more. There is a time also, when the labours, the cares, and the vexations of man shall cease, when his sorrows shall be no In the spring and summer of life, the greatest activity and exertions are necessary to secure a comfortable existence for ourselves, and to contribute all in our power to the good of our fellow-creatures. The autumn will soon arrive; and may we resemble the luxuriant trees which shed into our lap their ripe and mature fruits! may we be enabled from our own fulness to give to others a portion of our treasures, and make the rich stores of our minds flow into those who have not equal opportunities of acquiring knowledge! so that in the winter of our age, when the measure of our days shall be filled, and our head silvered o'er with time, it may be said, as we pass along, See that venerable man, who has devoted his youth to the benefit of mankind, whose days have been passed in the continued exertion of his faculties, and in the constant pursuit of active good, he is hastening to receive the reward of his good actions in the eternal kingdom of peace, of joy, and of felicity! JANUARY XVIII. Of the Laplanders. It is my desire to begin this meditation with a lively sense of gratitude to my Creator, and of compassion for those of my fellow-creatures to whom nature has been less bountiful in her gifts. I shall confine my attention in this day's reflection to the Laplanders, and to the natives of those countries which border upon the arctic circle; a race of people whose lot compared with ours, seems to be much less happy. Their country is almost entirely formed of mountains, perpetually capped with snow and ice, the continued chain of which is only interrupted by vast marshes. Winter reigns during the greatest part of the year; the nights are long, and the days have but a feeble light. According to the In winter season, the inhabitants live in houses or in tents. they seek shelter from the cold in their houses, which have neither door nor chimney; the fire is in the centre, and the smoke escapes through a vaulted aperture in front, by which they enter the house, being from the lowness of the passage obliged to creep upon their hands and feet; the roof of the house is covered with furs, and the walls within are lined with the same materials; they also sleep and sit down upon the skins of animals. During six months of the year they are enveloped in the shades of night, and, confined to their houses, hear nothing around them but the whistling of the wind, the roaring of the tempest, and the fierce howling of the wolves, driven by hunger to prowl for their prey near the habitations of man. How thankful ought we to be that we do not live in such a climate, where, far as the eye can reach, extends one vast chain of icy mountains and immense deserts, covered with snow! where the cold is intense, the habitations miserable, and no means of subsistence but such as are offered by the dangerous and toilsome chase can be obtained! where we should be deprived of all the pleasures and comforts procured by the arts, and all the charms and blessings of a cultivated society! Let us then feel and know the value of our own climate, and glorify God, who has made our condition so much superior, and distinguished us with such numerous advantages. Yet the hardy inhabitant of these northern regions is not the unfortunate being we may suppose. It is true that he wanders exposed to every inclemency of sky, through a dreary and rugged country; that he is poor, and deprived of many of life's choicest blessings; and that for months together he is never cheered by the sun-beams. But his frame is strong and capable of enduring much fatigue, his wants are few, education and habit inure him to the rigours of the clime, and the gloom of his long nights is rendered supportable by the moon and frequent glimmering of the aurora-borealis. The Laplander is extremely agile, and glides over the snow, upon skates, with a velocity which frequently outstrips the fleet deer: in these expeditions, a stranger to fear, he will scale the hills or fly down the pre cipice. The rein-deer is subservient to his use, and yoked to the sledge, this swift animal will draw him over immense tracts of country; and when worn out with age or fatigue, his skin supplies clothing and furniture. In the beginning of the spring, when the melting snow penetrates their humble roofs, these people quit their houses to pass the summer in tents, which they find more convenient for their mode of living; these they make as comfortable as possible, and smile at the accounts of travellers who attempt to persuade them it is possible to enjoy greater happiness than they experience in what we call their miserable situation. They are hospitable, and lovers of peace; but prone to revenge, and extremely superstitious: they have their feasts and their entertainments, with different diversions; and were the rays of knowledge and of a pure reli gion ever to irradiate their minds; their idle dreams of witches, of spirits, anl of hobgoblins; their belief in magic and in charms; to be dissipated by the torch of truth, they might, indeed, since happiness is not confined to any particular country, be a happy and an independent race of men. JANUARY XIX. Wisdom displayed in the Structure of the Globe. HOWEVER limited the human capacity may be, and confined the understanding; and though we are unable to comprehend the great plan of the universe, we may yet, through the medium of our senses, and by the exertion of those faculties which we all enjoy, discover enough to know and admire the wisdom of God. To be convinced of this we have only to consider the figure of the earth, which we shall find to be that of a sphere, a form the best adapted for its surface, to be every where inhabited by living creatures. This end could not have been accomplished if the inhabitants of the earth did not experience a sufficient degree of light and heat; if water could not, in every part, circulate without impediment; and if the winds were not suffered to blow unretarded by ob stacles. For all these purposes the rotundity of the earth is admirably adapted; it is owing to this that the light and heat are so readily diffused throughout the globe. Were it not for this form, the succession of night and day, the different changes of the temperature of the air, of cold, of heat, of moisture, and of dryness, could not have occurred. If we consider the immense body of the earth and its excellent degree of consistence, neither too hard nor too soft, we have still more cause to admire the Supreme wisdom. Was it more hard, more compact, and less penetrable, it would be incapable of being converted to the purposes of agriculture, and we should not enjoy the plants, the herbs, the roots, and the flowers, which now beautify its surface, and are nourished within its fostering bosom. The earth is formed of different strata, consisting of fossils, bituminous and calcareous matters, metals and minerals; the water which we drink and convert to so many useful purposes is rendered limpid by filtrating through beds of sand at a great depth within the earth; the mountains and the valleys, the plains and the hills, which diversify its surface, whilst they contribute by their beauty to the pleasure of man, promote his health as well as the salubrity of the various species of plants and animals which exist in every situation of the earth. Who is there that will not acknowledge that the whole plan of the earth, its form, its exterior and interior struc ture, are all regulated by the wisest laws, and all tending to promote and to increase the happiness of animated beings? Wherever we direct our attention, whether to examine the beautiful and grand objects diffused over the face of nature, or whether to penetrate within the interior of the earth, we perceive that every thing is arranged with wisdom, and we every where discover the legible characters and broad stamp of an infinite, Almighty, and Supreme Being. JANUARY XX, Short Meditations upon the Works of God, taken from the Scriptures. 'HEARKEN unto this, stand still, and consider the wonderful works of God.'* 'Jehovah hath formed the earth by his power; he hath established the earth by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his understanding.'t 'And God said, Let there be light, and there was light; and God saw the light that it was good; and God separated the light from the darkness, and he called the light day, and the darkness he called night.'+ Thou art the Lord who hast made the heavens and the heaven of heavens, with all their hosts; the earth, and all things therein; the seas, and all that is therein: thou givest life to all things, and the hosts of heaven worship thee.'§ 'O Lord, my God! thou art marvellously great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty! Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment; who stretchest out the heavens as a curtain. The Lord layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters, he maketh the clouds his chariot; he waiketh upon the wings of the wind: he maketh the winds his messengers, and the lightnings his agents. He hath laid the foundations of the earth so that they cannot be shaken. He hath covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains, but at his rebuke they fled; at the voice of his thunder they hasted away.'|| 'He hath stretched out the heavens over the chaos, and hath hung the earth upon nothing. He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds, and the clouds is not rent under them. His power raiseth the waves of the sea, and his wisdom restraineth their fury. He raiseth the vapours, and assembleth them in clouds, which pour down in rain upon the face of the earth. He covereth the heavens with dark clouds, and the thunderbolts issue from his tabernacle. Job xxxvii. 14. † Jer. x. 12. Ps. civ. 1. 7. D Gen. i. 3---5. He |