jects are painted upside down on the retina, they are still seen in their true position. Now, in or der to form an idea of the extreme minuteness of this picture, we need only consider, that the space of half a mile, that is to say, of more than eleven hundred yards, when it is represented in the bot tom of the eye, makes but the tenth part of an inch. I return thee thanks, O Lord God, for having formed my eye in so wonderful a manner. My soul acknowledges thy infinite power, goodness, and wisdom. Hitherto I have not considered my eyes as I should have done, that is, as a masterpiece of thy hands, and as a demonstrative proof, that even the most minute parts of my body are not the work of chance, and that Thou hast formed them for most useful purposes. But I begin to see a little the wonders of thy wisdom; and I am struck with astonishment, in reflecting on myself and all the works that Thou hast done. O wise and Almighty Creator! pardon me, if hitherto, in making use of my eyes, I have not thought of Thee, or if I have not thought of Thee with the highest gratitude. Dispose me thyself, to remember thy blessings with more gratitude, Teach me to use them only for the purposes thou designest them, and never to profane or dishonour these fine organs by any fault of mine. Grant that hereafter I may often employ them in examining thy works; and that every time I contemplate either the heavens or the earth, or myself, I may be induced to praise and bless thy wonderful goodness. And when I see the many evils and miseries of great part of my fellow-creatures, let not my eyes refuse them tears, nor my heart be shut to compassion. Thus shall I fulfil the views of thy goodness, and make myself worthy thy approbation. FEB. VI. On Fogs. AMONGST the many meteors seen in winter, One of these which merits particular attention is the fog. It is a heap of watery and sulphureous vapours, which fill the lower region of the air, and thicken there. This condensation is princi. pally occasioned by cold; and, in order to form fogs, the air must be sensibly colder than the earth, from whence there arises continual exha lation. Besides, that the fogs shed on the earth a gentle moisture, they afford us a very agree. able sight. All that we see, far or near, the sky or earth, appears confusedly wrapped up in a grey curtain. All around us, and over our heads, we see nothing but darkness; and the eye wanders every where without being able to distinguish objects. The rising sun labours a long time to pierce through these fogs, and to restore the earth to its former appearance. It succeeds at last in dissipating these vapours. Sometimes they light upon the earth, and sometimes they rise into the middle region of the air. By degrees, the objects rise out of that obscurity, and appear again in their usual state. The sky resumes all its brightness, all its serenity; and it is only near the ground, or on the roofs of houses, that any traces remain of the fog which had for several hours covered the horizon. At the sight of this meteor, I recollect those unhappy times, when the sciences were in a manner wrapped up in an impenetrable mist of superstition and ignorance. In what thick darkness whole provinces and kingdoms were plunged before the sun of truth could shew itself in all its splendour? The human understanding was so limited and short sighted, that it scarce comprehended the things which immediately surrounded it; and the power of error was such, that no ray of light could penetrate into those souls, darkened by prejudice and superstition. In fine, the sun appeared again, and suddenly enlightened countries, which, during whole ages, had been buried in thick shades. We learned to distinguish error from truth. A happy futurity, eternity itself was opened to us, and we began to feel the greatness of our lot. Blessed Luther! this is what thou hast done, through the grace and assistance of God. Thy memory will ever be blessed among us, and thy remembrance will ever be most dear. It is however but too true, that, as long as I remain here, during the days of my earthly pilgrimage, I shall still walk in darkness. The mist which surrounds me does not permit me to have a clear and distinct view of futurity. My igno rance, my prejudice, my credulity, still increase the darkness of my present state. O may they soon be dissipated! May the light of truth and joy enlighten me in this vale of darkness! But, thanks to God, a way is open to me, and I see, through the shades which surround ine, the path that leads to a blessed eternity. Every cloud will soon vanish, and I shall be transported to a scene of light and felicity, which no shade will ever darken. There I shall know, by the light of heaven, what had appeared on earth dark and gloomy. There I shall feel the wisdom and holiness of those ways of Providence, which were here incomprehensible to me. There my soul, penetrated with admiration and gratitude, shall behold the wonderful chain and perfect harmony in the works of the Most High. FEB. VII. The Flux and Reflux of the Sea. THE greatest part of the surface of the earth is covered with water, which is called the Sea; and that immense heap is very distinct from lakes and rivers. These contain more or less water, according to the different seasons; whereas, in the sea, the quantity of water is almost always the same; but, we observe the sea increase and decrease twice every day, according to certain rules. When it comes to a certain height in a port, it soon begins to decrease: this decrease continues for six hours, and the sea is then at the lowest ebb. At the end of six hours, it begins again to rise, and this increase also lasts six hours; at the end of which, the sea has again attained its greatest height. Then it sinks again for six hours, to swell again for the same time; so that, in the space of twenty-four hours, the sea twice. rises and falls, and is alternately at the highest and lowest ebb. This regular and alternate motion of the sea, which rises towards the shore, and withdraws again, is called the flux and reflux. When the sea swells and rises towards the coasts, it is called the flux: and the motion which forces the water towards the main is called the reflux. It is a remarkable circumstance, that the tide is regulated according to the course of the moon. The flux is greater, and rises higher towards the time of the new and full moon, and is lower during the quarters. The motion of it is also much more considerable in spring and autumn than in the other seasons. On the contrary, the tides are much weaker dur. ing the soistices. This phenomenon is particularly observable in the ocean, where the water fills a great space; and is much less so in limited seas, such as the Mediterranean. Finally, the interval between the flux and reflux is not exactly six hours; it is eleven minutes more, so that these revolutions do not happen the next day, at the same moment, but three quarters of an hour later. They do not return at the same hour till the end of thirty days, which is exactly the time from one new moon to another. What may be conclu. ded on, with certainty, from this constant and regular phenomenon, is, that the flux and reflux have some connection with the motions of the moon. But, without searching deeper into the cause of this effect, in which there is still much obscurity; without deciding whether the flux and reflux are owing to the pressure of the moon on the waters, or the gravitation of the particies of the earth towards the moon, let us rather reflect on the views God proposes in these remarkable revolutions. It is always a pardonable ignorance, not to be able to explain perfectly the laws and the course of nature; but it is an inexcusable want of attention and gratitude, not to reflect on the happy effect those laws, and those great phenomena, have upon our earth, or to forget what we owe to the beneficent Father of nature. The first advantage we have from the flux, is the sending back the waters into the rivers, and making them deep enough to be able to convey, to the very gates of great cities, burdens and merchandise, the carriage of which would otherwise be impracticable. The ships wait sometimes the increase of water, to take advantage of it to get into the road, without touching the bottom, to enter the channel without danger. After this important service, the tides fall, and leaving the river to return to its shores, they facilitate the enjoyment of commodities to the inhabitants. Another advantage we have from this perpetual waving of the waters is, to prevent it from stag |