and oral anticoagulants such as warfarin and dicumarol, which act by inhibiting the liver ' s production of vitamin k ' dependent factors that are crucial to clotting. anticoagulant solutions are also used for the preservation of stored whole blood and blood fractions and to keep laboratory blood specimens from clotting. asthma : a common lung disorder in which inflammation causes the bronchi to swell and narrow the airways, creating breathing difficulties that may range from mild to life - threatening. symptoms include shortness of breath, cough, wheezing, and chest tightness. the diagnosis of asthma is based on evidence of wheezing and is confirmed with breathing tests. many allergens and irritants can precipitate attacks of asthma. avoidance of precipitating factors can be helpful. treatment may include lifestyle changes, activity reduction, allergy shots, and medications to prevent or reverse the bronchospasm. bacteria : single - celled microorganisms that can exist either as independent ( free - living ) organisms or as parasites ( dependent on another organism for life ). the plural of bacterium. examples of bacteria include acidophilus, a normal inhabitant of yogurt ; gonococcus which causes gonorrhea ; clostridium welchii, the most common cause of gangrene ; e. coli, which lives in the colon and can cause disease elsewhere ; and streptococcus, the bacterium that causes the common throat infection called strep throat. bacterial : of or pertaining to bacteria, as in a bacterial lung infection. bacterium : the singular of bacteria. campylobacter jejuni : a bacterium that typically infects the bowels. now the leading cause of bacterial food poisoning, campylobacter jejuni is most often spread by contact with raw or undercooked poultry. a single drop of juice from a contaminated chicken is enough to make someone sick. symptoms tend to start 2 to 5 days after exposure and typically last a week. they resemble the symptoms of viral gastroenteritis ' diarrhea, fever, abdominal pain, cramping, nausea, and vomiting ' but with campylobacter, fever is typical and the diarrhea is often bloody. antibiotics can be helpful treatment. most people recover completely. however, some suffer long - term consequences, such as arthritis or guillain - barr ' syndrome. both are thought to occur when a person


typical and the diarrhea is often bloody. antibiotics can be helpful treatment. most people recover completely. however, some suffer long - term consequences, such as arthritis or guillain - barr ' syndrome. both are thought to occur when a person ' s immune system is activated by the campylobacter jejuni and misdirected to attack the person ' s own body. colitis : inflammation of the large intestine ( the colon ). there are many forms of colitis, including ulcerative colitis, crohn ' s disease, infectious, pseudomembranous, and spastic. for example, intermittent rectal bleeding, crampy abdominal pain and diarrhea can be symptoms of ulcerative colitis. diagnosis can be made by direct visualization using ( sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy ) which is the most accurate test. long - standing ulcerative colitis increases the risk for colon cancer. ulcerative colitis can also be associated with inflammation in joints, spine, skin, eyes, the liver and its bile ducts. treatment of ulcerative colitis can involve medications and surgery. colon : the long, coiled, tubelike organ that removes water from digested food. the remaining material, solid waste called stool, moves through the colon to the rectum and leaves the body through the anus. also known as large bowel and large intestine. diarrhea : a common condition that involves unusually frequent and liquid bowel movements. the opposite of constipation. there are many infectious and noninfectious causes of diarrhea. persistent diarrhea is both uncomfortable and dangerous to the health because it can indicate an underlying infection and may mean that the body is not able to absorb some nutrients due to a problem in the bowels. treatment includes drinking plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration and taking over - the - counter remedies. people with diarrhea that persists for more than a couple days, particularly small children or elderly people, should seek medical attention. dna : deoxyribonucleic acid. one of two types of molecules that encode genetic information. ( the other is rna. in humans dna is the genetic material ; rna is transcribed from it. in some other organisms, rna is the genetic material and, in reverse fashion, the dna is transcribed from it. ) fda : food and drug administration. fever : although a fever technically is any body


the genetic material ; rna is transcribed from it. in some other organisms, rna is the genetic material and, in reverse fashion, the dna is transcribed from it. ) fda : food and drug administration. fever : although a fever technically is any body temperature above the normal of 98. 6 degrees f. ( 37 degrees c. ), in practice a person is usually not considered to have a significant fever until the temperature is above 100. 4 degrees f ( 38 degrees c. ). generic : 1. the chemical name of a drug. 2. a term referring to the chemical makeup of a drug rather than to the advertised brand name under which the drug may be sold. 3. a term referring to any drug marketed under its chemical name without advertising. genetic : having to do with genes and genetic headache : a pain in the head with the pain being above the eyes or the ears, behind the head ( occipital ), or in the back of the upper neck. headache, like chest pain or back ache, has many causes. heart : the muscle that pumps blood received from veins into arteries throughout the body. the heart is positioned in the chest behind the sternum ( breastbone ) ; in front of the trachea, esophagus, and aorta ; and above the diaphragm. a normal heart is about the size of a closed fist and weighs about 298 grams or 10. 5 ounces. it is cone - shaped, with the point of the cone pointing down to the left. two - thirds of the heart lies in the left side of the chest, with the balance in the right side of the chest. the heart is composed of specialized cardiac muscle, and it is four - chambered, with a right atrium and ventricle, and an anatomically separate left atrium and ventricle. the blood flows from the systemic veins into the right atrium, thence to the right ventricle, from which it is pumped to the lungs and then returned into the left atrium, thence to the left ventricle, from which it is driven into the systemic arteries. the heart is thus functionally composed of two hearts : the right heart and the left heart. the right heart consists of the right atrium, which receives deoxygenated blood from the body, and the right ventricle, which pumps the deoxygenated blood to the lungs under low pressure ; and the left heart, which consists of the left atrium, which receives oxygenated blood from the lung, and


blood from the body, and the right ventricle, which pumps the deoxygenated blood to the lungs under low pressure ; and the left heart, which consists of the left atrium, which receives oxygenated blood from the lung, and the left ventricle, which pumps the oxygenated blood out to the body under high pressure. hives : a raised, itchy area of skin that may be a sign of an allergic reaction. it can be rounded or flat - topped but is always elevated above the surrounding skin. it reflects circumscribed dermal edema ( local swelling of the skin ). the hives are usually well circumscribed but may be coalescent and will blanch with pressure. a single spot is almost always gone by 24 hours but the process may stay for weeks to months. approximately 20 % of the population has experienced a bout of hives. inflammation : a localized reaction that produces redness, warmth, swelling, and pain as a result of infection, irritation, or injury. inflammation can be external or internal. iron : an essential mineral. iron is necessary for the transport of oxygen ( via hemoglobin in red blood cells ) and for oxidation by cells ( via cytochrome ). deficiency of iron is a common cause of anemia. food sources of iron include meat, poultry, eggs, vegetables and cereals ( especially those fortified with iron ). according to the national academy of sciences, the recommended dietary allowances of iron are 15 milligrams per day for women and 10 milligrams per day for men. iron overload can damage the heart, liver, gonads and other organs. iron overload is a particular risk in people who may have certain genetic conditions ( hemochromatosis ) sometimes without knowing it and also in people receiving recurrent blood transfusions. iron supplements meant for adults ( such as pregnant women ) are a major cause of poisoning in children. lungs : the lungs are a pair of breathing organs located with the chest which remove carbon dioxide from and bring oxygen to the blood. there is a right and left lung. nausea : stomach queasiness, the urge to vomit. nausea can be brought on by many causes, including systemic illnesses ( such as influenza ), medications, pain, and inner ear disease. nursing : 1 ) profession concerned with the provision of services essential to the maintenance and restoration of health by attending the needs of sick persons. 2 ) feeding a infant at the breast.


such as influenza ), medications, pain, and inner ear disease. nursing : 1 ) profession concerned with the provision of services essential to the maintenance and restoration of health by attending the needs of sick persons. 2 ) feeding a infant at the breast. pain : an unpleasant sensation that can range from mild, localized discomfort to agony. pain has both physical and emotional components. the physical part of pain results from nerve stimulation. pain may be contained to a discrete area, as in an injury, or it can be more diffuse, as in disorders like fibromyalgia. pain is mediated by specific nerve fibers that carry the pain impulses to the brain where their conscious appreciation may be modified by many factors. photosensitivity : oversensitivity of skin to light. photosensitivity can be a side effect of medications or result from diseases, such as lupus. treatment depends on the severity of the reaction and the cause. photosensitivity can be prevented by avoiding skin exposure to ultraviolet light. pregnancy : the state of carrying a developing embryo or fetus within the female body. this condition can be indicated by positive results on an over - the - counter urine test, and confirmed through a blood test, ultrasound, detection of fetal heartbeat, or an x - ray. pregnancy lasts for about nine months, measured from the date of the woman ' s last menstrual period ( lmp ). it is conventionally divided into three trimesters, each roughly three months long. pregnant : the state of carrying a developing fetus within the body. prescription : a physician ' s order for the preparation and administration of a drug or device for a patient. a prescription has several parts. they include the superscription or heading with the symbol " r " or " rx ", which stands for the word recipe ( meaning, in latin, to take ) ; the inscription, which contains the names and quantities of the ingredients ; the subscription or directions for compounding the drug ; and the signature which is often preceded by the sign " s " standing for signa ( latin for mark ), giving the directions to be marked on the container. pseudomembranous colitis : severe inflammation of the inner lining of the colon. pseudomembranous colitis is characterized by pus and blood in the stool and often caused by antibiotics. rash : breaking out ( eruption ) of the skin. a rash can be caused by an underlying medical condition, hormonal cycles, allergies, or contact with irritating


characterized by pus and blood in the stool and often caused by antibiotics. rash : breaking out ( eruption ) of the skin. a rash can be caused by an underlying medical condition, hormonal cycles, allergies, or contact with irritating substances. treatment depends on the underlying cause of the rash. medically, a rash is referred to as an exanthem. reproduction : the production of offspring. reproduction need not be sexual ; for example, yeast can reproduce by budding. rupture : a break or tear in any organ ( such as the spleen ) or soft tissue ( such as the achilles tendon ). sensitivity : 1. in psychology, the quality of being sensitive. as, for example, sensitivity training, training in small groups to develop a sensitive awareness and understanding of oneself and of ones relationships with others. 2. in disease epidemiology, the ability of a system to detect epidemics and other changes in disease occurrence. 3. in screening for a disease, the proportion of persons with the disease who are correctly identified by a screening test. 4. in the definition of a disease, the proportion of persons with the disease who are correctly identified by defined criteria. shigella : a group of bacteria that can cause infantile gastroenteritis, summer diarrhea of childhood ( a common cause of death for children in the mid - 19th century ), and various forms of dysentery, including epidemic and opportunistic bacillary dysentery. shock : in medicine, a critical condition that is brought on by a sudden drop in blood flow through the body. the circulatory system fails to maintain adequate blood flow, sharply curtailing the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to vital organs. it also compromises the kidneys and so restricts the removal of wastes from the body. shock can be due to a number of different mechanisms, including not enough blood volume and not enough output of blood by the heart. the signs and symptoms of shock include low blood pressure ( hypotension ) ; overbreathing ( hyperventilation ) ; a weak, rapid pulse ; cold, clammy, grayish - bluish ( cyanotic ) skin ; decreased urine flow ( oliguria ) ; and a sense of great anxiety and foreboding, confusion, and sometimes combativeness. shock, which is a major medical emergency, is common after serious injury. emergency care for shock involves keeping the patient warm, giving fluids by mouth or,


and a sense of great anxiety and foreboding, confusion, and sometimes combativeness. shock, which is a major medical emergency, is common after serious injury. emergency care for shock involves keeping the patient warm, giving fluids by mouth or, if necessary, intravenously, and frequently the administration of drugs that act to improve cardiac and circulatory function. tendinitis : inflammation of a tendon ( the tissue by which muscle attaches to bone ). tendinitis most commonly occurs as a result of injury, such as to the tendons around the shoulder or elbow. it can also occur as a result of an underlying inflammatory rheumatic disease, such as reactive arthritis or gout. tendinitis is synonymous with tendonitis. tendon : the soft tissue by which muscle attaches to bone. tendons are somewhat flexible, but tough. when a tendon becomes inflamed, the condition is referred to as tendonitis. urinary : having to do with the function or anatomy of the kidneys, ureters, bladder, or urethra. for example, the urinary tract is the collection of organs of the body that produce, store, and discharge urine. warfarin : an anticoagulant drug ( brand names : coumarin, panwarfin, sofarin ) taken to prevent the blood from clotting and to treat blood clots and overly thick blood. warfarin is also used to reduce the risk of clots causing strokes or heart attacks. find out what women really need. most popular topics pill identifier on rxlist - quick, easy, find a local pharmacy - including 24 hour, pharmacies


staying healthy is important for people with epilepsy. diet, physical fitness and sleep are all critical components in a healthy lifestyle. physical fitness & exercise leading an active life is good medicine for most people with epilepsy. if you find that getting overheated or physically tired triggers seizures, then you may want to avoid exercising when it ' s very hot. take breaks when you feel you need them. but if you are like most people with seizures, you will find that exercise is good for you in a number of ways. it makes you feel good and fights depression. it keeps your weight at reasonable levels so you look your best, and it builds self - confidence and self - esteem. find out more on our physical fitness and exercise page, including details about precautions for specific physical activities. diet and eating healthfully in most cases, epilepsy isn ' t the kind of condition that can be treated with large doses of vitamins or mineral supplements. in fact, large quantities of either could be bad for your health. check with your doctor before taking more vitamins than are in typical one - a - day multivitamins. if you are a woman who might become pregnant, ask your doctor about folic acid and how much you should be taking. eating a balanced diet is as important for you as it is for everyone else. however, if you think you are overweight, don ' t go on a crash diet without checking with your doctor first. most people who have epilepsy need about the same amount of sleep as everybody else. there ' s usually no need to take extra naps or to go to bed early. however, all - night study sessions, a series of late nights, or an overall lack of sleep can greatly raise the risk of seizures. in fact, that ' s one reason why doctors often ask adults or children suspected of having epilepsy to stay up late the night before an eeg examination. the lack of sleep increases the chances of seizure activity showing up on the tests. another reason is to increase the chances that you will sleep during part of the eeg. some seizure patterns are much more common in sleep than while awake. on the other hand, people with epilepsy should not feel they need an excessive amount of sleep. if you feel tired and sleepy all the time, chances are your medicine needs adjustment in some way, or you may be depressed. perhaps your dose is too high, or you are taking it at the wrong time of day. don ' t make changes yourself,


washington, d. c. ( november 30, 2010 ) - - one of the holy grails of nanotechnology in medicine is to control individual structures and processes inside a cell. nanoparticles are well suited for this purpose because of their small size ; they can also be engineered for specific intracellular tasks. when nanoparticles are excited by radio - frequency ( rf ) electromagnetic fields, interesting effects may occur. for example, the cell nucleus could get damaged inducing cell death ; dna might melt ; or protein aggregates might get dispersed. some of these effects may be due to the localized heating produced by each tiny nanoparticle. yet, such local heating, which could mean a difference of a few degrees celsius across a few molecules, cannot be explained easily by heat - transfer theories. however, the existence of local heating cannot be dismissed either, because it ' s difficult to measure the temperature near these tiny heat sources. scientists at rensselaer polytechnic institute have developed a new technique for probing the temperature rise in the vicinity of rf - actuated nanoparticles using fluorescent quantum dots as temperature sensors. the results are published in the journal of applied physics. amit gupta and colleagues found that when the nanoparticles were excited by an rf field the measured temperature rise was the same regardless of whether the sensors were simply mixed with the nanoparticles or covalently bonded to them. " this proximity measurement is important because it shows us the limitations of rf heating, at least for the frequencies investigated in this study, " says project leader diana borca - tasciuc. " the ability to measure the local temperature advances our understanding of these nanoparticle - mediated processes. " the article, " local temperature measurement in the vicinity of electromagnetically heated magnetite and gold nanoparticles " by amit gupta, ravi kane and diana - andra borca - tasciuc appears in the journal of applied physics. see : http : / / link. aip. org / link / japiau / v108 / i6 / p064901 / s1 journalists may request a free pdf of this article by contacting firstname. lastname @ example. org about journal of applied physics journal of applied physics is the american institute of physics ' ( aip ) archival journal for significant new results in applied physics ; content is published online daily, collected into two online and printed issues per month ( 24 issues per year ). the journal publishes articles that emphasize


physics is the american institute of physics ' ( aip ) archival journal for significant new results in applied physics ; content is published online daily, collected into two online and printed issues per month ( 24 issues per year ). the journal publishes articles that emphasize understanding of the physics underlying modern technology, but distinguished from technology on the one side and pure physics on the other. see : http : / / jap. aip. org / the american institute of physics is a federation of 10 physical science societies representing more than 135, 000 scientists, engineers, and educators and is one of the world ' s largest publishers of scientific information in the physical sciences. offering partnership solutions for scientific societies and for similar organizations in science and engineering, aip is a leader in the field of electronic publishing of scholarly journals. aip publishes 12 journals ( some of which are the most highly cited in their respective fields ), two magazines, including its flagship publication physics today ; and the aip conference proceedings series. its online publishing platform scitation hosts nearly two million articles from more than 185 scholarly journals and other publications of 28 learned society publishers. aaas and eurekalert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to eurekalert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the eurekalert! system.


colon cancer gaps for blacks, whites largely due to screening survival differences could be narrowed with more equal care access, computer model suggests. wednesday, may 9, 2012 ( healthday news ) — differences in screening account for much of the disparity in both colorectal ( colon ) cancer incidence and death rates between white and black americans, a new study says. the screening differences are responsible for 42 percent of the gap in cancer incidence and 19 percent of the disparity in death rates, according to the study. the study also found that differences in survival linked to the stage of cancer at diagnosis ( which likely reflect differences in treatment ) account for an additional 36 percent of the disparity between blacks and whites in colorectal cancer death rates. the results suggest that equal access to care could greatly reduce these disparities, according to the study published online april 18 in the journal cancer epidemiology, biomarkers and prevention. researchers led by iris lansdorp - vogelaar, then a visiting scientist at the american cancer society, used a computer model to apply colorectal cancer screening and survival rates seen among whites to black americans age 50 and older. they then compared those rates to actual incidence and death rates in blacks to determine how much of the racial disparities in colorectal cancer rates are due to differences in screening or stage - specific survival. applying to blacks the screening pattern seen among whites would reduce the gap in colorectal cancer incidence rates among those age 50 and older from about 28 to 16 cases per 100, 000, and reduce the gap in death rates from nearly 27 to 22 deaths per 100, 000, according to an american cancer society news release. the researchers also found that if blacks had the same stage - specific relative survival as whites, the disparity in colorectal cancer death rates would decrease to about 17 deaths per 100, 000. altogether, differences in screening and survival accounted for 54 percent of the disparity in colorectal cancer death rates between whites and blacks. the researchers said the remainder of the disparity most likely is due to lifestyle factors that increase the risk ( such as alcohol use, smoking, obesity and meat consumption ) and decrease the risk ( such as physical activity and hormone - replacement therapy in women after


k - 12 as well as post secondary instructors are now setting classrooms ablaze with the use of web 2. 0 technology when it is routinely used in the classroom and included in lesson plans and syllabi. the new 3r ’ s : real time, right now, and relevant teaching and learning is a combination of differentiated instruction, the inclusion of multiple intelligence activities, as well as blooms taxonomy all wrapped up into one technological package. web 2. 0 tools are allowing users to use social networking in a variety of ways and in a variety of places. it is not going anywhere. it is here to stay. educators who teach for the benefit of student learning and not for meager pay check they get every two weeks agrees, that it is time to take a different look at social networking. web 2. 0 tools afford social networking opportunities for obtaining current events digitally because people worldwide report regularly. it engages the audience, it is a means for learning up to the minute news, and it provides a wealth of new tools for people to interact. because of the benefits to students it is time to collective rethinking the age of technology for the classroom. according to the rules for differentiated instruction, a teacher should meet her students where they are. web 2. 0 tools afford teachers to do just that. meet learners where they then allow teachers to raise expectations then guide students to new, innovative, and unique learning paths. it is the ultimate form of individualized instruction. what students say.... • when my teacher began using different websites for projects and assignments, we were so excited. • class was not boring anymore. • i liked being able to use bring my laptop to school to do my work. • there was never one boring moment, not even one. • networking sites for personal stuff. we soon learned to use them for class projects and assignments and then all of a sudden we didn ’ t use them for personal stuff anymore. • when my teacher lets us use all these funny named websites for our projects, i am always excited and inspired to finish my work. teachers can assign students web 2. 0 tools to reflect on what they learned using words, images, video and other tools “ smart phones provide ample opportunity for educators, which is why the nea foundation and the consortium for school networking ( cosn ) have teamed up to issue a new challenge seeking your ideas on how mobile phone technology can transform teaching and learning. ( edutopia, 2012 ) “


yard and garden : lilacs ames, iowa – horticulture specialists with iowa state university extension and outreach answer lilac questions that will bring more spring blooms to home gardens. to have additional gardening questions answered contact the specialists by calling or emailing the isu extension and outreach horticulture hotline at 515 - 294 - 3108 or email @ example. com. a lilac that was planted three years ago has never bloomed. can i do anything to encourage the lilac to flower? cultivars of the common or french hybrid lilac ( syringa vulgaris ) often do not bloom for several ( five or more ) years after planting. the shrubs must grow and mature before they are capable of flowering. selecting a favorable planting site and good cultural practices during establishment encourage lilacs to flower as quickly as possible. lilacs perform best in well - drained soils in full sun. plants should receive at least six hours of direct sun each day. lilacs planted in partial shade will not bloom well. good care during the first two or three years is also important. apply a 2 - to 3 - inch layer of mulch around each shrub to conserve soil moisture and control weeds. water lilacs on a regular basis during dry weather. also, protect lilacs from browsing rabbits by placing wire fencing around the shrubs in fall. while good cultural practices will aid plant growth, some practices may actually inhibit flowering. it is generally not necessary to fertilize lilacs. however, lilacs can be lightly fertilized in early spring. heavy fertilization may promote excessive vegetative growth and discourage flowering. pruning can also affect flowering. lilacs bloom on the previous year ’ s growth. the best time to prune lilacs is immediately after flowering in spring. pruning lilacs in late summer, fall or winter may remove many of their flower buds. while the common lilac usually doesn ’ t bloom for several years after planting, several other lilacs bloom when quite small. the dwarf korean lilac ( syringa meyeri ), ‘ miss kim ’ lilac ( syringa patula ‘ miss kim ’ ) and preston lilacs ( syringa x prestoniae ) often flower within one or two years of planting. the leaves on my lilac are covered with a white substance. is this a serious problem? the white substance is likely powdery mildew. powdery mildew is a fungal disease. it appears as a white, dusty growth on plant foliage. in the


on my lilac are covered with a white substance. is this a serious problem? the white substance is likely powdery mildew. powdery mildew is a fungal disease. it appears as a white, dusty growth on plant foliage. in the home landscape, powdery mildew is commonly found on lilac, phlox, monarda, zinnia and turfgrass. amongst lilacs, the common lilac ( syringa vulgaris ) is highly susceptible to powdery mildew, while the preston lilacs ( syringa x prestoniae ) and dwarf korean lilac ( syringa meyeri ) are resistant. powdery mildew is favored by high humidity, cool nights and warm days. plants growing in partial to heavy shade are most susceptible to powdery mildew. powdery mildew does not cause serious harm to lilacs. the damage is mainly aesthetic. spraying with a fungicide is not warranted. when planting lilacs, select a site that receives at least six hours of direct sun each day. powdery mildew will not be a serious problem in sunny areas. judicious pruning of nearby trees ( to increase the amount of sunlight ) should help reduce the severity of powdery mildew on lilacs growing in shady locations. another option would be to transplant the lilacs to a sunny site. after flowering, should i remove the spent flowers on lilacs? the spent flowers on lilacs aren ’ t very attractive. removing the spent flowers ( deadheading ) improves the appearance of the lilacs. removing the spent flowers also prevents seed pods ( capsules ) from forming on the lilacs. deadheading allows the lilacs to use much of their energy for flower bud development rather than seed pod formation. as a result, lilacs that are promptly deadheaded after flowering often flower more heavily ( the following season ) than those that are not deadheaded. when deadheading lilacs, make the pruning cut at the base of the flower cluster and just above the uppermost leaves. while deadheading is beneficial, the removal of spent flowers may not be feasible for home gardeners with large numbers of lilacs.


ptosis is a condition in which the upper eyelid ( s ) droops. the eyelid may droop only slightly or it may droop enough to partially or completely cover the pupil, restricting or obscuring the field of vision. ptosis should not be confused with extra skin, fat or muscle in the eyelid area. those issues are typically addressed with cosmetic blepharoplasty surgery. when ptosis can be shown to reduce peripheral vision, its surgical correction may be covered by insurance. if the degree of ptosis is not severe, it may be considered elective surgery and can be corrected as a cosmetic procedure. the most common type of ptosis is adult onset, caused by a weakening or dehiscence of the attachment between the levator muscle ( the muscle that raises the upper lid ) and the tarsus near the eyelid margin. this typically occurs as a result of the aging process, after cataract surgery, following contact lens wear, or from an injury. in certain cases of sudden onset of ptosis, there may be other causes that should be evaluated by an oculoplastic specialist. ptosis surgery is an outpatient procedure that involves tightening the levator muscle that lifts the lid. the surgical approach taken depends on specific findings and testing performed during the consultation with one of our oculoplastic surgeons. your surgeon will discuss your treatment options fully and will perform all the proper testing to determine whether your ptosis may be deemed medically necessary by your insurance carrier.


silk yarn : where it comes from, it ' s history, and how it becomes the beautiful fibre we know as silk. the discovery of the product silk from the silkworm species bombyx mori occurred around 2700 bc. according to chinese tradition the bride of emperor huang ti, a 14 - year - old girl called hsi ling shi, discovered the invention of the first silk reel. sericulture, the cultivation of the silkworm, spread through china making silk a highly valued commodity much sought after by other countries. in 139 bc the world ' s longest trade route was opened stretching from eastern china to the mediterranean sea. it was named the silk road after its most valuable commodity. by 300 ad the secret of silk production had reached india and japan. silk manufacture eventually reached europe and america. during the 18th and 19th centuries europeans produced several major advancements in silk production. by the 18th century england led europe in silk manufacturing because of english innovations in the textiles industry. these innovations included improved silk - weaving looms, power looms and roller printing. between 1855 and 1865 an epidemic called pebrine disease, caused by a small parasite, raged through the industry. it was the french scientist louis pasteur who discovered that this could be prevented through simple microscopic examination of adult silkmoths. much research was carried out on silkworms at this time, ultimately setting the stage for a more scientific approach to silk production. silk production today is a combination of old and modern techniques. silkworm is a common name for the silk - producing larvae of any of several species of moths. the larva is not really a worm at all but a caterpillar. there are several species of silkworm that are used in commercial silk production, however bombyx mori is the most common. silkworms possess a pair of specially modified salivary glands called sericteries, which are used for the production of a clear, viscous, proteinaceous fluid that is forced through openings called spinnerets on the mouthpart of the larva. as the fluid comes into contact with the air it hardens. the diameter of the spinneret determines the thickness of the silk thread, which is produced as a long, continuous filament. typical commercial silkworm production the first stage of silk production is the hatching of the silkworm eggs, in a controlled environment such as an aluminium box, which are then examined to ensure they are free from disease. the female deposits 300 to 400 eggs at a time. in an area the size of


production is the hatching of the silkworm eggs, in a controlled environment such as an aluminium box, which are then examined to ensure they are free from disease. the female deposits 300 to 400 eggs at a time. in an area the size of this page around 50 moths would deposit more than 20, 000 eggs, each about the size of a pinhead. the female dies almost immediately after depositing the eggs and the male lives only a short time after. the adult possesses rudimentary mouthparts and does not eat during the short period of its mature existence. these disease - tested eggs are raised in temperature and disease - controlled conditions. they are fastened to a flat surface by a gummy substance secreted by the female. the larvae hatch in about 10 days and are about 0. 6cm long. once hatched, they are placed under a layer of gauze and fed huge amounts of chopped mulberry leaves during which time they shed their skin four times. the larvae may also feed on osage orange or lettuce. larvae fed on mulberry leaves produce the very finest silk. the larva will eat 50, 000 times its initial weight in plant material. after it has achieved its maximum growth of 7. 5cm at around 4 to 6 weeks, it stops eating, changes colour and attaches itself to a compartmented frame, twig, tree or shrub in a rearing house to spin a silk cocoon over a 3 to 8 day period. this is period is termed pupating. a hard day ’ s night steadily over the next four days the silkworm produces a fine thread by making a figure of eight movement some 300, 000 times, constructing a cocoon in which it intends to spend the chrysalis stage where it is in a state of sleep and casting off its skin. after this the pupae begin the sixteen days that would normally result in the miracle of transformation to a winged being - the moth. however, if the pupa ( chrysalis ) remains alive it will begin to secrete an alkali, which eats its way through the cocoon, ruining the silk threads. therefore during the commercial production of silk, only enough adult moths are allowed to emerge to ensure continuation of the species. most of the remainder of the silkworms are killed by heat, e. g. immersion in boiling water, steaming or drying in an oven. how much silk can be harvested? the amount of useable silk from each cocoon is small. one hectare of mulberry trees yields


state ( suspended development ) and can then be treated to induce hatching at a commercially convenient time. cocoons are large and lend themselves to machine reeling, offering a long, continuous filament. the adult moths retained for reproduction purposes are too fat to fly, as the best fliers do not produce as much silk. the stifled or dead pupae are usually composted to feed the mulberry trees. whilst the tropical silkworm favoured by thailand is a natural, hardy creature quite capable of surviving in the wild state, the larvae farmed by the industrialised mass production techniques of china and japan are selectively bred creatures aimed at maximum output for minimum input. the silk thread silk is a continuous filament fibre consisting of fibroin protein secreted from two salivary glands in the head of each larva and a gum called sericin which cements the two filaments together. silk must be reeled off the cocoon quickly before the pupa begins to rot and taint the thread with unpleasant smells. the cocoon is then softened in hot water to remove the sericin, which frees the silk filament ends for reeling or filature. single filaments are drawn from cocoons in water bowls and combined to form yarn. this yarn is drawn under tension through several guides and eventually wound onto reels. the yarn is dried, packed according to quality and is now raw silk ready for marketing. the worn and withered body of what was intended to become the wondrous flying creature slips silently away. it ' s not pretty, but it does make a beautiful fibre. silk is a natural protein fibre containing about 70 - 75 % of actual fibre fibroin and about 25 - 30 % sericin. silk filaments are very fine and long - as much as 300 to 900 metres in length. silk has a high natural lustre and sheen of a white or cream colour ; and is one of the strongest fibres at 2. 6 to 4. 8 grams per denier. when it is dry the elongation ( elastic recovery ) varies from 10 - 25 % and when wet it will elongate as much as 33 - 35 %. silk has a relatively high standard moisture regain of 11 %. at saturation the regain is 25 - 35 %. silk can be dyed before or after it has been woven into a cloth. it can be woven or knitted. types of silk next, the raw silk is twisted into a strand sufficiently strong for weaving or


sentence functions : the four tops in addition to classifying sentences by the number of clauses they contain, you can pigeonhole sentences according to their functions. there are four sentence functions in english : declarative, exclamatory, interrogative, and imperative. declarative sentences state an idea. they end with a period. for example : - the first toilet ever seen on television was on leave it to beaver. - the problem with the gene pool is that there ' s no lifeguard. exclamatory sentences show strong emotions. they end with an exclamation mark. for example : - what a mess this room is! - the cake is ruined! interrogative sentences ask a question. as you would expect, they end with a question mark. for instance : which type of sentence often omits the subject? imperative sentences, because the subject is often understood, as shown in these examples : “ clean up this mess ” or “ help! ” - how you gonna keep ' em down on the farm when they ' ve seen paris? - why is it possible to tickle someone else but not to tickle yourself? imperative sentences give orders or directions, and so end with a period or an exclamation mark. for instance : - sit down and listen! - fasten your seatbelts when the sign is illuminated. excerpted from the complete idiot ' s guide to grammar and style © 2003 by laurie e. rozakis, ph. d.. all rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. used by arrangement with alpha books, a member of penguin group to order this book direct from the publisher, visit the penguin usa website or call 1 - 800 - 253 - 6476. you can also purchase this book at amazon. com and barnes & noble.


this handy studio reference teaches draping, drafting, and drawing the way they are practiced in the industry : by integrating them throughout the creative process. integrating draping, drafting, and drawing illustrates the design process, encompassing sketch and garment pattern development, and creates bridges between studio methods and design illustration. chapters are presented as hands - on learning experiences with lessons that mimic classroom demonstrations. step - by - step photographs portray the draping process in a sculptural way rather than using illustrations, which cannot truly depict the response of fabric draped on a dress form. throughout the book, instructions for producing patterns and slopers — skirts, bodices, necklines and collars, and sleeves — are presented, along with variations, so that students will be able to drape, draft, and draw complete garments. the concluding chapter of the book is devoted to drawing exercises based on the work of 20th century designer donald brooks. drawing basics interwoven throughout the book, with an emphasis on understanding body lines in relation to the dress form and proportion glossary and supply lists within the first chapter to familiarize students with the tools and technical terms they will need to master clear presentation of the steps of draping, drafting, and drawing for design practitioners which also gives merchandisers and other fashion professionals an overview of the process tools and supplies necklines and collars instructors and students : be sure that you are logged in to view your resources. if you have just registered for a new account. if you have problems accessing the resources or wish to request access to a specific resource, please contact your account manager. has taught courses on design concepts, fashion illustration, model drawing, and fashion portfolio in the fashion design departments at the fashion institute of technology and parsons school of design. she is the author of numerous books on fashion illustration, model drawing, and rendering., msed, is an instructor at parsons the new school for design and teaches studio methods and couture design studio courses. specializing in the technical disciplines of fashion design and altering clothes, she presented papers on the subject to the sewing guild of berks county, pa and the costume society of america ( csa ) of which she is a member. she curated a retrospective exhibit featuring the work of fashion designer, donald brooks, and produced a related online publication about the designer. she earned masters of education in supervision and administration in the visual arts from bank street college of education.


what is a foundation? it is the beginning of something. 1 corinthians 3 : 11 for no other " foundation " can anyone lay than that which is already layed, which is jesus christ ( the anointed one ) ( messiah ). this is god ' s " original foundation ". " father, i will that they also, whom you have given me, be with me where i am ; that they may behold my glory, which you have given me : for you loved me before the " foundation of the world ". you are built upon the " foundation of the apostles and prophets with jesus christ himself the chief cornerstone ". the reverent and worshipful fear ( respect ) of the lord is the " beginning " of knowledge. ( foundation ) he " lays " up sound wisdom for the righteous : ( foundation ) happy is the man that finds wisdom and the man that gets understanding. ( foundation ) for it is better than silver and gold, an rubies, and anything you can desire. with wisdom you get long life, riches, and honour. ( foundation ) wisdom produces pleasantness and peace. ( foundation ) wisdom produces life. ( foundation ) happy is everyone that retains wisdom. ( foundation ) the lord by wisdom has founded the earth ; by understanding has he established the heavens. by his knowledge the depths are broken up and the clouds drop down the dew. ( foundation ) sound wisdom produces life and grace ( gods unmerited favor ) ( foundation ) wisdom produces safety and sweet sleep. ( foundation ) wisdom protects you from sudden fear, and fearing what has come on the people of the world. ( foundation ) wisdom is your confidence. ( foundation ) wisdom is the principal thing exalt wisdom, wisdom brings honour, and grace ( gods unmerited favour ), and a crown of glory ( anointing ) wisdom brings long life. ( health ) ( soundness ) wisdom leads you straight and there is no falling. ( foundation ), you will make right decisions. take hold of instruction, keep it, it is your life. ( foundation ) i wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions. ( creative power, you can have ) by me kings reign, and princes decree justice. by me princes rule and nobles, even all the judges of the earth. i lead by righteousness. that i may cause those that love me to inherit " substance " : and i will fill their treasures. ( foundation ) wisdom is eternal ( foundation ) it is everlasting.


sustainable farms, food, feed, fuel, funds – all are needed to put us on a sustainable path to the future. but the most important ingredients in the recipe are farmers, especially women farmers, and rural communities whose empowerment is the key to poverty eradication and to sustainable development. let ' s not forget the conclusions and recommendations from csd 17 e. g. build social capital and resilience in rural communities. in that context : ( i ) empower women and small - scale farmers, and indigenous peoples, including through securing equitable land tenure supported by appropriate legal ( ii ) promote equitable access to land, water, financial resources and technologies by women, indigenous peoples and other vulnerable groups ; ( iii ) support and promote efforts to harmonize modern technologies with traditional and indigenous knowledge for sustainable rural development ; hague conference on agriculture, food security and climate change 13. agriculture and water are closely linked. there are many competing claims on water. worldwide agriculture consumes seventy percent of all freshwater withdrawals. agricultural water productivity has to be increased significantly. integrated land and water resources management, efficient use of water resources and safe reuse of waste water are vital in our approach to climate change adaptation. adaptation efforts must begin now, because institutions and the infrastructure will bind us to patterns of water use and behavior for years to come. 14. farmers have adapted to climate variability for centuries. the agricultural sector has the capacity to offer sound solutions to cope with this challenge, provided that farmers are encouraged to do so. farmers, particularly women, youth and smallholder farmers, indigenous peoples and other relevant natural resources dependent people have an important role in a transition to climate - smart agriculture. farmers feed the world, yet far too many are living in hunger and hardship. this injustice must cease. farmers and rural people through their farming practices are custodians of the land and water. they are also custodians of the forests, of biodiversity, indigenous and traditional knowledge, and other services. farmers ’ organizations can play an important role in promoting dialogue between farmers and across sectors. they can support individual farmers, especially smallholders. they can improve access to financial mechanisms, funding and carbon markets. para participar en esta consulta, puede introducir sus comentarios mas abajo o escribir a firstname. lastname @ example. org. se aceptan comentarios en arabe, chino, ingles, frances, ruso y espanol. conozca las nueva


the burris farm wagons a collection of turn - of - the - century farming and ranching machinery has been on display for the past 30 years at the burris ranch headquarters south of albuquerque, n. m., reminding passersby that agriculture was as diverse historically as it is today. the farm implements and ranch wagons belong to elizabeth burris, who moved with her late husband, weldon, to southwestern new mexico in 1949 to establish a cattle ranch. the fertile valley of northern socorro county, nourished by the rio grande river, supported the pueblo indians ' ancient farming practices and, since the time of spanish explorers, a rich ranching culture. the burrises leased the lajoya land grant from its owner, a montana man named campbell whose first name mrs. burris does not remember, although he was known locally as ' gen. campbell. ' in time, the couple bought the lajoya property, as well as other new mexico ranches, including the lazy e near deming, in luna county on the mexican border. in 1972, they received the farming implements as a gift from campbell, to thank them for their long lease of his land. the farm implements, which are representative of midwestern rather than new mexican traditional farming, include a sulky plow, a small disk, cultivators, a dump rake, an iron - wheeled sickle mower and a road grader. some pieces were long ago painted a dark green with red trim to match the wagons. the grader is a galion brand ; the name is cast into the machine. it was used on the burris ranch in deming. on display along with the implements, and intended to represent new mexico ' s ranching heritage, are two vintage wooden wagons, which mrs. burris said probably are john deeres. deere & company began selling such wagons in the 1880s. remnants of dark green and red paint remain on both ; one is a supply wagon and the other is a chuck wagon, its faint ' lazy e ' lettering still visible. mrs. burris said both she and her husband traveled the range on trail rides with these wagons many times from deming to bosque, n. m. chuck wagons were an important piece of equipment to the cowhands on long cattle drives. all would gather round the chuck wagon to eat their fill of breakfast at morning ' s first light, and return to it later in the day for their lunch and supper. little traffic passes the burris ranch headquarters these days,


1. the cloud of smog. the companies of the cloud - - the so - called “ information factories ” of google, facebook, amazon, and apple, among others - - have collectively achieved a scale of which old - school factories could only dream. the cloud is, however, quite dirty. it takes a lot of carbon to run all the servers that power it. and since more carbon means more money, these companies are doing everything possible to make their operations as efficient as possible. just as henry ford met economies of scale with a level of vertical integration never seen before or since - - amassing railroads, mines, and even rubber plantations to supply his factories - - the cloud companies are coping with their billowing carbon footprints with their own version of integration. they ' re making advancements in data center design, hardware, and even remaking the electrical grid itself. storing 1. 2 zettabytes of information ( that ' s more than a trillion gigabytes ) requires the construction increasingly massive data centers whose voracious appetite for power consumes 3 percent of u. s. electricity, while personal devices comprise 15 percent of home electricity use - - a figure projected to triple by 2030, equivalent to the demand of the american and japanese home markets combined. much of this electricity comes from coal, the cheapest and dirtiest source available. for example, apple ’ s eagerly - awaited cloud music service will most likely be housed at its new data center in maiden, north carolina, which is expected to draw on an astounding 100 megawatts supplied by duke energy, which generates 61 percent of its output from coal. 2 : make servers more efficient. in 2010, shortly after facebook announced plans in 2010 to build its first data center in prineville, oregon, greenpeace singled out the social network for shaming because the utility in prineville uses coal power. last month on the eve of earth day, the advocacy organization expanded its critique to the entire cloud, arguing in a new report that “ many it brands at the vanguard of this 21st century technological shift are perpetuating our addiction to dirty energy technologies of the last two centuries. ” but two weeks earlier, facebook had taken the unusual step of publishing the blueprints for its custom - built, super - efficient prineville datacenter under an open source license, labeling it the “ open compute project. ” they were the result of nearly two years of work and “ tens of millions of dollars ” to wring still - greater efficiency from


super - efficient prineville datacenter under an open source license, labeling it the “ open compute project. ” they were the result of nearly two years of work and “ tens of millions of dollars ” to wring still - greater efficiency from its operations by integrating the design of its servers and its data centers. “ you can make an average - joe server somewhat more efficient, but to build the most efficient architecture, you have to take the two together, ” explains tom furlong, facebook ’ s director of site operations. google - - the fourth largest server manufacturer in the world, according to cio ben fried - - has reached a similar conclusion. it just published some of the specs for its integrated systems, “ as we have hit the point where the datacenter itself - - the facility - - is hitting the point of diminished returns, ” says bill weihl, google ’ s clean energy czar. 3. jevons paradox. but what if a new generation of hyper - efficient datacenters only makes the problem worse, driving down the cost of operating them, thus inspiring facebook and google to add new services ( google music, anyone? ) which in turn causes more datacenters to propagate across the landscape? this is jevons paradox, named for a 19th - century british economist who was also obsessed with coal. in the question of coal, jevons concluded “ it is wholly a confusion of ideas to suppose that the economical use of fuel is equivalent to a diminished consumption. the very contrary is the truth. " the more efficient something is, the more we use of it, canceling out any savings from efficiency. in other words, while online music services have obliterated much of the need to manufacture, store, and truck cds to stores ( which have a carbon footprint of their own ), does it make much difference if digital storage lockers from amazon, google and apple cause millions of listeners to stash their record collections in the cloud, requiring those hard drives to spin in perpetuity? does it matter how many trees are saved from being pulped if coal - fired power plants are required to keep those kindles charged? even google, the biggest of them all, has decided : no. “ our view of the jevons paradox is this, ” says wiehl. “ it ’ s incumbent on us to be as efficient as we can. we ’ re much more efficient than we were a few years ago. but from a climate point of view, we


google ’ s bill wiehl. “ we feel that we have a lot of money, and can invest some of it to do good and make money ourselves. ” beyond that, he is quick to pour cold water on the notion of google being a utility or even “ particularly vertically integrated. ” while he concedes that the “ smart grid maybe does change that a little bit, ” he stresses that google only has an interest in supplying smart meters to consumers, not in operating the grid itself. chandrakant patel, who is director of hp labs ’ sustainable ecosystems research group at hp labs, suggests the idea of google and other cloud companies leading the way when it comes to renewable energy isn ’ t as far - fetched as it seems. the combination of the hyper - efficient datacenter and a private micro - grid composed of renewables will, in time, grow so large and so cheap compared to fossil fuels that it companies will begin to offer municipal services - - the " network - as - the - next - utility ” vision hp, ibm and cisco have been so hot about. the injection of google ’ s money into the clean tech sector has had a more immediate effect, however. its backing no doubt helped convince brightsource energy to file this month for a $ 250 million ipo, prompting one vc to speculate that a “ google effect ” could add a sheen to the entire sector. “ i think it ' s going to be a hot one, ” said claremont creek ventures managing director nat goldhaber told a reporter. “ if it ' s very successful, i think perhaps we might get a little bit of a gold rush. ” note : based on a corrected tweet by google cio ben fried, this story was updated to reflect that google is the fourth largest server manufacturer in the world and not the third. read more from fast company ' s series the butterfly effect : the bin laden raid could transform asia ' s 21st century arms race.


( washington, d. c., june 7, 2012 ) a deadly predator of birds – a mongoose herpestes javanicus – has been captured on the hawaiian island of kauaʻi, confirming the worst fears of local wildlife officials. previously, kauaʻi and lanaʻi were believed to be the only two hawaiian islands free of non - native mongooses that prey on native birds. mongoose predation has been a major factor in bird population declines in the archipelago, which has been dubbed ‘ the bird extinction capital of the world ’. mongooses were first released on several islands in hawaiʻi in the late 1800s as part of an unsuccessful attempt to control rat populations in the sugar cane fields. while mongooses did kill some rats, they are largely diurnal while rats are more nocturnal, and hence the mongooses turned to other sources of food for their survival, in particular, birds. “ mongooses eat ground - nesting bird eggs as well as chicks. their prior absence on kauaʻi was a major reason why populations of the state bird, the nene, have been able to do so well there, ” said dr. george wallace, vice - president for oceans and islands for american bird conservancy ( abc ). “ without question, the confirmation of mongoose on kauaʻi is very bad news for several remaining endangered bird species on the island. ” local officials had received more than 70 reports of sightings of mongoose on kauaʻi over the last ten years, but until now, a live mongoose had never been captured, despite trapping programs by the kaua ‘ i invasive species committee ( kisc ), the division of forestry and wildlife, and the u. s. department of agriculture. the capture was made on may 2 by kisc staff, but sighting reports continue to be received, implying that other mongooses are present. local, state, and federal agencies are now collaborating on a plan to deal with the mongoose. the shocking extent of the decline of native bird populations in the aloha state was recently documented in a 30 - minute film by abc entitled endangered hawai ' i. since the arrival of europeans to the hawaiian islands, 71 bird species have become extinct out of a total of 113 endemic species that existed at the time of first human colonization. of the remaining 42 species, 32 are federally listed, and ten of those have not even been seen for up to 40 years. “ no place else on earth


st. augustine, fla. - - walk in to kristin harrington ' s second grade classroom at palencia elementary school and you will see students working in pairs on school ipads. " if you learn on the ipad it ' s a lot funner because you have a lot of apps like hungry fish, or math or tunetastic. you get to make your own movie, " said second grader hunter riedle. today ' s lesson : comparing and contrasting, the comprehension skill of the week. " they are using their digital textbooks. they are using an app called popplet, which is actually a free app if you use popplet lite, where they are able to create their own graphic organizers to compare and contrast which will later be turned in to a paragraph, " harrington said. " so it just makes it a little more fun, a little easier for them to use and more engaging for the students. " palencia elementary is the first school in the st. johns county school district to go completely digital. students at this school don ' t use any paper textbooks. " i ' d say within one to two weeks they were adapted to it and really like it, " harrington said. harrington said the possibilities are endless with digital textbooks. it ' s a video camera, a calculator, a qr code scanner and much more. principal don campbell said the students spend about a third of their day on the ipad. he calls it traditional learning with contemporary technology. they still use a pencil and paper, have a lot of dialogue and listen to the teacher. but as with any technology he said there are downsides to having only digital textbooks. " the internet may go down, power may go out, the battery may die. you might not be able to access a site you are looking for. all kinds of issues you find with technology we find those too here but they are no different than if the power were to go off when you were teaching, " he said. and then there ' s the cost. " right now this is a brand new school, so there was some money upfront and there were some capital funds, " campbell said. " what will it be like when we have to outfit all of the schools and all 32, 000 students? " child psychologist katie falwell said while some educational apps have been proven to increase student ' s skills, others could be harmful. " we look at mris and can actually see changes in the brain so they have a much shorter wait time


origin and authority of the bible. we are rational beings ; and, as such, the desire of knowledge is natural to us. in early childhood, as each new object of interest comes under our notice, we ask, who made it ; and as we advance in years, the same inquisitiveness attends us, and prompts us to investigate the sources of knowledge which are ever opening before us. brutes may look with indifference on the works of god, and tread under foot the productions of human ingenuity, without inquiry into their origin ; but rational men cannot act thus without violence to the first principles of their nature. among the objects which have occupied a large space in human thought, and which claim our consideration, the bible stands conspicuous. its antiquity ; the veneration in which it has been held, and continues to be held, by a large part of mankind ; and the influence which it has manifestly exerted on their conduct and happiness, are sufficient, if not to awaken higher emotions, at least to attract our curiosity, and excite a desire to know its origin and true character. we are moral beings. the bible comes to us as a rule of conduct. the claim which is set up for it is, that it is the highest standard of morals, admitting no appeal from its decisions. we are, therefore, under the strongest obligations to examine the foundation of this claim. we are, if the bible is true, immortal beings. heathen philosophers have conjectured that man may be immortal ; and infidels have professed to believe it ; but, if we exclude the bible, we have no means of certain knowledge on this point. yet it is a matter of the utmost importance. if we are immortal, we have interests beyond the grave which infinitely transcend all our interests in the present life. what folly, then, it is, to reject the only source of information on this momentous subject! besides if we have such interests in a future world, we have no means of knowing how to secure them, except from the bible. shall we throw this book from us, and trust to vain conjecture, on questions in which our all is involved? it would be folly and madness. let us then inquire, whence came the bible? is it from heaven, or from men? if it is from men, is it the work of good men, or of bad men? if bad men had been the authors of the bible, they would have made it to their liking. if


? is it from heaven, or from men? if it is from men, is it the work of good men, or of bad men? if bad men had been the authors of the bible, they would have made it to their liking. if made to please them, it would please other men of like character. but it is not a book in which bad men delight. they hate it. its precepts are too holy ; its doctrines too pure ; its denunciations against all manner of iniquity too terrible. it is not at all written according to the taste of such men. there are men who prize the bible ; who pore over its pages with delight ; who have recourse to it in all their perplexities and sorrows ; who seek its counsels to guide them, and its instructions to make them wise ; who esteem its words more than gold, and feast on them as their sweetest food. but who are these men? they are those who detest all deceit and falsehood, and whom this very book has transformed, from men of iniquity and vice, to men of purity and holiness. it is impossible, therefore, that the bible should be the work of bad men. it remains that the bible must be either from heaven or from good men. so pure a stream cannot proceed from a corrupt fountain. if it be from good men, they will not wilfully deceive us. let us, then, look to the account which they have given of its origin : " all scripture is given by inspiration of god. " " the things that i write unto you are the commandments of the lord. " " and so we have the prophetic word more firm, to which ye do well to take heed, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the morning star arise in your hearts ; knowing this first, that no prophecy of scripture is of private invention. for never, at any time, was prophecy brought by the will of man, but the holy men of god spake, being moved by the holy ghost. " it may, perhaps, be objected to the use of these quotations, that we permit the bible to speak for itself ; but this is no unprecedented procedure. if a stranger were passing through our neighborhood, and we were desirous to know whence he came, it would not be unnatural to propose the inquiry to the man himself. if there were about him marks of honesty and simplicity of character,


. if a stranger were passing through our neighborhood, and we were desirous to know whence he came, it would not be unnatural to propose the inquiry to the man himself. if there were about him marks of honesty and simplicity of character, and if, after our most careful investigations, it should appear that he has no evil design to accomplish, and no interest to promote by deceiving us, we should rely on the information we derive from him. such a stranger is the bible ; and why may we not rely on its testimony concerning itself? nay, it is not a stranger. though claiming a heavenly origin, it has long dwelt on earth, and gone in and out among us, a familiar companion. we have been accustomed to hear its words ; and have known them to be tried with every suspicion, and every scrutiny, and no falsehood has been detected. more, it has been among us as a teacher of truth and sincerity ; and truth and sincerity have abounded just in proportion as its teachings have been heeded. old men of deceit have shrunk from its probings, and trembled at its threatenings ; and young men have been taught by it to put away all lying and hypocrisy. can it be that the bible itself is a deceiver and impostor? impossible! it must be, what it claims to be, a book from heaven - - the book of god. the truth that the bible is from god, is not only testified by the inspired men who wrote it, but it is established by many other decisive proofs, some of which we shall proceed to consider. the divine origin of the bible is proved by the character of the revelation which it contains. the character of god, as exhibited in the bible, cannot be of human origin. we know what sort of gods men make ; for they have multiplied them without number. they carve deities from blocks of wood and stone, and worship them with stupid adoration ; but this is not the most debasing and abominable idolatry of which they are guilty. their vain imaginations fashion gods more vile than these. the blocks of wood or stone may take the form of birds, four - footed beasts, and creeping things ; but the deities which derive their origin from the imaginations of men have passions and propensities that are beastly, and even worse than beastly. such are the objects which they worship with laborious and costly devotion. let any man visit the temples of


deities which derive their origin from the imaginations of men have passions and propensities that are beastly, and even worse than beastly. such are the objects which they worship with laborious and costly devotion. let any man visit the temples of the heathen, observe their horrid ceremonies, and study the character of their gods ; and then let him say whether these gods, and the god of the bible, are from one common origin. some objectors may allege that the deities to which we have referred are those of uncivilized tribes. what then? were the gods of the most civilized nations better than these? what were the divinities which were worshipped by the ancient greeks and romans, even by their sages and philosophers, whose talents and genius have been admired in every age? jupiter, their optimus maximus, best and greatest, was a monster of crime ; and venus, bacchus, mercury, mars, and the rest of their deities, were his fit companions. they were patrons and examples of vice. the infidel rousseau has drawn their character correctly. " cast your eyes over all the nations of the world, and all the histories of nations. amid so many inhuman and absurd superstitions, amid that prodigious diversity of manners and characters, you will find every where the same principles and distinctions of moral good and evil. the paganism of the ancient world produced, indeed, abominable gods, who on earth would have been shunned or punished as monsters, and who offered as a picture of supreme happiness only crimes to commit and passions to satiate. but vice, armed with this sacred authority, descended in vain from the eternal abode ; she found, in the heart of man, a moral instinct to repel her. the continence of xenocrates was admired by those who celebrated the debaucheries of jupiter - - the chaste lucretia adored the unchaste venus - - the most intrepid roman sacrificed to fear. he invoked the god who dethroned his father, and he died without a murmur by the hand of his own. the most contemptible divinities were served by the greatest men. the holy voice of nature, stronger than that of the gods, made itself heard, and respected, and obeyed on earth, and seemed to banish as it were to the confinement of heaven, guilt, and the guilty. ' ' go now to the pantheon, and study the character and works of rome '


, made itself heard, and respected, and obeyed on earth, and seemed to banish as it were to the confinement of heaven, guilt, and the guilty. ' ' go now to the pantheon, and study the character and works of rome ' s innumerable deities. after infidelity has acknowledged that they are monsters, more vicious than men, and sending forth a corrupting influence into human society, invite her to study the character of jehovah, the god of the bible, a spirit, whose form cannot be represented ; a being whose eyes cannot behold iniquity, who is glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, and doing wonders ; and who requires to be worshipped in the beauty of holiness. let her stand with moses in the cleft of the rock, and hear the lord proclaim his name : " the lord, the lord god, merciful and gracious, long - suffering and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, and transgression, and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty. ' ' surely she will bow her head with reverence, and confess, this is the voice of god. the account of the life and character of christ given in the gospels, is not a fiction of human invention. the introduction of christianity, its existence in the world, the persecutions which it has encountered, its spread in spite of opposition, and the influence which it has exerted on nations and governments, are all so interwoven with the history of the last eighteen hundred years, that all history must be doubted, if these are fables. the evidence that there were such men as alexander and julius caesar, is not so abundant and indisputable as that jesus christ appeared at the time and place stated in the gospels. the accounts of his life, sufferings, and death, given by matthew, mark, luke, and john, come down to us with all the marks of authentic history. no signs of fraud can be detected in the narratives. the admirable simplicity of the writers, their ingenuousness in relating the faults and weaknesses of their own characters, their artlessness in depicting the sublime virtues of their master, and recording his stupendous works, and the unimpassioned manner in which they described the cruel treatment he received from his persecutors and murderers ; all these considerations place the truth of their narratives beyond question. add to all this, that they had sufficient means of knowing the truth


the unimpassioned manner in which they described the cruel treatment he received from his persecutors and murderers ; all these considerations place the truth of their narratives beyond question. add to all this, that they had sufficient means of knowing the truth of the facts which they have recorded ; that they attested the sincerity of their faith in them by enduring tortures and death ; and that those who received their testimony, and transmitted it to us, testified their faith in it by like endurance. no other facts in the history of the world have evidence so strong. but if this evidence can be rejected, an insuperable difficulty still remains. it is impossible to account for the existence of the gospels on any other supposition, than that they are what they profess to be, true delineations of a real character. the authors were incapable of conceiving such a fiction. even such men as virgil and homer were incapable of such an effort. they could conceive and describe such characters as aeneas and ulysses, but not such a character as jesus christ. besides, the learning of the world was arrayed against christianity ; and to the unlearned and humble fishermen of galilee the task was assigned of recording the life and works of jesus of nazareth. that such men should have transmitted to succeeding ages a fiction such as this, is incredible - - impossible. another quotation from rousseau will show the overpowering influence of these considerations on the mind of an infidel : " i will confess to you further, that the majesty of the scripture strikes me with admiration, as the purity of the gospel hath its influence on my heart. peruse the works of our philosophers, with all their pomp of diction - - how mean - - how contemptible - - are they, compared with the scripture! is it possible, that a book at once so simple and sublime should be merely the work of man? is it possible that the sacred personage whose history it contains should be himself a mere man? do we find that he assumed the air of an enthusiast or ambitious sectary? what sweetness, what purity in his manner! what an affecting gracefulness in his delivery! what sublimity in his maxims! what profound wisdom in his discourses! what presence of mind! what subtilty. what truth in his replies! how great the command over his passions! where is the man, where the philosopher, who could so live and die, without weakness and without ostentation? shall we suppose the evan


mind! what subtilty. what truth in his replies! how great the command over his passions! where is the man, where the philosopher, who could so live and die, without weakness and without ostentation? shall we suppose the evangelic history a mere fiction? indeed, my friend, it bears not the marks of fiction. on the contrary, the history of socrates, which nobody presumes to doubt, is not so well attested as that of jesus christ. the jewish authors were incapable of the diction, and strangers to the morality contained in the gospels ; the marks of whose truth are so striking and invincible, that the inventor would be a more astonishing character than the hero. " if the gospels give a true account of jesus christ, he was a teacher from heaven ; and both the doctrine which he taught, and the scriptures, to which he often appealed as of divine authority, are from god. the method of salvation revealed in the bible is not a human device. the preaching of christ crucified was to the jews a stumbling - block, and to the greeks foolishness, yet salvation by the cross is the grand peculiarity of the gospel. were christianity a cunningly - devised fable, a doctrine so offensive to mankind would not have been made prominent in the scheme. to this day, men of proud intellect and corrupt heart reject the doctrine of salvation by the obedience and sufferings of another. to the humble and contrite, oppressed with a sense of sin, and seeking, from the borders of despair, some divine method of escape from the wrath to come, this doctrine is thrice welcome ; but the humble and contrite are not the men to cheat the world with a forged system of religion. the blessings which the bible confers on mankind have their origin in infinite benevolence. compare the condition of those nations where paganism reigns with that of the nations where the most corrupt forms of christianity exist, and you will find the latter preferable. institute another comparison between these, and the lands where a purer christianity prevails, and where the bible, instead of being withheld from the common people, is open to the reading of all, and you will perceive a far better state of human society, where the sacred volume is best known. compare, again, in these most favored lands, the families where the bible is least regarded, with those in which its doctrines are revered and its precepts obeyed and you will be sensible that a heavenly influence pervades the


is best known. compare, again, in these most favored lands, the families where the bible is least regarded, with those in which its doctrines are revered and its precepts obeyed and you will be sensible that a heavenly influence pervades the latter. but even in such families as these, the individual members often differ widely from each other. though they may all worship at the same altar, and read the same bible, some have the word of truth on their lips only, while others treasure it up deep in their hearts, and find it sweeter to their taste than honey and the honeycomb. what elevation of character, what pure and unsullied bliss do the latter enjoy! take, lastly, an individual of the last most favored class, and compare the different moments of his life - - those in which the bible is least regarded, with those in which he feasts on its truths and promises, and experiences joy unspeakable and full of glory, while he receives the divine word into his heart ; and you will have a full view of the blessed influence which the bible can impart. we know that the sun is a source of light and heat, because all is dark and cold when his beams are absent ; and light and heat are found to increase in proportion as we draw nearer to him. precisely so it is with the bible. from paganism, cold and dark, where the bible is unknown, to the saint in his most rapturous devotions, when he has the sweetest foretaste of heaven which mortals on earth can enjoy ; the light of truth which fills the understanding, and the warmth of love which glows in the heart, bear an exact proportion to the proximity of the bible. if the sun, which enlightens the material world, is the work of a benevolent creator, much more may we ascribe to the same benevolence the authorship of the bible, the source of spiritual illumination. having compared the bible to the sun, it may be a fit occasion to remark that both these lights have their darknesses - - the bible its obscurities, and the sun its spots. the deist may cavil at the one, and the atheist at the other ; but the cavils of both are alike absurd and unavailing. because there are spots in the sun, shall we conclude that god did not make it, or that it is not a blessing to mankind? yet this conclusion would not be more irrational than to deny that god is the


alike absurd and unavailing. because there are spots in the sun, shall we conclude that god did not make it, or that it is not a blessing to mankind? yet this conclusion would not be more irrational than to deny that god is the author of the bible, or that the bible is a blessing to the world, because there are obscurities found in its pages. suppose it be admitted that the spots in the sun, and the obscurities in the bible are imperfections, is god the author of nothing in which imperfections exist? if everything material, and everything human, be marked with imperfection, may not god nevertheless glorify himself by things material and human? the new jerusalem has no need of a material sun to enlighten it, because the glory of god and the lamb is the light thereof ; but god has fixed the sun in the firmament to enlighten this world of matter ; and the sun in the firmament, notwithstanding its spots, declares its maker ' s glory. so god may make revelation of himself to the pure intelligences of heaven in language free from human imperfection ; but when he speaks to mortals on earth, he uses the language of mortals ; and whatever may be the imperfection of the medium, this revelation of god displays his glory in the brightest light in which human eyes can behold it. but are the spots in the sun and the obscurities in the bible to be accounted imperfections? the light of the sun is pure and abundant ; and, if it were deficient, the deficiency might be supplied, as well by enlarging the sun, as by removing its spots. it would, therefore, be as rational to complain that the sun is not larger, as to complain that there are spots in its disc. in like manner, the light of god ' s word is pure, and sufficient to make men wise to salvation ; and we might as well complain that the bible is not larger, as that it contains obscurities. besides, the obscurities of the bible may have a beneficial use. if, as some astronomers suppose, the solar spots are the body of the sun, seen through the partings of its luminous atmosphere, they can scarcely be deemed imperfections ; much less can they be so regarded, if they are streams of gas rising in the sun ' s atmosphere, and diffusing itself to become fuel for the lamp of day. according to the latter hypothesis, the spots are as far from being imperfect


much less can they be so regarded, if they are streams of gas rising in the sun ' s atmosphere, and diffusing itself to become fuel for the lamp of day. according to the latter hypothesis, the spots are as far from being imperfections, as are the clouds that sometimes darken our sky, but which are the rich sources of the earth ' s fertility, and the granaries of our bread. so, some of the obscurities of the bible are the deep things of god, seen through ; the light of revelation - - the inscrutable mystery of the divine nature appearing through the light with which he has clothed himself. other mysteries are, in process of time, dissipated ; and, like clouds which burst, pour out a blessing. it was a mystery " that the gentiles should be fellow - heirs and partakers of the promise of christ by the gospel ; " but in due time this mystery was explained, and the bursting cloud poured the richest blessing on all the gentile world. the old testament dispensation was dark, abounding with shadows of good things to come ; but since the sun of righteousness has arisen, the dark places have been illuminated, and are full of instruction. prophecies have been delivered in obscure language ; but their fulfilment has interpreted them. some obscurities have given occasion to the infidel to charge the bible with contradictions ; but a careful examination of the inspired word has not only served to repel the charge by reconciling the apparent discrepancies, but it has added new proof that the scriptures were written by undesigning and honest men, without any collusion ; and that there is perfect harmony in their statements, even when apparently most discordant. men of superior intellect may find a pleasant and profitable exercise of their powers in investigating those parts of the bible which are less clear ; while its plainest truths are adapted to men of least capacity, and are sufficient for their necessities. here are waters in which " a lamb may wade, " and in which " an elephant may swim. " there is yet another use of bible obscurities. when god gave a law to mankind, he did not give one which it was impossible to violate, but one which men, as free agents, might violate, and by violating bring ruin on their souls. so, when he gave a revelation to mankind, he did not give one which could not be caviled at


it was impossible to violate, but one which men, as free agents, might violate, and by violating bring ruin on their souls. so, when he gave a revelation to mankind, he did not give one which could not be caviled at, but one at which men might cavil, and, by caviling, bring wrath upon themselves. the obscurities of the bible serve for this use ; for the bible itself declares, that it contains " some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest unto their own destruction. " let those who choose rather to cavil at the obscurities of the bible, than to walk in its light, read this declaration, and fear and tremble. the revelations contained in the bible have the attestation of miracles. it is a plain dictate of common sense, that almighty god, who created and governs the world, may direct its movements as he chooses. he appointed the laws of nature, and he may suspend these laws whenever he pleases, and turn the course of things out of the ordinary channel. it is equally clear, that none but the author of nature can effect such changes. it follows, therefore, that miracles, if wrought in attestation of a revelation professing to be from heaven, stamp upon it the seal of omnipotence. persons who saw such miracles wrought, reasoned well when they said : " we know that thou art a teacher come from god ; for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except god be with him. " though miracles furnished, to those who saw them with their own eyes, a more impressive evidence than to us who see them through the light of history, yet the argument founded on them is perfectly conclusive, even at the present time. that moses and the prophets, christ and his apostles, performed works truly miraculous, is as well attested as any ancient fact whatever. the character of the works attributed to them, their number, the circumstances in which they were performed, the absence of everything indicating fraud or imposture, the sufferings by which the witnesses demonstrated their sincerity, the credence which their testimony obtained rapidly and extensively, and in the face of bitter persecution, and the absence of all counter testimony ; all these considerations compel the belief that miracles were wrought, and if wrought, the revelation which they attest must be from god. the evidence, though it may be less impressive, is not less decisive than it would


absence of all counter testimony ; all these considerations compel the belief that miracles were wrought, and if wrought, the revelation which they attest must be from god. the evidence, though it may be less impressive, is not less decisive than it would have been if we had personally witnessed the miracles. we are not wholly indebted for the evidence of miracles, to the light of history. it does not need historical proof to satisfy our minds that the pyramids of egypt were built by human labor and skill. we are as well satisfied of this, as if we had seen them rise under the hands of the workmen. we know that they are the work of man, because they resemble, in kind, other works of man. but he who gazes on these stupendous structures, may turn his eyes to the great globe beneath them, and feel equally well assured that it is not the work of man. so, in contemplating a system of heathen mythology or philosophy, we may be convinced that it is of human origin, because it bears the marks of man ' s workmanship ; but in contemplating the bible, and the religion which it has introduced into the world, we may be as well assured that the origin of these is superhuman. a system so destitute of everything which could recommend it to the carnal mind, and claiming to be attested " with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, " could not, in the absence of such miracles, obtain, according to the ordinary course of things, easy and extensive credence among mankind, and become firmly established in their confidence. the propagation, in such circumstances, must itself have been miraculous. it is of no importance to the present argument, whether the miracle was wrought before the eyes of him who received the doctrine, or on his mind, to incline him to receive it. in either case, there was a miracle, an interposition of divine power, and such an interposition demonstrated that the doctrine was from god. the prophecies which the bible contains, must have proceeded from infallible foreknowledge. this is proved by their exact fulfilment. daniel prophesied to nebuchadnezzar, the proud head of the babylonian empire, then in its glory and strength, that this empire would give place to three others which were to arise after it. this succession of empires, the babylonian, the medo - persian, the grecian, and the roman, is more fully described afterward in the prophecies


, that this empire would give place to three others which were to arise after it. this succession of empires, the babylonian, the medo - persian, the grecian, and the roman, is more fully described afterward in the prophecies of daniel, together with a series of events extending down to the present time. more than a century before the time of daniel, the prophet isaiah predicted the taking of babylon by the persians, who were, at the time of the prediction, a feeble and obscure nation. he foretold the very name of the persian leader, and the manner of his entrance into the city, through gates which, by a special ordering of providence, were carelessly left open by the babylonians in their drunken festivity. other prophets foretold the destruction and final desolation of babylon, and of nineveh, the overthrow of ancient tyre by nebuchadnezzar, and afterward of insular tyre by alexander, and the decline and present state of egypt, once the proudest of nations. all these predictions were made when the events predicted were so improbable, that they could not be foreknown by any human sagacity ; yet history, and the reports of travellers, attest their exact accomplishment. many other examples of fulfilled prophecy might readily be cited. the prophecies concerning the jews are remarkable, and we refer to them with the more satisfaction, because the reader has probably, to some extent, personal knowledge of the facts predicted. these people are scattered through our nation, and through most of the nations on earth. their synagogues, in which they meet to worship the god of their fathers, are found in all our principal cities. the scriptures of the old testament are regularly read in their public worship, and are regarded with religious veneration, as their sacred book, received from god by their ancient prophets, and handed down to them from their forefathers. this book minutely describes, in the language of prediction, the sufferings which they have undergone ; their wonderful preservation as a distinct people, notwithstanding these sufferings, and their dispersed condition among all nations. other ancient tribes, when scattered, have been lost in the general mass of mankind ; but these people, after centuries of dispersion and persecution, still remain distinct, and stand forth to the world as witnesses of the wonderful fulfilment of the predictions respecting them, uttered by their ancient prophets. the sacred writings of the jews not only contain predictions of the dispersion,


and persecution, still remain distinct, and stand forth to the world as witnesses of the wonderful fulfilment of the predictions respecting them, uttered by their ancient prophets. the sacred writings of the jews not only contain predictions of the dispersion, sufferings, and wonderful preservation of this people, but also furnish explanation of these extraordinary events. the book describes a covenant between this nation and the god whom they worship, and its records show that they have repeatedly violated this covenant, and suffered the threatened penalty. the whole history of the nation illustrates the dealings of god with them, in accordance with the stipulations of this covenant. once before, as a punishment of their unfaithfulness, they were driven from their land into captivity for seventy years, yet they were preserved and brought back. the prophetic declarations of their sacred volume explain that their present dispersion and sufferings are, in like manner, in consequence of their crimes, and that their preservation is in prospect of another restoration. their condition, therefore, resembles that of a malefactor nailed to the cross, with his accusation written over his head ; a fit punishment for the nation that crucified the lord of glory. they hold in their hands the book which specifies their crimes and predicts their sufferings, and they furnish, in their persons, the spectacle of these predictions fulfilled. they not only claim that their book is divine, but they are the proof of its divinity. the jews may be made witnesses for the new testament also, which they reject, and for christianity, which they hate. what crime so great, has extended their dispersion and sufferings through the long period of eighteen centuries? the new testament gives the only satisfactory answer to this inquiry, and it answers in perfect accordance with their own scriptures. they have rejected and crucified their king, their long - expected messiah, whom their prophets had foretold. it was predicted that he would appear before the tribe of judah should become extinct, or should cease to maintain a distinct government of its own ; before the second temple should be destroyed ; and in 490 years from the decree of cyrus to rebuild jerusalem. at this time jesus christ appeared, claiming to be their messiah, and furnishing most abundant proofs that he came from god ; yet, as their prophets had foretold, they rejected him, and united with gentile rulers to destroy him. their own scriptures, and their confessed hatred of jesus christ, fully make out the crime for which they suffer,


came from god ; yet, as their prophets had foretold, they rejected him, and united with gentile rulers to destroy him. their own scriptures, and their confessed hatred of jesus christ, fully make out the crime for which they suffer, and these unite with the known fact of their sufferings to demonstrate the messiahship of jesus and the divine origin of christianity. the new testament contains various predictions which have been exactly fulfilled concerning the destruction of jerusalem ; the calamities of the jews ; their dispersion and their preservation ; also concerning the persecutions of christianity ; its spread through the world, and the papal apostasy. besides these, it contains predictions, yet not accomplished, of the conversion of the gentiles, the restoration of the jews, and the millennial state of the church. when these shall have been fulfilled, the prophetical evidence now constantly accumulating will be complete. in concluding this brief inquiry into the origin of the bible, we may admire and adore the wonderful providence of god, which has made his enemies the preservers and witnesses of his revelation. the jews, who killed the prophets and crucified the son of god himself, have preserved and transmitted the scriptures of the old testament, and are now witnesses to the world of its divine origin, and the truth of its prophecies. the roman catholic church, the great antichrist, or man of sin, drunk with the blood of the saints, has transmitted to us the scriptures of the new testament, and now gives, in the same two - fold manner, its testimony to this part of the sacred volume. even the infidel scoffer is made an unconscious witness. in its pages, his very scoffs are predicted, and his corrupt heart, from which, rather than from sober judgment, these scoffs proceed, is portrayed with an accuracy and skill which bespeak the author divine, the searcher of hearts. the word which " is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two - edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, " must be " the word of god. " even the reluctant tongue of the infidel, as in the case of rousseau, is sometimes constrained to utter its testimony aloud ; and at other times, when danger comes or death threatens, his alarm and terror divulge the truth, that his rock is not as our rock