and the hum of human voices and of ceaseless activity, now diversify the scene where nothing was formerly heard but the purling stream or the bowlings of the tempest. In certain parts of the country where the passing of a chariot was a kind of phenomenon, mails and stage-coaches crowded with travellers of all descriptions, within and without, now follow each other in rapid succession, conveying their passengers with uninterrupted rapidity, and at one-half the expense formerly incurred. Even on the inland lake, where scarcely a small skiff was formerly seen, steam-vessels are now beheld sweeping along in majestic style, and landing fashionable parties, heroes, divines, and philosophers, to enliven the rural hamlet, the heath-clad mountain, and the romantic glen. Much, however, is still wanting to complete the enjoyments of the lower ranks of society. In the country, many of them live in the most wretched hovels, open to the wind and rain, without a separate apartment to which an individual may retire for any mental exercise; in toums, a whole family is frequently crowded into a single apartment in a narrow lane, surrounded with filth and noxious exhalations, and where the light of day is scarcely visible. In such habitations, where the kitchen, parlour, and bed-closet are all comprised in one narrow apartment, it is next to impossible for a man to improve his mind by reading or reflection, amidst the gloom of twilight, the noise of children, and the preparation of victuals, even although he felt an ardent desire for intellectual enjoyment. Hence the temptation to which such persons are exposed to seek enjoyment in wandering through the streets, in frequenting the ale-house, or in lounging at the fire-side in mental inactivity. In order that the labourer may be stimulated to the cultivation of his mental powers, he must be furnished with those domestic conveniencies requisite for attaining this object. He must be paid such wages aş will enable him to procure such conveniencies, and the means of instruction, otherwise it is next thing to an insult to exhort him to prosecute the path of science. The long hours of labour, and the paltry remuneration which the labourer receives in many of our spinning-mills and other manufactories, so long as such domestic slavery and avaricious practices continue, form an insurmountable barrier to the general diffusion of knowledge. But were the minds of the lower orders imbued with a certain portion of useful science, and did they possess such a competency as every numan being ought to enjoy, their knowledge would lead them to habits of diligence and economy. In most instances it will be found, that gnorance is the fruitful source of indolence, waste, and extravagance, and that abject poverty is the result of a want of discrimination and proper arrangement in the management of domestic affairs. Now, the habits of application which the acquisition of knowledge necessarily produces, would naturally be carried into the various departments of labour peculiar to their stations, and prevent that laziness and inattention which is too common among the working classes, and which not unfrequently lead to poverty and disgrace. Their knowledge of the nature of heat, combustion, atmospheric air, and combustible substances, would lead them to a proper economy in the use of fuel; and their acquaintance with the truths of chymistry, on which the art of a rational cookery is founded, would lead them to an economical practice in the preparation of victuals, and teach them to extract from every substance all its nutritious qualities, and to impart a proper relish to every dish they prepare ; for want of which knowledge and attention, the natural substances intended for the sustenance of man will not go half their length in the hands of some as they do under the judicious management of others. Their knowledge of the structure and functions of the animal system, of the regimen which ought to be attended to in order to health and vigour, of the causes which produce obstructed perspiration, of the means by which pestilential effluvia and infectious diseases are propagated, and of the disasters to which the human frame is liable in certain situations, would tend to prevent many of those diseases and fatal accidents to which ignorance and inattention have exposed so many of our fellow-men. For want of attending to such precautions in these respects, as knowledge would have suggested, thousands of families have been plunged into wretchedness and ruin, which all their future exertions were inadequate to remove. As the son of Sirach has well observed, "Better is the poor being sound and strong in constitution, than a rich man that is afflicted in his body. Health and good estate of body are above all gold; there are no riches above a sound body, and no joy above the joy of the heart.' As slovenliness and filth are generally the characteristics of ignorance and vulgarity, so an attention to cleanliness is one of the distinguishing features of cultivated minds. Cleanliness is conducive to health and virtuous activity, but uncleanliness is prejudicial to both. Keeping the body clean is of great importance, since more than the one half of what we eat and drink is evacuated by perspiration, and if the skin is not kept clean the pores are stopped, and perspira. tion consequently prevented, to the great injury of health. of health. It is highly necessary to the health and cheerfulness of children; for where it is neglected, they grow pale, meagre, and squalid, and subject to several loathsome and trouble some diseases. Washing the hands, face, mouth, and feet, and occasionally the whois body, conduces to health, strength, and ease, and tends to prevent colds, rheumatism, cramps, the palsy, the itch, the tooth-ache, and many other maladies. Attention to cleanliness of body would also lead to cleanliness in regard to clothes, victuals, apartments, beds and furniture. A knowledge of the nature of the mephitic gases, of the necessity of pure atmospheric air to health and vigour, and of the means by which infection is produced and communicated, would lead persons to see the propriety of frequently opening doors and windows to dissipate corrupted air, and to admit the refreshing breeze, of sweeping cobwebs from the corners and ceiling of the room, and of removing dust, straw, or filth of kind which is offensive to the smell, and in which infection might be deposited. By such attention, fevers and other malignant disorders might be prevented, vigour, health, and serenity promoted, and the whole dwelling and its inmates present an air of cheerfulness and comfort, and become the seat of domestic felicity. any Again, scientific knowledge would display itself among the lower orders, in the tasteful decorations of their houses and garden plots. The study of botany and horticulture would teach them to select the most beautiful flowers, shrubs, and evergreens; to arrange their plots with neatness and taste, and to improve their kitchen-garden to the best advantage, so as to render it productive for the pleasure and sustenance of their families. A genius for mechanical operations which almost every person may acquire, would lead them to invent a variety of decorations, and to devise many contrivances for the purpose of conveniency, and for keeping every thing in its proper place and order-which never enter into the conceptions of rude and vulgar minds. Were such dispositions and mental activity generally prevalent, the circumstances which lead to poverty, beggary, and drunkenness, would be in a great measure removed, and home would always be resorted to as a place of comfort and enjoyment. Again the study of science and art would incline the lower classes to enter into the spirit of every new improvement, and to give their assistance in carrying it forward. The want of taste and of mental activity, and the spirit of selfishness which at present prevails among the mass of mankind, prevent the accomplishment of a variety of schemes which might tend to promote the conveniences and comforts of general society. For example; many of our villages which might otherwise present the appearance of neatness and comfort, are almost impassable, especially in the winter season, and during rainy weather, on account of the badness of roads and the want of foot-paths. At almost every step you encounter a pool, a heap of rubbish, or a dunghill, and in many places feel as if you were walking you were walking in a quagmire. In some villages, otherwise well planned, the streets present a grotesque appearance of sandy hillocks and mounds, and pools of stagnant water scattered in every dire tion, with scarcely the vestige of a pathway to guide the steps of the passenger. In winter, the traveller, in passing along, is bespattered with mire and dirt, and in summer, he can only drag heavily on, while his feet at every step sink into soft and parched sand. Now, such is the apathy and indifference that prevail among many villagers as to improvement in these respects, that although the contribution of a single shilling or of half a day's labour might, in some instances, accomplish the requisite improvements, they will stand aloof from such operations with a sullen obstinacy, and even glory in being the means of preventing them. Nay, such is the selfishness of many individuals, that they will not remove nuisances even from the front of their own dwellings, because it might at the same time promote the convenience of the public at large. In large towns, likewise, many narrow lanes are rendered filthy, gloomy, and unwholesome by the avarice of landlords, and the obstinate and boorish manners of their tenants, and improvements prevented which would tend to the health and comfort of the inhabitants. But as knowledge tends to liberalise the mind, to subdue the principle of selfishness, and to produce a relish for cleanliness and comfort, when it is more generally diffused, we may expect that such improvements as those to which I allude will be carried forward with spirit and alacrity. There would not be the smallest difficulty in accomplishing every object of this kind, and every other improvement conducive to the pleasure and comfort of the social state, provided the majority of a community were cheerfully to come forward with their assistance and contributions, however small, and to act with concord and harmony. A whole community or nation acting in unison, and every one contributing according to his ability, would accomplish wonders in relation to the improvement of towns, villages, and hamlets, and of every thing that regards the comfort of civil and domestic society. In short, were knowledge generally diffused, and art uniformly directed by the principles of science, new and interesting plans would be formed, new improvements set on foot, new comforts enjoyed, and a new lustre would appear on the face of nature, and on the state of general society. Numerous conveniencies, de corations, and useful establishments never yet attempted, would soon be realized. Houses on neat and commodious plans, in airy situations, and furnished with every requisite accommodation, would be reared for the use of the peasant and mechanic; schools on spacious plans for the promotion of useful knowledge would be erected in every village and hamlet, and ir every quarter of a city where they were found expedient; asylums would be built for the reception of the friendless of the friendless poor, whether young or old; Imanufactories established for supplying employment to every class of labourers and artizans, and lecture-rooms prepared, furnished with requisite apparatus, to which they might resort for improvement in science. Roads would be cut in all convenient directions, diversified with rural decorations, hedge-rows, and shady bowers, foot-paths, broad and smooth, would accompany them in all their windings, and gas-lamps, erected at every half-mile's distance, would variegate the rural scene and cheer the shades of night. Narrow lanes in cities would be either widened or their houses demolished; streets on broad and spacious plans would be built, the smoke of steam-engines consumed, nuisances removed, and cleanliness and comfort attended to in every arrangement. Cheerfulness and activity would everywhere prevail, and the idler, the vagrant, and the beggar would disappear from society. All these operations and improvements, and hundreds more, could easily be accomplished, were the minds of the great body of the community thoroughly enlightened and moralized, and every individual, whether rich or poor, who contributed to bring them into effect, would participate in the general enjoyment. And what an interesting picture would be presented to every benevolent mind, to behold the great body of mankind raised from a state of moral and physical degradation to the dignity of their rational natures, and to the enjoyment of the bounties of their Creator!-to behold the country diversified with the neat and cleanly dwellings of the industrious labourer,-the rural scene, during the day, adorned with seminaries, manufactories, asylums, stately edifices, gardens, fruitful fields and romantic bowers, and, during night, bespangled in all directions with variegated lamps, forming a counterpart, as it were, to the lights which adorn the canopy of heaven! Such are only a few specimens of the improvements which art, directed by science and morality, could easily accomplish. SECTION VI. ON THE INFLUENCE OF KNOWLEDGE IN PROMOTING ENLARGED CONCEPTIONS OF THE CHARACTER AND PERFECTIONS OF THE DEITY. ALL the works of God speak of their Author, in silent but emphatic language, and declare the glory of his perfections to all the inhabitants of the earth. But, although "there is no speech nor language" where the voice of Deity is not heard, how gross are the conceptions generally entertained of the character of Him" in whom we live and move," and by whose superintending providence ail events are directed! Among the greater number of pagan nations, the most absurd and grovelling notions are entertained respecting the Supreme Intelligence, and the nature of that worship which his perfections demand. They have formed the most foolish and degrading representations of this august Being, and have "changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to four-footed beasts and creeping things." Temples have been erected and filled with idols the most hideous and obscene; bulls and crocodiles, dogs and serpents, goats and lions have been exhibited to adumbrate the character of the Ruler of the universe. The most cruel and unhallowed rites have been performed to procure his favour, and human victims sacrificed to appease his indignation. All such grovelling conceptions and vile abominations have their origin in the darkness which overspreads the human understanding, and the depraved passions which ignorance has a tendency to produce. Even in those countries where Revelation sheds its influence, and the knowledge of the true God is promulgated, how mean and contracted are the conceptions which the great bulk of the population entertain of the attributes of that incomprehensible Being whose presence pervades the immensity of space, who "metes out the heavens with a span," and superintends the affairs of ten thousand worlds The views which many have acquired of the perfections of the Deity, do not rise much higher than those which we ought to entertain of the powers of an archangel, or of one of the seraphim; and some have been known, even in our own country, whose conceptions have been so abject and grovelling, as to represent to themselves "the King eternal, immortal, and invisible," under the idea of a "venerable old man.' Even the more intelligent class of the community fall far short of the ideas they ought to form of the God of heaven, owing to the limited views they have been accustomed to take of the displays of his wisdom and benevolence, and the boundless range of his operations. We can acquire a knowledge of the Deity only by the visible effects he has produced, or the external manifestations he has given of himself to his creatures; for the Divine Essence must remain for ever inscrutable to firite minds. These manifestations are made in the Revelations contained in the Bible, and in the scene of the material universe around us. The moral perfections of God, such as his justice, mercy, and faithfulness, are more particularly delineated in his word; for, of these the system of nature can afford us only some slight hints and obscure intimations. His natural attributes, such as his immensity, omnipotence, wisdom, and goodness, are chiefly displayed in the works of creation; and to this source of information the inspired writers uniform'v dires our atten tion, in order that we may acquire the most ample and impressive views of the grandeur of the Divinity, and the magnificence of his operations. "Lift up your eyes on high and behold! who hath created these orbs? who bringeth forth their host by number? The everlasting God the Lord, by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power. He measureth the ocean in the hollow of his hand, he comprehends the dust of the earth in a measure, he weigheth the mountains in scales, and hath stretched out the heavens by his understanding. All nations before him are as the drop of a bucket, and are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity. Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the giory, and the majesty, for all that is in heaven and earth is thine." The pointed interrogatories proposed to Job,* and the numerous exhortations in reference to this subject, contained in the book of Psalms and other parts of Scripture, plainly evince, that the character of God is to be contemplated through the medium of his visible works. In order to acquire a just and comprehensive conception of the perfections of Deity, we must contemplate his character as displayed both in the system of Revelation and in the system of nature, otherwise we can acquire only a partial and distorted view of the attributes of Jehovah. The Scriptures alone, without the medium of his works, cannot convey to us the most sublime conceptions of the magnificence of his empire, and his eternal power and Godhead; and the works of nature, without the revelations of his word, leave us in profound darkness with regard to the most interesting parts of his character-the plan of his moral government, and the ultimate destination of man. Would' we, then, acquire the most sublime and comprehensive views of that invisible Being, who created the universe, and by whom all things are upheld, we must, in the first place, apply ourselves, with profound humility and reverence, to the study of the Sacred oracles; and, in the next place, direct our attention to the material works of God as illustrative of his Scriptural character, and of the declarations of his word. And, since the sacred writers direct our views to the operations of the Almighty in the visible universe, in what manner are we to contemplate these operations? Are we to view them in a careless, cursory manner, with fixed attention? Are we to gaze on them with the vacant stare of a savage, or with the penetrating eye of a Christian philosopher? Are we to view them through the mists of ignorance and vulgar prejudice, or through the light which science has diffused over the wonders of creation? There can be no difficulty to any reflecting mind in determining which of these modes ought to be adopted. The Scriptures • Job. ch xxxviii, &c. or declare, that as "the works of Jehovah are great," they must be "sought out," or thoroughly investigated, "by all those who have pleasure therein;" and a threatening is denounced against every one who "disregards the works of the Lord," and "neglects to consider the operations of his hand." Such declarations evidently imply, that we ought to make the visible works of God the subject of our serious study and investigation, and exercise the rational powers he has given us for this purpose; otherwise we cannot expect to derive from them a true and faithful exhibition of his character and purposes. For, as the character of God is impressed upon his works, that character cannot be distinctly traced unless those works be viewed in their true light and actual relations-not as they may appear to a rude and inattentive spectator, but as they are actually found to exist, when thoroughly examined by the light of science and of revelation. For example, a person unaccustomed to investigate the system of nature imagines that the earth is a fixed mass of land and water in the midst of creation, and one of the largest bodies in nature, and, consequently, that the sun, moon, and stars, and the whole material universe revolve around it every twenty-four hours. Such a conception of the material system might, indeed, convey to the mind an astonishing idea of the power of the Deity in causing such an immense number of orbs to revolve around our world with so prodigious a velocity as behoved to take place, were the earth in reality a quiescent body in the centre of the universe. centre of the universe. But it would give us a most strange and distorted idea of his intelligence. While it tended to magnify his omnipotence, it would, in effect, deprive him of the attribute of wisdom. For, in the first place, such a conception would represent the Almighty as having devised a system of means altogether superfluous and preposterous, in order to accomplish the end intended; for it is the characteristic of wisdom to proportionate the means to the nature of the design which is to be accomplished. The design, in the case under consideration, is to produce the alternate succession of day and night. This can be effected by giving the earth itself a rotation round its axis, as is the case in other globes of much larger dimensions. But according to the conception to which we are now adverting, the whole material creation is considered as daily revolving around this comparatively little globe of earth, an idea altogether extravagant and absurd, and inconsistent with every notion we ought to entertain of infinite wisdoni. In the next place, were the earth considered as at rest, the motions of the planets would present a series of looped curves without any marks of design, a scene of inextricable confusion, and the whole of the solar system would appear devoid of order and harmonv; and, consequently, without the marks of wisdom and intelligence. So that when the arrangements of nature are contemplated through the mists of ignorance, they tend to obscure the glory of the Divinity, and to convey a distorted idea of his character. Whereas, when the system of the universe is contemplated in its true light, all appears arranged with the most admirable harmony, simplicity, and order, and every mean proportionate to the end it is intended to accomplish. Again, in so far as we consider the earth as the principal body, or among the largest bodies of the universe, in so far do we narrow our conceptions of the extent and magnificence of creation, and, consequently, limit our views of the plans and perfections of the Creator. For our conceptions of his attributes must, in some measure, correspond to the views we have acquired of the amplitude and grandeur of his empire. Now, what is it that enables us to investigate the works of God, and to contemplate the system of nature in its true light? It is Science combined with observation and experiment. And what is science considered in a theological point of view? It is nothing else than a rational inquiry into the arrangements and operations of the Almighty, in order to trace the perfections therein displayed. And what are the truths And what are the truths which science has discovered? They may be regarded as so many rays of celestial light descending from the Great Source of Intelligence to illuminate the human mind in the knowledge of the divine character and government, and to stimulate it to still more vigorous exertions in similar investigations, just as the truths of revelation are so many emanations from the "Father of lights," to enlighten the darkness and to counteract the disorders of the moral world; and both these lights must be resorted to to direct our inquiries, if we wish to attain the clearest and most comprehensive views of the attributes of the Divine Mind. Revelation declares, in so many distinct propositions, the character of God, and the plans of his moral government. Science explains and illustrates many of those subjects to which revelation refers. It removes the veil from the works of the Creator; it dispels the mists which ignorance and superstition have thrown around them; it conducts us into the secret chambers of nature, and discloses to us many of those hidden springs which produce the diversified phenomena of the material world; It throws a light on those delicate and minute objects which lie concealed from the vulgar eye, and brings within the range of our contemplation the distant glories of the sky; it unveils the aws by which the Almighty directs the movements of his vast empire, and exhibits his operations in a thousand aspects of which the unenlightened mind can form no conception. If, then, science throws a light on the works and the ways of God, the acquisition of scientific know ledge, when properly directed, must nave a tendency to direct our conceptions and to amplify our views of his adorable attributes, and of his providential arrangements. Here it will naturally be inquired,—What are some of those views of the divine character which scientific investigation has a tendency to unfold? Our limits will not permit a full and explicit answer to this inquiry, the illustration of which would require a volume of no inconsiderable size, and therefore, we shall attempt nothing more than the statement of a few general hints. 1. The phenomena of the material world, as investigated by science, evince the unity of the Divine Being. There is such a harmony that prevails through the whole visible universe, as plainly shows it to be under the government of one Intelligence. Amidst the immense compli cation that surrounds us, we perceive one set of laws uniformly operating in accordance with which all things proceed in their regular courses. The same causes uniformly produce the same effects in every region of the world, and in every period of time. "Vegetables spring from the same seed, germinate by the same means, assume the same form, sustain the same qualities, exist through the same duration, and come to the same end." Animals, too, of the same species, are brought into existence in the same manner, exhibit the same life and vital functions, display the same active powers and instinct, and hasten to the same dissolution. Man has one origin, one general form, the same corporeal structure, the same vital functions, the same system of intellectual faculties, and comes to the same termination. All the elements around him, and every arrangement in this sublunary sphere, are made, in one regular manner, subservient to his sensitive enjoyment, and are evidently fitted, by one design, and directed by one agency, to promote his happiness. The connexion and harmony which subsist between the animal and vegetable kingdoms, plainly evince that one and the same Being is the former of both, and that in his contrivances with respect to the one, he had in view the necessities of the other. We know, that dif ferent sorts of plants, herbs, and flowers, are appointed for food to the several tribes of animals. That which is hurtful to one species is salutary to another. One creature climbs the highest rocks for herbs, another digs in the earth for roots, and we scarcely know a plant or leaf but what affords nourishment, and a place of nativity to some species or other of the insect tribes. This is the foundation of innumerable relations and connexions between these two departments of creation, which show the work to be one, and the result of the same Power and Intelligence. In like manner, day and night uniformly return with the utmost regularity, and by the operation of the same cause, and with the same regularity |