least expensive, and most universal of all pleasures. It is that which our first parents enjoyed in paradise; and it is only the fallen state of man which makes him seek other pleasures. Men are apt to despise the daily blessings they enjoy, however excellent; and they only think of multiplying and varying their amusements. It is certain, however, that the pleasure I speak of is preferable to all others. It is almost impossible not to find charms in the contemplation of nature. And that it may be enjoyed without expence is manifest; the poor, as well as the rich, may indulge it. But that is what lessens the value of it. We are so foolish as not to prize what others share with us; while, if we were reasonable, nothing should give more value to a blessing, than the thought that it makes the happiness of our fellow-creatures as well as our own. In comparison of this pleasure, so noble and sensible, how trifling and vain are those far-fetched magnificent amusements, which the rich obtain with so much trouble and expence, which leave a certain void in the soul, always ending in ennui and disgust. Whereas, nature, rich and beneficent, presents us continually with new objects. Pleasures, which are only the work of our own imagination, are of short duration, and vanish like a dream, the charms and illusions of which are lost at the moment of waking. But the pleasures of reason, and of the heart, those we enjoy in contemplating the works of God, are solid and lasting, because they open to us an inexhaustible source of new delights. The starry sky, the earth enamelled with flowers, the melodious songs of the birds, the various landscapes, and prospects, every one more delightful than another, may continually furnish us with new subjects of satisfaction and joy. If we are insensible to these, it is certainly our own fault; it is because we be hold the works of nature with an inattentive and

indifferent eye. The duty of a Christian consists in enjoying innocently all that surrounds him. He knows how to draw resources from every thing, and has the art of being happy under any circumstances, at little expence, and without danger to his virtue.

O beneficent Creator, thou rememberest us in this lovely season, and providest abundance of the most real pleasures. A thousand sources of delight are open to us. Joy and gladness surround us on all sides; if we wish to raise ourselves to Thee, to give way to holy meditations, to feel heavenly impressions, all nature furnishes the opportunity. May we ever prefer this noble enjoyment to all sensual pleasures! In the days of spring, may the sight of the beauties of nature affect us more than those seducing pleasures, which only flatter the senses without interesting the mind! Lord, teach us thyself, to know and to feel thy power and goodness. For, it is only in studying to find Thee in all thy works, that we can open to ourselves an inexhaustible and pure source of delight. We shall then have a foretaste of that fulness of joy, which we shall experience in thy presence for evermore.

APRIL XXX.

Animals are Causes for Man to glorify God.

IT is not sufficient not to treat creatures inproperly; we ought also to endeavour to make the best use possible of them. How then can that be, but by making them serve to glorify God! This all creatures do, but particularly the animated beings. In every plant, tree, flower, or stone, the greatness and glory of the Creator are visibly imprinted, and one need only open his eyes to see it; but it appears with still more lustre in the

animal creation. Examine the construction of one only of those animated beings. What art, what beauty, what admirable wisdom, shall we find in it! and how will these wonders multiply, if we think of the almost infinite number and astonishing variety of animals! From the elephant to the smallest worm (which is only visible through a microscope), how many degrees! How many lines, which form one immense chain! What connection, what order, what relation between all those creatures! All is harmony! And if, at first sight, we think we discover any imperfection in certain things, we soon find it is only our ignorance which has led us to form a wrong judgment. It is not necessary that every individual should make deep researches on this subject. It is not necessary to be a learned naturalist. It is enough to attend to the most familiar and the best known things before our eyes. We see, for example, a multitude of animals, all admirably formed; who all live, and feel, and move, as we do; who are, like us, liable to hunger, thirst, and cold, and consequently require, as we do, that their wants may be supplied. To all those creatures God has given life; he preserves, he gives them what is necessary, and takes care of them, as a father of a family does of those that compose his household. Shall we not from thence conclude, that God has the goodness, the tenderness of a father? Shall we not also conclude, that we ought to love God, who is mercy itself? If the care of the Creator extends to animals, what will he not do for us? If he makes it his study to render the lives of those creatures happy and easy, what may we not expect from his beneficence! Let the cautious fearful man then blush at his anxieties; he who, as soon as he finds himself not in affluence, falls into apprehensions, and fears that God will let him perish for want. That beneficent Being, who supplies the wants of so

many animals, will he not furnish us with all that we require? Let us indulge another reflection upon the instincts of beasts, and take occasion from it to admire and adore that great Being, who so wisely combines the means with the end. As the instincts of animals all tend to their preservation, this appears most evidently in the love and care the beasts have of their young. Our Lord himself, to express the most parental cares, makes use of the image of a hen gathering her chickens under her wings. It is indeed a most affecting sight to behold the natural and strong af fection the hen has for her young ones, and the constant care she takes of them. She never takes her eyes off them. She runs to their assistance at the approach of the least danger. She flies at the aggressor with courage. She hazards her own life to save that of her chickens. She calls them and encourages them by her maternal voice. She spreads out her wings to receive and conceal them. She neglects all sorts of convenience to herself; and, in the most uneasy posture, she still thinks of nothing but the safety and welfare of the objects of her affection. Who does not here acknow ledge the hand of God! Without the maternal care of the hen; without that instinct so strong, and so superior to every thing, the chickens, the whole species, would infallibly perish. Can it be said that what the hen does for her young is done with understanding and reflection, that she judges, reasons, foresees, combines, and draws consequences? Certainly not. And though, at first sight, every thing really seems to proceed from the tenderness and understanding of the bird; yet we must acknowledge in it a superior hand, which shews itself, without our knowing in what manner it acts. I think these two examples are sufficient for the purpose: Therefore, without enlarging more upon it, I shall content myself with concluding in a few words, That it is the

duty of man to seek in the animals an occasion to glorify God; that it is an indispensible duty, which ought to be sacred to him, and is equally agreeable and useful.

MAY I.

The System of the World.

THE sun, of all parts of the system of th world, is that which interests us the most. Its form is spherical, and it is composed of a fiery substance which never consumes. There are spots in certain parts of it (as may be seen through telescopes), which shew that it moves round its own axis. This body is one hundred millions of miles distant from us. It is a million of times larger than our earth, the circumference of which is more than 24,000 miles; it communicates its light to nineteen opaque globes, which take their course round it at different distances, and are called planets. The nearest to it is Mercury, which is in a manner buried in the rays of the sun! and this being so close to it, is the reason that, of all the planets, we know the least of it. A little farther is Venus, which is called the Morning Star, poetically Lucifer, when she rises before the Sun, and the Evening Star, poetically Hesperus, when she sets after the sun. Next to Venus comes our globe, the surface of which is composed of land and water, mountains and valleys; and the interior part consists of beds and strata of different substances. This earth is the abode of a multitude of creatures, both animate and inanimate, metals, plaats, and animals. The moon turns in a particular orbit round us, and accompanies our globe in the whole circle it describes round the sun. It is fifty times smaller than the earth; and there are visibly distinguished in it some parts that are light and shining, and