The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1870-12-27 00:00:00

COUNTY EXPRESS AND AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27. 1870.

lET

more the appearance of spontaneous activity, and less
of mute and unconscious mechanism in the adminis•
tration of the Universe." They cannot imagine a
God, that is, different from man • and, as the order of
Nature does not look like the handiwork of man,they
deny the existence of God, deify Nature, and speak
of the independent Reign of Law.
The hastiness, to say the least, of such conclusions
is, I should hope, self-apparent. Scientific men have
observed long indeed, but not long enough surely to
be positive in their conclusions. There are contingen-
cies which should make such philosophers pause in
their conclusions. They can calculate the eclipse;
but they cannot insure the weather. They are positive
as to the hour; but are they sure of their own lives?
But the argument is fallacious on other grounds.
A chronometer in good order varies not from day to
day; and am I therefore to conclude that it is either
an automaton, or never made, and never to wear out?
But nature has lasted so long, we are told! How
long? If the objectors decline the old limit of ("coo
years, let them put back the date of the sun and the
earth a million years. In heaven moo years are as
one day; and therefore a million of our years are but
as three years in heaven. Three heavenly years
God's beautiful mechanism of stars and planets has
rolled on in sublime regularity; and with what indig-
nant ridicule must this puny human scoff be heard
in heaven, it was never made, it can never cevv•

I should not hesitate to assert, however, that the
calculations of astronomers as to the hour of the eclipse
may be falsified.
Ido not think this in any sense likely, but it is
possible. One of the most fascinating circumstances
of an eclipse is the watching the sun's bright face, till
at the very minute noted on the Almanac, a dark
spot appears on the edge and gradually spreads over
its radiant surface. But the hour might be deranged
by God; and yet sunmoon and earth go rolling on
in undeviating order.
Nay, I hesitate not to assert that God, by some un-
known secret springs in His universe, might have
altered without confusion and devastation the move-
ments of these three bodies, and so altogether thrown
out the calculated eclipse. This last is a supposition
only, and depends upon the ideas we hold of God's
power and sdom. It is, indeed, for the possaility
alone of such changes that! contend; most fully ad-
mitting that the observation of nature's course leads us
decidedly to the conclusion that such alterations are
improbaWe. I would gladly assent to the assertion
that God wills all things to be ruled by law, if only it
may be called His law, and not named as &tort of
impersonal deity.
But, the alteration of time has actually occurred and
might occuran. More than 3000 years ago the MO stood
still upon Gion, and hasted not to go down. asoo
years ago the shadow of the sun dial of Ahaz went ten
degrees backward. And the way in which possibly
God chose to peform these miracles, He might have
employed again on December 22. He might have
refracted the sun's rays as it zose.,• and so made its
actual position at noon apparently the position at
to a.m ; and thus brought the dark rays of the eclipse
two hours later to our eyes, as was possibly the case in
the local miracles of Gibeon and Jerusalem.
Moreorer an eclipse,not caused by the moon's body
I know, and yet a solar eclipse, has actually taken
place, which was, to use the phraseology of these
objectors, unnatural, and could not have been pre-
dicted. Not to mention the Egyptian darkness,
remember that 1837 years ago from noon till 3 p.m.
there was darkness over all the earth, and "the Sim
was darkened." But in a total eclipse of the Sun,
the duration of the total darkness cannot be more
than three or four minutes, this was three hours.
Eclipses of the sun, again, can occur only at new
moon, for then only can the moon come between us
and the sun: this took place at full moon, when the
Passover was invariably held.
"Those who remember," says Alford, " who was
suffering on that darkened cross through those hours
of mysterious gloom, will have no diulty iu ac-
counting for these signs of sympathy in nature, or in
seen their applicability."

the presumption of reason? Whatever be the obscur-
ing cause, take it, compare it, with the majesty, the
glory, the power, the love, the goodness of God, with
His ability to destroy, and his boundless willingness
to bless, with the bnghtness and bliss of heaven, and
the peace and pleasures of everla.sting days. And
are you not ashamed, and grieved, and amazed, that an
atom so vile it may be, at best so insignificant, not
7o million times smaller, but utterly out of all com-
parison, should shut out God from your heart and cheat
your soul of heaven? . .

Are those who have not yet given up all for Christ,
aware of the eclipse which is prevailing in their
souls? how can they be unaware, or if aware, how
can they endure it? The effect of the total darkness
in an eclipse is sometimes awfully startling. Mr. Airy
describes it as exceedingly impressive in the eclipse rat
51342. " The darkness increased every moment ;
the candle burnt with unusual brilliancy, and a large
electrical cloud, hanging in the zenith, became blacker
if possible than pitch, and appeared to be descending
rapidly. The colour of thelake near became deep purple,
and the islands a dusky yellow." " Our very hearts
stood still," says another observer, "Nature herself
grew suddenly silent ; the soap of birds ceased; the
animals huddlul and cowered in silence ; the darkness
swept on—swept over us, and wrapped its wings
around ns" If such is the impression produced on
man and nature by a few moments obscuration of the
sun's face, how can any one exist without incessant
horror and despair, from whose soul the light of the
Sun of our souls is shut out by sin and unbelief? 0
dreary—chilly—awful death in life, of! know not God
and love not the Lord Jesus Christ !
At this Christmas season, a time of mat j 4 for
true Christians, and of pleasure and good cheer for
men generally, we should never forget that for the
Lord of Glory, the Sun of Righteous, Christmas Day
was the beginning of that eclipse which seemed total
at His crucifixion.

" That which was from the beginning," the Eternal
Son of God, was born as a man, and had a birth-
day. Let this thought chasten our rejoicing and
deepen our gratitude, that for us to pass from this
dark world out through the grave and gate of death
into the light and glory of heaven, it was necessary
for the Lord Jesus Christ to leave His glorious throne
and pass through the dark days of His earthly life—
the Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief. And
as on these wintry days, we long for the light and
warmth and resurrection flowers of spring, so let us
join with our Christmas thanksgiving, Easter rejuic•
ingS :

star and circlet of evergreen ; whilst In the =-
immure of the eastern win4o• is piloted the seared
monr,grani, "L ELS," chutely executed in white, upon
a groped work of moss. The leeteni is wreathed
with greenery, and the carviair supports pendants of
holly berries and foliage. The pillars of the church
are entwioed with holly, aod au the walls the
greenery of Christmas i. everywhere visible.
ST. Prrial.—Th• deo..rations in this cherub con-
sisted of an encircling of the columns with evergreen.

AL2LiNAI

Ash Wednesday ...Fob. 22
Lady Day ..... March 25
Good Friday April 7
&aster Suaday April 9
Amenslea Day May 18

FOR 187 L

Willi Sunday May 28
Trinity •iusday —Jane 4
Midsummer day June 24
Michaelmas Day...Meort. 29
Day Dec. 25

2.
ill 1111.J.2 an. 1111 2 ]
'1
211: 1131411622:1 1., 1 "77 --:4. 1.1.71),
1.1-1
.1.1.9t,21.1-3
21.1 El
=5 31 ... - - kugue 1 1 . . I.- ••• •••
•
February .. .. ... 1 .. I .21 34 5
12 I 1 1. MITI . i
9lr7t 11t1
11, 121 2324 I:is 11! /61124125
27 • 3041 ••• ••
•"' " 1 2 3 Septam. .. ... ...
6789 . 1 2
II LI 1 1314 15 18
libil:, 27 1 L
241;l1L1:
26• 29 31 ... 11 1 24.1 21 2223
• 262728 30
. •••
1 102 13 1.4
911 ill 131 1
1711811 21
• • 242528 2723
A ....ea 27 ••
. 1 4
... 4 • si . i 8 10 11
7 ' 11,1 1
14 111 I
21 farzi*3 .
......
21 12 1' 1415 18 171 8
19 21 22 7.1 2423
1
*- •'61•61.- .i
Li - i i-6-i i ,
1. 11 1213 14 1 1
11 /' 13141151 1 171 19,20 21 24.11
g 'O9l . Z 32. 24 252627 ' ,

1871.

Jansary

Kirsh ...I

April •••I

may I

!17:1111.1

1-- -
1
9
15;16111

!Novel:Ll

Jane ...I

112131
19'101
28'27'

ID/am.

13
6 27

PISA 11009. Nsw Moon.
January 6th, 9.23 p.m.
February ... sth, 2.1 p.m.
Mareh 7th, 3.38 a.m.
April
Mey ..... ... 4th, 10.59 p.m.
Jane
July
Nsw MOON. POLL M.)011.
Angast
September... 14th. 7.9 p.m.
October
November ... 12th, 5.8 p.m.
lleeember ... 12th, 4.1 a.m.