that irradiate them, and the light reflected from a thot sand beauteous objects, ask thyself whence all these pr ceed? Who has formed the immense vault of heaven Who has placed in the firmament those exhaustless fires shose constellations whose rays shoot through such an in conceivable space? And who directs their course with the beauty of order, and the harmony of regularity, and conr mands the sun to enlighten and make fruitful the earth? Thou wilt answer, the everlasting God, at whose word the creation arose fair and beautiful, whose wisdom still di reets it, and whose mercy still operates for the felicity of all mankind. His hand has established the foundations of the mountains, and raised their summits above the clouds; He has clothed them with trees, and beautified them with flowers and verdure; and He has drawn from their bosoms the rivers and streams which irrigate the earth. To the flowers of the field He has given their beauty, and fragrance, far exceeding all the combinations of art and efforts of skill. All the creatures that are seen in the air, in the waters, and on the earth, owe to Him their existence, and the possession of that instinet which is their preservation; and man, in himself a world of won. ders, looks up to God as his Creator and Protector.

Let our chief care and most pleasing duty be henceforth to seek for the knowledge of God in the contemplation of his works. There is nothing in the heavens or upon the earth which does not impress upon our minds the won. derful wisdom and admirable beneficence of the Creator, to whom, in the midst of the revolutions of nature, let us raise our thoughts, and pour forth the joyful accents of our love and gratitude.

MAY V.

Morning.

WHEN Aurora first peeps, and dissipates the shades of night, we seem to enjoy a new creation. The faint streaks that mark the eastern horizon soon become more vivid, and

the morning breaks with beauty; we begin to distinguish the verdure of the hills, the opening flowers, and the pure streams that water the meads. The horizon becomes more luminous, the clouds assume the most beautiful tints, and the charms of the distant valleys open upon us; the breath of the hawthorn is sweet, the dew-drops upon the flowers shew the pure lustre of pearls, and nature rejoices in her existence. The first sun-beam darts from behind the mountains that skirt the horizon, and plays upon the earth; more succeed, and the brillianey increases, till the disk of the luminary encircled in glory is visible, and the sun shines in full refulgence; he gains the mid-heaven and no eye can sustain his glory.

When I stand upon the summit of some lofty cliff, and see the star of day slowly rise out of the ocean that foams beneath, I feel a mingled sensation of sublimity, awe, and adoration; I think of the infinite God, the Creator of the sun, and in the beauties of the rising day acknowledge his power and wisdom. With the lark, that carolling in the air, meets the morning, and by the sweetness of his strains proclaims the arrival of day, I soar in thought into the regions of glory, and hail the great source of light. The joy and gaiety of all nature, and the raptures of the creation, raise in my breast the strongest emotions of gratitude, whilst my heart swells with delight, and every sense is ecstacy. Yet there are many thousands of human be. ings who have never known the pleasure of such sensa- ~ tions, nor even experienced the gratification of viewing the morning sun; who prefer the drowsy influence of their bed, and the confined limits of their gloomy chamber, to the freshness of morning and the brilliancy of day.

MAY VI.

Vision.

To enable us to perceive external objects, it is requisite that rays of light be reflected from them. These rays are transmitted to the eye, passing through the transparent cornea, by whose convexity they are united into a focus,

through the aqueous humour and pupil of the eye, inte the crystalline lens, which condenses them more; and af ter this concentration, they penetrate the vitreous humour, and impress on the retina the images of external objects; and the optic nerves, of which the retina is an expansion, convey these impressions to the mind, which forms per ceptions and ideas according to the different sensations excited by the object presented.

The faculty of vision is one of the most wonderful properties of human nature, and particularly merits our attention. Though the image of external objects is painted upon the retina in an inverted position, we yet see them in their proper situation. And what is still more admirable with such a small organ as the eye, we perceive the largest objects, and take in the whole of their dinensions. From the height of a tower we see at a distance the numerous buildings of a large city painted upon our retina with the utmost exactness and precision, notwithstanding the extreme minuteness of the organ which receives so many millions of rays without confusion. From the topmast we see the ocean covered with a vast fleet, and waves innumerable undulating around us; from each of which rays of light must penetrate the eye, whose volume is so minute. Or, having gained the summit of some lofty mountain, if we direct our view over the distant plains, every object that we notice reflects a number of rays upon our organs of vision, or we could not distinguish the purling brooks, nor the flowery meads. Rays of light not only pass from these objects to our eyes, they are transmitted to every part of the surrounding atmosphere; hence, wherever we pass within a certain distance, the same objects are still visible, the rays constantly proceeding from them, whether they meet the focus of our eye

or not.

So far we are able to explain the wonders of vision, but beyond this all is darkness: it has pleased the Almighty Creator to conceal from our limited understanding the immediate connexion between matter and mind; we know the image of external objects is reflected on the retina, and that the mind takes cognizance of it, and here we must rest satisfied; for to explain the manner in which we see these objects is impossible.

MAY VII.

Spring renews the Face of the Earth.

HOW great a change has taken place throughout nature! The earth, which has reposed during the winter, resumes its fertility, and all the creation rejoices. A few weeks since, every thing was desolate, and wore the aspect of sterility; the vallies now so beautiful were buried in snow, and the mountains, whose blue summits pierce the clouds, were shrouded in thick mist. In those verdant avenues where now dwells the nightingale, were only seen withered branches and leafless trunks. The rivers and streams which now flow murmuring along their channels, were arrested in their course, and rendered motionless by ice. The little choristers, whose loud notes swell upon the breeze, were torpid in their retreats, or had retired to other climes. A mournful silence reigned in the fields, the groves were still, and far as the eye could reach. solitude met the aching view. But when the first zephyrs of spring played upon the earth, nature felt their refreshing influence, and arose from her stupor; joy and gaiety were awakened, and laughing pleasure banished

every care.

The sun-beams penetrate, the sweet flowers spring up, the trees again look young, the budding beauties and the freshness of the verdure gladden the heart, and its foy is perfected in feeling the happiness of all around. Who can behold such a picture without emotion, or see it without thinking of the ineffable Being that produced it? The Lord breathes upon the earth and the valleys smile; he watereth them with his dew, and they are fertile. His presence ripeneth the harvests, and fills our hearts with joy. His blessing is upon the furrows, and the parching earth drinks of the refreshing rain, which softens it, and the seeds spring forth. The year is crowned with blessings, and the breath of God maketh the ground fruitful; under his steps flowers and fruits spring up, and all fruitfulness and abundance belong unto him. The pastures are watered with soft showers, and the hills are adorned with a beautiful verdure. The fields are covered with

flocks, and the young corn rejoices the valleys. All na ture rises in one general song of praise and thanksgiving to her bountiful Parent.

In the revolution effected by the mild influence of the spring, I seem to see the representation of that salutary change which the soul feels when it yields to the opera tions of the divine Spirit of God. Before this it had no real beauty; its faculties, perverted and depraved, were incapable of producing the precious fruits of piety, till the saving grace of God was felt in the heart, when it resembled the earth cheered by the vernal sun. Ignorance disappeared, the passions were controlled, and vice shrunk back ashamed; the heart glowed with virtue, and the mind was impressed with humility; and a firm reliance upon the blessed doctrines of truth.

MAY VIII.

Germination of Seeds.

MANY changes in the vegetable kingdom are now taking place under our immediate notice, whilst others are operating in secret, concealed from our observation. The grain which had been previously deposited in the earth swells, and the plant at length sprouts and gradually shoots up. As this is the beginning of all the beauties which spring and summer offer us in the vegetable kingdom, it merits some attention. Seeds are composed of different parts, according to the variety of species, the principal of which parts is the germ. Each germ has two parts; the one simple, which becomes the root, and the other laminated, which becomes the stem of the plant. The substance of most seeds is composed of two pieces called lobes, which contain a farinaceous matter, and serve as seminal leaves to the plants. Mosses have the most sin ple seed, consisting only of the germ, without pellicle and without lobes. To make seeds germinate, air, and a cer tain degree of heat and moisture are necessary. The aug. mented heat, and the difference observable in the taste and smell, seem to denote a degree of fermentation; and the farinaceous substance becomes fitted to nourish the tender germ. It has been ascertained by experiments made