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WE

NATURAL HISTORY.

E have promifed our friends, that natural history shall make an article in our publication. There is no ftudy more worthy of man than this; it has a tendency greatly to enlarge the mind, by giving it an idea of the greatness of God, in the wisdom and vaftnefs of his works. It may ferve alfo to humble us, by fhewing how little we know of the works of creation. For when we have exerted our minds to the utmost, in confidering the heavens above us, and the earth beneath us, and the various and ftupendous appearances of nature, in her animal and vegetable forms around us; we fhall still find that we know comparatively nothing; and that we are rather smatterers in knowledge, than real poffeffors of it; that we have rather dwelt upon the surface of nature, than that we have dived into her arcana, and comprehended her inmoft receffès,

"The works of Jehovah are honourable and glorious, fays David, fought out of all them who have pleasure therein.' To a young mind in particular, the ftudy of nature is a pleafing theme, as it not only gives a laudable exercise to that curiofity, which is the character of youth; but also enables them to account for many appearances, both in the heavens, and on this globe which we inhabit, in a rational way, and thereby delivers their minds from low fuperftition, and vulgar fears. It is principally for the fake of the youthful part of our readers, that we fhall treat

on

on this fubject. In doing which we fhall, without fcruple, avail ourselves of fuch help which is within our reach; confulting the beft authors, and from thence felecting that which fuits our purpose, either in the language of thofe writers, or in language of our own, as may appear moft convenient. fhall begin with

A Sketch of the Universe.

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THE world may be confidered as one vaft manfion, where man is placed to enjoy the bounties of the Creator, to admire his works, to rule over them on earth, and to be grateful. O Lord, fays the Pfalmift, thou haft made man a little lower than the angels, thou haft fet him over the works of thy hands. And Mofes informs us, that when the Almighty had made the heavens and the earth, and all the hofts of them, that then he made man in his own likeness, after his own image, and gave him dominion over the works of his hands. And as a proof of that dominion, and as the first inftance of the exercife of it, God brought every beaft of the field, and every fowl of the air, to Adam, and he named them.

And the fear of him, and the dread of him, did God imprefs upon all the lower tribes of creation. No doubt but there was pefect harmony among the beafts of the field, and the fowls of heaven, at that time; and perfect fubjection in all, to man, their common lord. Nor is it reasonable to fuppofe that this would have ever ceafed, if man had kept his allegiance

giance to his Creator. But as man rebelled against the Lord of Nature, fo was the lower part of creation permitted to rebel against him. The beafts of the earth either flee his prefence, endanger his fafety, or reluctantly fubmit to his authority. Thus every thing proclaims that man has forfeited his fovereignty, and has actually loft the proper exercife of it. The remnant of power that remains to him, is exercifed with precarious fuccefs.

The air alfo in which we breathe, and the earth from which our fuftenance arifeth, have felt the effects of human guilt. The one is often fraught with peftilential vapours, and the other is curfed for our fakes. Hence when man is fent into this world, it is rather as a stranger than a sovereign. He is fubject to weakness, furrounded with wants; and his firft cares are to fatisfy the appetites of fenfe. The beauties of nature, and all the wonders of creation, have but little charms for him in this ftate; his attention

being taken up in obviating present wants. In this ftate man bears the denomination of favage, i. e. uncultivated. Hence it is eafy to fee, that in every age, the refinements of fcience have been among the lateft efforts of human industry.

Such philofophers as have discovered surprise at the want of curiofity in the ignorant, feem not to have admitted the doctrine of the fall of man. They found man in a low, degraded condition, and being two wife in their own conceit to admit the account

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which Revelation gives of his defection from God, they have vainly amufed themselves and the world, with their effays on the prefent flate of human na

ture.

Equally ftrangers to the fall and recovery of the human race, they have failed both in appreciating the character of the Creator, and the condition of the creature.

Human curiofity, though but flowly excited at firft, yet being at laft poffeffed of leifure for indulging its propenfity, becomes one of the greatest amufements of life, and gives higher fatisfaction than what even the fenfe can afford. A man of this difpofition, turns all nature into a magnificent theatre; replete with objects of wonder and furprise, and fitted up chiefly for his happiness and ufe; he industriously examines all things, from the minutest infect to the moft finished animal; and, when his limited organs can no longer make the acquifition, he fends out his imagination upon new enquiries.

Aftronomers tell us, that this earth which we inhabit forms but a very minute part of that great affemblage of bodies, of which the universe is compofed. They fay that the earth is a million of times lefs than the fun. Some of the planets alfo are fuppofed to exceed the earth one thousand times in magnitude.

With regard to our fyftem, the fun is placed in the center, and gives light and heat, and is supposed also VOL. I.

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to give circular motions to the planets which furround it. Mercury, Venus, the Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, to which we must now add the Georgium Sidus, a planet lately difcovered by Dr.' Herfchell; perform their conftant circuits of different diftances, each taking up a time to complete its revolution, in proportion to the greatnefs of the circle which it is to defcribe.

Modern philofophy teaches that, when the great Author of Nature began the work of creation, he chofe to operate by fecond causes; and that, suspending the conftant exertion of his power, he endued matter with a quality by which the univerfal œconomy of nature might be continued without his immediate affiftance. This quality is called attraction; a fort of approximating influence, which it is thought all bodies, whether terreftrial or celeftial, poffefs, ac cording to the quantity of matter which they feverally contain.

Whether this attractive quality afcribed to them be real, or if it be fo, whether it is the great agent, or principle, by which the motion of the planets is performed, has been doubted.

Indeed, in order to account fully for this motion, and to affign a reason why the planets do not fall into the fun, from its fuperior attracting power, owing to its immenfe fize; philofophers have fuppofed the exiftence of another power, of equal efficiency, namely, a progreffive force which each planet re