the whale and the gudgeon, the elephant and the mouse! And yet the links of the great chain between them are all perfect. The seas, lakes, and rivers, the surface of the earth and its interior are all inhabited by some kind of living being; but, however numerous those creatures are which come under our immediate observation, they are not to be compared to those which escape the sight of the naked eye: by the aid of the microscope, discoveries have been made which, incredible as their relation may appear, can be at any time proved by referring to the same source of information. This wonderful instrument has, indeed, discovered a new world, formerly unknown to mankind, animals whose diminutive size the imagination can hardly conceive, since they are a thousand times smaller than a grain of sand: it is not only their number and diversity, but also their beauty and fine proportion of form which calls for our admiration and astonishment: that which to the naked eye appears rough and rude, as well as that which escapes its notice entirely, when seen through the microscope discloses a brilliancy and a delicacy which surpasses our comprehension: the most beautiful gilding may be seen in a grain of sand, and the head of a fly is set with brilliants; the limbs of the smallest insect display likewise the most perfect symmetry, the most exact and the most admirable order; and, however minute these creatures may be, they are all endowed with organs suitable to the end they are destined to fulfil.

These ideas convince me of my own insigni

ficance: I am lost in the contemplation of so many creatures, whose existence were sufficient to prove the magnitude of God's power, though I and all mankind were annihilated. How extensive is the power of the Almighty! Water, earth, and air, teem with beings that he has created, and which he still preserves. Every grain of sand is the dwelling of some insect, forming a link in the interminable chain of creation. I am, indeed, lost in the infinity of God's works: the more I meditate upon the magnitude and variety of his works, the more I am convinced of my own limited understanding: I heap number upon number, and scarcely can I find a sum comprehending the number of his creatures: it is impossible for me to calculate them-perhaps they are known only to the angels. As for me, humble adoration of my great Creator is all that is left for me.

MAY 24.

SPRING IS A PICTURE OF THE FRAGILITY OF HUMAN LIFE, AND IS ALSO THE IMAGE OF DEATH.

It is not necessary to make deep researches at this season to find images of fragility and death: they are seen on every side, being closely connected with almost all the beauties of nature. The end proposed by the Creator in this arrangement was to remind us of the inconstancy of all sublunary things, and to suppress in us the dangerous propensity we have to attach

ourselves to objects so vain and perishable as those which nature presents. Spring is the season in which plants receive, as it were, new life; and it is, at the same time, that in which most of them perish. However serene the days of spring may be, they are oftentimes and suddenly obscured by clouds and storms: in the morning the sun shines forth in all its splendour, flattering us with a genial day; scarcely has he reached his meridian when he is concealed from our view: oftentimes these hopes are realized, and spring appears in smiling beauty; but how fugitive are these halycon days! They are gone before we can enjoy them. Thus flies the loveliest season of our lives, so often compared to the spring of nature: in the morning of our days all is smiling-gaiety and happiness appear before us; but ere the evening comes, nay, before midday, sorrow overtakes us, and our smiles are changed into tears. Look back, O man! to the years that are gone, to the spring of thy life, and behold how passing its pleasures! Where are those gay moments flown-those intoxicating joys? Where are those buoyant spirits-those rosy tints which enlivened thy cheeks? What remains of those brilliant days? Nothing, unless thou hast sanctified them by consecrating them to the service of thy Creator.

Thus does the spring remind us of the fragility and end of life. The trees, covered with blossoms-the flowers, clothed in their silken robes, fade even before the spring which produced them expires.

It is thus, O Christian! that our lives glide imperceptibly away, and that their longest duration resembles only the length of a spring day: oftentimes sickness and death overtake us, disguised under the appearance of youth and health. Behold, then, in the flower of spring the image of thine own fragility. Mayst thou, at the sight of spring flowers, address them in this language:

O ye, the pride of the garden and the delight of the valleys!-O ye flowers! how passing is your beauty! What a lesson of instruction for me! O death! which surrounds, which forms part of me, soon shall I submit to thy laws! Thou rose, thou livest but a day; and I may die on the instant. Although these thoughts should render us serious, yet should we enjoy the spring of nature and the pleasures of life, since these are equally dispensed by thy Creator; but, at the same time, let our enjoyments be sometimes tempered with the reflections which arise from the spring of nature and that of life! The thoughts of death will not interrupt innocent pleasures: far from shedding sadness over our hearts, it will teach us to rejoice always in the Lord-it will protect us from the abuse of terrestrial pleasures-it will inspire us with a desire for solid felicity: the beauties of the visible world will give us a faint idea of those of the invisible and celestial world; and when the time shall come when we shall fade as the grass, we shall exclaim—

Let my life, the flower, and the spring fade and return to the dust-let the sons of youth

become the prey of corruption: I hope for a better lifee-a life which shall last for ever, and a body that will not fade. Then shall I stand before thee, my Saviour and my God: overwhelmed with delight, I shall possess that salvation which was the object of my faith, and I shall drink of rivers of joy and happiness. Happy should I be if this day, in breaking my earthly bounds, should put me in possession of this celestial felicity.

MAY 25.

SPRING IS THE IMAGE OF THE RESURRECTION OF OUR BODIES.

THE greater part of those flowers we now admire were a few months ago no more than a heap of shapeless roots; but now they form the delight and ornament of the earth. What a beautiful image does this present of the resurrection of the just, and revivification of their bodies! As the roots of the most beautiful flowers, when buried in the earth, appear deformed and shapeless, so the human body, when consigned to the tomb, becomes an object of horror; but the shapeless roots in spring produce sweet flowers, and charm our eyes with nature's loveliest forms and colours: so will the bodies of the just, in the fulness of time, rise from their earthly bed in glorious apparel; "for that which was sown in weakness shall be raised in strength; that which was sown in dishonour shall be raised in honour."