118 HARMONY OF NATURE. 



of its absolute gravitation has remained the same 

 the test and evidence of its being ; and always act- 

 ing according to circumstances, instantly, and in 

 the most unerring manner. 



But though the force of gravitation, or more cor- 

 rectly the phenomenon, or appearance of gravitation 

 (for all that we know about forces or powers is only 

 appearance), be thus universal, and in its tendency 

 to act invariable, it is so finely divisible that we 

 can follow it down, from suns which retain their 

 surrounding planets in their paths by its influence, 

 even at the distance of full eighteen hundred mil- 

 lions of miles (that is the mean distance of the 

 planet Herschel from the sun), to mites and motes, 

 and to the particles which circulate in the vessels 

 of animalculi whose whole bodies have to be mag- 

 nified many thousands of times, before the finest 

 eye can see them ; and though it can lead a globe 

 nearly one hundred thousand miles in diameter, or 

 fourteen hundred times as large as our earth, more 

 easily than we can lead a lamb ; yet it is so pliant 

 harmonizes so well with all the other powers of 

 nature, that instead of hindering any thing, it pro- 

 motes every thing. 



The unity of purpose with which even things 

 which to our observation, when we think of them 

 singly, would appear to be of the most opposite 

 character, work in nature, is one of the most de- 

 lightful rewards of observing them in their combi- 

 nations. The sun, the moon, and the planets all 

 work together in producing days and years ; so that 

 all the living creatures, vegetable and animal, may 

 have their due times and seasons of activity and re- 

 pose. The night restores from the fatigue of the 

 past day, and tunes all the powers of nature for the 

 day which is to come. The winter howls in storms, 

 and the spring is inconstant with sunshine and 

 showers, only that the summer may bloom in splen- 



