284 THE BEAUTIFUL LADDER. 
who spread so much of his own glory over the 
face of the heavens as to be thrilled with the 
vision! 
“ The dull gray atmosphere which sometimes 
environs the earth gives assurance thaf exist¬ 
ence is possible under such cheerless condi¬ 
tions. Clouds might form without a ray of 
silver lining, coronal of gold, or purple drap¬ 
ing ; rains might descend from the swart thun¬ 
derclouds with no beautiful ‘ bow of hope * 
spreading over their lightning-rent faces to as¬ 
sure the earth that God had not forgotten his 
promise when giving such fearful proof of his 
power. The morning might have been cheer¬ 
less, and the evening portentously gloomy—the 
one only calling forth to toil, and the other re¬ 
lieving from it by shrouding the weary earth in 
darkness and apprehension. These might have 
been earth’s conditions, either by want of fore¬ 
sight or ability to provide for a brighter or hap¬ 
pier adjustment; but, praise be to the adorable 
Creator! these are not the conditions under 
which we dwell. The rainbow is on the face 
of the storm-cloud, orient beams beautify the 
morning, and a radiance of surpassing grand¬ 
eur hangs over the setting sun—a sublime in- 
