
found embedded in the secondary strata — no living exam
ples of which are now to be found in any quarter of the
glebe. Among the most remarkable of these are the fol
lowing — 1 . The Mammoth, which bears a certain resem
blance to the Elephant, hut is much larger, and differs con
siderably in the size and form of the tusks, jaws and grind
ers. The fossil remains of this animal are more abundant
in Siberia than in otfier countries ; there being scarcely a
spot, from the river Don to Kamtschatka, in which they have
not been found. Not only single bones and perfect skele
tons of this animal are frequently to be met with ; but, in
jflate instance, the whole animal was found preserved in
ice. This animal was discovered on the banks of the fro
zen ocean, near the mouth of the river Jena, in 1799 ; and
in '1805, Mr. Adams got it conveyed over a space of 7000
iples to Petersburgh, where it is deposited in the Museum.
Phe flesh, skin, and hair were completely preserved, and
16 „ 'J-"

184 ,t THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
even the eyes were entire. It was provided with a long
mane, and the body was covered with hair. This hair was
of different qualities. There were stiffj)lack bristles from;
12 to 15 inches long, and these belonged to the tail, manej
and ears. Other bristles were from 9 to. 10 inches lonJ§
and of a brown color;, and besides these, there was a
coarse wool, from 4 to 5 inches long, of ja pale yellow color.
This mammoth was a male : it measured 9 feet 4 inches in
height, and was 16 feet 4 inches long, without including the
tusks. The tusks, measuring along the curve, are 9 feet 6
inches ; and the two together weigh 360 libs avordupojs.
The head alone without the tusks, weighs 414 libs avoirdu
pois. The remains of this animal have been found like
wise in Iceland, Norway, Scotland, England, and in many
places through the continent onwards to the Arctic ocean.
2. The Megatherium. A complete skeleton of this co-,
lossal species was found in diluvial soil, near Buenos Ayres,
and sent to Madrid. The specimen is 14 feet long, and 7
Spanish feet in height.
. 3. The great Mastodon, of the Ohio. This species ap
pears to have been as tall as the elephant, but with longer
and thicker limbs. It had tusks like the elephant, and ap
pears to have lived on roots. Its remains abound in Ame
rica, particularly on the banks of the Ohio.
4. The Tapir, which also abounds in America. The ;
one named Gigantic Tapir, is about 18 feet long, and 12
feet high.
5. The/mAUZ*,orElkofthe Isle of Man. This gi
gantic species, now apparently extinct, occurs in a fossil :
state, in Ireland, Isle of Man, England, Germany and
France. The most perfect specimen of this species,
which was found in the Isle of Man, may be seen in the
Museum of the University of Edinburgh. It is 6 feet
high, 9 feet long, and in height to the tip of the right horn,
9 feet 7s inches. An engraving of this ,; skeleton may be
seen in vol. 6th of Supp. to Encyc. Brit."
From a consideration of the phenomena above. de-
Scribed, Geologists have been led to conclude, " that rocks'
now buried at a great depth, constituted, at one time, the!
surface of continents, and the seat of organic life; and]
that many orders of beings have been called into exisjS

GEOLOGY. * 185
ence, and afterwards destroyed, by great revolutions,
which introduced new classes of mineral deposites, ac
companied with new tribes of organic beings." It has
also been concluded by some, that the appearance of Man
upon the face of the globe, is, geologically speaking, a very
Tecent event ; before which the earth had been inhabited
thousands of years by various families of plants and tribes of
animals, which had been destroyed and renewed in a long
series of successions. Whether these conclusions be 'ne
cessary inferences from, the phenomena of organic remains
and other geological facts, I shall not, at present, stop
to inquire. It is sufficient for the Christian Philosopher
to shew, that, though they should be admitted in their
full extent, they are not inconsistent with the records of
Sacred History, as some Divines have been disposed to
maintain. Though it could be proved to a demonstration,
that the materials of which the present system of our
globe is composed, have existed for millions of years, it
would not, in the least, invalidate the Mosaic account of
the arrangement of our world. For Moses no where af
firms, that the materials, or substance of the earth, were
created, or brought from nothing into existence, at the pe
riod when his history commences. His language, on the
contrary, evidently implies, that the materials which enter
into the constitution of our globe did exist, at the epoch
at which he commences his narration. " The earth was
without form, and void ; and darkness was upon the face of
the deep." This passage plainly implies the following things
— 1. That the original atoms, or materials, out of which
the terraqueous globe, in its present st^te, was formed,
were then in existence, or, had been previously created.
How long they had been in existence, is not stated. We
may suppose them to have existed for a year, a thousand
years, or a million of years, just as geological phenomena
seem to warrant, without in the least invalidating the au
thority of the Saered Historian, who states nothing con
trary to the truth of either supposition. 2. That the ma
terials of our' globe, as then existing, were in a chaotic
state. Instead of that order and beauty which we per
ceive on the face of nature, the whole mass presented a
scene of confusion and disorder— such a scene, perhaps,

186 * THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
as would be presented, were the earth stripped of itsverH
dure, were its strata universally disrupted, its mountains
hurled into the plains, and its rivers and seas, by some ter-;1
rible convulsion, to forsake their ancient channels. 3. The
passage seems to imply, that the whole, or the greater por
tion of the earth, as it then existed, was covered with a
deluge of water : " Darkness coverec^the face of the deep,"
or the abyss. ¦ &¦•-.¦ , .
Such was the state of the terrestrial system at the period
when Moses commences his narration ; no intimation be
ing given of the period of its duration in this condition;
and, consequently, nothfng asserted to militate against any
geological system which is founded on the facts which have
been discovere'd respecting the organic remains which are
found in the strata of our globe. It is a mistake into
which too many have been apt to fall, to suppose, that
Moses begins his history at the period, when the first por- ¦
tions of material existence were created out of nothing ;
and that it was his design to mark the precise epoch when
the whole assemblage of created beings throughout the
universe was brought into existence. His primary, if not
his sole intention evidently was, to detail the progress of
those arrangements by which the earth was gradually re
duced to that form and order in which we now behold it,
from the chaotic materials which previously existed. And,'
as an emphatic and appropriate introduction to his narra
tion', he states this important truth : " In the beginning
God created the heaven and the earth." This passage/!
being of a general and comprehensive nature, decides no--'
thing with regard to the period or precise epoch, at which
the different bodies in the universe were called into being >
but is evidently intended to convey the following important
truth, in opposition to all fanciful, chimerical, and atheisti
cal notions respecting the origin of the world ; namely,
" That, at what period soever, in, the lapse of duration, any
object was brought into existence, it derived that existence
from the God of Israel, the self-existent and Eternal Jeho--
vah." " In the beginning God created the heaven and .
the earth." As the language of the Sacred Historian,
therefore, decides nothing with regard to time— to limit thej
creation of every portion of the material system within the

GEOLOGY. 18*
period of 6000 years, is to make an unnecessary conces
sion to the infidel philosopher, which may afterwards be
found inconsistent with certain facts which exist in the ma
terial world.
But, whatever may be said with respect to the state and
duration of the earth prior to the period at which Moses
commences his narration, it is admitted by every geolo
gist, that our globe, as to its present form and arrange-
ment, has been, comparatively, of but short duration. Cu-
vier, one of the most enlightened geologists of the age,
deduces, from certain progressive changes on the earth's
surface, as well as from the concurrent traditions of many
natioris, that t£e first appearance of man upon the face of
the globe, or at least, the renewal of the human race after
some great catastrophe, cannot be referred to a period
farther back than about 5000, or 6000 years from the pre-'
sent time. Geologists, too, of every description, however
different the systems or theories they have adopted, have
all been constrained, from the evidence of fact, to admit
this conclusion, " That every part of the dry land was
once covered by the ocean ;" thus confirming the scriptural
account of that stupendous event, the universal deluge.
This event, from its very nature, must have been accom
panied with the most terrible convulsion, both on the ex
terior surface, and in the interior strata of the globe. Ac
cordingly we find, that traces of this awful catastrophe ex
ist in every region of the earth. Mr. Parkinson describes
the whole island of Great Britain, as having, since its com
pletion, " suffered considerable disturbance from soriie pro
digious and mysterious power. By this power all the
known strata to the greatest depths that have been ex
plored, have been more or less broken and displaced, and
in some places, have been so lifted, that gome ofthe lowest
of them have been raised to the surface ; while portions of
others, to a very considerable depth and extent, have been
jentirely carried away." The Whole of the Alpine region
in Switzerland, and the north of Italy, considered as one
[mass, shows the most evident marks" of dislocation. At
Ibe- height -of 3500 feet above the level ^of the sea, M.
Saussure met with a chasm a hundred feet wide, and so
deep that he saw no bottom. All travellers on the Alps
16*

188 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
have regarded them with horror. They mark the most
evident convulsions, but show no signs of having been oc
casioned by attrition. Mr. Townsend, speaking of the
Pyrenees, which he personally inspected, says, " What is
most remarkable is, to see four enormous chasms almost
perpendicular, which divided both mountains and their
valleys, and which' appear as if they had just been rent
asunder." Throughout the ranges ;l of the Andes, and in
every other mountainous region, similar chasms and dis
ruptions, indicating the former operation of some tremen
dous* power, are frequently observed by those- who visit
such scenes of grandeur. — In some of the coal mines in
our own country, the coal is in some places lifted up, or
thrown down several hundreds of feet from the places it '
appears originally to have occupied. " Two miles north
of Newcastle," says Mr. Townsend, " one great dyke or
fault throws down the coal 540 feet — at the distance of 3
miles, it is cut off and thrown down again 240 feet."
An evidence of the effects which could be produced1
only by a general deluge, is also afforded by those organic
remains to which I have already adverted, and particularly
by those immense quantities of marine shells,- which have
been discovered in situations so elevated, and in places so
far removed from the sea, as to prove that they were left
there by a flood extending over the whole globe. In Tou-
raine in France, a hundred miles from the sea, is a bed of
shells stretching 9 leagues in extent, and 20 feet in depth,
and including shells not known to belong to the neighbor
ing sea. Humboldt found sea shells on the Andes at an
elevation of 14,120 feet above the level of the sea. The
slaty mountain of La Bolca, near Verona, is famous for
petrifactions, among which are enumerated more than one
hundred species of fish, natives of Europe, Asia, Africa,
and America, here assembled in one place.
It appears, therefore, that the researches of Geology
confirm the fact of a universal deluge, and thus afford a
sensible proof of the credibility of the Sacred Historian,
[ and, consequently, of the truth of the doctrines of Divine
* Revelation. But, besides the testimony which this science*
bears to the authenticity of Scripture-History, it exhibits
some of thegrandest objects in the history of the physical

GEOLOGY. i<M
operations of Divine Providence. It presents to our view,
in a most impressive form, the majestic agency of God, in
convulsing and disarranging the structure of our globe, and
which at first sprung from his hand in perfect order and
beauty. When we contemplate the objects which this sci
ence embraces, we seem to be stauding on the ruins of a
former world. We behold " hills" which " have melted
like wax at the presence of the Lord," and " mountains"
which " have been carried into the midst of the sea."
We behold rocks of enormous size, which have been rent
from their foundations, and rolled from one continent to
another — the most solid strata of the earth bent under the
action of some tremendous power, and dispersed in frag
ments through the surrounding regions. We behold the
summits of lofty mountains, over which the ocean had
rolled its mighty billows — confounding lands and seas in
one universal devastation — transporting plants and forests
from one quarter of the world to another, and spreading
universal destruction among the animated inhabitants of
the waters and the earth. When we enter the wild and
romantic scene of a mountainous country, or descend into
the subterraneous regions of the globe, we are every where
struck with the vestiges of operations carried on by the
powers of Nature, upon a scale of prodigious magnitude,
and with the exertion of forces, the stupendous nature of
which astonishes and overpowers the mind. Contempla
ting such scenes of grandeur, we perceive the force and
sublimity of those descriptions of Deity contained in the
volume of inspiration : " The Lord reigneth, he is clothed
with majesty ; in his hand are the deep places of the
earth, the strength of hills is his also. He removeth the
mountains, and they know not; he overturned! them in
his anger ; he shaketh the earth out of her place, and the
pillars thereof tremble. At his presence the earth shook
and trembled : the foundations also of the hills moved,
and were shaken, because he was wroth." " Thou cover-
edst the earth with the deep, as with a garment ; the wa
ters stood above the mountains. At thy rebuke they fled ;
at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away." While re
lating such terrific displays of Omnipotence, we are natu
rally led to inquire into the moral cause which induced the

190 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. ,
Benevolent Creator to inflict upon the world such over
whelming desolations. For reason, as well as revelation,
declares, that a> moral cause must have existed. Man
must have violated the commands of his Maker, and frus
trated the end of his creation ; and to this, conclusion the
Sacred historian bears ample testimony.-—" God saw that
the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that
every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only
evil continually : and Jehovah said, I will destroy man
whom I have created,,- from the face of the earth, both
man and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of
the air." -; ¦ :>.
asteonomS".
Another science which stands in an intimate relation to
religion, is Astronomy.
This sublime science teaches us the magnitudes and dis
tances of the heavenly bodies, their arrangement, their va
rious motions and phenomena, and the laws by which their
movements are regulated.. It presents to our view objects;
the most wonderful and sublime ; whether we consider the
vast magnitude of the bodies about which it is conversant 
their immense number — the velocity of their motions — the
astonishing forces requisite to impel them in their rapid ca
reer through the regions of the sky — the vast spaces which
surround them, and in which they perform their revolutions
— the magnificent circles they describe — the splendor ot*3
their appearance — or the important ends they are destined \
to serve in the grand sytem of the universe. Having ad? ¦>
verted to this subject, when illustrating the Omnipotence
of the Deity, I shall here simply state a few additional facts
with respect to the general appearance of the heavens, the
bodies which compose the planetary system, and the dis
coveries which have been made in the region of therstars.
When We lift our eyes towards the sky, we perceive an
apparent hollow hemisphere, placed at an indefinite dis
tance, and surrounding the earth on every hand. In the
day time, the principal objeqt which appears in this hemi
sphere, is the sun. In the morning, we see him rise above
the distant mountains, or from the extremity of the ocean t
he gradually ascends the vault of heaven, and then declines,

V ASTRONOMY. 191
and disappears in the opposite quarter of the sky. In the
northern parts of the globe, where we reside, if, about the
21st of March, we plpce ourselves on an open plain, with
our face towards the south, the sun will appear to rise on
our left, or due east, about six, in the morning, and about
the same hour in the evening, he will set due west. In the
month of June, he rises to bur left, but somewhat behind
us, in a direction towards the north-east, ascends to a
greater height at noon than in the month of March, and,
after describing a large arc of the heavens, sets on our
right, and still behind us, in the north-western quarter of
the sky. In the month of December, if we stand in the
same position, we may observe, without turning ourselves,
both his rising and setting. He rises in the south-east,
ascends to a small elevation at noon, and sets in the south
west, after having described a very small arc ofthe heavens.
Every day he appears to move a little towards the east, or
contrary to his apparent diurnal motion ; for the stars which
are seen to the eastward of him, appear every succeeding
"day to make a nearer approach to the place in which he is
seen. All the variety of these successive changes is ac
complished within the period of 365 days 6 hours, in which
time he appears to have made a complete revolution round
the heavens from west to east.
The moon is the next object in the heavens which na
turally attracts our attention ; and she is found to go
through similar variations, in the course of a month,,;
When she first becomes visible, at new moon, she appears
in the w estern part of the heavens, in the form of a cres
cent, not far from the setting sun. Every night she in
creases in size, and removes to a greater distance, from the
sun, till at last, she appears in the eastern part of the hori
zon, just as the sun disappears in the western; at which
time she presents a round full-enlightened face. After
this, she gradually moves farther and farther eastward, and
her enlightened part gradually decreases, till at last she
seems to approach the sun as nearly in the east, as she did
in the west, and rises only a little before him, in the morn
ing, in the form of a crescent. All these different changes
may be traced by attending to her apparent positions,
from time to time, with respect to the fixed stars.

192 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
A dark shadow is occasionally seen to move across the
face of the moon, which obscures her light, and gives her
the appearance of tarnished copper. Sometimes this sha
dow covers only a small portion of her surface ; at other
times it covers the whole of her disk for an hour or two,
and its margin always appears ofthe figure of a segment
of a circle. This phenomenon, which happens, at an ave
rage, about twice every year, is termed an eclipse of the
moon. It is produced by the shadow of the earth falling
upon the moon, when the sun, the earth, and the moon/are
nearly in a straight line ; and can happen only at the time
of full moon. Sometimes the moon appears to pass across
the body of the sun, when her dark side is turned towards
the earth, covering his disk either in whole or in part, and
intercepting his rays from a certain portion of the earth-
This is called an eclipse of the sun, and can happen only
at the time of new moon. In a total eclipse of the sun,-i
which seldom happens, the darkness is so striking, that the
planets, and some of the larger stars, are distinctly seen,*
and the inferior animals appear struck with terror.
Again, if, on a winter's evening, about six«o'clock, we
direct our view to the eastern quarter of the sky, we shall
perceive certain stars just risen above the horizon ; if we
view the same stars about midnight, we shall find them, at
a considerable elevation, in the south, having apparently
moved over a space equal to one half of the whole hemi
sphere. On the next morning, about six o'clock, the same
stars will be seen setting in the western part of the sky. If
we turn our eyes towards the north, we shall perceive a
similar motion in these twinkling orbs, but with this differ
ence, that a very considerable number of them neither rise
nor set, but seem to move round an immoveable point,
called the north pole. Near this point is placed the pole
star, which seems to have little br no apparent motion, and
which, in our latitude, appears elevated a little more than
half way between the northern part of our horizon and the
zenith or point above our heads. A person who has di
rected his attention to the heavens for the first time, after
having made such observations, will naturally inquire —
Whence come those stars which begin to appear in the
east ? Whither have those gone, which have disappeared in

^ ASTRONOMY. 19S
the west ? and, What becomes, during the day, of the stars
which are seen in the night ? — It will soon occur to a ra
tional observer, who is convinced of the roundness ofthe
earth, that the stars which rise above the eastern horizon
come from another hemisphere, which we are apt to ima
gine below us, and when they set, return to that hemi
sphere again ; and, that the reason why the stars are
not seen in the day-time is, not because they are absent
from our hemisphere, or have ceased to shine, but because
their light is obscured by the more vivid splendor of the
sun.* From such observations we are led to conclude, that
* This is put beyond all doubt, by the invention of the telescope ; by
which instrument, adapted to an equatorial motion, we are enabled to
see many of the stars even at noon-day The Author of this work,
about eleven years ago, made a number of observations, by means
of an Equatorial telescope, to determine the following particulars :—
What stars and planets may be conveniently seen in the day-time,
when the sun is above the horizon ? Waat degrees of magnifying pow
er are requisit e for distinguishing them ? How near their coujunction
^with the sun they may be seen ; — and, whether the diminution of the
aperture ofthe telescope, or the increase of magnifying power, conduces
most to render a star or planet visible in day-light. The results of sev
eral hundreds of observations on these points, accompanied with some
original deductions and remarks, are inserted in " Nicholson's Philo
sophical Journal," for October, 1813, vol. 36, p. 109—128. The fol
lowing are some of the results which were deduced from the ob
servations- — That a star of the first magnitude may be distinguished,
' at any time of the day, with a magnifying power of 30 times, but that
a higher magnifying power is preferable — That most of the stars of
the second magnitude may be seen with a power of 100 ; and with
a power -of 60 times, when the sun is not much mere than two hours"
above the horizon — That the planet Jupiter, when not within 30 or
40 degrees ofthe sun, may be seen with a power of 15 times; —
and that Venus may, in most instances, be seen with a power of
from 7 to 100 times, , and upwards. — That Jupiter can scarcely be dis
tinguished, in the day-time, when within 26 degrees of the sun; but
that Venus may be distinctly perceived near her superior conjunction,
when only 1 degree and 27 minutes from the sun's margin ; and, con-
sequently, may be visible at the time of that conjunction, when her
geocentric latitude equals or exceeds 1 degree 43 minutes — That she
may be perceived, like a fine slender crescent, within 35 hours after
passing her inferior conjunction, &c. &c. One practical purpose te
vrhieh such observations on Venus, at the time of her superior conjunc
tion, may be applied, is, to determine the difference (if any) between
her polar and equatorial diameters. For, it is only at that conjunc
tion that she presents to the earth a. full enlightened hemisphere $

194 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
the globe on which we tread is suspended in empty space
— issurrounded on all sides by the celestial vault — and
that the whole sphere of the heavens has an apparent motion
round the earth every twenty-four hours. ^Whether this
motion be real, or only apparent, must be determined by
other considerations.
Such general views ofthe nocturnal heavens, which eve
ry common observer may take, have a tendency- to expand
the mind, and to elevate it to the contemplation of an Invisi
ble Power, by which such mighty movements are conduct
ed. Whether we consider the vast concave, with all its ra
diant orbs, moving in majestic grandeur around our globe,
or the earth itself whirling round its inhabitants in an op
posite direction — an idea of sublimity, and of Almighty en
ergy, irresistibly forces itself upon the mind, which throws
completely into the shade the mightiest ' efforts of human.
power. The most powerful mechanical engines that were;
ever constructed by the agency of man, can scarcely afford'
us the least assistance in forming a conception of that in
comprehensible Power which, with unceasing energy,
communicates motion to revolving worlds. And yet, such
is the apathy with which the heavens are viewed by the
greater part of mankind, that there are thousands who have
occasionally gazed at the stars, for the space of fifty years,
who are still ignorant of the fact, that they perform an op- ;
parent diurnal revolution round our globe. ,j
Again, if we contemplate the heavens with some atten
tion, for a number of successive nights, we shall find, that >
by far the greater part of the stars never vary their posi
tions with respect -to each other. If wc observe two stars
at a certain apparent distance from each other, eithernorth '
or south, or in any other direction, they villi appear at the
same distance, and in the same relative position to., each
 . > .j-., 
and in no other position can the measure of both diameters be taken,
except when she makes a transit across the sun's disk. As the Earth,
Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, are found to be spheroids, it is highly pro
bable that Venus is of a similar figure'; but this point has never yet
been ascertained by actual observation. See also " The Edinburgh
Philos. Jeumal," No. 5, for July 1880, p. 191 ; and No. is, for Jiflv
1822—" The Scots Mag." for Feb. 1814, p. 84.—" Monthly Mas." Feb.
1814, and August 1820, p. 62. ' s, 6 k

ASTRONOMY. 195
Other, the next evening, the next month, and the next year.
The stars, for 'instance, whicli form the sword and belt of
Orion, present to our eye the same figure and relative as-
f pect, during the whole period they are visible in winter,
and from one year to another ; and the same is the case
with all the fixed stars in the firmament. On examining
the sky a little more minutely, however, we perceive cer
tain bodies which regularly shift their positions. Some
times they appear to move towards the east, sometimes to
wards the west, and at other times seem to remain in a
. stationary position. These bodies have obtained the name
of planets, or wandering stars ; and, in our latitude,' are
most frequently seen, either in the eastern and western, or
, in the southern parts of the heavens. Ten of these planet
ary orbs have been discovered ; six of which are, for the
. most part, invisible to the naked eye. By a careful exami
nation of the motions of these bodies, and their different as
pects, astronomers have determined, that they all move
round the sun as the centre of their motions, and form,
*along with the earth and several smaller globes, one grand
land harmonious system. 'This assemblage of planetary
'bodies is generally termed the Solar System, of which I
shall now endeavor to exhibit a brief outline.
\l THE SOLAR STSTEM.
Of this system, the Sun is the centre and the animating
principle, and by far the largest body that exists within its
limits. The first thing that strikes the mind when con
templating this glorious orb, is its astonishing magnitude.
This vast globe isk found to be about 880,000 miles in di
ameter, and, consequently, contains a mass of matter
equal to thirteen hundred thousand globes of the size of the
earth. \ Were its central parts placed adjacent to the sur
face of the earth, its circumference would reach two hun
dred thousand miles beyond the moon's orbit, on every
side, filling a cubical space of 681,472,000,000,000,000
miles. If it would require 18,000 years to travejsft every
square mile on the earth's surface, at the rate of 30 miles
a-day, (see p. 37) it would require more than two thousand
millions of years to pass over every part of the sun's sur
face, at the same rate. Even at the rate of 90 miles a-day,
17

l196 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
it would require more than 80 years to go round its circum
ference." Of a body so vast in its dimensions, the human
mind, with all its efforts, can form no adequate conception.
It appears an extensive universe in itself ; and, although
no other body existed within the range of infinite space,
this globe alone would afford a powerful demonstration of
the Omnipotence of the Creator. Were the sun a hollow
'sphere, surrounded by an external shell, and a luminous
atmosphere ; were this shell perforated with several hun
dreds of openings into the internal part ; were a globe as
large as the earth placed at its centre, and another globe
as large as the moon, and at the same distance from the
centre as the moon is from us,^o revolve round the central
globe, — it would present to the view a universe as splendid^
tmd glorious as that which now appears to the vulgar eye,
— a universe as large and extensive as the whole creatwrij
was conceived to be, by our ancestors, in the infancy p
astronomy. And who can tell, but that Almighty Being,
who has not left a drop of water in a stagnant pool with!
out its inhabitants, has arranged a number of worlds with
in the capacious circuit of the sun, and peopled thetn with]
intelligent beings in the first stages of their existence, to
remain there for a certain period, till they be prepared for
being transported to a more expansive sphere of existence £,
It is easy to conceive, that enjoyments as exquisite, and m
range of thoughts as ample as have ever yet been experienl
ced by the majority ofthe inhabitants of our world, mig£|
be afforded to myriads of beings thus placed at the centaj
of this magnificent luminary. This supposition is, at lealS
as probable as that of the celebrated Dr. Herschel wljl
supposed that the exterior surface of the sun was people^
¦with inhabitants. For, if this were the case, the range of
view of these inhabitants would be confined within the
limits of two or three hundred miles, and no celestial body ,1
but an immense blaze of light, would be visible in their
.hemisphere. Such is the variety which appears among
the works of God, and such is the diversity of situations in'
whicli sensitive beings are placed, that we dare not pro-'
nTCd imp°Ssible that both these .suppositions maybe
Though the sun seems to perfonna ,daily circuit around

ASTRONOMY, 19.3
our globe, he may be said, in this respect, to be fixed and
immovable. This motion is not realj but only apparent^
and is owing to the globe on which we are placed, moving;
round its axis from west to east ; just as the objects on the
bank of a river seem to move in a contrary direction,
when we are sailing along its stream in a steam boat. The
only motion which is found to exist in the sun is, a motion
of rotation, like that of a globe or ball twirled round a.
pivot or axis, which is performed in the space of 25 days
and 10 hours. This motion has been ascertained by means
..of a variety of dark spots which are discovered by the
telescope on the sun's disk ; which first appear on his east
ern limb, and, after a period of about thirteen days, disap
pear on his western, and) after a similar period, re-appear
on his eastern edge. These spots are various, both in
number, in magnitude, and in shape : sometimes 40 or 50,
jand sometimes only one or two are visible, and at other
times the sun appears entirely without spots. Most of
them have a very dark nucleus,1 or central part, surrounded
by an umbra, or fainter shade. Some of the spots are as
large as wovdd cover the whole continent of Europe, Asia,
and Africa, others have been observed of the size of the
whole Surface of the earth ; and one was seen, in the year
,£779, which was computed to be more than fifty thousand
miles in diameter.
With regard to the nature of this globe — it appears
highly probable, from the observation of Dr. Herschel, that
[the sun is a solid and opaque body, surrounded with lumi
nous clouds whieh float in the solar atmosphere, and that
the dark nucleus of the spots is the opaque body of the
sun appearing through occasional openings in this atmo
sphere. The height of the atmosphere, he computes to be
not less, than 1843, nor more than 2765 miles, consisting
"of two* regions ; that nearest the sun being opaque, and
probably resembling the clouds of our earth ; the outer
most emitting vast quantities of light, and forming the ap
parent luminous globe we behold. ,
,. The sun is the grand source of light and heat, both to
the earth and to all the other planetary bodies. The heat
he diffuses animates every part of our sublunary system,
and all that variety of coloring which adorns the terrestrial

198 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
landscape, is produced by his rays. It has been lately dis-
eovered," that the rays of light, and the rays of heat, or
caloric, are distinct from each other ; for, it can be de
monstrated, that some rays from the sun produce heat,
•which have no power of communicating light or color.;
The greatest heat is found in the red rays, the least in the|
violet rays ; and in a space beyond the red rays, where1
there is no light, the temperature is greatest. The rays
of the sun have also been found to produce different chemi
cal effects. The white muriate of silver is blackened in
the violet ray, in the space of 15 seconds, though the red:
will not produce the same effect in less than 20 minutes.
Phosphorus is kindled in the vicinity of the red ray, and
extinguished in the vicinity ofthe violet. . The solar light,
therefore, consists of three different orders of rays, one pro
ducing color, *& second producing heat, and a third chemical
effects. Euler has computed that the light of the sun isl
equal to 6500 candles at a foot distance, while the moon
would be as one candle at 7£ feet ; Venus at 421 feet ; and
Jupiter at ,1320 feet. — That this immense luminary appears
so small to our eyes, is owing to its vast distance, which is
no less than ninety-five millions of miles. Some faint idea
of this distance may be obtained, by considering, that a
steam boat moving at the rate of 200 miles a-day, would
require thirteen hundred years before it could traverse thej
space which intervenes between us and the sun.
" Hail sacred source of inexhausted light !
Prodigious instance of creating might 1
His distance man's imagination foils ;
Numbers will scarce avail to count the miles.
As swift as thought he darts his radiance round
To distant worlds, his system's utmost boundl" — Brown.
The Planet Mercury. — Mercury is the nearest pla
net to the sun that has yet been discovered. He is about
\ 37 millions of miles distant from the sun, and revolves
around him in 88 days. His diameter is about 3200
miles. Before the discovery of the four new planets, Ce
res, Pallas, Juno, and Vesta, in the beginning of the pre- :
sent century, this globe was considered as the smallest!
primary planet in the system. His surface, however, con-'
tains above 32 millions of square miles, which is not much
less than all the habitable parts of our globe. On account

ASTRONOMY. 199
of his nearness to the sun, he is seldom seen by the naked
eye ; being always near that quarter of the heavens where
the sun appears ; and therefore, few discoveries have been
made on his surface, by the telescope. M. Schroeter con
cludes, from certain observations, that this planet revolves.
round its axis in 24 hours and five minutes. The sun
will appear to an inhabitant of Mercury seven times larger
than to an inhabitant ofthe earth ; and, if the degree of heat
be in proportion to a planet's nearness to the sun, the heat
in this planet will be seven times greater than on the sur
face of our globe ; and consequently, were the earth placed
in the same position, all the water on its surface would boil,
and soon be turned into vapor. But the All-wise Creator
has, doubtless, attempered the surface of this globe, and the
constitution of the beings that may occupy it, to the situa
tion in which they are placed.*
*¦ Venus, the next planet in order from the sun, revolves
around him in 224 days, at the distance of 68 millions of
miles, and its diameter is about seven thousand seven hun
dred miles, or nearly the size of the earth ; and it turns
round its axis in the space of 23 hours and 20 minutes.
* From a variety of facts which have been observed in relation to
the production of, caloric, it does not appear probable, that the de
gree of heat on the surfaces of the different planets is inversely pro
portional to the squares of their respective distances from the sun.
It is more probable, that it depends chiefly on the distribution of the
substance of caloric on the surfaces, and throughout the atmospheres
of these bodies — in different quantities, according to the different si
tuations they occupy in the solar system ; and that these different
quantities of caloric are put into action by the influence of the solar
rays, so as to produce that degree of sensible heat requisite for each
respective planetary, globe. On this hypothesis — which is corrobo
rated by a great variety ef facts and experiments — there may be no
more sensible heat felt on the surface of the planet Mercury, than on
the surface of Herschel, although one of these bodies is nearly 50
times nearer the sun than the other. We have only to suppose that
a small quantity of caloric exists in Mercury, and a larger quantity in
Herschel, proportionate to his distance from the centre of the system.
On this ground, we have no reason to believe, either that the planets
nearest the sun are parched with excessive heat, or that those that are
most distant are exposed to all the rigors of insufferable oold, or that
the different degrees of temperature which may be found in these bo
dies, render them unfit fbr being the abodes of sensitive and intellect
tual beings. 17*

200 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
This planet is the most brilliant orb which appears in our
nocturnal'heavens, and is usually distinguished by the name
of the morning and evening star. When it approaches
nearest to the earth, it is about 27 millions of miles dis
tant ; and, at its greatest distance, it is no less than 16S
millions of miles from the earth. Were the whole of its]
enlightened surface turned towards the earth, when it is
nearest, it would exhibit a light and brilliancy, twenty-five
times greater than it generally does, and appear like a small
brilliant moon ; but at that time, its dark hemisphere is
turned towards our globe. Both Venus and Mercury,
when viewed by a telescope, appear to pass successively.
through all the shapes and appearances of the moon ;
sometimes assuming a gibbous phase, and at other times,
the form of a half-moon, or that of a crescent ; which
proves, that they are dark bodies in themselves, and derive
their light from the sun. The most distinct and beautifulj
views of Venus, especially when she appears as a crescent,
are to be obtained in the day time, by means of an equa
torial telescope. — From a variety of observations which
the Author has made with this instrument, it has been
found that Venus may be seen every clear day without in
terruption, during a period of 583 days, with the occasion;?';
al exception of 13 days, in one case, and only 3 days in
another — a circumstance which cannot be affirmed of any*
other celestial body, the sun only excepted.* M. Schroe- •¦'
* See Echn. Phil. Journ. No. V July, 1820, and No. XIII. July,
1822. — I have found, from observation, that this planet may be seen
in the day time, when only 1° 43' from the sun's centre ; and, con
sequently, when its geocentric latitude at the time of the superior
conjunction exceeds that quantity, it may be distinctly seen during
the whole peried of 583 days, excepting about 35 hours before and
after its inferior conjunction.— It is well known to astronomers, that
there has been a difference of opinion with respect to the period-Hi
the rotation of this planet. Cassini, from observations on a bright
spot which advanced 20 degrees, in 24 hours, 34 minutes, deter-
mined the tune of its rotation to be 23 hours and 20 minutes. On I
the other hand, Bianchini, from similar observations, concluded, that*
its diurnal period was 84 days, and 8 hours. The difficulty of de
ciding between these two opinions, arises from the short time ia
winch observations can be made on this planet, either before sun- rise,
or after sun-set, which prevents us from tracing, with accuracy, the
progressive motion of its spots for a sufficient length of time.

ASTRONOMY. 201
ter affirms, that he has discovered mountains on the sur
face of this globe, one of which is id, another 11, and a
third 22 miles high. It appears also to be encompassed
with an atmosphere, the densest part of which is about
.16,000 feet high. About twice in the course of a century,
this planet appears to pass, like a dark spot, across the
sun's disk. This is termed the transit of Venus. The
last transit happened June 3, 1769 ; the next will happen
on December 8, 1874, which will be invisible in Europe.
: Another will happen on the 6th December, 1882, which
will be partly visible in Great Britain.
The Earth is the next planet in the system. It moves
round the sun in 365 days, 5 hours, and 49 minutes, at the
distance of 95 millions of miles, and round its axis in 23
hours, 56 minutes, 4 seconds. The former is called its
annual, and the latter, its diurnal motion. That the earth
is, in reality, a moving body, is a fact which can no longer
be called in question ; it is indeed susceptible of the clear
est demonstration. But my limits will not permit to enter
into a detail of the arguments by which it is supported. I
have already adverted to one consideration, from which its
diurnal rotation may be inferred. (See pp. 50, 51.) Either
the earth moves round its axis every day, or the whole uni
verse moves round it in the same time. To suppose the
'latter case to be the fact, would involve a reflection on the
wisdom of its Almighty Author, and would form the only
exception that we know, to that beautiful proportion, har
mony and simplicity, which appear in all the works of Na
ture. Were it possible to construct a machine as large as
the city of London, and to apply to it mechanical powers-
sufficient to make it revolve on an axis, so as to carry
And although an observer should mark the position of the spots, a '
the same hour, on two succeeding evenings, and find they had moved
forward about 20 degrees in 24 hours, he would still be at a loss to
.determine, whether they had moved 20 degrees in all, since the pre
ceding observation, or had finished a revolution, and 20 degrees more.
— In " Nicholson's Philosophical Journal," vol. 36, I endeavored to
show, how this point may be determined by observations made on Venus'
in the day time, by which, in certain cases, the progressive motion of
her spots might be traced; without interruption, for 12 hours or more*
which would completely settle the period of rotation!

202 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
round a furnace for the purpose of froasting a joint o|
mutton, suspended in the centre of its motion— while v||
might admire the ingenuity and the energies displayed?!
its construction — all mankind would unite in condemning
it as a display of consummate folly. But such an extrava
gant piece of machinery would not be half so preposterousjl
as to suppose, that the vast universe is 9aily revolving
around our little'globe, and that all the planetary motloni
have an immediate respect to it. And shall we dare to
ascribe to Him who is " the only wise God," contrivances
which we would pronounce to be the perfection of folly in
mankind ? It is recorded of the Astronomer Alphonsus,
King of Castile, who lived in the 13th century, that, after
having studied the Ptolemaic System, which supposes the
earth at rest in the centre of the universe, he uttered the
following impious sentence : " If I had been of God's *
privy council, when he made the world, I would have ad-a
vised him better." So that false conceptions of the Sys
tem of Nature, lead to erroneous notions of that adorable
Being who is possessed of Infinite Perfection. We find
that bodies much larger than the earth have a similar ro
tation. The planet Jupiter, a globe 295,000 miles in ch>
cumference, moves round his axis in less than ten hours ;
and all the other planetary bodies, on which spots have
been discovered, are found to have a diurnal motion. Be
sides, it is found to be a universal law of nature, that
smaller globes revolve round larger ; but there is no exv
ample in the universe, of a larger body revolving around a
smaller. The moon revolves around the earth, but she is
much smaller than the earth ; the moons which move
around Jupiter, Saturn, and Herschel, are all less than
their primaries, and the planets which perform their revolu
tions around the sun are much less than that central lumi->
nary. With regard to the annual revolution of the earth, if
such a motion did not exist, the planetary system would,
present a scene of inextricable confusion. The planet*.
would sometimes move backwards, sometimes forwards;
and at other times remain stationary ; and would describe;
looped curves, so anomalous and confused, that no man in
his senses could view the All-wise Creator as the author of

ASTRONOMY. 203
so much confusion. But, by considering the earth as re
volving in an orbit between Venus and Mars, (which all
celestial observations completely demonstrate) all the ap
parent irregularities of the planetary motions are complete
ly solved and accounted for ; and the Solar System pre
sents a scene of beauty, harmony and grandeur, combined
With a simplicity of design which characterizes all the
works of Omnipotence.
The Moon. — Next to the sun, the moon is to us the
most interesting of all the celestial orbs. She is the con
stant attendant of the earth, and revolves around it, in 27
days, 8 hours ; but the period from one new or full moon
to another, is about 29 days, 12 hours. She is the near
est of all the heavenly bodies ; being only about two hun
dred and forty thousand miles distant from the earth. • She
is much smaller than the earth; being only 2,180 miles in
diameter. Her surface when viewed with a telescope,
presents an interesting and a 'variegated aspect ; being di
versified with mountains, valleys, rocks, and plains, in eve
ry variety of form and position. Some of these mountains
form long and elevated ridges, resembling the chains ofthe
Alps and the Andes ; while others, of a conical form, rise
to a great height, from the middle of level plains, somewhat
resembling the Peak of Teneriff. But, the most singular
feature of .the moon, is, those circular ridges and cavities
which diversify every portion of her surface. A range of
mountains of a circular form, rising three or four miles
above the level of the adjacent districts, surrounds, like a
mighty rampart, an extensive plain ; and, in the middle of
this plain or cavity, an insulated conical hill rises to a con
siderable elevation. Several hundreds of these circular plains.
most of which are considerably below the level of the sur
rounding country, may be perceived with a good telescope,
on every region of the lunar surface. They are of all dimen
sions, from two or three miles to forty miles in diameter ;
and, if they be adorned with verdure, they must present to
the view of a spectator, placed among them, a more varie
gated, romantic, and sublime scenery than is to be found
on the surface of our globe. An idea of some of these
seenes may be acquired, by conceiving a plain of about a
hundred miles in circumference, encircled with a range of

204 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
mountains, of various forms, three miles- in perpendiculars
height, and having a mountain near the centre, whose tod
reaches a mile and a half above the level of the plain.l
From the top of this centraf mountain, the whole plain,;
with all its variety of objects, would be distinctly visible ;¦
and the view would appear to be bounded on all sides by aj
lofty amphitheatre of mountains, in every diversity of shape,
rearing their summits to the sky. From the summit of the
circular ridge, the conical hill in the centre, the opposite
circular range, the plain below, and some of the adjacent
plains, which encompass the exterior ridge of the moun
tains, would form another variety of view ; — and a third
variety would be obtained from the various aspects of the
central mountain, and the surrounding scenery, as viewed
from the plains below. >
The Lunar mountains are of all sizes, from a furlong toi
five miles in perpendicular elevation. Certain luminous
spots, which have been occasionally seen on the dark side
of the moon, seem to demonstrate that fire exists in this
planet. Dr. Herschel, and several other astronomers sup
pose, that they are volcanoes in a state of eruption. It
would be a mere pleasing idea, and perhaps as nearly cor
responding to fact, to suppose, that these phenomena are
owing to some occasional splendid illuminations, produced
by the Lunar inhabitants, during their long nights. Such
a scene as the turning of Moscow, the conflagration of an
extensive forest, or the splendid illumination of a large city
with gas-lights, might present similar appearances to 'if
spectator in the Moon. — The bright spots of themoon are?
the mountainous regions : the dark spots are the plains, or*
more level parts of her surface. There may probably be
rivers or small lakes on this planet;; but there are no seas
or large collections of water. It appears highly probable;
from the observations of Schroeter, that the Moon is en
compassed with an atmosphere ; but no clouds, rain, nor
snow, seem to exist in it. The illuminating power of thj|
light derived from the moon, according to the experiments
made by Professor Leslie, is about the one hundred ana%
fifty thousandth part of the illuminating power of the sun.,
According to the experiments of M. Boguer, it is only as
1 to 300,000.

ASTRONOMY. 205
The Moon always presents the same face to us ; which
proves, that she revolves round her axis in the same time that
she revolves round the earth. , As this orb derives its light
from the sun, and reflects a portion of it upon the earth,
so the earth performs the same office to the moon. A
•Spectator on the lunar surface would behold the earth, like
a luminous orb, suspended in the vault of, heaven, present
ing a surface about 13 times larger than the moon does to
us, and appearing sometimes gibbous, sometimes horned',
and at other times with a round fullface. The light which
the earth reflects upon the dark side of the moon may be
distinctly perceived by a common telescope, from threes, to
six or eight days after the change. — The' lunar surface con
tains about 1 5 millions of square miles, and is therefore ca
pable of containing a population equal to that of our globe,
allowing only about 53 inhabitants to every square mile.
That this planet is inhabited by sensitive and intelligent
beings, there is every reason to conclude, from a considera
tion of the sublime scenery with which its surface is adorn
ed, and of the general ' beneficence of the Creator, who
appears to have left no large portion of his material crea
tion without animated existences; and it is highly proba
ble, that direct proofs of the moon's being inhabited may
hereafter be obtained, when all the varieties, on her sur
face shall have been more minutely explored.*
The Planet Mars. — Next to the earth and moon, the
planet Mars performs his revolution round the sun, in one
year and ten months, to the distance of 145 millions of
miles. His diameter is about 4,200 miles, and he is dis
tinguished from all the other planets, by' his ruddy appear
ance, which is owing to a dense atmosphere with which he
is environed. With a 'good telescope, tis surface appears
diversified by a variety of spots ; by the motion of which
it is found, that he turns round his axis in 24 hours, and 40
minutes. The inclination of his axis to the plane of his
' orbit being about 28° 42', the days and nights, and the dif
ferent seasons in this planet, will bear a considerable re
semblance to those we experience in our terrestrial sphere.'];
— .  . — . — " -
?See Appendix, No. III.
| The inclination of the earth's axis to the ecliptic, or, in other words,

206 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. *
At his nearest approach to the earth, his distance from uS|
is about 50 millions of miles ; and, at his greatest distance^
he is about 240 millions of miles ; so that in the formej|
case he appears nearly 25 times larger than in the lattery
To a spectator in this planet, our earth will appear alter-f
nately, as a morning and an evening star, and will exhibit
all the phases of the moon, just as Venus -does to us, but|
with a less degree of apparent magnitude and splendor. A
luminous zone has been observed about the poles of Mars,
which is subject to successive changes. Dr.. Herschel sup-ji
poses that it is produced by the reflection of the sun's light
from his frozen regions, and that the melting of these
masses of polar ice is the cause of the variation in its mag
nitude and appearance. This planet moves,, in its orbit,
at the rate of fifty-five thousand miles'an hour.
The new Planets. — Between the orbits of Mars andi
Jupiter, four planetary bodies have been lately discovered^
accompanied with circumstances somewhat different from
those of the other bodies which compose our systenuf
They are named Ceres, Pallas, Juno, and Vesta. The
planet Ceres was discovered at Palermo in Sicily, by M.
Piazzi, on the first day of the present centiiry. It is of a
ruddy color, and appears about the size of a star of the 8th
magnitude, and is consequently invisible to the naked eye.
It performs its revolution in 4 years and 7 months, at the
distance of 260 millions of miles from the sun, and is
reckoned, by some astronomers, to be about 1624 miles %
diameter, or about half the diameter of Mercury. It ap
pears to be surrounded with a large dense atmosphere.--3*
Pallas was discovered the following year, namely, on the
28th March, 1802, by Dr. Olbers of Bremen. It is sup
posed to be about 2000 miles in diameter, or nearly the
size of the Moon. It revolves about the sun in 4 yeag,
and 7 months, or nearly in the same time as Ceres, at tne
distance of 266 millions of miles ; and is surrounded with
a nebulosity or atmosphere, above 400 miles in height, si-
to the plane of its annual orbit, is 23 degrees and 28 minutes, which ill
the cause of the diversity of seasons, and of the different length of
flays and nights. Were tbe axis of the earth perpendicular to its orbit;
as is the case with the planet Jupiter, there would be no diversity of
Reasons.

ASTRONOMY. 207
milar to. that of Ceres. The planet Juno was discovered on
the 1st September, 1804, by Mr. Harding of Bremen. Its
mean distance from the sun is about 253 millions of miles ;
its revolution is completed in 4 years, and 130 days, and its
diameter is computed to be about 1425 miles. It is free
from the nebulosity which surrounds Pallas, and is distin
guished from all the other planets by the great eccentricity
of its orbit ; being, at its least distance from the sun, only
189 millions of miles, and at its greatest distance, 316
millions. — Vesta was discovered by Dr. Olbers on the 29th
March, 1807. It appears like a star ofthe 5th or 6th mag
nitude, and may sometimes be distinguished by the naked
eye.' Its light is more intense and white than any of the
other three, and it is not surrounded with any nebulosity.
It is distant from the sun about 225 millions of miles, and
completes its revolution in 3 years and 240 days. Its di
ameter has not yet been accurately ascertained ; but from
the intensity of its light and other circumstances, it is con
cluded, that it exceeds in magnitude both Pallas and Juno.
These planetary globes present to our view a variety of
anomalies and singularities, which appear incompatible
with the regularity, proportion, and harmony which were
formerly supposed to characterize the arrangements of the
solar system. — They are bodies much smaller in size than
the other planets — they revolve nearly at the same distances
from the sun, and perform their revolutions in nearly the
same periods — their orbits are much more eccentric, and have
a much greater degree of inclination to the ecliptic, than
those of the old planets — and, what is altogether singu
lar, (except in the case of comets) their orbits cross each
other ; so that there is a possibility that two of these bodies
might happen to interfere, and to strike each other, in
the course of their revolutions. The orbit of Ceres crosses
the orbit of Pallas. Vesta may sometimes be at a grea
ter distance from the sun than either Ceres, Pallas or
Juno, although its mean distance is less than that of either
of them, by several millions of miles ; so that the orbit of
i Vesta crosses the orbits of all the other thtee. From these
and other circumstances, it has, with a high degree of pro
bability, been concluded — that these four planets are the
fragments of a large celestial body which once revolved be-»
18

208 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
tween Mars and Jupiter, and which had been burst- asunder
by some immense irruptive force. This idea seems to have
Occurred to Dr. Olbers after he had discovered the planet
Pallas, and he imagined that other fragments might possibly
exist. He concluded, that, if they all diverged from the
same point, " they ought to have two common points of
reunion, or two nodes in opposite regions of the heavens,
through which all the planetary fragments must sooner
or later pass." One of these nodes he found to be in the
constellation Virgo, and the other in the Whale ; and, it is
a remarkable coincidence, that it was in the latter of these
regions that the planet Juno was discovered by Mr. Har
ding. In order to detect the remaining fragments (if any
existed) Dr. Olbers examined, three times every year, all
the small stars in Virgo and the Whale ; and it was actual
ly in the constellation Virgo, that he discovered the planefl
Vesta. It is not unlikely that other fragments of a similarf
description may yet be discovered. Dr, Brewster attrl^
butes the fall of meteoric stones*to the smaller fragments*
of these bodies happening to come within the sphere of the
earth's attraction. His ingenious reasonings on this sub
ject, and in support of Dr. Olbers' hypothesis above-stated,
may be seen in Edin. Ency. vol. ii. p. 641, and in his
" Supplementary chapters to Ferguson's Astronomy." -li
The facts to which I have now adverted seem to unfold
a new scene in the history of the dispensations ofthe Al-
* Meteoric stones, ot, what are generally termed aerolites, are stones.
which sometimes fall from the upper regions sf the atmosphere, up
on the earth. The substance of which they are composed is, for
the most part, metallic ; but the ore of which they consist is not to be
found in the samt constituent proportions, in any terrestrial substances.
Their fall is generally preceded by a luminous appearance, a hissing
noise, and a loud explosion ; and, when found immediately after their
descent are always hot. Their size differs from small fragments, of
inconsiderable weight, to the most ponderous masses. Some of the
larger portions of these stones have been found to weigh from 300
Kbs to several tons ; and they have often descended to the earth with:
a force sufficient, to bury them many feet under the soil. Some have
supposed, that these bodies are projected from volcanoes in the moon ;
fiihers, that they proceed from volcanoes on the earth • while others;
imagine thai they are generated in the regions of the atmosphere ; but
the true cause is, probably, not yet ascertained. In 'some instances,
these stones have penetrated through the roofs of houses, and proved
destructive to the inhabitants.)

ASTRONOMY. 206
mighty, and to warrant the conclusion, that the earth it
not the only globe in the universe which is subject to phy«
sical changes and moral revolutions.
The Planet Jupiter. — This planet is 490 millions of
miles distant from the sun, and performs its annual revolu
tion in nearly twelve of our years, moving at the rate of
twenty-nine thousand miles an hour. It is the largest pla
net in the solar system ; being 89,000 miles in diameter, or
about fourteen hundred times larger than the earth. Its
motion round its axis is performed in nine hours and fifty-
six minutes ; and, therefore, the portions of its surface
about the equator, move at the rate of 28,000 miles an
hour, which is nearly twenty-seven times swifter than the
earth's diurnal rotation. The figure of Jupiter is that of
an oblate spheroid, the axis, or diameter passing through
the poles, being about 6000 miles shorter than that passing
through the equator. The Earth, Saturn, and Mars, are
also spheroids ; and it is highly pirobabjejhat Mercury;- V'e>
nus, and Herschel, are-of -a ^imilarTfgure, though the fact
has not yet been ascertained by actual observation. When
viewed with a telescope, several spots have been occasion
ally discovered on the surface of this planet, by the mo
tion of which, its rotation was determined.
But, what chiefly distinguishes the surface of Jupiter, is
several streaky appearances, or dusky stripes, which extend
across his disk in lines parallel to his equator. ' These are
generally termed his Belts. Three of these belts or zones,
nearly equi-distant from each other, are most frequently ob
served ; but they are not regular or constant in their ap
pearance.* Sometimes only one is to be seen, sometimes
¦five, and sometimes seven or eight have been distinctly visi
ble ; and in the latter case, two of them have been known
to disappear during the time of observation. On the 28th
May, 1780, Dr. Herschel perceived " the whole surface of
ijupiter covered with small curved belts, or rather lines,
%  ___^___  ,  .
*  —  __ 
*- * A representation of these belts in the positions in Which they
jinost frequently appear, is exhibited in the engraying, Fig. 2. Fig. 1-
"represents the double ring of Saturn as it appears when viewed through
a powerful telescope — Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, represent Saturn,
'Jupiter, Herschel, the earth and Moon, in tlieir relative sizes and propor
tions.

210 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
that were not continuous across his disk." Though these
belts ire generally parallel to each other, yet they are not
always so. Their breadth is likewise variable ; one belt
having been observed to grow narrow, while another in its
neighborhood has increased in breadth, as if the one had"
flowed into the other. The time of their continuance is
also uncertain ; sometimes they remain unchanged for
several months, at other times, new belts, have been formed
in an hour or two. What these belts or variable appear
ances are it is difficult to determine. Some have regard
ed them as strata of clouds floating in the atmosphere of
Jupiter ; while others imagine, that they are the marks of
great physical revolutions which are perpetually changing
the surface of- that planet. The former opinion appears the
most probable. But, whatever be the nature of these beltsX
the sudden changes to which they are occasionally subjectj|
seem to indicate the rapid operation of some powerfujj
¦p'nysieal^ageafiy4_for_spme^of them are more than five
thousand miles in breadtbT^aM since they have been
known to disappear in the space of an hour or two, and
even during the time of a casual observation — agents
more powerful than any with which we are acquainted!
must have produced so extensive an effect.
Jupiter is attended by four satellites or moons, which
present a very beautiful appearance when viewed through
a telescope. The first moon, or that nearest the planet, is
230,000 miles distant from its centre, and goes round it in
42j hours ; and will appear from its surface, four times,
larger than our moon does to us. The second moon, be
ing farther distant, will appear about the" size of ours ; the:
third, somewhat less ; and the fourth, which is a million of
miles distant from Jupiter, and takes sixteen days to go
round, him, will appear only about one-third the diameter
of our moon. These moons suffer frequent eclipses from
passing through Jupiter's shadow, in the same way as our
moon is eclipsed by passing through the shadow of the
earth. By the eclipses of these moons, the motion of
light was ascertained ; and they are found to be of essen
tial use, in determining the longitude of places on the sur
face of our globe. This planet, if seen from its, nearest'
moon, will present a surface a thousand times as large as

ASTRONOMY. 211
our moon does to us, and will appear in the form of a cre
scent, a half-moon, a gibbous phase, and a full-moon, in
regular succession, every 42 hours. Jupiter's axis being
nearly perpendicular to his orbit, he has no sensible change
of seasons, such as we experience on the earth. Were we
placed on the surface of this planet, with the limited pow
ers of vision we now possess, our earth and moon would
entirely disappear, as if they were blotted out from the
map of creation ; and the inhabitants of these regions
must have much better eyes than ours, if they know that
there is such a globe as the earth in the universe.
The planet Saturn. — This planet is 900 millions of
miles distant from the sun, being nearly double the distance
of Jupiter. Its diameter is 79,000 miles, and, consequent-
'(. ly, it is more than nine hundred times the bulk of the earth.
> It takes 29s years to complete its revolution about the sun ;
but its diurnal motion is completed in ten hours and six
teen minutes ; so that the year in this planet is nearly thir
ty times the length of ours, while the day is shorter, by
more than one half. The year, therefore, contains about
twenty-five thousand, one hundred and fifty days, or peri
ods of its diurnal rotation, which is equal to 10,759 of our
days. Saturn is of a spheroidal figure, or somewhat of the
'. shape of an orange ; his equatorial being more than six.
thousand miles longer than his polar diameter. His sur
face, like that of Jupiter, is diversified with belts and dark
spots. Dr. Herschel, at certain times, perceived five belts
on his surface, three of which were dark, and two bright.
The dark belts had a yellowish tinge, and generally cover
ed a larger zone of the disk of Saturn, than the belts of Ju
piter occupy upon his surface. On account of the great
distance of this planet from the sun, the light it receives
from that luminary is only the ninetieth part of what we en
joy ; but, by calculation, it is found, that this quantity is a
thousand.times greater than the light which the full moon
affords to us. Besides, it is surrounded by no fewer than
seven moons, which supply it with light in the absence of
the sun. Five of these moons were discovered during the
seventeenth century, by Huygens and Cassini ; and the
sixth and seventh were discovered by Dr. Herschel, in
1789, soon after his large forty-feet reflecting telescope
18*

212 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
was constructed. These moons, and also those which ac
company Jupiter, are estimated to be not less than the
earth in magnitude, and are found, like our moon, to re
volve round their axes in the same time in which they
revolve about their respective primaries.
Rings of Saturn.— The most extraordinary circum
stance connected with this planet, is, the phenomehon.of a
double ring, which surrounds its body, but nowhere touch
es it, being thirty thousand miles distant from any part of
the, planet, and is carried along with the planet in its cir
cuit round the sun. ¦ This is the most singular and. asto
nishing object in the whole range of the planetary system ;
no other planet, being found environed with so wonderful
an appendage ; and the planets which may belong to other
systems, being placed beyond the. reach of our observa
tions, no idea can be formed of the peculiar apparatus with-
which any of them may be furnished. This double ring
consists of two concentric rings, detached from each other ;j
the innermost of which is nearly three times as broad as the,
outermost. The outside diameter of the exterior ring is
204,000 miles ; and, consequently, its circumference will
measure six. hundred and forty thousand miles,, or eighty
times the diameter of our globe. Its breadth is 7,200
miles, or nearly the diameter of the. earth. Were four
hundred and fifty globes, of the size- of the earth, placed
close to one another, on a plane, this immense ring woulden-
close the whole of them, together with all the interstices,
or open spaces between the different globes. The outside
diameter of the innermost ring is 184,000 miles, and its
breadth twenty thousand miles, or about 2s times broader
than the diameter of the earth. The dark space, or inter
val between the two rings, is 2,800 miles. The breadth
of both the rings, including the dark space between them,
is thirty thousand miles, which is equal to the distance of
the innermost ring from the body of Saturn.
The following figure represents a view of Saturn and
his rings, as they would appear, were our eye perpendicu
lar to one of the planes of those rings ; but our eye is
never so much elevated above either plane, as to have the
visual ray standing at right angles to it : it is never ele
vated more than 30 degrees above the planes of the rings.

ASTRONOMY.

213

When we view Saturn through a telescope, we always See
the ring, at an oblique angle, so that it appears of an oval

form, the outward circular rim being projected into an el
lipsis more or less oblong, according to the different de
grees of obliquity with which it is viewed, as will be seen
in the figure of Saturn in the copperplate engraving.
These»rings cast a deep shadow upon the planet, which
proves that they are not shining fluids, but composed
of solid matter. They appear to be possessed of a
higher reflective power than the surface of Saturn ; as
the light reflected by them is more brilliant than that of
the planet. One obvious use of this double ring is, to re
flect light upon the planet, in the absence of the sun :
what other purposes it may be intended to subserve, in the
system of Saturn, is, at present, to us unknown. The sun
-illuminates one side of it during fifteen years, or one-half
of the period of the planet's revolution ; and, during the

214 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
next fifteen years, the other side is enlightened in its turn^
Twice in the course of thirty years, there is a short period,
during which neither side is enlightened, and when, of
course, it ceases to be visible ; — namely, at the time when
the sun ceases to shine on one side, and is about to shine
on the other. It revolves round its axis, and, conse
quently, around Saturn, in ten hours and a half, which is
at the rate of a thousand miles in a minute, or fifty-eight
times swifter than the earth's equator. When viewed
from the middle zone of the planet, in the absence of the
sun, the rings will appear like vast luminous arches, ex
tending along the canopy of heaven, from the eastern to
the western horizon ; having an apparent breadth equal to
a hundred times the apparent diameter of our moon, and
will be seen darkened about the middle, by the shadow of
Saturn.* There is no other planet in the solar system, whose firm
ament will present such a variety of splendid and magnifi
cent objects, as that of Saturn. The various aspects of his
seven moons, one rising above the horizon, while another.
is setting, and a third approaching to the meridian ; one
entering into an eclipse, and another emerging from it ;
one appearing as a crescent, and another with a gibbous
phase ; and sometimes the whole of them shining in the
same hemisphere, in one bright assemblage ; — the majestic
motions of the rings, — at one time illuminatingthe sky with
their splendor, and eclipsing the stars ; at another, casting
a deep shade over certain regions ofthe planet, and unveil
ing to view the wonders of the starry firmament — are scenes
worthy of the majesty of the Divine Being to unfold, and
of rational creatures to contemplate. Such magnificent
displays of Wisdom and Omnipotence, lead us to conclude
that the numerous splendid objects connected with this
planet, were not created merely to shed their lustre on naked.
*See the Engraving, rig. 7. which represents a view of the appear
ance which the rings and moons of Saturn will exhibit, in certain cases,
about midnight, when beheld from a point 20 or 30 degrees north from
his equator. The shade on the upper part of the rings represents the
shadow ot the body of Saturn. This shadow will appear to move
gradually to the west as the morning approaches.

ASTRONOMY. 215
rocks and barren sands ; but that an immense population of
intelligent beings is placed in those regions, to enjoy the
bounty, and to adore the perfections of their great Creator.
— The double ring of Saturn, when viewed through a good
telescope, generally appears like a luminous handle on each
side of the planet, with a dark interval between the interior
edge of the ring, and the convex body of Saturn ; which is
owing to its oblique position with respect to our line of
vision. When its outer edge is turned directly towards the
earth, it becomes invisible, or appears like a dark stripe
across the disk of the planet. This phenomenon happens
once every fifteen years.
The Planet Herschel. — This planet, which is also
known by the names of the Georgium Sidus, and Uranus,
was discovered by Dr. Herschel on the 13th March, 1781,
It is the most distant planet from the sun, that has yet been
discovered ; being removed at no less than 1800 millions
of miles from that luminary, which is nineteen times farther
than the earth is from the sun — a distance so great, that a
cannon ball, flying at the rate of 480 miles an hour, would
not reach it in 400 years. Its diameter is about 35,000
miles ; and, of course, it is about eighty times larger than
the earth. It appears like a star of the sixth magnitude ;
but can seldom be distinguished by the naked eye. It takes
about 83 years and a half to complete its revolution round
the sun ; and, though it is the slowest moving body in the-
system, it moves at the rate of 15,000 miles an hour. As
the degree of sensible heat in any planet does not appear to
depend altogether on its nearness to the sun, the tempera
ture of this planet may be as mild as that which obtains in
the most genial climate of our globe.* The diameter of the
sun, as seen from Herschel, is little more than the apparent
diameter of Venus, as seen by the naked eye ; and the light
which it receives from that luminary, is 360 times less than
what we experience ; yet this proportion is found by calcu
lation to be equal to the effect which would be produced by
248 of our full moons ; and, in the absence of the sun, there
are six moons which reflect light upon this distant planet,
all of which were discovered likewise by Dr. Herschel,

See Note, page 199.

216 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. '
Small as the proportion of light is, which this planetreceives
from the sun, it is easy to conceive, that being similar to
man, placed on the surface of this globe, with a slight modi
fication of their organs of vision, might be made to perceive
objects with a clearness and distinctness even superior to
what we can do. We have only to suppose, that the Crea
tor has formed their eyes with pupils capable of a much
larger expansion than ours ; and has endued their retina
with a much greater degree of nervous sensibility. At all
events, we may rest assured, that He who has placed, sen
tient beings in any region, has, by laws with which we are
partly unacquainted, adapted the constitution of the inha
bitant to the nature of the habitation.
" Strange and amazing must the difference be,
'Twixt this dull planet and bright Mercury;
Yet reason says, nor can we doubt at all,
Millions of beings dwell on either ball,
With constitutions fitted for that spot
Where Providence, all- wise, has fixed their lot."
Baker's Universe.
The celestial globes which I have now described, are all
the planets which are at present known to belong to the
solar system. It is probable that other planetary bodies
may yet be discovered between the orbits of Saturn and
Herschel, and even far beyond the orbit of the latter ; and
it is also not improbable that planets may exist in the im
mense interval of 37 millions of miles between Mercury
and the Sun.* These (if any exist) can be detected only
by a series of> day observations, made with equatorial tele
scopes ; as they could not be supposed to be seen, after sun
set, on account of their proximity to the sun. Five primary^
planets, and eight secondaries, , have been discovered with-
* The Author, some years ago, described a method by which the
planets (if any) within the orbit of Mercury, may be discovered in the
Jay-time, by means of a simple contrivance for intercepting the solar
rays, and by the frequent application, by a number of observers, of
powerful telescopes, to a certain portion of the sky, in the vicinity of
the sun. The details of this plan have not yet been published ; but
the reader will see them alluded to, in Ne. V- of the Edinburgh Philo
sophical Journal, for July, 1820, p. 191.
f A primary planet is that which revolves round the sun as a centre ;
as Mar3, Jupiter, and Saturn. A secondary planet is one which re
volves round a primary planet as its centre ; as the Moon, and tbe1

ASTRONOMY. 21?
in the last 42 years ; and, therefore, we have no reason to
conclude, that all the bodies belonging to our system have
yet been detected, till every region of the heavens be more
fully explored.
Comets. — Besides the planetary globes to which I have
now adverted, there is a class of celestial bodies which oc
casionally appear in the heavens, to which the name of
Comets has been given. They are distinguished from the
other celestial bodies, by their ruddy appearance, and by
along train of light, called the tail, which sometimes ex
tends over a considerable portion of the heavens, and
which is so transparent, that the stars may be seen through
it. The tail is always directed to that part of the heavens
which is opposite to the sun, and increases in size as it
approaches him, and is again gradually diminished, as the
comet flies off to the more distant regions of space. Their
apparent magnitude is very different : sometimes they ap
pear only of the bigness of the fixed stars ; at other times
they equal the diameter of Venus ; and sometimes they
have appeared nearly as large as the Moon. They tra
verse the heavens in all directions, and cross the orbits of
the planets. When examined through a telescope, they
appear to consist of a dark central nucleus, surrounded by
a dense atmosphere, or mass of vapors. They have been
ascertained to move in long narrow ellipses or ovals,
around the sun ; some of them, on their nearest approach
to him, having been within a million of miles of his. cen
tre ; and then fly off to a region several thousands of mil
lions of miles distant. When near the sun, they move
with amazing velocity. The velocity of the comet whicli
appeared in 1680, according to Sir Isaac Newton's calcu--
lation, was eight hundred and eighty thousand miles an
hour. They appear to be bodies of no great density, and
their size seldom exceeds that of the moon. The length
ofthe tails of some comets has been estimated at fifty
millions of miles. According to Dr. Herschel's compu
tations, the solid nucleus, or central part of the comet
satellites of Jupiter and Saturn. The primary planets are distin
guished from the fixed stars, by the steadiness of their light ; not
having a twin/ding appearance, as the stars exhibit.

218 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
which appeared in 1811, was only 428 miles in diameter;
but the real diameter of the head, or nebu ous portion of
the comet, he computed to be about 127 thousand miles.
The length of its tail he computed to be above one hun
dred millions of miles, and its breadth nearly fifteen mil
lions. It was nearest to the earth on the 11th October,
when its distance was 113 millions of miles. The num
ber of comets which have occasionally been seen within
the limits of our system, since the commencement of the
Christian era, is about 500, of which the paths or orbits
of 98 have been calculated.
As these bodies cross the" paths of the planets in every
direction, there is a possibility, that some of them might
Strike against the earth in their approach to the sun ; and,
were this to happen, the consequences would be awful be
yond 'description. But we may rest assured that that Al-j
mighty Being who at first launched them into existence,!
directs all their motions, however complicated ; and that,
the earth shall remain secure against all such concussions;
from celestial agents, till the purposes of his moral govern
ment in this world shall be fully accomplished. What re
gions these bodies visit, when they pass beyond the limits
of our view ; upon what errands they are sent, when they,
again revisit the central parts of our- system ; what is the
difference in their physical constitution, from that of the
sun and planets ; and what important ends they are des
tined to accomplish, in the economy of the universe, are
inquiries which naturally arise in the mind, but which sur
pass the limited powers of the human understanding at
present to determine. Qf this, however, we may rest as
sured, that they were not created in vain ; that they sub
serve purposes worthy of the--infinite Creator ; and that
wherever he has exerted his power, there also he mani
fests his Wisdom and Beneficence.*
* A comet has lately been discovered, whose periodical revolution
is found to be only 3 years and 107 days. At it greatest distance
from the sun, it is within the orbit of Jupiter, and it possesses this
peculiar advantage for observation, that it will become visible ten
times in thirty three years. It waslast seen in June, 1822, by the
astronomers in the observatory of Paramatta, New Holland, in posi
tions very near to those which had been previously calculated by Mr.

ASTRONOMY. 219
Such is a general outline of the leading facts connected
with that ajptem of which we form a part. Though the
energies of Divine Power had never been exerted beyond
the limits of this system, it would remain an eternal monu
ment of the Wisdom and Omnipotence of its Author. In
dependent of the Sun, which is like a vast universe in itself,
and of the numerous comets which are continually travers
ing its distant regions, it contains a mass of material ex
istence, arranged in the most beautiful order, two thousand
five hundred times larger than our globe. From late ob
servations, there is the strongest reason to conclude, that
the sun, along with all this vast assemblage of bodies, is
carried through the regions of the universe, towards some
distant point of space, or around some wide circumference,
at the rate of more than sixty thousand miles an hour ; and
if so, it is highly probable, if not absolutely certain, that we
shall never again occupy that portion of absolute space^
through which we are this moment passing, during all the
succeeding ages of eternity.
Such a glorious system must have been brought into ex
istence, to subserve purposes worthy of the Infinite Wis
dom and Benevolence of the Creator. To suppose that
the distant globes, of which it is composed, with their
magnificent apparatus of Rings and Moons, were created
merely for the purpose of affording a few astronomers, in
these latter times, a peep of them through their glasses',
would be inconsistent with every principle of reason ; and
would be charging Him who is the source of Wisdonij
with conduct which we would pronounce to be folly in the
sons of men. Since it appears, so far as our observation
extends, that matter exists solely for the sake of sensitive
and intelligent beings, and tffat the Creator made nothing
in vain ; it is a conclusion to which we are necessarily led!
that the planetary globes areinhabited by various orders of
Intellectual beings, who participate in the bounty, and cel
ebrate the glory of their Creator.
When this idea is taken into consideration, it gives a
striking emphasis to such sublime declarations of the Sa-
Euke. It is probable, that the observations which may hereafter he
made on this comet, will lead to more definite aad aocurate views ••
the nature and destination of these singular bodies.
19

220 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
cred Volume as these : — " All nations beforejiim are as no-
thing-^-He sitteth upon the circle ofthe earttyand the inha
bitants thereof are as grasshoppers — The nations are as the
drop of a bucket — All the inhabitants ofthe world are repu
ted as nothing in his sight ; and he doth according to his
will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of
the earth — Thou hast made heaven, and the heaven of hea
vens, with all their host ; and thou preservest them all, and
the host of heaven worshippeth thee — When I consider thy
heavens, what is man, that thou art mindful of him!" If
the race of Adam were the principal intelligences in the
universe of God, such passages would be stripped of all
their sublimity, would degenerate into mere hyperboles,
and be almost without meaning. If man were the only ra
tional being who inhabited the material world, as some
arrogantly imagine, it would be no wonder at all, that God^
should be V mindful of him ;" nor could " all the inhabitants
of this world," with any propriety, be compared to *' a droffl
of a bucket," and be " reputed;,as nothing in his sight. "-5
Such declarations would be contrary to fact, if this suppo
sition were admitted ; for it assumes, that man holds the
principal station in the visible universe. The expressions!
— " The heavens, the heaven of heavens," and " the hmt
of heaven worshipping God," would also, on this supposi
tion, degenerate into something approaching to mere ina
nity. These expressions, if they signify any thing that, is
worthy of an Inspired Teacher to communicate, evidently
imply, that the universe is vast and extensive, beyond the
range of human comprehension — that it is peopled with ,
myriads of inhabitants — that these inhabitants are possess-.
ed of intellectual natures, capable of appreciating thej
Serfections of their Creator— and, that they pay him a tri-
ute of rational adoration. " The host of heaven worship
peth thee." So that the language of Scripture is not only
consistent with the doctrine of a plurality of worlds,' but
evidently supposes their existence to all the extent to which
the discoveries of modern science can carry us. However
vast the universe now appears — however numerous the
worlds and systems of worlds, which may exist within its
boundless range— the language of Scripture is sufficient!!
Comprehensive and sublime, to express all the emotioni

¦£. ASTRONOMY. 221
which naturally arise in the mind, when contemplating its
structure — a characteristic which will apply to no other
book, or pretended revelation. And this consideration
shows, not only the harmony which subsists between the
discoveries of Revelation and the discoveries of Science,
but also forms by itself, a strong presumptive evidence,
that the Records of the Bible are authentic and divine.*
Vast as the Solar System,""we have now been contem
plating, may appear, it is but a mere point in the map of
creation. To a spectator placed in one of the stars of the
seventh magnitude, not only the glories of this world, and
the more resplendent scenes of the planet Saturn, but even
the sun himself would entirely disappear, as if he were blot
ted out of existence. " Were the sun," says Mr. Addison,
" which enlightens this part of the creation, with all the
host of the planetary worlds that move about him, utterly
extinguished and annihilated, they would not be missed by
an eye that could take in the whole compass of nature,
more than a grain of sand^upon the sea shore. The space
they possess is so exceedingly little, in comparison of the
whole, that it would scarce make a blank in creation."
The Fixed Stars. — When we pass from the planetary
system to other regions of creation, we have to traverse, in
imagination, a space so immense, that it has hitherto baffled
all the efforts of scienee to determine its extent. In these
remote and immeasurable spaces, are placed those immense
luminous bodies usually denominated the fixed stars. The
nearest stars are, on good grounds, concluded to be at
least twenty billions of miles distant from our globe — a dis
tance through which light (the swiftest body in nature)
could not travel in the space of three years ; and which a
ball, moving at the rate of 500 miles an hour, would not
traverse in four millions, five hundred thousand years, or
750 times the period which has elapsed since the Mosaic
creation. But how far they may be placed beyond this
distance, no astronomer will pretend to determine. The
following consideration will prove, to those unacquainted
with the mathematical principles of astronomy, that the
stars are placed at an immeasurable distance. When they
( -' (r  " 
* See Appendix, No. VI.

222 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
are viewed through a telescope which magnifies objects a
thousand times, they appear no larger than to the naked
eye ; which circumstance shows, that though we were
placed at the thousandth part of the distance from them at
which we now are, they would still appear only as so many
shining points ; for we should still be distapt from the
nearest of them, twenty thousand millions of miles : or, in
other words, were we transported several thousands of
millions of miles from the spot we now occupy, though
their numbers would appear exceedingly increased, they
would appear no larger than they do from our present sta
tion ; and we behooved to be carried forward thousands of
millions of miles further in a long succession, before their
disks appeared to expand into large circles, like the moon.
Dr. Herschel viewed the stars with teleseopes magnifying
six thousand times, yet they still appeared only as brilliant
points, without any sensible disks or increase of diameter.
This circumstance incontestably proves the two following
things : — 1. That the stars are luminous bodies, whicli
shine by their own native light ; otherwise they could not
be perceived at such vast distances. 2. That they are bo
dies of an immense size, not inferior .to the sun ; and many
of them, it is probable, far exceed that luminary in bulk
and splendor.
The stars, on account of the difference in their apparent
magnitudes, have been distributed into several classes or
orders. Those which appear largest are called stars of the
first magnitude ; next to those in lustre, stars of the second
magnitude, and so on to stars of the sixth magnitude, which
are the smallest that can be distinguished by the naked eye.
Stars of the 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, &c. magnitudes, which
cannot be seen by the naked eye, are distinguished by the
name of telescopic stars. Not more than a thousand stars
can be distiuguished by the naked eye, in the clearest win
ter's night ; but by means of the telescope, millions have
been discovered. (See p. 41.) — And, as it is probable,
that, by far the greater part lie beyond the reach of the
best glasses which have been, or ever will be constructed
by man — the real number of the stars may be presumed to
be beyond all human calculation or conception, and per
haps beyond the grasp of angelic comprehension.

ASTRONOMY. 223
In consequence of recent discoveries, we have now the
strongest reason to believe, that all the stars in the uni
verse are arranged into clusters, or groupes, which astro
nomers distinguish by the name of NEBULiE or Starry
Systems, each nebula consisting of many thousands of
stars. The nearest nebula is that whitish space or zone
which is known by the name of the Milky Way, to which
our sun is supposed to belong. It consists of many hundreds
of thousands of stars. When Dr. Herschel examined this
region, with his powerful telescopes, he found a portion of
it only 15 degrees long, and 2 broad, which contained fifty
thousand stars large enough to be distinctly counted ; and
he suspected twice as many more which, for want of suffi
cient light in his telescope, he saw only now and then.
More than two thousand -five hundred nebula; have al
ready been observed ; and, if each of them contain as many
stars as the Milky Way, several hundreds of millions of
stars must exist, even within that portion of the heavens
which lies open to our observation.
It appears, from numerous observations, that various
changes are occasionally taking place in the regions of the
stars. Several stars have appeared for a while in the hea
vens, and then vanished from the sight. Some stars which
were known to the ancients, cannot now be discovered j
and stars are now distinctly visible, which were to them
unknown. A few stars have gradually increased in bril
liancy, while others have been constantly' diminishing in
lustre. Certain stars, to the number of 15, or upwards,
are ascertained to have a periodical increase and decrease
of their lustre, sometimes appearing like stars of the 1st or
2d magnitude, sometimes diminishing to the size of the
4th or 5th magnitude, and sometimes altogether disappear
ing to the naked eye. It also appears, that changes are
taking place among the Nebula? — that several nebula; are
formed by the decomposition of larger nebulae, and that
many nebulae of this kind are at present detaching them
selves from the nebulae ef the Milky Way. These changes
seem to indicate, that mighty movements and vast opera
tions are continually going on in the distant regions of
creation, under the superintendence ofthe Sovereign of the
19*

224 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
Universe, upon a scale of magnitude and grandeur which
overwhelms the human understanding.
To explore, more extensively, the region of the starry
firmament ; to mark the changes that are taking place ; to
ascertain all the changeable stars ; to determine the perion
dical variations of their light ; tiie revolutions of double and
treple stars ; and the motions, and other phenomena pecu
liar to these great bodies, will furnish employment for future
enlightened generations : and will perhaps, form a part of
the studies and investigations of superior intelligences, in a
higher sphere of existence, during an indefinite lapse of

If every one of these immense bodies be a Sun, equal
or superior to ours, and encircled with a host of planetary
worlds, as we have every reason to conclude, (see pp. 40,
70, 71,) how vast must be the extent of Creation ! how
numerous the worlds and beings which exist within its
boundless range ! and, how great, beyond all human or
angelic conception, must be the Bjiwer and Intelligence of
that glorious Being, who called this system from nothing
into existence, and continually superintends all its move
ments ! The mind is bewildered and confounded when it
attempts to dwell on this subject ; it feels the narrow limits
of its present faculties ; it longs for the powers of a seraph,
to enable it to take 'a more expansive flight, into those re
gions which " eye hath not seen ;" and, while destitute of
these, and chained down to this obscure corner of creation,
it can only exclaim, in the language of inspiration, " Who
can by searching find out God ? — Great is our Lord, and of
great power; his understanding, is infinite ! — Great and
marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty ! — Who can
utter the mighty acts of Jehovah, who can shew forth all
his praise I"
After what has been now stated in relation to the leading
facts of astronomy, it would be needless to spend time in
endeavoring to show its connection with religion,, It will
be at once admitted, that all the huge globes of luminous
and opaque matter, to which we have adverted, are the
workmanship of Him " who is wonderful in counsel and
excellent in working;" and form apart ofthe dominions
of that august Sovereign, « whose kingdom ruleth over abV>

ASTRONOMY. 225
And shall it ever be insinuated, that this subject has no re
lation to the great object of our adoration ? and that it is of
no importance in our views of the Divinity, whether we
conceive his dominions as circumscribed within the limits of
little more than 25,000 miles, or as embracing an extent
which comprehends innumerable worlds ? The objects
around us in this sublunary sphere strikingly evince the su-
perintendency, the wisdom and benevolence of the Creator ;
but this science demonstrates, beyond all other departments
of human knowledge, the Grandeur and Magnificence
of his operations : and raises the mind to sublimer views
of his attributes than can be acquired by the contempla
tion of any other objects. A serious contemplation of
the sublime objects which Astronomy has explored, must,
therefore, have a tendency to inspire us with profound ve
neration of the Eternal Jehovah — to humble us in the
dust before his august presence — to excite admiration of
his condescension and grace in the work of redemption —
to show us the littleness of this world, and the insignifi
cancy of those riches and honors to which ambitious men
aspire with so much labor and anxiety of mind — to demon
strate the glory and magnificence of God's universal king
dom — to convince us of the infinite sources of varied feli
city which he has in his power to communicate to holy
intelligences — to enliven our hopes of the splendors of
that '' exceeding great and eternal weight of glory" which
will burst upon the spirits of good men, when they pass
from this region of mortality — -and to induce us to aspire
with more lively ardor after that heavenly world, where
the glories of theJDeity, and the magnificence of his works
will be more clearly unfolded.
If, then, such be the effects which the objects of astro
nomy have a tendency to produce on a devout and en
lightened mind — to call in question the propriety of exhi
biting such views in religious publications, or in the course
of religious instruction, would be an approach to impiety,
and an attempt to cover with a veil the most illustrious
\ visible displays of Divine glory. — It forms a striking evi
dence of the depravity of man, as well as of his want of
true taste, and of a discernment of what is excellent, that
the grandeur of the nocturnal heavens, and the perfections

22fi THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. ,
of Deity, they proclaim, are beheld with so much apathy
and indifference by the bulk of mankind. Though " the
heavens declare the glory of God," in the most solemn
and impressive language, adapted to the comprehension of
every kindred and every tribe, yet " a brutish man knoweth
not, neither doth a fool understand this." They can gaze
upon these resplendent orbs with as little emotion as the
ox that feeds on the grass, or as the horse that drags their
carcasses along in their chariots. They have even at
tempted to ridicule the science of the heavens, to carica
ture those who have devoted themselves to such studies;
and to treat with an indifference, -mingled with contempt;
the most august productions of Omnipotence*. Such per
sons must be considered as exposing themselves to that
Divine denunciation—" Because they regard not the Works
of Jehovah, neither consider the operations of his hands,
he will destroy them and not build them up." If the
structure of the heavens, and the immensity of worlds and
beings they contain, were intended by the Creator to
adumbrate, in some measure, his invisible perfections, and
to produce a sublime and awful impression on all created
intelligences, {see pp. 49, 54, 62.) it must imply a high
degree of disrespect to the Divinity wilfully to overlook
these astonishing scenes of Power and Intelligence. It is
not a matter of mere taste or caprice, whether or not we
direct our thoughts to such subjects, but an imperativeri
duly, to which we are frequently directed in the word of
God ; the wilful neglect of which, where there is an op--
portimity of attending to it, must subject us to all that is
included in the threatening now specified, if there be any
meaning in language.
That the great body of professed Christians are absolute
strangers to the sublime sentiments which a serious con
templation of the heavens inspires, must be owing, in part,
to the minds of Christian parents and teachers not having
been directed to such subjects, or to the views they enter
tain respecting the relation of such contemplations to the
objects of religion. In communicating religious instruc
tions in reference to the attributes of God, the heavens are
seldom referred to, except in such a vague and indefinite
manner as can produce no deep nor vivid impression on

ASTRONOMY. 22f
the mind ; and many pious persons, whose views have been
confined to a narrow range of objects, have been disposed
to declaim against such studies, as if they had a tendency
to engender pride and self-conceit, and as if they were
even dangerous to the interests of religion and piety. How
Very different were the feelings and the conduct of the
sacred writers ! They call upon every one of God's intel
ligent offspring to " stand still, and consider the wondrous
works of the Most High ;" and describe the profound
emotions of piety which the contemplation of them pro
duced on their own minds : " Lift up your eyes on high
and behold ! Who hath created these things ! The hea
vens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth
his handy-work. When I consider thy heavens, the work
of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast or
dained — what is man that thou art mindful of him, and the
son of man that thou visitest him ! Thou, even thou art
Lord alone; thon hast made heaven, and the heaven of
heavens with all their host, and thou preservest them all ;
and the hosts of heaven worship thee. All the gods ofthe
nations are idols ; but the Lord made the heavens : Ho
nor and Majesty are before him. Jehovah hath prepared
his throne in the heavens ; and his kingdom ruleth over
all. — Sing praises unto God ye kingdoms of the earth, to
him that rideth on the heaven of heavens. Ascribe ye
power to our God ; for his strength is in the heavens.
Praise him for his mighty acts, praise him according to hi
excellent greatness." If we would enter, with spirit, if0
such elevated strains of piety, we must not content ,ar"
selves with a passing and vacant stare at the orbs of nea"
ven, as if they were only so many brilliant studs fi^ed in
the Canopy of the sky ; but must " consider" thep, vfwa.
fixed attention, in all the lights in which revektion and
science have exhibited them to our view, if ve wish to
praise God for his mighty works, and " according to his
excellent greatness." And, for this purpose, the y^clu-
igions deduced by those who have devoted theny<i'vef *°
ieelestial investigations, ought to be presented y&e view
of the intelligent Christian, that he may ** enabled to
"speak of the glory of Jehovah's king'-ip^j and to talk ot
his power."

228 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
natural philosophy.
Having in the preceding sketches, considerably exceed
ed the limits originally prescribed for this department of my
subject, I am reluctantly compelled to despatch the re
maining sciences with a few brief notices.
The object of Natural Philosophy is, to observe and de
scribe the phenomena of the material universe, with a view
to discover their causes, and the laws by. which the Almigh-,
ty directs the movements of all bodies in heaven and on
earth. It embraces an investigation of the laws of gravita
tion, by which the planets are directed in their motions — j
the laws by which water, air, light, and heat, are regula
ted, and the effects they produce in the various states in
which they operate — the nature of colors, sounds, electrir'
city, galvanism, and magnetism, and the laws of their ope
ration — the causes which operate in the production of thun
der, lightning, luminous and fiery meters, hail, rain, snow,
dew, and other atmospherical phenomena.Jn short, it em
braces all the objects (H^Natural History formerly alluded^
to, with a view to ascertain the causes of their varied ap-"
pearances, and the principles that operate in the changes
tp which they are subject ; or, in other words, the laws by
which the diversified phenomena of universal nature are
produced and regulated. One subordinate use of the
knowledge derfved from this science, is, to enable us'to
¦construct all those mechanical engines which facilitate hu-
nan labor, and increase the comforts of mankind, and alfe
l,ose instruments which tend to enlarge our views of tip?
°P4ations of nature. A still higher and nobler use to
T!~\ philosophy is subservient, is, to demonstrate the
Wisdo« and Intelligence of the Great First Cause of all
things, \jd to enlarge our conceptions of the admirable
contrivance and design which appear in the different<jde-
partments Vf universal nature. In this view, it may be con
sidered as firming a branch of Natural Theology, or, in
othei words, a branch of the religion of angels, and of all
oth"Ny intelligences.
.. .j11 j Apartment of Natural science has generally been
dlvlded intohe following branches :—
1. MECHANi„s.^Thig branch, considered in its most
extensive range, n*ludes an invest igation of the general

NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. 229
properties of matter ; such as solidity, extension, divisibili
ty, motion, attraction, and repulsion — the laws of gravita
tion, and of central forces, as they appear to operate in the
motions of the celestial bodies ; and on the surface of our
globe, in the phenomena of falling bodies, the, motions of
projectiles, the vibration of pendulums, &c. — the theo
ry of machines, the principles on which their energy de
pends ; the properties of the mechanical powers — the lever,
?the wheel, and axle, the pulley, the inclined plane, the
wedge and the screw — and the effects resulting from their
^various combinations. From the investigations of philoso
phers on these subjects, we learn the laws by which the
great bodies of the universe are directed in their motions ;
the laws which bind together the different portions of mat--
ter on the surface of the earth, and which regulate the mo
tions of animal, vegetable, and inanimate nature ; and the
principles on which cranes, mills, wheel-carriages, pile-
engines, thrashing-machines, and other engines, are con
structed ; by means of which, man has been enabled to ac
complish operations far'heyond the limits of his own physi
cal powers.
Without a knowledge of the laws of motion, and assist
ance from the combined effects of the mechanical powers,
man would be a very limited being, his enjoyments would
be few, and his active energies confined within a very nar
row range. In a savage state, ignorant of manufactures,
agriculture, architecture, navigation, and the other arts
which depend upon mechanical combinations, he is expo
sed, without shelter, to the inclemencies ofthe seasons; he
is unable to transport himself beyond seas and oceans, to
visit other climes, and other tribes of his fellow-men ; he
exists in the desert, comfortless and unimproved ; the fer
tile soil, over which he roams, is covered with thorns, and
briers, and thickets, for the haunt of beasts of prey ; his en
joyments are little superior to those of the lion, the hyaena,
and the elephant, while he is much their inferior, in point
of agility and physical strength. But, when Philosophy has
once demonstrated the principles of Mechanics, and intro
duced the practice of the useful Arts, " the wilderness and
the solitary place are made glad, and the desert rejoices,
and blossoms as (he rose." Cities are founded, and gradu-

230 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.

ally rise to opulence and splendor; palaces and temples
are erected ; the damp cavern, and the rush-built hut, are
exchanged for the warm and comfortable apartments of a
substantial mansion ; ships are built, and navigated across
the ocean ; the treasures of one country are conveyed to
another ; an intercourse is carried on between the most
distant tribes of mankind ; commerce flourishes, and ma
chinery of all kinds is erected, for facilitating human labor,
and promoting the enjoyments of man. And, when thef
principles and the practice of " pure and undented religion"
accompany these physical and mechanical operations,<,love
and affection diffuse their benign influence; ; the prospect
brightens as years roll on, and man advances, with pleasure
and improvement, to the scene of his high destination.
II. Hydrostatics treats of the pressure and equilibriu
ef fluids. From the experiments which have been madl
in this branch of philosophy, the following important?
principles, among many others, have been deduced :—
(1.) That the surface of all waters which have a comma
nication whilst they are at rest, will be perfectly level.-
This principle will be more clearly understood by an in-s
spection of the following figures. If water be poured into*
the tube A, (Fig. 1.) it will run through the horizontal;'
tube E? and rise in, the opposite tube B, to the same height

Fig. 1.

Fig, 2.

NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. 231
at which it stands at A. It is on this principle that water
is now conveyed under ground, through conduit pipes, and
made to rise to the level of the fountain whence it is drawn.
The city of Edinburgh, a considerable part of which is ele
vated above the level of the surrounding country, is suppli
ed with water from a reservoir on the Pentland hills, seve
ral miles distant. The water is conveyed in leaden pipes
down the declivity of the hill, along the interjacent plain,
$nd up to the entrance of the castle, whence it is distributed
to all parts of the city. If the point A. represent the level
of the reservoir, C D will represent the plain along which
the water is conveyed, and B the elevation to which it rises
on the castle hill. On the same principle, and in a simi
lar manner, the city of London is supplied with water from
the water-works at London Bridge. Had the ancients
Ibeen acquainted with this simple but important principle,
it would have saved them the labor and expense of rearing
l^hose stupendous works of art, the Aqueducts, which con
sisted of numerous arches of a vast size, and sometimes
piled one above another.
f Fig. 2. represents the syphon, the action of which de
pends upon the pressure of the atmosphere. If this in
strument be filled with water, or any other liquid, and the
shorter leg G, plunged to the bottom of a cask, or other
essel containing the same liquid, the water will run out at
e longer leg F, till the vessel be emptied, in consequence
f the atmospheric pressure upon the surface of the liquid.
)n this principle, water may be conveyed over a rising
Pground to any distance, provided the perpendicular height
,, of the syphon above the surface of the water in the foun-
ftain, does not exceed 32 or 33 feet. On the same princi
ple are constructed the fountain at command the cup of
Tantalus, and other-entertaining devices. The same princi
ple, too, enables us to account for springs which are some-
Mimes found on the tops of mountains, and for the pheno
mena of intermitting springs, or those which flow and stop
¦•. by regular alternations.
\H. (2.) Any quantity of fluid, however small, may be made
, to counterpoise arty quantity, however large. This is what
has generally been termed the Hydrostatical Paradox ; and
sgSfrom this principle it follows, that a given quantity of water
20

232 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
may ' exert a force several hundred times greater Or less,
according to the manner in which it is employed. This
force depends on the height of the column of water, inde
pendent of its quantity ; for its pressure depends on its
perpendicular height. By means of water conveyed through
a very small perpendicular tube, of great length, a very
strong hogshead has been' burst to pieces, and the water
scattered about with incredible force. On this principle,
the hydrostatic press, and other engines of immense power,
have been constructed.
(3.) Every body which is heavier than water, or which sinks
in it, displaces so much of the water as is equal to the bulk of
the body immersed in the water. On this principle, the spe
cific gravities, or comparative weight, of all bodies iare de
termined. It appears to have been first ascertained by
Archimedes, and, by means of it, he determined that th$
golden crown of tbe king of Syracuse had been adultera
ted by the workmen. From this principle we learn, among
many other things, the specific gravity ofthe human bodyij
and that four pounds of cork will preserve a person weigh3!
ing 135 pounds from sinking, so that he may remain with/,
his head completely above water.
Hydraulics, which has sometimes been treated as a dis
tinct department of mechanical philosophy, may be consi
dered as a branch of Hydrostatics. It teaches us what rer
lates to the motion of fluids, and how to estimate their ve-j
locity and force. On the principles of this science, all,
machines worked by water are constructed — as steam-en
gines, water-mills, common and forcing pumps, syphons,
fountains, and fire-engines.
III. Pneumatics. — This branch of philosophy treats of
the nature and properties of the atmosphere, and of thew
effects on solid and fluid bodies. From this science we
learn, that air has weight, and presses on all sides, like
other fluids ; that the pressure of the atmosphere upon the
top of a mountain, is Jess than on the plain beneath ; that it
presses upon our bodies with a weight of several thousand
pounds more at one time than at another ; that air can be
compressed into forty thousand times less space than it
naturally occupies; that it is of an elastic or expansive
nature, and that the force of its spring is equal to tai

NATURAL PHILOSOPHY; 233
Weight; that its elasticity is increased by heat; that it is
necessary to the production of sound, the support of flame
and animal life, and the germination and growth of all
kinds of vegetables.
These positions are proved and illustrated by such ex
periments as the following :— The general pressure of the
atmosphere is proved by such experiments as those detail
ed in No. II. of the Appendix. The following experiment
j^jfroves that air is compressible. If a glass tube, open at
one end, and closed at the other, be plunged with the open
end downwards, into a tumbler of water, the water will
rise a little way in the tube ; which shows, that the air
which filled the tube is compressed by the water into a
smaller space. The elasticity of air is proved by tying up
a bladder, with a very small quantity of air within it, and
^putting it under the receiver of an air-pump, when it will
be seen gradually to inflate, till it becomes of its full size.
A similar effect would take place, by carrying the bladder
, to the higher regions of the atmosphere. On the com-
; pression and elasticity of the air, depends the construction
( of that dangerous and destructive instrument, the Air-gun.
—That it is capableof being rarifiedjjy neat, isjproved by
holding to the fire a half-blown bladder, lightly tied at the
neck, when it will dilate to nearly its full size ; and if either
a. full-blown bladder, or a thin glass bubble filled with air,
is held to a strong fire, it will burst. The elasticity of the
air is such, that Mr. Boyle, by means of an air-pump,
caused it to dilate till it occupied fourteen thousand times
the space that it usually does. — That air is necessary to
sound, flame, animal and vegetable life, is proved by the
following experiments : — When the receiver of an air-
pump is exhausted of its air, a cat, a mouse, or a bird,
placed in it, expires in a few moments, in the greatest ago
nies. A bell rung in the same situation produces no
sound ; and a lighted candle is instantly extinguished.
Similar experiments prove that air is necessary for the flight
of birds, the ascent of smoke and vapors, the explosion of
gun-powder, and the growth of plants ; and that all bodies
descend equally swift in a place void of air ; a guinea and
a feather being found to fall to the bottom of an exhausted
receiver, at the same instant.

334 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
On the principles which this science has established, have
been constructed the air-pump, the barometer, the ther
mometer, the diving-bell, the hygrometer, the condenser,
and various ©titer instruments, which have contributed to
the comfort of human life, and to the enlargement of our
knowledge of the constitution of nature.
IV. Acoustics.— -This science treats of the nature, the
phenomena, and the laws of sound, and the theory of mu
sical concord and harmony. From the experiments which11
have been made on this subject, we learn, that air is es
sential to the production of sound ; that it arises from vi
brations in the air, communicated to it by vibrations of the
sounding body ; that these vibrations, or aerial pulses, are
propagated all around in a spherical undulatory manner ;
that their density decreases, as the squares of the distances
from the sounding body increase ; that they are propagated!
together in great numbers from different bodies, without
disturbance or confusion, as is evident from concerts ofj
musical instruments ; that water, timber, and flannel, are
also good conductors of sound ; that sound travels at thei
rate of 1 142 feet in a second, or about thirteen miles in a
minute ; that the softest whisper flies as fast as the loudest
thunder ; and that the utmost limits, within which the
loudest sounds, produced by artificial means, can be heard,
is 180 or 200 miles ;* that sound striking against an ob
stacle, as the wall of a house, may, like light, be reflected
and produce another sound, which is called an echo ; and
that, after it has been reflected from several places, it may
be collected into one point or focus, where it will be more
audible than in any other place. On these principles,
whispering galleries, speaking trumpets, and other acoustic
instruments, are constructed.
V. Optics. — This branch of philosophy treats of vision,
* In the war between England and Holland, in 1672, the nojse of
the guns was heard in those parts of Wales which were estimated to
be two hundred , miles distant from the scene of action. Bat the
sounds produced by volcanoes have been heard at a much greater
distance ; some instances f which are stated in Chap IV. Sect. 2.
Several other facts in relation to. sound, are detailed in Chap. HI.
Art. Acoustic Tunnels.

NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. 235
light, and colors, and of the various phenomena of visible
objects produced by the rays of light, reflected from mir
rors, or transmitted through lenses. From this science
we learn, that light flies at \he rate of nearly twelve mil
lions of miles every minute — that it moves in straight lines
— that its particles may be several thousands of miles dis
tant from each other — that every visible body emits parti
cles of light from its surface, in all directions — that the
"\particles of light are exceedingly small ; for a lighted candle
will fill a cubical space of two miles every way with its
rays, before it has lost the least sensible part of its sub^-
stance ; and millions of rays, from a thousand objects, will
pass through a hole not larger than the point of a "needle,
and convey to the mind an idea of the form, position, and
eolor of every individual object — that the intensity, or de
gree of light decreases, as the square of the , distance, from
the luminous body increases ; that is, at two yards distance
from a candle, we shall have only the fourth part of the-
light we should have at the distance of one yard ; at three
yards distance, the ninth part ; at four yards, the sixteenth
part, and so on — that glass lenses may be ground into the
following forms ; plano-convex, plano-concave, double con?
vex, double concave, and meniscus, that is, convex on one
side, and cone ave on the other — that specula, or mirrors,
may be ground into either a spherical, parabolical, or cy
lindrical form — that, by means of such mirrors and lenses,
the rays of light may be so modified as to proceed either
in a diverging, converging, or parallel direction, and the
images ofvisible objects represented in a variety of new
forms, positicms§i3ind magnitudes — that every ray of white
light may be separated into seven primary colors : red,
orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet — that the
variegated coloring which appears on the face of nature is
not in the objects themselves, but in the light which falls
upon them — that the rainbow is produced by the refraction
and reflection of the solar rays in the drops of falling rain
,— that the rays of light are refracted, or bent out of their
course, when they fall upon glass, water, and other me
diums — that the light of the sun may be collected into a
point or foous, and made to produce a heat more intense
20*

236 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
than that of a furnace* — that the rays from visible, objects,'
when reflected from a concave mirror, converge to a focus,
and paint an image of the objects before it, and that when
they pass through a convex glass, they depict an image" be
hind it.
On these and other principles demonstrated by this sci
ence, the Camera Obscura, the Magic Lantern, the Phan
tasmagoria, the Kaleidoscope, the Heliostata, the Micro
meter — Spectacles, Opera Glasses, Prisms, single, com,--'
pound, lucerhal and solar Microscopes, reflecting and re
fracting Telescopes, and other optical instruments, have
been constructed, by means of which the natural powers
of human vision have been wonderfully increased, and our
prospects into the works of God extended far bey&nd what
former ages could have conceived.
, VI. ELECTRiciTV.-^-This name has been given to a
science which explains and illustrates the operations of a
very subtile fluid, called the electric fluid, which appears to
pervade every part of nature, and to be one of the chief
agents employed in producing many of the phenomena of
the material world. If a piece of amber, sealing wax, or
sulphur, be rubbed With a piece of flannel, it will acquire
the power of attracting small bits of paper, feathers, or
* This is produced by means of lenses, or mirrors of a large diameter,
called burning-glasses. By these instruments the hardest metals, on
which common fires, and even glass-house furnaces, could produce no
effect, have been melted in a few seconds., M. Villette, a Frenchman;
nearly a century ago constructed a mirror, three feet eleven inches in
diameter, and three feet two inches in focal distanee, , which melted
copper ore in eight seconds, iron ore in twenty-four seconds, a fish's tooth
in thirty-two seconds, tost iron in sixteen seconds, i# silver sixpence in
seven seconds, and tin ^n three seconds. This mirror condensed the
solar rays 17,257 times, a degree of heat which is about four hundred
and ninety times greater than common fire Mr. Parker, of London,
constructed a lens thfte feelfin diameter, and six feet eight inches focus,
which weighed 212 paunds." It melted twenty grains of gold in fourse-
conds, and ten grains of platina in three seconds. The power of burn
ing glasses is, as the area of the lens directly, and the square of the fond
distance inversely— or, in other words, the broader the mirror or lens, and
the shorter the focal distance, the more intense is the heat produced byi
such instruments. A globular decanter of -water makes a powerful':
burning-glass ; and house furniture has been set on fire by incautiously'
exposing it to the rays ofthe sun.

NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. 237
otherilight substances. If a tube of glass, two or three
feet in length, and an inch or two in diameter, be rubbed
pretty hard, in a dark room, with a piece of dry woollen
cloth, besides attracting light substances, it will emit
flashes of fire, attended with a crackling noise. This lu
minous matter is called electricity, or the electric fluid. If
a large globe, or cylinder oi glass, be turned rapidly round,
and made to rub against a cushion, streams and large sparks
of bluish flame will be elicited, which will fly round the
*lass, attract light bodies, and produce a pungent sensa
tion if the hand be held to it. This glass, with all its re
quisite apparatus, is called an electrical machine, It is
found, that this fluid will pass along some bodies, "and not
along others. The bodies over which it passes freely are
water, and most other fluids, except oil and the aerial fluids ;
iron, copper, lead, and, in general, all the metals, semi-me
tals, and metalic ores ; which are therefore called conduc
tors of electricity. But it will not pass over glass, resin,
wax, sulphur, silk, baked woods, or dry woollen substances ;
nor through air, except by force, in sparks, to short dis
tances. These bodies are, therefore, called non-conduc
tors. The following facts, among others, have been ascer
tained respecting this wonderful agent : — That all bodies
with which we are acquainted, possess a greater or less
share of this fluid— that the quantity usually belonging to
any body produces no sensible effects ; but when any sur
face becomes possessed of more or less than its natural
share, it exhibits certain appearances, in the form of light,
sound, attraction, or repulsion, which are ascribed to the
power called electric — that there are two different species
of the electrical fluid, or, at least, two different modifica
tions of the same general principle, termed positive and neg
ative electricity — that positive and negative, electricity
always accompany each other ; for if a substance acquire
-the one, the body with which it is rubbed acquires the other
, — that it moves with amazing rapidity ; having been trans
mitted through wire of several miles in length, without
taking up any sensible space of time ; and, therefore, it is
not improbable, that were an insulated conducting sub
stance extended from one continent to another, it might be

¥36 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
made to fly to the remotest regions of the earth in a few
seconds of time — that it has a power of suddenly contract
ing the muscles of animals, or of giving a shock to the ani
mal frame — that this shock may be communicated, at the
same instant, to a hundred persons, or to any indefinite
number who form a circle, by joining their hands together
— that it may be accumulatedito such a degree as to kill
the largest animals — that vivid sparks of this fluid, attended
with a crackling noise, may be drawn from different parts
of the human body, when the person is insulated, or stands
upon a stool supported by glass feet — that electricity sets
fire to gun-powder, spirits of wine, and other inflamable
substances — that it melts iron wire, and destroys the pola
rity of the magnetic needle. — that it augments the natural
evaporation of fluids, promotes the vegetation of plants,
- sfed increases the insensible perspiration of animals ; and
can be drawn from the clouds by means pf electrical ki^es,
and other elevated conductors- By means of the electrical
power, small models of machinery have been set in action^
orreries to represent the movements of the planets, have
been put in motion ;. and small bells have been set a-ringing
for a length of time ; and, in consequence of the knowledge
we have acquired, of the mode of its operation in the sys
tem of nature, the lightnings of heaven have been arrested
in their course, and constrained to descend to the earth,
without producing any injurious effects.
From these, and a variety of other facts and experiments,
it is now fully ascertained, that lightning and electricity
are identical ; and that it is the prime agent in producing
the awful phenomena of a thunder-storm ; the lightning
being the rapid motion of vast masses of electric matter,
and thunder the noise, with its echoes, produced by the,
rapid motion of the lightning through the atmosphere^
There, can be little doubt; that, in combination with steaia/
the gasses, and other agents, it also produces many of the
terrific phenomena of earthquakes, volcanoes, whirlwinds,
water-spouts, and hurricanes, and the sublime coruscations
of the aurora borealis. In the operations of this powerful
fluid we behold a striking display of the sovereignty and
majestic agency of God. In directing its energies, "his
way is in fee whirlwind aud the storm, and the clouds are

NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. 239
the dust of his feet ; the heavens are covered with sackclotK
the mountains quake before him, the hills melt, the earth
is burned at his presence, and rocks are thrown down by
him :" Neh. i. 3—6. It is easy to conceive, that, by a few
slight modifications produced by the hand of Omnipotence;
this powerful fluid might become the agent of producing
either the most awful and tremendous, or the most "glo
rious and transporting scenes, over every region of our.
globe. As it now operates, it is calculated to inspire us
rather with awe and terror than with admiration and joy ;
and to lead our thoughts to a consideration of the state of
man as a depraved intelligence, and a rebel against his
Maker. VII. Galvanism is intimately connected with electrici
ty, though it is generally considered as a branch of Che
mistry. It is only "another mode of exciting electrical
action. In electricity the effects are produced chiefly by
mechanical action ; but the effects of Galvanism are pro
duced by the chemical action of bodies upon each other.
If we take a piece of zinc, and place it under the tongue,
and lay a piece of silver, as big as a half-crown, above it ;
by bringing the outer edges of these pieces in contact, we
shall immediately experience a peculiar and disagreeable
taste, like that of. copper. The same thing may be no
ticed with a guinea and a piece of charcoal. If a per
son, in the dark, put a slip of tinfoil upon one of his
eyes, and a piece of silver in his mouth, by causing these
pieces to communicate, a faint flash will appear before his
eyes. If a living frog or a fish, having a slip of tinfoil
pasted upon its back, be placed upon a piece of zinc, by
forming a communication between the zinc and tinfoil,
the spasms of the muscles are excited. These and simi
lar effects are produced by that modification of electricity
which has been termed Galvanism. Three different con
ductors, or what is called a galvanic circle, are requisite to
produce such effects. A piece of copper, a piece of flannel,
-moistened with water or acid, and a piece of zinc, laid upon
one another, form a circle ; and if this circle be repeated a
number of times, a galvanic pile or battery may be formed
capable of giving a powerful shock. The most common
and convenient form, however, of a battery, is found to

MO THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. ,
be a trough of baked wood, three or four inches deep anjl
as many wide. In the sides are grooves, opposite to each
other, into each of which is placed a double metallic plate
of zinc and copper soldered together, and the cells are
then filled either with salt and water, or with a solution of
nitrous acid and water.
By means of the galvanic agency, a variety of surprising
effects have been produced. Gunpowder, cotton, and
other inflamable substances, .have been inflamed— char
coal has been made to burn, with a most brilliant and
beautiful white flame — water has been decomposed into
its elementary parts — metals nave been melted and set on
,fire— fragments of diamond, charcoal, and plumbago have
fceen dispersed, as if they had been evaporated — platina,
the hardest and heaviest of the metals,, has been melted as
readily as wax in the flame of a candle — the sapphire,;
quartz, magnesia, lime, and the firmest compounds in na
ture, have been made to enter into fusion. — Its effects on
the animal system are no less surprising. When applied
to a fowl or a rabbit, immediately after life is extinct, it
produces the most strange and violent convulsions on the
nervous and muscular system, as if the vital functions were
again revived : and when applied to the human body after
death, the stimulus has produced the most horrible con
tortions and grimaces in the muscles of the head and face ;
and the most rapid movements in the hands and feet.
The galvanic agency enables us to account for the fol
lowing among other facts : — Why porter has a different
and more pleasant taste, when drunk out of a pewter ves
sel, than out of glass or earthern ware, — why a silver
spoon is discolored when used in eating eggs, — why the
limbs of people, under amputation, are sometimes con
vulsed by the application of the instruments, — why pure
mercury is oxydized when amalgamated with tin, — why;
works of metal, which are soldered together, soon tar-'
nish in the places where the metals are joined, — and why
the copper sheathing of ships, when fastened with iron
nails, are soon corroded about the place of contact. In
all these cases a galvanic circle is formed which produces
the effects. We have reason to believe,"that, in combina
tion with the discoveries which modern chemistry is daily

NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. 2"41
unfolding, the agencies of this fluid will enable us to carry
the arts forward towards perfection, and to trace the secret
caused of some of the sublimest phenomena of nature.
VIII. Magnetism. — This department of philosophy de
scribes the phenomena, and the properties of the loadstone,
or natural magnet. The natural magnet is a hard dark-
colored mineral body, and is usually found in iron mines.
The following are some of its characteristic properties : —
1. It attracts iron and steel, and all substances which con
tain iron in its metallic state. 2. If a magnet be suspended,
by a thread, or nicely poised on a pivot, or placed on a
piece of wood, and set to float in a bason of water, one
end will constantly point nearly towards the north pole of
the earth, and the other towards the south ; and hence]
these parts of the magnet have been called the north anq
south poles. 3. When the north pole of one magnet ii
presented near to the south pole of another, they will atlrac\
each other ; but if the north pole of one be presented to thri
north pole of another, or a south pole to a south, they will repel,
each other. 4. A magnet placed in such a manner as to be
entirely at liberty, inclines one of its poles to the horizon,
and of course, elevates the other above it. This property
is called the dipping of the magnet. 5. Magnets- do not
point directly north and south ; but in different parts of the
world with a different declination eastward or westward of
the north ; it is also different at the same place at different
times. In London, and in most places of Great Britain,
the magnetic needle, at present, points about 24 degrees to
the west of the north. For more than 160 years it has
been gradually declining from the north to the west ; but
seems of late to have begun its declination to the eastward.
6. Any magnet may be made to communicate the proper
ties now mentioned to any piece of iron or steel. For ex
ample, by gently rubbing a penknife with a magnet, it will
be immediately invested with the property of attracting nee
dles, or small pieces ot iron or steel. 7. Heat weakens the
power of a magnet, and the gradual addition of weight in
creases the magnetic power. 8. The properties of the mag
net are not affected either by the presence or the absence
.of air ; and the magnetic attraction is not in the least dimi
nished by the interposition of any bodies except iron. A,

242 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
magnet will equally affect the needle of a pocket compassf
when a thick board is placed between them as when it is re
moved. — It has been lately discovered, that the violet rays
cf the solar spectrum, when condensed with a convex glass,
and made to pass along a piece of steel, have the power of
communicating to it the magnetic virtue.
The cause which produces these singular properties ef
the magnet, has hitherto remained a mystery ; but the know
ledge of the polarity of the magnet has been applied to a
most important practical purpose. By means of it, man
has now acquired the dominion of the ocean, and has learn
ed to trace his course through the pathless deep to every
region ofthe globe. There can be little doubt that magnet
ism has an intimate connexion with electricity, galvanism,
light, heat, and chemical action ; and the discoveries which
have been lately made, and the experiments which are now
making by M oiichini, Oersted, Abraham, Hansteen, Bar-*
low, Beaufoy, and Scoresby, promise to throw some light,:
on this mysterious agent, and on the phenomena of nature
with which it is connected.
Such is a faint outline of some of the interesting subjects
which Natural Philosophy embraces. Its relation to Re
ligion will appear from the following considerations : —
1. Its researches have led to the invention of machines,
engines, and instruments of various kinds, which augment
the energies, increase the comforts, and promote the gene
ral improvement of mankind ; and these objects are inse
parably connected with the propagation of Christianity
through the w orld. If we admit, that, in future ages, the
religion of the Bible will shed its benign influence over all
nations — that the external condition of the human race will
then be prosperous and greatly meliorated beyond what it
has ever been — and, that no miraculous interposition of
Deity is to be expected to bring about such desirable events
— it will follow, that such objects can be accomplished, only
in the ordinary course of Providence, by rational investiga
tions into the principles and powers of Nature, and the ap
plication of the inventions of science to tbe great objects
of religion, and of human improvement, as I shall endea
vor briefly to illustrate in the following* chapter. As the
destructive effects of many physical agents, in the present

NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. 243
constitution of our globe, are, doubtless, a consequence of
the sin and depravity of man ; we have reason to believe
that, when the economy of nature shall be more extensive
ly and minutely investigated, and the minds of men direct
ed to apply their discoveries to philanthropic and religious
objects, they will b§ enabled to counteract, in a great mea
sure, those devastations and fatal effects which are now pro
duced by several of the powers of nature. The general
happiness of all ranks, which will be connected with the
universal extension of Christianity, necessarily supposes,
that this object will be accomplished ; for, were a dread of
destruction from the elements of nature frequently to agi
tate the mind, as at present, no permanent tranquillity
would be enjoyed ; nor would that ancient prediction, in
reference to this era, receive its full accomplishment, that
" there shall be nothing to hurt or destroy in all God's holy
mountain, when the earth shall be full of the knowledge of
the Lord." And since miraculous interpositions are not
to be expected, to what quarter can we look for those sub
ordinate agencies by which this object is to be effected,
but to the discoveries and inventions of philosophical sci
ence ?
Science has already enabled us to remedy many of those
evils which are the accidental effects of the operation of
physical agents. For example — the discoveries of the phi
losopher, with respect to the nature of the electric fluid,
have enabled us to construct conductors for preserving
buildings from the stroke of lightning ; and we have every'
reason to hope, that, in the progress of electric, galvanic, v
and chemical science, more complete thunder guards, ap
plicable to all the situations in which a person may be ex
posed, will be invented. Nay, our increasing knowledge
of the electric fluid, and of the chemical agents which con
cur in its operation, may enable us to dissipate thunder
storms altogether, by disturbing the electricity of the clouds
by means of a series of elevated artificial conductors.
This is not only possible, but has already been in some
degree effected. The celebrated Euler informs us, in his
"Letters to a German Princess," that he corresponded
with a Moravian priest, named Divisch, who assured him,
" that he had adverted, during a whole summer, every thun-
21

244 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.^ ^
der-storm which threatened bis own habitation, and the
neighborhood, by means of a machine constructed on the
principles of electricity — that the machinery sensibly at
tracted the clouds, and constrained them to descend quietly
in a distillation, without any but a very distant thunder clap."
Euler assures us that " the fact is undoubted,, and confirm
ed by irresistible proof." Yea, not only may the destruc
tive effects of lightning be averted by the inventions of phi
losophy, but its agency may be rendered subservient to hu
man industry, and made to act as. a mechanical power.
This effect, too, has been partially accomplished. About
the year »1811, in the village of Philipsthal, in Eastern
Prussia, an attempt was made to split an immense stone
into a multitude of pieces, by means of lightning. A bar
of iron, in the form of a conductor, was previously fixe^H
to the stone, and the experiment was attended with the
most complete success ; for, during the very first thunder-'
storm, the lightning burst the stone without displacing it.*
It is therefore probable, that in the future ages of the
world, this terrific meteor, and other destructive agents,
which now produce so much alarm, and so many disastrous
effects, may, by the aid of philosophy, be brought under
the control of man, and be made to minister to his enjoy
ment. The electric fluid has also been, in many instances, suc
cessfully applied in curing palsies, rheumatisms, spasms,
obstructions, and inflammation ; and it is known to have a
peculiar effect on the nervous system. Lightning has
been known to restore the blind to a temporary enjoyment
of sight. Mr. Campbell of Succoth, in Dumbartonshire,
who had been blind for several years, was led by his ser
vant one evening through the streets of Glasgow, during a
.- terrible thunder-storm. The lightning sometimes fluttered
along the streets for a quarter of a minute without ceasing.
While this fluttering lasted, Mr. C. saw the street dis
tinctly, and the changes which had been made in that part
by taking down one of the city gates. When the Storm
was over, his entire blindness returned. — A still more re
markable instance is stated, along with Ibis, under the artw
* ' '¦»'''' ¦" "¦ " ¦ggr'1  J — ;  ,  , i
* See Monthly Magazine, vol. 32, p. 162.

NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. 245
cle Thunder, in Dr. Gleig's Supp. to Ency. Brit, which
was written by the late Professor Robinson. It is also pos?
sible that barren deserts might be enriched with fertility,
and immense portions of the desolate wastes of our globe
prepared for the support and accommodation of human
beings, by arresting the clouds, and drawing down their
ellctrical virtue and their watery treasures by means of an
extended series of elevated metallic conductors. What has
been now stated is only one instance, out of many, which
might be produced, of the extensive and beneficial effects
which may be produced, in future ages, by the application
of the discoveries of natural science.
2. A knowledge of Natural Philosophy enables us to
detect pretended miracles, and to discriminate between
those phenomena which are produced by the powers of
nature, and the supposed effects of diabolical influence. It
has been chiefly owing to ignorance of the principles of na
tural science, that mankind, in all ages, have been so easi
ly imposed upon by pretenders to supernatural powers. It
is owing to the same cause, that superstitious notions and
vain alarms have spread their influence so extensively among
the lower ranks of the population of every country. Tha
pretended miracles by which Pagan and Popish Priests en
deavour to support the authority of their respective religious
systems, and every species of degrading superstition, vanish
into smoke, when examined by the light of modern science ;
and there can be no question that an enlightened Mission
ary would, in many instances, find the principles and the
instruments of natural philosophy important auxiliaries in
undermining the fabric of heathen indolatry and priestcraft.
They tend to dissipate a thousand idle terrors which haunt
and agitate the human mind ; to detect a thousand kinds of
imposture hy which it has been held in cruel bondage ; and
to prevent the perpetration of those deeds of cruelty which
have uniformly marked the reign of Superstition.* Had
, • * Mr. Douglas, in his " Hints on Missions," formerly referred to,
f,swhen speaking of the facilities which Christians now possess for ex
pensive missionary exertions, suggests, that Natural Philosophy might
be an important auxiliary to Christian Missionaries. " All the an
cient ' war weapons of victory,' excepting miracles, are at their dis
posal; ind new instruments of still greater potency, which the science

246 the Christian philosopher.

.!•,¦

our forefathers connected a knowledge of this subject with
their study of the Scriptures, they would not have brought
upon themselves that indelible disgrace which now attaches
to their memories, on account of their having condemned
and burned at the stake hundreds of unhappy women, ac
cused of crimes of which they could not possibly have been
guilty. ' In New-England, towards the close of the 17th
century, the witchcraft phrenzy rose so high, that theexecu-
tion" of witches became a calamity more dreadful than the
sword or the pestilence. Not only old women, but chil
dren of ten years were put to death ; young girls were
stripped naked, and the marks of witchcraft searched for
upon their bodies with the most indecent curiosity ; and
those spots of the scurvy which age impresses upon the
bodies of old men, were taken for evident signs of infer
nal power. So that ignorance of the laws and phenomena
-of nature has led even Christians to commit acts of injustice
and horrid cruelty. For, let it be remembered, that it was
Christian magistrates and ministers, under a pretended
zeal for the honor of God, who sanctioned such cruel and
unrighteous decrees. This consideration, viewed in con-
section with many others, tends to show, that the Christian,
revelation, considered abstractly by itself, without a refe
rence to the visible system of the universe, is not sufficient
for all the purposes for which it was intended ; as, on the
other hand, the study of the works of nature is not sum*
cient of itself to lead the mind to the true knowledge of
God, without the aid of the discoveries derived from the
sacred oracles. For, although the Bible has been in the
hands of Protestant Christians ever since the reformation,
of the latter days has been accumulating for a universal revolution of
the mind, are ready to be brought into action, upon a scale of over
powering magnitude. Even the single resource which is lost' may
yet be recompensed by equivalents, and a substitute, in many re
spects, may be found for miracles. The first effect of a miracle is. to
rouse the attention, and to overawe opposing prejudices ; the second,,
to afford a proof of the religion of which it is a sealing accompani
ment. The first object might be gained by the natural magic of experi
mental PhUosophy .- and as to the second, the difference in the proof
from miracles, lies rather in its being more circuitous, than in its
being 'less conclusive at the present day, than in the times of the-
Apostles."

NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. 247
yet it is only since the light of modern science began to
diffuse its influence, that the superstitions of the dark, ages
and the vulgar notions -respecting witchcraft, necromancy,
and other species of infernal agency, began to vanish,
even from the minds of Christian teachers ; as is evident
from the writings of many eminent divines who flourished
during the 16th and 17th centuries. As the two revelations
which God has given us throw a mutual lustre on each
other ; the one must always be considered as incomplete
without the other. Both are necessary, in order " to make
the man of God perfect," and to enable him to prosecute,
with intelligence and success, the great objects of religion ;
and the Christian minister who affects to despise the aids
of science in the cause of religion, has yet much to learn
with respect to some of the grand bearings of the Christian
system. 3. The investigations of natural philosophy unfold to us
the incessant agency of God, and the plans by which his
wise and benevolent designs in the system of nature are
accomplished. From the immeasurable globes of heaven,
down to the minutest atoms, we perceive a regular chain
of causes and effects, conspiring, in a thousand different
modes, to accomplish the purposes of infinite wisdom and
goodness. The operation of central forces, and of the law
of gravitation on the earth and in the heavens — the hydros-
tatical laws which regulate the pressure and the motion of
fluids — the chemical properties of the atm'osphere, its un-
dulatory, refractive, and reflective powers — the motion of
the rays of light, and the infinite variety of effects they pro-,,
duce — the process of evaporation— the agencies of elec
tricity and galvanism — the properties of the magnet, and
the chemical action of acids and alkalies, and of the minu
test particles of matter upon each other — ought to be viewed
as so many modifications of the agency of Deity, and as
manifestations of his Wisdom, in carrying forward those
plans which regard the interests of his universal kingdom ;
just as we consider the rise and fall of empires, the revolu
tions of nations, and the circulation of the Scriptures in
heathen lands, as so many acts of his moral administration
as the Governor of mankind. For, let it be carefully re
membered, that all these physical agencies have ultimately
21*

248 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
a moral and intellectual bearing ; and are essentially con
nected with every other part of God's providential proce
dure. Though we may be apt to consider them as so ma-.
ny detached and insulated pieces of machinery, with which
we have little concern, or may even disdain to notice their
mode of operation ; yet in the All-Comprehensive mind of
Him who takes in, at one glance, the whole chain of
causes and effects, they are as essentially connected with
his'ultimate purposes, and the eternal destiny of man, as
are the revelations of his word. — Were a single principle
or motion which now animates the system of nature to
cease — were the agencies of electricity, for example, or
the principle of evaporation to be destroyed — the physical
constitution of our globe would instantly be deranged ; na
ture would be thrown into confusion ; and the sentient and
intellectual beings that now inhabit the earth would either
be destroyed, or plunged into an abyss of misery. If, there
fore, we admit that the moral agency of God is worthy of
our contemplation, we ought to consider his physical ope
rations also as no less worthy of our study and investigation ;
since they form the groundwork of all his other manifesta
tions. There is nothing, however, which so strikingly'characte-
rizes the bulk of mankind, and even the great mass of the
Christian world, as that apathy and indifference with which
they view the wonders of creation which surround them.
They can look on all that is grand, and beautiful, and
beneficent in nature, without feeling the least sentiment of
admiration, or of gratitude to that being who is incessantly
operating within them and around them ; and they are dis
posed to consider the experiments of philosophers, by
which the wonderful agency of God is unveiled, as only so
many toys and amusements for the entertainment of chil
dren. They would prefer the paltry entertainments of a
card-table, of a ball-room, or of a gossiping party, to the
inspection of the nicest pieces of Divine mechanism, and
to the contemplation of the most august scene in nature.
However lightly some religionists may be disposed to treat
this subject, that spirit of indifference with which the visi
ble works of God are treated, must be considered as flowing
from the same depraved principle, which leads multitudes

CHEMISTRY. 249
to reject the revelations ofthe Bible, and to trifle with their
everlasting interests. " Man," says Rollin, "lives in the
midst of a world of which he is the sovereign, as a stranger,
who looks with indifference upon all that passes in it, and
as if it was not his concern. The universe, in all its parts,
declares and points out its Author ; but, for the most part,
to the deaf and blind, who have neither ears to hear, nor
eyes to see. One of the greatest services that philosophy
can do us, is to awaken us from this drowsiness, and rouse
us from this lethargy, which is a dishonor to humanity,
and in a manner reduces us below the beasts, whose stupi
dity is the consequence of their nature, and not the effect
of neglect or indifference. It awakens our curiosity, it ex
cites our attention, and leads us as it were by the hand,
through all the parts of nature, to induce us to study and
search out the wonderful works of it." — Belles Lettres,
vol. 4.
Since, therefore, the science of natural philosophy is
conversant about the works of the Almighty, aud its inves
tigations have a direct tendency to illustrate the perfections
of his nature, to unveil the plan of his operations, to unfold
the laws by which he governs the kingdom of universal na
ture, and to display the order, symmetry, and proportion,
which reign throughout the whole — it would be needless
to enter into any further process of reasoning, to show that
the study of it is connected with the great objects of reli
gion. Whatever studies tend to raise our minds to the
Supreme Ruler of all worlds — to expand our views of hi*
infinite knowledge and wisdom, to excite our gratitude, and
our admiration of the beneficent designs which appear in
all his arrangements — to guard us against erroneous con
ceptions of his providential procedure — and to furnish us
with important auxiliaries for extending the influence of his
religion, through the world — must always be interesting to
every Christian who wishes to enlarge his intellectual
, views, and to make progress in the knowledge of God.
CHEMISTRY. '
" This science, which is intimately related to the prece«
ding, has for its object to ascertain the ingredients, or first
principles, of which all matter is composed — to examine'

250 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
the compounds formed by the combination of these ingre-<
dients — to investigate those changes in natural bodies,
which are not accompanied with sensible motion, and -the
nature of the power which produces these combinations and
changes. Within the limits of the last half century, the empire of
Chemistry has been wonderfully extended. From an ob?
scure and humble place among the objects of study, it has
((risen to a high and dignified station among those sciences
which improve and adorn the human mind. No longer
confined to the paltry and mercenary object of searching
for the philosopher's stone, or of furnishing a little amuse
ment, it now extends its sway over all the arts which mi
nister to the comfort and improvement of social life, and
over every speeies of animate and inanimate matter, within
the range of human investigation. " The forms and apu
pearances," (says Sir Humphry Davy,) " ofthe beings and
substances of the external world, are almost infinitely va-"
rious, and they are in a state of continued alterations
Even the earth itself, throughout its whole surface, under
goes modifications. Acted on by moisture and air, it aA
fords the food of plants ; an immense number of vegetable
productions arise from apparently the same materials ;
these become the substance of animals ; one species of
animal matter is converted into another ; the most perfect
and beautiful ofthe forms of organized life ultimately de
cay, and are resolved into inorganic aggregates ; and the
same elementary substances, differently arranged, are con
tained in the inert soil ; or bloom, and emit fragrance in
the flower ; or become, in animals, the active organs of
mind and intelligence. In artificial operations, changes of
the same order occur : substances having the characters of
earth, are converted into metals ; clays and sands are uni
ted, so as to beeome porcelain ; earths and alkalies are com
bined into glass ; acrid and corrosive matters are formed
from tasteless substances ; eolors are fixed upon stuffs ; or
changed, or made to disappear ; and the productions ofthe
vegetable, mineral, and animal kingdoms, are converted in
to new forms, and made subservient to the purposes of ci
vilized life.— To trace, in detail, these diversified andcom*
plicated phenomena ; to arrange them, and deduce general

CHEMISTRY. 251
laws from their analogies, is the business of chemistry."
— Elements of Chemical Philosophy.
Chemists have arranged the general forms of matter in
to the four following classes. The first class consists of
Solids, which form the principal parts of the globe, and
which differ .from each other in hardness, color, opacity,
transparency, density, and other properties. The second
class consists of Fluids, such as water, oils, spirits, &c,
whose parts possess freedom of motion, and require great
mechanical force to make them occupy a smaller space.
The third class comprehends Elastic Fluids, or Gases,
which exist freely in the atmosphere ; but may be confined
by solids and fluids, and their properties examined. Their
parts are highly moveable, compressible, and expansive ;
they are all transparent ; tney.present two or three varie
ties of color; and they differ greatly in density. The
fourth class comprehends Ethereal Substances, which
are known to us only in their states of motion, when acting
upon our organs of sense, and which are not susceptible of
being confined. Such are the rays of light, and radiant
heat, which are incessantly in motion, throughout the spaces
that intervene between our glohe, and the sun-andtbe stars.
— Chemists divide the substances in nature also into Sim
ple and Compound. Simple Substances are those which
have never yet been decomposed, nor formed by art.
Compound Substances are those which are formed by the
union of two or more simple substances. The following
are all the simple substances, with which we are at present
acquainted : Caloric, Light, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Carl
son, Hydrogen, Sulphur, Phosphorus, the METALS.and
some of the Earths. — All that I propose under this arti
cle is, simply to state some of the properties of two or
three of these simple substances.
Caloric, or elementary fire, is the name now given by
chemists to that element or property, which,, combined
with various bodies, produces the sensation of heat% while
it is passing from one body to another. This substance
appears to pervade the whole system of nature. There
are six different sources, from whence Caloric may be pro
cured. It may be produced by combustion^ in which pro-
ceMthe oxygen gas of the atmosphere is decomposed, and

252 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
caloric, one of its component parts, set at liberty — by frkr
tion, or the rubbing of £wo substances against each other
— by percussion, as the striking of steel against a piecffaf
flint — by the mixture of two or more substances ; as when
sulphuric acid is poured upon water or magnesia — by elect
tricity and galvanism. The discharge of^n electric, or
galvanic battery, will produce a more intense degree of
heat than any other means whatever. But the principal;
and probably the original source of caloric, is the Sun;
which furnishes the earth with a regular supply for the sup
port and nourishment of the animal and vegetable tribes.
From this source it moves at the rate of 195,000 miles in
a second of time ; for, it has been already stated, that the
sun sends forth rays of heat, which are distinct from those
which produce illumination, and which accompany them
in their course through the ethereal regions. ,.
Caloric is the cause of fluidity, in all substances which
are capable of becoming fluid. A certain portion, or dosM
of it, reduces a solid body to the state of an incompressible
fluid ; a larger portion brings it to the state of an aerifoBDt
or gaseous fluid. Thus, a certain portion of caloric re
duces ice to a state of water ; a larger portion convertsit
into steam or vapor. There is reason to believe that the
hardest rocks, the densest metals, and every solid substance
on the face of the earth, might be converted into a fluid,
and even into a gas, were they submitted to the action of
a very high temperature. This substance is called sensible
caloric, when it produces the sensation of heat ; arid latent
caloric, when it forms an insensible part of the substance of
bodies. — All bodies are, in a greater or less degree, conduct-
tors of caloric. Metals and liquids are good conductors of
heat, but silk, cotton, wool, wood, &c. are bad conductors of
it. For example, if we put a short poker into the fire at
one end, it will soon become hot at the other ; but this
will not happen with a piece' of wood of the same length,
and under the same circumstances. A person with a silk
en purse, containing metal coin, may stand so near the fire,
as to make the metal almost too hot to touch, though the
temperature of the purse will apparently be scarce altered.
If a hand be put upon a hot body, part of the caloric
leaves the hot body and enters the hand,, producing the

CHEMISTRY. 253
sensation of heat. On the contrary, if a hand be put on
a cold body, as a piece of iron, or another cold hand, part
of the caloric contained in the hand, leaves it to unite with
the colder body, producing the sensation of cold. In
short, caloric is diffused throughout all bodies, and enters
into every operation in nature ; and, were it not for the in
fluence of this subtile fluid, there is reason to believe, that
the whole matter of the universe would be condensed into
a solid mass.
Oxygen is a very pure, subtile, and elastic substance,
generally diffused throughout nature ; but is never found
unless in combination with other substances. It is one of
the most important agents in nature ; there being scarcely
a single process, whether natural or artificial, in which
oxygen has not some important share. When combined
with caloric, it is called oxygen gas, which forms one of
the constituent parts of the atmosphere. In this state, it
forms the principle of combustion ; producing the most
rapid deflagration of all combustible substances. If a
lighted taper be let down into a jar of oxygen gas, it burns
with such splendor, that the eye can scarcely bear the
glare of light ; and, at the same time, produces a much
greater heat than when burning in common air. If a steel
wire, or a thin file, having a sharp point, armed with a bit
of wood in inflammation, be introduced into a jar filled
with this gas, the steel will take fire, and its combustion
will continue producing a most brilliant phenomenon. It
has been proved, by numerous experiments, that this gas
is so essential to combustion, that no substance will burn
in common air, which has been previously deprived of its
oxygen. It is also essential to the support of animal life ;
so that man, and all the inferior ranks of animated nature,
may be said to depend upon this fluid for their existence.
Its basis gives the acid character to all mineral and vege
table salts : and the calcination of metals is altogether
effected by their union with oxygen. It constitutes fhe ba
sis both of the atmosphere which surrounds the earth, and
ofthe water which forms its rivers, seas, and oceans. It
pervades the substance of all the vegetable tribes, and en
ables them to perform their functions ; and, in combina
tion with the different metals, serves the most important

254 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
purposes in the useful arts. In the operation of this ele
mentary principle, we perceive a striking display of the
agency of the Creator, and of the admirable means which
his wisdom has contrived for preserving, in due order, the
system of nature. And, as this wonderful substance is so
essentially necessary to animal and vegetable existence,
every thing is so arranged as to produce a regular supply
of it, notwithstanding its incessant changes, and the mul
tifarious combinations into which it is continually enter
ing. One of the most extraordinary effects of oxygen ap
pears, when it is combined in a certain proportion with
nitrogen, so as to form the gaseous oxide of nitrogen, or
what is commonly called nitrous oxide. This gas consists
of 63 parts nitrogen, and 37, oxygen, by weight; When
inhaled into the lungs, it produces an extraordinary eleva
tion of the animal spirits, a propensity to leaping and run^
ning, involuntary fits of laughter, a rapid flow of vivid
ideas, and a thousand delightful emotions ; without being^
accompanied with any subsequent feelings of debility. 'i
This circumstance shows what a variety of delightfuPor
pernicious effects might flow from the slightest change in
the constitution of the atmosphere, were the hand ofthe
Almighty to interpose in altering the proportion of its con
stituent parts : for atmospheric air is composed of 79 pails
of nitrogen, and 21 of oxygen, which is not a very diffeti-
ent proportion from the above. Another gas called nitric
oxide, composed of 56 parts oxygen, and 44 nitrogen,
produces instant suffocation in all animals that attempt to
breathe it. One of the most corrosive acids, the nitrous
acid, or aquafortis, is composed of 75 parts oxygen, and
25 parts nitrogen ; so that we are every moment breathing
a certain substance, which, in another combination, would
produce the most dreadful pain, and cause our immediate
destruction. What a striking proof does this afford, of
the infinite comprehension of the Divine Mind, in foresee- :
ing all the consequences of the elements of nature, and in
directing their numerous combinations in such a manner
as to promote the happiness of animated beings ! '"^r
Nitrogen, or azote, is a substance generally diffused
throughout nature, and particularly in animated bodies. It

CHEMISTRY. 255
isnotto be found in a solid or liquid state, but, combined
with caloric, it forms nitrogen gas, which is one of the in
gredients of the atmosphere. It is incapable of supporting
either flame or animal life. This is proved by introducing
an animal, or a burning candle, into a yessel full of this
gas : in which case, the animal is suddenly suffocated, and
the candle instantly extinguished. It is this gas which is
expelled from the lungs at every expiration, and, rising
over our heads soon enters into new combinations.
Though it is destructive to animal life, it appears to be fa
vorable to plants, which vegetate freely when surrounded
with nitrogen.
Hydrogen is another elementary substance, abundant in
nature, and when united to caloric, forms Hydrogen Gas.
It is one of the constituent parts of water ; for, it has been
completely demonstrated by experiment, that water is com
posed of 85 .parts by weight of oxygen, and 15 of hydro1
gen, in every hundred parts of the fluid. This gas was
formerly known by the name of inflammable air. It is dis
tinguished among miners, by the name of fire-damp ; it
abounds in coal-mines, and sometimes produces the most
tremendous explosions. It is incapable, by itself, of sup
porting combustion, and cannot be breathed without the
most imminent danger. It is the chief constituent of oils,
fats, spirits, ether, coals, and bitumen ; and is supposed' to
be one of the agents which produce the ignes fatui, and
the northern tights. It is the lightest of all ponderable bo
dies ; being from twelve to fifteen times lighter than com
mon air. A hundred cubic inches of it weigh about 2 1-4
grains. On account of its great levity, it is used for filling
air balloons. In contact with atmospheric air, it burns
with a pale blue color. When mixed with oxygen gas, it
may be exploded, like gun-powder, with a violent report.
Carburetted .hydrogen gas, which is carbon dissolved in
hydrogen, is that beautiful gas which is now employed 4n
lighting our streets, shops,. and manufactories.
Carbon is another simple substance extensively diffused
throughout nature. It is:found pure and solid ®nly in tbe
diamond ; hutitmay be procured in the 'state -of •charcoal,
by burning a piece »f wood closely covered with sand, in
a crucible. Carbon enters into the composition of bitumen
22

256 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
and pit coal, and of most animal, and some mineral sub
stances ; and it forms nearly the whole ofthe solid basis of
all vegetables, from the most delicate flower to the stately
oak. It is also a component part of sugar, and of all kinds
of wax, oils, gums, and resins. It combine's with iron in
various proportions, and the results are, cast iron and steel.
Black Jead is a composition of nine parts of carbon to one
of iron ; and is therefore called a carburet of iron. Carbon
is indestructible by age, and preserves its identity in all the
combinations into which it enters. — Carbonic acid gas is
a combination of carbon and oxygen. It is found in a state
of combination with lime, forming limestone, marble, and
chalk ; and may be separated from them by heat, or by
means of the mineral acids. This gas, which was formerly
called fixed air, is found in mines, Caves, the bottoms of
wells, wine cellars, brewers' vats, and in the neighborhood
of lime-kilns. It is known fo .miners by the name of the
choke-damp, and too frequently runs on deadly errands. It
extinguishes flame and animal life: It is the heaviest of
all the gases ; being nearly twice the weight of common
air, and twenty times the weight of hydrogen. It may,
therefore, be poured from one vessel to another ; and if a
small quantity of it be poured upon a lighted taper, it will
be instantly extinguished. It is a powerful antiseptic, or
preserver from putrefaction. Meat which has been sealed
up in it (says Mr. Parkes) has been known to have pre
served its texture and appearance for more than 20 years.
There is no substance of more importance in civilized life
than the different forms -of Carbon. " In nature," says
Sir H. Dayy, " this element is constantly active in an im
portant series of operations. It is evolved in fermentation
and combustion, in carbonic acid; it is separated from oxy
gen in the organs of plants ; it is a principal element in
animal structures ; and is found in different forms in almost,
all the products of organized beings." *
Sulphur is a substance which has been known from the
earliest ages. It was used by the ancients in medicine,
and its fumes have, for more than 2000 years,' been em
ployed in bleaching wool. It is found combined with many
mineral substances, as arsenic, antimony, copper, and most
of the metallic ores. It exists in many mineral waters,

CHEMISTRY. 257
and in combination with vegetable and animal matters, but,
is most abundant in volcanic countries, particularly in the
neighborhood of Vesuvius, Etna, and Hecla in Iceland.
It is a solid opaque, combustible substance, of a pale yel
low color, very brittle, and almost without taste or smell.
Its specific gravity is nearly twice that of water ; it is a
non-conductor of electricity, and, of course, becomes elec
tric by friction. When heated to the temperature of 170°
of Fahrenheit's thermometer, it rises up in the form of
a fine powder, which is easily collected in a proper vessel
and is named the flowers of sulphur. It is insoluble in wa
ter, but may be dissolved in oils, in spirit of wine, and in
hydrogen gas. When sulphur is heated to the temperature
of 302° in the open air, it takes fire spontaneously, and
burns with a pale blue flame, and emits a great quantity of
fumes of a strong suffocating odour. When heated to the
temperature of 570°, it burns with a bright white flame,
and emits a vast quantity of fumes. When these fumes
are collected, they are found to consist entirely of sulphuric
acid ; so that sulphur, by combustion;, is converted into an
acid. It is the base of several compound substances. It
unites with oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, phosphorus, the
alkalies, the metals, and some of the earths. This sub
stance is of great importance in medicine, as it is found to
penetrate to the extremities of the most minute vessels,
and to impregnate all the secretions. It is also used in the
arts, particularly in bleaching and , dying ; it forms a very
large proportion of gunpowder ; and one of its most com
mon, but not least useful properties, is that of its combus
tibility, by which, with the help of a tinder-box, light is al
most instantaneously produced. As this substance has not
yet been decomposed, it is considered by chemists, in the
mean time, as one of the simple substances.
Phosphorus is another simple combustible substance,
but is never found in a pure state in nature. It is com
monly united :'to oxygen in the state of phosphoric acid,
which is found in different animal, vegetable, and mineral
substances. It was first discovered by Brandt, a chemist
of Hamburgh, in the year 1667, and afterwards by the Ho
norable Mr. Boyle, in 1679. It was formerly obtained by a
disgusting process ; but it is now extracted from the

258 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
hones of animals, l»y burning them, and then reducing,
them to a fine pwvdier; and afterwards pouring sulphuric
acid* upon them>. This substance, when pure, resembles
bees' was, being of a clear, transparent, yellowish color;
it is insoluble; in water ; it may be cut with a knife, or
twisted to pieces with the fingers ; and it is about double
the specific gravity of water. Its most remarkable pro
perty is its very strong attraction for oxygen, from which
circumstance, it burns spontaneously in the open air at the
temperature of 43° ; that is, it attracts the oxygen gas from
the atmosphere, and heat and flame are produced. It
gradually consumes when exposed to the common tem
perature of air, emits a whitish smoke^ and is luminous in
the dark ; for this reason it is kept in phials of water ; and
as the heat of the hand is sufficient to inflame it, it should
seldom be handled except under water. At the tempera-
lure of 99° it melts ; it evaporates at 219°, and boils at
554s. When heated to 148° it takes fire, and burns with
a very bright flame, and gives out a large quantity of white
smoke, which is luminous in the dark ; at the same time it
emits an odor, which has some resemblance to that of gar
lic ; and this smoke, when collected, is proved to be an^
acid. It burns with the greatest splendor in oxygen gas,
and, when taken internally, it is found to be poisonous.'
If any fight substance capable of conducting heat be pla
ced upon the surface of boiling water, and a bit of phoS-^
phorus be laid upon it, the heat of the water will be suffi
cient to set the phosphorus on fire. If we write a few
words on paper, with a bit of phosphorus fixed in a quu\
when the writing is carried into a dark room it will appear
beautifully luminous. If a piece of phosphorus about the
size of a pea be dropped into a tumbler of hot water, and
a stream of oxygen gas forced directly upon it, it will dis
play the most brilliant combustion under water that can be
imagined. All experiments with phosphorus,! however,'
require to be performed with great caution. This sub
stance is used in making phosphoric match-bottles, phosi
phoric oil, phosphoric tapers, and various phosphoric fire-*
works. Phosphorized hydrogen gas is produced by bits of
phosphorus remaining some hours in hydrogen gas. It is).
supposed to be this gas which is often seen hovering on

CHEMISTRY. 259
the surface of burial grounds and marshes, known in Scotr'
land by the name of spUnkie, and in England by that of
ioUl-o-the-wisp. Some animals, as the glow-worm, and the fire-fly, and
fish in a putrescent state, exhibit phosphorescent qualities.
M. Peron describes a singular 'instance of this kind in an
animal which he calls the pyrosirma atlanticum, which he
observed in his voyage from Europe to the Isle of France.
The darkness was intense when it was first discovered ;
and all at once, there appeared at some distance, as it
were a vast sheet of phosphorus floating on the waves,
which occupied a great space before the vessel. When
the vessel had passed through this inflamed part of the sea,
it was found, that this prodigious light was occasioned by
an immense number of small animals which swam at difr
ferent depths, and appeared to assume various forms.
Those which were deepest looked like great red hot can
non balls, while those on the surface resembled cylinders s
of red hot iron. Some of them were caught, and were
found to vary in size from 3 to 7 inches. All the exterior
surface of the animal was bristled with thick long tu
bercles, shining like so many diamonds; and these seem
ed to be the principal seat of its wonderful phospores-
cence. Such is a brief description of the principal elementary
substances, which, in a thousand diversified forms, pervade
the system of nature, and produce all that variety which we,
behold in the atmosphere, the waters, the earth, and the
various processes of the arts. It is probable that some of;
these substances are compounds, though they have not yet
been decomposed. Y^a, it is possible, and not at all impro
bable, that there are but two, or at most three elementary *
substances in nature, the various modifications of which
produce all Jhe beauties and sublimities in the universe.
.Perhaps caloric, oxygen, and hydrogen, may ultimately be,
found to constitute all the elementary principles of nature.
— Without prosecuting this subject farther, I shall conclude
this article with a few cursory reflections, tending to illus
trate its connexion with religion.
The remarks which I have already thrown out in refer
ence to Nafural Philosophy, will equally apply to the sci-
22

260 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
ence of Chemistry; and therefore do not require to be
repeated. In addition to these, the following observations
may be stated : —
1. This science displays, in a striking point of view, the
wisdom and goodness of-ilod, in producing, by the most
simple means, the most$. astonishing and benevolent effects.
All the varied phenomena we perceive throughout the
whole system of sublunary nature, are produced by a com
bination of six or seven simple substances. I formerly
adverted to the infinite variety which exists in the vegeta
ble kingdom (see pp. 86 — 88.) About fifty-six thousand
different species of plants have already been discovered
by botanists. All these, from the .humble shrub tomhe
cedar of Lebanon, which adorn the surface of the globe,
in every clime, with such a diversity of forms, shades, and
colors, are the result of the combinations of " four or five
natural substances — caloric, light, water, air, and carbon."
'} When we consider," says Mr. Parkes, " that the many
thousand tribes of vegetables are not only all formed from
a few simple substances, but that they all enjoy the same
sun, vegetate in the same medium, and are supplied with
the same nutriment, we cannot but be struck with the rich,
economy of Nature, and are almost induced to doubt the
evidence of those senses with which the God of nature
has furnished us. That it should be possible so to modify
and intermingle a few simple substaifces, and thence pro*
duce all the variety of form, color, odor, &c. which is
observable in the different families of vegetables, is a phe
nomenon too astonishing for our comprehension. No
thing short of Omnipotence could have provided such a
paradise for man."— -Chemical Catechism, chap. 9.
"Soft roll your incense, herbs, and fruits, and flowers,
In mingled clouds to Him, whose sun exalts, (:
Whose breath perfumes you, and whose pencil paints." '!
Thomson,
What an admirable view is here opened up of the econf jny
of Divine wisdom, and of the beneficent care which has been
taken to secure the comfort and happiness of every living
creature : and how ungrateful a disposition must it indicate
in rational beings to overlook such benevolent arrange-'
ments ! It is highly probable, that in all the other worlds

CHEMISTRY. 261
disposed throughout the universe, an infinite diversity of
scenery exists, and that no one globe or system exactly
resembles another ; and yet, it is probable, that the pri
mary elements of matter, or the few simple substances of
which our world is composed,, may be of the same nature
as those which form the constituent parts of every other
system ; and may give birth to all the variety which exists
throughout the wide extent of creation, and to all the
changes and revolutions through which the different sys
tems may pass, during every period of infinite duration.
2. From this science we have every reason to conclude,
that matter is indestructible. In the various changes that
take place in material substances, the particles of matter
are not destroyed, but only assume new forms, and enter
into new combinations. When a piece of wood, for ex
ample, is burned to ashes, none of its principles are de
stroyed ; the elementary substances of which it was com
posed are only separated from one another, and formed
into new compounds. Carbon, as already stated, appears
to be indestructible by age, and to preserve its essential
properties, in every mode of its existence. That Being, in
deed, who created matter at first, may reduce it to nothing
when he pleases ; but it is highly improbable that his power
will ever be interposed to produce this effect ; or that any
particle of matter ,which now exists, will ever be annihi
lated, into whatever new or varied combinations it may
enter. When any particular world, or assemblage of ma
terial existence, has remained in its original state for a cer
tain period of duration, and accomplished all the ends it
was intended to subserve, in that state," the materials of
which it is composed, will, in all probability, be employed
for erecting a new system, and establishing a new series
of events, in which new scenes, and new beauties and sub
limities will arise from new and varied combinations.
For the Creator does nothing, in vain. But, to annihilate,
and again to create, would be operating in vain ; and we
uniformly find, that in all the arrangements of Deity, in the
present state of things, Nature is frugal and economical in
all her proceedings ; so that there is no process, when
thoroughly investigated, that appears unnecessary or su
perfluous.

262 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
From the fact, that matter appears to be indestructible,
we may learn, that the Creator may, with the self-same
materials which now exist around us, new-model and ar
range the globe we inhabit, after the general conflagration,
so as to make a more glorious world to arise out of its
ashes ; purified from those physical evils which now exist ;
and fitted for the accommodation either of renovated men,
or ofother pure intelligences. From the same fact, com
bined with the consideration ofthe infinite diversity of ef
fects which the simple substances of nature are capable of
producing, we may be enabled to form a conception of the
ease with "which the Creator may new-model our bodies,
after they have been dissolved in the dust ; and how, from
the same original atoms, he may construct and adorn them
with more glorious forms, and more delightful and exqui
site senses than they now possess.
In short, the rapid progress which chemical science is
now making, promises, ere long, to introduce improve-^
ments among the human race, which will expand their
views of the agency of God, counteract many physical*
evils, and promote, to an extent which has never yet been
experienced, their social and domestic enjoyment. The late
discoveries of Chemistry tend to convince us, that the pro
perties and powers of natural substances are only begin
ning to be discovered. Who could have imagined, a cen
tury ago, that an invisible substance is contained in a piece
of coal, capable of producing the most beautiful and splen
did illumination — that this substance may be conveyed, in
a few moments, through pipes of several miles in length-r
and that a city, containing several hundred thousands of in
habitants, may be instantly lighted up by it, without the aid
of either wax, oil, or tallow ? Who could hav* imagined,
that one ofthe ingredients of the air we breathe is the prin
ciple of combustion — that a rod of iron may* be made to
burn in it with a brilliancy that dazzles the eyes — that a
piece of charcoal may be made to burn with a white and
splendid light, which is inferior only to the solar rays—
and that the diamond is nothing more than carbon in a
crystallized state, and differs only in a slight degree from a
bit of common charcoal ? Who could have surmised, that,!
a substance would be discovered, of such a degree of levi^|

CHEMISTRY. 263
ty, as would have power sufficient to buoy up a number of
men to the upper parts of the atmosphere, and enable them
to swim, in safety, above the region of the clouds ? These
are only specimens of still more brilliant discoveries which
will, doubtless, be brought to light by the researches of fu
ture generations. We have reason to believe, that the in
vestigations of this science will, in due time, enable us to
counteract most of the diseases incident to the human
frame ; and to prevent many of those fatal accidents to
which mankind are now exposed. Davy's safety lamp
has already preserved many individuals from destruction,
when working in coal mines ; and thousands, in after ages,
will be indebted to this discovery, for security from the
dreadful explosions of hydrogen gas. And, we trust, that
the period is not far distant, when specific antidotes to the
diseases peculiar to the different trades and occupations
in which mankind are employed will be discovered ; and,
the health and vigour of the mass of society be preserved:
unimpaired, amidst all the processes in which they may be
engaged. — In fine, the rapid progress of chemical discove
ry carries forward our views to a period, when man, having
thoroughly explored the powers of nature, and subjected
them, in some measure, to his control, will be enabled to
ward off most of those physical evils with which he is now
annoyed, and to raise himself, in some degree, to the dig
nity and happiness he enjoyed before moral evil had shed
its baleful influence on our terrestrial system. Such a pe
riod corresponds to many of the descriptions contained in
the Sacred Oracles of the millennial state of the church •
when social, domestic, moral and intellectual improvement
shall be carried to the utmost perfection' ' which our sublu
nary station will permit ; when wars shall cease ; when the
knowledge of Jehovah shall cover the* earth ; when every
man shall sit under his vine and fig-tree, without being ex
posed to the least alarm ; and when there shall be nothing
to hurt nor destroy throughout the church of the living
God. And therefore, we ought to consider the various
discoveries and improvements now going forward in this,
and other departments of science, as preparing the way
for the introduction of this long-expected and auspicious
era.

264 THE1 CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY.
The general object of both these sciences is to investi
gate and describe the structure and economy of the animal
frame. — Anatomy dissects dead bodies, Physiology investi
gates the functions of those that are living. The former
examines the fluids, muscles, viscera, and all the other parts
of the human body, in a state of rest ; the latter considers
them in a state of action.
The parts of the human body have been distinguished in
to two different kinds — solids and fluids. The solid parts
are, bones, cartilages, ligaments, muscles, tendons, mem
branes, nerves, arteries, veins, hair, nails, and ducts, or fine
tubular vessels of various kinds. Of these solid parts, the
following compound organs consist: the brain and cerebelr
lum; the lungs ; the heart; the stomach; the liver ; the
spleen ; the pancreas ; the glands ; the kidneys ; the intes-i
tines ; the mesentery; the larynx ; and the organs of sens«j(
j[. — the eyes', ears, nose, and tongue. The fluid parts are^
the saliva, or spittle, phlegm, serum, the chyle, blood, bile,
milk, lympha, urine, the pancreatic juice, and the aqueous
humour of the eyes. The human body is divided info three-
great cavities-^the head ; the thorax, or breast ; and the
abdomen, or belly. The head is formed of the bones of
the cranium, and encloses the brain and cerebellum. The
¦thorax is composed of the vertebra? of the back, the ster
num, and true ribs ; and contains the heart, the pericardii
vm, the breasts, and the lungs. The abdomen is separate^
from the thorax by means of the diaphragm, which is,#-
fleshy and membranous substance, composed, for the most
part, of muscular fibres. This cavity is formed by the
lumbar vertebra?, the os sacrum, the ossa innominata, the
false ribs, the peritonaeum, and a variety of muscles, a It
encloses the stomach, intestines, omentum, or caul, the li
ver, pancreas, spleen, kidneys, and urinary bladder. — With
out attempting any technical description of these different
parts, which could convey no accurate ideas to a general read
er, I shall merely state two or three facts in relation to the sys
tem of bones, muscles, and blood-vessels, as specimens of.
the wonderful structure of our bodily frame. 1
The Bones may be regarded as the prop-work or basiffl
on which the human body is constructed. They bear thei

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 265
same relation to the animal system, as the wood-work to a
building. They give shape and firmness to the body ; they
support its various parts, and prevent it from sinking by its
own weight ; they serve as levers for the muscles to act up
on, and to defend the brain, the heart, the lungs, and other
vital parts, from external injury. Of the bones, some are
hollow, and filled with marrow ; others are solid through
out ; some are very small ; others very large ; some are
round, and others flat ; some are plane, and others convex
or concave ; — and all these several forms are requisite for
the situations they occupy, and the respective functions
they have to perform. — The spine, or back-bone, consists of
24 vertebra? or small bones, connected together by cartila
ges, articulations, and ligaments ; of which 7 belong to
the neck, 12 to the back, and 5 to the loins. In the centre
of each vertebra there is a hole for the lodgment and con
tinuation of the spinal marrow, which extends from the
brain to the rump. From these vertebra? the arched bones
called ribs proceed ; and seven of them join the breast-
hone on each side, where they terminate in cartilages, and
form the cavity of the thorax or chest. The five lower ribs,
with a-uumber of muscles, form the cavity of the abdomen,
as above stated. The spine is one of the most admirable
mechanical contrivances in tbe human frame. Had it con
sisted of only three or four bones, or had the holes in each
bone, not exactly corresponded, and fitted into each other,
the spinal marrow would have been bruised, and life en
dangered at every bending of the body. The skull is com
posed of 10 bones, and about 51 are reckoned to belong to
the face, the orbits of the eyes, and the jaws in which the
(teeth are fixed. There are seldom more than 16 teeth in
each jaw, or 32 in all. — The number of bones in a human
body is generally estimated at about 245 ; of which there
,are reckoned, in the skull, head, and face, 61 ; in the trunk,
64 ; in the arms and hands, 60 ; in the' legs and feet, 60.
The bones are provided with ligaments or hinges; which
/jaind and fasten them together, and prevent them from being
displaced by any violent motion ; and,- that the ligaments
c may work smoothly into one another, the joints are sepa
rated by cartilages or gristles, and provided with a gland
for the secretion of oil or mucus, which is constantly exu»

266 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
ding into the joints : so that every requisite is provided
by our Benevolent Creator, to prevent pain, and to promote
facility of motion. " In considering the joints," says Dr.
Paley, " there is nothing, perhaps, which ought to move our
gratitude more than the reflection, how well they wear. A
limb shall swing upon its hinge, or play in its socket many
hundred times in an hour, for 60 years together, without
diminution of agility ; which is a long time, for any thing to
last ; for anything so much worked as the joints are."
The Muscular System — A muscle is a bundle of
fleshy, and sometimes of tendinous fibres. The fleshy
fibres compose the body of the muscle ; and the tendinous
fibres the extremities. Some muscles are long and round ;
some plain and circular ; some have spiral, and some have
straight fibres. Some are double, having a tendon running
through the body from head to tail ; some have two or more
tendinous branches running through, with various rows and.
orders of fibres. All these, and several other varieties, are
essentially requisite for the respective offices they have to
perform in the animal system. The muscles constitute the
1 fleshy part of the human body, and give it that varied and
j beautiful form we observe over all its surface. But thair,
principal design -is, to serve as the organs of motion. They
are inserted, by strong tendinous extremities, into the dif
ferent bones of which the skeleton is composed ; and, by
their contraction and distention, give rise to all the move
ments of the body. The muscles, therefore, may be con
sidered as so many cords -attached to the bones; and tbe
Author of Nature has fixed them according to the most
perfect principles of mechanism, so as to produce the fit
test motions in the parts for the movement of which they
are intended.
One ofthe most wonderful properties of the musclesds,
the extraordinary force they exert, although they are com-
" -posed of such slender threads or fibres. The following
facts, in relation to this point, are demonstrated by the ce
lebrated Borelli, in his work, " De Motu Animalhm.^
When arnan lifts up with his teeth a weight of 200 pounds,
¦With arope fastened tothe jaw-teeth, the muscles named
Temporalis and Masseter, with which people chew, anf
Which perform this work, exert aiforce of above-15,000 lhi

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 267
weight If any one hanging his arm directly downwards
lifts a weight of 20 pounds, with the third1, or last joint of
his thumb, the muscle which bends the thumb, and bears
that weight, exerts a force of about three thousand pounds.
When a man, standing upon his feet, leaps or springs up
wards to the height of two feet, if the weight of such a man
be 150 pounds, the muscles employed in that action will
exert a force 2000 times greater ; that is to say, a force of
about three hundred thousand pounds. The heart, at each
pulse or contraction, by which it protrudes the blood out of
the arteries into the veins, exerts a force of above a hun
dred thousand pounds. Who can contemplate this ama
zing strength of the muscular system, without admiration
ofthe power and wisdom of the Creator, who has thus en
dued a bundle of threads, each of them smaller than a hair,
with such an astonishing degree of mechanical force !
There have been reckoned about 446 muscles in the hu
man body, which have been dissected and distinctly de
scribed ; every one of which is essential to the performance
of some one motion or other, which contributes to our ease
and enjoyment ; and, in most instances, a great number of
: them is required to perform their different functions at the
same time. It has been calculated, that about a hundred
muscles are employed every time we breathe. — " Breathing
with ease," says Dr. Paley, > " is a blessing of every mo
ment ; yet, of all others, it is that which we possess with
the least consciousness. A man in an asthma is the only
man who knows how to estimate it."
i The Heart and Blood-vessels. — The heart is a hol-
[low muscular organ, of a conical shape, and consists of
|four distinct cavities. The two largest are called ventri
cles, and the two smallest, auricles. The ventricles send
'.out the blood to the arteries ; the auricles receive it. from
the veins. The heart is enclosed in the pericardium, a
membranous bag, which contains a quantity of water, or
lymph. This water lubricates the heart, and facilitates all
itsjmotions. The heart is the general reservoir of the
blood. When the heart contracts, the blood is propelled
from the right ventricle into the lungs, through thcpUlmo-
naryrarteries, which, like all the other arteries, are furnished
with valves that play easily forward, but admit not the blood
23

S68 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
to return toward the heart.?. The blood, after circulating
through the lungs, and having there been revivified by
coming in contact with the air, and imbibing a portion of
its oxygen, returns into the left auricle of the heart, by the
pulmonary vein. At the same instant, the left ventricle
drives the blood into the aorta, a large artery which sends
off branches to supply the head and arms. Another large
branch of the aorta descends along the inside of the back
bone, and detaches numerous ramifications to nourish the
bowels,, and inferior extremities. After serving the most
remote extremities of the body, the arteries are converted
into veins, which, in their return to the heart, gradually
unite into larger branches, till the whole terminate in one
great trunk, called the vena cava, which 'discharges itself
into the right auricle ofthe heart, and completes the circu
lation. Each ventricle of.the heart is reckoned to contain
about one ounce, or two table-spoonfulls of blood. The
heart contracts 4000 times every hour ; and, consequently,
there passes through it 250 pounds of blood in one hoinv
And if the mass of blood in a human body be reckoned at
:an average of twenty-five pounds, it will follow, that the
whole mass of blood passes through the heart, and conse
quently, through the thousands of ramifications ofthe veins
and arteries fourteen .times every hour, or, about once every
Four minutes. We may acquire a rude idea of the force
with which the blood is impelled from the heart, by const
dering the velocity with which water issues from a syringe,
or from the pipe of a fire-engine. Could we behold these
rapid motions incessantly going on within us, it would over
power our minds with astonishment, and even with terror.;.
We should be apt to feel alarmed on making the smallest
exertion'' lest the parts of this delicate machine should be
broken or deranged, and its functions interrupted. Tbe
arteries into which the blood is forced, branch in every dir
lection through the body, like the roots and branches of I
tree ; running through the substance of the bone% and
every part ofthe animal frame, tilltiiey are lost in such fine
tubes as to be wholly invisible. In the parts where the ar
teries are lost to the sight, the veins take their rise ; and,
in their commencement, are also imperceptible.
RESHRATioN.~-The organs of rerpiration are the lungs.'

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 26$
They are divided into five Iobe,s ; three of which lie on the
right, and two on the left side of the thorax. The sub-
Stance of the lungs is chiefly composed of infinite ramifica*"
tions of the trachea, or wind- pipe, which, after gradually
becoming more and more minute, terminate in\ tittle cells,
or vesicles, which have a free communication with one an
other. At each inspiration, these pipes and cells, are filled
with air, which is again discharged by expiration. In this
manner, a circulation of air, which is necessary to the ex-t
istence of men and other. animals, is constantly kept up as
long as life remains. The air cells of the lungs open into
the wind-pipe, by which they communicate with the exter
nal atmosphere. The whole internal structure of the lungs
is lined by a transparent membrane, estimated at only the
thousandth part of an inch in thickness ; but whose surface,
from its various convolutions, measures fifteen square feet,
which is equal to the external surface of the body. On
this thin and extensive membrane, innumerable veins and
arteries are distributed; some of them finer than hairs ; and
through these vessels all the blood of the system is success
ively propelled, by a most curious and admirable mecha
nism. It has been computed, that the lungs, on an average
contain about 280 cubic inches, of about five English quarts
of air. At each inspiration, about forty cubic inches of
air are received into the lungs, and the same quantity dis
charged at each expiration. On the supposition, that 20
respirations take place in a minute, it will follow, that, in
one minute, we inhale 800 cubic inches ; in an hour 48,000 ;
and in a day, one million, one hundred and fifty-two thou
sand cubic inches — a quantity which would fill seventy-se
ven wine hogsheads, and would weigh fifty-three pounds
troy. By means of this function, a vast body of air is daily
brought into contact with the mass of blood, and commu
nicates to it its vivifying influence ; and, therefore, it is of
the utmost importance to health, that the air, of which we
breathe so considerable a quantityjtshould be pure; and un-
contaminated with noxious effluvia.
" Digestion. — This process is performed by the stomach,
Which is a membranous and muscular bag, furnished with
two orifices. By the one, it has a communication with the
gullet, andby the other, with the bowels. The food, after

270 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
being moistened by the saliva, is received into the stomach,'
where it is still farther diluted by the gastric juice, which has
the power of dissolving every kind of animal and vegetable
Ifubstance. Part of it is afterwards absorbed by the lyrn-
phatic voddacleal vessels, and carried into the circulating
system, and converted into blood for supplying that nour
ishment which the perpetual waste of,,our bodies demands.
Perspiration is the evacuation of the juices of the body
through the pores of the skin. It has been calculated that
there are above three hundred thousand millions of pores in
the glands of the skin which covers the body of a middle
sized man. Through these pores, more than one-half of
what we eat and drink passes off by insenswle perspiration/
If we consume eight pounds of food in a day, five pounds
•f it are insensibly discharged by perspiration. During a
night of seven hours' sleep, we perspire about forty ounces
or two pounds and ahalf. At an average, we may estimate;
the discharge from the surface of the body, by sensible andf
insensible perspiration, at from half an ounce to four
ounces on hour. This is a most wonderful part of the
animal economy, and is absolutely necessary to our health,
and even to our very existence. When partially obstruct
ed, colds, rheumatisms, fevers, and other inflammatory
disorders, are produced ; and were it completely obstruct
ed, the vital functions would be clogged and impeded in
their movements, and death would inevitably ensue.
Sensation. — The nerves are generally considered as the
instruments of sensation. They are soft white cords which
proceed from the brain and spinal marrow. They come
forth originally by pairs. Ten pair proceed from the me
dullary substance of the brain, which are distributed to all.
parts of the head .and neck. Thirty pair proceed from the
spinal marrow, through the vertebra?, to all the other parts
ofthe body; being forty in all. These nerves, the: rami
fications of wfiich are infinitely various and minute, are
distributed upon the heart, lungs, blood-vessels, bowels,
and muscles, till they terminate on the skin or external
covering of the body. Impressions of external objects
are received by the brain from the adjacent organs of
sense, and the brain exercises its commands over the mus
cles and limbs by means of the nerves.

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 271
Without prosecuting these imperfect descriptions farther,
I shall conclude this very hasfy" sketch with the folio wing*
summary ofthe parts ofthe body, in the worfls of. Bonnet.
— " The bones, by their joints and solidity, form the foun
dation of this fine machine : the 'ligaments are strings
which unite the parts together : the muscles' are fleshy
substances, which act as elastic springs to put them in mo
tion : the nerves, which are dispersed over the whole body
connect all the parts*together : the arteries and veins like
rivulets, convey life and health throughout f the heart, pla
ced in the centre, is the focus where the blood collects, or
the acting power by means of which it circulates and is
preserved j the lungs, by means of another power, draw
in the external air, and expel hurtful vapors : the stomach
and intestines are the magazines where every thing, that is
required for the daily supply is prepared : the brain, that
seat of the soul, is formed injt manner suitable to the dig
nity of its inhabitant : the senses, which are the soul's.
ministers, warn it of all that is necessary either for its
pleasure or use.* Adorable Creator ! with what wonder- '.
ful art hast thou formed us ! Though the heavens did not :
exist to proclaim thy glory ; though there were no created
being upon earth but myself, my own body might suffice
to convince me that thou art a God of unlimited power
and infinite goodness."
This subject suggests a variety of moral and religious*
reflections, but the limits to which I am confined, will per
mit me to state only the following : —
1. The economy of the human frame, when seriously
contemplated, has a tendency to excite admiration and
astonishment, and to impress us with a sense of our continual
dependence on a Superior Power. What an immense mul
tiplicity of machinery must be in action to enable us to
breathe, to feel, and to walk ! Hundreds of hones of di
versified forms, connected together by various- modes of
articulation ; hundreds of musclesjo produce motion, each
of them acting in at least ten different capacities ; (see p.
92.) hundreds of tendons and ligaments to connect the
cones and muscles ; hundreds of arteries to convey the
* Contemplation of Nature, vol, I. p. 64.
23*

272 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
blood to the remotest part of the system ; hundreds; of
veins to bring it back to its reservoir the heart ; thousands
of glands secreting humors of various kinds from the
blood; thousands of laeteal and lymphatic tubes, absorbing
and conveying nutriment to the circulating fluid ; millions
of pores, through which the perspiration is continually
issuing; an infinity of, ramifications of nerves, diffusing
sensation throughout all the parts of this exquisite mai
chine ; and the heart at every pulsation exerting a force of
a hundred thousand pounds, in order to preserve all this
complicated machinery in constant operation ! The whole
of this vast system of mechanism must be in action before
we can walk across our apartments ! We admire the ope*
ration of- a steam-engine, and the force it exerts. But;
though it is constructed of the hardest materials which the
mines can supply, in a few months, some of its essential
parts are worn and *deranged, even although its action,
should be frequently discontinued. But the animal ma
chine, though constructed? for the most part, of the softest
and most flabby substances, can go on without intermission
in all its diversified movements, by night and by day, for
the space of . eighty or a hundred years; the heart giving
ninety-six thousand strokes every twenty-four hours, and
the whole mass of blood rushing through a thousand pipes
of all sizes every four minutes ! And, is it man that go»-
Verns these nice ,and complicated movements ? Did hei
set the heart in motion, or endue it with the muscular force
it exerts ? And when it has ceased to beat, can fee com
mand it again to resume its functions ? Man knows nei*
ther the secret springs of the machinery within him, nor
the half- of the purposes for which they serve, or of the
movements they perform. Can any thing more strikingly
'demonstrate our dependance every moment on a Superior
Agerit, and that it is " in God we live and move, and have
our being ?" Were a single pin of the machinery within
ns, and over which we have no controul, either broken or
"deranged, a thousand movements might instantly be inter
rupted, and our bodies left to crumble into the dust.
It was considerations of this kind that led the celebrated
physician Galen, who was a sceptic in his youth, publicly
to acknowledge that a Supreme Intelligence must have,

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 273
operated in ordaining the laws by which living beings are
constructed. And he wrote his excellent treatise " On
the uses of the parts of the human frame," as a solemn
hymn to the Creator of the world. " I first endeavor
from His works,'? he says, " to know myself, and after
wards by the same means to show him to others ; to
inform them,, how great is his wisdom, his goodness, his
power." The late Dr. Hunter has observed, that Astro
nomy and Anatomy are the studies whieh present us with
the most striking view of the two most wonderful attri
butes of the Supreme Being. The first of these fills the
mind with the idea of his immensity in the largeness, dis
tances, and number of the heavenly bodies ; the last asto
nishes us with his intelligence and art in tbe variety and
delicacy of animal mechanism.
2. The study of the animal economy has a powerful ten
dency to excite emotions of gratitude. „ Man is naturally a
thoughtless and ungrateful creature. These dispositions
are partly owing to ignorance of the wonders of the hu
man frame, and of the admirable economy of the visible
world ; and this ignorance is owing to the want of those
specific instructions which ought to be communicated by
parents and teachers, in connection with religion. For,
there is no rational being who is acquainted with the struc
ture of his animal system, aud reflects upon it with the
least degree of attention, but must feel a sentiment of ad
miration and gratitude. The science which unfolds to us
the economy of our bodies, shows us, on what an infinity
of springs, and motions, and adaptations, our life and com
fort depend. And when we consider, that all these move
ments are performed without the least care or laborious
effort on our part, if we be not altogether brutish, and in
sensible of our dependance on a superior Power, we must
be filled with emotions of gratitude towards Him " whose
hands have made and fashioned us, and who giveth us life,
and breath, and all things." Some of the motions to
which I have adverted, depend upon our will ; and with
what celerity do they obey its commands ? Before we can
'-rise from our chair, and walk across ©ur apartment, a hun
dred muscles must be set in motion ; every one of these
must be relaxed or constricted, just to a certain degree,

274 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER
and no more ; and all must act harmoniously at the same
instant of time ; and, at the command ofthe soul, all these
movements are instantaneously performed. When I wish
to lift my hand to my head, every part ofthe body requisite
to prdduce the effect is put in motion : . the nerves are bra
ced, the muscles are stretched or relaxed, the bones play in
their sockets, and the whole animal machine concurs iu tbe
action, as if every nerve and muscle had heard a sovereign
and resistless call. When I wish the next moment to ex
tend my hand to my foot, all these muscles are thrown into
a different state, and a new set are brought, along with
them into action : and thus we may vary, every moment,
the movements ofthe muscular system, and the mechanic
al actions it produces, by a simple change in our volition.
Were we not daily accustomed to such varied and volunta
ry movements, or could we contemplate them in any other
machine, we should be lost in wonder and astonishment.
Besides these voluntary motions, there are a thousand
important functions which have no dependance upon our
will. Whether we think of it or not, whether we be sleep
ing or waking, sitting or walking — the heart is incessantly
exerting its muscular power at the centre of the system, and
sending off streams of blood through hundreds of pipes ;¦
the lungs are continually expanding and contracting their
thousand vesicles, and imbibing the vital principle of the
air ; the stomach is grinding the food ; the lacteals and
lymphatics are extracting nourishment for the blood,; the
liver and kidneys drawing off their , secretions ; and the
perspiration issuing from millions of pores. These, and
-many other important functions with which we are unac
quainted, and over which we have no control, ought to be
regarded as the immediate agency of the Deity within us,
and should excite our incessant admiration and praise.
There is one peculiarity in the constitution of our ani
mal system, which we are apt to overlook, and for which
we are never sufficiently grateful ; and that Is, the power it
possesses of self-restoration. A wound heals up of itself:
a broken bone is made firm again by a callus ; and a dead
part is separated and thrown off. If all the wounds we
have ever received were still open and bleeding afresh, toijj
what a miserable condition should we be reduced ? Bu0!

HISTORY, 27*
by ansystem of internal powers, beyond all human com-
prehensiohy as to the mode of their operation, such dismal
effects are effectuallyprevented. In short, when we con
sider, that health depends upon such a numerous assem
blage of moving organs, and that a single spring out of ac
tion, might derange the whole machine, and put a stop to
all its complicated movements, can we refrain from join
ing with the Psalmist, in his pious exclamation, and grate
ful resolution, "How precious are thy wonderful contri
vances concerning me, 0 God ! how great is the sum of
them ! I will praise thee ; for I am fearfully and wonder
fully made. Marvellous are thy works, and that my soul
knoweth right well."
Omitting the consideration of several other departments
of science, I shall iu the meantime, notice only another
subject connected with religion, and that is History.
history.
History embraces a record and description of past facts
and events in reference to all the nations and ages of the
world, in so far as they are known, and have been trans
mitted to our time. As Natural History contains a record
of the operations of the Creator in the material world, so,
sacred and civil, history embraces a record of his transac
tions in the moral and intellectual world, or, in other words,
a'detail of the plans and operations of His Providence, in
relation to the inhabitants of our globe. Through the me
dium of Sacred History, we learn the period ,and the man
ner of man's creation-r-the reason of his fall from the primi
tive state of integrity in which he was created, and the dismal
consequences which ensued ; — the various movements of
Providence in order to his recovery, and the means by
which human Redemption was achieved ; — the manner in
which the Gospel was at first promulgated, the countries
into which it was carried, and the important effects it pro
duced. Through the medium of Civil History we learn the
»eep and universal depravity of mankind, as exhibited in
le wars, dissensions, and ravages, which have desolated
our fallen race, in every period, and in every land ; — we
learn the desperate wickedness of the human heart, in the
more private acts of ferocity, cruelty, and injustice, which,

276 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
in all ages, men have perpetrated upon each other<;,1--we
behold the Righteousness of the Supreme Ruler of the
world, and the equity of his administration, in the judg
ments which have been inflicted on wicked nations— rand
the improbability, nay, the impossibility of men being ever
restored to moral order and happiness, without a more ex
tensive diffusion of the blessings of the Gospel of Peace,
and a more cordial acquiescence in the requirements of the
Divine laws.
Such being some of the benefits to be derived from His
tory, it requires no additional arguments to show; that this
branch of knowledge should occasionally form a subject of
study to every intelligent Christian. But, in order to ren
der the study of History subservient fo the interests of Re
ligion, it is not enough, merely to gratify our curiosity and
imagination, by following out a succession of memorable
events, by tracing the progress of armies and of battles, and>,
listening to the groans of the vanquished, and the shouts of
conquerors. This would be to study History merely as
Sceptics, as atheists, or as writers of novels. When we
contemplate the facts which the Historian presents to our
View, we ought to raise our eyes to Him who is the Gover
nor among the nations, " who doth according to his will in
the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the
earth," aUd who overrules the jarring interests of mortals, for
promoting the prosperity of that Kingdom which shall ne
ver be moved. We should view the immoral propensities
and dispositions of mankind as portrayed in the page of
history, as evidences of the depravity of our species, aud
as excitements to propagate, with unremitting energy, the
knowledge of that Religion, whose sublime doctrines and
pure precepts alone can counteract the stream of human
corruption, and unite all nations in one harmonious so
ciety. We should view the contests of nations, and the
results with which they are accompanied, as guided by
that Invisible Hand which "mustereth the armies to the
battle;" and should contemplate them either as the ac
complishment of Divine predictions, as the inflictions of
retributive justice, as paving the way for the introduction
of rational liberty and social happiness among men, or as
ushering in that glorious period, when " the knowledge of

HISTORY. ? 277
the Lord shall cover the earth," and the nations shall
learn war no more.

Thus I have taken a very cursory survey of some of
those sciences which, stand in a near relation to the ob
jects of Religion ; and which may, indeed, be considered
as forming so many of ijs subordinate branches. There
are many other departments of knowledge which, at first
view, do not seem to have any relation to Theological
science ; *and yet, on a closer inspection, will be found to
be essentially connected with the several subjects of which
¦I have been treating. For example — some may be apt to
imagine that Arithmetic, Geometry, Trigonometry, and
other branches of Mathematics, can have no relation to
the leading objects of Religion. But, if these sciences
had never been cultivated, the most important discoveries
of astronomy, geography, natural philosophy, and che-
mistry,"would never have been made; ships could not have
heen navigated across the ocean; distant continents, and
the numerous " isles of the sea," would have remained
unexplored, and their inhabitants left to grope in the dark
ness of heathenism ; and most of those instruments and
engines by which the condition of the human race will be
gradually meliorated, and the influence of Christianity ex
tended, would never -have been invented. Such is the
dependance of every branch of useful knowledge upon
another, that were any one portion of science, which has
a practical tendency, to be discarded, it would prevent, to
a certain degree, the improvement of every other. And,
consequently, if any one science can be shown to have a
connection with religion, all the rest must likewise stand
in a certain relation to it. It must, therefore, have a per
nicious effect on the minds of the mass of the Christian
world, when preachers, in their sermons, endeavour to un
dervalue scientific knowledge, by attempting to contrast it
•with the doctrines of Revelation. It would be just as
treasonable to attempt to contrast the several doctrines, du
plies, and facts recorded in the New Testament' with each
other, in order to determine their relative importance, and
to show which of them might be altogether overlooked
and discarded. The series of facts and of divine revela-

278 * THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
tions comprised in the Bible ; the moral and political
events which diversify the history of 'nations ; and the
physical operations that are going on among the rolling
worlds on high, and in the chemical changes,of the invisi-
ble atoms of matter, are all parts of one comprehensive
system, under the direction *of the Eternal Mind ; every
portion of which must have a certain relation to the whole.
And, therefore, instead of attempting to degrade one part
of the Divine fabric in order to enhance another, our duty
is to take an expansive view of the whole, and to consider
the symmetry and proportion of its parts, and their mutual
bearings and relations — in so far as our opportunities, and
the limited faculties of our minds will permit.
If the remarks which have been thrown out in this
chapter, respecting the connection of the Sciences with
Religion, have any foundation, it will follow — that Ser
mons, Lectures, systems of Divinity, and Religious Pe
riodical works, should embrace occasional illustrations of
such subjects, for the purpose of expanding the concep-J
tions of professed Christians, and of enabling them to
take large and comprehensive views of the perfections and
the providence of the Almighty. It is much to be regret
ted, that so many members of the Christian church are
absolute strangers to such studies and contemplations;
while the time and attention that might have been devoted
to such exercises, have in many cases, been usurped by
the most grovelling affections, by foolish pursuits, by gosV
siping chit-chat, and slanderous conversation. Shall the
most trifling and absurd opinions of ancient and modern
heretics be judged worthy of attention, and occupy a place
in Religious journals, and even in discussions from the
pulpit, and shall " the mighty acts of the Lord,"sand the*
visible wonders of his power and wisdom, be thrown com-!
pletely into the shade ? To survey, with an eye of intellir
gence, the wide-extended theatre of the Divine operations
— to mark the agency of the Eternal Mind in every object
we behold, and in every movement within us and around
us, are some of the noblest attainments of the rational!
soul ; and, in conjunction with every other Christian study*
and acquirement, are calculated to make " the man of God
perfect, and thoroughly furnished unto every good work."

HISTORY. 279
By such studies we are, in some measure, 'assimilated to
the angelic tribes, .whose powers of intellect are for ever
employed in such investigations — and are gradually pre
pared for bearing a part in their immortal hymn — " Great
and marvellous are thy works, Lord God ijUmighty ; just
and true are thy ways, thou King of Saints. Thou art
worthy .to receive glory ^ and honor, and power ; for thou
hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and
were created." ».

24

CHAPTER III .
THE RELATION WHICH THE INVENTIONS OP'
HUMAN ART BEAR TO THE OBJECTS ..
OF RELIGION. #

In this chapter, I shall briefly notice a few philosophical
and mechanical inventions which have an obvious bearing
on Religion, and on the general propagation of Christianity
among the nations.
• The first, and perhaps the most important of the inven
tions to which I allude, is the Art of Printing. Thisj
art appears to have been invented (at least in Europe
about the year 1430, by one Laurentius, or Lawrenq
Koster, a native of Haerlem, a town in Holland. As f
was walking in a wood near the city, he began to cut son
letters upon the rind of a beach tree^ which,' for the sake'
of gratifying his fancy, being impressed on paper, he
printed one or two lines as a specimen for his grandchild* ,
ren to follow. This having succeeded, he meditated
greater things ; and first of all, invented a more gluti
nous writing ink; because he found the common ink sunk
and spread ; and thus formed whole pages of wood, with
letters cut upon them.* By the gradual improvement of
* I am aware that, the honor of this invention has been claimed
by other cities besides Haerlem, particularly by Strashurg, and
Mentz, a'city of Gerrriahy ; and by other individuals besides Lau
rentius, chiefly liy one FugjUP' commonly called Dr. Faustus;
Schoeffer, and by Gutenberg. »« It appears that the art, will
of its implements, was stolen from Laurentius by one ofvL-
vants, whom he had bound, by an oath, to secrecy, whoy-fled;^,
Mentz, and first commenced the process of printing in that city.
Here the art was unproved by Fust and Schoeffer, by their inven-|
tion of metallic, instead of wooden types, which were first used.
When Fust was JnJgParis, disposing of some Bibles he had printeoj&i
the low price (as was then thought; of sixty crowns, the numbe^
and the uniformity of the copies ^possessed, created universal agi-

ART OF PRINTING. * 2S1
this ffi, and its application to the diffusion' of knowledge,
a new era was foj&ned in the annals: of the human race,
and in theif progress of science, religion, and morals. ToJ
it we are chiefly indebted for our deliverance from igno-
raDce,.and error, and for most of those scientific discove
ries and improvements in the arts which distinguish the
period jin which we -live. Without its aid, the Reforma-
, tion from Popery could scarcely have been achieved ; for,
fhafl the books of Luther, one of th# first reformers, been
multiplied by the slow process of hand-writing and copy-
, tation and astonishment. Informations were given to the Police
t against him as a magician, his lodgings were searched, and a great
; number of copies being found, they were seized : the red ink with
'. which they were embellished, was said to be his blood ; it was se-
, riously adjudged, that he was in league with the Devil ; and if he
|- had not fled from the city, most probably he would have shared the
'Sate of those whom ignorant and superstitious judges, at that time,
condemned for witchcraft. From this circumstance, let us learn tp
Nreware how we view the inventions of genius, and how we treat
| those whose ingenious contrivances may afterwards be the means of
BJlightening and meliorating mankind. See Appendix, No. VII.
Ir Various improvements have been made, of late years, in the art
of printing. That which' has lately been announced by Dr. Church,
i of Bdston, is the most remarkable ; and, if found successful, will
carry this art to a high degree of perfecjgn. — A principal object of
this improvement is, to print constantly fromnew types, which is ef
fected by simplifying the process for castag and composing. The
type is delivered perfect by machinery, and laid as it ia,cast, in sepa
rate compartments, with unerring order and exactness* The com
position is then effected by other apparatus, directed by keys like
those of a piano-forte, and the type may then be arranged in words
and lines, as quickly as in the performance of notes in music. No er
ror can arise except from touching the wrong key ; and hence an
expert hand will leave little labor for the reader. It is then found
less expensive under Dr. Church's economical systenijjf re-caeting,
tdk re-melt the types, and re-cast them, than to perforin; the tedious-
operation of distribution. The melting takes place without atmo-
ispheric .exposure, by which oxydation%nd waste of metal are aveid-
19. Ifffe calculated that two men can produce 75,000 new types per
"bur, and in re-composing, one man will perform as much as three
or four compositors. In the production of types, the saving is ninety-
nine parts in a hundred; and in the composition, distribution, and
tiding, is three parts in four. In regard to, press-work, Dr. C.
s invented a machine to work with plattens,"^instead of cylinders,
from which he will be enabled to take 30 fine impressions per
(minute.

282 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
ing, they could never have been diffused to any extent ;
and the influence of bribery and of power might have been
sufficient to have arrested their progress, or even to hmel
erased their existence. But, being poured forth from thsg
press in thousands at a time, they spread over the natiojpF
of Europe like an inundation, and with a rapidity; whicli
neither the authority ofjprinces, nor the schemes ofpriests
and cardinals, * nor the bulls of popes, could counterac$or
suspend. To this noble invention it is owing that copies
of the Bible have been multiplied to the extent of many
millions— that ten thousands of them' are to be found in
every Protestant country — and that the poorest individual
who expresses a desire for it, may be furnished with the
" Word of Life" which will guide him to a blessed im
mortality. That Divine light which is destined to illumi
nate every region of the globe, and to sanctify and reform|
men 'of all nations, and kindreds, and tongues, is accelei
rated' in its movements, and directed in its course through!
the nations, by the invention of the Art of Printing ; and|
ere long, it will distribute among the inhabitants of every;
land, the " Law and the Testimony of the Most High,"
to guide their steps to the regions of eternal bliss. In
short, there is not a more powerful engine in the hand of
Providence, for diffusing the knowledge of the nature and
the will of the Deity, and for accomplishing the grand ob
jects of Revelation, than the art of multiplying books, and
pf conveying intelligence through the medium of the,
Press. Were no such art in existence, we cannot con
ceive how an extensive and universal propagation of the
doctrines of Revelation could be effected, unless afterythe
lapse of an indefinite number of ages. But, with the as^
sistance of this invention, in its present improved stated
the island of Great Britain alone, within less than a hun
dred years, Could furnish a copy of the Scriptures to every
inhabitant of the world, and would defray the expenre of
such an undertaking, with much more ease, and with a
smaller sum, than were necessary to finish the political
warfare in which we were lately engaged.
These considerations teach us, that the ingenious invent
tions of the human mind are under the direction and conH
trol of the Governor of the World-— are intimately con-

THE MARINER'S COMPASS. M. 283
nected with the accomplishment of the plans of his provi
dence, and have a tendency, either directly or indirectly,
to promote, over every region of the earth, the progress
and extension of the kingdom of the Redeemer. They
also show us, from what small beginnings the most inagni-
ficenPoperations of'the Divine economy may derive their
origin... Who could have imagined that the^simple circum-
s-tgjnce of a person amusing himself by cutting a few let
ters on the bark of a tree, and impressing them on paper,
was intimately connected with the mental illumination of
mankind ; and that the art which sprung from this casual
process was destined to be the principal mean of illumi
nating the nations, and of conveying to the ends of the
earth, "the salvation of our God ?" But, " He who rules
in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the
earth," and who sees " the end from the beginning," over
rules the most minute movements of all his creatures, in
subserviency to his ultimate designs, and shows himself, in
Ithis respect, to be " wonderful in counsel, and excellent in
working."
» The Mariner's Compass. — Another invention whieh
has an intimate relation to religion, is, the Art of Naviga
tion, and the invention ofthe Mariner's Compass. Navi
gation is the art of conducting a ship through the sea, from
one port to another. This art was partly known and prac
tised in the early ages of aptiquity, by the Phenicians, the
-Carthaginians, the Egyptians, the Romans, and other na
tions of Europe and Asia. But they had no guide to
direct them in their voyages, except the Sun in the day
time, and the stars by night. When the sky was overcast
with clouds, they were thrown into alarms, and durst not
venture to any great distance from*' the coast, lest they
should be carried forward in a course opposite to that
which they intended, or be driven against hidden rocks, or
unknown shores. The danger and difficulty of the navi-,
gation of the ancients, on this account, may be learned
from the deliberations, the great preparations, and the
alarms of Homer's heroes, when they were about to cross
the Egean Sea, an extent of not more than 150 miles ; and
the expedition of the Argonauts under Jason, across the
sea of Marmora and the Euxine;, to the island of Colchis,
24* ,

284 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
a distance of only four or «five hundred miles, was viewed
as a most wonderful exploit, at which even the gods them
selves were said to be amazed. The same thing appears.-
from the narration we have in the Acts of the Apostles, rM
Paul's voyage from Cesarea to Rome. "When," says
Luke, " neither sun nor stars in manf days appeared, and
no small temptest lay on us, all hope that we should be
saved was then taken away." Being deprived of these
guides, they were tossed about in the Mediterranean, not
knowing whether they were carried to north, south, east or
west. So that the voyages of antiquity consisted chiefly in
creeping along the coast, and seldom venturing beyond
sight of land : they could not, therefore, extend their ex
cursions by sea to distant continents and nations ; and
hence, the greater portion of the terraqueous globe and its.
inhabitants were to them altogether unknown. It was nod
befor&jthe invention of the Mariner's Compass, that distanS
voyages could be undertaken, that extensive oceans couldl
be traversed, and an intercourse carried on between remote^
continents and the islands of the ocean.
It is somewhat uncertain at what precise period this noble''
discovery was made ; but it appears pretty evident, that the
Mariner's Compass was not commonly, used in navigation
before the year 1420, or only a few years before the inven
tion of Printing.* The loadstone, in all ages, was known to
have the ^property of attracting iron ; but its tendency to
point towards the north and south seems to have been un
noticed till the beginning of the twelfth century. About
that time, some curious persons seem to have amused

* The"lventl0° of the ComPaas is usually ascribed to Flavio Gioia,
of Amain, m Campania, ;about the year 1302 ; and the Italians are
strenuous in supporting this claim. Others affirmf that Marcus Paulus,
a Venetian, having made a journey to China, brought back the invention
with him in 1280. The French also lay claim to the honor of this
invention, from the circumstance, that all nations distinguish the Worth
point of the card by a.fleur de lis; and with equal reason, the English
have laid claim to the same honor, from the name compass, by which
most nations have agreed to distinguish it. But whoever were the inven
tors, or at whatever, .period this instrumeAt was first constructed, it
does not appear that it was brought into general nse, before the period*
mentioned m the text. ,
1

THE MARINER'S COMPASS. 285
themselves by making to swim, in a bason of water, a load*
stone suspended on a piece of cork ; and to have remarked,
that, when left at liberty, one of its extremities pointed to
the north. They had also remarked, that, when a piece of
iron is rubbed against the loadstone, it acquires also the
jiroperty of turning towards the north, and of attracting
Jieedles and filings qf iron. Erom one experiment to an
other, they proceeded to lay a needle, touched with the
magnet, on two small hits of straw floating on the water,
and to observe that the needle invariably turned its point
towards the north. vf The first use they seem to have made
of these experiments, was, to impose upon simple people
by the appearance of- magic. For example, a hollow
swan, or the figure of a mermaid, was made to swim in a
bason of water, and to follow a knife with a bit of bread
.upon its point which had been previously rubbed on the
Ijraidstone. The experimenter, convinced them vof his
power, by commanding, in this way, a needle laid on the
surface of the water, to turn its point from the north to
the east, or in any other direction. But, some geniuses,
of more sublime and reflective powers of mind, seizing
upon these hints, at last applied these experiments to the
wants of navigation, and constructed an instrument, by
the help of which the mariner can now direct his course to
distant lands, through the vast and pathless ocean.
In consequence ofthe discovery of this instrument, the
coasts of almost every land on the surface of the globe
! have been explored, and a regular intercourse opened up
between the remotest regions of the earth. Without the
help of this noble invention, America, in all probability,
would never have been discovered by the eastern nations—
i/the vast continent of New Holland — the numerous andinte-
;*Testing islands in the Indian and Pacific oceans — the isles
of Japan, and other immense territories inhabited by hu-
i. man beings, would have remained a9 much unknown and
•nnexplored as if they had never existed. And as the na
tions of Europe, and the western parts of Asia, were the
'*. sole depositories of the records of Revelation, they could
; never have conveyed the blessings of salvation to remote
'i countries, and to unknown tribes of mankind, of whose
existence they were entirely ignorant. Even although the

2S6 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
whole , terraqueous globe had been sketched out before
them, in all its aspeets and bearings, and ramifications of
islands, continents, seas, and oceans, and the moral and
political state of every tribe of its inhabitants displayed' to
view ; — without a guide to direct their course through the
billows of the ocean, they could have afforded no light and;
no relief to cheer the distant nations " who sit in darkness,
and in the shadow of death." Though the art of Printing
had been invented; though millions of Bibles were now
prepared, adequate to the supply of all the " kindreds of
the heathen ;" though ships in abundance were equipped
for the enterprize, and thousands of missionaries ready to
embark, and to devote their lives to the instruction of the
Pagan world — all would be of no avail, and the " salvation
of God" could never be proclaimed to the ends of the
world, unless they had the Mariner's Compass to guide
their course through the trackless ocean. i
In this invention, then, we behold a proof of the agency
of Divine Providence, in directing the efforts of human ge
nius to subserve the most important designs, and contem
plate a striking specimen of the " manifold, #wisdom of
God." When the pious and contemplative Israelite reflect
ed on the declaration of the prophets, that " the glory of
Jehovah would be revealed, and that all flesh would see it
together ;" — from the state of the arts which then existed,
he must have felt many difficulties in forming a conception
of the manner in which such predictions could be realized.
— " The great and wide sea," now termed the Mediterra
nean, formed'the boundary of his view, beyond which he
was unable to penetrate. Ofthe continents, and " the isles
afar off," and ofthe far more spacious oceans that lay be
tween, he had no knowledge ; and how " the ends of the*
earth" were to be reached, he could form no conception ; '
and, in the midst of his perplexing thoughts, he could find
satisfaction only in the firm belief, that " with God all
things are possible." But now we are enabled not only to
contemplate the grand designs of the Divine economy, but
the principal means by which they shall all, in due time,
be accomplished, in consequence of the progress of science
and art, and of their consecration to the rearing and ex
tension of the Christian church.

THE TELESCOPE, 287
The two inventions to which Ihave now adverted, may,
perhaps, be considered as among the most striking instan
ces of the connection of human art with the objects of Re
ligion. But there are many otherinventions which, at first
view, do not appear to bear so near a relation to the pro
gress of Christianity, and yet have an ultimate reference to
some of its grand and interesting objects.
The Telescope. — We might be apt to think, on a slight
view ofthe matter, that there can be no immediate relation
between the grinding and polishing of an optic glass, and
fitting two or more of them in a tube, and — the enlarge
ment of our views of the operations of the Eternal Mind.
Yet the connection between these two objects, and the de
pendance of the latter upon the former, can be fairly de
monstrated. — The son of a spectacle-maker of Middleburg
in Holland, happening to amuse himself in his father's
shop, by holding two glasses between his finger and his
thumb, and varying their distance, perceived the weather
cock of the church spire opposite to him, much larger than
ordinary, and apparently much nearer, and turned upside
down. ThigS new wonder exercised the amazement of the
father; he adjusted two glasses on aboard, rendering them
moveable at pleasure ; and thus formed the first rude imi
tation of a perspective glass, by which distant objects are
brought near to view. Galileo, a philosopher of Tuscany,
hearing of the invention, set his mind to work, in order to
bring it to perfection. He fixed his glasses at the end of
long organ-pipes, and constructed a telescope, which he
soon directed to different parts of the surrounding heavens.
He .discovered four moons revolving around the^danet Ju
piter — spots on the surface of the Sun, and the rotation of
that globe around its axis — mountains and valleys in the
moon — and numbers of fixed stars where scarcely one was
visible to the naked eye. These discoveries were made
about the year 1610, a short time after the first invention
of the telescope. Since that period, this instrument has
passed through various degrees of improvement, and, by
means of it, celestial wonders have been explored in the
distant spaces of the universe, which, - in former times,
were altogether concealed from mortal view. By the
help of telescopes, combined with the art of measuring the

288 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
distances and magnitudes of the heavenly bodies, our views
of the Grandeur of the Almighty, of the plenitude of his
Power, and of the extent of his universal Empire, are ex
tended far beyond what could have been conceived in for
mer ages. Our prospects of the range of the Divine ope
rations are no longer confined within the limits of the world
we inhabit ; — we can now plainly perceive, that the king
dom of God is not only " an everlasting dominion," but
that it extends through the unlimited regions of space,
comprehending within its vast circumference thousands of
suns, and ten thousands of worlds, all ranged in majestic
order, at immense distances from one another, and all sup
ported and governed " by Him who rides on the Heaven
of Heavens," whose greatness is unsearchable, and whose
understanding is infinite.
The telescope has also demonstrated to us the literal
truth of those scriptural declarations which assert that the
stars are "innumerable." Before theinvention of this in
strument, not more than about a thousand stars could be
perceived by the unassisted eye in the clearest night. But
this invention has unfolded to view not only thousands, but
hundreds of thousands, and millions of those bright lumi
naries, which lie dispersed in every direction throughout
the boundless dimensions of space. And, the higher the
magnifying powers of the telescope are, the more numer
ous those celestial orbs appear ; leaving us no room to
doubt, that countless myriads more lie hid in the distant re
gions of creation, far beyond the reach of the finest glasses
that can be constructed by human skill, and which, are
known only to Him " who counts the number of the stars,
and calls them by their names."
In short, the telescope may be considered as serving the
purpose of a vehicle for conveying us to the distant regions
of space. We would consider it as a wonderful achiev&jj
ment, could we transport ourselves two hundred thousand
miles from the earth, in the direction ofthe Moon, in ordW
to take a nearer view of that celestial orb. But this tin*
strument enables us to take a much nearer inspection of
that planet, than if we had actually surmounted the force of
gravitation, traversed the folds of space, and left the earth
230,000 miles behind us.'" For, supposing such a journey

THE TELESCOPE. 289
to be accomplished, we should still be ten thousand miles
distant from that orb. But a telescope which magnifies
objects 240 times, can carry our views within one thousand
miles of the moon ; and a telescope, such as Dr. Herschel's
40 feet reflector, which magnifies 6000 times, would ena
ble us to view the mountains and vales of the moon, as if
we were transported to a point about 40 miles from her
surface.* We can view the magnificent system of the
planet Saturn, by means of this instrument as distinctly,
as if we had performed a journey eight hundred millions of
miles in the direction of that globe, which, at the rate of 50
miles an hour, would require a'period of more than eigh
teen hundred years to accomplish. By the telescope, we
can contemplate the region of the fixed stairs, their arrange
ment into systems, and their immense numbers, with the
same distinctness and amplitude of view, as if we had ac
tually taken a flight of ten hundred thousand millions of
miles into those unexplored and unexplorable regions,
which could not be accomplished in several millions of
years, though our motion were as rapid as a ball projected
from a loadjed cannon. We would justly consider it as a
noble endowment for enabling us to take an extensive
survey of the works of God, if we had the faculty of trans-
* Though the highest magnifying power of Dr. Herschel's large
telescope was estimated at six thousand times, yet it does not appear
¦that the Doctor ever apphed this power with success, when viewing
the moon and the planets. The deficiency of light, when using so
high a power, would render the view of these objects less satisfactory
than when viewed with a power of one or two thousand times. Still,
it is quite certain, that if any portions ofthe moon's surface were.
viewed through an instrument of such a power, theyVould appear
as targe (but not nearly so bright and distinct) as if we were placed
about 40 miles distant from that body. The enlargement of the angle
of vision, in this case, or, the apparent distance at which the moon
would be contemplated, is found by dividing the moon's distance —
,240,000 miles by 6000, the magnifying power of the telescope, which
produces a quotient of 40 — the number of miles at which the moon
jpould appear to be placed from the eye of the observer. Dr. Her-
' schel appears to have used the highest power of his telescopes only,
or .chiefly, when viewing some very minute objects in the region of
the stars. The powers he generally used, and with which he made
most of his discoveries, were, 227, 46&V 754, 932, and ocfpsionahy 2010,
3168, and 6450 when inspecting double, and treble stars, and the
jwre distant nebula;. ';.

390 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER .,
porting ourselves to such immense distances from the
sphere we now occupy ; but, by means of the telescopic
tube, we may take nearly the same ample views, of the do
minions of the Creator, without stirring a foot from the li
mits of our terrestrial abode. This instrument may, there
fore, be considered as a providential gift bestowed upon
mankind, to serve, in the mean time, as a temporary substi
tute for those powers of rapid flight with which the| sera
phim are endowed, and for those superior faculties of mo
tion with which man himself may be invested, when he ar
rives at the summit of moral perfection.*
The MicRoscoPE.-^The Microscope is another in
strument constructed on similar principles, which has,
greatly expanded our views of the " manifold wisdom of)
iGod." This instrument, which discovers to us small ob
jects invisible to the naked eye, was invented soon after
the invention and improvement of the telescope. Bymeans<
of this optical contrivance, we perceive a variety of won-'-1
ders in almost every object in the animal, the vegetable, and
the mineral kingdoms." We perceive that every particle of
matter, however minute, has a determinate form — that the
very scales of the skin of a haddock are all beautifully in
terwoven and variegated, like pieces of net-work, which no
art can imitate — that the points of the prickles of vegeta
bles, though magnified a thousand times, appear as sharp
and well polished as. to the naked eye — that every particle
of the dust on a butterfly's wipg is a beautiful and regular
ly organized feather — thatevery hair of our head is a hollow
tube,' with bulbs and roots, furnished with a variety of
threads or filaments — and that the pores in our skin, through'
whiGh the sweat and perspiration flow, are so numerous and* >
minute, that a grain of sand would cover a hundred and
twenty-five thousand of them. We perceive animated be
ings in certain liquids, so small that fifty thousand of them
would not equal the size of a mite ; and yet each of thesj^
creatures is furnished with a mouth, eyes, stomach, bloodf
vessels, and other organs for the performance of animal
functions. In a stagnant pool which is covered with a
greenish scum during the summer months, every drop of
* See Appendix, No. VIII.

THE MICROSCOPE. 291
the water is found to be a world teeming with thousands of
inhabitants. The mouldy substance which usually adheres
to damp bodies exhibits a forest of trees and plants, where
the branches, leaves, and fruit, can be plainly distinguished.
In a word, by this admirable instrument we behold the same
Almighty Hand which rounded the spacious globe on which
we live, and the huge masses of the planetary orbs, and di
rects them in their rapid motions through the sky, — em
ployed, at the same moment, in rounding and polishing ten
thousand minute transparent globes in the eye of a fly ;
and boring and arranging veins and arteries, and forming
and clasping joints and claws, for the movements of a mite !
We thus learn the admirable and astonishing effects of the
Wisdom of God, and that the Divine Care and Benevo
lence are as much displayed in the construction of the
smallest insect, as in the elephant, or the whale, or in those
ponderous globes which roll around us in the sky. These,
and thousands of other views which the microscope exhi
bits, would never have been displayed to the human mind,
had they not been opened up by this admirable invention^
In fine, by means of the two instruments to which I have
now adverted, we behold Jehovah's empire extending to
infinity on either hand. By the telescope we are present
ed with the most astonishing displays of his omnipotence,
in the immense number, the rapid motions, and the incon
ceivable magnitude of the celestial globes ; — and, by the
microscope, we behold, what is still more inconceivable, a
display of his unsearchable wisdom in the Divine mecha
nism, by which a drop of water is peopled with myriads of
inhabitants — a fact, which, were it not subject to ocular de
monstration, would far exceed the limits of human con
ception or belief. We have thus the most striking and sen
sible evidence, that, from the immeasurable luminaries of
heaven, and from the loftiest seraph that stands before the
throne of God, down to this lower world, and to the small
est microscopic animalcula that eludes the finest glass — He
is every where present, and, by his power, intelligence, and
agency, animates, supports, and directs the whole. Such
views and contemplations naturally lead us to advert to
the character of God as delineated by the sacred writers,
that " He is of great power and mighty in strength ;" that
25

292 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
" His understanding is infinite ;" that " His works are won
derful ;" that " His operations are unsearchable and past
finding out ;" and they must excite the devout mind to
join with fervor in the language of adoration and praise.
When thy amazing works, 0 God !
My mental eye surveys,
" Transported with the view, I'm lost
In wonder, love, and praise."
Steam Navigation. — We might have been apt to sup
pose that the chemical experiments that were first made to
demonstrate the force of Steam as a mechanical agent, could
have little relation to the objects of religion, or even to the
comfort of human life and society. Yet it has now been
applied to the impelling of ships and large boats along ri
vers and seas, in opposition to both wind and tide, and with;
a velocity which, at an average, exceeds that of any other;
conveyance. We have no reason to believe that this in-rj
vention has hitherto approximated to a state of perfection j!
it is yet in its infancy, and may be susceptible of such im
provements, both in point of expedition and of safety, as
may render it the most comfortable and speedy conveyance
between distant lands, for transporting the volume of inspi
ration, and the heralds of the gospel of peace to " the ends,
of the earth." By the help of his compass the mariner is
enabled to steer his course in the midst of the ocean, in the
most cloudy days, and in the darkest nights, and to trans
port his vessel from one end of the world to another. It
now only remains, that navigation be rendered safe, uni
form, and expeditious, and not dependent on adverse winds,
or the currents of the ocean ; and, perhaps the art of pro-'
pelting vessels by the force of steam, when arrived at per
fection, may effectuate those desirable purposes. Even at
present, as the invention now stands, were a vessel fitted
to encounter the, , waves of the Atlantic, constructed of ir
proper figure and curvature, having a proper disposition of
her wheels, and having such a description of fuel, as could
be easily stowed, and in sufficient quantity for the voyage
— at the rate of ten miles an hour, she could pass from the
shores of Britain to the coast of America, in less than thir
teen days ;— and, even at eight miles an hour, the voyage-
could be completed in little more than fifteen days ; so that

STEAM NAVIGATION. 293
intelligence might pass and repass between the eastern and
western Continents -within the space of a single month —
a space of time very little more than was requisite, sixty
years ago, for conveying intelligence between Glasgow and
London. The greatest distance at which any two places
on the globe can lie from each other, is about 12,500
miles ; and, therefore, if a direct portion of water intervene
between them, this space could be traversed in fifty-four or
sixty days. And, if the isthmus of Panama, which con
nects North and South America, and the isthmus of Suez,
which separates the Mediterranean from the Red Sea,
were cut into wide and deep canals (which we have no
doubt will be accomplished as soon as civilized nations
have access to perform operations in these territories),
every country in the world could then be reached from Eu
rope, in nearly a direct line ; or, at most, by a gentle curve,
instead of the long, and dangerous^ and circuitous route
which must now be taken, in sailing for the eastern parts
of Asia, and the north-western shores of America. By
this means, eight or nine thousand miles of sailing would
be saved in a voyage from England to Nootka Sound, or
,the Peninsula of California ; and more than six thousand
miles, in passing from London to Bombay in the East In
dies ; and few places on the east would be further distant
from each other by water than 15,000 miles ; which space
might be traversed at the rate mentioned above, in a pe
riod from sixty-two to seventy-seven days.*
' But we have reason to believe, that when this invention,
combined with other mechanical assistances, shall approxi
mate nearer to perfection, a much more rapid rate of mo
tion will be effected ; and the advantages of this, in a reli
gious, as well as in a commercial point of view, may be
easily appreciated ; especially at the present period, when
the Christian world, now aroused from their slumbers, have
formed the grand design of sending a Bible to every inha
bitant of the globe. When the empire of the Prince of
Darkness shall be shaken throughout all its dependencies,
Und the nations aroused to inquire after light, and liberty,
and divine knowledge — intelligence would thus be rapidly
* See Appendix, No. IX.

2fl4 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
communicated over every region, and between the most
distant tribes. " Many would run to and fro, and know
ledge would be increased." The Ambassadors of the Re
deemer, with the Oracles of Heaven in their hands, and the
words of salvation in their mouths, would quickly be trans
ported to every clime, " having the everlasting gospel to
preach to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and
people." Air Balloons. — Similar remarks may be applied to the
invention of Air Balloons. We have heard of some pious
people who have mourned over such inventions, and la*
mented the folly of mankind in studying their construction,
and witnessing their exhibition. Such dispositions gene
rally proceed from a narrow range of thought, and a con
tracted view of the Divine Economy and arrangements in
the work of Redemption. Though the perversity of man
kind has often applied riseful inventions to foolish, and even;
to vicious purposes, yet this forms no reason why such inven
tions should be decried ; otherwise the art of Printing, and
many other useful arts, might be regarded as inimical to
the human race. We have reason to believe that air bal
loons may yet be brought to such perfection, as to be ap
plied to purposes highly beneficial to the progress of the
human mind, and subservient, in some degree, for effecting
the purposes of Providence in the enlightening and renova
tion of mankind. For this purpose, it is only requisite that
some contrivance, on chemical or mechanical principles,
be Suggested, analogous to the sails or rudder of a ship, by
which they may be moved in any direction, without being
directed solely by the course of the wind ; and, there can
be little doubt that such a contrivance is possible to be ef-/
fected. It requires only suitable encouragement to be given
to ingenious experimental philosophers, and a sufficient
sum of money to enable them to prosecute their experi
ments on an extensive scale. To the want of such pre-re-
quisites, it is chiefly owing, that the hints on this subject,
hitherto suggested, have either failed of success, or have ne
ver been carried into execution. A more simple and ex- >
peditious process for filling balloons has lately been effected
• — the use ofthe parachute, by which a person may detach
himself from the balloon, and descend to the earth, has been

AIR BALLOONS. 295
successfully tried, — the lightning of heaven has been drawn
from the clouds, and forced to act as a mechanical power
in splitting immense stones to pieces, — the atmosphere has
been analyzed into its component parts, and the wonder
ful" properties of the ingredients of which it is composed,
exhibited in their separate state : and why, then, should
we consider it as at all improbable that the means of pro
ducing a horizontal direction in aerial navigation, may soon
be discovered ? Were this object once effected, balloons
might be applied to the purpose of surveying and exploring
countries hitherto inaccessible, and of conveying the mes
sengers of 'divine mercy to tribes of our fellow-men, whose
existence is as yet unknown.
We are certain, that every portion ofthe inhabited world
must be thoroughly explored, and its inhabitants visited,
before the salvation of God can be^carried fully into effect ;
and, for the purpose of such explorations, we must, of
course, resort to the inventions of human genius in art and
science. Numerous tribes of the sons of Adam are, doubt
less, residing in regions of the earth with which we have no
acquaintance, and to which we have no access, by any of
the modes of conveyance presently in use. More than
one-half of the interior parts of Africa and Asia, and even of
Ameriea, are wholly unknown to the inhabitants of the civili
zed world. The vastregions of Chinese Tartary, Tibet, Sibe
ria, and the adjacent districts ; almost the whole interior of
Africa, and the continent of New Holland — the extensive
isles of Borneo, Sumatra, New Guinea, and Japan, the ter
ritory of the Amazons, and the internal parts of North
America, remain, for the most part, unknown and unex
plored. The lofty and impassable ranges of mountains,
and the deep and rapid rivers, which intervene between us
1 and many of those regions, together with the savage and
^plundering hordes of men, and the tribes of ravenous beasts,
| through which the traveller must push his way— present to
BEuropean adventurers, barriers which they cannot expect
to surmount, by the ordinary modes of conveyance, for a
i'lapse of ages. But, by balloons constructed with an appara
tus for directing their motions, all such obstructions would,
at once, be surmounted. The most impenetrable regions
now hemmed in by streams and marshes, and lofty moun
25*

296 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
tains, and a barbarous population, would be quickly laid
open ; and cities and nations, lakes and rivers, and fertile
plains, to which we are now entire strangers, would soon
burst upon the view. And the very circumstance, that the
messengers of peace and salvation descended upon such un
known tribes from the region of the clouds, might arouse
their minds, and excite their attention and regard to the
message of Divine mercy which they came thither to pro
claim.* Such a scene (and it may probably be realized)
would present a literal fulfilment of the prediction of " an
gels flying through the midst of , the aerial " heaven, having
the everlasting gospel to preach to them that dwell upon
the earth, and to every kindred and nation."
That the attention of the philosophical world is present
ly directed to this sabject, and that we have some prospect^-
of the views above suggested being soon realized, will ap- ;
* In this point of view, we cannot but feel the most poignant regret
at the conduct ofthe Spaniards, after the discovery of America, towards
the natives of that country. When those untutored people beheld the
ships which had conveyed Columbus and his associates from the eastern
world, the dresses and martial order of his troops, and heard their mu
sic, and the thunder of their cannon, they were filled with astonish
ment and wonder at the strange objects presented to their view ;
they fell prostrate at their feet, and viewed them as a superior
race of men. When Cortes afterwards entered the territories of Mex
ico, the same sentiments of reverence and admiration seemed to
pervade its inhabitants. Had pure Christian motives actuated the
minds of these adventurers, and had St been their ruling desire to
communicate to those ignorant tribes the blessmgs of the Gospel of
peace, and to administer to their external aomfort, the circumstances
now stated would have been highly favorable to the success of mis
sionary exertion, and would have led them to listen with attention to
the message from heaven. But, unfortunately for the cause of reli
gion, treachery, lust, cruelty, selfishness, and the cursed love of gold, •
predominated over every other feeling, affixed a stigma to the' °
Christian name, and rendered them curses, instead of blessings, to
that newly-discovered race of men. It is most earnestly to be wished,
that, in future expeditions in quest of unknown tribes, a few intelli
gent and philanthropic missionaries were appointed to direct the ad
venturers in their moral conduct and intercourses with the people
they visit, in order that nothing inconsistent with • hristian principle
make, its appearance. The uniform manifestation of Christian bene-'
valence, purity, and rectitude, by a superior race of men, would whw
the affections of a rude people far more effectually than all the pomp
and ensigns of military parade

AIR BALLOONS. 297
pear from the following notice, which lately made its ap
pearance in the London Scientific Journals : — " A Prize
being offered for the discovery of a horizontal direction in
Aerostation, M. Mingreli of Bologna, M. Pietripoli of
Venice, andM. Lemberof Nuremberg, have each assumed
the merit of resolving this problem. It does not appear
that any one of these has come forward to establish, by prac
tical experiment, the validity of his claim ; but a pamphlet
has lately been reprinted at Paris (first printed at Vienna)
on this subject, addressed to all the learned Societies in
Europe. The following passage appears in the work :
"Professor Robertson proposes to construct an aerostic ma
chine, 150 feet in diameter, to be capable of raising 72,954
kilograms, equivalent to 149,037 lbs. weight (French). To
be capable of conveying all necessaries for the support of
sixty individuals, scientific characters, to be selected by the
Academicians, and the aerial navigations to last for some
months, exploring different heights and climates, &c. in
all seasons. If, from accident, or wear, the machine, ele
vated above the ocean, should fail in its functions, to be
furnished with a ship that will ensure the return of the Ae
ronauts." Should any one be disposed to insinuate, that the views
now stated on this subject are chimerical and fallacious, I
beg leave to remind them, that, not more than twenty
years ago, the idea of a large vessel, without oars and sails,
to be navigated against the wind, with the rapidity of ten
miles an hour, would have been considered as next to an im
possibility, and a mere fanciful scheme, which could never
he realized. Yet, we now behold such vehicles transporting
whole villages to the places of their destination, with a de
gree of ease, comfort, and expedition, formerly unknown.
And little more than forty years have elapsed, since it
would have been viewed as still more chimerical to have
broached the idea, that a machine might be constructed,
by which human beings might ascend more than two miles
above the surface of the earth, and fly through the region
ofthe clouds at the rate of seventy miles an hour; carrying
along with them books, instruments, and provisions. Yet,
both these schemes have been fully realized, and, like ma
ny other inventions of the human intellect, are doubtless

298 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
intended to subserve some important ends in the economy
of Divine Providence.*
Acoustic Tunnels. — By means of tbe inventions just
now adverted to, when brought to perfection, mankind may
be enabled to transport themselves to every region of the
globe, with a much greater degree of rapidity than has
hitherto been attained. By the help of the microscope,
we are enabled to contemplate the invisible words of life,
and by the telescope we can penetrate into regions far be
yond the range of the unassisted eye. By the arts of
Writing and Printing, we can communicate our sentiments,
* Balloons were first constructed in the year 1783, by Messrs. S.
and J. Mongolfier, paper-manufacturers at Annonay, in France. A
sheep, a cock, and a duck, were the first animals ever carried up into
the air by these vehicles. At the end of their journey, they were found
perfectly safe and unhurt,, and the sheep was even feeding at perfect*
ease. The first human being who ascended into the atmosphere in one
of these machines, was M. Pilatre de Rozier. This adventurer as
cended from amidst an astonished multitude assembled in a garden.
in Paris, on the 15th October, 1783, in a balloon, whose diameter
was 48 feet, and its height about 74; and remained suspended above
the city about four hours. Mr. Lunardi, an Italian, soon after, asto
nished the people of England and Scotland, by his aerial excursions.
Dr. G. Gregory gives the following account of his ascent : — " I was
. myself a spectator of the flight of Lunardi, and I never was present
at a sight so interesting and sublime. The beauty of the gradual as
cent, united with a,sentiment of terror, on account of the danger of
the man, and the novelty and grandeur Ofthe whole appearance, are
more than words can express. A delicate woman was so overcome
with the spectacle, that she died upon the spot, as the balloon ascend.'
ed ; several fainted ; and the silent admiration of the anxious multj- !
tude was beyond any thing I had ever beheld." 1
Balloons have been generally made of varnished silk, and of thei
shape of a globe or a spheroid, from thirty to fifty feet in diameter.
They are filled with hydrogen gas, which, as formerly stated, is from
twelve to fifteen times lighter than common air : and they rise into
the atmosphere, on the same principle as a piece of cork ascends
from the bottom of a pail of water. The aerial travellers are seated
in a basket below the balloon, which is attached to it by means pf
cords. — The Parachute is an invention, by which the voyager, in
cases of alarm, may be enabled to desert his balloon in mid-ah>, nnd
descend, without injury, to the ground. They resemble an umbrella,
but are of far greater extent. With one of these contrivances,, t
twenty-three feet in diameter, M. Garnerin, having detached himselft
from his balloon, descended from a height of more than 4000 feet,
and landed without shock or accident.

ACOUSTIC TUNNELS. 299
after a certain lapse of time, to every quarter of the world.
In the progress of human knowledge and improvement, it
would obviously be of considerable importance, could we
extend the range of the human voice, and communicate
intelligence to the distance of a thousand miles, in the
course of two or three hours ; or could we hold an occa
sional conversation with a friend at the distance of 20 or
30 miles. From experiments which have been lately made,
in reference to the conveyance of sound, we have some rea
son to believe, that such objects may not be altogether un
attainable. It has been long known, that wood is a good con
ductor of sound. If a watch be laid on the one end of a lon g
beam of timber, its beating will be distinctly heard, on ap
plying the ear to the other end, though it could not be
heard at the same distance through the air. In " Nichol
son's Philosophical Journal" for February 1803, Mr. E.
Walker describes a simple apparatus, connected with a
speaking trumpet, by means of which, at the distance of
Hi feet, he held a conversation with another in whispers,
too low to be heard through the air at that distance. When
the ear was placed in a certain position, the words were
heard as if they had been spoken by an invisible being
within the trumpet- And what rendered the deception
still more pleasing, the, words were more distinct, softer,
and more musical, than if they had been spoken through
the air.
About the year 1750, a merchant of Cleves, named Jo-
rissen, who had become almost totally deaf, sitting one day
near a harpsichord, while some one was playing, and having
a tobacco-pipe in his mouth, the bowl of which rested ac
cidentally against the body ofthe instrument, he was agree-
. ably and unexpectedly surprised to hear all the notes in the
,most distinct manner. By a little reflection and practice,
Ibe again obtained the use of this valuable sense ; for he
soon learned, by means of a piece of hard wood, one
end of which he placed against his teeth, while another
person placed the other end on his teeth, to keep up a con
versation, and to be able to understand the least whisper.
In this way, two persons who have stopped their ears may
'converse with each other, when they hold a long stick or a
'series of sticks, between their teeth, or rest their teeth

800 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
against them. The effect is the same, if the person who'
speaks rest the stick against his throat, or his breast, or
when one rests the stick which he holds in his teeth against
some vessel into which the other speaks ; and the effect
will be the greater, the more the vessel is capable of tre
mulous motion. These experiments demonstrate the fa
cility with which the softest whispers may be transmitted. —
Water, too, is found to be a good conductor of sound. Dr.
Franklin assures us, that he has heard under water, at the
distance of half.a mile, the sound of two stones struck
against each other. It has been also observed, that the
velocity of sound is much greater in solid bodies, than in
the air. By a series of experiments, instituted for the pur
pose of determining this point, Mr. Chladni found that
the velocity of sound, in certain solid bodies, is 16 or 17
times as great as in air. .»
But what has a more particular bearing on the object^
hinted at above, is, the experiments lately made by M.
Biot, " on the transmission of sound through solid bodies,
and through air, in very long tubes." These experiments
were made by means of long cylindrical pipes, which were
constructing for conduits and aqueducts, to embellish the
city of Paris. With regard to the velocity of sound, it
was ascertained that " its transmission through cast iron is
10s times as quick as through air." The pipes by which
he wished to ascertain at what distance sounds are audible,
were 1,039 yards, or nearly five furlongs, in length. M.
Biot was stationed at the one end of this series of pipes, and
Mr. Martin, a gentleman who assisted in the experiments,
at the other. They heard the lowes voice, so as perfectly •
to distinguish the words, and to keep up a conversation on
all the subjects of the experiments. "I wished," says M.
Biot," to determine the point at which the human voice
ceases to be audible, but could not accomplish it : words
Spoken as low as when we whisper a secret in another's
ear, were heard and undertood ; so that not to be heard,
there was but one resource, that of not speaking at all. —
This mode of conversing with an invisible neighbor, is so
singular that we cannot help being surprised, even though
acquainted with the cause. Between a question and an
swer, the interval was not greater than was necessary for-

ACOUSTIC TUNNELS. 301
the transmission of sound. For Mr. Martin and me,
at the distance of 1,039 yards, this time, was about 5s
seconds." Reports of a pistol fired at one end, occasion
ed a considerable explosion at the other. The air was
driven out of the pipe with sufficient force to give the hand
a smart blow, to drive light substances out of it to the dis
tance of half a yard, and to extinguish a candle, though it
wac 1,039 yards distant from the place where the pistol
was fired. A detailed account of these experiments may
be seen in Nicholson's Phil. Jour, for October, 1811.
Don Gautier, the inventor of the Telegraph, suggested
also the method of conveying articulate sounds to a great
distance. He proposed to build horizontal tunnels, widen
ing at the remoter extremity, and found that at the distance'
of 400 fathoms, or nearly half a mile, the ticking of a
watch could be heard far better than close to the ear. He
calculated that a series of such tunnels would convey a
message 900 miles in an hour.
From the experiments now stated, it appears highly pro
bable, that sounds may be conveyed to an indefinite dis
tance. If one man can converse with another at the dis
tance of nearly three quarters of a mile, by means of the
softest whisper, there is every reason to believe, that they
eould hold a conversation at the distance of 30 or 40 miles,
provided the requisite tunnels were constructed for this
purpose. The latter case does not appear more wonder
ful than the former. Were this point fully determined, by
experiments conducted on a more extensive scale, a variety
of interesting effects would follow, from a practical appli
cation of the results. A person at one end of a large city,
at an appointed hour, might communicate a message, or
l hold a conversation with his friend, at another ; friends in
[neighbouring, or even in distant towns, might hold an occa-:
sional correspondence by articulate sounds, and recognize
each other's indentity by their tones of voice. In the case of
sickness, accident or death, intelligence could thus be in
stantly communicated, and the tender sympathy of friends
immediately exchanged. A clergyman sitting in his own
room in Edinburgh, were it at any time expedient, might
address a congregation in Musselburgh or Dalkeith, or
even in Glasgow. He might preach the same sermon to

302 THE CHRISTIAN' PHILOSOPHER.
his own church, and the next hour to an assembly at forty
miles distant. And surely there could be no valid objec
tion to trying tbe effect of an invisible preacher on a Chris
tian audience. On similar principles, an apparatus might
be constructed for augmenting the strength of the human
voice, so as to make it extend its force to an assembled
multitude composed of fifty or a hundred thousand iridi-.
viduals ; and the utility of such a power, when the mass
of mankind are once thoroughly aroused to attend to ra
tional and religious instruction, may be easily conceived.
In short, intelligence respecting every important discovery,
occurrence, and event, might thus be communicated,
through the extent of a whole kingdom, within the space
of an hour after it had taken place.
Let none imagine that such a project is either chimeri
cal or impossible. M. Biot's experiment is decisive, so far
as it goes ; that the softest whisper, without any diminution
of its intensity, may be communicated to the distance of
nearly three quarters of a mile ; and there is nothing but
actual experiment wanting to convince us, that the ordi*
nary tones of the human voice may be conveyed to at
least twenty times that distance. We are just now acting
on a similar principle, in distributing illumination through
large cities. Not thirty years ago, the idea of lighting our
apartments by an invisible substance, produced at ten miles
distance, would have been considered as chimerical, and as
impossible to be realized, as the idea of two persons con
versing together, by articulate sounds, at such a distance.
It appears no more wonderful, that we should be able to
hear at the distance of five or six miles, than that we should
be enabled to see objects at that distance by the telescope,
as distinctly as if we were within a few yards of them.
Both are the effects of those principles and laws which
the Creator has interwoven with the system of the mate
rial world ; and when man has discovered the mode of
their operation, it remains with himself to apply them to
his necessities. What the telescope is to the eye, acoustic
tunnels would be to the ear ; and thus, those senses on
which our improvement in knowledge and enjoyment
chiefly depends, would be gradually carried to the utmbst
perfection of which our station on earth will permit. And,

PRACTICAL REMARKS. 303
as to the expense of constructing such communications for
sound, the tenth part of the millions of money expended in
twenty-two years' war in which we were lately engaged,
would, in all probability, be more than sufficient for dis
tributing them, in numerous ramifications, through the
whole island of Great Britian. Even although such a
project were partially to fail of success, it would be a far more
honorable and useful national undertaking, than that which
now occupies the attention of the despots on the continent
of Europe, and might be accomplished with far less ex
penditure, either of blood or of money. Less than the
fourth part of a million of pounds would be sufficient for
trying an experiment of this kind, on an extensive scale ;
and such a sum is considered as a mere item, when fleets
and armies are to be equipped for carrying destruction
.through sea and land. When will the war-madness cease
its rage ! When will men desist from the work of de
struction, and employ their energies and their treasures in
the cause of human improvement! The most chimeri
cal projects that were ever suggested by the most enthusi
astic visionary, are not half so ridiculous and degrading
to the character of man, as those ambitious and despotic
schemes, in which the powers of the earth in all ages have
been chiefly engaged. — But on this topic it is needless to
enlarge, till more extended experiments shall have been
undertaken.
- • In the preceding sketches I have presented a few speci
mens of the relation which the inventions of human inge
nuity bear to religious objects. I intended to have traced
the same relation in several other instances ; in the inven
tion of the electrical machine, the air-pump, mills, clocks
and watches, gas-lights, chemical fumigations, inventions
for enabling us to walk upon the water, to, prevent and al
leviate the dangers of shipwreck, &c. &c. But, as my
prescribed limits will not permit farther enlargement, I
Itrust that what has been already stated will be sufficient to
|establish and illustrate my general position^ From this
subject we may learn —
1st. That the various processes of art, and the^exertions
of human ingenuity, are under the special direction of Him
who arranges all things " according to the counsel of his
26

304 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
will." As " the king's heart is in the hand of the Lord,
and as the rivers, of waters, he turns it whithersoever he
pleases ;" so, all the varied schemes and movements of
the human mind, the discoveries of science, and the diver
sified experiments of mechanics, chemists and philoso
phers, are directed in such channels as may issue in the
accomplishment of His eternal purposes, in respect to the
present and future condition of the inhabitants of our
world. This truth is also plainly taught us in the records
of inspiration, " Doth the ploughman plow all day to
sow ? Doth fie open and break the clods of his ground ?
When he hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not
cast abroad the fitches, and scatter the cummin,* ' and
cast in the wheat in the principal [place,] and the barley
in the appointed place, and the rye in its proper place ?
For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach
him. This also cometh forth from the Lord of hosts, who
is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working." Agri-i
culture has, by most nations, been attributed to the sug-'
gestions of Deity ; for " every good and perfect gift cometh
down from the Father of lights." It is he who hath taught
men to dig from the bowels of the earth, iron, copper,
lead, silver and gold, and to apply them to useful purposes
in social life ; and who hath given them " wisdom and un
derstanding" to apply the animal and vegetable produc- ¦
tions of nature to the manufacture of cloths, linen, mus
lin, and silk, for the use and the ornament of man. For,
" all things are of God." " Both riches and honor come
from him, and he reigneth over all, and in his hand is
power and might, and in his hand it is to make great, and
to give strength to all." When the frame of the Mosaic
Tabernacle, and all its curious vessels were to be con
structed, the mind of Bezaleel " was filled with the Spirit"
of God, in wisdom and understanding, and in knowledge^
and in all manner of workmanship, to devise curious works
in gold, and in silver, and in brass." And, when the fa
bric ofthe New Testament church is to, be reared, and its
boundaries extended, artificers of every description, ade-
* Pitches is a kind of seed frequently sown in Judea, for the
use. of cattle ; and cummin is the seed of a plant somewhat like fen, i
ael-

MILLENIAL ERA. 305
quate for carrying on the different parts of the work are
raised up, and inspired with the spirit of their respective
departments — some with the spirit of writing, printing,
and publishing ; some^ with the spirit of preaching, lec
turing and catechising ; some with the spirit of fortitude,
to make bold and daring adventures into distant barbarous
climes ; and others, with the spirit of literature, of science,
and of the mechanical arts — all acting as pioneers " to
prepare the way of the Lord," and as builders for carry
ing forward and completing the' fabric of the Christian
Church; 2dly. All the mechanical contrivances to which I have
adverted, all the discoveries of science, and all the useful
^inventions of genius which may hereafter be exhibited,
ought to be viewed as preparing the way for the millennial
era of the church, and as having a certain tendency to the
melioration of the external condition of mankind during
its continuance. We are certain, from the very nature of
things, as well as from scriptural predictions, that, when
this period advances towards the summit of its glory, the
external circumstances of this world's population will be
comfortable, prosperous, and greatly meliorated beyond
what they have ever been in the ages that are past —
" Then shall the earth yield her increase, and God, even
our own God, shall bless us. Then shall he give the rain
of thy seed, that thou shalt sow thy ground withal, and
bread of the increase of the earth : and it shall be fat and
plenteous. In that day shall thy cattle feed in large pas
tures ; the oxen likewise and the young asses that ear the
ground shall eat savoury provender, which hath been win
nowed with the shovel and with the fan. And the inha
bitants shall not say, I am sick. They shall build houses
and inhabit them, and plant vineyards and eat the fruit of
them. They shall not build, and another inhabit ; they
shall not plant, and another eat ; for, as the days of a tree
are the days qf_ my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy
the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain,
nor bring forth for trouble ; for they are the seed, of the
'blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them. The
seed shall be prosperous, the vine shall give" her fruit, and,
the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall

306 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
give their dew ; the evil beasts shall cease out of the landm
an d they shall sit every man under his vine, and under hjs!„
fig-tree, and none shall make him afraid ; for wars shall
cease to the ends ofthe world, and. the knowledge of the
Lord shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea."*
Diseases will be, in a great measure, banished from the
world, and the life of man extended far beyond its present
duration — agriculture will be brought to perfection — com
modious habitations erected for the comfortable accom
modation of all ranks— cities built on elegant and spacious
plans, adapted to health, ornament, and pleasure ; divested
of all the filth, and darkness, and gloom, and narrow lanes
which now disgrace the abodes of men — roads will be con
structed on improved principles, with comfortable means
of retreat for shelter and accommodation at all seasons ;
and conveyances invented for the ease, and safety, and rapid
conveyance of persons and property from one place to an
other. Either the climates of the earth will be melio
rated, by the universal cultivation of the soil, so that storms
and tempests, thunders and lightnings, shall no longer
produce their present ravages ; or, chemical and mechani
cal contrivances will be invented to ward off their destruc
tive effects. The landscape of the earth will be adorned
with vegetable and architectural beauty ; and, instead of
horse-racing, demoralizing plays, routs, and masquerades,
boxing, and bull-baits — artificial displays of scenery will
be exhibited, more congenial to the dignity of rational,
renovated, and immortal minds. For "the knowledge of
the Lord," and the " beauties of holiness," will pervade
men of all ranks and ages, " from the least even to. the
greatest, "j"
?Psalm lxvii. Isaiah xxx. 23, 24. xxxiii. 24. lxv. 21, 23, &c.
¦f The various circumstances above-stated may be considered as
the natural residts of a state of society on which the Ught of science
and of revelation has diffused its full influence, and where the ac
tive powers of the human mind are invariably directed by the pure
principles and precepts of Christianity. That the duration of hu
man Ufe, at the era referred to, will be extended beyond its present
boundary, appears to be intimated in some .pf the passages above
quoted, particularly the following — "As the days of a tree shall be.
the days of my people, and mine elect shaU long enjoy the work of
their hands.." A™, if the Ufe of man wiU be thus protracted to an

MILLENIAL ERA. 307
Now, as we have no reason to expect any miraculous
interference, we must regard thfrpast, and the future useful
inventions of philosophy and mechanics, as having.abearing
on this glorious period, and a tendency to promote the im
provement and the felicity of those who shall live during this-
era of Messiah's reign. If diseases are to be generally
abolished, it will be owing to the researches of the scientific
physician in discovering certain antidotes against every dis
order, and to the practice of temperance, meekness, equa
nimity of mind, nnd every other mean of preserving the vi
gor of the animal frame. If the earth is to produce its
treasures in abundance, and with little labour, it will be
owing, in part, to the improvement of agricultural science,,
and of the instruments by which its operations are con
ducted. If the lightnings of heaven shall no longer prove
destructive to man and to the labors of his hands, it will be
effected either by machinery for drawing off the electrieity
of a stormy cloud, or by the invention of thunder-guards,
which shall afford a complete protection from its ravages.
In these, and numerous other instances, the inventions of
men, under the guidance of the Spirit of Wisdom, will have
a tendency to remove a great part of the Curse which has
so long hung over our sinful world. And since the inven
tions of human skill and ingenuity for the melioration of
mankind, and for the swift conveyance of intelligence have,
of late years, been rapidly increasing, at the same time when
the Christian world is roused to increased exertions in dis
seminating the Scriptures throughout all lands, when ge
neral knowledge is increasingly diffused, and when the
fabric of Superstition and Despotism is shaking to its foun
dations, — these combined and simultaneous movements
seem plainly to indicate, that that auspicious era is fast
hastening on, when " the glory of Jehovah shall be reveal-^; ,
ed, and all flesh shall see it together," when " righteous-
indefinite period, it will follow, that those diseases which now prey
upon the human frame, and cut short its vital action, will be in a
great measure extirpated. Both these effects may be viewed (with
out supposing any miraculous interference) as the natural conse
quences of that happiness and equanimity of mind which will flow
lrom the practice of Christian virtues, from the enlargement of our
knowledge of the principles of nature, and from the physical en
joyments which such a state of society will furnish.
36*

308 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
ness and praise shall spring forth before all nations," and
when " Holiness to the Lord," shall be inscribed on all the
pursuits, and implements, and employments of men.
Lastly, If the remarks suggested above be well founded,
we may conclude, that the mechanical and philosophical in
ventions of genius are worthy of the attentive. consideration
of the enlightened Christian, particularly in the relation
they may have to the accomplishment of religious objects.
He should contemplate the experiments of scientific men,
not as a waste of time, or the mere gratification of an idle
curiosity, but as embodying the germs of those improve
ments; by which civilization, domestic comfort, knowledge,
and moral principle may be diffused among the nations.
To view such objects with apathy and indifference, as be
neath the regard of a religious character, argues a weak
and limited understanding, and a contracted view of the
grand operations of a Superintending Providence.

CHAPTER IV.
SCRIPTURAL DOCTRINES AND FACTS ILLUS
TRATED FROM THE SYSTEM OF NATURE.*

Without spending time in any introductory observations
on this subject, it may be remarked in general,
I. — That scientific knowledge, or an acquaintance with the
System of Nature, may frequently serve as a guide to
the true interpretation of Scripture.
It may be laid down as a universal principle, that there
can be no real discrepancy between a just interpretation
of Scripture, and the facts of physical science ; and, on
this principle, the following canon is founded, which may
be considered as an infallible rule for Scripture-interpreta
tion, namely, — That no interpretation of Scripture ought
to be admitted which is inconsistent with any well-authenti
cated facts in the material world. By well<iuthenticated
facts, I do not mean the theories of philosophers, or the
deductions they may have drawn from them, nor the con
fident assertions or plausible reasonings of scientific men
in support of any prevailing system of Natural science ;
but those facts which are universally admitted, and the
reality of which every scientific inquirer has it in his
power to ascertain : such as that the earth is nqt an ex
tended plane, but a round or globular body, and that the
rays of the sun, when converged to a focus by a large
convex glass, will set fire to combustible substances. Such
facts, when ascertained, ought to be considered as a reve
lation from God, as well as the declarations of his word.
* Under this head, it was originaUy mtended to embrace an elu
cidation of a considerable variety of the facts rcorded in the Sacred
History, and of the aUusions of the inspired writers to the system of
nature ; but as the volume has already swelled beyond the limits
proposed, I am reluctantly compelled to confine myself to the Ulus-
tration of only two or three topics-

310 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. .
f;
For they make known to us a portion of his character, of
his plans and his operations. — This rule may be otherwise
expressed as follows : — Where a passage of Scripture is of
doubtful meaning, or capable of different interpretations,
that interpretation ought to be preferred which will best
agree with the established discoveries of science. For,
since the Author of revelation and the Author of universal
nature is one and the same Infinite Being, — there must exist
a complete harmony between the revelations of his word,
and the facts or relations which are observed in the mate
rial universe. To suppose the contrary, would be to sup
pose the Almighty capable of inconsistency ; a supposi
tion which would go far to shake our confidence in the
theology of Nature, as well as of Revelation. If, in any
one instance, a Record claiming to be a Revelation from
heaven were found to contradict a well-known fact in the
material world ; if, for example, it asserted, in express
terms, to be literally understood, that the earth is a quies
cent body in the centre of the universe, or that the moon
is no larger than a mountain ; it would be a fair conclu
sion, either .that the revelation is not Divine, or that the
passages embodying such assertions are interpolations, or,
that science, in reference to these points, has not yet arri
ved at the truth. The example, we are aware, is inappli
cable to the Christian Revelation, which rests securely on
its own basis, and to which science is gradually approxi
mating, as it advances in the amplitude of its views, and
the correctness of its deductions ; — but it shows us how
necessary it is, in interpreting the Word of God, to keep
our eye fixed upon his Works ; for we may rest assured,
that truth in the one will always correspond with fact in
the other. »
To illustrate the rule now laid down, an example or,
two may be stated: — If it be a fact that geological research??
has ascertained that the materials of the strata ofthe
earth, are of a more ancient date than the Mosaic account
of the commencement of the present race of men ; the
passages in the first chapter of Genesis, and other parts of
Scripture, which refer to the origin of our world, must be
explained as conveying the idea, that the earth was thett
merely arranged into its present form and order^ out of the*

SCRIPTURAL FACTS ILLUSTRATED. 311
materials which previously existed in a confused mass, and
which had been created by the Almighty at a prior period
in duration. For Moses no where asserts, that the mate
rials of our globe were created, or brought into existence
out of nothing, at the time to which his history refers ;
but insinuates the contrary. " For the earth," says be,
prior to its present constitution, " teas without form and
void," &c. — Again, if it be a fact that the universe is
indefinitely extended, that, of many millions of vast globes
which diversify the voids of space, only two or three have/;
any immediate connexion with the earth ; then it will ap
pear most reasonable to conclude, that those expressions*'
in the Mosaic history of the creation, which refer to the
creation of the fixed stars, are not to be understood as
referring to the time when they were brought into exist
ence, as if they had been created about the same time
with our earth ; but, as simply declaring the fact, that, at
what period soever in duration they were criated, they
derived their existence from God. That they did not all
commence their existence at that period, is demonstrable
• from the fact, that, within the space of 2000 years past,
and even within the space of the two last centuries, new
stars have appeared in the heavens, which previously did
not exist in the concave of the firmament ; which, conse
quently, have been created since the Mosaic period ; or,
at least, had undergone a change analogous to that which
took place in our globe, when it emerged from a chaotic
state, to the form and order in which we now behold it.
Consequently, the phrase " God rested from all his works,"
must be understood, not absolutely, or in reference to the
whole system of nature, but merely in relation to our
•world ; and as importing, that the Creator then ceased to
form any new species of beings on the terraqueous globe 
The same canon will direct us in the interpretation of
those. passages which refer to the last judgment, and the
'destruction of the present constitution of our globe. When,
in reference to these events, it is said, " that the stars shall
fall from heaven," that " the powers of heaven shall be
'Shaken," and that " the earth and the heaven shall flee
away," our knowledge of the system of nature leads us to
conclude, either that such expressions are merely meta-

312 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
phorical, or that they describe only the appearance, not
the reality of things. For it is impossible that the stars
can ever fall to the earth, since each of them is of a size
vastly superior to our globe, and could never be attracted
•*to its surface, without unhinging the laws and the fabric of
universal nature. The appearance, however, of the " hea
ven fleeing away," would be produced, should the earth's
diurnal rotation, at that period, be suddenly stopped, as
will most probably happen ; in whieh case, all nature, in
this sublunary system, would be thrown into confusion,
and the heavens, with all their host, would appear to flee
away. ',
Now, the scientific student of Scripture alone can judi
ciously apply the canon to which I have adverted ; he alone
can appreciate its utility in the interpretation of the sacred
oraeles ; for he knows the facts which the philosopher and
the astronomer ' have ascertained to exist in the system of
nature ; from the want of which information, many divines,
whose comments on Scripture have, in other respects, been
judicious, have displayed their ignorance, and fallen into
egregious blunders, when attempting to explain the first
chapters of Genesis, and several parts of the book of Job,
which' have tended to bring discredit on the oracles of
heaven. II. — The System of Nature Confirms and Illustrates, the
Scriptural Doctrine of the Depravity of Man. r
In the preceding parti of this volume, I have stated se
veral striking instances of Divine benevolence, which ap
pear in the construction of the organs of the animal sys
tem, in the constitution of the earth, the waters, and the
atmosphere, and in the variety of beauties and sublimities
which adorn the face of nature ; all which proclaim, in lan
guage which can scarcely be mistaken, that the Creator
has a special regard to the happiness of his creatures.—
Yet, the Scriptures uniformly declare, that man has fallen
from his primeval state of innocence, and has violated the
laws of his Maker ; that " his heart is deceitful above all
things, and desperately wicked ;" and that " destruction and
misery are in his ways." Observation and experience also
demonstrate, that a moral disease pervades the whole hu-

DEPRAVITY OF MAN. 313
man family, from the most savage to the most civilized
tribes of mankind ; which has displayed its virulence in
those wars and devastations which have, in all ages, con
vulsed the world ; and which daily displays itself in those
acts of injustice, fraud, oppression, malice, tyranny, and
cruelty, which are perpetrated in every country, and among
all the ranks even of civilized life. That a world inhabited
by moral agents of this description would display, in its
physical constitution, certain indications of its Creator's
displeasure, is what we should naturally expect, from a con
sideration of those attributes of his nature with which we
are acquainted. Accordingly, we find, that, amidst all the
evidences of benevolence which our globe exhibits, there
are not wanting, certain displays of " the wrath of Heaven
against the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men," in
order to arouse them to a sense of their guilt, and to in
spire them with reverence and awe of that Being whom they
have offended. The following facts, among many others,
may be considered as corroborating this position.
In the first place, the present state of the interior strata
of the earth may be considered as a presumptive evidence,
: that a moral revolution has taken place since man was
placed upon the globe. When we penetrate into the inte
rior recesses of the earth, we find its different strata bent
into the most irregular forms ; sometimes lying horizontal
ly, sometimes projecting upwards, and sometimes down
wards, and thrown into confusion ; as if some dreadful
concussion had spread its ravages through every part of the
solid crust of our globe. This is visible in every region of
the earth. Wherever the miner penetrates among his sub
terraneous recesses, wherever the fissures and caverns of
the earth are explored, and wherever the mountains lay
bare their rugged cliffs, the marks of ruin, convulsion, and
[ disorder meet the eye of the beholder. Evidences of these
| facts are to be found in the records of all intelligent travel-
;. lers and geologists who have visited Alpine districts, or
^explored the subterraneous regions of the earth; of which
I have already stated a few instances, in the article of Geo
logy, pp. 160, 187, 188. — These facts seem evidently to
jjfidicate that the earth is not now in the same state in
which it originally proceeded from the hand of its Creator ;

314 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
for such a scene of disruption and derangement appea$$
incompatible with that order, harmony, and beauty which
are apparent in the other departments of nature. We dare
not assert, that such terrible convulsions took place by
chance, or independent of the will of the Creator ; nor
dire we insinuate, that they were the effects of a random
^display of Almighty Power ; and, therefore, we are neces*
Warily led to infer, that a moral cause, connected with the
conduct of the rational inhabitants of the globe, must have
existed, to warrant so awful an interposition of Divine
Power ; for the fate of the animated beings which then
peopled the earth, was involved in the consequenceswhich
must have attended this terrible catastrophe. The "volume
of Revelation on this point, concurs with the deductions of
reason, and assigns a cause adequate to warrant the pro
duction of such an extraordinary effect. " The wickedness
of man was great upon the earth ; the earth was filled
with violence ; every purpose and desire of man's heart
was only evil continually." Man had frustrated the,
end of his existence ; the earth was turned into a habitation
of demons ; the long period to which his life was protract
ed, only served to harden him in his wickedness, and to
enable him to carry his diabolical schemes to their utmost
extent, till the social state of the human race became a.
scene of unmixed depravity; and misery. And the physical
effects of the punishment of this universal defection from
God, are presented to our view in every land, and will re
main to all ages, as a visible memorial that man has rebel
led against the authority of his Maker. ¦ "j
2. The existence of Volcanoes, and the terrible- ravages
they produce, bear testimony to the state of man as a de-,
praved intelligence. A volcano is a mountain generally
of an immense size, from whose summit issue fire, smoke,?
sulphur, and torrents of melted lava, (see p. 159.) Pre
vious to an eruption, the smoke, which is continually as
cending from the crater, or opening in the top, increases
and shoots up to an immense height; forked lightning issues
from the ascending column ; showers of ashes are thrown
out to the distance of forty or fifty miles ; volleys of red
hot stones are discharged to a great height in the air ; the
sky appears thick and dark ; the luminaries of heaven dis-

DEPRAVITY OF MAN. 315
appear; and these terrible forebodings are accompanied
with thunder, lightning, frequent concussions of the earth,
and dreadful subterraneous bellowings. When these alarm
ing appearances have continued sometimes four or five
months, the lava begins to make its appearance either boil
ing over the top, or forcing its way through the side of the
mountain. This fiery deluge of melted minerals rolls down
the declivity of the mountain, forming a dismal flaming
stream, sometimes fourteen miles long, six miles broad, and
200 feet deep. In its course, it destroys orchards, vine
yards, cornfields, and villages ; and sometimes cities, con
taining twenty thousand inhabitants, have been swallowed
up and consumed. Several other phenomena, of awful
sublimity, sometimes accompany these eruptions. In the
eruption of Vesuvius, in 1794, a shock of an earthquake
was felt ; and, at the same instant, a fountain of bright
fire,! attended with the blackest smoke, and a loud report,
was seen to issue, and to rise to a great height from the
cone of the mountain ; and was soon succeeded by fifteen
jpther fiery fountains, all in a direct line, extending for a
mUe and a half downwards. This fiery scene was accom
panied with the loudest thunder, the incessant reports of
which, like those of a numerous heavy artillery, were at
tended by a continued hollow murmur, similar to that
of the roaring of the ocean during a «olent storm. The
houses in Naples, at seven miles distance, were for se
veral hours in a constant tremor ; the bells ringing, and
'doors and windows incessantly ratting and shaking. The
Kurmur of the prayers and lamentations of a numerous
ffopulation added to the horrors of the scene. All travel
lers who have witnessed these eruptions seem to be at a
iloss to find words sufficiently emphatic to express the ter
rors of the scene. . " One cannot form a juster idea," says
fehop Berkley, " ofthe noise emitted by the mountain,
than by imagining a mixed sound made up of the raging
ll|a tempest, the murmur of a troubled sea, and the Toar-
ing of thunder and artillery, confused altogether. Though
we, heard this at the distance df twelve miles, yet it was
very. terrible." In 1744, the flames ofCotopaxi, in South
America, rose 3,000 feet above the brink ofthe crater, and
feroarings were heard at the distance of six hundred miles.
27

316 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
" At the port of Guayaquil, 150 miles distant from the era*-
ter," says Humboldt, " we heard, day and night, the noise
of this volcano, like continued discharges of a battery, and
we distinguished these tremendous sounds even on the Pa
cific ocean."
The ravages produced by volcanoes are in proportion
to the terror they inspire. In the eruption of Etna in 1669,
the stream of lava destroyed, in 40 days, the habitations of
27,000 persons ; and, of 20,000 inhabitants of the city of
Catania, only 3,000 escaped. In the year 79, the celebra
ted cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum were completely
overwhelmed and buried under ground by an eruption" of
Vesuvius, and the spots on which they stood remained un
known for 1600 years. Since that period about 40 erup
tions have taken place, each of them producing the most
dreadful ravages. But, the volcanoes of Asia and America
are still more terrible and destructive than those of Europej,
The volcanic mountain Pichinca, near Quito, caused, on
one occasion, the destruction of 35,000 inhabitants. In
the year 1772, an eruption of a mountain in the island of
Java destroyed 40 villages, and several thousands of the
inhabitants -^ and in October, 1822, eighty-eight hamlets,
and above 20<K> persons were destroyedin the same island,
by a sudden erujtion from a new volcano. The eruption '
ofTomboro, in \he island of Suinbawa, in 1815, was so
dreadful, that all the Moluccas, Java, Sumatra and Bor
neo, to the distance of ^, thousand miles from the mountain,
felt tremulous emotion^ and heard the report of explo:
sions. In Java, at the distance of 340 miles, the clouds
of ashes from the volcano produced utter darkness.'.
Volcanoes are more numerous than is generally imagi
ned. They are to be found in^yery quarter ofthe world;
from the icy shores of Kamtschatka to the mountains of
Patagonia. Humboldt enumerates 40 volcanoes constant
ly burning, between Cotopaxi and the Pacific Ocean ; 20
have been observed in the chain of mountains that stretche§
along Kamtschatka ; and many ol them are to be seen in the
Philippines, the Moluccas, the Cape de Verd, the Sandwich,
the Ladrone, and other islands in the Indian and Pacific
oceans. It is stated in vol. 6th of Sup. to Ency. Brit, lately pu:
Wished, that about 205 volcanoes are known, including only

DEPRAVITY OF MAN. 317
those which have been active within a period to which his
tory or tradition reaches. Europe contains 14 ; and, of
the whole number, it is computed, that 107 are in islands,
and 98 on the great continents.
Can we then suppose, that so many engines of terror
and destruction, dispersed over every quarter of the globe,
are consistent with the conduct of a benevolent Creator
^towards an iimocent race of men ? If so, we must either
admit that the Creator had it not in his power, when ar
ranging our terrestrial system, to prevent the occasional
action of these dreadful ravagers, or, that he is indifferent
to the happiness of his innocent offspring. The former
admission is inconsistent with the idea of his Omnipotence,
and the latter, .with the idea of his universal Benevolence.
It is not, therefore,, enthusiasm, but the fairest deduction of
reason to conclude, that they are indications of God's dis
pleasure against a race of transgressors who have aposta
tized from his laws.
3. The same reasoning will apply to the ravages produ
ced by Earthquakes. Next to volcanoes, earthquakes are
the most terrific phenomena of nature, and are even far
more destructive to man, and to the labors of his hands.
An earthquake, which consists in a sudden motion of the
earth, is generally preceded by a rumbling sound, some
times like that of a number of carriages driving furiously
along the pavement of a street, sometimes like the rushing
noise of a mighty wind, and sometimes like the explosions
of artillery. Their effect on the surface of the earth is
valious. Sometimes it is instantaneously heaved up in a
perpendicular direction, and sometimes it assumes a kind
of rolling motion, from side to side. — The ravages which
earthquakes have produced, are terrible beyond description ;
and are accomplished almost in a moment. In 1692, .the
city of Port-Royal, in Jamaica, was destroyed by an earth
quake, in the space of two minutes, and the houses sunk
into a gulph forty fathoms deep. In 1693, an earthquake
^happened in Sicily, which either destroyed, or greatly
damaged, fifty-four cities, and an incredible number of vil
lages. 4The city of Catania was utterly overthrown : the
sea all of a sudden began to roar ; mount Etna to send
forth immense spires of flame ; and immediately a shock

318 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
ensued, as lif all the artillery in the world had been dis
charged. The birds fled about astonished ; the sun was
darkened ; the beasts ran howling from the hills ; a dark
cloud of dust covered the air; and, though the shock did
not last three minutes, yet nineteen thousand of the inha
bitants of tbe city perished in the ruins. This shock ex
tended to a circumference of 7000 miles.
Earthquakes have been producing their ravages in va- .;
rious parts ofthe world, and in every age. Pliny informs
us, that 12 cities in Asia Minor were swallowed up injone
night. In the year 115, the city of Antioch, and a great
part of the adjacent country were buried by an earthquake.
About 300 years after, it was again destroyed, along with
40,000 inhabitants ; and, after an interval of only 60 years,
it was a third time overturned with the loss of not less than
60,000 souls. In 1755, Lisbon was destroyed by an earth
quake, and it buried under its ruins above 50,000 inhabit-5'
ants. The effects of this terrible earthquake were felt over
the greater part of Europe and Africa, and even in the
midst of the Atlantic ocean ; and are calculated to have
extended over a space of not less than 4 millions of square
miles. In August, 1822, two-thirds of the city of Aleppo,
which contained 40,000 houses, and 200,000 inhabitants,
were destroyed by an earthquake, and nearly thirty thou
sand inhabitants were buried under the.ruins.-^To suppose
that the human beings who have been victims to the rava
ges of earthquakes and volcanoes, " were sinners above all
those who dwelt around them," would be the height of,
impiety and presumption. But, the fact that thousands, of
rational beings have been swept from existence, in a man
ner so horrible and tremendous, seems plainly to indicate,
that they belonged to a race of apostate intelligences, who
had violated the commands of their Creator. Such visijk
tations are quite accordant to the idea of man being in the
condition of a transgressor ; but, if he were an innocent ,
creature, they would be altogether unaccountable, as hap/
pening under the government of a Being of unbounded be
nevolence. 4. The phenomena of thunder-storms, tempests, and hur
ricanes, and the ravages they produce, are also presump
tive proofs that man is a depraved intelligence. In that

DEPRAVITY OF M^N, 319-
season of the year when Nature is arrayed in her most
beautiful attire, and the whole terrestrial landscape tends-
to inspire the mind with cheerfulness — suddenly a sable
cloud emerges from the horizon — the sky assumes a bale
ful sipect — a dismal gloom envelopes the face of nature —
the lightnings flash from one end of the horizon to another
— tbe thunders roll with awful majesty along the verge of
heaven, till at length they burst over head in tremendous
^explosions. The sturdy oak is shattered and despoiled of
its foliage ; rocks are rent into shivers ; and the grazing
herds are struck into a lifeless groupe. Even man is not
exempted from danger in- the midst of this appalling scene.
For hundreds in every age have fallen victims either to the
direct stroke of the lightning, or to the concussions and
conflagrations with which it has been attended. In tropi
cal countries, the phenomenaof thunder-storms are more
dreadful and appaling, than in our temperate climate. The
thunder frequently continues for days and weeks in almost
one incessant roar ; the rains are poured down in torrents ;
and the flashes of lightning follow each other in so rapid a
succession, that the whole atmosphere and the surrounding
hills seem to be in a blaze. In some instances, the1 most
dreadful effects have been produced by the bursting of an
electrical cloud. In 1772, a bright cloud was observed at
midnight to cover a mountain in the island of Java ; it
emitted globes of fire so luminous, that the*iight became
as clear as day. Its effects were astonishing. Every thing
was destroyed for 7 leagues round ; houses were demolish
ed ; plantations buried in the earth ; and 2140 people lost
their lives, besides 1500 head of cattle, and a vast number
of horses and other animals — Ency. Brit. — Art. Cloud.
Is it not reasonable, then, to conclude, that such awful
phenomena as storms, volcanoes, and earthquakes, are so
many occasional indications of the frown of an offended
Creator upon a race of transgressors, in: order to arouse
Ibem to a sense of their apostacy from the; God of heaven ?¦
We cannot conceive that such physical operations, accom
panied by so many terrific anddestructive effects, are atall
compatible with' the idea tbaf man' is at present; in a pa*0-
tksiacal State, and possessed of that «K»ra/-p#ityiin which
he was created. Sucbappalling displays «f Almighty pow~;
27* v,,- ¦ •

320 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
er are in complete unison with the idea, that man is at
transgressor, and that the present dispensations of God are
a mixture of mercy and of judgment ; but if he belong to an
innocent race of moral intelligences, they appear quite
anomalous, and are altpgether inexplicable, on the suppo
sition, that a Being of infinite benevolence and rectitude
directs the operations of the physical and moral world ;
more especially when we consider the admirable care which
is displayed in the construction of animal bodies, in order
to prevent pain, and to produce pleasurable sensations.
When man was first brought into existence, his thoughts
and affections, we must suppose, were in unison with the
will of his Creator ; his mind was serene and unruffled ;
and, consequently, no foreboding apprehensions of danger
would, in such a state, take possession of his breast. But
after he had swerved from the path of primeval rectitude,
and especially after the Deluge had swept away the inha-,
bitants of the Antediluvian world, the constitution of the
earth and the atmosphere seems to have undergone a mighty
change, corresponding to the degraded state into which he-
had fallen ; so that those very elements which may have
formerly ministered to his enjoyment — by being formed
into different combinations— now conspire to produce-
terror and destruction.
The same important .^conclusion might have been dedu
ced, from a consideration of the immense deserts of marsh
es and barren sands which are dispersed over the globe —
the vast and frightful regions of ice around the poles — the-
position of the mineral strata, and the vast disproportion
which the extent of the dry land bears to the expanse of
the ocean— all which circumstances, and many others, in,
conjunction with the facts above-stated, conspire to show,
that man no longer stands in the Tank of a pure intelli
gence ; and that his habitation^ corresponds, in some de
gree, to his state of moral degradation. By. overlooking-
this consideration, St. Pierre, and other Naturalists have-
found themselves mueh at a loss,iwhen attempting to vin
dicate the wisdom and equity of Providence^ in the physi
cal disorders which exist in the present constitution of our
globe. The circumstance, that man is a fallen creature,
appears the only elue to guide us in unravelling, the myste,-

DEPRAVITY OF MAN. 321
ries of Providence, and to enable us to perceive the harmo
ny and consistency of the Divine operations in the system of
nature ; and no other cousideration will folly account for
the disorders which exist in the present economy of our
world. But, it is a most consoling consideration, that, amidst
all the physical evils which abound, the benevolence and
mercy of God are admirably blended with the>indications
of his displeasure. Thunder storms and tempests con
tribute to the purification of the atmosphere ; and volca
noes are converted into funnels for vomiting up those fiery
materials which produce 'earthquakes, and which might
otherwise swallow up whole provinces in one mighty gulf.
In the ordinary course of things, such phenomena are
more terrific than destructive ; and are calculated rather
to rouse an unthinking world to consideration, than to
prove the instruments of human destruction. Compared
with the miseries which men have voluntarily inflicted, on
one another, the destructive effects of the elements of na
ture dwindle into mere temporary and trifling accidents.
We have reason to believe, that a much greater destruc
tion of human beings has been produced bf'two or three
of the late battles iu modern Europe, such as those of
Waterloo, Borodina, and Smolensko, than has been pro
duced by all the electrical storms, earthquakes, and vol
canic eruptions, which have raged for the space of a hun
dred years. It has been calculated, that during the Rus
sian campaign of 1812, including men, women and child
ren, belonging to the French and Russians, there were not
less than five hundred thousand human victims sacrificed
to the demon of war. It is probable, that the destruction
"produced among the human race, by the convulsions of
nature, since the commencement of time, (the deluge only
excepted) does not amount to above four or five millions
of lives ; but were we to take into account the, destruction
i of human life produced by ambition, tyranny, 'oppression,
^superstition, wars, devastations, murders, and horrid cru
elties, in every period of the world, it would, doubtless,,
jamount to several hundreds of millions. So that, amidst
"the most terrible displays of the displeasure of God against
the sins of men, mercy is mingled with judgment ; and;

322 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
while man- is the greatest enemy and destroyer of his own
species, benevolence is the prominent ¦ feature of all the
arrangements of the Deity in the physical world. For
"his tender mercies are over all his works."*
III. — The discoveries which have been made in the system
of nature illustrate the doctrine of the Resurrection of
the Dead.
'. The doctrine of a Resurrection from the dead, at first.
view, appears to involve in it a variety of difficulties, and
apparent contradictions. That a complex organical ma
chine, as the human body is, consisting of thousands of
diversified parts for the performance of its functions after
it has been reduced to atoms, and those atoms dispersed to
'* the four winds of heaven" — should be again reared up
with the same materials, in a new and more glorious form
— is an idea which seems to baffle thes human comprehen
sion ; and, in all probability, would never have entered the-.
mind of man, had it not been communicated by Divine
Revelation. Accordingly we find, that the philosophers
of antiquity, though many of them believed in the doc
trine of a future state, never once dreamed, that the bo*j
dies of men, after they had been committed to the dust,,'
would ever again be reanimated ; and hence, when the
Apostle Paul proposed this doctrine to the Athenian phi
losophers, they scouted the idea, as if it had been the re
verie of a madman. And, indeed, without a strong con
viction, and a lively impression of the infinite power and,
intelligence of God, the mind cannot rely with unshaken
confidence on the declaration of a future fact so widelyf
different from all the obvious phenomena of nature, and
from every thing that lies within the range of human ex
perience. " If a man die," says Job, " shall he live again.?.
There is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will*
sprout again, and bring forth boughs like a plant. But
* The facts stated in this section are expressed, for the most part
in the author's own words, for the sake of compression. — His au
thorities are, Goldsmith's "Natural Hist." Hiimboldt's " Travels,"
Brydon's "Tour," Sir W. Hamilton's "Observations," Raffles*
"History of Java," Ency. Brit. Art. Etna Volcano, Earthquake,
Antioch, Cloud! The Literary and Scientific Journals for 18£2, &c-

THE RESURRECTION ILLUSTRATED. 323
man dieth and wasteth away ; yea, man giveth up the
ghost, and where is he ?" When the mind, however, is
frequently exercised in contemplations on the stupendous
works of the Almighty, it must feel an impressive convic
tion, that " nothing can be too hard for Jehovah." When
we endeavor to draw aside the veil which conceals many
of the scenes of nature from the vulgar eye, we perceive
a variety of operations and analogies, which tend to assist
us in forming a conception, not only of the possibility of
a resurrection, but also of the manner in which it may
probably be effected, when the power of Omnipotence is
interposed. The transformations of insects afford us a beautiful il
lustration of this subject. All the butterflies which we
see fluttering about in the summer months, were origi
nally caterpillars. Before they arrive at that highest stage
of their existence, they pass through four different trans-
formations. The first state of a butterfly is that of an
egg ; it next assumes the form of a loathsome crawling
worm ; after remaining some time in this state, it throws
off its caterpillar skin ; languishes; refuses to eat; ceases
to move ; and is shut up, as it were, in a tomb. In this
state, the animal is termed a chrysalis ; it is covered with
a thin crust or shell, and remains, sometimes for six or
eight months, without motion, and apparently without life.
After remaining its allotted time in this torpid condition,
it begins to acquire new life and vigor ; it bursts its im
prisonment, and comes forth a butterfly, with wings tinged
with the most beautiful colors. It mounts the air ; it
(ranges from flower to flower, and seems to rejoice in its
inew and splendid existence. How very different does it
bppear in this state from what it did in the preceding stages
(|f its existence ! How unlikely did it seem that a rough,
hairy, crawling worm, which lay for such a length of time
in a death-like torpor, and enshrouded in a tomb, should
be reanimated, as it were, and changed into so beautiful a
fform, and endued with such powers of rapid motion !
Perhaps the change to be effected on the bodies of men, at
the general resurrection, may not be greater, nor mo re
wonderful in its nature, than are the changes which t ake
place from the first to the last stage of a caterpillar's ex-

324 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
istence. In such transformations, then, we behold a lively
representation of the death and resurrection of a righteous"
man. " A little While he shall lie in the ground, as the
seed lies in the bosom ofthe earth ; but he shall be raised
again, and shall never die any more."
There is another illustration, taken from a consideration
of the chemical changes of matter, which has a still more
direct bearing on the doctrine of a resurrection. We
know, that substances which are invisibly incorporated
with air, water, and other fluids, and which seem to be
destroyed, may be made to re-appear in their original form
by the application of certain chemical re-agents, For ex
ample ; put a small piece of solid camphor into a phial
half-filled with alcohol or spirits of wine ; in a short time
the camphor will be dissolved in the fluid, and the spirit
will be as transparent as at flrst. If water be now added, it
will unite with the ardent spirit, and the camphor will be
separated and fall to the bottom of the phial. In this way
the camphor may he nearly all recovered as at first ; and
by distillation the alcohol may also be separated from the
water, and exhibited in a separate state. I have already
notieed, that Carbon, which forms an essential part of all
animal and vegetable substances, is found to be not only
indestructible by age, but, in all its combinations, which
are infinitely diversified, it still preserves its identity. In
the state of carbonic acid it exists in union with earths and
stones in unbounded quantities ; and though buried for
thousands of years beneath immense rocks, or in the cen
tre of mountains, it is still carbonic acid ; for no sooner is it
disengaged from its dormitory than it rises with all the life
and vigor of recent formation,' not in the least impaired by
its torpid inactivity during a lapse of ages. The beams of
the theatre at Herculaneum were converted into charcoal
(which is one of the compounds of Carbon) by the lava
which overflowed that city, during an eruption of Mount
Vesuvius; and during the lapse of 1700 years, the char
coal has remained as entire as if it had been formed but
yesterday, and it will probably continue so to the end of
tbe world. In addition to these facts it may be stated, that
provision has been made for the restoration of the fallen
leaves of vegetables which rot upon the ground, and, to a

GENERAL CONFLAGRATION. 325
careless observer, Would appear to be lost for ever. It
has been shown by experiment, that whenever the soil be
comes charged with such matter, the oxygen of the at
mosphere combines with it, and converts it into carbonic
acid gas. The consequence of which is, that this very
same carbon is, in process of time, absorbed by a new
race of vegetables, which it clothes with a new foliage,
and which is itself destined- to undergo similar putrefac
tion and renovation to the end of time.*
These facts, and others of a similar description which
might have been stated, demonstrate, that one of the con
stituent parts of animal bodies remains unalterably the
same, amidst all the revolutions of time, and all the changes
and decompositions which take place in the system of na
ture ; and, consequently, that though human bodies may
remain in a state of putrefaction for ages, in the earth and
in the waters, yet their component parts remain unchanged,
and in readiness to enter into a new and more glorious
combination, at the command of that Intelligence to
whom all the principles of nature and all their diversified
changes are intimately known ; and whose Power is able
to direct their combinations to the accomplishment of his
purposes. — Though such considerations as these may have
no weight on certain unreflecting minds, that never meet
with any difficulties in the economy either of Nature or of
Redemption ; yet, the man of deep reflection, who has
frequently had his mind distracted with the apparent im-
¦probability of the accomplishment of certain Divine De
clarations, will joyfully embrace such facts in the economy
of nature, as a sensible support to his faith in the promises
of his God ; and will resign his body to dust and putre
faction, in the firm hope of emerging from the tomb to a
future and more glorious transformation.
IV. — The discoveries of Science tend to illustrate the doc
trine ofthe General Conflagration.
We are informed, in the Sacred Oracles, that a period
is approaching, when " the elements shall melt with fer
vent heat, and the earth, and the works that are therein,
shall be hurned up." Science has ascertained certain
facts in the constitution of nature, which lead us to form
* Parkes' " Chem. Catechism," p. 266, and the additiand notes,

326 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
some conception of the manner in which: this awful catas
trophe may probably be effected, and also of the ease with
which it may be accomplished, when the destined period
shall have arrived. It was formerly stated, (pp. 80, 254,)
that the atmosphere, or the air we breathe, is a compound
substance, composed of two very different and opposite
principles, termed oxygen and nitrogen. The oxygen,
which forms about a fifth part of the atmosphere, is now
ascertained to be the principle of flame ; a lighted taper
immersed in this gas, burns with a brilliancy too great for
the eye to bear ; and even a rod of iron or steel is made
to blaze under its energy.
The modern infidel, like the scoffers of old, scouts the
idea of the dissolution of the world, and of the restitution
of the universe, " because all things continue as they were
from the beginning of the creation ; not knowing the
Scriptures, nor the power of God ;" and not considering
the principles and facts in the system of nature, which
indicate the possibility of such an event. But, from the
fact now stated, we may learn, how easily this effect may
be accomplished, even in conformity with those laws which
now operate in the constitution of our globe. For, should
the Creator issue forth his Almighty Fiat — " Let the ni
trogen of the atmosphere be completely separated from
the oxygen, and let the oxygen exert its native energies
without control, wherever it i extends ;" — from what we
know of its nature, we are warranted to conclude, that
instantly a universal 'Conflagration would commence
throughout all the kingdoms of nature— not only wood,
coals, sulphur, bitumen, and other combustible substances,
but even the hardest rocks and stones, and all the metals,,'
fossils, and minerals, and water itself, which is a compound*
of two inflammable substances, would blaze with a rapidity
which would carry destruction through the whole expanse
of the terraqueous globe, and change its present aspect
into that of a new world :— at the same time, all the other
laws of nature might still operate as they have hitherto
done since the creation of the world.
I do not mean positively to assert, that this is the agent
which the Almighty will certainly employ for accomplish
ing this terrible catastrophe (though we think it highly
probable,}, since Infinite Power is possessed ,of numerous

GENERAL CONFLAGRATION. 327
resources for accomplishing its objects, which lie beyond
the sphere of our knowledge and comprehension. But I
have brought forward this fact, to show with what infinite
ease this event may be . accomplished, jwhen Almighty
Power is interposed. By means of the knowledge we
have, acquired of the constitution of the atmosphere, and
by the aid of chemical apparatus, we can perform experi
ments on a small scale, similar in kind, though infinitely
-inferior in degree, to the awful event under consideration.
And, therefore, we can easily conceive that He who form
ed the expansive atmosphere which surrounds us, and who
knows the native energy of its constituent principles, may,
by a simple volition, make that invisible fluid, in a few
moments, the cause of the destruction of the, present con
stitution of our world, and, at the same time, the means
if its subsequent renovation. For, as fire does not anni
hilate, but only changes the forms, of matter, this globe, on
which we now tread, and which bears the marks of ruin
and disruption in several parts of its structure, may come
forth from the flames of the general conflagration, purified
from all its, physical evils, adorned with new beauties and
sublimities, and rendered a fit habitation for pure intelli
gences, either of our own species or of another order.
For, though (t the heavens,"^ the atmosphere, " shall be
dissolved, and the elements melt with fervent heat;"
"yet," says the apostle Peter, "we, aceordingto his pro
mise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein
dwelleth righteousness." Whether, after being thus reno
vated, it shall be allotted as the residence of the redeemed
inhabitants of our world, is beyond our province at present
to determine. But if not, it will, in all probability, be
allotted as the abode of other rational beings, who may be
transported from other regions, to contemplate a new pro
vince of the Divine empire, or .whb may be, immediately
created for the purpose of taking possession of, this reno
vated world. For we have reason to believe, that the en
ergies of Creating Power will be continually, exerted, in
replenishing the boundless universe, throughout all the
ages of infinite duration, and that no substances, or worlds
which, God has created, will ever be suffered to fall into
annihilation — at least, that the original atoms of mattter will
never be destroyed, whatever new forms they may assume,
28

328 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
and however varied the combinations into which they may
enter. The above are only a few examples out of many which
were intended to be specified, of the illustrations which the
system of nature affords of the doctrines and facts of Reve
lation, but the narrow limits of this volume prevent farther
enlargement. It was also intended to follow up the preceding discus
sions with particular illustrations of the following topics: —
The views which science affords of the incessant energies
of Creating Power — the changes and revolutions which ap
pear to have happened, and which are still going on in the
distant regions of the universe, as tending to amplify our
views of the grand and multifarious objects over which Di
vine providence presides — the connection of science with a
future state — the aids which the discoveries of science af
ford, in enabling us to form a conception of the scenes of
future felicity — ofthe employments of the heavenly inhabit-'
ants, and of their perpetual advances in knowledge and
happiness, and in their views of the perfections of Deity —
the moral relations of intelligent beings to their Creator, i
and to each other; and the physical grounds or reasons of
those moral laws which the Deity has promulgated for re
gulating the conduct, and for promoting the harmony and
order of intelligent agents — illustrations of the allusions of
the Sacred writers to the system of the material world — the
simultaneous progress of science and religion, considered
as an evidence of the connection of the one with the other
—-the moral effects of the study of science in connection
with religion — replies to objections and insinuations which
have been thrown out against the idea of combining the
discoveries of Science with the discoveries of revelation,
&c. But, as illustrations of these, and various other topics
connected with them, would occupy two or three hundred
pages, they must, in the mean time, be postponed.*
* A work, embracing illustrations of some of the topics here stated,
is preparing for the press, and will probably be published about the
beginning of 1826, under the title of " The PhUosophy of Religion;
or, an Illustration of the Moral Laws of the Universe, on the princi
ples of Reaeon and of Divine Revelation." In this work, an original,
and, at the same time, a popular train of thought will be prosecuted,
and the different topics will be enlivened with illustrative facta, bor
rowed from the scenery ef nature and the moral history of mankind.

CHAPTER V.
BENEFICIAL EFFECTS WHICH MIGHT RESULT
TO CHRISTIAN SOCIETY FROM CON
NECTING THE DISCOVERIES OF
SCIENCE WITH THE OBJECTS
OF RELIGION.

I. — The variety op topics which would beintroduced into ,
Christian Instructions, by connecting them with the mani
festations of Deity in the System of Nature, would have
A TENDENCY TO ALLURE THE ATTENTION OF THE YOUNG
to religious subjects, and to afford Mental Entertain
ment and Moral Instruction to intelligent minds of every
description.
Novelty and variety appear to be essentially requisite
in order to rouse the attention, not only ofthe more ignorant,
but even of the more intelligent class of mankind, and to
excite them to make progress in the path of intellectual
and moral improvement. The principle of curiosity, which
appears at a very early period of life, and which variegat
ed scenery and novel objects tend to stimulate and to
gratify — so far from being checked and decried, in a reli-
jjgious point of view, as some have been disposed to do,
ought to be encouraged and cultivated in the. minds both
of the old and of the young. AjS it is a principle which
JGod himself has implanted in our natures, for wise and
important purposes, it requires only to be chastened, and
^directed in a proper channel, in order to become one of
the most powerful auxiliaries in the cause of religion, and
iof intellectual improvement. To gratify this principle,
and to increase its activity, the Creator has adorned our
globe with a combination of beauties and Sublimities,
strewed in endless variety over all its different regions.
The hills and dales, the mountains and plains ; the
seas, the lakes, the rivers, the islands of every form

330 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
and size which diyersify the surface of the ocean ; the bays,
the gulfs and peninsulas ; the forests, the groves, the deep
dells, and towering cliffs ; the infinite variety of trees,
plants, flowers, and vegetable productions of every hue, so
profusely scattered over the face of Nature ; the diversifi
ed-productions' of the mineral kingdom; the variegated
coloring spread over the face of nature ; together with the
many thousands of different, species of animated beings
which traverse' the air, the waters, and the earth— afford so
many stimuli to rouse this principle into exercise, and to
direct the mind to the contemplation ofthe Creator. And,
as the earth displays an endless diversity of objects, so the
heavens, in so far as they have been explored, exhibit a
scenery both grand and variegated. There is not a planet
in the Solar System but differs from another, in its magni
tude, in its distance from the Central luminary about which
it revolves, in the velocity of its motion, in the extent of
the circle it describes around the sun, in the period of time
in which its revolution is completed, in its rotation round
its axis, in the number of moons with which it is attended,
in the inclination of its axis to the plane of its orbit, and
the diversity of seasons which results from this circum
stance ; in the density of its atmosphere, and the various
appearances which diversify its surface. And, if we were
favored with a nearer view of these majestic orbs, we
should, doubtless, behold a simikr variety in every part of
their internal arrangements!-— The surface of the moon
presents a variegated prospect of mountains and vales, but
so very different in their form, position, and arrangement,
from what obtains oh the surface of bur globe, that it
would exhibit a scenery altogether new and uncommon to
an inhabitant of this world, were he placed on the surface
of that planet. Every comet, too, is distinguished from
another, by its magnitude, the extent of its atmosphere, the
length of its blazing tail, tbe rapidity of its motion, and the
figure of the curve it describes around the sun. With re
gard to the fixed stars which are distributed, of every size,
and in every direction, through the immensity of space, our
senses, as well as the declaration of an inspired writer,i;
convince us, that, in point of brilliancy, color, and magni
tude, «' one star differeth from another star in glory."

VARIETY OF TOPICS IN RELIGION. 331
And as the system of Nature in all its parts presents a
boundless variety of scenery, to arouse the attention, and
to gratify the desire for novelty, so the Revelation of God
contained in the Sacred Records, displays a diversified
combination of the most sublime and interesting subjects
and events. Were we to form an opinion of the compass
¦ of Divine Revelation, from the range of subjects to which
the minds of some professing Christians are confined, it
might all be comprehended within the limits of five or six
chapters of the New Testament ; and all the rest might be
thrown aside, as a dead- weight upon the Christian System..
But here, as in all the other displays of the Almighty, Di
vine Perfection and Providence are exhibited in the most
diversified aspects. Here we have recorded a history of
the creation and arrangement of our globe, — of the forma
tion of the first human pair, — of their primeval innocence,
temptation and fall, — of the arts which were cultivated in
the first ages of the world, — of the increase of human
wickedness, — of the building of the ark, — of the drowning
of the world by a universal deluge, — of the burning of So
dom by fire from the clouds, — of the origin of languages,—
of the dividing of the Red Sea, of the journeying of the
tribes of Israel through the deserts of Arabia,' of their con
quest of the promised land, and their wars with the nations
of Canaan, — of the corporeal translation of Elijah from
earth to heaven, — of the manifestation of the Son of God
in human flesh, the benevolent miracles he performed, and
the triumphs he obtained over all the powers of heli and
earth. We are here presented with the most interesting
and affecting narratives, elegies, dramatic poems and tri
umphal songs, — with views of society in the earliest ages
of the world, when the lives o£ men were prolonged to
nearly a thousand years, — with splendid miracles performed
in the land of Egypt, in the wilderness of Horeb, and in the
" field of Zoan," when " the sun and moon stood still in
their habitation ;" when the waters ofthe great deep were
divided, and mountains shook and trembled " at the pre
sence of Jehovah," — with the "glorious marching of a
whole nation through the Arabian deserts, under the guid
ance of a miraculous pillar of cloud and fire, — with the vis
its of celestial messengers, and the visible symbols of " a
28*

332 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
present Deity, "*-with prophetical delineations of the pre
sent and future condition of the race of Adam,. — with de
scriptions of the Power, Wisdom, Love and Majesty of the
Almighty, and of his operations in Heaven and Earth, —
with the results and bearings of the Economy of Redemp
tion, — with Divine Songs, Odes and Hymns, composed by
angels and inspired men, — with maxims of moral wisdom,
examples of sublime eloquence, of strength of reasoning,
and of" manly boldness of reproof, — with Proverbs, Parables,
Allegories, Exhortations, Promises, Threatenings, and Con
solatory addresses. — f n short, we have here detailed, in •
the greatest variety— History, Antiquities, Voyages, Tra
vels, Philosophy, Geography, Natural and Moral Science,
Biography, Arts, Epic Poetry, Epistles, Memoirs, Deline
ations of Nature, Sketches of Human Character, Moral
Precepts, Prophecies, Miracles, Narrations, Wonderful
Providences, Marvellous Deliverances, the Phenomena of
the Air, the Waters, and the Earth ; the Past, the Present,
and the Future Scenes of the World — all blended together
in one harmonious system, without artificial order, but with
a majesty and grandeur corresponding to the style of all
the other Works of God, — and all calculated to gratify the
principle of curiosity — to convey (f reproof, correction, and
instruction, in righteousness," and " to make the Man
of God perfect, and thoroughly furnished to every good
work." And, as the scenes of Nature, and the scenes of Revela
tion, are thus wonderfully diversified, in order to excite the
attention of intelligent beings, and to gratify the desire for
variety, so, we have every reason to believe, that the scenes,
objects, and dispensations, which will be displayed in the
heavenly World, will be incomparably more grand and di
versified. When we consider the immensity of God's Uni
versal Kingdom, and the numerous systems, and worlds,
and beings comprehended within its vast circumference,
and that the energies of Creating Power may be forever ex
erted in raising new worlds into existence — we may rest
assured, that the desire of variety and of novelty, in holy in
telligences, will be completely gratified throughout an end
less succession of existence; and that the most luxuriant
imagination, in Hs boldest excursions, can sever go beyond

VARIETY OF TOPICS IN RELIGION. 333
the reality of those scenes of diversified grandeur which
the Heaven of Heavens will display.
Now, since the book of Nature, and the Book of Reve
lation, since all the manifestations of the Creator in heaven
and earth are characterized by their sublime and diversified
aspect ; we would ask, why should we not be imitators of
God, in displaying the diversified grandeur of his kingdom
of Providence and of Grace before the minds of those
whom we profess to instruct ? Why should we confine our
views to a few points in the Christian system, to a few stones
in the fabric of the Divine operations, when " a wide and
unbounded prospect lies before us ?'? Why should we not
rather attempt to rouse the moral and intellectual energies
of mankind, from the pulpit, from the press, in the school
room, and in the family circle, by exhibiting the boundless
variety of aspect which the Revelations of Heaven present,
and the holy tendencies of devout contemplation on the
Works and the Ways of God ? that they may learn, with
intelligence, to " meditate on all the works of the Lord,
and to talk of all his doings." — By enlarging and diversi
fying the topics of religious discussion, according to the
views now stated, we have it in our power to spread out an
intellectual feast to allure and to gratify every variety of
taste, — the young and the old, the learned and the Unlearn
ed ; yea, even the careless and the ignorant, the sceptical
and the dissipated, might frequently be allured by the se
lection of a judicious variety of striking and impressive ob
jects and descriptions, to partake of those mental enjoy
ments which might ultimately issue in the happiest results.
The man of an inquisitive turn of mind, who now throws
aside every thing that has the appearance of religion, on
account ef its dullness, might have his curiosity gratified
amidst such a variety as that to which I allude ; and, from
perceiving the bearing of every discussion on the great re
alities of religion and a future state, might be led to more
serious inquiries after the path that leads to immortality.
In a word, to associate and to amalgamate, as it were, the
arts and sciences, and- every department of useful know
ledge, with divine subjects, is fo consecrate them to their
original and legitimate ends, and to present religion to the
eyes of men; in its most sublime, and comprehensive, add!

334 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
attractive form, corresponding to what appears to be the
design of the Creator, in all the manifestations he has given
of himself, in the System of Nature, in the Operations of
Providence, and in the Economy of Redemption.
IL— By connecting Science with Religion, Christians would
be enabled to take an extensive survey of the king
dom of God.
How very narrow and limited are the views of most pro
fessors of religion respecting the universal Kingdom of
Jehovah, and the range of his operations ! The views of
some individuals are confined chiefly, within the limits of
their own parish, or at farthest, extend only to the blue
mountains that skirt their horizon, and form the boundary
of their sight. Within this narrow circle, all their ideas
of God, of religion, and of the relations of intelligent be
ings to each other, are chiefly confined. There are
others, who form an extensive class of our population,
whose ideas are confined nearly to the county in which
they reside, and to the adjacent districts ; and there are
few, comparatively, whose views extend beyond the con
fines of the kingdom to which they belong — though the
whole island in which we reside is Jess than the two thou
sandth part of the globe we inhabit. Of the vast extent
of this earthly ball, of its figure and motions, of its conti
nents, seas, islands, and oceans ; of its volcanoes and
ranges of mountains, of its numerous and diversified cli
mates and landscapes ; of the various nations and tribes
of mankind that people its surface, and of the moral go
vernment of God respecting them, — they are almost as
completely ignorant as the untutored Greenlander, or the
roving savage. — With regard to the objects which lie be
yond the boundary of our world, they have no precise and
definite conceptions. When the moon is " walking in -
brightness" through the heavens, they take the advantage
of her light to prosecute their journeys ; and, when the
sky is overcast with clouds, and they are anxious to travel
a few miles to their destined homes, they will lift up their
eyes to the heavens to see if any of the stars are twink
ling through the gloom, that their footsteps maybe directed
by their glimmering rays. Beyond this they seldom soar.

AMPLITUDE OF THE DIVINE EMPIRE. 335
What may be the nature of the vast assemblage of shining
points which adorn the canopy of their habitation, and
the ends they are destined to accomplish in the plan of the
Creator's operations, they consider as no part of their pro
vince to inquire.
" Their minds, fair Science never taught to stray
Far as the Solar Worlds, er Milky Way."
How very different, in point of variety, of grandeur,
and of extent, are the views of the man' who connects aU
the different departments of knowledge, and the discove
ries of science, with his prospects of God's Universal Do
minions and Government ? With his mental eye he can
traverse the different regions of the earth, and penetrate
into the most distant and retired recesses where human be
ings have their residence. — He can contemplate and adore
the conduct of Divine Sovereignty, in leaving so many na
tions to grope amidst the darkness of Heathen Idolatry, —
he can trace the beams of the Sun of Righteousness, as
they gradually arise to illume the benighted tribes of
men, — be can direct his prayers, with intelligence and
fervor, in behalf of particular kindreds and people, — he
can devise with judgment and discrimination, schemes for
carrying the " Salvation of God" into effect, — he can re
alize, in some measure, to his mental sight, the glorious
and happy scenes which will be displayed in the future
ages of time, when " the kingdoms of this world shall
become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ," and
when the " everlasting gospel" shall be published, and its
blessings distributed among all who dwell upon the face of
the earth. — He can bound from this earth to the planetary
worlds, and survey far more spacious globes, peopled with
a higher order of intelligences, arranged and superintended
by the same Almighty Sovereign, who " doth according to
his will among the inhabitants of the earth." He can wing
his way beyond the visible region of the sky, till he find
himself surrounded on every hand with suns and systems
of worlds, rising to view in boundless perspective, through
out the tracts of immensity — diversified with scenes of
magnificence, and with beings of every order — all under
the government and the wise direction of Him who " rules
^mong the armies of heaven," and who " preserveth them

336 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
all," and whom the " host of heaven worship" and adore.
He can soar beyond them all to the throne of God, where
angels and archangels, cherubim and seraphim, celebrate
the praises of their Sovereign Lord, and stand ready to
announce his Will, by their rapid flight to the most distant
provinces of his empire. He can descend from that lofty
eminience to this terrestrial world, allotted for his tempo
rary abode, and survey another unbounded province of the
Empire of God, in those living worlds which lie hid from
the unassisted sight, and which the microscope alone can
descry. He can here perceive the same Hand and In
telligence which direct the rolling worlds above, and mar
shal all the angelic tribes-^organizing, arranging, and go
verning the countless myriads of animated existence which
people the surface of a muddy pool. He can speed his
course from one of these departments of Jehovah's king
dom to another, till, astonished aad overwhelmed with the
order, the grandeur and extent of the wondrous scene, he
is constrained to exclaim, " Great and marvellous are thy
works, Lord God Almighty !" " Thine understanding is
infinite !" The limits of thy dominions are " past finding
out !"
By taking such extensive surveys of the empire of Je
hovah, we are enabled to perceive the spirit and references
of those sublime passages in the sacred writings which
proclaim the Majesty of God, and the Glory of his King
dom. Such passages are diffusely scattered through the
inspired volume, and have evidently an extent of reference
far beyond what is generally conceived by the great mass
ofthe Christian world. The following may suffice as a
specimen : —
Thine, 0 Lord ! is the greatness, and the glory, and
the majesty ; for all in heaven and earth is thine ! Thine
is the kingdom, 0 Lord ! Thou art exalted above all,
thou reignest over all, and in thine hand is Power and
Might. — Behold the heaven, and the Heaven of heavens,
is the Lord's ; the earth' also, with all that therein is. —
Ascribe ye greatness to our God ; for there is none like unto
the God of Israel, who rideth upon the heavens in his
strength, and in his excellency on the sky. Thou, even
thou art Lord alone ; thou hast made heaven, the Heaven

AMPLITUDE OF THE DIVINE EMPIRE. 337
of heavens, with all their host ; the earth, and all things
that are therein ; the seas, and all that is therein ; and thou
preservest them all, and the Host of Heaven worshippeth
thee. — He divideth the sea by his Power ; by his Spirit he
hath garnished the heavens : Lo ! these are only parts of
his ways ; but how little a portion is heard of him, and
the thunder of his Power who can understand? — The
Lord hath prepared his Throne in the Heavens, and his
kingdom nileth over all. — 0 Lord our God ! how excel
lent is thy name in all the earth ! who has set thy glory
.above the heavens. When I consider thy heavens, the
work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou
hast ordained ; what is man, that thou art mindful of him !
— His Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom ; Honor and
Majesty are before him ; all the inhabitants of the earth
are reputed as nothing in his sight, and he doth according
to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabi
tants of the earth. — He measures the waters in the hollow
of his hand ; he meteth out heaven with a span, and com-
prehendeth the dust of the earth in a measure. — He sit
teth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants
thereof are as grasshoppers. — I have made the earth, and
created man upon it ; I, even my hands, have stretched
out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded. —
The Most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands ;
for the heaven is his throne, and the earth is his footstool.
— With God is awfuL Majesty. — Great things doth He,
which we cannot comprehend ; yea, the Lord sitteth King
for ever. — Praise ye the Lord in the heavens ; praise him
in the heights ; praise him all his angels ; praise ye him
all his hosts. Praise him sun and moon ; praise him all
ye stars of light ; praise him ye heaven of heavens.
Praise him ye kings of the earth, and all people, princes
and judges of the earth ; both young men and maidens ;
old men and children — let them praise the name of the
Lord ; for his name alone is excellent, his glory is above
the earth and heaven."
These sublime descriptions of the Supremacy of God,
and of the Grandeur of his Kingdom, must convince every
reflecting mind, of the inconceivable magnificence and
extent of that Dominion " which ruleth over all." It is

338 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
qiite evident, that we can never enter, with intelligence,
into the full import, and the grand references of such ex
alted language employed by inspired writers, , unless we
take into view, all the discoveries which Science has made,
both in the earth, and in the heavens, respecting the va
riety and extent of the Dominions of the Creator. If the
" Kingdom of the Most high" were as limited in its range
as most Christians seem to conceive, such descriptions
might be considered as mere hyperboles, or bombast, or
extravagant declamation, which far exceeds the bounds of
" truth and soberness." But we are certain, that the con-.
ceptions and the language of mortals can never go. beyond
the reality of what actually exists within the boundless
precincts of Jehovah's Empire. For " who can utter the
mighty acts of the Lord ?" or " who can show forth all
his praise ?" The language and descriptions to which we
have now adverted, seem to have had a prospective refer
ence to later and more enlightened times, when more ex
tensive prospectsof God's dominions would be opened up
by the exertions of the human intellect. And were we
to search all the records of literature, in ancient or modern
times, we should find no descriptions nor language of .such
a dignified nature as to express the views and feelings of
an enlightened Christian Philosopher, when he contem
plates the sublimity and extent of Divine operations— ex
cept those which are to be found in the inspired volume  .
the strength, and majesty, and comprehension of which
no human language can ever exceed.
Again, by familiarizing our minds to such extended
prospects of God's universal kingdom, we shall be qualified
and disposed to comply with the injunctions of Scripture
which represent it as an imperious duty, to communicate to
the minds of others such elevated conceptions. This duty
is enjoined in numerous passages of Sacred Scripture,
particularly in the book of Psalms : "Declare his glory
among the heathen, and his wonders among all people*--.
I will extol thee, my God, 0 King.— One generation shall

— speak c-
might ot thy terrible acts ; and shall deelare thy greatness.

AMPLITUDE OF THE DIVINE EMPIRE. 339
All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord ; and thy saints
shall bless thee. They shall speak of the glory of thy
kingdom, and talk of thy power ; to make known to the sons
of men thy mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of thy
kingdom."* When we look around us in the world, and
in the visible church, and mark the conceptions, and the
conversation of the members of religious societies, we
need scarcely say how little this ennobling duty is attended
to by the mass of those who bear the Christian name.
We hear abundance of idle chat about the fashions and
the politics of the day — how Miss A. danced'so gracefully
at the ball, and how Miss B. sung so sweetly at the con
cert ; how Mr. C- acted his part so well in tbe character
of Rob Roy, and how Mr. D. made such a flaming speech
at the corporation dinner. We listen to slanderous con
versation, and hear abundance of mean, and base, and
uncharitable insinuations against our neighbors ; which
indicate the operation of malice, hatred, envy, and other
malevolent tempers. We spend whole hours in boisterous
disputations about metaphysical subtleties in religion, and
questions " which gender strife rather than godly edifying ;"
but " to speak of the glory of God's kingdom, and to talk
of his Power," with the view of " making known to the
sons of men his mighty works," is a duty which remains
yet to be learned by a majority of those who profess the
reUgion of Jesus. And how can they be supposed to be
qualified to enter into the spirit of this duty, and to pro
claim to others "the glorious majesty of God's kingdom,"
unless such subjects be illustrated in minute detail, and
proclaimed with becoming energy, both from the pulpit,
and from the press ? These powerful engines, when con
ducted with judgment and discrimination, are capable of
producing on the mass of mankind, a tone of thinking,
and an enlargement of conception, on such subjects, which
no other means can easily effect ; and it is to be hoped,
that more precise and luminous details, and more vigor
and animation, will soon be displayed, in this respect, than
in the ages that are past.
, - There is a certain principle of selfishness which per
* Psalm cxiv. and xcvi. 3, 4.
29

340 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
vades the minds of many professed religionists, which
leads them to conclude, that, if they can but secure their
own personal salvation, they need give themselves no
trouble about the glory and extent of the kingdom of the
Most high. " What need we care," say they, " about
nations in the far-distant parts of the world, and about the
planets and the stars ; our business is to attend to the spi
ritual interests of our souls." Such persons seem neither
to understand in what salvation really consists, and what is
conducive to their spiritual interests, nor to appreciate
those tempers and habits which will qualify them for the
enjoyment of etejnal life. It forms but a very slender
evidence of their possessing any spark of Christianity at
all, if they wish to rest satisfied with the most vague and
grovelling conceptions, and if they do not ardently aspiris
after a more enlarged view of the attributes of God, of
the glory of his empire, and of whatever may tend to ex
pand tfieir conceptions of " the inheritance of the saints.
in light." We have often been astonished at the opinions
of some of those who move in a higher sphere of intelli
gence, who seem to consider it as a matter of pure indif
ference, whether or not Christians should attain to the
highest conception in their power of the God whom they
worship, and of his boundless dominions ; because they
conceive that such views are not essentially connected
with salvation ! But we would ask such persons, how they'
came to know that such views are not connected with sal
vation ? Though they may not have been essential to the
salvation of men in the dark ages that are past, or to ob
scure tribes of people at present, who have no access to
the proper sources of information, yet, since God, in the
course of his Providence, which guides all human inven
tions and discoveries, has disclosed to us a far more ex
pansive view of the " glory of his kingdom," than former
ages could obtain, for the purpose' of illustrating the reve
lations of his word — who will dare to assert, that the man
who has aecess, by his studious efforts, to contemplate this
wondrous scene, and to display its grandeur to others, and
yet wilfully shuts his eyes on the Divine glory therein dis
played, does not thereby hazard the Divine displeasure?
In this point of view, the following passage deserves a

AMPLITUDE OF THE DIVINE EMPIRE. 341
serious^ consideration : " Because they regard not the
works of the Lord, nor the operations of his hands, he
shall destroy them, and not build them up." We have no
hesitation in admitting, that persons may have obtained
salvation who never saw more of the sacred writings than
what is contained in the gospel of Mark, or in one of
Paul's epistles ; but what would we say of the man who
had access to all the Revelations of Heaven we now pos
sess, and yet confined his attention solely to a chapter or
two in the New Testament, and would not, deign to look
into any other part of the inspired volume ? We should
not hesitate at once to pronounce that such a person was
grossly deficient in his duty, and devoid of that reverence
and submission which are due to the oracles of God. And,
if it be admitted, that the person who has access to the
Bible, and who refuses to peruse its important contents, is
guilty of a criminal neglect, we do not see how the man,
who has free access to the other volume of God's revela4-.
tion, and views it as a matter of mere indifference, whether
he look into it or not, can be deemed, in this respect, en
tirely innocent. If it be understood, that we shall be
judged according to the light and privileges we enjoy, and
the use we make of them, in our improvement in the know
ledge of God — we would deem it a hazardous position, for
any one to support, That "inattention to the visible glories
of the kingdom of God, and to the ' declaration of his
wonders among the people,' is a matter either of indiffer
ence, or of trivial importance."
For, let it be considered, further — that on the extent of
our views respecting the universal kingdom of God, depends
our conceptions of the Majesty and Glory of the Creator
¦himself. We become acquainted with the nature of God,
only in so far as he has manifested himself to us by exter
nal operations,* and in so far as we form just conceptions
of these operations. If we conceive his empire as inclu
ded within the bounds of eighty or ninety thousand miles,
our conceptions of the Sovereign of that empire will be
circumscribed within nearly the same limits. The mind of
* Here I include the manifestations of Deity, as exhibited both in
Divine Bevelation, and in the System of Nature.

342 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
every reasonable man must, indeed, admit the abstractpro-
position, " That the Divine Being is infinite, and conse
quently fills all space with his presence." But this infinity,
in our view, is nothing more than a vague conception of
empty space, extending a little way beyond the sphere of his
visible operations. The mind must have some material,
visible or tangible objects to rest upon, and to guide it in
its excursions, when it would attempt to form the most de
finite and comprehensive conceptions of an Infinite, Eter
nal, and Invisible Existence. For, however much we may
talk about purely spiritual ideas, it is quite evident, from
the nature of things, and from the very constitution of man,
that we can have no ideas at all without the intervention of
sensible objects. And, therefore, if we would wish to form
the most sublime conceptions of God himself, we must en
deavor, in the first place, to take the most extensive views
which science and revelation exhibit, of his vast dominions.
We must endeavor to form some adequate idea of the wide.
extent of the globe on which we dwell, its diversified scene
ry, and the numerous tribes of human beings, and other
animated existences, visible and invisible, which people its
different provinces. We must explore the vast regions of
the planetary system, and compare the bulk of the earth,
large as it is, with some of those more magnificent globes,
which would contain a thousand worlds as large as ours.
We must next wing our way, in imagination, over a space
which a cannon-ball, flying five hundred miles every hour,
would not traverse in ten hundred thousand years, till we
arrive at the nearest fixed stars, and find ourselves in the
centre of thousands of systems and worlds, arranged at im
measurable distances from one another. We must pass
from one Nebula, or cluster of systems, to another ; con
tinuing our excursions as far as the eye or the telescope,
can direct our view ; and, when the aid of artificial instru
ments begins to fail, our imagination must still take its
flight far beyond the boundaries of mortal vision, and add
system to system, and Nebula to Nebula, through the bound
less regions, of space, till we arrive at the grand centre ofthe
universe, the Throne of God, around which all worlds and
beings revolve, where "thousands thousands" of bright in
telligences "minister to Him, and ten thousand times ten

AMPLITUDE OF THE DIVINE EMPIRE. 343
thousand stand before Him." — We must consider all this
magnificent assemblage of objects, not merely as so many
masses of inert matter, or as a grand raree-show, to dazzle
the eyes of a few hundreds of human spectators, — but as
destined for purposes worthy of the plans and the intelli
gence of Him who is " the only wise God," — as peopled
with numerous orders of intelligent beings, whose physical
and moral economy is superintended and directed by Him
who at the same time, rules amidst the tumults of human
revolutions, and governs the living myriads which people a
drop of water.
In this way, then, do we come to acquire the most ex
tensive views of the amplitude and glory of the Kingdom
of the Most High ; and it is only by the same process of
thought that we can ever attain the most exalted concep
tions of the attributes of its Almighty Sovereign. For, our
views of the Sovereign of the universe must always corres
pond with our views of the extent and magnificence of
those dominions which sprung from his Creating Hand, and
over which he every moment presides. His essence must
for ever remain imperceptible to finite minds ; for He is
" the King Eternal, Immortal, and Invisible, dwelling in
that Light which no man can approach unto, whom ho
man hath seen, or can see." From his nature, as a spiritu
al uncompounded substance, and from his immensity, as
filling infinite space with his presence, it appears impossi
ble, in the very nature of things, that the glory of his per
fections can be displayed in any other way than through
the medium of the visible operations of his hands, or in the
¦': dispensations of his providence towards particular worlds
or classes of intelligences. And if, in the future world,
the souls of good men will enjoy a more glorious display
than at present of the attributes of Deity, it will be owing
chiefly to their being placed in more favorable circumstan
ces than they now are, for contemplating this display ; to
¦ their faculties being more invigorated ; and every physical
|, and moral impediment to their exercise being completely
removed ; so as to enable them to perceive more clearly
than they now do, the unbounded displays he has given of
his infinite Power, Wisdom, and Benevolence. And, if we
expect to be introduced to this state of enlarged vision^
29*

344 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
when we pass from the scenes of mortality, it cannot be a
matter of mere indifference, even now, whether or not our
minds be prepared for such exalted employments, by en
deavoring to form the most ample conceptions of the attrir
butes of God which can be obtained through the medium
of his W ord, and by a contemplation ofthe variety and mag
nificence of his Works. — In the prospect of that world
where we hope to spend an interminable existence, it must;
also be interesting to ascertain, whether or not the domi
nions of the universal Sovereign present such an extent of
empire, and such a variety of objects^ that new scenes of
wonder and glory may be expected to be displayed in con
tinual succession, for the contemplation and entertainment,
of holy beings, while eternal ages are rolling on. And, on
this point, the discoveries of Science confirm and illustrate
the notices of heavenly glory and felicity recorded in the
inspired volume, and lead us to rest with full assurance on
the prophetic declaration, that " eye hath not seen, nor ear,
heard, nor hath it entered into the heart of man to con1-.
eeive the things which God hath prepared for them thatj
love him." ,
III. — By connecting the discoveries of Science with Reli
gion, the minds of Christians would be enabled to take a
more minute and comprehensive survey of the Operations
of Providence.
Providence is that superintendence and care which God
exercises over all creaturesjand events, in order to accom
plish the eternal purposes of his will. In Creation God
brought the universe out of nothing, and arranged all its
provinces and inhabitants into due order. By his Provi
dence he supports and governs all the movements of the:
material system, and the sensitive and rational beings with
which it is peopled. It is evident, that, in proportion as
our views of the Creator's Dominions are extended, our
idews of his Providence will, to a certain extent, be propor
tionably enlarged. For, wherever worlds and beings exist,
there will God be found, preserving, superintending, and
governing the movements of air creatures and events. It
is chiefly, however, in the world in which we reside, that
the diversified dispensations of Providence can be distinct-' !

RANGE OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE. 345
ly traced. Now, an acquaintance with the prominent parts
of the different branches of knowledge to which I have al
ready adverted, would enable us to take a particular and
comprehensive view, not only of the ways of God to man,
but also of his arrangements in reference to all subordinate
creatures and events.
From the Inspired^History ofthe Old Testament, we can
trace the prominent lines of the dispensations of God to
wards man, particularly in regard to the Israelites and the
surrounding nations — from the Creation to a period about
400 years before the coming of Christ. But, in order to
perceive the farther progress and bearings of these lines till
the commencement of the New Testament economy, we
must have recourse to the most authentic records of pro
fane history. From the era of the birth of Christ to near
the close of the first century, we can acquire, from the
Evangelists, and the History of the Apostles, a particular
account of the life of Christ, of the events which preceded
and accompanied the finishing of the work of redemption,
and of the progress of the Gospel through Judea and the
adjacent countries. But, after this period, we have no in
spired guide to direct us in tracing the Divine Dispensa
tions towards the various nations of the earth ; and there
fore, we must have recourse to the annals, memoirs, chro
nicles, and other records of the history of nations, down to
the period in which we live ; otherwise we could never con
template the continued series of events in the Divine Eco
nomy towards the inhabitants of our world. Unless men
of learning and of observation had recorded the prominent
facts which have occurred in the history of nations, for
1700 years past, we must have remained almost as igno
rant of the dispensations of God towards our race, during
that period, as the inhabitants of the planet Saturn;., arid un
less we study the events thus recorded in the writings of
the historian, and contemplate their varied aspects and
(hearings in the light of Divine Revelation, we must still re-
'main ignorant of the grand movements and tendencies of
Divine Providence. This single circumstance shows, in
the clearest light, that it is the intention of God, that we
jtehould learn the operations of his Providence from the re-
¦searches of Science and of History, as well as from the re-

34(5 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
cords of Revelation ; and that the Scriptures, though they
contain every ^supernatural discovery ' requisite to our hap
piness, are not of themselves sufficient to present us with a
connected view of the prominent dispensations of heaven,
from the Creation to the period in which we live.
From the science of Geography we acquire a knowledge
of the extent of the surface of the earth — -of the various
tribes of human inhabitants with which it is peopled — of
the physical aspect ofthe different climates they inhabit —
of their arts, manners, customs, laws, religion, vices, wars,
and political economy : and, consequently, we can, in these
and similar respects, trace some of the aspects of Divine
Providence towards them in relation to their present and
future condition. From the same source, we learn the
number of human beings which the Governor of the world
has under his direction at one time, which is nearly a thou
sand millions, or five hundred times the humber of the in
habitants of Scotland. From the data afforded by this sci
ence, we may also form an estimate of the numberjt^f dis-J
embodied spirits that have passed from this world since the'
Creation, and are now under the superintendence of the Al-i
mighty in the invisible state, which cannot be much lesgi
than 145,000 millions ; and on similar grounds we may also'
learn the number of rational beings that are comino- for-i
ward into existence, and passing, into the eternal world
every day, which is at least 68,000, and consequently
nearly 50 during each passing minute, — every individualof
which, the Supreme Disposer of events superintends at his
entrance into life ; and, at his departure from it, directs to
his respective and eternal state of destination. All which
circumstances, and many others of a similar kind, must be
taken into account, in order to our forming a comprehen
sive conception of the numerous bearings, and the inces
sant agency of a Superintending Providence.
From Natural History we learn the immense number
and variety of the subordinate tribes of animated beings
which inhabit the different regions of earth, air, and sea—
their economy and instincts — their modes of existence,
and the manner in which the Creator provides for their va
rious necessities.— From an acquaintance. with the History
ofthe Arts and Mechankai Inventions, we learn the grad

RANGE OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE. 347
al manner in which God directs the movements of the hu>
man mind, in making these improvements and discoveries
which have a bearing upon the accomplishment of his
eternal plans of mercy, and which tend to enlarge our
views of the amplitude and the glories of his kingdom!;
From Natural Philosophy and Chemistry, we learn the se
condary causes or subordinate laws by which the Almighty
supports and directs the natural constitution of the world —
the wonderful manner in which our lives are every mo
ment supported — and the agencies by which fire, air, light,
heat, and fertility are distributed through the globe, for
promoting the comfort and happiness " of every thing that
lives." — From Anatomy and Physiology we learn, how
" fearfully and wonderfully we are made and preserved" —
that our health and comfort depend upon the regular action
9f a thousand organical parts and functions, over which we
have no control — and that our very existence every
moment is dependant on the superintendence of a Superior
Power, " in whose Hand our breath is, and whose are all
our ways."
. By an occasional study, then, of the subjects to which
We have now alluded, we would gradually expand our con
ceptions of the range and operations of Divine Providence.
Every geographical exploration of a new region of the
globe^every scientific improvement and discovery — every
useful invention — every eruption of a volcano — every shock
of an earthquake — -every hurricane, and storm, and tem
pest — every battle of the warrior — every revolution among
the nations — and every detail in the newspapers we daily '
read, would lead us to form some conceptions of the pro
vidential purposes. of Him who is the Suprem#!Disposer of,
all events. — Even the arrangements of Divine Wisdom,
with regard to the economy of the lower animals, ought not
to be overlooked in such a survey. When we consider the
immense number and variety of animated beings— that
there are 500 species of quadrupeds, every species con
taining, perhaps, many millions of individuals ; 4000 spe
cies of birds ; 2500 species of fishes ; 700- species of rep
tiles ; and 44,000 different kinds of insects, besides many
thousands of species altogether invisible to the unassisted
sight-— when we consider that the structure and organize

348 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
tion of all these different species are different from each
other, and exactly adapted to their various situations and
modes of existence, and that their multifarious wants, in
regard to food and habitation, are all provided for, and am
ply .supplied by him, who, at the same time, arranges and
governs the affairs of ten thousand worlds — we must be
lost in astonishment at the greatness of that Intelligence
which formed them,, and at the exuberance of that Bounty
which spreads so full a table for so immense an assemblage
of living beings! And were we transported: to other
worlds, we should, doubtless, behold still more ample dis
plays of Divine Beneficence. .
We are here presented with a striking commentary on
such passages of the Sacred Volume as these : " The eyes
of all look unto Thee, 0 Lord ! and thou givest them their
meat in due season. Thou openest thy hand liberally, and
satisfiest the desire of every living thing. • The earth is full
of thy riches, 0 Lord ! so is the great and wide sea, wherein.
are things creeping innumerable, both great and small
beasts. These all wait upon thee, and thou givest them
their meat in due season. That which thou givest them
they gather : Thou openest thine hand, they are filled with
good." — " O Lord, thou preservest man and beast ! How
excellent is thy loving-kindness ! Therefore the children
of men shall put their trust under the shadow of thy wings :
They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy
house,"* (of the table thou hast spread in thy world for all
thine offspring) " and thou shalt make them drink of the
river of thy pleasures." One excellent practical effect '
which might flow from such contemplations would be, to
inspire us with feelings of humanity towards the inferior
order of animals, and to prevent us from wantonly and un-
* This, and several other similar passages, may be considered as
more especially applicable to the bounty of Providence which God
has provided for all his creatures. The practice of spiritualizing
such passages, as it is termed, has a tendency to carricature Scripture,
and to twist it from its precise and sublime references, to accord with
the vague fancies of injudicious minds. The literal meaning*jj£
Scripture is always the most appropriate, emphatic, and suWimel
but it may, in some cases, be used by way of 'accommodation, if
illustrating divine subjects, when it is applied with judgment ani

RANGE OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE. 349
necessarily torturing, or depriving them of existence. For
since the Creator and Preserver of all has so curiously or
ganized their bodies, and fitted them for the different re
gions in which they reside, and so carefully provided for all
their wants, it must be His will that they should enjoy hap
piness according to the extent of their capacities ; and,
therefore, they ought to be considered as necessary
parts of our sublunary system. — Another practical lesson
we may derive from such surveys, is, to place an unshaken
dependance upon God for our temporal subsistence, while
we, at the same time, exert all our faculties in the line of
active duty. " Blessed is the man who trusteth in him;
for there is no want to them that fear him. The young lions'
may suffer hunger, but they that fear the Lord shall not
want any good thing." — He who decks the lily of the vale,
and spreads out a plentiful table to the fowls of heaven, to
the beasts of the forests, to the creeping insect, and even
| to the microscopic animalcula, will never fail to supply the
jpecessary wants of those who " do His will, and hearken
to the voice of His commandments." And if, at any time,
we be found destitute of daily food, and pining away in
penury and squalid disease, we have too much reason to
conclude, that, in one way or another, either our deviation
from the path of rectitude, or our distrust of Divine Provi
dence, or our want of prudence and economy, has procu
red for us these things.
I have said, that it is chiefly in the world in which w*
dwell, that the dispensations of Providence can be distinct
ly traced. But we must nevertheless admit that the Care
; and Superintendence of God are as minutely exercised in
the distant regions of the universe as in our terrestrial
sphere ; though we are not permitted, at present, to in
spect the particular details of His proceedure in reference
to other orders of intelligences. We are not, however,
altogether ignorant of some prominent features of the
physical and moral economy of other worlds, in conse
quence of the discoveries of modern astronomical science.
..With respect to their physical economy, we behold a.
striking variety in the Divine arrangements. We perceive
one -planetary world surrounded by two splendid and mag'
nificent rings, one of them 204,000, and the other 184,000

350 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
miles in diameter, stretching across its celestial canopy
from one pnd of the heavens to another — moving with ma
jestic grandeur around its inhabitants every ten hours, and
diffusing a light equal to several thousands of moons like
ours — which may be considered as a visible and permanent
emblem of the Majesty and Glory of their Creator. We
perceive, connected with the same globe, seven moons all.
larger than ours, of different magnitudes, and placed at dif
ferent distances, and revolving in different periods of time
around that spacious world. The diversified aspects of
these rings, as viewed from the different regions of the
planet at different times, and the variety of appearances
produced by the alternate rising, setting, culmination, and
frequent eclipses, and other aspects of the moons, must
present to the inhabitants a very grand, and varied, and
magnificent scene of Divine operation.* On .the other
hand, we behold another planetary , globe, destitute both..
of rings and moons, but which has the starry heavens pre- .
sented to view1 nearly in the same aspect in which we be
hold them. We perceive a third globe much larger than
them both, capable of containing 200 times the number of
the inhabitants of our world — accompanied in its course
with four moons to diffuse light in the absence of the sun,
and to diversify the aspect of its sky. In some of these
worlds, the succession of day and night is accomplished
within tbe space often hours ; in others, this revolution is
not completed till after the lapse of twenty-four hours, or
of as many days. In some, the days and nights are nearly
equal on every part of their surface, and they have little
variety of seasons ; in others, the variety in the length of
the days, and the vicissitudes of the seasons, are nearly the
same as those we experience in our terrestrial world,
Around some, there appears a dense atmosphere, while
others are environed with atmospheres more rare and trans
parent. Some move in the vicinity of the sun, and enjoy
an abundant efflux of light and heat, while others are re
moved to the distance of eighteen hundred millions of miles
from that central luminary. Some finish the revolution of
their year in a few months ; while others require twelve,
* See the Plate,Fig. 7. I

RANGE OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE. 351
thirty, or even eighty of our years to complete their annual
round. Some appear adorned with majestic mountain-
scenery, and others seem to have great changes occasion
ally taking place in their atmospheres, or on their surfaces.
There are four planetary bodies lately discovered, which
there is every reason to believe, once formed the compo
nent parts of a larger globe ; but by some mighty catastro
phe in the dispensations of heaven, it appears to have been
burst asunder into the fragments we now behold. If the
general proposition illustrated in Section 2. of the prece
ding chapter, be admitted, such a fact would seem to indi
cate, that a moral revolution has taken place among the
intelligent beings who had originally been placed in those
regions ; and that their fate was involved in the dreadful
shock which burst asunder the globe they inhabited ; just
as the fate of the Antediluvians was involved in the shock
by which the solid crust of our globe was disrupted, at the
period ofthe universal deluge.
These are some outlines in the economy of Providence
which we can trace with regard to the arrangements of
other worlds ; but beyond sueh general aspects we are not
permitted to penetrate, so long as we sojourn in taberna
cles of clay. But even such general views afford some
scope to the contemplative mind, for forming enlarged con
ceptions of the Grandeur and diversity of the Dispensations
of God, in the worlds which roll in the distant' regions of
space. With regard to their moral economy — we may rest assu
red, that the prominent outlines of it are materially the
same as of that economy which relates to the inhabitants
of our world. The fundamental principles of the moral laws
given to men, and whieh it is the great object of Revela
tion to support and illustrate, are, " Thou shalt love the
Lord thy God with all thy heart and understanding," and,
" Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." On these two
commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets. — Now,
we must at once admit, from the nature of the Divine Be
ing, and from the relations in which rational beings stand
to Him, and to one another, — that the Creator has enacted
these laws, as the great governing principles by which the
actions of all intelligences in heaven, as well as upon earth,
30

352* THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
are to be directed. For the Governor of the world can ne
ver be supposed to issue a law to any order of rational
creatures, which would permit them to hate their Creator,
or to hate those whom he has formed after his own image.
Such a supposition would be inconsistent with the eternal
rules of rectitude, and with the perfections of Deity — and
the fact supposed, (if it could exist) would introduce con
fusion and misery throughout the whole intelligent universe.
And, therefore, we must necessarily admit, that the laws to
which I now advert, are binding upon all the rational inha
bitants which exist throughout Jehovah's dominions ; and
that it is by these that the moral order of all the Principali
ties and Powers of Heaven is preserved and directed. In
those worlds where there is no change in the succession of
their inhabitants — or, in other words, , where there is no
death, or where they are not produced hy any process ana
logous to generation, but have a fixed and permanent resi
dence, there will be no need for moral, precepts corres
ponding to the fifth and the seventh commandments of ,
our moral law; and, in those worlds where property is
common, and the bounties of the Creator are equally en
joyed by all, there will be no necessity for a law corres
ponding to the eighth commandment ; but the general
principles on which these laws are founded, will be appli
cable to all the other circumstances and relations which
actually exist ; so that the principle, and spirit, ;and essence
of our religion must be common to all the holy inhabitants
ofthe universe. And, therefore, it will follow, that every
intelligent being that is animated and directed by such prin
ciples and affections, will be qualified for holding delightful
intercourse with all holy beings throughout the universe of
God, in whatever province of the Creator's empire he may
hereafter be placed ; and, to qualify us for such harmonious
and affectionate intercourses, is one great end of the Sal
vation exhibited in the Gospel. So that, although we can
not, in our present state, acquire a minute and compre
hensive knowledge of the moral history of other worlds, of
the special interpositions or manifestations of Deity in re
lation to them, or of the means by which they are carried
forward in moral and intellectual improvement— yet we can
trace the general principles or laws which form the basis of

EXPANSION OF INTELLECTUAL VIEWS. 353
their moral and religious economy. For, as the laws of
optics, and the principle of gravitation, pervade the whola
material system, as far as the universe is visible to our as
sisted vision, so the principle of supreme love to God, and
sincere affection to fellow-intelligences must pervade the
intellectual universe, wherever it extends ; and, if any in
telligent agents besides men, have violated these laws, they
must experience pain, and misery, and disorder, analogous,
to those which are felt by the inhabitants of our apostate
world. Thus I have endeavored to show, that the combination
of Science with Religion would tend to expand our views
of Divine Providence — in the various arrangements of God,
in relation to the human race, and to the subordinate tribes
of sensitive beings — and in reference to some of the pro
minent features of his administration in distant worlds.
And, therefore, though the Christian ought never to over
look the ways of Providence in relation to himself, and to
his spiritual and domestic concerns, yet it would argue a
selfishness and a sottishness altogether inconsistent with
the noble and expansive spirit of Christianity, to overlook
all the other parts of the Theatre of Divine Dispensations, "
when a very slight degree of labor and research might be
instrumental in unfolding them to his view.
IV. — The connexion of Science with Religion would have
a tendency to induce upon Christians a spirit of libe
rality, OF CANDOR, and of ACCURACY IN JUDGING OF
THE OPINIONS AND ACTIONS OF MEN, and of THE DIVINE
PROCEDURE AND OPERATIONS.
Who is the most Candid and Liberal Being in the Uni
verse ? God. — And why is God to be considered as the
most Liberal Intelligence that exists ? Because He em
braces a minute, a full, and comprehensive view, of all the
circumstances, connexions, relations, habits, motives,
^.temptations, modes of thinking, educational biasses, phy
sical affections, and oth er causes that may influence the
sentiments or the conduct of any of his creatures. — Who
among created intelligences may be viewed as endowed
with these qualities in the next degree ? The loftiest se
raph that God has created, who has winged his way to

854 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
numerous worlds, and taken the most extensive survey of
the dispensations of the Almighty, and of all creatures
and events. — Who, among the sons of men, is the most
illiberal and inaccurate in judging of opinions, of persons,
and of things ? The man who has lived all his days within
the smoke of his father's chimney, or within the confines of
his native village — who has never looked beyond the range
of his own religious party — whose thoughts have always
run in one narrow tract — whose reading has been confined
to two or three musty volumes, which have lain for ages,
on the same smoky shelf — who cares for nothing either in
the heavens or the earth, but in so far as it ministers to his
convenience, his avarice, or his sensual enjoyment — who
will admit no sentiment to be, true, but what he may have
heard broached by his parson — and whose conversation
seldom rises beyond mere gossipping chit-chat, and the
.slanderous remarks which are circulated among his neigh
bors. — Sueh characters are entirely unqualified for forming
a correct judgment, either of the sentiments and the ac
tions of men, or of the Works and the Ways of God ; for
they are completely destitude of the requisite data whereon
to form a rational decision in relation to either of these
subjects. It may be admitted as a kind of axiom, in our estimate
of human character, that in proportion to the ignorance,
and the narrow range of view which characterize any jin-
dividual, in a similar proportion will be his want of can--
dor and his unfitness for passing a sound judgment on any
subject that is laid before him,— and that the man who has
taken excursions through the widest range of thought, ac
companied with a corresponding improvement of his mo
ral powers, will always be the most liberal and candid in
his decisions on the moral and intellectual qualities of
others. To these maxims few exceptions will generally
be found. — In forming an enlightened judgment in regard to
any action or object, it is essentially requisite, that we con
template it in all its different features and aspects, and in
all its minute circumstances, bearings and relations. We
would not hesitate for a moment to determine who is best
qualified to give an accurate description of a city, — he
who has onl y viewed its spires from a distance, while ia

EXPANSION OF INTELLECTUAL VIEWS. 355-
rapid motion in his chariot — or he who has minutely sur
veyed all its streets, lanes, squares, public edifices and
surrounding scenery, in every variety of aspect ; or, who
appears most likely to form the most accurate and en
lightened judgment in relation to any particular kingdom —
he who has just skirted along a few miles on one of its
Coasts, or he who has traversed its length and breadth
in all directions, and mingled with every class of its in
habitants. On the same principle, it must be admitted,
that he who has viewed religion in all its aspects and
bearings, who has taken the most extensive survey of the
manifestations of God, and of the habits and relations of
men, is the best qualified to pronounce a candid and accu
rate decision on all the intellectual and moral cases that
may come before him.
If the spirit of the above-stated sentiments be founded
on reason and on fact, it will follow, that the more we re
semble God in the amplitude of our intellectual views and
benevolent affections, the more candid, and liberal, and ac
curate will our judgments be in reference to all the ac
tions, objects and relations we contemplate.— On the other
hand, the man who is confined to a narrow range of
thought and prospect is continually blundering in the esti
mates he forms, both in respect to physical facts, to gene
ral principles, and to moral actions. He forms a prema
ture and uncharitable opinion on every slander and report
. against his neighbor. He condemns, vjrithout hesitation,
and throws an unmerited odium on whole- bodies of men,-
because one or two of their number may have displayed
weakness or folly. He hates and despises men and theif
opinions, because they belong not to his political or reli
gious party. He pronounces his decisions on the motives
of men, with as much confidence as if he had surveyed
their hearts with the eye of omniscience. He cannot hear
an objection against his favorite opinions with patience,
nor an apology for any set of principles but his own. He
is arrogant and dogmatical in his assertions, and will make
no concessions to the superior wisdom of others. He sets
himself, with violence!,- against every proposal for reforma
tion in the church, because his forefathers never thought
30*

356 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
of it, and because such " innovations" do not suit his hu
mor and preconceived opinions. He decides, in the most
confident tone, on what God can and cannot do, as if he had
taken the gauge of Infinite Perfection ,¦ and he frets at the
Divine dispensations when they do not exactly quadrate
with his own humors and selfish views.
#, With regard to the operations of the Most High, he also
: forms the most foolish, and vague, and contradictory con
ceptions. Tell him of the vast dimensions ofthe planetary
system, of the men and animals that live on the -opposite
side of the globe, of the annual and diurnal motion of the
earth— that this world and its inhabitants are moving
through the regions of space many thousands of miles
every hour — that one of the planets is so large that it
would contain 1400 worlds as spacious as ours — that an
other is flying through the tracts of immensity, at the rate
of a hundred thousand miles in an hour — and that light is
darted from the sun' with a velocity of 195,000 miles in a
moment of time — he will stare at you with astonishment at
such extravagant assertions, and will sooner believe the
stories of giants 100 feet high", and of fairies that can en
ter in crowds through the key-hole of his door. Instead
of frankly acknowledging 1|hat " he is ignorant of such
subjects}* and of the grounds of >suchj conclusions, — that
those who have studied them with intelligence are best
capable of judging, — that, if true, they must fill us with
admiration of the glory of God — but that, as he has hitherto
had no opportunity of examining such matters, he must
suspend his assent till he inquire into the reasons, which
can be given for such amazing deductions ;" — instead of
such concessions, which are the dictates of modesty and
of common sense— he will tell you at once, without hesi
tation, and without a blush at his presumptuous decisions,
that " it is all extravagance, and folly, and idle romance,
contrary to Scripture, and reason, and common sense ;"
and will not hesitate to brand you as a heretic, for endea
voring to break loose his • intellectual trammels ! — thus
tacitly declaring, that he is far better qualified to pronounce
a decision on such topics, than all .the philosophers and
divines, and all the brightest geniuses who have appeared
in the world forages past; though he will at the same time

' EXPANSION OF INTELLECTUAL VIEWS. 357
admit, that he never gave himself the trouble to examine
into such matters !
His views of the providential dispensations of God are
equally partial and distorted. If disease, or poverty, or
misfortune, happen to his neighbor, especially if he had
withdrawn from the religious party to which he belongs, it
is considered as a penal judgment for his error and apos-
'tacy. If prosperous circumstances attend his family or
his religious party, it is viewed as a sign of divine appro
bation. He seldom views the Hand of God, except in un
common occurrences ; and then, he imagines that a mira
cle is performed, and that the wheels of nature are stopped
in order to accomplish the event. He seldom looks be
yond the precincts of his own church or nation, to observe •
the movements ofthe Divine footsteps towards other tribes
of his fallen race. He overlooks the traces of Divine,
operation which are every moment to be seen above and
around him — and yet, In the midst of all such partial and
contracted views, he will sometimes decide on Jhe Wisdom
and Rectitude of the ways of God, with as much confi
dence, as if he had entered into the secret counsels of the
Eternal, and surveyed the whole plan of his procedure.
Such are a few prominent outlines of the character of
thousands ' whose names are enrolled as members of the
visible church — whose illiberality and self-conceit . are ow
ing to the contracted notions they have foTmed of God
and of Religion. And, surely, it must appear desirable
to every enlightened Christian, that every proper -mean
should he used to prevent rational immortal beings from
remaining enchained in such mental thraldom.
On the other hand, the man who takes an enlightened
view of all the works and dispensations of God, and of all
the circumstances and relations of subordinate beings,
necessarily acquires a nobleness and liberality of mind,
and an accuracy in judging of things human and divine,
which no other person can possess. He does not hastily
take up an evil report againsthis neighbor ; for he consi
ders how unfounded such reports often are, and how much
; they are owing to the insinuations of envy or of malice.
And, when he can no longer doubt of an evil action being
substantiated against any one, he does not triumph oyer

358 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
him in the language of execration ; for, he considers all
the circumstances, relations, feelings and temptations w ith
which he may have been surrounded ; he considers, that
he himself is a frail sinful creature, and might possibly
have fallen in a similar way, had he been placed in the
same situation. He does not. trumpet forth the praises of
a man who has performed one brilliant benevolent deed,
as if he were a character to be admired and eulogized—
while the general course of his life is marked with vice,
and an utter forgetfulness of God and Religion ; nor does
he fix a stigma of immorality upon the person who may
have acted foolishly or sinfully, in one or two instances,
while the general tenor of his conduct has been marked
by purity and rectitude : for, in both cases, he considers,
that it is not an insulated action, but general habits, which
determine the character of any individual. He esteems
the Wise, and the Good, and holds friendly intercourse
•with them, to whatever political or religious party they
belong, He can bear, with affability and candor, to have
his opinions contradicted, and can differ from his neighbor
in many disputed points, while, at the same time, he values
and esteems him. He will not brand a man as a Heretic
or a Deist, because he takes a view of some dogmas in
Theology in a different light from what he himself does ;
for he considers the difference of habits, studies, pursuits,
and educational prejudices which must have influenced his
opinions ; and makes due allowance for the range of thought
to which he may have been accustomed. He is always
disposed to attribute the actions of others to good motives,
When he has no proof of the contrary. He uses no threats
nor physical force to support his opinions, or to convince
gainsayers ; for he knows that no external coercion can
illuminate the mind, and that the strength of arguments,
and the force of truth, can alone produce conviction. He
is convinced how ignorant he is, notwithstanding all his
study, observations, and researches, and presses forward;
as long as he lives, to higher degrees of knowledge and of
moral improvement.
He is an active promoter of every scheme that tends to
enlighten and meliorate mankind, and to extend the know
ledge of Salvation to the ends of the earth ; for he consi-'

EXPANSION OF INTELLECTUAL VIEWS. 359
ders that it is not by miracles, but by the subordinate agen
cy of intelligent beings, that God will effectuate the illumi
nation and the moral renovation of our apostate race. He
views the special agency of God in all the movements of
the Scientific, the Religious, and the Political world, and
perceives Him accomplishing his purpose, in the inventions
of human genius, and in the economy of the minutest in
sect, as well as in the earthquake, the storm, and the con
vulsions of nations ; for he considers the smallest atom, ;
and the Hosts of Heaven, as equally directed by Eternal
Wisdom, and equally necessary iu the universal chain of
creatures and events. He displays a becoming modesty in
speaking of the ways and the works of God. When he
meets with any dark and afflictive dispensation in the course
of Providence, he does not fret and repine, but is calm and
resigned, conscious that he perceives only a small portion
of the chain of God's dispensations, and is, therefore, una
ble to form a just comparison xi£ihe connection of any one
part with the whole. When he contemplates the depraved
and wretched condition of the greater part of the world, at
present, and for thousands of years past, notwithstanding
the salvation which has been achieved for sinners of man
kind, he is far from arraigning the Divine goodness and rec
titude, in leaving so many nations " to walk in their own
ways ;" for he knows not what relation this dismal scene
may bear, what influence it may have, or what important
impressions it may produce on worlds and beings;? with
which we are at present unacquainted. .'i
He is cautious in pronouncing decisively respecting the
dispensations of God, in regard to the universe at large.
He dOes not,, for example, assert, with the utmost confi
dence, as some have done, "that there never was, and
never will be, to all the ages ofy eternity, such a bright dis
play of the Divine Glory as in the Cross of Christ." He
admires and adores the Condescension and the Love of
God, in the plan of Salvation which the Gospel exhibits,
and feels an interest in it far beyond that of any other
special manifestation of Deity; but he dares not set limits
to the Divine Attributes and Operations. He considers
himself at present with regard to the grand system of the
Universe, in a situation similar to that of a small insect on

360 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
one of the stones of a magnificent edifice, which sees only
a few hair-breadths around it, and is altogether incapable
of surveying the symmetry, the order, and beauty of the
structure, and in forming an adequate conception of the
whole. He considers that he has never yet surveyed the
millionth part of Jehovah's empire, and, therefore, cannot
tell what the Eternal Sovereign has been pleased to exhi
bit in its numerous provinces ; and, least of all, can he
ever presume to dive into the depths of interminable ages,
and boldly declare what the Almighty Will, or will not do,
through eternity to come. He, therefore, views it as pre
sumption, while he has no dictate of revelation for his war
rant, to pronounce decisively, either on the one side or the
other, of such a deep and important question, which seems
above the reach of the loftiest Seraph to determine.* In
short, he endeavors t o take a view of all the manifestations
of Deity within his reach, from every source of information
which lies before him, and as far as his limited faculties
will permit. He does not call in question the discoveries
of science, because they bring to his ears most astonish
ing reports of the Wisdom and Omnipotence of Jehovah,
and of the boundless extent of his Kingdom ; but rejoices
to learn, that the grandeur of his dominions is actually
found to correspond with the lofty descriptions of Divine
Majesty and Glory recorded in the volume of Inspiration,
and is thereby inspired with nobler hopes of the glory and
felicity of that heavenly world where he expects to spend
an endless existence..
If, then, such be some of the features in the character of
the enlightened Christian ; if liberality and candor, and ac
curate investigation, mark the judgments he pronounces on
the sentiments and the actions of men," and on the works
and the waysjof God ; and if such views and feelings ought to
be considered as more congenial to the noble and benevo*
lent spirit of our religion, than the narrow and distorted
notions of a contracted mind, it must be an object much to
be desired, that the mass of the Christian world be led into
sueh trains of thought, as might imbue their minds with a
larger proportion of this spirit. And, if diversified and oc-

* See Appendix, No. X.

PIETY AND HUMILITY. 361
casional discussions on the topics to which we have adver
ted would have a tendency to produce this desirable effect,
it is obvious, that such branches of'knowledge as are calcu
lated to enlarge the capacity of the mind, and to throw a
light over the revelations and the works of God, should no
longer be overlooked in the range of our religious contem
plations. V. — The extensive range of thought which the diversified ob
jects in Nature present, would have a tendency to
INSPIRE US WITH A SPIRIT OF PIETY, AND OF PRO
FOUND HUMILITY.
It is owing, in many instances, to want of attention to
the impressive displays of Wisdom and Omnipotence in the
material world, that our pious feelings and devotional ex
ercises are so cold and languid. We stalk about on the
surface ofthe earth, and pass from one day to another,
without reflecting on the grand and complicated machine
ry around us, which is carrying us along through the reT
gions of space, and from one portion of duration to ano
ther, as if the mighty energies ofthe Eternal mind, exerted
in our behalf, were unworthy of our acknowledgment or
regard. How few, for example, reflect, when they open
their eyes in the morning, and perceive the first beams of
the rising sun, that, since they lay down to sleep, the Di
vine Power has been exerted in carrying them more than
four thousand miles round to the eastward, in order that
they might again be cheered with the morning light ;
and that, during the same period, they, along with the
earth and its vast population, have been carried forward
476,000 miles from that portion of space which they occu
pied seven hours before ! Or, if they have no idea of the
"motion of the earth, and attach no belief to such an opi
nion, how is it they do not reflect that, after night has
thrown its shades around them, the sun, and ten thousand
^ther vast globes must move several hundreds of millions of
miles, before their eyes can again behold the light of day ?
Either the one or the other of these cases must be the fact;
, and, in either case, there is presented to our view, a dis
play of the Omnipotence, and the Superintendence of Him
in whom we live and move, which demands our gratitude,

863 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
our admiration, and praise. And can it ever be supposed,
that such reflections, combined with all the other excite
ments to reverence and gratitude, will not tend to elevate
our contemplations, and to raise our pious feelings to a
higher pitch of devotion ? Whether the Psalmist entertain
ed any views of this kind when he composed the ninety-
second Psalm, we cannot certainly determine ; buf I pre
sume, the' pious and contemplative mind, when awaking,
from the slumbers of the night, under such impressions
might sing the first part of that song of praise with peculiar
emphasis and delight — " It is a good thing to give thanks
to Jehovah, and to sing praise to thy name, 0 thou Most
High ! to show forth thy loving kindness in the morning.
For thon Lord, hast made me glad through thy work"
(or thy powerful energy ;) " I will triumph in the works of
thy hands. O Lord ! how great are thy works ! and
thy thoughts" (or contrivances) " are very deep ! A brut
ish man knowethnot, neither doth a fool understand this,"
An extensive acquaintance with nature and science
combined with Christian principle, would also- induce pro
found humility, Tbe man who has made excursions
through the most diversified regions of thought, is deeply
sensible of the little progress he has attained, and of the
vast and unbounded field of Divine science which still re
mains to be explored. When he considers the immense
variety of sublime subjects which the Volume of inspiration
exhibits, and of which he has obtained but a very faint and
imperfect glimpse — the comprehensive extent, and the in
tricate windings of the operations of Providence, and the
infinite number of beings over which it extends — the am
plitude and magnificence of that glorious universe over
which Jehovah presides, and how small a portion of it lies
open to his minute inspection — he is humbled in the dust
at the view of his own insignificance ; he sees himself to
be a very babe in knowledge ; and, as it were, just emerg
ing from the gloom of ignorance into the first dawnings of
jight and intelligence. He feels the full force and spirit of
jhe Poet's sentiment —
" Much learning shows how little mortals know."
When he considers the comprehensive extent of the Di*

PIETY AND HUMILITY. 368
vine law, and its numerous bearings on every part of his
conduct, and on all the diversified relations in which he
stands to his God, and to his fellow men ; and when he
reflects on his multiplied deviations from that eternal rule
of rectitude, he is ashamed and confounded in the presence
of the Holy One of Israel ; and, on a review of his former
pride and self-conceit, is constrained to adopt the language
of Agur, and of Asaph — " Surely I am more brutish than
any man, and have not the Understanding of a man." " So
foolish was I, and ignorant, I was as a beast before thee."
He views the meanest and the most ignorant of his spe
cies, as but a very few degrees below him in the scale of
intelligence, and sees no reason why he should glory over
his fellows.
This sentiment might be illustrated from the example of
some of the most eminent men in whose minds science and
religion were combined. The Honorable Mr. Boyle was
the most unwearied and successful explorer of the works
of God, in the age in which he lived, and all his philoso
phical pursuits were consecrated to the service of Religion.
Among other excellent traits in his character, humility was
the most conspicuous. " He had about him," says Bishop
Burnet, "all that unaffected neglect of pomp in clothes,
lodging, furniture, and equipage, which agreed with his
grave and serious course of life," and was courteous and
condescending to the meanest of his fellow men. " He
had," says the same author, " the profoundest veneration
for the Great God of heaven and earth, that ever I obser
ved in any person. The very name of God was never men
tioned by him without a pause, and a visible stop in his dis
course ;" and the tenor of his philosophical and theological
writings is in complete unison with these traits of charac
ter. Sir Isaac Newton, too, whose genius seemed to
know no limits but those of the visible universe, was dis
tinguished by his modesty, humility and meekness of temper.
He had such an humble opinion of himself, that he had no
relish of the applause which was so deservedly paid him.
He would have let others run away with the glory of his
inventions, if his friends and countrymen had not been more
jealous of his honor than he was himself. He said, a little
before his death, " I do not know what I may appear to
i 31

364 THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.
the world, but to myself, I seem to have been only like a
boy playing on the sea-shore, and diverting myself in now
and then finding a pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, ,
whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before.
me." The same sentiment might have been illustrated from
the lives of Bacon, Locke, Dr. Boerhaave, Hervey, Nieu-
wentyt, Ray, Derham, the Abbe Pluche, Bonnet, and other
eminent characters, who devoted their stores of knowledge
to the illustration of the Christian system. For, an exten
sive knowledge of the operations of God has a natural ten
dency to produce humility and veneration ; and wherever
it is combined with pride and arrogance, either among phi
losophers or divines, it indicates a lamentable deficiency,;
if not a complete destitution of Christian principle, and of
all those tempers which form the bond of union among hon
ly intelligences. After the attention of Job had been di
rected to the works of God, and when he had contemplated
the inexplicable phenomena of the Divine agency in the
material world, he was ashamed arid confounded at his for
mer presumption ; and, in deep humility, exclaimed, " I
have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear ; but now
mine eye seeth thee ; wherefore I abhor myself, and repent
in dust and ashes."— In accordance with what has been
now stated, we find, that the most exalted intelligences
who, of course, possess the most extensive views of the
works and providential arrangements of God, are repre
sented as also the most humble in their deportment, and
as displaying the most profound reverence in their inces-A
sant adorations. They "fall down before Him who sits
upon the throne ; and cast their crowns before the throne,,
saying, Thou art worthy, 0 Lord, to receive glory, and
honor, and power ; for thou has created all things, and fori
thy pleasure they are and were created." Their moral con
duct evinces the same lowly temper of mind. They wait
around the throne, in the attitude of motion, with wings,
outspread, ready to fly, on the first signal of their Sove
reign's will ; they " do his commandments, hearkening to
the voice of his word," and do not disdain to perform}
important services, in our wretched world, to the meanest*
human being who is numbered among " the heirs of salvarfi

GENERAL CONCLUSIONS. 365
tion." In like manner, were we endued with the grasp of
intellect, the capacious minds, the extensive knowledge,
and the moral powers which they possess, we would also
display the same humble and reverential spirit, and feel
ashamed of those emotions of vanity and pride, which dis
pose so many ofthe human family to look down with con
tempt on their fellow mortals.

If the leading train of sentiment which pervades this vo
lume be admitted, the following general c onclusions may
be deduced : — That, in conducting the religious instruction
of the young, the works of God in the material, world, and
the most striking discoveries which have been made as to
their magnitude, variety, and mechanism, should be fre
quently exhibited to their view in minute detail ; as illustra
tions of the attributes of the Deity, and of those descrip
tions of his nature and operations contained in the Volume
of Inspiration ; — that the books put into their hands should
contain, among other subjects, popular and striking de
scriptions of the facts and appearances of nature ; — that
seminaries should be established for the occasional instruc
tion of young persons, from the age of 15 to the age of 20
or 30, or upwards, in all those popular branches of natural
and moral science which have a tendency to enlarge the!'ca-
pacity of their minds, and to expand their conceptions of
the incessant agency of God ; — and that the Ministers of
Religion in their public instructions, should frequently
blend their discussions of divine topics with illustrations de
rived from the scenes of creation and providence.

APPENDIX :
CONTAINING
NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS.

No. I. p. 68. — Illustration of the* rate of Motion in the
Heavenly Bodies, on the supposition that the Earth is at
rest.
The distance of the sun is about 95 millions of miles ;
consequently, the diameter of the circle he would de
scribe around the earth would be 190 millions, and its
circumference 597,142,857, which forms the extent ofthe
circuit through which he would move in 24 hours, if the
"earth were at rest. This number, divided by 24, gives
24,880,952, the number of miles he would move in an
hour ; and this last number, divided by 60, gives 414,682,
the number of miles he would move in a minute. The
nearest star is reckoned to be at least 20,000,000,000,000,
or twenty billions of miles distant from the earth; conse
quently, its daily circuit round our globe would measure
more than 125,000,000,000,000 miles. This sum divided
by 86,400, the number of seconds in a day, would give
1,454,861,111, or somewhat more than one thousand
four hundred millions of miles, for its rate of motion
in a second of time — a motion which, were it actually
existing, would, in all probability, shatter the universe to
atoms. The unlearned reader may, perhaps, acquire a more
distinct idea of this explanation from the following figure :
31*

368

APPENDIX.

Let the small circle A, in the centre, represent the
Earth, and the circle B C D E the orbit of the Sun, on
the supposition that he moves round the Earth every 24
hours. The line A B will represent the distance of the
Sun from the Earth, or 95 millions of miles ; the line
B D the diameter of the orbit he would describe ; and the
circle B C D E the circumference along which he would!
move every day; or 597 millions of miles, which is som3
What more than three times the diameter. If the linfi
A F represent the distance of the nearest star, the circle-
F G H Fwill represent the circuit through which it wouMP
move every 24 hours, if the earth were at rest. It is oh-

APPENDIX. 369
vious, from that figure, the since the stars are at a greater
distance from the earth than the sun, the circle they would
describe around the earth would be larger in proportion,
and, consequently, their velocities would be proportionably
more rapid ; since they would move through their larger
circles in the same time in which the sun moved through
his narrower sphere. But, the supposition that the earth
is the centre of all the celestial motions, and that the dif
ferent stars are daily moving around it with different velo
cities, and the slowest of these motions so inconceivably,
rapid — is so wild and extravagant, that it appears altogether
inconsistent with the harmony of the universe — with the
Wisdom and Intelligence of the Deity, and with all the
other arrangements he has made in the system of nature.

No. II. p. 107. — Experimental Illustrations of the Pressure
of the Atmosphere.
The pressure of the atmosphere is most strikingly illus
trated by means of the air pump. But as few persons,
comparatively, possess this instrument, the following expe
riments, which any person may perform at pleasure, are
sufficiently convincing on this point. Take a common
wine glass, and fill it with water ; apply a piece of paper
over the mouth of the glass ; press the paper to the rim
of the glass with the palm of the hand ; turn the glass up
side down ; withdraw the hand from the paper, and the
water will be supported by the pressure of the atmosphere.
That it is the atmospherical pressure, and not the paper,
which supports the water is evident ; for the paper, instead
of being pressed down by the weight of the water, is
pressed upward by the pressure of the atmosphere, and
appears concave, or hollow in the middle. If the flame
i of a candle be applied to the paper, it may be held, for an
i indefinite length of time, close to the paper, without set
ting fire to it. The same fact is proved by the following
F experiment : — Take a glass tube, of any length, and of a
narrow bore ; put one end of it in a bason pf water ;
Upply the mouth to the other end, and draw out the air by
suction ; the water will immediately rise towards the top
of the tube; andjf the finger or thumb be applied to the

370 APPENDIX.
top of the tube, to prevent the admission of air, and the
tube removed from the bason of water, the water in the
tube will be supported by the pressure of the atmosphere
on the lower end. ' Again : — Take a wine glass, and burn
a small bit of paper in it ; and, while the paper is burning,
press the palm of the hand upon the mouth of the glass,
and it will adhere to the hand with considerable force. In
this case, the pressure of the atmosphere will be sensibly
felt ; for it will sometimes require a considerable force to
detach the glass from the hand.
The pressure of the atmosphere explains a variety of
common phenomena. When we take a draught of water
out of a bason or a running stream, we immerse our mouths
in the water, and make a vacuum by drawing in the air ;
the pressure of the atmosphere upon the external surface
of the water then forces it into the mouth. The same
cause explains the process of a child sucking its moth
er's breasts — the action of a boy's sucker, in lifting large
stones — the rise of water in pumps — -the effects produ-
ed by cements — the firm adhesion of snails and peri-
twinckles to rocks and stones — the scarcity of water in the
time of hard frosts — and the fact that a cask will not run
by the cock, unless a hole be opened in some other part of
the cask.

No. III. p. 285. — On the means by which it may probably
be ascertained whether the Moon be a habitable world.
About six years ago, the Author published, in the
Monthly Magazine, a few observations on the surface of
the Moon, in which a few remarks were offered on this
subject. The following is an extract from that commu
nication : —
" If we be ever to obtain an occular demonstration of thei
habitability of any of the celestial orbs, the Moon is th?
only one where we can expect to trace, by our telescopes,
indications of the agency of sentient or intelligent beings ;
and I am pretty much convinced, that a long continued
series of observations on this planet, by a number of indi
viduals in different places, might completely set at rest the
question, ' Whether the Moon be a habitable world ?' Were

APPENDIX. 371
a vast number of persons, in different parts of the world,
to devote themselves to a particular survey of the Moon —
were different portions of her surface allotted to different
individuals, as the object of their particular research —
were every mountain, hill, cavern, cliff, and plain accu
rately inspected — and every change and modification in
the appearance of particular spots carefully marked and
represented in a series of delineations, it might lead to
some certain conclusions, both as to her physical constitu
tion, and her ultimate destination. It can be demonstrated,'.
that a telescope which magnifies 100 times, will show a
spot on the Moon's surface, whose diameter is 1223 yards ; '-
and one which magnifies a thousand times, will, of course,
enable us to perceive a portion of her surface, whose size
is only 122 yards : and, consequently, an object, whether
natural or artificial, of no greater extent than one of our
large edifices (for example. St. Paul's Church, London,)
may, by such an instrument, be easily distinguished. Now,
if every minute point on the Lunar surface were accurately
marked by numerous observers, it might be ascertained
whether any changes are taking place, either from physical
causes, or from the operations of intelligent agents. If a
large forest were cutting down — if a city were building in
an open plain, or extending its former boundaries — if a
barren waste were changing into a scene of vegetation —
or, if an immense concourse of animated beings were oc
casionally assembled on a particular spot, or shifting from
one place to another — such changes would be indicated
by certain modifications of shade, colour or motion ; and,
consequently would furnish a direct proof of the agency of-
' atelligent beings analogous to man, and of the Moon be-
ig »a habitable globe. For, although we may never be
ale to distinguish the inhabitants of the Moon (if any
rist) yet if we can trace those effects which can flow
aly from the operations of intelligent agents, it would
rtn a complete demonstration of their existence, on the
llie ground on which a Navigator concludes an unknown
island, to be inhabited, when he perceives human habita
tions, and cultivated fields.
t "That changes occasionally happen on the lunar hemi
sphere next the earth, appears from the observations of

372 APPENDIX.
Herschel and Schroeter, particularly from those of the
latter. In the transactions of the ' Society of Natural
Philosophy,' at Berlin, Schroeter relates, that on the 30th
December, 1791, at 5 o'clock, p. m. with a 7 feet re
flector, magnifying 161 times, he perceived the com
mencement of a small crater on the south-west declivity
of the volcanic mountain in the Mare Crisium, having a
shadow of at least 2" 5. On the 11th January, at 20
minutes past five, on looking at this place again, he could
see neither the new crater nor its shadow. Again, on the
4th January, ' 1792, he perceived, in the eastern crater of
Helicon, a central mountain, of a clear gray color, 3" in
diameter, of which, during many years' observations, he
had perceived no trace. ' This appearance,' he adds, ' is
remarkable, as probably from the time of Hevelius, the
western part of Helicon has been forming into its present
shape, and Nature seems, in that district, to be particularly
active.'— ^In making such minute observations as those to
which I allude, it would be proper, along with an inspec
tion of the moon's luminous disk, to mark the appear
ances of different portions of her dark hemisphere, when
it is partially enlightened by the reflected light from the
earth, soon after the appearance of new moon. These
researches would require a long-continued series of the
most minute observations, by numerous observers in dif
ferent regions of the globe, which could be effected only
by exciting, among the bulk of mankind, a general atten
tion to such investigations. But were this object accom
plished, and were numerous observations made yfrom the
tops of mountains, and in the serene sky of southern
climes, where the powers of the telescope are not coun
teracted by dense vapors, there can be little doubt that di-i
rect proofs would be obtained that the Moon is a habit%
ble world ; or, at least, that the question in relation loj
this point would be completely set at rest. "

No. IV. — Remarks on the late pretended discovery oj a
Lunar Fortification.
The British Public was lately amused by the announce1
ment of a discovery said to have been made by Professor

APPENDIX. 37S
Frauenhofer, of Munich. This gentleman was said to
have discovered a fortification in the Moon, and to have
distinguished several lines of road, supposed to be the
work of the lunar inhabitants. It is scarcely necessary to
say, that such announcements are obviously premature.
To perceive distinctly the shape of an object in the Moon,
which resembles a fortification, it is requisite, that that ob
ject be of a much larger size than our terrestrial ramparts.
Besides, although an object resembling one of our fortifica
tions were perceived on the surface of the Moon, there
would be no reason to conclude, that it served the same
purpose as fortifications do among us. We are so much
accustomed to war in our terrestrial system, and reflect so
little on its diabolical nature, that we are apt to imagine
that it must form a necessary employment even in other
worlds. To be assured that a fortification existed in the
Moon for the same purpose as with us, would indeed be
dismal tidings from another world ; for it would be a ne
cessary conclusion, from such intelligence, that the inha
bitants of that globe are actuated by the same principles
of depravity, ambition, and revenge., which have infected
the moral atmosphere of our sublunary world, With re
gard to the pretended discovery of the Lunar roads, it may
not be improper to remark, that such roads behooved to be
at least 400 feet broad, or ten times the breadth of ours,
in order to be perceived as faint lines through a telescope
which magnifies a thousand times ; which is a higher
power, I presume, than Frauenhofer can apply with dis
tinctness to any of his telescopes. It is not at all likely
that the lunar inhabitants are of such a gigantic size, or
employ carraiges of such an enormous bulk, as to require
roads of such dimensions, since the whole surface of the
Moon is only the thirteenth part of the area of our globe.
Schroeter conjectures the existence of a great city to
.the north of Marius (a spot in the Moon,) and of an ex
pensive canal towards Hygena (another spot,) and he re
presents part of the spot named- Mare Imbrium, to be as
fertile as the Campania. See Edin. Phil. Jour. No. 21
for July, 1824. Similar remarks to those now stated will
apply to these conjectures of Schroeter. We are too apt
to imagine, that the objects we perceive in the Moon must

374 APPENDIX.
bear a certain resemblance to those with which we are
acquainted on the Earth ; whereas, there is every reason
to believe, from the variety we perceive in nature, that no
one world resembles another, .except in some of its more
prominent and general arrangements. The Moon bears
a general resemblance to the Earth, in its being diversi
fied with mountains and valleys ; but the positions and
arrangement of these objects in the Moon, and the scenery
they exhibit, are materially different from what appears on
the surface of the terraqueous globe.

No.'V. — On the ideas of Magnitude, Motion, and Dura
tion, as expressed by numbers. See pp. 103, 109, 110,
Sfc.
In the pages referred to, and other parts of this volume,
some very large numbers are expressed in figures. Some
readers have insinuated, that it would have been better to
have expressed such numbers in words, The Author
however, is of a different opinion ; because, to some read-r
ers, not much acquainted with Numeration, a thousand tril
lions would convey nearly the same idea as a thousand no-
nillions, though the one number contains 58 places of
figures, and the other only 22. It is chiefly the number of
figures, or cyphers, in such large sums, that leads us to
form a comparative estimate of their value or extent.
Our ideas of magnitude and extension, conveyed by such
numbers, must, of course, be very vague and und. fined.
If we have been accustomed to travelling, we have a to
lerably clear conception of a hundred, and even of a thou
sand miles ; but we have no clear nor adequate concep
tion of a body, or a portion of space, ten hundred thou
sand, ten hundred millions, or ten hundred billions of miles^
in extent. The mind, however, may be assisted in its con- J
ceptions, and in its comparative estimate of different num-!,
bers, ty fixing on some particular number as a standard.
If, according to the common reckoning, we suppose, that
5828 years have elapsed since the commencement of time,
the number of seconds, or moments, in this period will
amount to 183,913,782,212, or one hundred and eighty-
three thousand nine hundred and thirteen millions, seven

APPENDIX. 3Y5
hundred and eighty-two thousand, two hundred and twelve
which is less than the fifth part of a billion. If the dis
tance of the, nearest stars from the earth beat least 20
billions of miles, then this distance may be otherwise ex
pressed, by saying, that the number of miles which inter
vene between us and these bodies is more than a hundred
times greater than the number of moments which have
elapsed since the creation ; and, by a similar comparison,
it will be found that the number of cubical miles within
the limits ofthe planetary system, is 130,000,000,000,-
000,000, or, one hundred and thirty thousand billions of
time greater than the humber of moments in 5828 years.
It has been computed, that the earth, supposing it a so
lid globe, contains about 30,000,000,000,000,000,000,-
000,000,000,000, or thirty septillions of grains of sand,
supposing a hundred grains of sand to be equal in length
to an inch, and, consequently, a million of such grains for
every cubical inch. If we use this number as a standard '
for estimating the number of cubical miles contained with
in the space which intervenes between us and the nearest
stars, we shall find that the number of cubical miles com
prehended within-this space is mote than ten thousand
millions of times greater than the number of the grains
,of sand contained in the globe on which we dwell.
Though the human mind can form no definite concep
tions of such numbers and magnitudes, yet it may be use
ful, occasionally, to ruminate on such subjects ; as it is the
only, or, atleast, the principal mode by which limited minds
like ours can approximate to an idea of the infinity of the
Creator. And if an image of infinity is presented; to the
mind in the spaces comprehended within the limits of our
system,, hqw overpowering the conception of innumerable
systems, to which ours bears no more proportion..than a
drop of water to the mighty ocean ? How ineffably glor
rious must be the attributes of that Incomprehensible Being
who pervades every part ofthis vast universe, and who conti
nually superintends all its minute and diversified movements!
No. VI. p. 221.— On a Plurality of Worlds.
THE doctrine of a plurality of worlds is now admitted
ashighly probable both by philosophers, and by enlighten-
32

376 APPENDIX
ed divines. But it has been admitted by many persons, on
grounds that are too general and vague, and consequently,
a full conviction of its truth is seldom produced in the
mind. In different parts of the preceding volume, I have
all along taken it for granted, because I consider it as sus
ceptible of a moral demonstration. — The following heads
of argument were they fully illustrated, would go far to
carry demonstration to the mind on this subject : namely,
That there are numerous bodies in' the universe of a bulk
sufficient to contain myriads of intelligent beings, and to
afford them enjoyment— that there appears, in the consti
tution of many of these bodies, a variety of arrangements
evidently adapted to this end — that, in relation to the pla
nets of our system, there are many circumstances which
bear a striking resemblance to the constitution of our
globe and its appendages : They have annual and diurnal
motions, moons, atmospheres, mountains and vales — that
light, and heat, and color, appear to be distributed through
out the regions of immensity; and that these agents can
have a relation only to the necessities and the happiness of
organized intelligences — that every part of nature,- so far
a's our observations on the surface of this globe extend,
appears to exist solely for the sake of sentient beings — that
this doctrine is more worthy of the Infinite Creator, and
gives a more glorious and magnificent idea of his nature,
than to suppose his benevolent regards confined to the
globe on which We dwell. When these and a variety of
other arguments are considered, in connection with the
Wisdom and other attributes of the Deity, they amount not
only to a high degree of probability, but to something ap
proaching to amoral demonstration. But to illustrate
these arguments in a minute detail, so as to make a con
vincing impression on the mind, would require a volume ofi
a considerable size. The Author flatters himself he has?
some original thoughts on, this subject, which may proba
bly see the light should the present work meet with publfc
acceptance. There is no work in our language, which
takes an extensive view on this subject, in connection with
the attributes of the Deity, and the intimations contained in
Divine Revelation. Fontenelle's " Plurality of Worlds," •
contains a number of ingenious reasonings; but he treats

APPENDIX. 377
the subject in too light and flippant a manner, and without
the least reference to a Supreme Intelligence. The cele
brated Huygens in his "Cosmotheoros," instead of attempt
ing to prove the doctrine of a plurality of worlds, takes it
for granted, and indulges chiefly in conjectures respecting
the organical structure, and faculties of their inhabitants.
•" That the Scriptures are silent on this head, has been as
sumed by some as a presumptive argument that this doc
trine is without a solid foundation. . I have, already endea
vored to show that this assumption is unfounded,( see page
219.) A plurality of worlds is more than once asserted in
Scripture, and in numerous passages, is evidently taken for
granted. Celestial intelligences are represented as ascri
bing " glory, honor, wisdom and power" to the king of
Heaven, "because he hath created all things," and because
they perceive his works to be " great and marvellous."
But if all- the great globes in the firmament were only so
many frightful deserts, destitute of inhabitants, such a uni
verse Could never inspire superior intelligences with admir
ation of the ivisdom of the Creator. For wisdom consists
in proportionating means to ends ; but,' in the case supposed,
there would be no proportion between the means and the
end. The means are indeed great and astonishing ; but
no end appears to justify such a display of creating energy.
The Psalmist, when he. contemplated the heavens, was
so affected with the idea of the immense population of the
universe, that Be seems to have been almost afraid lest he
should be overlooked amidst the immensity of beings that
are under the, superintendence of God. " When I con
sider thy heavens — what is man that thou art mindful of
him !" There would be no propriety nor emphasis in this
exclamation, if the heavenly orbs were devoid of inhabi
tants ; for, if no intelligent beings exist besides man, and
a colony of angels, it would not appear wonderful that the
Creator should exercise a particular care over the one half
of his intelligent offspring. But if we conceive the uni
verse as composed of ten thousand times ten thousand
worlds, peopled with myriads of intellectual beings of va
rious orders, the sentiment of admiration implied in the
passage is extremely natural and emphatic, and conveys to
us* an impressive idea of the Intelligence, the Beneficence,

878 APPENDIX.
and the Condescension of the Founder and Governor of
all worlds.

No. VII. p. 281.— -On the first Inventor of Printing.
Mr. Ireland in his " Picturesque Tour through Holland,
Brabant, and part of France, in 1789," gives the following,
account of the inventor of Printing, when describing the
city of Haerlem.
" Haerlem claims the invention of the art of printing.
It is attributed to Lawrence Xoster, an Alderman of this
city, in 1440 ; whose house is yet standing in the market
place, opposite the cburch. Amusing'himself one day in
the neigboring wood, with cutting the hark of treei into
the letters that formed the initials of his name, he is said
to have laid them on paper, and falling aslfeep, when he
awoke, observed, that from the dew, their form was im
pressed on the paper. This accident induced him to make
further experiment : he next cut his letters in wood, and,
dipping them in a glutinous liquid, impressed them on
paper, which he found an improvement ; and, soon after,
substituting leaden and pewter letters, erected' a press in
his house ; thus laying the foundation of this noble art,
which has thence gradually risen to its present excellence.
, — The art, it is said, was stolen from him by his servant,
JohnFaustus, who conveyed it to Mentz, and, from the
novelty ofthe discovery, soon acquired the title of Doctor
and Conjurer. The original specimens are now shown at
the library in the Town Hall. . The first is on a leaf of
parchment, and the second and third on paper, printed only
on one side, and the corners left blank for capitals. At
the top are wooden cuts, representing the creation, and, as
it is called, Lucifer's Fall." — pp. 109 — 111.
No. VIII. p. 290. — On Telescopes; with a brief notice df
a New Reflecting Telescope, constructed by the
Author. It is doubtful to what particular individual we owe
the invention of the telescope. Some have suppofeed that
Roger Bacon, and Baptista Porta invented this instrument.

APPENDIX. 379
Borelli ascribes the invention to Zacharias Jansen, a native
of Middleburg. Perhaps, the account given in the article
to which this note refers, and which is stated by a variety
of authors, maybe as probable as any other. It is certain
that the telescope was not in general use until" the begin
ning of the 17th cfentury, and that no discoveries in the
heavens were made with it, till the year 1609.
* There are two kinds of telescopes, Refracting and Re
flecting. In refracting telescopes, the rays of light pass
through convex or concave glasses or lens. The object-
glass is always convex, and forms an image or picture of
the object in an inverted position in its focus ; which image
is viewed by the eye-glass ; and the magnifying power is
in the proportion ofthe focal distance ofthe object-glass
to that of the eye-glass. The focal distance of a convex
glass may be ascertained by holding it in the rays of the
sun, opposite to a piece of white paper, and measuring the
distance between the glass and the white spot, or burning
point, formed on the paper. An Astronomical telescope'
for viewing celestial objects may be constructed with Only
two glasses. If an object-glass, 30 inches focal distance,
be fixed in the end of a tube, and an eye-glass of one inch
focus be placed at the other end, at the distance of 31
inches from the object-glass, a telescope will be formed
which will magnify in the proportion of one to thirty, or 30
times ; that is, objects seen through such a telescope will
appear thirty times largerin diameter, or thirty times nearer
than to the naked eye. By such an instrument, the ine
qualities on the moon's surface, and some' of the satelites
of Jupiter may be perceived ; hut when directed to land
objects, they will appear inverted, or turned upside down.
In order to reverse the appearance of the object, two other
eye-glasses are required ; — or, if a concave eye-glass of a
similar focus be placed at 29 inches from the object-glass,
the object will appear in its natural position, and the mag
nifying power will be the same ; but the field of view will
be much smaller. Astronomical telescopes of this con
struction were formerly made of 120, and even of 200 feet
in length, and were used without a tube ; the object-glass
being placed on' the top of a long pole ; but these are now
entirely superseded by Achromatic telescopes. In the
•32

360 APPENDIX,
achromatic telescope, the object-glass is compounded of
two, and sometimes of three lenses, placed close to each
other, one of, which isa double concave of white flint
glass, and the other a double convex of crown glass. By
this means an image is formed without being blended with
the prismatic colors ; and it will, therefore, bear a much
greater magnifying power than a common refractor. An
achromatic telescope four feet long, will magnify objects as «
much as a common refractor 100 feet long.
In Reflecting telescopes the' images of objects are form
ed by speculums or mirrors, instead of lenses. They are
of two kinds, ' the Gregorian, and the Newtonian. The
Gregorian reflector consists of a tube in which a concave
mirror, having a hole in its centre, is placed. The rays of
light from distant objects falling upon this mirror, form an
image before it, in its centre or focus. This image is inter
cepted by a smaller mirror, which reflects it back through
the hole in the large mirror, to an eye-glass, through which
the observer views the objeet. In the Newtonian Reflect
or,, a plane mirror, placed at an angle of 45 degrees, is sub
stituted in place ofthe small mirror in the Gregorian con
struction, and the observer look* down upon the object
through the side of the tube. Dr. Brewster has suggest--
ed an interesting improvement in the construction of this
instrument, which is described in The Edinburgh Eneyclop.
Art. Optics, p. 644.
New Reflector. — About three years-ago, the Author
commenced a series of experiments on Reflecting Tele
scopes ; and has lately constructed several on a new plan
and principle. In this construction, there is no small spe
culum, either plane, convex or concave ; there is no tube,
except a short one of two or three inches in length, for .
holding the speculum. The observer sits with his back to
the object, and views, the image formed by the speculum
through an eye-piece, which requires to be nicely directed
and adjusted; Three or four instruments of this construc
tion have been fitted up, with specula of 5, 8,; 16; 28, 35,
and 49 inches focal distance. One of them having a spe
culum of eight inches focus, and two inches diameter, with
a terrestrial eye-piece, magnifying about 25 times, forms an

APPENDIX. 381
excellent parlour telescope for viewing land objects, and ex
hibits them in a brilliant and novel aspect. When compa
red with a Gregorian of the same size and magnifying pow
er, the quantity of light upon the object appears nearly
doubled, and the image is equally distinct. It represents
objects in their natural Colors, without that dingy and yeb
lowish tinge which appears when looking through a Grego
rian. Another of these instruments, having a speculum of
28 inches focal distance, and an eye-piece producing a mag
nifying power of about 100 times, serves as an excellent
astronomical telescope. By this instrument the belts and
satellites of Jupiter, the ring of Saturn, and the mountains
and cavities of the Moon may be contemplated with great
ease and distinctness. By placing the pedestal on the floor
of the apartment, when the object is at a high elevation, we
can view celestial phenomena with the same ease as if we
were sitting at a writing-desk reading a book. With a mag
nifying power of about 40 or 50 times applied to this tele
scope, terrestrial objects appear extremely bright and well
defined. A speculum of 49 inches focal distance, and 6 1-2
inches diameter, has lately been fitted up on the same prin
ciple. With magnifying powers of from 100 to 160 times, it
exhibits distinct and interesting views of ^the Moon's sur
face and of the ring of Saturn, and with a power of 56
times it affords a beautiful view of land objects. -The spe
cula used in these instruments are far from being good ;
being of a yellowish colour, and scarcely half polished, and
having large holes in the centre ; as they were originally in
tended for Gregorian Reflectors ; yet the brightness of vi
sion approaches nearly to that of Achromatic Telescopes.
The experiments which have been made on this subject de
monstrate, that a tube is not necessary for .a Reflecting Te
lescope, when viewing either celestial or terrestrial objects ;
and, therefore, this construction of the instrument may be
denominated, The Aerial Reflector. The simplicity
ofthe construction, and the excellence of the performance
of these instruments, have been much admired by , several
scientific gentlemen to whom they have been exhibited. A
Caveat has lately been lodged at the Patent Office, in the
'view of taking out a Patent for this construction of the
Reflecting telescope ; and a more detailed account of it

382 APPENDIX.
will probably soon appear in some of the Scientific Jour
nals. In the System of Optics, lately published in the Edin
burg Encylqpaedia, (one ofthe most luminous and compre
hensive treatises which has yet appeared on this subject)
the writer, in his introduction to the account of Dr. Brew
ster's improvement on the Newtonian Telescope, remarks :
 " If we could dispense with the use of the small specula ,
in telescopes of moderate length, by inclining the great
speculum, and using an oblique, and consequently a dis
torted reflection, as proposed first by La Maire, we should
consider the Newtonian Telescope as perfect ; and on a
large scale, or when the instrument exceeds 20 feet, it has
undoubtedly this character, as nothing can be more simple
than to magnify, by a single eye-glass, the image ^formed
by a single speculum.— As the front view is quite impracti
cable ; and, indeed, has never been attempted in instruments
of a small size, it becomes of great practical consequence to.
remove as much as possible the evils which arise from the
use of a small speculum," &c. — The instruments noticed
above have effectuated the desirable object alluded to by this
respectable writer ; and the principle of the construction is
neither that of Dr. Herschel's front' view, nor does it coin
cide with that proposed by La Maire, which seems to have
been a mere hint, which was never put into execution.'

No. IX. p. 293. — On Steam Navigation.
The application of steam, as a mechanical power, for im
pelling vessels along rivers and seas, is one of the most bril
liant and useful achievments of art which distinguish the
present age, and seems destined to produce an important and
interesting change in the general intercourse of nations^
From the " Report of a Committee of Parliament," publishj
ed in 1822, it appears, that the first application of steam to
the impelling of vessels, was made by an Englishman, ofthe
name of Hull, who, in 1736, obtained a patent for the in
vention of a Steam-boat, to be moved with a crank and
paddles. But it was only in 1807, that the invention was
fairly brought into practical use, by Mr. Fulton, an Ame
rican, who had the assistance ana advice of Mr. Bell, a

APPENDIX. 383
Scots engineer. There are now, according to Mr. Per
kins' statement, about 300 Steam-boats on the rivers, bays
and coasts of the United States, varying in their size from
100 to 700 tons. In Britain, the first successful applica
tion of steam to vessels, was made by the above-mentioned
Mr. Bell,* who built the comet of 25 tons, and four
horses' power, to ply on the Clyde. There are now reek-
toned about 150 Steam-boats, from 40 to 500 tons, plying
oh the rivers and coasts of the British isles. Glasgow,
which had the honor of introducing steam navigation on
this side of the Atlantic, is still the seat of its greatest acti
vity. According to a statement given in the " Edinburgh
Philosophical Journal," published in July; 1822, there
were then no less than 36 Steam-boats, of various sizes,
plying on the Clyde. Some of these, besides performing
regular voyages to Inverary, Campbelton, Belfast, Liver- "
pool, and other places, are also performing tours, during the
summer months, to the Giant's Causeway, Staffa, Skye, and
other parts ofthe Western Isles, and to Inverness by the
Caledonian Canal. Steam-boats are also plying between
Aberdeen and Leith — between Newhaven and Aberdour,
Bruntisland, Xinghorn, Kirkaldy and Dysart ; and to
Queensferry, Alloa, Grangemouth and Sterling — between
Leith and London — Dover and Calais. One has been ply
ing for several years on Loch-Lomond, which enables the
traveller, at a small expense, to take an interesting view of
the diversified scenery of that beautiful lake. Five are just
now plying on the Tay ; two of which, with engines of 30 '
and 40 horse powers, and fitted up with elegant accommo
dation, ply daily between Perth and Dundee ; each of them,
during most of the summer months, transporting nearly a
hundred passengers at every trip.
Steam navigation, though less understood on the Conti
nent than with us, is now beginning to make considerable
progress. There are eight Steam-boats on the Garonne,
* It is much to be regretted, and it is certainly not congenial to the
liberal spirit of the age, that this gentleman, who was among the first
inventors of steam navigation, and who has done so much to promote
its success in the neighborhood of Glasgow has never received any
public reward for his exertions, and has been left to sink into a state
approaching to poverty.

B84 APPENDIX.
and several on the Seine. There are two on the Lake of
Geneva, and two are about to be established ou the Lake
Constance, and there ate, besides, one or two on the
Danube. It is likely, that in the course of a few years such
conveyances will be established on all our Friths and Ri
sers, and the period is, no doubt, hastening on, when ex
cursions will be taken, in such vehicles, between Europe
and America. A Steam-boat of 700 tons burden, and 100
horse power, has sailed regularly, summer and. winter, for
three or four years,' between New York aud New Orleans,
a distance of -2000 miles, in an open sea, exposed to great
storms ; and by many she is preferred to the packets, not
only for the certainty of making shorter voyages, but on
account of greater safety. In America, Steam vessels are
fitted up with every accommodation and elegancy which
art can devise ; so as to produce, if possible, as great a
variety of enjoyment to passengers on sea, as on land. Mr.
Church, the American Consul in France, has invented a
paddle, which revolves on the paddle wheel, by very simple
mechanism, which is found to save power. In the United
States, a new mode of constructing cabins has been lately
introduced, so as to place them beyond the reach of injury
from explosions of the boiler. A steam vessel of a large
size has lately been fitted up, which is intended to sail be
tween London and Calcutta.
." Steam vessels have been built in this country from 10
to 500 tons, and from 3 or 4 to 110 hotse power. The
length of the City of Edinburgh, on the upper deck, is 143
feet; :and some have lately been constructed of still larger
dimensions. The American steam-boats are larger than
ours, and are much more used for the conveyance of mer
chandise. The Frontinac, which plies on the Canadian
side of Lake Ontario, is 170 feet long on deck, and 32 feet
broad ; and the Chancellor Livingstone, which plies on the
Hudson, is of the same size. The velocity aimed at is ge
nerally 8 or 9 miles an hour. The proportion is, on an ave
rage, about one horse power for every 4 tons of burden,
computed in the usual way. The velocity- is found to be
nearly as the square root ofthe power, so that an 80 horse
power engine will produce only twice the velocity of one
of 20 horse power. Something depends alsp on the make

APPENDIX. 385
and size of the vessel. The " Sovereign," of 210 tons
and 80 horse power, goes 9| miles an hour in still water •
and the " James Watt," of 448 tons, and 100 horse pow
er, is stated to go ten miles. For the paddle-boards, the
rule is, that 3-10ths of a square foot of surface should be
immersed in the water for each horse power. The paddle-
wheels vary from 10 to 15 feet in diameter, dip from 12 to
20 inches in the water, and have about one foot in breadth
for each 10 horse power. Mr. Gladstone affirms, that so
much power is wasted in displacing the water by the stroke
of the board, that the velocity of the ship is only about one
half of that of the outer surface of the paddle-wheel.
" There are two sources of apprehension in steam-boats
¦ — fire, and the bursting ofthe boiler. With regard to the
latter, when the boiler is of low pressure, it is satisfactorily
established that not the smallest danger exists. And in
the best constructed vessels, the danger from fire is com
pletely obviated, by separating the furnace from the sides
of the vessels by five inches of water." — The power of
steam is now rendered subservient to the breaking of stones
for the construction of roads. The stones are put into a
kind of hopper above, and pushed down with a rake, and
the machine is worked by a rotatory motion of one horse
power ; and will break a ton of hard pebbles, completely,
in from six to eight minutes. A steam machine has also
been invented for the dressing of woollen cloth, which does
as much work in 50 minutes as two men could do in two
days. Mon. Mag. Aug. 1823, p. 71. — A steam carriage,
for conveying goods and passengers on land, was lately
constructing by Mr. Griffiths. Its rate of motion, on com
mon roads, is estimated at five miles an hour, at an average ;
about three miles when going up-hill, and above seven when
running down. But pecuniary embarrassments, or other
impediments, have, hitherto, prevented the completion of
his design.
Mr. Perkins has lately made improvements on the steam
engine, which promise to carry its powers to a high degree
pf perfection. The engine he has lately constructed i3 cal
culated to a ten horse power, though the cylinder is no
more than two inches in diameter, and 18 inches long, with
a stroke of only 12 inches. Although the space occupied

386 APPENDIX.
by the engine is not more than six feet by eight, yet Mr. P.
considers the apparatus (with the exception ofthe working
cylinder and piston) is perfectly sufficient for a thirty horse
engine. When the engine performs full work, it consumes
only two bushels of coal in the day. Mr. Perkins has also
announced a discovery still more extraordinary, viz. that
he has been able " to arrest tbe heat, after it has performed
its mechanical functions, and actually pump it back to the
generator, to unite with a fresh portion of water, and re
new its useful labors." A particular account of Perkins'
engine, accompanied with an engraving, is given in the
Edin. Philos. Journal, No. 17, for July 1823. The pre
tensions of Mr. Perkins, however, have-not yet been so
fully substantiated by experiment as to satisfy the anxious
expectation of the public.
An interesting Report has lately been published of a se
ries of experiments, made with a new steam engine, invent
ed by an American machinist, called the capillary steam
engine.1 Three great objects are said to be accomplished
by this invention, lightness, safety, and economy of fuel.'
In an engine calculated for a four horse power, the genera
tor is formed of a copper tube, ? inch in diameter, and
100 feet long, which weighs about 16 lbs. It is arranged
in coils, one above another,rin the- form of a sugar loaf, 30
inches high ; the bottom coil being 18 inches in diameter,
and the top one considerably less. The wood is prepared'
as is usual for a stove, and put within the coils. The steam
cylinder is formed of sheet copper, three inches in diame
ter, 27 inches in stroke, and, with all its appendages, weighs
about 25 lbs. It has been ascertained, that the generator
and main cylinder, with their contents and appendages,
exclusive of fuel, need not weigh more than 20 lbs. to the
horse power. No harm can be done by the bursting of
coders— -even a safety-valve is considered as useless. In
the course of the experiments, the experimenters several
times burst the tube ; but so far from doing any injury, it
Could not always be perceived by the spectators; To ascer
tain what maybe done towards aerial navigation, by steam,
experiments were made on the power of wings in the air,
and on the power necessary to work them. The result is,
that it requires a horse power to carry 30 lbs, jr the air ; so

APPENDIX. 387
that a flying engine, to be worked by charcoal, would
weigh about 30 lbs. to the horse power, wings, condenser
and fuel included. It was also ascertained by experiments
and calculations, that a balloon could be made to carry a
man with an engine, which would push it at the rate of 15
miles an hour in the air. A more particular detail of these
experiments maybe seen in the "London Mechanic's Ma
gazine," No. 60, for 16th October, 1824.
No. X. p. 360. — Strictures on a certain sentiment respecting
the Work of Human Redemption.
The sentiment referred to in this paragraph; " That
there never was, nor ever will be, through all the ages of
eternity, so wonderful a display of the Divine glory, as in
the cross of Christ," has been reiterated a thousand times,
in sermons and in systems of divinity, and is still repeated
by certain preachers as if it were an incontrovertible,
-axiom, which ought never to be calledin question ; and is,
no doubt, intended to magnify the Divine attributes,) and
the work of redemption. But it is nothing more than a
presumptuous assumption, which has a tendency to limit
the perfections of Deity, and to present a partial and dis
torted view of the economy of human redemption. For
in the first place, it has no foundation in Scripture.
There is not a single passage from which it can be legiti
mately deduced. The onus probandi, on this point, rests
with those who make the assertion. A gentleman, when
lately conversing on this subject, brought forward the fol
lowing interrogation, as a demonstrative argument in proof
of the position in question : " Is not Redeinptiotf<$eelared
in Scripture to be the chief of all the works of God!" but
he was not a little*surprised, when he was informed, that
the passage which he had partly misquoted, is applied to
the Behemoth or the Elephant, as stated in Job ^1. 19. —
2dly, The assertion is as presumptuous as it is unfounded.
It takes for granted, that we know all the events which
have already happened, and which are now taking place
throughout the whole range of God's Universal Empire.
This empire appears unbounded ; and that portion of it
which we' can minutely explore, is but as a point in com
parison of the whole. But before we can, on good
grounds, hazard such an assertion as that under consi-
33

388 APPENDIX.
deration, we must have explored all the dispensations of
God, through every portion of his vast dominions ;< and be;
able to form a' comparison between the different displays
of Divine glory, made to all the different classes of intel
lectual beings, under the government of the Creator. And
who, among the sons of Adam, can lay claim to such
high qualifications for pronouncing so sweeping a decision
on this point ? 3dly, It sets limits to the Divine perfections
and operations. For although it could be proved, (which
it cannot be) that no such displays have hitherto been
made to any other beings, yet.who can take upon him to
assert, that displays of Divine perfection far more glorious
and astonishing, will not be exhibited during the countless
ages of eternity which are yet to come ? To set limits to
the operations of Almighty Power and Boundless Benevo
lence, during the lapse of infinite duration, -is not the pro
vince of any created intelligence, and far less of man, who
stands so low in the scale of universal being. 4thly, It-
tends to damp the hopes and prospects of immortal beings,
when looking forward to an interminable eixistence. For,
this sentiment leads them to conclude, that they are al
ready acquainted, with the greatest display of Divine glory
which can be made ; and that, whatever scenes of won
der may be exhibited in the future world, they must, of
course, be all inferior to this, in point of extent and
grandeur. vt,
The, Redemption of the' human race, as displayed in the
Christian Revelation, is a theme sufficiently grand, asto
nishing, and interesting, to command the attention -of all
who are convinced that they belong to an apostate race of
intelligencies and to excite the admiration and gratitude
of 'all who have experienced its benefits ; and it stands in
no need of such unfounded and extravagant assertions, to
display its riches and glory. " Will a man speak deceit
fully for God? Shall not his excellency make you afraid,.
and his dread fall upon you ?" — We pronounce nothing
decisively on this subject. We feel ourselves chained
down to an obscure corner of God's dominions, to be in
the very infancy of our knowledge, and withal, to be con
nected with a race of beings whose " understandings iare
darkened by reason of sin ;" and are therefore unable to
pronounce an infallible decision on. what God will, or will

APPENDIX. 389
not do. Were we to hazard a conjecture on this subject,
we would say, that the converse of the proposition under
consideration, is more probable than the proposition itself.
We can conceive worlds\ten thousand times more popu
lous than ours, 'and peopled with a higher order of intel
lectual beings,/to wards whom a similar display of Benevo
lence and Mercy, were it necessary, may be made ; and,
therefore, in point of the extent of its objects, we can con
ceive the Love of God more illustriously manifested than
even to the inhabitants of our globe. But whether such
an event shall ever take place, it would be presumption in
us to determine. For the thoughts and the ways of God
as far transcend ours, " as the heavens are high above the
earth." It demands our highest tribute of grateful adora
tion, that the Almightycondescended to " regard us in our
low estate," and to deliver us from the moral degradation
into which we had fallen ; but, surely, it would be unrea
sonable to conclude, from this consideration, that, of all
the rational tribes which people the universe, Man is the
only favorite of the Most High, " when thousand w&rids.
are round." Though myriads of other intelligences were
to share in similar favors, it would not lessen the happi
ness conferred on us; nor ought it, in the least, to detract
from our admiration of " the love of God, which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord."
There are a great many other vague and untenable no
tions which are entertained and reiterated by certain com
mentators and divines, as indisputable axioms, which it
would be of importance to the cause of Religion to dis
card ; such as — that angels are pure immaterial sub
stances — that they were formed on the first day of the Mo
saic creation — that the wisdom of God is no where so il
lustriously displayed throughout the universe as in the
scheme of redemption — that the chief employment of the
future world will be to pry into the mysteries of salvation
— that sin is an infinite evil — that the whole material uni
verse was brought into existence at the same time with our
earth — that the Creator ceased to create any new order of
beings in the universe, after arranging the fabric of our
globe — that the whole system of material nature in hea
ven and earth, will be destroyed at the period of the disso
lution of our world — that our thoughts and affections

390 APPENDIX.
should be completely detached from all created things, &c.
&c. — Several vague notions of this description are founded
on the false assumption, that the globe we inhabit, and
the rational beings that have appeared on its surface from
age to age, are the chief objects of God's Superintendence
and Care — and, that the Scriptures are the only medium
through which we can view the plans and operations of
the Deity — assumptions, which" are contrary to reason,
which are unwarranted in Revelation, nay, which are di
rectly contradicted ia numerous passages of Scripture,
some of which have already been referred to in the course
of this volume. It would be of essential service to the
cause of Christianity, that its doctrines, facts, and moral
requisitions were uniformly exhibited in their native sim
plicity and grandeur, without being obscured and distorted
by the vague and extravagant representations with which
they are too frequently blended by injudicious minds.
No. XL
— As authority has a considerable degree of weight on
some minds, I shall conclude with an extract on the sub
ject of this volume, from that respectable and enlightened
divine, Dr. Dwight, late President of Yale College : —
"The works of God were by him intended to be, and are
in fact, manifestations of himself; proofs of his character,
presence, and agency. In this light he requires men con
tinually to regard them : and to refuse this tegard is con
sidered by him as grossly wicked, and highly deserving of
punishment, Psalm xxviii. 5. Isa. v. 12 — 14. I am appre
hensive, that even good men are prone to pay less atten
tion to the works of creation and providence than piety
demands, and the Scriptures require. We say and hear so
much concerning the insufficiency of these works to unfold
the character of God, and the nature of genuine religion,
that we are prone to consider them as almost' uninstructive
in moral things, and in a great measure useless to the pro*
motion of piety. This, however, is a palpable and dan*
gerous error. The works alone, without the aid of the
Scriptures, JWould, I acknowledge, be far less instructive
than they now are, and utterly insufficient to guide us in
the way of righteousness. The Scriptures were designed
to be a comment on these works ; to explain their nature^

APPENDIX. 391
and to show us the agency, purposes, wisdom and good
ness of God in their formation. Thus explained, thus il
luminated, they become means of knowledge, very exten
sive and eminently useful. 'He who does not find in the
various, beautiful, sublime, awful and astonishing objects
presented to us in Creation and Providence, irresistible and
glorious reason's, for admiring, adoring, loving and prais
ing his Creator, has not a claim to evangelical piety." — -
System of Theology, vol. iii. p. 477.
No. XII. — List of Popular Works on the different Sciences
treated of in this Volume, with occasional Remarks.
select books on natural history.
" Goldsmith's History of the Earth, and animated na
ture," with notes by T. Brown, Esq. pub. at Manchester 6
vols. Svo. The copious notes appended to this edition, con
tain an account ofthe latest discoveries, and form a valuable
addition to the original work. — " The Gallery of Nature,
andjArt," by Dr. Mason, Good and others, 6 vols. 8vo.—
Spectacle de la Nature," or Nature Displayed, 7 vols.
12mo. — " Nature Displayed," by Dr. Simeon Shaw,3 vols.
8vo. or in 6 vols. 12mo. This work, though chiefly a
compilation, embodies a great variety of interesting and
popular description of the most remarkable facts in the
system of nature, which are illustrated with numerous en
gravings, both plain and colored. — Clarke's " Hundred^
Wonders of the World," 1 vol. 12mo. and Piatt's "Book
of Curiosities," contain a number of interesting selections
on this subject^Smellie's " Philosophy of Natural Histo
ry," 2 vols. 4to. and his translation of " Button's Natural
History." — Works entitled " System" and " Elements" of
" Natural History," are numerous ; but the greatest part
of them is confined to descriptions of. the forms, habits,
and instincts of animals. On this department of natural
science, a work is just now in course of publication, by
the celebrated Cuvier, entitled " The Animal Kingdom," ,
with engravings, chiefly from the living subjects in theMu-
seum of Natural History at Paris. — A popular and com
prehensive History ofthe facts which hare been ascertain
ed respecting the earth, the atmosphere, the meteors, the
heavens, &c. calculated for general readers, and intersper
sed with appropriate moral and religious reflections, is still
a desideratum. The facts of Natural History, next to the
33*

392 APPENDIX.
facts recorded in the Sacred Volume, are the first subjects
to which the minds of the young should be directed in the
course of a general education.
SELECT BOOKS ON GEOGRAPHY.
Pinkerton's Modern Geography, 2 vols. 4to. and the
Abridgment, 1 vol. Svo. — Guthrie's Geographical Gram
mar. — The Glasgow Geography, in 5 vols. 8vo.. This
work comprehends an immense mass of information, on,
the historical and descriptive parts of Geography. It also
contains comprehensive compends of Astronomy, Geology,
Meteorology, &c. — MalteBrun's " System of Geography,"
8vo. . The English translation of this work, when com
pleted, will, comprise the fullest and most comprehensive
view of Universal, Geography that has yet appeared in ous
language, including details of , the most recent discoveries..
Five volumes of the English translation have already ap-;
peared. The first volume contains a luminous and com
prehensive outline ofthe science of Geology and Physical
, and Mathematical Geography. — Myer's " System of Mo
dern Geography," with maps, views, engravings represent
ing costumes, &c. 2 large vols. 4to. — Cooke's " System of
Universal Geography," in 2 very large quarto vols, closely
printed, contains a great variety of interesting sketches in
relation to Descriptive Geography, extracted from the
writings of modern Voyagers and Travellers; the details
of incidents, &c. being related, for the most part in the
words of the respective authors from whom the informa
tion is collected. — Winterbotham's " Geographical and
Historical View ofthe United States of America, &c." 4
vols. 8vo. — Morse's " American Geography," 8vo;— Gold
smith's! " Geography on a popular plan,,'' contains an in
teresting account of the manners and customs of nations,
for the entertainment and instruction of the young, illus
trated with above 60 engravings. Of smaller systems,
there is a great abundance in the English language, hut
most of them are extremely deficient, particularly jn what
relates to General Geography.— On Sacred Geography,
Well's Geography, modernized by the Editor of Calmet's'
Dictionary, is the most complete work of ids kind.— On
Physical or General Geography— Play&rips System of
Geography, vol. 1. and Varenius's General Geography. A
Modern system of General Geography, in a separate
form, on the plan of Varenius, is a desideratum  Edin.

APPENDIX. 398
Ency. Art, Geography— Sup. to Ency. Brit. Art., Physical
Geography, &c. &c. Books of Voyages and Travels,
generally contain the most circumstantial- details of the
physical aspects of the different countries, and of the dis
positions and customs of their inhabitants ; and present to
the view of the Christian Philanthropist, those facts and
incidents, from which the moral state and character of the
various tribes of human beings may be inferred. The fol
lowing works contain comprehensive abridgments of the
most celebrated voyages and travels. — " Pinkerton's Gene
ral Collection of Voyages and Travels in all parts of the
world," 17 vols. 4to. — " Mavor's Voyages," &c. 28 vols.
18 mo.—" The World Displayed," 18 vols. 18mo  " Phi
lip's Collection of Voyages and Travels," &e.
The following are among the most respectable modern
publications on this subject, arranged according to the dif
ferent quarters of the World. — Asia. il Valencia's Tra
vels in India, Arabia," &c. — " Porter's Travels in Geor
gia, Armenia," &c— "Golownin's Travels in Japan." — '¦
"Staunton's Account of Macartney's Embassy to China."
— " Raffle's Travels in Java." — " Clarke's Travels in Asia
Minor, and the Holy Land." — " Chateaubriand's Travels
in Palestine." — " Ali Bey's Travels in Arabia." — " Mo-
rier's Travels through Persia," &c. &c. Africa —
" Lyon's Travels in Northern Africa. — Burckhard's Tra
vels in Nubia. — Bruce's Travels in Abyssinia. — Salt's Tra
vels in Abyssinia. — Bowdich, Hutton, and Dupuis'1' Ac
count of Ashantee.— Leigh's Jour, in Egypt.— Belzoni's
Travels in Egypt. — Sonini's Travels in Egypt. — Barrow's,
Burchell's, and Campbell's Travels in Southern Africa,
&c. &c. America. — Howison 's Sketches of Upper
Canada. — Pearson's Sketches of the United States.— Miss
Wright's Views of Society in the United States.— Hum
boldt's Travels in South America.— Duncan's Travels in
the United States.— Luccock'S, Vidal's, Koster's and Hall's
Travels in South America, &c.' Europe. — Henderson's
and Mackenzie's Travels in Iceland.— Thomson's Travels
in Sweden. — Carr's Travels in Russia, Denmark, &c. —
Pallas' Travels in Russia.— Wraxall's, Nealefy Coxe's,
and Lemaistre's Tours through France, Switzerland, Ger
many, &c— Bourgoing's and Jacob's Travels- in Spain.-y-
Brydon's Tour in Sicily, &c— Von Buch's Travels in

394 APPENDIX.
Norway and Lapland.— Cochrane's Travels in Siberia, &c.
— Cook's, Anson's, Bryon's, Perouse's, and BouganviUe's
Voyages round the World, &c. — Prior's Universal Travel
ler, 1 thick vol. 12mo. closely printed with 100 engravings.
SELECT BOOKS ON GEOLOGY. .,
:-\
KirwanV Mineralogy, "and his "Geological Essays." —
De Luc's "Geology," andhis " Geological Travels." —
Parkinson's- " Organic Remains of a former World," 3
vols. 4to.-^-" The Fossils ofthe South Downs, or Illustra
tions of the Geology of Sussex, by G. Mantel, F. L. S."
The preliminary Essay to this splendid work, contains
several excellent remarks respecting the connexion of
Geology with Religion, which are calculated to advance
the interests,of both.— Cuvier's " Essay on the. Theory of
the Earth," with illustrations by Professor Jameson ; 4th
edition- — Playfair's illustrations of the Huttonian Theory
of the Earth. — Transactions of tbe Geological and Wer-
nerian Societies. — Jameson's Mineralogy.; — Buckland's
Account ofthe discovery of a Den of Hyenas in a cavern iu
Yorkshire.— rPhilips'" Outlines of Mineralogy and Geolo
gy," 12mo. This last work forms a good introduction to
the study of Geology, for those who are just commencing
their inquiries on this subject. The object of this science,
iu the mean time, should be confined chiefly to the collect
ing of facts in reference to the structure of the earth, and
the changes it has undergone. The exterior aspect of our
globe, and its internal recesses, must be still more exten
sively explored, before any theory of the earth can be es
tablished on a broad and solid foundation, It should be
left to future ages to build a system with the materials we
are now preparing. POPULAR WORKS ON ASTRONOMY.
Brewster's " Ferguson's Astronomy," 2 vols. Svo. with
a vol. of plates. The notes and supplementaryichapters of
this work, written by Dr. Brewster, containa.!ull and com
prehensive detail of all the modern discoveries in this seir
©nee.— "Bonnycastle's Introduction to Astronomy," 1 vol.
8vo.— La Place's " System of the World," 2 vols. 8ro.—

APPENDIX. 395
Dr. Olinthus Gregory's Astronomy, 1 vol 8vo. — Mrs. Bry
an's " System of Astronomy," Svo.-^-Dr. Mylne's " Ele
mentary Treatis^ on Astronomy," 8vo. — Adam's " Astro
nomical and Geographical Essays," Svo. — Philips' " Eight
Familiar Lectures on Astronomy," 12mo. — Squire's
"Grammar of /Astronomy," 1 thick vol. 18mo'. closely
printed, and illustrated with 35 plates. — The " Wonders of
the Heavens,'* 12mo. This work contains a popular view
ofthe principal facts of Astronomy, and is illustrated with
50 elegant engravings, of a variety of interesting objects
connected with the scenery of the heavens ; but its discus
sions are too frequently blended with the peculiarities of a
modern physical theory. — Martin's " Gentleman and La
dy's Philosophy," vol. 1. — Derham's " Astro-Theology,"
and Whiston 's " Astronomical Principles of Religion,"
8vo. — Baxter's " Matho," 2 vols. &c. — An elegant and
comprehensive outline of the leading facts of astronomy, in
their relation to Revealed Religion, will be found in Dr.
Chalmers' " Discourses on the Christian Revelation, view
ed in connection with the Modern Astronomy," 8vo. — The
general reader, in commencing his study of this science,
will find Bonnycastle's " Introduction" a very interesting
work. It is written in an elegant and animated style, and
is agreeably interspersed with a number of appropriate re
flections ; but it is deficient in tbe detail of modern disco
veries. He might next proceed to the perusal of Ferguson,
Gregory, Squire, &c. La Place's work contains a beauti
ful exposition of the Newtonian System, but it is glaringly
deficient in a reference to the Wisdom and Agency of a
Supreme Intelligence. " An undevout astronomer ismad."
Baxter's " Matho," contains a popular and interesting view
of this subject, and forms a striking contrast to the apathy
of La Place, who carefully keeps out of view the agency
of the Qreator — the main design of this author being to
connectlhe phenomena of the heavens and the earth with
the attributes of Deity, and the high destination pf immor
tal minds. Though this work passed through /three edi
tions, it does not §eem to have been appreciated' according
to its merits. As it'has now become scarce, a new edition,
with notes, containing a detail of modern discoveries,
might be an acceptable'present to the public. Those who
wish to prosecute this subject to a greater extent, may be

396 APPENDIX.
referred to " Long's Astronomy," 2 vols. 4to. — Robinson's
"Mechanical Philosophy," vol. l.-r-Vince's " Complete
System of Astronomy," 3 vols. 4to. — "La Lande Asttq^
noniie," 3 vols. 4to.— and Biot's " Traite Elementaire
d'Astronomie Physique." A. comprehensive work oC
Descriptive Astronomy, detailing, in a popular manner, all
the facts which have been ascertained respecting the scene
ry of the heavens, accompanied with a variety of striking
delineations, and interspersed with appropriate moral i*-
flections, accommodated to the general reader, is adesider
ratum. SELECT BOOKS ON NATURAL PHILOSOPHY.
Hauy's " Elementary treatise on Natural Philosophy,"
translated by Dr. 0. Gregory, 2 vols. 8vo. This transla*
tion contains a number of valuable notes by the translator.
: — Ferguson's " Lectures on Select Subjects in Mecha*
nics," &c; by Dr. Brewster, 2 vols. 8vo. with a vol. of
plates. The Appendix to this work by Dr. Brewster, con
tains a mass of valuable information on Mechanics, Hy
draulics, Dialling, and the construction of Optical Instru
ments ; besides a variety of illustrative notes interspersed
through the body of the work. Anew edition of this work,
comprising a detailed account of the repent discoveries in
Experimental. Philosophy, has been lately published. — ¦
Nicholson's " Introduction to Natural Philosophy," 2 vols.
Svo.— Cavallo's " Complete Treatise on Natural and Ex
perimental Philosophy," 4 vols. 8vo. — Martin's " Philo-
sophia Britannica," 3 vols. 8vo. His " Gentleman and
Lady's Philosophy," 3 vols. 8vo. and his Philosophical
Grammar," 1 vol. 8vo. — Gregory's "Economy of Nature,"
3 vols. Svo. and his " Lectures on Experimental Philoso
phy, Astronomy, and Chemistry," 2 vols. 12mo.— j&yce's,
" Letters on Experimental Philosophy," 2 vols. Jl2mo.— *
and his " Scientific Dialogues," 6 vols. 18mo„S-Adam's
" Lectures on Natural and Experimental Philosophy," 4
vols. 8vo. with a vol. of plates. — Young's**" Lectures on
Natural Philosophy," 2 vols. 8vo. — ijjafker's system of
" Familiar Philosophy," 4to. in 12 lectures, with 47 quarto
engravings.— Conversations on Natural Philosophy, by
the Author of Conversations on Chemistry, 1 thick vol.
12mo. with 23 engravings. — Blair's " Grammar of Natu*

APPENDIX. 397
ral and Experimental Philosophy," especially the late edi
tions, contains (at a small price) a comprehensive view of
the principal departments of Philosophy, including Astro
nomy,' Geology, /Chemistry, Meteorology, &c. — Euler's
" Letters to a German Princess," 2 vols. 8vo. contains a
popular view of the most interesting subjects connected
with natural and Experimental Philosophy, Logic, and
Ethics. This work is distinguished by a vein of dignified
and scriptural piety, which runs through every part of it.
Euler was one ofthe most distinguished Philosophers and
Mathematicians of his day. He died in 1783, at the age
of 77. A new edition of this work, with notes by Dr.
Brewster, has been lately published. These notes are ex
cellent, so far as they extend ; but it is to be regretted that
they are so sparingly distributed, and that the passages
-suppressed by M.Condorcet, and De la Croix, which were
restored by Dr. Hunter, who translated the work, and the
¦notes of the French and English editors, are, for the, most
¦part, discarded. Notwithstanding^ the numerous excellent
treatises which are to be found on thissubject, a comprehen
sive work' on experimental Philosophy; .blended with
-sketches of those parts of natural history, which are con
nected with it, and enlivened with appropriate reflections
on the peculiar agencies of Deity, which appear in the-va-
rious processes of nature — is still wanting- to interest the
general reader, and '-to attract his attention to this depart
ment of knowledge. Were philosophers in their discus
sions of natural science, more frequently to advert to the
agency ofthe Deity, and to point out the Religious and
jBhilanthropic purposes to which modern discoveries bright
ne applied, they might be the means of promoting, at the
sameltime, the interests both of science and of religion ;
hy alluring generalreaders to direct their attention to such
subjects kand by removing those groundless prejudices
¦which a great proportion of the Christian world still en
tertain against philosophical studies. About the period
*when Boyle, Ray, Derham, Nieuwentyt, Whiston, Addi-
kon, the Abbe Phache, and other Christian Philosophers
flourished, more attention seems to have been, paid to this
¦object than at present.'' Since tbe middle ol the last cen
tury, the piety of philosophers appears to have beengreatly
on the decline. It is to be hoped that it is now beginning

398 APPENDIX.
to experience a revival. But, whatever may be the vary
ing sentiments and feelings of mere philosophers, in refer
ence to the agencies of the material system — " all the
works of God invariably speak of their Author," to the
humble and enlightened Christian ; and if he be -direct^
to contemplate the order of nature, with an eye of intellPl
gence, he will never be at a loss to trace the. footsteps and
the attributes of his Father and his God. '
SELECT BOOKS ON CHEMISTRY. .
Davy's Elements of Chemical Philosophy, 8vo. — Ure's
Dictionary of Chemistry, on the basis of Mi. Nicholson's,
one large vol. Svo.— ^Henry's Epitome of Chemistry, 2 vols.
8vo. — Accum's Chemistry, 2 vols. 8vo.— Thomson's Sys
tem of Chemistry, 4 vols. 8vo. — Murray's System of Che
mistry, 4 -vols. 8vovand Appendix. — Kerr's translation of
Lavoisier's Elements of Chemistry, 8vo. — Chaptal's Che
mistry, applied to the Arts, 4 vols. Svo. — Fourcroy's Che
mistry, 4 vols. — Aecum's " Chemical Amusements," and
Griffin's " Chemical Recreations," contain a description of
a variety of interesting chemical facts, and amusing expe
riments. — Gurney's " Lectures on the Elements of Che
mical Sciense," 8vo. — Mackenzie's " One/ Thousand TEx-
periments in Chemistry," &c. — Mitchell's "Dictionary of
Chemistry." — Conversations on Chemistry, by a Lady, 2
vols.| 12mo. — Joyce's Dialogues on Chemistry, 2 vols.
18mo. — Parkes' " Rudiments of Chemistry," 18mo. and
his " Chemical Catechism," 8vo. — The four works last
mentioned may be recommended as popular introductions
to the study of this science. Parkes' " Rudiments" and
" Catechism" are distinguished by their constant reference
to the agency of the Deity, and by the anxiety which the
author displays to fix the attention of his readers on the
evidences of benevolent design which appear, in the con
stitution of nature. The numerous notes appended to the
"Chemical Catechism," embody a great variety of inte-,
resting facts in reference to the economy of nature, and
. the processes ofthe arts. To this amiable and intelligent
writer I feel indebted for several of the chemical facts sta
ted in this volume. THE END.

YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

3 9002 08867 6250