illuminated by the dazzling rays of refulgent splendour; still it retains for awhile the showy pomp of kingly power, until at last its beauty decays, and it is left only a fading structure of former magnificence.

But progressive twilight is the solitary hour that wins the soul in contemplation; for when the pale blue heaven emits the gentle star, and the concave of nature is graced with a profound awe and solemn silence, interrupted only by the cooling breeze, then the heart is susceptible of thoughts that transport the mortal into the blissful regions of immortality: the lips unconsciously motion a responsive melody; the passions soften; fear is subdued; and the peaceful soul, swelling with emotion and glory, soars to the portal of eternity, momentarily forgetting that it is an unhallowed member of the valley below.

The moon, though styled in Scripture, a lesser light, may here be accounted one of superior power for although in regard of its magnitude and borrowed light, it is inferior to many of the stars; yet, owing to its proximity to our globe, it certainly excels them in respect to its utility.* It

* Some imagine it to be inconsistent with the wisdom and goodness of the Almighty to have created so large a planet as the moon, merely for the purpose of occasionally enlightening our earth; others contend that it is an inhabited world in many respects similar to our own, and equally capable of acknowledging the Creator's supremacy.

is also the constant attendant upon the earth, faithfully accompanying it in the circumference it describes round the sun. Ancient astrologers attributed much to lunar influence; and among the illiterate, it is to be regretted that superstition still prevails on this head to no inconsiderable extent. But surely it requires not the aid of astrology to magnify the qualities and uses of this mild ruler of the night.

"Since first the penetrating eye of man

Beheld thee rising o'er the balmy skirts
Of blooming Eden, thou art still the same;
And all now gaze on that, which Adam saw !"

Throwing her radiant mantle over all nature, she ascends step by step the ærial realm, and as we gaze upon her beautiful and gentle aspect, there is, if possible, something more dignified and benignant in her appearance than in the bright rays of her celestial king; or when we trace the rising clouds, those lively emblems of fleeting years that waft before her silvery beams, there is in her illumined disk a pleasing influence that sheds a consolatory gleam over meditative solitude, and which seems to anticipate our petitions, alleviate our sorrows, and partake of our earthly vicissitudes. Then the "sable goddess from her ebon throne casts a veil over the azure plains, and the firmament discovers to us new views of its boundless

magnificence. We watch the moon surrounded with innumerable gems, 66 sown in the celestial void of heaven." Suns and planets, with their satellites, float in the blue expanse, giving light and heat to the worlds which roll around them, while all appear to move with silent rapidity through the repose of night. "It is remarkable, says a modern writer, "that although we observe change to be the law of the globe, yet in the heavens all appear to the naked eye to retain unvarying aspects. The sun rises and sets; planets perform their stated courses, and their satellites undergo their respective series of eclipses. On earth every object has its period of decay, but the planets and the fixed stars appear to be formed for eternity." "This is the Lord's doing, therefore it is marvellous in our eyes." He it was who appointed the circles they were to describe, and who supports, who guides, and prevents them from irreparable confusion. He it was who determined the completion of this superb work to be good. And all the heavenly host with eloquence proclaimed it perfect, and loudly celebrated their divine Creator. "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handy-work."

Four days having been occupied by the Almighty, in forming and beautifying the heavens and the earth, the great Author of perfection pro

C

ceeded to execute a more noble and excellent specimen of his power, by giving life to inanimate beings. The all-wise behest proclaimed, "Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven;" which holy command implies, "Let them be brought into being, the fish in the waters, and the fowl out of them." The waters were ordained not only to be useful, but also to be habitable-to abound with an innumerable variety of fish, and to produce the inimitable generation of the feathered race.

God now gave a being to the matter and form of things, and the continuance of that being was made to depend upon his preserving influence. Not as man would execute a mechanical instrument, which was intended to go only for a stated time, or as a river which will not flow beyond its prescribed channel, did the Almighty exact those laws which he has impressed upon every creature, but life was to be a continual concurrence of his favour every creature was to live, move in him, and have being; and the omnipotent power of the Creator was to circulate through every vein of animated nature, to give life and motion to every part. "And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters

brought forth abundantly after their kind, and winged fowl after his kind; and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth."

The construction of the animal body is, indeed, a wondrous specimen of Supreme Wisdom, and ought, even unassisted by revelation, to form an efficient antidote to that incredulity so fatal to the happiness of sceptic reasoners. In examining the creation of fishes, which glide with such ease and pleasure in the waters, we easily discover properties adapted to the element for which they were made, and essentially different from other created bodies. The variety of their shapes and forms, their dexterity of motion, their quick penetration, and their elegant and convenient clothing of scales the form, substance, and position of which are perfectly suited to their mode of living -afford fresh proofs of a sovereign Omnipotence. From the kingly whale, whose bulk and surface is as a living mountain in the midst of the deep, to the smallest minnow that glitters in the stream, there is a provident manifestation of the same infinite power and goodness. In several cases our blessed Lord made them the mementos of his miracles; and from the multiplicity of this innumerable assortment and variety of the finny tribes