received the inestimable gift of reason. These inferior beings would then have been unhappy, if the Creator had not granted them some advantages to make amends for their want of understanding. He has accordingly, in some respects, been more liberal to them than to us, as to bodily` advantages. He has given them a make, a form, and senses, adapted to their wants. He has given them variety of instincts, admirable industry and sagacity, to distinguish what is hurtful or salutary to them; to provide themselves food and other necessaries;—advantages which we have not in an equal degree, and which we can very well dispense with, as we have received privileges beyond comparison more considerable. Here we ought again to admire the paternal care of a gracious Providence towards man. It is for us, that God has formed the brute with such wonderful art. It is in order to be of more essential service to us, that they are endowed with so much strength, agility, and industry, with bodies so robust, and senses so exquisite. We should soon be liable to all sorts of inconveniences, we should be deprived of a number of great ad. vantages, in regard to our support and our occu pations, if the animals, whose daily service is so necessary to us, had fewer bodily perfections. Let us consider also, that the advantages which the brutes enjoy are limited to the present world, whereas we are created for à better; where our bodies, raised to the highest degree of glory and perfection, will be freed from all the defects and all the wants they are subject to upon earth. FEB. XVI. The Moon. THE moon, next to the sun, is, of all the celes. tial bodies, that which has the most salutary influence upon our globe; and, if it was not in itself an object worth our attention, it would become so at least by the great advantages we derive from it. Even with a naked eye, and without a telescope, we can discover several pheno. mena of the moon. It is a round opaque body, which borrows its light from the sun, and is ap parent to every part of the earth in twenty four hours (as the earth moves round its axis), and completes its own revolution in little less than twenty-eight days. But what the naked eye may observe in the moon, is not to be compared to what we discover by the assistance of telescopes and calculations. How much are we obliged to those enlightened men, who, to extend our knowledge, and to render the glory of our Crea tor more and more manifest to the eyes of mankind, have made inquiries and discoveries, which enable us to form the highest notions of the celestial bodies? By means of their laborious observations, we know, that the moon, which appears to the naked eye so small, is, however, considerable, with relation to the earth. Its dia. meter is two thousand one hundred and eighty miles, her proportionable size as one is to forty. eight; and though the moon is nearer to us than any other planet, it is two hundred and forty thousand miles distant from this earth. There are several spots in the moon, visible to the naked eye. Some of these spots are pale and dark; others are more or less luminous, according to the light they reflect. The bright spots are probably high mountains, which reflect the light of the sun from their tops; and the dark spots are fluid, transparent bodies-seas, which, conformably to their nature, absorb a great deal of light, and reflect very little back. These discoveries, to which no solid objection can be made, prove that the moon is not so inconsiderable a body, as ignorant people imagine. The size, the distance, and all that we know of it, give us, on the contrary, a new proof of the unlimited power and wisdom of our Creator. But was a planet so large as the moon designed for no other purpose than to light our globe for some nights? That body, which, to all appearance, resembles our earth, and seems proper for the same ends, was it created only to produce the flux and reflux of our seas, and for some advantage to our globe with which we are still unacquainted? Is it probable, that a surface of some millions of leagues square, should be without any living creatures? Would the Supreme Being have left that immense space an empty desert? Indeed it would be inconsistent with the wisdom and goodness of God. Let us rather believe that God has established his empire in that planet as well as among us. Without doubt, there are an innumerable number of creatures upon it, who adore with us the same Lord and Father; who are, like us, the objects of his providential care; and for whose happiness God provides with the same goodness as he does for ours. But, as our knowledge in this respect is still very imperfect, let us confine ourselves to the advantages which accrue to us from the moon. The tender mercy of Providence toward man, manifests itself very sensibly in this case. He placed the moon so near us, that she alone might shed more light upon our earth than all the fixed stars together. We derive from it, not only an agreeable object, but a thousand conveniencies and advantages; since, by the light of the moon, we can undertake journeys, wherever occasion calls us, prolong our work, and dispatch much business in the night-time. Besides, in what disorder and confusion should we be, in regard to the division and measure of time, were it not for the regularity with which the changes of the moon succeed each other. It is true, that the calculations of astronomers save us the trouble, on that account, of observing the variations of that planet. But all the use of almanacks is owing to the observations made on the course of the moon. FEB. XVII. The Rain waters the Earth, and makes it fruitful. THE fertility of the earth depends chiefly on the moisture it receives from rain and other watery vapours. If the watering of the earth was left to the care of man, it would be an endless trouble; and, notwithstanding every effort, drought and famine would destroy us. In vain would mankind use all their powers; they would not be sufficient to water what they had planted. They might drain the pumps and the rivers, without giving water enough to the vegetables to keep them from withering and dying. How necessary, therefore, was it, that the vapours should be collected into clouds, as in reservoirs, and fall afterwards, by the assistance of the winds, upon the earth, to water the trees and plants. Every shower of rain enriches the earth, which would otherwise have a sad languishing appearance. The treasures which its surface prodigally bestows upon us, are infinitely more valuable to us than all the metals and precious stones it con tains in its bowels. Society might subsist very well without gold or silver, but not without corn, vegetables, and pasture. Let us reflect on the inexpressible blessings that rain produces on our globe. A seasonable shower renews the face of the earth, and has much more force and effect than the dew, which in the night-time moistens the grass and the leaves. The furrowed fields drink with avidity the beneficent rains poured upon them. The principles of fertility unfold themselves in the seeds, and second the labour of man. The husbandman ploughs, sows, and plants, and God gives the increase. Men do what is in their power; and whatever is beyond their ability, the Lord himself provides for. In winter, he covers the seed as with a garment. In summer, he warms and refreshes them by the rays of the sun, and by rain. He crowns the year with his blessings: and he grants them so successively, that mankind are not merely nourished, but their hearts are filled with joy and gladness. The divine blessing does not fall on cultivated fields only; it extends also over the meadows and fields of the deserts. The countries even that are forsaken by man, and from which no direct use is drawn, are still objects of providential care : For such is the goodness of God, that the hills and the valleys rejoice, and are adorned with smiling verdure. The rain does not fall in vain upon them. And if they do not yield fruit for our support, they are, at least, immense reservoirs of water for our earth: and they produce a great variety of wholesome plants and simples good for our health, and which serve also as food for animals. Never let us forget God's blessings. How often, in this month particularly, is the earth watered with rain; but how seldom do we reflect as we ought upon this blessing! Let us learn to know |
