FEBRUARY XV.

of Brutes.

WHEN we attentively examine the bodies of different animals, we discover many advantages which they possess over man. Many of them have bodies much stronger and more compact than those of the human species. Most of them at their first entrance into the world are capable of using all their limbs, of seeking their for food, and of fol lowing the instinet imparted to them by nature; and are not liable to the cruel sufferings which we experience in our infancy, and which so often injure our constitution. And what an admirable instinct and sagacity they display! What address and skill they exert in the use of their senses! How exquisite is their sense of smell! How piercing their sight! How rapid, how nimble, how active all their movements! How they speed and fly along! And if we consider the wonderful structure of some of their organs, the noble and majestic figure of some animals, we shall find, with respect to bodily perfections, we often yield to, or scarcely equal, many of the brute creation.

Some people are so weak as to complain that God has not given them the wings of the eagle, the force and speed of the fiery courser, the subtle smell of the dog, the eye of the hawk, and the agility of the stag. But such desires are the offspring of ignorance, of folly, and of presumption; of men, who do not feel that they possess a soul which enables them to soar far above these animals, and to make all their powers serve the convenience of man. Without mind we should indeed be inferior to brutes, which so far excel us in bodily powers; but they enjoy these advantages to enable them to live in the state allotted them without the reasoning faculty: for miserable indeed would have been their lot, did they not possess their present advantages; or were they possessed of reason, in a state of slavery, living only to be butchered, or to perpetually toil for the benefit of man.

We have here renewed cause to admire the wisdom and mercy of Providence, who has thus formed the brute creation. We see his wisdom in having given them instinet, sa

gacity, and strength, in a certain degree, proportionate to their necessities; and made all subservient to man: and his mercy is manifest in their entire ignorance of their situation. They possess all the pleasures they are capable of enjoying, but they cannot anticipate evil, nor think beyond the present moment: formed for this life only, they cannot in thought penetrate unknown regions, nor feel any pleasure but from the senses; whilst the mind of man finding nothing in this state of existence worthy to rest upon, reposes in confidence upon the certainty of a future state, where all its powers will shine with unclouded lustre.

FEBRUARY XVI.

Of the Moon.

Of all the heavenly bodies, next to the sun, the moon has the most salutary influence upon our earth; and though her grandeur and beauty did not mark her as an object highly worthy of our attention, she would yet be so from the very great benefit she produces. With the naked eye we can discover several phenomena in the moon; we find she is an opaque body, with her luminous part always opposed to the sun, shining only by reflecting the sun's light; hence it follows that that side which is next the sun is enlightened, whilst the other half must be dark and invisible: when exactly opposite the sun she appears with a round illumined orb, which we call the full moon. By her continual changes we know that she shines with a borrowed light; for if the light was her own, being globular, we should always see her with a full round orb like the sun. She turns round the earth once in twenty four hours, and finishes her complete revolution in about twenty-nine days and a half. But what we can observe by the naked eye is far short of what we discover by the aid of telescopes, and ascertain by nice calculations. How great are our obligations to those enlightened men who have extended the limits of our knowledge by researches and discoveries, which enables us to form more distinct and eertain notions

of the heavenly bodies! By means of their profound investigations we now know that the moon, apparently so small, is but thirteen times less than this earth; its diameter is 2180 miles, and its distance from the earth's centre 240,000. Upon the face of the moon several spots. are discovered visible even to the nakedeye. Some of these are pale and obscure, others more luminous, as they refleet more or less light. The luminous spots are high mountains, which reflect the sun's light from their lofty summits; and the dark spots are the transparent fluid bodies. of seas, which from their nature absorb most of the rays of light, and reflect very few. These discoveries, to which we can oppose no well-grounded objection, inform us, that the moon is a body much more considerable and of greater consequence than ignorant people have imagined. The magnitude, the distance, and all that we have hitherto discovered respecting this planet, afford us fresh proofs of the almighty power of the Creator. But can this vast body have no other use and destination than to illumine this earth during the night? Can this body, which in many respects resembles our world, and appears calculated to perform the same ends, and to which this earth itself serves as a moon, be created merely to produce the ebbing and flowing of the sea, and some other of the advantages we derive from it? Can it be supposed that the surface of a body some hundreds of thousands of square miles in extent should be destitute of living crea tures? Would the Infinite Being have left this immense space empty and desert? We cannot reconcile such a

"As this opinion is regarded by some to be erroneous, it may be instructive to quote that of Mr. Ferguson, who says, Those dark parts of the moon, which were formerly thought to be seas, are now found to be only vast deep cavities and places which reflect not the sun's light so strongly as others, having many caverns and pits whose shadows fall within them, and are always dark on the side next the sun; which demonstrates their being hollow: and most of these pits have little knobs like hillocks standing within them, and casting shadows also, which cause these places to appear darker than others which have fewer or less remarkable caverns. All these appearances shew that there are no seas in the moon; for if there were, their surfaces would appear smooth and even, like those on the earth.E.

supposition with the wisdom and goodness of God; let us rather suppose that he has established his empire in the moon as well as in our world, and that he receives aspirations of gratitude from millions of creatures who adore the same God, the same Father and Saviour, as do the inhabitants of this earth, and for the happiness of whom God has the same cares and solicitude as for us.

But as our knowledge upon this great and interesting subject must necessarily be limited, at present let us be grateful for the certain and known benefits we receive from the moon, in which the tender cares of Providence for man are evidently manifest. The moon is so near to us that we receive from her more light than from all the fixed stars together; by this means we have a noble and sublime object to contemplate, and receive incalculable advantages from its presence; since by its light we enjoy a continued day, and are enabled to travel in safety and with pleasure, as well as pursue many necessary occupations. By its means we can also exactly measure time, and through the medium of the almanack the vulgar are benefited by the abstruser studies of the philosopher. Lord Omnipotent! I adore thy wisdom and goodness in the light of the moon as in that of the sun. As I contemplate the heavens which thou hast formed, thy grandeur fills me with admiration and astonishment. May I, O Lord! lift up the eyes of my understanding to thee, far above all terrestrial objects! To thee who hast created all these magnificent globes, and wisely arranged them for our benefits. The starry heavens, which illumine the winter nights, announce thy majesty, and attest the infinity of thy empire!

FEBRUARY XVII.

Rain fertilizes the Earth.

THE fertility of the earth chiefly depends upon the moisture which it receives from rain and aqueous vapours. If the irrigation of the earth depended upon the care and labour of man, his toil would be unceasing; and with all his exertions he could not prevent the desolating effects of dryness and famine. Men might assemble and unite all their forces, they might exhaust their rivers and their fountains,

without being able to supply the creation with a sufficiency of moisture to prevent the plants and vegetables drooping and perishing for the want of water. Hence we see how necessary it is that the exhalations and vapours should be collected and retained in the clouds, which, by the aid of winds, shower down fertility upon the ground, by refreshing and renewing the vigour of plants, trees and vegetables. The treasures so exuberantly teeming on the earth's surface are richer than the gems of Golconda or the mines of Peru; for we can live without gold and without silver, but without herbs and grain we could not exist. The advantages of rain are incalculable; it entirely renovates the face of the earth, and the furrows of the field eagerly drink the descending waters. The seeds develope their beauties, and the labours of the husbandman are rewarded. The farmer works, sows, plants, and God gives the increase. Man does all that depends upon his exertions, and what he cannot effect God executes; in winter he covers the seeds with a protecting mantle, and in summer warms and vivifies them by the sun's rays, and adds to their nourishment by rain. He crowns the year with his benefits, and causes his blessings so to succeed each other, that men are not only nourished and supported, but their hearts overflow with joy and gaiety.

The showers fall upon the pastures of the wilderness, and the little hills rejoice on every side. The fields are white with flocks, the valleys are covered with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing. Bless then and rejoice in your Creator; by his order the seasons are renewed, and succeed one another with beauteous regularity. For us the rains descend, and the earth is clothed with fertility and verdure. God opens his liberal hand, and showers down blessings upon man; our countries receive them, and joy and gladness fill the earth. Let us then adore the Creator, and sing songs of joy and of praise to his honour and glory for ever and ever.