THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 



the real number of thj stars may be presumed 

 to be beyond all human calculation or concep 

 tion, and perhaps beyond the grasp of an angelic 

 comprehension. 



In consequence of recent discoveries, we have 

 now the strongest reason to believe, that all the 

 stars in the universe are arranged into clusters, 

 or groups, which astronomers distinguish by the 

 name of Nebulae or Starry Systems, each ne 

 bula cop. jisting of many thousands of stars. The 

 nearest nebula is that whitish space or zone, 

 which is known by the name of the Milky Way, 

 to which our sun is supposed to belong. It con 

 sists of many hundreds of thousands of stars. 

 When Dr. Herschel examined this region, with 

 his powerful telescopes, he found a portion of it 

 only 15 degrees long and 2 broad, which con 

 tained fifty thousand stars large enough to be 

 distinctly counted ; and he suspected twice as 

 many more, which, for want of sufficient light in 

 his telescope, he saw only now and then. More 

 than two thousand five hundred nebulae have al 

 ready been observed ; and, if each of them con 

 tain as many stars as the Milky Way, several 

 hundreds of millions of stars must exist, even 

 within that portion of the heavens which lies 

 open to our observation. 



It appears, from numerous observations, that 

 various changes are occasionally taking place in 

 the regions of the stars. Several stars have ap 

 peared for a while in the heavens, and then 

 vanished from the sight. Some stars which 

 were known to the ancients, cannot now be dis 

 covered ; and stars are now distinctly visible, 

 which were to them unknown. A few stars 

 have gradually increased in brilliancy, while 

 others have been constantly diminishing in lustre. 

 Certain stars, lo the number of 15, or upwards, 

 are ascertained to have a periodical increase and 

 decrease of their lustre, sometimes appearing 

 like stars of the 1st or 2d magnitude, sometimes 

 diminishing to the size of the 4th or 5th magni 

 tude, and sometimes altogether disappearing lo 

 the naked eye. It also appears, that changes 

 are taking place among the nebulae that seve 

 ral nebulae are formed by the decomposition of 

 larger nebulae, and that many nebulae of this 

 kind are at present detaching themselves from 

 the nebula of the milky way. These changes 

 seem to indicate, that mighty movements and 

 vast operations are continually going on in the 

 distant regions of creation, under the superin 

 tendence of the Sovereign of the Universe, upon 

 a scale of magnitude and grandeur which over 

 whelms the human understanding. 



To explore, more extensively, the region of 

 the starry firmament ; to mark the changes that 

 are taking place ; to ascertain all the changea 

 ble stars ; to determine the periodical variations 

 of their lignt; the revolutions of double and tri- 

 nle stars ; and the motions, and other pheno 

 mena peculiar to these great bodies, will furnish 



employment for future enlightened generation 

 and will, perhaps, form a part of the studies ana 

 investigations of superior intelligences, in a 

 higher sphere of existence, during an indefinite 

 lapse of ages. 



If every one of these immense bodies be a 

 Sun, equal or superior to ours, and encircled 

 with a host of planetary worlds, as we have every 

 reason to conclude, (see pp. 11, 31,) how vast 

 must be the extent of creation ! how nume 

 rous the worlds and beings which exist within its 

 boundless range ! and, how great, beyond all hu 

 man or angelic conception, must be the power 

 and intelligence of that glorious Being, who call 

 ed this system from nothing into existence, and 

 continually superintends all its movements ! The 

 mind is bewildered and confounded when it at 

 tempts to dwell on this subject ; it feels the nar 

 row limits of its present faculties ; it longs for 

 the powers of a seraph, to enable it to take a 

 more expansive flight, into those regions which 

 &quot;eye hath not seen;&quot; and, while destitute of 

 these, and chained down to this obscure corner of 

 creation, it can only exclaim, in the language of 

 inspiration, &quot; Who can by searching find out 

 God? Great is our Lord, and of great power ; 

 his understanding is infinite ! Great and mar 

 vellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty ! 

 Who canutterthe mighty acts of Jehovah who 

 can show forth all his praise !&quot; 



After what has been now stated in relation to 

 the leading facts of astronomy, it would be need 

 less to spend time in endeavouring to ^how its 

 connexion with religion. It will be at once ad 

 mitted, that all the huge globes of luminous and 

 oqaque matter, to which we have adverted, are 

 the workmanship of Him &quot; who is wonderful in 

 counsel and excellent in working ;&quot; and form a 

 part of the dominions of that august Sovereign, 

 &quot; whose kingdom ruleth over all.&quot; And shall if 

 ever be insinuated, that this subject has no rela 

 tion to the great object of our adoration ? and 

 that it is of no importance in our views of the 

 Divinity, whether we conceive his dominions as 

 circumscribed within the limits of little more 

 than 25,000 miles, or as embracing an extent 

 which comprehends innumerable worlds? The 

 objects around us in this sublunary sphere stri 

 kingly evince the superintendency, the wisdom, 

 and benevolence of the Creator; but this sci 

 ence demonstrates, beyond all other departments 

 of human knowledge, the grandeur and magni 

 ficence of his operations : and raises the mind to 

 sublimer views of his attributes than can be ac 

 quired by the contemplation of any other objects. 

 A serious contemplation of the sublime objects 

 which astronomy has explored, must, therefore, 

 have a tendency to inspire us with profound 

 veneration of the eternal Jehovah to humbie us 

 in the dust before his august presence to excite 

 admiration of his condescensior and grace in the 

 work of redemotion to show us the littleness of 



