„<.v. • .• ■•-.. . . ■ ; MORRE faermrf/k f LIBRARY OF TIIIC Theological Seminary, PRINCETON, N.J. Case,.. O C^J^ r 4 WvLl S/^/JJ t .OO.y Section ^oofc, No, -..; /(■ 1/ BEALTTIES of STURM Lefien-Sl. ion,,Ihbli/hed fy Ja* Scatchavd, 3c tTit rest of the, -proffietors. J™< 2 ^IJ^S. BEAUTIES F S T U R M 9 1 N LESSONS ON THE WORKS. OF GOD, AND OF HIS PROVIDENCE. "Rendered familiar to the Capacities of Youth. ByELIZA ANDREW S, Author of Allegorical Miniatures, the Brothers, &c. L N D A PRINTED FOR JAMES SCATCHARD, VERNOR AND HOOD, DARTON AND HARVEY, AEL, AND LFE AND HURST, l 7 C>8. CON TENTS. JVlEDITATIONSon New-year's day... 1 Daily proofs of an univerfal Providence 3 The care which Providence takes of animals during the winter feafon .-- 5 Vegetables which preferve their verdure in winter * -- 7 The advantages of the climate we inhabit 9 Contemplation of the ftarry heavens 10 The advantages of night 14 The repofe of nature during winter 16 The Laplanders 18 The wife ordinance of our globe 21 Subterraneous fires 23 The rapidity with which the human life paifes away 26 Our duty in regard to fleep 28 The ufe of ftars 30 The wonderful make of the eye 33 On fogs 36 The rain waters the earth and makes it fruitful 38 The equal diftribution of the feafons ^o The utility of our fenfes Singularities in the kingdom of minerals Winter is the image of our life 47 A 2 An CONTENTS. Page An invitation to contemplate God in the works of nature ^o The ftate of fome animals during winter 52 The Aurora Borealis 54 The extreme fmallnefs of certain bodies 56 The hope of fpring -_ £9 Variety of means which contribute to the fer- tility of nature 61 The difference between animals and plants 63 The uniformity and variety in the works of nature m 66 Seeds 69 Ufe of vegetables 70 The change of feafons 72 Harmony between the moral and natural world 7,5 There is nothing new under the fun 77 Circulation of the fap in trees 79 Our ignorance of our future ftate. - 81 Paternal cares of Providence for the preferva- tion of our lives in every part of the world 84 Abufe of animals 86 Reflections on the feeds of plants 88 Ufe and neceflity of air 90 Different foils of the earth 92 Size of our globe 94 Production of birds * g6 Permanency of corporeal beings 98 Pieaiing effect of the heat of the fun 99 Relation that all creatures have with one another 101 The CONTENTS. Page The production and increafe of plants 103 Flowers of the month of April - . 105 The return of the birds 108 Pleafures which the contemplation of nature affords 109 Animals are caufes for man to glorify God ill Reflections on the bloflbms of trees 113 The dawn of day - 115 The fpringing up of feeds 116 On the buds of flowers. ., 118 Indefatigable labours of the bee 120 The zoophiles 122 The pleafure of cultivating fields and gardens 123 The tulip 124 The language of animals 126 Complaints of mankind, relative to certain inconveniences in the laws of nature 128 The harmony and patriotifm among the bees 131 The prodigious number of plants on the earth 133 Plurality of worlds. 134 Leaves of trees 136 The reviving power of the fun 1 38 The xiefires of the foul are infinite 140 The ufe of venemous plants and animals 141 Singularities in the vegetable kingdom 143 The loadftone 146 The wifdom obfervable in the conftru&ion of the bodies of animals 148 The dew i^i Life and labours of the bee 153 Caterpillars CONTENTS. Page Caterpillars - 155 The nightingale -... 158 The pleafures which fummer affords to our fenfes . ..r-^ 159 Eclipfes of the fun and moon 161 The ftalk of the wheat 163 Foreign plants 165 The filk worm 166 The rainbow 169 The birds nefts. 170 Reflections on a flower-garden... 172 The ants 174 The hail 176 The earth and its original conftitution 178 On the phafes or appearances of the. moon.- 180 Mineral waters 183 The beauty and ufe of meadows and fields 184 -* The twilight 187 Difference of zones 188 Singularities of the fea 191 Several things remarkable in animals 193 On the gravity of bodies 196 The number of effects in nature 198 Variety in the ftature of man 200 The dog-days 201 Contemplation of a meadow 203 Voracious animals and infects .. . 204 The buildings of the beavers 206 Animals confidered as examples to mankind of vices and virtues... 208 Senfitive CONTENTS. Page Senfitive plants- - — 210 Variety of plants - 212 Divifion of the earth 213 Moral reflexions on feeing a field of corn 215 The beauty and variety of the butterflies 217 The formica leo, or lion-ant 219 The nature and properties of found 221 The myfteriesof nature - 222 Fifh 224 Influence of the moon on the human body — 226 The ignis fatuus ..-- ... 227 Of minerals -- 229 Some of the chief exotic plants 232 The vine 235 The bleffings of this life greater than the evils of it 237 The enmity between animals 238 On our indifference to the works of nature. - 240 Upon feveral nocturnal meteors 242 Amphibious animals 244 /The faculty of speech, how valuable if not abufed 246 The effects of fire 248 The irrexhauftible riches of nature 230 Petrifactions 252 Every thing in nature is gradual 254 Different, forts of earth 256 Migration of the birds i. 258 The variety of trees 261 The temperature in the different climates of the earth . 263 Atmofphere of the earth 265 Bcafts CONTENTS. Page Beads of burden 267 The winter fowing time - - - 269 The meafure and divifion of time - 270 The end of fummer 272 The wants of man • 274 Foreign animals ----- - 276 Variety of winds - 279 Hunting 282 Every thing combines for the prefervation of the creatures in the world - 284 Common fait - 286 Origin of fountains and fprings -. 287 Syftem of the univerfe --.- 289 Greatnefs of God even in the fmalleft things 291 Refle&ions on fnow --- - 293 Sleep of animals during winter 295 The ufe of wood 298 An exhortation to remember the poor at the feafon of winter 300 Nature is a lefiTon for the heart 301 The very things which appear hurtful may be for our benefit 303 Incidental revolutions of our globe 30,5 Of the clothing provided for us by Providence 307 The fagacity of animals in finding means of fubfiftence for the winter. 308 The polar ftar. 310 Comparifon of men and animals 311 Inftability of earthly things 314 Calculation of human life * 31 j THE THE BEAUTIES O F STURM'S REFLECTIONS. I LESSON I. FIRST WEEK. MEDITATIONS ON NEW-YEAR's DAY. REPRESENT to myfelf this firft day of the year as if it were the firft day of my life ; and I prefume to hope, from the bleflings re- ceived, that this year will equal thofe which have been granted me from my birth till now. What may I not hope from my heavenly Father, who, from the firft moment of my exiftence, yes, even before I was born, provided for me with fg much tendernefs and goodnefs ? .In my parents he gave me friends, who, from my very birth, fupported and brought me up, and whofe diunteretted af- fe&ion prote&ed mef in that weak and helplefs ftate. Without fuch care, how could I have been preserved to enjoy the many.bleilings I .now poffefs. B I enter t BEAUTIES OF STURM. \ enter with the prefent day into a new period of life, not fo much unprovided for, nor fo help- lefs, as when I firft came into the world, but with equal occafion for affiitance in many re- flects. I require friends to fhed fweets upon my life, to fupport my fpirits, when oppreifed with grief, and to warn me of dangers that I might otherwife fall into. And furely my hea- venly Father will grant me this beft of bleilings. Whatever may happen to me during the courfe of the year, he has undoubtedly chofen for me a friend, who will be my advifer in difficulties, and my confoler in misfortunes ; who will {hare the fweets of profperity with me, and in mo- ments of weaknefs will aid and fupport my reafon. If in the courfe of the year I experience any misfortune, which I could not-forefee; if any unforefeen happinefs fall to my lot ; if I have any lofs to bear which I could not expect ; all will work together for my good. Full of this conviction, I begin the new year. Let what will happen, I fhall be more and more confirmed in the perfuafion, that God will be my preferver in my old age, as he was in my youth If I find myfelf expofed to poverty and diitrefs, I hope to remember the days of my helplefs infancy, that more critical ftate, in which he protected me. If I meet with ingra- titude from a friend, even that ought not to make me unhappy. He who created me can raife up other friends, in whofe tendernefs I may enjoy delight and comfort. If my days be full of danger, and perfecution be my lot, even thefe ought not to terrify me ; I mould put my truft in that power which protected my childhood when it was expofed to many dangers. LESSON BEAUTIES OF STURM. 3 LESSON II. DAILY PROOFS OF AN UNIVERSAL PRO- VIDENCE. NOT to acknowledge the hand of Providence, but in extraordinary cafes, is to betray our ignorance and our weaknefs. In the ordinary courfe of nature, things duly ofFej which ought to excite our attention and our admiration. The formation of a chicken in an egg is as great a miracle of the power and wifdom of God, as the creation of the firtt man formed out of the duil. Likewife the prefervation of cur life, if we reflect on the feveral caufes and effects which combine for that purpofe, is no iefs wonderful than the refurrection of the dead. The only difference between them is, that one happens but feldom, while we every day witnefs the other. This is the reafon it does not flrike us more fen- fibly, or raife our admiration as it would other- wife do. Undoubtedly, my own experience ought to convince me fully, that a Divine Pro- vidence watches over the prefervation of mv dav*. I am net certain of a fingle moment of my life. I feel how incapable I am of pre- ferring my life, or of removing fuch and fuch infirmity, or fuch and fuch danger, with which I am threatened. Subject to fo many wants, both mental and bodily, I am tho- roughly convinced, that, were it not for the ten- der mercies of God, I mould be a very wretched creature. The union of my body and foul, their . reciprocal and continual acting on each other, ' are inconceivable, and neither depend on my will or power. The beating of my pulfe, the circu- B 2 lation 4 BEAUTIES OF STURM. lation of fluids within mc, goes on without in- terruption, and without my ; being able to con- tribute to it in the fmalleft degree. Every thing convinces me that my faculties, my ftate, the duration of my exiftence, does not depend on my wilL If my breath be not flopped ; if my blood fall circulates ; if my limbs have not yet loft their activity ; if the organs of my fenfes have preferved their play ; if, in this inftant, I have the faculty of thinking, and the ufe of my rea- fon ; it is to God alone that I am indebted for it. But, why do I reflect fo feldom, and with fo little gratitude, on the daily ways of Providence? Ought not the reflections which now offer them- felves, to have always been imprinted on my heart ? Ought I not, at leaft, every morning and evening of my life, to meditate on the benefits of my Creator ; admire and blefs him for them ? How juft that I mould do fo? and that, by this homage, I mould diflinguifh myfelf from the infenfible brute, from thofe creatures who have not received the faculty of contemplating the works of their Creator. Divine' Preferver of my life ! teach me to con- template worthily the miracles of thy goodnefs. And when thou granteft me a favour, however frnall it may be, may I feel the value of it ; may it lead me to glorify thee, and to adopt the words of a holy patriarch : " I am nothing in compa- " rifon of all the goodnefs and mercy with " which thou haft acted towards thy fervant," " LESSON BEAUTIES' OF STURM. 5 LESSON III. THE CARE WHICH PROVIDENCE TAKES OF ANIMALS DURING THE WINTER SEASON. MILLIONS of rational beings, difperfed in the different countries of the world, are provided at this feafon with all the necefTarics of life. The greater the number of them is, the greater variety of wants they have, accord- ing to their condition, their age, their manner of living. The lefs we are able to form a plan, and take fecure meafures for our own preferva- tion, the more the arrangements, fo full of wif- dom and goodnefs, made by our Creator, to provide for it, deferve our attention and admira- tion. But there would be a fort of felfifhnefs in confining the divine goodnefs and wifdom to the prefervation of mankind alone, without re- membering the care that Providence alfo takes of animals during winter. A care which he ex- tends to creatures much greater in number on the earth, than the rational beings who inhabit it. However wonderful the prefervation of human creatures may be, we can fay, with truth, that the cares of Providence towards animals are (till more altonifhing proofs of wifdom, power, and goodnefs. That the prodigious number of animals which our globe contains, fhould find food or habitation in fumrner, is not furprifing, becaufe all nature then is difpofed to concur towards that end. But that in this feafon, the fame number of creatures, thofe millions of quadrupeds, of reptiles, of birds, of infects, and fifn.es, mould continue to exiit, is a circumitance which rnuft excite the aftoniih- B 3 ment O BEAUTIES OF STURM. ment of every one capable of reflection. Nature has provided moft animals with a covering,, by means of which they can bear the cold, and pro- cure themfclves food in winter, as well as in fummer. The bodies of wild beafts, which in- habit fo refts and dsferts, are fo formed, that the hair falls off in fummer, and grows again in Winter, till it becomes a fur, which enables the animal to endure the moft fevere cold. Other kinds of animals find an afylum under the bark of trees, in old crevices, in hollows of rocks, and caves, when the cold obliges them to quit their fummer dwelling. It is there, that fome carry before-hand the food which is to ferve them, and thus live on what they have gathered in the fummer \ others pafs the winter in profound deep. Nature has given to feveral forts of birds an inftinft which prompts them to change place at the approach of winter. They are feen flying in great- num- bers into warmer climates. Several animals, who are not deligned to travel, find, notwith- standing, their wants fupplied in this feafon. Birds know how to find out infects in mofs, and in the crevices of the bark of trees. Several kinds of quadrupeds carry provifion in the fum- mer time into caves, and teed on it in winter. Others are obliged to feek their fubfiftence under the fnow and ice. Adore, with me, our almighty and gracious Preferver, whofe goodnefs and majefly does not make him difdain attention to the weakeit crea- ture exifting under the heavens. From the elephant to the mite, all animals owe to him their dwelling, their food, and their life ; and even where nature herfelf feems barren of BEAUTIES OF STURM. *] of refources, he finds means to make amends for her poverty. How can anxiety, care, or anguifh, get accefs into oar hearts, or make us defpair of being pre- ferved during the winter. In fine, let thefe reflections lead us to imitate, as much as our faculties will permit, the gene- rous cares of Divine Providence, in contributing to the prefervation and happinefs of our fellow- creatures, and even to the welfare of every living animal. To be cruel towards animals, to rehife them food, and indifpenlible conveniences, is to aft manifeftly contrary to the will of our common Creator, whofe beneficent cares extend even to thofe beings which are inferior to us. And, if animals have a real right to our attention, how irvjch more are we obliged to foften, as well as we can, the evils of our fellow-creatures ? Let it not be fufficient for us to fuppiy our own wants, but let us endeavour to fuppiy thofe of others ; and never fuflfer any one to link under mifery, whom it was in our power to relieve. LESSON IV. SECOND WEEK. VEGETABLES WHICH PRESERVE THEIR VER- DURE IN WINTER. TH E earth may now be compared to a mother who has been robbed of thofe chil- dren from whom fhe had the bed hopes. She is defolate, and deprived of the charms which varied and embellifhed her furface. However, fhe is not robbed of all her children. Here and there, fome vegetables are ftill to be feen, which feem to defy the feverity of the winter. Here the B 4 wild © BEAUTIES OF STURM. wild hawthorn fhews its purple berries ; and rhc laureftina difplays itsblolToms inclufters, crown- ed with leaves which never fade. The yew-tree rifes like a pyramid, and its leaves preferve their verdure. The weak ivy ftill creeps along the walls, and clings immoveable, while the temped roars around it. The laurel extends its green branches, and has loft none of its fummer orna- ments. The humble box fhews here and there, in the midft of the fnow, its ever-green branches. Thefe trees, and fome others beiides, preferve their verdure in the coldeft climates, and in the fevereit feafons. They are emblems of the du- rable advantages which he poHeifes whofe mind is cultivated, and whofe temper is fweet and ferene. The fplendor of drefs, which only dazzles the eyes of the vulgar, is a trifling and tranfient fplendor. The moft brilliant com- plexion will fade, and all outward beauty is of ihort duration ; but virtue has charm j which furvive every thing. The man who fears the Lord, is " like a tree planted by the fide of a " rivulet. It grows and flourifhes, and its " branches extend far off. It bears fruit in due " feafon, and its leaves fade not." What a delightful image is this of a pious man ! He borrows not his f alue from the exterior and arbitrary goods of fortune. His true orna- ments are in himfelf. The ftorms of adverfity may fometimes fhake him, but they cannot over- power him ; and he foon rifes again above the flormy regions. If he is reduced by misfortune to poverty, he is flill rich in poiTeilion of the favour of God, a good confcience, and the hope of a bleiTed immortality. This meditation leads me to the idea of a be- nevolent old man. In the winter of his life, he referable* BEAUTIES OF STURM. 9 refembles the plants which preferve their ver- dure, even in that feafon of life. How many ftorms of fortune has he fupported with con- stancy ! How many attracting objects has he feen wither ! He yet exifts, while moft of thofe of his time have difappcared. A mild cheerful- nefs is feen in him, the happy remains of his fpring. Shortly will the beauty of my body fade like a fummer-flower. Happy, then, if I have no reafon to regret the lofs of it ! Happy, if I find myfelf adorned with thofe attractions which have their fource from wifdom and virtue, and which will not wither even in the grave ! LESSON V. THE ADVANTAGES OF THE CLIMATE WE INHABIT. LE T us fenfibly feel how happy we are in all refpects. For the bleflings of our hea- venly Father are poured upon us on every fide. The profpecf of our forefts, our meadows, our hills ; the pure and temperate air which fur- rounds us ; the day, the night, the feafons of the year, and the variations which attend them ; all prove to us the goodnefs of our Creator, and the greatnefs of our felicity. Can we then be difcontented with the lot which is fallen to us, murmuring that we have not a perpetual fummer, that the rays of the fun do not conftantly fhine upon us, and that an equal degree of warmth is not always felt under our zone ! What ingrati- tude, and at the fame time, what ignorance ! Indeed, we know not what we w T iiri, nor of B 5 what iO BEAUTIES O* STURM. what we complain. It is through carelefinefs, or pride, that we difown the goodnefs of God, who has been particularly favourable to our coun- tries ? We murmur often at the feverity of win- ter. We are mad enough to envy the inhabitants of places, where this change of fcafons is un- known : but it is precifely the winter, which makes the climate we live in one of the moil healthy in the world. In hot countries, they are more expofed to epidemic diforders, than where the fun reflects lefs heat ; and the people are not fo long lived as in our climate. Bdides, it is obferved that men are lefs robuft, and population not fo great, as among us. And when the cold is at the higheft poflible degree with us, we are ftill much happier than the inhabitants of thofe countries, where the cold is fo much greater, and lafts fo much longer, that our fevercft. win- ters would appear to them to have the mildnefs of autumn. Let us compare, in imagination, our lot with that of the inhabitants of the nor- thern part of our globe. Here fome rays of the fun come to brighten our cloudy days, and revive our fpirits. We fee the fucceilion of the day and night, while many unfortunate creatures pafs many long days in darknefs. LESSON VI. CONTEMPLATION OF THE STARRY HEAVENS, THE iky at night prefents us a fight of won- ders which mult raife the aftommment of every attentive observer of nature. But from whence comes it, that fo few confider the firma- ment with attention? I am willing to believe, that BEAUTIES OF STURM. II that in general it proceeds from ignorance ; for it is impoftible to be convinced of the greatnefs of the works of God, without feeling a rapture almoft heavenly. Raife your thoughts for this purpofe towards the Iky. It will be enough to name to you the immenfe bodies which are ftrewed in that fpace, to fill you with aftonifh- ment at the greatnefs of the artificer. It is in the centre of our fyftem that the fun is eftablifhed. That body is more than a million of times larger than the earth. It is one hundred millions of miles diftant from it, and notwithstanding this prodigious diftance, it has a moft fenfible effect upon our fphere. Round the fun move feven- teen globular bodies, feven of which are called planets, the other ten, moons or fatellites ; they are opaque, and receive from the fun, light, heat, and perhaps alfo, their interior motion. Georgium Sidus, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, the Earth, Venus, and Mercury, are the names of the feven principal planets. Of thefe feven, Mercury is neareft the fun ; and for that reafon is moftly invifible to the aftronomer. As he is near nineteen times fmaller than our earth, he contributes but little to adorn the fky. Venus follows him, and is fometimes called the morn- ing, and fometimes the evening ftar. It is one of the brighter!: of the heavenly bodies, whether it precedes the fun-rife, or fucceeds the fetting- fun. It is near as large again as our earth, and is about iixty-eight millions of miles diftant from the fun After Venus comes our Earth, round which the moon moves as a fecondary planet. Mars, which is the fourth planet, is leven times fmaller than our globe j and its diftance from the fun is one hundred and forty- four millions of miles. Jupiter, with his belt, B 6 and 12 BEAUTIES OF STURM. and four moons or fatellites, is always diftin- guifhed by his fplendor in the ftarry iky, and is eight thou fa nd times larger than our earth. Sa- turn, who is accompanied by five moons, and a luminous ring, and whofe diflance from the fun is upwards of nine hundred millions of miles, was thought the remotefl planet until the late difcovery of the Georgium Sidus, whofe diftance is eighteen thoufand millions of miles, and its magnitude eighty-nine times greater than our earth. In the mean time, the fun, with all the planets which accompany it, is but a very fmall part of the immenfe fabric of the univerfe. Each ftar, which, from hence, appears to us no larger than a brilliant fet in a ring, is in reality an immenfe body, which equals the fun both in fize and fplendor. Each ftar then, is not only a world, but alfo the centre of a planetary fyftem. It is in this light we mud confider the ftars, which mine over our heads in a winter night. They are diftinguilhed from the planets by their brilliancy,, and are called fixed ftars, becaufe they never change their place in the fky. Ac- cording to- their apparent lize, they are divided into fix claifes,. which comprehend altogether about three thoufand ftars. And there are in- numerable other ftars, not to be difcovered by the naked eye. If we reflect on the diftance between the fixed ftars and our earth, we fhall have new caufe to admire the greatnefs of the creation. Our fenfes alone make us already know that the ftars muft be further from us than the planets. Their ap- parent littlenefs only proceeds from their diftance from the earth. And their prodigious diftance and their brightnefs teiLus, — they are funs which reflect, .as fur as to us, not a borrowed light, but their BEAUTIES OF STURM. 1% their own light ; funs, which the Creator fown by millions in the.imrr. and each of which is accomp trial globes, which it is mi n ate. Let us flop here, then, a: jreat muit be that ho has c menfe globes! who has re urfe, and whufe mi >nd fupports them ! And what is the clod of earth we inhabit, gnificent fcene it pre , in comparifon of the beauty of the lent : I: this earth were annihilated, its abfer.ee would be no more obfenred than that of a grain of land from the fea more. -What are v and kingdoms in comparifon of th No- thing but atoms which play in the air, and are in the fun-beams. And what am I, when I reckon myfclf among this infinite number of God's creatures : How am I loft in my nothingnefsi But however little I appe... this, how great do I find myfelf in other re- beautiful this ftarry firmament, ch God has chofen tor his throne I What is more admirable than the celelfial bodies ! Their fplendor dazzles me ; their beauty enchants me. However, all beautiful as it is, and richly adorned, \et is this Iky void of intelligence. I > not its own beauty ; while I, mere clay, whom God has moulded with his hands, am endowed fenfe and reafon." I can conte of. thofe (hi i i : ftiil more, I am aire to a certain degree, acquainted with their fublime Author ; and I partly fee fome rays of his g] I will endeavour to be more and more acquainted with his works, and make it my emptovment, till, 14 BEAUTIES OF STURM. till, by a glorious change, I rife above the ftarry regions,. LESSON VII. THIRD WEEK. THE ADVANTAGES OF NIGHT. WE are, it is true, deprived of fome plea- fures, now that the fun withdraws its light from us fo foon, and that the greate/t part of our time is palled in darknefs. Neverthelefs, we have no caufe to complain of this arrange- ment in nature. As the mixture of pleafure and pain, of good and evil, is always wifely or- dained ; fo do we find the fame provident good- nefs of our Creator in this remarkable variation in our climate. Should we be as well convinced as we are of the ufe of the fun ; and would its light excite in us the fame fenfation of pleafure, if the being deprived of it did not lead us to feel the advantage of it ? Each night may remind us or the mercy of the Almighty, who, for the good of mankind, has fpread light and beauty over the earth. It may remind us of the mifery in which we fhould languiih, if day did not fucceed the darknefs. And doos not even dark- nefs obtain for us a great advantage, by inviting us (from the tranquillity and repofe which attends it) to enjoy a fweet ileep ? In general we are too felfiih, in meafuring the advantages and incon- veniences of night, merely by the ufe or hurt we think we draw from it. If long nights are dif- agreeable to fome, to how many others are they a blefiing ? Without the night the aftronomer cculd not have formed an idea of the diitance, the BEAUTIES OF STURM. |£ the fizc, the courfe, and the infinite number o{ planets and liars ; nor could the pilot make u(e of the northern ftar. Confidered in another way, night (till appears to me a benefit to man- kind, in lefTening our wants, and in putting an end to thofe which, in the day time, coil us many cares. What expence does not convenience! cuftoms require, without which we ihould fcarce think we enjoyed life ? How many \ opprefied with want, begin the day with anxi and end it in hard labour ! Night comes and fufpends care and mifery. To be happy, noil but a bed is wanting ; and if fleep clofes our eyes, all our wants are fatisfied. Night, in fome degree, equals the beggar with the mo;:. Both enjoy a ble fling which cannot be pure ha fed. O how gracious that Being who c ail things tor the happinefs of mankind ! Mod things, which are called evils, are only fo to thofe who let themfelves be carried away by pre- judice and pailion : whilst, if they were con- sidered as they ought to be, it would appear, that thefe apparent evils are real bleffings orld. We may be allured, that feveral millions of our tellow-creatures, who are in the day-time em- ployed in hard-work, or tatiguing labour \ others, who have groaned all day under the yoke of an enemy to humanity, will blefs God at the ap- proach of night, which brings reft with it. And let us alfo blefs him the beginning of each night. We lhall undoubtedly do fo, if, having the wif- dom to, employ the day well; we acquire a ri< whom nature has more fparingly diftributed her bleilings. I fix my eyes now on the Laplanders, and the inha- bitants of the lands nearefi the arctic pole : mor- tals, whofe tafte and manner of living, when compared BEAU riES 01 STURM. tO, compared with ours, are not the happieft. Their country is formed of a chain of mountains co- vered with fnow and ice, which does not melt even in fummer ; and, where the chain is inter- rupted, is full of bogs and marines. A deep fnow overwhelms the vallies, and covers the little hills. Winter is felt during the greatelt part of the year. The nights are long ; and the days give but a dim light. The inhabitants feek fhel- ter from the cold in terts, which can be removed cr.e place to another. They fix their fire- place in the middle of it, and furround it with itones. The fmoke goes out at a hole, which ftlfo ferves them for a window. There they fallen iron chains, to which they hang the cal- drons, in which they drefs their food, and melt the ice which ferves them for drink. The infide of the tent is furnifhed with furs, which preferve them from the wind; and they lie on ikins of animals, fpread upon the ground. It is in fuch habitations that they psfs their winter. Six months of the year are to them perpetual night, during which they hear nothing round them but the whittling of the wind and the howling of the wolves, who are running every where in feareh of their prey. How could we bear the climate and way of life of thofe people ? How much we mould think ourfelves to be pitied, if we had no- thing before our eyes but an immenfe extent of ice, and whole deferts covered with fnow ; the ^.bfence of the fun ftill making the cold more in- fuppoitable ? And it, initead of a convenient dwelling, we had only moveable tents made of Ikins ; and no other refourcc for our fubtiftence, but in painful and dangerous hunting for it ? If wc were deprived both of the pleasures which £0 BEAUTIES OF STURM. the arts produce, and the fociety of our fellow- creatures to fweeten life. Are not the fe reflections proper to make us obferve the many advantages of our climate, fo little attended to ? Ought it not to animate us to blefs the Divine Providence, for delivering us from fuch diftreffes and inconveniences, and for diitingui filing us by a thou fa nd advantages ? Yes : let us ever blefs that wife Providence : and when we feel the feverity of the feafon, let us return thanks, that the cold is fo moderate where we dwell, and that we have fuch numerous ways of guarding againft it. Let us alfo blefs the Almighty Governor of the univerfe, by granting us, in the midft of the defolate image which winter prefents, the delightful profpecl; of fpring, the very idea of which comforts and enables us to fupport the prefent evil. But is the inhabitant of northern countries fo unhappy as we imagine ? It is true that he wan- ders painfully through rough vallies and unbeaten roads, and that he is expofed to the inclemency of the feafons. But his hardy body is able to bear fatigue. The Laplander is poor, and de- prived of all the conveniences of life ; but is he not rich, in knowing no other wants than thofe which he can eafily fatisfy ? He is deprived for feveral months of the light of the fun ; but to make the darknefs of night fupportable, the moon and the Aurora Borealis come to light his horizon. Even the fnow and ice, in which he is buried, does not make him unhappy. Educa- tion and cuftom arm him againft the feverity of his climate. The hardy life he leads enables him to brave the cold : and for the particular wants which are indifpenfable to him, nature has made it BIAUTIES OF STURM. 2| it eafy for him to obtain them. She has pointed out to him animals, whofe fur faves him from the fhafpnefs of the air. She has given him the rein-deer, which furnii , all at once, with his tent, his dref?, his bed, his food, and his drink ; with which he undertakes long joumies, and which, in a word, fupplres almoft all his wants, and the maintenance of it is no expence or trouble to him. If, in the midft of all the mifery of their rondftibn, thefe poor mortals had a more perfect knowledge of the Supreme Being, a knowledge fuch as revelation gives us ; if lefs ravage and infeniible, they cculd draw from friendfhip thofe fweets which improve life ; if it were poflible, I fay, to join thefe precious ad- vantages to the tranquillity of mind which forms their character, thofe fuppofed unhappy people, whofe kind of life frightens our depraved ima- ginations, would not be fo much to be pitied as we think. And, if it is true that the idea we form of happinefs depends more on opinion than on reafon ; ii it is true alfo that real happinefs is not fixed to particular people, or particular cli- mates ; and that, with the neceffaries of life and peace of mind, one may be happy in every corner of the earth ; have we not a right to afk, What the Laplander wants to make him happy ? LESSON X. FOURTH WEEK. THE WISE ORDINANCE OF OUR GLOBE. HOWEVER limited the human mind may be ; however incapable it is of going to the bottom of, or even conceiving the whole of the pran, that the Creator executed in forming our 2 £ B B A U T I E S OF S I L' R M . our globe, we may, notwithftanding, by the ufe of our fenfes, and the faculties with which we are endowed, difcover fuiheient to make us ac- knowledge and admire the divine wifdom. To convince us of it, wc need only reflect on the form of the earth. It is known to be almoft in fhape like a ball. And, with what view did the Creator choofe that form ? In order that it mould be inhabited, over the whole furface of it, by living creatures. God would not have accom- plished this purpofe, if the inhabitants of the earth had not every where found fufficient light and best ; if water had not been eafily fpread in all parts of it ; and, if the circulation of wind had met with obftacies any where. The earth could not have any form more proper to prevent thefe inconveniences. Without this form, the revolutions of the day and night, the changes in the temperature of the air, cold, heat, moiiture, or drvnefs, could not have taken place. When I reflect on the enormous mafs which compofes our globe, I have new reafon to admire the fupreme wifdom. If the earth was ibfter or more fpongy than it is, men and animals would fink into it. If it was harder, more compact, arid lefs penetrable than it is, it would refill the toil of the labourer, and would be incapable of producing and nourifning that multitude of plants, herbs, roots, and flowers, which now fpring out of its bofom. Our globe is formed of regular and diftin& ftrata ; fome of different ffcones, others of feveral metals and minerals. The numerous advantages which reftilt from them, particularly in favour of mankind, are evident to all the world. Where mould we have fweet water, fo neceifary to life, if it was not purified, and in a manner filtered, by the ftrata of gravel which are BEAUTIES OF STURM. 23 are funk a great depth in the earth ? The furface of the globe offers a varied profpect ; an admi- rable mixture of vailies and mountains. Who is there that does not fee clearly the wife purpofes of the Author of nature, in thus diverfifying this furface r How favourable is this variety of valley and mountain to the health of living creatures ! How much more proper to produce the various fpecies of plants and vegetables ! If there were no hills, the earth would be lefs peopled with men and animals: we fhould have fewer plants, fewer limples and trees : we mould be totally deprived of metals and minerals : the vapours could not be condenfed ; and we fhould have neither fprings nor rivers. Who can help acknowledging thai the whole plan of the earth, its form, its exterior and in- terior conftrucVton, are regulated according to the wifeft laws, which all combine towards the plea- fure and happinefs of living creatures ! Supreme Author of nature, thou hail: ordered ev . y thing on earth with wifdom 1 Wherever I turn my eyes ; whether I examine the furface ; whether I penetrate into the interior ftructure of the globe thou haft appointed me to inhabit ; I every where difcovcr marks of profound wifdom and infinite goodnefs. LESSON XI. SUBTERRANEOUS FIRES. BY digging a little deep into the earth, a greater degree of ccld is felt than on the furface : becaufe the latter is heated by the fun. But if you dig fifty or iixty Lettleep, the heat increafes 34 BEAUTIES OF STURM. increafes fenfibly ; and, if it is a Hill greater depth, it becomes fo clofe, that it {tops refpira- tion, and puts out a candle. It is not eafy to determine the caufe of this heat. Thofe who admit that there are concealed fires in every place under the earth, approach, perhaps, the neareft to the truth. But how this fire, fo clofely con- fined, can burn ; what the fubftance is that feeds it, or how it can be burned without con fuming, is what cannot be determined with certainty. There are phenomena on our globe, which prove the exiftence of fubterraneous fires in a very for- midable manner. From time to time there are terrible eruptions of fire. The two moit re- markable mountains which produce fuch, are Etna, in Sicily, and Vefuvius, in the kingdom of Naples. The accounts given of thefe two volcanos are frightful. Sometimes a black va- pour only rifes out of them ; at oth^r times a hollow roaring is heard ; all at once it is followed by thunder and lightning, attended by an earth- quake. Then the vapour clears up, and be- comes luminous. Stones fly with violence, and fall again into the gulph which threw them out. Sometimes thefe eruptions are fo violent, that large pieces of rock are hurled into the air. The force of the interior air of thefe mountains is fo prodigious, that, in the lafl century, pieces of rocks weighing three hundred pounds were thrown into the air, and fell again at the diftance of three miles. At certain times, the vitrified entrails of the earth boil up, and rife, till their formidable foaming runs over at the outfide^ and flows for the fpace of feveral miles through the neighbouring fields, where it fwallows up every thing in its paiTage. The torrent of fire lafts for feveral days. One wave rolls over another tUi BEAUTIES OF STURM. 2£ till it reaches the fea ; and even here its violence is fuch, that it continues to flow for fome time without being extinguiihed in the waves of the ocean. Who can think without terror of the difafters which fuch eruptions occafion ? Whole farms and villages, with their fertile plantations, are fwallowed up. The meadows are confumed. The olive-trees and vines entirely deftroyed. We are told, that in one of the eruptions of Etna, the torrent of burning lava fpread itfelf~over fourteen cities ; and that the roaring within the mountain was heard at twenty miles diitance. But wherefore thefe volcanos, which fpread fuch terror and devaluation on the earth ? Why has the Lord created them r Why, inftead of putting bounds to their fury, has he permitted them thus to diftrefs his creatures ? Who then am I, to dare to afk fuch queitions ? Have I a right to demand an account of the plans formed by Supreme Wifdoin ? The exiftence of thefe volcanos cannot be the work of chance ; and I ought to conclude, that the Creator has wife reafons for ordering fuch to be. Befides, even in this, I find the beneficent hand which pro- vides for the welfare of mankind. Whatever mifchiefs thefe eruptions occafion, it is nothing in comparifon of the advantage they are, on the whole, to our globe. The bofom of the earth being full of fire, it was abfolutely neceilary that there fhould be volcanos, becaufe they are the vents by which the force of the dreadful element is broken and weakened. And though the countries where the fubterraneous fires col- led in greateft quantities, are fubject to earth- quakes, they would be (till more violent, if thefe volcanos did not exift. Italy would not be fuch C a fertile 26 BEAUTIES OF STURM. a fertile country, if, now and then, the fire which the earth contains had not found a vent in thefe mountains. And, after all, who knows if thofe frightful phenomena may not produce other advantages concealed from us, and if the influence of them may not extend over the whole globe ? At leaft, this is enough to convince us, that they contribute to fulfil the defigns of our Divine Author, fo full of wifdom and goodneis. And if there ft ill remain things to us obfeure and impenetrable, let us put our hands to our mouths, and fay, (i Lord, thy judgments are right and equitable, and thy ways impoflible to difcover." LESSON XII. THE RAPIDITY WITH WHICH THE HUMAN LIFE PASSES AWAY. OUR life is fhort and tranfitory. This is an inconteftible proportion ; though, to judge from the conduct, of molt people, one would not fuppofe it a received truth. Let us judge by our own experience ; ought not each ftep we have taken, from our births to this mo- ment, to have convinced us of the frailty of life r Let us conikler only with what fwiitnefs the days, the weeks, the months, and the years havepaffedj or rather flown away. They were over, even before we perceived it. Let us endeavour to recall them to mind, and to follow them in their rapid flight. Is it poffible to give an account of the different aeras ? If there had not been in our lives certain very remarkable moments, which made impreilion on our minds, we BEAUTIES OF STURM. 2^ we mould be ftiU Icfs able to recollect the hif- hem. How many years of our infancy, ) the amufements of youth, which we can fay nothing of, but that they have glided marry others have paiTed in the thougbtlerlhefs of youth ; during which, milled by our inclinations, arkt given up to pleafurc, the time, to look into - i To thefe years fucceeded thole of a riper age, more c: m. We then thought it was time to change cur way of and to act. like reafonable men ; but the efs of the world took potieiii on of us to fuch a degree, that we had no leifure to reflect on our paft lives. Our families increa&d, and our csres and endeavours to provide : increafei in proportion. Infenfibly the time draws nigh, in which we arrive at old age ; and perhaps, even then, we fhall neither have leifure nor force of mind to recollect the paft, to reticct upon the period to which we are a at we have done, or neglected to do ; in a word, to coniider the purpofes for whk were placed in this world. In the mean time, what can infure our ever attaining that adva age r A thouiand accidents break the dt. .thread of life, before it comes to its full le: The t born fail?, and is reduced to dull. The young man, who gives the higheft hopes, is cut down, in the age of bloom and beauty; a violent ill- efs, an unfortunate accident, lays him in the grave. Dangers and accidents multiply with years ; negligence and excefs lay the feeds of maladies, and difpofe the bodies to catch thofe that are epidemical. The laft age is (fill more dan- gerous. In a word, half of thofe who are born, are carried out of the world and perifh in the C 2 fhort 28 BEAUTIES OF STURM. fhort fpace of their firft fcventeen years. Behold the concife, but faithful hiftory of life ! O may we redeem thofe days, fo fhort, and fo important, in learning how to number them, and make the mod of the time which flies fo fwiftly away ! Even while we make thefe reflections, fome moments are flown. What a precious treafure of days and hours fhould we not lay up, if, from the numberlefs moments we have to difpofe of, we often devoted fome of them to fo ufeful a purpofe ! Let us think of it ferioufly ; every inftant is a portion of life impoflible to recall, but the remembrance of which may be either the fource of joy or forrow. What heavenly enjoyment is it, to be able to look happily on the pad, and to fay to one's felf with truth, " I have lived fo many years, during which I have fown a rich feed of good works ; I do not wifh to begin them again, but I do not regret that they have patted." We mould be able to hold this language, if we fulfilled the end for which life was given us ; if we devoted our fhort fpace of time to the great interefts of eternity. LESSON XIII. FIFTH WEEK. OUR DUTY IN REGARD TO SLEEP. A Melancholy remark we have often occafion to mention, -is, that moft people lie down to fleep with an inconceivable fecurity. To confider it only as far as it relates to our bodies, the revolution produced by fleep ought to appear to us of great confequence ; but, if we coniider it in dill another light ; if we were to form to ourfelves all that might happen to us, while we are BEAUTIES OF STURM. are enjoying repofe, it appears to me, that, in confequence, we could not, or ought not, to throw ourfeives into the arms of ileep, without having taken proper precautions, and having, in a certain degree, prepared ourfclves tor it. In reality, it is not furprifing, that thofe who in their waking hours are fo inconflderate, io ne- gligent of every duty, ihould be equally I :h relates to ileep. Let i#x, I learn in what manner we : > rify the Almighty, an alter afa Chriftian, in this refpecr. What thankfoii are due to the Creator for the b Some may not know the le of it, as it may never have been denied to their wiihes, when they have deilred it. But, how foon Id ficknefs, forrow, fear, or old age, deprive them of the fleets of repofe ! Oh ! it is then that they would acknowledge, that ileep is the moit preifing want of nature ; and, at the fame time, an ineftimable bkfling of the Deity. But, mould thev wait till they lofe this bl become wife r No, now, while they enjoy the advantages of deep ; — and, that the beginning of each night makes them feel it r kt them give themfelves up to it, without ely fenfe of gratitude towards their H-a- Benefactor. Let this gratitude prevent them illy from making an abufe of ileep, or, bv a contrary extreme, not making uit of it. It is always wrong to prolong, through idlenefs, the hours defigned for repofe. Nature in this refpect, as in every thing elfs, is content with a little : and feven or eight hours of uninterrupted fleep is as much as is neceifary. But, we are not lefs blamable, when, through avarice, am- bition, or any other motive of that fort, we lofe C 3 our 3° BEAUTIES OK STURM. our Peep and neceffary reft. In both cafes, we aa contrary to the rules cftablifhed by our C^ator and contrary to the gratitude w owe him for fuch a bleffin?. Above all things, let us endeavour to eo to fleep with a proper turn of mind. What fhould from th WC Wet c«° kn ° W forc <=rtaintv, that, Irom the arms of deep, we were to pifc into thofe ot death i Should we not employ our laft moments in preparing ourfdves for 'this pafl^-e : nrecollea.ng our part life ; in feeking, trough Well ?K° d ° f ^^ ,he remi/lion ^«« "^? caTe LmM. WC T may ', eVery ni « ht ' confider *«• tg, in the fpace of twelve or fifteen hours, ...ere die many thoufand people. Who can fry whofe name is not in the lift of thofe which death will remove out of this world ? Now I eave it to the decifion of every one's heart, what they would have done, if, in the midft of their fleep they had been called upon to appear before the tnbunal of Jefus. If, f n the courfe of h s n.ght God had difpofed of them, would they have been prepared to appear before him > O God, to whom alb hearts are open, and from whom no fecrets are hidden, what can we con- ceal from thee ? We daily feel our weakness. Pardon our fins, we befeech thee, and enter not into judgment with us for them. LESSON XIV. THE USE OF STARS. TH E ftarry fky is an admirable fcene of the woiuiers of the Moft High, in the eves of every one who loves to refiea on the works of Omnipotence. BEAUTIES OF STURM. 3 1 Omnipotence. The order, the greatnefs, the multitude, and the brilliant fplendor of thofc heavenly bellies, muft be the moft pleafing fpec- tacle to an attentive obferver. The light of the ftars alone,- fuppofing that we knew nothing of their nature and ufe, would be fufficient to fill the mind with admiration and delight. For what can be fcen more magnificent and beautiful than that immenfe expanfe of the heavens, illu- minated by numberlefs lights, which the azure Iky makes appear (till more brilliant ; and which all differ from one another both in fize and luftre. But, would a Being infinitely wife have adorned the celeftial vault with fo many bodies of an im- menfe fize, merely to pleafe our eyes, and to afford us a magnificent fight. Would he have created innumerable funs, merely that the inha- bitants of our little globe might have the plea- fure of feeing ;in the iky fome luminous fpecks, the particular nature and purpofe of which they very imperfectly know. Such an idea cannot be formed by any body who confiders, that there is, throughout all nature, an admirable harmony between the works of God and the purpofes he defigns them for ; and that in ail he does, hehas in view the advantage, as well as the pleafure of his creatures. It cannot be doubted, but that God, in placing the ftars in the fky, has had much higher views, than that of affording us an agreeable fight. Indeed, we cannot precifely determine all the particular ends the ftars may anfwer'; but, at lead:, it is eafy to believe, that they mud be defigned for the advantage as well as the ornament of the world ; and the following Considerations will be fufficient to convince us of it. Among the itars that are eafieft to be diftin- guifhed, there are fome which we fee conftantly C 4 in 3 a BEAUTIES OF STURM.- in the fame part of the iky, and are always over our heads. Thefe ferve to guide travellers by fea and land, in the darknefs of night. They point out the way to the navigator, and tell him when he may undertake his voyages with lead danger. Other ftars vary their afpect ; and, though they always hold the fame titration, as to one another, they change the order of their rifing and fetting, in refpect to us, from day to day. Even thefe changes, which never vary in their regularity, are of great ufe to us ; they ferve to meafure time, and to determine it by fettled rules. The regular revolutions of the ftars mark precifely the return and the end of the feafon. The ploughman knows exactly, by this means, when he ought to fow feeds in the earth, and the whole progrefs of the country la- bours. However confiderable the ufe of the ftars is to our earth, it may well be prefumed, that it is not the only, nor the mod important object, which the Deity propofed to himfelf in producing fo many globes of a prodigious fize. Can it in- deed be fuppofed, that the wife Creator ftrewed the immerife expanfe with fo many millions of worlds and funs, merely that the fmall number which inhabit the earth fhould be informed of the meafure of time, and the return of the fea- fons ? Undoubtedly thefe innumerable globes are for more fublime purpofes ; and each of them has its particular deftination. All the ftars being fo many funs, w r hich can give light, animation, and heat to other globes, is it probable, that the Almighty fhould have given them that faculty for no purpofe ? Would he have created ftars, whofe rays can pierce even to the earth, without having produced worlds alfo to enjoy their benign influence ? No, certainly : perhaps each of thefe fixed BEAUTIES OF STURM. 33 fixed liars, which we fee by myriads, has its worlds moving round it, for which it has been created, Perhaps, thefe fpheres which we fee above us, ferve as abodes for different forts of creatures ; and are peopled, like our earth, with inhabitants, who admire and praife the magnificence of the works of God. Perhaps, from all thefe globes, as well as from ours, there rifes continually to- wards the Creator, prayers and hymns of praife and thankfgiving. How fublime is this thought, that, exclufive of the fmall number of rational creatures which inhabit this globe, there are in- numerable numbers of them in thofe worlds, which appear from hence to be but mere lumi- nous fpecks. It muff, be indeed out of the queilion, that the empire of the Mofl High ihouid not be beyond the limits of our earth. Beyond this world there is an immenfity, in comparifon of which our globe, large as it is, can be but reckoned as nothing. Souls without number exiil there. All of them magnify the name of our great Creator; and are all as happy as their deilination admits of; and perhaps afpire to a better world. LESSON XV. THE WONDERFUL MAKE OF THE EYE. TH E eye infinitely furpalles all the works of the induftry of man. Its formation is the moll aftonifhing thing the human understand- ing has been able to acquire a p~rfe£l knowledge of. The moil fkilful artift could imagine no machine of that kind which would not be much inferior to what we obferve in the eye. We C j cannot, 34 BEAUTIES OF STURM, cannot, it is true, perceive clearly the whole art of Divine Wifdom in the formation of this fin" organ ; but the little we do know h feflfcfc* to convince us of the infinite knowledge, good, A and power ol our Creator. The mo/effent ia point :s for us to make ufe of tins knowledge High "' t0 magnify thc name of lhe Moft Jilt*?/™' l - he **<*** of the exter- nal parts of the eye is admirable. With what .ntrenchment, what defence, the Creator Ll provtded our eyes. They are placed in the head ■ .a certain depth and furrounded with 1 ard and fo Id bones, that they may not eafily be hurt lie eye-brows contribute alfo very nmch to he fcfety and prefervation of this organ. Thofe h*«r S winch form an arch over the eves, prc vern faft or any fuch thing falling from Ihe'S* n I al fo" 1 ; w- eye - 1WS 3K ' an ° ther Purity and ,io, by elohng m our ileep, they prevent he hght from drifurbing our reft The evl ^ S ftm a adto.th e p| r fea io fof-tIe W e7e s : inty fave us from a too ftrong light, whi ch nng ht offend us; and they guard J froT £ fatalleft paruclesof daft, which migh otherwife ft k h e\ } •* internal make of the eye » ftdl more admirable. The whole eye is com! Prfed or coats, of humours, of mjfcles, and veins i |,e tunica, or exterior membrane, mch is called erne, is tranfparent, and & ■ that it can refill the roughed ftocfcs. Behind that there „ another within, which they fU**«, and vaich is circular and coloured! I rnmdle of it there is an opening, which u cafej the pupil, and which appeal Mack opening is the cryfil, which i., ttty fraufparenr, and compofed of feveral £E A I" TIES OF STURM. SS -.es, very thin, and arranged one over another. I ..re is a moiii and tranfparent fubftance, which they call the r, becaufe i: rtfembles melted g The cavity, or the bin twecn the cornea and the cryftal, contains a moilt humour, and liquid r, for that reafon called the wate> | It can recruit itfelf when it hal out from a wound of the cornea. Six mufcles, admirably well placed, move the eye on all iiJes, raife it, lower it, turn it to the right or left, obliquely, or round about, as occa- ion require. What is mod admirable is the retina, a membrane which lines the infide bottom e eve. It is nothing but a web of little s extremely fine, fattened to a nerve or hich comes from the calk, i that the viiion is formed, becaufe the o: g at the bottom of the eye on that tunica or coat : and though the images of exterior objects are painted upfide down on the retina, they are ftill feen in their true pofition. Now, in c rm an ilea of the extreme minutenefs of picture, we need only confider, that the fpace of half a mile, that is to fay, of more than eleven hundred yards, when it is reprefented at the tenth part of an inch. I return thee thanks, O Lord, for having formed my eye in fo wonderful a manner, foul acknowledges thy infinite power, goodnefs, and wifdom. Hitherto I have not confidered (hould have done, that is, as a mafter- thy hands, and as a demonstrative proof, that even the moil minute parts of my body are not. the work of cl i :.d that thou haft C 6 formed 36 BEAUTIES OF STURM. formed them for mod ufeful purpofes. But I begin to fee a little the wonders of thy wifdom ; and I am (truck with aftonifhment in reflecting on myfelf and all the works that thou haft done. O wife and almighty Creator ! pardon me, if hitherto, in making ufe of my eyes, I have not thought of thee with the higheft gratitude. Difpofe me thyfelf to remember thy blefiings. Teach me to ufe them only for the purpofes thou defignedft them ; and never to profane or difhonour thefe fine organs by any fault of mine. Grant that hereafter I may often employ them in examining thy works ; and that every time I contemplate either the heavens or the earth, or myfelf, I may be induced to praife and blefs thy wonderful goodnefs. And when I fee the many evils and miferies of great part of my fellow- creatures, let not my eyes refufe them tears, nor my heart be fhut to compaiTion. Thus (hall I fulfil the views of thy goodnefs, and make my- felf worthy thy approbation. LESSON XVI. SIXTH WEEK. ON FOGS. AMONGST the many meteors feen in winter, one of thefe which merits particu- lar attention is the fog. It is a heap of watery and fulphureous vapours, which fill the lower region of the air, and thicken there. This con- denfation is principally occafioned by cold ; and in order to form fogs, the air muft be fenfibly colder than the earth, from whence there arifes continual exhalations. All that we fee, far or near, the fky or earth, appears confufedly wrap- ped BEAUTIES OF STl'RM. 2)7 ped up in a grey curtain. The eye wanders every where, without being able to diftinguifh objects. The riling fun labours a long time to pierce through thefe fogs, and to reftore the earth to its former appearance. It fucceeds at laft in dillipating thefe vapours. Sometimes they light upon the earth, and fometimes they afcend into the middle region of air. By degrees, the ob- jects rife out of that obfcurity, and appear again in their ufual ftate. The fky refumes all its brightnefs, all its ferenity ; and it is only near the ground, or on the roofs of hcufes, that any traces remain of the fog, which had for feveral hours covered the horizon. At the fight of this meteor, I recollect thofe unhappy times, when the fciences were in a manner wrapped up in an impenetrable mill of fuperftition and ignorance. In what thick darknefs whole provinces and kingdoms were plunged before the fun of truth could mew itfelf in all its fplendor. The human understanding was fo limited and fhort-iighted, that it fcarce comprehended the things which immediately furrounded it ; and the power of error was fuch, that no ray of light could pene- trate into thofe fouls, darkened by prejudice and fuperitition. At length the fun appeared again, and fuddenly enlightened countries, which, dur- ing whole ages, had been buried in thick fhades. We learned to diftinguiih error from truth. A happy futurity, eternity itfelf was opened to us, and we began to feel the greatnefs of our lot. It is' however but too true, that as long as I remain here, during the days of my earthly pil- grimage, I mall (till walk in darknefs. The mid which furrounds me does not permit me to have a clear and diftincl: view of futurity. My ignorance, my prejudice, my credulity, ftill increafe g8 BEAUTIES OF STURM. increafe rtie darknefs of my prefcnt (late. O may they foon be diflipated ! May the light. of truth and joy enlighten me in this vale of dark- nefs ! But thanks to God, a way is open to me, and I fee through the mades which furround me, the path that leads to a . bleffed eternity. Every cloud will foon vanifh, and I mall be transported to a fcene of light and felicity which no made will ever darken. There I mall know, by the light of heaven, what had appeared on earth dark and gloomy. There I mall feel the v/ifdom and holinefs of" thofe ways of Providence which were here incomprehenfible tome. There, my foul, penetrated with admiration and grati- tude, mall behold the wonderful chain, and peried harmony in the works of the Mod High. LESSON XVII. THE RAIN WATERS THE EARTH AND MAKES IT FRUITFUL. THE fertility of the earth depends chiefly on the moiiture it receives from rain and other watery vapours. If the watering. of the earthwas left to the care of man, notvvithftand- iflg his efforts, drought and famine would deflroy us. How neceflary, therefore, was it, that the vapours mould be colie&ed into clouds, as in rdervoirs, and fall afterwards, by the aiiiftance of the winds, upon the earth, to water the trees and plants. Every mower of rain enriches the earth. The treafures which its furface prodi- gally bellows upon us arc infinitely more valuable to us than all the metals and precious (tones it contains in its bowls. Society might fulfill very well BEAUTIES OF STURM. pg without grid or filver, but not without corn, vegetables, and pafture. Let us reflect on the inexpreflible bleflmgs that rain produces on our globe. A feafonable iii renews the face of the earth, and has much more force and effect, than the dew, which in the night*- time moiftehs the grafs and the leaves. The rowed fields drink with avidity the beneficent rains poured upon them. The principles of fer- tility unfold themfelves in the feeds, and (ecoad the labour of man. The hufbandman plough?, 5, and plants, and God gives the increafe. do what is in their power ; and whatever is beyond their ability, the Lord pro- for. In winter he covers the feed as rment. In fu m me r h e w a , it by the rays of the fun, and by fain. He crowns the year with his bleilings, and he grants them fo fucceilively, that mankind are not merely nouriihed, but their hearts are filled with joy and lefs. The divine blefiing does not fall on cultivated fields only ; it extends alfo ever the lows and fields of the deferts. The coun- tries even that are forfaken by man, and from h no direct uic is drawn, are ftiil obj of provl re: for fuch is the _!s of . that the hills and. the valleys rejoice, and adorned with fmiling verdure. 1 in vain upon them. And if they do not vivid fruit for our fupport, they are, at lealt, immenfe ref:rvoirs of water for our earth ; and they produce ; ety of wholefome ts and fimples good for our health, and which fcrve alfo as food for animals. Never let us forget God's bleflings. Let us to know the full value of thern, and con- how gloomy, barren, and defcrt all nature would 40 BEAUTIES OF STURM. would be, if the fky had been to us like brafs, and the earth as iron. All the plants and trees would perifh ; every living creature would faint ; the rivers would dry up ; and we mould breathe death in the air. And yet we complain or mur- mur when the winter rains are heavy, or laft any length of time. We rafhly cenfure the go- vernment of the Almighty. Ah ! rather let us blefs the Creator, and praife hisgoodnefs towards us. By his order the feafons are renewed, and regularly fucceed each other. It is for us that the rain falls, and makes the earth fruitful. God opens his liberal hand to do good to man. His bleflings light upon our land, and fill it with peace and plenteoufnefs. Let us then adore our Creator, and fing to his glory hymns of praife and thankfgiving. What has he not already done for us, and what may we not ftill expect from his goodne fs. LESSON XVIII. THE EC1UAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE SEASONS. WH'EN the fun is far from us, and when the fevere cold binds and fhuts up our earth, there are fome countries where the inha- bitants enjoy all the beauties of fpring ; others, where they are gathering rich harvefts ; and others, in fine, where autumn fills their grana- ries with fruit. It is in this manner that Divine Wifdom has regulated the change of feafons, and diftributed the fame favour to all his crea- tures, at different times. His impartial love extends itfelf over every being he has made, without refpecl to rank, nation, or merit. It is BEAUTIES OF SU'RM. 4 1 re fumcient that they require his bleflings, for him Jo take pieafure in granting them. His beneficent views extend over the deferts oi Arabia, with as much goodnefs, as over the fmiling countries of Europe ; and his govern- ment is the lame from pole to pole. But if the Deity diftributes the pleafures of this life equally, ire fume countries deprived of the pleafures of fpring, while we enjoy them in fuch abun- dance : Why are the rays of the fun fo par: fpread, that, in fome climates there is darknefs, and in others light, for whole months together ? Why are not the frozen countries near the pole as beautiful and fertile as our plains and valleys ? What art thou, O man, who dared to afk fuch queftions ? What right hail: thou to demand an account of the infinitely wife Being, for the manner in which he rules the world ? Vain mortal, learn to be humble, and to acknowledge traces of a fovereign wifdom, in the very things, wherein thy weak understanding imagined there were defects, Perhaps, thou fuppofeft Provi- dence has refufed, to certain parts of the earth, aJvantages and happinefs, which have been la- viihed with profuiion elfewhere. Not fo : the Creator has given to each country what was neceifary to the life, fupport, and content of his creatures. All is planned according to the cli- mate in which they live ; and Providence has, every where, provided for their prefervation and fupport. The hours of the day vary in different parts of the world, according to certain rules ; but all the zones have nearly the fame number. There is fcarce any inhabited country, which the fun mines more upon than another. All the difference is, that they enjoy it at different times. With the inhabitants of the torrid zone, the days 4 2 BEAUTIES OF STURM. days and nights are always of equal length ; while, with the neighbouring zones, that is the cafe but twice a year. It is true, that the fun quits them by turns, and gives fummer to one fide of the earth, while it abandons the other to winter. But it never fails to return regularly, from one of the limits of its annual eourfe to the other ; and, if the winter days are fhorter than the nights, fummer makes ample amends in that refpea:. Even the inhabitants of the frigid zone,, who are deprived of the fight of the fun for fe- vcral months, fee it afterwards on their horizon feveral following months ; and though they have fome hours lefs of day-light, they are made amends for it by long twilights. Lord ! the earth is full of thy mercies. Thy goodnefs is fpread over all the heavens, and ex- tends to the very clouds. What country is there in the whole univerfe, which has not experienced the effect of thy goodnefs ? What province, throughout thy immenfe empire, is there, in which there may not be feen traces of thy bene- ficence ? Where is the creature, where is the man, who, at each fcafon, cannot fee and feel how good thou art ? I rejoice at living under thy merciful government, I rejoice in the number* lefs bleflings, which thou feattereft over all the earth, for the happinefs of thy creatures. How is it poflible I mould not wi fh, that all my fel- low-creatures, throughout the world, may be as happy, as tranquil, and content as I am ? Yes, thou knoweit ; thou, O Lord, who feeft my heart, thou know-eft that I am neither covetous nor [dCiih enough to behold, with regret, the happinefs of others, or not to wife their welfare equal to my own. O God of mercy, grant that I may become more and more like thee. As thou '. UTIES OF STURM. 43 thou toveft ail thy creatures, and a% without refpe< •, thou doeit to each all the LUg, be plea fed to kindle in my heart the fame universal love for my ft atures, that I may do them all the good in my power ; and, at leaft, that I may my ardent prayers for all mankind, without exception. LESSON XIX. SEVENTH WEEK. THE UTILITY OF OUR SENSES. I Have fenfes, that is to fay, I am a being, who, by means of feveral wonderful organs ure myfclf feveral forts of y eyes, I can acquire the ception of light and colours \ by my ears, that of different founds ; by fm-ell and taftc, that of able or difegreeable emanations of favours and fceats* of fweet and bitter, and other fuch properties of the body, which I can make ufe of; and laftiy, by my feeling, I have the fenfe of heat and cold, of wet and dry, oi foft and hard, &c- Nov/, I reprefent to myfelf how ;:hed I mould be, it I was deprived of the t, hearing, tafte, fmeii, or feeling. 1: I had not Jtght, how could I efeape that mul- which furround me, or form to myfclf any idea of the magnificence of the . the beauty of the country, and all the cts with which the earth is filled ? .out the organ of bearing, how could I per* rs at a diitance ? How enjoy the charms of mufic r How I), acquire Lhool-knowlcige, learn languages, 44 BEAUTIES OF STURM. languages, obtain ideas, the talent of reading, and many other faculties, which diftinguifh me fo advantageoufly from the brute creation ? If I had been refufed the organs of fmell and tajle, how could I diftinguifh, in my food, what was hurtful or otherwife ? I could not enjoy the perfumes of fpring, or a number of things, which now afford me fuch pleafmg fenfations. And, laftly, without my feeling, how mould I be able to difcover, either in lleep, or awake, what was hurtful to me ? or, how mould I be able to attend to my prefervation r I cannot, therefore, give too much praife, that I fee, hear, fmell, and feel. I adore my merciful Creator. My mouth fhall glorify him in fongs of praife and thankfgiving. My ears fhall be open to the univerfal hymn which all nature chaunts to his honour. Oh ! may I never be infenfible to the value of my fenfes, or make a bad ufe of them. Thou, my Creator, haft given them to me for the nobleft purpofes. How unworthy mould I be of thy boundlefs goodnefs, of the admirable formation of my body, if I only employed my fenfes in brutal enjoyments, without propofing to myfelf any higher views ? How wretched mould I be, if I only fought my happinefs in fenfuality, and preferred it to the much nobler pleafures of the mind ; for there will come a time, when my eyes will no longer be affected by external objects \ when the harmonious founds of mufic will no longer pleafe my ear, nor the mod exquifite dainty, or delicious wines, foothe my palate. A time will come, when my fenfes will take no pleafure or fatisfaction in any earth- ly thing. How wretched mould I then be, if T knew nothing that could feed my mind, or comfort my foul. Divine Spirit, direct and lead me, BEAUTIES OF STURM. 45 me, fo to make ufe of my fenfes, that I may never lofe light of the great purpofe of my exigence. LESSON XX. SINGULARITIES IN THE KINGDOM OF MINERALS. IT would be difficult, if not impoflible, for our weak and limited underftandings, to take in at once the whole kingdom of nature, and to learn altogether the wonderful properties of things. We fhall, more eafily, obtain a know- ledge of nature, if we begin by fome feparate objects, fome particular beauties, and dwell firft on the moil ltriking phenomena. Let us then, at prefent, reflect, on fome curiofities among minerals. We fhall difcover there, as every where elfe, traces of the infinite wifdom of the Deity. Amongft thefe there are few more wor- thy our attention than the loadftone. When this ftone is fufpended it turns itfelf conftantly, one end towards the north, and the other towards the fouth ; and it is in thofe two ends, or poles, that it has the flrongeft power of attraction. It is remarkable, that it attracts nothing but iron ; and that, if two loadftones are, put together, their poles of different denomination, that is to fay, the fouthern and northern pole attract one another ; whereas, the poles of the fame name, that is to fay, the two fouthern, or the two northern, repel one another, and feem to fly from each other. There are properties found in quickfilver equally wonderful. It takes every form one wifhes 40 BEAUTIES OF STUR^i. wlilies to give k ; but it always ends by rr- a miming its own natural form. In llie fire, it rifes into vapour. When it is fhaken a long time, it changes into duil. By being diflblvedj it becomes a hard and tranfparent cryftal ; but, it can always be reitored to its former fluid ftate. Gold is the firft and moft valuable of all metals, not only from its fcarcity, but from its admirable properties. It is the hardeii: and moft unalterable of all bodies. It can bear, for two months, being in the hotted: fire, without any fenfible lofs iii its weight. Its parts are fo fine, that a grain of beaten gold can cover fitly fquare inches, in fuch a manner, that the naked eye may dif- tinguiih on the two furfaces, four millions of partieles ; and, its ductility is fuch, that, with a lingle grain, one may draw out a thread five hundred feet long. The wonderful form of common fait; the brilliant Hones; the fmgular figures of the earth where the metals are con- cealed ; the petrified bodies that are often found on the high mountains, fome hundred miles from the fca, which is their original fource ; and an hundred other fingularities in the mineral world, feem formed to awaken our curiolity. No em- ployment 'whatever has more charms, is more iVtisfactGry, or has more variety in it, than an attentive observation of nature. Suppofing we were to live ages on the earth, and, that we were to employ every day, every hour, in ftudying only the fingularities amongft minerals, there would itill be, at the end of that time, a thou- fand things we could not explain, which would remain hidden from us, and would, more and more, raife our curiolity. Since our lives fcarce extend to half an age, let us then make good vSq of the little time granted us ; and let us devote it, as BEAUTIES OF STURM. \J as much as cur flrfl! duties v. i'i permit, to the rvation ot" nature ; and thus enjoy the innocent and res of the mind. The 'fatisi 2 lh til rind in it will increafe more and more, in proportion as we reflect r attentive, views the Almighty has pro- posed to himfelf in his works ; for the wonders of nature are infinitely more to be admired, mor. prodti&ionsoi human art. T: note our wel- fare, or make us better: they are often mere objects of fruit! 'ration. But all the ks of nature, and even the moit lingular among them, tend to the univerfal good of the world. They exift, . to he fcen, but alfo to be enjoyed; and ail, without exception, ■ aim the goodnefs, as well as the wifdom of God. LESSON XXI. WINTER IS THE IMAGE OF OUR LIFE. IN the winter days there are continual changes. Flakes of fnow and mowers of rain, florms and calm?, cloudy days and ferene fkies, fucceed each other. The fnow has fcarce covered nature with its brilliant wh'tenefs, when the rain eemes 'troy, it. The fun fcarce mews itfclf, when it again oifappears from us. Are there not the fame viciffitudes in the moral world? If many of the days in winter are dark, dull, and gloomy, fo are many fcenes through life. But as (forms and darknefs are neceifary, and conformable to the wife laws of nature, fo are the difagreeable lents and the adversity which we fome times experience 48 BEAUTIES OF STURM. experience in the world. Who can prevent the day from being obfcured by dark clouds ? or our happinefs from being difturbed, fometimes by others, and fometimes by accidents r How is it poflible the fky mould be always calm and ferene r or that our minds mould enjoy uninterrupted repofe ? The prefent conftitution of our nature will as little admit of our being always free from pain and difagreeable fenfations, as the conftitution of the natural world would admit of the air never being loaded with clouds. Paflions, which often produce good, but often alfo produce bad effects, are exactly in the moral world what dorms are in nature : and, as winter and froft are fources of fertility, fo are afflictions and fuf- ferings the means to attain wifdom and virtue. Darknefs teaches us the value of light. A con- tinual light would dazzle and fatigue the fight. A ferene day never gives us fo much pleafure, as when it has been preceded by dark and cloudy weather. In the fame manner, we fhould be lefs fenfible of the Hefting of health, were we not taught to feel it by the painful effeds of ficknefs. After all, it is certain, that we in general are too much inclined to exaggerate our evils. The events and accidents which happen to us are feldom as melancholy as we imagine. Our felf-love, our pride, and our excefs of deli- cacy, blind us often to fuch a degree, that we look on every thing that happens to us as real and great evils ; while, on the contrary, we take no notice of- our real advantages, and the fweets which attend us. It is at leaft certain, that all our troubles ought to be reckoned as nothing, in comparifon of the multitude of bleftings and pleafures that are beftowed upon us by Divine Providence. Thofe very evils, of which we complain, UTIES OF S 49 . will prove real though difguifed blef- . it" we know how to make a wife ufe of them ; juit as the fnow, the itorms, the iroit, ami other variations of the ieafons, are means which God makes ufe of to grant us new favours. has been long dark and ftormy, the clouds at length diilipate, and calm and iun- fliinc bring back joy and gladnefs. The heavier the ftxowers are, the fooner the clouds vanilh. The darker they are, the fooner the rays of the fun difperfe them. Misfortunes fill up but a ihort fpace of our lives, and when they appear to us the heavieft, when we feem finking under them, it is a proof that they are loon to end. I will accept then, without murmuring, the portion of evil it has pleafed the Almighty to allot me. I ihould be unreafonable to expect nothing but pleafure and days of happinefs. No : let rain and iunlhme, darknefs and light, fucceed alternately through the courle of my life, I am, O Lord ! refigned to it. If thou thinkeit proper to roufe and ihake my foul by the ilorms of rlitv, thy will be done! What matter whe- the cup that is given me be more or lefs bitter ; that ray trouble's be more or lefs durable, • I am on this fide the grave. I know in whom I have believed. I know, O my God ! that thou wilt one day grant me eternal falvation. Thofe who low here below in tears, will reap with longs of triumph. When the ihort miferies of life ^re over, I ihall find how advantageous they have been to me ; and I ihall blefs my Creator for having conducted me to heaven, through paths of tribulation and forrow. Thefe are the thoughts which will fupport me in every misfortune. As the expectation of fpring makesthe gloomy appe. ranee of winter fupport- D able, $0 BEAUTIES OF STURM. able, fo does the Tweet hope of futurity encou- rage me to bear with refignation and fortitude the prefent miferies. Through the darknefs of this life, there opens to me the delightful prof- peel: of an happy hereafter. What I forefee in eternity already fheds light on the path through which I .walk ; and by this way I (hall imper- ceptibly arrive at the blefied abodes of peace, light, and happinefs. LESSON XXII. EIGHTH WEEK. AN INVITATION TO CONTEMPLATE GOD IN THE WORKS OF NATURE. OYe who adore with me the Lord, by whom the heavens and the earth were made, come and reflect on his works ! Behold the wonders he has done! Acknowledge, and have a lively fenfe of his mercies ! Of all the knowledge we can acquire, this is the mod important, the mod eafy and agreeable. We could difpenfe with many fciences which we take fuch pains to learn ; but the knowledge of God and his works is absolutely neceffary, if we wifh to fulfil the end of our creation, and by that means fecure our happinefs here and hereafter. It is the beft preparation to underftand, and to receive as we ought, the gofpel of Jefus Chrift, for this rea- fon, becaufe, in teaching his difciples the truths of religion, the Divine Redeemer often fpoke of the works of nature, and made ufe of the objects which the phyiical and moral world af- ford, to lead his hearers to reflections on Spiritual and heavenly things. In general, it is a noble employment, and well worthy of man, to Study the BEAUTIES OF STURM. 5 1 the book of nature continually ; to learn in it the truths which may remind us of the immenfe greatnefs of the Creator, and our own iittlenefs ; his bleriings, and the obligations they impofe on us. It is fhameful for man to be inattentive to the wonders which furround him on every lide, and to be as infenfible to them as the brutes are. What employment can be more pleaiing to the human mind than meditations on the admirable works of the Moil High ! To contemplate, in the heavens, the earth, the waters, the night and day, in a word, throughout all nature, the wif- dom, power, and goodnefs of our Creator and Preferver ! What can be conceived more delight- ful, than to difcover in the whole creation, in all the natural world, in every thing we fee, traces of the providence and tender mercies of the Father of all beings ! There are no amufe- ments, no worldly joys, of which we are not foon tired. But the pleafure we feel in contem- plating the works of the Lord is a pleafure ever new.. It is in this light I often reprefent to myielf the felicity of the faints in heaven. I ardently wifh to be with them, becaufe I am perfuaded it is in their fociety, in their biefTed intercourfe only, that my infatiable defire of in- crealing in knowledge and wifdom, is to be fatis- fied. But, while we are ftill at a diitance from this happinefs, let us endeavour, at leaft, to come as near it as poflible, by habituating our- felves now to what will be hereafter, and for evermore, the employment of all the biefTed faints and angels. Let us admire the power and wifdom of the Creator in each of his creatures. This employment will make us not only happy but virtuous: for, if we have the Moft HUh and his works continually in our fight, with D 2 w h a t ^2 BEAUTIES OF STURM. what love and veneration mall we not be pene- trated ? With what confidence (hall, we not re- fign ourfelves to him ? Every thing around us, every thing within ourfelves, will ferve to lead us to God, as the fource of all ; every thing will more and more contribute to infpire us with piety. Thefe, O Heavenly Father ! are the en- gagements I make before heaven and earth, in prefence of every creature thou haft formed. — This (un which mines upon me, this air which I breathe, this earth which bears me, and gives me food ; all nature, fo wifely framed for our wants and pleafures, fliall one day rife as wit- nefles againfl me, if I neglect to contemplate and admire thy works. LESSON XXIII. THE STATE OF SOME ANIMALS DURING WINTER. WE do not yet fee any of thofe millions of infe&s and birds, which, during fum- mer, are in the air, in the water, and on the earth. At the approach of winter they difap.pear from our countries, where the climate does not agree with them, and where they can no longer find food. The fir ft flormy day is a fignal to them to reft from their labour, to put an end to their active life, and to quit their homes. We miftake if we go further, and believe that winter deftroys thofe animals : they continue to live even in that feafon of the year. Providence fo provides, that none of them perim. The body of fome animals is formed in fuch a manner, that the famecaufes which deprive them of food, make BEAUTIES OF STURM. 53 make fuch revolutions in them as prevent their requiring any. The cold numbs them, they fall into a found deep, which lafts till the return of heat opens the earth, caufes their neceffary food to fpring up, and wakens them from their hea- vinefs. Thefe animals hide themfelves in the (and, in pits, or hollow places, in the bottom of ponds, or marines, where they cannot be found out or difturbed. Their ftate is a kind of death, or rather a fwoon ; and they do not revive till the genth: warmth of fpring penetrates to their retreats. Some fort of birds, at the ap- proach of winter, undertake long journies, to in other climates a more temperate air and proper food. Some fly in numbers from one country to another. Several go to Africa, crof- finethe Mediterranean, and return the following fpring to our countries. Lord, how admirable is thy wifdom ! How tender and beneficent thy mercies to the Isaft of thy creatures. Thou haft imprefted upon the mind of fome animals that wonderful inftinct, which warns them of the day in which they fhould abandon their fummer habitations, in order to pafs their winter in another climate. Thou halt pointed cut to others, the places where they may pafs in fafety their night of winter in a found deep. Thou revived: them again when the feafon o^ their new life arrives. Every time I reflect on thefe changes, they lead me naturally to think of what will happen to my- ielf at my death ; for my ftate, in fome meafure, refembles that of thefe birds. At the end of my life I fhall alfo quit my home, my pleafures, and my companions, to go into a better world. I fhall alfo reft and lleep fome time, but at the moment of the new creation I fhall awake ; D 3 and, 54 ' BEAUTIES OF STURM. and, clothed with the ftrength and beauty of youth, I fhall begin a life that will be eternal. What happens to animals affords me alfo another edifying reflection : I fee from thence that Pro- vidence watches even over the very fmalleft link of the immenfe chain of beings. I difcovcr with what fatherly goodnefs it provides for the prefervation of the weakeft and lowefLof crea- tures, in fituations wherein it would appear im- poffible to mere human wifdom. — Would it not then be doing injuftice to the wifdom and kind- nefs of my Creator, to doubt his care of mc, and to give myfelf up to trouble and anxiety about my fubfiftence ? Certainly, that God who gives to infects and to birds their food in due fea- fon ; that God who provides them retreats, and places of reft in pits and rocks ; who directs them to find their food in different countries ; that fame God will take care of me in time of need and diftrefs. I have a perfect confidence that he will provide all that is neceflary for me, even when I fee the leaft likelihood of it ; he will find me a. place of refuge where I may reft in peace. LESSON XXIV. THE AURORA BOREALIS. ON E often fees in winter, towards the fpring, a fort of tranfparent, bright, and variegated clouds in the fky. From the north there appears a fplendid light, which comes clofe to the other clouds. Laftly, from thefe northern clouds, there dart white rays of light, which: reach to the centre of the heavens. This ethereal phenomenon, called Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis^ BEAUTIES OF STURM. 5,5 Borcalis, is ftill, in foine refpedts, one of thefc natural effects, the caufe of which cannot be very exactly determined. Some naturalifts fup- pofe it to be a magnetic fubftance, which, accu- mulating and thickening towards the north, may ihed a certain light at a diflance. Others think, what is more probable, that the Aurora Borealis is occaiioned by nitrous and frozen particles, which, rifing in the air, and joined to the va- pours, and to the fat and oily exhalations fent forth by the whales, and other immenfe fifties, which abound in the north, are lighted up, and made brilliant by that light which the Laplanders almoft continually enjoy. Laftly, fome philo- sophers pretend, that this phenomenon is only the atmofphere inflamed, and a ftorm not yet come to maturity. The uncertainty in which the beft informed and mod learned men are, in refpe£t to this phenomenon, is very instructive to us. How many things do we fee ?« gjg -;;* y in the fky, and upon earth, which are ftill my- fteries, even to the very beft naturalifts ? Thefe phenomena ought to humble the human mind, whofe pride and vain curiofity often prevent it acknowledging how limited its faculties are. A thoufand inconfiderable things confound the mod learned in their meditations, and efcape our in- quiries. There are a thoufand objects, which, indeed, we acknowledge to be planned with much wifdom, and to be very ufeful ; but we feldom arrive at difcovering their true principles, their purpofe, their connexion with the natural world and itsfeveral parts. However, this igno- rance does not affect our happinefs ; and, after all, uninformed as we may be on this point, and a number of others, we know, at leaft, thai every phenomenon of the phylical and intel- D 4 lectual S& BEAUTIES OF STL'RM. ledtual world happens only by the will of an allwife, almighty, and perfect Being, who di- rt els them for the good of the univerfe. We have no occaiion to know more in a life fo fhort as ours ; and this is doubtlefs fufficient to induce us to adore and blefs him, who is the author of things fo wonderful, and fo much above our com- prehenfion. But I ought alfo to blefs thee, O my God! for not having been born in thofe fuperftitious and ignorant times, when whole nations were thrown into confirmation ami rertor by thefe phenomena. This magnificent light painted to their diiturbeu imagination whole armies, and battles fought in the air; and they drew mod dreadful prognoilics from them. The Aurora Borealis was to them a prophet, which foretold, fometimes war, fometimes famine, and fome- times epidemic diforders. But, for my part, I find, in the mild and ma- jeftic fplendor of this light, a fign of the power andgoodnefsof Providence. I behold thofe celeflial lights without fear ; becaufe I know that the Lord of heaven has not created any thing to be a torment and misfortune to his creatures. And perhaps there are people in the northern coun- tries who draw great advantages from thefe phe- nomena, though they fo little influence ours. LESSON XXV. NINTH WEEK. THE EXTREME SMALLNESS OF CERTAIN BODIES. TH E vaulted Iky, the depths of fpace, and its unlimited extent, thofe vaft bodies which fhine in the firmament, the variety of creatures which. BEAUTIES OF STURM. . $J which cover our globe, and which fill the air and the water, all thefe declare the glory of the Mighty God, and teil us his power is infinite. But it murt not be fuppoftd, that the power and wifdom of the Creator is only vifibie in the im- menfe iize of the world. Even in the fmalleft objects, in the mod: inconliderable parts of the natural world, the greater! fubjects of admiration are to be found. The conftruction of a grain of fand, feen through a glafs which magnifies ob- jects a million of times, is enough to fill the greateft mind with aftonifhment. Who indeed would not be furprifed to learn, that there is an infect which lives in the midft of a grain of fund which the eye can fcarce difcover? Examine alfo with a microfcope (which magnifies ibme millions of times) the mould of a bit of bread ; you will fee in it a thick forefl of. fruit trees, the branches, leaves, and fruit of which are eafy to be diitinguifhed. But even in your body you may perceive objects of inconceivable fmallnefs, which perhaps you have not yet taken notice of, and yet deferve all your admiration. It is co- vered with an innumerable multitude of pores, of which the naked eye can only diftinguiih a fmall part. The epidermis, or ikin, relembles the fcale of a fifh ; it has been calculated, that a grain of fand would cover 2^0 of thofe fcales, and that one lingle fcale would cover.500 of thofe interftices, or thofe pores which give, paflage to the infeniible perfpiration. Have you ever re- flected on the wondertul conftruction of the hairs of your head ? as inconiiderable as they appear, they are one of the Creator's mafter-pieces. They are hollow tubes, each of which has its root, a fubftance full of marrow, and feveral little threads which unite them, la that whitiih D 5 matter, 5$ BEAUTIES OF STURM. matter, that fcale which food leaves upon the teeth, and which fettles there (by means of a microfcope magnifying one million of times) a great number of little animals have been difco- vered ; and it has been found, that in a fpace, not larger than a grain of gunpowder, there was- a million of thofe animalcula. Are not thefe fo many circumftances that ought to make us humble in our own eyes, and raife our ideas of the Supreme Being ? There are, perhaps, a multitude of wonders in our own bodies, which no one has thought of or fufpefted. How many imperceptible objects may there not be in nature, out of the reach of the microfcope, and of our underftanding, which, if known to us, would afford new proofs of the greatnefs of God ? But the little we know, is more than fufficient to convince us, that in fmall things, as well as in great, the power, wifdom, and goodnefs of the Lord is manifefted moft admirably. The fand of the fea declares the glory of the Almighty, as well as the expanfe of the heavens, the fplendor of the fun, or the fury of the tempefts. The lowed worm bids us give glory to its Creator ; the trees, in the magni- ficence of their clothing ; the grain and the feed, in their minutenefs, cry aloud with one voice, It is the Lord who hath made us, glory be to our Creator. Even the moft diminutive creature upon earth reminds us of his greatnefs. I admire thy power and wifdom, Lord, in the formation of the gnat* as much as in the conftrucHon of the elephant ; in the humble, form of a blade of grafs, as in the majeftic height of the oak ; in a grain of fand, as well as in the highefl moun- tain. No creature thou haft formed can be un- worthy my attention* Who can tell if the object BEAUTIES OF STURM. 59 objccT: of the moft infignificant appearance may not contain the greateft wonders r A being that the Moft High hath vouchfafed to form, is it not, from that very circumftance, worthy of my obfervation r LESSON XXVI. THE HOPE OF SPRING. EVERY day draws us nearer to the plea- fures of fpring, and gives us hope of the time approaching, in which we may breathe more freely, and contemplate nature with more fatislaction and joy. This fweet expectation is almoft the only one which does not deceive us, being founded on the invariable laws of nature. The charms of this hope are felt in every heart without diftinction ; for the beggar, as well as the monarch, may behold the fpring approach with pure joy, and promife himfelf fure pleafures in it. This hope is not attended with impatience, becaufe it extends very far, and takes in a mul- titude of objects. — The coming of fpring pro- cures us a thoufand new pleafures : the beauty and perfume of the flowers ; the iinging of the birds ; and every where the cheerful profpecl of mirth and pleafure. Moft earthly hopes are at- tended with anxieties ; but that of fpring is as fatisfadlory as it is innocent and pure ; for nature feldom deceives us. On the contrary, her pre- fents generally furpafs our expectations, both in number and quantity. It is a great blefting of Providence, that in all the changes of feafons, and the viciilitudes of life, we can ftill nourlili hope in our hearts. Winter would have been D 6 infinitely 60 BEAUTIES OF STURM. infinitely more melancholy without this comfort- able profpec/L Encouraged by the hope of fpring, we have patiently borne the inconvenience of cold and bad weathe x\ and are now on the point of feeing that hope abundantly realized. A Few more difagreeable days, and the fky will become ferene, the air milder ; the fun will revive na- ture, and the earth will re-ailume its ornaments. O mod mercicul Creator! I return thee thanks for thefe fources of joy and comfort which thou haft opened to us, to foften the evils of life. With what goodnefs throweft thou a veil over the future evils which are to happen ! while, on the contrary, thou giveft a diftinct view of the bleilings and pleafures deiigned us. Without hope, the earth would be a vale of mifery, and our lives a ferics of forrow and pain. But thou haft given us hope, as an agreeable companion through our pilgrimage. When all around us is gloomy, it opens for us a cheerful profpec"t. of futurity, which revives, and enables us to walk with content through the forrowful paths of life. How often, O Heavenly Father! haft thcu not thus raifed my dejected heart, and ftrengthened my courage when ready to fail me! I bltfs thee for every ray of hope which has animated my foul ; for every bleiling received, and for all thofe hereafter referved for me. What words, indeed, can exprefs the great hopes I may indulge as a Chriftian ! Praifeu be thy mercy, O Divine Redeemer ! v\ hich has entitled me to hope a felicity, not confi ed within the narrow limits of this life. Praif; be to thee for the bleiied hope thcu haft giv.n us of eternity. What would this life be without it! What would be the bappinefs of this world, if we could not enjoy the delightful hope of everlafting life and eternal BE.-. 6 1 eterr. s glorious hope, ou -i as not evils of t] te winter of our lives r Lei pc tor fprin^;. Let us aw of exigence in the world to come. LESSON XXVII. VARIETY OF MEANS WHICH CONTRIBUTE TO THE FERTILITY u r N A T U R E . TH E wifdom of Provider.ce makes u(q of fevcrai : > render the natural world "ill. S metimes the clouds fall in rain, in order to purity the uir trom hurtful vapours, to foften the earth, and give it new nourifhing juices. At other times, when the earth is de- d of the ble flings of rain, a foft dew moif- the earth fruitful, re - , nts ready to wither. God has ore.. that each feafoa men. enriching the earth. The inc. h in win- ter covered our fields and meadows, ferved to guard the earth from the fevere c but, by means of the falts with :t is mixed, contributed alio to the fertility of the land. The frequent Ltorms that are felt in f: ir trom corruption, dry tl ice of globe. What benign influence have they alfo upon the earth in making it tin: augh, during fummer, they excite the terror of timid and fearful people ! With every tl. . wer the Creator fpreads his precio t tigs on the earth". One may, without ex;. 62 BEAUTIES OF STURM. tain, with certainty, that there is no revolution in the air, or on the earth, which does not, directly or indirectly, contribute to the fertility of our globe. Each feafon brings back the phe- nomena peculiar to it ; and each phenomenon of nature produces effects, the happy influence of which is more or lefs viiible. Even thofe plagues which caufc the entire deftruction of certain countries are only particular evils, which contri- bute to fulfil beneficent views, as there refults from them advantages to the world, when con- fidered in the whole. In all times and places, I acknowledge thy tender care, and the effects of thy mercy, O all wife and beneficent Creator ! Lord of all times and feafons ! Thy praife rifes from the orbit of the earth up to the heaven of heavens ! Our globe rolls in the ftarry fpace, fometimes fown with flowers, fometimes covered with fnow ; here adorned with Vines, there crowned with cars of corn. It lings thy praifes, and joins its notes with the harmony of the fpheres. - When the fnow and ice change our fields into deferts ; when the tempeft roars in the winds ; when thy lightnings make mortals tremble ; when the rivers, leaving their beds, , overflow countries ; when all the elements feem to confpire the de- struction of the world ; it is then that thou pre- pared for the inhabitants of the earth, health, joy, peace, and plenty. Here I reprefent to myfelf the different means, by which (if I may ufe the expreflion) God ren- ders the moral world fruitful. In order to lead mankind to a fenfe of their deftination, to a horror of fin, and to the practice of virtue, the Almighty fometimes makes ufe of violent, and fometimes of mild methods. Sometimes he thinks BEAUTIES OF STURM. 63 thinks proper to punifh the (inner feverely, to lay heavy judgments, and of a long duration, upon him, in order to awaken him from his flumber. He fpeaks to hardened hearts, as to the Ifraelites on Mount Sinai, with lightnings and with a voice of thunder. With ethers he makes ufe of oppofite meafures : he endeavours to fnatch them from vice and vanity, and to draw them to him by the gentle ways of blef- fings and goodnefs. LESSON XXVIII. TENTH WEEK. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ANIMALS AND PLANTS. TH E difference between animals and plants is fo great, and fo vifible, that it requires but a very flight obfervation to be convinced of it. Undoubtedly, one remarkable difference con- fids in the animals having the faculty of moving and changing place, a faculty of which the ve- getables are totally deprived. A much more elfential difference is the faculty of feeling, which cannot be denied to animals, while it cannot be granted to plants. To this muft be added, the manner of being nourifhed, which is flill another diflinclion between them : animals, by means of exterior organs, are capable of chooiing their proper food ; plants, on the contrary, are obliged to take what nourilhment the earth affords, without any choice. This is given them from the moifture of the earth, and by the action of the veins in the leaves, which pump and draw in the nourifhing juices with which the air is filled. The number of fpecies is much greater in 64 BEAUTIES OF STURM. in the animal than in the vegetable kingdom. — In the infe&s alone, there may, perhaps, be a greater number of claiTes (taking in thole which can only be feen with a microfcope) than there are of vifible plants on the furface of the globe; neither have the animals fuch conformity with each other as the plants have, whofe refemblance makes it difficult to clafs them. Who can avoid obferving another remarkable difference, as to the place where they live r The earth is the only place where plants can grow and multiply ; molt of them rife above its furface, and are iaitened to the foil by roots more or lefs itrong ; others are entirely under ground. A (mall number grow in the water ; but, in order, to live, it is necelfary they mould take root in the earth. Animals, on the contrary, are lefs limited in place. An innumerable multitude people the furface and the interior parts of the earth. Some inhabit the bottom of the fea ; others live in the waters at a conliderable depth. Many live in the air, in vegetables, in the bodies of men and animals, in fluid matter, and alfo in (tones. If we confider animals and plants, in refpect. to fize, we wall find flill a linking difference. Between the iize of a whale and that of a mite, the diitinclion is much greater, than between the higheff oak and a bit or mofs. Laftly, it is particularly in the form of animals and plants, that the general and moft ftriking difference fubfiits. Moil of the latter have, in that refpect, fo diftinct. a character, that it is impoftibie to confound them with vegetables. However, let us not imagine we have perfectly eiifcovered the limits which divide the animal from the vegetable kingd( m, or, that we have found out all that diitinguifhes them. Nature, to diverfify her works, BEAUTIES OF STURM. 65 works, makes life of almoft imperceptible fhades. In the chain of beings, perfection increafes fuc- ceffively, and rifesby millions of degrees, fothat a more perfect fpecies differs very little from that which immediately preceded it. How narrow are the bounds which feparate the plant from the animal! There are plants which appear fenfible, and animals which feem deprived of fenfation. Nothing proves this better than the difcoveries made in coral. Formerly, it was fuppofed that corals were fea plants, but now, there are ftrong reafons for placing them among animals ; for, what was then taken for a flower, has proved to be really an animal. The more obfervations are made, the more reafon is there to be con- vinced, that it is impoflible to fix the exact limits of the three kingdoms, the mineral, the vegeta- ble, and animal ; and that amongil mod crea- tures there is more coftforffiky than di!T;rr.;I^rity* It is at leait certain, that the limits which divide the mod per feci: creatures, from thole that are a degree lei's {o y become at lad imperceptible to underftandings fo limited as ours. Thefe obfer- vations ought to convince us that the world, with all the creatures it contains, is the work of an Infinite Being. So much harmony and fuch differences, [o much variety with fo much uni- formity, can only proceed from the almighty, omnifcient, and perfect Being, who created the univerfe and all that is in it. Let our hearts rife towards him. Let us go from the itone to the plant, from the plant to the brute, from the brute to man, and from man to the heavenly fpirits ; then take our flight towards the ever- lailing, incommenfurable Being, the Creator of the world, the Preferver of plants, the Protector ©f animals, the Father of mankind, the King 66 BEAUTIES OF STURM. of fpirits. — Mcafure, if poffible, meafure his greatnefs, and try to found the depths of his vvifdom. Thrice Holy God ! created beings are too weak to know thy works. They are im- menfe ; and to tell them all, would be to be infinite like thee. Therefore, the lefs capable we are of conceiving how far the wifdom of God extends, the more we ought to reflect on his greatnefs ! and, above all, to imitate his good- nefs as much as is in our power. We fee that no creature is deprived of the merciful care of the Lord. It is extended to the ftone and the plant, as well as to men and animals. In his light (in fome refpects) there is no diftin£t.ion : his mercy is over all his works. Let us, in this alio, endeavour to imitate our Maker. We fill it is true, a diftinguiflied rank among created beings ; but, let us take care not to be cruel or tyrannical towards creatures who appear to be inferior io US. Let us rather endeavour to en- joy, with- gratitude and moderation, all thofe defigned by God for our ufe. LESSON XXIX. THE UNIFORMITY AND VARIETY IN THE WORKS OF NATURE. TH E fky over our heads, and the earth under our feet, remain always the fame from age to age ; and yet they afford us, now and then, fpe&acles as varied as they are magnificent. Sometimes the fky is covered with clouds, fome- times ferene, fometimes blue, and fometimes of different colours. The darknefs of night, and the light of noon-day, the dazzling light of the fun, BEAUTIES OF STURM. fun, and the paler light of the moon, fucceed each other regularly. The immeafurable fpaee of the heavens appears fometimes a defert, and fometimes ftrewed with an infinite number of ftars. To how many changes and revolutions alfo is our earth fubject ! For fome months uni- form, rind without ornaments, the feverity of the winter robbed it of its beauty ; the fpring renews its youth ; fummer will fhew it dill more rich and beautiful ; and, in fome months after, autumn will pour upon us every fort of fruit. — What variety alfo on our globe between one country and another ! Here a flat level country prefents us plains beyond the limits" of : ; there high mountains rife crowned with forefts ; at their feet fertile valleys are watered with brooks and rivers. Here guiphs and pre- cipices ; there dill lakes - y and further off im- petuous torrents. On every fide is feen a variety which pleafcs the eye., and opens the heart to s£t*iatiGiia Gj pure aim ivvcvt uv*i£tllt« 1 fllS lame alTemblage of uniformity and variety is found in all the vegetables on our globe. They take from their common mother all the fame nature, and the fame food : they have all the fame manner of fpringing up and growing ; yet, what a prodi- gious difference between a blade of grafs and an oak ! all together are ranged under certain clafles. Thofe of the fame fpecies are Indeed very like one another ; and yet what differences we fee iri them ! It is the fame in refpedt to animals. The wifdom of the Creator has di- vided them alfo into clafles ; and whatever variety there is in them, they (till preferve eiTential re- femblances. — There is even a certain degree of conformity between man and the loweft clafs of animals. However fuperior man may be to 68 BEAUTIES OF STURM. animals in many refpe&s, has he not in com- mon with them, and even with plants, the fame means of food? Is it not the fun, the air, the earth, and water, which provides it for them ail alike ? The plants grow, ripen, fade, and die ; and thofe laws of nature extend to animals, and even to mankind. If we next examine the va- riety of the human fpecies, what an aftonifhing afTemblage of conformity and diverfity ! Human nature, in all times, and among all people, is ever the fame ; and yet we find, that of this in- numerable multitude of men fpread over the earth, each individual has a form peculiar to himfelf; particular talents and countenance, which, to a certain degree, ferve to diilinguifh him from any other — It feems as if the wifdom of the Creator chofe to vary in the higheft degree all his works, as far as was compatible with the efTential conftrudlion peculiar to each fpecies. All the creatures on cur globe are divided into three clafles, minerals, vegetables, and animals. Thefe claflbs divide into kinds ; the kinds into mimberlefs forts of individuals. From thence it is, that there is no creature on earth alone, or without refembbnee to its own fpecies. There is no fpecies which has not fome connexion with others, or a general affinity with the reft of the world. From this aiiemblage of uniformity and diverfity (which is of infinite extent} is derived the order and beauty of the univerfe. — The dif- ference between the countries of our globe, proves the wifdom of the Mod High, who chofe that each being fhould have its certain place, and has fo fixed their deftination, that it would be impofiibie to change the connexion or diftinc- tion he has made between them : even the mi- nuted works of nature, fuch as only can be feen through BEAUTIES OF STURM. 69 through a niicrofcope, difcover fuch union and variety together, as mull neceflTarily raife our fouls to the contemplation of the infinite wifdom of the Creator. LESSON XXX. SEEDS. AL L vegetables fpring from feeds ; but the greater number of thefe are not fown, and are even invilible to us. It is nature that dif- - them. With this view (lie hasfurnifhed rbme feeds with a fort of light down, or little ;rs, which ferve as wings for the wind to carry them away, and fprcad them every where. Other feeds are fmall and heavy enough to fall perpendicularly on the earth, and to fink of themfelves into it. Others of a larger or lighter fort, which might be carried away by the wind, have one or more little hooks to catch, and pre- vent them from going too far from their place. And what is ftill more admirable, is, that nature fecms to have given to fome birds the care of planting trees. They fow the nuts, which after- wards ihoot and grow. Ravens have been thus feen to plant oaks ; and this is their method : they make a hole with their bill, and drop an acorn into it, which they afterwards cover with earth and mofs. . It mud not be fuppofed they do all this with an intention to plant trees •, it is inftiuft alone which prompts them. They bury the acorn for their food ; it moots, and becomes an oak. Let us here admire the wife and tender care of Providence. If the fowing of feeds in meadows and yO BEAUTIES OF STURM. and forefts had been entirely left to mankind, how infufficient would have been the means ! Obferve, how, at the return of fpring, the grafs and flowers fpring up and adorn the earth, with- out our having in any degree contributed towards it. But this is not all that is to be admired in refpedl: to feeds. It is remarkable, that the whole plant, however great it may be, is all concealed in the narrow fpace of the feed. The whole trunk of the oak, its leaves, branches, and root, are already in the acorn. The plants which remain all the year in the ground, how carefully are their bioifoms and feeds enclofed during winter in the buds, where they are well protected, and covered with clofe coats of curious texture. As for thofe plants which t cannot bear the cold of winter, they are preferved under ground by their roots or fruit, till the mild warmth of fpring makes them bud again. Some feeds are lodged in the middle of the fruit ; others in pods and fhells. But every feed is protected and preferved in the manner mo(t iui table to its nature. Every where wc may trace the Divine Creator. LESSON XXXI. ELEVENTH WEEK. USE OF VEGETABLES. TX/'HEN I confider the great number and V V variety of vegetables, I difcover in this circumftance, as in every thing elfe, the benefi- cent views of my Creator. What, indeed, could he propofe, by covering the earth with fo many different herbs, plants, and fruits, but the ad- vantage and happinefs of his creatures ? There - are BEAUTIES OF STURM. 7 1 arc fo great a number, and fuch variety of plants, that they already reckon above thirty thoufand fpecies of them, and every day there are new fpecies and new clafTes found. Their increafe is infinite. For example, who would not be aftonifhed, that a fingle grain of wheat mould produce two thoufand others, and that a lingle feed of poppy mould multiply to fuch a degree, that in two or three years a whole field might be fowed with it. Can we fuppofe, that the Almighty had not the advantage of his creatures in view, when he ordained this prodigious in- creafe of plants. There can remain no doubt of the Creator's intention, if we confider the ufe made of vegetables from the remote!! times. Do not plants and fruit furniih us every day with the moft wholefoine and r.ourifhing food ? Do we not moftly owe our clothes, houfes, and furniture, to the vegetable world ? There is no part of plants that has not its ufe. The roots furniih medicaments; they ferve for food and fuel ? to make pitch, dyes, and all forts of uten- fils. Of wood, they make coal, buildings, fires, medicines, paper, dyes, and a vaft number of inftruments. The bark even has its utility in medicine, in tanning, &c. The afhes ferve to manure and improve the ground, to bleach cloth, to make falt-petre ; and they make ufe of pot- afhes in dying. Rofin is ufeful to painters. Pitch and 'tar are made of it. They make ufe of turpentine in medicine ; hard rofin to varnifh, to folder, to rub the bow-ftrings of mufical in- ftruments, in order to make them more fonorous ; and they ufe maHic in perfumes. Flowers pleafe and delight, both by their colour and fmell. They ferve as medicine, and are particularly ufeful in furnifhing bees with wax and honey. The J2 BEAUTIES OF STURM. The fruits, which ripen by degrees, fcrve tor our food, and are eaten either raw, baked, dried, or prefcrved. But vegetables are not far the uCe af man alone ; they are or" Mill greater ufe to animals, moft of which have no other food. The reafon there are lb many fields, and fo great variety of herbs and plants, is, that all the dif- ferent animals may find their proper food. Where, O Heavenly Father! can cxpreftions be found to celebrate, thy goodnefs ? Who can reckon all the bleflings the vegetable world af- fords us? .It is at lead manifcfl, that all' the arrangements thou hail male, in this refpecT, tend to the ufe of all thy creatures. Thou haft provided for the wants of every individual. Thou hail aliened to each the plant propercil for its food and prefervation. There is not a plan ..rth that has not its purpofe and uic. What fentiments, therefore, of gratitude and veneration ought we not to feel, at the light of a country, a meadow, a field ? Here, thy beneficent cares have united all that is neceiiary for the fupport and enjoyment of the inhabitants of the earih. Here, every herb and flower, each tree that grows, teaches us thy mercy. I will neither be deaf nor infenlible to this per- fuaiive voice. ; I will relifii, I will enjoy thy goodnefs. I will, more and more, place my wh^le truit in thee. LESSON XXXII. THE CHANGE OF SEASONS. IN the warmed climates, as well as in the coldeft, there arc but two feafons of the year really different. The coldeft countries have um- mer • BEAUTIES OF STURM. 73 mer about four months ; during which the heat is very great, occaiioned by the length of the days. Their winter lads eight months. Spring and autumn are fcarce perceptible there ; becaufe, in a very few days, an extreme heat fucceeds an extreme cold ; and, on the contrary, the great heats are immediately followed by the moft fevere cold. The hotted countries have a dry and burning feafon for feven or eight months. Afterwards comes rain, which lads four or five months ; and this rainy feafon makes the difference between the fummer and win- ter. It is only in temperate climates, that there are four feafons really different in the year. The fummer heats gradually decreafe ; fo that the au- tumnal fruits have time to ripen by degrees, with- out being hurt by the cold of winter. In the fame manner in fpring, the plants have time to moot, and grow infenlibly, without being dedroyed by late frods, or too much hadened by early heats. In Europe, thefe four feafons are mod perceptible; and particularly in Italy and in the fouth of France. By degrees, as we advance towards the north, or towards the fouth, the fpring and autumn are lefs marked. From the middle of May to St. John's- Day, it rains lefs frequently ; after which, the vio- lent rains return, and continue to the end of July. The months of February and April are generally very uncertain weather.' If the melted mow and rains remained on the ground, without falling away or evaporating, the water would annually rife to the height of a foot and three quarters in moft countries. This change of feafons deferves our admiration. It cannot be attributed to chance ; for in fortuitous events there can neither be order nor condancy. Now, in every country throughout the world, the feafons fucceed each other with the fame regularity as the nights and days, and change the appearance of the earth precifely at the appointed E time. 74 BEAUTIES OF STURM. time. We fee it fucceflively adorned, fometimes with herbs and leaves, fometimes with flowers, fometimes with fruit. Afterwards it is dripped of all its ornaments, till fpring returns, and, in fome degree, revives it. Spring, furrimer, and autumn, provide food for men and animals, in giving them abundance of fruits. And though nature appears dead in winter, that feafon is not without its blef- fings ; for it moiftens and fertilizes the earth, and, by that preparation, makes it fit to produce its plants and fruits in due feafon. Awake, O my foul ! tc praife and blefs thy Crea- tor and benefaclor. It is now that charming fea- fon begins again, which opens fuch an agreeable profpecf before "us, and makes amends for the fad winter days that are pafl. The fpring approaches every day, and with it a thoufand pleafures and innumerable bleflings. How many have Wifhed to live to fee the renewal of nature, and to recover, in the fine days of fpring, from all they had fufFered during winter. But they have not had the confo- lation to fee this day, and their lives were ended before the winter was over. More favoured than many millions of my fellow-creatures, who have been carried off by death, I ftill live, and may in- dulge the joy with which fpring infpires me. But how often have I feen this feafon, without thinking of the goodnefs of my Creator, without opening my heart to gratitude and love: And perhaps this is 'the laft fpring I (hall fee upon earth. Perhaps, before the equinox returns, I ihall be in my grave. Let this thought lead me to feel fo much the more fenlibly the happinefs granted me, and to redeem, with more care, every moment of this tranfitory life. - LESSON BEAUTIES OF STURM. J $ LESSON XXXIII. HARMONY BETWEEN THE MORAL AND NATU- RAL WORLD. TH E wifdom of the Deity has ordained there mould be a great affinity between the world and its inhabitants, to fhew that the one was ma- niteitly made for the other. There is a connexion and perfect harmony in all the Creator's works. Human nature and the furface of the earth have very near relations to each other, and a (Inking analogy. As the bodies of plants and animals form, grow, arrive at maturity, and periih ; fo are men fubfervicnt alfo to this law of nature. As there is a great diveriity of climates and foils, fome barren, and others fruitful ; fo is there an equal variety in the minds, talents, and faculties of men. Such has been the plan of the Creator ; and there is in this variety more goodnefs and wifdom than we think of at firft fight. Far from appearing defective, we fhould find it all perfection, if we had a tho- rough knowledge of things. If any body was tempted to object to God's not having given the fame faculties, the fame degree of underftanding to all mankind ; we might anfwer, Who art thou, blind and weak mortal, that dared to quoftion the Almighty on what he has done ? Shall the creature fay to the Creator, Why haft thou made me thus ? We might as well aflc, Why God has not or- dained that all the kingdoms and countries on earth fhould be equally agreeable and fruitful ? Why in certain places the foil is rich and fertile, while in others it is fo barren and ungrateful, that all at- tempts to improve it are thrown away i Let us not doubt that this difference is very right, and worthy our admiration, though it is not always conformable E 2 to 76 BEAUTIES OF STURM. to our way of thinking. The mod barren and defert countries have their ufe and beauty in the eyes of the Creator. It is the fame in refpecl to the mod favage and uncultivated nations. All hold their proper place in the immenfity of created be- ings ; and their variety ferves to declare the wifdom of God, which is infinite. But, as it is evidently the intention of Divine Providence, that the earth mould be cultivated, and produce abundance of fruits, for the preservation of men a-nd animals, as it is for the fame purpofe that God has given us the corn to fow in the ground ; fo alfo, and with more reafon, does his wifdom require, that human nature fhould be cultivated ; and that our fouls mould be made fruitful, and enabled to reap the excellent harveft of virtue and piety. It is with that defign that he has given to mankind leflbns of true religion ; which, if they find a foil well difpofed to receive them, produce exquifite fruit, like the corn which is fowecl in fertile ground. From thence it is, that the gofpel alfo can have no efficacy in the world, but in proportion to the natural faculties of men, and the difpofuions with which they receive it. There are flill in our days, van: countries, barren and uncultivated, although Providence denies them nothing that they require to make them fruitful. It is thus that, notwithfranliing the publication of the gofpel, there are Hill fo many people who remain in ignorance. Even among the moll polifhed na- tions of Chriftianity, the efficacy of the gofpel is unequal, anil will ever be fo, according to the divcrfity of characters to whom it is made known. Some do not comprehend it, and have no fenfe of the falutary effetts of the truths of our holy reli- gion. Others receive thofe truths with eagernefs and joy, but thofe imprefTions do not laft. With others, the paflions and cares of the world ftifle the divine word. And, laftly, fome receive it with an hone ft BEAUTIES OF STURM. honeft and upright heart, with wifdom, with con- viction, and iineerity. It is for them alone, that it becomes " the power of God unto falvation." But to which of thefe do I belong ? What im- preilion has the doctrine of falvation made upon my foul ? What fruit has the good feed of the gof- pel produced in my heart ? Thefe are queftions which my confcier.ee ought to anfwer honeiily and (in'cerely ; but of which my conduct through life will be the beft proof. LESSON XXXIV. TWELFTH WEEK. THERE IS NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN. IT is certain, that in refpect to us, there happens many new things upon earth. Nature caufes new flowers to blow every feafon, and other tiuits to ripen. The fcene of nature changes every vear. Each day brings new events and new revolutions. The iiiuation of objects change daily, or rather prefent themfelves to our fenfes under different forms. But it is only relatively to our limited understandings and knowledge, that it can really be faid, there is any new thing under the fun. Nothing is more certain than the faying of Solomon, that, " What has been will be, and what has been " done will be done, and there is nothing new " under the fun." The Deity, whofe wifdom is infinite, has not thought proper to multiply beings unnecelfarily. There are as many as our wants, our pleafure, or our curiofity require. We cannot even gain a fuperhciul knowledge of all the works of our Creator ; much lefs are we able to exhault them. Our underftandings are too weak to con- ceive a juft and perfect idea of all created beings. We therefore fometimes imagine there are many E 3 new 7*5 BEAUTIES OF STURM. new things under the fun ; for, as the whole crea- tion is immenfe, and as we cannot take in all the parts of it at once, we fancy, that each point of view we fee it in for the firft time, is new, becaufe the Creator has, in every part of the world, made ~ wonderful variety and diverfity. The world does not require a continued creation to extend -to in- finity. It is enough that the Being of beings fhould maintain the order he has eftablifhed from the beginning. God is an artift who requires but a fmali number of fprings to vary the works he has proQUC--; Z*\i «,,.v.n arc, nowever, rG Varied, and m fo great a number, that, though they fucceed one another, and return with the greatefl regularK}> they appear to us ever new. Let us be content to enjoy with gratitude the things he has created, without undertaking to found the depths of them, or attempting to take in their vaft extent. The impoflibilily of our reckoning all the works of the creation, is, in fome fort, the feat by which we may conclude, that the world is the work of a God ; and it is, at the fame time, a certain proof of the weaknefs of our underitandings. But have there not been difcoveries made lately, which were formerly entirely unknown ? Do not all the king- doms of nature now prefent phenomena to us that we had no idea of formerly ? The mod of thefe difcoveries we owe lefs to our fagacity than to our wants. In proportion as thefe multiplied, new means were necellary to fupply them, and Provi- dence deigned to furnifh us with thofe. But the means exifted before we difcovered them. The minerals, plants, and animals, which we have lately learned to know, exifted on the bofom of the earth, or on its furface, before the inquiries and labour of man had made them vifible to us. Is it certain, even, that many of the difcoveries we boaft the moil of, were not made by tfce ancients ? If BEAUTIES OF STL' 79 If the world was the work of chance, we mould now and then fee new productions : why then do we not fee new kinds of animals, plants, and ftones : It is becaufe all has been planned by the infinite wifdom of the Supreme Being. All that he does is perfect ; it does not require to be renewed or created again ; there is fufficient for our con- venience and uic. Nothing was made by chance. All events have been determined by Infinite Wifdom, and are linked together in one chain. The whole fabric of the world is preferved by the providence of its Creator, and by the concurrence of laws both general and particular. All is (lamped with wifdom, order, and greatnefs. In all, and by all, the Aloft High b praifed and magnified. To him be glory, now and for evermore. LESSON XXXV. CIRCULATION OF THE SAP IN TREES. THE trees, which for feveral months appeared quite dead, begin infeniibly to revive. Some weeks hence we fhall difcover in them (lill more figns of life. In a fhort time the buds will gr large, will open, and produce their precious bloi- foms. We have it always in our power to obferve this revolution regularly in the beginning of c fpring ; but perhaps have been hitherto ignorant by i means it operates. The effects we obferve in fpring, in trees, and other vegetables, are produced by the Lp, which is put in motion in the ftalks of the trees, by the air and increafe of heat. As the life of animals depends on the circulation of their blood, fo alfo the life and growth of plants and trees depend on the circulation of fap. For I purpofe, God has formed and difpofed all parts of E 4 vej. 80 BEAUTIES OF STURM. vegetables, fo as to concur towards the preparation, prefervation, and circulation of this nourifhing juice. It is chiefly by means of the bark, that the fap in fpring riles from the roots into the bodies of trees ; and even conveys throughout the year, all the nourifliment to the branches and fruit. The wood of the tree is compofed of fmall long fibres, which extend in a dire6t line the whole length of the tree to the top ; and which are very clofely joined together. Among thofe fibres there are fome fo fmall and fine, that one of them, though fcarce as thick as a hair, contains more than eight thou- fand little fibres. There are a multitude of little veins to contain the nourifhing juice, and to make the circulation eafy. Thefe veins extend to the other branches, and rife up the whole length of the tree to the top ; fome conduct the fap from the root to the top of the tree, and others bring it down from the top to the bottom. The fap riles up the afcending veins in the heat of the day, and comes down the others again in the cool ot the evening. The leaves ferve for the fame purpofe, and their chief ufe is to make the fap circulate ; not only that which proceeds from the root, but alio what the tree receives outwardly by means of dew, the rnoifture of the air, and rain. This nourifhing juice is fpread through every part of the tree. But it could not rife through the (talks, if there were not openings in them at the top. It is through thefe pores that the watery parts of the fap evapo- rate, while the oily, fulphureous, and earthly parts mix together to nourilh the tree, to transform into a fubftance, and give it a new growth. If the juice does not reach it, if the circulation is flopped, if the interior organization of the tree is deftroyed, whether by too (Were cold or froft, by age, or by any wound or outward accident, the tree dies. Aft ei BEAUTIES OF STURM. CI After thefe reflections, can we fee with the fame indifference as formerly, the trees at the feafon of fpring r Will the change there is going to be in them appear fo little worth our notice ? And, can we obferve the renewal of all nature, without thinking of Him who gives life to every creature ; who provides the juices analagous to trees ; who communicates to that fap the power of circulating through the veins, and from thence of giving to trees life, nourishment, and growth : alas ! that it mould be pcflible to fee all thefe things every year, without giving proper attention to them : it is what I am too ftrong a proof of. At the return of many fprings, I have had the opportunity to obferve this quickening virtue which appears in plants and trees ; but I have thought no more about it than the animals which graze in the fields ; and, what is ltill more wonderful, I have been equally inatten- tive to the prefervation of my own life, the growth of my body, and the circulation of my blood. Grant that I may now, at leait, as I have the hap- pinefs to fee the fpring again, think in a more rea- ionable way, and more as a Chriftian. May thou, O Lord of all mercy, incline my heart to acknow- ledge and glorify thy great and holy name. Now, that all nature revives, grant that my foul may be quickened by thy fpirit. May this new exiltence, which the vegetables receive at this lovely feafon, be the iignal to awaken me from my flumber, and lead me to virtue. i LESSON XXXVI. OUR IGNORANCE OF OUR FUTURE STATE. F we are ignorant of future events, we mud not feek the caufe of it merely in the nature of ur fouls, the faculties and knowledge of which E 5 arc 82 BEAUTIES OF STURM, are very limited ; but alfo in the cxprefs and in- finitely wife will of the Creator. He knew the ftrength of man, and he would not give him more knowledge than he could bear. Knowledge is to the foul what the light of the fun is to the eyes : a too great fplendor would hurt, without being of ufe. It would be very dangerous to the virtue of man, if he had the faculty of fore- feeing what was to happen to him ; for outward circumftances have generally fome influence on the way of thinking, and in the refolutions we form : therefore, the more we know of future events, or the more temptations we mould have to furmouht, the more we ihould have to fear for our virtue. How wretched alfo ihould we be, if we could fee into futurity. Suppofe, in reality, that the future events were to be agreeable and happy : while we. do not forefee this greater happinefs which awaits us, we enjoy with gratitude the prefent advantages we polfefs. But draw the curtain, and difcovcr an agreeable profpecl of futurity, and we ceafe from that moment to enjoy the prefent. We mould no longer be content, h.ippy, or grateful. We Ihould anxioufly and impatiently expect the fortune de- iigned us ; and cur days would pafs one after another without enjoying them. But fuppofe fu- ture events are to be fad and melancholy, we fuffer before-hand all the afflictions as foon as we forefee them. Days which might have patted agreeably, in peace and quiet, if the future had been con- cealed from us, are, as foon as we know it, fpent in anxiety, in forrow, and in the fad expectation of a certain evil. In a word, the idea of the mif- fortunes referved for us, would prevent our enjoy- ing prefent happinefs, and would make us infenlible to it. How great, therefore, is the wifdom and goodnefs of the Almighty, in having thrown a veil over futurity, and only letting us know our fate by degrees, BEAUTIES OF STURM-. S3 degrees, as the defined events happen to us! Let us never wiih to anticipate the happinefs which awaits us, nor to feel the weight or" evils before they happen. Let us, on the contrary, every time we think on futurity, bids our Creator for having, by this ignorance, lparcd us lb many cares, fears, and forrows. Why fhould we wifh to fee through the veil which covers futurity ? If we are certain or our reconciliation with our God and Redeemer, we may alio be Certain, that all future events, be they agreeable or otherwife, will infallibly contri- bute to our real welfare. — And is it not a mercirul and gracious Being who directs ail events, and who rules futurity r He fees at once the whole courfe of our lives, not only the part, but even what is to come, as far as eternity itfeif. — When we lie down to llecp, let us recommend curfelves to the care of our Heavenly Father, without troubling ourfelves about what may happen in the night j and when we awake, let us truit in him, without being anxious for the events which may mark the day. In the mid ft even of the dangers with which we are furrounded > and the misfortunes which threaten us, let us remember the goudnefs of God i let us put our truft in him, and never doubt, that he will either remove them, or turn them to our- advantage. ■ — And though we do not know what evils await us, we need have no anxiety on that account, be- caufe we know that God is not ignorant oi them ; and that, .when they happen, he will not iail to fwpport and ailiit us. It is therefore to this wife and merciful Difpoftr of all events that we ihyuid> with entire confidence,, trmt out fates* E6 LESSON 84 BEAUTIES OF STURM. LESSON XXXVII. TRIRTEENTHWEEK. PATERNAL CARES OF PROVIDENCE FOR THE PRESERVATION OF OUR LIVES IN EVERY PART OF THE WORLD. WE know at prefent a great part of our globe, and new regions of it are (till dis- covered from time to time. But no place has yet been found, where nature did not produce fome of the necefiaries of life. We know countries where the fun burns up almoft every thing ; where little is to be feen but mountains and fandy deferts ; where the earth is almoft entirely ftripped of the verdure with which 'it is (o richly adorned in our climates. There are countries which are fcarce ever cheered with the rays of the fun, and where its beneficent warmth is rarely felt ; where an almoft continual winter benumbs every thing ; where there is neither culture, fruit, norharveft. And yet there are men and animals there, who do not fail of fubfiftence. The productions denied them by Providence, be- caufe they would have been burnt by the fun, or . frozen by the fevere cold, are Supplied by gifts more fuitable to thofe climates, and on which men and animals can feed. The inhabitants feek with care what nature has in ftore for them. They know how to appropriate it to their own ufe : and they thus procure for themfelves all they require for their fubfiftence and convenience of life. In Lap- land, Providence has [o contrived, that an evil, in fome reipects very inconvenient to the inhabitants, becomes a means of their prefervation. They have an innumerable multitude of gnats, who, by their ftings, are a plague to the Laplanders, and from which they cannot guard themfelves, but by keep- ing up in their cottages a continual thick fmoke, and BEAUTIES OF STURM. 8,5 and daubing their faces with pitch and tar. Thefe infects lay their eggs on the water, and by that means draw a great number of aquatic birds who feed on them; and being afterwards taken by the Laplanders, become themfclves the chief food of thoie people. The Greenlanders generally prefer animal food to the vegetable ; and it is true there are very few vegetables in that barren country. There are however fome plants in it, which the inhabitants make great life of ; for example, for- rel, angelica, and particularly the fpcon herb, cochlearia. But their chief food is the filh which they call angmarfet. After they have dried it in the open air upon the rocks, it ferves them every day inftead of bread or greens ; and they preferve it for winter in great leathern lacks. In Iceland, where there is no agriculture, owing to the fevere cold, the people live on dried fifh, inftead of bread. The Dalecarians, who inhabit the north of Swe- den, having no wheat, make bread of the bark of birch and pine, and a certain root which grows in marines. The inhabitants of Kamfchatka feed on the ftalk or trunk of the bear's-foot plant, which they eat raw, after they have peeled it. In Sibe- ria, they make much ufe of the roots of moun- tain-lily. Adorable Father of all mankind ! fuch are the tender mercies of thy providence for our preferva- tion. With what goodneis hall thou fpread over the whole earth that which is requisite for our fub- filtence ! Thy wifdom law, before the foundation of the world, the dangers to which the lives of mortals would be expofed, and ordained that we fhould every where find furficient lood. Such a re- lation, connexion, and communication was formed by thy decree, between the inhabitants of the earth, that people leparated from one another by vait ' fea*> 86 BEAUTIES OF STURM. feas, labour, notwithftanding, for their mutual eafe and fubfiftence. LESSON XXXVIIL ABUSE OF ANIMALS. SO improper an ufe is made of animals, and in fo many ways, that it would be difficult to enumerate them. Thefe abufes, however, may be confined to two chief points ; that of too much,, or two little value being fet on them ; and, in either cafe, we a£t contrary to the intention of the Creator. On one hand, we lower the brutes too much, when we alfume an unlimited power over them, and think we have a right to treat them ac- cording to our caprice. All who are not corrupted by pailions, or bad habits, are naturally inclined to compafiion towards every being that has life and feeling. This drfpoiition undoubtedly does honour to man, and is fo deeply engraved on our minds,, that any one, who had rooted it out, would prove to what a degree he was degraded and fallen from: the dignity of his nature. He would have but one flep more to make (to refufe to man t!*e com- panion he does not grant to beafts) and he would then be a monfter. Experience but too well juf- tifies this remark,, and many examples of it may be recollected. Hiftory furnifhes us with them. Thofe nations, where the people took pleafure in bull-baiting, diftinguifhed themfelves in cruelty towards their fellow-creatures* So true it is, that our treatment of beads has an influence on our moral characters i and on the gentleneis of our manners. It may be faid, that we have a right to deftroy hurtful animals. — I confefs it: but does it follow from thence, that we are author i-fed ta take BEAUTIES OF STURM. 8^ • from them, without pity or regret, a life which is {o dear to every creature ; and that, when necetfity forces us to it, we lhould find a barba- rous pleafure in it, or think we have a right, in thus depriving them of life, to make them furTer torments, often more cruel than death itfcif ? I grant that the Creator has given us the animals for our ufe and pleafure, and that they are de- iigned, by their labour, to fpare ours. But, does it follow, that we mult unnecefTarily fatigue them, exhauft them with labour beyond their flrength, refufe them fuftenance merited by their fervices ; in fine, aggravate their furFerings by fevcre treat- ment ? But no more need to be faid, in regard to this kind of abufe. Men fall fometimes into the other extreme, by fetting too high a value on animals. Thofe of a focial character, which are more connected with us, which live in our houfes, which amufe, or are ufeful to us, infpire us often with an extravagant and ridiculous arrecrion. I am almofl afhamed to fay, there are men and women extravagant enough to love thofe creatures to fuch a degree, as to facri- fice to them, without fcruple, the efTential duties they owe to their fellow-creatures. Parents, and all who have the charge of children's education, or who live with them, cannot be too attentive to avoid fcrupuloiiily themfelves any abufe of animals. It is the more neee!fary to dwell on this maxim, becaufe in, general it is much neglected ; and very bad examples of this kind are given to children, which fometimes have an influence upon their whole education. No bcalt ought to be killed in their fight : much lefs mould they be employed to do it. Let them be taught to treat animals, as beings which have lire and feeling, and towards whom. We have duties to fulfil. But, on the other hand, take great care that children do not attach them- fclves 85 BEAUTIES OF STURM. felves too much to animals, or grow paflionately fond of them., as they are apt to do. In guarding carefully againft children's making a bad u(c of animals, either way, they fhould alfo be taught to make a good ufe of them, that they may, from their earlieft age, be accuftomed to acknowledge, even in thofe creatures, an impreflion of the per- fections of the Creator. LESSON XXXIX. REFLECTIONS ON THE SEEDS OF PLANTS. THE vegetable kingdom, to an attentive ob- ferver of the works of God, is a fchool where he learns the profound wifdom, and unlimited power of that Supreme Being. Though we were to live an hundred years upon earth, and could devote every day to the particular ftudy of one plant, there would dill remain, at the end of that time, many things we either did not obferve, or were not capable of perceiving. — Let us reflect on the production of plants : let us examine their interior conilru&ion, and the formation of their feveral parts: let us confider the iimplicity and variety of them, from the blade of grafs to the highelt oak: let us try to learn the" manner in which they grow, in which they increafe, in which they are preferved, and the different ufes they are of to men and animals. Each of thefe articles will fufficiently employ the mind, and make us fenlible of the infinite power, wifdom, and good- nefs of the Creator. We mall every where dif- cover with admiration, the mod aftonifhing order, and the moft excellent delign. Though we were to know no more of plants, than thofe phenomena viable to every eye ; though we were only to know that BEAUTIES OF STURM. ' 89 that a grain of corn fowl! in the ground, {hoots firlt a root clown into the earth, and then (hoots upwards a ftem, which bears blofibms, branches, leaves, and fruit; and wherein are contained the feeds of new plants : this alone would be fu tri- dent to prove the wifdom of the Creator. Let us confider for once, with attention, all the changes which a grain, of wheat goes through : we low it in the ground at a certain time, that is all we can do. But what are the operations of nature, after we have thus left it to itfelf? As foon as the earth fupplies it with fufficient moif- ture, it fwells and burits open the outer coat, which had till then concealed in it the root, the ftalk, and the leaves. The root pierces through, and links deep into the earth \ and prepares nou diriment for the ftem, which makes efforts to rife even with the earth. When it has arrived at this, it grows by degrees till it has attained its proper height. It opens its leaves, which at firft are white, then yellow, and at laft tinged with green. — As foon as the outer fkin is burft, and the root has Ihot into the earth, the ftem ventures to fpring up in the form of a very (lender ftalk ; yet, weak as it ap- pears, it is already ftrong enough to bear the intem- perance of the feafons. By degrees it grows up, and becomes an ear of corn, the light of which is fo pleafing to mankind. — The wheat is enclofed with leaves, which ferve as a coat for it till it is ftrong enough to break through them, and is armed with points to defend it trom the birds. The fields of corn ought naturally to make us remember thofe fields where God lays up another feed. The human bodies depohted in the earth, are as feed fown, whole deltinution is to grow, and ripen for the harveft of ♦eternity. We had as little reafon, on looking at a grain of wheat, to expect it to produce an ear or corn (though the eifential 9° BEAUTIES OF STURM. eflential parts of it were in the grain) as we have to believe that our bodies, reduced to dull, will one day become glorified bodies. The time will come, when the feed will burft forth. My dull will be raifed again, and I fhall live through Jefus Chrifr. My body muft decay and turn to duft, but I mall not be eternally in the grave. My foul fhall reft, after the labours of this life in the bofom of my God. The eye hath not feen, neither hath the ear heard, any thing on earth equal to fuch falvation. LESSON XL. FOURTEENTH WEEK. USE AND NECESSITY OF AIR. AIR is the element to which all this lower world owes its life, beauty, and preservation. All the changes we obferve in the different beings otor globe contains, depend on air. It is abfolutely necertary for the prefervation of animals ; for moft of them would die in half a minute, if they were deprived of it ; and the others could not fupport the want of it above two days at moil. Not only terreftrial creatures, and thofe which fill the air, require that element, but it is abfolutely neceffary alfo to the inhabitants of the water; and what is more, they require a change of frcih air as much as other animals. The birds,- in order to fly, mud be fupported by the air ; for which reaibn their lungs have openings, through which the air they breathe pafTes into the cavity of their bodies. This fingle circumflance difcovers to us a profound faga- city ; for the body of the bird being filled, and in a manner fwelled by the air, becomes lighter, and more fit for flying. Plants, BEAUTIES OF STURM. 91 Plants, even, in order to vegetate and grow, require air, and have therefore a multitude of little veifels, which ferve to draw it in, and by means of which, even the fmalleft particles of them, are 1 provided with all the necellary juices. — Nothing would be more eafy, than to multiply proofs of I the neceflity of air. Let us dwell on one fingle circumftance only, which demonstrates it very clearly. If there was no air, there would be no twilight before fun-rife. It would come fuddenly above the horizon ; would appear the fame as it does towards the middle of its courfe, and would not vary its appearance till the inftant it would vanifh entirely from our light. The fun, indeed, would ftrike our eyes with a bright light if there was no air ; but it would refemble a great fire burning S a ^ °Pen country in the middle of the night. It would in fome fort be day, as the inn and the objects immediately furrounding us would be viiible to us; but all the rays that would fall on any bodies, at a certain diftance, would reflect: in a direct line, and be loft in the extent of the hea- vens. Therefore, while the fun would be placed dire&ly over our heads, we might (till be in a fort of night, if there was no air between that globe and us. Let us draw together all the advantages that air is of to our earth. — It is of ufe to the life and breathing of living beings ; to the motion of winged animals, and thofe which fwim in water ; to the propagation of founds : to hold the earth in equilibrium with the other globes ; to the forma- tion of vapours, rain, and winds. How necelTary is it alfo to make the earth fruitful, to favour the vegetation of plants, and difperfe the bad vapours which exhale from different bodies ! The fun could not furnifh us with either heat or light enough, if cur globe was not furrounded with air. Nobody could be heard, if the air did not fet the organs of 92 BEAUTIES OF STURM. of fpeech in play ; if it did not tranfmits founds, and act on the organs of hearing. How innumer- able, then, in all refpe&s, are the advantages which the air and winds procure to mankind r If we accuftom ourfelves to contemplate, with an attentive mind, the great object of the creation, we fhall be naturally led to extol the works and the bleflings of God. What may often make us negledt this duty, is perhaps our cafting but a fuperficial glance over his works ; and, in enjoying his blef- fings, our hearts have not always been fenfible how little we deferve them. LESSON XLI. DIFFERENT SOILS OF THE EARTH. THE foil is not the fame every where. The upper ftrata is generally formed of a black moveable rich earth, which being moiftened by broken remains of plants and animal fubftances, becomes the nutritive fupport of millions of vege- tables which enrich our globe. But even that ftrata varies in quality. It is fometimes fandy and light, fometimes clayey and heavy, and fometimes moift, fometimes dry, fometimes wanner, and fometimes colder. This is the reafon why fome herbs and plants grow naturally in certain countries, and re- quire art and culture in others. The variety of foil alfo makes vegetables of the fame kind differ in quality, according to the ground where they have been planted. In this infrance, we again difcover the wifdom of our Creator. If all foils were alike, if all were of the fame quality, we mould be deprived of many vegetables ; becaufe each fpe- cies requires a foil analogous to its nature: fume require a dry foil, fome a moiit one ; fome require heat, BEAUTIES OF STURM. 93 heat, others a colder foil ; fome grow in the fhade, others in the fun ; feveral grow in mountains, and many more in valleys. From thence it hap- pens, that each country has a certain number of plants peculiar to it, and which do not grow in equal perfection in others. Let the aider be tranf- ited into a f.mdy foil, and a willow into a rich and dry earth, and it will be found, that thofe foils are not fit for thefe trees, and that it will agree with them better to plant the former near marlhes, and the latter on the borders of rivers. — Therefore our Creator has provided for each fpecies, by allot- ting to them the foil analogous to their internal conftitution. It is true, that art can fometimes force nature to produce according to pleafure : but it is feidqm worth the trouble ; and, in the end, nature is found to have much the advantage of all the reft arches and labours of art. The fame variety that is obferved in the foil of our globe, is found in the characters of mankind. There are fome whefe hearts are fo hardened, that they cannot profit by inftru&ion. No motive can influence ; no truth, however evident, can roufe them from their indolence. — This character may be compared to a (tony ground, which no climate, nor the moft careful cultivation, can render fruit- ful. A character almoft as worthlefs, is that where levity predominates: perfons of this fort, it is true, receive the falutary impreliions of reli- gion and piety, but are difcouraged by the lead obftacle that comes in their way ; and their zeal vanifhes as eafiiy as their good refolutions. In the minds of trifling, timid, weak people, truth and virtue c. e root, becaufe there is no depth. They refemble light and dry foils, where nothing comes to maturity, and where every thing dries up, as foon as the heat of the fun is fett ; becaufe thev do not fupply the plant with the nourishing juuts it 94 BEAUTIES OF STURM. it requires. But how happy thofe characters with whom, as in a good foil, the feeds of piety ripen and produce an abundant harveft of good fruit. On thefe feveral difpofitions obferved among men, depends more or lefs the effect the word of God has upon the heart. In vain the fower fows the be it feeds, if the foil has not the fuitable qualities ; all his care is in vain. The purity and goodnefs of the feed cannot fupply the natural defects of the foil. For when it is fo hard and clofe that the feed cannot enter, or fo fandy that it cannot take root, or fo full of (tones that it is choaked up, it is impoffible it mould produce fruit. To which of thefe do I belong ? Perhaps my heart is not fo hard as to refift every impreilion* O Lord! make me like the fruitful foil, ready to fulfil the duties of life. And, in order to bear fruit in abundance, make me fruitful in good works, preferving the gifts of thy grace in an upright heart. LESSON XLII. SIZE OF OUR GLOBE. IT is not as eafy as we imagine to be certain of the fize of our earth. There is indeed but one longitude, yet there are two latitudes, north and fouth. Both begin at the equator. The one ex- tends toward the north, and the other toward the fouth, as far as the poles, either artic or antartic. But no one has yet been able to go as far as either pole, becaufe the mountains oi' ice in Greenland, and in the northern feas, have always obftructed the paflage. However, thanks to the geometricians, we at prefent know nearly the fize of our globe ; and, according to the molt exact calculations, the furface of the earth is nine millions two hundred thoufand BEAUTIES'OF STURM. $$ thoufand and eighty fquare leagues. The water occupies two thirds of that fpace ; fo that what remains for terra firma or land is reduced to three millions and ninety fix thoufand fquare leagues. It has been calculated, that there may be at leaft three thoufand millions of men upon the earth ; but in reality, there are not more than one thou- fand and fourfcore millions ; of which there are, In Afia 650 millions; in Africa 150 millions; in America 1,50 millions ; in Europe 130 millions. If, then, we fuppofe the earth is inhabited by one thoufand millions of men, or thereabouts, and that thirty-three years make a generation, it follows, that in that fpace of time there dies one thoufand millions. This calculation mull neceflarily ftrike us. If the mortality is fo great every year, and even every hour, is it not probable that he who reflects on it, may himfelf be one of thofe which fwell the lift of the dead ? It is at leaft certain, that it ought to lead us often to ferious reflections. Now, at this moment, one of our fellow-creatures is going out of the world ; and before this hour be parTed, more than three thoufand fouls will have entered into eternity. What a motive for thinking often and ferioufly on death. Prodigioufly great as the earth appears, its great - nefs vanifhes at once, when we compare this globe to the other worlds which roll over our heads. The earth is then, in comparifon of the whole univerfe, what a grain of fand is to the higheft mountain. But how does this thought exalt thee in our eyes ; how inexpreilible and infinite does thy great- nefs appear, O thou Creator of heaven and earth ! The world and all its inhabitants are before thee as a drop in the ocean, or as the light atoms w r hich float in the air. And what am I, among thefe thoufand 96 BEAUTIES OF STURM. thoufand millions of inhabitants of the earth! What am I before thee, thou Immenfe, Infinite, and Eternal Being. LESSON XLIII. FIFTEENTH WEEK. PRODUCTION OF BIRDS. AT this feafon of the year, there is a revolu- tion in nature which certainly claims our attention. It is the time the birds lay, and hatch their young. This annual miracle paflcs in a manner before our eyes ; and that it is really a workfer, which cannot be too much admired, the following reflections will convince us. — In each fruitful egg, which has not yet been fat on, there is a fpot (about the fize cf a freckle) vifible in the yolk. In the centre of this fpot, there is a white circle, like a thin partition, which extends a little towards the top, and appears to join to fome fmall bladders there. In the middle of this circle, there is a kind of fluid matter, wherein the embryo of the chick is feen to float. It is compofed of two lines or. white threads, which appear fometimes to be feparated from one another at their extremity ^ and between which a lead coloured fluid is perceptible. The extremity of the embryo is contained, in a lit- tle bag, furrounded by a pretty large ligament ; and it is there that the navel afterwards fhews itfelf. This ligament is compofed partly of a folid yellowifh fubliance, and partly of a fluid dark fubftance, which is alfo furrounded by a white circle. This is what has been obferved in the egg before it is fat upon. After it has been above twelve hours under the hen, there appears in the Hnaments of the embryo, which is in the middle of the little fpot, a moifture that has the form of a little BEAUTIES OF STURM. 97 a little head, on which are feen little veficles, that afterwards become the back bones. In thirty hours the naval appears covered with a multitude of lit- tle veflels. The eyes alfo are then diftinguifhable. The two white threads, which, in reuniting, have ftill left fome fpace between them, enclofe five little bags, which are the brainy fubftance, and the fpinal marrow, which goes through to its extre- mity^ The heart is then vifible : but it has not yet been difcovered, whether it is the heart or the blood that is firft formed. Be that as it may, it is certain that the embryo of the chick exifted before in the egg ; and that, after it has been fome time fat upon, they diftinguifhthe back bones, the brain, the fpinal marrow, the wings, and part of the flefh, before either the heart, or the blood and veiTels are perceptible. When the eiTential parts of the chick are thus formed, it continues to take new gro*wth till the twentieth or twenty-firrt day, when it is able to break of itfelf the fhell which had con- tained it. We owe thefe difcoveries to fome great natu- ralifts, who with the afliftance of microfcopes, have obferved, almoft from hour to hour, the pro- grefs of the formation and the hatching of the chick. However, notwithanding all that we have drawn from their obfervations, there (till remain many myfteries, Which may never be difcovered to us. How does the embryo come into the egg ? and who gave it the faculty of receiving, by means of warmth (for that is all the hen communicates to it) a new life and being? What is it that puts the eiTential parts of the chick in motion ? and what is that vivifying fpirit, which, through the fhell, penetrates even to the heart, and occafions its pulfation ? How do birds know that their young are contained in the egg ? What engages them to lit on the neft all the time neceifary to hatch them ? F Queflions 98 BEAUTIES OF STURM. Queftions thefe are which cannot be anfwered in .a fatisfa&ory manner. But the little we know of the production of birds is fufficient to prove the wifdom of the Creator. LESSON XLIV. PERMANENCY OF CORPOREAL BEINGS. NOTHING in nature perifhes ; and, from the beginning of the world to the prefent moment, there has not been a grain of fand, not an atom annihilated. The firft forefts, which the powerful word of God produced, were adorned with an innumerable multitude of leaves. Thofe fell, withered, corrupted, and ceafed to be leaves ; but the parts which compofed them ftill remain. They have been converted into chirr., mud, or earth; but they are not annihilated. The matter of which the firft leaves and herbs were formed, fub- iifts (till at this day, and has loft nothing of its efTential parts. The plants which now flourifh will exift, as to their parts, as long as the world fhall laft. The wood we burn ceafes indeed to be wood, but its parts do not ceafe to exift. They are difperfed into afhes, foot, and fmoke, but they are not annihilated. The kingdom of nature is liable to continual change ; all diffolves, and all regenerates, but nothing finally perifhes. Let us not judge by appearances. When there happens any revolution, any diforder, in nature, we are apt to believe that many things are totally deftroyed : it is an error. — They are only differently modified, and become materials for the compofition of other beings. The water which rifes in vapours docs not perifh ; it decreafes in one place to increafe in another. What uninformed perfons confider as total BEAUTIES OP STURM. 9$. total deftru&ion, is, in reality^but a mere change of parts; and, the world, confidered in the whole, is juft now what it was the firft day of the crea- tion, although a multiplicity of parts which com- pofe it, have gradually undergone very conliderable alterations. This leads me to reflect on my own body, and the change it will experience in the grave. It is true, it will entirely corrupt, but it will not be annihilated, and the eflential parts which compofe it will always fubfift. The perfuaiion of this truth is fumcient to guard me againfl the fear of the grave and corruption, and, at the fame time, to confirm the hope of a. refurrection in my foul. Why then mould my heart be troubled, why fhud- der at the thought of the grave? That which will be fhut up there, it is not me ; it is my earthly habitation. I myfelf cannot be deftroyed. All my members are numbered, and will be preferved. What I have been, I fhall be hereafter ; and 1 ihali live for ever and ever. The continual duration of corporeal being? may lead me to conclude, with much probability, that my foul alfo will be immortal. Since none of the earthly parts will be annihilated, is it to be pre- fumed that my foul mould be the only created thing that is to be deftroyed r No. The whole corporeal world would fooner perifh than one foul redeemed by Jefus Chrift, LESSON XLV. PLEASING EFFECT OF THE HEAT OF THE St' S. AT the approach of fpring, nature gradually re- covers the life file fecmed to have loil in winter. The earth is clothed with verdure. The trees are covered with blofTbms. On all fides are F 2 fecn lOO BEAUTIES OF STURM. feen new generations of infects, and other animals, coming out rejoicing in their exiftence, and en- dowed with a thoufand different inftincts. Every- thing is animated. Every thing revives. And this new life, which appears in the nobleft parts of nature, is produced by- the return of warmth, which awakens animals and plants, and puts their renewed ftrength in motion. We owe this admirable revolution to the fun, which is the fource of life, fenfation, and joy, as its falutary and enlivening rays are fpread over all nature. The feeds feel its effect, and open in the bofom of the earth. It is from thence that the plants and vegetables fhoot, fpring up, and grow. Its approach revives and ftrengthens animals. Every living creature that has breath or feeling, vegetation alfo, feels the benign influence of that majeftic globe. How would it be, if we were deprived of the light and heat of the fun ? How melancholy would the face of the earth appear, if an uninhabitable defert ? Into what a lifelefs ftate would moft creatures fall, and how wretched and languid would fuch exiftence be ? What a fource of joy and gladnefs would the heart of man be de- prived of, if he could not enjoy the rays of the riling fun, or the light of a ferene day ! Nothing would compenfate for the lofs of it. The mildeft night, the gentleft artificial warmth, could not fupply the place of that vivifying virtue, which the light of the fun communicates to every being, and which has a falutary effecl:, very different from that of earthly fire. Men and animals know and feel it. A valetudinarian fhut up warm in his room, with every poffible afh'ftance, will not gain as much ftrength in many weeks, as he would in a very fhort time from the warmth of the fun in the fine weather of fpring. Plants forced in hot- beds, never gain fuch a degree of ftrength and confiftence as thofe which grow in the fun. In the BEAUTIES OF STURM. 101 the latter, every thing combines for the perfection of plants and animals; whereas inartificial heat, we fee nothing but the weak and languishing efforts of an inneffe&ual fubftitute. But would the fun exift, and could it communicate light and heat to us, if the Creator of all things, had not formed it, and given it the power of fhedding over the whole earth its quickening virtue ? It is from the Lord we receive all the bleffings which are derived from the fun. It is he who created it,, who rules its courfe, and who preferves its light and fplendor. Each morn he caufeth it to appear again, and in each feafon makes us feel its happy eftccls. Without him, there would be neither fun, nor light, nor heat, nor fpring. Let us then raife our fculs to him, to the Creator of the fun. Its beneficent warmth, its beautiful and clear light, leads to him, the Being of beings, the Source of every bielling, the Father of light. — The Pagans were toj blind to acknowledge God as author of the fun. They flopped at the effects, without knowing the caufe. But we know there would be no fun, if he did not exift ; that it would neither give light nor heat, if not ordained by God. We know that vegetation, increafe, growth, all the bleflings which furround us, all our agreeable fen fat ions, all that charms or delights us, proceed from him. The fun is but the inflrument of his goodnefs, the minifter of his will, the herald of his greatnefs. LESSON XLVI. SIXTEENTH WEEK. RELATION THAT ALL CREATURES HAVE WITH ONE ANOTHER. TH E prodigious number of creatures there are upon the earth is, in itfelf, well worthy our admiration j but what muft ftill more ftrike us, is F 3 the 102 BEAUTIES OF STURM. the proportion between all thefe, and the wife chain which links this infinite multitude of different beings in fuch a manner, thai they form but one regular and perfect whole. The extent oi' the ani- mal creation is incomprehenfible, and yet all of them find food fufficient. No fpecies, however few there are of them; no individuals, however perfecuted they may be, are ever extinct. It is true, that many fcrve as food to others, but the number of hearts of prey is not coniiderable. Molt of them are folitary, and do not much multiply. Thofe even that are pretty numerous, are content with little food, and cannot obtain it without much art and trouble. Several of them have enemies -which prevent them from multiplying too fad ; or elfe the v/eak and timid animals fupply in number what they want in (trength, and efcape their per- fecutors by all forts of ftratagems and cunning. The mineral kingdom ferves for the prefervation of the animal, and they both tend to the good and benefit of mankind. The moft iifeful plants, fuch as corn, grow every where, multiply the ealieft, and are the leaft liable to fpoil. The animals which are moft neceifary to mankind are fcattered every where in abundance. The productions of the different climates are fuited to the particular -wants of mankind. Thus, the hotted: countries abound in cooling fruits. In countries liable to a great drought, there are plants and trees, which are, in a manner, fprings of water, and which provide enough to quench the third: of men and animals. Where wood is wanting, there is a great quantity of peat and turf found. If there are coun- tries deprived of rain, and other fources of fer- tility, they are made amends for it by fruitful inun- dations, like that of the Nile in Egypt. In civil fociety, talents and bleflings are fo admirably dif- tributed, that, as each individual may be happy, according to his circumftances, fo there is nothing, that BEAUTIES OF STURM. lOJJ that is neceffary, wanting to fociety in general. If the inclinations and difpolitions or men vfrere not (o varied; if their taftes and tempers did not make them embrace different kinds of lite ; if there was not fo much variety in their genius, their way of thinking, in their beauty, richer, and other outward circumftances, human fociety would won become a melancholy defert. There is no rank of men who can do without others. Each country has its peculiar advantages ; and, if thev were common to all, there would be neither connection nor commerce between men. In a word, on what- ever fide we cait our eyes under heaven, we every where find the mod: admirable harmony and pro- portion. Notwithstanding the infinite variety of creatures, and the continual interruption of many of the laws of nature, it appears, that in this immenfe univerfe, all is perfect, all is planned and contrived for the general good, all is in the moil regular and exact order. On whatever fide I caft my eyes, I fee nothing but the wifeft and moil delightful harmony. It mines on all fides. It em- bellifhes every thing. Nothing is unconnected. Every thing combines to the fame end. The whole is linked together with wonderful art, and all the parts declare the power and wifdom of the great Creator. LESSON XLVII. THE PRODUCTION AND INCREASE OF PLANTS. IN general, vegetables fpring from feed, and in moil plants it is the flower or bloifom which produces the feed, and makes it fruitful. Almort all flowers are folded up in a bud, where they form themfelves fecretly, and are guarded by their coat, and outfide leaves. Then, when fap flows in abundance, particularly towards fpring, the blof- F 4 fom io4 beauties or sturm. fom grows large, the bud opens, the coat falls off, and the flower appears. In the middle of the flower, there is a thread or a little pillar called fifth which rifes pretty high, particularly in tulips. Round the piftil are the Jfamina, with heads at the top of them, containing dufl of differ- ent colours i which being Scattered by the wind over the flower, makes the feed perfect. Vegetables increafe alfo by ingrafting. From a tender branch of a tree, when in fap, they take an eye, or a beginning of a branch, with a part of the bark, and they graft it into another tree ; that is to fay, they infertthis eye between the bark and the wood, after which they gently tie up the whole, by rolling worfted two or three times round it. From that eye there comes a branch, which is of the fame f pedes as the tree from whence the eye was taken, though the tree into which it is inferred (and which is called wild-flock) fhould be quite another fort. Trees and other woody plants are alfo perpetuated by flips. From a willow, for example, they take a flip, that is to fay, a fingle ftick or branch, and put it in the ground, after having cut off the little branches, that it may not in the beginning take too much fap. Roots foon moot out of it in the places where it had begin- nings of branches, and it becomes a tree. Laftly, vegetables alfo increafe by roots ; but thefe muft have eyes, or they will not fhoot. Cer- tain plants caft all around them trains or long firings, which have knots or eyes in them. The knots lengthen their fibres in the ground, and become fo many new feet, which may be feparated from each other, to make fo many more plants. The root even is a fort of eye, in which the plant is enclofed ; and it has between its leaves little eyes, fo that it may alfo be renewed by the leaves, when the little eyes or roots remain fattened to them. What BEAUTIES OF STURM. 10^ What a train of caufes mud operate to produce vegetables, to preferve and renew them. Suppo- sing even that the feed pre-exifted, what art does it not require to open them, to give growth to the plant, to preferve and continue the fpecies ? The earth muft be a fruitful mother, in whofe bofom plants may be placed and nourilhed conveniently. Water, which contributes alfo to the nourifhment of plants, although in a lefs degree, muft be com- posed of all thofe parts which are beft calculated to make them moot and grow. The fun muft put all the elements in motion, and by its heat make the feed fpring up, and ripen the fruit. It was necelTary to form a juft balance and propor- tion between the plants, in order that they mould neither multiply too faft, nor be too few in num- ber. It was necefTary, that the texture, the vef- fels, the fibres, and every part of the plant mould be fo difpofed, that the fap, the nourifhing juice, mould penetrate into it, circulate, digeft, and pre- pare itfelf in fuch a manner, that the plant mould receive the proper form, fize, and ftrength. It was necefTary to fix exactly what plants were to fpring up of themfelves, and what were to require the care and culture of men. In all this I acknowledge thy wifdom and good- nefs, O .adorable Creator ! Every fpring thou reneweft the face of nature, and crowneft the year with thy blefTings. Let the -earth, as well as the heavens, declare the glory of thy great name, now and for evermore. LESSON XLVIII. FLOWERS OF THE MONTH OF APRIL. TH E nearer we approach that charming month, which prefents to us the country, the fields, and gardens in full beauty, the more we fee the E 5 wild 106 BEAUTIES OF STURJ.*. wild and melancholy appearance of nature wear off. Each day brings forth fome new creation. Each day nature draws nearer to perfection. Already the grafs begins to fhoot, and the fheep run eagerly to feed. The corn begins to appear in the meadows, and the gardens become cheerful and pleafant. Some flowers (hew themfelves here and there, and invite the florid to obferve them. The fweet and modeft violet is one of the firft productions of fpring ; its fmell is fo much the more agreeable, as we have been fo long deprived of thofe delight- ful perfumes. The beautiful hyacinth rifes infen- fibly in the midft of its leaves, and fhews its little flowers, which equally delight the fight and fmell. The Imperial crown-flower cafts around it a mul- titude of Itarry leaves ; its (talk rifes high, and its red and yellow bloflbm, fhaped like a bell, and inclining towards the earth, forms a fort of crown, with a tuft of leaves at the top. From the midfl of its leaves the auricula raifes its flower, which imitates the richnefs of fatin and velvet ; its ele- gant form and fweet perfume make amends for its want of flature. The tulip comes out more flowly ; it does not yet venture to open, becaufe the night air, or cold rains, might fpoil the beauty of its colours. The ranunculus, the pink, and the rofe, do not blow till milder days allow them to* appear in full beauty. An attentive obferver will find in this many reafons to admire the wifdomand goodnefs of his Creator. It is for very wife pur- pofes, that at the return of fpring, each plant be- gins precifely in the time and the order prefcribed to it, to open its leaves and bloflbms, and to pre- pare every thing for the production of its fruits. There is a conftant fucceffion of vegetables from *he beginning, to the end of the year. Some aae fcarce-vifible, when others prepare to appear ; and thofe are followed by feveral hundreds of others, which BEAUTIES QP STURM. 1CJ which fpring up each in its turn, and at the ap- pointed time. Whihf. the fruit of one plant is ripening, nature prompts another to propagate, that its truit may be ready by the time the former has fulfilled its destination. Thus nature conti- nually offers us an agreeable fuccefllon of flowers and fruit. She leaves no void; and, from one end of the year to the other, lhe watches over the fucceilive generations of plants. But why has not our Creator given us the enjoyment of more plants at a time r The reafon of it is evident. For how would it be, if all the flowers and fruit came at the fame time r Would there not be feafons entirely without vegetables r Should we not be deprived of the pleafure which thofe agreeable and progreilive changes procure us, by preventing the difgun infe- rable from a famenefs r How many plants would pcrilh, if they were nowexpofed to the cold nights which are fometimes felt even in fpring f Would fo many millions of animals and infects find fubfdt- ence, if all the plants blofTomed and bore fruit at the fame time r The beneficent Creator has I pro 1 our maintenance and pleafure. Thofe two views could only be fulfilled, by ordaining that nature ihould not produce all the vegetables at the fame time, but fucceflively, and by degrees- Let the .lovely and fprightly youth confider and behold in thefe flowers the image of themfelves. v alfo are placed in a fertile foil, and have many charms tor which, they are beloved. — Ob- ferve how foon the violet, the auricula, and the hya- cinth fade, when the north wind blows upon them. Young man, think of the fate that threatens youth, and be not vain of the flower of thy youth. Life is like unto grafs ; it flourillies as the flower of the field. " As foon as the wind goeth over it, " it is gone, and the place thereof mail know it ** no more.." LESSON 108 BEAUTIES OF STURM. LESSON XLIX. SEVENTEENTH WEEK. THE RETURN OF THE BIRDS. A SMALL number of birds pafs the winter with us. Whole families have gone out of our countries. Some fought milder climates than ours ; others found warm retreats in caves, in hol- low ground, and other fuch places. By degrees thofe birds return to us. The mild air in fpring awakens the fwallow from its benumbed ftate ; and a fecret inftincl: brings back into their own coun- tries, the birds who, laft autumn, undertook a long paflage beyond the feas, in fearch of fubfiftence, and of the climate their constitution required. Their return is ufually in this order, that thofe who went earlieft return fooneft. The air will be peopled again with winged fongfters. The groves will refound with the harmonious notes of the nightingale. The fwallow will return to the neft it had built the winter before. The ftork will find again the very houfe it left at the beginning of the winter. In a few weeks, the air will refound again with the fongs of birds, and their return will fill the plains and the valleys with joy and gladnefs. Two things particularly are remarkable in this emigration of birds. The firft is, that they know exactly the time when they ought to return. " The " ftork in the heavens knoweth her appointed " time ; and the turtle, and the crane, and the M fwallow, obferve the time of their coming." Undoubtedly the temperature of the air, in refpecl to heat and cold, and the natural inclination of thofe creatures to bring up their young, are their greateft motives for changing their place : but it is, in other refpe&s, a very extraordinary inftincl, and BEAUTIES OF STURM. IO9 and in fome degree inexplicable. It is no lefs wonderful, that thofe animals, void of reafon, know fo exactly the way they are to go, and how far it is. Without compafs or guide, without provifion, and in the mod regular order, they un- dertake and finifh a journey of fometimes more than 200 miles. Who then has taught them to follow a certain road in an element fo inconftant as the air ? Who informs them how far they are gone, and how far they have yet to go ! Who is it that guides, feeds, and furnifhes them with all neceflaries for their journey ? Do not thofe animals do what men themfelves would be unable to do } To undertake journeys of fuch a length, what ex- perience, what afliftance, what directions and pre- parations we require? Can we even, with the afliftance of our reafon, with a compafs and geo- graphical maps, follow fo invariably the road over feas and mountains, as the birds do without aflift- ance ? In whatever light we confider this, we may plainly difcover a power fuperior to the mere inftincl: of animals. We muft acknowledge, that an Almighty Power has impreffed this inftincl: on the mind of the birds, which they fo regularly follow. LESSON L. PLEASURES WHICH THE CONTEMPLATION OF NATURE AFFORDS. NATURE offers to all her children, with maternal goodnefs, the firft, the moft inno- cent, the leaft expenfive, and moft univerfal of all pleafures. It is that which our firft parents enjoyed in paradife ; and it is only the fallen ftate of man which makes him fcek other pleafures. Men ilO BEAUTIES OF STURM. Men are apt to defpife the daily bleffings they enjoy, however excellent ; and they only think of multiplying and varying their amufements. It is certain however, that the pleafure I fpeak of, is preferable to all others. It is almoft impoflible not to find charms in the contemplation of nature. And that it may be enjoyed without expence is manifeft ; the poor as well as the rich may indulge it. But that is what lenens the value of it. We are fo foolifh as not to prize what others fhare with us ; while, if we were reafonable, nothing mould give more value to a blefling, than the thought that it makes the happinefs of our fellow- creatures as well as our own. In comparifon of this pleafure, fo noble and fenlible, how trifling and vain are thofe far-fetched magnificent amufe- ments, which the rich obtain with fo much trou- ble and expence, which leave a certain void in the foul, always ending in difguft. Whereas, nature, rich and beneficent, prefents us continually with new objects. Pleafures, which are only the work of our own imagination, are of fhort duration, and vanifh like a dream, the charms and illufions of which are loll at the moment of waking. But the pleafure of reafon, and of the heart, thofe we enjoy in contemplating the works of God, are folid and lafting, becaufe they open to us an inex- hauftible fource of new delights. The flarry iky, the earth enamelled with flowers, the melodious fongs of the birds, the various landfcapes and prof- pe6ts, every one delightful, may continually fur- nifh us with new fubje£ts of fatisfaclion. If we are infenfible to thefe, rt is certainly our own fault; it is becaufe we behold the works of nature with an inattentive and indifferent eye. The duty of a Chriftian confifts in enjoying innocently all that iurrounds him. He knows how to draw refources from every thing, and has the art of being happy under BEAUTIES OF STURM. Ill under any circumftances, at little expence, and without danger to his virtue. Lord, teach us thyfelf, to know and to feel thy power and goodnefs. For, it is only in ftudying to find thee in all thy works, that we can open to ourfelves an inexhauitible and pure fource of de- light. We fhall then have a fore-tafte of that ful- nefs of joy, which we fhall experience in thy pre- fence for evermore. LESSON LI. ANIMALS ARE CAUSES FOR MAN TO GLORIFY GOD* IT is not fufficient not to treat creatures impro- perly ; we ought alfo to endeavour to make the bed ufe poffible ot them. How then can that be, but by making them, ferve to glorify God 1 This all creatures do,, but particularly the animated beings. In every plant, tree, flower, or (tone, the great- nefs and glory of the Creator are vifibly imprinted, but it appears with ftill more luftre in the animal creation. Examine the conftrudlion of one only of thofe animated beings. What art r what beauty, what admirable wifdom fhall we find, and how will thefe wonders multiply, if we think of the almoft infinite number and aflonifhing variety of animals ! From the elephant to the mite (which is only vfible through a mifcrofcope) all is har- mony I And if, at firft fight r we think we difeo- ver any imperfection in certain things, we foon find it is only our ignorance,, which has led us to form a wrong judgment. It is not neceilary that tvery individual ihould make deep refearches on this fubje&. It is not neceffary to be a learned uaturalifL It is enough to attend to the molt fami- liar 112 BEAUTIES OF STURM. liar and the beft known things before our eyes. We fee, for example, a multitude of animals, all admirably formed ; who all live, and feel, and move, as we do ; who are, like us, liable to hun- ger, thirft, and cold, and consequently, require, as we do, that their wants mould be fupplied. To all thofe creatures God has given life ; he preferves, he gives them what is neceflary, and takes care of them, as a father of a family does of thofe that compofe his houfehold. Shall we not from thence conclude, that he has the goodnefs, the tender- nefs of a father ? Shall we not alfo conclude, that we ought to love that Being, who is mercy itfelf ? If the care of the Creator extends to animals, what will he not do for us ? If he makes it his ftudy to render the lives of thofe creatures happy and eafy, what may we not expect from his benefi- cence ! Let the cautious fearful man then blufh at his anxieties ; he, who, as foon as he finds himfelf not in affluence, falls into apprehenfions and fears that the Almighty will let him perifh for want. Let us indulge another reflection upon the inftinct of beafts, and take occafion from it to admire and adore that Great Being, who fo wifely combines the means with the end. As the inftinct of animals all tend to their prefervation, this appears moft evidently in the love and care the beafts have for their young. Our Lord himfelf, to exprefs the moft parental cares, makes ufe of the image of a hen gathering her chickens under her wings. It is indeed a moft affecting fight to behold the natural and ftrong affection the hen has for her young ones, and the conftant care fhe takes of them. She feldom takes her eyes off them. She runs to their afliftance at the approach of the leaft danger. She flies at the aggreifor with cou- rage. She hazards her own life to fave that of her chickens. She calls them, and encourages them BEAUTIES OF STURM. llg them by her maternal voice. She fpreads out her •wings to receive and conceal them. She neglects all forts of convenience to herfelf ; and, in the mod uneafy pofture, (he ftudies the fafety and wel- fare of the objects of her affection. Who does not here acknowledge the hand of the Mod High 1 Without the maternal care of the hen ; without that inftinct fo ftrong, and fo fuperior to every thing, the chickens, the whole fpecies would infal- libly perifh. Can it be faid, that what the hen does for her young is done with underftanding and reflection, that fhe judges, reafons, forefees, com- bines, and draws confequences. ? Certainly not. And though, at firft fight, every thing really feems to proceed from the tendernefe and undemanding of the bird ; yet we muft acknowledge in it a fupe- rior hand, which fhews itfelf, without our know- ing in what manner it acts. I think thefe two examples are fufficient for the purpofe. There- fore, without enlarging more upon it, I fhall content myfelf with concluding in a few words, that it is the duty of man, to feek in the animals an occafion to glorify God ; that it is an indifpen- fable duty, which ought to be facred to him, and is equally agreeable and ufeful. LESSON LII. EIGHTEENTH WEEK. REFLECTIONS ON THE BLOSSOMS OF TREES. AT the time in which our gardens and fields are adorned with all the ornaments of fpring, all Europe appears with equal pomp, and every where prefents the moft cheerful profpect. The power of the firft word pronounced by the Creator, when he formed the world, produced all thefe mag- nificent effects. The Creator and Monarch of the world, 114 BEAUTIES OF STURM. world, has in a few days renewed, and in a man- ner created the earth again, for the ufe and plea- fure of his intelligent creatures. Come, O man ! come and try what thy wifdom and power can do. Art thou able to make a fingle tree blolTom, to order a iingle tulip to appear in all its beauty, or call from the earth the fmalleft blade of grafs ? Draw near, ye learned artifts, and fkilful painters! Contemplate thefe flowers, examine them with the molt fcrupulous attention; is any thing want- ing to their perfection ? Do you find any fault in the mixing of the colours, in their form or pro- portion ? Could your pencil exprefs the dazzling red of the peach bloflbm ; Could you imitate the fine enamel, the uniformity and iimplicity with which a cherry-tree in bloflbm is adorned ? But why do I fay, imitate ? Are you even capable of fe&Ymg all the magnificence of renewed nature, or of forming to yourfelves a juft idea of its inimita- ble art ? If there were no Wronger proofs on earth of the power and wifdom of God, the flowers of fpring alone would be fufficient to convince us of it. Each tree that bloflbms, each herb and flower proclaims his goodnefs and wifdom, which is over all the earth. We remark an infinite variety in the bloflbms of trees. All are beautiful ; but their beauties are different. One furpafles another ; but there are none which has not fomething pleafing peculiar to itfelf. However great the Creator in the difpenfing his gifts, he ftill referves to him- felf the liberty of beftowing more on fome than others. But this difference is only in refpecl: to acceflary qualities. Such a tree, for example, has bloflbms of a dazzling white ; another has red (tripes and fhades, which the firft wants : fome have, added to the beauty of their form and colour, an exquifite perfume ; all thefe differences do not in the leaft affecl their fertility. Thus, though we have BKAUTIES OF STURM. 1 15 have hot the fame advantages as appear in fome of our fellow-creatures, it ought not to airlift or dif- turb us ; for the lofs of any accidental beauty, of whatever nature it may be, does not hurt our real welfare. Let our chief ftudy be, to act in fuch .1 manner, that when the beauty and charms of the body are no more, we may fupply their place with abundant fruits of virtue and piety. LESSON LIII. THE DAWN OF DAY. TH E morning dawn difcovers to the world a new and magnificent creation. The lhades of night deprive us of the light and enjoyment of the earth and iky. But when the light of day re- turns, we behold all nature renewed and embel- lished. On a fudden we fee the earth arrayed in all its magnificence ; the mountains crowned with forefts ; the hillocks clothed with vines ; the fields covered with their harvefts; and the meadows watered with rivulets. The horizon glows ; the clouds are all tinged with variety of the iivelieft colours ; cheerful flowery vales are difcovered at a diitance ; light vapours aiife and change to gold ; and the dew-drops that fall on the flowers take the mild luftre of pearls. By degrees, as the light increafes, the fpeCtacle becomes more magnificent. We go from light to light, till at lad nature pre- fents us with her mod glorious object. The fun rifes ; and the firft ray that efcapes over the moun- tain which had concealed it from us, darts rapidly from one end of the horizon to the other. More rays follow, and ftrengthen the firft. By degrees the difk of the fun appears, and at length (hews itfelf entire ^ then advances and runs its courfe, with Il6 BEAUTIES OF STURM. with a majefty which the human eye can no longer ftfpport. O Lord ! who art Father of the whole creation, the joy and gladnefs of all nature, the animation of every being, invites me alfo to raife my foul towards thee with the mod lively tranf- ports of gratitude and joy. At the moment, when thee fun is darting his firft rays upon the earth, millions of creatures praife and adore thee. Can I then be ftill infenfibleto all thefe wonders ! From thee proceeds each beauty of the morning dawn ; thou art the very fource of light. If thou didft not exift, there would be neither fun, nor dawn, nor creation. But are not thofe indolent men much to be pitied, who never gave themfelves the heavenly pleafure of contemplating the rifing fun ? O, if they were but rational enough to indulge in the pure and delighful enjoyment which this magnifi- cent object of nature is fo calculated to infpire ! If they could but feel, that the fight of beautiful nature muft naturally fill the heart with pious de- light, and profound veneration for the Creator ! If they could, in fine, comprehend, that one fingle thought, which rifes in the foul on feeing the dawn of day, may become the happy beginning of a Chriftian life, would it not be worth giving up fome hours of fleep for it ? LESSON LIV. THE SPRINGING UP OF SEEDS. THERE are, at this feafon, many change* making before our eyes in the vegetable king- dom, but there are ftill many more which efcape our fight, and which nature does in fecret. The feed fome time ago fowed in the ground, fwells, increafes, BEAUTIES OF STURM. 117 increafes, and the plant by degrees fhoots up and grows. This mechanifm deferves fo much the more attention, as it is, properly fpeaking, the fource of all the beauties which fpringand fummer prefent us with in the vegetable kingdom. The feed is compofed of different parts, according to the different fpecies ; but the chief is the germ. Each fhoot has two parts ; the one fimple, which becomes the root ; the other fcaly, which rifes and becomes the ftalk and head of the plant. The feed ofmoft plants is compofed of two pieces which are called lobes, that are filled with a meally fub- ftance. Moffes have the mod fimple feed of any. It confifls only in the fhoot, without pellicles or lobes. A certain degree of moifture and warmth are absolutely neceffary to make the feeds fpring up. The increafe of heat, and the difference ob- fervable in the tafte and fmell, feem to difcover here a fort of fermentation. By means of this pre- paration the meally fuftance of the lobes becomes proper to nourifh the tender fhoot. It is known by experiments, which have been tried with co- loured juices, that this fubftance fucks in a moif- ture, which furnifhes a proper nourifhment, with the afiiftance of air, and of heat, till the plant has acquired confidence enough to profit by the juices which the root procures for it. Then the ex- haufted lobes dry by degrees, and at the end of a few weeks, fall off, when the plant no longer requires them. Certain herbs, which grow on mountains, are of a very particular nature. As their duration is fhort, it would often happen that the feed would not have time to ripen. In order, therefore, that the fpecies fhould not perifh, the bud, whi h contains the fhoot, is formed at the top of the plant, puts out leaves, falls, and takes root. But when the plant comes out of the earth, it would run too great a rifk, if it was once expofed to Il8 BEAUTIES OF STURM. to the outward air and the power of the fun. Its parts, therefore, remain folded, and laid one upon another, nearly as it was in the feed. But, by degrees, as the root ftrengthens, and ftretches on all fides, it furnifhes the upper veflels with abun- dance of juice, by means ot which all the organs foon unfold themfelves. The plant is, at nrft, almoft gelatinous, but it gradually acquires more confidence, and is always increafmg. This abridgment of the hiftory of the (hooting of plants is fufficient to (hew us, how many prepa- rations and means nature makes ufe of, to produce one fingle little plant. When, therefore, we fee a feed fpring up, which we have fowed, we muft not imagine (as is ufually the cafe^ that it is not worth our attention. It is one of thofe wonders of nature, which is a fubjedt of reflection for the greateft men. At the fight of this phenomenon, let us filently admire the power and wifdom of that God, who is adorable in all things. LESSON LV. NINETEENTH WEEK. ON THE BUDS OF FLOWERS. ON all fides I difcover a multitude of flowers in the bud. They are at prefent enveloped and clofely fhut up in their intrenchments. All their beauties are hidden, and their charms are veiled. Such is the wretched mifer who lives by himfelf, who centers all in himfelf, and whole views are mean and felfim ; who makes his own private advantage or pleafure the only object of his defires, and the narrow motive of his actions. But foon the penetrating rays of the fun will open the buds of the flowers, and will deliver them from their filken bonds, that they may blow magni- ficently BEAUTIES OF STURM. 1 19 ficently in our fight. What delightful perfumes will they exhale ! Thus, alfo, may the moft fordid mifer become beneficent when his foul is enlightened by grace. To a heart of ftone may fucceed a feel- ing and compaflionate one ; a heart fufceptible of the fweetell and tendered emotions. By the mild influence of the Sun of Righteoufnefs, the focial affections difcover themfelves, and open more and more. Senfibility no longer centers in one object ; it becomes univerfal ; it takes in all mankind; it extends its generous cares, and all that is within its reach is benefited by it. When I reflect on the buds and bloffoms, I think of you, O lovely youth of both fexes ! The beauty and power of your minds are not yet unfolded. Your faculties are (till in a great meafure concealed. The hope which your parents and mailers conceive of you will not fo foon be realized. When you confider thefe buds, fay to yourfelves, I refemble that bud ; my parents and mailers expect from me the unfolding of my talents and faculties ; they do every thing for me ; they neglect nothing for my information and in- struction ; they watch moil tenderly over my edu- cation ; to the end that I may become (firft by blof- foms, and afterwards by excellent fruit) their joy and comfort, and make myfelf ufeful to fociety. I will therefore do all in my power to fulfil the pleaiing hopes they form. I will take advantage of all the improvement and inftruction they give me, in order to become every day wifer, better, and more amiable. For this purpofe, I will take care not to give way to the defires and paflions of youth, which might be fatal to my innocence, and deftroy all the hopes conceived of me. LESSON 120. BEAUTIES OF STURxM. LESSON LVI. INDEFATIGABLE LABOURS OF THE BEE, IT is one of the advantages of fpring, that it furnifhes us with an opportunity of obferving the induftry and labours of the bee. — Certainly a bee-hive is one of the fineft fights a lover of nature can ever have. We are in a continual ftate of furprife on feeing their order and regularity ; and particularly in thofe magazines fo plentifully fur- nifhed with all that is neceflary for the fubfiftence of the fociety in winter. What merits our atten- tion more than all the reft is, the indefatigable application and uninterrupted labours of this little republic. The bees give us an example of induftry and activity, which is not only uncommon, but perhaps has not its equal. They appear as foon as winter is over, even when it might ftill be feared, that the cold would hurt them, and benumb their delicate limbs. When the juices of the flowers which begin to blow have not yet been fufficiently digefted by the fun, fo as to fumifh honey in plenty, the bees (till gather fome little for their food. But their cares and activity redouble very evidently during fpring and fummer. In the building their cells they are fo indefatigable, that we are aflured, that a honey-comb of double cells, back to back, fuch as three thoufand bees can lodge in, is dif- patched in twenty-four hours. This whole work is divided amongft the members of the republic. While fome of the bees are gathering the wax, preparing it, and filling the magazines, others are. employed in different works. Some take the wax, and make ufe of it to build their cells ; others knead it, polifh, and purify it ; others gather the honey from the flowers, and lay it in the hive for their BEAUTIES OF STURM. 121 their daily fubfiftence, and for future occafions. Others ciofe with a covering of wax, the cells in which they keep their winter provifion of honey. Some carry food to their young, and ciofe with wax the cells of the little ones, that are near the time of transformation, to prevent their being diflurbed in working their way out. Some clofely flop up, with a fort of bird-lime, all the chinks and holes in the hive ; and cover all the weak places, that neither the wind nor little infeds may find entrance. Some drag out of the hive dead bodies, which, might infect, them ; or, if thefe dead bodies are too heavy to be carried away, they cover them over with bird-lime or wax, and cement them in fuch a manner, that, in corrupting under that cruil, they cannot occafion any bad lmell. But, it is not enough to admire the activity of thefe 'little crea- tures ; it ought to give us emulation, and ferve us as a model, confidering the proportion between us. We have many more motives for diligence than thofe infects. We have an immortal foul oi inefli- mable value. With what application ought we to labour for its happinefs, and to avoid what might lead to its total ruin ! What is more calculated to excite us to activity and indefatigable diligence, than the confidering, that the fruit of our labours does not merely extend to a few days and years, but to eternity iffclf ? The bee gathers honey not only for herfelf, but for her fuperiors ; whereas, in applying ourfelves to wifdom, we labour for our- felves, and we gather fruits for everlailing life. Let us, therefore, never be flethfjil or idle in do- ing good \ but let us acquit ourfelves of the duties of life with zeal and fidelity. LESSON *22 BEAUTIES OF STURM. LESSON LVIL THE ZOOPHITES. TH E zoophiles, or animal plants, are nothing but infects ; though by their outward form, their immobility, and their manner of increafing by buds, and feeds, they are very like real plants. Thefe animals, as well as plants, can be multi- plied by flips, and by ingrafting. Their animal nature only fhews itfelf, by the fenfibility and voluntary motion obferved in them. Mod of the zoophites hold by a fort of root to the fea or the waters they live in. Some inhabit ftoney and chalky places; others are furrounded with a (hell, more like horn ; and iaftly, fome are entirely foft and flefhy. They increafe by a fort of bud, which contains a young animal, which grows fome time with the ftalk, which at laft falls off, and becomes a complete animal. — Should one ever have fup- pofed, that there were animals whofe form was fo like plants, and to fpring up like them ? Could one form an idea of an animal, that could be in- grafted like a plum-tree, turned iniide out like a glove, and produce its young as a ftalk Ihoots its branches ? It is not fifty years, fince any man, who would have hazarded fuch ideas, muit have palled for a madman. And yet it is now in- conteftible, that there are fuch animals, who not only by their outward form, but alfo by their manner of being perpetuated, refemble plants. By this difcovery, made in the firft half ot the prefent century, natural hiftory has gained a great deal. It may even be faid, that it has enlarged our ideas ; and fince the difcovery of animal plants, it is almoft impoilible to determine ex telly, where the animal kingdom ends, and where the vegetable begins. It BEAUTIES OF STURM. l-'3 It is generally believed, that the difference bet plants and animals confifts in the former ; neither fenfibility nor motion, and the latter ing both. That is then the diitinguifhing cha- racter between plants and animals ; bur how faint the fhade, how (light and almoft imperceptible the line, which feparates the two kingdoms, we think of the difcovery of the zobphites ! The feveral fpecies of creatures rife, grow . ction, and approach one another fo nearly, that the I which feparate them can no longer be chHnguiihed. Throughout all nature, we fee fomething of infi- nity, as the peculiar characteriftic of its great Author. LESSON LVIII. TWENTIETH WEE THE PLEASURE- OF CULTIVATING FIELDS AND GARDENS. TH E culture of fields and gardens is one of the mod agreeable employments, and perhaps the only one that is compenfated by a thoufand pleafures for the trouble it gives. Mod works confine men to a room or (hop, but he who devotes himfelf to country purfuits is in the open air, and breathes freely upon the magnificent theatre of nature. The blue fky is his canopy, and the earth enamelled with flowers is his carpet. The air he •breathes is not corrupted by the poilbnous vapours of cities. A thoufand agreeable objects prefent them- felves to his fight, and, if he has any tafte for the beauties of nature, he can never want pure and real pleafures. In them again opens the brilliant fee: . creation, he haftens to enjoy it in his field or garden. The dawn proclaims the near approach of the fun. j G 2 124 BEAUTIES OF STURM. grafs fp rings up again revived, and its points fhine with dew-drops, brilliant as diamonds. Delightful perfumes, exhaled from herbs and flowers, refrefh him on every fide. The air refounds with the fongs of birds, expreflive of their joys, and their happinefs. Their concerts are hymns of praife to the Creator, whofe blefiings they feel, in the agreeable light and heat of the fun, the relifh of their food, their alacrity and joy.* Would it be poffible, at the light and fenfe of fo many pleaiing and affecYmg objects, that the heart fhould not be touched with delight, with love, and gratitude towards our Creator. What contributes ftill more, to render agriculture and gardening par- ticularly agreeable, is the infinite variety of objects it affords, of works, and employment which at- tach us to it, by constantly affording new ones, and preventing the diftafte inseparable from famenefs. Nature prefents the hufbandman with numberlefs agreeable changes. Sometimes he fees the plants fpringing out of the earth ; others riling high, and unfolding themfeives ; others again in full bloom. Come, all people, blefs the Lord, and praife his works. He is the fource of all good. He fends the rain to water the barren field, and it is through him alone that the earth becomes fruitful. LESSON LIX. THE TULIP. TH E tulip is certainly a very beautiful flower ; and, if we confide r that every year there blow millions of tulips, which all differ from each other, the proportion and beauties of which are infinitely varied, we mult have loft all feeling not to BEAUTIES OF STURM. 1 - , to be ft ruck with admiration. Certainly, to be Convinced of the existence of a wife and good God, we need only contemplate a tulip in full bloom. Therefore when we look at a bed of tulips, let us not limit ourfelves to the admiration of their but let us admire above all things, the infinite wifdoin of that Being who has formed thefe flowers, and executed the*i in fuch perfection. Whatever charms the tulip has, it lofes a little of its value, In being merely food for the eye, and having no fweet fmell. For when we compare it with the carnation, which, joined to the beauty of its form, has the mod exquiiite perfume, we foor, the gaudy drefs of the tulip. Such is the fate of pcrfons, who are endowed with beauty, and fet off their charms with every ornament, are deftitute of the beauties of the mind. The former captivates but for a very fhort time, while the beauty of the mind remains when all the charms of form are fled ; and the efteem which our virtues rnfpire, is constant and durable. A virtuous foul is formed by the rules of wifdom, and its ornament is innocence. The perfume of •good works is fpread around wherever it exiits, and it will, one day, be tranfplanted into the gar- den of Paradife. One obfervation which the hif- tcry of piants affords us, is, that the more beauti- ful a flower is, the fooner it fades. In a ihort time, nothing of that blooming tulip will remain but a withered {talk. Its life and beautv laft but for a few weeks : age deltrovs its charms ; its leaves fall ; and its colour fade. What an ufeful leifon is this for us. Let us remember how uncertain and frail is beautv, and reft our hopes of diftinclion upon the mere folidbafis of intellectual attainments. LESSON 126 BEAUTIES OF STURM. LESSON LX. THE LANGUAGE OF ANIMALS. MAN, properly fpeakirig, is the only animal who can be iaiu to have language • and it is particularly by this cir^umitance, that he fticws his Superiority over ail other animated beings. It is by means of fpeech that he extends his empire over all nature ; that he rifcs towards his Divine Author ; contemplates, adores, and obeys him. It is by this faculty, that he learns to know hirnfelf and all the creatures around him ; and to make them ferve for his ufe. Every animal but man is deprived of this faculty, becaufe they are void of reafon ; ancl-it is reafon which capacitates us to learn languages, and the ufe of fpeech. But as animals make their wants and feelings known by natural ligns ; as they utter certain founds, which exprefs the fentiments that affect them, one may fo far allow they have a fort of language. The variety of thefe tones, their number, their ufe, and the order in which they follow one another, form the eiTential parts of their language. To form a juft idea of it, it is not necelfury to have recourfe to deep refearches: it is enough to obferve the animals daily before our eyes, and with whom we have a fort of intimate connection. Examine the hen with her chicks : if me finds any food, ihe calls and invites them to it. They underftand her, and come inltantly. If they have loit light of this tender mother, their plaintive cries exprefs their anguifh, and delire to fee her again. Attend to the different cries of the cock, when a ftranger or a dog comes into the poultry yard, when a kite, or any other enemv appears, and when he calls or anfw r ers his hens. What do thefe lamentable cries of the turkey BEAUTIES OF STURM. 127 turkey mean ? See her chicks all on a Ridden con- cealing themfelves and lying fo quiet, one would fay they were dead. The mother looks up to the fky, and her anxiety increafes ; but what is it (he fees there r A black fpeck, which we can fearce diftinguiih ; and this fpeck is a bird of prey, which could not efcape the vigilant and piercing eyes of this mother. The bird of prey diuppears. The hen gives a fcream of joy, Her anxiety is at an end. The chicks revive, and gather again happily about their mother. There is much variety in the language of the dog. Who can be inferr- able to the joy that this faithful fervant (hews at the return of his matter. He jumps, he dances, he runs here and there, turns quick and lightly round his mafter, {tops all at once ; fixes his eyes on him with the greateft tendernefs ; draws near him ; and licks and carefles him repeatedly. Then beginning his play again, he puts himfeif into all forts of attitudes ; barks ; tells every body how happy he is ^ and {hews his joy many ways. But how different are thefe founds, from thofe noifes he makes at the found of a robber, or thofe he makes on feeing a wolf. If we follow a dog in the chace, we fee how he makes himfeif under- flood, by all his motions. How well adapted his fjgns are to the difcoveries he wifhes to make ! This affords us an opportunity to admire the wif- dom and goodnefs of the Supreme Being. What beneficent attention he has mown towards animals, in granting them the power to exprefs by founds their wants and reelings! From their organization, and the nature of their fouls, it was impofiible they fhould fpeak the human language ; but they would have been much more to be pitied, and lefs ufeful to us, if the Creator had entirely deprived them of the power of making themfelves under- Itood. To compenfate them for the want of fpeech, G 4 he 128 BEAUTIES OF STURM. he endowed them with the addrefs to communicatej by a thoufand little ways, their feelings to one another, as well as to mankind. He has given them organs, proper to produce and vary a certain number of founds ; and their make is fuch, that each fpecies has particular and diitind founds, by which they make themfelves underftood. In a word, the Creator has given as much force to the language of animals, as their nature would admit of; and all that the end for which they were created required. But as for us, we poiiefs facul- ties in all refpecls much fuperior. We can rife to general notions, and feparate the object from the qualities which diilinguiih it. We can, by means of an infinity of founds (articulate and arbitrary) exprefs all our conceptions O thou the Creator, what gratitude do we not therefore owe thee ! Grant that we may never for- get this important part of thy blefimgs ; but, on the contrary, that each time we make ufe of fpeech, we may reHecl: on the excellence of our privileges, and the greatnefs of thy wifdom and goodnefs. LESSON LXI. TWENTY-FIRST WEEK. COMPLAINTS OF MANKIND, RELATIVE TO CERTAIN INCONVENIENCES IN THE LAWS OF NATURE. " \7k7 ^-^ ls tne numan b oc ty> from its con- u y \ ftitution, liable to many infirmities and " accidents r" Whoever alks this quciiion, let him fay, if it is poJTible to form one's felf a body, which unites more advantages in itfelf, than that which we have received from our Creator? It was in- compatible with nature, and the chain of things of this world, that man fhould have an invulnerable body. BEAUTIES OF STURM. I2g body. If cne of our fellow-creatures is deformed ; another lame ; a third deaf or dumb ; is it a reafon to murmur againft God ? Are thofe defects fo common as to give us reafon to complain ? If, after thefe quedions, any one mould {till think they have reafon for difcontent, let them reflect on the following truths. It is of ufe to men, in general, that they may not want examples of the defects, to which the human body is liable. For, when a perfon, perfect and well made, compares himfelf with one that is crooked and deformed, he is fenfible of all the advantages of well formed limbs ; he learns to value properly a gift till then rethought of, and to take more care to preferve it. How valuable is each eye, each ear, each organ of fenfe, each joint, each limb, if we only ob- ferve the condition of the few people who are de- prived of them ! — Would any of us part with a limb, in exchange for the greateft treafure ? Are not our bodies more beautiiul and regular, than the fineft building, or the moll: curious machine ? And, though the latter are very inferior to it, we are far from attributing the aflemblage of their parts to chance. " Why are the countries of the u earth fo different from one another, fome- ** times cold, fometimes damp, fometimes low, *' and fometimes high ?" But, O man, if thou hadit the power to form a globe, wherein every thing was to be for the advantage of men and animals, would thy understanding furnifh thee with a plan better than this r The countries of the earth, by means of their difference, produce variety of exhalations and wind?, which occation that mixed air, wherein, experience tells us, that men and animals live healthy and content in molt place?, and wherein plants alio grow and increafe. " It ,{ is however allowed, that the variation in wea- 4i ther is not beneficial to all men, or to all coun- f< tries," But, has not the preceding weather G 5 influenced 130 BEAUTIES OF STURM, influenced the following, as the climate of one country often influences another. Are we capa- ble of judging of the whole ? Mu ft a number of farmers figh in vain for rain, becaufe dry weather would fuit the private convenience of one family ! A certain temperature of the air may occaiion, here and there, a tranfient barrennefs ; but, can it be called an evil, if it was necefTary in order to hinder the air from corrupting? Is it reafonable, ■when we cannot take in the whole, to find fault with a part ? " Why are there fo many hurtful *' animals?" Would it then be better to have no beafts of prey, fmall or large upon the earth ? They put a flop to the number of animals, that would otherwife overpower us ; and, it is becaufe many animals ferve for food to beafts of prey, that the number of living creatures increafes every year. If thefe beafts of prey did not exift, the carcafes of the animals on which they feed, would not only be ufelefs to living creatures, but would be hurtful. Every year, animals thus devoured are replaced by others; and, in moft cafes, population depends on the quantity of fuftenance. Thus gnats, and other infects would foon want food, if the animals, whofe prey they are, did not prevent them from multiplying too faft. " Why has the ** Creator regulated the courfe of nature by inch *' invariable laws ? It is in confequence of fuch regulations, that man's experience and labour ena- ble him to make ufe of his underftanding and powers ; fo as to be, in fome meafure, mailer of his own welfare. Would we wiih to inhabit a world, where we ftiould have no occafion to do any thino- ; where we could not in any way promote our own pleafures ; where there fliould be no rule, no fundamental law ; where, in fine, the Deft, the had, and the worft, being equally unknown, no- thing could make us attend to the laws of nature ? Doubtlefs, BEAUTIES OF STURM. 13I Doubtlefs, there will ever be a number of things in nature, the purpofes of which, or their relation with the whole, muft ever be concealed from us. But on all occalions, let us reft in this principle, that the Almighty does every thing for wife and beneficent purpofes. LESSON LXII. THE HARMONY AND PATRIOTISM AMONG THE BEES. UNION and patriotifm form undoubtedly the fundamental happinefs, which may, in fome meafure, be afcribed to bees. It is at leaft certain, that their republic would Toon be deftroyed, if they did not live in great harmony amongft themfelves. Thofe who have made obfervations on this fub- jeer,, inform us, that when the bees return to their hives, loaded with materials for building, they find fome of their companions ready to relieve them from their burdens. The travellers b > a their journeys again ; and while they are gathering more proviiion, the working bees who remain in the hive, knead together the little the others had brought ; and thus prepare a mafs proper for the building. Some, who are not directly employed in work, are bufy in doing good offices to thofe that are ; and bring them food, in order to let the work go on without their loiing by it. This har- mony nearly approaches to the patriotifm obferv- able amonglt men. The riches of a nation are the riches of each citizen ; and this numerous repub- lic forms but one family. Here there is no felt- intereft, no avarice, and confequently no rapine. Here the bees never anemble together to ufe vio- lence, and fight battles with their country people. G 6. Here 132 BEAUTIES OF STURM. Here we never fee one bee avaricioufly wiftiing for more than is neceflary, whilit another is in want: neither do they ever try to get more honey, when they have laid in a fufficient provifion for the winter. Infigniflcant as we reckon thefe infects, we may learn from them virtues, on which depend the repofe and happinefs of our lives ! In whatever rank or condition we are, it is neceffary to act in concert with our fellow-creatures. The fociety in which we live, Chriftianity, and our own happinefs re- quire it. Let each of us cheerfully bear our part in the general burden : and, if it is neceffary, let us even take upon us the burdens of others, when, through ignorance or weaknefs, any may be defi- cient. And if it mould fo happen, that religion, duty, and confeience, require us to make great Sacrifices to our fellow-creatures, let us take care not to coniider it as an evil, let no vifible felfifhnefs ever find room in our hearts. Thofe who feek to enrich themfelves, at the expence of others, are contemptible members of fociety. When we can in any ways contribute to the general good, let us not be deterred from it, by the fear of having no reward : are not the teftimojny of a clear confeience, and the bleflings of eternity fufficient rewards ? It is too true, however, that among the evils of this life, which we form to ourfelves, we muft reckon this one, that there is no fuch thing as perfect agreement in fentiments and characters : but, even this ought to make us admire the wifdom of Provi- dence, which, notwithstanding the difunions and diforders of the world, notwithftanding the felf- intereft which governs mankind, (till keeps up fociety and makes it flourilh. When a pilot knows how to direct, his mip, fo as to avoid the fand- banks, againft which it may be calf, by the waves, it is then that I admire his (kill and experience. And BEAUTIES OF STURM. 133 And when I fee, notwithftanding the wickednefs of mankind, in the midft of the florins of pafhon, that wifdom and virtue ftill prefides, I admire the infinite wifdom of him who governs the world. LESSON LXIII. THE PRODIGIOUS NUMBER OF PLANTS ON THE EARTH. ABOVE twenty thoufand different forts of plants have been already reckoned, and we difcover new ones every day. Some have been found out by the help of the microfcope, where they were leaft expected. Modes and fponges have been clafTed among vegetables, and have dif- covered to the virtuoli flowers and feeds before unknown. Freeftone is often covered with dark brown fpots, and the fame is feen on the beft: po- lifhed glafs. This mouldy fubftance fticks to mod bodies, and it is a garden in miniature, a field, or a foreft, where plants have their feeds, which blof- fom vifibly, notwithftanding their extreme little- nefs. If we reflecl: on the quantity of mofs, which covers even the harden 1 Hones, and the moft barren fpots ; on the quantity of herbs and grafs ; on the feveral forts of flowers ; on all the trees and bufhes, each of which may be confidered as an afTemblage of a thoufand different vegetables; if we add to thefe the aquatic plants, as flight and delicate as a hair, and moft of which are ftill unknown to us, we may, in fome meafure, form to ourfelves fome idea of the multitude of plants upon our globe. It is more wonderful how all thefe different forts of plants are preferved, without deftroying one ano- ther. In order to prevent this, the Sovereign Diipofer of all things has appointed to each fpecies of 134 BEAUTIES OF STURM. of vegetables a place analogous to its peculiar qua- lities. He has diftributed them upon the furface of the earth, with fo much wifdom and propriety, that no part of it is deftitute, nor do they grow in too much abundance any where. This is the reafon that fome plants require growing in an open field, and not in the fhade, where they would at leaft grow languid and weak. Others can only fubfift in water, where the different qualities of the fluid matter occafions great variety. Some plants grow in fand, others in marfhy and muddy places. Cer- tain vegetables fpring above the furface of the earth, others unfold themfelves within its bofom. The different ftrata of which the foil is compofed, fand, clay, chalk, &c. have each their particular vegetables ; and from thence it is, that in the im- menfe garden of nature, there is no place abfo- lutely barren. From the fmalleft duft to the harder! rock, from the torrid to the frigid zone, every foil, every climate, has its peculiar plants. Ano- ther circumftance is well worthy our admiration ; the Creator's having fo ordained, that, among this great number of plants, thofe ufed for food or medicine increafe much more abundantly than thofe of lefs ufe. LESSON LXIV. TWENTY-SECOND WEEK. PLURALITY OF WORLDS. IT is not through ignorance alone, it is more through felf-love and pride, that we call nothing the world but one of the leaft parts of the univerfe y perfuading ourfelves that our globe alone is peo- pled ; that the fun was made merely to communi- cate its light and heat to us, and that the moon and BEAUTIES OF STURM. 135 and ftars are of no other ufe but to light our nights, and {hew the traveller his way. The contempla- tion of the fixed ftars is futiicic.it to contradict, this ridiculous opinion. Their twinkling proves, that they mine with their own light ; and their being viiible to us, at the immenfe diftance they are from us, proves that they are much larger than the fun. Is it then probable, that thefe celeftial bodies, which are not luminous fpecks, but great funs ; thefe numberlefs bodies placed fo far from our globe, that they mould not be created for bet- ter purpofes r If the purpofe of them were only to ferve as nocturnal lights to us, they would be of no ufe the greateft part of the year. The fre- quent cloudy ikies, and the nights that are light from other caufes, would make them ufelefs. Thofe ftars alfo, which the naked eye cannot dif- cover from their great diftance, would be abfolutely of no ufe ; and the purpofe afcribed to them would be better fupplied by one lingle ftar nearer to us, than by io many millions at that diftance. As the fame reafoning may be applied to all the ufes the ftars are of to us, either in navigation or any thing elfe, it muft be allowed, that we could not poilibly ac- count for the delign of thofe numerous funs, if no creatures except thofe of our own globe profited by thtir light and heat. This concluiion appears ftill more- natural, if we reflect attentively on our folar fyftem. We obferve that the moon in many things refembles this earth ; that there, as well as here, land and fea, mountains and valleys, iflands and gulphs, are to be feen. Such affinities as thefe authorife] us to admit others, and to fuppofe alfo in the moon, minerals, plants, animals, and rational creatures. The analogy between the moon and the reft of the planets leads us to form the fame conjectures of them. And as each ftar has, to all appearance, like our fun, its particular planets, and 136 BEAUTIES OF STURM. and as thefe undoubtedly refemble ours, we in a manner behold around us an innumerable multitude of worlds, each of which has its peculiar laws, arrangement, productions, and inhabitants. How numerous are the works of God ! How glorious the flarry (ley ! How great our Creator ! Millions of worlds declare his glory, and the intelligent beings they contain acknowledge and adore their Maker. How forcibly does this incline us to join with the heavenly choir, in finging the praife of the Moft High, that it may refound over all the unlverfe ! How happy the profpect that opens to us of that future ftate, wherein we fhall be acquainted with thefe worlds, and able to comprehend the wonders of them ! LESSON LXV. LEAVES OF TREES. THE leaves of trees form one of the great beau- ties of nature. Our impatience to fee them bud in fpring, and our joy when they at laft appear, prove fufficiently, that they are the ornaments of our gardens, fields, and woods. How great the pleafure we enjoy in the hot fummer days, from the refrefhing coolnefs of their delightful fhade. Yet after all, this is certainly the leaft of the ad- vantages, which accrue to us from the foliage of trees : we need only confider the wonderful con- ftrucYion of leaves to be convinced that they were defigned for much more important purpofes. Each leaf has certain veffels, which, being prefled clofe at the end, or in the (talk, extend themfelves like ribs within the leaf, and branch out in a thoufand ways. There are no leaves without thefe extreme fme veflels, and an aftonifhing number of pores. The BEAUTIES OF STURM. 137 The nourifliment of plants proceeds directly from leaves ; their pores ferve to fuck in the moiiture, or the juices of the atmofphere, and to communicate them afterwards to the whole plant. By thefe roeans the plants in dry weather run no rifk of wanting nourifliment. They receive abundance of retreihing dew, which, falling from the upper leaves, waters thole under them, and thus none of this nouriihing juice is loft. And as plants per- fpire greatly, as many experiments fhew us, the leaves appear to be the principal organs of this im- portant perfpiration. They ferve alfo to introduce into the plant the air it requires. They even con- tribute to the prefervation of the bud, which is to (hoot the following year ; for the eye of the bud is already under the leaf: undoubtedly it is guarded and preferved by them ; at the fame time that the quantity of juice, where the leaf joins to the plant, alio ferves to preferve it. This is the reafon, that many trees wither and die when their leaves are gathered : it fometimes happens to the mulberry tree, when it is (tripped without proper caution to feed lilk-worms. This is alfo the reafon that grapes do not ripen, when the vine lofes its leaves in fummer. Another remark may be made on this fubject, which very much opens to us the manner of the plant's growth : the under fide of the leaves, always turned towards the ground, is generally of a paler and lefs bright colour ; it is more rough and fpongy than the upper fide. Here again we difcover the wifeft purpofes : the fide of the leaf next the ground is rougher, and consequently more full of pores, in order to fuck in fo much the bet- ter what dew rifes from the earth, and to diftribute it afterwards over the reft of the plant in more abundance. The leaves then turn on the fide that can beft receive the nutritive moifture ; and this is the reafon that leaves of fome plants incline very 138 BEAUTIES OF STURM. very low down. If we obferve trees growing on a fteep hill, we fhall fee that their leaves do not take a horizontal direction, but evidently a per- pendicular one ; which proves that the leaves draw towards the fide where there is mod moiilure. Thefe reflections may make us confider the leaves of the trees hereafter, in a different light from what we have hitherto done. If we did not know the inimitable art of their construction, nor the important purpofe of their exigence, it would not be wonderful, that we fhould fee them with ne- glect and indifference. Bat when we know that each leaf is an effect of the Divine Power, and an organ of fruitfulnefs, it would be unpardonable to fee them with inattention. They ought naturally to lead us to the following ufeful reflections : every thing, even the very fmaileft object in nature, has been planned with wifdom by the Creator. LESSON LXVI. THE REVIVING POWER OF THE SUN. I MYSELF feel this beneficent power. As foon as the fun rifes over my head, it fills my foul with ferenity and joy. Its fplendor and warmth infpire me with fpirit and activity, fufficient to fulfil the duties of life, and to enjoy fociety. The involuntary indolence and lownefs, which made me inactive in winter, are by degrees vanished, breathe more freely, and I employ myfelf wit more pleafure. How can it be otherwife, when am witnefs to the univerfal joy which the fun communicates to the world, and every where per- ceive its enlivening powers ? It animates and revives all creatures with its benign influence. Millions of mining infects awake, fport, and bafk in its rays. ! BEAUTIES OF STURM. 139 &y%» The birds falute it with their melody. Every thing that breathes rejoices in it, and we where trace its happy effects. It caufes the fap to rife and circulate through trees, plants, and /oles. It caufes the leaves and bloffoms to moot. It forms the fruit, then ripens it, and it colour. It fheds life and light throughout all nature. It is the fource of that warmth, with- out which every animal would languilh and die. The effect of the fun is not only felt on the furtace of our globe, but even in caves under ground, where it produces metals, and alfo animates living crea- It penetrates into the higheit mountains, though they are compofed of rocks and ftones. It Is even to the bottom of the ocean, where it acts in feveral ways. When we reflecl on thefe ufeful effects of the fun, it is natural to think of the miferable condition we ihould be in, it we were deprived of the light and heat of that celef- tial body. Without it, what would our globe be, but a lifelefs mafs, without order or beauty ? The trees could not produce leaves, nor the plants flowers ; the fields would be without verdure, and the country without harveit ; all nature would have a gloomy melancholy appearance. The fun with its reviving power, is the emblem of a truly charitable Chriftian. He alfo fpreads joy and blelTings around him. By him the oppreffed heart is raifed and ftrengthened, the affi idled are comforted, the ignorant are enlightened, and the poor relieved. Oh ! let us hereatter refembie this beneficent and charitable man. Let us, according to our different ftations, fhare with our fellow-crea- tures the goods which Providence has bellowed upon us. Without partiality or prejudice, let us hold our ailiitance to all who want it. Let us inftruct one, comfort another, feed the hungry, relieve the diftreffed. Thus mall we quit this world I40 BEAUTIES OF STURM. world regretted and beloved, and our memories be bleffed by our fellow-creatures. LESSON LXVII. TWENTY-THIRD WEEK. THE DESIRES OF THE SOUL ARE INFINITE. LET us employ fome moments in reflecting on ourfelves. The foul has certainly the firft claim to our attention. It touches us nearly, and ought to be dearer to us, than all the pleafing objects which this feafon fo particularly affords. Whatever fatisfadtion we find in contemplating the corporeal world, it cannot be compared to that which we experience, in reflecting upon the nature and faculties of the foul. The observation of ex- terior objects, fuch as the traveller meets on the road, is certainly agreeable to him, becaufe he requires to be amufed and refrefhed through his pilgrimage ; but that of fpiritual objects leads directly to the bleffed immortality we may expect, as citizens of the world to come. Let us therefore fometimes reflect on the de fires implanted in our fouls by the Creator. Experience proves, that our thirft of knowledge can never be fully gratified. We have no fooner made one difcovery than we aim at another. Our defires are never fatisfied ; and when we at laft obtain what we had mod ar- dently wifhed for, we begin again to form new defires: that of acquiring more and more bleffings accompanies us through life, and even in the mo- ment of quitting the world. What conclufion can be drawn from this, but that, as our defires con- tinually extend beyond the prefent, without being ever fully gratified, there muft be bleflings after death, beyond the limits of this life ? We are not then BEAUTIES OP STURM. 141 then defigned for this tranfient life alone, but for an everlafting one. Is it probable, indeed, that man would be the only creature on earth endowed with faculties, without having, at the fame time, the deftiny for which thefe faculties were bellowed upon him? That man ihould have an inftinc>, without the means of fatisfying it, and be in this refpect. more miferable than brutes ? When a bead is hungry or dry, it always finds means to fupply its wants. We fee the lilk-worm fpin its bag, and fhut itfelf up for its transformation. Would that happen if it was not defigned for another ttate, in which it was to appear again under a new form ? We fee that birds lay eggs: would that be the cafe, if thefe eggs were not to ferve for the prefer- vation of their fpecies, or that of other creatures ? If our exiltence, then, was to be confined within the narrow limits of this life, why fhould we have received inclinations and deli res which cannot be gratified, and faculties which we could never ufe ? Being of Beings ! Our fouls are capable of being filled with thy Spirit ; we may love thee above all things ; we may afpire at being like thee, and uni- ted to thee tor ever ; we may be raifed in this world above all earthly things, and foar even to thee. Is it then pofiible, that fouls fuch as thefe ihould be annihilated t that we fhould have learned to know thee in vain ? Undoubtedly, whatever we polfefs on earth, are but pledges and fore-runners of the infinite felicity which awaits us hereafter. LESSON LXVIII. THE USE OF VENEMOUS PLANTS AND ANIMALS. EVERY thing on earth, coniidered feparately, is good and wholefome ^ and, if any thing becomes hurtful, it is becaufe we make a bad ufe of I42 BEAUTIES OF STURM. of it, inftead of that for which it was defigned. From thence it is, that the fort of food, which pre- ferves the life of one animal, deftroys another ; and that a plant which, in fome cafes, is confidered as poifonous, is on other occafions very ufeful and fa- lutary. Thus, for example, hemlock was former- ly fuppofed deadly poifon, and now a number of experiments allure us, it makes admirable cures. The multitude and variety of vegetables which grow upon the earth is prodigious ; but we muft not imagine they were all created for the ufe of man. Some plants are defigned for beafts, others furnifh us with drefs and ornaments ; fome pleafe our taite and fmell, and a great number of them are medicinal. But the number of noxious plants and animals is nothing in comparifon of the multitude of ^hofe that are ofthe greateft ufe to us. The Cre- ator has alfo implanted a natural inftincl in men and animals, which gives them an averfion to what- ever is hurttul to them. The mifchievous hearts have a certain fear of man, and fcarce ever make ufe of their offenfive arms, unlefs they are attacked or provoked. Belides, the moft noxious animals have evident marks and characters by which their dangerous properties are eaiily known ; that, by being warned, we may avoid, or prevent the dan- ger. The rattle- fnake, which is the moft vene- rnous of all fnakes, gives warning of its approach by the clattering of the rings in its tail. The cro- codile is fo heavy in its motions, and turns with fuch difficulty, that it is very eafy to efcape from it. Divine Goodnefs has even fo wifely difpofed things, that the moft dangerous and venemous ani- mals furnifh the remedy with the poifon. Thus the fcorpion's oil is an infallible remedy for its ve- nom'; A bee bruifed, rubbed, and put on the wound, cures the evil of its fting. The fat of vi- pers is alfo an excellent remedy againft their bite. Sevcra; BEAUTIES OF STURM. 143 Several creatures which appear hurtful are not really fo, at leaft in certain refpects. Their poifon, and even the organs they make ufe of to wound others, are abfolutely necefTary to them. One ex- ample may fcrve for all the reft : the bee often gives pain with its fting, but if it is taken from it, the bee can never be ot any ufe afterwards. It is the fame throughout all nature. Every thing that appears hurtful, is, in reality, indifpenfably necef- farv. Wherefore, then, has man theprefumption to decide what is hurtful or ufetul in nature ? Who can fay it is contrary to the wifdom of God that we fhould fometimes feel pain : Do not the mod difagreeable things often procure us the great- eft advantage? In general, it is certain, that natu- ral things are only hurttul by accident : and if we receive harm from them, we may often blame our own imprudence. LESSON LXIX. SINGULARITIES IN THE VEGETABLE KINGDOM. TH E variety of animals is fo great, that it ap- pears at fir ft difficult to find connection be- tween them and plants. Some beafts live only in water ; others only on land, or in the air ; fome can live in either, or both equally. But it may be faid literally, that it is the fame in refpecl: to vege- tables. There are plants which only live in the ground ; others that only grow in water ; others that can bear no moiiture ; others, ftill, which live equally in land or water : there are even fome that live in the air. There is in the ifland of Japan a tree, which, contrary to the nature of all other plants which require moiiture, cannot bear it. As foon as it is wet, it withers, and the only way to 144 BEAUTIES OF STURM, to fave it from dying is to cut it down to the root, to dry it in the fun, and afterwards plant it in a dry and fandy foil. It is known, that a fort of mufhroom, of mofs, and other little plants, fwim in the air. The vegetation of the truffle is flill more lingular : this extraordinary tubercle has neither roots, nor (talk, nor leaves, nor bloifom, nor even any vifible feed : it draws its fuftenance through the pores of its bark. But how it is pro- duced, or why, in general, there mould be no other herb where thefe fort of mufhrooms grow, and the earth be light and full of crevices, has not yet been accounted for. There is no plant which can better be compared to the land and water ani- mals, than that fort of membraneous mofs, called nofloch. It is an irregular body, a little tranfpa- rent, and of a pale green colour. It trembles when touched, and is eafily broken. It can only be (ttn after it has rained ; it is then found in feveral places, but chiefly in uncultivated ground, and along the fides of fandy roads. It is formed almoft in a moment ; for when in fummer walking in a garden, not the leaft trace of it is feen ; on a fud- dtn a florin of rain falls, and in an hour after, in the fame fpot, the whole walk will appear covered with a great quantity of it. For a long time it was fuppofed that the nofloch fell from the fky ; but it is now known to be nothing but a leaf which imbibes a great quantity of water. This leaf, to which no root has been difcovered, is in its natural ftate when it is well impregnated with water ; but heat, or a high wind, makes the water evaporate in a few hours, and then the leaf contracts, fhrinks, and lofes its tranfparency and colour. From this circumftance it appears to grow fuddenly, and to be created in a wonderful manner with the rain ; as a frefh fhoWer falling on it, when it is withered and invifible, revives and makes it again appear. But there BEAUTIES OF STURM-. 145 there are Hill more Angularities worth obfervation among the vegetables. The whole atmofphere is filled with millions of invilible plants and feeds. Even feeds of a larger fort are fcatterei by the wind all over the earth ; and as foon as has carried them to the places where they can thrive, they become plants ; and it requires (o little that purpofe, that it is difficult to conceive whence they can draw what is neceiTary for their growth. There are coniiderable plants, and even trees, that take root and grow in crevices of rocks, wit: the lead earth. Vegetation is fometimes formed inconceivably quick : for example, muflirooms and -water- ere lies, if the feed of them is put into wet linen, become a falad in twenty-four hours. There are plants which appear to have fcarce 1 life, and yet they continue to exift. We often fee willows not only hollow and decayed within, but the outer bark fo hurt that there fcarce remains an eighth part of it. Thefe trunks, however, poor as they are, break out again every fpring, and moot -into numberlefs branches and leaves. How won- derful it is, that the nutritive juice of plants is not only fupplied by means of the root, but by the leaves alfo, which draw it from the air, and in fome degree pump it in ; and that there mould be plants, the branches of which become rtfots, and the roots branches, according as they are turned in planting them ! The great age alfo to which trees arrive, how furpriiing it is! There are apple-trees, which muff, be above a thoufand years old ; and, if we calculate in the grofs, the fruit which fuch a tree produces every year, we cannot but admire the fertility of a pippin, which can finglv fupply all Europe with trees and fruit of that fort. But we fhould never have done, if we were to purfue thefe reflections as far as they might lead. Every thing is full of wonders. Every things H marks I46 BEAUTIES OF STURM. marks to us a Being of perfection, whofe power, wifdom, and unbounded goodnefs, all join in heap- ing upon us continual bleiTings and enjoyments. Shall we not fanctify the pleafures which the coun- try and gardens afford us, by contemplating the wonders of the Lord ; by reflecting on them ; by looking from the creature to the Creator ; from the flower, to Him who made it. LESSON LXX. TWENTY-FOURTH WEEK. THE LOADSTONE. THE loadftone is the moft fingular of all mi- nerals in its properties. It is a ftone of a dark grey colour, and has the virtue of attracting iron. This virtue is not equal throughout the Whole ftone, but reiides chiefly in two of its points, called the poles of the loadftone. When this ftone is fufpendcd by a firing, and unconfined, it con- ftantly points one of its poles to the north, and the other to the fcuth, if firft put in motion, and then left to itfelf. This regular direction, which only varies a little in fome particular parts of the earth, has given the name of the northern pole to that which points to the north, and fouthern to that which points to the fouth. The two properties of attracting iron, and pointing toward the north, is communicated to iron by rubbing it againft the ]oadftone. This difcovery introduced the magnetic needle, fo indifpenfably neceftary to navigators in long voyages ; which proves, that things may be- come very ufeful to the world, though at firft fight they appear of little importance ; and that, in general, the knowledge and ftudy .of the magni- ficent works of the creation is of infinite advantage to BEAUTIES OF STURM. 147 to the human mir.d. Thefe virtues in the load- itone prompted the naturaliits to examine further into it, with the hope, not only of finding out the caufe of fuch furpriiing effects, but of difcovering new properties in the done. They were more fortunate in the latter than in the former. It was obferved, that the loaditone does not at all times, and in all places, point to the north ; but that it fomctimes inclines a little to the eaft , fometimes to the weft, fometimes more and fometimes lefs. It was obferved, that its attractive powers were equally ftrong, though bodies were placed between the iron and the (tone, which might be fuppofed to prevent the effect. Glafs, fire, water, men, and animals, with every metal, except iron, give free paifage to the magnetic effluvia. It was discovered, that in two loadftones, the two poles of the fame name, the two northern and two fouthern poles^ repulfed each other, and feemed to fly one from the other. It was therefore concluded, that the power of attraction might be in the iron as well as in the loaditone, as they feemed to attract: each other equally. In order to be convinced of this, one need only hang a loaditone on one end of the beam of a balance, and put an equal weight at the other end, and when the loadftone is balanced, and not in motion, to place a bit of iron under it : the loadftone will be immediately drawn down by the iron, and the other weight will fly up. It their fituation is reverfed, the loaditone will attract the iron in the ( fame manner. However lingular thefe things are in the load- ftone, there is another circumftance no lefs worthy of obfervation ; which is, that all the endeavours and all the fagacity of the lovers of wifdom, who have taken fuch pains to difcover the caufe of thefe wonderful effects, have been hitherto fruitlefsv The loaditone is {till a myttery to the human under- H a ftandiug. I48 BEAUTIES OF STURM. (landing. Let us not then be furprifed, that in religion, which is above all that can affect the fenfes, we mould find myfteries we cannot pene- trate, and the perfect knowledge of which is re- ferved for the future ftate ; but let us remember, that a confiderable part of the happinefs of the world to come, will confift in having a more per- fect knowledge of all that can contribute to com- plete our felicity, and to prove the glorious attributes of the Being of beings, LESSON LXXL THE WISDOM OBSERVABLE IN THE CONSTRUC- TION OF THE BODIES OF ANIMALS. TH E formation of the animal body affords the moll ftriking proof of Divine Wifdom. For, as fome animals were to refide chiefly in the air, others on the earth, and others in the water, it was necelfary that their construction mould be con- formable and adapted to their lituation and different kinds of life. The wifdom with which God has done this cannot be too much admired. Every thing is' fo exactly difpofed as each animal requires it, that if their construction had been like any other but their own, they would have fuffered by it con- siderably, ard could not have fulfilled their destina- tion. The birds of prey are provided with nails, ftrong claws, fharp and hooked bills, that they may with the more fecurity and eafe catch their prey. Thofe who are to leek their food in marfhy places require a long bill and long legs ; as it was neceffary that thofe which live in water mould have the lower part ot the body very large, a long neck, membranes or fort of oars to the feet, with an oiiinefs in the feathers, to make them glide fmoothly. The BEAUTIES OF STURM". I49 The infects that live on prey have mouths fbaf like nippers ; and thofe that fuck their food are provided with a probofcis or trunk. Why have the hares or rabbits iull-fet ey^s, but in order to fee To much the better to avoid the fnares and dangers to which they are expofed : Why are the eyes of the mole fo funk and fmall, but that living under ground it does not require much fight r :he cryitalline of the fines eye fo round, but to cem- penfate for the refraction of the rays of light ; whereas animals that live in the air have a cryftal- line, in the form of aflat fphere : Why have ani- mals whofe eyes move, but two, w nil ft thofe tl cannot move theirs have feveral : Why have the animals who feek their prey in the dark, larger pu- pils and more brilliant eyes : Why does the eye of the hen anfwer the double purpofe of telefcope and microfcepe, but that Jhe may feek the very fmallefl feeds in the earth or gravel, and difcover at a dif- tance the birds of prey that might feize upon her chicks ? With what amazement muft we be ftrtick in coniidering the apparatus for the organs of ani- mals in refpect to their feveral motions! What a multitude of limbs ! what fupplenefs ! what flex- ibility ! Some animals move flow, others qui fome with two feet, others with more ; fome with both wings and feet, others without either. The flownefs or fwiftnefs of motion is always regtil; I according to the different wants of each animal. Who gave to ferpents and other reptiles the po.- to contract and itretch out their bodies, to roll themfelves up, and to dart out afterwards trom one place to another to feize their prey r Who formed the fim in fuch a manner, that, by means oft bladder, they can 1 In the water at will r W 7 ho taught the frail to contract his body, and bring water into its little houfe, when it withes to fall on the ground ? What art appears in the for- H 3 mat ion J^O BEAUTIES OF STURM. mation of birds, in every part of their bodies, and particularly their wings ! How well their body is formed for flight : fmall and fharp before, and in- creafing gradually till it is of a proper bulk. This adapts it for cutting the air, and making itfelf a paffage through that element. The feathers are all arranged with much art, and laid one over ano- ther in a regular order, to facilitate the motion of the body, and at the fame time to ferve as a cover- ing to defend it from the feverity of the weather. Though firm and clofe together, they can fpread, life up, fwell, and take up more fpace, juft as the bird requires it. The wings, which arc the chief inftruments of flight, are put in the propereft place to balance the body exactly. What admirable work there is in every feather ! What proportion we fee in the manner of placing them ! They are always fo placed as to agree exactly with the length and flrength of each other, and the large ferve to fup- port the fmaller. In the bony part of the wings, * what a multitude of joints, which open, (hut, or move, according as is necelTary, either to extend the wings or draw them ck)fe to the body 1 What extraordinary flrength in the breaft-bones and muf- cles, that the bird may cut the air with more ra- pidity ! What incomparable art in the formation of the tail, to make it in fome meafure ferve as a rud- der to direcl: the flight, and help the bird to afcend anddefcend in the air, and prevent the unfleadinefs of the body and wings ! Who is there that will not in this acknowledge the fupreme intelligence of our Creator and Bene- fador ? LESSON BEAUTIES OF STURM. 15< LESSON LXXII. THE DEW. TK £ wife Ruler of the world, who watches continually over his children, and provides for all their wants, makes ufe of more than one means to render the earth fruitful. Sometimes it is by inundation, like the Egyptian river Nile, which has the lingular property of overflowing its banks at certain marked periods, to water a country where it never rains. Sometimes it is by rains, which fali more or lefs frequently, in order to cool the air, and water the parched ground. But the moll common means, the fureft, and mod univerfal, and that which men the leaft attend to, is the dew. This ineitimable gift of Heaven, which even in years of the greatcft drought fupports and preferves the plants from perifhing, is thofe fparkling drops feen in fuch proiufion morning and evening on the leaves of trees and plants. The dew does not fall from above, as was formerly imagined, but it is now generally allowed, that it arifes from the earth. In order to be convinced of this, one need only cover a plant with a glafs bell, and it will appear that the leaves collect in the night a greater quan- tity of dew drops than the leaves of the other plants which are expofed to the air. This certainly would not be the cafe, if the dew fell from above, and if it did not rife from the ground. Nothing is more eafy, than to comprehend how it is formed : for nobody is ignorant, that the rays of the fun, and the heat which is caff, on the earth, continually locfens a multitude of thin particles from off every thing ; fome of which rife into the atmofphere, and the reft collects in the form of crops of -water. This account of the dew explains to us, how it H 4 happens *5 S BEAUTIES OP STURM. happens that it is fometimes hurtful, and fometimcs not fo. Its nature evidently depends on'the qua- lity of the vapours of which it is compofed. The wind carries away the light exhalations as foon as they are formed, and prevents them from falling in drops. This is the reafon that there is moft dew when the air is very calm. By this wife plan of the Creator, the plants can vegetate and grow in countjies even where there is no rain ; for the ioil of thofe parts being fandy, porous, and very moift underneath, the heat draws out a great quan- tity of dew, which fupplies the place of rain. Thofe different methods which Providence makes ufe of to moiften and fertilize the earth, ought to remind us of thofe employed to improve the barren heart of man, and to make it fertile in good works. How many hardened hearts oblige him to fpeak in thunder and lightning, as formerly onTvlount Sinai! Lefs terrible means are employed to fave and effect others y with a gentie, mild, and perfuafive voice, he awakens their confeiences, and refrefhes their fouls with the beneficent dew of his grace. Let this conduct of our Heavenly Father ferve as a mo- del for curs. Let us employ all fort of means to reclaim our fellow-creature, to make him better ; but let us particularly endeavour, to gain him ra- ther by kindnefs than by puniihment. Let us imi- tate the beneficence of the Lord : we fee how he refrefhes the parched earth with dew ; he revives and gives new life to the plants. Let us endeavour to revive the hearts of the afflicted with benefits, and to pour as many bleflings on our fellow-creatures as the dew fheds upon the plants. LESSON BEAUTIES OF STURM. 1J3 LESSON LXXIII. TWENTY-FIFTH W E E K. LIFE AND LABOURS OF THE BEE. IN the fine days of the Cummer, in that time of cheerfulnefs and joy, every thing is in motion ; every thing throughout the animal world is full of life and activity ; but there are no creatures (o active as the little republic of bees. At leait, of all the infects round us, there are none we can better learn to be acquainted with, or which can afford a more pleafing fcene. The bees affemble in great numbers, either in hollow trees and cavities, or in a fort of bafkets, called hives, where they are col- lected by the art of man. They difperfe on all fides, and, by means of their trunk, they gather honey and wax from the ftamina and juice of the flowers. When their harveft is made, they convey it into their itorehoufe, which they nil from top to bottom with cells in form of hexagons.- They inhabit fome of thefe cells ; others are deiigned to receive the eggs, and to lodge their young ; and the reft ferve as magazines to depolit their winter's- provifion of honey in. Amongft thefe bees,, which form altogether but one family, there is one lav. than any other, which is a female, and therefore called their Queen. To her alone all the young bees born in a hive owe their birth. From the e^gs fhe laid in the cells there come out worms,- which the working bees feed with their trunks. After- wards this worm remains near fifteen days to all appearance dead in its cell, which is doled with a little wax lid. In this inanimate ftate it is called nympha. When its time is accompiiihed, it opens its tomb, and comes out in the form of a young bee. The bees have two horns on their, heads,, H 5 wfi J54 BEAUTIES OF STURM. which guard their eyes, and warn them of dangers. They have fangs or claws they make ufe of in their "work, and a trunk, or hollow tube, which they can draw in and out of its cafe as they pleafe. This inftrument, fupple and moveable in every way, reaches to the very bottom of the cup of the flowers, where they gather their honey, and pafTes through the cafe into the bag of honey placed with- in their bodies, from whence the honey is after- wards poured into the cells of the florehoufe. * The bees have fix feet : with the two firft, and their fangs, they form the wax or meal of the flowers into little balls ; and with their middle feet they put them into a hollow, fhaped like a fpoon, which they have in their hind feet, which are alfo furnifh- ed with hair, in order to retain the wax, and pre- vent it from falling when they are flying. Laden thus, they return to their cell, without lohng their way, though they are fometimes feveral miles from it. When they arrive, they find other bees w r aiting for them, to aflift them in unloading their booty r and then they all work in common to employ thofe provifions for the general ufe of the hive. They Hop every crevice with wax, to keep out any fo- reign animal j but leave openings for themfelves to go in and out. The queen, and the working bees have, at the extremity of the body, a fting enclofed in a cafe, which they make ufe of to wound or kill their enemies : but the wound they give is gene- rally fatal to themfelves, when the fting is drawn from their body. Every thing in thofe little animals muit excite our admiration ; the formation of their limbs, fo regular and fo well adapted to their kind of life ; the care they take of their young; the art with which their cells are built, their activity, their induftry, and intelligence. Let us never pafs by a bee-hive with indifference. Let us admire them, and BEAUTIES OF STURM. I55 and this admiration may lead us to more fublime thoughts. If we love to reflect on our Creator, we (hall find him here. This interefling fcene will lead us to him ; and we fhall adore his wifdom, his power, and his goodnefs, in the production ot thefe little creatures. LESSON LXXIV. CATERPILLARS. THOUGH thefe infects are fo difagreeable to the lovers of gardens, they neverthelefs de- ferve our attention. Caterpillars generally live up- on our trees, and we have fuch an averlion to them, that wherever we meet with them we deilroy them. This is the reafon we do not deign to honour them with a look, and dill lefs to examine them atten- tively. And yet there is no doubt but thefe infects may very agreeably amufe an attentive obferver of nature. Let us here try to prove it. Perhaps, by railing the curiofity of thofe who have hitherto neglected them, they may be induced not to tram- ple them under foot, without at leaft firft obferv- ing their wonderful formation, and taking from thence occafion to look up to the Creator. The number of fpecies of caterpillars already known amounts to more than three hundred, and there arc new ones daily difcovered. Their fhape, their co- lour, their form, their inclinations, and way of life, all differ in fome refpects ; but this circum- llance they have in common, that they are corrrpo- fed of rings, which, by moving to and fro, carry the body wherever they want to go. Nature has given them two forts ot feet, which have each their particular ufe. The fix fore-feet are a fort of hooks, which they make ufe- of in taking a faft hold and H 6 clinging I56 . BEAUTIES OF STURM. clinging to any thing. The folcs of the hinder- feet are broad, and armed with little fharp nails. With the hooks they draw to them the leaves, the grafs, and whatever they want for food, and they fix the fore-part of their body with them while they are drawing up the hind rings. The hinder-feet ferve to keep them firm, and to hold by whatever they are to reft upon. When they are on a branch or a leaf, they can feize on food at fome diftance ; for by hooking themfelves on with the hind-feet, they ftand up, and raife the fore-part of their body, move it about, and poife it in the air on every fide, get confiderably upon the leaf, reach their food, and take it with their claws. However adapted the body of the caterpillar is to its feveral wants, it is remarkable that its ftate is but tranfient, that the limbs laft but a certain time, and that this creeping worm becomes a chryfalis without feet or motion, till it is metamorphofed into a creature claffing with the inhabitants of the air. Were it for this reafon only, the- caterpillars would be worth our attention. Towards the end of fummer, and often fooner, after having fatiated themfelves with ver- dure, and after having changed their coat feveral times, they Ceafe to eat, and .begin to build a houfe, in order to end their life in it, with the caterpillar ftate, and to be afterwards transformed into butterflies. The chryfalis is full of a fort of thick milk, which ferves for food to the butterfly till it comes out. When it is entirely formed, and its parts arrived at confiftency, and that a gentle warmth invites it to quit its prifon, it makes itfelf a parfage through the end of the chryfalis that is krgeft, and at the fame time the thinneft. The head (which has always been turned towards that end) disengages itfelf, the horns lengthen, the feet and wings fpread out, the butterfly takes wing and flies away. It preferves none of its former fiat*. BEAUTIES OF STURM. 1$? ftate. The caterpillar which changed into the chryfulis, and the butterfly that comes out of it, are two animals totally different. The former was rough, hairy, and often hideous ; the other is adorned with the livelieft colours. The former li- mits itfelf to a grofs food ; the latter goes from flower to flower, and treely enjoys all nature, of which it is itfelf the ornament. Will not this defcription reconcile every one to thefe infects, and put an end to all averiion to them. Perhaps fome may ltill think they have a right to aik, To what purpoie, after all, are thefe caterpillars r ; t not be better to be entirely free rrom. them? No; on the contrary, it is certain, that the world would not be as perfect, as it is, if there were no caterpillars in it. Take away thefe infe: and vou deprive the birds of a coniiderable part of their fubnitence. As the birds were to feed on ca- terpillars, it was juif. that the Creator mould ordairr for their food the leaves and plants, to which they have as good a right as us. It is true that the vo- racity of thefe animals makes them fometimes troiiblelome to mankind ; but this is an evil which the Creator permits with much wifdom. For the mifchief the caterpillars fometimes do may ferve to humble us, and make us recollect, the uncertainty of all our earthly potfeiiions. And even fuppoiing we could not penetrate into the reafons for form- ing fuch creatures, we fhouli not therefore have a right to deny their utility. We ought, on the con- trary, to take occalion from thence to acknowledge our ignorance, and truft in the wifdom of Him who formed all things* LESSON X£& BEAUTIES OF STURM. , LESSON LXXV. THE NIGHTINGALE. THE nightingale is a mufician of the firft rank a.monglt the inhabitants of the air. When' all the birds, who during day entertained us with their notes,, ceafe to be heard, it is then that the voice of the nightingale is raifed to animate the woods and groves. When we liften to the brilli- ant founds of that voice, we are apt to conclude, that the bird muft be large, that the throat mud have great ftrength ; and the inimitable charm of her melodious notes makes us prefume ilie furpaiTes all others in the beauty of her form. But it would be to no purpofe to feek thefe advantages in the nightingale: it is a bird of poor appearance, whofe colour; form, and the whole of its exterior, is void of any thing attractive or majeftic, and has nothing in the leaft diftinguifhing. Nature has, however, eompenfated for its plainnefs, by giving it a voice irrciiftibly charming. Liften to its fine long qui- vering notes: what variety, fweetnefs, and brilli- ancy in them ! When me begins her fong, me feems to fludy and compofe beforehand the melodi- ous notes fhe wifhes to be heard. She begins foftly ; then the notes fwell gradually till they run with the rapidity of a torrent : fhe goes from ferious to gay ; from iimple notes to the wildelt warblings ; and has, throughout the whole, the art to pleafe the ear. This bird may give rife to many uieful and edi- fying reflexions ; for example, we learn this truth from it, that homelinefs of body is fometimes uni- ted with very eftimable qualities, and does not ex- clude beauty from the foul. How unjuft then are thofe who, only attaching themfelves to the features of the face, and to exterior qualities, praife or blame BEAUTIES OF STURM. blame nothing but -what ftrikes tl defpife thofe who have bo. __rn tojudge with more equity. Any man, though prived of the advantage of figure ai proves himftlf by his conduct, to have the foul of a fage or a faint, is by much the more worthy of our etteem. It is the perfection of the foul pniy that gives true merit to man, or is worthy our admira- tion ; the reft can only feduce thofe who do not v the value of wifdom and .virtue. Have we Dot often known pc. inguilhed by rank or exterior qualities, who have done the great- er!: fervices to mankind, and have often fbewn more great nefs of foul than others ; of the mod beautiful perfon and fineit form. It is a teflon not to truit to appearances. Thofe we riefpife may of- ten prove to be fuperior to oui LESSON LXXVI. TWENTY-SIXTH WEEK. THE PLEASURES WHICH SUMMER AFFORDS TC OUR SENSES. SUMMER has inexpressible charms, and : proofs of the infinite beneficence of our Creator: it is the ha "on in which hep out the treafures of his bieflinc"s in the greatelt at dance on every living creature. Nature," after ha- ving revived us with the pleafures of fpring, is con- tinually employed, all the fummer, in providing for us every thing to pleafe our ftnfcs, to make our fubfiitence eafy, to fatisfy our wants, and awaken in our hearts juit fentiments of gratitude. Before our eyes there grows, by virtue of the fecret laws of nature, an innumerable quantity of fruit in fields and gardens: fruits which, after having pleafed l6*0- BEAUTIES OF STURM. pleafed the fight, may be gathered and prefervecT for our food. The flowers afford the moft agree- able variety to our fenfes ; we admire their rich drefs, and the inexhauftible fertility of nature in the multiplicity of their fpecies. What variety and beauty alfo in the plants, from the humble mofs to the (lately oak ! Let us climb the higheft mountain, feek the cool fhade of the woods, or defcend into the valley, we fhall every where find new beauties. A multitude of objects ftrike our eyes at o ce,. all different from each other ; but each in itfelf has charms enough to fix our atten- tion. There we fee innumerable flowers ; here living creatures of different kinds. If we lift up our eyes, they are delighted with the blue fky ; if We caft them on the ground,, they are refrefhed by the beautiful verdure with which it is clothed. Our ear is charmed with the cheerful notes of the winged fongfters ; the variety and fimplicity of their melody fills the foul with the fweeteft (en- fations. The murmuring of the brooks,, and the filver waves of a fine flowing river, alfo pleafe the ear and eye. It is to indulge our tafte that the ftrawberries and other pleafant fruit ripen ; while at the fame time they cool the blood. Our barns and granaries are filled with the new productions of the fields and gardens, which afford us the moft wholefome agreeable food. The fmell is ftruck with the fweet perfume that exhales on every fide. In a word, a thoufand pleafing objects affect the fenfes, and raife our feniibility. Numerous flocks feed on the profufion of bountiful nature, to pro- cure us pleafant and wholefome milk and nourifh- ing meats. Abundant rains moiften the ground, and open to us new fources of bleflmgs. Tufted trees and groves afford us a delightful fhade. All that we fee and hear, all that tafte or fmell can convey, increafes our pleafures, and contributes to out BEAUTIES OF STURM. l6l happinefs. But the creation is a ftill greater and more enchanting object for the mind than for the fehfes. In points which the latter cannot reach, the mind difcovers beauty, harmony, va- riety, and new pleafurcs. LESSON LXXVII. ECLIPSES OF THE SUN AND MOON. IT is admirable, that, in an age fo enlightened as ours, not only the multitude, but even thofe who pretend to be fuperior to the common pe^pie, mould be Mill fo ignorant in refpedl to thofe bodies. From thence proceed the fuperftitious notions which are raifed by eclipfes of the fun and moon. If any one took the trouble to inquire into the caufe of them, it would be found how abfurd it is to fhut up wells during an eclipfe, to prevent the water from acquiring any hurtful quality, or to take other fuperftitious precautions, which are melancholy proofs of the ignorance and want of piety in mankind. Let us then examine into this phenomenon, becaufe it is in itfelf very remark- able, and furnilhes us with a new occafion to glorify our great Creator. The eclipfe of the fun is an effect entirely natural ; it is caufed by the moon palling between the earth and the fun. But it can only take place when the moon, which is an opaque bociy, and dark in itfelf, comes nearly in a dire£l line between the fun and our earth. It then conceals from us part of that globe or the whole of it. The former is called, in the alma- nacks, a partial eclipfe, the latter a total eclipfe. Thus the folar eclipfe is nothing more than the fituation of the earth when the moon paiTes between it and the fun, interrupting the folar rays. We mud l62 BEAUTIES OF STURM. mu ft not imagine that the fun is at that time really darkened. It is only concealed from us. It retains its ufual fplendor; and all the difference is, that the rays which ilfue from it cannot reach us, becaufe the moon is placed between the fun and our globe. This is the reafon that a folar eclipfe is never viiible at the fame time in all parts of our earth ; for, unlefs the fun had really loft its light, the eclipfe could not be vifible at the fame time in every point of the hemifphere. It is, on the contrary, always more in one country than in another, and in fome places it is never fetn at any time. The moon not only darkens our earth fometimes, but the latter alfo cafts its fhade upon the moon, and by that means inter- cepts, the rays of the fun from it, either wholly or in part ; and this is called an eclipfe of the moon : but it can only be when the moon is at one fide of the earth, and the fun at the oppofite fide, and confequently when it is full moon. As that planet is really darkened by the fhadow of the earth, the eclipfe is perceived at the fame time on all the points of an hemifphere of our globe. Some peo- ple may afk, what is the ufe of eclipfes of the fun and moon ? To thofe even who only calculate the ufe of natural things from the immediate ad- vantage that accrues to them, the eclipfes are of importance. It is by their means that the true pofition and diftance of towns and countries are known; and it is from thence that we have been able to trace accurately the geographical maps of the moft remote countries. Eclipfes, if well ob- ferved, ferve alfo to confirm chronology, and to diredt the navigator, by fhewing him how far he is from the eaft or weft. However inattentive we may be to the import- ance of thefe advantages, they are not the lefs eifcutial t© us, LESSON BIAUTIES OF STURM. 16*3 LESSON LXXVIII. THE STALK OF THE WHEAT. WE fee that the wheat is grow: that the tender ears 01 corn are infeniib'iy ripening, in order to furniih us, fome weeks hence, with wholefome bread : a precious blefiing with which nature k the labours or man. Let us caft our eyes on a field of wheat ; let us calculate the millions of ears of corn which cover one (ingle field ; and let us reflect on the wifdom of thofe laws which procure fuch an abundance for us. How many preparatives were neceflary to furnifh us with this molt indifpenfable of all food ! How many progrellive changes were to take place in nature before an ear of corn could fpring up ! It is now almoft ready to produce its fruit, and invites us to reflect on its con ft ruction. When the grain of wheat has been fome time in the ground, it fhoots upwards a (talk, which rifes perpendi- cularly, but only grows (lowly, that the wheat may have time to ripen. It is for very wife rea- sons that it grows four or five feet high, in order to preferve the grain from the mciiturc of the ground, which would rot it. The height of the italk contributes alfo to the depuration of the nou- rifhing juices which the root conveys to it ; and its round form afiifts this operation ; for by that means the heat penetrates equally into every part of the (lem. But how is it pofltble that lb ilei.der a (talk can fupport itfelf, and bear up its fruitful head without linking under the weight, or without being beat down by a breath of wind r The Crea- tor guarded againft this inconvenience in the for- mation of the item. He furnifhed it with four very ltrong knots, which in fome pa 164 BEAUTIES OF STURM. as fcrews ftrengthening it, without taking From it the power of bending. The conftru&ion of thefe knots alone (hew the greateft wifdom. Like a very fine fieve, they are full of little holes, and through thefe orifices the juices rife up, and the heat of the fun penetrates into them. The heat attenuates the juices which colledl: there, and purifies them, by making them pafs through a fort of iieve. The ftalk is liable to be beat down by dorms and heavy fhowers of rain, but its not being thick fe- cures it. It is flexible enough to bend without breaking. From out the chief flem there {hoot others not fo high, as well as leaves, which collecting drops of dew and rain, furnifh the plant with the nutritive juices it requires. In the mean time, the grain, that eflential part of the plants, forms itfelt by degrees. To preferve thefe tender fprouts from the accidents and dangers which might deftroy them at the inftant of their birth, the two upper leaves of the ftalk unite clofely at the top, both to preferve the ear of corn, and to draw to it the nourifhing juices. But as foon as the ftem is formed enough to fupply the grain of itfelt" with proper juices, the leaves gradually dry and drop off, that none may be taken from the fruit, and that the root may have nothing more than necef- fary to nourifh it. The bearded corn waves grace- fully, and its points ferve for ornament, as well as defence againft the birds. Refrelhed with gen- tle rains, it thrives till the appointed time, and grows every day more yellow, till, finking at laft tinder the weight of its riches, it bends its head to the fickle. What wonderful wifdom and power appear in the conftruction of one fingle ftalk of wheat, and yet we feldom pay attention it, becaufe it is daily before our eyes. But what other proof of goodnefs can. BEAUTIES OF STURM. l6$ can the Creator give us, if we are infenfible to this. O man ! open thy heart to the fweet fenfations of gratitude and joy : learn to think as a man, to enjoy the noblell pleafure a mortal is capable of in this world, that of tracing thy Creator in every creature. LESSON LXXIX. TWENTY-SEVENTH WEEK. FOREIGN PLANTS. AL L our corn, and a great number of our vegetables, come from foreign countries, and generally from warmer climates than ours ; mod of them from Italy ; Italy got them from Greece, and Greece had them from the eaft. When Ame- rica was difcovered, a great number ot plants and flowers were found there, which were till then unknown, and which have fince been tranfplanted into Europe with much fuccefs. The Englifh ftill take a great deal of trouble, at this time, to culti- vate the North American plants in their country. Mod of the different forts of corn, of which men and animals make their beft food, are grafs plants ; but though our fields are now covered with them, they are foreign to us. Rye and wheat are indige- nious in Little Tartary and Siberia, where they ftill grow without culture. As for barley and oats, we are ignorant indeed from whence they come, but it is certain they are not indigenous in our cli- mate, or it would not be neceilary to cultivate them. Rice is the produce of Ethiopia. Since the beginning of this century, it has been culti- vated alfo in America ; and they now fend us from thence, every year, veiTels entirely laden with thofe ufeful feeds. — The buck-wheat comes orignally from l66 BEAUTIES OF STURM. from Afia ; the Crufacies introduced it into Italy, from whence it came into Germany . Molt of our herbage and vegetables alfo have a foreign ori- gin. Borage comes from Syria, creffes from Crete, colliflower from Cyprus, and afparagus from Alia. We are indebted to Italy for the chervil. Aneth comes from Portugal and Spain, fennel from the Canary-Iilands, anile and parfley from Egypt, garlic is the produce of the eaft., mallots come from Siberia, and horfe-radifh from China. We owe the kidney- beans to the Eaft-Indies, the gourds to Aftracan, the lentils to France, the potatoes to Brazil. The Spaniards found tobacco at Tobacco, a province of Jucatan in America. The ornaments of our gardens, the moft beauiiiul flowers, many of them are foreign productions. Jefiamine comes from the Eaft- Indies, the elder-tree from Pcrfia, the tulip from Cappadocis, the narciiius from Italy, the lily from Syria, the tube-rofe from Java and Ceylon, the carnation and pink from Italy, the after from China, Sec. With what goo^nefs does God thus provide for cur happinefs and enjoyment, by making even the moft remote countries contribute towards it ! But let us, at the fame time, learn the conltitution of the globe which we inhabit. There is an univer- fal transmigration over all the earth : men, ani- mals, and vegetables, tranfplant themfelves, and go from one region to another, and this tranfmi- gration v/ill only end with our globe. LESSON LXXX. THE SILK-WORM. THE race of caterpillars, which divide into two geneial clafles (thofe of nocturnal ancj diurnal butterflies) have alfo different families among BEAUTIES OF STURM. l6j among them, each of which has its diftinc*l cha- racter and properties. The name of hik-worm is given to one of thefe : this caterpillar, like the others, is compofed of feveral moveable rings, and is well furnimed with feet and claws to reft and fix. itfelf where it pleafes. It has two rows of teeth, which do not move up and down like ours, but From right to left ; in order to prefs, cut, and tear the leaves every way. The whole length of its back, we may fee through its (kin a velfel which fwells every now and then, and performs the func- tion of the heart. This worm has nine orifices on each fide, which correfpond with fo many lungs, and aiTifts the circulation of the nutritive juice. Under the mouth it has a kind of a reel, with two holes, through which it puts out two drops of the gum with which its bag is filled. They are like two didaffs, continually fupplyi ng the materials for making its thread. The gum which runs through the two holes, takes that form, and lengthens into a double thread, which loLs fuddenly its fluidity, and acquires the confidence neceffary to fupport or to contain the worm. When it is time to be enclofed in it, it joins the two threads toge- ther, gluing them one over another with its fore- feet. This double thread is not only very fine, but alfo very ftrong, and of an aftonifhing length. Each fiik-worm's bag has a filk thread near as long as 500 ells ; and as this thread is double, and all along joined together, each bag muft contain ioco ells of filk, though the whole together does not wdgh above two grains and an half. Th.e life of this infect, while it is dill a worm, is very fhort ; and yet it patfes through different dates, which infenfibly bring it to perfection. At the firft com- ing out of the egg, it is extremely fmall, perfectly black, and its head is (till a finer black then the reft of its body. Some days after, it begins to grow l68 BEAUTIES OF STURM. grow whitifh," or of a dark grey colour. Its coai then becomes ragged and dirty. It throws it off, and appears in a new drefs. It becomes large, and much whiter, but rather tinged with green, as it feeds on green leaves After a few days, more or lefs, according to the degree of heat, and quality of its food and con ft i tut ion, it ceafes to cat. It goes to fleep for about two days ; then works and frets itfelf extremely It becomes almoft red with the efforts it makes. Its fkin wrinkles and (hrivels up. It throws it off a fecond time, and with it cads away its feet.' Behold it new dreffed three times in the fpace of three weeks or a month. It begins again to eat, and might then pafs for a different creature, fo unlike in head, colour, and form, to what it was before. After having again eaten for fome days, it falls again into a lethargy, in recovering from which it changes once more its coat. That is the third fkin it has thrown off fince it came out of the fhell. It (till continues to eat fome time, then renouncing all food, it prepares itfelf a retreat ; and drscws out of its body a lilk thread, which it wraps round itfelf much as we wind thread round an oval piece of wood: this coniifts of extreme fine filken threads. It refts quietly in the bag it has fpun for itfelf, until the end of a fortnight, when it would break through, and make its way out, if it was not prevented by putting it into an oven or hot fun in order to kill it. Thefe filk bags are thrown into hot water, and ftirred about with birch twigs, to loofen the ends of the lilk, which are afterwards wound on reels made for the purpofe. Thus it is to a worm, or a caterpillar, that we owe the luxury of our clothing. This reflection ought to humble us. Can we be vain of the filk with which we are covered, when we confider to what we owe it, and how little we ourfelves con- tribute BEAUTIES OF STURM, 169 tribute towards it ! Let us reflect, that even the mod defpicable things have been created for the advantage and ufe of mankind. A worm, which we fcarcc deign to look at, becomes a blefling to whole provinces, a confiderable object of trade, and a fourcc of riches. LESSON LXXXI. THE RAINBOW. WHEN the fun reflects its rays on drops of water which fall from the clouds, and we are placed with Our backs to the fun, and with the clouds oppoiite to us, we obferve a rainbow. We may coniider the drops of rain as little tranf- parent balls on which the rays fall, and are refracted. From thence proceed the colours in the rainbow. They are feven in number, and in the following order : red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and violet. Theie colours appear fo much the more lively, according as the cloud behind is darker, and the drops of rain fall the clofer. The drops falling continually produce a new rainbow every moment, and as each fpectator has his particular iituation from whence he obfervesthis phenomenon, it fo happens, that two men cannot, properly fpeak- ing, fee the fame rainbow. This meteor can only lait while the rain continues to fall. To confider a rainbow merely as a phenomenon of nature, it is one of the fined fights imaginable. It is a picture the moft beautifully coloured of any the Creator has given us. But when we reflect, that God has made this meteor a lign of his pardon, and of the covenant he vouchfafed to make with mankind, we find fubject for more than one edifying reflec- tion. There cannot be a rainbow when it rains I over I/O BEAUTIES OF STURM. over the whole horizon. Every time, then, that •this beautiful meteor appears, we may be certain that we have no deluge to apprehend, as in a de- luge it muft rain violently from every part of the fky. Thus when the fky is only covered with clouds on one fide, and the fun appears on the other, it is a fign that thefe dark clouds will dif- perfe, and that the fky will foon become ferene. This is alfo the reafon why we cannot fee a rain- bow unlefs the fun is behind us, and the rain oppo- fite to us. The fun and rain muft appear at the fame time in order to form a rainbow. No colours would be feen if the fky was too light ; therefore, where it appears, the horizon muft be covered with dark clouds. Neither could the colours in the rainbow exift without the refraction of the rays of the fun upon it. LESSON LXXXII. TWENTY-EIGHTH WEEK. THE BIRDS NESTS. TH E conftrucl ion of the birds nefts difcovers many curious objects which cannot be indif- ferent to a reflecting mind defirous of information. Who is there that would not admire thofe regular little edifices compofed of fo many different mate- rials, collected and put in order with fo much care and judgment, conftru&ed with fuch induftry, ele- gance, and neatnefs, without any other tool than a bill and two claws. It is not fo wonderful, that men can erect great buildings according to the rules of aft, when we confider, that the artifts are en- dowed with reafon, and have abundance oi tools ami materials for it. But that a bird, unprovided with any thing for the purpofe except its bill and claws, '^F STURM. 1/1 iarr t, in the ,on of its neft, is what v, e can never too much a dm derful than the finch. The iniide of it is lined with cotton, wooi t and fine filky threads. The outik:. thick mofs, the colour of which refembtes the bark of the tree on which the neft is laid, in or that it fbauld.be lcfs obferved, and lets expofed the eyes of p re are tome nefts, which the hair, curioufiy laid acrofs ; ~n. There are others wherein all the parts are neatly joined and tied together with a thread, which the bird makes tor itfelf of Max, tow, and horfe hair, and m generally of fpiders webs. Some birds, for ex- ample, the blackbird and lapwing, plaiter over the inline of their neft with a thin coat of mortar, which cements and keeps together all the bottom parts ; and then while it is frefh, thev itick fome mofs to it, in order to make it warm and clofe. The fwallows neft is of a different eonftrnction from the reft. They neither requi" , draws, nor ligaments ; they knew how to compofe a fort of cement, with which .-_ themfe nefts, perfectly fecure, neat, " and conveni Their method of moiftening this cement is by going frequently to dip their breads int and then making it off upon it, till it is thoroughly fteeped, after which they work it up together with their bills. But the molt extraordinary of all the nefts are thofe which certain Indian birds fufpend with great art upon the branches of trees, in order to fecure themfelves from the purfuit of feveral animals and infects. In general, each fpecies of birds has its particular manner of placing its neft. Some build them on houfes, others on trees ; f under the grafs, others in the ground • but all in I 2 1J2 BEAUTIES OF STURM. the manner beft adapted for their fecuritv, the bringing up their young, and the prefervation of their fpecies. Is it not clear, that in all their work birds pro- pofe to themfelves certain deiigns ? They make the neft hollow, almoft like the half of a globe, in order that the heat may the better concentre there. The outfide of the neft is covered with materials more or lefs coarfe, not only to ferve as a foun- dation, but to keep out the wind and the infects. The infide is lined with more delicate materials, fuch as wool and down, to make it foft and warm for their young ones to lie on. Is it not a kind of reafon, which teaches the bird to place its neft fo as to be fheltered from rain, and to be out of the reach of deftructive animals ? Where do they learn they are to have eggs, and that thefe eggs would require nefts to prevent them from falling, and to keep them warm r that the heat would not concentre round the eggs if the neft was larger, nor hold all the young ones if it was final ler ? How do they know the proper fize of the neft, and the number of young that are to be born ? Who teaches them not to miftake the time, and to calculate fo exactly, that they never lay their eggs before the neft is nnifhed ? Nothing that has been hitherto faid in anfwer to thefe queilions is fat'isfactory, But of what nature foever thefe fa- culties of the birds may be, they are certainly the effects of a fuperior power and wifdom. LESSON LXXXIII. REFLECTIONS ON A FLOWER-GARDEN. SEE and behold the flower-garden, and reflect: on the number of different beauties aflembled together m this little fpace. The art and induftry of BEAUTIES OF STURM. IJ$ c-i" man have made it a beautiful fcene ot the -fineit ers. But what would it have been without, care and culture : A wild dtfert full of thirties and thorns. — Such would youth be, if not properly edu- cated. But when young people early receive ufeful initruclions, and are under wife direction, they are like lovely bloiToms, which delight with their beai and will foon produce fruit benehcial to fociety. Be- hokl the night violet or the Julian flower, which to- wards evening fcents our gardens with its perfume, in which it is fuperior to all others : but it has no beauty. It is fcarcely like a flower. It is little and of a grey colour, tinged with green, Co that ft can fcarce be diftinguimed from the leaves. Mo- deft, without lhew or pretentions, it perfumes the ole garden, although it is not obferved in the *itude j it is like a perfon who has much fenfe whom nature has compenfated for the want of beauty by more folid endowments. The righteous man often does good in fecret, and in obfeuritv, and meds around him the perfume of good wor and when we wifh to be acquainted with this bene- ficent man, we find that there is nothing of dis- tinction either in his perfon, condition, or rank. — - In the carnation, beauty and perfume are both united ; and it is certainly the molt perfect of all flowers. It almofl equals the tulip in its colours, and it- furpafks it in the multitude of its leaves, and the elegance of its form. This flower is emblem of a perfon who poJeiTes both fenfe and uty, and knows how to conciliate the love refpeel of his fellow-creatures. — Let us now ferve the rofe, us colour, form, perfume, every thing in this flower charms us. But it appears to be the flighteii and mod frail of any, and i lofes the beauty winch diftinguifhes it from ot flowers. This is an ufeful lelfon for thofe y I 3 *74 BEAUTIES OF STURM. mine only in beauty ; and it ought to teach then* not to be vain of their charms, or trull tco much ro them. LESSON LXXXIV. THE ANTS. TH E ants, as well as the bees, may be confi- dered as a little Commonwealth, which has its peculiar government, laws, and police. .They live in a fort of town, divided into feveral ftreets which lead to different magazines. Their activity and in ufiry, in collecting and ufing the materials they require for their rrefr, is admirable. They all join in digging the earth together, and in carrying it home. They collect a great quantity of grafs, ftraw, wood, &c. of which they make a heap. It appears at firft fight very irregularly formed ; but through all this apparent difurder, much art maybe difcove red when examined more attentively. U.cier the domes, or little hills which cover them, and which are always fo formed as to let the water run off, there are galleries which communicate with one aTiatrtef, and may be confidered as the ftreets of this little city. But what is particularly .iri.ble, is the care which the ants take of their eggs, of the worms when they come out of the chryfalis when formed. They convey them care- fully from one place to another, They feed their young, and remove, with the tendereit folicitude, every thing that might hurt them. ' They even attend to preferving a proper degree of warmth about them. 1 -heir painful labours in fummer- time, when heaping up provifions, have fcarce any object but the fupport of their young, :a* they -nlelves require no food in winter, being aileep or BEAUTIES OF STURM. 1^5 or infenfible till fpring. As foon as their ysung are out of the egg, they employ themfelves in feeding them ; and it {till coils them more trouble. They generally have feveral houfes, and they con- vey their young from one m to lome other which they wiih to people. According as the wea- ther is hot or cold, dry or rainy, they bring their Talis near the furface of the earth, or remove thein from it. They bring th^m to the furface in mild weather, and even I .s after rain them in a bright fun, or after a long drought i gentle dew. But at the approach of night, rain, or cold, they take up their little ones in tbeir pa and carry them fo low down into the earth, that it is fometimes neceiiary to dig above a foot deep in order to find them. There are feverai forts of thefe infects: the wood-ants never lie but in foreits or bufhes, a > fields. There are two (pedes of thefe, the red and the black. Sema Cettk fa the ground in dry foils, and generally chooffi places where they hud roots of fir-trees or birch, to make their habitations. Others live on old trunks of trees above ground, high enough to be out of the reach of its moiilure. They make themfelves apartments in the cavities of the trunk,- and cover them with ftraw and other things-, to fhelter them from fnow or rain. The field-ants are alfo both black and red as well as the others, but they are fmaller. They fettle either in the corn or the field. W hen the weather is d bury themfelves pretty deep ; but as foon as it becomes rainy, they raife their habitations higher and higher, according as there is more or lefs damp ; and when it abates, they never fail of re- turning to their fubterraneous apartments. It is alio to be obferved, that the ants acquire wings ; and that towards autumn they are Ucn to fly in fwarms over ditches and other water. But are thefe I 4 mifchievous 17& BEAUTIES OF STURM. mifchievous infers worthy our attention, fpoiling, as they do, our fields and meadows ? By their fub- terraneous works, they make the ground hollow, tear it up, and prevent the plants and roots from growing. They are reproached more ftiil : they are enemies to the bees and filk-worms ; and they are fuppofed to hurt the flowers, and particularly the young trees. It is* faid, they devour the buds and moots \ and that getting under the bark of trees, they gnaw them to the quick. For this reafon, the ants are deftroyed wherever they are found. If the ants gathered honey, though at the expence of a million of other creatures, they would be highly valued ; but becaufe their labours hurt fome ufeful plants, we think ourfelves authorifed to deftroy them. Suppofe even that in reality they do us fome harm, are they therefore lefs worthy our attention ? Do none deferve our obfervation, but fuch as are ufeful to us ? Let us banifh this prejudice. Even the ants may afford us inftruc- tion and amufement. The form of their limbs, their induftry, their indefatigable labour, the police of their republic, their tender care of their young, and perhaps a thoufand other quali- ties, which we are not acquainted with, might convince us of the wifdom of that great Being, who is their Creator as well as ours. LESSON LXXXV. TWENTY-NINTH WEEK. THE HAIL. HA I L is nothing but drops of rain, which freezing in the air, fall in pieces of zn ob- long or angular form. It appears extraordinary, that, in the very warmed feafons of the year, vapours BEAUTIES OF STURM. \"J irs mould freeze in the atmofphere. V may conlider, that even i ats the upper region of the air is cold to a fenfible degree, and full of bow. If it was net fo, how could higheft mountains remain the whole fummei covered with mow. In the hotteft parts of Ame- rica, it is fo feverely cold on the higheil mountains, that there is continual danger of being frozen ; and of courfe it would fnow from this extreme cold in the upper region of the atmofphere in the very middle of fummer, if the fnow did not melt in falling before it reaches the ground. But when thefe particles of fnow collect together, the drops begin to freeze \ and as in falling they go rap: through warmer regions of the air, it happens, that before this warmth can have penetrated through them, their cold increafes, fo as to be entirely frozen. It might be imagined, that the cold, on the contrary, ought to abate in proportion as they pafs through a warmer air. But what is the confe- quence in winter, when cold w T ater, which has been expofed to the outward air, is brought into a verv hot room ? It freezes and becomes ice, which would not have happened if it had been put into a cold room. This is precifeiy the cafe in refpeci to the hail. When cold bodies pafs fuddenly into hot air, their cold increafes to fuch a degree, as to turn to ice. The volati-e falts, more or lefs difperfed through our atmofphere, contribute much to this. We muft not therefore be furprifed that florins are not always attended with hail, as it requires great abundance of faline vapours to occa- fion the fudden freezing of the drops of water. Though hail is more frequent in fummer-time, h falls alfo in other feafons : for, as in every part cf the year the faline exhalations may ferment in the atmofphere, fo it may hail in winter, autu . or fpring. The hailitones are fometimes round, I 5 at lfi BEAUTIES OF STURM. at other times concave, and often angular. The difference we obferve in the form and lize of hal- ftones may proceed from many accidental caufes. The winds, particularly violent winds that crofs one another, certainly contribute much towards it. A hail-done may alfo in its fall meet feveral other cold particles, which confiderably increafe Its fize ; and often the fmall hailftones meet others, and in joining together form into large ones. It is- certain, that when the hail is very large it does great mifchief to the vintage and har- Veft, fruit, &c. If the violence of a hail-itorm jfometimes lays w r afte acres of land, this mif- chief, however great it may be, is nothing in comparifon of the advantages which accrue from it ; the hail evidently cools the air in the burning heats of fummer ; and it is very remarkable, that this apparent diforder never fails to produce fertility. Here then, again, we may fee the goodnefs and wifdom of Him, who in the midft of ftorms work- eth admirable things, and never ceafes to enrich and fertilize the earth. LESSON LXXXVI. THE EARTH AND ITS ORIGINAL CONSTITUTION. 1 TH E great Creator has made the earth of a proper nature for the production and growth of herbs, plants, and trees. It is compact enough to contain and hold the vegetables ; fo firm that the wind does not throw them down ; and yet it is light and moveable enough for the plants to extend their roots in it, and draw out the moifture and nutritive juices. And that all forts of vegetables mould grow and Sraw fubiiftence from the earth, we find it compofed oV feveral forts of foil, which fern other BEAUTIES OF STURM. 179 other purpofes alfo ; fuch as potter's earth, clay, chalk, and gravel. Some ferve to make bricks, others to build with, and feme to make earthen ware. There are alfo kinds of earth which are made ufe of in dying colours, and even in medicine. The unevennefs of the ground has many advan- tages : a greater number, and a great variety, of animals and plants, may live on mountains ; thefe ferve to break the violence of the winds ; they produce a great variety of wholefome plants and fruit, which would not do well in plains. They contain in their cavities the minerals and metals fb ufeful to us : from them proceed the fp rings, and molt of the rivers produced by the melting of the fnow > by rain, and other vapours. The (tones that are under ground ferve to build walls, to make lime and glafs. As to the metals, their ufes are numberlefs : let us only think of the many tools our workmen and artilts require ; the utenfils and furniture of every fort made of them, which fur- nilh us with fo many conveniences and ornaments. We alfo* draw considerable advantages from the hardnefs and weight of thofe bodies. No body is ignorant of the ufe of minerals. Salt ferves to feafon our food, and to keep it from corrupting. The fulphurous particles of bodies render them combuftible. Even volcanos and earthquakes, whatever mifchief they fometimes do, are ftill ufe- ful and neceflary. If the fire did not confume the fulphurous exhalations, they would fpread too much in the air, and would make it unwholefome ; many warm baths would not exift ; and many minerals and metals would never be produced. It is to our ignorance we mould impute it, if there are fo many things of which we do not fee the ufe. In order to judge of the works of the Lord, and to acknow- ledge the wifdom of them, they mult not be con- sidered only in one point of view, but taken in the I 6 whole. l80 BEAUTIES OF STURM. whole. Many things we think hurtful, are not- withstanding certainly of ufe. Others appear fu- perfluous ; and yet, if they were wanting, they would leave a void in the plan of the creation. How many things appear to us infignihcant, only becaufe we do not know the real ufe of them ! Put a loadftone into the hands of a man who does not know its virtue, and he will fcarce deign to look at it : but tell him that we owe to that (tone the pro- gress of navigation, and the difcovery of. a new world, and he will then be of a very different opinion. It is the fame with refpecl to many things which we defpife, or judge ill of, becaufe we do not know the ufe of them, nor fee the con- nexion they have with the whole. Lord ! the earth is full of thy bleflings ; every thing that is upon it or under it. The very dull is planned with wifdom ! LESSON LXXXVII. ON THE PHASES OR APPEARANCES OF THR MOON. ALL obfervatlon confirms to us that the moon has a particular motion of turning round the earth from weft to eaft : for after having placed itfeif between us and the fun, it retires from under that body, and continues to go back towards the caft, changing from day to day the place of riling. At the end of fift-en days it will have reached the moil: eaftern part of the horizon at the time the fun fets with us. It is then in oppofition. In the evening it jifes above our horizon when the fun retires below it, and it fets in the morning about the time the fun rifes. If then it continues to defcribe the circle which it has half finifhed round the BEAUTIES OF STURM. 1 g 1 the earth, it removes vifibly from its point oppo- Cte to the fun ; it will draw nearer to the fun, and will appear later than when in oppofition, till by degrees it will only be teen a little before fun-rife. The revolution of the moon round the earth ex- plains why it rifes and fets at fuch different times, and why its phafes are (o various, and yet fo regu- lar. Every body knows that a globe illuminated by the fun, or by a flambeau, can only receive the light directly on one iide. We - perceive, at firft light, that the moon is a globe which receives ight from the fun. — When, therefore, it is in conjunction, that is to fay, placed between the end us, it turns all its illuminated iide towards the {un y and its dark iide towards us, and is then of courfe invifible. It rifes and fets with the fun in the fame region of the fky. This is what we ' moon, or the conjunction. But when Tioon retires from under the fun, and goes back towards the eaif, it has then no longer ail its dark iide turned towards us : a fmall part of it, a little border of the lighted half, begins to appear. This >rder we fee on the right iide towards fun-fet, or even before it. The horns of this cre- feent turn to the left, or facing the eaft. The fur- ther the moon removes from the fun, the more viiible k becomes to u~. At the. end of {even davs, when it has reached a quarter of its courfe round the earth, it difcovers more and more of its mined iide, till it (hews ns half of it. The light part is then turned towards the fun, and the dark part carts no light on us. Exaclly half the moon is then illuminated. The half of that half can only be the quarter of the whole globe, and it is in reality this quarter which appears to us. The moon is then in its firft quarter. By degrees, as the moon removes from the fun, and as the earth comes between them, the more of that part of the moon 182 BEAUTIES OF STURM. moon which faces us becomes light. At the end of feven days, reckoning from the firft quarter, it is almoft directly oppofite to the fun, and then its whole illumined difk prefents itfelf to us. It then rifes in the eaft exactly at the moment the fun fets in the weft, and we have a full moon. Next day the lighted half, is already a little turned from us, and we no longer fee it at all. The light gradually leaves the weftern fide, extending itfelf in proportion on the half not facing the earth. This is the decreafe of the moon, and the more it goes forward, the more the dark fide increafes, till at laft half the dark fide is turned towards the earth, and confequently half the light fide. It has then the form of half a circle, and is what we call the laft quarter. i By the admirable harmony which fubfifts be- tween the motion of this planet on its own axis, and its courfe round the fun, it fo happens, that the moon ftill fhews us the fame half a globe which it has fhewn iince the beginning of the world. During fo many thoufands of years, this globe has • conftantly, and without deviating from the fame courfe, finifhed its revolution in 27 days and eight hours. Regularly, and at the fame periods, it has lighted fometimes our nights, and fometimes thofe of remote countries. With how much good- nefs has it pleafed Divine Wifdom to grant to our earth a faithful companion to light almoft half our nights ! Alas ! we are not properly fenfible of the value of this wife plan of the Creator. LESSON BEAUTIES OF STURM. 183 LESSON LXXXVIII. THIRTIETH WEEK. MINERAL WATERS. WHETHER we confider mineral waters in refpect to their formation, or the benefit that accrues to us from them, they are certainly valuable bleflings beftowed upon us. But even the places where thefe falutary fprings flow are feldom what they ought to be, places confecrated to praife and gratitude towards Heaven. Let the following reflections make us more grateful to our Heavenly Benefactor : in the firft place, are not the fprings from whence we draw the common fait to feafon our food, worthy our attention ? It is probable that thefe fprings originate from the mineral fait, which the waters dilfolve under ground. The mineral hot baths are not lefs remarkable : there is not only fo great a number of them, that in Germany alone they reckon about fix fcore, but they are alfo fo hot, that it is neceffary to let the water cool for twelve, and fometimes eighteen hours, before they are fit to bathe in. What is the caufe of this extraordinary heat ? It certainly is not the fun ; for if it were, the waters would only preferve their heat in the day-time when the hin mines, and they would grow cold in the night or in win- ter. Neither can it be attributed to fubterraneous fires ; for then it would (till be neceflary to account for the medicinal virtue of thefe baths. The mod fimple caufe we can give is this, that the waters pafling through ground, mixed with fulphur, fire- ilones, and metals, acquire this degree of heat. When the water falls on thofe quarries, the ful- phurous and ferruginous particles which it dif- folves, heat and take fire by the friction and re- action 184 BEAUTIES OF STURM, zf\ ion of their principles, and communicate this heat to the water. Medicinal waters, particularly the acids, are produced by the rliflblving and mix- ing with the minerals they wafh away. They are found particularly in places where there is abun- dance of iron, copper, fulphur, or charcoal. This is the reafon there is fuch difference both in the effeft and tafte of them, in proportion as they are mere or lefs mixed with thefe. They are bitter when they are produced by bitter roots, faltpetre, or copper. They are cold when they come out of rocks, or are impregnated with fal-ammoniac, faltpetre, alum, &c. Oily and bituminous fub- ftances make them oleaginous : brimftone mixed with acids makes them fulphurous. Let us admire the Divine Goodnefs which has prepared for man thofe falutary and inexhauftible fprings. Mineral waters may certainly anfwer many other purpofes ; but it cannot be doubted they were alfo produced for the prefervation of the health of mankind- It is for man that the Lord lias made thefe beneficent waters fpring up. Let us then acknowledge his goodnefs, and be fenfibly touched with it. Thofe particularly who expe- rience their ftrengthening and falutary virtue, let their fouls, penetrated with joy and gratitude, be lifted up to their Heavenly Father. Let them glo- rify him, by imitating his example ; and let their riches be fcurces of life and confolation to their fellow-creatures in neceflity.. LESSON LXXXIX. THE BEAUTY AND USE OF MEADOWS AND FIELDS. TH E fight of a large beautiful garden in fum- mer gives us a lively pleafure, which our apartments do not afford, of which we can form no BEAUTIES OF STURM. l8«3 Bat even the pleafure wc feel from fmeit garden is not to be compared to that of walk- in fields and meadows. The (lately tulip, the elegant narciflus, the beautiful hyacinth, none pleafe fomuch as the Ample flowers which enamel the fen'/ :ever charms the flowers may have which are cultivated in cur gardens, thole in the fields are /till more pleating. There is beauty in the former, but in the latter there is both ufe and beauty. Mere ufelefs beauty pleaf.s for a moment only. Is it not true, that in thofe long gravel walKS, fo even and neat, thole arbours and fummer-houfes, thofe parterres, thofe walls, thofe enclofures ; is it not true that we feel confined, and as if oppreiTed in them r All thofe places, where the view is confined, feem to fet bounds to our liberty. — We feem in fome dec to be more independent, and more at eafe, in proportion as our walk enlarges and lengthens be- fore us. In the country, in fummer, nature, fruit- ful and beautiful, varies every moment its appear- ance ; whereas, in cur ornamental gardens, we continually behold the fame objects. Even their order and regularity prevent us from being long pleafed with them. They have nothing new to offer us, and we tire of them. The eye, on the contrary, wanders with pleafure over objects con- tinually diverlified, and extending as far as the light can reach. It was in order to give us this enjoyment, that in mod places the ground was formed fmooth and even ; but to the end that might alfo have pleaiing diftant profpects, our horizon is furrounded with riling hills. Nature has done (fill more : it has fpared us the troi of cultivating thofe flowery meads, or of w them. An innumerable multitude of feeds are fown in them, which produce a verdure fcarcc ever interrupted, or which is at leait eafily neweJL l86 BEAUTIES OF STURM. newed. This prodigious variety of plants with which a field is covered, is not for the light only ; they have each a feed, a bloiibm, qualities, and beauties, peculiar to themfelves. It is true, that the fame fpecies of herbs is prodigioufly multi- plied in each field j but perhaps we fcarcely make two fteps without treading on an hundred differ- ent forts, each of which has its peculiar ufe. To the pleafure fields afford us, our beneficent Crea- tor has added coniiderable advantages. They pro- duce plants for our food, and a great number of iimples, which ferve for medicine. The ox, and the horfe, whofe fervices are innumerable, de- mand no other recompence for their toil, than the free \i(c of the field, or a fufficient quantity of hay. The cow, whofe milk is one of the fupports of our life, afks nothing more. The" field is the moil complete inheritance i its pro- duce is certain, and requires neither lowing nor labour. It only eofts the flight trouble of gather- ing what it yields. We look upon graft with con- tempt or indifference, perhaps becaufe it grows under our fact 9 and has not been made the object of our care and culture. But whatever majr be the caufe of our indifference, it is certainly quite rnexcufable. Surely, the fight of our meadows enamelled with flowers, mould fill us with admiration of the goodnefs of the Creator, who, with a bountiful hand, pours out abundance for men and animals; his mercy is every where, and there is not a corner of the earth where we may not difcover traces of his good providence ! Yes, every country, every foil, the fandy and the marfhy, the gravelly and the clayey, all equally proclaim the beneficence of the Preferver of the univerfe. WESSON I . L'TIES OF STL" 1S7 LESSON XC. THE TWILIGHT. IT < ' ■ '. this phenomenon which ' Id is ec:. h the reft re than a pi ,n of day ; which | es fometiines to bear the fall 1'. at other times the darkfiefs of the night. But twilights are not always the fame; they vary according to feafons and climates. Toward s they la it longer than in the torrid zone. >f that zone behold the fun rife di- rectly above their horizon, and fihk down in the . direction under the lower hemifphere ; means they are left all at once i ..rk- On the contrary, the fun rcilecting its rays niely towards the poles, and not (inking much x the horizon of the neighbouring people, their nights, though long, are almoft all along attended with twilight ; therefore not dark. It is an happinefs for the former to have fcarce any twilight, and for the others to have an almoft con- stant dawn. 'As for us, who are placed nearly at an equal diftance from the torrid a id zone, we plainly obferve that our twilights become ihorter in proportion as the days fhorten ; and that they increafc as the days lengthen. We enjoy -light an hour and more after the fun has fer. The twilight is equally long before the fun rifes above the horizon. We owe this ufeful circum- ftance to the properties of the air. God hath fur- rounded the earth with an atmofphere, which rifes high. He formed fuch proportion between this air and the light which comes upon it, that when it enters direct! v down into it, nothing can obitrud J 88 BEAUTIES OF STURM. obftru& its courfe; but when a ray enters Tideways, or obliquely into this air, the ray, inftcad of paf- fing through the air in a direct line, bends or de- fcends a little lower ; fo that mod of the rays which pierce the atmofphere along fide of the earth, rail again by means of this inflection upon the earth. I nitead of following their courfe in paf- fmg by the fide, they are bent by the air, and di- rected towards the earth. Thus, when the fun approaches our horizon, many of its rays which pafs by us, and are not fent towards us, meet the mafs of air which furrounds us, and bending in that mafs they reach our eyes ; fo that we fee day-light long before the fun itfelf appears. This refraction of light in the body of air which furrounds us, is a work equally full of wifdom and goodnefs for all the people of the earth \ but it is a particular blefling to thofe who inhabit the frigid zones. They would be plunged in frightful darknefs for feveral months together, if they had no twilight. Per- haps this explanation of the origin or twilights may not be intelligible to every reader, but let us leave to philofophers a further detail of it, and let us limit ourfelves to the reflecting on it as reafon- able beings. The honeft, though ignorant Chrif- tian, may poflibly be wtfer than many philofophers ; who, while they explain and calculate the twi- lights, lofe fight of that great Being who gives^ to- man the light of day. LESSON XCI. THIRTY-FIRST WEEK. DIFFERENCE OF ZONES. TH E Creator having made our earth in the form of a globe, and having hnprdled upon it a double motion, it neceilarily ioiiow r ed, that the BEAUTIES OE STURM. 189 the regions of the earth mutt be different from each other ; not only in refpccl to the temperature of the air, and the feafons, but to the animals and plants alfo. In certain countries there is but one feafon ; the fummcr is continual there, and every day is as hot as our fummer days. Thole countries are fituated in the middle of the globe, and occupy the fpuce called the Torrid Zone. The fineft and richeil fruits which nature produces grow there ; and it is there in general where [he moil liberally pours forth her treafures. The days and nights are of equal length moit of the year. There are, on the contrary, countries, where during the greater!: part of the year it is colder than our fe- vered: w inters. It is but a few weeks in the vear warm enough for the few trees and herbs which are there, to grow or become green ; and in thofe frigid zones, neither the trees nor the earth pro- duce fruit which mankind could feed on. The greateft inequality of day and night is there : each of them lalt in their turn for whole months toge- ther. The two temperate zones placed between the torrid and the frozen, occupy the greateft part ot our globe. In thofe countries, four feafons ap- pear more or lefs diittn&ly, according as they ap- proach the torrid, or the irigid zones. Thefpring, wherein the trees and plants bud and bloiiorn, the heat is moderate, and the days and nights nearly equal. The fummer, during which the fruit of the field and trees ripen, when the heat is more intenfe, and the days become vihbly longer than the nights. The autumn, when the fruit and the feeds fall off, and the grafs withers, while the night again becomes equal with the day, and the heat is daily abating. The winter, during which the vege- tation ot plants totally or partly ceafes, the nights lengthen, and the cold more or it fs increafes. The countries of the temperate zones, are fo fituated, that 10,0 BEAUTIES OF STURM. that in thofe which are near one of the fides of the torrid zone, thefeafons are directly contrary to thofe of the other temperate zone. When it is fummer in one, it is winter in the other, &c. In thefe parts, nature fhews more variety in the produce of the earth, and in animals, than elfewhere.— Wine is peculiar to thefe countries ; for the vine cannot be cultivated, either in intenfely hot, or feverely cold climates. Mankind in particular have advantages under fuch climates. However varied the regions of our earth may be, the Crea- tor has provided for the happinefs of all who inha- bit them. He ordains that each country fhould produce what is moft requifite, according to the nature of the climate. A worm, which feeds on the leaves of the mulberry-tree, fpins for the peo- ple of the torrid zone a web, from which they take filk for their clothing. A tree, as well as a fhrub, bears a kind of hufk or fhell full of fine cotton wool, with which light cloths are eafily made. On the other hand, the cold regions abound in quadrupedes ; the fkins of v/hich ferve for clothing to the inhabitants of the north ; and they are furnifhed with thick forells, which fup- ply them with abundance of fuel. That the blood of the inhabitants of the warm climates naturally heated, may not be too much inflamed, their fields and orchards give them cooling fruits, in fuch plenty, that they may fend ample provi- fion of them toother countries. In cold climates, the great quantity of fifh contained in the fea and lakes, and the number of animals they have, fup- ply the place of fruit. Thus, there is no region in cur globe, that does not feel the greatnefs and goodnefs of the Almighty. There is no country, however barren and poor we may fuppofe it, where nature is not bountiful enough to provide, not only the neceilaries, but the comforts of life. LESSON BEAUTIES OF STURM. 191 LESSON LCII. SINGULARITIES OF THE SEA. TH E fea is generally confidered only in a ter- rible light, without reflecting on the wonders and blellings it fo vifibly prefents to us. It is cer- tainly true, that the fea is one of the moil dread- ful elements when the tempefl roars, its waves fwell mountains high, and fhips are driven by them on banks of fand or rocks, where they are daftied to pieces. The whirlpools, or tftofe mafles of water which make the (hip turn rapidly round with their current, and end in finking or fwallowing them up ; thofe whirpools are oqcafioned by great cavities in the fea, where rocks and different cur- rents meet. No lefs dangerous are the water-fpouts, which the wind raifes from the fea up to the iky. They hover in the air above the ocean, and the wind whirls them round with violence ; they often burfl with great noife, and do much mifchief to veffels at fea ; they frequently break the mails, tear the fails, and iink the fhip. But we fhould be very ungrateful to attend only to the mifchief the fea does us, without deigning to reflect: on the magnificent works of the Lord, and on his good- nefs, which ihines forth even in the depths of the abyfs. The firfl thing worthy of remark is the faltnefs of the fea. It is fuch, that a pound of water contains two ounces of fait. This fait qua- lity, be the caufe of it what it may, was necef- fary for feveral purpofes. It prevents the water from corrupting, and contributes to make it ilrong enough to bear the greateil burdens to be con- veyed from one place to another. The colour alfo of the fea-water deferves our obfervation ; it is not the fame every where. The different infects, marine 192 BEAUTIES OF STURM. marine plants, the mixture of many things which the rivers wafli into the fea, vary its colour here and there. When it is calm, it fometimes appears ffrewed with brilliant ftars. The tract, of a (hip, which cuts the waves, is often luminous, and feems a river of fire. Thefe phenomena mull be partly attributed to fulphurous particles, oily and inflammable fubftances in the fea, and partly to mining infects. Every day, or rather in the fpace of 25 hours, the fea twice rifes and falls. When the tide rifes, it is the flux ; and when it falls it is the reflux. This phenomenon is attended with feveral remarkable circumftances. There is always a" flux and reflux at the fame time in two parts of the globe, and thofe are oppofite to each other. The tide is always loweft when we are in the firft and la ft quarter of the moon ; and our higheft tides are generally three days after the new or full moon. However it may proceed from accidental caufes, that the tide is fooner and higher one time than another ; it is ftill certain, that great advan- tages refult to us from it, both in purifying the water, and being ufetul for navigation. — And wonderful as this is, there is much more to in- tereft us. If we confider the contents of the fea, a new world appears ; and the number of beings of which it is compofed is prodigious.- The aquatic animals are not indeed fo varied in their fpecies as the terreftrial ; but they furpafs them in fize, and their life is longer than that of the earth or air. The elephant and oitrich are fmall in companion of the whale, which is the largeft fifh the fea contains. Its length is often from 60 to 70 feet. It lives as long as an oak, and confequently no land animal's life can be compared to it. Who could even give a lift of the feveral forts of animals which live at the bottom, and towards the furface of the fea ? Who could teli their number, defcrihe their BEAUTIES CF STL'RM. 193 their form, c fize, and nf- j of thefc different animals : The ck r to occupy about two-thirds of our globe. 1 he feas are not only great refervcirs o't water, \ by means of vapours which arife out oft; rces of rain, fnow, and other fuch meteors. H much w -rs in the coi the feas have with each other, and the continual motion the Creator has imprefled upon them ! There are found in the ici, r fprings, rivers, plants, and animals. Th in the fea are only 5 of a Ic In of mountains. the fca has been lefs exa an any other part of the globe, we have reafon t a ins frill a number of wonders, to which neither the underftanding nor the fenfes of man are adequal .- ; but which all prove the power and of Gcd. Let us then adore him who has every where, in the ocean, as well as upon earth, fixed monuments of his greatnefs. LESSON XCIII. SEVERAL THINGS REMARKABLE IN* ANIMALS. TH E different inftincts and properties of ani- mals are a very interefting fludy.. But, to a reflecting being, it is fomething more than merely an agreeable object. The animal operations teach him to trace them back to a he cannot fathom, becaufe it furpa fifes all human conception. This is the effect I wifh to produce, by pointing out tl ible in certain an' The manner in which birds and infects lay their eggs is worth remarking. T ?p er > the .., the tori never ti K themfe S94 BEAUTIES OF STURM. themfclves about their eggs, nor the young ones that nre in them. They lay their eggs in the earth, and leave to the fun the care of hatching them. 'Other animals, by a natural initinc"t", lay their eggs in places where the young find food the moment they are born. The mothers are never miftaken. The butterfly, proceeding from the caterpillar, will not lay its eggs on meat, nor will the fly which lives on meat, lay her's on cabbage. — Certain animals are fo careiul of their eggs, that they carry them with them wherever they go. The fpider, called the wanderer, carries her's in a little iilken bag. When they are hatched, they range them- felves in a particular order on their mother's back, who goes about with this load,^ and continues to take care of them for, feme time. Certain flies lay their eggs in the bodies of living infects, or in the jiefts or thofe infects. It is well known, that there is not a plant which does not ferve to feed ana lodge many infects. A fly pierces through an oak-leaf, and lays an egg in the hole it has made. This wound quickly clofes. The place it was in fwells, and there foon appears upon it an excre- fcence, which they call the gall-nut. The egg that was contained in the growing gall-nut grows with it, and the irnlet finds both lodging and food as foon as it is born. The care of animals for their young is fearce credible ; and their love of them fometimes furpaffes their love of life. With v tendernefs the quadrupedes nurfe their young! They cure their wounds by licking them ; they convey them from one place to another, when any danger is \ they guide them and defend them. W pains the mothers take to get them meat ! The feu- dog, during a llorm, conceals its young under its ftomach ; whence they come out again when the flight is over. Each fpecies of animals has its peculiar inclinations and wants. Let us, for ex- ample, BEAUTIES OF STURM. 195 ample, confider thofe which are obliged to feek their food in the water, and particularly the aquatic birds. Nature has covered their wings with a gluey oil, through which the water cannot pene- trate ; by this means they are not wet in diving, which otherwife would prevent their flying. The proportion alfo of their bodies differs from that of other birds. Their legs are placed more behind, that they may Hand up in the water, and ftretch their wings above it. To enable them to fwim, their feet are furnifhed with webs. For the pur- pofe of diving, they have been given a particular form of body ; and for that of feizing their prey, nature has provided them with large bills and long necks. In a word, they are formed as their way of life requires they fhould be. The nautilus is a fort of lhell-fifh, fomething like a fnail. When it wifhesto afcend, it places itfelf on the fore-part of its fhell ; and to make itfelf lighter, it throws out the water. If it withes to defcend, it with- draws into the bottom of its houfe, which then fills with water, and becomes heavy. If it willies to fail, it artfully turns its fhell, which becomes a little gondola, and then it ftretches out a thin flight membrane, which fwclls in the wind, and ferves as a fail. Perhaps, from the nautilus mankind have learned the art of navigation. It is with the actions of animals as with their make- The lame wifdom which formed their bo- dies, their limbs, and appointed them a common ufe, has alfo planned the different actions we ree them perform, and directs them towards that pur- pofe for which they were created. When, there- lore, 1 obferve the inftinct and the induftry of animals, I feel a fentiment of veneration, grati- tude, and refpect, for their Creator. K 2 LESSON ig& BEAUTIES OF STURM. LESSON XCIV. THIRTY-SECOND WEEK. ON THE GRAVITY OF BODIES. BODIES are endowed with force, which a&s at all times, in all places, and in all fenfes. If a body endeavours to move towards one point more forcibly than to another, we fay that it gra- vitates towards that point. For experience teaches us, that bodies are inclined to defcend ; or, that if they are far from the furface of the earth without fupport, they fall on it in a perpendicular line. It is by no means in the body itfeif that we mull: feek the caufe of its weight ; for a body which falls remains in the (late it was put, till fome exterior caufe changes it. It is equally impoflible that the air mould occaiion this gravity, lince being itfeif heavy, it ought rather to leifen the fwiftnefs of the fail of bodies , we muft therefore feek the caufe elfewhere. Perhaps the opinion neareft truth, is that which fuppofes the earth to have the virtue of attracting bodies placed at a certain diftance, as the magnet attracts iron : or elfe, poflibly, it may be imputed to a foreign fubftance dhtributed through- out all bodies. But though we cannot poiitively afeertain the caufe of weight, nothing is more evi- dent than the advantages which accrue from it. Without it we mould not be able to move as we do. When we raife the right foot, we make the left to be the centre of gravity. If we then bend our body forward, we are near falling ; but by putting out the right foot, we prevent the fall, and make a ftep. Thus our walk is, in fome refpects, a con- tinual courfe of falls ; during which the centre of gravity is preferved between our feet. This is the ireafoii we bend forward in going up a hill, and backward BEAUTIES OF STURM. I97 backward in coming down it. We alfo lean for- ward when we carry a load on our moulders, and backward when we carry it before us. All this is according to the laws of gravity, which govern the motions of animals when they walk, fwim, or fly. Thefe fame laws govern the motions of the im- menfe bodies which roll in the firmament : the fun attracts the planets ; and each planet in its turn attracts its iatellites : or, what is juft the fame, the planets gravitate towards the fun, and the fatellites towards the planets ; for a body made to turn round always, flies in a direct line from its centre, if it meets with no obflacle in its way. It is with the greateft fwiftnefs that the planets run their gourfe ; and the moon is not faflened by a chain to our earth. It feems then, as if a motion fo rapid as that of the moon, tnuft throw it very far from us in the im- mcufurable fpace, if there was not a force which continually pufhus it towards our globe; and which counteracts the force that removes it from hence. That firit force is the gravitation of the moon to- wards the earth. If our earth* was either lighter or heavier than it is, what would be the confe- quence r It would either draw too near or too far from the fun. In the firfl cafe, the heat would be infupportable ; and in the latter, the cold would be equally fo : every thing in our globe would be con- fumed or frozen. What would then become of the feafons, and many things fo indifpenfable for man, and fo neceifary for his happinefs ? Here again, then, O Supreme Wifdom! I find a monument of thy wonders. By the laws of gra- vity thou giveft motion to the celeftial bodies, and to all animals. But it is in this that the greatnefs of thy power and wifdom confifls, and that the greateft effects are produced by means that appear to us the moff. infignificant. Kq lesson 1 9^ BEAUTIES OF STURM. LESSON XCV. THE NUMBER OF EFFECTS IN NATURE, THE whole conftitution of the world may con- vince us, that it is not chance, but a divine power, and a wifdom beyond all conception, which firft erected this wonderful fabric, and impreifed motion upon its different parts, and regulated the great chain of events depending on and fuccecding each other. What variety of effects does the heat of the fun vifibly produce r It not only contributes to prefcrve the life of multitudes of animals, but alfo to the vegetation of plants, the ripening of corn and fruit, the fluidity of water, the exhalation of vapours, and formation of clouds, without which neither rain nor dew would fall upon the earth. The air, likewife, is fo constituted as to fulfil feveral purpofes at once. By- means of this ele- ment, the animal bodies are preferved, and all the vital motions acquire force. It is the air which kindles fire, and nourifhes the flame. The air, by its motion and undulation, conveys every fort of found to the ear. It gives a fpring to the winged animals ; and enables them to fly from place to place. It opens to man an eafy palTage through the feas ; the vaft expanfe of which he could not otherwife crofs over. It is the air which fupports the clouds in the atmofphere, till becoming too heavyj they fall again in rain. It is the air which prolongs the day by the twilights ; and without it, the gift of fpeech, and the fenfe of hearing, would be ufelefs to us. All thefe bleflings, and many more, depend on the formation of the air in which we live and breathe. This wonderful elem which furrounds our globe, which is too fubtiie to be vifible to us, and yet fo ftrong, that no element can BEAUTIES OF STURM. ig$ refill: it's force, is it not a (hiking proof of the wifdom of our Creator r The force of gravitation alone, which exifts in every thing, holds the earth firm, preferves the mountains, and renders water fluid. It confines the ocean in its depths, and the earth within the circle prefcribed. It maintains each being in its place throughout all nature ; and preferves between the celeftial bodies the proper diilance from each other. Who can defcribe the many properties of w 7 ater ! In general, it ferves to dilute, to foften, to mix a great many bodies which we could not otherwife make ufe of. It is the mod wholefome drink : it is the beft nourifhment for plants : it works mills and feveral other ma- chines. It procures us fifn, and brings on its fur- face the treafures of other regions. How various and innumerable the effects produced by fire ! Solid bodies are either melted and made fluid, or become again folid bodies of a different fort. It makes fluids boil, or reduces them to a vapour ; and gives heat to all other bodies, and contributes to give fen- fation of fight to living creatures. It is not only in the natural world that we fee the greateft variety of effects produced by the fame caufe : in the moral world alfo, one lingle difpo- lition of the mind produces no lefs variety- of effects. Let us, for example, confider the natural inclina- tion we have to love one another.. From hence is derived the care of parents for their children ; focial ties ; the connexion of friendship ; goodnefs in thofe who govern, and fidelity in thofe who obey. Thus, one fingle propenfity keeps each in- dividual in the circle prefcribed, and forms the bond of human fociety ; is the principle of all virtuous actions, of ail laudable purfuits, and of ail innocent enjoyments. K 4 LESSON *00 BEAUTIES OF STURM. LESSON XCVL VARIETY IN THE STATURE OF MAN. THE entire height of the human body varies Considerably, and the more or the lefs is of little confequencc. The ufiial height is from five to fix feet. Some people, who live in the northern countries along the frozen feas, are lefs than live ieet. The lead people of thofe known to us in- habit the top of the mountains in the ifland of Madagafear ; they, are fcaree four feet high. Many of thefe dwarhfh people came originally from na- tions of a common ftature ; and the caufe of their degeneracy mufi certainly be imputed to the climate they inhabit. The extreme cold molt of the year there, makes both animals and vegetables fmall ; why mould it not l^ve the L\..,, ^C. on man ? On the other hand, there are whole nations of a gigantic^ fize : the 1719ft famous of them are the Pata^oniajif, who live -ear the ftreia^ cf hiz~z'<- Ian. It is uilerted that they are from eight to ten feet high. Neither ought it to appear to us im- potfible, that there mould be people taller than the Europeans. Bolides the traces that remain of it in hiitoiy, and in the monuments of antiquity, there have been feen, even in our climates, men fometimes above fix feet and a half high ; who were, notwithstanding, well proportioned, healthy, ^nd capable of all the exercife and labour which, require itrength and activity. Adorable Creator ! every thing bears thy (lamp : the dwarf as well as the giant • the blade of grafs as well as the oak i the worm as well as the elephant. WESSON BEAUTIES OF STURM. 201 LESSON XCVII. THIRTY-THIRD WEEK. THE DOG-DAYS. TH E fun, beficles its diurnal motion, which appears to convey it from eafl to weft, and which occaiions the revolution of day and night, feeems evidently to have another motion from weft to eaft ; by means of which, at the end of 365 days, it comes again near the fume liars from which it had removed for fix months, and to which it was drawing near the other fix months. On this account, the ancient aftronomers divided the fea- fons according to the ftars which the fun meets in its annual courfe They divided this courfe into twelve conftellations, which are the twelve figns of the Zodiac, called the twelve houfes of the fun, becaufe it feems to dwell a month in each of them. The fummer begins with us when the fun enters the fign of Cancer, which happens the 2ilt or 22d of June. It is then that the fun is railed at the higheft above our horizon, and darts its rays almoft" directly upon us ; and of courfe at that time be- gins the heat of fummer, which always increafes in the following month, by degrees, as our globe is more heated by the burning rays of the fun. This is- the reafon that for a month or fix weeks after Midfummer is generally the hottell part of the year. Now, of all the liars in conjundion with the fun, the dog-ftar is the brighten 1 ; loll in the rays of the fun, it difappears from us for a month, as is the cafe with every liar which the fun meets in its courfe, and the month of its difappearing is the time called the dog-days. Thefe obfervations would be of little importance, were it not to re- gnove a rooted prejudice among many people. An K r, ancient 202 BEAUTIES OF STURM. ancient tradition attributes the heat ufually felt at this time to the influence of the dog-ftar upon the earth and its inhabitants. This opinion is proved to be abfurd, from this circumftance alone, that the concealment of the dog-ftar, in the rays of the fun, does not take place in the time we call dog- days. Thofe days, properly fpeaking, do not in reality begin till one month after, and they termi- nate towards the end of the next month. — When, therefore, in the fuppofed dog-days, things liable to ferment turn four ; when ftagnated waters dry up as well as the fprings ; when dogs' and other animals are feized with madnefs ; when we are attacked with diibrders, which imprudence in hot weather draws upon us : this does not happen be- caufe a ftar conceals itfelf behind the fun ; it is the extreme heat of the air, at that feafon, which is the fole ca'ufe of all thofe effects. Whoever can fuppofe, that certam figures, which the ima- gination forms to itfelf in the fky, can have any influence on our globe, and on the health and rea- fon of man, difcovers great want of judgment. It is not the ftars, it is generally ourfelves, which we ought to accufe of the evils we fufFer. Can we fuppofe an infinitely good Being, the Ruler of the world, to have created any thing in the heavens or in the earth, to be a torment and mifery to his creatures ? If we believe in fuch as an inevitable fatality, we cannot admit or acknowledge a Crea- tor, the effence ofwifdom and goodnefs. Inftead of being guilty of fuch an error, let us glorify God, and lecture our peace, by believing ourfelves to be under the protection of a merciful Father, contrary to whole will not even a hair can fall from our heads. LESSON BEAUTIES OF STURM, 2C>3 LESSON XCYIII. CONTEMPLATION OF A MEADOW. DARK and majeftic woods, where the fir- tree raifes its (lately head, where the tufted oaks fpread their fhade : ye rivers which roll your iilver waves through the grey mountains, it is not you I now mean to praife ; it is the verdure and enamel of the fields which are now the objects of my contemplation. How many beauties prefent themfelves to the fight, and how varied are they ! Millions of vegetables, millions of live creatures ! Some flying from flower to flower, while others creep and crawl in the dark labyrinths of the tufted grafs. How fpft the murmur of the limpid ftream, whole banks are covered with thick grafs, inter- mixed with flowers, which, bending over the w r ater, trace their image in it. Behold that forelt of waving herbs ! What a mild luff re the fun cafts on thole different fhades of green. Thofe delicate plants, interwoven with grafs, thus mix their ten- der foliage ; or elfe proudly raife their heads above their companions, anddifplay flowers without per- fume ; whilft the humble violet grows on barren hills, exhaling its fw r eets around. Thus one often fees the ufeful virtuous man in poverty, whilft the rich and great are clothed in fumptuous ha- bits, wafting in idlenefs the bleflings of the earth. Winged infects purfue each other in the grafs. Sometimes I lofe fight of them in the verdure, and then again I fee a fwarm of them flying in the air, and fporting in the rays of the fun. What other buzzing is this I hear ? It is a fwarm of young bees. They have lately flown from their diftant home, and difperfed over the gardens and fields. They are now gathering fweet nectar from the K 6 flowers, 204 BEAUTIES OF STURM. flowers, in order to carry it to their cells. There is not an idle one amonglf. them. They fly from flower to flower ; and, in feeking their (tores, they conceal their velvet heads in the cup of the flower, or elfe with labour penetrate into thofe that are not yet unfolded. ,0 how beautiful is nature ! The grafs and flowers grow luxurious ; the trees are covered with foliage ; the gentle zephyr fa- lutes us ; the flocks feek their pafture ; the tender bleating lambs (kip and rejoice in their exiftence ; innumerable blades of grafs rife up in this field, and to each point hangs a drop of dew. How many primrofes with their trembling leaves are here ! What harmony in the notes of various birds from yonder hill ! Every thing exprefles joy. It reigns in the hills and dales, in woods and in groves. Happy he whofe innocent life paffes away in performing his duty to his Maker, and in the enjoyment of the beauties of nature ! The whole creation fmiles upon him, andjoy attends him where - ever he goes ; his mind is ferene as a calm fummer- day ; his affections are gentle and pure as the per- fume of the flowers around him. Happy he who in the beauties of nature traces the Creator, and devotes himfelf wholly to him ! LESSON XCIX. VORACIOUS ANIMALS AND INSECTS. IT is eafier to exterminate wolves, lions, and other wild beafts, than to extirpate infects, when they fwarm over a whole country. At Peru, a fort of ant called cha'ko is very injurious to the inhabitants. Their lives would even be in danger, rf they did not ufe precautions to deliver them- ielves from thefe dreadful infects. It is well known what caterpillars do to fruit-trees, and mice to BEAUTIES OF STURM, 20,5 to the fields. Cut however real thefe inconveni- ences may be, they do not authorife fuch bitter complaints as we allow ourfelves to make ; com- plaints in which fclf-love has too great a part. — We are pleafcd at obferving that the creatures hurtful to us deitroy one another. We think we have a right to take away the lives of ani- mals, either for our food, or for any other pur- pofe ; but cannot bear that they Ihould take . thing trom us. We expect they ihould ferve for "our fubiiltence, and will give up nothing to them. Li reality, however, have we more right over the life of a gnat, than it has to a drop of our blood ? Beiides, in Complaining of the vora- city of animals, we do not confider that this plan of nature is not as difadvantageous as it appears. In order to be convinced of this, we have only to confider the animal kingdom in the whole. Such fpecies which appear noxious to us is, however, of real ufe ; and it would be very dangerous to attempt to deitroy the race of them. A few years ago, fome inhabitants ot the Englifh colonies in America endeavoured to extirpate the jays, or jackdaws, be- caufe th^y fancied that thefe birds did much mil- chief to the corn ; but in proportion as the num- ber of jays diminished, the people were ftruck with the havock made by an enormous multitude of worms, caterpillars, and particularly the May-bugs. They foon ceafed to perfecute the jays ; and as foon as thofe multiplied again, they put an end to this plague which had been theconfequence of their deftruction. Some time ago a project was formed in Sweden to deftroy the crows ; but they were obferved in time, not only to fix on corn and plants, but alio that they devoured the worms and cater- pillars, whicl . the leaves or roots of vegeta- bles. In North America they purfued the fpar- row violently j but it happened from thence, that the *o£ BEAUTIES OF STURM, the gnats increafed to fuch a degree in the marfhy countries, that they were obliged to leave a great deal of land uncultivated. Pheafant-hurrting is fo confiderable in the ifle of Porcida, that it occa- sioned the king of Naples to forbid the ufe of cats to the inhabitants. At the end of a few years the rats and mice increafed fo much, and did fuch mif- chief that this order was aboliihed. And why fhould we be fo felnfh as to envy creatures the fmall part of our provilions which they require for food ? Could we pofiibly confume all that nature pro- duces ? Shall we, want any thing for our fupport or pleafure, becaufe the birds, the mice, and the infects, help us to make ufe of the bleflings which God grants in fuch profuhon, and part of which would be wafted, were not the animals to feed on it. Inftead of giving way to unjuif. complaints, let us rather in this acknowledge the wifdom of our Creator. Every thing in nature is connected toge- gether ; and we may be certain that it is for the wifeft purpofes that they exift. LESSON C. THIRTY-FOURTH WEEK. THE BUILDINGS OF THE BEAVERS. IF a man, who had never heard of the beavers manner of building, had been (hewn feme of their edifices, he would certainly have fuppofed them the work ot ikilful architects. The whole performance ot thefe amphibious creatines is won- derful, and Qiuft fill every attentive obferver with aftonifhment. The beavers choofe a place to build on where they can have plenty of provilions, and near a rivulet, in order to have a refervoir of water to bathe in. They begin by making a dike or bank, which keeps the water on a level with the fir ft floor of their houfe. This bank is fometimes a prodi- gious BEAUTIES OF STURM, ZOJ gious work. It is about ten or twelve feet tl at bottom. It goes iV-ping, and infenfibly dimi- niihing towards the top, tiii it becomes no mure than two feet. The only materials tor this dike are wood and clay. The beavers cut through pieces of wood, as thick as an arm, with wonder- ful eafe. They fix thefe into the ground, very clofe to each other, and interweave between fmaller more iupple pieces or" wood. But as the w; would get through, and their watering-place wc be empty, they have recourfe to clay, whi they know where to find, and with which they fill all the fpaces within and without, {q that the water cannot run through. In propor. as the water rifes, they continue to raife the dike. The bank of the watering-place be finifhed, they labour at their fcoufes, which are . i or oval buildings, divided into three (tori railed one above another: one of them is below the dike, and generally full of water; the other two are above it. They fix thefe little build: in a very flrong and firm manner on the edge of the watering-place, and always by ltories, in order to mount higher, in cafe the water mould rife. If they find a little iiland near the watering- place, they build their houfes upon it, which is then more folid, and they are lefs incommoded by water, in which they cannot long remain. They make two doors at the bottom to go out into the water. One leads them to their bathing-place : the other is a paifage to the place whei i rry all the dirt, ccc. from their upper apartments. They have a third door, higher up, tor fear of being taken when the ice flops up the lower doors, They fornetimes build their houfes entirely on dry ground, and make ditches five or fix feet deep, to get to the water. They ufe the and the fame materials, for the buildings as for the 208 BEAUTIES OF STURM. the dikes. The walls are perpendicular, and two feet thick. They cut off with their teeth the ends of wood which go beyond the level of the wall, then, mixing clay with dry herbs, they make a compofition of it, with which they plafter both infide and oufide of the work, by the help of their tail. The infide of the houfe is arched \ and the fize is in proportion to the number of inhabitants. With their teeth they cut all the wood they require for building \ they make ufe of their fore-feet to dig the ground, and to foften and mix the clay ; their tail fupplies the place of a wheel-barrow to carry their mortar or clay, and afterwards ferves as a trowel to plalter it on. The works of the beaver have, then, the greateft refemblance with thofe of man ; of all animals we know, they come the neareft to human reafon. We need only obferve them, to be convinced that beaits are not mere machines, but that all their actions and motions are directed by a higher principle. LESSON CI. ANIMALS CONSIDERED AS EXAMPLES TO MANKIND OF VICES AND VIRTUES. TH E ftudy of animated nature furnifhes us with many pleafing ideas ; efpecially as it gives us every where proofs of the Divine Wifdom and Goodnefs: but I do not know whether we at- tend as much as we ought to the Ieflbns of mora- lity it feems intended to convey. It is remarkable that companion belongs to man alone. In God is mercy, mercy free and infinite : in man com- panion for all created beings. In the brute-crea- tion fome few inftances of affection are found ; no companion properly fo called ; no free difinte- refted pity. Some virtues the brute creatures, efpe- cially BEAUTIES OF STURM. 209 daily the domeftic animals, may teach us ; and doubtleis they were intended to do fo. The inno- cent lamb, in a language more powerful than words, inftructs us to pracfife the gentle meek arts of perfusion. The obedient ox and cow incul- cate mild fubmiilion. The afs is an example of patience ; the generous horfe of activity, and apt- nefs to receive inftruction. The dog is an exam- pie of fidelity and kind attention ; the cat ot various domeftic virtues. Friendfhip feems unknown, or but faintly exprelfed amongft. animals, excepting dogs and horfes ; and in them it is chiefly towards man. The vices which the dumb animals teach us to avoid are much greater, and more in number, than their virtues. The gluttony and fioth of the hog we deteft. The pride and ill-nature of the peacock we diilike as much as his voice. The turkey is. a pattern of all the vices in man ; and is n«M at racier of the domeftic beads and birds. Though what is here mentioned may be ftyled common place, yet fo long as mankind are inat- tentive, fuch things may properly be pointed out, and much more might be faid. The beaver, if contraited with that horrible creature called the glutton, the bee with the wafp, the ant with the fleih-rly, would teach us, as well as the domeftic animals, to do good, and avoid evil. But the fub- jecl: is almoft inexhauftible. I will therefore con- conclude with a part of the creation more nume- rous perhaps than all the reft put together ; I mean the fiih, both thofe with fcales, and thofe which have (hells, they feem to travel in vaft bodies, not from any love of fociety, but merely becaufe they are born in the lame or in neighbouring fitua- tions, and live on the fame food, which they rind near the coafts where they themfelves are to teed us. LESSON 2lO BEAUTIES OF STURM- LESSON CII. SENSITIVE PLANTS. WE obferve certain motions in plants, whiclr make it doubtful whether they have fen- fibility or not. There are vegetables, the flowers and leaves of which contract and ihrink from the touch. We fee others, which open and clofe their flowers at certain fixed hours of the day, fo regu- larly as to mark the time very exactly. Others take a lingular form in the night, and fold them- felves up. Thefe motions in the plants are the fame, whether they are in the open air, or fhut up in a clofe room. Thofe which always live un- der water, raife their heads above it in the time of feeding. The movements of a marfhy plant difco- vesed lately in Carolina are ftili more lingular r th* upper lide and edge of its round leaves are covered with a number of notches, which are extremely irritable ; when an infect chances to creep on this upper lide, the leaf folds it up clofe, and prefles it to death, and then opens itfelf again. We- may every day obferve certain regular motions in fome of the plants in our gardens. The tulips blow in fine weather, but they clofe again when it rains, or at fun-fet. Scotch vegetables, fuch as peafe and beans, open their hufks when they grow dry, and roll up like chips. Wild oats, when put on a table, often move of themfelves, particularly if they have been made warm in the hand. Do we not alfo obferve the fun-flower, and feveral other plants, always turned towards the fun ? Thefe are undeniable facts, which any body may eaiily expe- rience. From thence it was wifhed to draw a con- cUilion, that there was fome feniibility in plants; and it is true, that the above-mentioned fa&s give, fome. BEAUTIES OF STURM. 211 fame degree of probability to that opinion. But, on the other hand, there has not been any c rk of feniibili red in plants ; every th appears abfolutely mechanical in them. We plant a fhrub, and deftroy it, without obferving any ana- logy between the animal and it. We obferve a plant moot, grow, bloifom, and turn to (eed y as obferve the hand of a watch run over all the points of the dial. The molt exact anatomy of a plant does not difcover any organ the leall refem- g the feat of animal feasibility. When we >fe thefe obfervations to thofe from whence the ibility of plants may be inferred, we remain in doubt, and know not how to explain the above- d phenomena. Perhaps, all we obferve in regard to the motions of plants may only proceed from the conitruction of fome of their fibres, which fon- ^itr-ct, and fometimes expand. Per- haps the fubiile exhalations of our bodies caufe the fenlitive plants to fhrink when we touch them. But it may alfo poifibiy be, that ail nature being linked, the firft degree of fenfation may fubliii in certain plants ; as indeed the ftep is very narrow between the plant and the mufcle ihell-fiih. There- fore, fenhbiiity may perhaps extend even to plants, at ieait to thofe nearelt to the animal. Behold, how very imperfect our knowledge is on thefe fubjects! All is mere conjecture: yet we know enough to fatisty a reasonable curioiity. Let us endeavour to apply the knowledge we have, without loling time in fpeculations more curious than ufeful ; and without* aiming at nnderftanding what may perhaps be referved tor thofe who come : us, or even to eternity it felt, LESSON 212 BEAUTIES OF STURM. LESSON CIII. THIRTY-FIFTH WEEK. VARIETY OF PLANTS. ON E of the things mod worthy our admi- ration in the vegetable kingdom, is the great variety of plants. They are varied in refpeft to their parts, their production, their properties, and qualities. The manner in which fome plants be- come fruitful is (till very obfcure. It is little known, for example, how it operates in mofs, mufh rooms, and iern. There are plants which fhew us lingular monftrofities : there are flowers which have no heads ; there are fome, from the middle of which fpring out other flowers. Certain plants, called foporiferous, which turn at night dif- ferently from what they do in the Q*y. Others turn towards the fun ; others fhrink and contract when we touch them. There are flowers which open and (hut at certain regular hours. Some (hoot up, blofTom, bear fruit, and drop their leaves, fooner than others. All plants are originally wild ; that is, they grow without culture. The Creator af- flgned for plants a climate adapted to their nature and purpofes, and where they mould arrive at the greatefl perfection. But thofe which are exotic may be naturalized with us, and made to fucceed very well, provided care is taken to procure for them the degree of heat their nature requires. What particularly charms the eye is the variety of forms and colours in plants. Let even the different forts of the fame fpecies be compared, and we cannot but admire the aftonifhing variety of models in the vegetable world. We ftep with wonder from the truffle to the fenlitive plant, from the mufhroom to the carnation, from the acorn to the lilac, from the nojloch to the rofe-tree, from mofs ta BEAUTIES OF STURM. 21$ to the cherry-tree, from the morel to the 02k, from the inilletoe to the orange-tree, from the ivy to the fir. If we conlider the numerous forts of mufh- rooms, or the kind of plants which we call imper- fect, we cannot but admire the fertility of nature in the production of thofe vegetables, which are fo diffVrent in form from the others, that we can fcarce rank them among plants. If we afterwards rife fome lteps up the chain of plants, we behold with pleafure the degrees of thofe with italics, from the grafs which grows between the (tones, to that ineliimable plant to which we owe our principal food. We, in the next place, obferve the variety of creeping plants, from the tender bind-weed to the vine. We cannot too much admire the perfect harmony, as well as the variety of the works of nature. Every plant, from the hyifop, which growls on walls, to the cedar of Lebanon, have the fame effential parts. A little herb is as complete a plant as the molt, beautiful rofe, and the rofe is not lefs fo than the fineft oak. Though each fpecies is diftinct. from the other, all belong to the fame fource ; ail obferve the fame general laws of growth. Let us acknowledge the greatnefs of that power, who produced and fupports fo great a variety in the vegetable kingdom. LESSON CIV. DIVISION OF THE EARTH. A L L the known countries of the earth are di- vided into four principal parts, Europe, Alia, Africa, and America. — Europe is the fmalleit. The Europeans, however, poifefs fome countries in the three other parts of the world, and have fubdued near one half of the earth. They travel into the four •5 14 BEAUTIES OF STURM. four quarters of the globe, and trade with all the different countries; nor do we know of people i'o well informed, or who cultivate the arts and fciences with more fuccefs. Europe is the only part of the earth which is every where cultivated, and covered with towns and villages ; the only place where the inhabitants keep up a conftant intercourfe, and pro- fefs nearly the fame religion. The three other parts are inhabited by a multitude of different na- tions, which have no connexion with one another; who are fcarce acquainted ; and who "differ greatly in ther manners, way of living, and in their reli- gion. — Aha is the largeft known continent : as the countries that are in the interior of this part of the world do not enjoy the cool fea breezes, as they are not watered by many rivers, as they have vait plains and. barren mountains, the heat and cold are in the extreme. Some parts of Aha are only in- habited by people, who in the morning pull down their towns and villages to carry them fome miles- further, and build them up again at night in an hour. It feems as if nature had made this wan- dering and unfettled life necellary ; and intended, that the eft..' .r, laws, and government of thefe people mould be lefs durable, and more fub- j e 61 to change, than elfewhere. The other people of Aha often fufTLr greatly from the reft lefs and unquiet character of thefe wandering nations. The northern parrs, which are full of lakes, marines, and forefts, have never been regularly inhabited ; but the foufhem, eaftern, and wefterri countries are the fineft in the world, and are wonderfully fer- tile, producing the neceflaries of life in great abun- dance. Next to Afia, Africa is the largeft part of our hemifphere, iir.ee it is a thoufaftd leagues fquare. As it is under the torrid zone, there are imrrienfe fandy deflrts, mountains of prodigious height', fo- refts inhabiting monfters of various forts. The op- pre / live BEAUTIES OF STURM. 215 preflive heat enervates and weakens every faculty or" Europeans, to whom the innermoit. parts of Africa are {till unknown. America was not dif- Covered by the Europeans till within fome centu- ries. It is divide^ into two continents, feparated only by a very narrow iirhmus, or neck ot la and fnrrounded by a great many iilands. The cold late of the northern part, its few product! and its diftance from inhabited countries, prevent its being entirely known as yet ; but we have every reafon to believe, that the natives are uncivilized. The earth there is ftill covered with fore Its and marfhes ; and hitherto the Europeans have only cultivated the eaftern coails. In the fouth of America there were lormerly f^rne great nations. The remainder was inhabited by fav-.ges. It is the country for ferpents, reptiles, and iniccls, which are much larger there than in Europe. It may be Faid, on the whole, that America is the country of grea, it, but with the feweft inhabitants. If we reckon rhe number of leagues thefe four parts of the globe occupy, their fize will appear ; and y t all the known countries make but a fourth part of this earth. And as we know but little or the worlds above us, let us at ur to know that which we inhabit, and to turn that know] to the glory of the rity. LESSON CV. MORAL REFLECTIONS ON SEEING A FIELD OF CORN. r 7^H IS field was lately expofed to great danger, jl. i [tied round it, and the ftorms often threatened to beat down and deitroy the 2l6 BEAUTIES OF STURM. the wheat. However, Providence has preferved it hitherto. It is thus that the dorms of affliction often threaten to overwhelm us. But this very tempeft is necelfary : it purifies and roots out the tares of vice. In the midft of trouble and forrow, our knowledge, faith, and humility, increafe and ftrengthen. It is true, that, like the weak ear of corn, we fometimes bend and are bowed down to the ground ; but the merciful hand of our Father fupports and raifes us up again. Towards harveft time, the corn ripens taft. The dew, the heat of the fun, and the rain, all combine to haften it. Oh ! may we, from day today, grow ripe for hea- ven. May all the events of our lives lead to that falutary end. Whatever be our fituation here ; whether the fun mines upon us, or is wrapt up in clouds ; whether our days be gloomy or fercne ; no matter, provided all concur to increafe our piety, and difpofe us better for eternity. It is very re- markable, that the ears of corn loaded with grain differ confiderably in height from thofe that are poor and thin. The latter are upright, rife high, and overlook the whole field ; whereas the others bend under their own weight. Behold the emblem of two forts of men ! The vain and prefumptuous, who do but little, fet themfelves above others, and look with contempt on the truly humble. A foolifh prefumption blinds them, and makes them defpife the means of falvation. Thofe, on the contrary, who are rich in virtue and good works, humbly bend down like the well-filled ears of corn. How many tares and weeds are mixed with the corn ! Such is the iituation of a Chriftian in this world. There is always a mixture in him of good and bad qualities, and his corrupted nature, like the tares, often interrupts the progrefs of virtue. A field of corn is not only the image of one individual, but aifo of the church in general. The profane and the BEAUTIES OF STURM, 81/ the wicked often, by their bad example, fow tares in a fieM. where there ought to be none but good feed. The great Lord of the field permits the tares to remain fome time. He tries patience and forbearance ; and it will not be till the time of harveft, in the great day of retribution, that he will give free courfe to his juftice. Behold with what eagernefs the country people run to gather the fruits of the earth ! The fey the cuts all before them. Thus death fweeps all away, the high and the low, the faint and the finner. Then let us hope we fhall meet in the blefTed fociety of angels ! That we fhall gratefully recollect our part labour and pain, the dangers and ftorms we had expe- rienced, and that we may be able to raife our voices with one accord to blefs the beneficent Father who watched over us. May this fweet hope fupport us in the time of trouble. Let it comfort us in our forrow, and make us wait with patience for the day of harveft. LESSON CVI. THIRTY-SIXTH WEEK. THE BEAUTY AND VARIETY OF THE BUT- TERFLIES. LE T us reflect on thefe little creatures before thej are gone. Perhaps our obfervations will intereft both the heart and the mind. Of fome the drefs is plain and fnnple ; others have a few orna- ments on their wings ; but fome have a profulion, and are all over covered with them. How beauti- ful the fhades variegate! With what delicacy has natured penciled them ! But, however great our admiration in feeing this infect with the naked eye, how much it increafes when examined through a microfcope ? Would any one ever have imagined, h that 2i8 BEAUTIES OF STURM. that the wings of butterflies were covered with fea- thers ; and yet nothing is more certain. What is commonly called dud,- is found in reality to be feathers. There is as much fymmetry in their conftruclion and form, as there is beauty in their colours. The parts which make the centre of thele little feathers, and are next to the wing, are the itrongeft. Thofe, on the contrary, which form the exterior circumference, are much more delicate, and moil wonderfully fine. All thefe feathers have quills at bottom ; but the upper part of them is more tranfparent than the quills. If the wing is touched roughly, the mo(i delicate part of the. feathers is deitroyed by it; but if all that we call dud lhould be rubbed off, there would only remain a fine tranfparent fkin, in which we might diftingmfh the little cells, or hollows, wherein were (tuck the quill of each feather. This fkin, from the manner in which it is compofed, may be diftinguilhed from the reft of the wing, nearly as we diitinguifh a fine lace from the linen c:\ which it is fewed ; it is more porous, more delicate, and feems as if embroidered with a needle. Lailly, it is edged with a fringe, regular, and ex- quifitely fine. What are our moil elegant dreiTes, in comparifon with that which nature has given to this infect ? How very delicate does a fine cam- bric appear to us ! How fine the threads, how re- gular the weaving; and yet, through the micro- fcope, they appear like pack -tb read ; and we fhould rather fuppofe they were interwoven by a bafket- maker, than produced from the loom of a good j weaver : yet this beautiful infect, proceeds from a mean looking worm. How much it has changed, fznce in the form of a reptile, it crawled in the duft, in danger of being crafhed ! In this extraor- dinary in feci, we may fee the emblem of the tranf- fonnation which awaits us. A day will come, when, BEAUTIES OF STURM. Sf$ when, quitting our prefent form, v. r e (hall ceafe to crawl upon the earth. Being made ; and having nothing to let bounds to our flight, we : then ioar beyond the ftars themfelves. LESSON CVII. THE FORMICA LEO, OR LION ANT NO infect is more famous for its dexterity than the formica Ieo y although its form promifes nothing extraordinary. It is fomething like the wood-loufe. It has iix feet, and its body (which is compofed of feveral membraneous rings termi- nates in a point. Its flat fquare head is armed with two moving hooped horns, the lingular conitructlcn of which mews how admirable nature is, even in its fmalleft works. This infect is the mod c ning and dangerous enemy the ant has. The p. he forms to catch his prey are molt ingeni He undermines a piece of ground, in the ihape of a funnel, in order to ltay at tl fit, and draw down any ants which may chance to come to the brink of this precipice. The method of digging it is, firft to trace a circular ridge in the land, exactly the frze of the funnel, the diameter of which is always equal to the depth h s to ike it. When he has fixed on the iize of this opening, and traced the firft rid ately digs a fecond, concentric to the other, in or- . .v out all the find er. circle. He performs ail this with his head, which is like a ihovel : the flat and fquare ihape makes it fit for tlie- purpefe. He alio takes up fand wirh one of his fore-feet, and throws it over the ridge ; a he repeats till he- has got to a cer- pth in the land. Sometimes in digging he L 2 meets 220 BEAUTIES OF STURM. . meets grains of fand rather large, or little bits of dry earth which he cannot bear in his funnel, and gets rid of it by a quick well meafured motion of hrs head. If he finds ftill larger pieces, he endea- deavours to put them away with his back ; and he is fo earned in this labour, that he repeats it fix or feven times. His traps once laid, he is on his watch. Quite ftill and concealed at the bottom of the hole which he has dug, he there waits for the prey which he could not purfue. If an ant comes to the brink of the precipice, it feldom fails of falling to the bottom, becaufe the edge goes doping, and the lofe fand which gives way under his feet, draws down the infect into the power of his enemy, who drags him with his horns under the fand, and feafts upon him. When there remains nothing but the dry carcafe, he throws it out of the hole ; and if the bank is hurt at the top, he put it in order again, and lies in ambufh as before. He does not always fucceed in catching his prey the moment it falls. It often efcapes, and endeavours to run up again to the top ; but then the formica leo works with his head, and throws up a fhower of fand higher than the ant, which drives it down again into the hole. All the actions of this little animal contr.in fuch wonderful art, that we can fcarce tire of examining him. He prepares the hole even before he fees the infect deftined to be- come his food, and yet his actions are fo regulated, that they prove the fureft means of providing for his fubfiftence. How could fuch an inactive crea- ture as this catch his prey fo well as, by digging in loofe fand, and giving a ILping form to the hole he makes, and then covering with a fhower of fand the infect which falls into it ? All its actions have fixed principles, by which he is directed. His ditch ought to be dug in the fand, or it would not be adapted for attracting his prey. According to the BEAUTIES OF STURM. 221 the make of his body, he is obliged to work back- wards, and to make ufe of his horns as tongs to throw up the fand to the edge of the funnel. The inftind which direcls this infeft, difcovers to us a Firft Caufe, whofe fore fight knew and or- dained all that was neceflary for the prefervation and welfare of this animal. The dexterity it fhews is not the effect of experience or practice : it is born with it. We muft therefore feek its fource in that Great Being who proportions the inftinct of animals to the degrees they require. LESSON CVIII. THE NATURE AND PROPERTIES OF SOUND. Ah L founds are produced by means of the air ; but it is neceifary for that purpofe that the air fhould be in motion. It is not that every movement of the air occafions a found ; for if this was the cafe, all wind muft be attended by a noife. In order to form a found, the air muft be fuddenly comprerTed ; and muft dilate and ex- tend again by its elaftic power. This occafions a kind of trembling undulation, fomething like that of the waves and circles occasioned by throwing a ftone into the water. But if this undulating mo- tion was only to be effected by the particles of air being comprerTed, the found would never reach our ears. It is neceifary that the fonorous bodies, after making im predion on the contiguous air, fhould continue that impreflion from particle to particle all about us. By this means the particles of air reach our ear, and we have a perception of found. This progrefs is made with prodigious fwiftnefs. Sound goes a thoufand feet in a fecond oi time, L 3 and 9.22 BEAUTIES OF STURM. and confequently a German league in twenty fe- conds. It is very remarkable that a weak found propagates as quick as a loud one. The motion of the air, however, is ftronger when the found is Wronger, becaufe a greater mafs of air is put in motion. A thin elaltic membrane, ftretched at the bottom of the ear like a drum, receives the vibra- tions of the air - t and by that means we have the power of diftinguifhing founds. If there were no rids, all mankind would be dumb, and we fhould be as ignorant as a child before it can fpeak ; but by means of founds, every creature can exprefs its wants and its enjoyments. But if we inquire, how it is that, when we pronounce a word, it creates in us the idea of a word, and not a mere found, or how a tone can act upon our fouls, and produce fo many different fenfations, we are obliged to acknowledge our ignorance of all this. It is enough for us to be convinced by this*, as by every thing clfe, of the wifdoin and goodnefs of our Creator. LESSON CIX. THIRTY-SEVENTH WEEK. THE MYSTERIES OF NATURE. WHEN men attempt to penetrate into the caufes of the effects daily under their obfer- vatida, they are obliged to acknowledge bow limit- ed their understandings are. There are a great num- ber of effects in nature concealed from us ; and thefe which we are able to explain have ft il I fome obfeurity in them, which reminds us that we are but men. We hear the wind whittle* we experience its great and its different effects ; but we know not exactly what produces it, what increafes its vio- lence, or what abates it. From a little grain, we behold BEAUTIES OF STURM. 223 behold grafs fpring up, ftalks and ears of corn-; but we are ignorant how it is done. We comprehend, "how from a little fruit- ere can grow a plant, and then a great tree, u. tade the birds make their nefts ; which tree is covered wirh leav^ >;Tcms, to (hade afford us fruit to eat, and wood'for our ufe and renience. We behold the wonderful effects of the loadftone, and we believe there muft be a cer- . matter which operates in it ; but whether it by an attractive force peculiar to itfelf, ..her it circulates continually round the k ftcne, and forms a fort of vertex, is what we c not decide. We feel the cold, but no man has yet difcovered what occafions it. Nature at t\ pref ■ venders which confound us ; and wl ever researches, , we : made, there (till remains many thine. comprehend. It is true, we fometimes are able to explanations of certain phenome. but the principles, the firfl : their nature of operating, are certainly above the m fphere of our underftand The myfteries of nature afford us dally leflbns of 3m, in regard to the myfteries of religion. Id nature, God has plac in our reach the means of pailing our temporal lives happily, ■]- gh he has concealed the caufes from our light'. Thus, in the kingdom of grace, he furniihes us with means of arriving at a fpi ritual and everlaft- ing life, though the manner in which th . remains concealed from us. Would any one ret ufe to eat and drink, till he knew how it is that food gives him ftrength, and preferves his lite ? Or would he neither fow nor plant for want of having a juft idea of the manner in which ve- getation operates r If we find things which cannot comprehend, or t , let us L 4 receive 224 BEAUTIES OF STURM. receive them with humility, and acknowledge the weaknefs of our understanding. The advantage they are to us, when we make a good ufe of them, convinces us they are the work of a Being infi- nitely wife and beneficent ; and this is fufficient for us to know. LESSON CX. FISH, WHO that had never feen fifh would have believed there were fuch creatures ? If a naturalift only knew animals that walk and breathe on land, as the rein-deer does, and was told that there were creatures in the water, fo formed as to live, move, multiply, and to fulfil every animal function in that element with eafe and pleafure, would he not treat it as a fiction ; and conclude, from the effect on our bodies, when plunged in water, that it is abfolutely impoflible to live in that fituation. It is certain, that the way in which fifh live, their conftruction, motion, &c. are quite wonderful, and afford frefh proofs of the omnipo- tence and infinite wifdoxn of our Sovereign Creator. To enable thefe creatures to live in water, it was jieceflTary to form their bodies in efTential points, very different from thofe of land-animals ; and we accordingly find this the cafe, in fifh, both within and without. Why has the Creator given to mofc fifh a (lender thin body, flattened at the fides, and always a little pointed at the head, if it is not that they fhould fwim, and cut their way better in the water ? Why are they covered with fcales of a horny fubftance, if it is not to preferve their bodies from being hurt by the preflure of the water ? Why are feveral forts of fifh (particularly thofe without fcales) BEAUTIES OF STURM. 22£ feales) enveloped with a fat and oily fubftance, if it is not to preferve them from putrefaction, and to guard them from cold ? Why are the fifh-bones fo different from other bones, if it is not to make their bodies more flexible ? Why are the eyes of fifh funk into the head, if it is not to guard them better from being hurt? It is evident, that in the formation of all thofe parts, the Creator has con- fidered the way of life and deftination of thefe ani- mals. But there are Hill more wonderful circum- ftances in their conftruclion. The fins are almoft their only limbs, and yet are fufficient to perform all their motions. By means of the tail-fins, they move forward ; the back-fin directs the motion of the body ; they raife themfelvesup by the breaft-fin, and that of the Itomach ferves to balance them. The gills are their organs of refpiration. Thefe are behind their head. There are four on each fide, the uppermoft of which are the largeft . They are continually fwallowing water through their mouths, which is their drawing in of breath, and they cad it through their gills, which is their way of breath- ing out again. The blood which comes from the heart, and flows into the veins of the gills, does not return back to the heart through the lungs, as in land-animals, but it is directly difperfed throughout all parts of the body. One of the or- gans moft neceifaryto fifh in fwimming, is the blad- der of air in their ftomach. By means of this bladder they make their body more or lefs heavy. When this vein fwells and extends, they become lighter, can raife themfelves, and fwim to the fur- face of the water. When it contracts, and the air is thereby comprefTed, the body becomes heavier than the water, and confequently finks down. The prodigious quantity of fifh, with the great variety of fhape and lize, is worthy admiration. In Ger- many alone there are above four hundred fpecies L 5 of 226 BEAUTIES OF STURM. of fifh ; and who can count the numbers there arc of each fpecies ? The very largeft, as well as the fmalleft of animals, are to be found amongft fifh. Which then ought we moft to admire in all this, the power and wifdom of the Creator in the form- ing and preserving of thefe animals, or his goodnefs in giving them for our ufe. LESSON CXI. INFLUENCE OF THE MOON ON THE HUMAN BODY. FORMERLY there were imputed to the moon certain influences upon the body, which were only calculated to raife fuperftition and groundlefs fears. The gardener would not plant till he had confulted the moon. The ploughman deferred lowing till he was certain of its happy influence. Sick people attended, with fuperftitious exactnefs, to the changes of the moon ; and the phyficians themfelves obferved it in their prefcriptions. By degrees thefe prejudices have been removed. This is one of the advantages the prefent age has over the former. It is our duty to make it ftill more tmiverfal, and to endeavour to banifh as much as "we can the old fuperftitions. In regard to the influence of the moon on our bodies, the fafeft way is to preferve a medium : for as it would be irrational to attribute to that planet too great a power over the human body, fo it would be no lefs rafh to deny it any effect. It mult in reality be allowed, that the moon occafions great changes in the air, and of courfe may produce Tome in our bodies. The moon caufes fuch confidtrable alte- ration and motion in the higher atmofphere, that earthquakes, winds, heat, cold, vapours, and fogs, refult BEAUTIES OF STURM. 227 "refult from thence ; and in that cafe, the health of our body will, in a great meafure, depend on the influence of the moon. The power this planet has over the human body is founded on an u:. triable principle, which is, that our health greatly depends on the weather, and the fort of air breathe ; and it is certain that the moon caufesmany alterations in the atmofphere. Perhaps there may be even a flux and a reflux in the human body occa- lioned by the moon, like that in the air and fea. In general, it is a principle we ought to admit, to the glory of our Creator, that throughout all natural things there are certain connexions, which influence in different ways the animal economy. There are without doubt many wonders in the atmofphere, ftill remaining unknown to us, which caufe many conliderable revolutions in nature. Who knows if fome of the phenomena of the na- tural world, which we do not think of, or which we attribute to other caufes, may not depend on the moon r Perhaps the light it affords us in the night is one of the leaft of the purpofts for which the Almighty formed this planet. Perhaps its being fo near our earth was to produce certain effects on us, which the other celeftial bodies, from their diitance, could not do. It is at lead certain, that every thing in the univerfe has relation more or 1 c is remote from our globe. And this is what renders the world a mailer-piece of the Divine Wifdom. LESSON CXII. THIRTY-EIGHTH WEEK. THE IGNIS FATUUS. TH E Ignis Fatuus are little light flames, which play in the air, a few feet from the ground, and appear to go here and there, and L 6 228 BEAUTIES OF STURM. every where. Thefe fires feem fometimes to dif- appear and go out all at once, probably when bufhes or trees conceal their light, but they kindle again immediately in other places. They are not common in cold countries ; and it is faid that in winter they chiefly appear in marfhy places. In Spain, Italy, and other hot countries, they are known at all feafons ; and neither rain nor wind extinguifhes them. They are frequently feen where there are putrid plants, or animal matter, as in church-yards, mores, rich and marfhy ground. There have been too few experiments made on thefe forts of ethereal fires, to determine precifely as to the nature of them. But the places where they are generally feen may give rife to probable conjectures ; for as they fcarcely ever appear but in marfhy countries, it is natural to fuppofe them fulphureous vapours which take fire. It is known, that carcafies and rotten plants fometimes caft out light. Perhaps vapours condenfed by the cold of the night take the appearance of the Ignis Fatuus. Perhaps it may be the effect of a flight electricity produced by the interior motion of the vapours which rife in the air. Horfes, dogs, cats, and even men, may become fo electrical as to caft out fparks of fire, when they are rubbed, or otherwife put in motion. May not this be the cafe with fome parts of the earth r It may fo happen, that, in fome circumftances, a field ihall be electrified in fome parts of it, and then it is not furprifing that it fhould appear luminous. — Even the air may occafion the Ignis Fatuus, when it is electrified to a certain degree. If the manner of their being produced is ftill doubtful, we are certain, at leaft, that they proceed from natural caufes, and confe- quently a^e not obliged to have recourfe to fuper- ftition. What may have given rife to this fuper- ititious idea, is the obferving that the Ignis Fatuus follows BEAUTIES OF STURM. 220/ follows all the ways of the wind, and thus flies from thofe who purine it ; and, on the contrary, follows thofe who try to avoid it, and fixes on car- riages which go fwiftly. But the reafon of this phenomenon is very evident : for the perfon who purfues this flame drives the air, and confequently the fire before him : whereas the perfon who flies leaves an empty fpace, which the ambient air fills up continually. This produces a current of air between him and the fire, and of courfe draws it after, him. This is the reafon we obit-rve it ifop when the perfon ceafes to run. How much we torment ourfelves by vain terrors, which have no foundation but a difordered fancy. We might fpare ourfelves many fears, if. we would take the trouble to examine the objects -which frighten us, and feek for their natural caufes. LESSON CXIII. OF MINERALS* IN order to provide mankind wholefome and convenient dwellings, they require many mate- rials. If thefe materials had been fpread over the furface of the earth, it would have been entirely covered with them, and there would not have been room for the animals and plants. Our earth is happily free from fuch incumbrance. The ground is left free to be cultivated and enjoyed by its inhabitants. Minerals may properly be divided into four claf- fes of very diftinct. characters. The firft includes fijfils. We give that name to minerals, which cannot be ditfblved either in water or oil, and are not malleable, and which bear the fire without loiing any fubftance in it. To this clafs belong not 23O BEAUTIES OF STURM. not only the fimple earths, but the (tones alfo which are compofed of them. There are two forts of ftones, the precious and the common ftones. The latter are very numerous, and prefent us mattes different in form, fize, colour, and hard- nefs, according to the earth, fulphur, &c. of which they are compofed. Precious ftones alfo differ v^y much Some are perfectly tranfparent, and appear to be mod fimple. Others are more or lefs opaque, according as they are compofed more or lefs of heterogeneous particles. The/alts form the fecond clafs of minerals. It comprehends bodies which water diffolves, and which produce a relifh. They are divided into acids, which are fharp and four, and into alkalies, which leave an acrid, burnt lixivious tafte on the tongue. Thefe have the pro- perty of changing into green the blue juice or dies of vegetables. From the juft and exact mixture of thefe two'different falls, tempered by each other, proceeds the neutral or middling falts ; fuch as the common kitchen fait, which is either taken out of the earth, or prepared with fea-water, or obtained by the evaporation of fait water boiled in great caldrons. All thefe falts together are one of the chief caufes of the vegetation of plants. They poflibly ferve alfo to unite and fix them, as well as all the other compound bodies. Laftly, they occafion fermentation, the effects of which are fo numerous and fo different. The third clafs of minerals comprehend inflammable bodies, to which are given the name of bitumen). They melt in the fire ; and when they are pure, they diffolve in oil, but never in water. They are diftinguifhed from other minerals by the inflammable fubftance they contain more of than any other, and which renders combuftible the bodies they mix with, if in fufrkient quantity. The fourth clafs of mine- rals is the metals. They are much heavier than the reft. BEAUTIES OF STURM. 23! reft. They become fluid in the fire, but they re- fume their folic! ftate when cold. They are bright* and are capable of being diftended under the ham- mer. There are fome metals, which, though melted in the fire, do not diminifh in weight, or undergo any other fenfible alteration. This gives them the name of perfect metals. There are two of this order, viz. gold and lilver. The metals called imperfeft are reduced more or lefs quickly by fire n and generally change into a calx. One of thefe (lead) has the property of changing into glafs, and of vitrifying alfo all the other metals, except gold and (ilver. There are five of the imperfect metals, quickulver, lead, copper, iron, and tin. Laftly, there are bodies which differ from thefe metals by not being malleable. They are called half-metal, and there are feven of them \ the pla- ten, bifmuth, nickel, arfenic, antimony, zink, and cobalt. The mineral kingdom is the great warehoufe of nature, where fhe fecretly labours for the good of the world. No naturalift can furprife her in her operations, and fteal from her the art with which fhe prepares, collects, and compofes earths or foflils, falts, bitumens, and metals. Happily, in the ufe we make of nature's gifts, it is of lit- tle confequence that v/e fhould know their origin and firft principles. It is enough that we mould underftand their ufe. We want no more to prove the glory of the Creator, as we are convinced that there is not a fpot, either above or below the earth, in which he has not fhown his power, wifdom, and goodnefs. LESSON 232 BEAUTIES OF STURM. LESSON CXIV. SOME OF THE CHIEF EXOTIC PLANTS. WE do not pay attention enough to the gifts of God, particularly to thofe which come to us from diflant countries, and are now fo necef- fary to us. If we confidered how much trouble it cofts, and how many wheels in the machine of the world mufl be put in motion, and how much human induftry it requires to procure us a (ingle bit of fugar or cinnamon, we fhould not receive the prefents of nature fo coldly as we generally do;, but on \the contrary, we fhould look up wth the warm eft gratitude towards that beneficent Being, who makes ufe of fomany means of bellowing blef- lings upon us. Sugar, properly fpeaking, is the fait found in the juice or marrow of a certain reed, which is cultivated chiefly in Braiil and the neigh- bouring illands ; but which alfo grows- in great abundance in the Eaft- Indies, and fome of the African illands. The preparation of fugar does not require much art, but is extremly laborious ; and it is generally the employment of flaves.When the canes are ripe, they cut and carry them to the mill, to bruife and extract the juice from them. They firft boil this juice, which would otherwife ferment and grow four ; while it is boiling, they Jkim it to take off any dirt. They repeat this courfe four times in different caldrons. To pu- rify it and clarify it the more, they throw into it a flrong \ye of wood afhes and burning lime, and at lafl pour it into the moulds where it coagulates and dries. Tea is but the leaf of a fhrub, which grows in Japan, China, and other Afiatic provin- ces. Three or four times during fpring, thefe leaves are gathered. Thofe of the firft crop are the BEAUTIES OF STURM. «33 the fined flavoured, and the moft delicate. This is the imperial tea ; but it never comes into Europe. That which the Dutch fell under that name is tea of the fecond crop. Coffee is the ftone of a fruit like a cherry. The tree which produces it is ori- ginally from Arabia ; but it has been tranfplanted into feveral hot countries. Next to Arabia, it is belt cultivated in the ifle of Martinico. We call the ftone in the middle of the fruit the berry. This berry, when frefh, is yellowifh, or grey, or a pale green ; and it preferves this colour in fome degree when dry. They fpread the fruit on mats to dry in the fun ; and afterwards bruife it with rollers to force out the berries. This is what di- vides the berry in two. They again dry them in the fun before they put them en fhip-board. The cloves are buds, or dried blofToms of a tree, which formerly grew without culture in the Molucca iflands, but which the Dutch have tranfplanted to Amboyna. This tree is of the fize and fhape of the bay-tree : its trunk is covered with bark, like that or the olive. White blofToms grow in tufts on the extremity of the branches, and look like a clove. The buds are at firft of a pale green, after- wards they become yellow, then red, and at laft a dark brown, fuch as we fee them. They have a ftronger and more aromatic fmell than the mother clove, a name which marks the dry fruit of the tree. Cinnamon is the fecond bark of a kind of a bay-tree, which fcarce grows any were at pre- fent but in the ifland of Ceylon. The root of the cinnamon tree divides into feveral branches. It is covered with a bark, grey without, and red within. The leaf would a good deal refcmble the laurel, if it was fhorter and lefs pointed. The blofToms are fmall and white, of a very pieafing fmell, very much like the lily of the valley. When the .tree is fome years old, the two barks are taken off; the outer bark «34 BEAUTIES OF STURM. bark is good for nothing, and thrown away ; the inner one is dried in the fun, where it rolls up of itfelf, about the fize of a ringer ; and this is what we call cinnamon. The nutmeg and mace come from the fame tree, and grow in the Molucca iflands. The nut is covered with three coats, The firft falls off of itfelf when it is ripe ; the fccond then appears, which is very thin and deli- cate. It is taken off with great care from the nut, and expofed to the fun to dry. This is called mace in the Molucca iiles ; though in other places improperly called nutmeg-bloffom. The third coat is immediately next the nutmeg. They take the nut out of its fhell, and put it into lime-water for fome days, and then it is properly prepared to fend abroad. Cotton grows in moft of the countries of Afia, Africa, and America. It is enclofed in the fruit of a certain fhrub. This fruit is a fort of pod, which when ripe opens a little and fhews a wad or flock of down, extremely white, which we call cotton. When this pod is fwelied by the heat, it becomes as large as an apple. With a little mill they feparate the feed from the cotton. The feed falls out on one fide, and the cotton on the other. They afterwards fpin it for all forts of work. Olive-oil is the juice fqueezed out of that fruit, which grows fo abundantly in France, Spain, Por- tugal, and Italy, that there are whole forefts of olive-trees. The inhabitants of the provinces v/here there are many of thefe trees, make ufe of this oil inftead of butter ; becaufe they have not much cattle, as the extreme heat dries up the grafs. Pepper is the fruit of a fhrub, the flalk of which requires a prop to fupport it. Its wood is knotty like the vine, which it much refembles. Its leaves, which have a very ftrong fmell, are of an oval form, and terminate in a point. In the middle, and at the ends of the branches, there are white bloiToms, EEAUTIES OF STURM. 235 bloflbms, from whence fpring fruit in clutters, like the goofeberry. Each duller bears twenty or thirtv feeds. Behold how every country contributes to furnifh us with the necefTaries and conveniences of life. And how can we forget God, who every where provides for us, and fignalizes his goodnefs towards us over the whole earth ? LESSON CXV. THIRTY-NINTH WEEK. THE VINE. WE need only reflect on the vine, to be con- vinced how unreafonable thofe are who complain of the inequalities and unevennefs of the ground. The vine never flouriihes on a neither does every fort of hill agree with it, but thofe only which are turned towards the eait or fouth. Hills are in a manner the bulwarks of nature, which (he invites us to cultivate as fo many vaft walls for fruit, where the warm retieclion of the fun unites with the fine open air to nourifh them. Even the mod barren hills, and thofe hanging grounds, where the plough cannot be ufed, are every year covered with the mod beau- tiful verdure, and produce the mod delicious of all fruit. If the foil where the vine grows appears fopoor and bad, the plant which furnifhes us with wine is little better. Who would have thought that it could produce fo valuable a liquor ? And yet fuch is the fire with which the vine is animated, that the fap flows through it with five, or even eight times more force, than the blood in the veins of animals. Afia is originally the country of the vine. From thence its cultivation has gradually extended into Europe. 236 BEAUTIES OF STURM. Europe. The Phenecians, who travelled in early days over all the Mediterranean coafts, conveyed it to feveral illands, and to the continent. It fuc- ceeded wonderfully in the illands of the Archipe- lago, and was afterwards carried into Italy. The vines multiplied greatly there ; and the Gauls having tailed the juice, and wifhing to fettle in the places where the vines grew, paifed the Alps,, and went to conquer both the borders of the Po. By degrees vines were cultivated all over France, and at laft on the borders of the Rhine, the Mofelle, Necker, and other provinces of Germany. Thefe obfervationsmay give rife to many impor- tant reflections. As the moil barren foil is fit for the culture of vines, fo it often happens that the pooreft countries are favourable to fcience and v/ifdom. We have known, in provinces univer- sally defpifed for their poverty, geniufes rife up,, who have by their knowledge enlightened other kingdoms The vine, with its dry and lhapelefs wood, is an emblem of thofe, who, devoid of the outward splendour of birth and honours, fail not to be very ufeful. How often does it happen, that men who live in obfcurity, and whofe appearance promifes nothing, are, however, capable of actions, and perform enterprifes, which raife them above all the eueemed great people on earth. Let us here reflect on Chrift himfelf. To judge of him by the lew condition in which he appeared, who could have expected from him fueh great works, fo wonderful, fo falutary to mankind h He has, however, performed them. This Chrift, who, like the vine, was planted in a barren foil, has borne fruit which is a bit Ming and falvation to the whole earth. He has alfo proved to us, that one "who is poor, defpifed, and miferable in this world,. BEAUTIES OF STURM. 237 world, may, however, labour fuccefsfully for the glory of the Almighty and the good of mankind. LESSON CXVI. THE BLESSINGS OF THIS LIFE GREATER THAN THE EVILS OF IT. NOTHING is more calculated to comfort us in difappointment and diltrefFes, than the admitting it as a principle, that there is more good than evil in the world. Let us in reality confult the molt wretched of men, and afk, it he can mention as many caufes for complaint as he has motives for gratitude. It will appear, that, how- ever great his misfortunes may be, they are not equal to the multitude of bleflings he has received in the courfe of his life. To prove this truth more clearly, let us reckon the days we have parTed in health, and the fmall number in which we have been fick : to the few vexations and for- rows we experience in domeftic and civil fociety, let us oppofe the many pleafures they afford us ; let us reckon the fatisraction we felt when we efcapeJ any danger, or gained anv vidlory over Ourfelves, or had done any virtuous or fenlible action ; let us reckon all the blellings we remem- ber to hue enjoyed, and confider, at the fame time, that we can recollect but the fmallelt part of them ; let us be convinced, that it is our being accuftomed to blc flings that makes us fo fenfible of evils, that new profperity makes us forget the former, and that, it the imprellions of our mis- fortunes are fo deeply engraved in our memories, it is precifely becaufe they feldom afflict us ; let us compare the happy events we remember, though but the fmalleft part of what we have enjoyed, to the 238 BEAUTIES OF STURM. the evils, the ufe of which we are not yet ac- quainted with. Wherefore, then, does man think fo little of the continual proofs he receives of God's goodnefs ? Why does he love to fee the gloomy iide of things, and torment himfelf with unfea- fonable cares and anxieties ? Does not the Divine Providence furround us with pleafing objects? Why then dwell always on our infirmities, on what we have not, and on the misfortunes which may happen to us ? Why magnify them in our fancy, and perverfely turn our eyes from all that might make us eafy and cheerful r The leaft dif- trefs fixes our whole attention, while a long train of happy hours pafs away unobferved. Let us banifh opinions that muft render us miferable. Let us be fully convinced, that God has beftowed his bleflings impartially throughout the world ; and that no man has a right to complain, but, on the contrary, many juft reafons for praiiing ajid thank f- giving. Even the trials he now and then fends us have mod merciful views, which we ihall one day acknowledge. His almighty and paternal hand protects us, and his eyes are ever upon us. LESSON CXVII. THE ENMITY BETWEEN ANIMALS. TH E eagle is a terror to the inhabitants of the air. The tyger lives by flaughter on the earth, the pike in the water, and the mole under ground. I know very well, that to fome this plan appears cruel and wrong : but I will venture to maintain, that this very antipathy among animals is an excellent proof, that all is for the bed ; take them in the whole, and it is certainly an advantage that fome mould fubiift on others : for, on one hand, were it otherwife, a great number of fpecies of them could BEAUTIES OF STURM. 239 could not exifl: ; and, on the other hand, it makes thofe ufeful inftead of hurtful. Infects, and many reptiles, feed on carrion. Others fix in the bodies of certain animals, and live on their blood and flefh ; and thofe fame infects ferve as food to others. Car- nivorous animals, and birds of prey, kill creatures to feed upon them. There are fome fpecies which multiply fo very fart, that they would be a burden to us, were there not a flop put to fuch increafe. If there were no fparrows to deitroy infects, what Would become of the fruit and flowers ? Were it not for the ichneumon, which, as they fay, feeks the eggs of the crocodile to deftroy and break them, this terrible animal would probably become much too -numerous. Great part of the earth would be a defert, and many forts of creatures would never exift, were there no carnivorous animals. It may perhaps be faid, that they might live on vegetables ; out if fo, our fields would be fcarce enough to i'ttd the fparrows and fwallows. It would alfo be neceffary to change the conilruction of the car- nivorous animal body for that purpofe ; and how could fifh fubfiit, were they not to feed on the watery inhabitants ? It is confident with the plan of the world, that one animal inould live on ano- ther : therefore the carnivorous animals are indif- penfable links in the chain of beings : but, for this fame reafon, their number is fmall in com- parifon of ufeful animals. Alas ! it mult be con- fefTcd to the fhame of humanity and Chriflianitv, that there are alfo among- men fierce and cruel de- o ttroyers ; with this difference, that their hoftilities are more frequent, and that they often make ufe of more dark and fecret means to hurt one another. The intention of God is, that every man mould make himfelf ufeful to his fellow-creatures, and, as much as pofhble, render their lives agreeable and happy : in a word, to do them ail the good offices «40 BEAUTIES Or STURM. offices in his power. Let us not oppofe his merci- ful views, but endeavour to live in peace and harmony, following the example of our Saviour, in loving and endeavouring to make each other happy. LESSON CXVIII. FORTIETH WEEK. ON OUR INDIFFERENCE TO THE WORKS OF NATURE. WHAT is the reafon of our indifference and coldnefs in relation to the works of nature ? An anfwer to this queftion may give rife to many important reflections. One of the cruifes of this indifference is inattention. We are fo ufed to the beauties of nature, that we neglect, to ad- mire the wifdom of him whofe impreflion they bear, and are not as grateful as we ought to be for the numberlefs advantages which refult from them. There 'are but too many people as infenfible as the beafts which graze in the held, and drink of the ftream, without reflecting from whence proceed the bleflings they enjoy, and without acknowledging the goodnefs and wifdom of him who beftows them. Thus men, though endowed with the moil excel- lent faculties, which enable them to enjoy a greater fhare of nature's bleflings, fcarce ever think of the fource from whence they flow. Many are cold in regard to the fcenes of nature, from ignorance. How many are there who are unacquainted with the moft common objects ! They every day behold the fun rife and fet. Their meadows are moiftened fometimes with rain or dew, and fometimes with fnow. The mod wonderful revo- lutions happen before their eyes every fpring, but they do not take the trouble to inquire into the caufes and purpofes of thefe feveral pheno- mena ; BEAUTIES OF STURM- 241 mena ; and in that refpecl: live in ignorance. It is true, that there always will be things incompre- henfible to us, were we to iludy ever fo much ; and we are never more fenhbie of our limited un- derstandings than when we undertake to fearch into the operations of nature. But we may at lead acquire an hiftorical knowledge ot it ; anJ the ■ lowed ploughman may comprehend how it happens, that the feed he fows in the ground moots and fprings up, if he will take the trouble to inform himfelf of it. We generally value things according to our intereft or fancy. Our felf-love is fo unreafonable, and we, know fo little our real intereft, that we defpife what is moft ufeful to us. Corn, for inftance, is moft indifpenfably heceiiary to our fubfiftence, and yet we behold entire fields covered with this ufeful production of nature, without attending to it. Many neglect the con- templation of nature through indolence. They love eafe and deep too well, to take hours from them in order to contemplate the ftarry fky. They cannot refolve to rife early enough to behold tile rife. They would dread the fatigue of {looping towards the ground, to obferve what admirable art there appears in the formation of the grafs. An;: thefe people, fo fond of. their eafe, are full of zeal and activity when the indulgence of their paffioirs is the object. A number of people defpife the works of nature from irreligion. They have no tafte for piety, or the obligations it prefcribes. To praife God, to love him, and to acknowledge his blef- fings, are disagreeable duties to them. We have but too much reafon to believe, that this is one of the principal caufes of the indifference of man- kind to the beauties of nature. If they were de- firous of keeping the firft and great commandment above all other things, they would take every ortur.ity of improving and increasing that know- M ledge. 242 BEAUTIES OF STURM. ledge. It is certain at leaft, that very few ftudy properly, or take a pleafure in the works of Pro- vidence. Have we eyes, and mall we not con- template the wonders which furround us on every fide ! Have we ears, and mall we not liften to the hymns, which eyery part of the creation chaunts to the praife of the Creator ! LESSON CXIX. UPON SEVERAL NOCTURNAL METEORS. IN weather nearly ferene, we often obferve a circular light, or great luminous ring, round the mo6n, which we call halo, or crown. Its outline has fometimes the faint colours of the rain- bow in it. The moon is in the middle of this ring, and the intermediate fpace is generally darker than the reft of the Iky. When the moon is full, and much above the horizon, the ring appears more luminous. It is often of a confiderable fize. It mud not be imagined that this fort of crown is really round the moon. We muft feek the caufe of it in our atmofphere, where the vapours occa- fion a refraction of the rays of light which pene- trate through them, and produce this effect. There appear fometimes round, or, on one fide of the real moon, fome falfe ones, which we call mock- moons. Thefe are apparently of the fame fize of the moon, but their light, is paler. They are fcarce ever without circles, fome of which are coloured like the rainbow, whilft others are white, 2nd feveral of them have long and luminous tails. Thcfe alfo are but illufions produced by refraction. The light of the moon falling on watery, and often on frozen vapours, refracts in different ways, and fcparates into coloured rays, which reaching our eyes, double the image of the moon. Sometimes, though BEAUTIES OF STURM. 243 though very feldom, we fee by moon-IIght, after a heavy rain, a lunar rainbow, with the fame colours as that of the folar, except that they are more faint: This meteor is alio occasioned by refraction. When fulphurous and other vapours take fire in the higher atmofphere, we often obferve {freaks of light dart fwiftly like rockets. When thefe vapours collect, into a heap, take fire, and fall down, we think we fee little balls of fire fall from the Iky ; and as, at that diftance, they appear as large as a liar, they are for this reafon called falling (tars. Some people fancy they are real liars, changing their place. Great balls of tire have alfo been feen more luminous than the full moon, with tails fometimes trailing after them. They are brobably fulphurous and nitrous vapours, which accumulate and take fire ; for they generally tra- verfe the air with great rapidity, and frequently burft with a great noife ; and when the inflam- mable particles are of a very different nature, they difperfe without noife in the upper regions of the atmofphere. The little flaihes feen in the fufnmer evenings fo often after great heats, are produced by the vapours in the atmofphere. Thefe flames, properly {peaking, are reverberations of lightning, which is at too great a diftance for us to hear the clap of thunder attending it. Of all the nocturnal appearances, none is more remarkable and fplendid than the aurora borealis. It is generally obferved from the beginning of autumn till fpring, when the weather is calm and ferene, and when the moon does not give much light. — The aurora borealis is not always the fame. It is ufoally towards midnight that a light like the dawn of day appears. ■ Sometimes we obferve ftreaks of light, white and luminous clouds, in a continual motion. But when the aurora borealis rifes in all its per- fection, we gene ;, if the weather becalm M 2 and £44 BEAUTIES OF STURM. and clear, towards the north, a dark fpace, a black and thick cloud, the upper part of which is edged with a white luminous border, from whence dart rays, brilliant fparks, and refplendent pillars; which, as they rife, every moment grow yellow and red ; afterwards meet, unite, and form lumi- nous thick clouds, which terminate at laft in pil- lars of all colours, white, blue, orange, or the flneft purple, from whence continual rays of light dart out ; and it is then that this object is in its full fplendour and beauty. The meteors juft mentioned render the long nights of the northern nations not only fupportable, but even light and agreeable. When we behold thefe magnificent fcenes, let us filently adore our Creator. The morn declares his majeffy ; the hoft ef ftars, and the mild light of the borealis, difplay his greatnefs. LESSON CXX. AMPHIBIOUS ANIMALS. BESIDES four-footed beafts, birds, and fim, there is a fort of animal which lives either in or out of water, and is on that account called Amphibious. They are all cold, and fomething me- lancholy and forbidding in their look. Several of them are venomous. Inftead of bones, they have only griftles. Their fkin is fometimes fmooth, fometimes fcaly. Almoft all of them live by prey, which they obtain by cunning or ft rength. They can .in general fupport hunger a long time, and live a hard life. Some of them walk, and others crawl ; which forms them into two claries. To the former thofe with feet belong. The tortoifes, which are of that clafs, are covered with a ftrong ilieli like a mield. The land-tortoife is the fmallelt. Some BEAUTIES OF STURM. 245 Some fea tortoifcs are five yards long and weigh from eight to nine hundred pounds. There are different forts of lizards ; fome fmooth, others fcaly ; fome with wings, and fome without. Among thefe we reckon the crocodile; and the chameleon, which lives on flies, fpiders and infefrs. Of all animals the crocodile is the mod dreadful. This amphibious creature, which comes out of an egg not larger than the eg^ of a goofe, grows fomei times from twenty to thirty feet long. It is vora- cious, cunning, and cruel. Serpents form the fecond clafs of amphibious creatures. They have no feet, but crawl, with a fort of winding vermi- cular motion, by means of leaks and rings with which their bodies are covered. Their back-bones are conftrucfed in a particular manner favourable to this motion. As the ferpents can ftxetch their jaws considerably, they fometimes f wallow ani- mals thicker than their own heads. Some kind of ferpents have fangs in their mouths which they extend when feizing their prey ; and it is by this means that they flip poifon into the wounds they make, which comes out of a bag placed at the root of the fangs. The ferpents provided with the arms j uft mentioned, make but a tenth part of the whole fpecies ; all the others are not venomous, though they attack men and animals with as much fury as if they could hurt them. The rattlefnake is the mod dangerous of any. It is generally three or four feet long, and as thick as the thigh of a full grown man. Its fmell is ftrong and offenlive. It feems as if nature had given this, as well as the rattle, to this creature, in order to warn mankind of its approach. It is never mere furious and dreadful than when it rains, or when hunger torments it. To roll itfelf up, to reft upon its tail, to dart upon its prey, to give the wound, and to retire again, is to the ferpent the affair of a M 3 moment, 246 BEAUTIES OF STURM. moment, as it never bites till it rolls itfelf up; dreadful as the rattiefnake is, it cannot conceal its approach. It is alfo remarkable, that Providence oppofed to this animal an enemy which can confer it: the fea-kog ^ theYat- tlefnake to devour it, and a child is ftrong enough to kill the moil terrible of thefe reptiles: a very flight blow with a ftick upon its back kills it iri- ftantly, or at leaft in a quarter of an hour. How unjuft alfo would it be to confider nothing but the mifchief thefe do us, without reflecting on the ad- vantages refulting from them ? Some ferve for food; others lupply us with medicine, and the tortoife, for its fhell, is of very great ufe. In a word, the wif- dom and goodnefs of God appears in this, as in every thing eife. LESSON CXXI. FORTY-FIRST WEEK. THE FACULTY OF SPEECH HOW VALUABLE IF NOT ABUSED, T*HERE is nothing extravagant in all that has been laid to enhance the value of the gift of fpeech. It is in reality the higheft prerogative of man, and places us in a rank very fuperior to ani- mals: for whatever traces may juvebeen remarked in them or founds to exprefs their wants, &c. can never be compared to human fpeech, which ferves us to purfue a eourfe of con ver fat ion, intro- ducing all forts of fubje&s, to communicate to others our ideas, and to carry on the thread of argument from its fource to the moft remote conciulions. The rules of converfation may be reduced to three heads : it ought to be a means of iniliuclion, a bond of fociety, and a fource of p leaf u re. Iuilruction is the firit thing a man requires on entering into the world. BEAUTIES OF STURM. 247 world. If he is not then as a blank paper, the cha- irs at Leaft that are traced in his mind are fo fu- perficial and confufed, that he wants afliftance to make them clearer, and to imprefs them more ftrongly. Accordingly, the converfation of the firfl irs of our life are moftly devoted to initruction ; Ik the qu eftions which our curiofity fuggefts from every new object, and each anfwer, regjftered in our brain, increases cur If ore of ideas. But the age of in- fancy, or even of youth, to which we limit this fort of converfation, is not enough. There is no time of life in which we may not obtain information. A feniibie man may draw feme out of every conver- fation, by leading others to fpeak on fubjecls I are belt acquainted with, and which he himfelf t not know. We meet perfons who have travel who have been witneiTcs to certain interesting its; it is in our power to gain all jw, s a little attention. We con- vhofe courfes and ftudies -grte •. our own. What can we do better than to communicate our ideas mutually, to afliiteach other in our common inquiries, and to refolve together the difficulties which may embarrafs us. It has been often faid and proved, that the condition of men would be mod deplorable, without the fweets effociety. But what enables us to form focieties r It |s fpeeeh and converfation. Recreation isaneifen- tial part of life, as it gives us ftrength to fulfil the duties of it: none fo natural, or fo much within the reach of all the world, as engaging converfation, which makes time fly fweetly, and leaves the mind cheerful and compofed. But is it thus that men converfe? Are thefe rules obferved r Alas, they are but too much neglected ; and, with grief, I am going to (hew the bad effects of it. Who is there that feeks information from fociety ? Thofe firft years, devoted to itudy, are fcarce over, when a M 4 ytung 8j$8 beauties oy sturm. young man, impatient of reftraint, ftiakes off the^ yoke. He is afh'amed to Hem ignorant of any thing, and takes great care to avoid the ieaft appearance of diffidence, which might give fufpicion there was any thing in the world he did not know. One infalli- ble means of pleafmg in fociety, is a reflection with which I mail clcfe this difconrfe. It is to. carry with us a conftant difpolition to appear interfiled in all that others fay to us, to lilten to them with tin air of fatisfaction, and never to interrupt them in order to fpeak of ourfelves. This will never fail.. Any one that follows this maxim will, with-' out much trouble or wit, be more liked than the molt brilliant genius. I do v not, however, lay it clown as a precept, ^to reltrain one's felf continually lor thofe who will make no return ; we are not obliged to do it. It is true, it would make us pleaf- ing in fociety, but mould we ourfelves be pleafed ? It is only by an unanimous confent of men dciirous of information, fcrupulous not to offend their neigh- bours, and attentive to pleafe, that we can hope to fee thole abufes baniihed, and thus to make a rational u'xc of a faculty intended to ennoble and to blefs mankind. LESSON CXXII. THE EFFECTS OF FIRE. NOTHING in nature can exceed the violence of fire; nor can we, without uiionilhment, reflect on the effects it .produces, and the extreme fwiftnefs of its operations. There is one cflecl of fire which falls within every one's knowledge, that of dilating the bodies it penetrates. Irons put into a metal plate while they are new, fweil fo much in the BEAUTIES OF STURM. 249 the fire, that they go in with difficulty; but as foon as they are cold, they are very eafily taken out. This dilation produced by fire is llill more vifible in fluid bodies, fuch as wine, beer, and particularly in the air. If it were*not for this property, the thermo- meter, by which we calculate the different degrees of heat, would be quite ufelefs. Obferve the effect of fire on inanimate and compact bodies ; how fqon it melts and changes them, part into fluid matter, and part into a folid, of a different fort. It com- municates fluidity to water, oil, fat, and to almofl all metals. What renders thefe bodies fufceptibie of this change is, that their combination is more fimple, and the parts which compofe them are more homogeneal than in other bodies ; therefore the fire penetrates the more eafily into their pores, and fooner feparates the parts. This alfo caufes thefe kind of fubftances to evaporate when the fire pene- trates in great quantity, and with violence, through them. Some folid bodies undergo other forts of changes. Sand, flint, flate, and fpar, vitrify in the fire; while clay turns into ftone. Marble, calca- reous ftones, and chalk, turn into lime. The va- riety of thefe effects does not proceed from fire, but from the different properties of the matter on which the fire ac^ls. It may produce three forts of effects on the fame body, that of melting, vitrifying, and reducing to lime, provided the body be compofed of the three feveral matters. The fire of itfelf pro- duces nothing new ; it only difcovers parts which, were concealed in thofe bodies. As for fluids, the fire operates in two ways upon them. It makes them boil and reduces them to vapours. Thefe vapours are formed of the moft fubtile parts of the fluid, joined with particles of fire. They rife up' becaufe they are lighter than the air. In regard to livingcreatures, fire produces throughout their whole bodies the fenfaticn of warmth. The Life. o£ man. M & could 250 BEAUTIES OF STURM, could not be preferved without this element, as we require a certain quantity of fire in our blood to keep it in motion. We every moment breathe new air, in which there is always fome fire neceflary to preferve this warmth and motion ; whilft, on the other hand, we reject the air, which had loft its fpring in our lungs, and was loaded with fuperflu- ous humours. How many advantages accrue to us from the effects of fire only ! By the union of fire and air the feafons return ; the moifture of the foil, and the health of man are preferved. By means of fire, water is put in motion, without which it would foon loofe is fluidity. By the gentle motion it keeps up in all organized bodies, it gradually brings them to perfection. It preferves the branch in the bud, the plant in the feed, and the embryo in the egg. It pre- pares our food properly. It contributes to the for- mation of metals, and makes them fit for ufe. In jBne, when we collect together the feveral properties of fire, we find, that the Creator by that means has fpread a multitude of bleliings over our globe; a truth which ought to make great imprefTion on our hearts, and teach us to love the Author of our being, and infpire us with contented minds. The more we fearch into the nature of things, the more we difcover that all concur to the moft perfect end. We every where behold magnificent plans, admira- ble order, conftant harmony between the parts and the whole, between the ends and the means. LESSON CXXIIL THE INEXHAUSTIBLE RICHES OF NATURE. NATURE is fo bountiful to us, fo abundant in means to fupply the wants of every creature, fo rich in gifts, that they can no more be numbered than BEAUTIES OF STURM. 2J1 than the drops of the ocean. How many things does one fingle man require, during a life of fixty years, tor his eating, drinking, and clothing, and for the fweets and conveniences of life, for pleafure, amufement, and fociety, without mention- ing extraordinary cafes and unforefeen accidents? From the king to the beggar, in all fituations, con- ditions, and ages of men, from the infant to old age, in every country, and according to the different manners of the people, each man has his particular wants. What fuits one will notfuit another; and they all require different means of fubfiftence. Yet we find that nature can anfwer all thefe demands,, and that each individual is fupplied with all the ne- ceffaries of life. — Since the nrft exiftence of the world, the earth has never failed to open her bofom. The mines have never been exhausted. The fea affords fubfiftence to numberlefs creatures. The plants and trees conftantly bear feed, which moots in due feafon, and becomes fruitful. Beneficent nature varies her riches, that one place may not be too much exhaufted ; and when forne forts of plants or fruit begin to diminiih, others are produced ; and it is fo ordered, that the inftinct, and tafte of man- kind mould lead them to the mod abundant produc- tions. Nature is a wife economift, and takes care that nothing is loft. Infects ferve as food for larger animals, which in their turn are ufeful to man. If they do not afford us food, they furnifh us with clothes, with arms, and means of defence ; and if for none of thefe, they at leaft fupply us with falu- tary medicines. Even when dif cafes lweep off fome fpecies of animals, nature repairs the lofs by the increafe of others. Not even the duft, the carrion, or putrid corrupted matter, but has its ufe, either as food for infects, or for manure to enrich earth. How beautiful is nature ! Her fineil cloth- ing requires only light and colours* She is abund- M 6- aiitly 2^2 BEAUTIES OF STURM. antly provided with them; and the fcenes (he pre - fents are continually varied, according to the points of view in which they are feen. Here the eye is flruck with the beauty of form ; there the ear is charmed with melodious founds ; and the fmell is indulged with agreeable perfumes. In other places art adds new embellifhment to nature, by a thoufand induftrious works. The gifts of nature are fo abundant, that even thofe which are continually made ufeof never fail. Her riches are fpread over the whole earth. She varies her gifts according to the different countries. By means of commerce, fhe connects different nations ; and the hands through which her gifts pafs, make them more va- luable by the continual circulation. She combines and mixes her gifts as the phyfician does his medi- cinal ingredients. The great and the fmall, the handfome and the ugly, the old and new, combined and mixed with art, form one whole equally ufeful and agreeable. Such are the inexhauilible riches provided by the great Creator. LESSON CXXIV. FORTY-SECOND WEEK. PETRIFACTIONS. THE tranfmutation of feveral fubftances from" the animal and vegetable kingdom into the mineral, is a circumftance in natural hiftory well worthy our attention. The nrft thing to remark in petrifactions is their exterior form, which fhews, that thefe foflils have undoubtedly belonged either to the animal or vegetable kingdom. It is very imuiual to find human petrifactions, or thofe of quadrupeds. The molt extraordinary fkeietons met with in the earth, are thofe of elephants, which are found BEAUTIES OF STURM. 253 found even in many parts of Germany. Petrifac- tions of aquatic animals are frequently met with. There are fometimes fifh entirely whole and per- fect, even to the fmalleft fcales : but this is nothing in comparifon of the multitude of fhell-fifh, and little worms found changed into ftone in the bowels of the earth : there are more difFerent fpecies of them than are to be found alive. Sea-petrifactions are found in great abundance all over the world. There are fome on the tops of mountains, and quan- tities are found in the earth, at different depths. All forts of petrified plants, or pieces of plants, are met with in feveral beds of the earth ; but there is often the impreffion only, the bodies themfelves be- ing deftroyed. In many places whole trees are found buried more or lefs deep into the earth, and turned to ftone. Thefe do not appear to be old pe- trifactions. But how have all thefe petrified fub- ftarices got into the earth, and particularly how can they have got upon fuch high mountains r How have fea-animals been tranfported fo far from their natural abode ? Different caufes may be aftigned for this. Perhaps thefe petrifactions prove, that the greateft part of the earth was formerly covered with water. And indeed, as in every place where we fearch, from the top of the mountain to the greateft depths, into the earth, all forts of marine productions are found, it feems as if it could not other wife be accounted for. We have hitherto but a very imperfect knowledge of the manner in which nature operates in thefe petrifactions. It is certain that nothing will petrify in the open air ; for the bodies of animals or vegetables confume or corrupt in this element ; fo that air muft be ex- cluded, or at leaft not act, where petrifactions are formed. Neither has a barren dry earth any petri- fying quality. Running water may form a cruft on particular bodies, but cannot turn them into ftone ; the 254 BEAUTIES OF STURM. the very courfe of the water prevents it. It is probable, therefore, that petrifactions require moift foft earth, mixed with diii'olved ftony particles. The floiiy juices penetrate into the cavities of the animal body, or the vegetable ; they impregnate and unite with it, in proportion as the parts of the body itfelf evaporate, or as they are abforbed by alkaline iub- ftances. We may draw feme inferences from thence, which explain thefe phenomena of nature. All animals and vegetables are not equally capable of being turned to ftone ; for, in order to be fo, they require a degree of hardnefs, to prevent them from corrupting before they have time to petrify. Petrifactions are generally formed in the earth, and require that the places where the bodies are placed fhduld be neither too dry nor too wet. All forts of ftones which. contain petrifactions are the work of time, and consequently they are every day flili forming; fuch as chalks, clays, fands, the magnet, and others. The petrified bodies take the nature of thefe ftones, and become fometimes chalky, fome- times like i!ate,"&c. If petrifactions were of no other ufe than to throw light upon the natural hif- tory of our globe, they would from that circum- flance alone be worthy our attention : but we may alfo confider them as proofs of the operations and tranfmutations which nature produces in fecret ; and here again appears moft wonderfully the power and wifdom of God. LESSON CXXV. EVERY THING IN NATURE IS GRADUAL, WE may obferve in nature an admirable gra- dation, or infenfibie progrefs, from a fimple to a more compound perfection- There is no mid- dle BEAUTIES OF STURM. t£$ die fpecies which has not fomething of the nature of that which precedes or that which follows it. In a word, there is no void or leap in nature. Duft and earth form the principal and the component matter of all folic! bodies. It is accordingly found in all thofe which human art has analyzed. From the mixture of falts, oils, fuiphur, Sec. with the earth, there refult different kinds or foil, more or lefs compound, light. or compact. This naturally leads us to minerals. The variety ot ftones is very great ; their form, colour, fize, and hardnefs, are very different. Ali forts of metallic and faline par- ticles are found in them ; and from hence proceed mineral and precious ftones. In the laft ciafs of ftones, there are fome with fibres, and a fort of leaves ; fuch as (late, talc, the lithophites, or ma- rine (tony plants, and the amianthus, or the itony flower of the mine ; which leads us from the mi- nerals to the vegetables. The plant which appears to be the lowed among the vegetables, is the truffle. Next comes the numerous fpecies of mumrooms and modes ; between which the hoar or mould feerhs to take its place. All thefe plants are imper- fect, and, properly fpeaking, only form the limits or the vegetable world. The more perfect plants divide into three forts, w r hich are difperfed over the whole earth ; grafs, fhrubs, and trees. The poly- pus feems to unite the vegetable to the animal race. From the outward appearance, this fingular pro- duction would only be taken for a plant, if it was not known to perform real animal functions. This zoophite forms the link between plants and animals. Worms are the lowelt of the animals, and lead us to infects. Thofe worms which have their bodies enclofed in fhells, feem to unite infects to lhell-nfh. Between them, or rather next to them, come rep- tiles ; thefe, by means of the water-fnake, are link- ed with the filh. The fiying-fiffi leads us to the bird* 8^6* BEAUTIES OF STURM. bird-fpecies. The oflrich, which has legs fome- thing like a goat's, and which rather runs than flies, feems to link the birds with the quadruped. The ape joins hands with man and bean 1 . There are gradations alfo in human nature, as well as in every thing elfe. Between the moft perfect (late of man and the ape, there are a wonderful multitude of links j how many more ftill are' there between men and angels ! What has been faid is fufficient to fhew, that every thing in the univerfe is clofely linked toge- ther. There is nothing without defign ; nothing which is not the immediate effect of fomething which preceded it, or which does not determine the exiftence of fomething which is to follow. Nature goes by degrees, not fuddenly, from the component to the compound, from the lefs to the more perfect, from the nearefl to the more diftant, from .the in- animate to the animate, from bodily to fpiritual per- fection. From the grain of fand to the cherubim, every thing owes its exiftence and perfection to the great Author of the univerfe. LESSON cxxvr. DIFFERENT SORTS OF EARTH. WE can only form conjectures of the infide of the earth. Thofe who work in the mines have never been able to go lower than 900 feet. If they attempted to go further the too great prefTure of the air would kill the men, fuppofing even they could protect themfelves from the water, which fills more and more in proportion as they defcend lower. The infide of the earth muff, confequently be in a great rneafure unknown to us. The labours of the miners have fcarce even reached below the firft coat of BEAUTIES OF STURM. 257 of it. All that we know is, that when they dig e hundreds of feet, this coat is found tobecom- poied of feveral different layers or beds placed one r. Thefe beds are much mixed ; and their direction, fubftance, thicknefs, and refpe&ive poiitions, vary coniiderably from one league to another. Generally under the common earth in gar- dens they find white clay and rich earth ; but fame- times the land, clay, and marl mix by turns. In comparing the obfervations which have been made, the bed account appears to be that which divides them into feveral forts of earth. Black earth is compofed of putrid vegetable or animal fubftances ; it contains falts and inflamma- ble matter : this is, properly fpeaking, dung. White clay is more compact than the black earth, and retains water on its furface longer. Sandy ground is hard, light, and dry; it does not retain water, or diflblve in it. Marfhy ground contains fait of vitriol, which is too lharp for the plants. Chalk is dry and hard ; fome plants, however, grow in it: there grow fome even in ilony ground. The frnootheit (tones, however bare of earth, are at leait covered with mofs, which is a vegetable ; and we fee birch growing between the (tones and in the crevices of rocks to a considerable height. The Creator has mod wifely prepared thofe different forts of earth of which the beds are compofed : for, to mention nothing more than the principal ad- vantages which refult from them, thefe feveral beds of fand, gravel, and light earth, give palTage to fpring water, which filters in running over thefe beds, becomes foft, and then, difperfing on every fide, fupplies water for general uie : thole beds are the refervoirs of fprings. It is remarkable that they are to be found in every country on the furface of the earth, and that they are generally compofed of a light earth. If it is fometimes mixed with a harder 2^8 EEAUTIES OF STURM. harder and more gravelly foil,, it purifies the water fo much the more. This variety of foil is very ufeful alfo for vegetables. It is from this circum- ffance that herbs, plants, and trees grow of them- felves in fome countries, while they can only be produced by art in others. All that art can do is to imitate nature, which prepares for the plants that come of themfelves the foil, the nutritive juices, and the warmth, moft proper for them. The va- riety of foil will make herbs, trees, and roots, though of the fime kind, differ according to the foil they grow in. It often happens in the fame foil, that fome plants thrive, whilft others fail. The fame fruit has a different flavour in one country firm what it has in another. Thefe obfervations lead us to acknowledge the wifdom with which the Creator has prepared every foil for the production of plants, for the good of his creatures. LESSON CXXVII. FORTY-THIRD WEEK. MIGRATION OF THE BIRDS. THIS is the time when numbers of the birds, which during fummer had lived and found food in our fields, woods, and gardens, are going to quit our climate for other countries. There are but few of them which pais the winter with us ; the woodpecker, the crow, the raven, the fparrow, the wren, the partridge, and the thrulh : the reft leave us almofl the whole winter. This migration is w r onderful in all refpecls ; and if we have not much attended to thefe creatures while they were with us, let us at lead think of them now they are gone. Some birds without taking their flight very high, and BEAUTIES OF STURM. 2r.g and without Separating from one another, drawing gradually towards the fouth, to feek the feeds and the fruit they prefer; but they foon return back. Others, which are called birds of paifage, collect : her at certain feafons, go away in large bodies, take their flight into otlur climates. Some kinds of them are content with going from one country to another, where the air and food draw i at certain feafons. Others crofs the feas, and undertake voyages of a furprifing length. The birds oi paffage moft known, are quails, fv, allows, wild ducks, plovers, woodcocks, and cranes, with f me others which feed on worms. The quails in fpring go from Africa into Europe, in order to en- joy a more moderate heat : they go in flights, and look like clouds : they often fall thr< gue into (hips, and are eahly taken. The method of. the fvvallows is different ; fome crofs the feas, but many of them ftay in Europe, and hide themfelves in holes under ground or in marfhes. icks cranes alio, at the approach of winter, feek milder climates. They all affemble on a certain day, arid divide company. They generally form them- felves into two lines united in a point, as < thus, with a bird at their head, and the reft in rows, which always extend in that manner. The duck, or crane, which forms the point, cuts the air, and makes way for thofe which foilow ; and thtfe al- ways lay their bills on the tails of thofe which go before: the leading bird is only charged with this commiiTion for a time : he goes from the point to the tail, in order to reft, and he is relieved by another. But all birds of paifage do not affemble in flights. Some take the voyage quite alone ; others with their mates, and all their family ; others in ffnall numbers. They make their paifage in a very ihort time. It has been computed that they may eafily fly 20c miles in flying only fix. hours a day, fuppofing &6o BEAUT-IES OF STURM. fuppofing them to reft now and then in the day as well as at night. According to this calculation, they might fly from our country even as far as un- der the line, in {even or eight days. This has been verified, as fwallows have been feen on the coafts of Senegal, on the ninth of October, which is eight or nine days after their departure from Europe. Thefe migrations of the birds cannot be too much admired. Certainly the difference of heat and cold, and the want of food, warns them to change place. But what is the reafon, that when the air is fo mild that they might remain in it, and that they find enough to eat, they ft ill never fail to go at the ap- pointed time ? How do they know that they will find food, and the proper degree of heat in other climates ? What is the caufe of their going all at the fame time out of our countries, as if they had unanimoully fixed beforehand theirday of departure? How do they contrive in dark nights, and without knowing the countries, to purfue their direct ro:ul corjftantiy ? Thefe and other queftions on this in- terefting fubjedr., are embarrafting, and have not yet been anfwered in" a fatisfa&ory manner, becaufe we are not enough acquainted with the nature and in- ftincl: of thefe animals. We may, however, behold in thefe migrations the wife and beneficent direc- tion of Providence. What wonderful means are made ufe of to preferve and give food to certain birds! With what tender care is their fubliftence pointed out to them, when it fails them in fome regions ! Let us learn from thence, that every thing throughout the vaft empire of nature is planned with infinite wifdom. Is not inftinct to the birds of paftage what reafon is to man ? And does it not equally inftrudr, them in this point, of changing place in proper feafons r How ought we to blufh at our incredulity, our doubts, and our anxieties, BEAUTIES OF STUR\f. 261 anxieties, when we reflect on the admirable gui- dance of Providence ! LESSON CXXVIII. THE VARIETY OF TREES. THERE is the fame variety among the trees as in the vegetable productions. Some are dif- tinguiihed by their ilrength and rough nefs, like the oak ; others are tall and (lender, as the elm and the fir-tree : there are fome, fuch as the thorn and the box, which never grow high : fome have rough and uneven coats, while others are fmooth and fine, like the birch, the maple, and the pcplar. Some are made ufe for ornaments in rich apartments, while others ferve for common and more neceiTary pur- pofes : fome are fo flight and delicate, that the leaft wind might blow them down ; others itand un- fhaken, and refift the violence of the northern blafts : fome grow to a prodigious height and thick- nefs, and every year after they are an hundred years old, feems to add to their circumference ; while others require but a very few years to come to their full growth. Pliny, in his time, admired thofe great trees, the lheil or bark of which was thick or large enough to be made into Hoops to hold thirty people : but what would he have faid of thofe trees in Congo, which, when hollowed out, make veifels to contain 200 men : there are fome of this kind at Malabar, which are faid to be forty feet in circum- ference : the cocoa-tree is one of them, a fort of palm-tree, fome of which have leaves large enough to cover twenty people. The tullipot, a tree which grows in the ifland of Ceylon, and for height re- fembles the maft of a (hip, is equally famous for its leaves. They are fo immenfe, that it is faid that l62 BEAUTIES OF STURM. that one Tingle leaf can fhelter fifteen or twenty men from the rain. They are fo fupple when dried, that they may be folded up like fans, and are then extremely light, and appear no larger than a man's arm. There are (till on mount Libanus, twenty-three old cedars, which are faid to have efcaped the deluge : a learned perfon who faw them, aflures us, that ten men could not encompafs one of thofe cedars ; they muft therefore be thirty or thir- ty-fix feet in circumference, which does not appear too much for trees fome thoufands of years old. The gum-trees which grow in the iilands of Ame- rica are generally twenty-fix feet in circumference. It is not likely, then, that the cedars are as old as they fay ; though it is certain that trees live to a great age. There are apple-trees above a thoufand years old ; and, if we compute the quantity of fruit fuch a tree bears annually, we muft (as has been be- fore mentioned) think with aftoniihment of the pro- digious fertility of a iingle pippin, which could fur- nifh all Europe with trees of this kind. The great variety among trees reminds me of the difference we obferve among men, in regard to their fituations in life, their way of thinking, their ta- lents, and the good they do. As there is not a (in- gle tree in a foreft which may not be of fome ufe to its owner, fo there is no one in fociety which may not be ufeful. One, like the oak, gives an example of firmnefs, and of unfhaken conftancy, which no- thing can move : another has not equal fortitude, but has more complaifance, and conforms to others; he is flexible as the willow, and yields to a breath of wind : if he is virtuous, he will only comply in lawful and innocent points ; but if he is indifferent to his duties, he will always embrace the ftrongeft fide. How different the trees may be from one another, they all belong equally to the Sovereign of the world -> all are nourifhed by the fame earth, all v,' armed BEAUTIES OF STURM. 20* warmed by the fame fun, and refrefhed by the rain equally. Oh ! that all men, however different from each other, would unite in acknowledging that they are all equally Gjd's creatures, equally fubjecl: to his power, equally the object: of his ten- der mercies; all indebted to him for their exiftence and fupport, as well as for the talents with which they are endowed. LESSON CXXIX. THE TEMPERATURE IN THE DIFFERENT CLIMATES OF THE EARTH. IT feems as if the temperature and warmth of countries muft depend on their fituation in re- fpec~t to the fun, as it cafts its rays in the fame manner on all countries which are in the fame lati- tude. But experience tells us, that heat and cold, and all the temperature, depend on many other cir- cumftances. Seafons may be very different in places under the fame parallel ; and are, on the contrary, cften very much alike under very different climates. Therefore, as accidental caufes may make the heat very different in the fame latitude, and as it is very far from being fuch as the didance of the fun would feem to promife, it is difficult to determine exactly the feafons and temperature of each country. The neighbourhood of the fea renders the climate mild- er. England and the coafts of Norway are ftrong proofs of it : the fea may be covered with ice near the fhore, becaufe it mixes there with frefh water: but it never happens at any coniiderable diftance from land, both from the fait, of which the fea is full, and from its being in continual motion. By the fea not being frozen in winter, the climate of the adjacent countries is milder. On the contrary, the higher *6*4 BEAUTIES OF STURM. higher a place is above the fea, the colder it is. The air is not only thinner there, and confequently con- tains lefs warmth, but the greateft part of the heat produced by the earth's reflecting the rays of the fun falls on low places and valleys, and does not reach heights. Quito is almofl under the line, but the heat is moderate from its high fituation. In gene- ral, thofe fort of countries have ferene and clear air, and an equal temperature. High mountains attract clouds, which occafion more frequent rains and ftorms in hilly countries than elfewhere j and it has been obferved, that it fcarce ever rains in the plains of Arabia. Countries where there are great extenfive forefts are very cold : the ice melts more flowly there in winter, becaufe it is covered with the made of the trees. The ice makes the upper air cold, and this delays the thaw. Another circum- ftance alfo tempers the heat of warm climates ; their days are not long, and the fun does not remain long above the horizon. In colder countries the fummer days are very long, which makes them warmer than could be expected. The ferenity of the fky, the clear light of the moon, and the long twilights, render long nights fupportabie. Under the torrid zone, the feafons are not fo much diilin- guifhed by winter and fummer, as by dry and wet weather ; for when it ought to be fummer, that is, when the fun is molt above the horizon, and its rays fall in as direct a line as poflible, then come the rains, which fall more or lefs for fome time. But in thofe countries, the moft pleafant feafon is that in which the fun is at the loweil. In the countries beyond the tropic, the weather is generally more uncertain than within the tropic. It is in fpring and fummer that the winds arehigheft. In winter the ground freezes more or lefs deep, but felclom in our climate more than three feet. In more north- ern countries, it freezes deeper in winter, and only thaws BEAUTIES OF STURM. ! 26j thaws a few feet in fummer. Stagnant waters, and even rivers, are covered with ice, firft near the fhore, and then over the whole furface of the water. The different qualities of the foil, as they retain more or lefs of acquired heat, contribute in fome degree to vary the climate. In thus regulating the feafons and climates of the different countries, the Creator has made ev part of the earth habitable : and to the great fatis- faclion of all feeling hearts, it is certain, that the people of the molt diftant countries, without c excepting thofe who live under the line or under the pole, enjoy the portion of happmefs fuited to their nature and deflination. Each country has its advantages and inconveniences, in fuch equal pro- portion, that it would be difficult to decide which of them merits the preference. There is not a corner of the world in which the Almighty has not difplayed his goodnefs. LESSON CXXX. FORTY-FOURTH K. ATMOSPHERE OF THE EARTH. THE air which furrounds the earth is not as pure and fubtile as ether ; for it is 1 oa all the particles or vapours which are co itinu g cut of the earth, and particularly from water: this < atmofphere. Its lower ion, that is to 2 upptr i becomes rienced by the tains. Theii mes more painful proportion as the; I. But it is ii : of the atmofphere, , N 266 BEAUTIES OF STURM. caufe we cannot rife very high in the air. — The atmofphere is divided into three regions. The lower one reaches as high as where the air receives no warmth from the rays which the earth reflects. The middle region begins where the preceding one ends, and goes as high as the higheft mountains, or even as far as the higheft clouds, and in the fpace where the hail, rain, and fnow collect. This region is much colder than the lower ; for it is only warmed by the rays which fall perpendicu- larly, and in a direct: line upon it. But the third is probably ftill colder. It reaches from the mid- dle to the extremity of the atmofphere, and we cannot precifely afcertain its limits. The particles which rife out of the earth, and form the atmofphere, are of different natures. They are watery, earthy, metallic, fulphurous, &c. Now, as fome abound more than others in certain parts of the earth, it occafions great variety in the air, and this difference is very perceptible even at a little height. A heavy air is more whole- fome than a light one, becaufe it promotes the cir- culation of the blood, and infeniible perfpiration. When the air is heavy, it is generally ferene; whereas alight air is always attended with clouds, rain or fnow, which makes it clamp. Vapours increafe the weight of the air ; and particularly, when the heat fends them up very hi^K, the air is ftill lis;ht, notwithstanding the watery vapours with which it is filled. The beft air, therefore, is that which is rather heavy than light, neither too dry nor too moilt, and but little or not at all mixed with noxious vapours. It is in the atmo- fphere that the clouds, the rain, fnow, dew, thun- der, and fcveral etherial phenomena, are formed. It is to the atmofphere alfo that we owe the morn- ing a.nd evening twilights. As the rays break and bend in this mais of air, we fee them before the fun BEAUTIES OF STURM. 267 fun appears, and we enjoy them after it has fet. Let us then acknowledge with gratitude the wif- dom and goodnefs of the Creator, who has regu- lated every thing in nature, fo as to be moil conducive to the happinefs of the beings he has formed. LESSON CXXXI. BEASTS OF BURDEN. THESE fort of animals do us fo much fervice, and are fo ufeful to us, that it would be ungrateful not to examine them with care. Of all domeftic animals, it is the horfe which does us mod: fervice, and does it the rnoft willingly. He lets himfelf be employed to cultivate our ground ; he brings us all our wants ; he fubmits tamely to every fort of labour, for a frugal and moderate fubiiftence. Giving himfelf up entirely to his matter, refufing him nothing; makes ufe of all his flrength, exhaufts himfelf, and even dies in trying to do more. Nature has given the horfe a pro- peniity to love and fear mankind; and made it very fenlible to the careffes which render its fervi- tude pleafing. The horfe is the beft proportioned znd fineft fhaped of all the animals. Every part of him is elegant and regular. The exact propor- tions of his head give him a light and lively look, which is (till heightened by the beauty of his cheft. His carriage is noble, his ftep majeftic, and every limb feems to mark animation, flrength, courage, and pride. The ox has not the pleafing elegance of the horfe ; but it compenfates for thefe by the important fervices it does to mankind. It is itrong enough to draw heavy loads, and is content with poor food, Its blood, its hide, flefh, fat, N 2 and 268 BEAUTIES OF STUR,\f. and horns may be applied to feyeral ufes ; and its dung is excellent manure for the ground. A very remarkable circumftance in this animal is the con- itruction of its organs of digeftion. It has four flomachs, the firft of which can contain forty or fifty pounds weight of food. The third ftomach has eighty-eight folds^ or ridges, which ferve to digeft, whilft fheep or goats have but thirty-fix. The afs, however void of beauty in its appearance, and however del pi fed it may be, has notwithftand- ing many excellent qualities, and is very ufeful to us. It is not fiery and impetuous like the horfe ; but quitt, fimple, and always the fame. It has no pride. ' It goes fmoothly on. It carries its load without noife or murmur. It is temperate, both as to the quantity and quality of its food. It is contented with thirties, and the harder!: and word herbs. It is patient, vigorous, and indefatigable ; and is of continual and elfential ufe to its mailer. Hew is it poflible that we can daily make ufe of thefe animals, without reflecting on the Crea- tor, who formed and gave them the means' of be-, iiig -fo ufeful to us ? It is a circumftance worthy the attention of a reflecting mind, that the num- ber of beafts of burden is infinitely greater than that of wild beafts. If the latter multiplied as fafl . as the former, the world might foon be a defert. : Can we reflect without gratitude on that goodnefs which has given us the command of thofe animals ; \ the ftrength or (kill to fubdue them ; the right to make ufe of them; to change as we pleafe their] 'nature + ; to force them to obedience; and to cm- . ploy them as we choofe. If animals had not beenS irnprcfled with a natural fear of mankind, it would- be impoilible to •fubdue them by force. Since | therefore it is to God alone we owe our power over them, we mould not abufe it by treating thofe I creatures ill. LESSON! BEAUTIES OF STURM. '^9 LESSON CXXXII. THE WINTER SOWING TIME. GREAT part of the food deftined for us, ami for many animals, is at this time depoiited in the ground. The farmer has fowed his winter corn, and begins to enjoy reft from his labours. He will foon have the fatisfaction to fee his fie gradually covering with a beautiful verdure, and giving the promife of a plentiful hafveft. Nature at firft, indeed, works in fecret, while the feed is opening; but its operations may be difcovered, by taking fome of the grains out of the ground they are beginning to fhoot. Two days after the grain is put into the earth, it is (welled by the juices, and begins to moot. The fhoot is alw; at one of the ends of the grain ; and that part ot it whieh is next the outfide of the grain is the little root of the future plant. The part tun inwards is the ftalk and head of the plant. The corn, when fowed, generally begins in tweatv- four hours to pierce through the coat, and unfold itfelf. The root and ftalk become vitible. root is firft wrapped up in a bag, which it bi open. Some daays after, other roots fhoot out their fides. The fifth or Hxth day, a green fprings up above the ground. It remains fome time in that ftate, till the fine feafon comes, v the ear of corn breaks out of the coats, in it had been enclofed, and protected from cold uncertain weather. All this naturally leads us to reflect on tiie • "of human life. Our prefent exiftenc* the feed from whence evtrhftirg life is to fp. We are here in the lowing feafon, and w • little as yet fprung forth. We cannot N 3 2J0 BEAUTIES OF STURM. the fruit in maturity, or the corn in perfection. The harveft will not be reaped on earth. We live in hope. The farmer has fowed his field. He leaves his grain to corruption, to the rain, the {forms, and the heat of the fun ; and he fees not what will be the refult. This is precifely our fi tuation in regard to fpiritual feed. Let us not be vain of what we fow, neither let us be dif- couraged, if we do not reap the fruits of it. Let us not be weary of " lowing to the Spirit ;" and perhaps our good works, however trifling in them- felves, may have happy confequences hereafter. Now that our ground is fowed, let us wait pa- tiently, and without anxiety, till we reap the fruits of our labour ; and, like the pious farmer, let us pray to God to fhed his bicfiings on our fields ! LESSON CXXXIII. FORTY-FIFTH WEEK. THE MEASURE AND DIVISION OF TIME. TI M E is meafured and divided according to the motions of the eeleftial bodies, and parti- cularly by thofe of the fun and moon. Thofe two globes have the moft influence on the ftate of man- kind. The courfe of the moon only ferves to meafure the time on our earth ; that of the fun certainly regulates the time in all the planets which move round it. Day is the fpace of time in which the fun makes a revolution round the earth ; or, to fpeak more juftly, it is the time our earth takes in turning round its own axis. The part of this time during which the fun is above the horizon, we call artificial day. This is when the light is determined by fun-fet and fun-rife. The time of darknefs, or when the fun is below the horizon, wc BEAUTIES OF STURM. 2 7 I we call night. The day and night together make the folar day. We divide it into 24 parts, called hours ; each hour is divided into 60 equal parts, called minutes ; each minute into 60 feconds j and each fecond into 60 thirds. This divifion of the. day into hours, minutes, &c. is marked by the motion of the madow on a fun -dial, or by the hand of a clock. A good fun-dial conflantly marks the hour truly, bin: clocks or watches require to be often regulated. Moil Europeans, in common life, begin their hours of the day at noon> from whence they reckon twelve to midnight, and twelve more to noon again. The Italians begin the day at fun-fet, and reckon twenty-four hours from thence to the following evening. The Turks begin their day at a quarter of an hour after fun-fet ; they reckon from thence twelve equal hours, and, when thofe are palfed, they reckon twelve more to the following evening. The Jews begin the day at fun-fet ; from thence they reckon twelve equal hours to fun-rife, and as many to fun-fet ; confe- quently, their hours of day are longer or fhorter than thofe of night, in proportion to the length of the day and night. A week is the fpace of feven days-. A folar month is the time the fun takes in travers- ing a iign of the Zodiac : but thofe months do not begin or end exactly as that body enters a new fign. The lunar month is the fpace of time between two new moons, that is to fay, twenty-nine days, twelve hours, and forty-four minutes. The folar year takes in twelve folar months, which is the time the fun takes in traverhng the twelve hgns of the Zodiac ; and there are generally reckoned in that time, three hundred and fixty-five days, five hours and forty minutes. Thefe are now the years in mod parts of Europe. The lunar year takes in twelve lunar months, or twelve courfes of the moon round the earth. It is compofed of three N 4 hundred 27 2 BEAUTIES OF STURM. hundred and fifty-four days, eight hours, and foriy- cight minutes. The Jews and Turks make ufe of this reckoning ; but in order to make it anfwer to the folar year, they , often add a whole month to it. Our common year begins ten or twelve days after the fun has entered Capricorn. This meafure or divifion of time, however un- important it may appear in itfelf, may become of much confequence, by the application of it to the moral life of man. The hours, days, weeks, months, and years, of which our earthly life is compofed, were given us in order that we fhould fulfil the deilgn of our exigence, by making a good u(e of our faculties. But how do we employ this precious time ! Minutes appear to us too trifling to attend to. It is certain, however, that he who does not reckon minutes will lavifh hours alfo. " Teach us, O Lord, fo to number cur days, " that we may apply our hearts unto wifdom." LESSON CXXXIV. THE END OF SUMMER. THE fun is now taking leave of our world. Every thing is changed with us. The earthy which was lately fo beautiful and fruitful, is now becoming gradually barren and poor. We no longer behold that fine enamel of the trees in bloiTom, the charms cf fpring, the magnificence of fiimmer, thole different tints and ihades of ver- dure in the woods and meads, the purple grape?, nor the yellow harvefts which crowned our fields. When the earth is (tripped of its corn, its grafs, and its leaves, nothing is to be feen but a rough and rugged furface. It has no longer that beau- tiful appearance which the con 1 , greens, and herbs, produce BEAUTIES OF STURM. 2 - } produce over a vaft country. The birds no lor ling ; nothing now recalls to the mind of man t univerfal joy which reigned throughout all a mated nature. Deprived of the pleafure the melodious fongs of the birds afforded, he h< little now but the murmuring dreams and v. winds, conftantly the fame dull (bunds ; a fmeil of plants and leaves decaying, and a cold p air, are difagreeable to the feeling. But in the midfl of thefe melancholy profpects, let us obferve, that nature faithfully fulfils the eternal law prefcribed to her, of being ufeful at al and feafons of the year. Winter draws ni flowers are going ; and even when the fun the earth no longer appears with its ufual beai Yet the 'country, if ripped and defert prefents to a feeling mind the image of happiri We may recollect with gratitude to (leaven, I the fields which are now barren were . red with corn and plentiful harveft. It is tr the orchards and gardens are now ftripped, but remembrance of what th make us content to bear the northern at prefent we feel fo fharp. The from the fruit-trees; the grafs of the field is withered ; dark clouds fill the ficv, and fall in heavy rail s. The unthinking man c this-, but the wife man beholds with rain; and beholds it with a fweet fat! The dried leaves and the -faced. grafs are prep.. by the autumal rains, to form manure tc ground. This refleftion, with the expt&atidn of fpring, mull natural' _ cur gratitude tor the tender mercies of cur I N r LF.-SON 274 BEAUTIES OF STURM. LESSON CXXXV. THE WANTS OF MAN. THERE is not a creature on earth that has fo many wants' as man. We come into the world naked, ignorant, and deflitute. Nature has not endowed us with that induilry, and thole inftin&s, which the beafts have at their birth. Reafon has been beftowed on us, that we mould acquire the neceflary knowledge and talents. They bring with them at their birth, clothes, arms, and all they want, or they have thofe natural inftincts, which, by following blindly, procure it for them. If they require habitations, they know how to dig or build them ; if they want beds, covering, or change of clothes, they know how to fpin and weave them, and get rid of their old ones ; if they have enemies, they are provided with arms to de- fend themfelves ; if they are lick or wounded, they know where to find proper remedies. And we, who are fo fuperior to other animals, have more wants, and fewer means of fupplying them, than they have. By not having their initin£t. to aflift our many bodily wants, we are obliged to make uk of our reafon, in order to acquire a knowledge of the world, and of ourfelves. It is neceffary to be active, vigilant, and laborious, to preferve us from poverty, pain, and vexation, and in order to make our lives pleafant and happy. Reafon is, at the fame time, the only means to fubdue our ftrong pailions, and to prevent us from running into exceiftfi of pleafure, which might be fatal to us. A few examples may convince us of this. If we could obtain, without any trouble, all cur food, &c. we mould certainly become indolent and idle, and we mould pafs our lives in BEAUTIES OF STURM, £73 in fhameful floth. The noblefl: faculties of man would weaken and grow dull. The bonds of fo- cietv would be broken, becaufe we mould no longer depend on one another. Even children would be able to do without the afiiitance of their parents, and frill lefs would they want it from others. All human kind would fall again into a Irate of bar- barity. Wild and lavage, every one would In like the brutes, for themielves only. There would be no fubordination, no mutual obligations or good offices. It is, then, to our wants that we owe the opening of our faculties, and the prerogatives of humanity. They awaken the mind, create activity and induftry, and make our lives more eafy and pleafant than thofe of other animals. Our wants have made us foci able, rational, and regu- lar in our manners; they have given rife to a multitude of ufeful arts and fciences. In general, an active and laborious life is beneficial and necef- fary to man. If his faculties and powers are not exercifed, he becomes a load to himfelf, he falls gradually into a ftupid ignorance, into grofs ex- celTes, and all the vices refulting from them. La- bour, on the contrary, fets all the machine into a pleafing motion, and gives fo much the more fatis- faclion and enjoyment, as it requires the more induftry, reflection, underftanding, and knowledge. If, after having been fed with our mother's milk, we required no ailiftance or inftruction, we mould only live for ourfelves, we mould centre all in felf; learning no language,, we mould make no ufe of our reafon ; Itupid and profoundly ignorant, we mould neither be acquainted with the arts nor fciences, nor the noblefl: pleafures of the foul : whereas, now, the wants of children, the defti- tute ftate in which they come into the world, oblige the parents through pity and tendernefs, to take care of them ; whilft the children, on their parts, N 6 are 276 BEAUTIES OF STURM. are attached to their parents, by a fenfe of their own helplefs ftate and danger, and fubmit to be guided and formed by their initrucliion and exam- ple, how to make a proper ufe of their reafon, and to refpect morality. Thus they may become worthy men, good citizens, and lead a virtuous and happy life. With fuch advantages, we may eafily give up thofe which the animals appear to have over us. We require neither furs nor feathers to clothe us, no teeth or claws to defend us, neither more cun- ning or natural inftincf to procure us necefTaries. We find, then, that thefe wants, of which fo many complain, are the true foundations of our happinefs, and the beft means which Divine Wif- dom and Goodnefs could make ufe of, in order to direct the faculties of man to the greateft advantage. LESSON CXXXVI. FORTY-SIXTH WEEK. FOREIGN ANIMALS. EVERY part of the world has animals of its own, and it is for very wife purpofes that the Creator has placed them in one country, rather than in another. The mod remarkable animals in the fouthern countries are the elephant and camel. They furpafs all the quadrupeds in fize. The elephant in particular appears like a moving mountain, and its bones are like pillars. Its head is joined to a very Ihort neck, and armed with two tufks ftrong enough to tear up trees, or throw them down. A longer neck could not fupport the weight of the head, nor hold it up. But to make amends for the fhort neck, his trunk is very long. He ufes it as a hand to convey food to his mouth, with cut BEAUTIES OF STURM. 277 without being obliged to ftoop for it. He not only moves, bends, and turns it always, to do what- ever we do w r ith our fingers, but he makes ufe of it as an organ of fmell ; his eyes are fmall in proportion to the fize of his body, but they are bright and full of fire. All his inward feelings are expreifed in them. In a {fate of independence, before the elephant is tamed, it is neither fangui- nary nor fierce. It is of a mild nature, and never makes ufe of its weapons but in its own defence. It^never hurts any body unprovoked, but it becomes terrible when irritated. It feizes its enemy with its trunk ; flings it like a ftone at him, and then treads him to death. The elephant eats above lco pounds of grafs a-day ; but its body being of an enormous weight, it crufhes and deftroys with its feet ten times more than it confumes in food. Its chief enemy, and often its conqueror, 'is the rhinoceros, an animal very like the wild boar, that makes ufe of the horn which grows upon his nofe to pierce the belly of the elephant. It requires very little attention to perceive the wif- dom of God in the production of the elephant. He has ordained that it mould be born in coun- tries abounding with grafs, and that it mould net become a burden to the earth by multiplying too fait. The camel is one of the moilufeful animals in the eaft ; it is admirably adapted to bearthe greater!: fatigues in the midft of barren deferts and burning fands ; being able fometimes to live four or five days without drink, and requiring but very little food in proportion to its fize. It browfes the few plants and fhrubs that grow in the deferts ; and n he finds none, two meafures of beans and barley ferve for a whole day's fubfiftence. Bcfides the hump which grows on its back, there is {till another Angularity in its make : this is a double throat, one of which reaches to the ftomach, and the B78 BEAUTIES OF STURM. the other terminates in a bag which ferves him as a refervoir to keep water in. It remains there without corrupting ; and when the animal is prefled by thirft, and has occafion to dilute its dry food, it draws up into its paunch part of this water, which moiftens the throat, and goes afterwards into the ftomach. The common load a camel bears is from 700 to 800 pounds weight ; and with this burden they go two German leagues and an half in an hour ; and they generally travel twelve or fifteen hours a-day. The flcfliy foot of the camel is made to walk on Kind, while the horny hoof of the horfe would be hurt or burnt by it. The moft remarkable quadrupeds in the north- erns countries are the elk, the fable, and the rein- deer. The firft of thefe animals is large, ftrong, and finely fhaped. Its head fomething refembles the mule in form, fize, and colour ; its legs are long and ftrong ; its hair of a light grey. This animal is fimple, ftupid, and timorous. It finds food every where ; but it prefers bark, or the tender fhoots of the willow, the birch, or the fer- vice-tree. It is extremely fwift, and having long legs, goes a great way in a very fhort time. The fable wanders in the forefts of Siberia, and is much fought on account of its beautiful fur. The hunting of this animal is generally the fad occu- pation of the wretches who are banifhed to thofe deferts. The rein-deer is an animal of a moft elegant pleaiing form, very like a flag. It feeks its own food, which confifts of mofs, grafs, leaves, and buds or fhoots of trees. The northern na- tions draw many ufes from them. They eat their fleOi, drink their milk, and are drawn by them in Hedges, with extreme fwiftnefs, upon the ice and fnow. All the wealth of the Laplanders con- fifts in their rein-deer. The fkin furnifhes them with BEAUTIES OF STURM. *;<, with clothes, beds, and tents ; in a word, with all the neceilaries of life. What has been faid of thefe foreign beafts may give rife to important reflections. How prodigious the diftance between the elephant and the mite ! In many parts of the world there are animals which could not bear the climate, air, food, or degree of heat, they would find in Europe ; neither can it be doubted but there are millions of animals which could not exiit on our globe, and could no more live amongft us, than we could live in the planet of Saturn, or that of Mercury. LESSON CXXXVII. VARIETY OF WINDS. THERE are great variety of winds. In fome places they are fixed the whole year, and blow always from the fame point. In others, thev change at certain periods of time, but (till by fixed and regular laws. At fea between the tropics, and fome degrees below them, there is a wind which lafts the whole year without any conhderable vari- ation. On the north of the line, the wind blows towards the north-cad; and on the fouth of the line, it blows towards the fouth-ealt, more or lefs, according to the pofition of the fun. This muff be underftood to mean the wind at open fea ; for, if iilands or great continents are oppofed to it, the di- rection may be changed to north-eaff. In the fouthern parts of the ocean, the wind is general- ly wcfterly. The nearer to the coaft, the more changeable is the wind, and ifill more fo on land. The conflant call wind is chiefly owing to the heat which the fun communicates to our atmofphere. In the Indian feas there are winds called trade- winds 280 BEAUTIES OF STURM. winds or monfoons, which blow for three or fix months of the year from one point, and for the fame fpace of time from the contrary point. Thefe winds have not yet been well accounted for ; but certainly we muft look for the caufes of them in the changes from heat to cold, the pofition of the fun, the nature of the foil, meteors taking fire, va- pours diflblving into rain, and other fuch circum- stances. There are feas and countries which have winds and calms peculiar to them. In Egypt and in the Perfian Gulph, there is, during fummer, a burning wind, which fuffocates and confumes every thing. At the Cape of Good Hope, there forms a cloud fometimes which is called the fatal wind, or the ox-eye : it is at firft very fmall, but vifibly in- creafes, and foon produces a furious tempeft, which fw allows up fhips, and plunges them into the deep. Variable winds, which have no fixed direction or duration, blow over the greatefl part of the globe. It is true, that fome certain winds may blow more frequently in one place than in another;, but it is not at any regular time that they either begin or end. They vary in proportion tothefeveral caufes which interrupt the equilibrium of. the air : heat, cold, rain, fair weather, mountains, and even the (traits, capes, and promontories, may contribute very much to interrupt their courfe, or change their direction. There are many other caufes, certainly, though not yet known to us, for the different modifications and turns* of the wind. One thing particularly re- markable is, what happens every day, and almoft in every place, a little before fun-rife : when the air is perfectly calm and ferene, at the dawn of day, there comes a quick eafterly breeze, at the approach of the fun,, which continues fome time after it rifes, The caufe of this muft be, that the air being heat- ed by the riling fun, rarefies, and by its dilating, {ends the contiguous air towards the weft ; this ne- ccflarily BEAUTIES OF STURM. 28 1 luces an call: wind, which we ceafe af- ards to feel as the air grows warmer. From . caufe, the eafterly wind muftnot only pre- the fun always in the torrid zone, but be much ftronger alfo than in our countries, becaufe the fun re moderately upon us than it does near the wind blows conilant- ly from eaft to welt. A wefterly wind is very rarely felt there. may obferve, then, that the winds are not the effect of chance, to which no caufe can be aligned. In this r as in every thing elfe, the Creator fhews his wifdom and goodnefs. He has fo ordained, that the winds mould rife from time to time, and that re fhould be but very feldom a ute calm. }{r : force, and duration of winds, and prefcribes the direction in en their I to us. When a long drought cau and kts to grow faint and languid, a fea-wind fends clouds loaded with vapours, to moiiten the ground, revive all nature. When this is done there comes a dry eagerly wind, to ry of the air, and to give us fine weather. The north- 1 clears away a great quantity of icy particles, and carries off the noxious vapours of autumn. — To the (harp north wind, fu the Southerly wind, which fills the air with an enlivening warmth; continual changes of the wind we owe our health, and the fertility of the earth. Who can make thefe reflections without adoring God ? All the elements are at his command: at his word the florins and tempefts roar ; they rufh from fea to fea, from land to land ; and at his command ail is calm again. Should we not, therefore, put our whole thin: in him r He who directs the winds as he pleafes, will he not guide our ways ? Whilft at his command all the changes of the wind com- bine 282 BEAUTIES OF STURM. bine for the good of his creatures, may we not be- lieve that the viciffitudes of life contribute to the real happinefs of each individual. LESSON CXXXVIII. HUNTING. HUNTING is one of the chief amufements of a certain order of people at this feafon ; but it is to be wifhed they did not fet fuch value upon it; for the power man has over animals, and the pleafure he takes in fubduing them, is too often mingled with cruelty. Sometimes, it is true, there is a neceftity that animals fhould be put to death, in order to make the ufe of them for which they were defigned, or to prevent an increafe that would be hurtful to us: but even then their death ought to be made as eafy as pofiible; and unfortunately this law prefcribed by Nature is little attended to by fportfmen. Men, in thisrefpecl:, fhew themfelves more cruel tyrants than the fierceft bead. Is not the way of hunting a hare or flag dreadful to every feeling heart ? Can it be an innocent pleafure to purfue with rage and fury a poor animal, which flies from us in violent anguifh, till at laft, exhauft- ed with terror and fatigue, it fails and expires in horrid convulfions r Is it humanity not to be af- fecled with fuch a fight, nor to feel companion at it? To purchafe a pleafure by the death of an innocent creature, is purchafing it too dearly. It is a dan- gerous pleafure, if it makes barbarity familiar to us. It is impoilible, that the heart of a man, paf- iionately fond of hunting, fhould not infenfibly lofe the fweet feelings of humanity. Such a'man foon becomes cruel and barbarous; he finds pleafure in. none but fcenes of horror and deftruclion ; and,, having BEAUTIES OF STURM. 2S3 having accuftomed himfelf to be infenfible towards animals, he foon becomes fo towards his feliow- creatures. Hunting does not appear to me in gene- ral an occupation which we can reconcile with the duties we are called upon to fulfil. Without men- tioning the lofs of time, a lofs in itfelf of confe- fequence, it is certain that hunting diftipates too much, and fills the mind with ideas incompatible with ferious employments. Gentler amufements are more proper to unbend and divert the mind, than thofe tumultuous pleafures which do not leave us the ufe of reflection. Hunting mud ever appear a dangerous employment to a moral and religious man ; for ought we not to be afraid of a pleafure which leads to fins and irregularities? How does the health fuffer by fuch a violent exercife, and the fudden tranfitions from heat to cold ! What ex- cefles, what fwearing, what cruelties are allowed ! How are the horfes, dogs, and even the men treat- ed ! What mifchief done to the meadows and fields ! Can all thefe be called trifles not worth attending to ? If we were wife, we fliould feek pleafures more innocent and pure, and we fhould certainly find them. Why then mould we run after grofs plea- fures, which always leave remorfe and difguft behind them? We have within ourfelves an abundant fource of enjoyments. A number of intellectual and moral faculties, the culture of which may afford the greateft fatisfaction. But it is in this that the great knowledge of a Chriftian philofopher confifts — he has the art of being happy without much pre- paration or trouble, and particularly without being fo at the expence of his virtue. LESSON 284 BEAUTIES OF STURM. LESSON CXXXIX. FORTY-SEVENTH WEEK. EVERY THING COMBINES FOR THE PRESERVA- TION OF THE CREATURES IN THE WORLD. EVERY thing which the beneficent Creator has produced upon our globe is admirably con- nected with one another, fo as to contribute to their mutual prefervation. The earth itfelf, with its rocks, minerals, and fo fills, owe their origin and continuance to the elements. The trees, plants, herbs, grafs, mofs, in a word, all the vegetables, draw their .fubfiftence from the earth, whilft the animals, in their turn, feed upon- the vegetables. The earth gives nourishment to the plant, the plant is food for the infect., the infect lor the bird, the bird for wild beads; and, in their turn, the wild beads become the prey of the vulture, the vulture of the infect, the infect of the plant, and the plant of the earth. Even man, who turns all thefe things to his own ufe, becomes himfelf their prey. Such is the circle in which all things here take their courie. Thus, all beings were created for one another. •Nothing was created merely for itfelf. Tygers, lynxes, bears, ermines, foxes, and other animals, provide us with furs to cover us : dogs purfue the flag and the hare, to furnifh our tables; their fhare of the prey is very fmall : the terrier drives the rabbit from its deepeft recelfes into our fnares : the horfe, the elephant, and the camel, are trained to carry burdens, and the ox to draw the plough : the cow gives us milk: the flieep its wool: the rein- deer make the fledges fly over fnow and ice : the fwine and the porcupine rake into the earth, and the moles ftir it up, that the feed of plants and herbs, BEAUTIES OF STURM. 28j herbs, being difperfed, may the more eafily propa- gate : the hawk ferves us in fowling, and the hen gives us eggs : the cock wakes us early in the morn, and the lark amufes us with its fong in the day-time : the whiffling note of the blackbird is heard tr^m morn to evening, and the melodious warbling 01 the nightingale charms us in the night : the ftately plumage of the peacock gives pleafure to the light : the very filh come from the depths of the ocean, venture upon the coait, and go up rivers, in order to furniih plenty of provifion for men, birds, and wild beafts: the filk- worm fpins its pre- cious web to clothe us : the bees collect with care the honey we find fo delicious : the fea continually throws upon its mores multitudes of craw-fiih, lob- fters, cyicers, and all forts of mell-fifh for our ufe : the jack-a-lantern, or great fly of Surinam, mines in the midft of darknefs, to give light to the inha- bitants of thofe countries. If we obferve the dif- ferent occupations of mankind, we lhall find that they alfo tend to this fame end which nature pur- pofed. The failor braves the dangers of feas and itorms, to convey merchandizes which do not belong to him, to their deftined place : the plough- man fows and reaps grain, which he confumes but little of himfelf. Thus, we do not live for our- felves only; for the wile Author ot nature hus fo ordained, that all-beings mould become ufeful to one another. Let us learn from thence our mutual duties. The ftrong mould affift the weak ; the in- formed man lhould affift with his advice thofe who want it ; the learned lhould in;tru6t the ignorant : in a word, we mould love our neighbour as our- felves, and thus fulfil the deligns of the Creator. The mutual offices men owe to one another have made them form into focieties. What divided force could not accomplifh, is eafily performed by united itrength. No body could erccl a fine building or palace 286 PEAUTIES OF STURM. palace without affiftance : one perfon alone could not lay the foundation, dig the cellars, make and burn the bricks, raife the walls, put on the roof, make the windows, decorate the apartments, &c. but all this is done with eafe when the different workmen a flirt one another. Even the things which appear to us of fo little importance, that we fcarce deign to look at them, they all contribute to make us happy. The very infects we fo much defpife are ufeful to us. May it teach us to value as we ought the goodnefs of our merciful Father, and to be fen- fible of our own happinefs! LESSON CXL. .COMMON SALT. THE feafoning mod in ufe, and that which the rich or poor, the king or the beggar can lead difpenfe with, is the common fait. Its flavour is fo plealing, and it has fuch excellent properties for di- geftion, that it may be conlidcred as one of the mod valuable gifts which nature has bellowed upon us. It is given to us in different ways: thefe who live near the fea receive it from thence ; they dig marfhes on the fea-fbore, which are called falt- marfhes, and ptafter them with clay : the fea flows into them when it is rough, and the waves high. The water that remains in the marfhes foon eva- porates with the heat of the fun, and the fait is left at bottom in great abundance. Nature alfo produces fait fprings, fountains, and lakes. In order to extract the fait out of them, the water is boiled in great caldrons. In other places the fait is found in folid maifes in the mountains. The moft famous mines are thofe of Catalonia and Po- land. Thefe different kinds of fait are all alike as to BEAUTIES O c STURM. 2S7 to their chief properties. Experience has taught us, that fait itomach . elsj that it h. r of digeftion, prevents p tion, and to j great a fermentation of our food. For reafonit is taken inwardly to promote digeftion, to rectify crudities in the ftomach, lufs of appetite, and coftivenefs. It not only diifblves the phlegm, which takes away the appetite, and prevents d: . tion, but it is alio a good ilimulus for the ifomach, the nerves of which it gently irritates, and promotes all its operations. Moll of our food would be infipid and tailelefs without fait ; yet this is the leaft of its advantages, when we conlider the great ufeitis of to usin refpecl to health. Another circumftance in regard to fait will appear intei ing to every obferver of the works or" nature: the fmallefl grain of common fait feems cut into eight angles, or with fix (ides, like a die ; from of this fort of fait mud be of a fquare or cubical form. Inthis again the Divine Hand is vifible, which has given to fait an invariable form, that has been fuch from the beginning of the world. This form, conftantly the fame, and fo exact, is a very [hiking proof that it does not owe its to a blind chance, but to the will of :.. Being. This thought is too important and too neceifary to our peace, not to make ufe of every occaiion to recqf iecl, and imprefs it more and more upon our minds. LESSON CXLI. ORIGIN OF FOUNTAINS AND SPRINGS. ALL the great rivers are formed by the union of lefler rivers, and thofe owe their rife to the rivulets which run into them, and the rivulets to the 200 BEAUTIES OF STURM. the fprings and fountains : there can be no doubt of this". But from whence do the fprings come 1 ? Water, from its height and fluidity, always fills the loweft parts of the furface of the earth: from whence then can the water come, which flows fo constantly from the higheft regions ? — In the firft place, it is certain, that the rain, the fnow, and, in general, all the vapours which fall from the air, iurnifh a great part of the water which flows from fprings ; confequently, rivers and fprings are very rare in the deferts of Arabia, or in parts of Africa where it never rains. Thefe waters penetrate down into the earth, till they find beds of white clay, w r hich they cannot get through: there they accu- mulate and become fountains, or they collect in cavities, which afterwards overflow, and the water gradually gets through crevices, great and fmall, falling towards the bottom, to which its weight naturally inclines it. Thus the water continually flows, and makes itfelf fubterraneous currents, with which other currents mix, and by their union form whatsis called a vein of water. It is, however, very probable, that, in fome countries at leaft, the fprings do not owe their origin entirely to the waters which fall from the atmofphere ; for there are on feveral high mountains confiderable fprings and lakes, which do not feem as if they could be pro- duced entirely by fnow or rain. There are many fprings which give an equal quantify of water at ail feafons, and even more fometimes in the hotteft and drieft weather than when damp and rainy. There muft, of courfe, be other caufes both tor the rife and fupply of fprings. Many of them are pro- duced by vapours which are carried up into the atmofphere, and driven by the wind towards the mountains, or, by the power of univerfal attraction, are drawn tow r ards thofe great malfes. The atmo- re is more or iefs full ci watery vapours, which being BEAUTIES OF STURM. 289 being driven and preffed againft hard and cold rocks, condenfe immediately into drops, and thus fvvell the firings. However, we muft frill allow that all the fprings cannot be owing to this caufe : for muft not the Danube, the Rhine, and other great rivers which come from high mountains, dry up when thefe enormous mafies in winter are covered with fnow and ice. Certainly there muft be caverns, which, by a communication with the fea or lakes, contri- bute to form fprings. The fea- water, having gone through fubterraneous channels into thefe great cavities, it rifes in vapour through a number of cre- vices, and forms into drops, which, falling again with their own weight, take fometimes quite another courfe, becaufe water cannot always penetrate where the vapours do. All the caufes here pointed out con- tribute more or lefs to the forming of fprings ; and there may be other caufes unknown to us. It is true that nature is always fimple in its operations ; but this funplicity does not confift in making ufe of one caufe only for each particular effect : it confifts in making ufe of as few aspoflible, which does not prevent there being always feveral auxiliary caufes which concur in working the effect, which nature propoies. LESSON CXLIL FORTY-EIGHTH WEEK. SYSTEM OF THE UNIVERSE. HITHERTO we have only been conftdering the earth, this globe, which is but a fpeck in comparifon of the immenfe univerfe. Let us now raife our thoughts to thofe innumerable worlds, at the light of which, this fpot that we and millions of O other 2QQ BEAUTIES OF STURM. other creatures Inhabit, will appear as nothing. Let us examine, reflect, and adore. The fun, which gives life to every thing, is almoft in the centre of the fyftem; and, without changing place, it turns round its own axis, from eaft to weft, in twenty-feven days and twelve hours. All the pla- nets, from Mercury to Saturn, move round the fun in an oblong orbit or ellipfis. Mercury, which of all the globes is neareft to the fun, performs its revolution in near eighty-eight days, but at fo fmall a diftance from the fun, that it is generally con- cealed in its rays, fo as to be invifible to us. Venus defcribes a larger ellipfis, and finifhes her courfe in little more than 224 days. The earth requires a year to perform its revolution ; and in this annual journey it is attended by the moon. Mars finifhes his courfe in 6S7 days; Jupiter, with his four moons, in twelve years, or thereabouts ; Saturn .moves with his five fatellites, round the folar circle, in the fpaceof thirty years. And laftly, the Geor- gium Sidus, with his two fatellitees (already difco- vered, and it is probable he has many more) which, of all the planets known to us, is furtheft from the fun, in about eight-two years But is it pr-iuble that the fun, which we daily behold travel- ing the fky in twelve hours, mould remain fixed in the centre of the world? Do we not in the morn- ing fee it in the eaft, and in the evening in the well ? Could the earth move round the fun without our perceiving it r This objection, founded on the illu- sion of our fenfes, is of no weight. Do we per- ceive the motion of a boat, in failing upon the river r and, when we are in a boat o'r carriage, does it' not feem as if every thing round us moved, and as if all the Gbjects went back out of their place, though in reality they never move r However our fenfes may be deceived in this refpeel:, our reafon forces us to acknowledge the truth and vvifdom of the BEAUTIES OF STURM. S9 1 the fyfiem which fupports the motion of the earth, Nature always acts in the ihorteit, eaiieM, and fimpleit ways. By the fingle revolution of the earth round the fun, we can account for the dif- ferent appearances of the planets, their periodical motions, their fituations, their direct and their retro- grade motions. And is it not much more natural and eafy, that the earth fhould turn round its axis in twenty-four hours, than that fiich great bodies as the fun and planets mould move round the earth in that fpace of time ? One undeniable proof of the fun, and not the earth, being in the centre of the world, is, that the motions and diftances of the planets depend upon the fun, and not upon the earth. Thefe reflections on the fyltem of the univerfe are calculated to give us the higheit idea of our adorable Creator, and to make us feniible of uur own infignincance. LESSON CXLIIL GREATNESS OF GOD EVEN 10 JF , iMALLES.* THINGS. TX THOEVER loves to contemplate the w V V of God, will trace him not only in thofe immenfe globes which comp' j item of the univerfe, but alfo in the little worlds of infects, plants, and metals. He will acknowledge- aod adore Divine Wifdom as much in the fpider'^ web :i tlie power of gravitation which attracts earth towards the fun. Thefe ref th.- eaiier, as the ufe of microfcopes difcover to us worlds, in which we be!;old, in d . I that can excite our admiration. . us, in tl - olace* obferve the moifes, and O 2 the ■29 fi BEAUTIES OF STURM. the grafs which are produced in fuch abundance, Of how many fine threads and little particles are thofe plants compofed ! What variety in their forms and ihapes ! Who could count all their forts and kinds! Think of the multitude of little parts which any one is compofed of, and into which it may be divided. If an hexagon, of the fize of an inch, contains fome millions of vifible particles, who could calculate the parts of which a mountain mult be compofed? If thoufands of particles of water may be fufpended on the point of a needle, how many muft there be in a fountain ! how many in the rivers and feas! If a grain of fand contains feveral thoufands of particles of air, how many mult there be in the human body! If we pafs next to the animated creation, the fcene will in a manner extend to infinity. In the fummer-time the air •f warms with living creatures. Each drop of water is a little world inhabited. Each leaf of a tree is a colony of infects. Every one mutt have feen the innumerable fwarms of flies, gnats, and other infects,, which collect together in a very fmall fpace; what prodigious fhoals muft there be in proportion over the whole earth, and in the immenfc expanfe of the atmofphere ! Does not the power of the Creator ftrike us withaftonifliment, when we reflect: on the : multitude of parts of which thefe little creatures are. compofed, whofe exiftence is fcafce known ? If we could not at any time prove it by experiments, mould we imagine thai there were animals a thoufand times Ids than a grain of land, with .organs of nutrition, morion, &c. There are mcll-fvfh (q fmall, that even through a microfcope they fcarce appear fo large as a grain of barley ; and yet they are living -animals, with very hard houfes, in which there are different apartments. How extremely fmall is a mite, and yet this al-mofl imperceptible ..atom, when feen through a micro- fcope, BEAUTIES OF STURM. 293 fcope, is a hairy animal, perfect in all its limbs, of a regular form, full of lire and fenlibility, and pro- vided with all the neceifary organs. Although this animal is fcarce vifible to us, it has many pans itiil fmaller. One circumflance particularly admirable is, that the glades which diicover fo many defects in the belt finifhed works of man, (hew us nothing in thefe microfcopic objects but regularity. and per- fection. How inconceivably fine and tenuous are the fpider's threads! It has been calculated, that* 36,000 of them would only make the thicknefs of common fewin? filk. How muftth-is ftrike the- mind with aftoniihment ! But could we magnify a mite to appear as large as a grain of barley, what wonders might we not then diicover ? Even then we lhould not be able to fee to the end. It would be prefumptuous and extravagant tofuppofe it. Each. creature has a kind of infinity, and the more we contemplate the works of God, the more will the miracles of his power multiply in our light. LESSON CXLIV. REFLECTIONS ON SNOW. DURING winter the ground is often covered with fnow : every body fees it fall, but very few take the trouble to inquire into its nature and ufe. Such is our inattention to mod objects which we have daily before us, that ttiofe things molt worth attending to are often what we leait value. Let us learn to be wifer, and let us employ fome moments in reflecting upon fnow. It is formed of very light vapours, which congeal in the atmofphere, and fall again in flakes mure or lefs thick. In our climates the fnow is pretty large ; but travellers alien, that in Lapland it is fometimes fo fmali that O3 it «94 BEAUTIES OF STURM. it is like a fine dry duft. This certainly proceeds from the great cold of thofe countries. We ob- serve, that the flakes are iarger with us in propor- tion as the cold is more moderate, and they become fmallerwhen it freezes hard. The little flakes of fnow are generally like hexagon ftars ; but there are iome of eight angles, others of ten, and fome alio of an irregular fhape. The bed way of examin- ing them is to receive the fnow on white paper. But there has not hitherto been any fatisfaclory caufe given for the variety of forms. As to the whitenefs of this meteor it is not difficult to explain, Snow is extremely thin and light, confequently it has a great many parts, which are certainly full of air. It is beiides ccmpofed of parts more or lefs clofe and compact : fuch a fubltance does not admit the rays of the fun or abforb them ; on the contrary, it re fie els them very ftrongly, which makes it appear white to us. Snow newly fallen is twenty-four times lighter than water. If twenty-four mea- fures of fnow are melted, they produce but one of water. Snow is not frozen water, but only frozen vapours. It evaporates cor.fiderabiy, which the moit intenfe cold cannot prevent. It has been doiibted whether it fnowed at fea; but thofe who have gone voyages in the winter on the northern feas aiihrcl! us they have had a great deal of fnow there. Ii: is known that the high mountains are never en- tirely free from fnow, The air being much warmer in the plains than on height?, it may rain with us while it fnows heavily on high mountains. Snow is of ufe in feveral ways. As the winter cold is much more hurtful to vegetables than to animals, the plants would perifh if they were not preferved by fome covering; therefore it is wifely ordered, that the rain, which in fummer cools and revives the plants, fhould in winter fall in the form of foft wool, to cover the vegetables, and to guard them from BEAUTIES OF STURM. 2Q.5 from the inclemency of froft and winds. The w has a degree of warmth in it ; but not too much, fo as to choak the grain. As, like all ot vapours, it contain? different fairs, which it lea in the ground when it melts, this much enri the earth. The ihelted i stfie earth, but wafhes every thing u urttul Fron4 the winter feeds and plants. What remai: fnow-water helps to fill up the fj which had diminifhed during the •• Thefe reflections may convince us, that v. has its advantages, and is not fo melancholy a iea- 1 as many imagine. Let us look up with and gratitude tow Is that beneficent Being i to flow even from the clouds of the earth. How unpardonable to mur- mur, ur own faults if we do not every re difcovei traces of the Di ■ -om and Good; LESSON CXLV. FORTY-NINTH WEEK. f-LEEP OF ANIMALS DURING WINTER. NOW that nature is deprived of fo many crea- tures, which rendered it beautiful and aai- Knatedj it appears dead. Mod of the animals that E dif ppcared are buried in a profound deep for the winter, This is the cafe, not onlv with the tie ants, flies, fpiders, caterpillars, frogs, ferpents. It is a miilake to fuppofe that the ants lay up provisions for the whole winter : lay up a llore for autumn, but the leal! froft lbs them, and they remain in that Hate till the return of fpring. Great part of what they colle£l in fummer, with fo much care, is not for their iub- O .4 iiftence fi 9^ BEAUTIES OF STURM. fiftence only, they life it as materials to build their habitations. There are alio many birds, who, when food begins to fail, hide themfelves under ground, or in caves, to ileep all the winter. It is'at lead aliened, that, before winter, the fhore-fwallows hide underground, the wall-fwallows in the hollows of trees, or old buildings, and the common fwallows go to the end of ponds, and faften themfelves in pairs to fome reeds, where they remain lifelefs and motionlefs till they are revived by the return of fine weather. There are alfo fome bcafts which bury themfelves in the ground at the end of fummer. The moll remarkable of them is the mountain-rat, which generally makes its abode in the Alps. Though it loves to he on the higheft mountains, in the region of ice and fiiow, it is fooxier numbed with cold than any other animal; for which reafon it retires in autumn into its fubterraneous lodging, to remain there till fpring. There is much art and precaution in the plan of their winter-refidence : it is a fort of gallery, the two branches of which have each their particular opening, and both termi- nate in a place without any, where they live. One of thefe two wings goes Hoping down underneath their dwelling-place ; and it is in this lower part of their houfe that they leave their excrement, which the wet carries away. The other wing is the higheft, and is their place of entrance in and out. Their dwelling-place is lined with mofs and hay. They make no provifion for winter, as it would be ufelefs to them. Before they enter their winter quarters, they prepare themfelves each a bed of mofs and hay ; and then, having clofed the entrance into their houfes, they compofe themfelves to deep. As long as this ftate of infenfibility lails they live with- out eating. At the beginning of winter, they are fo fat, that fome of them weigh twenty pounds ; but by degrees they fall away, and are very thin in fpring. BEAUTIES OF STURM. 297 fpring. As they do not eat in winter, they have no evacuations. It is faid, that as foon as thefe ani- mals begin to feel the cold, they go to iome fpring, and drink copioufiy for a long time, till what they difcharge is clear, and as pure as when they drank it. A natural inftincl: prompts them to it, in order to prevent the corruption which the accumulated matter in their ltomachs might occafion during their long deep. When thefe rats are difcovered in their retreats, they are found rolled up round, and funk into the hay. Their nofe is laid on their belly, that they may not breathe a damp air. During their torpid (late, they are carried away without being wa- kened, and they may even be killed without appear- ing to feel it. There is another fort of rats, whofe fleep is as long and as found as thefe, and are there- fore called the fleepers. The bears eat prodigioufly at the beginning of winter, as if they meant to eat enough at once for their whole lives. As they are naturally fat, and are exceflively fo at the end of autumn, this enables them to bear their abftinence during their winter's repofe. The badgers prepare for their retreat into their burrows in the fame manner. The inftindl: of thefe and many other animals, teaches them thus to difpenfe with food for a conliderable time. Their very firft winter (before experience could inform them) they fore- fee and prepare for their long ileep. In their peace- able retreats, they know not what want, hunger, or cold is ; they know no feafon but fummer. It is remarkable, that all animals do not fleep thus in winter : it is only thofe who, with the fevere cold, can alio lupport an abftinence of feveral months. If winter was to come upon them un- prepared, and that fuddenly, weakened and numbed with want of food and the cold air, they fhould ftill furvive it, the only thing we could wonder at would be the ftrength of their conftitution. But as they O 5 know 298 BEAUTIES OF STURM, know how to prepare in time for their deep, with much care and precaution, it mud be imputed to a wonderful initincl: bellowed upon them by the Creator. LESSON CXLVL THE USE OF WOOD. HOWEVER great, however numerous, the advantages we derive from every part of a tree, yet there is none to be compared to the ufe we make of the wood itfelf. It grows in fuch abundance, that one might fay, God every day creates new provifion of it, that we might never want any thing fo eifential to us. It anfwers every purpofe we wifh. It is foft enough to take any iorm we pleafe ; and hard enough to keep that which is once given to it ; and as it is eafily fawed, bent, and polifhed, it furnifhes us with many utenfils, conveniences, and ornaments. But thefe are not by any means the mod important advan- tages ; they are only for the purpofes of conveni- ence and luxury. We have wants ft 111 more indif- penfable, which we could f'carce fupply without lolid thick wood. It is true, that nature furnifhes a great quantity of heavy compact, bodies. We have ftones and marble, of which we make many ufes ; but it is fuch labour to get them out of their quarries, to convey them to any diftance, or to work them, that it is very expensive ; whereas we may make ufe of the largeft trees, with very little trouble or expence in comparison. By finking into the ground wooden piles of fixty or ninety feet long, a fure foundation is made for walls, even in locfe fand or mud, which would otherwife fall in. Thefe piles itrongly driven down, and made firm, form BEAUTIES OF STURM. Sgg form a foreft immoveable, and fometimes incor- ruptible, trees in the ground or water, able to fuitain the largeff. and heaviefi. buildings. It is wood or timber that fupports the brick-work, and weight of tiles and lead of which the roofs of our houfes are compofed. Wood is alfo a prefervative of life, as in many places it is our chief fuel. The fun, undoubtedly, is the foul of nature, but we cannot ileal any of its rays, to drefs our food with, or to melt our metals. Fire, in fbme meafure, fupplies the place of the fun ; and the more or lefs of it, is in our power. The long winter nights, the cold fogs, and the north wind, would freeze our blood, if we were deprived of the com- fortable warmth of fires. How necefTary there- fore is fuel to us ! Was it not for the wife ft: pur- pofes that the Creator of the world covered one half of the furface of our globe with wood/ and yet are we not apt to forget this ? Do we always confider as a favour the many ufes it is of to us ? Are we fenfible how much it contributes to our welfare ? Or becaufe thefe ble Mings are too com- mon, do we therefore think them of lefs import- ance ? It is true, it is eaiier to acquire wood than gold or diamonds ; but is it therefore lefs a peculiar blefling of Providence ? Is it not precifely the plenty of wood, and the eafe with which we ac- quire it, that ought fo much the more to excite our gratitude, and lead us to blefs the Creator of this invaluable gift, the meafure of which is fo well proportioned to our wants r Such reflections would prove conftant fubjects for thankfgiving, if we aceuftomed ourfelves to this pleating, though ferious turn of mind. Particularly at this fe^Cjn we are furnifhed with many occafions to blefs God for the mercies he grants to us, and which we ought never to forg... O 6 LESSON 30O BEAUTIES OF STURM. LESSON CXLVII. AN EXHORTATION TO REMEMBER THE POOR AT THE SEASON OF WINTER. THOSE who are quietly fitting in convenient cheerful houfes, and who hear the whittling of the fharp north wind, let them reflect, on their unhappy fellow-creatures, many of whom are fuf- fering the utmoft leverity of poverty and cold. **' Happy thofe who at this fealbn have a houfe 11 to fhelter them, clothes to cover them, bread " and the fruit of the vine to refrefh them, with " a bed of down on which they may repofe and " yield to pleafing dreams. But there are fome " poor perlbns without even the necelfaries of " life ! without fhelter, without clothes, often " lb-etched upon a bed of pain, and too modeft " to proclaim their wants." We ought all to be touched with the mifery of this order of people. How many poor creatures diftrefied with cold and hunger ! How many old people with fcarce any thing to cover them ! How many lick are there without food or nourifhment, lying on itraw, in miferable huts, where the wind, the cold, and the fnow penetrate ! Winter renders benevolence to the poor more neceffary, becaufe it increafes their wants. Is it not the time in which nature itfelf is poor ? and is it not adding double value to our benefactions to beflow them feafonably ? If we have been enriched with the fummer and autumn fruits, was it not with the intention that we mould mare them with our fellow-creatures, now when nature is at relt ! The more the cold increafes, the more difpofed we fhould be to relieve the necef- iitous ; to pour into the bofom of poverty all we can fpare. What ether end could Providence pro- pofe BEAUTIES OF STURM. 30 1 pofe in the unequal divifion of earthly riches, were it not to excite beneficence in the wealthy, by the affecting fcenes of the miferies of the poor. Let us therefore have compaflion on our fellow-crea- tures, and not let them futfer more than even the brutes. It is our duty to foften their evils, and Providence permits us to have a ihare in this honour. It is our duty to clothe, to fczd, and to comfort them. Let us then give our fuperfluity, or fhare our little with them. No body is fo poor that they may not do fome good. Let us enjoy the fweeteft fatisraction that a noble mind can feel ; the God-like pleafure of relieving the wants of others ; of foftening and Ieflening their weight of adverfitv. How eafy is it to do this ! We need only retract, a few of our expences in drefs and pleafnres. How fit an offering would it be to virtue, were our benevolence to be attended by a conquefl over our paflions, in retrenching the indulgence of luxury and vanity, in order to beftow our charity on the poor ! LESSON CXLVIII. FIFTIETH WEEK. NATURE IS A LESSON FOR THE HEART. WE gain, in every refpecf, by ltudying na- ture ; and it may with reafon be called a fchool for the heart, fince it clearly inftru&s us in our duty towards our Maker and our neighbour. Can any thing infpire us with more profound vene- ration towards God, than the reflection that it is he who has. not only formed our globe from nothing, but his Almighty Hand alfo that confines the fun within its orb, and the fea within its bounds? Can we humble ourfelves too much be- fore that Being who created the innumerable worlds which 302 BEAUTIES OF STURM. which roll over our heads ? What are we in com- parifon to thofe immenfe globes, and how little mu(l the earth in all its glory appear, when con- fidered in that light ! Muft we not fhudder at the very thought of offending Him, whofe boundiefs power we every moment fee proofs of, and who, with a fingle glance, can deftroy or make us wretched r But the contemplation of nature is alfo highly calculated to fill us with love and gratitude towards its Author. All nature loudly proclaims this comfortable truth, that God is love. It was love which induced him to create the world, and to communicate to other beings the felicity which he himfelf enjoys. For this purpofe, he created the univerfe, and an innumerable multitude of creatures, that all of them, from the angel to the worm, lhould feel, each according to its nature and capacity, the effects of Divine Goodnefs. Is there in reality a fingle creature, which does not furnifh proofs of his immenfe goodnefs ? But par- ticularly, if we reflect on ourfelves, how many may we not find ? The Creator has endowed us with reafon, not only to enjoy his bleftings, but to acknowledge alfo this love with which he honours us. He hath given us dominion over the animals, to make them fubfervient to our wants and conve- niences. It is alfo for us that the earth produces fruit in fuch abundance. So many bleftings daily enjoyed, and to which wc owe the continuance of our exiftence ; the difinterefted love of this great Being, who can receive no return from his creatures, and whofe felicity can admit of no increafe ; can we be infenfible to all this ? Muft it not excite the mod grateful love for our bountiful Creator? I cannot conceive it poflible for mean and felfifh fen- timents to fill the heart of man, who, in the con- templation of nature, muft every where difcover traces of infinite beneficence in the Supreme Being, who BEAUTIES OF STURM. gO^ » who does not lcfs propofe the happinefs of each individual, than the uuiverfal good of the world. If we reflect on the ways of Providence, it is im- poflible not to be fenfibly touched w ; th the good- nefs and mercy fh-wu to every living creature : and the heart muit be depraved to a very great de- gree, which is not iufpired to imitate, as much as pofiible, his univerfal benevolence : for, " God " maketh his fun to rife on the evil and on the " good, and fendeth rain on the juft and on the " unjuit." LESSON CXLIX. THE VERY THINGS WHICH APPEAR HURTFUL MAY BE FOR OUR BENEFIT. THE evils we fometimes meet with enhance the value of our bleflings, as colours are re- lieved and let off by made. If there was no winter, mould we be as fenfible as we are of the charms of fpring ? Should we know the value of health without iicknefs, the fweets cf repofe with- out labour, the peace and confolation of a good conscience, if we had never been tried and tempted ? The more obftacles there are to our happinefs, the greater our joy when we furmount them. The heavier our misfortunes are, the more happy we feel when delivered from them. If all our days were profperous, we mould give ourfelves up to luxury, pride, and ambition. If we were never p reded to it by neceflity, no body would take the trouble to be active or laborious in bulinefs ; no body would make ufe of their talents, nor culti- vate their minds ; no body would be animated with zeal for the public good. If we were never liable to danger, how fhould we become prudent,, how mould 304 BEAUTIES OF STURM. fhould we learn companion ? If we had no evils to rear, how eaiily fhould we be intoxicated with happtnefs, and forget our gratitude to God, cha- rity towards our neighbour, and all our duties in general ! Are not then thefe virtues, thofe bleflings of the foul, a thoufand times preferable to a con- ftant train of pleafing fenfations, which would alio become dull and infipid to us by pofleflion. He who repofes always in the lap of felicity, foon grows negligent of doing good, and is incapable of any great action ; but let him feel the ftrokes of adverfity, and he will recover his wifdom, acti- vity, and virtue. How unjuft and inconfiftent are the defires of man ! They wifh to live quiet, con- tented, and happy, and they object to the means which lead to it. In the heat of fummer we figh for coolnefs ; and yet we are difpleafed when we fee the clouds collect which are to obtain this for us. Thunder- dorms purify the air, and make the earth fruitful ; yet we complain that the flames of lightning terrify us. We acknowledge the ufe of coals, minerals, and baths, but we do not like earthquakes. We wifh that there fhould be no infectious or epidemical diforders, and yet we complain of the florins which prevent the air from corrupting. We love to be attended by fervants, and yet we wifh there was no poverty or inequality of fituations. In a word, we wifh in moft things for the end without the means. Let us acknowledge the wife and beneficent defigns of God, even when he permits frequent alternatives in our lives, from joy toforrow, from happinefsto mifery. Is he not our Father, whofe goodnefs we ought to be con- vinced of even when he thinks proper to chaften us! Are we not in a world fubject by nature to revolutions? Have we not often experienced, in the courfe of our lives, that what our ignorance made us confider as an evil, has in reality proved a happinefs to Ua, Let us then receive with calm resignation BEAUTIES OF STURM. 2°5 : >n the e >. which we are affli&ed : i terrible at firft ; the Ion ufed to them, the more fur II rind them, and the more we ihall feel their tary effects. We (hall at length be conviiu - without thefe afflictions, which we now lament, obtain the happinefs I tor us hereafter. LESSON CL. INCIDENTAL REVOLUTIONS OF OUR GLOBE. NT L'RE every day produces of itfelf changes on the furface of the earth which affect, the le globe. M .lent monuments prove, that its furface in feveral places finks down more or lefs ; fometimes , fometimes flower. The wall built by the Romans in Scotland in the :;d century, which went acrofs the whole king- ., from fea to fea, is at prefent almoft entirely under ground ; and there are remains of it every day full difcovered. The mountains are expoied to the Lme overthrow, occasioned either by the nature of the ground, the waters which undermine and fap them, or by fubterraneous fires. But when fomc parts of the globe link down, there are others, on hich rife up. A fertile valley, at ~nd of another century, may be c. a marfh, where clay, turf, and other fubftances, form beds one over another. Lakes and gulphs turn into land. In ftagnant water there grow quantity of nifties, fea-weed, and other plants. The animal and -. . fubitances, by corrupt it, gradually form a fort of mud and mould ; and the bottom at laft rifes fo high, that what was formerly water becomes dry land. Tl e fubter- raneous fires al fo produce great on our 306 BEAUTIES OF STURM. globe : thefe are called earthquakes. Thefe vio- lent (hocks and convulfions occafion great devalua- tion, and confiderable alterations on the furiace of our planet. The outer coat of the earth breaks in different places, fink in on one fide, and rifes up on the other. The fea alfo partakes of thoie commotions ; and the moft fenfible ef?e£t that ap- pears from them are the new iflands which rife up. They are produced by the bottom of the fea being raifed up ; or they are compofed of pumice (tones, of calcined rocks, or other fubftances thrown out from fome volcano. Hiftory informs us, that by earthquakes, which fubterraneous fires occafioned, whole cities have been fwallowed up, and funk fixty feet under ground ; fo that afterwards the earth which covered them was fowed and culti- vated. Several of the alterations produced on our globe have been caufed by the undermining of waters. The courfe of water is often diverted. Even the banks change their place. Sometimes the fea re- tires, and leaves whole continents dry, which ufed to be its bed. Sometimes it overflows lands, and covers whole countries. Kingdoms that were formerly clofe to the fea, are at prefent removed to a great diftance from it. The anchors, the great iron rings to moor veffels, and the wrecks of mips found upon mountains, in marfhes, and at a great diftance from the ocean, prove beyond a doubt, that many places which are now firm land were formerly covered by the fea. There is every reafon to believe, that England was formerly joined to France : the beds of the earth and ftone, which are the fame on both fides of Calais, and the fhallownefs of that ft rait, feem to prove it. Countries nearer the pole are liable to great change by the feverity of cold. In autumn, the water penetrates through a multitude of little crevices into the rocks and mountains. It freezes there in BEAUTIES OF STURM. 307 in winter, and the ice dilating and burfting caufes great havock. From hence too we may learn, that all things here are fubject to conftant vicifli- tudes. In all this, how evidently does the wif- dom, power, and goodnefs of the Creator fliine forth ! LESSON CLI. FIFTY-FIRST WEEK. OF THE CLOTHING PROVIDED FOR US BY PROVIDENCE. TH E goodnefs of Providence appears even in our clothing. How many animals bellow upon us their fkins, their hair, and their fur, for this purpofe ! The fheep alone, with its wool, fur- hifhes the moft necelTary part of our drefs ; and it is to the valuable labour of a worm that we owe our filks. H'ow many plants alfo do we find of u['^ in this reipect ! Hemp and flax furnifnes us with linen, and many different textures are formed of cotton ; but even thofe vaff. ftores of nature would be infumcient, if God had not endowed man with induftry, and with an inexhauflible fund of invention, to contrive and prepare clothing of many forts. When we reflect on all the prepara- tions for making linen, we (hall find how many hands are necefiary for a few yards only. It feems as if we mould be but little vain of drefs, as we muft have recourfe for it, not only to the animals moft contemptible in our eyes, but alfo to the rank of people our pride difdains the mod. But why has the Creator obliged us to provide ourfelves with clothing, while every animal receives theirs directly from nature ? We may anfwer this queiKon by faying, that it is for our good. It is, on the one hand, ufeful to our health, and, on the other,. adapted 308 BEAUTIES OF STURM. adapted to our way of life. We may, by thefe means, fuit our drefs to the different feafons of the year, the climate we live in, the fituation and pro- feffion we have chofen. Our clothes promote . infenfible perfpiration, fo eiTential to the preferva- tion of life. The neceflity of obtaining them for curfelves excrcifes the human mind, and has given rife to the invention of many arts. And, lallly, the labour it requires furnilhes fubiiftence for a number of trades-perfons. We have, therefore, great reafon to be content with this plan of Provi- dence : let us only take care not to fruftrate the defigns propofed by it. A good man ought never to glory in the outward ornaments of his body, but rather in the inward qualities of his mind. Pride aflumes many different forms. It inwardly glo- ries in the mod trifling advantages,- fuppofes fome that do not exift, or elfe fets too high a value on thofe that do. And, in regard to the outfide, fome fhew their pride under the fplendour of filks, gold, and jewels, whilft others hide and nouriih it under rags. The good man will .equally avoid either extreme. LESSON CLII. THE SAGACITY OF ANIMALS *IN FINDING MEANS OF SUBSISTENCE FOR THE WINTER. THERE are fome animals that lay up ftores for winter, and in their haryeft-time pre- pare provifions for fix months. It might be fuppofed they forefee a feafon in which they could not gather food ; and that, in guarding againft future wants, they can calculate how much they and their families would require. The bees are almoil the only infects which lay up proviiions for the BEAUTIES OF STURM. 309 the winter. They are wonderful economlfts of their wax, becanfe they can gather no more when the feafon for flowers is over, and have then no refources for fubfaftence, or for making their cells, but what they have already collected. They have alfo the prudence to gather another kind of fub- ftance, which they have occalion for to keep out the cold from their hives. It is a fort of glue they extract from the flowers, and from bitter plants, with which they clofely ftop up all the holes in the hive. They let nothing be loft ; and what they do not want at the prefent, they lay by for the future. Thofe who have narrowly obferved them, allure us, that, when in winter they uncover the honey-combs, they carry off the wax with which the cells were flint up, and lay it up for future ufe. Amongft the four-footed animals, the field-mice are thofe which lay up winter-provilions, and, in harveft time, convey a quantity of grain to their fubtemmcous habitations. Magpies and jays are the birds which collect for the winter. They ga- ther he:;ps of acorns in autumn, which they keep in the hollow parts of trees. The animals that fleep all the winter make no provifion, as it would be ufelefs ; but the others are not content with providing for the prefent moment, they think alfo of the future, audit has never been obfervedj that they failed in collecting a fufficieht quantity for that time. Nature prompts the bees to gather wax and honey. They labour during the fine weather, and when winter comes they find their magazines full. Thefe animals, like all others, appear to be led by the rules of wifdom and pru- dence. Though conlidered void of reafon, this wife economy, this appearance of forefight and reflection, mull necelfarily be the confequence of a fuperior intelligence, whole views they fulfil. Thus informed as we are of the great revolutions which 310 BEAUTIES OF STUM. which await us, and being enabled to look forward to the winter of life, ought we not to lay up for ourfelves confolations and refources, which may- render the latter end of it not only fupportable, but happy ? Nothing is more miferable than an old perfon who has palled his beft days with a care- lefs indifference about futurity, and finds himfelf in the winter of life, void of every refource or comrort. Will not fuch reflections lead us to take early meafures for our happinefs, not only in old age, but in a future ftate ? LESSON CLIIL THE POLAR STAR. NONE of the northern conitellations are more remarkable than that which is neareft to the artic pole, and is called the LeJJ'er Bear. The extremity of its tail is but two degrees from the pole, and for that reafon it is called the Polar Star. It is eafy to diliinguifh it from the ftars near it, hecaufe it changes its pofition very little. It is true, it turns round the pole, but its motion is fo flow, and the circle it defcribes fo fmall, that it is fcarce perceptible. As it is therefore vifible always in the fame point of the fky, it is a furc guide to the mariner, particularly in the open feas» Before difcovery of the compafs, the failors had no furer guide than the polar ftar ; and even at this time, when the fky is ferene, they may on many occaiions better depend upon it than on the magnet. This reflection naturally leads us to ad- mire the goodnefs of God, who, by the fituation and courfe of the ftars, has given us fuch a furc knowledge of times, places, and the different points of the iky. An aitronomer, though in an unknown V 01 BEAUTIES OF STURM. 311 country, can tell by the flars exactly where he is. He can know the month, the day, and hour, as certainly as if he had confultei the bed witch. If, tor example, we or.ly obferve that the liars come cveiy a y four minutes fooner to the place wh ic they were the day before, we consequently kn • that 'hi? makes two hours in each month. Thus, the ftai whLh we fee this night at ten o'clock, in a certain part of the (ley, we (hall fee i gain, the 20th of January, it eight o'clock, if Yv pbferve it from the fame place we are now in. The ftar which is now at midnight to be ken over our heads, will a year hence be in the fame fpot. Let us here acknowledge God's tender mercies towards all the world How much thofe would defcrve pity who have neither clocks or geogra- phical maps, if they could not fupply the want of them by the obfervation of the (tars. If we put our- felves in the place of thofe people, thefe reflec- tions cannot appear indifferent to us ; for we mud be devoid of all feelings or humanity, if objects which do not indeed dire£tly concern us, but which intereft fo many of our fellow-creatures, mould appear unworthy our attention. Let us look up with gratitude towards the Creator of all things. The ufe that the flars are of, in this refpect to mankind, is certainly one of the lean: advantages which refult from the exiftence of thofe heavenly bodies ; and yet this advantage alone merits our praife and thankfgiving. LESSON CLIV. FIFTY-SECOND WEEK. COMPARISON OF MEN AND ANIMALS. Nthe comparifon we are going to make between men and animals, there will be found fome tilings which are in common with^us and the brute creation ; 1 312 BEAUTIES OF STURM. creation; others in which they have the advantage over ns ; and, finally, fome in which we are fuperior. Man chiefly refembles animals in refpect. to matter. We have, like them, life and organized bodies, which are produced by propagation and birth, and fupported by food. We and they have alio alike animal fpirits, powers to fulfil the dif- ferent functions aligned to us, contrary motions, the free exercife ot our limbs, fenfes, fenfation, imagination, and memory. We are equally liable to thefe general bodily accidents which the chain of things, the laws of motions, theconftruction and or- ganization of our bodies, muft necelfarily occalion. In refpect to the happinefs reful ting from fenfual pleafures, animals have many advantages over us. One of the chief is, that they do not require the clothes, defence, and conveniences we want; nor are they obliged to invent, to learn, and exercife the arts neceftary for thefe purpofes. At their birth they bring with them every thing they want, or at lean: have only to follow the inftincl. which is innate in them, to obtain all that can make them happy. This inftincl: never deceives them: it is a conftant fure guide : and as foon as their appetites are fatis- fied, they are perfectly content, they defire no more, and are never guilty of excels. They enjoy the prefent without troubling themfelves about futurity. There is every reafon to believe that animals have not the faculty of representing to themfelves the future. A fenfc of the prefent warns them of their wants, and inftincl: teaches them how to fup- ply them : they never think of the morrow. Death itfelf comes upon them without their having fore- feen it, or being diflurbed about it before-hand.. In all thefe circumftances they have the advantage of man, who muft rcflecl, invent, labour, exercife, and receive inftrudHons, or he would remain in per- petual childhood, and could fcarce procure himft-lf the BEAUTIES OF STURM. 313 the neceffaries of life. His inftinct. and pafHons are not fure guides to him. He would be wretched were he to give way to them. Reafon alone and its confequences make the eiTential difference be- tween him and the brutes: it fupplies all defici- encies ; and, in other refpects, gives a fuperiority to which they can never attain. By means of this faculty, he not only obtains every neceiTary and convenience, but alio multiplies the pleafures of fenfe: it ennobles them, and makes them fo much the more fenfibly enjoyed, as he can render his defires fubfervient to reafon : his foul is capable of pleafures entirely unknown to animals: pleafures which fpringfrom fcience, wifdorn, order, religion, and virtue, and which infinitely furpafs all thofe of which the fenfes are the organs. Let us add, that animals are confined within a very narrow fphere ; that their defires are very few, and confequently their pleafures are little varied \ whereas man has an infinite number of them : he draws fome out of every thing ; and' there is nothing which he cannot make ufe of fome way or other. He makes con- tinual new difcoveries, acquires further lights, and makes boundlefs progrefs in the road to perfection and happinefs ; whereas the beafls are alwavs con- fined within their narrow limits, never invent or improve, nor ever rife above other animals of their fpecies. It is reafon alone, then, that gives us the fuperiority over the brute, and it is in this that the excellence of human nature moftly confifts. To make ufe of our reafon in order to ennoble the plea- fures of fenfe, and to enjoy more and more thofe that are intellectual, fo as to improve daily in wif- dorn and virtue, this is whatdiiHnguiihes man: this is the end for which he was created. Let it then -be our conltant ftudy to anfwer this purpofe ; for we can only be happy in proportion as we follow ■what reafon points out to us as ufeful and ri 3 P LESSON 314 BEAUTIES OF STURM. LESSON CLV. INSTABILITY OF EARTHLY THINGS. THERE is nothing in nature that is not liable to change. Every thing is uncertain and frail. Nothing is durable enough to remain always like itfelf. The moft fo'lid bodies are not fo impenetra- ble, nor their parts fo clofely united, as to preferve them from diifolution. Each particle of matter in- fenfibly changes its form. How many changes has each of our bodies undergone fince its formation in our mother's womb ? Every year it has loft fome- thing of what made a part of itfelf, and has acqui- red new parts drawn from the mineral, vegetable, and animal fubftances. Every thing on earth in- creafes and decreafes by turns ; but with this dif- ference, that the changes do not operate as quick];/ in fome bodies as in others. The celeftial globes appear to be ftill the fame as at the moment of their creation ; and they are perhaps the moft invariable of all bodies. Thofe, however, who have obferved them with attention, perceive that fome ftars have disappeared, and that the fun has fpots which change, and thus they prove that it is not conftantly the fame. Its motion alfo makes it liable to varia- tion : and though it is never extinguifhed, it has been obfcured by fogs, clouds, and even by internal revo- lutions. This is all we can know of it at the immeafurablc diftance there is between us. How jnany other external as well as internal changes we mould discover, were we nearer! If we are ftill more ftruck with the inftability of earthly things, it is becaufe they are within our view. And how frail are thefe ! how liable to change ! Each object continues to look like itfelf, and yet how different in reality is it from what it was ! We daily behold things taking new forms : fome grow- ing, others diminishing and perifhing. This year, which BEAUTIES OF STURM. 31$ which in a few days will be at an end, affords unde- niable proofs of it. In each perfon's own little circle, they muft have experienced many revolu- tions. Several of thofe we had known for many years are no more : many whom we have feen rich are become poor, or at leaft are but in an indifferent fituation. If we examine ourfelves alfo, we fhall find a difference in many refpects. Has not our health and activity diminifhed ? And are not all thefe things warnings of approaching towards that great and final revolution which death will operate upon us ? Befides, there are many changes may ftill happen in the few remaining days of this year. We may become poor or fick ; we may expe- rience the infidelity of friends, or even die, in that fpace of time. Such reflections might inevitably opprefs and fink us to defpair, if religion was not our fupport and conlolation. But this leads us to the only invariable, everlalling Being, whofe very nature is immutability, and whofe mercy has no end. Full of confidence, therefore, in his un- changeable goodnefs, let us fubmit with refignation to all the changes in this tranfitory world. LESSON CLVI. CALCULATION OF HUMAN LIFE. THE approaching clofe of the year leads me to reflections which, however important they may be, do not always occupy me as they ought. In order to feel more infenfibly how fhort the date of life is, I will examine now the ufe I have made of the pafl days ; though I have reafon to believe it will prove a fubjeft of humiliation to me. — I firft recall to myfelf thofe days it was not in my power to command. How many hours then employed in mere bodily wants i How many more have paifed in trifling 31^ BEAUTIES OF STURM. trifling occupations of no fervice to the mindf Thus, in (lightly looking over the ufe made of thefe years, I difcover a multitude of days loft to the immortal foul, which inhabits this body of clay;- and, after thefe deductions, what will remain which I may juftly fay have been employed for real ufe ? Out of 365 days, it is plain, that I can fcarce reckon fifty which I can call my own, as having promoted my eternal happinefs. And the little that remains of time, how much do I lofe of it by my own fault and weaknefs ! With fome, how many days have been facrificed to vice and folly ! Perhaps many of thofe days granted me for reflec- tion have been devoted to the world, to vanity, to idlenefs, and falfe pleafures. Perhaps they may have been profaned by envy, jealoufy, flander, and other vices, which betray a heart void of refpect for our Maker, and charity to our neighbour. Even fince God has made me better, and infpired me with a defire to walk in his paths, how much time has been irrecoverably loft in thoughtleflnefs, indiffer- ence, doubts, anxiety, want of temper, and all thofe infirmities which are the effects of our frailty, and weaknefs of reafon. Laftly, how fwiftly does the little fpace of time we can difpofe of fly away ! A year paries almoft infenfibly, and yet a year is of great confequence to a being whofe life is reckoned by hours. When we recollect how little of it we may have fpent fuitably to the purpofes of our creation, we might well wiih to recall thofe hours which were ill employed : but it would be in vain. The year, with the good and bad actions which have marked it, are f wallowed up for ever in eternity. Forgive us, then, O merciful Father, the faults we have committed ; and grant us thy grace in the hour of death, in the day of judgment, and to all eternity. FINIS. 4 . A H i v ■ ■ ■fl ■ Hi >«v , ,/y. ^-^ ELS >y.H<« §09ci3 EL BHB Set v!.PI ■ tH 118