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a beautiful landscape, and a thousand other objects, each more beautiful than the other, furnish us continually with fresh subjects of joy and satisfaction; and, if we are insensible to these beauties, it is assuredly our own fault; for our insensibility must proceed from contemplating the works of nature with an indifferent and inattentive eye. The great wisdom of a Christian consists in the innocent enjoyment of all that surrounds him: he can turn every thing to account; and he possesses the art of being happy under all circumstances at a little expense, and without any sacrifice of his virtue.

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In the abundance of love which, at this season of the year, thou showerest on every object of the creation, thou hast not, O thou bountiful Father! forgotten us thy creatures. A thousand sources of delight are opened to us: joy and mirth assail my heart on every side: if I wish to raise my thoughts to thee, to yield my mind to heavenly meditations, till I almost attain celestial sensations, all nature will furnish me with the means. Ah! may I always prefer this noble employment to all the pleasures of sense! May the pleasures derived from the contemplation of nature touch my heart more than those seducing enjoyments which flatter the senses and corrupt the heart! Teach me thyself to know thee, O Lord! and to feel thy bounty and power; for, so long only as I seek thee in thy works, so long only shall I be able to taste at the fountain head those delights and joys which never fail, and which will bestow upon me a foretaste of that happiness I shall taste at thy right hand for evermore.

APRIL 30.

THE STUDY OF THE ANIMAL WORLD IS CALCULATED TO EXCITE US TO GLORIFY GOD.

It is not sufficient, my dear Readers, that we abuse not animals: we should also study how to make use of their power to the most advantage to ourselves. And how can we accomplish this better than by employing them to the glory of God? This may be done with regard to every object of creation, but above all to the animal world: in every plant, every tree, every flower, every stone, the grandeur and glory of the Creator are visibly imprinted. We have only to open our eyes to be convinced of this; but it is most conspicuous in animated nature: let us examine attentively one of those innumerable beings; what art, what beauty, what wonders will it not disclose! And how will these wonders increase, if we glance at the countless multitudes and astonishing variety of animals which replenish the earth! From the elephant to the smallest mite, which we can only perceive by the aid of the microscope, what degrees, what links in the great and connected chain of nature! What ties! What order! What connexion between all these creatures! All is harmony; and if, at a superficial view, we fancy we have discovered some imperfection in certain objects, we are soon convinced that this erroneous judgment arises from our ignorance. not necessary that every individual should make profound researches in the animal kingdom: it is by no means necessary that we should all be

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great naturalists: it is quite sufficient for us to be acquainted with the most common properties of animals, and to observe what is hourly passing under our eyes to be convinced that they were created by absolute wisdom.

You see, for example, a number of animals which are admirably formed, which live, feel, and move as we do—which are all subject, like ourselves, to hunger, thirst, cold, and other necessities, proving they stand equally in need of a providing power as ourselves. To all his creatures God has given life: he preserves them, provides for them, and, like the tenderest father of a family, incessantly watches over their welfare. Is not, therefore, this great Being worthy our unbounded love? If God so extends his paternal care over the animal creation, what will he not do for us? If he so studies the happiness of the irrational world, what may we not expect from his beneficent charity? Let, then, the anxious and apprehensive man blush at his inquietude-he who, the instant that he feels he is no longer surrounded by plenty, fears he shall perish with hunger. Ah! that benevolent Being, who provides for the wants of animals, will also provide me with every thing necessary for my subsistence.

Let us make one more reflection upon the instinct of animals; and let it furnish us with an opportunity of admiring and adoring the Almighty, who so admirably connects the means with their ends. As the instinct of animals tends to their preservation, this propensity is manifested in the most striking manner in their love and solicitude for their little ones. Our

Lord himself, to picture his own paternal love, makes use of the image of a hen gathering her chickens under her wings; it is, indeed, a very affecting spectacle which a hen presents in fulfilling her parental duties: she never turns away her eyes from her chickens; she flies to their assistance at the smallest approach of danger; she ventures her own life for that of her little ones; she calls and encourages them by her maternal voice; she spreads her wings to shelter and cover them; she refuses all selfish comfort; sitting in the most painful posture, she thinks only of the welfare of the objects of her love. Who, in this, does not see the finger of the Most High? Without this strong maternal feeling of the hen-without this powerful instinct, so superior to every idea of her own danger, the chickens and all the feathered tribes must cease to exist. Again, shall we say that the hen's actions arise from reflection and intelligence?that she judges, reasons, and foresees?—or that, combining causes with effects, she deduces consequences? No, without doubt; and although, at first sight, we may conclude that all her care proceeds from love, tenderness, and intelligence, we must fain confess the interference of a superior power, which thus displays itself in a manner beyond our comprehension.

Let us, then, contemplate the wonders of the animal creation, that we may lose no opportunity of glorifying God, whose wisdom and power they so manifestly declare: this is, indeed, an indispensable duty-a duty we should hold sacred, and which would not only prove most agreeable, but most salutary in its effects.

MAY.

1. The system of the world.-2. The blossoms of trees.3. Changes taking place upon the surface of the earth.4. Invitation to seek God in the works of nature.-5. Dawn of Day.-6. Wonders of vision.-7. Spring renews the face of nature.-8. The germination of seeds.-9. The chicken in the egg.-10. The buds of flowers.--11. Industry of bees.-12. Provision made by the Almighty for all his creatures.-13. Senses of animals.-14. Succession of different flowers.-15. Zoophytes.-16. Pleasures arising from agriculture and gardening.-17. The tulip.-18. The grass of the fields.-19. Sentiments arising from the contemplation of the heavens.-20. Fruitfulness of plants.21. The beauties of spring.-22. The language of animals. 23. Magnitude and numbers of God's creatures.-24. Spring a picture of the fragility of human life, and also the image of death.-25. Spring an image of the resurrection. -26. The attraction of bodies.-27. Complaints of man against certain inconveniences in the laws of nature.-28. The sins we are most likely to commit in the spring.-29. The government of bees.-30. Prodigious number of plants.-31. Plurality of worlds.

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