Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

every where conceals Himself from mortal eyes; or is seen only by reflection from his visible creation.

We mean not to assert, either here or elsewhere, that, in the processes of instinct, the Creator does not act, as he acts in the more known operations of nature, by means of second causes, which might be made manifest to rational creatures, and the force and adequacy of which might be understood by them; but we do mean to say, that these causes have not yet been discovered; and that, whether discovered or not, there is, in the appearances we have been considering, a distinct and undeniable indication of a Supreme Intelligence moulding the faculties of living creatures, and wonderfully adapting their powers to the circumstances of the external creation, so as to promote the preservation of their existence, and to contribute to their enjoyment.

NINTH WEEK-TUESDAY.

I. MAN IN WINTER.-PRIVATION STIMULATES HIS FACULTIES.

THERE is something very peculiar, but remarkably adapted to the general constitution of nature, in the circumstances and condition of man, as compared with other animals, pointing directly to certain great ends and principles of his existence, and confirming, in a very striking manner, the character which we have already stated to be impressed by the great Creator on his works. Man is, of all animals, the least provided with natural means of defence from his numerous enemies, as far as relates to his bodily powers, and the most scantily supplied with means of protection from the vicissitudes of climate. He is born unclothed, and utterly helpless; he grows up slowly to manhood, amidst a thousand difficulties and dangers. During the first period of his existence, he must necessarily depend on the good offices

of others for the means of preserving life; and in the last stage he descends again into all the feebleness, inactivity, and dependance, of a second childhood. It is not so with other animals. They come into the world clothed, armed, and furnished with instruments and means of subsistence, or, at least, after a few days or weeks of dependance on their parents, they are thrown upon their own resources, with ample means of support and enjoyment. This contrast between the early condition of man and the lower animals, is described by a Roman poet with much truth and beauty:

"Tum porro puer, ut sævis projectus ab undis
Navita, nudus humi jacet, infans, indigus omni
Vitali auxilio, cum primum in luminis oras
Nixibus, ex alvo matris natura profudit;
Vagituque locum lugubri complet, ut æquum est,
Cui tantum in vita restet transire malorum.
At variæ crescunt Pecudes, Armenta, Feræque ;
Nec crepitacula eis opu' sunt, nec cuiquam adhibenda est
Almæ nutricis blanda atque infracta loquela :
Nec varias quærunt vesteis, pro tempore cœli.
Denique non armis opus est, non monibus altis,
Queis sua tutentur, quando omnibus omnia large
Tellus ipsa parit, naturaque dædala rerum."

The intention of the Creator in thus throwing the infant on the immediate protection and tender assiduities of his parents, is not unkind, but the very reverse. Constituted as man is, such a state of dependance on the one hand, and of guardianship on the other, is of the highest importance to the developement of the moral and even of the intellectual faculties, and impresses a character of affection and of mutual sympathy on the human heart, which extends from the family circle to the whole relations of life; and, while it binds society together by the strongest ties, sheds over it the most endearing charm.

But it is not in this view that we are led at present to consider the subject. We have to inquire how this

naked and houseless creature finds shelter and protection from the rigours of winter; and this throws us into a wide but most interesting field of inquiry, leading, as it does, to a consideration of the peculiar provisions and adaptations by which the energies of the human mind are called forth and disciplined,- -a subject to which we formerly adverted, but which seems worthy of reconsideration, as applicable to this particular case. The sentence which has passed on fallen man is, "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground;" and, by the peculiar ordinance of a wonder-working Providence, that which is his curse is converted into the means of giving vigour and enlargement to his mental powers. It is by the pressure of necessity, and the urgency of want, that our natural aversion from labour and love of inaction are overcome. To prove this, we do not need to revert to the theories of philosophers, or to follow man through his fancied stages of advancement, from his lowest grade, a savage roamer of the forest, feeding on nuts and roots,-till we find him, first a hunter and fisher, then a shepherd, next a tiller of the soil, and, last of all, a man of commerce, and an adept in the arts and sciences. In the supposed steps of this progress, history does not bear us out; but we do know, from all history, as well as from daily experience, that the wants of man stimulate his ingenuity; that these wants increase with the power of gratifying them, while the ingenuity which supplies them keeps pace with his enlarging desires, and that thus there is a constant action and re-action, which, by a most wonderful and interesting process, urges man on from stage to stage of improvement, till he becomes, what we find him to be in the most advanced state of society,-a being as different, in his mental attainments, from the wandering savage, as the lordly elephant, in his bodily powers, is from the blind worm of the earth. The human mind is

mighty and various in its powers; but before these powers become available to any great extent, they must

be excited by external objects, and trained and moulded by discipline, and enlightened by the accumulated wisdom of ages; and for the performance of these important functions, the circumstances and condition of external nature are admirably suited.

This observation applies universally, and might be illustrated in a thousand different ways; but take the case immediately before us, the necessity of protection from the vicissitudes of the seasons. In what state do we find civilized man? Think of the comforts and conveniences which he has accumulated around him, for the purpose in view. This naturally naked and helpless creature, makes the whole creation, both animate and inanimate, tributary to his defence from the wintry blast, and from the summer's heat. The hemp, the flax, the cotton plant, and the inner bark of various trees, yield their vegetable stores; the sheep gives its fleece; the silkworm its web; the cow her hide; the goose and the eiderduck their down; the beaver, the ermine, and the bear, their fur, that his want of natural clothing may be supplied; and that, by adapting his covering to the peculiarity of the climate, he may either brave the rigours of a polar sky, or support, without material inconvenience, the fierce rays of a tropical sun. Again, attend to his place of residence.—What conveniences!—what comforts!-what luxuries! Within his own limited locality, Providence has given him every thing necessary for the supply of his wants. Every where there is to be found stone, and lime, and wood, and iron, or some useful substitutes. Of these, the cottage, the hall, and the palace, are all equally constructed. There is, elaborated by his industry, from materials readily within his reach, glass, to admit the light and exclude the chilly blast; there are coals, or billets, or peat, for fire to warm; there are downy beds for necessary rest; and, if ambition or voluptuousness looks farther, the East brings its perfumes and its gems; the West and the South their precious metals and their ornamental furniture; the North

its oil, to supply artificial day; all climates and all countries contribute, of their abundance and their varieties, to supply the cravings of a constantly increasing and never satisfied appetite for accumulation and enjoyment.

And so it is, that the very privations and disadvantages, with which man comes into the world, become the means by which the desire of acquiring and improving is stimulated, till he not only equals the lower animals in those gifts, naturally withheld from him, with which Providence had endowed them, but rises far beyond them; and, by means of his mental qualities, deservedly earns for himself the title, which his bodily faculties could never have merited, of being emphatically lord of this nether sphere.

NINTH WEEK-WEDNESDAY.

II. MAN IN WINTER.-PROVISIONS FOR HIS COMFORT.

It is most interesting to look into the various features of that providential administration, by which, under a very peculiar and surprising discipline, the progress of society is advanced, and man rises in the scale of moral and intelligent beings. In the wants of his natural state, as regards the season of winter, we yesterday saw how a stimulus is employed, which, combined, doubtless, with other incentives, induces him to seek, first, necessaries, then conveniences, then comforts and luxuries, till he draws around him the resources of the world, and, by the ever-expanding views of an aspiring mind, calls progressively into action those mental powers and faculties, both in himself and his fellows, which might otherwise have lain dormant.

If, from this view of the exercise given to genius and talent, in counteracting the privations of winter, we turn

« AnteriorContinuar »