check; thofe very often falling victims to their fury, who interpose with their endeavours to stop their course, we may wonder at the prefervation of our lives. It will appear equally wonderful, and equally a subject for admiration and gratitude, that, by the union and concurrence of a variety of these destructive diseases, the world has not long fince been depopulated. A combination of fever, peftilence, and confumptions, of the measles, the small-pox, and other diseases, with thofe which men bring upon themselves by their intemperance, might easily have defolated, not only a particular country, but the whole habitable globe. Yet no fuch thing has ever yet happened; no not even in any particular spot of the earth. How are we to account for this continued prefervation from the united attacks of famine and difeafe? Man we fee is continually upheld against the concurrence of accidents and difeafes which he cannot command; and he is alfo pre-. ferved from the deftructive effects of those evils that he brings upon himself; from the diseases and dangers arifing from his own follies and paffions to all these we may add the defolations arifing from quarrels, animofities, and wars, which are continually spreading havock and deftruction on this earth.

The numbers of mankind remain perhaps nearly equal on the earth at large, in spite of thefe evils; and even the local and temporary wafte that is caused by the operation of any of thofe more

dreadful calamities, fuch as war and peftilence, is often foon repaired by means which we may not be able to difcern, but which are known to him who fuperintends all.

Let man seriously weigh fuch things in his own breaft, and compare together all these, and fay if he has not reason to acknowledge a Providence, which watches over this world, and upholds and preferves all?

7. Before we quite difmifs thefe meditations on the season of winter, it may not be improper to fubjoin the following remarks, as another proof of the wisdom and vigilant care of our Father in hea

ven.

Befides the variety brought about by the winter, and the different religious and moral leffons that the barrennefs and deadnefs of nature teach us, we see the wisdom and goodnefs of this appointment in another view, in giving reft to the earth, and preparing it, by the refpite of winter, for the further use and service of man. From the constitution of nature, the earth cannot always produce without fome repose. In any latitude frequent culture produces barrenness. The repose of winter becomes abfolutely neceffary, and Providence impofes on man, by the cold of winter, what man, confulting his own interest, ought to impose upon himself. And the earth, whilst enjoying this reft, is meliorated by the froft and fnow, till the foil is rendered better prepared for culture, and more adapted for the

reception of the different grains and fruits. Improvements in husbandry, and experience have taught men these leffons, and his own interest perfuades him to grant to the earth that respite, which is neceffary for the recruiting of her vegetative powers. Providence thus in this, as in fo many other instances, provides better for us than we can do for ourselves.

This is another inftance to fhew that the goodnefs of God overlooks not even the minutest concern; and the more we become acquainted with God's works and his providence, the more will the reflecting mind be difpofed to rife from the works of nature, to him who made and directs all.

8. Following up the order of the seasons, the next we meet with is the fpring, which offers to us another proof of the wifdom and goodness of the Supreme Being, and furnishes us with additional fubjects for wonder and inftruction. The winter fhews nature dead, barren, and gloomy, and were it not from experience we should never expect the reftoration and beauty of animated nature. The fpring presents nature reviving, and a new world of life fpringing up from the death and deftruction of the old. The brown withered earth gradually refumes its fresh green livery, ftudded with an infinite variety of beautiful flowers, of different fizes and colours, of different ufes and forms. The trees now putting forth their fresh leaves, the buds fwelling and bursting, give to man the hopes,

of rich and luxurious fruits. In the next stage we fee them clothed with an infinite number of beautiful flowers, white, red, yellow, purple, violet, and all their different shades and diftinctions. Every grove and wood now teems with life. The earth swarms with infects, rifing from their state of torpidity or death. And the whole scene is cheered with the different warbling fongs of the feathered tribes, adorned with beautiful plumage of every colour.

Nature then rejoices in new existence, and points our attention to the God of the seasons, opening his infinite ftores to fupply the wants of his creatures, directing their instincts to their proper food, and the birds to fuch materials as are the best adapted to the construction of their peculiar nefts.

This pleasing season furnishes us with innumerable proofs of the wisdom and goodness of our great Benefactor. Every particular part prefents us with proofs of his tender attention and care. The flowers and grafs of different kinds proclaim his praife, and are monuments of his contrivance and excellent skill. Before the bud opens to disclose its flower, examine the beauty of the curious cover prepared to fhield it from the inclemency of the weather, and yet ready to open and to meet the warmth and nourishment of the enlivening fun. So long as the nipping cold prevails, it keeps itself within its tiled, covering, but as foon as the warm zephyrs begin to blow, then it expands itfelf in all its beauty, and prefents us with fuch perfection of colour as no art can pretend

to imitate. When the covering is removed, you' fee then the different parts contrived not merely for ornament, but all directed to ufe. You fee there the feeds preparing for the continuance of the kind; and you fee alfo the tender care for the nourishment of the individual. The contrivance also of Providence, for the difperfion of the different feeds of plants neceffary to the fubfiftence of man and beast, is alfo wonderful. Some of the feeds are naked, and drop from their different cells to fow themselves for the propagation of the kind: others are thrown off by a strong elastic spring, which acts, as soon as the feeds are fully ripe to throw them to a confiderable diftance. Some feeds again have wings affigned them, and upon these are carried through the air to remote regions. All these things are effected without the art or interference of man, by the appointment only of that invisible power, which governs the universe.

Without fuch appointments, vegetation could not be fupported, and animal life, which depends upon plants and herbs, must be extinguished.

Some plants and useful graffes are propagated by their roots fhooting along the earth, and striking at every proper diftance to produce fresh plants of the fame kind. We fee this every day in the different strawberry plants, and those of a fimilar kind. Man's care here is chiefly employed to check their luxuriancy. The vegetable force is fometimes fo powerful, that plants ftrike through great depths of K