ABSENCE OF MIND.--Sir Isaac Newton, one evening in winter, feeling it extremely cold, drew his chair very close to the grate, in which a fire had been recently kindled. By degrees, the fire being completely kindled, Sir Isaac felt the heat intolerably intense, and rung his bell with unusual violence. John was not at hand; he at last made his appearance, by the time Sir Isaac was almost literally roasted. “Remove the grate, you lazy rascal!” exclaimed Sir Isaac, in a tone of irritation very uncommon with that amiable and placid philosopher, “remove the grate, before I am burned to death.” “Please your honor, might you not rather _draw back your chair_?” said John, a little waggishly. “Upon my word,” said Sir Isaac, smiling, “I never thought of that.” The Wisdom of God. The wisdom of the Creator is shown by the relation which the structure of animals bears to their mode of life. The instances of this kind are numerous. There is a curious resemblance between the stomach of a hen and a corn-mill; the crop answering to the hopper, and the gizzard to the stones which crush the corn. But the most interesting point of resemblance is this: to prevent too much corn from going into the stones at once, a receiver is placed between them and the hopper, so that it may be dribbled out just as fast as is required. The same process takes place in the hen, for though the crop may be filled, its food only enters the gizzard gradually, and as fast as that is able to digest it. Another instance of obvious fitness and adaptation of one part to another, is furnished in birds of prey. Owls, hawks, eagles, &c., by their talons and beaks, are qualified to seize and devour other birds and quadrupeds; and accordingly the gastric juice in the stomach of these birds will act upon or digest flesh, but it will not digest seeds or grasses, or vegetables of any kind. On the other hand, the mouth of the ox and sheep is suited to the cropping of herbage; and accordingly we find the gastric juices of their stomachs will digest vegetable food, and not flesh! There is another instance of fitness in a provision of nature, which marks the intelligence of the Creator, and that is, that the eyes of all animals are placed in front, in the direction in which the legs move, and the hands work; and therefore where they are most useful. How awkward would it be for us if our eyes were in the back of the head! How comparatively useless would the eyes of quadrupeds be, if placed behind! Nature is full of such instances as these, all setting forth the intelligence and wisdom of the Creator; and not only displaying the marks of a designing and intelligent Mind, but intelligence in contriving and power in executing, which know no bounds. No obstacle seems to be presented that is not surmounted, and no contrivance to accomplish an object seems to be adopted, that is not, all things considered, the best that could be devised.