Lord, and depend on him entirely for whatever he may please to decree as to our lives or deaths. Whether we live or die, our portion and our inheritance will be the joys of paradise. Be calm then, my soul. Our glory is to submit to the will of our Creator. He is our heavenly Father, and will guide us through all dangers to the happiness allotted for us. MARCH XXVIII. THE INSENSIBLE APPROACHES OF NIGHT. AS the night is, in itself, one of the Creator's favours, so is it a wise and beneficent dispensation that it only comes on by degrees. A sudden transition from the light of day to the darkness of night would be both inconvenient and frightful. So sudden a change would occasion a general interruption to the labours of man, which, in certain affairs necessary to be finished, and which do not admit of delay, would be very prejudicial. All nature, men, and animals, would be seized with fright; and in this sudden transition from light to darkness, it would be impossible that the organs of sight should not suffer very much.-Darkness, therefore, does not come upon us of a sudden; it advances slowly: and the twilight, preceding night, leaves us time to finish our most pressing business, and to make the necessary arrangements. By this means, the coming of the night does not disturb or incommode us; and we are warned in time to prepare for it. But, from whence proceed these remains of light, which, at the end of each day, in some degree, temper and soften soften the melancholy appearance of night? We no longer see the sun; and yet a part of its mild lustre still reflects itself. Let us, in this, admire the wise and beneficent plans of nature. The atmosphere which surrounds us has been so formed as to do us this essential service. The rays of the sun, which fall on the upper parts of the air, do not run in a direct line, but they bend; and this bend leads them where their first direction would not have carried them. The atmosphere, having thus bent, and turned back a great number of rays, which otherwise would not have reached reflects them afterwards to our sight, and, by this means, we enjoy light much longer, and the time for labour is considerably prolonged. 115, Let us, It is thus that a gracious Providence has planned, not only the great revolutions of seasons, but also the daily transition from light to darkness, in the manner most advantageous to us. therefore, acknowledge, with thanksgiving, the goodness of our Creator, and adore his wisdom in this arrangement so useful to us. The insensible approach of night, in the inanimate part of the creation, makes me think of the approach of the evening of my life. That also comes on by degrees; and I shall be almost imperceptibly surrounded by the shades of death. God grant, that the great work I have to do may then be happily ended, and that I may have fulfilled the task allotted me. I must work while it is yet day. The night comes, in which no man can work. MARCH MARCH XXIX. MAGNIFENCE OF GOD IN HIS WORKS. WHY is there such splendour in the works of God? Why is there such magnificence in all we see? Why do we discover, on all sides, so many different numberless objects, which appear each more beautiful than the other, and each of which has its peculiar charms? Why do we every where find new cause for wonder and admiration? It is, doubtless, that we may never cease to admire and adore the great Being, who is infinitely more beautiful, more sublime, and more magnificent, than all we admire most in nature. It is, that we may continually say to ourselves, If the works be so complete, what must the Creator be? If such is the beauty of creatures, what must be the inexpressible beauty, the infinite greatness of him who beholds, with one glance, the whole creation? If the sun has a dazzling brightness, which our eyes cannot bear, ought we to be surprised, that he who lighted that globe, dwells in inaccessible light, where no eye has seen, or can see him? Should he be less wonderful than the beings he has formed? The more wonderful his works are, the more he himself must raise our wonder and admiration. If we could thoroughly comprehend his greatness, he would not be a God, or we should not be men. How then can we better enlarge our minds, and lay up a richer treasure of ideas, than in contemplating that God, whose greatness and magnificence is unlimited? Is it not in such contemplations, that the faculties of our souls may best acquire that force and energy, which will make us. capable capable of enjoying infinite happiness? The more extensive our knowledge here, and the more our minds are enlarged in the contemplation of the greatest of all beings, so much the more we shall be able to recommend him in a future state. Let us, therefore, always divide our attention between God and nature; but only in order to consider in the latter, as in a glass, the image of that Being whom we cannot contemplate face to face. Let us collect the many beauties and perfections which are scattered over the vast empire of the creation; and, when their innumerable multitude strikes us with astonishment, we shall say to ourselves, that, compared to the perfections of their Creator, they are less than a drop in the ocean. Let us only consider what is amiable and fine in created beings, abstracting what is finite and limited, in order to form a more just and proper idea of the excellence of the Ruler of the universe and, when the faults and imperfections of his creatures may have lessened our admiration of their beauty, let us cry out, If the creation is so beautiful, notwithstanding its defects, how great and worthy of admiration must he not be, whose splendour is spotless, more pure than light, more brilliant than the sun! Then, O my soul, collect all thy powers to give thyself up entirely to the contemplation of the most adorable God. Take no rest till thou hast soared even to the boundless perfections of Him, who is raised infinitely above every other, the most perfect of beings. Let thy chief study be to acquaint thyself with God; because there is nothing greater f than God; because it is the only knowledge that can satisfy thee, and fill thy heart with a peace and joy which nothing can disturb and it is even a foretaste of that more perfect knowledge : with with which thou wilt be blessed at the foot of his throne, and which will constitute thy happiness to all eternity. MARCH XXX. THE ARRANGEMENT OF THE SEASONS IN THE THE diurnal rotation of the earth round its own axis, and its annual course round the sun, are great advantages to us. Does it not, therefore, authorise us to presume that the other planets have equal advantages? Most of them turn on their own axis; and it is very probable that it is the same with respect to Mercury and Saturn, though we cannot observe their motion. All the planets move in their orbits round the sun; and even the secondary planets take the same course round their chief planets. Now, as the motion of our earth produces the constant vicissitudes of day and night, and the change of seasons, it is very apparent, that the same thing happens in the other planets. Venus turns round on her own axis in the space of 33 hours and an half. Mars finishes his revolution in 24 hours and a quarter; Jupiter in 10 hours; and the moon in 28 days. If then we divide the day, that is to say, the time during which this revolution is made; if we divide it (I say) as we do with respect to our earth, in 24 equal parts, each of which is called an hour; the hours of Venus will be a little shorter, and those of Mars a little longer than ours. As for those of Jupiter, they will not be half so long as those of the earth. If the moon is 28 days in moving round its axis, a whole day and more must be in that planet. |