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my defence; his mighty hand will ever support

me.

FEB. X.

The Order established by God in regard to the Life and Death of Man.

GOD observes the most exact and wonderful order in regard to our life and death. Both depend so little on a blind chance, that, on the contrary, all is regulated and measured in the wisest manner. If we make our calculation of a certain period of years, we shall find that there dies a proportionable number of men at every age of life..... At thirty-five or thirty-six there dies but one every year. On the other hand, there are annually more in proportion born than die; so that, if there die ten, we may always reckon that there are twelve born. Besides this, God shews a parti cular wisdom in regard to the several ages of those who die. In the first years, out of three or four children, there generally dies one. At five years old, one out of twenty-five; at seven, one out of fifty; at ten, one out of an hundred; at fourteen and fifteen, one out of two hundred. At twenty years old, it is pretty equal to fifteen. After twenty-five, mortality begins again to inAt thirty, there dies one out of an hundred; at thirty-five, one out of fifty, &c. In how strong a light does God manifest, on this occasion, his wisdom and goodness, by sparing younger people the most! And in what admirable proportion he takes them out of the world !--Amongst a thousand who die, there is every where a pretty equal number of young people of twenty years old, of fifty, of sixty, and eighty years of age. It is true, that the manner of life that men lead; their vices, wars, and epidemical disorders, may carry off more some years than others. But, even here,

crease.

Providence has taken care to set bounds to mor. tality in the following years, and to contrive that the loss which mankind had suffered should be amply repaired. Let us add to this, that every season of the year is not equally dangerous to mankind. Spring carries off the greatest number; and the beautiful month of May, wherein all na ture seems to revive, is more destructive than March or April. But as soon as the heats increase with the month of June, disorders sensibly diminish. Summer and autumn are more favourable to health than winter.

If we

Let us admire the providence of God, and his tender care for our preservation; even to the lowest beggar, and the child at the breast, has he numbered their days and years. How tranquil ought we to be, since our births, as well as our deaths, are so exactly determined; and how easy should it be to conquer any excessive fear of death! God has undoubtedly set limits to our lives, in the way most advantageous to us. enjoy the comfortable security of having found grace in the sight of God through Jesus Christ, we may be certain that we shall not be taken out of the world till we are ripe for eternity, and till the Lord has brought us to the degree of piety designed for us. Seduced by self-love, we often fancy, at the approach of death, that God treats us with great severity in calling us so soon out of this world; but let us be persuaded, that however premature our death may appear to us, it happens at the properest time, both for us and the rest of mankind. Let us not, however, presume (from this wise ordination of God in regard to our lives), upon a certain number of years. It is true, that fewer people die at fifteen than at three years old but if, in a place where the population is not great, there die annually but five young peo ple, how can we be sure that we shall not be of the number or, if we pass our fifteenth year,

that we shall not be carried off the next. Ought it not rather to animate us to finish the work appointed us, in the years we are likely to live? since it is uncertain whether those, wherein the mortality is, generally greater, should not be fatal to us. Let us not be mad enough to flatter ourselves with a long life. Death makes its greatest ravages in the years of our greatest strength; that is to say, between forty and sixty-five years of age: and it is when we think we have formed the wisest plans for living long and happily, that death comes suddenly in the midst of our hopes and projects. How wise, therefore, would it be to prepare betimes for that death which may every day surprise us! God, in his wisdom has ordained that there should die upon this earth about 30,000 people every day; and how likely are each of us to be of that number! How important is it, then, to think daily upon death, and to be well prepared for it! Let it be our chief employment: and then let it come when it may, it will find us watchful; and we may, even in our last moments, bless God, and our great Redeemer.

FEB. XI.

Reflections on Ice.

WATER, when condensed by cold, loses insensibly its fluidity, and changes by degrees, as the cold increases, into a solid body, called ice. This change, which at this season happens every day, deserves to be examined closely. At least, it is proper to learn some of the phenomena discovered in frozen waters. Ice is a lighter body than water; for, when frozen water is put into a temperate heat, so that it loosens from the sides of the vessel, the ice always swims at the top; whereas, if it was heavier, it must necessarily Vol. I. F

sink to the bottom. What makes it lighter, is the increase of its size; for, though it becomes at first more compact by cold, it dilates much when it becomes ice. This dilatation forms with so much violence, that ice can burst a copper globe of such a thickness, as would require à force for that purpose of 28,000 pounds. When the crust of ice forms itself at the top of the water, the ice is still entirely transparent, but when it thickens, it becomes opaque. This darkness proceeds from the bubbles of air, more or less, which meet in the ice, and occasion a more frequent refraction of rays. Ice continually exhales many vapours, even in the severest cold. It has been found, by repeated experiments, that, in the sharpest cold, four pounds of ice lose by evapo ration a whole pound of their weight in eighteen days; and that a piece of ice, weighing four ounces, becomes four grains lighter in the space of 24 hours. Ice generally begins at the top of the water. It is an error to imagine that it forms first at the bottom, and afterwards rises to the top: for the cold, which forms the ice, proceeding from the atmosphere, cannot take effect at the bottom of the water, without having first frozen all the upper part of it. The manner in which ice is formed is equally remarkable. It is in this way: when it freeześ slowly, one sees a multitude of little strings come from the sides, within the glass, and take different directions, making all sorts of angles, and uniting again, they form at the top of the water a coat of very thin ice. To these first threads others succeed, which multiply and enlarge into the form of flakes; which, still increasing in size and number, unite with the first coat. By degrees, as the ice thickens, a multitude of bubbles appear, and the colder it grows, the larger the bubbles become: from whence it happens, that the transparency of the ice di minishes, particularly towards the middle; and

then it begins to dilate with violence, and swell into a greater size. When the cold is very sharp, and it freezes hard, there forms on the surface of the water a thin membrane, which, quitting the sides of the glass, extends towards the middle. Under this membrane there come others, which appear in triangular shapes, the basis of which is at the sides of the glass, while the sharpest angles go towards the middle. It is thus that the crust of ice thickens, becomes opaque by the bubbles of air it contains, and, by dilating, becomes more and more light.

But after having reflected on these phenomena, is it not natural to say to one's self, What order, what harmony, reign even in the least works of nature! With what weight and measure is all regulated according to the times and seasons! How does every thing in nature concur to fulfil the de. signs of God! How great will our admiration be, when we have a more perfect and distinct knowledge of all his wise purposes.

FEB. XII.

The Spherical Form of our Earth.

PEOPLE generally fancy the earth an even plain, a round, flat surface: but, if that was the case, the exterior limits of this surface would be found out; and, in approaching any place, it would be impossible to see the tops of towers and mountains before the lower parts of them. The earth then must be a globe; but it is not exactly and strictly spherical, for it is a little more raised under the line, and flatter towards the poles, nearly resembling an orange. But that deviation from a circular form is very inconsi derable, at the most only ten German miles, which is scarce perceptible in a globe whose cir

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