What more can be done for the reader who desires to comprehend the power which performed all this? That Power-is it not truly without bounds?-first created all this incomprehensible mass of matter by an act of its will: that Power separated it into globes, and placed those globes as it shaped them, not casually, not thoughtlessly, throughout this incomprehensible space, but each in its due and exact situation, and each in its appropriate and computed size. That Power again collected those globes into mutually dependent groups, and those groups it grouped again: perhaps again repeating this, to form the great machine which it had contemplated when as yet nothing existed but Itself: HE who was before all; HE WHO IS!

In what manner did he do all this?. Again we must have recourse to a standard of conception derived from our own powers and actions. Did he first produce a reservoir of matter, and then shape and dispose the parts? He must have moved from place to place, were He like us, a local Being, however omnipotent in action. Did he create the matter where he also willed to place it? A local being must even then have moved throughout this incomprehensible space. Could we suppose the Deity thus limited, even this would be power beyond conception. His universal presence at all moments is not more difficult to conceive. His eternal omnipresence is not therefore a mere metaphysical inference, but, to adopt such a term, a physical necessity; and of his "immensity" the reader may now, possibly, form that conception which no metaphysical reasonings could ever have given him.

But let us consider that the orbs of the celestial machine are bodies in motion. It is indeed an assumption that those bodies were once at rest, and were afterwards put into motion; and this is a prime or instinctive belief, of which we cannot divest ourselves. The state of rest appears to us the natural condition of all matter; its motion implies action, and we know, or see, that action must commence: there must be a cause, and that cause, whatever may be the intermediate one, the power or will of a living being. But, as the Deity is here concerned, it is indifferent for the present view, whether he first created a globe and then put it into motion, or whether both acts were simultaneous. Large masses of matter are in motion: they could not have moved. themselves; and therefore they were moved by an external power, by a living being; by the Deity.

We have some conception of our own force in the throwing of a ball; how small a weight is all we can move, and with how small a velocity. By the greatest force that we can use, we can project an iron ball of fifty or a hundred pounds in weight, with a velocity which, I may again assume, at a thousand miles in an hour. But in the same time the earth moves 68,000:-it is like a cannon ball as heavy as our globe moving with sixty-eight times the velocity.

A second appears to us so short an interval, that a ball from a cannon is almost at both the extremities of four hundred yards at the same in

stant. But the earth is at both ends of a distance of twenty miles in that moment; or, if we could see it move, we should see it almost at once at London and Windsor. If such a weight, moving with such a velocity, is scarcely to be conceived, what then was the power of the Hand which projected it?

Yet this is nothing. Such is the velocity of Mercury, that it would almost make the entire circuit of the earth in a quarter of an hour; the journey to New South Wales in five minutes. Can we fancy a cannon ball as large as the moon fired to the Cape of Good Hope in five minutes? But it is almost indifferent what magnitudes or velocities we take, for all is equally surpassing conception. Jupiter is equal in weight to 1,400 earths, and its velocity is 29,000 miles in an hour. This mass, He spanned it in the "hollow of his hand," and He launched it with that velocity. Thus has the psalmist taught us to speak. But His word, His will, performed all this, and more. To that mass of matter He said, "Fly thus!" and it flew.

Is it possible to add higher conceptions of force, of power, to that which is already inconceivable? The velocity of a comet has been estimated at 880,000 miles in an hour: it would carry this mass from London to York in a beat of the pulse. But what can even this be, when we consider the motions of the mutually revolving stars, if especially, as is to be supposed, they carry entire systems of planets round each other? I need not here name the periods of those whose times of revolution have been ascertained: it is sufficient to note, that in Xi Ursæ the motion is so rapid that it can be measured from month to month. Of the nature of these systems, it is true that we know nothing: but we cannot pretend to limit velocity any more than space; for it is to us bounded by our limited powers of conception respecting time. Who shall say that Lyra or Sirius might not have performed a circle round the earth in a year, had the Creator so chosen? True, it would have required an enormous retaining force of gravitation: but there are no limits to his power.

It is in vain to attempt to imagine the motions and velocities which must exist if the systems in the universe are performing groups of circles round distinct centres of gravity, and thus finally round a common centre, as modern astronomy has supposed. If any one desires to think, as has been idly enough suggested, that such a centre must be a mass of matter, bearing the same relation to those circulating systems as our sun does to its attendant planets, then indeed he has proposed a view of the quantity of matter in the universe to which all that has hitherto been imagined is as nothing. Yet let us not forget also, that it was not one system alone, not a thousand or a million of systems of bodies only, which the Deity thus moved at their creation, but that he thus put into motion every sphere of the inconceivable myriads that crowd the visible heavens, in all their magnitudes and places: and thus again, orbs beyond orbs, beyond all that is visible, all that can be in

ferred, all that can be conceived, everywhere throughout all boundless space. Is there any imagination that can so place itself as to see all this mass of motion, all this multitude, and variety, and velocity, and extent of motion? Let that poet try: it is he who will conceive somewhat at least of the force which effected all this, something of the power "I command!" and saw it all done.

which could say,

This is the Creator: this is the power of God; and this is Omnipotence. This is the God who has been doubted; (that is strange!) who has been disputed or denied; (that is still more strange!) but this, too, is the God whom vain man thinks the God of petty man alone, whom he views as solely occupied on his vast and exclusive self and his allimportant concerns. O ye ignorant as vain, and selfish as ignorant ! Study Him in his works, that you may learn to know Him, and may learn to know yourselves for what you are. He is far more worthy of adoration, greater and wiser and better than all that you ever imagined or will conceive. Of his power you know nothing; you cannot comprehend the most minute portion of his wisdom; and He is, beyond all, the uttermost of your possible conceptions, bountiful and good, since for you, and such as you, has he done all this; for you and such as you does he govern all this, as he has governed it for millions of ages before you existed, and will govern it through inconceivable millions more, when your atom of time is past.

(To be continued.)

THE POWER OF FAITH.

THE principle upon which a believer in God should act is, that whatever is right is possible. We never resort to expediency till we have lost all faith in principle. Knowing a thing to be right, and believing it to be possible, the man of faith will attempt it—not with that feebleness of resolve which arises from a weak will, and of itself brings about failure; but with that unity and concentration of all the energies upon the one end which of itself tends to ensure its accomplishment. He who is strong to purpose will always, as a natural effect, be strong to perform. And if, in addition to this faith in the feasibleness of the thing exciting him to exertion, he believes himself to be the individual destined of God for the doing of it, or has such an overpowering sense of its rightfulness or necessity as carries his whole judgment in that direction, he will essay it with a resoluteness of will, a decision of purpose, a vigour of effort, from which nothing can divert him till the thing is done. Thus faith in the possibility of accomplishing the conceived of objectfaith in the providence of God to favour-faith in the strength of God to sustain-faith in the appointments of destiny that the thing is a thing that is to be, can be, and shall be done, producing, as it naturally will, a steadfast adherence to the purpose, and a reaching forth after it with an arm that will not be turned aside from its object, though that object be

L

encompassed with bristling battlements of difficulty and terror, or lie far off, and be altogether unseen, ensures, as by necessary consequence, the final achievement of the end.

Of this kind of all-conquering faith we have a number of illustrious examples set before us by the apostle in the 11th chapter of his epistle to the Hebrews, taken from among the saints of the Old Testament. Nor have later times been wanting in similar instances of the triumphs of faith. Not to mention the case of the Apostle Paul himself (a bright example before which every other pales its lustre), what gave to Luther the courage to denounce the doctrine of indulgences, when the whole world was in favour of them, and to set the Pope, and all his powers to crush him, at defiance? It was the like faith. Look at our English martyr-Rogers. What enabled him so to overcome his own natural feelings, that when the Papists brought his wife and children to meet him on his way to the stake, and assailed him through the channel of his tenderest affections, offering him life then and there if he would recant, he marched on with a brave unshaken heart, and bathed his hands in the flames that were lighted to burn him, in token of his resolve to die rather than deny Christ? It was the same faith. Look again at Ridley and old Latimer when in the fire. What nerved the latter to cheer up the former with the immortal sentiment:- "Brother Ridley, we shall light a candle in England this day which shall never be put out?" It was his far-seeing faith. What, to come to times nearer our own, gave such self-sacrificing endurance to Henry Martyn in missionary enterprise? and such persevering benevolence to Wilberforce and Clarkson in regard to the abolition of the slave trade, that nothing could draw, daunt, or divert them from their noble objects? It was the energy of a practical faith. The Reformation was effected not by such cold and cautious, though acute and refined creatures as Erasmus, but rather by the rough and sturdy determination of a Luther.

All history, indeed, bears witness to the fact that the men who have exercised great influence over the age in which they lived, and wrought great things, have been in most cases men of strong determined wills, which was the effect of strong faith.

Among the great and masterful things declared of faith in the word of God, is this, that "it overcometh the world." This is what can be predicated of no other principle. Every other principle of actionwhether it be self-respect-the abstract excellence of virtue—the temporal rewards of well-doing-the good of society-natural sense of right-social duty-general benevolence-philosophy-or the fear of law, instead of overcoming the world, is overcome by the world, and that continually. The power that is in these principles to ensure steadfastness in well-doing is always found to be weak before temptation. Faith, where it is in exercise, never yields; but, though all of these principles should meet and combine in one and the same individual, they would all bend and yield before the world's more insidious or ter

rific assailments; and, therefore, beautiful as they look in theory, they become actually but as bright headed nails in the wheel of the world, whirled round with it as it goes rolling and thundering along, crushing all in its course who will not lay their souls as the stones of the street for it to go over. Faith, then, in God, and that alone, gives a man such superiority to the world, that he can and will do what is right, though every individual living should set himself in opposition to him; like Luther, who, when told that, in attempting the reformation of religion, "the whole world is against you," calmly and nobly replied, "then I am against the whole world;" and went with a stout heart straight on to his object.

"To be 66 or not to be is the question at every step with the man who acts on the principles of the world; to do or not to do, is the only question with the man who acts on the principle of faith. Fearing God, he learns to fear none beside, but sets himself to the doing of what he believes to be the will of God with a resoluteness which nothing can daunt, a steadiness which nothing can divert, a patience which nothing can weary. His language at every fresh onset of trial is, "Fear not; through God shall we do great acts, therefore shall we tread down our enemies.' "We can do all things through Christ who strength

But what is the nature of that faith by which such great things are effected? Is it that mere objective faith which has respect only to architectural symbols, and creeds, and sacraments, and those other parts of religion, which are altogether external?—or is it that subjective faith which has its seat and action chiefly in the man's own consciousness and feelings? From the very nature of the case it is the latter. An objective faith rests passively in the contemplation of its object. Hence, consistently enough with the Romish conception of it, on the ducal palace at Venice, Faith is represented as laying her hand on her breast as she beholds the cross; but living Christian faith we should rather represent with wings to her feet, her eyes upon the crown, and the gifts of charity dropping from her hands among a multitude of famished folks. That which is termed an 66 'objective faith" lives by being acted upon rather than by acting; but a subjective faith (which is the now much abused faith of Protestants) lives by its own action, and from the inner man works itself out to the outer in all those deeds of self-sacrificing devotedness which evidence it to be a thing of life.

This faith, too, has its object; but that object is a living object, one and undivided-it is Christ. Trust in a person, not belief of a fact, is true Christian faith. It was this faith which gave such world-conquering energy of power to the Old Testament saints: they looked for a Saviour who is Christ the Lord, and in him they trusted: and this is the faith which we must have, if we would do great things-faith in the blood of Christ as sufficient to atone ("they overcame him," "the accuser of the brethren," "through the blood of the Lamb"); faith in the righteous