The Chief Good
PHILEMON.—Philosophers inquire, and lose much time in the inquiry, What is good? None of them can discover what it is.—Apud. Stob., LV.
CLEANTHES.—Alas for those who perpetually desire and seek some good things for themselves, but neither regard nor hearken to the universal laws of God. —Hymn in joy.
God Supremely Excellent
CICERO.—Nothing is more excellent than God.—De Nat. Deor., II., 30.
ÆSCHYLUS.—Great is the glory of the most high God.—Apud. Euseb.
Divine Condescension
MAXIMUS TYRIUS.—O, Jove and all ye gods, makers of the earth and the sea and all things in them, what is this animal to whom thou hast given this life and this abode? How bold, how rash, how boastful! He regards not that which is good, leaves undone that which he should do, and gives himself entirely to pleasure.—Diss., 34.
For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor.
CICERO.—This animal—prescient, sagacious, complex, acute, full of memory, reason and counsel, which we call Man, has been generated by the supreme God in a most transcendent condition. For he is the only creature among all the races and descriptions of animated beings who is endowed with superior reason and thought, in which the rest are deficient. And what is there, I do not say in man alone, but in all heaven and earth, more divine than reason, which, when it becomes right and perfect, is justly termed wisdom.—De Leg., 1. 1., c. 7.
Vain Confidence
HOMER.—
Man, while the gods
Grant him prosperity and health, no fear
Hath, or thought that he shall ever mourn.
—Odys., xviii., 32.
ÆSCHYLUS.—
When the fav'ring gale
Of fortune smooths the current, th' heart expands
With unsuspecting confidence, and deems
That gale shall always breathe.
—Pers., V., 597.
The Godly Ceasing
THEOGNIS.—Gone is faith, a mighty goddess; gone from men temperance; the graces too, my friend, have quitted earth, and just oaths are no more to be relied on among men; neither does any one reverence the immortal gods.—Theogn, v. 1137.
STATIUS.—
Justice and piety are now no more,
And slighted faith has fled the Theban shore!
—Theb., 1. iii., v. 350.
The Fool's Atheism
LORD BACON. —I had rather believe all the fables in the Legend, and the Talmud, and the Alcoran, than that this universal frame is without Mind; and, therefore, God never wrought miracles to convince atheism, because his ordinary works convict it... They that deny a God destroy a man's nobility, for certainly man is of kin to the beasts by his body; and if he be not of kin to God by his spirit, he is a base and ignoble creature. It destroys likewise magnanimity, and the raising of human nature; for take the example of a dog, and mark what a. generosity and courage he will put on when he finds himself maintained by a man, who to him is instead of a God, or melior natura—such courage is manifestly such as that creature, without that confidence of a "better nature" than his own, could never attain. So man, when he resteth and assureth himself upon divine protection and favor, gathereth a force and faith which human nature in itself could not obtain; therefore, as atheism is in all respects hateful, so in this, that it depriveth human nature of the means to exalt itself above human frailty.—Essay on Atheism.
Drink-Offerings of Blood
ROSENMULLER.—It was a custom with many heathen people, to drink the wine of the sacrifice mixed with blood, particularly when they bound themselves by dreadful oaths, and to the performance of fearful deeds. In this manner, as Sal-lust relates, Catiline took the oaths with his accomplices. "It was said at the time that Catiline, after making a speech, calling on the accomplices of his crime to take an oath, presented them with human blood mixed with wine, in cups; and when everyone had drunk of it, after pronouncing an imprecation, as is customary in solemn sacrifices, explained his plan." In a similar manner, Silius Italicus makes the Carthaginian Hannibal swear, an instance of which is particularly suitable to illustrate the above passage, because the Carthaginians were of Phenician or Canaanite origin.—Note, In loco.
The Path of Life
CICERO.—Somehow or other there clings to our minds a certain presage of future ages; and this exists most firmly, and appears most clearly in men of the loftiest genius and greatest souls.—Tusc. l. i. c. 15.
The Works of God Glorious
XENOPHON.—He who raised this whole universe and still upholds the mighty frame, who perfected every part of it in beauty and goodness, suffering none of those parts to decay through age, but renewing them daily with unfailing vigor, even he the Supreme God, who performeth all these wonders, still holds himself invisible, and it is only in his works that we are capable of admiring Him. Mem. Soc, l. iv., c. 3.
PLATO.—The earth and sun and all the stars, and the arrangements so beautiful of the seasons, divided into months and years, prove that there are gods:. And, moreover, all men, both Greeks and Barbarians, believe it.—De Leg., 1. x., c. 1.
ARISTOTLE.—Though God is invisible to every mortal nature, yet he is to be known by his works.—De Mundo, c. 6.
LUCIAN.—The order that is observable in all nature; the sun and the moon which always keep their regular course; the seasons of the year, always returning in like succession; the vegetation of plants and the propagation of living beings, and the fact that they are so artificially organized for feeding, moving, thinking, building themselves dwellings, clothing themselves—all this appears to me as the work of a providence superintending the world.—De Joy. Fig., c. 38.
CICERO.—Can anyone in his senses imagine that this disposition of the stars, and this heaven so beautifully adorned, could ever have been formed by a fortuitous concourse of atoms? The beauty of the world and the order of all celestial things compel us to confess that there is an excellent and eternal Nature which deserves to be worshipped and admired by all mankind.—De Nature Deorum, l. ii., C. 44, 72.
Verses 3, 4.—No speech—no language: yet their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.
ADDISON.—
What though in solemn silence all
Move round this dark terrestrial ball;
What though nor real voice nor sound
Amid their radiant orbs be found—
In reason's ear they all rejoice,
And utter forth a glorious voice;
Forever singing as they shine,
"The Hand that made us is Divine."
Verses 4-6.—In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.
DR. ADAM CLARKE.—The sun makes his appearance above the horizon with splendor and majesty; every creature seems to rejoice at his approach; and during the whole of his course through his whole circuit, his apparent revolution from east to west, and from one tropic to the same again, no part of the earth 15 deprived of its proper proportion of light and heat.—Note, In loco.
THE. COMPILER.—In days not long since past, infidels were wont to ridicule the. Scriptures because they taught that the sun had a path of its own in the heavens,—whereas both its diurnal and annual progress are only apparent motions. But the advancement of science has deprived skepticism even of this wrested foothold. It is now proved that the sun has his own proper orbit and motion,—that he is on a long journey around a far-off center; And thus the ridicule has been brought to an end, and the weapon which the infidel drew from the Nineteenth Psalm has fallen from his hand, to be seized and wielded by the believer, not only in defense, but in vigorous assault.—See Herschel's Outlines of Astronomy, § 858.
MADLER.—The star Alcyone, in the Pleiades, is removed from us about thirty-two million times the distance of the sun—a distance requiring 498 years for light to traverse. Our sun in its course about Alcyone, the center of its vast orbit, moves at the rate of eight geographical miles in a second, and requires over eighteen millions of years to complete one revolution.—Pop. Astr., p. 427.
The Divine Law Perfect
Psa. 19:7-117The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. 8The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. 10More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. 11Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward. (Psalm 19:7‑11).—The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple: the statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes: the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honey-comb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.
THOMAS DICK, LL. D.—The Moral Law, or Ten Commandments, are briefly comprehended in these two precepts, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart," and "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." It could easily be shown, that these principles are sufficient to form the basis of a moral code for the whole intelligent creation, that they are calculated to unite the creature to the Creator, and all rational beings with one another wherever they may exist through the boundless empire of the Almighty; and that peace, order and happiness would be the invariable and necessary results wherever their influence extended. If the love of God reigned supreme in every heart, there would be no superstition or idolatry in the universe, nor any of the crimes and abominations with which they have been accompanied in our world,—no blasphemy or profanation of the name of Jehovah,—no perjury, hypocrisy, arrogance, pride, ingratitude, nor murmurings under the allotments of Divine Providence. And, if every moral intelligence loved his fellow-creatures as himself, there would be no rivalries and antipathies between nations, and, consequently, no wars, devastation, nor carnage,—no tyranny, haughtiness, or oppression among the great, nor envy, discontent, or insubordination among the lower classes of society,—no systems of slavery, no persecutions on account of religious opinions,—no murders, thefts, robberies, or assassinations,—no treacherous friendships, no fraud and deceit in commercial transactions,—no implacable resentments among friends and relatives, and no ingratitude or disobedience among children or servants. On the other hand, meekness, long-suffering, gentleness, humility, temperance, fidelity, brotherly-kindness, and sacred joy, would pervade every heart and transform our world from a scene of contention and misery to a moral paradise. The comprehensive nature of these laws or principles, and their tendency to produce universal order and happiness among all intelligences, prove that they "are more precious than gold, yea, than much fine gold, and that in keeping of them there is great reward."—Improv. of Soci., 119.
Who Shall Dwell With God
Psa. 26:3-53For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth. 4I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers. 5I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked. (Psalm 26:3‑5).—Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands and a pure heart; who path riot lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
LUCIAN.—The inscription on the tablets in the temples of the Greeks sets forth that nobody must dare to come within the enclosure of the lustral water-vessels who has not clean hands.—De Sacrif, c. 13.
CALLIMACHUS.—Being pure, may I also be dear to the pure and holy.—H. in Delon., v. 98.
OVID.—
The good are God's peculiar care,
And such as honor heaven shall heavenly honor share.
—Metam., 1. viii., v. 724.
Purity and Innocence
CICERO—One of the legal maxims I have mentioned states that we should approach the gods with purity—that is to say, with purity of mind, for this is everything. Not that the law dispenses with purity of body; but this must be understood, inasmuch as the mind is far superior to the body; and it may be observed, that if we are attentive to the purity of our persons, we ought to be still more so to the purity of our souls. For the pollution of the body may indeed be removed by a few ablutions of water, or in a few days; but the stains upon the conscience cannot be obliterated by any lapse of time, and all the rivers in the world cannot wash them out.—De Leg., 1. ii., c. 10.
Bit and Bridle
PROF. H. B. TRISTRAM, LL. D., F. R. S.—The Assyrian sculptures exhibit riding-horses with bells round their necks, and the bridles were profusely adorned with tassels, as they are still by the Arabs. The bit and bridle were of the same form as those in use to this day.—Nat. Hist. of Bible, p. 107.
The Divine Command Omnipotent
Psa. 33:99For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast. (Psalm 33:9).—For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood Fast. CLEANTHES.-Thee alone this vast universe obeys; to thee it willingly submits itself.—Clean. H., in Jov.
Verse 10:—The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to naught he maketh the devices of the people of none effect.
HOMER.—But mighty Jove cuts off with just disdain. The long, long views of poor designing man.
Iliad, 1. xviii., v. 328.
Unceasing Praise
EPICTETUS.—Since I am a reasonable creature, it is my duty to praise God, This is my business; I do it; nor will I ever desert this post as long as it is vouchsafed to me; and I exhort you to join in the same song. —Epict., 1. i., c. 16.
Waters of Affliction
PROF. ELIAS LOOMIS, LL. D.—When a whirlwind is formed over water, considerable spray is raised from the surface of the water, and this spray is carried up in the center of the whirl, presenting the appearance of a dense solid column, This phenomenon is called a water-spout. Water—spouts are of variable dimensions, but sometimes they attain a diameter of several rods, and a height of half a mile. When the spout is complete, there is heard a roaring noise like that of a great waterfall. Treatise on Meteorology, p. 154, 155.
DR. JOHN KITTO, F. S. A.—There is no part of the Mediterranean in which water-spouts are of such frequent occurrence as on the coast of Syria. The Jews were, therefore, familiar with the phenomenon; and it is by no means unlikely that David had actually seen water-spouts himself; or if not, it is certain that they must have been well known, by the report of those who had seen' them, to David and to the people generally. A water-spout at sea is a splendid sight; in shape it resembles a funnel, with the tube pointed to the water. After a time it bursts, and the noise occasioned by the fall of a large body of water into the sea is very great. Their bursting, near a vessel would involve it in great danger of being submerged.—Note, In loco.
Verse 7.—All thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.
ÆSCHYLUS.—
Wide o'er misfortune's surging tide
Billows succeeding billows spread;
Should one, its fury spent, subside,
Another lifts its boisterous head.
—Sept. c. Theb., v. 758.
EURIPIDES.—I, unhappy wretch, perceive a sea of troubles so great that never again can I emerge from it, nor escape beyond the flood of this calamity.— Hippol., v. 822.
JOHN KITTO, D. D., F. S. A.—The stretching out of the hand towards the object of devotion seems to have been an ancient custom of both the Jews and heathen. It is still an attitude of devout supplication in the East. —Pict., Bible, In loco.
Tyrian Embroidery
HOMER.—
There lay the vestures of no vulgar art,
Sidonian maids embroidered every part,
Whom from soft Sidon youthful Paris bore,
With Helen, touching on the Tyrian shore.
—Iliad, VI., 289.
LUCAN.—Cleopatra wears treasures, and pants under the weight of her ornaments. Her white breasts shine through the Sidonian fabric, which, wrought in close texture by the Seres, the needle of the workman of the Nile, has separated, and has loosened the warp by stretching out the web. —Phars., 1. x.. v. 140.
God Rules Supreme
DR. JOHN KITTO, F. S. A.—A medal, struck under Vespasian, to commemorate the termination of his wars, represents Peace holding an olive-branch with one hand, and in the other a lighted torch, with which she sets fire to a heap of armor. As a symbolical action, representing the conclusion of wars, this is very expressive.—Pict. Bible, In loco.
VIRGIL.—A conqueror, I burnt vast heaps of shields.—Æn., 1. viii., v. 560.
Violence of the East Wind
PROF. B. TRISTRAM, LL. D., F. R. S.—In proof of the accuracy of this allusion, it may be observed that from October, 1863, to June, 1864, there were but six days in which the wind blew from the East, and on each occasion it blew almost a gAle.—Nat. Hist. of the Bible, p. 34.
Riches Cannot Save
HOMER.—
Fixt is the term to all the race of earth;
And such the hard condition of our birth:
No force can them resist, no flight can save;
All sink alike, the fearful and the brave.
Life is not to be bought with heaps of gold.
Not all Apollo's Pythian treasures hold,
Or Troy once held, in peace and pride of sway,
Can bribe the poor possession of a day.
—Iliad, VI., 488, and IX., 401.
Verse 11.—Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue forever, and their dwelling-places to all generations, they call their lands after their own names.
EURIPIDES.—Alas! alas! how do the evil vaunt, when the deity grants them good, as though they were ever to be prosperous!—Suppl., v. 463.
Verses 16, 17.—Be not afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased; for when he dieth he shall carry nothing away his glory shall not descend after him.
LUCIAN.—Cease from toiling and moiling! you will not live always; nothing of that you treasure up here below is everlasting; none of you can take anything with him in death; he must go hence as naked as he came hither; your houses, your estates, your gold, all these must perpetually devolve from one to the other, and continually change masters.—Charon, c. 20
THEOGNIS.—No one goes to Hades with his wealth.—Theog., v. 725.
The Prosperous Praised
EURIPIDES.—Prosperous men are renowned and conspicuous among all mortals.—Iph. in Aul., v 427.
HORACE. —
Virtue, glory, beauty, all divine
And human powers, Immortal Gold! are thine;
And he who piles the shining heap, shall rise
Noble, brave, just—
You will not call him wise?
Yes; anything; a monarch, if he please.
—Hor., 1. ii., Sat. 3.
The Guilty Fearful
JUVENAL.—
In every fearful shape
Guilt still alarms, and conscience, ne'er asleep,
Wounds with incessant strokes, not loud but deep,
While the vexed mind, her own tormentor, plies
A scorpion scourge, unmarked by human eyes!
Trust me, no tortures which the poets feign,
Can match the fierce, unutterable pain
He feels, who night and day, devoid of rest,
Carries his own accuser in his breast.
—Sat. xiii, v. 192.
Man Would Fly From Trouble
EURIPIDES.—O that the God would make me like a winged bird among the swift flocks.—Hippol., v. 733
IDEM.—O that I could be wafted through the yielding air Far, very far from Hellas, To the inhabitants of the Hesperian region: So great is my load of grief.—Ion., v. 796
Lachrymatories
DR. JOHN KITTO, F. S. A.—In the Roman tombs are found small bottles (lachrymatories) of glass or pottery, which are supposed to have contained tears shed by the surviving friends of the deceased, and to have been &posited in the sepulchers as memorials of affection and distress.... There are still some traces of such a usage in the East. Thus, in the annual lamentations of the Persians for the slaughtered sons of Ali, their tears are copiously excited by passionate discourses and tragical recitations. When at the height of their grief, a priest sometimes goes round to each person and collects the tears with a piece of cotton, from which he presses them into a bottle, preserving them with the greatest care.—Pict. Bib., In loco.
The Deaf Adder
LORD ARTHUR C. HERVEY.—There can be no question at all of the remarkable power which, from time immemorial, has been exercised by certain people in the East over poisonous serpents. The usual species operated upon both in Africa and India are the Hooded Snakes and the horned Cerastes. The skill of the Italian. Marsi and the Libyan Psylli in taming serpents was celebrated throughout the world; and to this day, as we are told by Sir G. Wilkinson, the snake-players of the coast of Barbary are worthy successors of the Psylli.—Smith's Dict. of Bible, p. 2932.
VIRGIL.—Umbro, the priest of the Marrubian nation, was able, by his voice and his touch, to put to sleep vipers, to soothe their anger, and to cure by his art the poison of their bite.—Æneid, lib. vii., v. 753.
The Melting Snail
PROF. H. B. TRISTRAM, LL. D., F. R. S.—Few snails can remain long in an active state without moisture. In order to prevent the evaporation of the moisture of the body all those molluscs which have a thin or a semi-transparent shell secrete themselves in dry weather under stones, like the shell-less snails or slugs, or else among moss and under leaves, and many species also in the earth. But, notwithstanding the care they take to secrete themselves, the heat often does dry them up, either by a long-continued drought, or by the sun's rays penetrating to their holes. Thus we find in all parts of the Holy Land myriads of snail-shells in fissures, still adhering by the calcareous exudation round their orifice to the surface of the rock, but the animal of which is utterly shriveled and wasted—" melted away," according to the expression of the Psalmist. Nat. Hist. of Bible, p. 296.
Silvery Wings
DR. W. M. THOMSON.—David here refers to a kind of dove found at Damascus still, whose feathers, all except the wings, are literally as yellow as gold.; they are very small, and kept in cages. I have often had them in my house, but their note is so very sad that I could not endure it; besides, they keep it up by night as well as by day. Nothing can exceed the plaintiveness of their midnight lamentation.—The Land and the Book, I., 417.
Hill of Bashan
Psa. 68:1515The hill of God is as the hill of Bashan; an high hill as the hill of Bashan. (Psalm 68:15).—The hill of God is as the hill of Bashan; a high hill as the hill of Bashan. REV. WILLIAM FRASER, LL. D.—The " poet prophets" of Israel have fully described the country of Bashan, the stateliness of its oaks, the magnificence of its scenery, the luxuriance of its pastures, the fertility of its plains, and the qualities of its flocks and herds;—and modern travelers have confirmed to the letter the accuracy of their glowing delineations.—Blending Lights, p. 271.
Prosperity of the Wicked
Psa. 73:2-52But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped. 3For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. 4For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm. 5They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men. (Psalm 73:2‑5), and 16, 17.—As for me my feet were almost gone; my steps had well-nigh slipped. For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued as other men.... When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me. Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.
PLATO.—The good fortune of evil and unjust men, both in private and public life, who although not truly happy, yet are deemed to be very much so in common opinion, and are improperly hymned by the muses, lead you, not very sensibly, to impiety. Or, perhaps, on seeing that impious old men, after arriving at their end, have left behind them grandchildren in the greatest honors, you are disturbed for the present, in all these matters: you conceived that you beheld in their doings, as in a mirror, the disregard of all things on the part of the gods, not knowing in what way they pay up the full amount of their contributions to every one.—De. Leg., lib. x., c. 12.
Verse 19.—How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors.
LIVY.—The punishments which attend pride and cruelty, though they may come late, are not light. —Liv, I. iii., c. 56.
The Sea Divided
Psa. 74: 13, 14.—Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou breakest the heads of the dragons in the waters. Thou breakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat for the people inhabiting the wilderness.
DIODORUS SICULUS.—The Ichthyophagi (Fish-eaters) occupy the coasts of the Red Sea, and the southern parts of Ethiopia. When the tide ebbs, women and children collect the little fish near the sea-shore, while the men employ themselves in securing the great and strong fish; for the sea not only casts up great lobsters, lampreys, and dog-fish, but also sea-calves, and many other monsters. —Diod. Sic., 1. iii. c. 1.
The Turtle-Dove
PROF. H. B. TRISTRAM.—While other songsters are heard chiefly in the morning, or only at intervals, the Turtle immediately on its arrival pours forth, from every garden, grove, and wooded hill, its melancholy yet soothing ditty, unceasingly from early dawn till sunset. It is from its plaintive and continuous note, doubtless, that David, pouring forth his heart's sorrow to God, compares himself to a turtle-dove.—Nat. Hist. of Bib., p. 219.
God the Disposer of Man's Lot
XENOPHON.—God, it must be owned, often takes delight in making the little great, and the great little.—Hist. Grœc., 1. vi., c. 4.
HOMER.—
Jove's high will is ever uncontroll'd,
The strong he withers, and confounds the bold;
Now crowns with fame the mighty man, and now
Strikes the fresh garland from the victor's brow.
—Iliad, XVII., 176.
Verse 8.—For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them.
HOMER.—
Two urns by Jove's high throne have ever stood,
The source of evil one, and one of good;
From thence the cup of mortal man he fills,
Blessings to these, to those distributes ill.
—Iliad, XXIV., 527.
The Wild Boar
PROF. H. B. TRISTRAM, LL. D., F. R. S.—The wild boar is still very common, the dread and the abomination of the careful husbandman, whose fields it ravages without remorse; but it seldom visits the neighborhood of towns on the coast.—Nat. Hist. of Bib., p. 36.
DR. HENRY J. VAN-LENNEP.—The wild boars come forth to feed at night, plowing up the ground with their powerful tusks in quest of tender roots, bulbs, and grubs, preferring the loose soil of cultivated fields; they break through the hedges of the vineyards, and devour and trample down quantities of fruit in a single night.—Bible Lands, p. 257.
Potters of Egypt
Rev. HENRY WRIGHT PHILLOTT, M. A.—The Hebrews had been concerned in the potters' trade in Egypt; and the wall-paintings minutely illustrate the Egyptian process, which agrees with such notices of the Jewish practice as are found in the prophets, and also in many respects with the process as pursued in the present day.—Smith's Bible Dict., p. 2568.
The Sparrow and the Swallow
Psa. 84:33Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King, and my God. (Psalm 84:3).—Yea, the sparrow hash found a house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of Hosts, my King and my God.
ROSENMULLER.—These words probably refer to the custom of several nations of antiquity, that birds which build their nests on the temples, or within the limits of them, were not suffered to be driven away, much less killed, but found a secure and uninterrupted dwelling. Hence, when Aristodikus disturbed the birds' nests of the temple of Kumæ, and took the young from them, a voice, according to a tradition preserved by Herodotus, is said to have spoken these words from the interior of the temple: " Most villainous of men, how darest thou do such a thing, to drive away such as seek refuge in my temple? " The Athenians were so enraged at Atarbes, who had killed a sparrow which built on the temple of Æsculapius, that they killed him. Among the Arabs, who are more closely allied to the Hebrews, birds which have built their nests on the temple of Mecca were inviolable from the earliest times.—Note In loco.
PAXTON.—Some of these sparrows and swallows the Psalmist had probably seen constructing their nests, and propagating their kind, in the buildings near the altar, or in the courts of the temple; and piously longs to revisit the scene so dear to his heart.—Note In loco.
DR. HENRY J. VAN-LENNEP.—The swallow uses the same nest year after year, only repairing it; and it is worthy of note that both the swallow and the sparrow may still be seen fluttering and rearing their broods about the so-called Mosque of Omar in Jerusalem, as well as the buildings which occupy the site of Solomon's temple.... They are busy all summer long rearing their two successive broods, flitting and darting in all directions, collecting materials for their nests, or food for their progeny.—Bible Lands, p. 287.
Pleasure of God's House
ARISTOTLE.—TO live one year honorably is better than to live many years in the ordinary manner; and to perform one honorable and great act, better than to perform many small ones.—Eth., 1. ix., c. 8.
CICERO.—Philosophy, thou guide of life! one day spent well, and agreeably to thy precepts, is preferable to an eternity of error.—Tusc. v., c. 2.
Tabor and Hermon
PROF. H. B. TRISTRAM, LL. D., F. R. S.—Approaching Nain, the foreground was singularly uninteresting, but the distant landscape on the way was of striking beauty. Hermon, clad in spotless snow, was now clear of Tabor, and the two thus stood forth side by side; Tabor with its bright green foreground, dotted all over with gray trees, contrasted finely with the dazzling white of the former. Somewhere near this spot the sacred poet may have passed when he exclaimed, "Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name." They are eminently the two mountain features of Galilee.—Land of Isr., p. 129.
PROF. H. B. HACKETT, LL. D.—Tabor lies about six or eight miles almost due east from Nazareth. The. Savior must have passed often at the foot of this mount in the course of his journeys in different parts of Galilee. It is not surprising that the Hebrews looked up with so much admiration to this glorious work of the Creator's hand. The same beauty rests upon its brow today, the same richness of verdure refreshes the eye, in contrast with the bleaker aspect of so many of the adjacent mountains. The Christian traveler yields spontaneously to the impression of wonder and devotion, and appropriates as his own language that of the Psalmist, " The north and the south thou halt created them; Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name."—Smith's Dict. of Bib., p. 3164.
Life Frail and Fleeting
HOMER.—
Like leaves on trees the race of man is found,
Now green in youth, now withered on the ground;
Another race the following spring supplies;
They fall successive, and successive rise:
So generations in their course decay;
So flourish these, when those are pass'd
Iliad, VI., 146.
Verse 10.—The days of our years are three-score years and ten.
SOLON.—I will suppose the term of human life to extend to seventy years.—Herodt., 1. i., c. 32.
Divine Protection
HOMER.—
Some guardian of the skies
Involved in clouds, protects him in the fray,
And turns unseen, the frustrate dart away.
—Iliad, V., v. 185.
The Palm-Tree
PROF. H. B. TRISTRAM, LL. D., F. R. S.—The life of a righteous man may be compared to the palm-tree for many reasons. It flourishes in a barren soil; it requires constant moisture; it is a lofty tree, a straight tree;. it is always growing so long as it lives, and is always green, and always bears fruit, as far as possible from earth, and as near as possible to heaven.—Nat.. Hist. of Bible, p. 384.
PAXTON.—The palm is one of the most beautiful trees in the vegetable kingdom; it is upright, lofty, verdant, and embowering. It grows by the brook or well of living water; and resisting every attempt to press or bend it downward, shoots directly towards heaven. For this reason, perhaps, it was regarded by the ancients as peculiarly sacred, and therefore most frequently used in adorning their temples. The chosen symbol of constancy, fruitfulness, patience, and victory; the more it is oppressed, the more it flourishes, the higher it grows, and the stronger and broader the top expands. To this majestic and useful tree the child of God is compared in the holy Scriptures with singular elegance and propriety.-In Bush's latest., p. 405.
Formation of the Ear
PROF. P. M. ROGET, F. R. C. P., etc.—The concha, or external ear, is formed of an elastic plate of cartilage, covered by integument, and presenting various elevations and depressions, which form a series of parabolic curves, apparently for the purpose of collecting the sonorous undulations of the air and of directing them into a funnel-shaped canal, termed the meatus auditorius, which leads to the internal ear. This canal is composed partly of cartilage, and partly of bone; and the integument lining it is furnished with numerous small glands, which supply a thick oily fluid, of an acrid quality, apparently designed to prevent the intrusion of insects: the passage is also guarded by hairs, which appear intended for a similar purpose.
The meatus is closed at the bottom by a membrane, which is stretched across it like the skin of a drum, and has been termed, from this resemblance, the membrane of the tympanum, or the ear-drum. It performs, indeed, an office corresponding to its name; for the sonorous undulations of the air, which have been collected, and directed inwards by the grooves of the concha, strike upon the ear-drum, and throw it into a similar state of vibration. The ear-drum is composed of an external membrane, derived from the cuticle which lines the meatus; an internal layer, which is continuous with that of the cavity beyond it; and a middle layer, which consists of radiating muscular fibers, proceeding from the circumference toward the center, where they are inserted into the extremity of a minute bony process, presently to be described. This muscular structure appears designed to vary the degree of tension of the ear-drum, and thus adapt the rate of its vibrations to those communicated to it by the air. There is, also, a slender muscle, situated internally, which by acting on this delicate process of bone, as on a lever, puts the whole membrane on the stretch, and enables its radiating fibers to effect the nicer adjustments required for tuning, as it may be called, this part of the organ.
Immediately behind the membrane of the ear-drum there is a hollow space, called the cavity of the tympanum, of an irregular shape, scooped out of the most solid part of the temporal bone, which is here of great density and hardness. This cavity is always filled with air; but it would obviously defeat the purpose of the organ if the air were confined in this space; because unless it were allowed occasionally to expand or contract, it could not long remain in equilibrium with the pressure exerted by the atmosphere on the external surface of the eardrum; a pressure which, as is well known, is subject to great variations, indicated by the rise and fall of the barometer. These variations would expose the membrane of the ear-drum to great inequalities of pressure at its outer and inner surfaces, and endanger its being forced, according to the state of the weather, either outwards or inwards, which would completely interfere with the delicacy of its vibrations. Nature has guarded against these evils by establishing a passage of communication between the tympanum and the external air, by means of a tube, termed the Eustachian Tube, which begins by a small orifice from the inner side of the cavity of the tympanum, and opens by a wide mouth at the back of the nostrils. This tube performs the same office in the ear, as the hole which it is found necessary to make in the side of a drum, for the purpose of opening a communication with the external air; a communication which is as necessary for the functions of the ear, as it is for the proper sounding of the drum. We find accordingly that a degree of deafness is induced whenever the Eustachian tube is obstructed, which may happen either from the swelling of the membrane lining, during a cold, or from the accumulation of secretion in the passage.
On the side of the cavity of the tympanum, which is opposite to the opening of the Eustachian tube, is situated the beginning of another passage, leading into numerous cells, contained in the mastoid process of the temporal bone, and therefore termed the mastoid cells; these cells are likewise filled with air. The innermost side of the same cavity, that is, the side opposite to the ear-drum, is occupied by a rounded eminence, of a triangular shape, termed the promontory; on each side of which there is an opening in the bone, closed, however, by the membrane lining the whole internal surface of the cavity. The opening situated at the upper edge of the promontory is called the fenestra ovalis, or oval window; and that near the under edge is the fenestra rotunda, or round window.
Connected with the membrane of the ear-drum, at one end, and with the fenestra ovalis at the other, there extends a chain of very minute movable bones, four in number, which may be called the tympanic ossicula. The names these bones have received are more descriptive of their shape than of their office. The first is the malleus, or hammer; and its long handle is affixed to the center of the ear-drum; the second is the incus, or anvil; the third, which is the smallest in the body, being about the size of a millet seed, is the orbicular bone; and the last is the stapes, or stirrup, the base of which 'is applied to the membrane of the fenestra ovalis. These bones are regularly articulated together, with all the ordinary apparatus of joints, and are moved by small muscles provided for that purpose. Their office is apparently to transmit the vibrations of the ear-drum to the membrane of the fenestra ovalis, and probably, at the same time, to increase their force.
The more internal parts of the ear compose what is designated, from the intricacy of its winding passages, the labyrinth. This consists of a middle portion, termed the vestibule, from which, on its upper and posterior side, proceed three tubes, called, from their shape, semicircular canals; while to the lower anterior side of the vestibule there is attached a spiral canal, resembling in appearance the shell of a snail, and on that account denominated the cochlea. All these bony cavities are lined with a very delicate membrane, or periosteum, and are filled with a transparent watery or thin gelatinous fluid, which is termed by Breschet the perilymph.
Within the cavity of the osseous labyrinth, now described, are contained membranes having nearly the shape of the vestibule and semicircular canals, but not extending to the cochlea. These membranes, which compose what has been, termed, for the sake of distinction, the membranous labyrinth, form one continuous but closed sac containing a fluid, perfectly similar in appearance to the perilymph, which surrounds it on the outer side, and intervenes between it and the sides of the osseous labyrinth, preventing any contact with those sides.
The Cochlea, again, is an exceedingly curious structure, being formed of the spiral convolutions of a double tube, or rather of one tube, separated into two compartments by a partition, called the lamina spiralis, which extends its whole length, except at the very apex of the cone, where it suddenly terminates in a curved point, or hook, leaving an aperture by which the two portions of the tube communicate together. The central pillar, round which these tubes take two and a half circular turns, is termed the modiolus. The trunk of the auditory nerve occupies a hollow space immediately behind the ventricle, and its branches pass through minute holes in the bony plate which forms the wall of that cavity, and being finally expanded on the different parts of the membranous labyrinth. Such are the principal parts of the complex apparatus which constitutes the organ of hearing.—Animal and Vegetable Physiology, Vol. II., p. 298-306.
PROF. T. H. HUXLEY, LL. D., F. R. S.—The vibrations or aerial waves, which enter the meatus all impinge upon the membrane of the drum and set it vibrating. The vibrations thus set up in the membrane of the tympanum are communicated, in part, to the air contained in the drum of the ear, and, in part, to the malleus, and thence to the other auditory ossicles. The disposition of these bones, and the mode of their articulation, are extremely favorable to vibration en masse. The long processes of the malleus and incus swing, like a pendulum, upon the axis furnished by the short processes of these bones; while the mode of connection of the incus with the stapes, and the latter with the edges of the fenestra ovalis, allows that bone free play, inwards and outwards. Every pull and push thus given imparts a corresponding set of shakes to the perilymph, which fills the bony labyrinth and cochlea, external to the membranous labyrinth and scala media. These shakes are communicated to the endolymph and fluid of the scala media, and, by the help of the otolithes and the fibers of 'the Corti, are finally converted into impulses, which act as irritants of the ends of the vestibular and cochlear divisions of the auditory nerve. The membranous labyrinth may be regarded as an apparatus whereby sounds are appreciated and distinguished according to their intensity or quantity: the cochlea, on the other hand, it is supposed, enables the mind to discriminate the quality rather than the quantity or intensity of sound.—Elementary Physiology, p. 209-212.
CHARLES BROOKE, M. A., F. R. S.—The Cochlea in form resembles a snail-shell, the spiral chamber being divided into two parts by a membrane stretched across it, the transverse fibers of which are capable of being rendered more or less tense by a muscle extending throughout the length of the chamber. As the diameter of this spiral chamber decreases gradually from the base to the apex, it is obvious that the transverse fibers of the spiral lamina must also gradually decrease in length. On this membrane rest the free ends of a series of remarkable organs called the "Rods of Corti" placed parallel to each other like the keys of a manual, and their attached ends are embedded in nerve cells. There is little room for doubt that sounds of a given pitch, or frequency of vibration, specially affect a corresponding fiber of this membrane (just as the shorter strings of, a harp or piano correspond respectively to higher tones), and that the nerve-tissue adjacent to the rod resting on this fiber feels the sonorous vibration, and transmits to the brain its perception of it: and thus that the special function of the cochlea is to appreciate the frequency of the vibrations; that is to say, the pitch of musical sounds, and also probably their timbre, or quality.
The three Semicircular Canals are chiefly remarkable for their invariable relative position: they are, without exception, found to lie in three planes, each of which is perpendicular to the other two; or in the language of geometry, in three rectangular co-ordinate planes. By means of these canals, positioned thus in relation to one another, the ear can appreciate the direction from which sound proceeds—a most important power.
But the evidence of design in the structure of the ear does not end here. It is an obvious necessity that the ear should possess some means of adaptation to the intensity of the vibrations reaching it, in order that while the feeblest sounds may be appreciated, its delicate mechanism may not be deranged by the most powerful ones; just as the eye is adapted to the intensity of incident light by the contraction and dilation of the iris. For this purpose there is a little muscle by which the tympanic membrane can be tightened; a second by which is regulated the tension of the membrane which connects the base of the stapes, the innermost of the ossicles, with the margin of the oval aperture in the wall of the vestibule; and a third muscle, or rather a series of muscles, by which the tension of the spiral lamina of the cochlea is regulated. But how is this exquisite mechanism brought into play? how, in fact, is the ear itself informed of the adjustment required? The foremost member of the chain of ossicles is firmly attached to the tympanum, and is carried to and fro by its vibrations: proceeding laterally from this bone, and in a direction nearly parallel to the plane of the adjacent portion of the tympanum, is a slender and taper bony filament, in its relative proportions resembling a lady's riding-whip; and immediately behind this slender process lies the tympanic nerve, a branch of the ganglionic system, which pursues a very tortuous course, for no other assignable reason than that of coming into relation with the filament of bone just mentioned. What happens then? The very first sound-wave that strikes on the tympanum makes, by means of this tiny bone, an impression of corresponding intensity on the nerve, which is flashed to an adjacent center of nerve power, and the mandate to "make taut" or "let go," as the case may be, is returned and acted on, ere a second wave can impinge upon the tympanum.—The train of actions just described is altogether removed from the domain of the will; it is, moreover, so far from being obvious, that it is believed to have escaped the notice of every writer on physiology. If, then, the mere explanation so far taxes the powers of the human mind., what shall be said of the infinite wisdom by which the whole was designed? Well, indeed, may we be prompted to declare with the sacred Psalmist: " He that planted the ear, shall He not hear? "—Faith and Free Thought, p. 78.
Formation of the Eye.
THE COMPILER.—The eye is the choicest and most enchanting of all our corporeal endowments, and offers in its wondrous structure the clearest demonstration that it is the work of an Almighty and Omniscient Being. To be convinced of this it will be sufficient to glance at a few of its prominent and remarkable features.
1. The eye is constructed with evident and distinct reference to an element without itself, and an element the most ethereal and sublime in all nature—Light.
2. Its form is that of an ellipsoid, just that shape, out of ten thousand possible shapes, which mathematicians have, demonstrated to be the only one that can refract all the rays of light to a single surface, and thus afford distinct vision.
3. It consists of a great number of parts, differing in their material and their forms and their offices, yet so related and so skillfully combined as to compose an instrument of exactness and efficiency which no human effort can hope to approach, far less to attain.
4. To qualify it for its important function, the eye is encompassed with three membranes or coats; the outermost (sclerotic) is exceedingly firm and dense, and gives to it the mechanical support necessary for the preservation of its form; within this is another coat (choroid) whose main office is to supply it with nourishment, and by its black interior to absorb any scattered rays that might interfere with clear sight; within this again is spread the retina, the only part of the whole nervous system susceptible of impression from luminous rays.
5. The interior of the eye is occupied with three transparent media, called the aqueous, the crystalline, and vitreous humors; these form lenses of different character for the convergence of the rays of light, so as to meet and form pictures of external objects on the retina.
6. The retina is an exceedingly thin and delicate layer of nervous matter supported by a fine membrane, and is spread in the form of just such a concave and just at such a distance behind the lenses as are indispensable to distinct vision-any change, even the slightest, in the amount of this distance, or in the character of this concave, would infallibly result in a defective sight.
7. The lenses are formed of substances having different refractive powers, so as to prevent the light from being resolved into prismatic colors, and so give, to objects a tinge which does not belong to them; for this purpose the crystalline lens is constructed of an infinite number of concentric layers, which increase in their density as they succeed one another from the surface to the center; by this means an optical difficulty is overcome in a way quite inimitable to human art.
8. The perforation of the Iris, or the pupil, by which the light is admitted into the eye, is a very remarkable arrangement: the Iris is composed of two layers of contractile fibers, the one forming concentric circles; the other, disposed like radii between the outer and inner margin; when the former act, the pupil is contracted; when the latter act, the breadth of the Iris is diminished, and the pupil is, of course, dilated. By this refinement of ingenuity, acting spontaneously, the quantity of light admitted into the interior of the eye is regulated, and accommodated to the extreme sensibility of the retina. What structure can be more artificial, what machinery can be more exquisite, in its operation, than this?
9. The eye is furnished with a complete system of muscles, six in number, by which it can be rapidly turned at will in any direction, so as to vary the field of vision, as necessity, pleasure or fancy may dictate. Four of these act by direct contraction, turning the eye up or down, to the right or the left; the other two serve to give it an oblique direction-one of these is remarkable for the artificial manner in which its tendon passes through a cartilaginous pulley in the margin of the orbit, and then turns back again to be inserted into the eye-ball, to give it a degree of rotation on its axis; in no other way could the tendon pull in the required direction.
10. In the hollow of the orbit, above the eye, is planted the lachrymal gland, a self-acting fountain of tears, which gently spread and flow over its pellucid surface, to lubricate its motions, and to wash away any particle of dust, or other irritating substance that may happen to be introduced.
11. Each eye is furnished with a well-contrived conduit to carry off the superfluous moisture into the nostril, to be evaporated with the warm breath.
12. Each eye is furnished with lids, like curtains, to close over it in sleep, to wipe it, to cut off the outer rays of light that would confuse vision, and to protect it against blows, or dust, or any other means of injury; and the rapidity with which these lids open and close is past all admiration.
13. The eye is furnished with a most delicate yet most efficient system of pulleys and ligaments, that without a moment's delay alter its convexity and relative position of parts, so as to adapt it to perceive objects at different distances—an operation slowly and with some difficulty effected by man in his telescope by lengthening or shortening the tube.
14. The eye is endued with a refinement and acuteness of perceptivity that is utterly beyond the reach of human imagination. This will plainly appear from a moment's reflection upon the manner in which different colors are produced. According to the present and generally accepted theory, light consists in vibrations excited by the sun in a medium called luminiferous ether, and impressions of different colors are produced in the eye by the different rates and lengths of these vibrations, as reflected by various bodies or substances. Thus, to produce red color, the ray of light must give 37,640 undulations in an inch, and 458,000,000,000,000 in a second; yellow requires 44,000 in an inch, and 535,000,000,000,000 in a second; blue, 51,110 to in an inch, and 622,000,000,000,000 in a second. Such facts at once astonish and overwhelm the mind. The minuteness and velocity expressed by these high numbers immeasurably transcend the sublimest efforts of the imagination, and yet they do not transcend the power of the eye to distinguish as readily between them as between color and color, for it is the difference in these rates that constitutes color. How supremely exquisite, then, this endowment of the eye!
15. And what is equally, if not more, wonderful than the preceding fact, the eye is provided in some inscrutable manner with the means of expressing the indwelling mind itself, so that one may look into its crystal depths, and see love and hatred, intellect and stupidity, scorn and wrath, horror and shame, and almost every other spiritual state and action.
Such, in brief, is the human eye—an organ scarce an inch in diameter, yet embracing all these wonderful parts, these marvels of optical laws, and these contrivances of inimitable skill! If anything could deepen our impression or enhance our admiration of its structure, it would be to contemplate this living mechanism in the very act of taking its enchanting pictures—for pictures perfect and complete of all objects and scenes that stand out before it, it does continually form on the canvas of its retina.
For illustration of this, let us suppose a man to stand on the summit of Bunker Hill Monument. Here a landscape ten miles square, embracing a large city with its harbor and shipping, streets and parks, thronged roads and converging railways, are brought into the chamber of his eye, and on the interior of its further wall, within a space not exceeding half an inch in diameter, is a perfect picture of the whole prospect to its minutest details. The multitude of objects which the scene contains are all preserved, are all discriminated in their magnitudes, positions, figures, colors, and even motions. The clouds drifting along the blue heavens, the departing ships with their whitened sails, the green waves curling and breaking upon the shore, the approaching trains enveloped in dust, the trees bending before the breeze, and the vanes trembling on the spires, vehicles hurrying along the streets and men darting across to escape them—these, all these are as really and distinctly in motion in our fairy picture on the retina as they are on the face of nature itself. How small the space, yet how correct the representation—how subtle the touches—how fine the lines—how ethereal the coloring—how instinct the whole with life!
And now, let the shades of night gather around our supposed spectator of this earthly scene—and lo, presently every one of those countless and stupendous orbs of fire in the heavens, whose light, after traversing immeasurable regions of space, at length reaches his eye, is collected on its narrow curtain into a luminous focus of inconceivable minuteness; and yet this almost infinitesimal point shall be sufficient to convey to his mind, through the medium of the optic nerve and the brain, a knowledge of the existence and position of the far distant luminary, from which that light emanated years, perhaps ages, before.
Who can contemplate such a marvelous organ but must be convinced that it is the product of an Omniscient Being, familiar with all the laws and principles which sustain and regulate the, universe? Or who can doubt that He who can thus endow His creatures of every grade with the power of vision must possess that power Himself, in infinite and transcendent perfection? Who can impart what he does not possess? "He that formed the eye, shall He not see? "—See my work entitled Present Conflict of Science with Christian Religion, p. 238-247.
The Gift of Intelligence
AGASSIZ.—If there is anything which places man above all other beings in Nature, it is precisely the circumstance that he possesses those noble attributes without which, in their most exalted excellence and perfection, not one of these general traits of relationship so characteristic of the great type of the animal and vegetable kingdoms can be understood, or even perceived. How, then, could these relations have been devised without similar powers? If all these relations are almost beyond the reach of the mental powers of man, and if man himself is part and parcel of the whole system, how could this system have been called into existence if there does not exist One Supreme Intelligence as the Author of all things?—Essay on Classification, Sections IL and IV.
God Alone Unchangeable
REV. WILLIAM FRASER, LL. D.—In the measureless past, in which millions on millions of ages have sunk and been lost, as pebbles in the ocean, there may have been other universes before ours, which have historically run their course, fulfilled their ends, and perished. Brought out of nothing, they may have again been reduced to nothing. The fact is conceivable, though not the process, unless we assume the eternity of matter; or that when God has created a world out of nothing, he has done what he cannot undo. Universes may have come, run their history and gone. Their histories may be Creation seasons.—Blending Lights, p. 36.
The Lesson of Flowers
PLINY.—Nature has produced other plants for our use and nutriment, and to these, accordingly, she has granted years and even ages of duration; but as to flowers and their perfumes, she has given them birth but for a day; a might: lesson to man, to teach him that that which in its career is the most beauteous and most attractive to the eye, is the very first to fade and one.—Hist. Nat., xxi., I.
God's Active Presence Seen in All Nature
G. CHAPIN CHILD, M. D.—Scarcely has the bare rock of the coral island risen above the waves before it begins to possess its well of water. The salt ocean is without, and the salt ocean fills the lagoon within, yet, on the mere rim of coral rock that lies between, fresh water is to be obtained when a hole is bored—a striking example of providential forethought in thus creating wells for the sake, not only of the mariner who casually may touch there, but also for the settlers who in process of time come to occupy the island.
Of the rain that drops from the clouds, a large portion sinks down into the porous earth, and commences by subterraneous routes its return homeward to the sea-creeping among rocks, and caverns, and fissures, and windings in the secret paths of the earth. And thus the rill may journey on until, wearied with subterranean gloom, it regains the light of day as the useful well or gushing spring, nourishing the earth as it flows, and refreshing both man and beast with a constancy of supply which often contrasts with the fitful rainfall.
When it is desired to supply our towns with water we do not rest satisfied with converging upon them the contents of numerous rills by means of an ample conduit. During the hot summer days these sources might dry up, and the people might thus be left in want. So the danger is warded off by storing up water abundantly during the rainy season in a reservoir, from which supplies may be drawn for the town in times of drought. In this manner a liberal allowance of water is securely maintained independently of the vicissitudes of weather. Now in this arrangement we are only imitating the wise example of providence. The town which Nature has to supply is the whole earth. For this purpose the rainfall is undoubtedly her " main," and does the chief part of the work; but rain, though wonderfully regular on the whole, is sometimes capricious in single seasons, and oftener still in the different periods of a season. Something supplementary was, therefore, needed to husband and equalize the supply, and to provide for its regularity independently of the varying rainfall. So Nature formed reservoirs of water in the earth, which, taken on the whole, are subject to very little change. The superficial layers of the crust of the earth are in fact one vast storehouse of water, for moisture pervades them through and through. We habitually speak of " the dry rock; " but even the driest rock contains water lodged in it as in a sponge, of which nothing less potent than the furnace can deprive it. "Some granites," says Professor Ansted, " in their ordinary state contain a pint and a half in every cubic foot." Limestone and marble find room for considerable more. Chalk is also highly absorbent, many of its strata being able to take up half their bulk of water without even appearing to be moist. Ordinary sandstones hold nearly a gallon in a cubic foot; and in the best building-stones belonging to the sandstone group, from four to five pints of water are contained in each cubic foot of the stone." The quantity of water capable of being held by common loose sea-sand amounts to at least two gallons in a cubic foot. But the great tanks of the earth are formed more especially by layers of sand, which everywhere alternate with the harder rocks. Into these the water is constantly soaking and accumulating for the supply of wells and springs all over the world. While rainy seasons fill these reservoirs, the driest season does not exhaust them; and hence the springs in connection with them appear, like the conduits of a well-supplied town, to be independent both of rain and drought.— Benedicite, p. 124-126.
Verse 15.—And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine.
PLINY.—There are two liquids that are particularly grateful to the human body, wine within and oil without, both of them the produce of trees, and most excellent in their respective kinds.—Hist. Nat., lib. xiv., c. 29.
Verses 16, 17.—The trees Of the Lord are full of sap, the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted; where the birds make their nests: as for the stork the fir trees are her house.
PROF. H. B. TRISTRAM, LL. D., F. R. S.—The cedars of Lebanon are not too close, nor are they entirely confined to the grove. Though the patriarchs are of an enormous girth, they are no higher than the younger trees, many of which reach a circumference of eighteen feet. In the topmost boughs, ravens, hooded crows, kestrels, hobbys, and wood-owls were secreted in abundance; yet so lofty are the trees that the birds were out of reach of ordinary shot. But before leaving we added many interesting specimens to our collection. The breeze, as it soughed through the dark boughs, seemed to breathe sounds of solemnity and awe, and to proclaim these to be " the trees of the Lord, the cedars of Lebanon which he hath planted."—Land of Israel, p. 630.
Verse 18.—The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; and the rocks for the conies.
PROF. H. B. TRISTRAM, LL. D., F. R. S.—The wild goat of Arabia and Palestine is a species of ibex very similar to those of the Alps and Pyrenees. It inhabits exclusively the' more desolate and rocky parts of the country.—Nat. Hist. of the Bible, p. 95.
DR. HENRY J. VAN-LENNEP. —These wild goats are of a fawn color, shading off into dark red. They climb the steepest acclivities with amazing speed, leaping from rock to rock with admirable agility, and balancing themselves most unconcernedly along stupendous precipices.—Bible Lands, p. 201.
PROF. H. B. TRISTRAM.—The stony rocks are a refuge for the conies, and tolerably secure they are in such rocks as these. No animal ever gave us so much trouble to secure. They are far too wary to be taken in traps, and the only chance of securing one is to be concealed patiently, about sunset or before sunrise, on some overhanging cliff, taking care not to let the shadow be cast below, and there to wait till the little creatures cautiously peep forth from their holes. —Land of Israel, p. 253.
Verse 19.—He appointed the moon for seasons; the sun knoweth his going down.
CICERO. —Could the earth at one season be adorned with flowers, at another be covered with snow; or, if such a number of things regulated their own changes, could the approach and retreat of the sun in the summer and winter solstices be so regularly known and calculated; could the flux and reflux of the sea and the height of the tides be affected by the increase or wane of the moon; could the different courses of the stars be preserved by the uniform movement of the whole heaven; could these things subsist, I say, in such a harmony of all the parts of the universe without the continued influence of a Divine Spirit? —De Nat. Deor., lib. ii., c. 9.
Verse 20.—Thou makest darkness, and it is night; wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth.
DR. HENRY J. VAN-LENNEP. —The day had been silent, the voice of the birds even being hushed by the heat, and the " cicada " alone heard in a monotonous concert from every shady grove; even this sound grew gradually silent as the mountain shadows lengthened across the plain, and sunlight died away. The rays of the moon, however, were hardly perceptible before the song of the cricket commenced; the cry of a solitary jackal was heard from the edge of the wood, and was presently answered by one, then by another and another of his companions, until the grand chorus was repeated by the mountain echoes; the fox barked close by, the owl screeched, and the great owl in the wood uttered its mourning cry as it watched for the hare that darted through the shadows. We could hear the footsteps, and occasionally catch a glimpse of a whole troop of wild boars, old and young, as they came hastening down from the woody coverts of the mountains to wallow in the mire, and dig among the roots of the plain. Truly it seemed as though Nature herself was keeping Ramazan—fast asleep all the long day, and waking up at eve to spend the entire night in work, revelry, and fun.—Bible Lands, p. 251.
Verses 24, 25.—O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.
PROF. EDWARD HITCHCOCK, D. D., LL. D.—It is impossible to give an exact estimate of the number of species of animals on the globe that have been actually named, up to the present moment, as new ones are being continually discovered and described. A few years since, however, the numbers were as follows:
Mammalia 2,030
Birds 7,000
Chelonians, or Tortoises, etc. 120
Saurian Lizards 460
Serpents 300
Batrachians, or Frogs, etc. 175
Fishes 8,000
Vermes, or Worms, etc. 770
Crustacea, or Lobsters, etc. 792
Hexapoda, or Insects 500,000
Mollusca, or Shells 11,482
Radiata, or Phytozoa 4,818
Now it is certain that this estimate must be very far below the actual number of species on the globe, especially in respect to the smaller animals. Indeed, judicious naturalists suppose that the species of animals existing on the globe cannot be less than a million—perhaps more.
And as to the number of individuals embraced in each species—these transcend all enumeration. Here the recollection immediately recurs to those vast swarms of locusts that have laid waste entire kingdoms, shutting out the sun as their innumerable armies flew through the air—to the vast shoals of fish which annually migrate southward from the Arctic Seas, moving in columns that are several leagues in width, and many fathoms thick, and so close together that they touch one another, and this living stream continuing to move past any particular spot nearly all summer long-and to the myriads on myriads of the feathery tenants of the air. A single flock of petrels has been estimated to embrace no less than 150,000,000; and a single flock of pigeons has been observed which numbered more than 1,000,000,000,000 individuals. And descending to animalcula, the numbers become more overwhelming still. Among these Ehrenberg has disclosed new worlds of wonders. The smallest of these animals are not more than one forty-thousandth of an inch in diameter; and so thickly are they sometimes crowded together, that a small drop of fluid contains 500,000,000. Formerly it was supposed that these animals were little more than simple particles of matter, endowed with vitality. But Ehrenberg has ascertained that they possess mouths, teeth, stomachs, muscles, nerves, glands, eyes—and in short, all the important organs of the more perfect animals. O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all.—The Wonders of Science Compared with the Wonders of Romance.
THOMAS DICK, LL. D.—On the surface of the earth there is not a patch of ground or a portion of water, a single shrub, tree, or herb, and scarcely a single leaf in the forest, but what teems with animated beings. How many hundreds of millions have their dwellings in caves, in the clefts of rocks, in the bark of trees, in ditches, in marshes, in the forests, the mountains and the valleys! What innumerable shoals of fishes inhabit the ocean and sport in the seas and rivers! What millions on millions of birds and flying insects, in endless variety, wing their flight through the atmosphere above and around us! Besides these, there are multitudes of animated beings which no man can number, invisible to the unassisted eye, and dispersed through every region of the earth, air and seas. In a small stagnant pool which in summer appears covered with 'a green scum, there are more microscopic animalcules than would outnumber all the inhabitants of the earth. How immense then must be the collective number of these creatures throughout every region of the earth and atmosphere! It surpasses all our conceptions "How manifold are his works." Improvement of Society, Sec. VI
Verses 27, 28.—These wait all upon thee, that thou mayest give them their meat in clue season. That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good.
THOMAS DICK, LL. D.—Now, it is a fact that, from the elephant to the mite, from the whale to the oyster, and from the eagle to the gnat, or the microscopic animalcula, no animal can subsist without nourishment. Every species, too, requires a different kind of food. Some live on grass, some on shrubs, some on flowers, and some on trees. Some feed only on the roots of vegetables, some on the stalk, some on the leaves, some on the fruit, some on the seed, some on the whole plant; some prefer one species of plants or grass, and some another. Yet such is the unbounded munificence of the Creator, that all these countless myriads of sentient beings are amply provided for and nourished by his bounty! " The eyes of all these look unto Him, and He openeth His hand and satisfieth the desire of every living thing." He has so arranged the world, that every place affords the proper food for all the living creatures with which it abounds. He has furnished them with every organ and apparatus of instruments for the gathering, preparing and digesting of their food, and has endowed them with admirable sagacity in finding out and providing their nourishment, and in enabling them to distinguish between what is salutary and what is pernicious. " That thou givest them they gather."—Improvement of Society, Sec. VI.
Verse 30.—Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created; and thou renewest the face of the earth.
SENECA.—Let us admire the universal forms of things flying on high, and God in the midst of them, disposing all things as it seemeth best to him. For all things remain, not because they are eternal, but because they are made the care and protection of an Almighty Governor: things immortal in their own nature stand not in need of a guardian; but mortal things are preserved by the hand that made them, surmounting the frailty of the materials by his almighty power.—Senec. Epist., 58.
Gratitude
Psa. 116:1212What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me? (Psalm 116:12).—What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me? XENOPHON.—I shall never be wanting in my acknowledgments to the gods; and it even troubleth me that I cannot make a suitable return for the benefits they have conferred upon us.—Mem. Soc., lib. iv., c. 3.
Stability of Creation
DR. JOHN HENRY KURTZ.—Supported by the experience and observation of thousands of years, science may boldly maintain that in spite of all antagonistic forces which are at work, in spite of a wonderfully involved whirl of movements, yea, in spite of all perturbations and disturbances which may here and there occur (themselves controlled by unchangeable laws.), the present order of our solar system bears the character of a stability the most unshaken and abiding. Ever since all fear that the world might be destroyed by coming in contact with some revolving comet has been got rid of, through a knowledge of the light physical properties of these bodies, no agency or discoverable accident within the whole compass of our system has been known to astronomy, by which the order of this system might be destroyed, or even materially changed.—Bible and Astronomy, p. 345.
PROF. WILLIAM WHEWELL, M. A.—Chang,, indeed, are taking place in the motions of the heavenly bodies, which have gone on progressively from the first dawn of Science. The eccentricity of the earth's orbit has been diminishing from the earliest observations to our times. The moon has been moving quicker and quicker from the time of the first recorded eclipses, and is now in advance, by about four times her own breadth, of what her place would have been if it had not been affected by this acceleration. The obliquity of the ecliptic also is in a state of diminution, and is now about two-fifths of a degree less than it was in the time of Aristotle. Yet for all this, the arrangements of the solar system, as has been demonstrated, are stable: in the long run the orbits and motions remain unchanged; and the changes in the orbits, which take place in shorter periods, never transgress certain very moderate limits. Each orbit undergoes deviations on this side and on that of its average state; but these deviations are never very great, and it finally recovers from 'them, so that the average is preserved. The planets, by their mutual gravitation, produce perpetual perturbations in each other's motions, but these perturbations are not indefinitely progressive, they are periodical: they reach a maximum value and then diminish. The periods which this restoration requires are, for the most part, enormous; not less than thousands, and, in some instances, millions of years; and hence it is that some of these apparent derangements have been going on in the same direction since the beginning of the history of the world. But the restoration is in the sequel as complete as the derangement; and in the meantime the disturbance never attains a sufficient amount seriously to alter the adaptations of the system.—Astronomy and General Physics, p. 90.
The Juniper Tree
PROF. H. B. TRISTRAM, LL. D., F. R. S.—The juniper tree, or rothem, is ruthlessly uprooted by the Arabs, who collect it wherever it is tolerably abundant, for the manufacture of charcoal, which is considered of the finest quality, and fetches a higher price in Cairo than any other kind. The roots are far thicker and more massy than the stems. This explains the allusion of the Psalmist, "Sharp arrows of the mighty with coals of juniper."—Natural History of the Bale, p. 360.
Sunbeams and Moonlight
REV. JOHN KITTO, D. D., F. S. A.—The effect of the powerful sunbeams of the East is frequently manifested in what is called a sun-stroke. Those on whom this visitation falls sometimes perish instantly, others die soon from its effects, some live on in a state of idiocy—and there are comparatively few who survive and perfectly recover.—Note, In loco.
REV. VERE MONRO.—My kind host (at Aleppo) allowed me to occupy a flat upon his house-top during my stay, in preference to being confined in a room; but the influence of the moon upon my head was so powerful, that whenever its beams reached me I was compelled to get up and move my mattress to some part of the hypæthral chamber, which was in the shade: and it was easy to comprehend the full force of the Psalmist's prophetic promise—" The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night."— Summer Rambles in Syria, II., 222.
CARNE.—The effect of the moonlight on the eyes in this country (Egypt) is singularly injurious. The natives tell you, as I found afterward they also did in Arabia, always to cover your eyes when you sleep in the open air. It is rather strange that the above passage in the Psalms should not have been thus illustrated, as the allusion seems direct. The moon here really strikes and affects the sight when you sleep exposed to it, much more than the sun: a fact of which I had a very unpleasant proof one night, and took care to guard against it afterward. Indeed, the sight of a person who should sleep with his face exposed at night, would soon be utterly impaired or destroyed.—Letters from the East, I., 88.
Dew of Hermon
PROF. H. B. TRISTRAM, LL. D., F. R. S.—We could here (at Rasheiya) but recall the Psalmist's expression, "As the dew of Hermon," etc.; for more copious dew we never experienced. Everything was drenched with it, and the tents were small protection. The under sides of our macintosh sheets were in water, our guns were rusted, dew-drops were hanging everywhere. The copiousness of the dew is easily accounted for by the geographical configuration. The hot air in the day-time comes streaming up the Ghor from the Huleh, while Hermon arrests all the moisture and deposits it congealed at nights. —Land of Israel, p. 208.
Process of Evaporation
PROF. JAMES F. JOHNSTON, M. A., F. R. S., F. G. S.—As soon as the cleat' sky permits the sun's rays once more to warm the surface of the earth, vapors begin to rise anew, and the sweeping winds dry up the rains and dews from its moistened surface. There are regions of the globe, also, where unending summer plays on the surface of. the wide seas, and causes a perpetual evaporation to lift up unceasing supplies of water into the air. These supplies the wind wafts to other regions; and thus the water which descends in rain or dew in one spot, is replaced by that which mounts up in vapor from another. And all this to maintain unbroken that nice adjustment which fits the constitution of the atmosphere to the wants of living things.
How beautiful is the arrangement by which the water is thus constantly evaporated or distilled, as it were, into the atmosphere-more largely from some, more sparingly from other spots—then diffused equally through the wide and restless air, and afterward precipitated again in refreshing showers which cleanse the tainted air, or in long-mysterious dews. But how much more beautiful the contrivance—I might almost say, the instinctive tendency—by which the dew selects the objects on which it delights to fall; descending first on every living plant, copiously ministering to the wants of each, and expending its superfluity only on the unproductive waste!
And equally kind and beautiful, when understood, nature is seen to be in all her operations. Neither skill nor materials are ever wasted; and yet she ungrudgingly dispenses her favors apparently without measure, and has subjected dead matter to laws which compel it to minister, and yet with a most ready willingness, to the wants and comforts of every living thing.—Chemistry of Common Life, Vol. I., p. 17.
The Captives of Babylon
Psa. 137:1-31By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. 2We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. 3For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. (Psalm 137:1‑3).—By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.
REV. DANIEL MARCH, D. D.—It seems like the first strain of the captive Hebrews' song of exile which has been sounding through the world for seventy generations when we see upon the walls of the palace of Sennacherib the representation of a company of captives led by a military officer and compelled to play upon harps for the entertainment of their conquerors. This tablet, which is preserved in the British Museum, is as old as the memorable Psalm, in which the Hebrew captives poured forth the sorrows of exile in the strange land.—Research and Travel in Bible Lands, in "Wood's Animals of the Bible," p. 705.
God's Omnipresence and Omniscience
Psa. 139:1-41<<To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.>> O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. 2Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. 3Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. 4For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. (Psalm 139:1‑4).—O Lord, thou hast searched me and known me. Thou knowest my down-sitting and mine uprising; thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.
HESIOD.—Jove's all-seeing, and all-knowing eye Discerns at pleasure things that hidden lie.
—Oper, et Dies, v. 265.
PLAUTUS.—There is undoubtedly a god who both hears and sees the things which we do.—Capt., Act II., sc. 2.
CICERO.—The gods know what passes in our minds, without the aid of eyes, ears, or tongues; on which divine omniscience is founded the feeling of men that, when they wish in silence, or offer up a prayer for anything, the gods hear them.—De Divin., I., 57.
IDEM.—The gods know what sort of person every one really is; they observe his actions, whether good or bad; they take notice with what feelings and with what piety he attends to his religious duties, and are sure to make a difference between the wicked and the good.—De Leg., II., 7.
Verses 7-11.—Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
HOMER.—It is not possible to flee from God.—Odyss., XVI., 447.
XENOPHON.—Whoever becomes the object of divine wrath, I know no swiftness can save him, no darkness hide him, no strong place defend him; since in all places, all things are subject to the power of the gods, and everywhere they are equally lords of all.—Anab., lib. ii., c. 5.
PLATO.—You will never be neglected by the deity, though you were so small as to sink into the depths of the earth, or so lofty as to fly up to heaven; but you will suffer from the gods the punishment due to you, whether you abide here, or depart to Hades, or are carried to a place still more wild than these.—De Leg., X., 12.
PRESIDENT T. DWIGHT, S. T. D., LL. D.—In every part of the Universe, to which we turn our eyes, we discern in the inanimate, animated, and intelligent worlds, most evident proofs of an agency, which it is impossible rationally to attribute to any other being but God. In the motions and powers of the elements; in the growth, structure, and qualities of vegetables and animals; and in the thoughts, volitions and actions of minds, we perceive a causal influence and efficiency totally distinguished from every other; as distinct from that of man, as the agency of man from the movements of an atom. This agency is conspicuous in all places, at all times, and in all things; and is seen in the earth, the ocean, the air, and the heavens, alike. Equally evident is it in the splendor and life-giving influences of the sun; in the motions, order and harmony of the planetary system; and in the light and beauty of the stars; as in the preservation, direction and control of terrestrial things. No agent can act where he is not. As, therefore, God acts everywhere, he is everywhere present. In this agency, contrivance and skill, to which no limits can be set, are everywhere manifested; it is, of course, equally and unanswerably a proof of the omniscience of God. As God exists everywhere, so he is in all places the same God, all eye, all ear, all intellect. Hence it is impossible that he should not know everything, in every place, and at every time.—System of Theology, Vol. I., p. 141.
DR. WILLIAM PALEY.—In every part and place of the universe, with which we are acquainted, we perceive the exertion of a power, which we believe, mediately or immediately, to proceed from the Deity. For instance: In what part or point of space, that has ever been explored, do we not discover attraction? In what regions do we not find light? In what accessible portion of our globe do we not meet with gravity, magnetism, electricity,; together with the properties also and powers of organized substances, of vegetable, or of animated nature? Nay, further, we may ask, What kingdom is there. of nature, what corner of space, in which there is anything that can be examined by us, where we do not fall upon contrivance and design? The only reflection, perhaps, which arises in our minds from this view of the world around us, is that the laws of nature everywhere prevail; that they are uniform and universal. But what do we mean by the laws of nature, or by any law? Effects are produced by power, not by laws. A law cannot execute itself. A law refers us to an agent. Now, an agency so general, as that we cannot discover its absence, or assign the place in which some effect of its continued energy is not found, may be called universal, and the person or being, in whom that power resides, or from whom it is derived, may be taken to be omnipresent. He who upholds all things by his power may be said to be everywhere present.—Nat. Theol., chap. XXIV.
Formation of Man's Body
Psa. 139:14-1614I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. 15My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. (Psalm 139:14‑16).—I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth., Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
DR. THOMAS DICK.—As an illustration of the numerous parts and functions which enter into the construction of our frames, it may be stated, that, in the human body there are 445 bones, each of them having forty distinct scopes or intentions; and over 400 muscles, each having ten several intentions;, so that the system of bones and muscles alone include above 20,000 varieties, or different intentions and adaptations. But besides the bones and muscles, there are hundreds of tendons and ligaments for the purpose of connecting-them together; hundreds of nerves ramified over the whole body to convey sensation to all its parts; ' thousands of arteries to convey the blood to the remotest extremities, and thousands of veins to bring it back to the heart; thousands of lacteal and. lymphatic vessels to absorb nutriment from the food; thousands of glands to secrete humors from the blood, and of emunctories to throw them off from the system, and besides many other parts of this variegated system and functions with which we are unacquainted, there are more than sixteen hundred millions of membranous cells or vesicles connected with the lungs, more than two hundred thousand millions of pores in the skin, through which the perspiration is incessantly flowing, and above a thousand millions of scales, which, according to Leeuwenhoek, Baker and others, compose the cuticle or outward covering of the body. We have also to take into the account the compound organs of life, the numerous parts of which they consist, and the diversified functions they perform—such as the brain, with its infinite number of fibers and numerous functions; the heart, with its auricles and ventricles; the stomach, with its juices and muscular coats; the liver, with its lobes and glands; the spleen, with its infinity of cells and membranes; the pancreas, with its juice and numerous glands; the kidneys, with their fine capillary tubes; the intestines, with all their turnings and convolutions; the organs of sense, with their multifarious connections; the mesentery, the gall-bladder, the ureters, the pylorus, the duodenum, the blood, the bile, the lymph, the saliva, the chyle, the hairs, the nails, and numerous other parts and substances, every one of which has diversified functions to perform. We have also to take into consideration the number of ideas included in the arrangement and connection of all these parts, and in the manner in which they are compacted into one system of small dimensions, so as to afford free scope for all the intended functions. Well might the Psalmist have exclaimed, " How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand."—Improvement of Society, Sec. VI.
JOHN MURRAY, F. S. A., F. L. S., F. G. S.—What a miracle of creation is man!-truly " fearfully and wonderfully made! "—a monument reared by infinite wisdom—a prodigy of parts. Could the unrivaled mechanism of man be unveiled, or its thousand movements be seen through a transparent medium, what a scene for contemplation, wonder and astonishment! and what a medium for adoration of " the Ancient of Days," who made and adjusted the mechanism, and put all its parts and powers in motion! What a vision would it be to see the ganglia shooting their electric influences along the lines of the nerves—the pneumatic machinery of the lungs discharging the envenomed air, and receiving in exchange a fresh supply of pure medium. The pause and interval in respirations to divide the gases agreeable to their relative specific gravities. The hydraulic engine of the heart propelling the vital fluid of the blood, its contractions and dilations; the flapping of the mitral, semi-lunar and tricuspid valves, acting like the valves of the steam-engine; the vibrations of the muscles; the pulling of the cordage of the tendons; the synovial or lubricating secretions of the joints, and their balls, and their sockets; the chronometry of the pulse, and the calorimeter which measures out heat to the system, and apportion; its quantity according to circumstances—a principle of compensation to equalize the temperature, and preserve an equilibrium under all changes and every variability. The absorbing vessels sucking up the several assimilated materials with a skilful selection, and with rare discrimination appropriating all; the functions of the skin cooling the surface when required, and the orifices acting as the waste pipes also of the system. The optical wonders of that perfect achromatic instrument, the eye; its window, and its curious curtain and its lens, and the media in contact with it; its reticular canvass in the back-ground of a camera-obscura, with all its microscopic and telescopic furniture. The acoustic paraphernalia of the ear, with its hammer, its stirrup, and its drum, and its chambers and beautifully convoluted recesses. The movements of the brain and its membranes, the secreting and assimilating organs engaged in recruiting the waste and rearing the goodly structure; the sensitive, irritable, and jealous epiglottis, guarding like a faithful sentinel the viaduct of the trachea; the refined sensibility of the papillae and fibrillæ of the tongue, and the delicate functions of the sneiderian membrane. These and myriads more of secreting and assimilating organs, with the secretions of the kidneys, mammæ, gall-bladder, salivary glands, pancreas, conglobated glands and lacteals, may well demand our wonder and admiration. What a miracle of skill and complication, and Yet how calm and unobtrusive their harmony! All that is beautiful in design and wonderful in the reciprocal adaptation of parts, with their mutual aptitudes, are here concentrated in one luminous focus of almighty wisdom.—Truth of Revel. Demonst., p. 32.
The Evil Tongue
PLINY.—Is it not a fact, that there are many men, the very existence of whom is a baneful poison, as it were? They dart their livid tongue like the tongue of a serpent; and the venom of their disposition corrodes every object upon which it concentrates itself; ever vilifying and maligning, like the ill-omened bird of night.—Hist. Nat., lib. xviii., c. 1.
True Friendship
PLUTARCH.—I have no need of a friend who changes as I do, and follows me in everything; for my shadow can do that much better; but of one who will' follow the truth and judge according to it.—De Adul. et Amic., c. 8.
Divine Goodness
Psa. 9.—The Lord is good to all and his tender mercies are over all his works.
POPE.—
For man kind Nature wakes her genial power,
Suckles each herb, and spreads out every flower;
Annual for him, the grape, the rose renew,
The juice nectareous and the balmy dew;
For him the mine a thousand treasures brings;
For him health gushes from a thousand springs;
Seas roll to waft him, suns to light him, rise;
His footstool Earth, his canopy the Skies.
DR. THOMAS DICK.—God has endowed all the creatures his hands have made with the power and with the means of enjoyment after their kind. In the exercise of their faculties, and in all their movements, they appear to experience a happiness suitable to their nature. The young of all animals in the exercise of their newly acquired faculties, the, fishes sporting in the waters, the birds skimming beneath the sky and warbling in the thickets, the gamesome cattle browsing in the pastures, the wild deer bounding through the forests, the insects gliding through the air and along the ground, and even the earth-worms wriggling in the dust,—proclaim by the vivacity of their movements and the various tones and gesticulations, that the exercise of their powers is connected with enjoyment. In this boundless scene of beneficence, we behold a striking illustration of the declarations of the Inspired Writers, that "the Lord is good to all "— that "the earth is full of his riches,"—and that "His tender mercies are over all his works."—Improvement of Society, p. 92.
Verse 10.—All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord.
DR. JOHN HARRIS.—Whatever excellence, natural or moral, the created universe may ever contain, was contained previously in the Divine Nature. The manifestation of his glory, by which we mean his all-sufficiency, is the great purpose or ultimate end of creation. There is not a particle of being or of excellence in existence now more than existed potentially from eternity, since the whole objective universe is the manifestation of the Divine being and excellence. This is the right key to the volume of the universe. Properly understood, every material particle is impressed with His seal. Every atom is a letter, and every work a word. Every element lectures on his attributes, and each globe is a messenger ever moving in his service. Man himself was made in his image. The stars come forth nightly on their solemn embassy to "proclaim the glory of God." And the earth daily affirms with voices innumerable the eternal power and Godhead.—Pre-Adamite Earth, p. 18, 20, 24, 33.
The Number of the Stars
THE COMPILER.—Vast and wonderful, indeed, is that family of planetary worlds embraced in the Solar System; yet when we have reached the orbit of the remotest of all the planets, 3,000 millions of miles from the center, we have scarcely set foot on the threshold of the Temple of Creation. While we remain among the planetary worlds, we are among our near neighbors; and while we continue within the limits of the solar system, we are comparatively at home in the boundless universe of God. If now we would advance to the study of the " fixed stars," those myriads of lights which nightly sparkle in our firmament, we must leave far behind the utmost bound of our own system, pass through dark and pathless regions, and pierce into depths of space, the very thought of which awes and overwhelms the mind.
The distance of the nearest of the fixed stars, Alpha Centauri, has been calculated to be no less than 20,000,000,000,000 of miles, a space which it would occupy fight, traveling at the rate of twelve millions of miles a minute, more than three years and a half to pass over! Sirius, though appearing as the brightest of all the stars, is still at a distance six times greater. Yet these are among the nearest of the stars; " the hosts of heaven " lie still immeasurably further in the depths of space.
Distant as the stars are, astronomers have contrived to detect a number of interesting phenomena connected with them. Some stars are observed to increase and decrease in brightness within fixed and definite periods. Others seem to vary fitfully in their magnitude and brilliancy. But the most wonderful revelations of sidereal astronomy are what have been called double, triple and multiple stars. When a telescope of considerable power is directed to certain' stars, which appear single to the naked eye, they are found double, one star being quite adjacent to the other. Others, again, are found triple; etc. These are found to revolve around each other; that is, two, three, or four suns, together with their respective systems, revolve round one another, or around their common center of gravity. This assuredly is a most sublime conception! What can be more august and overwhelming than the idea of resplendent suns revolving around other equally resplendent suns; of suns encircled with numerous retinues of planetary bodies, all in rapid motion, around other similar suns, over immeasurable circumferences, and with a velocity surpassing all human comprehension, and carrying all their planets with them in swift career. Yet nearly 6,000 such systems of double stars have been discovered. A most curious and interesting fact connected with these multiple systems is, that one sun differs in color from the other suns in the same system. In some instances, one sun is yellow and another blue; in other cases, one is of a crimson hue, while another is of vivid green. What a variety of illumination two, three, or four such suns must afford to the planetary worlds circling around them; what charming contrasts and grateful vicissitudes—a red, a green, and a yellow day alternating with a white one, and with darkness!
The immense distances of the stars prove their dimensions to be immense likewise, otherwise they would be altogether invisible from our world. Experiments and calculations go to prove that were the star Sirius and our Sun placed at equal distances, that star would impart an amount of light 14 times greater than that of the sun. The diameter of the star Vega has been calculated to be 38 times that of the sun; consequently its bulk must be 55,000 times that of the sun. What a stupendous orb must such a star be! The earth we call a large globe; other of the planets are hundreds of times larger; and the sun is 500 times larger than all the planets and satellites put together—what then must that body be which is 55,000 times larger than the sum of the whole solar system!
The number of the stars is equally astonishing. Ordinarily, indeed, there are not more than 1,000 visible to the naked eye at one time; and not more than 6,000 in both hemispheres under the most favorable circumstances. But these are only the beginnings of the glories of the heavens. When the telescope is turned toward the sky, stars before unseen come forth by myriads from the dark depths of space; and as the power of that instrument is increased, other myriads still come to view. The whole Milky Way is but a cluster of stars. "This remarkable belt," says the Elder Herschel, "when examined through a powerful telescope, is found to consist entirely of stars scattered by millions, like glittering dust, on the black ground of the general heavens." The number of stars that can be distinctly counted in the Milky Way exceeds 5,500,000. But this Belt is only one of those clusters of stars, called nebulœ, of which there have been observed and examined no less than 3,000. Each of these appears to be composed of stars as thickly crowded as the Milky Way. Of one of them, Sir John Herschel says: "Ten or twenty thousand stars appear to be compacted or wedged together in a space not larger than a tenth part of that covered by the moon, and presenting in its center one blaze of light." What, then, must be the number in the whole of that nebula? And if to all the foregoing we add the stars of 3,000 other nebulae, or Milky Ways, what a boundless scene is presented to the mind!
It has been calculated that there are within the reach of the best telescopes more than two billions of worlds—a number so vast that, counting a hundred per minute, it would take no less than 40,000 years to enumerate them! Yet men of sober minds and profound intellects have advanced the supposition, that were even all these to be swept away into nothingness and oblivion, the universe of God would be still left in its greatness, and that its glory would suffer no more by the event, tremendous as it seems to us, than would the forest by the dropping of a single leaf.—How significant, then, and how appropriate and true the adoring language of the Psalmist: " HE telleth the number of the stars; He calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power: His understanding is infinite."—See Work Days of God, p. 466-483.