Nature as an Educator. 179 



revealing lost creations than in tracing veins of lead and 

 beds of iron ; Astronomy better in opening to us the houses 

 of heaven than in teaching navigation ; Botany better in 

 displaying structure than in expressing juices; Surgery 

 better in investigating organization than in setting limbs ; 

 only that it is ordained that, for our encouragement, every 

 step we make in the more exalted range of science adds 

 something also to its practical applicabilities: that all the 

 great phenomena of nature, the knowledge of which is 

 desired by the angels only, by us partly, as it reveals to 

 farther vision the being and the glory of Him in whom 

 they rejoice and we live, dispense yet such kind influences 

 and so much of material blessing as to be joyfully felt by all 

 inferior creatures, and to be desired by them with such 

 single desire as the imperfection of their nature may admit 5 

 that the strong torrents which, in their own gladness, fill 

 the hills with hollow thunder and the vales with winding 

 light, have yet their bounden charge of field to feed and 

 barge to bear; that the fierce flames to which the Alp owes 

 its upheaval and the volcano its terror temper for us the 

 metal vein and quickening spring, and that for our incite- 

 ment -I say not our reward, for knowledge is its own 

 reward — herbs have their healing, stones their preciousness, 

 and stars their times." 



But in that time of confused and bewildering philoso- 

 phies in which we live it may be asked, Is this really the 

 case ? Does not the study of nature rather lead to positivism 

 and agnosticism. That it may do so is, I fear, too obvious. 

 That this is its legitimate tendency may be emphatically 

 denied. The case stands thus. Nature is to any rational 

 man of science an exhibition of superhuman force, energy, 

 power. It is in like manner an exhibition of regulated 

 and determined power, of power under law and working to 

 definite ends, and this with so complete and intricate 

 machinery that it is beyond human comprehension. That 

 this should be a result of mere chance without will or 

 design is infinitely imjnobable. That it results from the 

 operation of an all-powerful will and intellect is a con- 

 clusion based on all we know of ourselves. 



