ness-nothing more. To us things appear small when scarcely seen by the naked eye; very small when a powerful microscope barely suffices to render them visible; and the space between us and a fixed star is enormous as compared with that between the earth and sun; but there is absolutely nothing to show that a portion of matter, which even in our most powerful microscopes is hopelessly minute for investigation, may not be complex as the stars that exceed our sun in magnitude. In the same manner may the charge be met that the Bible counts our earth the centre of the world, and man as the hinge of universal destiny. Our littleness contains a very wonderful greatness: though we have put away the arrogant notion that human existence is the central era of time, as we have laid aside the error that our solar system is central within the universe. There seems no centre, nor are there any limits; rather the centre is everywhere, the circumference nowhere; and the human period is scarcely a ripple on the ocean of time. God, nevertheless, in condescending to us, has so elaborated our thought that we think as if He thought but of us, and had made our destiny His only care. This is not, on our part, wholly erroneous; for, to us, we and our world are indeed a centre from whence radiates a whole infinity. We are truly by creation, and yet more wonderfully by the Plan of Salvation, connected with a system that, materially and spiritually, arrays around it height and depth, length and breadth, the infinite past and the infinite future. The actual discoveries of science make possible, if not probable, all that comes within the compass of analogy. We can only look at the dial-plate of nature,—the forms and semblances of things; but even our present faculties enlarged would be able to inspect the wheel-work and springs; hence our belief is warranted that the seed of power within us, our intuitions, which already grow so as somewhat to penetrate mysteries seeming impenetrable, may be capable of enjoying vastly more of the inexhaustible wealth of Infinite Intelligence (1 Cor. ii. 9-15). If this be so, our earth is a centre of wonders, and on the hinge of our life revolves a surpassing destiny. The universe is all aglow with the lamp-light and hearth-light of our Father's House. Life seems to many as the bubble of a solitary pool come up to look at the sun,-bubble clothed about with tender fibre of mortal hue, to float over the glowing ripple, hither and thither, who knows? But the bubble bursts; it has come in contact with some weed or spray, and the crystal sparklet flies. Whither? We say, "To be with God through Jesus Christ our Lord." Believe "That nothing walks with aimless feet; That not one life shall be destroy'd Or cast as rubbish to the void, "That not a worm is cloven in vain ; That not a moth with vain desire Is shrivel'd in a fruitless fire, Or but subserves another's gain." TENNYSON. STUDY XIII. DAY V.-FISHES, REPTILES, BIRDS. "The natural and moral constitution and government of the world are so connected as to make up together but one scheme: and it is highly probable, that the first is formed and carried on merely in subordination to the latter, as the vegetable world is for the animal, and organized bodies for minds."-Butler's Analogy. IF we stood in space, far off from the solar system, we should see the worlds as a distant gleam. If then, standing not so far off, we beheld the light and motion of the planets and satellites, we might think that all matter was alike, all motion of one kind, and that both existed according to some simple mechanical and chemical laws. On still nearer approach, seeing the world's living things, we might conclude, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, that some law of invariable causation was absolutely universal. Alighting on the earth, among men, we should discover that nature spoke to all, and separately to each; that what every man heard he set down in feeling and thought, so that the symbols of his own experience represented the order in nature, the arrangement, fulness and reality of life, even as a page of algebraic figures which can be read off into the variety and splendour of light that to this personal equation, to these qualities for physical and metaphysical research-bringing tidings that the circle of the known is surrounded by an ocean from whose depths arise other lands of beauty—is added a greeting of the spirit encouraging to climb in contemplation to the Unknown -the Great Cause of all. Our conclusion then would be that infinite space existed for matter, which was much less than space; and matter existed for life, which was much less than matter; and life existed for mind, which was least of all, yet greater than all, and ruler of all. Transfer of Energy. 223 Regard this world of matter, of life, of mind, as a mechanism driven by blind energy; such energy, unless continually restrained by mind giving it law, would break up the universe. We can think this out. The transfer of energy into things necessary for the existence of life, and to effect physical changes in the universe, "is on the whole a passing from higher to lower forms; and, therefore, the possibility of transformation is becoming smaller and smaller; so that, after the lapse of sufficient time, all higher forms of energy must have passed from the physical universe; and we can imagine nothing as remaining, except those lower forms which are incapable, so far as we yet know, of any further transformation. The low form to which all transformations with which we are at present acquainted seem inevitably to tend, is that of uniformly diffused heat. . . . . Now, when all the energy of the universe has taken the final form of universally diffused heat, it will obviously be impossible to make use of this heat for further transformation." The worlds will be dark-dead-cold. This process, leading to chaos, enables us distinctly to say-"That the present order of things has not been evolved during the infinite past by the agency of laws now at work, but must have had a distinctive beginning." This beginning must have been by other than the now visibly acting causes. The only way out of the difficulty is to take mind, matter, energy, as alike real existences. We know of mind by organism, does organism. generate mind? The reply is-Organism does not even generate life, life certainly generates organism; organism therefore cannot generate mind which is the highest attribute of life; consequently, we must regard all physical phenomena as transformations of energy from the Unknown-the Eternal. "2 This brings us to life. The vitality of plant, of fish, of reptile, of bird, may seem no great thing; but if we consider that every little part of this organism has its own little store of energy constantly emptied and replenished; that the internal and external sources draw upon, and are drawn upon 1 "Recent Advances in Physical Sciences,” p. 20: P. G. Tait, M.A. "Recent Advances in Physical Sciences," p. 22: P. G. Tait, M. A. by the whole arrangement of the world for harmonious working; the mechanism becomes very wonderful. Nor is that all-every portion of it is microscopically constructed, the excessively minute parts are in exquisite harmony with the grand plan of the universe, and we cannot but conclude, that if to destroy even one atom of dead matter the intervention of Deity is requisite, there must have been at the very base, at the initiation of life, an actual and a special interference of creative power. Plato, one of the most thoughtful of ancient heathens, thus reasoned" Was the world, I say, always in existence and without beginning? or created and having a beginning? Created, I reply, being visible and tangible and having a body, and therefore sensible; and all sensible things which are apprehended by opinion and sense are in process of creation and created. Now that which is created must of necessity be created by a cause. . . . . He put intelligence in soul, and soul in body, and framed the universe to be the best and fairest work in the order of nature." Coming to our own day, Mr Darwin says "To my mind it accords better with what we know of the laws impressed on matter by the Creator, that the production and extinction of the past and present inhabitants of the world should have been due to secondary causes like those determining the birth and death of an individual." Very well, then, the natural had its origin in the supernatural, life and death are traced through secondary causes to Divine Will. Another student writes, that he may lead us "to the power of apprehending the unity which underlies the diversity of animal structures; to show in those structures the evidence of a predetermining will; producing them in reference to final purpose; and to indicate the direction and degrees in which organization, in subserving such will, rises from the general to the particular." Here we have the initial fact, production, and the design of it: the initial fact rendered law possible, and the design bound that law, as an elastic band round the universe, making Providence to be both general and particular. 1 "Timæus :" translated by Dr Jowett. 366 * "Origin of Species." Anatomy of Vertebrates," vol. i. p. v. Intr. : Owen. |