The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1851-04-09
The Astronomy of Moses.

Professor Mitchell gave an exposition
of the thirty.eigbth chapter of the book
Of Job, in his course Of lectures al
Brooklyn, on Monday evening last. He
remarked, that the book can be proved
to have been written at least 5000 years
ago, before science was born; and if it
could be shown that il contained no mis-
takes, no unmeanind or foolish questions,
it would he evident that the author Of il
must have knowledge beyond that of the
times in which il was written. A man
who should attempt 10 ask questions on
science of which he was ignorant, would
be qIte as likely TO PROFOUND simple as
sensible inquiries. Now look at the ma
turc of the question which the Lord is
represented as putting to Job out Of the
whrlwjnd.
"Wherc was; thou when | laid the
foundation of the earth Whereupon
are the foundations thereof fastened 2"
This sublime question remains unans-
wered 10 the present hour. We say the
law of qravila,ion holds it in its Cir
cult round the sun. But what is that
law! We have TO come back to the
answer, il as the ,oiW of God.
"W no shut the sea with doorsl' &c.
The nice adjustment Of the sea TO its
limits is one of the most wonderful of all
the works of God. Were its specific
gravity changed, so as to be tenth part
lighter than it now is, the next time The
sun and moon drew il toward them, it
would be dashed over the tops Of the
highest mountains.
last thou commanded the morning
since thy days, and caused the day-sprng
TO know its place p This is great
question. We know, that for 1000 years
the revolution Of the earth OIL its axis
has been SO steady and uniform, that it
has not varied a hundredth part Of
second of time; and God has employed
this perfect regularity as an illustration
of faithfulness TO his promises 10 his peo-
pie. lie does not represent his own un-
changeableness by reference TO the po-
lar STAR for we 6nd that in the course
Of thousands Of years that does change
its relative position TO the earth. But
the day.sPring knows its place, and never
fails, through successive generations, 10
come at the appointed time.
"Where is the way that light dwell
eth And as for darkness where is The
place thereof? That thou shoulds, take
it to the bound thereof, and that thou
shouldst know the path TO the house
lhereof" This inquiry lead US to the
origin of light, and whether we receive
the theory of It's being material or not II is
alike incomprehensibe. Whence comes
it! Where is its house, its home, its
native place Let us travel up TO those
remoicst consultations that meet our
eyes pass by the Pleiades and Orion,
and Oh 10 millions of suns beyond them
and onward Tor tens of thousands aud
millions Of years, and still the light is
towards US, and we have not
reached the spot which man has penetra-
ted with his ielescopic instruments. We
are no nearer the discovery than when
we first set out.
Canst thou bind the sweet influences
of Peiades, or loose The bands of Orionr
The ancienis marked the seasons by the
heliacal rising with the sun) Of certain
stars The Pleiades marked the ap>
proach Of the sun with its flowers. The
vernal equinox is not stationary ; but
we know that at that Time, it must have
occupied such position that Plelades
would make its appearance when the sun
entered the yernal equinox and at least
three thousand years must have passed
since the rising of Pleindes with the sun
announced the coming Of the spring.
Here is proof of The grea, antiquity OF
this book. aud Of The knowledge of its
author. The Lord asks Of Job il he I
could bind this constellation TO keep il
back, or loose the bands Of Orion; that
is. diminish The rigor of winter.
The learned lecturer then pursued the
same line OF inquiry with other aslro,
nomical illusions in other parts Of the
Bible, and from them deduced an irre>
fragable argument in favor OF The truth,
iulness aud wisdom Of The author Of the
book. We have indicated The fain,est
outline Of his train Of remark. which
held large assembly iqProiound at'en-