EXTRACT FROM DR. YOUNG'S NIGHT THOUGHTS.

"WHENCE earth and those bright orbs?-Eternal?
Grant matter was eternal; still these orbs
Would want some other father;—much design
Is seen in all their motions, all their makes;
Design implies intelligence and art:

That can't be from themselves-or man: That art
Man scarce can comprehend, could man bestow?
And nothing greater yet allow'd than man.-
Who, motion, foreign to the smallest grain,
Shot through vast masses of enormous weight?
Who bid brute matter's restive lump assume
Such various forms, and gave it wings to fly?
Has matter innate motion? then each atom
Asserting its indisputable right

To dance, would form an universe of dust:

Has matter none? then whence these glorious forms,
And boundless flights, from shapeless and repos'd?
Has matter more than motion? has it thought,
Judgment, and genius? is it deeply learn'd
In Mathematics? has it framed such laws,
Which, but to guess, a NEWTON made immortal?
If so, how each sage atom laughs at me,

Who think a clod inferior to a man!
If art to form; and counsel, to conduct;

And that with greater far than human skill,
Resides not in each block ;-a GODHEAD REIGNS."

EXTRACT FROM THE REV. JOHN WESLEY'S HYMNS

"ETERNAL Wisdom! Thee we praise,

Thee the creation sings:

With thy lov'd name, rocks, hills, and seas,
And heav'n's high palace rings.

Thy hand, how wide it spreads the sky,

How glorious to behold!

Ting'd with a blue of heavenly dye,

And starr'd with sparkling gold.

There, thou hast bid the globes of light
Their endless circuits run:

There, the pale planet rules the night;
The day obeys the sun.

If down I turn my wond'ring eyes
On clouds and storms below;
Those under-regions of the skies
Thy numerous glories show.

The noisy winds stand ready there,
Thy orders to obey;

With sounding wings they sweep the air,
To make thy chariot way.

There, like a trumpet loud and strong,
Thy thunder shakes our coast;
While the red lightnings wave along,
The banners of thy host.

On the thin air, without a prop,
Hang fruitful showers around ;
At thy command they sink and drop
Their fatness on the ground.

Lo! here thy wond'rous skill arrays
The earth in cheerful green;
A thousand herbs thy art displays,
A thousand flowers between.

There the rough mountains of the deep
Obey thy strong command;

Thy breath can raise the billows steep,

Or sink them to the sand.

Thy glories blaze all nature round,

And strike the wond'ring sight,

Through skies, and seas, and solid ground,
With terror and delight.

Infinite strength, and equal skill,

Shine through thy works abroad;

Our souls with vast amazement fill,

And speak the BUILDER GOD"!

NOTE. THE PIECES of Poetry with which this Essay is interspersed may be easily committed to Memory by Young Persons; and they will then be able, at any Time, to call to mind many of the Attributes of the ALMIGHTY.

THE MINUTENESS OF THE CREATION.

WE have taken a Glance at a few of the Great and Mighty Works of the Creator; and noticed his Power, as displayed, in the Formation of the Sun, the Planets, and the Fixed Stars; but when we come to contemplate the Millions of Insects and Animalcules which can only be perceived by the most powerful Microscopes; yet, full of Perfection, and teeming with Life, and with Action; we are again at a Loss for Words, to express our Wonder at the Creative Power of the ALMIGHTY.

BUT, it is not in the living State alone, that these minute Parts of the Creation may be discovered; for many Rocks and Beds of Stone, in the interior of Continents, at various Depths in the Earth, and at great Heights above the Level of the Sea, are almost entirely composed of the Remains of Zoophytes, very small Testacea, the Skeletons of extremely minute Corallines, and various other MICROSCOPIC ANI

MALCULES.

PROFESSOR EHRENBERG of Berlin, has discovered, that a certain Kind of siliceous Stone, called TRIPOLI, is entirely composed of Millions of the Skeletons or Cases of microscopic Animalcules.-The Substance to which we allude, has long been well known, in the Arts; being used in the Form of a Powder, for polishing STONES AND METALS.

AMONG other Places, it has been procured from Bilin, in Bohemia, where a single Stratum, extending over a wide Area, is no less than Fourteen Feet in Thickness.-This Stone, when examined with a powerful Microscope, is found to consist of the siliceous Cases of Infusoria, united together without any visible CEMENT.

It is very difficult to convey an Idea of their extreme Minuteness; but Ehrenberg has estimated, that in the Bilin Tripoli, there are 41,000 Millions of Individuals in every cubic Inch, which weighs about 220 Grains; or nearly 187 Millions, in a Single Grain.-At every Stroke, therefore, that we make with this polishing Powder, several Millions, perhaps tens of Millions of perfect Fossils, are crushed to ATOMS.

HOW AMAZING, that Creatures so extremely minute, yet.

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so perfect, and so full of Life, Animation, and Activity, should exist, or that they ever should have existed; indeed, their Creation shows forth the Infinite Power of GoD, in almost as great a Degree, as the Creation of Millions of Suns, and Tens of MILLIONS OF WORLDS!!!

MORAL PHILOSOPHY.

MORAL PHILOSOPHY, or ETHICS, is the Science of Morals:-it investigates the Grounds and Reasons of Duty; -it traces that Quality of Actions and Dispositions, which renders them obligatory upon a reasonable BEING like MAN: -it shows what classes of Actions and Dispositions possess this Quality:-it ascertains, by these Means, the best RULE of LIFE-and it lays down those Principles that, by the Aid of this Rule of Life, may be most successfully applied, as regards our own MORAL CONDUCT, and our GENERAL TRANSACTIONS with the WORLD.

WORKS ON MORAL PHILOSOPHY.

THE PROVERBS OF SOLOMON were written about One thousand Years before the Christian Era; and form the Oldest Work on ETHICS that has reached our Times; we shall, therefore, first recommend its careful Perusal to our Young Friends, particularly French and Skinner's Translation, with explanatory Notes.

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THE APOCRYPHAL Books, entitled, "The Wisdom of Solomon,”—and "Ecclesiasticus,' contain many fine Moral Instructions, Theological Precepts, and Religious Sentiments; and may be read, with great Advantage, by Young Persons, particularly the latter Book.

LOCKE'S CONDUCT of the Understanding, Watts's Improvement of the Mind, Mason's Self Knowledge, Blakey's System of Logic, and Whateley's Elements of Logic, may be consulted with great Advantage; and are of a convenient Size for the Use of Schools.

DR. PALEY'S MORAL PHILOSOPHY has been much read and recommended; and, in many Respects, it is an excellent Work; but it is founded on Principles which have led the Author himself to some erroneous Conclusions; and which have produced this Effect to a still greater Extent, among his Readers.-In connexion with Paley, we most strongly recommend the Study of Pearson's Remarks on the Theory of Morals, and his Annotations on the Practical Part of Paley's Moral Philosophy;- Gisborne's Principles of Moral Philosophy; Hartley's Rule of Life;-and Dr. Reid's Essays on the INTELLECTUAL and ACTIVE POWERS of MAN.

Besides these valuable Works, we may mention Bowring's Minor Morals for Young People ;-Coleridge's Aids to Reflection, on the Grounds of

Prudence, Morality, and Religion; - Dick's Mental Illumination and Moral Improvement of Mankind;-Gisborne's Duties of Men ;-Morgan's Sketches of the Philosophy of Morals;-Dr. Knox's Literary and Moral Essays;-Dr. Chalmers's Moral Philosophy;-and Percival's Literary, Moral, and Philosophical Works, in FOUR OCTAVO VOLUMES.

NOTE. The preceding Works contain many excellent Rules and Directions for the Moral Government, Correct Conduct, and Circumspect Behaviour of MAN; but the best Treatise on Moral Philosophy, is the NEW TESTAMENT; as it strikes at the very Root of all Evil, and is directed even against the most secret Thoughts of the HEART.

THEOLOGY AND RELIGION.

THEOLOGY is the Science which instructs us in the Knowledge of GOD, and Divine Things; or which has God and the Things that he has revealed, for its objects. It is generally divided into two Branches, Natural and Supernatural.-Natural Theology, is the Knowledge we have of God from his Works, by the Light of Nature and Reason; and Supernatural Theology, is that which we learn from REVELATION.

RELIGION teaches us what we are to believe of GOD, and of his Attributes, as his Wisdom, his Goodness, his Justice, his Mercy, his Omniscience, his Omnipresence, his Omnipotence, &c. &c.; and how we are to serve him, in Order that we may obtain Everlasting Life, through the MERITS and INTERCESSION of the SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD.

THE BIBLE, (consisting of the Old and New Testament,) contains the Doctrines of Christianity; and is superior, in Excellence, to ALL OTHER BOOKS; many Good Works have, however, been written by different Persons, on the Subject of CHRISTIANITY; a few of which we shall mention, as well deserving the particular Attention of our Young Readers, because they treat on the most IMPORTANT OF ALL SUBJECTS.

EXTRACTS FROM VARIOUS AUTHORS.

LORD BROUGHAM says, "The words Theology and Religion are often used as synonymous. Thus, Natural Theology and Natural Religion, are, by many, confounded together.-But the more accurate use of the words, is that which makes Theology the Science, and Religion its Subject; and in this manner they are distinguished, when we speak of a "PROFESSOR OF THEOLOGY," and a "SENSE OF RELIGION."-Lord Brougham's Discourse on Natural Theology.