things about us--to the cattle feeding in the fields--much less to
the clouds over our heads, and to the wells of which we drink, 'Bless
ye the Lord, praise him, and magnify him for ever?'

We should not dare; and for two reasons.

First--There is a notion abroad, borrowed from the old monks, that
this earth is in some way bad, and cursed; that a curse is on it
still for man's sake: but a notion which is contrary to plain fact;
for if we till the ground, it does NOT bring forth thorns and
thistles to us, as the Scripture says it was to do for Adam, but
wholesome food, and rich returns for our labour: and which in the
next place is flatly contrary to Scripture: for we read in Genesis
viii. 21, how the Lord said, 'I will not again curse the ground any
more for man's sake;' and the Psalms always speak of this earth, and
of all created things, as if there was no curse at all on them;
saying that 'all things serve God, and continue as they were at the
beginning,' and that 'He has given them a law which cannot be
broken;' and in the face of those words, let who will talk of the
earth being cursed, I will not; and you shall not, if I can help it.

Another reason why we dare not talk of this earth as this hymn does
is, that we have got into the habit of saying, 'Cattle and creeping
things--they are not rational beings. How can they praise God?
Clouds and wells--they are not even living things. How can they
praise God? Why speak of them in a hymn; much less speak to them?'

Yet this hymn does speak to them; and so do the Psalms and the
Prophets again and again. And so will men do hereafter, when the
fashions and the fancies of these days are past, and men have their