the greatest cities; but it does not entirely destroy them; whereas the calamity we speak of extends itself with an irresistible power over a whole country, and swallows up whole kingdoms and people, without leaving the smallest trace behind. Lord God Almighty, who can stand before thee, when thou displayest thy power! Who can resist thee, when thou risest to judge the nations! The earth trembles before thee, and is shaken. The foundations of the mountains are troubled, and quake, when thy anger is kindled. The mountains tremble, and the hillocks vanish. The earth quakes at thy presence, the habitable earth, I say, and all who inhabit it. Thy anger spreads like fire, and the rocks are split asunder before thee. Who would not fear thee, O Ruler of the earth! Yes, Lord, we acknowledge and adore thy sovereign majesty. Thy judgements are incomprehensible; but, at the same time, thou art good and merciful in all thy dispensations. O my soul, endeavour to be well convinced of this great truth; whenever the Lord displays his judgements upon earth; when he consumes whole countries in the height of his anger; even then his ways are ways of wisdom and goodness. Can we imagine that it is to destroy us, that he orders those frightful shocks? We, whom a breath of wind could destroy, can we think that the Most High has occasion to make use of the elements, and of all the strength of nature, to reduce us to death? Let us rather acknowledge higher views in these terrible catastrophes. The earthquakes themselves serve, in the Creator's plan, towards the general preservation. And suppose that villages, towns, provinces, were buried in their ruins; suppose that many millions of creatures were destroyed, what are 10,000 provinces, what are 100,000 creatures, in comparison of that innumerable numerable number of beings, who fill the whole of the created universe? Let us be convinced that every thing frightful or terrible in nature, all the apparent evil, all the imperfections of the world, are necessary for the preservation of the whole; and from thence, even for the manifestation of the glory of God. Great and Almighty Being! I will therefore adore and bless thy name, even when thou sendest thy plagues, and scatterest terror and desolation on the earth. I will do more. I will rest with sure confidence upon thy fatherly care. Though even the world should be destroyed, though the mountains should fall, and sink into the sea, thou shouldst still be my support, my strength, and my refuge. Thou wilt ever be my help and my protector in all evils. Let me only possess a good conscience, and I shall find nothing in nature terrible, though every thing should shake around me. Let the earth open under my feet, let the whole world be crushed, I shall say, with security, God is my rock and my defence; his mighty hand will ever support me. FEBRUARY X. THE ORDER ESTABLISHED BY GOD IN REGARD TO THE LIFE AND DEATH OF MAN. GOD observes the most exact and wonderful order in regard to our life and death. Both de pend so little on a blind chance, that, on the contrary, all is regulated and measured in the wisest manner. If we make our calculation of a certain period of years, we shall find, that there dies a proportionable number of men at every age of life.- At thirty-five or thirty-six there dies but one every year. On the other hand, there are annually more in proportion born than die; so that, if there die ten, we may always reckon that there are twelve born. Besides this, God shews a particular wisdom in regard to the several ages of those who die. In the first years, out of three or four children, there generally dies one. At five years old, one out of twenty-five; at seven, one out of fifty; at ten, one out of an hundred; at fourteen and fifteen, one out of two hundred. At twenty years old, it is pretty equal to fifteen. After twenty-five, mortality begins again to increase. At thirty, there dies one out of an hundred; at thirty-five, one out of fifty, &c. In how strong a light does God manifest, on this occasion, his wisdom and goodness, by sparing younger people the most! And in what admirable proportion he takes them out of the world!Amongst a thousand who die, there is every where a pretty equal number of young people of twenty years old, of fifty, of sixty, and eighty years of age. It is true, that the manner of life that men lead; their vices, wars, and epidemical disorders, may carry off more some years than others. But, even here, Providence has taken care to set bounds to mortality in the following years, and to contrive that the loss which mankind had suffered should be amply repaired. Let us add to this, that every season of the year is not equally dangerous to mankind. Spring carries off the greatest number; and the beautiful month of May, wherein all nature seems to revive, is more destructive than March or April. But as soon as the heats increase with the month of June, disorders sensibly diminish. Summer and autumn are more favourable to health than winter, Let us admire the providence of God, and his tender tender care for our preservation; even to the lowest beggar, and the child at the breast, has he numbered their days and years. How tranquil ought we to be, since our births, as well as our deaths, are so exactly determined; and how easy should it be to conquer any excessive fear of death! God has undoubtedly set limits to our lives, in the way most advantageous to us. If we enjoy the comfortable security of having found grace in the sight of God through Jesus Christ, we may be certain, that we shall not be taken out of the world, till we are ripe for eternity, and till the Lord has brought us to the degree of piety designed for us. Seduced by self-love, we often fancy, at the approach of death, that God treats us with great severity in calling us so soon out of this world; but let us be persuaded, that however premature our death may appear to us, it happens at the properest time, both for us and the rest of mankind. Let us not, however, presume (from this wise ordination of God in regard to our lives), upon a certain number of years. It is true, that fewer people die at fifteen than at three years old: But, if in a place where the population is not great, there die annually but five young people, how can we be sure that we shall not be of the number; or, if we pass our fifteenth year, that we shall not be carried off the next. Ought it not rather to animate us to finish the work appointed us, in the years we are likely to live; since it is uncertain whether those, wherein the mortality is generally greater, should not be fatal to us. Let us not be mad enough to flatter ourselves with a long life. Death makes its greatest ravages in the years of our greatest strength; that is to say, between forty and sixty-five years of age: And it is when we think we have formed the wisest plans for living long and happily, that death comes suddenly E 4 suddenly in the midst of our hopes and projects. How wise, therefore, would it be to prepare betimes for that death, which may every day surprise us? God, in his wisdom, has ordained that there should die upon this earth about 30,000 people every day; and how likely are each of us to be of that number!-How important is it, then, to think daily upon death, and to be well prepared for it? Let it be our chief employment: And then let it come when it may, it will find us watchful; and we may, even in our last moments, bless God, and our great Redeemer. FEBRUARY XI. REFLECTIONS ON ICE. WATER, when condensed by cold, loses insensibly its fluidity, and changes by degrees, as the cold increases, into a solid body, called ise. This change, which at this season happens every day, deserves to be examined closely. At least, it is proper to learn some of the phenomena discovered in frozen waters. Ice is a lighter body than water; for, when frozen water is put into a temperate heat, so that it loosens from the sides of the vessel, the ice always swims at the top; whereas, if it was heavier, it must necessarily sink to the bottom. What makes it lighter, is the increase of its size; for, though it becomes at first more compact by cold, it dilates much when it becomes ice. This dilatation forms with so much violence, that ice can burst a copper globe of such a thickness, as would require a force for that purpose of 28,000 pounds. When the |