Winter Amusements. passion; and bring your soul at last into captivity. Supposing even, that in your parties, nothing passes which is contrary to virtue and morality; yet, notwithstanding this, they may become criminal to you, if they take up too much of your time, cause you to neglect the duties of your vocation, or derange the internal economy of your family. Amusement, however innocent, must not be our daily work; it is only for the sake of relaxation that the Creator grants us any thing of this nature. To have too keen a relish for such things, is to run the risk of missing the great end of our being, by seeking an enjoyment, which at last may become a source of repentance and remorse. I particularly advise you, to be very attentive to the choice of your social amusements. Do not therefore waste your time in diversions, which you cannot enjoy without injuring your virtue, your reputation, or the wellbeing of your family. Let not those foolish pleasures, which may hurt your neighbour, excite his complaints, bring tears from his eyes, or separate you from the duties which society and religion impose upon you, ever find an entrance to your heart. Let not the most innocent amusements so far captivate you, as to render you sensible to the pure and solid pleasures of Christianity, or deprive you of your relish for more serious occupations. in O GOD! do thou thyself govern my heart; and grant that I may never forget thee, in tasting these earthly joys! That, in the midst of my dealings with men, the recollection of thy presence may be a caution to me against all temptations! That I may be always God's providential Care of Animals. abundantly more attached to the exercise of my duty as a Christian, citizen, parent, &c. than to those pleasures which may so easily turn me from my obligations, or, at least slacken the zeal which I have for that which is good! But why should we feel so much eagerness for frivolous amusements, whilst even in the days of winter, we find such pure pleasures within our reach ?—If we have any taste for the contemplation of the works of God in nature; the starry heavens, the fields covered with snow, and a thousand other phenomena of winter, may serve at once to regale our minds, and to nourish our piety. For, in winter also, the works of the Lord are great, sought out by all those who have pleasure therein; and he who wishes to meditate upon them, shall enjoy continual and diversified pleasures. JANUARY VI. GOD'S PROVIDENTIAL CARE OF ANIMALS DURING THE WINTER. THE innumerable hosts of rational beings dispersed over the different nations of the earth, are provided at this season with every thing necessary to supply their wants, and render life comfortable. The greater the number of men is, the more their wants are varied, according to their condition, age, and manner of life: the more incapable we are of forming a plan, and taking the necessary precautions for the preservation of God's Providential Care of Animals. life; the more those arrangements, full of wisdom and goodness, which our Creator has made for this purpose, deserve our attention and admiration. But there would be a sort of selfishness, in restraining the divine wisdom and goodness to the preservation of the human race alone, without recollecting that care which his providence takes of other animals, during the winter: a care which extends itself to creatures abundantly more multiplied over the face of the earth, than the intelligent beings which inhabit it. However miraculous the preservation of the human species may be, we can say, with the strictest truth, that the care which the Divine Providence takes of other animals, is a still more astonishing proof of the wisdom, almighty power, and goodness of God. That the prodigious number of animals which swarm on our globe, should find in summer both dwellingplaces and nourishment, is not so surprising; because all nature is then disposed to accomplish this end. But, that in the present season, these innumerable creatures, these millions of quadrupeds, reptiles, fowls, insects, and fishes, should continue to exist, is a circumstance which must excite the astonishment of every person who is capable of reflection. Nature is so constituted, that the greater part of the animals are provided with a covering by which they can easily withstand the cold, and thus procure their nourishment as well in winter as in summer. The bodies of the wild beasts, which inhabit the deserts and the forests, are formed in such a manner, that the hair which covers them falls off in summer, and being renewed towards God's Providential Care of Animals. winter, becomes a fur which enables them to bear the most intense cold. Other kinds of animals find an asylum under the bark of trees, under old ruins, in the clefts of rocks, and in the caverns of mountains, when the cold obliges them to quit their summer residence. Into these retreats, some carry beforehand the provisions by which they are to be nourished; others live on the fat which they have amassed during the summer; and lastly, others pass the winter in a profound sleep. Nature has given to different kinds of birds an instinct, which leads them to change their climate at the approach of winter; and we see them fly in flocks to warmer climes. Many animals which are not destined to travel, find, notwithstanding, in this season, what is necessary to supply their wants. Birds know how to discover insects among the moss, and in the clefts of the bark of trees. Various kinds of quadrupeds, carry provisions during the summer, into their dens, and feed on them during the winter. Other animals are obliged to search under the snow and ice for that which is necessary for their support. Different kinds of insects, fowls, and fishes, shut up in marshes, and in rivers frozen over, are deprived of nourishment during the winter, and nevertheless are preserved. And there are probably many other means which are still hidden from our eyes, which Divine Providence makes use of for the preservation of animals. Ọ Christian! adore, with me, our almighty and beneficent Preserver! Notwithstanding his majesty and grandeur, he does not disdain to pay attention to the weakest creature which exists under heaven. God's Providential Care of Animals, From the Elephant to the Mite, all animals are indebted to him for their habitation, their nourishment, and their life. And, where nature herself seems barren, and destitute of resources, he finds out means to supply her defects. Let this consideration strengthen thy confidence in God. O thou of little faith, how canst thou admit inquietude, anxious care or distress into thy heart; or despair of thy preservation during the days of winter? "The God who nourishes cattle, will not abandon man. He who shews himself great in little things, will shew himself more so in those which are great."* That God who furnishes a covering for animals, knows how to clothe thee. That God who points out to them the caves of the mountains as places of refuge, will teach thee to find an asylum in which thou mayest peaceably spend thy days. That God who has prepared for them, even under the snow and ice, that nourishment which is proper for them, will provide for thy subsistence, even in the most critical times. Finally, let these reflections excite thee to imitate, as far as thy faculties will admit, the generous care of Divine Providence, in contributing to the preservation and comfort of thy fellow-creatures; and what is more, to the wellbeing of every other living creature. To shew cruelty to animals, to refuse them that nou "In the German thus: Der gott, der Thiere nahrt, wird menschen nicht verstossen, |