ed over all, from generation to generation. Amen. Come quickly, even so, come Lord Jesus. AMEN.

F

END OF CHRISTIAN ECONOMY.

REFLECTIONS

ON THE

NATURE, WORKS, AND PROVIDENCE

OF GOD.

An Invitation to seek God in the works of Nature.

AWAKE, O my soul, from the slumbers which have so long benumbed thy faculties, and attentively regard the surrounding objects. Reflect upon thy own nature, and upon that of other creatures; consider their origin, structure, form, and utility, with every additional circumstance that can fill thee with love and adoration of the allwise Creator. When thou seest the variegated and brilliant colours of the heavens, the lustre of the numerous stars that irradiate them, and the light reflected from a thousand beauteous objects, ask thyself whence all these proceed? Who has formed the immense vault of heaven? Who has placed in the firmament those exhaustless fires, those constellations whose rays shoot through such an inconceivable space? And who directs their course with the beauty of order, and the harmony of regularity, and commands 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 directs it, and whose mercy still operates for the felicity of 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 posses. sion of that instinct which is their preservation; and man in himself, a world of wonders, 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 wonderful 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

Hymn of Thanksgiving for the Works of Nature.

To thee, O Lord, from whom all blessings pro ́ceed, and who dispenses them with a liberal hand, to thee belong glory, honour and thanksgiving. Thou hearest the cries of the young raven, and delightest in the song of the lark; be pleased to hearken also unto my voice, and receive the praises of a grateful heart. "The least of thy creatures proclaims thy wisdom; and the traces of thy goodness and power, beheld from one end of the year to the other, are continually renewing.

With the tenderness of a father thou providest for the wants of all thy creatures, and givest them their proper food. The returning sun, as he daily illumines the eastern horizon, witnesses the endless succession of thy benefits, showered down in profusion upon all created nature. O God, who is like unto thee!

Teach me, O Lord, how to praise thee with acceptance, and incline my heart to love thee, that henceforth I may only live for him who loadeth me with blessings.

It is in thy name and in the hope of thy blessing that the husbandman commits his grain to the furrow. It is thou who formest the seed, and enduest it with fertility. The earth, which was once cursed by the sins of mankind, blessed again by its Creator, now brings forth an abundance of fruits.

Thou causest the fertilizing rains to descend upon the furrows of the field; thou clothest the meadows, the valleys and the plains, with flowers herbs, and groves; and thou directest the cool and refreshing dew to revive our gardens and fields, and to shed upon them fertility and abundance.

The dry and parched land thou waterest with beneficent rains; the wet and cold places thou warmest with the cheering rays of the sun; thou orderest the seasons and the weather with wisdom, and disposest them in the manner most beneficial to mankind; and amidst every vicissitude of heat and cold, of rains and drought, we still see grow, flourish, and ripen, the food which thy goodness has destined for us.

Thou coverest our fields with rich harvest, and the wings of the wind make the yellow ears undulate; thou beautifiest the summit of the dry rock with the clustering grapes; thou biddest the clover spring up in our pastures, and at thy desire the fountains and rivulets refresh thy thirsty animals.

Thou causest the tree to take root, and makest it flourish; a vivyfying sap circulates through the trunk and branches, and givest them strength to push forth leaves and blossoms; and the fruit, which bends down the branches, shows how much thou delightest in doing good.

Let us then ascribe all glory and praise to our Creator and Benefactor; let us bless and celebrate his name in songs of joy, and attune his mercy in Ff