So many great results have sprung from the careful observation of the simplest phenomena, that we should never pass over inattentively the most trifling thing that offers itself to our examination. Nature, in her revelations, never seeks to _startle_ mankind. The formation of a rock, and the elaboration of a truth, are alike the work of ages. It was the simple blackening of silver by the sun's rays which led to the discovery of the _chemical agency of light_. It was the falling of an apple which pointed Newton to the discovery of the _laws of gravitation_. It was the force of steam, observed as it issued from beneath the lid of a kettle, that led to the invention of the _steam-engine_. And it is said of Jacquard, that he _invented the loom_ which so materially aided the commerce of nations, while watching the motions of his _wife's fingers_, as she plied her knitting. As great discoveries spring from such small beginnings, who among us may not be the herald of some great truth--the founder of some world-wide benefaction? That the area of discovery has not perceptibly narrowed its limits, is evident from the fact that the greatest elements in nature are still mysteries to man. And though it may not be within the power of a finite being to unravel the chain of wonders that enfold the works of an infinite God,--still it is evident, from the progress which discovery has made, and from the good which discovery has done, that God _does_ invite and encourage the human mind to contemplate the workings of Divine power, and to pursue its manifestations in every element, and in every direction.