tive globes, we fhall find that an infinitely wife and kind, as well as omnipotent Being, was the orderer. thereof. For were thofe globes always to ftand ftill, especially the erraticks that owe their light and heat to the fun, in this cafe, one half of them would be dazzled and parched with everlasting day, whilft the other would be involved in everlafting night and darkneís. And what the confequences would be, we may best judge from what would befal our own globe, without the kindly alterations of day and night; and that is, that it, at least a great part of it, would fcarce be habitable, it would neither agree to the ftate of man, or any other animals; nor to that of vegetables, or indeed any other creature. For one half of the globe would be burning up, at least too much drying, and exhaufted with the beams of the fun, whilft the other would be immerged in, and deadened with too long night. And in fuch a cafe, how could the great works of nature, fo serviceable to the world, be performed? How, for inftance, could the vapors be raised to fupply the earth with cooling clouds and fertile fhowers? How could the winds be excited to fan the atmosphere with their pleasant and healthful

gales? How could the tides be produced, which by their conftant agitations keep the waters fweet and clean, and prevent their poifoning the world? And as the courfe and functions of nature, would be thus affected, fo would the ftate of the creation be no lefs. For how could thofe of the vegetable kingdom be animated and excited by the kindly heat of the day, and then again tempered and invigorated by the no lefs kindly dews and influences of the night? How could men and all other animals difpatch their bufinefs, gather their food, and perform all the various labours and offices of the day, and then recruit and repofe themfelves with reft, fleep, and due perfpiration, and whatever elfe may be owing to the falutiferous influences of the night, and abfence of fun? Thefe and ten thousand as great inconveniencies as thefe, would be the certain events of the. want of this diurnal motion of our globe. And as the rest of the globes have their fhares in the like motion, fo we may very reasonably imagine that it is no lefs ufeful and beneficial to them than it is to us, and that the inconveniencies of the want of it would be as great. [To be continued.]

creatures, whofe eyes, like the rest of their body, are tender and without the guard of bones, there nature hath provided for this neceffary and tender fenfe a wonderful kind of guard, by endowing the creature with a faculty of withdrawing its eyes into its head, and lodging them in the fame fafety with the body; as is the cafe with fnails, &c."

The eye is fo tender, that a flight accident, fcarcely perceived by fome other parts of the body, would be very injurious to its delicate frame. It is guarded therefore with peculiar care; with a care proportioned to its nice texture, and extenfive ufefulnefs. It is intrenched deep in the head, and barricadoed on every fide with a frong fortification of bones.-As the incurfion of the fmalleft fy would incommode the polifhed furface, it is farther protected by two fubftantial curtains, hung on a most flender cartilaginous rod, which fecure it not barely from blows, and from any hurtful attrition, but alfo from every troublesome annoyance. In fleep, when there is no occafion to exercife the fenfe, but an abfolute neceffity to guard the organ, these curtains fpontaneously clofe, and fail not to lie fhut. At any time they will fly together with a motion quick as the alarm of fear, almoft quicker than thought itself. At all times they are lined with an extremely fine fponge, wet with its own native dews, which lubricate the eye-ball, oil as it were its wheels, and fit it for a courfe of uncommon activity.At the end of this fkinny mantelet is planted a range of briftly palifadoes, which keep out the leaft mote, ward off even the ftraggling atom, and moderate the otherwife too potent impreffions of the funbeams,-The tender and inceffant, the more than fatherly care which the Lord God Almighty takes of his people, is reprefented in fcrip

ture by this extraordinary provifion made for the fecurity of the eye, which is one of the fineft images that fancy can form; one of the most confolatory truths that faith can believe. "He kept him as the apple of his eye. He that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of his eye."

The brows are a kind of natural pent-houfe, thatched and arched with curious wreaths of hair. The thatch is intended to divert the perfpiration from trickling into the eyes. The arches are fo finely coloured, and fo elegantly turned, that they fet off the whiteness of the forehead, and beftow additional grace on the whole counte

nance.

Thus have we surveyed this first fenfe of animals, though not strictly, yet fo as abundantly to demonftrate it to be the contrivance, the work of no lefs a being, than the infinite, wife, potent, and indulgent Creator: for none lefs could compofe fo admirable an organ, fo adapt all its parts, fo adjuft it to all occafions, fo nicely provide for every ufe, and every emergency. In a word, none lefs than God could thus contrive, order, and provide an organ as magnificent and curious as the fenfe is ufeful; a sense, without which, as all the animal world would be in darkness, fo it would labour under perpetual inconveniencies, be expofed to perpetual harms, and fuffer perpetual wants and diftreffes. But now, by this admirable fenfe, the great God, who hath placed us in this world, hath as well provided for our comfortable refidence in it, enabled us to fee and chufe wholfome, yea delicate food; to provide ourselves ufeful cloathing, and commodious places of habitation ::-we can now dispatch our affairs with alacrity and pleafure; we can, if need be ranfack the whole gìobe, penetrate into the bowels of the earth, defcend to the bottom of the deep,

and

and travel to the fartheft regions of this world. We can now look about us, difcern, and fhun the precipices and dangers which every where enclofe us, and would deftroy us: and thofe glorious objects which fill heaven and earth, thofe admirable works of God which every where furround us, and which would be as nothing to us without being feen, do by means of this noble fenfe, prefent their glories to us, and fill us with admiration and pleafure. But we need not expatiate on the usefulness and praises of this fenfe, of which we

receive the benefit every moment, and the want or any defect of which we lament among our greatest misfortunes."

From the chearful ways of men Cut off, and for the book of knowledge fair Prefented with an univerfal blank Of nature's works!

Let us make one practical application to ourselves from the obfervation of the Pfalmift-He who made the eye, fhall he not fee? And if the eye of Omnifcience fees and knows all things, how careful should we be of our conduct!

THE DUTY OF SAYING GRACE BEFORE AND AFTER MEALS

CONSIDERED.

YE find in various parts of fa

WE

cred fcripture, an expefs, pofitive injunction, which, it is feared, is not fo much, or fo univerfally understood, nor fo feriously and devoutly practifed, as it ought; this is, "The imploring from God a bleffing on the bounties of his providence which he fends to our table; and returning him our folemn thanks after our repast, commonly called faying grace and giving thanks.

God be bleffed! We know this nation, and all Chriftian countries, are not without pious examples of the conftant obfervation of this reasonable duty. It fhall therefore be our endeavour to fhew, that the act of faying grace, both before and after meat, is a special duty, which not only the Chriftian, but the heathen world alfo, fuppofed incumbent on them, partly by the light of nature, but more exprefsly, and in a ftronger manner, by the feveral injunctions fcattered up and down in the facred code. We will first speak of the heathens.

I. Athenæus tells us, in his Deipnofoph, lib. ii, that in the famous regulation made by Amphictyon, king of Athens, with respect to the VOL. II. No. 15.

He

ufe of wine, both in facrifices, and at home, he required that the name of Jupiter the Suftainer, fhould be decently and reverently pronounced. The fame writer, in lib. iv. p. 149. quotes Hermeias, an author extant in his time, who informs us of a peo ple in Egypt, inhabitants of the city of Naucratis, whofe cuftom it was, on certain occafions, after they had placed themselves in the ufual pofture of eating at the table, to rife again, and kneel; when the priest, or precentor of the folemnity, began to chant a grace, according to a ftated form amongst them; and when that was over, they joined in the meal, in a folemn facrificial manner. liodorus, if we mistakę not, has a paffage in his Ethiopics, to the fame purpose, that it was the custom of the Egyptian philofophers to pour out li bations and put up ejaculations before they fat down to meals. In general, doubtlefs, this was a religious ufage or rite amongst the ancient Greeks, and derived from yet older ages, if a perfon of fuch eminence in learning and integritry as Clement of Alexan dria, rightly informs us; who fpeaks of it, as a fettled cuftom amongst the old Romans, that they offered facrifice and prayer to the Gods, at their meals and compotations. But one of the fulleft teftimonies to our purpose is given by Quintilian; Declam. 301.

Adifi

Adifli menfam, fays he, ad quam, cum venire capimus, Dees, invocamus ; "We approached the table [at fupper together] and then invoked the Gods."

The Turks pray for a bleffing on their meat; and many more inftances might be produced, of infidels, who have conftantly. obferved the like cuftom, in fome way or another. But it would take up too much of the reader's time, and this department of our niagazine, to enlarge further on this head.

II. The fact, therefore, with refpect to the heathen world, being thus evident, we proceed to the fentiments and behaviour of the Jews in this particular. Their celebrated. hiftorian Jofephus, giving a detail of the rites and cuftoms of the Effenes, who were confeffedly the ftrictest and most pious profeffors of the Chriftian religion, has this remarkable paffage, to the prefent purpose: "The prieft, fays he, begs a bleffing before they prefume to take any nourishment; and it is looked upon as a great fin to

take or taíte before." Then follows the thankfgiving before meat; and

When the meal, proceeds he, is over, the priest prays again; and the company with him blets and praise God as their preferver, and the donor of their life and nourishment."

From the Hebrew ritual it appears, that the Jews had their hymns and pfalms of thankgiving not only after eating their paffover, but on a variety of other occafions at, and after meals, and even between their feveral courfes and dishes; as when the best of their wine was brought upon the table, or their aromatic confections, or the fruit of the garden, &c. On the day of the paffover was fung Palm cxiv. "When Ifrael came out of Egypt, &c.".

The prophet Daniel gave thanks. after meat, is evident from the Apocryphal book concerning Bel and the Dragon, where ver. 38, 39. we find, that Daniel faid, thou haft remembered me, O God! neither haft thou forlaken them who feek thee, and

love thee. So Daniel arofe and did

eat.

We come, in the next place, to the great example of all, taat of our bleffed Saviour, which alio, at the fame time, fully confirms the practice of the Jews as here afferted. Thofe words in his own divine form of prayer, Give us this day our daily bread, very manifeftly imply the requefting a benediction upon our victuals. We alfo read in the evangelifts, that, after eating the paffover, himfelf and his difciples fung an hymn. Matt. xxvi. 30. Mark xiv. 26. Learned men have thought this hymn to have been fome ftated or customary form in ufe among the Jews; and that there was fuch a one, we do indeed find by their rabbis ; and it is certainly very probable. Others more particularly inform us, that it was part of the book of Pfalms, namely, from Pfalm cxii. Praife ye the Lord, oh ye fervants of the Lord!" &c. to Pfalm cxix, "Bleted are the undefiled," &c. But the length of fuch a fervice feems to render this fomewhat improbable. However that be, the Jews are faid to have moreover their Zemiroth, veries of fongs of thanksgiving, unto this day. Again, this fan upper of our Lord was truly a moft high and peculiar occafion of giving praife, when Chrift our paffover was going to be facrificed for us; and therefore, perhaps, may be looked upon as only a fingular and extraordinary one. But that faying of grace was the conftant ufage of our Lord himself, will evidently appear from the three other inftances of his fo doing, recorded by the evangelifts, 1ft. Before he wrought that ftupendous miracle of multiplying the five barley loaves, and two fmall fifhes; Jefus took the loaves and when he had given thanks, &c. John vi. 11. Luke ix. 16. 2dly, When he wrought the fame immenfe multiplication in the miracle of the feven loaves and the few little fishes, hen he also gave thanks: Matt. xv. 36. Mark viii, 6, 30ly, When he

fupped

fupped with the two 'difciples at Emmaus, he took bread and bleffed it. Luke xxiv. 30. And it must be allowed to be very probable, that at the confecration of the elements in the inftitution of the blessed eucharist, he used fome one or other of the forms then commonly approved among the Jews; when he blessed the bread, i. e. before the eating of the Pafcal lamb, and gave thanks over the cup, after fupper was ended. See Matt. xxvi. 26. Mark xiv. 23. Luke xxii. 17,

20.

In

III. That this was a rite univerfally obferved among the very first Chriftians, we cannot doubt, when we turn to the following texts. Acts xxvii. 35, we read that St. Paul, "when he had spoken, took bread, and gave thanks to God, in the prefence of them all; and when he had broken it, began to eat." Some have understood this of an Euchariftic benediction. But they certainly must be mistaken, unless we take it for granted, that the Centurion and the foldiers, with the reft of the crew in the fhip, were at that time Chriftians, which cannot be fuppofed; for it follows, ver. 36, 37, Then were they all of good cheer, and they alfo took fome meat; and we were all in the fhip, two hundred, threescore, and fixteen fouls." Befides those words of St. Paul, in ver. 23, "There ftood by me this night the angel of God, whofe I am, and whom I ferve, do plainly fhew, that excepting the other prifoners, who perhaps might be Chriftians, they were probably frangers to St Paul's character, or, however, not profeffors of his religion.

We have alfo not only the pious example, but the exprefs command. of the fame apoftle, that whether we eat, or drink, or whatsoever we do, we fhould do all to the glory of God. Cor. x. 31." And again, "Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jefus ; giving thanks to God and the father by him. Col. iii. 17." Thefe two texts, thus placed together, amount

to a full and evident precept for the practice now under confideration; as is obvious at first-view to every rea2 der. See alio Ephef. v. 19, 20. But St. Paul has even yet more explicitly and strongly delivered him felf on this head, Tim. iv. 4, 5. where he ob ferves, that " every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refufed, if it be received with thanksgiving; for that it is fanctified by the word of God and prayer."

And now, to defcend from the des portment and doctrine of our bleffed Saviour and his difciples, to the rule of the holy fathers conformable to it : their writings abound with precepts and exhortations to the fame pur pofe; we shall only quote fome of them; as to introduce them all, would be only to tire the reader. Firft, then, in the feventh book of the Clementine Conftitutions, c. 49, ari exact and pious form is prefcribed in these words: "Bleffed art thou O Lord who nourisheth me from my youth up, until now; who givest food to all flefh; that having always all fufficiency of ftrength, we may abound- unto every good work, through Jefus Christ our Lord; to whom be glory and honour, and dominion, O Lord, for ever and ever, Amen."

97.66

There is another primitive grace in Origen on Job 1. iii. p. 270, which runs thus: Qui das efcam omni carni, da ctiam nobis, &c." Thou, who givet food to all flesh; grant unto us thy blefling upon the food we are now going to take, if with fincerity and faith we thus declare unto thee: "Lord! thou halt told us, that if we drink any deadly thing, it fhall not hurt us, provided we call upon thy name: Do thou therefore, O Lord of might and glory, turn away from us whatever is, or may be, of noxious qua. lity or operation, both from ourselves and our repaft; for unlefs thy mercy preferveth us, how it is poffible for us to be fafe from fuch, and fo many dangers in the taking of our mear end