52 



ON THE GENERAL DIFFUSION OF KNOWLEDGE. 



lifeo a luminous speck on the nocturnal sky, pre 

 sents such an august idea, when its magnitude 

 and motions are investigated, what an astonish- 

 in^ idea is presented to the mind when it contem 

 plates the size and splendour of the sun, a body 

 which would contain within its bowels nine hun 

 dred globes larger than Jupiter, and thirteen hun 

 dred thousand globes of the bulk of the earth, 

 which darts its rays, in a few moments, to the re 

 motest bounds of the planetary system, producing 

 light and colour, and life and vegetation through 

 out surrounding worlds ! And how must cur as 

 tonishment be still increased, when we consider 

 the number of such globes which exist through 

 out the universe ; that within the range of our 

 telescopes more than eighty millions of globes, 

 similar to the sun in size and in splendour, are 

 arranged at immeasurable distances from each 

 other, diffusing their radiance through the im 

 mensity of space, and enlivening surrounding 

 worlds with their benign influence, besides the 

 innumerable multitudes, which our reason tells 

 us, must exist beyond all that is visible to the 

 eyes of mortals ! 



But the motions, no less than the magnitudes 

 of such bodies, present ideas of sublimity. That 

 a globe* as large as the earth should fly through 

 the celestial regions with a velocity of seventy- 

 six thousand miles an hour, that another globef 

 should move at the rate of one thousand seven 

 hundred and rifty miles in a minute, and a hun 

 dred and five thousand miles an hour, that even 

 Saturn, with all his assemblage of rings and 

 moons, should be carried along his course, with 

 a velocity of twenty-two thousand miles an hour, 

 that some of fhc comets, when near the sun, 

 should fly with the amazing velocity of eight 

 hundred thousand miles an hour, that, in all 

 probability, the sun himself, with all his attend 

 ing planets, besides their own proper motions, 

 are carried around some distant centre at the 

 rate of more than sixty thousand miles every 

 hour ; and that thousands and millions of sys 

 tems are moving in the same rapid manner, are 

 facts so astonishing, and so far exceeding every 

 thing we behold around us on the surface of the 

 earth, that the imagination is overpowered and 

 confounded at the idea of the astonishing forces 

 which are in operation throughout the universe, 

 and of the power and energy by which they are 

 produced ; and every rational being feels a sub 

 lime pleasure in the contemplation of such ob 

 jects which is altogether unknown to the ignorant 

 mind. 



The vast and immeasurable spaces which inter 

 vene between the great bodies of the universe 

 likewise convey august and sublime conceptions. 

 Between the earth and the sun there intervenes 

 a space so vast, that a cannon ball, flying with 

 he velocity of five hundred miles an hour, would 



The planet Venus 



The planet Mercury 



not reach that luminary in twenty years ; and a 

 mail-coach, moving at its utmost speed, would 

 not arrive at its surface in less than twelve hun 

 dred years ; and, were it to proceed from the sun 

 towards the planet Herschel, it would not arrive 

 at that body after the lapse of twenty-two thou 

 sand years. And yet the sun, at that immense 

 distance, exerts his attractive energy, retains 

 that huge planet in its orbit, and dispenses light 

 and colour, life and animation over every part of 

 its surface. But all such spaces, vast as at first 

 sight they appear, dwindle, as it wore, into a 

 span, when compared with those immeasurable 

 spaces which are interposed between its and the 

 regions of the stars. Between the earth and 

 the nearest fixed star a space intervenes so vast 

 and incomprehensible, that a ball flying with the 

 velocity above mentioned, would not pa.ss through 

 it in four millions and five hundred thousand 

 years ; and as there are stars, visible through 

 telescopes, at least a hundred times farther dis 

 tant from our globe, it would require such a body 

 four hundred millions of years, or a period 67,000 

 times greater than that which has elapsed since 

 the Mosaic creation, before it could arrive at 

 those distant regions of immensity. 



The grand and noble design* for uhich the 

 great bodies, to which I have adverted, are in 

 tended, suggest, likewise, a variety of interest 

 ing and sublime reflections. These designs un 

 doubtedly are, to display the ineffable glories of 

 the Eternal Mind, to demonstrate the immen 

 sity, omnipotence and wisdom of Him who 

 formed the universe, and to serve as so many 

 worlds for the residence of incalculable numbers 

 of intelligent beings of every order. And, what 

 an immense variety of interesting objects is pre 

 sented to the mind when its views are directed 

 to the numerous orders and gradations of intelli 

 gences that may people the universe, the mag 

 nificent scenes that may be displayed in every 

 world, their moral economy, and the important 

 transactions that may have taken place in their 

 history under the arrangements of the Divine 

 government! 



Such are some of the scenes of grandeur 

 which science unfolds to every enlightened mind. 

 The contemplation of such objects has an evi 

 dent tendency to enlarge the capacity of the 

 soul, to raise the affections above mean ami 

 grovelling pursuits, to give man a more impres 

 sive idea of the dignity of his rational find im 

 mortal nature, and of the attributes of that Al 

 mighty Being by whom he is upheld, and to make 

 him rejoice in the possession of faculties capable 

 of being exercised on scenes and objects so mag 

 nificent and sublime. 



In the fourth, place, science administers to our 

 enjoyment by the variety of novel and interesting 

 objects it exhibits. Almost every department of 

 natural science presents to the untutored mind an 

 assemblage of objects, new and strange, which 



