NATURAL THEOLOGY. 195 



plant within remains unhurt. As if endowed with 

 a knowledge of the tender embryo it contains, the 

 seed will never expose it by opening in any situation 

 where the little root would want warmth and mois- 

 ture to nourish it. 



We have this exemplified in the backwardness of 

 seeds in a dry, cold spring. The seed, as we m ay 

 say, is here often wiser than the planter ; who 

 regrets the tardiness of the germination, without 

 reflecting that any precipitancy in this particular 

 would be fatal to the plant. It is an admirable 

 constitution of seeds which we can only refer to de- 

 sign, that they are invariably slow in opening when 

 the safety of the plant requires they should not 

 begin to shoot shortly after they naturally fall ; as 

 is the case with nuts and many others, which are 

 dropped too late for the plant to become suffi- 

 ciently hardy to endure the cold of winter. 



From one part of the seed, the sprout comes forth 

 which is to form the stem ; and from another the 

 sprouts which are to become the roots. This provi- 

 sion is a curiosity of vegetable instinct ; though some 

 have thought the attraction of the earth, or gravita- 

 tion has much to do with it. But it is to be admi- 

 red, however accounted for. For deposit the seed in 

 the ground in any manner we may, the stem comes 

 up, the root goes down. This buisness is not left 

 to our care ; that is to say, what we could not easily 

 do if we would, plant every seed in a particular 

 position, is rendered unnecessary by the wise provi- 

 sion of the Creator. 



