Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1851-03-13
The Astronomy of Moses S.

Prof Mitchell gave an exposition of the 38th
chapter of the book of Job, in his course of lee
lures at Brooklyn, on Monday evening last
He remarked that the book can be proved to
have been written at least 5000 years ago, be-
fore science was born; and if it could be shown
that it contained no mistakes, no unmeaning or
foolish questions, it would be evident that the
author of it must have knowledge beyond that
of the times in which it was written. A man
who should attempt to ask questions on SCI
ence of which he was Ignorant would be quite
as likely to PROFOUND simple as sensible inqui-
RES Now, look at the nature of the questions
which the Lord is represented as putting to Job
out the whirlwind
"Where vast thou when laid the foudatons
of the earth? Whereupon are the foundations
thereof fastened?" This question remains unan-
swered to this time. We say the law of gravta.
ton holds it in its circuit round the sun. But
what is that law? We have to come back to the
answer, 1t Is the aoiH of God.
"Who shut up the sea with doors ?" &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 one-tenth part lighter than it now is the
next time the sun and moon in conjunction drew
it towards them, it would be dashed over the
tops of the highest mountains.
Hast thou commanded the morning since
thy days, and caused the day spring to know its
place? This is great question. We know
that for 1900 years the revolution of the earth
on its axis has been so steady and uniform, that
it has not varied hundredth part of a second
of time and God has employed this perfect
regularity as an illustration of his faithfulness
to his promises to his people. He does not rep
resent his own uuchangeableness by reference
to the polar star, for we find that in the course
of thousands Of years that does not change its
relative position to the earth. But the day.
spring" knows its place, and never fails through
successive generations to come at the appointed
time
" Where is the way where light dwelleth
And as for darkness, where is the place there
of? That thou shouldst take it to the bound
thereof, and that thou shouldst know the paths
to the house thereof?" This inquiry leads us
to the origin of light, and whether we receive
the theory of its being material or not, it is alike
incomprehensible. Whence comes it? Where
is its house, its home, its native place? Let us
travel upwards to those remotest consultations
that meet our eyes {; pass by the Pleiades, and
Orion, and on to the millions of suns beyond
! them, and onward for tens of thousands and mil.
lions of years, and still the light is TRAVELLING
toward us, and we have not reached the spot
! which man has penetrated with his telescope
: instruments. We have not traced the light tc
its source. We are no nearer the discovery
than when we first set out.
r "Canst thou bind the sweet influence of Plei
ades, or loose the bands of Orion 2" The all
clients marked the seasons by the heiacal ris.
ing with the sun) of certain stars. The Plei-
ades marked the approuch Of spring with itf
, flowers. The vernal equinox is not stationary
; but we know that at the time it must have oc'
cupied such position that Pleiades would make
, its appearance when the sun entered the verna
, equinox and at least three thousand years mus
have passed since the rising Of Pleiades with the
sun announced the coming of tho spring. Here
s proof of the great antiquity Of this book, and