that, while it has advanced about ten days farther in its path, than would otherwise have been the case, the time of its revolution has been diminished by about two days.

Now, the very same power of resistance, which acts so perceptibly on this unsubstantial body, must act also on every other body which passes through the same medium; and, however small the effect produced may be, it must be something, which, though not, perhaps, suf ficient to produce any sensible effect on those more solid bodies, for many centuries, must yet, in reference tora period of eternal duration, be sufficient to derange, and finally to destroy, the whole system. As yet, no retardation of the planetary bodies has been observed, which could be referred to the existence of a resisting medium, because our observations extend to a period too limited; but this may only prove the extreme remoteness of the final catastrophe." It may be millions of millions of years," says the distinguished author, whom we chiefly follow in this part of our work, before the earth's retardation may perceptibly affect the apparent motion of the sun; but still the day will come (if the same Provi→ dence which formed the system, should permit it to con tinue so long), when this cause will entirely change the length of the year, and the course of our seasons, and finally stop the earth's motion round the sun altogether! The smallness of the resistance, however small we choose to suppose it, does not allow us to escape this certainty. There is a resisting medium; and therefore the movements of the solar system cannot go on for ever. The moment such a fluid, is known to exist, the eternity of the movements of the planets becomes as impossible as a perpetual motion on the earth.”*

The obvious use to be made of the fact now stated is, that our present system of things, which must have an end, must also have had a beginning. There must have been a period in which the impulse, now proceeding, ori ginated. A period of commencement implies a cause ;

* Whewell's Bridgewater Treatise, p. 200.

b

the order and regularity of the system implies an Intelligent Cause and thus the idea of ige Creator is forced upon us, and, instead of an eternal operation of mecha nical powers, and an eternal succession of organized existences, which is the dream of the atheist, we see a sys" tem, glorious with the impress of a Divine hand, and rejoicing in the smile of a present Deity! av T

An ingenious living writer, after attributing the resist ing medium to the remains of the nebulous matter out of which, according to Laplace's theory, the whole universe has originally been formed, concludes his account of the disturbing effects of that medium with the following striking observations: il bas tiriqe dire ultour "The idea of the ultimate dissolution of the solar sys tem has usually been felt as painful, and forcibly resisted by philosophers. When Newton saw no end to the deranging effect of the common' planetary perturbations, he called for the special interference of the Almighty to avert the catastrophe; and great was the rejoicing when a recent analyst descried a memorable power of conservation in our system's constituent phenomena. But, after all, why should it be painful? Absolute permanence is visible nowhere around us; and the fact of change merely intimates, that, in the exhaustless womb of the future, unevolved wonders are in store. The phenomena referred to would simply point to the close of one mighty cycle in the history of the solar orb,-the passing away of arrangements which have fulfilled their objects, that they might be changed into new. Thus is the periodic death of a plant perhaps the essential to its prolonged life, and when the individual dies and disappears, fresh and vigorous forms spring from the elements which composed it. Mark the chrysalis! It is the grave of the worm, but the cradle of the sunborn insect. The broken bowl will yet be healed and beautified by the potter; and a voice of joyful note will awaken one day, even the silence of the urn.

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'Nay, what though all should pass? What though

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the close of this epoch, in the history of the solar orb should be accompanied, as some, by a strange fondness, have imagined, by the dissolution and disappearing of all these shining spheres? Then would our universe not have failed in its functions, but only been gathered; up and rolled away, these functions being complete, That gorgeous material framework wherewith the Eter nal hath adorned and varied the abysses of space, is only an instrument by which the myriads of spirits borne upon its orbs, may be told of their origin, and educated, for more exalted being; and a time may come, when the veil can be drawn aside, when spinit shall converse dit rectly with spirit, and the creature gaze without hinder ance on the effulgent face of the Creator." sobi ofT → by Dr Nichollaron be ΠΡΙ the Architecture of the Heavens! 1891 work containing a beautiful popular view of the recent discoveries of the two Herschels, and other modern astronomers, published in June, 1837,

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FIFTH WEEK-SUNDAY.

DIVINE AND HUMAN KNOWLEDGE COMPARED.

WHEN the philosopher compares his knowledge of external nature with that of his fellow-men not conversant with such high studies, there is danger of his becoming vain of his attainments. He has unbarred the gate of science, and penetrated the mysteries of creation. He follows the course of the sun, and measures the stars, and unravels the mystic changes of the planets, and discovers new worlds in distant space, and puts his finger on the law which sustains, impels, and guides the immense machine of the universe. This sounds proudly; and if we only consider the limited faculties of man, his attainments are undoubtedly worthy of admiration; but when viewed in the light of the Divine perfections, they dwindle and disappear. With reference to these, the capacity of man to acquire knowledge is extremely limited. As he advances but a few steps beyond the ordinary train of his ideas, he is lost in the immensity of his own conceptions. He has not faculties to grasp the wonders even with which he is more immediately surrounded, and how much less to form any adequate idea of the nature and character of the Self-existent. Let any man reflect, for an instant, on the divine attributes of Eternity, Infinity, Unchangeableness, and he will at once perceive how imperfectly he comprehends them. Who can do this without being awed, confounded, and bewildered?"Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it!"

But even supposing we were capable of comprehending all mysteries, and all knowledge, how extremely limited is our sphere of observation. We are placed in a remote corner of creation. What a mere atom is the world which we inhabit, compared with the universe! Even if we knew every thing under the sun,—nay, if all

the powers of nature within our planetary system, with all the transactions of the whole animated creation which it contains, lay naked and open before us, how ignorant, even then, would we be! Worlds on worlds, and systems on systems, would still be entirely unknown to us.

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But how little do we know even of the earth which we inhabit! We are confined to a little spot of this little world. How small are the British islands compared to the broad expanse of sea and land! And yet, of this diminutive region, how insignificant is the space with which we are acquainted! And even of the objects within our view, how ignorant are we! Nay, of the things with which we are most familiar, what do we know ! We observe their outward appearance, we can tell what they are to the eye, to the ear, and to to the touch; but what they are in their own nature, the greatest philosopher cannot so much as conjecture. Indeed, the very production of organized existences, is an impenetrable mystery." Who can define the secret power by which a single blossom of the spring germinates and grows, opening its beauties to the sun, and embalming the air with its perfume?

Compared with this stinted portion of knowledge, how amazing is the knowledge of God! As He made all things, He must be intimately acquainted, not only with their properties, but with their very essence. His eye, at the same instant, surveys all the works of His immeasurable creation;-He observes, not only the complicated system of the universe, but the slightest motion of the most minute microscopic insect ;—not only the sublimest conceptions of angels, but the meanest propensity of the most worthless of His creatures. At this moment, He is listening to the praises breathed by grateful hearts in distant worlds, and reading every grovelling thought which passes through the polluted minds of the fallen race of Adam.

Another difference between Divine and human knowledge, arises from the limited term of man's existence,

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VOL. I.