peculiar features of his countenance every man may be distinguished in the light; by the tones of his voice he may be recognized in the dark, or when he is separated from his fellows by an impenetrable partition; and his handwriting can attest his existence and individuality, when continents and oceans interpose between him and his relations, and be a witness of his sentiments and purposes to future generations.

Thus, I have taken a very cursory view of some evidences of Divine Wisdom, which appear in the general constitution of the earth, the waters, and the atmosphere, and in the charac. teristic of variety, which is impressed on all the objects of the visible creation. When these and other admirable arrangements, in our sublunary system, are seriously contemplated, every rational and pious mind will be disposed to exclaim with the Psalmist-"There is none like unto thee, O Lord, neither are there any works like unto thy works."-" Thou art great, and dost wondrous things, thou art God alone." "O that men would praise the Lord for his goodand for his wonderful works towards the children of men!"

ness,

When we consider not only the utility, but the beauty and grandeur of the wise arrangements of nature, what reason have we to admire and adore the goodness of the great Author of our existence! Were all the diversities of shape and colour, of mountains and vales, of rivers and lakes, of light and shade, which now embellish the various landscapes of the world, to disappear, and were one unvaried scene perpetually to present itself to the eye, how dull and wearisome, and uninteresting, would the aspect of the universe appear to an intelligent mind! Although the variegated beauties which adorn the surface of our globe, and the vault of heaven, are not essential to our existence, as sensitive beings, yet, were they completely withdrawn, and nothing presented to the eye but a boundless expanse of barren sands, of barren sands, the mind would recoil upon itself, its activity would be destroyed, its powers would be confined, as it were, to a prison, and it would roam in vain amidst the surrounding waste, in search ・ of enjoyment. Even the luxuries of a palace, were it possible to procure them amidst such a scene of desolation, would become stale and insipid, and would leave the rational soul, almost destitute of ideas and of mental energy, to the tiresome round of a cheerless existence. But in the actual state of the world we live in, there is no landscape in nature, from the icebergs of Greenland to the verdant scenes of the torrid zone, in which objects, either of sublimity or of beauty, in boundless variety, are not presented to the view; in order to stimulate the mind to activity, to gratify its desire of novelty, and to slevate its conceptions of the Beneficent Creator. And, if the present constitution of our world

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displays so evident marks of beauty and benevo lent design, now that it is inhabited by an assemblage of depraved intelligences, and its physical aspect deformed, in consequence of " the wickedness of man"-what transporting beauties and sublimities must it have presented, when it appeared fresh from the hand of its Almighty Maker, and when all things were pronounced by him to be very good? After a deluge of waters has swept away many of its primeval beauties, and has broken and deranged even its subterraneous strata, this terrestrial world still presents to the eye a striking scene of beauty, order, and beneficence. But we have the strongest reason to believe, that before sin had disfigured the aspect of this lower world, all was "beauty to the eye, and music to the ear"-that "immortality breathed in the winds, flowed in the rivers," and exhaled from every plant and flower. No storms disturbed the tranquillity of nature, nor created the least alarm in the breasts of its holy inhabitants. No earthquakes shook the ground, nor rent the foundations of nature. No volcanoes vomited their rivers of lava, nor overwhelmed the plains with deluges of fire. No barren deserts of heath and sand disfigured the rich landscape of the world-no tempests nor hurricanes tossed the ocean, nor scorching heats, nor piercing colds, nor pestilence, nor disease, annoyed the human frame. In the radisaical state of the world, we may reasonably suppose, that all the elements of nature contributed directly to the pleasure and enjoyment of man, and of the other tribes of animated nature; and that they were not subjected, as they now are, to the operation of those natural agents which so frequently spread destruction and ruin among the abodes of men. To suppose the contrary to have happened, would be inconsistent with the state of pure and happy intelligences, and with the benignity of the Creator; and would imply, that God was either unwilling or unable to remove such physical evils. But we cannot suppose it beyond the limits of Infinite Wisdom and Omnipotence, to create and arrange a world entirely free from those evils and inconveniences which now flow from the operation of certain physical agents; without, at the same time, supposing that his power and intelligence are confined within certain bounds, weyond which they cannot pass. And, therefore, if, in the existing constitution of things, the harmony of nature is occasionally disturbed, and its beauty defaced, by earthquakes, storms, and tempests—we must remember, that the inhabitants of the earth are now a depraved race of mortals, no longer adorned with primeval purity and innocence; and that the physical economy of our globe has undergone a certain derangement, corresponding to the moral state of its present occupants. But since this earth, even in its present state of degradation and derangement, presents to the view of every beholder so many objects of beauty and magnificenco,

and so numerous traces of Divine Beneficence we may reasonably conclude, that scenes of Divine Wisdom and Goodness, far more glorious and transporting, must be displayed in those worlds where moral evil has never shed its malign influence, and where the inhabitants-superior to disease and death-bask for ever in the regions of immortality. And, therefore, however admirable the displays of Divine Wisdom may appear in the sublunary scene around us, they must be considered as inferior to those which are exhibited in many other provinces of Jehovah's empire, in so far as they are blended with those physical derangements which indicate his displeasure against the sins of men.

Were we now to direct our attention to the mechanism of animated beings, and to consider the numberless contrivances and adaptations in their organical structure and functions, a thousand instances of exquisite wisdom and design, still more striking and admirable, would crowd upon our view. For, although the general fabric of the world, and the immense variety of objects it contains, are evident proofs of a Wise and Intelligent Contriver, yet it is chiefly in the minute and delicate contrivances of organical structures, their adaptation to the purposes of life, motion, and enjoyment, and their relation and correspondence to the surrounding elements, that the consummate skill of the Great Architect of nature is most strikingly perceived. But as it forms no part of my present plan to enter on so extensive a field of illustration, on which volumes might be written, I shall content myself with merely stating an example or two. My first example shall be taken from

The Structure of the Human Eye.

The eye is one of the nicest pieces of mechanism which the human understanding can contemplate; but as it requires a knowledge of its anatomical structure, and of the principles of optics, to enable us to appreciate its admirable functions, I shall confine myself to a few general descriptions and remarks.

The eye is nearly of a globular form. It consists chiefly of three coats, and three humours. The first or outer coat, is termed sclerotica; it is every where white and opaque, and is joined at its anterior edge to another which has more convexity than any other part of the globe of the eye, and, being exceedingly transparent, is called the cornea. These two parts are perfectly different in their structure, and are supposed, by some anatomists, to be as distinct from each other as the glass of a watch is from the case into which it is fixed. Next within this coat is that called the choroides, on account of its being furnished with a great number of vessels. It serves, as it were, for a ining to the other, and is joined

with that part of the eye termed iris. The iris is an opaque membrane like the choroides, but of different colours in different eyes, as gray, black, or hazel. It is composed of two sets of muscular fibres, the one of a circular form, which contracts the hole in the middle, called the pupil, when the light is too strong for the eye; and the other, of radial fibres, tends every where from the circumference of the iris towards the middle of the pupil; which fibres, by their contractions, dilate and enlarge the pupil, when the light is weak, in order to let in more of its rays. The third coat is called the retina, upon which are painted the images of all visible objects, by the rays of light which flow from them. It spreads like net-work all over the inside of the choroides, and is nothing more than a fine expansion of the optic nerve; by which nerve the impressions of visible objects are conveyed to the brain.

The inside of the globe of the eye, within these tunics or coats, is filled with three humours, called the aqueous, the crystalline, and the vitreous. The aqueous humour lies at the fore part of the eye, and occupies all the between the crystalline and the prominent cornea. It has the same specific gravity and refractive power as water, and seems chiefly of use to prevent the crystalline from being easily bruised by rubbing, or by a blow

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-and perhaps it serves for the crystalline humour to move forward in, while we view near objects, and backward for remoter objects; without which, or some other mechanism effecting the same purpose, we could not, according to the laws of optics, perceive objects distinctly, when placed at different distances. Behind the aqueous lies the crystalline humour, which is shaped like a double convex glass, and is a little more convex on the back than on the fore part. This humour is transparent like crystal, is nearly of the consistence of hard jelly, and converges the rays which pass through it, from visible objects, to its focus at the bottom or back part of the eye. The vitreous humour lies behind the crystalline, and fills up the greatest part of the orb of the eye, giving it a globular shape. It is nearly of the consistence of the white of an egg, and very transparent; its fore part is concave, for the crystalline humour to lodge in, and its back part being convex, the retina is spread over it. It serves as a medium to keep the crystalline humour and the retina at due distance. From what has now been stated, it is obvious, that the images of external objects are depicted in the retina, in an inverted position, in the same manner as the images formed by a common convex lens; but how the mind, in this case, perceives objects erect, is a question, about which the learned have divided in their opinions.*

* An idea of the relative positions of the couts and humours described above, may be obtained by a simple inspection of the Plate, Fig. 6.-Fig. 5, re presents a front view of the human eye, as 't ap

The ball of the eye, as now described, is situated in a bony cavity, called its orbit, composed by the junction of seven different bones, hollowed out at their edges. This cavity is in all This cavity is in all the vacant spaces filled with a loose fat, which serves as a proper medium for the eye to rest in, and as a socket in which it may move. It is sheltered by the eyebrows, which are provided with hair, to prevent the descending sweat of the forehead from running down into it. As a still farther protection to this delicate organ, it is furnished with the eyelid, which, like a curtain, is drawn over it with inconceivable swiftness, for its security, on the approach of danger. I also serves to wipe it from superfluous misture, and to cover it during sleep. In the upper part of its orbit, it is furnished with a gland, to supply it with water sufficient to wash off dust, and to keep its outer surface moist, without which the cornea would be less transparent, and the rays of light would be disturbed in their passage; and the superfluous water is conveyed to the nose through a perforation in the bone.

For the purpose of enabling the eye to move in its socket, six muscles are provided. These are admirably contrived to move it in every direction, upwards or downwards, to the right or to the left, or in whatever direction the occasion may require; and thus we are spared the trouble of turning our heads continually towards the objects we wish to inspect. If we want to look upward, one of these muscles lifts up the orb of the eye; if we would cast our eyes to the ground, another muscle pulls them down. A third muscle moves the globe outwards towards the temples, and a fourth draws it towards the nose. A fifth, which slides within a cartilaginous ring, like a cord over a pulley, and is fastened to the globe of the eye in two points, makes it roll about at pleasure. A sixth lies under the eye, and is designed to temper and restrain, within proper bounds, the action of the rest, to keep it steadily fixed on the object it beholds, and to prevent those frightful contortions which otherwise might take place. By these, and a multitude of other mechanical contrivances, all acting in harmonious combination, the eye, as a natural telescope and microscope, is made to advance, to recede, to move to the right and to the left, and in every other direction; and to view near and distant objects with equal distinctness; so that a single eye, by the variety of positions it may assume, performs the office of a thousand.*

The utility of these several movements, and the pain and inconvenience which would be suffered, were any of them wanting, can scarcely be pears in its natural state, and exhibits the relative positions of the Cornea, Iris, and Pupil.

• Flies and other insects, whose eyes are immoveable, have several thousands of distinct globes in each eye. See note page 38.

conceived, by any one whose eyes have always remained in a sound state. We are so much ac customed to the regular exercise of our visual organs, that we seldom reflect on the numerous delicate springs which must be set in action, before the functions of vision can, with ease, bo performed. But were any one of the muscular organs, now described, to fail in its functions, we should soon experience so many inconveniences, as would throw a gloom on all the other comforts of life; and convince us, how much we are indebted, every moment, to the provident care and goodness of our Beneficent Creator, for thousands of enjoyments which we seldom think of, and for which which we are never sufficiently grateful."With much compassion, as well as astonishment at the goodness of our loving Creator," says Dr. Nieuwentyt," have I considered the sad state of a certain gentleman, who, as to the rest, was in pretty good health, but only wanted the use of those two little muscles that serve to lift up the eyelid, and so had almost lost the use of his sight being forced, as long as this defect lasted, to shove up his eyelids every moment, with his own hands."t

How admirable, then, is the formation of the eye, and how grateful ought we to feel at the consideration, that we are permitted to enjoy all the transporting pleasures of vision, without the least perplexity or effort on our part! If the loss of action in a single muscle produces so many distressing sensations and efforts, what would be the consequence if all the muscles of the eye were wanting or deranged? And is it man that governs these nice and intricate movements? or is it the eye itself, as a self-directing machine, that thus turns around, seasonably and significantly, towards every visible object? Man knows neither the organs of vision, nor the functions they ought to perform. The eye is only an unconscious machine, in the hands of a Superior Intelligence, as a watch, or a steam engine, is in the hands of a mechanic. It is God alone who constantly performs its movements, according to certain laws, which he has submitted to our inclinations and desires inclinations and desires; "for in him we live and move." We are desirous to see certain objects around us: this is all the share we have in the operations of our eyes; and without perplexing our understanding, without the least care or management, in regard to any of the functions, we can, in a few moments, take a survey of the beauties and sublimities of an extensive landscape, and of the glories of the vault of heaven. Thus, the Divine Being operates not only in this, but in a thousand different ways, in the various senses and contrivances which belong to our anima system; and yet, thoughtless and ungrateful man often inquires, in the language of doubt

and move."

↑ Nieuwentyt's Religious Philospher, vol. 1, p. 232.

and hesitation, "Where is God my Maker?" He is in us, and around us, directing every movement in our animal frame to act in harmony with the surrounding elements, and to minister to our enjoyments; and it is only when his exquisite operations are deranged by external violence, that we feel inconvenience or pain.

Such are only a few general outlines of the structure of the eye: for no notice has been taken of the numerous minute veins, arteries, nerves, lymphatics, glands, and many other particulars which are connected with this organ. But all this delicate and complicated apparatus, in the structure of the eye, would have been of no use whatever for the purpose of vision, had not a distinct substance been created to act upon it, exactly adapted to its nature and functions. In order that the eye might serve as the medium of our perceptions of visible objects, light was formed, and made to travel from its source at the rate of 195,000 miles in a second of time. This prodigious velocity of light is, doubtless, essential to the nature of vision; since it actually exists, and since we find that it radiates with the same swiftness from the most distant visible star, as from the sun which enlightens our system. To abate the force of this amazing velocity, its particles have been formed almost infinitely small-a circumstance which alone prevents this delightful visitant from becoming the most tremendous and destructive element in nature. Dr. Nieuwentyt has computed, that, in one second of time, there flows 418,660,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000* particles of light out of a burning candle, which number contains at least 6,337,242,000,000 times the number of grains of sand in the whole earth, supposing every cubic inch of the earth to contain a million of grains. It has been justly remarked, by Mr. Ferguson and other authors, that "if the particles of light were so large, that a million of them were equal in bulk to an ordinary grain of sand, we durst no more open our eyes to the light, than suffer sand to be shot point blank against them, from the mouth of a cannon." It may also be remarked, that the property which all bodies possess, of reflecting light, is essential to the purpose of vision, without which, the splendid and variegated scene of nature would be changed into a dreadful gloom; and were the rays of light of one uniform colour, and not compounded of various hues, one object could not be distinguished from another, and the beautiful aspect of our globe would instantly disappear. Thus we see, that the eye is adapted to light, and light to the eye; and in this admirable adaptation the wisdom of the Creator is strikingly displayed. For light has no effect upon the ear, or upon any other organ of sensation; so as to organ of sensation; so as to

See Appendix, No. V

produce a perception of visible objects; as, on the other hand, the undulations of the air have no effect upon the eye, so as to produce the sensa. tion of sound. The eye did not produce the light, nor did the light form the eye; they are perfectly distinct from each other, yet so nicely adapted in every particular, that had any one quality or circumstance been wanting in either, the functions of vision could not have been performed in the manner in which they now operate, which strikingly demonstrates, that one and the same Intelligent Being, possessed of a wisdom beyond our comprehension, formed the curious structure of the eye, and endued the rays of light with those properties of colour, motion, and minuteness, which are calculated, through the medium of this organ, to produce, in sentient beings, the ideas of visible objects. And, surely, he never intended that such exquisite skill and contrivance should be altogether overlooked by rational beings, for whose pleasure and enjoyment all this benevolent care is exercised.

Manner in which vision is performed.

Let us now attend a little to the manner in which vision is performed, by the medium of light acting on the organs of sight. If we take a common convex glass-a reading glass for example-and hold it at some distance from a candle or a window sash, placing a piece of white paper behind the glass, at the distance of its focus, the image of the candle or sash will be painted on the paper, in an inverted position. This experiment may be performed, with a better effect, by darkening a room, and placing the convex glass in a hole cut out of the window shutter, when the rays of light flowing from the objects without, and passing through the glass, will form a picture of the objects opposite the window, on the white paper, adorned with the most beautiful colours. In a manner similar to this, are the images of external objects depicted on the back part of the inner coat or membrane of the eye. The rays of light, proceeding in all directions, from surrounding objects, and falling on the eye, are transmitted through the pupil; and being refracted by the different humours, (particularly by the crystalline humour, which acts the part of a convex lens,) they converge to a focus on the retina, where the images of visible objects are painted in an inverted position; and, by means of the optic nerve, these images are conveyed to the mind.

The following figure will perhaps more distinctly illustrate this point. Let a, b, c, x, y, represent the globe of the eye, and A, B, C, an object at a certain distance from it. Now, it is well known that every point of a visible object sends out rays of light in all directions; and, therefore, a certain portion of the rays which flow from the object A B C, will fall upon the cornea between ☛ and y, and, passing through the