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 peo. ple 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.

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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 ali 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, aud 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 VOL. II.

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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. But blessed be the Almighty God, the rock of our safety, and the tabernacle of our salvation, who has opened unto us the doors of eternal life, through Christ Jesus our Lord.

NOVEMBER I.

Marine Animals.

INDEPENDENT of the great variety of plants, herbs, trees, and bushes, which grow and twine together at the bottom of the deep, there are so many different species of animals, that we cannot possibly know them all, much less can we enumerate the individuals that belong to each species.

Among this innumerable multitude of animated beings there is no confusion, but all may be easily distinguished; and in the sea, as every where else, a perfect order reigns. All these creatures may be arranged in certain classes: each one has its particular nature, food, mode of life, distinct character, and peculiar instinct. In the sea, as well as upon land, there are shades of gradation, and insensible steps from one species to another. Where one ends, the other begins. The stone, which is the highest link in the mineral kingdom, is half a plant; the plant, which terminates the vegetable kingdom, partly belongs to the animal

kingdom; and the animal kingdom, which connects man with the brute creation, has some resemblance to him. In the sea, also, nature passes by just gradations from little to great, insensibly perfects the different kinds, and connects them all by one immense chain, no link of which is defective.

How prodigious is the multitude of inhabitants contained in the sea! What varieties are found amongst them! What diversity of forms, of instincts, and of destination! Some are so small as to elude our perception; others so large, that their enormous bulk inspires us with terror. Some of them are destitute of all beauty, and their colour so nearly resembles that of the sea, that it is with difficulty we can distinguish them. Others are adorned with the most brilliant and magnificent colours. Some species are very unprolific; and if it was not so, they would destroy all the rest. Others, again, multiply prodigiously, and are highly beneficial, by supplying men and animals with food.

'Lord, how numerous are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all. The earth is full of thy goodness: the great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts, display thy marvelous riches. There go the ships; there swims the huge whale, which thou hast formed to sport amongst the waves, the terror of the finny race, to play therein, All these wait upon thee, that thou mayest give them their meat in due

season.'

NOVEMBER II.

The Wisdom of God in connecting the different Parts of Nature.

As all the members of our bodies, taken collectively, form a whole, constructed and arranged with the utmost wisdom; so also the different varieties of natural productions may be regarded as so many members, of which Supernal Power has composed one perfect whole. A very slight attention is sufficient to convince us that every thing in nature is connected together, and linked so firmly as to form a perfect system. Different kinds of mineral earths nourish and support the vegetable kingdom, without which animals