2 THE SKY. 



brighter, and is our centre of attraction and circulation. 

 There is but little doubt that every star has its circulating 

 worlds or " planets," but these are too small to be seen even 

 with the best telescopes ; this may be understood when it is 

 considered that the stars themselves, by the most powerful 

 aids, appear but as bright points or specks, and they are 

 thousands of times larger than the worlds which would 

 circulate round them. But thoiigh their planets cannot be 

 perceived by the naked eye, yet analogy teaches us that 

 they in all probability exist, for very many of the heavenly 

 bodies have satellites revolving round them, of such are our 

 moon and the moons of Jupiter, and in this sense the planets 

 themselves may be considered as the satellites of the sun, 

 and as the sun has its satellites revolving round it, it is fair 

 to conclude that it is not the only one of all the stars which 

 has. All these thousands of suns and planets, millions of 

 miles apart, and occupying space, the extent of which we 

 have no terms to express, form but one system of stars out 

 of many, for by comparison with infinite space they occupy 

 but a point, telescopes of the greatest power having revealed 

 that beyond all these stars, there is an immense space in which 

 are seen other systems of stars, as great and numerous as our 

 own, to which the name " Nebulae " has been given. The mind 

 fails to reach to such magnitude, and it is certain that the 

 study of these great things, brings us to regard size and 

 space (like time) as nothing ; for it appears that Grod has 

 expanded or contracted His works at will to suit His plan of 

 creation without regard to limit ; whether we look at the 

 most minute shell or the greatest orb, still His marks of 

 design are equally evident. If we consider it wonderful 

 that G-od should take up hundreds of millions of miles for 

 one system, and that He should scatter through space 

 millions of such systems, then let us lay aside the telescope 

 and, after an exclamation of adoration, take up the 

 microscope, by which we shall learn that Grod has 

 also placed millions of systems equally wonderful within 

 the compass of an inch! We shall at once acknowledge 

 that he is " Lord of all," and that size, space, quantity, 

 and time, are mere fictions of our own imperfect minds, 



