Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1818-03-10
ORIGINAL Miscellany.
northumberland. Nv.
PRoyIDENCE..;.NO.I Nv.
How great that pOw'r whose provideh-
tial care
Thro' these bright orbs' dark centres
darts raw!

tdl SdfC
Thro' these bright orbs' dark centres
darts ray!
Enchanted with the pleasing philosophy
of t,e psalmist, own that am forced TO
coaCess my decided preference for his
wri ings, aud to hazard the opinion that,
estimated by the intrinsic beauties when
they possess as a production merely Oh
secular learning, no one Can value them
TOO high. They are aattering to his se-
MUS, aud a proud memorial OF his intei-
lectual endowments.
Let any unprejudiced person--any one
but an uncandid in6del-read the hrst
six verses Of his Xix Psalm, and am
convinced he viii be compelled to admire
and admit the superior inspiration Of the
mind that framed that psalm to any ming
which he can find among the productions
Of the anclents Of the same antiquity ahc
nm the same subject, Their astrologers
and star gazers compared with the hea
yenly minded king OF Israei-their vain
superstitiuus VITA his enlightened ooser-
vations ON the heavens, by contrasting
The "a, kness OF heathenlsm with the light
of israel, will OILY make hls superiority
APPEAR more conspicuous, and cast
brirhter Iustre around his writings, his
philosophy. aud his Religion.
Moses is no less admirable as phi
losnvh.r than as d law giver and pro-
nhet. And what greatly contributes TO
D,yiJ,s celeb nv IS, taat he treaiS III
the footsteps Of this distinguished per-
sewage in the holy scriptures, aud iol-
lows in his meditltlOns ON The heavens IN
his psaLms-the history 9 ivea oil their
ere, ,on ~ han ia Genesis. He falls IN
W.T., the Patriarch in their belle almost
~ lid as the void itself, which was
HANDED down by thcsn IN hhe OF UNI
bruk.n sucSssslun TO Moses, mat, IN the
beg,nnius. Cad made t'ro great lights;
the greutsr light to rue the day, ana me
lesser Lig.t 10 rule The n!sht--he made
the stars also.
Tne tights of The Permanent, agreeable
70 the sacred text, we're the hist things
created in the ORDER OF creation and polnt
of Jime; lui il must be 4 source II ~
finite yleasure 20 the F1ilOnerS OF Chrls.
to be told .tha he was the efficle"' pm
cip!c a the cause of creation, an The
creative energies of the ,cord were list
empoyed IN commanding the light 10
shiue out of darkness. in the creation Oh
the moon and the stars. and in seating
in the heavens vivid emblem of the tri-
une Jehovah
We ,aay consider the phenomena OF
the heavens ~ his most convincing ap-
peal To the senses Of his creatures for the
demrAttra'ion nj his being-yea, II the'
continued dead TO this appeal, and the
whole world were to turn atheist, the
snn, the mo n aud the stars would pub
lish. vira roce, the divine origin OF their
creation. and own he almighty power
and infinite wi dom Of Him who hung
them 10 the armament.
Man is so constructed that God, in the
present economy Of things. can only re
veal himself to him through the medium
of his senses. These are gross and ma
terial. He is spiritual beng. What,
then, abstractedy from his works. we
ask, can we know of spirit who Is with
cut a form aud without parts. eternal IN
his existence and every where present
This is the great God VINO speaks in re
violation 10 his eatures-'' who rules on
high, and thuaders when he please. -
And il is plain, il taken from his works.
we can know nothing of him; but that
we shall le totally iAcapacitated from
forming single conception of his being,
and constrained to cry "ut with the poet,
already lost in the bOundless ocean OF his
Godhead,
pm quite out at sea, nor see the shore.
II IS higher than heGrsn, says astonlsh-
ed lib; ,chat can ,re knotc; deeper Than
hell, uhat can ice dog
l. is onlv from the impression which
SUR 1unding things make upon the mind
thrl Igh the medium OF the senses-say
OF trees which in spring are crowned IN
foliage. and in autumn stripped OF their
yerdure; Of winds which are now sleep
ihs in calm and next blowing IN 'em-
pest; Of the stars which at night are
seen twinkling in the heavens and at day
disappca (; of the succession OF plants
and animals in fine, Of the material uni
verse. ard of ourselves, amidst them all,
the profoundest wonder, that ace are pa
rylized with the overwhelming convic-
ton of first cause; and. in his works,
the untutored Indian - sees God in
clouds, aud hears HIM IN the wind"
And amongs the variety of his works,
whal peaks boldee language ihan the
phenomena of the heavens ? What is
louder in its appeal To he sen: s than The