shades, which the first wants: some have, added to the beauty of their form and colour, an exquisite perfume. But all these differences are only accidental, and do not in the least affect their fertility. Thus, when God does not give us the same advantages as appear in some of our fellow-creatures, it ought not to afflict or disturb us: for the loss of any accidental beauty, of whatever nature it may be, does not hurt our real welfare in the least. If we are not as rich, as highly considered, or of as fine a form as others, we may, notwithstanding, be quite as happy, as virtuous, and as agreeable, both to God and man. Provided we bear the fruits of piety and virtue, we possess real beauty. For why do the blossoms of trees please us more than the rich colours of a tulip, an auricula, or a ranunculus? It is because the pleasure the latter gives us is of short duration,. whereas the others give us hope of delicious fruit. Let us not, therefore,. confine our wishes to the beauty and exterior charms of a fine flower. The beauty, the graces, the bloom of health, and other outward advantages of nature, are not the things which afford us durable and permanent pleasures. The blossoms which promise fruit agreeable to God, these are what truly merit our esteem. They will never fade. All those dazzling beauties we admire in the blossoms on the trees, will disappear in a few days; and such will be the fate of all the blooming young people now so vain of their charms. Let this thought ever attend us in the solitary walks we take in our gardens: And let our chief study be, to act in such a manner, that, when the beauty and charms of the body are no more, we may supply their place with abundant fruits of virtue and piety. MAY III. CONTINUAL REVOLUTIONS AND CHANGES IN THE EARTH. MOTION and change seem absolutely necessary for the preservation of the corporeal world. In the whole universe, there is not the smallest particle in a constant and entire state of rest.-Nothing is more easy than to be convinced of this, by attending to what passes on the globe we inhabit. The earth turns, every 24 hours, round its own axis, and by this motion, all the points of its surface (except the poles) change place with more or less rapidity. Under the line, where this motion is the swiftest, every thing moves more than two leagues in a minute, though it does not change its situation on the surface. But, besides this, the earth makes its annual revolution round the sun with so much velocity, that, according to the most moderate calculations, it goes 146 leagues in a minute, though its course is not perceptible. The motion of earthly bodies is more observable. Little rivulets unite, and form greater. These, in their turn, form torrents and rivers, which are afterwards lost in the sea. This is not all: Plants and animals every where require water to nourish them. The water rises in vapours, which form into clouds, and fall again in rain, snow, and fogs, and whatever is not transformed in its fall goes again into the sea, where the flux and reflux, storms, torrents, &c. keep the water in a perpetual motion. Neither is there any repose in our atmosphere. Between the tropics, an east wind continually blows; and, though, in other places, the motion is not always perceptible, yet the barometers and thermometers prove that the air is never perfectly still. Meteors also, of every sort, shew that nature is in constant action. The coat or surface of the earth is also subject to frequent revolutions. The hardest rocks split; stones gradually wear and break; lands fall in, others are overflowed; certain grounds rise, and others are overturned by earthquakes; little hills are washed away by waters; valleys are filled up; marshes grow dry, and are covered with trees; the bottom of the sea becomes firm ground, &c. Light and darkness, cold and heat, drought and wet, succeed each other by turns. Lastly, the continual variation of heat occasions, every hour, changes which are often imperceptible. If we add to this the changes visible in animals, we may have some idea of the continual revolutions to which every thing here is subject. It is said, that man daily looses about two ounces and an half in perspiration. It is replaced by other particles; so, that at the end of ten years, a man's body is entirely changed. All animals and plants feed, grow, propagate, die, and corrupt. Thus, every thing on earth is in motion; every thing grows and decays by turns. In a word, to be born, and to die, is what continually passes on the theatre of the world. But this does not happen accidentally, or without order or design. Every thing acts according to certain laws, which tend to certain ends. Every thing combines, every thing concurs, in the most perfect manner, to the glory of the Creator. All contribute to, all end in the happiness of the universe. These continual revolutions are useful warnings to us. They teach us that this world cannot be our place of destination. When we consider the continual vicissitudes, which all here below must undergo, is it not the most affecting lesson for us, on the vanity of all earthly things, on the uncertainty and shortness of life, on the necessity of a better state, an everlasting life in the world to come? Yes, every thing points out to us our destination, and declares we are but sojourners and travellers on the earth. With what consolation my soul is penetrated, when, in the midst of the revolutions of the world, I lift up my eyes towards thee, O Lord! towards thee, who art both immutable and eternal! Let the mountains be shaken, and fall down; let the sea be troubled, and the waves roar; let all that is earthly be destroyed, and return to dust; still thou art, and ever must be invariably the same. ་་ར་་ MAY IV. AN INVITATION TO SEEK GOD IN THE WORKS OF NATURE. AWAKE, O my soul, awake from the slumber in which thou hast been so long plunged, and be attentive to all around thee. Consider thyself and all other creatures. Reflect on their origin, their construction, their form, their use, and a thousand other circumstances, which must fill every attentive observer of the works of God with admiration. When thou seest the sky, with its variety of lively colours, the stars which shine so bright, the light which discovers to thee the objects around; ask thyself, from whence proceeds all this? Who formed that immense expanse of the heavens? Who placed in the sky those innumerable innumerable fires, those stars, which, though at so prodigious a distance, dart their rays even unto us? Who ordered the stars to move with so much regularity, and the sun to give light and heat to the earth? Is it not thee, adorable Creator? Yes, it is thy mighty word, that called forth all things, and ordained them to exist and live. What must be thy greatness, thy incomprehensible greatness, O Lord God! to enable thee to make all these out of nothing! How infinite thy goodness to have so planned every thing, that all contribute to our happiness! Stupendous mountains! What mighty hand fixed your foundations? Who raised your heads to the very clouds? Who adorned you with forests, with fruit trees, with plants, and flowers? Who covered your tops with snow and ice? Who caused to flow out of your bowels those springs and rivers, which water and enrich the ground? It is thy hand, O almighty Creator! which has done all these wonders: and I adore that divine hand, with sentiments of admiration, respect, and gratitude. Flowers of the field! who gave you your magnificent clothing? How happens it that you were produced out of a little earth and a few drops of water? From whence have you that variety of perfumes, which embalm the air and delight us, those lively colours which charm our sight, and which no human art can imitate ? This is thy work, O Lord! Every thing on earth proceeds from thee. And you, O ye animated beings, who people the air, the waters,. and the land, to whom do you owe your existence, your construction, and those instincts, so various and so wonderful, which astonish our reason, and are so well adapted to your nature and way of life? What a multitude of wonders |
