MARCH I.

Powers of the Mind enlarged by contemplating God in the Works of Nature.

LET those who wish to worship the God that made the heavens and the earth, go forth and view his works, and see, and acknowledge with gratitude, the wonders he has wrought. Of all the species of knowledge we can acquire, none is more important, more agreeable, or more interesting, than that we gain from studying the works of nature; and, properly to answer the great end for which we were created, it is essential to become acquainted with the Divinity by considering his works: it will ensure us present as well as future felicity. It is certainly right to seek for a knowledge of God, as revealed in his Divine Word; but we shall scarcely embrace, with full conviction of heart, such a revelation, if we do not join to it that other revelation by which he is manifested to us in nature as the Creator of all things, and as the common Father, Lord, and Benefactor of the creation. And we find our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, when opening to his disciples the great truths of reli. gion, often made mention of the works of nature, and conducted his hearers from a consideration of the subjects which the moral and the physical world present to the meditation of things spiritual and heavenly.

The frequent study of the great volume of nature is sufficiently noble, and worthy the attention of man; by it we learn those truths which declare to us the immense grandeur and glorious attributes of God; we are taught to know, and properly estimate, our own limited powers and faculties, and become better acquainted with the obligations we owe for the blessings we receive. Those who despise this study, and think it beneath their notice, only draw down upon

themselves shame and disgrace, and deserve the compassion of their fellow-creatures. The advantages of reason are never more felt than when our faculties are employed in meditating upon the perfection of God displayed in his works: never does the mind so expand, and the imagination take such bold flights, as when, ranging abroad through nature, we vie her works, whether the constellations and the luminaries of the heavens; the hills, and the distant mountains; the wide-extended valleys, the groves, and the mean. dering streams; or listening to the sighing of the wind, or the hoarser cadence of the swelling wave, now foaming beneath the hoar cliff, or vainly break. ing against the rock, whose dusky top sullenly peers above the spray; and, glowing with rapture, our soul then feels there is something more than all this; sensations arise too sublime for utterance, and we are immediately brought as into the presence of God: all meaner things, in those glorious moments of true delight, find no place in our bosom, which is filled with ecstacy and inexpressible felicity. These joys are not like the pleasures of the world, fleeting and transitory, but they are ever fresh and ever young; they never disgust with satiety, nor weary with reiteration and when retired to our habitations, the mind formed for greatness, instead of being occupied with the trifles and frivolities of the day, looks back with fond delight upon the past scenes, which the imagination depicts in the purest and most glowing colours; and, safe from the dangers of his voyage, the traveller remembers the objects which once forcibly arrested his attention.

We cannot long be in the habit of thus exercising our faculties without their being much benefited and improved: whatever calls forth the powers of the mind tends to elevate and enlarge its capacity and nothing contributes more to this noble purpose than

Unpleasant Weather.

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the study of nature and of God: from our imagina. tion we receive our greatest pleasures, and it never takes higher nor more brilliant flights than when ranging through nature; but we have reason to believe, that the power we are permitted to enjoy of obtaining a degree of pure happiness here is not to be annihilated or lessened when the soul is released from those incumbrances which now so much shackle and retard her advancement in wisdom and in perfection; but that this kind of pleasure and true enjoy. ment will be continued in a future state: and he who has most cultivated the faculties of, his mind and cherished the virtues of his heart will have these faculties increased according to his desert in the world to come, where we are told, in the language of Scripture, saints and angels of light continually rejoice in the presence of God, and are never weary with contemplating his glory and hymning his praises. And such even in this world is the reward of those who are continually reflecting upon the Almighty Power, as manifested in his works.

MARCH II.

Unpleasant Weather.

NATURE is still drooping; deprived of her beauties, her aspect seems wild and dreary; the sky is ob scured with clouds, and the atmosphere loaded with vapours. A thick fog conceals the morning sun from our view, and prevents our receiving his salutary influence; his warmth is feeble, and scarcely a solitary herb peeps above the ground; all is dull, lifeless, and without charms. Some will be ready to exclaim, When will the lovely spring appear? When will VOL. I. I

those happy days arrive when the first flowers shall invite us forth into the fields and the gardens? But let us remember that before these pleasing effects can take place, such a state as we now experience must occur. Such is the plan of nature, that without these days, which we think so disagreeable, all our hopes of summer must vanish. Storms and tempests are beneficial, and frosts ultimately tend to fertilise the earth. If the air was now mild and more temperate, millions of insects would be generated, to the great injury of the seed which is sown, and the plants ready to bud. And if the weather should now be mild, and blossoms be put forth, how they would suffer should a frost return to nip the tender shoots!

Yet such is our blind obstinacy, that we murmur against God when we ought to adore and to bless him; and we set down for imperfect what should make us acknowledge the wisdom and goodness of the Creator. In short, we know not what we ask, nor what we desire; and it would be a sufficient punishment if all our prayers were to be granted. It is for the wisest purposes that the approaches of spring are gradual. The frequent rough and boister ous weather of March is generally the last remains of winter, prepares us for the enjoyment of finer days, and is the forerunner of the delightful verdure which the spring spreads over our fields. Therefore, O my God, will I continue to exalt and to bless thee. In these stormy days I will be more and more convinced that thy government is wise, and thy arrangements of nature just and beneficial; and that in all times and in all seasons, in storms and in calms, in the rain and in the snow, equally as in the finest weather, thou art still my Father, Preserver, and Benefactor.

MARCH III.

State of certain Birds and Animals during the Winter.

Ar present we do not see any of those insects and birds which, during the summer, float by millions in the air and in the water, or rest upon the earth and among the groves. Of the birds, some species at the approach of winter disappear, and retire to climes of a higher temperature, where they can find shelter and nourishment. The first stormy day is the signal for departure; when, quitting their abodes, they assemble, and prepare to wing their flight to far distant coun. tries. Nor do those that remain behind perish; they continue through the rigours of the season. The bodies of some animals are so formed, that the same causes which deprive them of their food occasion such a change in their system, that they do not require any aliment the cold affects them to such a degree that they become torpid, and seem as if wrapped in the profoundest sleep, which continues till returning warmth opens the earth, and it again brings forth fruits; when they awaken from their slumbers, and, as the spring advances, leave their retreats in the sands, in holes of the earth, the hollow trunks of trees, marshes, and various other places that have sheltered and protected them in their death-like state during the winter.

How admirable is the wisdom of God, whose tender cares extend to the least of his creatures! He has endowed each of them with an astonishing instinct, which enables them to continue and to preserve their existence; teaches them the day when they are to abandon their summer abodes, and, pass the time of our winter in more genial climes; and directs them in their dangerous flight, To others it points out the