The Fly
Insights into the miracles of creation
- Chapter 2 -
THE FEET OF THE FLY.
March 11, 1842
It will not have escaped your notice, and you will have seen quite often how the fly, with its six little feet, patters forth so agilely on a highly polished vertical surface as well as on a horizontal table or plane.
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But how is this possible for this animal, since its feet, although each one terminates with two very small pointed claws, are still smooth on the outside?
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See, that is already something miraculous, considering that on a vertically standing, highly polished surface, not even the lightest down feather can remain hanging without being glued on! How is it possible for the fly without some means of sticking?
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Some very active natural scientists have found, with the aid of very powerful magnifying devices, that the fly - and all animals of this kind - have a very elastic little bell attached to its feet between the claws, which it uses as tiny vacuums to thin the air, accomplished in the following manner: when a fly places a foot on the upright surface of a window pane, she sucks in the air inside of a bell, thus the foot, provided with the vacuum of the little bell, is held fast to the surface by the weight of the outer air surrounding the little bell.
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To accomplish this task, each fly would have to have its own internal air pump! And how fast it would have to operate such an inexpressibly clever mechanical device to satisfy the demands of all six feet in the quick and unpredictable meanderings of the fly?!
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Obviously, this is hardly feasible, although the fly does in fact possess such visible little bells! But, if the fly does not hold itself in the manner diagnosed by the natural scientists, how does it accomplish this task" - the answer will be very easily perceived from the following presentation.
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If you have ever, even once, observed a fly very closely, you must have noticed that it is provided with tiny hairs and bristle-like points all over its body. Yes, even the pair of wings on their outermost rim are provided with a large quantity of outward-running ray-like pointed little feathers.
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What use is all this to the fly? Soon we will have the answer.
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These little hairs and bristle-like points are all useful electricity vacuums, and the electricity sucked into the fly streams toward the negative pole, which is simultaneously serving as the attracting or drawing- together pole, which then flows into the already well-known little bells in the feet of the fly. Being negative, it becomes very hungry for the positive electricity.
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See, this then is the answer to the previous question.
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But then you will say, "That occurs quite naturally. Therefore, how is it a miracle?" To which I can give you no other answer than this: The more natural a matter appears to you, it is that much more a miracle because it is not something transitory and thus of little use, but permanent and therefore a constant and beneficial miracle for all times to him who wants to observe it in My name! For you need only to meditate a little and think a bit and it must become clear to you which of the following is more of a miracle - the Israelites crossing the Red Sea or the existence of a fruit-bearing tree, which still brings forth the same fruit as it did at the time of Adam, or our fly, which is still the same today as it was millions of years before Adam! Now, judge for yourselves which miracle is greater or more important!
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If the fly is called a miracle, yes, a great miracle by Me, by virtue of its unusual development as well as its continued survival and the usefulness of all its life-bearing parts, and due to its other, as yet unknown purpose, is proclaimed by Me as wonderful, yes, an extremely wonderful being, then the walking of the fly on a polished surface can be called a miracle with more right - since this can be observed by everyone daily, should a person give this occurrence any importance at all - than the collapse of the walls of Jericho by Joshua's trumpets.
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The fly walking on a vertical polished surface occurs countless times every day before your eyes, while concerning the collapse of the walls of Jericho, other than being recorded in the Scriptures, there is no trace of it in the whole world. Therefore, whosoever wants to make some use of the miraculous collapse of the walls of Jericho, will have to believe strongly that it happened at all, whereas on a summer's day he is afflicted by more than a thousand miracles of the first kind, which often calls to him annoyingly, "See here, you proud and arrogant man, how richly the Great Holy Creator has surrounded you with living miracles, from which you should learn and acknowledge within you how close to you the Lord of Life is!"
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Therefore, judge for yourselves which of the miracles is greater and more important in relation to you! To a heart full of loving understanding, I think a fly buzzing in your ear, a cricket chirping, a twittering sparrow and a modest (spring) violet do not sing a less an uplifting high song in praise to Me than Solomon in all his wisdom and kingly majesty!
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The wisdom of Solomon is great wisdom to those who themselves are into the wisdom of Solomon, but in the song of the living, as well as the silent, nature, lie greater, as well as endlessly deeper, things than in all the wisdom of the son of David!
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And so the fly tells you, with its so wonderfully rapid flight, what holy power sets its light wings into quick motion and with these wings carries the wonder animal happily in all directions, here and there, up and down, and tells you constantly as well, "If the Holy Father does such great miracles on me, a small despised animal, what will He do with you, His children?!
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Isn't this wisdom above wisdom and miracle above miracle?!
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The final part of this communication will reveal to you this miracle fully; therefore, let the good and true be enough for today!