148 On the Formation of the Universe. 



mere grains of sand, in the corners of an immense and ma- 

 jestic edifice. It appears from the observations of Dr. Her- 

 schel, that most, or all of the stars are collecting into subor- 

 dinate spherical clusters, and forming what he calls, " the 

 chemical laboratories of the Universe." The principles of 

 gravitation will bring the stars in each individual of these 

 clusters to their common centre of gravity, in about the same 

 period of time; and their appearance argue, that such will 

 be the result in reality. The universe, then, was not intend- 

 ed to be perfect in its present state : but its various con- 

 stituent parts are adapted and destined to happier and more 

 sublime realities. It is the shoot just springing from the 

 acorn, and pushing its way through the hardy soil, to a no- 

 bler existence : — a soil not particularly adapted to the ten- 

 derness of the youthful twig, but to the magnitude and vigor 

 of the princely oak. It is an infant struggling in its cra- 

 dle, whose mighty and majestic manhood no troubles or 

 convulsions shall weaken ; over whose immortalperfections 

 death and destruction shall never prevail. The astrono- 

 mer, as well as the prophet, has declared, that its various 

 parts are advancing to the final conflagration, when the ele- 

 ments shall melt with fervent heat; when the heavens shall 

 pass away as a scroll ; and a new heaven and a new earth 

 shall arise to a perfect and an endless existence. 



Through the kindness of the Hon. Mr. Bowditch of Sa- 

 lem, I received, a day or two ago, an extract from the fourth 

 edition of La Place's Systeme du Monde, which he marked 

 and permitted to be copied. From that, I learn that in the 

 foregoing speculations I have been anticipated ; a circum- 

 stance, of which 1 was before entirely ignorant. It imme- 

 diately struck me that it would be useless, and perhaps im- 

 proper to publish them. But on close examination and 

 comparison, there appeared sufficient reasons to change that 

 opinion. It is but justice to myself to say, that prior to the 

 receipt of that extract, I received no hints on the subject 

 from any source whatever, which I can now remember, ex- 

 cept from the letters of M^r. Fisher, which are now in my 

 hands; Ree's and the Edinburgh Encyclopedia, Dwight's 

 Theology : some papers of Dr. Herschel in the Philosoph- 

 ical Transactions ; Bakewell's Geology ; Cuvier's Theory 

 of the Earth, and the common class books of our schools 

 and colleges. Still, the mere fact, that the thoughts are ori- 



