would never leave their helpless children in want, but would place them in such a situation, that when the parents cease to live, their children should have no other cause of sorrow than the loss of a kind father, or of a tender mother. Though we cannot foresee, much less prevent, those misfortunes and contingencies to which they are liable, we ought certainly to take care that their future condition in life is not unhappy by our neglect. Would to God that all parents were concerned as becomes them for the future welfare of their offspring; that they would not leave their families in disorder and confusion; and that they would do well to regulate their domestic affairs, and that after their death their unprotected children might not be exposed to vexatious embarrassments, nor witness their inheritances enjoyed by strangers, and their property consumed by lawsuits!

SEPTEMBER XVII.

The Vine.

To be convinced how unreasonable and absurd it is to complain of the inequalities of the earth, we need only consider the nature of vines. The vine never succeeds well in a flat country, neither does it thrive on every hill; but only on those which have a south or east aspect. The highest hills, and steeps where the plough never reaches, are yearly covered with verdure, and produce the most delicious fruits. If the soil which nourishes the vine appears poor and destitute, the wine-producing plant appears equally unpromising. Indeed had we not known it by experience, we could scarcely have believed that a seemingly dry and mean wood should produce such a delicious liquor. The evaporation from the vine is so considerable, that one hundred and fifty-two inches of sap are required to rise in the space of twelve hours, to supply the fluid which exhales through the leaves.

Much wisdom is displayed in the distribution of vineyards over the earth. They do not succeed alike in all places; to thrive well they should be situated between the fortieth and fiftieth degrees of latitude, consequently about the middle of the globe. Asia is properly the country of

the vine, whence its cultivation has been gradually introduced into Europe. The Phoenicians, who at a very early period traversed the coasts of the Mediterranean, brought it to the continent and most of the islands. It succeeded remarkably well in the isles of the Archipelago, and was at length brought to Italy, where it multiplied considerably; and the Gauls, who had tasted of the grape juice, wishing to establish themselves in the country where it was produced, passed the Alps, and made themselves masters of both banks of the Po. The vine was soon afterward cultivated throughout France, and flourished upon the banks of the Rhine, the Moselle, the Necker, and in different provinces of the German empire.

The consideration of the vine may give rise to some very important reflections. As the most barren soils are good for the cultivation of the vine, so it sometimes happens that the poorest countries are favourable to science and wisdom. In provinces universally despised for their poverty, men have arisen, the rays of whose genius have beamed upon distant countries. There is no place so desert, no town so small, or village so miserable, as entirely to preclude the successful cultivation of science: all that is required for its increase is encouragement. What an inestimable blessing then we have in our power to procure, if we only will give ourselves the trouble of cherishing the virtues of the human heart, and improving those mental powers which we possess for the noblest purposes! Sovereigus, pastors, and teachers of youth, how essentially might you contribute to the happiness of your fellow-creatures, and of your remotest posterity, if, by proper exhortations, rewards, useful establishments, and adequate encouragements, you endeavoured to restore religion, science, and all the social virtues, into ruined cities, and desolate villages! Efforts like these can never be entirely useless. If we ourselves do not receive the recompense of our labours in seeing them attended with present success, our descendants will at least receive the fruit of them, and we shall be ranked amongst those excellent characters who, by being the benefactors of the hu man race, have obtained the approbation of God, and the benediction of their fellow-creatures.

The vine, with its dry and shapeless wood, is emblematical of those men, who, destitute of the honours of birth,

and the splendour of rank, still do much good. How often it happens that men born and living in obscurity, whose external appearance promises little, perform actions, and undertake enterprises, which raise them above all the princes of the earth! And here we may reflect with advantage upon Jesus Christ himself; to judge of whom from the mean and abject state in which he appeared when personally on earth, we should not have expected those great and wonderful works which have made him the Saviour of mankind. He has shewn us that we may be poor, despised, and miserable in this world, and yet successfully labour for the glory of God, and the good of our fellow-creatures.

SEPTEMBER XVIII.

Hymn to celebrate the Works of the Creation. PRAISE ye the Lord! Let all tongues and people celebrate him with songs of joy! Sing aloud, and exalt his power and goodness! Adore him, ye nations; prostrate yourselves before him, ye islands! Praise and glorify the supreme ruler of the universe!

It is he whose power drew forth out of nothing the elements, the heavens, and light itself: it is he who separated the earth from the bosom of the waters; and his almighty hand formed the sea, and all the innumerable host of creatures which live upon his bounty.

It is he who has given light and heat to the sun; who has prescribed laws to the moon; who has marked out to the stars their course; and who flashes in the lightning, and speaks in the thunder! It is he who bids the tempest roar ; and the strength of the lion, and delicate structure of the insect, are momuments of his power. To gladden the hearts of men, he has taught the nightingale to warble her melodious strains; he gives to the flowers their fragrance; he balances and puts in motion the air; he calls forth the winds, and directs their course. The sea at his powerful word swells in billows, and again subsides at his command ; for God reigns in the bosom of the deep. Let us then bow down before and adore the Supreme Being, whose grandeur is manifest in all his creatures, and the traces of whose infinite power the whole creation declares.

SEPTEMBER XIX.

Wonders which God daily effects in the Creation.

THE whole universe, which continually preserves that beauty and order in which it was first established, is a miracle constantly before us. How astonishing is the world which we inhabit! How immense is the number, grandeur, variety, and beauty, of the creatures which it contains! What other arm than that of the omnipotent God could have placed in the immense expanse of the heavens the sun and all those stars, whose prodigious size and distance fill our minds with astonishment? Who but God has prescribed to them the spheres in which they have revolved for thousands of years? Who else has determined with such skill the respective powers of all these globes; and established a perfect balance between them and the æther in which they are suspended? Who has placed the earth at such just distance from the sun, that the space between them is neither too great nor too small?

The alternation of day and night; the revolutions of the seasons; the innumerable multitude of animals, of reptiles, of trees, of plants, and of all the different productions of the earth, are the works of the Almighty God. His particular and especial providence is a continual proof of his greatness, wisdom, and omnipresence. His constant cares for us, and that marked protection, instances of which almost every person has met with; the various means he employs to attract men to his service; the ways by which he leads them to happiness; the misfortunes which he tries them with, to awaken them and bring them to a sense of their situation; the extraordinary events which he orders for the good of his empire; events which are commonly produced by slight causes, and in circumstances which seem to render them impossible; the great revolutions which he effects, to make his holy truth and the knowledge of himself pass from one country of the earth to another; are all so many effects, in which we ought to acknowledge his constantly acting power, and which, if we were sufficiently attentive, would make us say with the Psalmist, "This is the Lord's doing; and it is marvellous in our eyes,'

Let us be attentive to what passes before us, and we shall every where discover the traces of a God; we shall see that by the ordinary means of his grace, he continually works for our sanctification; that his divine word continually dwells amongst us, and that his saving voice may be continually heard. Surely those who refuse to listen unto him, who resist the impulse of his Holy Spirit, and who do not yield to his merciful visitations, would not be converted though new miracles were wrought in their sight. Ought not man, who sees that God has created the world, which every where presents to him so many wonders; man who is constantly receiving the blessings of heaven, and who owes to God all the advantages which he enjoys, ought he not to believe, to love, and to obey him? Yet he resists-What then can affect him, or whom will he not oppose?

Let us then, who daily witness the wonders of our God, pay attention to them, and no longer harden our hearts against truth. Let not prejudice nor passion prevent us from reflecting upon the admirable works of God. Let us contemplate the visible world, and reflect upon ourselves, and we shall find sufficient cause to acknowledge him who daily works miracles before us; our souls possessed with these grand ideas, we shall cry out with rapture and admiration, Praise, honour, and glory be ascribed unto God, the author of all good, and the redeemer of our souls; who alone performeth wonders, and who visiteth the heart of man with comfort and sweet consolation; who poureth balm into our wounds, supports us in affliction, and wipes the tear from every eye; unto that God of all mercy be rendered love, gratitude, and adoration for ever and ever, through the countless ages of eternity.'

SEPTEMBER XX.

Digestion of Food.

DIGESTION is an admirable and complicated process, which we daily perform without knowing how, and even without giving ourselves the trouble of learning what is most remarkable and essential in a function so important to the human body. It is well for us that digestion may be carried on, though we are ignorant how it is performed;