54 HISTORY OP BRITISH ZOOPHYTES. 



Botany, however delightful and instructive, is, that it shows 

 us more of the goodness of God. Flowers are like the stars 

 of the earth, that show forth his glory ; they are also the 

 beautiful garniture of the earth as our habitation, and they 

 proclaim also the coming of all manner of pleasant fruits. 

 In the words of the Song of Songs we may say, " Come, 

 my beloved, let us go forth into the fields ; let us get up 

 early to the vineyards, let us see if the vine nourish, whether 

 the tender grapes appear, whether the pomegranates bud 

 forth, and the mandrakes give a smell." But in the very 

 lowest department of Zoology we deal with things that have 

 life. The dexterous hand of man can form flowers so like 

 to nature, that many would not discover that they are arti- 

 ficial. Mignionette was so natural-looking in the Great 

 Exhibition, that we were told that a noble duke caused 

 the shade to be removed, to be convinced by its want of 

 fragrance, that it was not in truth the Frenchman's darling. 

 But who of earthly mould could give life and voluntary 

 motion to the smallest creature ? This is God's doing, and 

 it is marvellous in our eyes. We would not say, as some 

 have done, that God is maximus in minimis greatest in 

 the smallest things j for without controversy He is greatest 

 in the great mystery of godliness in the greatest of all 



