FEBRUARY IV. THE USE OF STARS. THE starry sky is an admirable scene of the wonders of the Most High, in the eyes of every one who loves to reflect on the works of God. The order, the greatness, the multitude, and the brilliant splendour of those heavenly bodies, must be the most pleasing spectacle to an attentive observer of the works of nature. The sight of the stars alone, supposing that we knew nothing of their nature and use, would be sufficient to fill the mind with admiration and delight. For what can be seen more magnificent and beautiful than that immense expanse of the heavens, illuminated by numberless lights, which the azure sky makes appear still more brilliant; and which all differ from one another, both in size and lustre. But, would a Being, infinitely wise, have adorned the celestial vault with so many bodies of an immense size, merely to please our eyes, and to afford us a magnificent sight. Would he have created innumerable suns, merely that the inhabitants of our little globe might have the pleasure of seeing in the sky some luminous specks, the particular nature and purpose of which they very imperfectly know, and which are even but seldom observed? Such an idea cannot be formed by any body, who considers that there is, throughout all nature, an admirable harmony between the works of God and the purposes he designs. them for; and that in all he does, he has in view the advantage, as well as the pleasure of his creatures. It cannot be doubted, but that God, in placing the stars in the sky, has had much higher views than that of affording us an agree able sight. Indeed we cannot precisely determine all the particular ends the stars may answer; but, at least, it is easy to believe, that they must be designed for the advantage as well as the ornament of the world; and the following considerations will be sufficient to convince us of it. Among the stars that are easiest to distinguish, there are some which we see constantly in the same part of the sky, and are always over our heads. These serve to guide travellers by sea and land in the darkness of night. They point out the way to the navigator, and tell him when he may undertake his voyages with least danger. Other stars vary their aspect; and though they always hold the same situation, as to one another, they change the order of their rising and setting in respect to us, from day to day. Even these changes, which never vary in their regularity, are of great use to us; they serve to measure time, and to determine it by settled rules. The regular revolutions of the stars mark precisely the return and the end of the season. The ploughman knows exactly, by this means, when he ought to sow seeds in the earth, and the whole progress of the country labours. However considerable the use of the stars is to our earth, it may well be presumed, that it is not the only, nor the most important object, which God proposed to himself, in producing so many globes of a prodigious size. Can it indeed be supposed, that the wise Creator strewed the immense expanse with so many millions of worlds and suns, merely that the small number which inhabit the earth should be informed of the measure of time, and the return of the seasons? Undoubtedly these innumerable globes are for more sublime sublime purposes; and each of them has its particular destination. All the stars being so many suns which can give light, animation, and heat to other globes, is it probable, that God should have given them that faculty for no purpose? Would he have created stars, whose rays can pierce even to the earth, without having produced worlds also to enjoy their benign influence? God, who hath peopled this earth, which is a mere speck, with so many living creatures, would he have placed, in the immense space, so many desert globes? No, certainly: Perhaps each of these fixed stars, which we see by myriads, has its worlds moving round it, for which it has been created. Perhaps, these spheres which we see above us, serve as abodes for different sorts of creatures; and are peopled, like our earth, with inhabitants who admire and praise the magnificence of the works of God. Perhaps, from all these globes, as well as from ours, there rises continually towards the Creator, prayers and hymns of praise and thanksgiving. It is true, that these are only probable conjectures; yet, to every true lover of God, these conjectures must be most agreeable and most delightful. How sublime is this thought, that, exclusive of the small number of rational creatures which inhabit this globe, there are innumerable numbers of them in those worlds which appear from hence to be but mere luminous specks. It must be indeed out of the question, that the empire of the Most High should not be beyond the limits of our earth. Beyond this world there is an immensity, in comparison of which our globe, large as it is, can be but reckoned as, nothing. Souls without number exist there. All of them magnify the name of our great Creator; and are all as happy as their destination admits of; and pezhaps aspire to a better world. ར༠༢༠.ར.. FEBRUARY V. THE WONDERFUL MAKE OF THE EYE. THE eye infinitely surpasses all the works of the industry of man. Its formation is the most astonishing thing the human understanding has been able to acquire a perfect knowledge of. The most skilful artist could imagine no machine of that kind, which would not be much inferior to what we observe in the eye. Whatever sagacity or industry he might have, he could execute nothing which would not have the imperfections. necessarily belonging to all the works of man. We We cannot, it is true, perceive clearly the whole art of Divine Wisdom in the formation of this fine organ; but the little we do know is sufficient to convince us of the infinite knowledge, goodness, and power of our Creator. The most essential point is for us to make use of this knowledge, weak as it is, to magnify the name of the Most High. In the first place, the disposition of the external parts of the eye is admirable. With what intrenchment, what defence, the Creator has provided our eyes. They are placed in the head, at a certain depth, and surrounded with hard and. solid bones, that they may not easily be hurt. The eye-brows contribute also very much to the safety and preservation of this organ. Those hairs which form an arch over the eyes, prevent drops of sweat, dust, or such things, falling from the forehead into them. The eye-lids are another security security; and also, by closing in our sleep, they prevent the light from disturbing our rest. The eye-lashes still add to the perfection of the eyes. They save us from a too strong light, which might offend us; and they guard us from the smallest dust, which might otherwise hurt the sight. The internal make of the eye is still more admirable. The whole eye is composed of coats, of humours, of muscles, and veins. The tunica, or exterior membrane, which is called cornea, is transparent, and so hard, that it can resist the roughest shocks. Behind that there is another within, which they call uvea, and which is circular and coloured. In the middle of it there is an opening, which is called the pupil, and which appears black. Behind this opening is the crystal, which is perfectly transparent; of a lenticular figure, and composed of several little flakes, very thin, and arranged one over the other. Underneath the chrystal there is a moist and transparent substance, which they call the vitreous humour, because it resembles melted glass. The cavity, or the hinder chamber, between the cornea and the crystal, contains a moist humour, and liquid as water, for that reason called the watery bumour. It can recruit itself when it has run out from a wound of the cornea. Six muscles, admirably well placed move the eye on all sides, raise it, lower it, turn it to the right or left, obliquely, or round about, as occasion requires. What is most admirable is the retina, a membrane which lines the inside bottom of the eye. It is nothing but a web of little fibres extremely fine, fastened to a nerve or sinew which comes from the brain, and is called the optic nerve. It is in the retina that the vision is formed, because the objects paint themselves at the bottom of the eye on that tunica : * |