ness which have been lavished with profusion elsewhere. Not so: God has given to each country what was necessary to the life, support, and content, of his creatures. All is planned accord. ing to the climate in which they live; and Providence has every where provided for their preservation and support. The hours of the day vary in different parts of the world, according to certain rules; but all the zones have nearly the same number. There is scarce any inhabited country which the sun shines more upon than another. All the difference is, that they enjoy it at dif ferent times. With the inhabitants of the torrid zone, the days and nights are always of equal length; while, with the neighbouring zones, that is the case but twice a-year. It is true that the sun quits them by turns, and gives summer to one side of the earth, while it abandons the other to winter. But it never fails to return regularly, from one of the limits of its regular course to the other; and, if the winter days are shorter than the nights, summer makes ample amends in that respect. Even the inhabitants of the frigid zone, who are deprived of the sight of the sun for severai months, see it afterwards on their horizon several following months; and though they have some hours less of day-light, they are made amends for it by long twilights.

Lord! the earth is full of thy mercies. Thy goodness is spread all over the heavens, and extends to the very clouds. What country is there, in the whole universe, which has not experienced the effect of thy goodness? What province, throughout thy immense empire, is there, in which there may not be seen traces of thy bene. 'ficence? Where is the creature, where is the man, who at each season cannot see and feel how good Thou art? I rejoice at living under thy merciful government. I rejoice in the numberless blessangs which Thou scatterest over all the earth, for

the happiness of thy creatures. How is it possible I should not wish that all my fellow-creatures, throughout the world, may be as happy, as tranquil, and content, as I am? Yes, Thou knowest; Thou, O God, who seest, my heart, Thou knowest that I am neither covetous nor selfish enough to behold, with regret, the happiness of others, or not to wish their welfare equal to my own. O God of mercy, grant that I may become more and more like Thee. As Thou lovest ali thy creatures, and as, without respect to persons, Thou doest to each all the good they are capable of enjoying, be pleased to kindle in my heart the same universal love for my fellow-creatures, that I may do them all the good in my power; and, at least, that I may raise to Thee my ardent prayers for all mankind, without exception.

FEB. XXI.

The Utility of our Senses.

I HAVE senses, that is to say, I am a being who, by means of several wonderful organs of my body, can procure myself several sorts of sensations. By my eyes I can acquire the perception of light and colours; by my ears, that of different sounds; by smell and taste, that of agreeable or disagreeable emanations of savours and scents, of sweet and bitter, and other such properties of the body, which I can make use of; and lastly, by my feeling, I have the sense of heat and cold, of wet and dry, of soft and hard, &c. Now, I represent to myself how wretched I should be, if I was deprived of the organs of speech, seeing, hearing, taste, smell, or feeling. If I had not sight, how could I escape that multitude of dangers which surround me, or form to myself any idea of the magnificence of the heavens, the beauty of

the country, and all the agreeable objects with which the earth is filled? Without the organ of hearing, how could I perceive many dangers at a distance? How could I exchange thoughts, or communicate them? How enjoy harmony and the charms of music? How could I, in my youth, acquire school knowledge, learn languages, ob. tain ideas, the talent of reading, and many other faculties, which distinguish me so advantageously from the brute creation? If I had been refused the organs of smell and taste, how could I distinguish, in my food, what was hurtful or otherwise; enjoy the perfumes of spring, and a thousand things, which now afford me such pleasing sensations? And, lastly, without my feeling, how should I be able to discover, either in food, asleep, or awake, what was hurtful to me? or, how should I be able to attend to my preservation? I cannot, therefore, too much praise and bless God, that I see, hear, smell, and speak. I adore my merciful Creator. I acknowledge and praise his goodness. My mouth shall glorify him in songs of praise and thanksgiving. My ears shall be open to the universal hymn, which all nature chants to his honour. Oh! may I never be insensible to the value of my senses, or make a bad use of them. Thou, my Creator, hast given them to me for the noblest purposes. How unworthy should I be of thy boundless goodness, of the admirable formation of my body, if I only employed my senses in brutal enjoyments, with out proposing to myself any higher views? How wretched should I be, if I only sought my happiness in sensuality, and preferred it to the much nobler pleasures of the mind; for there will come a time when my eyes will no longer be affected by external objects, when the harmonious sounds of music will no longer please my ear, nor the most exquisite dainty, or delicious wines, soothe my palate. A time will come, when my senses

will take no pleasure nor satisfaction in any earthly thing. How wretched should I then be, if I knew nothing that could feed my mind, or comfort my soul! Divine Spirit, direct and lead me, so to make use of my senses, that I may never lose sight of the great purpose of my existence.

FEB. XXII.

Elevation of the Soul to God.

WHEN I lift up my heart to God, I approach the end for which I was placed in this world, and I taste, beforehand, the felicity which awaits me in heaven. How contemptible do the vain, trifling amusements of the age appear to me, when my heart accustoms itself to seek its joys and happiness in God! How humbled and little in my own eyes do I appear, when I compare my nothingness with the infinite mercy of God! How is the pride of my nature mortified, when I lose myself (to speak in that manner) in the ocean of divine perfections! And what an ardent desire does it kindle in my heart for that happy and glorious day, when I shall be for ever united to the Supreme Eternal Being! But am I sufficiently sensible of the inestimable advantage of reflecting often on God, to induce me to form, in reality, the resolution of doing as I ought? Alas! instead of filling my mind with this great and sublime object, I but too often fix my thoughts on earthly and perishable things. Instead of finding delight in meditating on my Creator, I take pleasure in nothing but what flatters my senses. Instead of loving that Being, in whom is centered all that can be conceived lovely, and who alone can make me perfectly blest, I fix my heart on the world, and I passionately love objects which cannot insure my happiness, and which I cannot long en

joy. May my past experience teach me wisdom hereafter. Hitherto I have only loved temporal blessings, and have wholly given up myself to them. I have sought my peace and happiness in things even more frail and perishable than myself. But, through the grace of God, my eyes are opened. I contemplate a Being, the centre of all perfection, who has made me out of nothing, and given me a Soul, the desires of which can only be satisfied with infinite blessings. To that Being I consecrate my heart, devoting myself entirely and for ever to him. In him alone shall I therefore seek my joy and comfort. These earthly enjoy. ments, which I have hitherto imprudently preferred to heavenly blessings, I will exchange for much more real and solid advantages. I will make use of the first, as it is the will of my Creator; but it shall never be in preference to the love of God. On the contrary, every creature affords me an opportunity to raise my thoughts to the Creator, and excites me to bless the goodness of him who has given to earthly things the power to cheer my soul. If pleasures, enjoyed only by means of a frail and perishable body, can affect me so sensibly, how superior must those delights be of a future, happy state, disincumbered from this earthly tabernacle! What ineffable sensations shall I experience, when my soul, freed from its fetters, will be able to contemplate at liberty the presence of the Lord! If a ray of light is so enlivening, what will the sun itself be! If, even in this world, God is so admirable in his works, what will he be in a future state?

Vol. I.