DECEMBER IX.

The Goodness of God manifested to Men, even in those Things which appear to be hurtful.

IT is very usual for men to wish that they were not ex posed to any evils. If they had the power of choosing, and could regulate at pleasure their condition in life, they would endeavour to obtain one that should be exempt from all manner of trouble and affliction. But it is a question whether we should be really happy, if nothing ever hap pened to disturb our repose and well being; or if the course of our lives was to continue in one uniform calm, unruffled by the vicissitudes of disagreeable occurrences. This question, upon the decision of which much of our tranquillity in this state of existence depends, is highly deserving our attention, taking care, at the same time, to avoid the delusions of self-love.

Should we really be happy if we were in this world to enjoy uninterrupted prosperity? I cannot think we should. Constant prosperity would soon become insipid, and disgust would convert our felicity into absolute misery. On the contrary, the evils we sometimes experience enhance the value of our blessings, as colours are relieved by the contrast of shades. If no winter preceded, should we be so sensibly affected by the pleasures of spring? Without illness, could we justly appreciate the value of health; or taste the sweets of repose without toil and labour? And could we know to their full extent the peace and consolation of a good conscience, if we had never experienced the trials of temptation, or the pangs of remorse? The more obstacles there are to oppose our happiness, the greater is our joy when we have surmounted them. The more sensibly we feel the weight of misery and oppression, the greater is our happiness when we are delivered from our burden. Besides, if the misfortunes of which we so much complain did not sometimes befal us, we should be exposed to evils of much greater importance. If we lived in one continued round of prosperity, we should abandon ourselves to pride, luxury, and ambition. If we never knew the misery of dependence, and the wretchedness of want, we

should have no stimulus to exertion, nothing to rouse us to action; no one would exercise his talents, or cultivate his faculties, and no one would be animated with zeal for the public good. If we were never exposed to danger, how could we learn prudence, or experience the sentiments of compassion for those whose life is in danger? If we had no misfortunes to fear, how liable should we be to forget, in the intoxication of prosperity, our gratitude to God, charity for our neighbour, and all the great duties of life? And are not these virtues and noble qualities of the soul infinitely preferable to a continued succession of sensual pleasures, which, when they are no longer stimulating by their novelty, produce satiety and disgust? He who continually reposes on the bosom of prosperity, soon becomes weary of exerting himself for the benefit of others, and incapable of any great action; but when adversity opens his eyes to his real state, he will return to wisdom, activity, and virtue.'

How foolish and unjust are the desires of men! They wish to live quiet, content, and happy, and they are dissatisfied with the means which will conduct them to the haven of their desires. During the heat of summer we sigh for cool breezes, and yet are troubled when we see the storm that will procure them begin to threaten. Thunder purifies the air, and fertilizes the earth; and yet when it awfully rolls among the clouds, we complain of the fear that possesses our hearts. We acknowledge the utility of coals, sulphur, and minerals, but dislike earthquakes. We are desirous that there should be no contagious and epidemic disorders, and yet complain of the tempest which, by purifying the air from corruption, takes away one of the chief causes producing them. We wish to be served by domestics, and yet are unwilling that there should be in the world either poverty or inequality of rank. In short, we desire to have every end accomplished, without suffering the necessary means.

Acknowledge, then, O man, the wise and beneficent views of thy God, even when he permits thee to be tried by the frequent vicissitudes of joy and of sorrow, of happiness and of misery. Is he not the arbiter of thy lot, the Father of whose merciful goodness thou must be convinced even when suffering chastisement? Art thou not in a world, the pecu

liar characteristic of which is to be subject to continual changes and revolutions? And hast thou not often found, that what thy ignorance disposed thee to regard as an evil has, in the end, contributed to thy happiness? Let us, then, receive with humble resignation those afflictions which it shall please the Almighty shall be dispensed unto us. They will only appear to be formidable in the beginning; the more we shall be exercised by them the more supportable will they be, and the more shall we know their salutary effects. If in adversity we are full of faith, patience, and hope, we shall have cause in the end to bless God for his trial of our nature,

DECEMBER X.

Accidental Revolutions of our Globe.

NATURE of herself is continually producing changes upon the surface of the earth, which have a great influence upon the whole globe. Many ancient monuments prove that in different places the surface sinks down at one time gradually, at another suddenly. The wall that the Romans built in Scotland, in the second century, quite across the whole country, is now almost entirely buried under ground, and remains of it are frequently discovered. Mountains, those pillars of the earth, are exposed to similar changes, occasioned either by the nature of the soil, by water sapping their foundations, or by subterranean fires. Though some parts of the earth sink down, others, on the contrary, are elevated. A fertile valley may, at the end of a century, be converted into a marsh, where clay, turf, and other substances, may form strata from each other. Lakes and gulfs are converted into dry land. In stagnant waters, weeds, rushes, and different plants grow; substances, both animal and vegetable, putrify in them, and gradually form a sort' of mud or mould, till at length the bottom becomes so much raised, that the place of water is occupied by solid earth. The sea also partakes of the commotions occasioned by earthquakes and explosions, and the most sensible effect we observe from them is the formation of new islands. These are produced by the elevation of the bottom of the sea; or are composed of pumice-stones, calcined rocks, and other

matters projected from volcanoes. History informs us, that in consequence of earthquakes whole cities have been. swallowed up, and buried sixty feet deep, so that the earth which covered them afterward became arable ground.

Many of the alterations produced upon our globe have been occasioned by the motions of waters. Rain soaks into the mountains, and washes away a portion of their substance, which being carried into the sea and rivers, considerably raise their bottom. The course of water is often changed, and the coasts themselves are sometimes removed. At one time the sea retires, and leaves whole countries dry, which once were its bed; and sometimes it encroaches upon the shore, and inundates whole provinces. Places which formerly bordered on the sea are now at a considerable distance from it. Anchors, and large iron rings to moor vessels, and the wrecks of ships, found on mountains and marshes, at a great distance from the sea, incontestably prove that many parts of the earth, now cultivated, were once covered by the ocean. It is a very probable conjecture that England was once united to France: the beds of earth and stone, which are the same on each side the strait between Dover and Calais, as well as the shallowness of the sea between those two places, render it still more likely to have been the case.

Climates also occasion great revolutions upon the globe. Between the tropics, heats and rains alternate; in some places it rains for several months successively, and at other times the heat is excessive. The countries situated near the poles are exposed to great changes by the rigour of the cold. In autumn the water penetrates by numerous crevices into the rocks and mountains, and in winter freezes, when the ice, by its dilating, causes great destruction.

Hence we learn that all mundane things are subject to change and continual vicissitudes; and we see that frequent accidental revolutions give place to cause the animate as well as the inanimate world to assume a new appearance. One generation departs to give place to another. Amongst men, some rise into notice and respectability, whilst others sink into poverty and insignificance; and, amongst the various creatures that inhabit the globe, there are evident differences in their states and faculties. God has allotted to all beings different periods of duration: some have only a

short and momentary existence, others a long life, and others an endless duration; all evincing, in the most striking manner, the wisdom, power, and goodness of the Creator.

DECEMBER XI.

Gratitude for our Clothing.

PROVIDENCE manifests his care even in our clothing. How many animals furnish us a covering with their skin, hair, furs, and wool! The sheep alone supplies us with the most necessary part of our dress; and to the labours of a worm we are indebted for our silken robes. How numerous are the plants which also contribute to our dress! Flax and hemp also supply us with linen; and with cotton various articles of apparel are manufactured. But these vast stores of nature would still have been deficient, if God had not endowed man with industry, and a mind inexhaustibly fertile in invention, as well as hands suitable to prepare the different kinds of clothing that are necessary. If we only reflect upon the labour requisite to prepare a single piece of cloth, we shall find how many hands are necessary to procure even a few yards. We surely ought not to be vain of our garments, seeing that to obtain them we are obliged to have recourse to those animals that are the most contemptible in our estimation, and to that class of men that we the most despise.

Why has the Creator obliged us to provide ourselves with clothes, whilst all other animals receive theirs immediately from nature? In answer to this, I assert, that this necessity is very advantageous to us; it is favourable to our health, and suitable to our mode of living. We may by this means regulate our dress according to the season of the year and the climate in which we live. Our clothes promote the insensible perspiration of our bodies, so essential to the preservation of our lives; and the obligation that we are under of procuring them has exercised the human mind, and given rise to several arts; and, finally, the labour which they require for their fabrication supports a great number of workmen. We have, therefore, every reason to be satisfied with this arrangement of Providence; only