"thick cloud: He scattereth his bright cloud; and, "it is turned round about by his counsels, that “they may do whatsoever he commandeth them, 66 upon the face of the earth. He causeth it to "come, whether for correction, or an effect of his "favour and mercy towards man*." "God is "wise in heart and mighty in strength: Who hath "hardened himself against him and hath prosper"ed? Who removeth the mountains, and they "know not; who overturneth them in his anger: "Who shaketh the earth out of her place, and the "pillars thereof tremble: who commandeth the

sun, and it riseth not, and sealeth up the stars; "who alone spreadeth out the heavens, and tread"eth upon the waves of the sea; who maketh "Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the cham"bers of the south; who doth great things, past finding out; yea, and wonders without num"bert." "Thou didst cleave the fountain and "the flood: Thou driedst up mighty rivers. The "day is thine; the night also is thine: thou hast "prepared the light and the sun; thou hast set "all the borders of the earth; thou hast made sum"mer and winter t." He causeth an east wind "to blow in the heaven; and, by his power, he "brought in the south wind §." He watereth the "hills from his chambers. The earth is satisfied "with the fruit of his works. He causeth the

grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the ser“vice of man, that he may bring forth food out "of the earth ||.” "He giveth to the beast his "food, and to the young ravens which cry ¶.' "The eyes of all wait upon thee, and thou givest "them their meat in due season **** "Thus saith

*

the

Job xxxvii. 5, &c. t Job ix. 4, &c. ‡ Pfal. Ixxiv. 15, &c. Pfal. Ixxviii. 26. || Pial, civ, 13, 14. ¶ Pfal. cxlvii. 9. ** Pfal. cxlvi. 15.

"the Lord thy Redeemer, and he that formed thee "from the womb, I am the Lord that maketh all things, that stretcheth forth the heavens alone, "that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself *."

66

For, thus saith the Lord that created the heavens, God himself that formed the earth, and "made it, he hath established it, he created it not "in vain, he formed it to be inhabited, I am the "Lord, and there is none else +.” "Remember

"the former things of old, for I am God, and "there is none else; I am God, and there is none “like me ‡.” “I form the light, and create dark"ness; I the Lord do all these things ||."

Ifaiah xliv. 24. + Ifaiah xlv. 18.

Ifaiah xiv. vii.

Ifaiah xlvi. 9.

JANUARY XXI.

WONDERS OF THE HUMAN VOICE.

THE human voice is the greatest master-piece of the Creator. Whether we consider its principle, its variations, or its organs, it is impossible to fathom its admirable mechanism. Let us now try to reflect silently upon it. What is it that enables us to utter sounds? That faculty depends on the construction of the windpipe. The little opening which is in it, occasions a sound, when the air we have breathed is expelled with quickness. The windpipe is composed of circular gristles, which are held together by an elastic membrane. At the entrance is a little lid, which opens to let the air out from that passage. It opens more or less to modify and multiply the tones of the voice; and it closes when we swallow,

in order to keep out the food, which must pass over it, in its way to the stomach. Experience tells us, that the extent of the human voice is twelve full tones. To produce this variety, then, it was necessary, that the windwipe should be divided into twelve equal parts, And, as its two sides, when stretched, are distant from each other the tenth part of an inch, one may calculate from thence, that each tone of the voice may be subdivided into an hundred others; also, that a man is able to produce 2400 different tones, which may all be distinguished by the ear. However, in regard to these properties, though so surprising, we have few advantages over the animals. But the prerogative of man consists in this-That we can compress the air, and modify the voice, so as to pronounce letters and words. The palate, the teeth, and lips, contribute much to this operation.

Let us dwell on the manner in which we utter the five vowels, which have only a simple sound. When we pronounce the letter a, the sound is quite different from that of e, o, i, u; though it was to be pronounced with the same tone. The reason of this difference is one amongst the number of the impenetrable mysteries of nature. To pronounce the five vowels, the mouth must be more or less opened; and, for this purpose, the human mouth is formed differently from that of any animal. Even those birds, who learn to imitate the human voice, can never distinctly pronounce the several vowels; and this is what makes the imitation so imperfect. As to the pronunciation of consonants three of our organs contribute to it; particularly the lips, the tongue, and the palate. The nose also has its share. Try to stop it, and certain letters cannot be pronounced, but in an unintelligible manner. One thing, which proves the organization

organization, which enables us to pronounce words, particularly wonderful, is, that no human art has ever been able to imitate it by any machine. Song, indeed, has been imitated; but not the articulation of sounds, or the pronunciation of different vowels. In several organs, there is a stop called the buman poice but it produces no tones, except such as resemble the diphthongs ai or ae. And all the efforts of art cannot arrive at imitating one single word of those which we pronounce so easily.

Let these considerations induce us again to reflect on, and to praise the ineffable wisdom and great goodness, which God shews in the formation of each part of our bodies! And may these reflections make us sensible of the value of the gift of speech, which so advantageously distinguishes us from every animal. How melancholy would the society of mankind be, and how much would the happiness of it be diminished, if we had not the faculty of communicating our thoughts by conversation; and if we could not pour out our hearts into the bosom of a friend! how much to be pitied, should our fate be, if we were of the number of those unhappy people, who have been, from their infancy, deprived of speech! Alas! there are several of these poor creatures living among us. Let it teach us, whenever we see them, to value our own happiness, and to return thanks unto God, for having, among the multitude of blessings with which he has enriched us, granted us also the gift of speech. Let us make use of this precious gift, since it is the intention of our Creator: But let it be to glorify the Supreme Being, to edify, to instruct, to comfort our fellowJANUARY

creatures.

C3

JANUARY XXII.

THE DUTY OF COLLECTING OUR THOUGHTS

IN WINTER.

THOSE who are solicitous to make use of every opportunity to improve their mind, will gladly be reminded of the obligation they are under, of employing even the winter days, so as to become days of comfort to their souls. It is easy to prove, how agreeable, as well as advantageous, this duty may be made. How perfect would our piety become, if each change, each new appearance of nature, led us to trace it up to God, whose glory is as manifest in winter as in any other season. When we behold the earth covered with snow, the rivers loaded with ice, the trees stripped of their leaves, all nature barren and desert, let us reflect on the Creator's views in thus ordaining it. With a little attention we shall at last discover, that every thing is planned with wisdom, and that all the laws of Providence combine for the general good. If, from the weakness and limits of our understanding, we can only take in the smallest part of God's designs, it is enough for us to know, that the ice, the snow, and all the phenomena of winter, serve, in the plan of Supreme Wisdom, to make the earth fruitful, and to prepare blessings for its inhabitants. How many objects are there for edifying reflections! We see the snow dissolve, and the ice melt in a moment; and behold how rapidly the days pass away! Ought not this to remind us of the frailty of our existence here? We inhabit a warm room, and have all the necessaries of life. Ought not these enjoyments to make us consider our poor fellow-creatures, who have neither food, fire, nor raiment ?