time of Vefpafian, emperor of Rome, by whofe fon Titus it was totally destroyed. 4. It was, however, rebuilt by Adrian, and feemed likely to recover its former grandeur; but it flourished for a short time only. When the emprefs Helena, mother of Conftantine the great, came to vifit it, fhe found it in a moft forlorn and ruinous fituation. 5. Flaving formed a defign of reftoring it to its ancient Juftre, the caused, with a great deal of coft and labor, all the rubbish which had been thrown upon thofe places where our Saviour had fuffered, been buried, &c. to be removed. 6. In doing this, they found the crofs on which he died, as well as thofe of the two malefactors who fuffered with him. She then caufed a magnificent church to be built, which inclófed as many scenes of our Saviour's fufferings as could conveniently be done. 7. This church, which stands on mount Calvary, is ftill in good repair, being fupported by the donations of pilgrims who are conftantly reforting to it. Here is to be feen our Saviour's fepulchre, hewn out of a folid rock; and the very hole in the rock in which it is faid the foot of the crofs was fixed, with many other curiofities. 8. On mount Moriah ftood the celebrated temple of Solomon, which was feven years in building, and employed no less than 163,300 men. The height of this building on one fide was at leaft 960 feet; and the ftones employed about the ramparts were, according to Jofephus, 40 cu. bits long, 12 thick, and 8 high, all of polifhed marble, and fo well joined as to appear like one folid rock. 9. After the deftruction of this temple, it is faid that the emperor Julian attempted to rebuild it, in order to give the lie to our Saviour's prophecy, namely, that it should be totally destroyed without one ftone's being left upon another. In this, however, he was defeated by earthquakes, fery eruptions, &c. which deftroyed his materials, and killed many of his workmen. 10. At prefent, Jerufalem is but a poor, thinly inhabited town, about three miles in circumference, furrounded with mountains on all fides except the north, with fteep afcents and deep vallies. THE THE FAITHFUL AMERICAN DOG. AN officer in the late American army, on his ftation at the weftward, went out in the morning with his dog and gun, in queft of game. Venturing too far from the garrifon, he was fired upon by an Indian, who was lurking in the bushes, and inftantly fell to the ground. 2. The Indian running to him, ftruck him on the head with his tomahawk in order to difpatch him; but the button of his hat fortunately warding off the edge, he was only funned by the blow. With favage brutality he applied the fcalping knife, and haftened away with this trophy of his horrid cruelty, leaving the officer for dead, and none to relieve or confole him, but his faithful dog. 3. The afflicted creature gave every expreffion of his attachment, fidelity and affection. He licked the wounds. with inexpreffible tendernefs, and mourned the fate of his beloved master. Having performed every office which fympathy dictated, or fagacity could invent, without being able to remove his mafter from the fatal fpot, or procure from him any figns of life, or his wonted expreffions of affection. to him, he ran off in queft of help. 4. Bending his courfe towards the river, where two men were fishing, he urged them by all the powers of native rhetoric to accompany him to the woods. The men were fufpicious of a decoy to an ambufcade, and dared not venture to follow the dog; who, finding all his careffes fail, returned to the care of his mafter; and licking his wounds a fecond time, renewed all his tenderneffes; but with no better fuccefs than before." 5. Again he returned to the men; once more to try his fill in alluring them to his affiftance. In this attempt he was more fuccefsful than in the other. The men, feeing his folicitude, began to think the dog might have discovered fome valuable game, and determined to hazard the confequences of following him. 6. Tranfported with his fuccefs, the affectionate creature hurried them along by every expreffion of ardor. Pref catly they arrive at the fpot, where behold-an officer wounded," wounded, fcalped, weltering in his own gore, and faint with the lofs of blood. 7. Suffice it to fay, he was yet alive. They carried him to the fort, where the firft dreffings were performed. A fuppuration immediately took place, and he was foon conveyed to the hofpital at Albany, where in a few weeks, he entirely recovered, and was able to return to his duty. 8. This worthy officer owed his life, probably, to the fidelity of this fagacious dog. His tongue, which the gentleman afterwards declared gave him the most exquifite pleasure, clarified the wound in the most effectual manner, and his perfeverance brought that affiftance, without which he muft foon have perished. My dog, the truftieft of his kind, FILIAL DUTY AND AFFECTION. THE Stork is generally esteemed an em blem of filial love; infomuch that it has ever acquired the name of pious, from the juft regard it is said to pay to acts of filial piety and duty. 2. Storks live to a very advanced age; the confequence of which is, that their limbs grow feeble, their feathers fall off, and they are no ways capable of providing for their own food or fafety. Being birds of paffage, they are under another inconvenience alfo, which is, that they are not able to remove themselves from one country to another at the ufual feafon. In all these circumstances, it is reported, that their young ones aflift them, covering them with their wings, and nourishing them with the warmth of their bodies; even bringing them provifions in their beaks, and carrying them from place to place on their backs, or fupporting them with their wings. 4. In this manner they return, as much as lies in their power, the care which was bestowed on them when they were were young ones in the nest. A ftriking example of filial piety infpired by inftinct; from which reafon itself needs not be ashamed to take example. 5. "Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee," was an exprefs commandment, and the only one to which a promife was annexed. Among the Ifraelites, the flighteft offence against a parent was punished in the most exemplary manner. 6. Certainly nothing can be more juft or reafonable, than that we should love, honor, and fuccor those who are the very authors of our being, and to whofe tender care (under Heaven) we owe the continuance of it, during the helpless ftate of our infancy. 7. Love, charity, and an intercourfe of good offices, are what we undoubtedly owe to all mankind; and he who omits them is guilty of fuch a crime as generally carries its punishment with it. 8. But to our parents, more, much more than all this, is due; and, when we are ferving them, we ought to reflect, that whatever difficulties we go through for their fakes, we cannot do more for them than they have done for us; and that there is no danger of our over-paying the vast debt of gratitude they have laid us under. pe 9. In fine, we should confider that it is a duty most culiarly infifted on by Heaven itself; and, if we obey the command, there is no doubt but we shall alfo receive the reward annexed to it. THE BEE. THE Bee is a noble pattern of industry and prudence. She fettles upon every plant and flower, and makes the most infignificant, nay, even the most hurtful of them, ufeful to her purpofe. Thus fhe toils all the fummer, while the days are fair, in order to get a stock, which fhe lays by to ferve for winter, when the herbs and flowers are dead, the trees deprived of their leaves, and the weather unfavorable. 2. Then 2. Then the Bees retire to their hive, which is formed like a little ftate, and governed by a queen, who difpenfes juftice to her fubjects. It is faid they bury their dead, punifh criminals, and drive the drones from their hive. They keep a regular order, whether in war or peace; and, as foon as their queen dies, appoint another to fucceed her, and rule their little ftate, which may ferve as a pattern for a well ordered community. 3. The Bee is one of the apteft emblems of industry, and the art of extracting good out of evil, that can be found in nature. It is endued with an inftin&, which justly excites our admiration; and its perfeverance is an admirable example for the wifeft of us to follow. 4. As the Bee, in the fummer, provides for itfelf that which may ferve for its fupport in winter, fo fhould we, in the fummer of our days, take care to lay in a store of profitable virtues and good qualities, which may render us juftly admired in age, and enable us to fet a good example to pofterity. 5. Like that induftrious infect, likewife, we should learn to make every occurrence of life ferviceable to us; for nothing is fo fmall or minute but it may be made of use; nothing fo bad in nature, but we may draw from it some profit or inftruction. And thrus, by choofing the good, and avoiding the evil, we may purchase to ourselves peace here, and the hopes of a brighter reward hereafter. ON THE STARRY HEAVENS. WHEN we furvey the whole earth at once, and the feveral planets which lie within its neighborhood, we are filled with a pleasing aftonishment, to fee fo many worlds hanging one above another, and fliding round their axles in fuch an amazing pomp and folemnity. 2. If, after this, we contemplate thofe wild fields of ether, that reach in height as far as from Saturn to the fixed ftars, and run abroad almost to an infinitude, our imagination finds its capacity filled with fo immenfe a profpect, and puts itfelf upon the ftretch to comprehend it." |