56 



THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 



tian Revelation and the system of the material 

 world derived their origin from the same Al 

 mighty Being, the most complete harmony must 

 subsist between the revelations they respectively 

 unfold ; and the apparent inconsistencies which 

 occur must be owing chiefly to the circum 

 stances of our present station in the universe, and 

 to the obscure and limited views we are obliged 

 to take of some of the grand and diversified ob 

 jects they embrace. And, therefore, we have 

 reason to believe that, when the system of nature 

 shall be more extensively explored, and the lead 

 ing objects of revelation contemplated in a clearer 

 light, without being tinged with the false colour 

 ing of party opinions and contracted views, and 

 when rational inquirers shall conduct their re 

 searches with a greater degree of reverence, humi 

 lity and Christian temper, tha beauty and harmo 

 ny of all the plans and revelations of the Deity, in 

 reference both to the physical and the moral world, 

 will be more distinctly perceived and appreciated. 



In the following cursory sketches, it forms no 

 part of my plan to trace even an outline of the 

 different sciences which are connected with reli 

 gion, much less to enter into any particular de 

 tails, in relation to their facts and principles. It 

 would be comparatively easy to fill up the remain 

 ing sheets of this volume with skeletons of the 

 different sciences ; but such meager details as 

 behooved to be brought forward, could not be 

 interesting to the general reader, and would fail 

 in accomplishing the object proposed. My de 

 sign simply is, to select some leading facts, or 

 general truths, in relation to some of the physical 

 sciences, for the purpose of showing their connec 

 tion with the objects of religion and the interests 

 of rational piety. At the same time, such de 

 finite descriptions will be given as will enable 

 common readers to appreciate the objects and 

 bearings of the different branches of knowledge 

 which may be presented to their view. 



The first science* I shall notice is that of 



NATURAL HISTORY. 



This science, taken in its most comprehensive 

 sense, includes a knowledge and description of 

 all the known facts in the material universe. 



It is to be regretted, that most books published 

 under the title of Natural History, to which com 

 mon readers have access, contain nothing more 

 than a general description of animals, as if this 

 science were confined merely to one class of 

 beings ; whereas there is an infinite variety of 



The term science, in its most general and exten 

 sive sense, signifies knowledge, particularly that 

 species of knowledge which is acquired by the exer 

 tion of the human faculties. In a more restricted 

 sense, it denotes a systematic species of knowledge, 

 which consists of rule and order, such as Mathema 

 tics, Astronomy, Natural Philosophy, &c.- In the 

 discussions contained in this work, it is used in its 

 most general sense, as denoting the various depart 

 ments of human knowledge, in which sense history, 

 both natural, civil, and sacred, may be termed 

 tcience, 



other objects seldom noticed, which would appea- 

 no less interesting, and, in some instances, much 

 more novel and gratifying to the general readtu 

 and to the youthful mind. All the diversified 

 forms of matter, whether existing on the surface 

 or in the bowels of the earth, in the ocean, the 

 atmosphere, or in the heavens, form the legiti 

 mate objects of this department of the science of 

 nature. 



Were we, therefore, to sketch a comprehen 

 sive outline of the subjects of Natural History, 

 we might, in the first place, take a cursory sur 

 vey of the globe we inhabit, in reference to its 

 magnitude, figure, motions, and general arrange 

 ments the form, relations, and extent of its con 

 tinents the numerous islands which diversify 

 the surface of the ocean the magnitude, the direc 

 tion, and the extent of its rivers, and the quantity 

 of water they pour into the ocean the direc 

 tion, elevation, and extent of the different ranges 

 of mountains which rise from its surface the 

 plains, morasses, lakes, forests, dells, and sandy 

 deserts, which diversify its aspect the extent, 

 the motions, the colour, and the different aspects 

 of the ocean, and the facts which have been ascer 

 tained respecting its saltness, its depth,its bottom, 

 and its different currents. We might next take 

 a more particular view of some of the most re 

 markable objects on its surface, and give a detail 

 of the facts which are known respecting the his 

 tory of volcanoes their number the countries 

 in which they are situated the awful pheno 

 mena they exhibit and the devastations they 

 have produced ; the history of earthquakes, their 

 phenomena and effects, and the countries most 

 subject to their ravages basaltic and rocky 

 wonders, natural bridges, precipices, cataracts, 

 ice islands, icebergs, glaciers, whirlpools, mine 

 ral wells, reciprocating fountains, boiling springs, 

 sulphuric mountains, bituminous lakes, volcanic 

 islands the various aspects of nature in the 

 different zones, and the contrasts presented be 

 tween the verdant scenes of tropical climes, and 

 the icy cliffs of the polar regions. We would 

 next take a survey of the subterraneous wonders 

 which lie beneath the surface of the earth the 

 immense chasms and caverns which wind in va 

 rious directions among the interior strata of our 

 globe such as the great Kentucky cavern, and 

 the grotto of Antiparos the mines of salt, coal, 

 copper, lead, diamond, iron, quicksilver, tin, t&amp;gt;ld, 

 and silver the substances which compose the 

 various strata, the fossil bones, shells, ai:d petri 

 factions, which are imbedded in the different 

 layers, and the bendings and disruptions -vhich 

 appear to have taken place in the substances 

 which compose the exterior crust of the earth. 

 &quot;We might next survey the atmosphere with which 

 the earth is environed, and give a detail of the 

 facts which have been ascertained respecting its 

 specific gravity and pressure, the elementary prin 

 ciples of which it is compounded, its refractive 



