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The Christian Philosopher; or, Science and Religion

Section II — Illustrations of the omnipotence of the deity

Section II
Illustrations of the omnipotence of the deity

In order to elucidate more distinctly what has been now stated, I shall select a few illustrations page 17 of some of the natural attributes of the Deity. And, in the first place, I 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 everything that does not imply a contradiction—however far it may transcend the comprehension 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 toward man, in the early ages of the world—When he overwhelmed the earth with a 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 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 in the ordinary movements of the material 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 fullness and sufficiency of the Scripture Revelation; for that revelation, as having a special reference 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 we 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 the Deity, as to bear testimony to the Divine 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 thousands 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 appropriate 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 the facts which have been observed in the material world, respecting magnitude and motion.

In the first place, the immense quantity of matter contained 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 is at a loss where to begin or to end its excursions. In order to form something approximating to a well-defined idea, we must pursue a train of thought commencing with those magnitudes which the mind can easily grasp, proceeding through all the higher gradations of magnitude, and fixing the attention on every portion of the chain, until we arrive at the object or magnitude of which we wish to form a conception. We must endeavor, in the first place, to form a conception of the bulk of the world in which we dwell, which, though only a point in comparison of the whole material universe, is in reality, a most astonishing magnitude, which the mind cannot grasp without a laborious 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, to the stupendous range of the Andes in South America, or to the Himalayan mountains in India, where masses of earth and rocks, in every variety of shape, extend several hundreds of miles in different directions, and rear their projecting summits beyond the region of the clouds—we should find some difficulty in forming an adequate conception of 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 admiration, 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 compose 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 bases, and precipitated into 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 8000 miles, and its circumference about 25,000, and consequently, its surface contains nearly two hundred millions of square miles—a magnitude too great for the mind to take in at one conception. In order to form a tolerable conception of the whole, we must endeavor to take a leisurely survey of its different parts. Were we to take our station on the top of a mountain, of a moderate size, 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 circumference, and comprehending an area of 5000 square miles. In such a situation, the terrestrial scene around and beneath 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 adequate 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 magnitude now stated, to pass before us every hour, until all the diversified scenery of the earth were brought under our view and were twelve hours a-day allotted for the observation, it would require nine years and forty-eight days before the whole surface of the globe could be contemplated, even in this general and rapid manner. But, such a variety of successive landscapes page 18 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 forty miles cannot be distinctly perceived; the only view which would be satisfactory would be that which is comprehended within the range of three or four 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 terraqueous globe, and to travel until he passed along every square mile on its surface, and to continue his route without intermission, at the rate of 30 miles every day, it would require 18,264 years before he 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 on 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 the 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 of 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 habitation is furnished, conspires, with every other consideration, to exalt our conceptions of that Power by which our globe, and all that it contains, were brought into existence.

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 compose 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 indescribable mass of matter must be contained between the two opposite portions of its external circumference, reaching 8000 miles in every direction. The solid contents of this ponderous ball is no less than 263,858,149,120 cubical miles—a mass of material substance of which we can 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 ten 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. We have the strongest reasons, however, to conclude, that the earth, in its general structure, is one solid mass, from the surface to the center, excepting, perhaps, a new caverns scattered here and there amidst its subterranean recesses; 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 the globe on which we tread! The mind labors, as it were, to comprehend the mighty idea, and, after all its exertion, 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 hollow of his hand, who weigheth the mountains in scales, and hangeth the earth upon nothing!”

It is essentially requisite, before proceeding to the survey of objects and magnitudes of a superior order, that we should endeavor, by such a train of thought as the preceding, 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 magnitude 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 conception of magnitudes still more august and astonishing. When we contemplate 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 1400 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 2500 times greater than that of the earth. The sun itself is 520 times larger than all the planetary globes taken together; and one million three hundred thousand times larger than the terraqueous globe. This is one of the most glorious and magnificent visible objects which either the eye or the imagination can contemplate; especially when we consider, what perpetual, and incomprehensible, and powerful influence it exerts—what warmth, and beauty, and activity it diffuses, not only on the globe we inhabit, but over the more extensive regions of surrounding worlds. Its energy extends to the utmost limits of the planetary system—to the planet Herschel which revolves at the distance of 1800 millions of miles from its surface, and there it dispenses light, and color, 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 bewildered in its conceptions of magnitude, when it has advanced scarcely a single step in its page 19 excursions through the material world. For it is highly probable, that all the matter contained within the limits of the solar system, incomprehensible as its magnitude appears, bears a smaller proportion to the whole mass of the material universe, than a single grain of sand to all the particles of matter contained in the body of the sun and his attending planets.

If we extend our views from the solar system to the starry heavens, we have to penetrate, in our imagination, a space which the swiftest ball that was ever projected, though in perpetual motion, would not traverse in ten hundred thousand years. In those trackless regions of immensity, we behold an assemblage of resplendent globes, similar to the sun in size and in glory, and doubtless accompanied 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 inferior to our 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 reason, concluded to be a sun, no less spacious than ours, surrounded by a host of planetary globes, which revolve around it as a center, and derive from it light and heat and comfort. Nearly a thousand of these luminaries may be seen in a clear winter night by the naked eye; so that a mass of matter equal to a thousand solar systems, or to thirteen hundred and twenty millions of globes of the size of the 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 enabled us to descry in certain spaces in the heavens, thousands 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 minutes; so that “in one quarter of an hour's time there passed no less than one hundred and sixteen 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 instruments, were all the regions of the 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 beyond the utmost limits of mortal view, into which even imagination itself can scarcely penetrate, and which are, doubtless, replenished with the operations of Divine Wisdom and Omnipotence. For it cannot be supposed that a being so diminutive as man, whose stature scarcely exceeds 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 empire of Him who fills immensity, and dwells in “light inapproachable.” That portion of his dominions, however, 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 reverence, 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 subtile disquisitions on thy character and perfections, and have been but little affected; “but now mine eye seeth thee: wherefore I humble myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”

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 scene it contemplates, and on the various objects of which it is composed. It must add 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 eighty millions, and eighty millions with all the boundless 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, until 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 objects with which it is adorned: it must endeavor to survey the many thousands of diversified landscapes which the earth exhibits—the hills and plains, the lakes and rivers and mountains, which stretch in endless variety over its surface: it must dive into the vast caverns of the ocean—penetrate into the subterraneous regions of the globe, and wing its way, amidst clouds and tempests, through the 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 descried neither by the naked eye nor by the telescope; 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, until 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 Nebulæ to another, until it arrive 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 firmaments, where the operations of infinite power and beneficence are displayed, in endless

* For an account of the Nebulæ, see ch. ii, Art. Astronomy.

page 20 variety, throughout the illimitable 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 directed. By his Almighty fiat, it emerged from nothing into existence, and is continually supported from age to age. “He spake, and it was dòne; 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 far transcending 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 to conclude that there are powers and energies in the Divine mind which have never yet been exerted, and which may 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 contemplations, must have a mind incapable of ardent religious emotions, and unqualified for appreciating the grandeur of that Being “whose kingdom ruleth over all.” And shall such ennobling views be completely withheld from a Christian audience? Shall it be considered as a matter of mere indifference whether their views of the Creator's works be limited to the sphere of a few miles around them, or extended to ten thousand worlds?—whether they shall be left to view 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 brilliant studs fixed in the arch of heaven, at a few miles’ distance, or, as extending through the boundless dimensions of space?—whether they shall be left to entertain no higher idea of the Divine Majesty than what may be due to one of the superior orders of the seraphim or cherubim; or, whether they shall be directed to form the most august conceptions of the King eternal, immortal, and invisible, corresponding to the displays he has given of his glory in his visible works? If it be not, both reason and piety require that such illustrations of the Divine perfections should occasionally be exhibited to their view.

In the next place, the rapid motions of the great bodies of the universe, no less than their magnitudes, display the 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 those which lie beyond the general range of our minute inspection. We can acquire a pretty accurate conception of the velocity of a ship impelled by the wind—of a steamboat—of a race-horse—of a bird darting through the air—of an arrow flying from a bow—and of the clouds when impelled by a stormy wind. The velocity of a ship is from 8 to 12 miles an hour,—of a race-horse, from 20 to 30 miles,—of a bird, say from 50 to 60 miles, and of the clouds, in a violent hurricane, from 80 to 100 miles an hour. The motion of a ball from a loaded cannon is incomparably swifter than any of the motions now stated: but of the velocity of such a body we have a less accurate idea; because, its rapidity being so great, we cannot trace it distinctly by the eye through its whole range, from the 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 enormous 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 planet Jupiter, in describing its 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 bodies, and about the same size as the earth, is found to move through the spaces of the firmament at the rate of 76,000 miles an hour; and the planet Mercury, with a velocity of no less than 105,000 miles an hour, or 1750 miles in a minute—a motion two hundred times swifter than that of a cannon ball.

These velocities will appear still more astonishing, if we consider the magnitude of the 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 of only a few inches in diameter; but one of the bodies, whose motion has been just now stated, is eighty-nine thousand miles in diameter, and would comprehend within 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 produce an impression of awe, and even of terror, beyond the power of language to express. The earth contains a mass of matter equal in weight to at least 2,200,000,000,000,000,000,000, or more than two thousand trillions of tons, supposing its mean density to be only about 2 1/2 times greater than water. To move this ponderous mass, a single inch beyond its position, were it fixed in a quiescent state, would require a mechanical force almost beyond the power of numbers to express. The physical force of all the myriads of intelligences within the bounds of the planetary system, though their powers were far superior to those of man, would be altogether inadequate to the production of such a motion. How much more must be the force requisite to impel it with a velocity one hundred 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 its actual course, 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 with it two stupendous rings and seven moons larger than ours, through its whole course round the central luminary. 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 page 21 of our vision—the view of such a ponderous and glorious object, flying with such amazing velocity before us, would infinitely exceed every idea of grandeur we can derive from terrestrial scenes, and overwhelm our powers with astonishment and awe. Under such an emotion, we could only exclaim, “Great and marvelous 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 surpassing what any abstract propositions or reasonings can convey; and, constrain us to exclaim, “Who is a strong Lord like unto thee! Thy right hand has become glorious in power! The Lord God omnipotent reigneth!”

If we consider the immense number of bodies thus impelled through the vast spaces of the universe—the rapidity 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 its attendant planets and comets, is impelled with a still greater degree of velocity toward some distant region 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 nebulæ in the heavens are moving around some magnificent central body,—in short, that all the suns and worlds in the universe are in rapid and perpetual motion, as constituent portions of one grand and boundless empire, of which Jehovah is the Sovereign—and if we consider still further, that all these mighty movements have been going on, without intermission, during the course of many centuries, and some of them, perhaps, for myriads of ages before the foundation of our world was laid—it is impossible for the human mind to form any adequate idea of the stupendous forces which are in incessant operation throughout the unlimited empire of the Almighty. To estimate such mechanical force, even in a single instance, completely 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 upward to search for the cause in that Omnipotent Being who upholds the pillars of the universe—the thunder of whose power none can comprehend.

While contemplating such august objects, how emphatic and impressive appears the language of the Sacred Oracles: “Canst thou by searching find out God? Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? Great things doth he which we cannot comprehend. Thine, O 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 Lord, the Creator of all things, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. Let all the earth fear the Lord, let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him; for he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.”

Again, the immense spaces which surround the heavenly bodies, and in which they perform their revolutions, tend to expand our conceptions on this subject, and to illustrate the magnificence of the Divine operations. In whatever point of view we contemplate the scenery of the heavens, an idea of grandeur irresistibly bursts upon the mind; and if empty space can, in any sense, be considered as an object of sublimity, nothing can fill the mind with a grander idea of magnitude and extension than the amplitude of the scale on which planetary systems are constructed. Around the body of the sun there is allotted a cubical space, 3600 millions of miles in diameter, in which eleven planetary globes revolve—every one being separated from another, by intervals of many millions of miles. The space which surrounds the utmost limits of our system, extending, in every direction, to the nearest fixed stars, is at least 40,000,000,000,000, or forty billions of miles in diameter; and, it is highly probable, that every star is surrounded by a space of equal or even of greater extent. A body impelled with 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 years ere 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 such as neither words can express, nor imagination fathom. These immense spaces are as unfathomable, on the one hand, as the magnitude of the bodies which move in them, and their prodigious velocities are incomprehensible, on the other; and they form a part of those magnificent proportions according to which the fabric of universal nature was arranged—all corresponding to the majesty of that infinite and incomprehensible Being, “who measures the ocean in the hollow of his hand, and meteth out the heavens 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, should raise 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 distribute light, and heat, and color, through every region of the globe! yea, that its 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 contemplated, we perceive the same grand scale of operation by which the Almighty has arranged the provinces of his universal kingdom.

We would now ask, in the name of all that is sacred, whether such magnificent manifestations of Deity 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 consist 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 inapproachable—if they have a tendency to assist the mind in forming its conceptions of that ineffable Being, whose uncreated glory cannot be directly contemplated—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 the works of the Lord, and contemn the operations of his hands, and that too in the page 22 face of all the invitations on this subject addressed to us from heaven? For thus saith Jehovah—“Lift up your eyes on high, and behold, who hath created these things—who bringeth forth their host by number?—I the Lord, who maketh all things, who stretched forth the heavens alone, and spread abroad the earth by myself; all their host have I commanded.” And if, at the command of God, we lift our eyes to the “firmament of his power,” surely we ought to do it not with a “brute unconscious 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 which modern science has thrown upon the scenery of the sky, in order that we may contemplate, with fixed attention, all that enlightened reason, aided by the nicest observations, has ascertained respecting the magnificence of the celestial 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 of 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 him a less share of homage and adoration than is due to his name.

Perhaps some may be disposed to insinuate, that the views now stated are above the level of ordinary comprehension, and founded too much on scientific considerations, to be stated in detail to a common audience. To any insinuations of this kind it may be replied, that such illustrations as those to which we have referred, are more easily comprehended than many of those abstract discussions to which they are frequently accustomed; since they are definite and tangible, being derived from those objects which strike the 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 sufficiently simple, clear, and well-defined; and should they be at a loss to comprehend the principles on which the conclusions 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 observation and reasoning on such subjects—which are too frequently directed to far less important objects.

The following illustration, however, stands clear of every objection of 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, planets, comets, stars, or the whole frame of the universe, move around the earth in the same time. There is no alternative, or third opinion, that can be formed on this point. If the earth revolve on its axis every twenty-four 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 a mass of two hundred and sixty-four thousand millions of cubical miles, should whirl round 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 the earth be called in question, or denied, the idea of force, or power, will be indefinitely increased.—For, in this case, it must necessarily be admitted that the heavens, with all the innumerable hosts of stars, have a diurnal motion around our globe; 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 overwhelming than any of the views already stated, and we dare not presume to assert that such a degree of physical force is beyond the limits of Infinite perfection: but on the supposition it existed, it would con found all our ideas of the wisdom and intelligence of the Divine mind, and would appear altogether inconsistent with the character which the Scriptures give us of the Deity as “the only-wise God.” For it would exhibit a stupendous system of means altogether disproportioned to the end intended; namely, to produce the alternate succession of day and night to the inhabitants of our globe, which is more beautifully and harmoniously effected by a single rotation on its axis, as is the case with the other globes which compose the planetary system. Such considerations, however, show 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 with ideas of power, grandeur, and magnificence. And, therefore, when an inquiring mind is directed to contemplate the works of God, on any hypothesis it may choose, it has a tendency to rouse reflection, and to stimulate the exercise of the 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 of the Deity, derived from the system of the material world, or those vague and metaphysical disquisitions which are generally given in theological systems, be most calculated to impress the 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 been considered as a judicious and orthodox divine:—

“God is Almighty.† This will evidently appear, in that, if he be infinite in all his other perfections, he must be so in power; thus, if he be

* See Appendix, Note 1.

page 23 omniscient, 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 power, or almighty. Again, this might be argued from his justice, either in rewarding or punishing; for, if he were not infinite in power, he could do neither of these, at least so far us to render him the object of that desire or fear, 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.* But since power is visible in, and demonstrated by its effects, and infinite power by those effects which cannot be produced by a creature, we may observe the almighty 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; 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 glory of his power is no less visible in the works of providence, where by 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.”

This is the whole that Dr. Ridgely judges it necessary to state in illustration of the attribute of Omnipotence, except what he says in relation to its operation in “the work of grace,” in “the propagation and success of the Gospel,” etc.; subjects to which the idea of power, or physical energy, does not properly apply. Such however, are the meager 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,” etc.; an application of the term which is never sanctioned by Scripture, and which has a tendency to introduce confusion into our conceptions of the perfections 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? Would an ignorant person feel his conception of the Divinity much enlarged, or his moral powers aroused by such vague and general statements? And, if not, it appears somewhat unaccountable, that those sources of illustration which would convey the most ample and definite views of the “eternal power” and glory of God, should be studiously concealed from the view.—Vague descriptions and general views of any object will never be effectual in awakening the attention and arresting the faculties of the mind. The heart will always remain unimpressed, and the understanding will never be thoroughly excited in its exercise, 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 relation to the material world, whether it be viewed in connection with religion or with any other subject.

Thus, I have endeavored, in the preceding sketches, to present a few detached illustrations of the Omnipotence and grandeur of the Deity, as displayed in the vast magnitude of the material universe—the stupendous velocities of the celestial bodies—and in the immeasurable regions of space which surround them, and in which their motions are performed. Such a magnificent spectacle as the fabric of the universe presents—so majestic, godlike, and overwhelming, to beings who dwell “in tabernacles of clay”—was surely never intended to be overlooked, or to be gazed 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 the infinite glories of his nature, in so far as material objects can be supposed to adumbrate the perfections of a spiritual and uncreated Essence. Dwelling in light “inaccessible” to mortals, and forever vailed from the highest created being, by the pure spirituality and immensity of his nature, there is no conceivable mode by which the infinite grandeur of Deity could be exhibited to finite intelligences, but through the medium of those magnificent operations which are incessantly going forward throughout the boundless 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 most glorious idea of the Divine Being, which the limited 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 bewilders the human intellect, so that its conceptions, on the one hand, are apt to verge toward extravagancy, while, on the other, they are apt to degenerate into something approaching to inanity. Mere abstract ideas and reasonings respecting 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 expansion. 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 dwelling in bodies of clay, a definite conception of the invisible glories of the Eternal Mind; and, therefore, in the immense variety of material existence with which the 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 per-

* Isaiah xlvi. 11.

Romans i. 20.

Ridgely's Body of Divinity, p. 39.

page 24 plexed
and overwhelmed with its conceptions, when it labors, as it were, to form 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 those distant 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 describing himself by the effects which his power and wisdom 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.” “I have made the earth and created man upon it, my hands have stretched out the heavens, and all their hosts have I commanded. Hearken unto me, O Israel: I am the first, I also am the last. Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath 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 a span, and weighed the mountains in scales? He who sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens 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 ruteth over all.”* Such sublime descriptions of Jehovah, and references to his material works, are reiterated in every portion of the 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 unvailed in the distant regions of creation.

This subject is calculated, not merely to overpower the intellect with an idea of sublimity and grandeur, but also to produce deep moral impressions upon the heart; and a Christian philosopher would be deficient in his duty were he to overlook this tendency of the objects of his contemplation.

One important moral effect which this subject has a natural tendency to produce, is, profound Humility. 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 is 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 intended “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 mortals 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 supercilious contempt? He derived his origin from the dust, he is allied to the beasts that perish, and he is fast hastening 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 dependent even on the meanest of his species for his accommodations 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 an 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 circumscribed within the narrowest limits, his errors and follies are glaring and innumerable; and he stands as an almost undistinguishable atom, amidst the immensity of God's works Still, with all these powerful inducements to the exercise of humility, man dares to be proud and arrogant:

“Man, proud man,
Dress'd in a little brief authority,
Plays such fantastic tricks before high heaven,
As make the angels weep.”

How affecting to contemplate the warrior, flushed with 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 the sword, my hand shall destroy them”—to behold the man of rank glorying in his wealth, and his empty titles, and looking around upon the inferior orders of his fellow-mortals as the worms of the dust—to behold the man of ambition pushing his way through bribery, and treachery, and slaughter, to gain possession of a throne, that he may look down with proud pre-eminence upon his fellows—to behold the haughty airs of the noble dame, inflated with the idea of her beauty, and her high birth, as she struts along, surveying the ignoble crowd, as if they were the dust beneath her feet—to behold the smatterer in learning, puffed up with a vain conceit of his superficial acquirements, when he has scarcely entered the porch of knowledge,—in fine, to behold all ranks, from the highest to the lowest, big with an idea of their own importance, and fired with pride and revenge at the least provocation, whether imaginary 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 universe, intelligences of a superior order, in whose breasts pride never found a place—to whom this globe of ours, and all its inhabitants, appear as inconsiderable as a drop of water, filled with microscopic animalcules, 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 earth as grasshoppers; yea, they are as 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, until 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

* Isaiah xlv. 17, 18, 12; xlviii. 12, 13; xl. 12, 22, etc.

page 25 scenes of grandeur they exhibit—could we also mingle with the pure and exalted intelligences which people those resplendent abodes, and behold their humble and ardent adorations of their Almighty Maker, their benign and condescending deportment toward one another; “each esteeming another better than himself,” and all united in the bonds of the purest affection, without one haughty or discordant feeling—what indignation and astonishment would seize us on our return to this obscure corner of creation, to behold beings enveloped in the mists 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 to view them, as we now do those bedlamites, 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.” How 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 to 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 spirit 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 cultivate humility and self-abasement. This was one of the lessons which the pious Psalmist deduced from his survey of the nocturnal heavens. When he beheld the moon walking in brightness, and the innumerable host of stars—overpowered with a sense of his own insignificance, and 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 him!”

Again, this subject is also calculated to inspire us with Reverence and Veneration of God. Profound veneration of the Divine Being lies at the foundation of all religious worship and obedience. But, in order to reverence God aright, we must know him; and, in order to acquire the true knowledge of him, we must contemplate him through the medium of those works and dispensations, by which he displays the glories of his nature to the inhabitants of our world. I have already exhibited a few specimens of the stupendous operations of his power, in that portion of the system of the universe which lies open to our inspection; and there is, surely, no mind in which the least spark of piety exists, but must feel strong emotions of reverence and awe, at the thought of that Almighty and Incomprehensible Being, who impels the huge masses of the 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 manifestations of Deity which are confined to the globe we inhabit, when attentively considered, are calculated to rouse, even the unthinking mind, to astonishment and awe. The lofty mountains, and expansive plains, the mass of waters in 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 groun[gap — reason: unclear]—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 burneth up his enemies.”—“Let all the earth fear the Lord, let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.”

There is one reason, among others, why the bulk of mankind 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 sentiment in our hearts, we must familiarize our minds to frequent excursions over all those scenes of Creation and Providence, which the volume of nature, and the volume of inspiration, unfold to view. We must endeavor to assist our conceptions of 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 comprehensive 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 cannon ball. Suppose that one of the highest order of intelligences is endowed with a power of rapid motion superior to that of light, and with a corresponding degree of intellectual energy; that he has been flying, without intermission, from one province of creation to another, for six thousand years, and will continue the same rapid course for a thousand millions of years to come; it is 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, bear no more proportion to the whole Empire of Omnipotence, than the smallest grain of sand does to all the particles of matter of the same size contained in ten thousand worlds. Nor need we entertain the least fear, that the idea of the extent of the Creator's power, conveyed by such a representation, exceeds the bounds of reality. On the other hand, it must fall almost infinitely short of it. For, as the poet has justly observed—

“Can man conceive beyond what God can do?”

Were a seraph, in prosecuting the tour of creation in the manner now stated, ever to arrive at a limit beyond which no further 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 of Omnipotence, and that no further manifestations of the Divine glory remained to be explored. But we may rest assured, that this can never happen in the case of any created intelligence. We have every reason to believe, both from the nature of an Infinite Being, and from the vast extent 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 off spring, a shadow, an emblem, or a representation (in so far as finite extended existence can be a page 26 representation) of the Infinite Perfections of his nature, which would otherwise have remained forever impalpable to all subordinate intelligences.

In this manner, then, might we occasionally exercise our minds on the grand and diversified objects which the universe exhibits; and, in proportion as we enlarge the sphere of our contemplations, in a similar proportion will our views of God himself be extended, and a corresponding sentiment of veneration impressed upon the mind. For the soul of man cannot reverence a mere abstract being, that was never manifested through a sensible medium, however many lofty terms may be used to describe his perfections. It reverences that Ineffable being, who conceals himself behind the scenes of Creation, through the medium of the visible display he exhibits of his Powers 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 which 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 attributes which he is now known to possess. Accordingly, we find in the sacred writings, that, when a sentiment of reverence is demanded from the sons of men, those sensible objects which are calculated to excite the emotion are uniformly exhibited. “Fear ye not me, saith the Lord? Will ye not tremble at my presence, who have placed the sand for the bound of the sea, by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it; and though the waves thereof toss themselves, 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 everlasting 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 vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth, thou makest lightnings with rain, and bringest forth the winds out of thy treasuries.”*

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 intellectual world yet discovered by us, or by all the mighty achievements by which human redemption was effected—attributes which have not yet been displayed, in their effects, to the highest orders of intelligent existence. And therefore, as that excellent philosopher and divine, the honorable Mr. Boyle, has well observed, “Our ideas of God, however great, will rather express the greatness of our veneration than the immensity of his perfections; and the notions worthy the most intelligent men are far short of being worthy the incomprehensible God—the brightest idea we can frame of God being infinitely inferior, and no more than a Parhelion in respect of the sun; for 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.”

In short, were we habitually to cherish that profound veneration of God which his works are calculated to inspire, 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 mathematician would talk about the properties of a triangle, or a philosopher about the effects of a mechanical engine; nor would we treat with a spirit of levity any of the solemn 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 marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty, 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 the 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 prospect of that eternal existence which lies before us. The period of our existence in this terrestrial scene will soon terminate, and those bodies, through which we now hold a correspondence with the visible creation, crumble into dust. The gradual decay, and the ultimate dissolution of human bodies, 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 crowd upon the mind which appear repugnant to the idea, that beauty shall again spring out of ashes, and life out of the 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 impair'd
Through length of days.—And what he can, he will;
His faithfulness stands bound to see it done.“—Blair.

We perceive that he has created systems in such vast profusion that no man can number them. The worlds every moment under his superintendence and direction are unquestionably far more numerous than all the human beings who have hitherto existed, or will yet exist until the close of time. And if he has not only arranged the general 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 intellectual 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 requisite for the construction of the Resurrection-body will be reassembled for this purpose “by the energy of that mighty power whereby he is able

* Jeremiah x. 7–13.

A Parhelion, or Mock-Sun, is a meteor in the form of a very bright light appearing on one side of the sun, and some what resembling the appearance of that luminary. This phenomenon is supposed to be produced by the refraction and reflection of the sun's rays from a watery cloud. Some times three or four of these parhelia, all of them bearing a certain resemblance to the real sun, have been seen at one time.

page 27 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 of worlds 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 superintendence 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 conflagration 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 of the Divine empire which science has unfolded, throws a radiance over the scenes of futurity, which is fraught with consolation, in the view of “the wreck of matter and the crash of worlds.” It opens to us a prospect of perpetual improvement in knowledge and felicity; it presents a field in which the human faculties may be forever 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 happiness of the eternal state will not consist in an unvaried repetition of the same perceptions 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 arrangements of systems of worlds, are also displayed in supporting. and providing for the smallest microscopic animalcules, 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, his essence pervades, actuates, and supports the whole frame of universal nature, and all the beings it contains, so that he is as intimately present with every created being, whether sensitive or intellectual, as that being is to itself. And as he is Omniscient, he is conscious of every movement that can arise in the material system, and of every thought and purpose that can pervade the world of intellectual existence,—and consequently his superintendence and care must extend to every creature he has formed. Therefore, though 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 anew earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”