184 SIR DAVID GILL^ ON THE SIDEREAL UNIVERSE. 



ingenuity and perseverance of man. But whence does man get 

 this ingenuity and this perseverance ; whence is it that we get this 

 marvellous gift of searching into the depths I think we of the 

 Victoria Institute have made up our minds on this point. It is not 

 self-generated any more than the stars themselves. The other thing 

 with which I think we must all be impressed, is the magnificence 

 of the works of God. The heavens do declare to us something of 

 the handiwork of God. We feel as if we have had a revelation 

 made to us to-day by the telescope. 



In the Bible there are three heavens spoken of : the heavens in 

 which the birds fly, the heavens in which the stars are, and the 

 heaven in which God dwells. The first, of course, is the air, the 

 next is celestial and the last spiritual. Distance and time do not 

 affect the spiritual as they affect the celestial. It is wonderful to 

 see what provision the Bible has made for the subject before us in 

 the following text: — "He telleth (that is counteth) the number of 

 the stars and calleth them all by their names." What an idea that 

 gives you of the individuality and care of the Most High. After 

 all, how little we see. We dwell in a little corner of the universe ; 

 the inhabitants are but as dust ; but though that is so there is 

 something in a human being which is worth all the stars put 

 together. There is something which brings us more into touch 

 with the Creator and gives us a better idea of His mind because we 

 are brought into union with Him through Christ. It is a glorious 

 thing as you try to grasp the magnificence of these glorious bodies, 

 to think that we are brought into relationship with the Being who 

 has brought them into existence, and that we may call him Father. 

 I am sure I shall voice all our feelings if I give to Sir David Gill 

 our heartiest thanks for the very great treat he has given us to- 

 night. I observed that he said something of a subsequent dinner 

 on an occasion when he gave a lecture. The only dinner I hope we 

 shall have is a dinner on the spectroscope on some future occasion 

 if possible. Although stars might be very indigestible to serve up 

 on the table yet I am sure we can digest another lecture from Sir 

 David Gill. 



Mr. Maunder : We are very greatly privileged this afternoon 

 in having Sir David Gill to address us, and to unfold to us so high 

 and important a subject. Sir David has taken us, as it were, to the 

 very outposts of science, and from the very border of the territory 



