176 THE OLIVE LEAF. CHAP. 



ing light of His law shines into our hearts, how defiled 

 and unworthy do many things appear which before were 

 regarded as clean and good ! What secret unsuspected 

 sins are made manifest like the myriad motes which 

 float in the sunbeams that enter a dark room ! How 

 true it is, that those who are ignorant of God are 

 ignorant of themselves ! They assume a sort of easy 

 average morality, and form a very favourable judgment 

 of themselves and others. But those who know God 

 know themselves. Referring all things to Him who is 

 of purer eyes than to behold iniquity, who cannot look 

 upon sin, in whose sight the very heavens are not clean, 

 their standard of judgment is raised to the very highest ; 

 and judged by this lofty ideal, the best merely human 

 character comes lamentably short. 



So exquisitely sensitive is the speculum or metal 

 mirror of a reflecting telescope that the slightest 

 inequality in the supporting apparatus is fatal to its 

 correct performance. The ponderous mirror of Lord 

 Rosse's telescope is six feet in diameter and six 

 inches thick, and weighs several tons ; and yet the mere 

 pressure of the hand at the back of it produces flex- 

 ure sufficient to destroy the image of a star. It is a 

 work of the utmost difficulty and patience to produce 

 its perfectly polished surface, and it is a work of equal 

 delicacy so to place it that it may do its work of 

 reflection efficiently. And so if the human soul is to 

 mirror the beauty of holiness and the glory of heaven, 

 it must be made and kept sensitive by the Holy 

 Spirit. The least appearance of evil mars the Divine 



