The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1850-11-22
Astronomy Of the Bible.

FhotESSOR MiECHkb-
Professor O. Nj. Mitchell director OF the Cincinnasz
observatory hAs by invitation, Undertaken 10 deliver
series Of lectures Biblical Astronomy" at Hope
Chapel. The drst OF these lectures delivered last
Tuesday evening, to large asd respectable audience.
The subject OF this nrst lecture Great First
Cause evidenced In the structure Of the Pa notary
and siderial Heavens After being introduced to the
audience, the lecturer said -
Ladies ana Gentle mem i have been induced by my
friends TO attempt the Invests alton and illustration
Of subj which .s T. tar bsS nd the limits OF my
power IL Is inpt ssole the dnite mind TO srappls
with inhnituae even .vineed in tue array OF the
heavenly bodies. Ho~ much more cult then. to
trace cut tbs fret great sosfse Of all these when
Newton had accom- pshsd all that he dill accomplish.
for the world OF science. b. closed his lt with
simple but sublime conclusion nar-ly-thAt nothing
but infinite mind could have mad. all these worlds
and projected them. Tire lecturer new proposed to
give some detailed account Of the celestial chnery
ana then TO asc.rtain n possible whether thu Ia rs
OF nature will tor all that therein exhibited
On. difficulty after another ssid me- has been ovsrco me
in the OF this uhj-st Til Crap
pie with the laws by which this great
is governed. He then vent 90 recite the disco
yeries Of Gsllileo Kepl,r and Newton. Previous to
tbe time OF h.pler II bad been supposed tina. the
planets revolyed in oirculae orbit, lie was obliged
TO abandon This theory after years of study Ne male
three grand discoveries Fret ne ssc-rainea that the
gave his attention to then velocity and the
areas swept over by the orbs Ia their the
sun Next be united al the planets Into mighty
systtm. The effect Of these discoveries was COM
mented upon briefly by the lecturer. who nov re-
fidto the grand enquiry uhioh press ted itself
the scientific mind alter learning these doctrines
1t was orbits do revoivs in these sptioai
orbits What retains then Ia their places! lie there
some mighty power that d1es tnem and holds them
there This ems q the most reasonable. But New
ton discovered the great Law BY which every psrtels
OF matter was Kept Ia its place lie found that All
were hept In their places By attraction The Law OF
srayta,ion vas discovered; tn simple Law crawl
tation BY which grain Of tails the earth and
governed by shich The earth revoves stssIy around
the sun the sntsltesarouud their II governT
ali motion The theory 81 cebtripetal and ceutri--
fuRa force next discussed thsss powers are thea
which keep the body steady it, place as IL moves
opvsrd ior int nlte time Nov let US 90 on ana build
mp this tystsm, The lecturer here Imarined one
planet after another completed and placed In proper
positions ana all revolving IA circular orbits. Then,
said he We could radiiy obtain perfect aud aecu-.
rate knovleege 81 the sbols system But this, said
he Is not so. The pl-Ists revolve In an elpss.
planets to be INDEPENDENT bodies inaaspcsd. oniv
by The central sun when then. will the .nrtb,
come bacs again TO the same spot from whence &c
started! Now let ne sUDeraod planet on phsues sa.s
lite On satellite. and here IL system IN the
most complex manner II evers .-t,i. Of M ,ttsr at
.h.t shotner pstun, then Is this after solved.
ts,s - 10 great Law But his would make every
hooy governabe, and governed only by this central
attraction Now Is there evidence that there 10 any
aengnF lthere H. design. then there must be q de-
sener-thsre have been some DO ser b. originate
II. Professor NJ. here went into an illustration Of
the relative position of planet In the solar system
For the purposes OF tnis illustration he used i'm
ry lines and angles drawn 90 the dssk before him.
hnsse nssrss could only De conveyed to the reader
constantly going on referred TO. No~ said
me orator Will not this change go untn destruc-
1hatths is not the result proof OF some great d.
tignsr and regulator will you say this l. all tho
esolt OF mere accident Then would ask you who
projected these wonderful bodies In the first instance
suppose Jourself ompipotept New look out ycur son
weigh u aud give u proper place. for will suppose
you have commsnd of all space Then pick out your
worlds, weigh them aud place them all la their
proper positions You have nov, these "fam.
Ing orbs in space Nov, " you urge one
planet with too great velocity. you destroy system,
II one orb be urged With too liitle force yoa destroy
system All, you want omniseience We may have
CmnipOttnt power but ant nscis nca 10 k,,cs
how this power Is TO be applied tor besides the rsvo
lutons OF the planets are tens Of Thousands OF arv
comets vhe.litg through space They are not TO BE-
counted by hundreds nor by thousands Nos nov shaJ
these vd and iery worlis be projsctedi rhsrs ,ust
have been mind 20 through all time that thsss
do not intertre Nos let Us s-e what attraction AMI
RraTiation do account for aud vhat th-v % not
Gravity can hold these planets 10 their pia .s Lut
gravity cannot project them We do not knos
shere 10 looS tr mi, impulsivs power bat "a some
Almighty Arm Gra'itation cannot daine orbits foe
these planets We are compelled 20 stco bers We
can rise no higher peu-trAte no dee psr into
the wonderful MYSTERY | do nos say that We never
thall resolve TITS mystery aud dssovsr 81 ~, great
primary ls~ which governs all motion Hut We have,
AZ Jet c'rie but lttle way la knoviedgs How will
you move single particle Of mater Let us dissolve
MIaction-let every particle Hy OF toto space chs
Ote; tnd nov how sra YOU to get notion Scanning
w 81 PERTAINING u the movements ot the plansts
around TIE sun, aud tbs sat--s arsuad their central
todes the lecturer dre- this s,ucluon that out Of
al Laws that might exit the all siss 1ovsraor nal
selected the laws OF motion % atracteu suf qravi-
aion- But, N these b. true " our IVA sys-
tenn, when look At s-sr shnd star sun behind sun
tJttem bthind slsten, untl tine mind u lost IN mys
try, we are compelled 70 nay none but omniscient
and tmnipctent Fowsr could design aud perfect alt
this. AZ an nlustrston OF the power required
10 project this earth the lecturer said that ~
the strength " ALT the who havs died since
the world began could ne concentrated and fts
possession conferred npen one being u would give
thousand ysars yet sImighty Power has projsctedtt
at the velocity % 90 600 niles hour! 10, at this
~ - -. mu..ns u-,I.y ln .nsr grsna