Page:God Manifest.djvu/22

12 penetrate the crust of the globe, and move through the ground faster than a mole or the Ghost in "Hamlet,"—dive into the ocean and explore its depths—or, like the fairy, "put a girdle round the earth in forty nunutes;" and when we have measured and weighed this orb, we can mount to the stars, and range the universe. Here, geography, geology, botany, zoölogy, astronomy, may bring forth to us their treasures, and enable us, in this small room, to traverse the world.

And what will these sciences show us? what lesson will they teach? They will speak to us of the great Creator, and proclaim His power and goodness, not by empty words, but by setting forth His deeds.

Geography will picture to us the surface of the globe on which we dwell—its oceans, continents, rivers, mountains, isles. And let us now stand off from it, as it were, and survey it at a distance, or hang over it as if in a balloon; and while thus freed for the moment from the power of its attraction, let us rest and behold this beautifrd orb revolving in the bright light of the sun. How swift it turns! A thousand miles, and more, of land and water glide by, each hour, beneath us. Beautifrd sight! Observe the colours, too: it is a painted globe—yes! painted by the great Artist. Note the deep blue of the ocean, the green of the land, the brown bare rocks and mountain-peaks,—and there, at the pole, the white winding-sheet in which dead Nature lies enwrapped.

And now let us look more closely. Here, first, we note the British Isle. It is a little spot, and we must look quick, or it will be gone from us. But though with a small body, it has long arms, reaching in fact quite round the world; as we turn, we shall