could not move with so much order and regularity, and they would always require a new moving power to preserve them in motion. From this it is evident that the universe is arranged and governed by divine wisdom. The removal of any part of this immense edifice would derange the whole. Of what use to us would be the regular structure of plants and of animals, with the admirable arrangement of the heavenly spheres, if none of these bodies were susceptible of motion? How simple is this law, and how wonderful are its effects! Such always are the works of God: the principles are beautifully simple, and the whole edifice is as admirable. In contemplating the works of God, every spectator is not alike able to discover the fundamental laws upon which most of the phenomena depend; and, consequently, they are not equally able to perceive and acknowledge the wisdom which directs them. This knowledge is reserved for the attainment of the philosopher, whose labours are thus amply repaid by the pure and exhausted delight which they procure. There seems to be a certain degree of inertia inherent in the mind, somewhat similar to that which obtains in matter. Those bodies that constantly move in the same manner, and towards the same points, acquire a tendency to persist in the same direction; and a human mind has a similar propensity for those actions which we have often repeated in the same manner. Hence the difficulty of overcoming acquired habits. We may make a most excellent use of this propensity of mind, by directing it to strengthen our habits of virtue. For this purpose we have only to repeat very often the same good actions, till we are as much accustomed to deeds of virtue as we before were to those of vice. This is the more important, because without virtue we can never retain a true and lasting tranquillity. Whence proceeds those errors which we often commit in this respect? Why do we follow with unceasing perseverance, imaginary good, which in the end leads to destruction? Our hearts, seduced by that pride which is natural to them, and our minds, dazzled by the deceitful lustre of worldly objects, cause us very reluctantly to approach the paths of virtue. But let not the violence which we thus do to our inclinations and passions discourage us. The practisers of vice themselves are often obliged to restrain themselves in their mad career, and resist the impetuosity of their passions, in order to procure some temporal advantage, or to shun some particular evil; and this violence which they thus do themselves, in resisting their sensual desires and gratifications, must be very painful and severe to men corrupted by effeminacy and enervated by dissipation. On the contrary, what sweet emotions cheer the heart when the soul retains her command over the senses, and preserves them in that subordination which is consistent with the dignity of beings endowed with reason! By frequently exercising this command we at length attain that happy state, where the soul, elevated above the turbulent region of the passions, looks down with compassion upon the deluded votaries of vice, and pities the miserable victims devoted to her chains. 34 OCTOBER XXIX. WANTS OF MEN. No creature upon the earth has so many wants as man. He comes into the world naked, destitute, and ignorant. Nature has not endued him with that industry and instinct which most of the brute creation enjoy as soon as born; she has only given him the capability of acquiring reason and knowledge. In some respects, therefore, the animals may seem to be more favoured. They are extremely happy in having no need of clothes, instruments, and those conveniences so necessary to man; and in not being obliged to exercise that variety of arts and occupations, without which we cannot procure what our necessities demand. They possess at their birth, clothing, weapons, and every thing they require; or, if they require any thing more, they can easily procure it by means of their instinct, which they have only to follow blindly. If they want habitations, they know instinctively how to construct them. Do they require beds, covering, or clothes, they possess the art of spinning or weaving them; and they can change their old garments for new. If they have enemies, they are provided with natural arms for their defence; and are they ill or wounded, they know how to find remedies; whilst we, who are so much superior to all other animals, have more wants, and fewer means of satisfying them. Perhaps it will be asked, why the Creator has thus given to man less natural advantages than he has to brutes? and such a question undoubtedly is excusable, if not expressed from motives of dissatisfaction or inurmuring. The divine wisdom is equally manifested in this as in all other things. In subjecting man to more wants, God designed that he should continually exercise that ratiocinative faculty, which is given him for his happiness, and to supply the place of all the resources of the animals. And because we are destitute of the instincts which they enjoy, and that we have so many necessities to answer, we are obliged to have recourse to our reason to acquire a knowledge of the world, and of our own particular nature; to be diligent, active, and laborious, to secure ourselves from poverty, pain, and vexation, and to render our lives peaceable and happy. The faculty of reason also enables us to restrain our unruly passions, and preserve our minds free from the delusive influence of pleasures which might be fatal in their consequences. A few instances will suffice to illustrate this. If we could obtain without any labour fruits, and the necessary supply of food and other articles which we daily want, we should become idle and slothful, and pass our days in uninterrupted indolence; all the faculties of the soul, for want of exertion, would become enfeebled and enervated; the links that hold society together would be broken, because we should no longer depend upon one another; and children would have no occasion to apply to their parents for support and subsistence. The whole human race must then relapse into its former barbarism; and in a state of nature, each individual, like the brutes, would only live for himself; subordination could not exist, and all mutual obligations and good offices must cease. It is therefore to our wants that we owe the development of our faculties, and the prerogatives of humanity. They awaken the energies of our minds, give them activity and industry, and render our lives more pleasant and happy than those of other animals. Our very necessities, then, have rendered us sociable, rational, and orderly in our manners; and have led us to the invention of many useful arts and sciences. In general, an active and laborious life is advantageous and necessary to man. If his faculties and powers are not exercised, they become useless; he gradually gets into a state of stupidity, ignorance, and gross sensuality, with all their concomitant vices; whilst mental and bodily exertions give an agreeable activity to the whole machine, and procure as much satisfaction and delight, as it stimulates to industry, to science, and to knowledge. Natural wants, then, were necessary to render us rational, wise, social, virtuous, and happy. If, after having been nourished with our mother's milk, we had no farther occasion for assistance or instruction, we should only live for ourselves, learn no language, nor make any use of our reason; stupified, and in the profoundest ignorance both of ourselves and of all other beings, we should neither know arts nor sciences, nor ever experience that elevation of soul which arises from cultivating its powers, nor those sweet emotions of the heart which those only feel who are concerned for the good of others. Whereas, in the present constitution of things, the wants of children, and their total helplessness when they first draw breath, oblige their parents to take care of them out of tenderness and compassion; whilst the children, on their part, become strongly attached to their parents by reason of their wants, and from their fear of danger suffer themselves to be guided by them, form themselves by their examples and instructions, to make a good use of their reason, and acquire a sense of propriety of conduct. They thus grow up in virtue, form useful members of society, and are placed in a condition of leading a respectable and happy life. Possessing, then, all these advantages, we may readily dispense with those which animals appear to have over us. We have no need of furs or of feathers to cover us, nor of teeth or claws to defend us; of senses more acute than we now possess, or of instinct to enable us to procure what is necessary for our nourishment and preservation. These gifts of nature would degrade and reduce us to a perfection merely animal. Our senses and our reason, aided by our manual exertions, are sufficient to procure us clothing, food, and every thing necessary for our nourishment and preservation, as well as comfort and pleasure, with the abundant use of all the riches so exuberant in the kingdom of nature. It is proved, then, that those wants of which so many people complain are the true foundations of our happiness, and the best means that divine wisdom and goodness could choose to direct the faculties of man to their greatest possible advantage. Thus it is in the power of all men, by conforming themselves to the views of Omnipotence, to escape much trouble and vexation; the great mass of misery would thereby be lessened, and we should have joyful cause to acknowledge that the sum of good is much greater than that of evil, that our afflictions are tempered by a thousand blessings, and that it is in the power of every man, by unwearied exertions, aided by virtue and integrity, to render his days felicitous, and his life useful to all within the circle of his influence. OCTOBER XXX. HYMN UPON THE POWER AND PROVIDENCE OF GOD. God shall be my song. He is omnipotent: the Lord is his name: his works are great, and his government extends through all the heavens. He wills, he speaks, and millions of worlds rise into existence: he threatens, and they are reduced to dust. Light is his garment: his counsels are wisdom and truth. As God he reigns; truth and righteousness are the foundation of his throne. Monarch of all the worlds, who is like unto thee? Without beginning of days, and without end of time, thou art eternal in the heavens, the incorruptible, unceasing source of glory, wisdom, and felicity. All that is, was, or ever shall be, in heaven, earth, or sea, is known to God. He has contemplated his innumerable works from all eternity. He encompasseth us: he watches over us, and under the shadow of his wings we rest in safety. None of our actions escape his penetration he searches the inmost recesses of the heart. He is always near us: when we lie down, and when we rise up, he is present: he knows our thoughts before we are conscious of them: if we climb up to heaven he is there; and though we should fly with the rays of the sun to the boundaries of the universe, or fathom the depth of the ocean, there he is also. He knows our afflictions: he heareth our prayers, and sees all that passes in our souls. All our good actions are known to him, as well as those that are bad; and when we are in danger of falling, his merciful hand upholds us. From eternity he has planned the welfare of man; we have nothing that does not proceed from him: we are wholly his; by his goodness we live. Let us therefore glorify his name, and continually sing his praises. Who is able to comprehend and recount the grandeur and magnificence of God's creation? Every grain of dust displays his power; every blade of grass his wisdom; and the air, the sea, the hills, the valleys, and the meadows, declare his glory. God waters the earth, and spreads a verdant carpet beneath our feet. His blessings encompass us: the day and night, the corn, and the fruit of the vine, joy and abundance, all flow from him. Not a sparrow falleth to the earth without his will; and why shall man abandon himself to vexation, and not confide in the paternal cares of his God, his protector and constant supporter, under whose shelter and guardian power no dangers can overcome, no terrors appal? With God for our leader, we need not fear the united powers of darkness, of oppression, and of iniquity: though tempests roar and storms howl around us, we may in safety view the contending elements, and calmly contemplate the sublimity of nature, whilst we adore the Deity. OCTOBER XXXI. A HYMN OF PRAISE. Thou, O Lord, hast created the hosts of heaven, and the myriads of angels, which unceasingly surround thy throne. The immense extent of the heavens, with all their magnificence, is the tabernacle of those blessed spirits which love and adore thee. Thou hast adorned this globe of earth with a thousand beauties that delight our souls. The sun which animates so many spheres, which fertilizes our fields, and enriches us with so many blessings, never wanders from the vast orb which thou hast prescribed to him. At thy command the moon's paler radiance nightly gleams in the heavens; and wherever we cast our view we perceive the effects of thy goodness, and thy blessings never cease to visit us. Springs and fountains, that ever flow, preserve for us their pure and limpid streams. The mild dew waters and refreshes our meadows. The mountains and the valleys, the fields and the groves, present us with a thousand beauties; and the whole earth, which thy hand sustains in infinite space, is full of thy riches, crowned with thy blessings, and fertilized by thy bounty. Let us bear without murmuring the afflictions of life; they are always solaced by some moments of enjoyment, and mitigated by the cheering influence of hope. The grand spectacle of nature animates our drooping spirits, and the rays of divine grace dry up all our tears. But who can fathom the depth of thy ways? In this life, good and evil accompany each other. Earthquakes, tempests, war, pestilence, and famine, often disturb the happiness and security of men; and death, unrelenting and unsparing, spreads wide his devastation. A breath overturns us, lays us in the tomb, and reduces us to dust, 84* ЗА |