apple, on which was written: To the fairest. All the goddesses claimed it as their own: the contention was at first general; but at last only three, Juno, Venus and Minerva, wished to dispute their respective rights to beauty. The gods, willing not to become arbiters in an affair of so tender and delicate a nature, appointed Paris to adjudge the prize of beauty to the fairest: the goddesses appeared before their judge, without covering or ornament, and each tried to gain the attention of Paris. Juno promised him a kingdom; Minerva, military glory; and Venus, the fairest woman in the world for his wife. After he had heard their several claims and promises, Paris adjudged the prize to Venus, and gave her the golden apple, as the goddess of beauty. Bestowed, on whom the angel hail... And the angel came in unto her and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured. Luke, i. 28. With exemplary meekness and lowliness of spirit she confesses, how unmerited are the extraordinary blessing conferred upon her; filled with faith, love, hope, joy and gratitude, she adores and magnifies the power, goodness and mercy of the Almighty, saying; "My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God, my Saviour." Luke, i. 46, 47. 398 These bounties, which our Nourisher, from whom All perfect good, Good when he gives, supremely good, Nor less when he denies ; E'en crosses, from his sovereign hand, Are blessings in disguise. Every good gift, and every perfect gift, is from above; and cometh down from the Father of Lights. James, i. 17. 440 Of sooty coal th' empyric alchymist A quack; one that teaches the transmutation of metal, and the making the philosophers' stone, according to their cant. 501 If ye be found obedient, For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God; and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 1 Peter, iv. 17. Therefore, imagine that none of thy actions are absolutely indifferent. Keep a watch upon them all; do, as far as possible, whatever thou dost, with a clear consciousness of thyself, with reflection, with deliberation. Let thy duty, the true end of thy creation; thy dignity, thy relative situations to God and man, be ever present to thy mind: so wilt thou, without becoming anxious and formal, no less quickly than surely, chuse, think, speak, do what is right and fit, and, in every case, the best. Let, therefore, the superior life hereafter, and the influence of thy present actions upon it, be continually before thy eyes. Consider, judge, chuse, reject, enjoy, bear, forbear, do, omit all with reference to the state of retribution that awaits thee. Say to thyself: That pleasure, that satisfaction, which I now purchase with the violation of my duty, will then be loss, irretrievable loss; the source of pain and sorrow to me. That advantage, that pleasure, that satisfaction, on the other hand, which I sacrifice to duty and to virtue, will then prove gain, everlasting profit, the source of never-ending joy and satisfaction to me. All the good, that I can at present do, and do not, will then diminish the sum of my felicity. The better or worse the sowing here is, the more joyful or lamentable will the harvest be hereafter. Therefore, will I do good, and, in well-doing, not be weary; for in due time, I shall reap without ceasing. Zollikoffer. 579 Upon her centre pois'd ; The earth is a round body; however it may seem, in some parts, to be sunk into valeys, and raised into hills; in other parts to be spread into a spacious plane, extending to the confines of the heavens, or terminated by the waters of the ocean. We may fancy, that it has deep foundations, and rests upon some prodigiously solid basis: but it is pendant in the wide transpicuous ether, without any visible cause to uphold it from above, or support it from above, or support it from beneath. It may seem to be sedentary in its attitude, and motionless in its situation; but it is continually sailing through the depths of the sky; and, in the space of twelve months, finishes her mighty voyage: which periodical rotation produces the seasons, and completes the year. As it proceeds in the annual curcuit, it spins upon its own centre, and turns its sides alternately to the fountain of light; by which means, the day dawns in one hemisphere, while the night succeeds in the other. 587 Under their Hierarchs. Sacred government or order. 596 Orb within orb, Are several orbs, one within another, which have the same centre. 598 Amidst us from a flaming mount. Jehovah talked with you, face to face, in the mount, out of the midst of the fire: and he said, Behold the Lord our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire; we have seen, this day, that God doth talk with man, and that he liveth. Deut. v, 4, 24. 607 And by myself have sworn to him shall bow. Let us then second the merciful intentions of our great instructor, and carefully apply it to ourselves. The Almighty, who will have all men to be saved, hath graciously made every one partaker in the general means of salvation. We are all formed with an immortal soul, capable of understanding, and adoring the divine attributes: wę are all included in the sufficient ransom which the blessed Jesus paid for our regeneration; and most of us, through the goodness of God, are come to the knowledge of the truth, 614 Into utter darkness deep ingulf'd, And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth, Matthew, xxv. 30. We must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terrors of the Lord, we persuade men. 2 Cor. v. 10. 11. 621 Of planets and of fixed in all their wheels. Planets are those stars that move or change their place, comprehending what is usually called the Solar System. The fixed stars are so called, because they keep the same situation, with respect to each other, and distinguished, according to their relative appearances, denominated magnitudes. Consult with reason, reason will reply, Each lucid point, that glows in yonder sky, Eccentric, THE UNIVERSE. Or, that moves in a different centre. and in communion sweet Quaff immortality and joy. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life; in thy light shall we see light. Psalms, xxxvi. 8, 9. 652 By living streams among the trees of life. On either side of the river was the tree of life. Rev. xxii. 2. An emblem of that perpetual life and overflowing joy, which shall be the portion of all the blissful inhabitants of the new Jerusalem. 654 Celestial tabernacles, Tabernacle, a wooden chapel, erected for the |