WISDOM OF THE DEITY. 



33 



guide to direct us in the path to happiness, is 

 the Almighty had not distinguished the rays of 

 light, and painted the objects around us with a 

 diversityof colours, so essentially connected are 

 the mini test, and the most magnificent works 

 of Deity. But now, in the present constitution 

 of things, colour characterizes the class to which 

 every individua 1 belongs, and indicates, upon the 

 first inspection, its respective quality. Every 

 object wears its peculiar livery, and has a dis 

 tinguishing mark by which it is characterized. 



The different hues which are spread over the 

 scenery of the world, are also highly ornamental 

 to the face of nature, and afford a variety of 

 pleasures to the ej e and the imagination. It 

 is this circumstance which adds a charm to the 

 fields, the valleys, and the hills, the lofty moun 

 tain, the winding river, and the expansive lake ; 

 and which gives a splendour and sublimity to the 

 capacious vault of heaven. Colour is, therefore, 

 an essential requisite to every world inhabited 

 by sensitive beings ; and we know, that provision 

 has been made for diffusing it throughout all the 

 globes which may exist in the distant regions 

 which our telescopes have penetrated ; for the 

 light which radiates from the most distant stars 

 is capable of being separated into the prismatic 

 colours, similar to those which are produced by 

 the solar rays; which furnishes a presumptive 

 proof that thay are intended to accomplish de 

 signs in their respective spheres analogous to 

 those which light subserves in our terrestrial 

 habitation or, in other words, that they are des 

 tined to convey to the minds of sentient beings, 

 impressions of light and colour, and consequent 

 ly, beings susceptible of such impressions must 

 reside within the sphere, or more immediate 

 influence of these far-distant orbs. 



The same benevolent design is apparent in the 

 general colour which prevails throughout the scene 

 of sublunary nature. Had the fields been clothed 

 with hues of a deep red, or a brilliant white, the 

 eye would have been dazzled with die splendour 

 of their aspect. Had a dark-blue or a black 

 colour generally prevailed, it would have cast a 

 universal gloom over the face of nature. But an 

 agreeable green holds the medium between these 

 two extremes, equally remote from a dismal gloom 

 and excessive splendour, and bears such a relation 

 to the structure of the eye, that it refreshes, in 

 stead of tiring it, and supports, instead of dimi 

 nishing its force. At the same time, though one 

 general colour prevails over the landscape of the 

 earth, it is diversified by an admirable variety of 

 shades, so that every individual object in the 

 vegetable world can be accurately distinguished 

 from another ; thiis producing a beautiful and 

 variegated appearance over the whole scenery 

 of nature. &quot; Who sees not in all these things 

 that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this ?&quot; 



If from the earth we turn our attention to the 

 5 



waters, we shall perceive similar traces (if the 

 exquisite wisdom and skill of the Author of nature. 

 Water is one of the most essential elementary 

 parts in the constitution of our globe, without 

 which the various tribes of beings which now 

 people it could not exist. It supplies a necessary 

 beverage to man, and to all the animals that peo 

 ple the earth and the air. It forms a solvent for 

 a great variety of solid bodies ; it is the element 

 in which an infinitude of organized beings pass 

 their existence ; it acts an important part in con 

 veying life and nourishment to all the tribes of 

 the vegetable kingdom, and gives salubrity to the 

 atmospherical regions. Collected in immense 

 masses in the basins of the sea, it serves as a 

 vehicle for ships, and as a medium of communi 

 cation between people of the most distant lanas. 

 Carried along with a progressive motion over the 

 beds of streams and of rivers, it gives a brisk im 

 pulse to the air, and prevents the unwholesomw 

 stagnation of vapours ; it receives the filth of po 

 pulous cities, and rids them of a thousand nui 

 sances. By its impulsion it becomes the move* 

 of a multitude of machines ; and, when rarefied 

 into steam, it is transformed into one of the most 

 powerful and useful agents under the dominion of 

 man. All which beneficial effects entirely depend 

 on the exact degree of density, or specific gravity, 

 which the Creator has given to its constituent 

 parts. Had it been much more rarified than it 

 is, it would have been altogether unfit to answer 

 the purposes now specified ; the whole face of 

 the earth would have been a dry and barren waste ; 

 vegetable nature could not have been nourished 

 our floating edifices could not have been support 

 ed ; the lightest bodies would have sunk, arid all 

 regular intercourse with distant nations would 

 have been prevented. On the other hand, had its 

 parts been much denser than they are ; for exam 

 ple, had they been of the consistency of a thin 

 jelly, similar disastrous effects would have in 

 evitably followed ; no ships could have ploughed 

 the ocean ; no refreshing beverage would have 

 been supplied to the animal tribes ; the absorbent 

 vessels of trees, herbs, and flowers would have 

 been unable to imbibe, the moisture requisite for 

 their nourishment ; and we should thus have been 

 deprived of all the beneficial effects we now derive 

 from the use of that liquid element, and of all the 

 diversified scenery of the vegetable world. But 

 the configuration and consistency of its parts are 

 so nicely adjusted to the constitution of the other 

 elements, and to the wants of the sensitive and 

 vegetable tribes, as exactly to subserve the ends 

 intended in the system of nature. 



Water has been ascertained to be a compound 

 body formed by the union of two different kinds 

 of air oxygen and hydrogen. It has the pro 

 perty of becoming, in certain cases, much lighter 

 than air ; though, in its natural liquid state, it is 

 800 times heavier than that fluid ; and has also 



