Изображения страниц
PDF
EPUB

Is not the earth

With various living creatures, and the air
Replenish'd, and all these at thy command
To come and play before thee?

MILTON.

THE more we search into the arrangements of Providence, with a view of ascertaining the reason why certain objects were created, and why they are found in certain localities and not in others, the more cause we shall find to admire the wisdom and goodness of the Great Creator. The adaptation, also, of various animals, fruits, and vegetables, to peculiar climates and soils, all of them necessary to the comfort and well-being of man, is not a little extraordinary. If we look at the construction of the camel, we shall find it capable of supplying the place of the cow and the sheep, as regards food and clothing, to the wild Arab of the Desert. The goat is of the same use in another district; while the Laplander is equally benefitted by the rein-deer. Wheat, that hardy plant, which retains its vital power through a long succession of ages, and is so necessary to man, will flourish in almost any climate, and in every country. I have now some in my possession, the produce of

a grain of wheat found in an Egyptian mummy. Those who have been in hot countries, speak with delight of the refreshing juice of the water-melon and other indigenous fruits, while bread, milk, and even a sort of butter are found on or in trees in other climates, as if prepared expressly to supply mankind with these necessary articles of food. We have wool, flax, cotton, and silk, for clothing; and, in the coldest countries, we find furs of the warmest kind, which are used for the same purpose. We have fuel provided in the greatest abundance, the clearest springs to quench our thirst, and various kinds of food to sustain us. That noble animal, the horse, has been created for our use and enjoyment. The cow yields us milk and butter; the ox labours for us; and the flowers of the field, and the little birds of the air, add to our gratification and pleasure.

[ocr errors]

It would be an endless task to endeavour to enumerate all the benefits bestowed by a bountiful Creator on man in the various countries of the world. Man seizes upon these gifts as his right, little mindful of the gratitude he owes to the Giver. He fells the noblest trees of the forest to build his ships he digs into the earth for iron to accelerate his passage from one place to another- his comprehensive and enquiring mind brings to light the power of steam, and thus he is enabled to make conquests and discoveries, and to draw

countries, once far distant, to a nearer and nearer approach to his own. While thus engaged in his own projects after wealth or power, he forgets that he is an agent in the hands of Him, who made all, and rules over all, and who guides this intellectual power of man, in order to fulfil His own

designs and purposes.

The effects of steam in promoting the civilization of the world, and the dissemination of religious knowledge, must be great. Whenever steam can be generated by matter more condensed than what is at present employed for that purpose, or when coal is found in intermediate stations, as it probably will be, the remotest countries will change their relative positions, and the intercourse of nations will be frequent and influential.

This intercourse, also, cannot fail, by intermarriages and other causes, to destroy the clanship of nations. The bigotry of the Mahomedan, the idolatry of the Chinese, and the false religion of the Hindoos, may all disappear before the spread of Christianity and civilization, and the intermixture of one people with another. Far removed as these events may now appear, and improbable as they may be thought, it is impossible for any reflecting mind not to see that an extraordinary revolution is now going on, which it is probable may change the whole relative position of this world, and pave

the way to the knowledge of the truth of revelation.

How much then does it become the duty of every one, however feeble his endeavours may be, to do all in his power to promote the furtherance of religion both by his precept and example. We must all of us, sooner or later, quit this scene of life and enter upon another. When that period arrives, happy will it be for those, who having wisely separated themselves from the pride, vanity, folly and allurements of the world, have enjoyed the pleasure of obeying their Maker, and done their best to promote the well-being and happiness of their fellow-creatures.

The remarks I have been making on the arrangements of Providence for the benefit of His creatures is beautifully illustrated by the following fact. In the vast prairies of the Texas, a little plant may always be found, which under all circumstances of climate, change of weather, rain, frost or sunshine, invariably turns its leaves and flowers to the north. Let us fancy a solitary traveller making his way over one of these trackless prairies to some far distant spot. He has no star to guide, no compass to direct him, but he finds the latter in a humble plant, and he pursues his way certain that it will not mislead him. This fact affords another proof, not only of the goodness of a benevolent Creator, but that the mechanical and

other discoveries of man, have not only been forestalled, but may probably all be found in the works of Nature. It is, indeed, a fundamental truth, one which cannot be controverted, and which must be apparent to every one who will take the trouble to reflect on the subject, that the Great Creator has stamped a proof of his existence, power and love, on all the works of his hand. We may see it in the smallest flower and insect, in the gummy covering of a bud, in the secretions of a bee from which the wax is made, in the light which has been afforded us, the heat which warms us, in the air we breathe, and in the food which has been so abundantly provided for us. But when we survey the heavens, consider the earth, the seas, and all they contain, wilfully blind must he be, who does not perceive the existence of a powerful, wise and benevolent Creator.

Those who are in the habit of endeavouring to find out the cause, for which the most apparently trifling thing has been made, will often be gratified by discoveries which are very interesting. For instance, every one has seen two horny excrescences below the hocks of horses, without probably being aware of the purpose they were intended to answer. They may possibly be thought by some persons to be useless, but this is not the When the foal is in the womb of the mare, the two hind legs are glued, as it were, together,

case.

« ПредыдущаяПродолжить »