Mississippi Democrat. (Carrollton, Miss.) 1844-18??, 1845-02-05

and guaranteed in a uniform supply Of
these essentials 10 life and its enjoyment.
II may be said that the earth could not
have done otherwise than revove in its
present orbit. Ii is not 50. 1t might have
been launched forth into space, from the
hand of its Creator, in an orbit, or thou
sand other orbits utterly destructive of or
ganllzed matter; but such is not the case (;
and if not directed by the divine will, il
has wonderfully indeed selected the only
path consistent with its preservation. But
we cannot doubt, tina; the design so bene.
ficent, was from the hand infinitely good
The lecturer here adyeried to the peculiar
capacities of the inhabitants of the earth,
and IFS revolution on its axis to the capa-
cities of every living thing, and even We
getatlon, to the smallest flower upon it.
He illustrated these capacities by the al
leratlon of day and night, and their suta.
billty to man for labor and repose. We
have our periodical functions, and vegeta.
ton have the same, and any other altera-
ton that we enjoy, would have been in
compatible with the benefcence we expe-
renee. These functions, then, are regu.
lated by intervals of IL hours, or about
the same as those which regulate the divi-
sion of day and night. And what is day
and night. II is the expedient by which
he who created, "dvided the hight from
the darkness and saw that it was good p
And how was 1t good2 Not in The mere
division Of the light from the darkness
Suppose we had an alteration of one
hour of light and one hour of darkness,
would that have been good? Or year
Of light and year of darkness, would that
have been good? 1t was not the mere
separation then that was good, but the time
in which the earth reyolyes on its axis as
suited to lis purpose. We thus discover
that it was good in multifarous ways,
which will suggest themselves to every re-
fiecting mind. The earth might have re-
volved on lis axis in any time whatever,
and that without violating any known laws
of matter. 1t might not have turned at
all, or might have revolvsd in one hour,
or 100 hours. or it might have occupied a
year. But had it been in any other time
than "a hours or about that period, not one
of the species which beaulify and animate
il now, could inhabit it at all. Thus we
find between the time which the earth
tskes TO revolye on its axis, and the pecu-
liar functions and capacities of the crea.
IN iy .,nt
nection. Again it might have turned up.
on a pole at the line of the equator; or on
the plane of the eclptic, the obvious re-
suit of which would have been that one
hemisphere would be continually light
and the other continually dark.
The position of the earth relatively
with the sun, is also of vast importance;
upright, or we should have equal day and
night; but being slightly STOPPING from its
axis, by this expedent, we have the CRATE
full succession OF The seasons, Spring,
Summer, Autumn and Winter, and the
pleasing diversity Of climates. And this
stoop from the axis is 1874 deg, Just
enough to make the seasons Of about
equal duration, and without iniuriousness
of extremes, and exactly compatible with
our wel-being, There is one other fact
to be considered in connection. The
earth is surrounded with a thin fluid,
which we call the atmosphere, and is the
means whereby all respiratory creatures
have their existence. 1t is also the pecu-
liar agency of the winds, and is thus SER
viceabe for the purpose of navigation, Of
ventilation and irrigation, bearing the
clouds with their watery burdens 10 and
fro over the face Of the earth.
And perhaps the greatest of all its pro-
pertles, it is the medium and vehicle Of
sound, the means of social intercourse,
and indispensable to the exercise Of the
most important organs with which we are
endowned-by means Of which, one in
teligent being is enabled TO imparl to hun
dreds the stores Of knowledge and enter
tainment his pursuits may have enabled
him to acquire. From these views of the
orb we inhabit, we turn TO the contempla.
ton of the planets, and we find in the first
place two principles common to all--all
are G lobes in their form, and all revove
round the sun. Now let us see whether
they are bodies TO which the same expedi-
ents have been applied. Is there a uni.
form supply Of light and heath In one
and all OF them we find there is. They
all reyolye like The earth, nearly in circles;
and thus they all receiye the Same uni.
iormily Of light and heat. Have they the
divisions Of night and dav9 Has he who
divided the light from the darkness upon
the face Of the earth, and saw that it was
good. adopted the same expedient for The
other planets OF the systeml And il 50,
is it not for the same cause9 The next
inquiry will be, are The intervals the same
as those upon the earthl Ii terrestrial
globe were now before you, and was turn.
ed round, you would see the geographical
marks of the several continents, islands,