die, but whole species would become extinct. The seeds, and eggs, and larvæ, which propagate the various races of plants and insects, would be unproduced. The progress of reproduction would be arrested at its source; and, were the untimely blast to be universal, various links would be broken for ever in the chain of existence. This consideration brings us, at once, to a clear perception of the kind of adaptation to which I allude. It is evident that some peculiar provision has been made, in temperate climates, for the preservation of organized existences during winter. In that season they are not in the same condition as in other seasons of the year. It is not merely that the change from heat to cold has been gradual; although it is true that the hurtful effects of a violent alteration of temperature are thus avoided; and this is something which ought not to be overlooked in the wise provisions of the Author of Nature. But much more than this was necessary; and, as we shall afterwards have ample means of observing, has actually been effected. It was requisite, for the preservation both of plants and animals, that, during winter, their habits and functions should be altered, or even suspended, and that peculiar contrivances should be resorted to for protecting thein from the rigours of the season. But there is another consideration which must not be overlooked. Not only are there peculiar provisions for preserving animal and vegetable life, in our temperate climates, during the cold of winter, but the whole classes of organized beings which exist in any climate, are adapted to all the ordinary changes of their peculiar locality; so that the fact I have mentioned, is only a single instance of a principle of adaptation which runs through the whole system. The tropical plants, for example, are peculiarly formed, for the express purpose of living and flourishing under vertical suns, long droughts, and periodical rains; the vegetable productions of the polar regions, on the other hand, have been remarkably contrived for resisting the chilly influences occasioned by the long absence of the sun, and for starting sud denly into life, and running their short but rapid race, during the few weeks which comprise their spring, summer, and autumn. And so it is also with our temperate climates. It is not in winter, alone, that an adaptation to the season is conspicuous, but throughout every month of the year. Every parallel of latitude has its peculiarities of weather, its longer or shorter duration of mildness and of rigour,-of rain and of drought, of light and of darkness; and to all these varieties, the plants indigenous to the soil are adapted. But, what is more, under the very same parallel, there are localities which differ materially from the general average of the climate, on account of the elevation of mountain ranges, or other accidental circumstances. Here, again, we find very striking indications of the provident care we have noticed. By whatever mysterious means the distribution has been made, there we find productions suited to the situation. Some extraordinary instances of this have been noticed on the Himalaya mountains, on the Andes, on the Peak of Teneriffe, and, indeed, in all the quarters of the globe where lofty mountain ranges are to be found. Humboldt has shown that there is upon the earth a geographical distribution of plants, according to its various climates, which he distinguishes into so many zones of vegetation, from the pole to the equator. In the Island of Teneriffe, he observed that its various heights, which, as in all mountains are colder as the elevation increases, exhibited differences of plants, corresponding with the temperature; and he divided the various heights into five zones, each clearly marked by their respective vegetations. It has been a matter of curious investigation among philosophers, by what means the earth was at first supplied with productions suited to its respective climates and peculiarities; and it has been ingeniously attempted to be shown, that a single mountain, of sufficient elevation, placed in a favourable situation, and furnished, by the Crea tive Power, with the various vegetable productions which its different altitudes and consequent varieties of temperature required, might suffice, in the course of ages, for the dissem ■nation of these productions over the whole face of the globe, according as its various localities might be adapted to receive them. Such an inquiry, however, is more curious than useful. It is enough for us to perceive the designing hand of a wise Creator in the adaptation of the vegetable creation to the very diversified circumstances of soil and climate, as it is found actually to exist in the different countries and regions of the world. I shall only add, at present, that what has just been said of the vegetable, is equally applicable to the animal kingdom, as will be seen when we enter into the particulars to which these preliminary remarks refer. THIRD WEEK-SUNDAY. THE OMNIPRESENCE OF GOD. THE doctrine of an Eternal Self-existent Being, involves in its very idea, that He is every where present throughout His immeasurable creation, and that, if there be any region of infinite space where He has not exerted His creative power, He is there also; and this doctrine receives a more distinct and definite character, from the discoveries of astronomy. The idea of infinity, indeed, is too vast to be fully comprehended, as any one will be forced to confess who makes the attempt. We can conceive an immense extent, but it is an extent circumscribed by some boundary, however distant; and, if we only attend to what passes in our own minds, when we endeavour to extend our conceptions so as to arrive at the idea of infinite space, we shall find that we do this by figuring to ourselves, first, one immense extent, and then, beyond that, another, and another still, in a constant and indefinite series. This shows the limited nature of our mental powers, which cannot form conceptions, but by the aid of things that are the object of the senses; and it serves, at the same time, to exhibit the importance of astronomical studies, in assisting the mind to form a more exalted view of the Divine attributes. Even though deprived of the discoveries of astronomy, indeed, we could still speak of infinity; but our conceptions of that divine attribute would necessarily be far less vivid and definite. It is by the help of this most interesting and astonishing science, that we raise our comprehension from the contracted bounds of our own planet, to the vast extent of the planetary system with which we are connected, and thence to the amazing of the fixed stars, and thence again to those little spaces or distances in the heavens called nebulæ, full of thousands, and tens of thousands of worlds, in new systems, at distances beyond the power of numbers to compute. Thus, step by step, we extend our views; and, although long before we have reached the nearest star, we find our mental powers beginning to flag, and, in tracing these discoveries to their farthest limit, are forced to confess that even imagination is bewildered and lost, yet in such an exercise we certainly do gain much to aid our conceptions of unbounded space. The practical conclusion to which we come is, that, if nature be so unspeakably and inconceivably immense, the God of Nature must be absolutely infinite; and although, after all, we can form no distinct idea of this attribute, we comprehend enough to affect the mind with highly exalted and salutary impressions. Infinity implies omnipresence. The Almighty is an infinitely extended Mind. Wherever He exists, He is conscious. His knowledge is, therefore, as infinite as His existence. The universe lies open to His inspection. The earth, with all its productions, animate and inanimate,-the rocks and minerals in its bowels,-the plants, so varied in their form and qualities, from the microscopic parasite to the mighty oak of the forest, which are spread profusely over its surface, the insects, the reptiles, the birds and beasts with which it teems, and man, the lord of them all, every one of them, individually, is continually in His view. He pervades - every atom of matter, and surveys every movement of the living principle, and of the mental powers, with which He has respectively endowed the various orders of organic beings. Let this view be extended to other worlds. Whatever exists, either of matter, of vegetable and animal life, or of rational powers, in the sun and in the planets, and, beyond their wide orbit, in the suns, and systems, and interminable groups of suns and systems of which the universe is composed, is penetrated, beheld, recognised, and individually distinguished, by the All-pervading Mind. How beautifully and feelingly does the Psalmist express the sentiment to which this view of the Divine Being gives rise in the devout heart:- Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there; if I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.' This sense of the Divine presence, if deeply and habitually cherished, must produce a salutary effect on the character. When we know and feel that the eye of the holy God is upon us, our mind is struck with solemn awe; and should unhallowed thoughts intrude, we are sensible that they are unworthy of the presence in which we stand, and inconsistent with those aspirations after the Divine favour, which our relation to him inspires. Should the temptation become, notwithstanding, so strong as to incline us to some action of moral turpitude, the half-formed design is checked, by the conviction, that the All-seeing eye is upon us, and with just indignation we cast the thought away from us, inwardly exclaiming, 'How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God.' This salutary effect of a belief in the Divine omnipresence, is but too seldom realised in actual practice. It is held, almost universally, as a speculative doctrine; but how few really adopt it as a rule of life. Melancholy experience |