ARITHMETIC. 



69 



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millions of other systems are running their am 

 ple rounds. With each of these systems, it is 

 probable, that at least a hundred worlds are con 

 nected.* Every one of these worlds and systems, 

 we have reason to believe, differs from another, 

 in its size, splendour and internal arrangements, 

 in the peculiar beauties and sublimities with 

 which it is adorned, and in the organization and 

 capacities of the beings with which it is fur 

 nished. The immense multitude of rational be 

 ings and other existences with which creation is 

 replenished, is an idea which completely over 

 powers the human faculties, and is beyond the 

 er of our arithmetical notation to express. 

 ven the multiplicity of objects in one world or 

 system, is beyond our distinct conception. How 

 very feeble and imperfect conceptions have we 

 attained of the immensity of radiations of light 

 incessantly emitted from the sun and falling upon 

 our globe, and of the innumerable crossings and 

 recrossings of these rays from every object around, 

 in order to produce vision to every beholder ! of 

 the incalculable myriads of invisible animalculae 

 which swim in the waters and fly in the air, and 



! pervade every department of nature ; of the par 

 ticles of vapour which float in the atmosphere, 

 and of the drops of water contained in the ca 

 verns of the ocean ! of the many millions of in 

 dividuals belonging to every species of vegetables, 

 of which 50,000 different species have already 

 been discovered, and of the number of trees, 

 shrubs, flowers and plants of every description 

 which have flourished since the creation ! of the 

 countless myriads of the lower animals, and of 

 the human species, which have been brought into 

 existence since the commencement of time, and 

 of those which are yet to appear in regular suc 

 cession till time shall be no more ! of the im 

 mense variety of movements, adjustments and 

 adaptations connected with the structure of an 

 animal body, of which fourteen thousand maybe 

 reckoned as belonging to the system of bones and 

 muscles comprised in the human frame, besides 

 a distinct variety of as numerous adaptations in 

 each of the 60,000 different specios of animals 

 which are already known to exist ! of the count 

 less globules contained in the eyes of the nume 

 rous tribes of beetles, flies, butterflies and other 

 insects of which 27,000 have been counted in a 

 single eye ! And, if the multiplicity of objects 

 in one world overwhelms our powers of concep 

 tion and computation, how much more the num 

 ber and variety of beings and operations con 

 nected with the economy of millions of worlds ! 

 No finite intelligence, without a profound know- 



) ledge of numbers in all their various combina 

 tions, can form even a rude conception of the 

 diversified scenes of the universe ; and yet, with- 



With the solar system to which we belon&quot; there 

 are connected more than a hundred globes of diffe 

 rent sizes, if we take into account the planets both 

 yrimary and secondary, and likewise the comets 



out some faint conception at least, of such ob 

 jects, the perfections of the Creator and the 

 glories of his kingdom cannot be appreciated. 



It is evident, therefore, that superior intelli 

 gences, such as angels, and redeemed men in a 

 future state, must have their attention directed 

 to the science of numbers, unless we suppose, 

 what is contrary to Scripture, that their know 

 ledge and capacities of intellect will be mere 

 limited than ours are in the present state. They 

 may not stand in need of the aids of any thing 

 similar to slates, pencils or numerical characters 

 to direct them in their computations, or to give 

 permanency to the results of their arithmetical 

 processes. The various steps of their calcula 

 tions may be carried forward with inconceivable 

 rapidity, by a mental process which will lead 

 to unerring certainty ; but the same general prin 

 ciples on which we proceed in our notations 

 and calculations, must, from the nature of things, 

 be recognised in all their numerical processes 

 and sublime investigations. 



The Scriptures occasionally give us some in 

 timations of objects and scenes calculated to 

 exercise the numerical powers of the heavenly 

 inhabitants. When Daniel beheld the vision 

 of the &quot; Ancient of Days&quot; sitting on his throne, 

 a numerous retinue of glorious beings appeared 

 in his train to augment the grandeur of the 

 scene. &quot; Thousand thousands ministered unto 

 him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood 

 before him.&quot; We are told in the sixty-eighth 

 Psalm, that &quot;the chariots of God are twenty 

 thousand, even many thousands of angels?&quot; and 

 in the Epistle to the Hebrews, we read of &quot; an 

 innumerable company of angels.&quot; The apostle- 

 John, when narrating his visions of the celestial 

 world, tells us, that he &quot; beheld and heard the 

 voice of many angels round about the throne, 

 and the number of them was ten times ten thou 

 sand, and thousands of thousands.&quot; And again, 

 &quot; After this I beheld, and lo, a great multitude 

 which no man could number, of all nations and 

 kindreds, and people, and tongues and all the 

 angels stood round about the throne, and fell on 

 their faces and worshipped God.&quot; These ex 

 pressions are the strongest which the inspired 

 writers make use of in order to express a count 

 less multitude of objects ; and they lead us to 

 conclude, that, in the heavenly world, vast as 

 semblages of intelligent beings will be occasion 

 ally presented to the view ; and consequently, a 

 countless variety of scenes, objects and circum 

 stances connected with their persons, stations 

 and employments. And, therefore, if celestial 

 beings were not familiarized with numerical 

 calculations and proportions, such scenes, instead 

 of being contemplated with intelligence and ra 

 tional admiration, would confound the intellect, 

 and produce an effect similar to that which is felt 

 by a savage when he beholds, for the first time, 

 some of the splendid scenes of civilized life. 



