and we should bow down with reverence and gratitude before the throne of the Almighty, who has thus so wonderfully formed us; who has given us senses, which, however excellent from nature, may all be im. proved by cultivation; and a mind, the expansibility of which seems to be unlimited. Seeing then that it depends upon ourselves whether our mind is to be luminous and our senses acute, or whether it is to be contracted and they brutified and callous, let us pray to the God of nature that we may never lose sight of these truths, nor ever neglect improving those talents which in his infinite mercy and condescension, he has entrusted to us. Let us take the greatest care and make the noblest use of our bodies, seeing, that after they shall have reposed a certain period in the grave, they will be restored to us infinitely more glorious and perfect. It behoves us then not to dishonour a body which will be so illustrious in a future world, conformed to the glorified body of our Lord. Let the blessed and glorious hope of our future bliss, from this moment, animate us to dedicate our bodies to holiness, to regard them as the temple of the Deity, and preserve them pure and blameless till the glorious coming of Christ Jesus.

MARCH IX.

Hope of Spring.

EVERY day hastens the approach of spring, and our hearts begin to throb with the pleasurable hope of soon seeing the happy time arrive, when we can inhale the balmy breeze, and, walking forth into the fields, see all nature rejoice. This sweet expectation is one of the few which does not deceive, because it is founded on the invariable laws of nature. The

charms of this fond hope are alike diffused through every pure heart: it is not the splendour of the purple, nor the glittering of the diadem, which alone procure these delights, that often cheer the peaceful breast of the cottager, who cannot penetrate the abode of royalty, nor find entrance amid the busy sons of traffic. The arrival of spring is attended with a thousand new delights; the beauty and fragrance of the opening blossoms, the warbling of the birds, and the widely diffused joy and gaiety that smile around. In general our terrestrial hopes are damped by anxiety and repressed by doubt, but the hope of spring is no less certain and satisfactory than it is pure and innocent. Let us then, whilst the stormy days of March shall continue, instead of repining and being chagrined, indulge the fond hope of spring, and suffer its pleasing influence to cheer our souls.

Hope is one of the choicest gifts which Heaven mercifully deigns to mortality; when the storms roar and the tempests howl, hope still supports our drooping spirits, and the rays of consolation gladden our hearts. Without this pleasing emotion, how sad and dreary would have passed many of the winter hours! Cheered by the hope of spring I have borne with patience, and endured without complaint, the rigours of winter and the hardships of the season, and now I am upon the eve of seeing it realised a few more boisterous days passed, and all the beauteous pictures my imagination has so brilliantly painted will be confirmed; the sky will become serene, the air mild, the Sun return with power, and the earth resume her longlost beauty, Gracious God! I humbly thank thee, and how before thee in the fulness of my joy and the overflowing of my gratitude, for the source of that consolation, which, in the hour of distress, warms my heart and softens the asperities of life. With what providential care and merciful regard thou hast veiled

the evils which hover around me, whilst the pleasures which await me are seen far off, and smile upon my exertions!

Without hope, how dreary would be the world; appearing to the care-worn pilgrim one wide desert, all the paths of which are surrounded with misery, beset with trouble, and embittered with sorrow! But hope lights us on our way; when darkness lowers and gloom oppresses, hope strengthens our faultering steps, collects our scattered senses, and presents to our view a pleasing prospect lying before us and just within our reach; we spring forward with alacrity, and often pass our lives in the eager pursuit, with as much pleasure as if we had obtained the object of our wishes. Hope raises the sinking heart, and restores the courage which begins to droop; and each time I feel the magic influence of her rays, I will bless thee, O my God! and thank thee for the daily benefits I receive, as well as for those reserved for me at a future time. Blessed for ever be thy divine mercy, which permits me to hope that when time here shall be no more, my glad soul shall quit these narrow confines, to repose in the bosom of its Creator through the countless ages of eternity. Were it not for this certainty of immortality, this fond hope of eternal life and happiness, few would be the incitements to virtue, and weak the inducements to mental improvement; when oppressed by care and weighed down by misery, we should have little encouragement to continue longer in a world checquered by misfortune; or, did af. fluence favour us, we should be tempted to indulge in the thoughless round of continued dissipation. But with the expectation of a future glorious state of existence, we can smile at care and trouble, arm ourselves against the fleeting pleasures of this life, and pity the deluded disciples of folly and dissipation.

MARCH X.

Hoar-frost.

Ar this season of the year we very frequently ob. serve the bushes, and other matters exposed to the morning or evening air, acquire a sort of crust on the surface, as if they were candied. This is what is called hoar-frost, which is merely the exhalations and moisture condensed and frozen by the coldness of the surrounding air. The dew which during the day has evaporated from the earth descends in the night, and in cold weather becomes congealed, putting on that white appearance we so often observe in a morning; and as the large bodies retain their heat the longest, we generally see more of the frost upon the hedges and grass than on the larger trees. The dew coming in contact with bodies colder than itself imparts to them a portion of its heat, the loss of which, if considerable, occasions it to lose its fluidity; when its particles condensed unite more closely, and form a slender coating of ice. In this manner our hair, as well as that of animals, is sometimes covered with hoar-frost; the perspirable matter exposed to the cold air becomes congealed, and this effect is pro. duced. Thus also are formed the icicles we see hanging from the houses in winter: the water dropping down imparts the heat it contains to the colder air, and thus losing its fluidity becomes congealed.

MARCH XI.

Means which contribute to fertilise the Earth.

THE wisdom of God employs a variety of means to render the earth fruitful. At one time the opening VOL. I.

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clouds shower down the rain, which softens and nourishes the earth; at other times, when deprived of the benefit of rain, a gentle dew refreshes its surface, and animates the feeble plants, languishing for want of moisture. Each season has its peculiar means of fertilising the earth. The snow, which, during the winter, covered our fields and our meadows, not only preserved them from the effects of the cold, but tended to their subsequent fertility. The frequent tempests in the spring preserve the purity of the air, dry the earth, and disperse the rain more generally over its surface: with each storm of wind and of rain the Creator scatters his blessings upon the earth.

We may safely affirm that there is no change in the air or upon the earth which does not directly or indirectly contribute to its fertility. Every season brings a succession of phenomena peculiar to it, each of which produces in nature effects, the beneficial influence of which is more or less visible. Even those plagues which desolate certain countries are only partial evils, conducing to fulfil the great designs of Providence, and from which advantages result to the world at large. Every-where, and at all times, we have cause to be thankful to our Creator for his ten. der cares and paternal solicitude.

"O Lord, God of times and of seasons! thy praises reach from the centre of this globe to the heaven of heavens! Our sphere rolls through the starry expanse; now blooming with flowers, and now wrapped in snow; here blushing with the vine, there covered with thorns. Yet it still celebrates thy glory, and unites its music to the harmony of the spheres. When the snow and the ice convert our meadows into desert places; when the hurricane gathers in the air, the thunder peals, and the lightning causes the hearts of men to tremble; when rivers, bursting their banks with one vast swell, inundate a country, and all the