There is a great difference between the works of men and the works of God, such that the same minute and searching investigation which displays the defects and imperfections of the one brings out the beauties and wonders of the other. If the most finely polished needle on which the art of man has been expended is examined under a microscope, a roughness and inequality which has escaped the notice of the naked eye will quickly become apparent. If, however, the same instrument is brought to bear on the flowers of the field, no such result appears. Instead of their beauties diminishing, new beauties still more delicate are discovered which had escaped the naked eye––beauties that make us appreciate the full force of the Lord’s word: “Consider the lilies how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I say unto you, Not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed as one of these” (Luke 12: 27).
Now this same principle appears also in comparing the Word of God and the writings of men. There are spots and blemishes in the most admired productions of human genius, but the more the Scriptures are searched and the more minutely they are studied, the more their perfection appears. Just as it is the pleasure of the naturalist to seek out the hidden beauties of creation, so it is the happy portion of the Christian to explore the Book of books.
