again, we behold a new out-pouring of divine energies, rendering, in an unprecedented manner, the hands of men productive."
"But if we proceed to a slight view of some of the moral phenomena of the times, greater wonders, if possible, will demand our admiration. Observe, then, the surprising advance, on the one hand, of science; and, on the other, the universal increase of the desire for knowledge, combined with the extraordinary multiplication of the means for its diffusion. Since the time at which we believe the Last Judgment, in the spiritual world to have taken place, every branch of science has been improved to a most unexpected extent, whilst many new ones have been added, and others have assumed a form which makes them virtually new; thus Geology, whose discoveries are so highly interesting, whose conclusions are so momentous, and whose practical uses are so eminent, is entirely the offspring of modern times; whilst chemistry, which is so continually astonishing us with fresh wonders, has undergone, in our times, a change equivalent to a new creation. Nor is the progress that has been made by elegant literature of all kinds less rapid and extraordinary; whilst, of late, particularly, a great proportion of the new works which appear have a moral aim in view, and are adapted to assist in promoting the best interests of mankind. Whence can such an increase of natural light result, but from a new out-pouring of light from heaven, of which, when received in the natural faculties of the human mind, improvements in science are the natural offspring? And while every kind of mental food is thus provided in such abundance, the appetite for its appropriation is not less remarkable; and institutions which have for their object to produce this appetite, and to supply it with the means of obtaining satisfaction, are every where springing up."
"The following strong statement is from the Quarterly Theological Review: "It is now too late to press objections, be they strong or weak, against universal education, against that (if we may speak chemically) hyperoxygenated passion for imparting knowledge, which is so prevalent in our times. We are not left to argue and debate upon what might have been better or worse; we must act upon what we find in operation. The fountains of the great deep have been broken up, and a deluge of information—theological, scientific, and civil—is carrying all before it, filling up the valleys, and scaling the mountain-tops. A spirit of inquiry has gone forth, and sits brooding on the mind of man. The effect may be