THE BEAUTIFUL LADDER. 
177 
of Jehovah’s hand would furnish the clearest 
evidences of celestial handiwork. What glory 
and beauty were enshrined in the Eden plant¬ 
ed by the divine hand we may not imagine, 
but doubtless enough of its pristine splendors 
and perfections still remains on earth to indicate 
their character. From dulness of perception 
the Eden-like beauties of garden and green¬ 
house may pass unnoticed, but they are none 
the less present and fragrant with celestial 
odors. Let us not be so insensible, but pause 
a moment, before plucking a rose or a lily, to 
study the marvellous process of growth which 
has brought them to the perfection which so 
excites our admiration. 
“A small black seed is dropped into the 
dull, moistened earth, and there, perchance, it 
remains through many months of winter and 
frosts, and, to all appearance, possesses no more 
vitality than the sluggish clods which cover 
it. The spring comes with its warm sunshine 
and rains, and now behold a quickening in the 
sleeping germ; and anon two little leaflets peep 
from the soil. The stock grows and leaves ex¬ 
pand, but nothing as yet appears to distinguish 
it from the great sisterhood of plants; it is green 
