196 BOOK OP NATURE LAID OPEN. 



thereof." But, indeed, what could possibly exist 

 without it? The sun may be truly styled the grand 

 enlivening principle of the universe; without his in- 

 fiue/ice, the crimson tide behoved to stagnate in the 

 veins of animated beings; a the trees could never 

 break forth into leaves, nor plants spring up into 

 flowers;" we would no more behold the meadows 

 mantled over with green, nor the vallies standing 

 thick with corn; or, to speak in the beautiful lan- 

 guage of a prophet, u No longer would the fig-tree 

 blossom, nor fruit be in the vine: the labour of the 

 olive would fail, and the fields would yield no meat: 

 the flocks must be cut off from the fold, and there 

 would be no herd in the stall." It penetrates the 

 beds of metal, and finds its way to the place of sap- 

 phires. In short, the beneficial agency of this mag- 

 nificent luminary is inexpressible. 



The sun is also the fountain of cheerfulness. While 

 all nature is enlivened by his presence, it is also 

 cheered by his gifts. " Truly," says Solomon, " the 

 light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes 

 to behold the sun." And the author of" The Spec- 

 tator" has well observed, that the sun has a particu- 

 lar influence on the mind of man, and making the 

 heart glad ; for a proof of which, he refers us to a 

 consideration of the natural world, when this lumi- 

 nous globe withdraws his rays, for a few moments, 

 by an eclipse 



The human mind delights in variety; and one 

 great cause that produces cheerfulness in the heart 

 of man, as he walks abroad and contemplates the 



