APPICNDIX. 107 



Ijeiverts his understaiuliiig — tliat, iutoxicalctl witli Iiis 

 own little discoveries, he, forgets his Maker, and with 

 the fool, says in his heart, there is no God. In the- 

 ory this is not true ; nor is it in fact. That there are 

 melancholy instances of extraordinary intellect de- 

 stroyed by intense study, is not to be denied, xind 

 candour would ascribe to that cause, the atheism at- 

 tributed, perhaps unjustly, to a late celebrated French 

 astronomer. But such cases are rare. On the con- 

 trary, the instances are without number, where rea- 

 son has maintained her seat, and the belief in God 

 has been confirmed. To give the highest examples 

 at once, I shall mention Newton in England, and our 

 own Rittenhouse, whose minds the mighty Maker of 

 the universe seems to have touched with celestial 

 fire, in order that they might unfold his works and 

 render their testimony plain and irresistible. Nor 

 is it true, that knowledge begets pride. This is proved 

 by the two great men I liave named, as remarkable 

 for modesty as for depth of science. It is only the 

 half learned who are insolent. They are proud, be- 

 cause they are ignorant. But the truly wise are most 

 sensible of their own imperfection. They prostrate 

 themselves before that supreme incomprehensible 

 Being, whose nature the aching benses in vain en 

 deavour to penetrate 5 and, when it pleases him to re- 



