title="[32]"/>Now let us bear these facts in mind: that the Psalmist speaks of a plurality of heavens made by the word and breath of God, while Job also tells us of a plurality of heavens, and that "a flame goeth out of his mouth," and "God by his Spirit garnished the heavens."

We know that God is the Great First Cause, and the Creator of all things that exist. He created the Heavens and the Earth, Suns, Moons, Planets, and Stars, and all pertaining thereunto; as, also, the firmament of the heavens, in which all are placed; and while all come forth at His command, or by His word, yet we are plainly told, that His breath, or Spirit, was the active agency in this mighty creation.

When we come to investigate the nature of this active agency—Spirit—we find that it is fire, a principle, or element which pervades all nature; one which is indestructible—can never be destroyed—and yet an element of destruction; indeed, one of seeming annihilation. Now, seeing that the element of fire pervades all things, so also are we told, that God's Spirit is everywhere.

THE SUN—THE SOURCE OF LIGHT AND HEAT.

First, acknowledging God—the Supreme, Infinite, and Eternal One—as the Great First Cause, and Author of all things created, we all know that the Sun is the mainspring of animated Nature. Without its genial rays, the present system of Earth's government could not endure, and life itself would soon disappear from our globe. It is the source of light and heat—the two great stimulants of vital force.

Now, so far as we can comprehend, the Sun is the immediate or direct source of light and heat—or fire—hence, the source of animated existence of all pertaining to this Earth; and so, also, as we believe, to all the other planets, or worlds belonging to our solar system, or within the Sun's vast domain. That source is fixed and permanent, and is ever the same; neither increasing nor diminishing, although constantly dispensing its influence to all around it.

Its source is eternal, and it is, evidently, an attribute of Jehovah, and the time of its past existence we cannot comprehend, nor can we believe otherwise than that it will continue to exist through all eternity. We believe it one of God's eternal lamps, placed by His own Omnipotent power to light up the sphere which He has appointed unto it, and to give its warmth and animation to this, and all other worlds belonging to its domain. Cast your eye upward at noon-day, when no clouds intervene, and behold that brilliant orb, whose light pales that of all else, and seems to make all dark in illimitable space beyond its own empire. Look at it but for one second of time only, for a steady gaze at that bright flame for one minute alone, is fatal to the sight of the eyes.

There is "a dimning veil" to mortal vision, which hides the glories of that inner world from our sight; even those resplendent glories which, while yet in the body, we can contemplate only by the eye of faith.

WONDROUS WORKS OF GOD.

We now propose to devote a short time to the contemplation of some of the wonderful works of the Creator, as we see them displayed in the firmament, and standing out in illimitable space, and, with the aids afforded us by that most exact of all sciences—astronomy—we hope to unveil mysteries, long since revealed by the revelations of God; yet, hitherto, not fully comprehended. These seeming mysteries, we shall endeavor to assist you to analyze by the light of God's own revelations. In order to our purpose, we shall avail ourselves of the writings of some of the most scientific, and eminent astronomers the world has ever known, even from the early days of Anaximander and Pythagoras, down to the times of Copernicus and Galileo, when feeble rays of light seemed to break in upon the intellect and mind of man, and from thence, the flood-lights which have been thrown in upon us by the Herschels,—the leading stars of the empire of this science,—and calling to our aid La Lande, Maury, Guillemin, Lardner, Darwin, Owen and Olmsted, and many others equally known to fame. Yet in our present effort, we shall rely mainly upon that master mind in compilation, Dr. Child, of England, who has grouped together the leading facts of discoveries, in order to incite the mind to the contemplation of the wonderful works of the Creator, that all intelligences of the world may be induced to join in with the three Hebrew Children, in "praising and magnifying the name of the Lord." We find, upon examination of the works of various leading authors, that his statements are as nearly correct as any compilation well could be, while, with a mind seemingly inspired for the work, his delineations are so graphic, sublime and beautiful, we shall take data, and quote freely from his writings, especially wherein he dwells upon the "Heavens," "Sun," "Moon" and "Stars," adding as we pass along, such reflections crowding upon our mind as we deem appropriate; and we think that in the contemplation of the subject now before us, that ere we have finished this feature of it, all will be ready to exclaim with the Psalmist, truly,

"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament sheweth his handy work."

Dr. Child says, "Among all the sights the eye can look upon, nothing is comparable to the Heavens for the sentiment with which they charm the mind. The language they speak comes to us from remote mysterious worlds; but, though it may be imperfectly understood, it is at least universally felt. The great and the small—the civilized man and the savage, the philosopher, the divine, and the illiterate or humble citizen—all feel their influence, and are from time to time irresistibly drawn toward them by mingled emotions of admiration, gratitude and awe, such as none of the other features of nature can excite in an equal degree.

"So strongly, however, is the idea of the 'incomprehensible' associated by many with the mysteries of the firmament, that they are habitually prone to regard the teachings of astronomers as little else than scientific guess-work. Nevertheless, the best intellects in all countries assure us, and demonstrate before our eyes, that, within certain limits, Astronomy is the most exact and perfect of sciences, and that, even when it deals with distances and magnitudes, which are practically inconceivable, its conclusions, though often claiming to be approximative only, have yet no affinity whatever with guess-work. Let such sceptics think of the certainty with which sidereal events are predicted beforehand. Let them reflect on the evidence of the most exact knowledge of the heavenly bodies involved in the calculation of eclipses, in fixing the very moment when the moon's dark outline shall begin to creep over the sun's bright disk; marking its progress to the highest maximum, and its waning—giving the moment when the last visible shadow will disappear—predicting the instant when a planet's light shall be extinguished behind our satellite. And yet even more wonderful, the tracking of a comet's wanderings, millions of miles beyond the far-off regions of Uranus, the foretelling the time of its return after long years of absence! Do not these, and a thousand other equally wonderful feats, attest both the soundness of the principles on which the astronomer works, and the reasonableness of receiving his assurances with confidence and trust, even though it may be impossible for more than a few gifted minds to follow the calculations on which they are based?"

Examine the Nautical Almanac, published by the British