Of the Laplanders. 35 deserts, covered with snow! where the cold is intense, the habitations miserable, and no means of subsistence, but such as are offered by the dangerous and toil. some chase, can be obtained! where we should be de. prived of all the pleasures and comforts procured by the arts, and all the charms and blessings of a culti vated society! Let us then feel and know the value of our own climate, and glorify God, who has made our condition so much superior, and distinguished us with such numerous advantages. Yet the hardy inhabitant of these northern regions is not the unfortunate being we may suppose. It is true that he wanders exposed to every inclemency of sky, through a dreary and rugged country; that he is poor, and deprived of many of life's choicest blessings; and that for months together he is never cheered by the sun-beams. But his frame is strong and capable of enduring much fatigue, his wants are few, education and habit inure him to the rigours of the clime, and the gloom of his long nights is rendered supportable by the moon and frequent glimmering of the aurora borealis. The Laplander is extremely agile, and glides over the snow, upon skates, with a velocity which frequently outstrips the fleet deer: in these expeditions, a stranger to fear, he will scale the hills or fly down the precipice. The rein-deer is subservient to his use, and yoked to the sledge this swift animal will draw him over immense tracts of country; and when worn out with age or fatigue his skin supplies clothing and furniture. In the beginning of the spring, when the melting snow penetrates their humble roofs, these people quit their houses to pass the summer in tents, which they find more convenient for their mode of living; these they make as comfortable as possible, and smile at the accounts of travellers who attempt to persuade them it is possible to enjoy greater happiness than they experience in what we call their miserable situa. tion. They are hospitable, and lovers of peace; but prone to revenge, and extremely superstitious: they have their feasts and their entertainments, with dif. ferent diversions; and were the rays of knowledge and of a pure religion ever to irradiate their minds; their idle dreams of witches, of spirits, and of hob. goblins; their belief in magic and in charms; to be dissipated by the torch of truth, they might, indeed, since happiness is not confined to any particular country, be a happy and an independent race of men. JANUARY XIX. Wisdom displayed in the Structure of the Globe. HOWEVER limited the human capacity may be, and confined the understanding; and though we are un able to comprehend the great plan of the universe, we may yet, through the medium of our senses, and by the exertion of those faculties which we all enjoy, discover enough to know and to admire the wisdom of God. To be convinced of this we have only to consider the figure of the earth, which we shall find to be that of a sphere, a form the best adapted for its surface to be every-where inhabited by living creatures. This end could not have been accomplished if the inhabitants of the earth did not experience a sufficient degree of light and heat; if water could not, in every part, circulate without impediment; and if the winds were not suffered to blow unretarded by obstacles. For all these purposes the rotundity of the earth is admirably adapted; it is owing to this that the light and heat are so readily diffused throughout the globe. Were it not for this form, the suc Structure of the Globe. 37 cession of night and day, the different changes of the temperature of the air, of cold, of heat, of moisture, and of dryness, could not have occurred. If we consider the immense body of the earth and its excellent degree of consistence, neither too hard nor too soft, we have still more cause to admire the Supreme Wisdom. Was it more hard, more compact, and less penetrable, it would be incapable of being converted to the purposes of agriculture, and we should not enjoy the plants, the herbs, the roots, and the flowers which now beautify its surface, and are nourished within its fostering bosom. The earth is formed of different strata, consisting of fossils, bituminous and calcareous matters, metals, and minerals; the water which we drink and convert to so many useful purposes is rendered limpid by filtrating through beds of sand at a great depth within the earth; the mountains and the valleys, the plains and the hills, which diversify its surface, whilst they contribute by their beauty to the pleasure of man, promote his health as well as the salubrity of the various species of plants and animals which exist in every situation of the earth. Who is there that will not acknowledge that the whole plan of the earth, its form, its exterior and interior structure, are all regulated by the wisest laws, and all tending to promote and to increase the happiness of animated beings? Wherever we direct our attention, whether to examine the beautiful and grand objects diffused over the face of nature, or whether to penetrate within the interior of the earth, we perceive that every thing is arranged with wisdom, and we every-where discover the legible characters and broad stamp of an Infinite, Almighty, and Supreme Being. JANUARY XX. Short Meditations upon the Works of God, taken from the Scriptures. "HEARKEN unto this, stand still, and consider the wonderful works of God."* "Jehovah hath formed the earth by his power; he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his understanding."+ "And God said, Let there be light, and there was light; and God saw the light that it was good; and God separated the light from the darkness, and he called the light day, and the darkness he called night."+ Thou art the Lord who hast made the heavens and the heaven of heavens, with all their hosts; the earth, and all things therein; the seas and all that is therein thou givest life to all things, and the hosts of heaven worship thee."§. "O Lord, my God! thou art marvelously great, thou art clothed with honour and majesty! Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment; who stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain. The Lord Jayeth the beams of his chambers in the waters, he maketh the clouds his chariot; he walketh upon the wings of the wind; he maketh the winds his messengers, and the lightnings his agents. He hath laid the foundations of the earth so that they cannot be shaken. He hath covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains, but at his rebuke they fled; at the voice of his thunder they hasted away. * Job, xxxvii. 14. + Jer. x. 12. Neh. ix. 6. Meditations upon the Works of God. 39 "He hath stretched out the heavens over the chaos, and hath hung the earth upon nothing. He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds, and the cloud is not rent under them. His power raiseth the waves of the sea, and his wisdom restraineth their fury.* He raiseth the vapours, and assembleth them in clouds, which pour down in rain upon the face of the earth. He covereth the heavens with dark clouds, and the thunder.bolts issue from his tabernacle. He darts his lightnings through the thick clouds, where all the waters of the sea seem to be collected. Thence, as from his throne, he pronounceth judgment upon the nations, or scattereth abundance over the face of the earth. + "The thunder peals, and we see the lightnings flash; God announceth his wonders, and performeth things too marvellous for our comprehension. He sayeth unto the rain of winter, Fall down upon the earth; and it inundates the countries. Out of the south cometh the whirlwind, and cold out of the north. By the breath of God ice is produced, and the waters which were spread on all sides are held in chains. He causeth the most clear and serene sky to succeed to that which was most obscured; and his light dispels the clouds. He who holds the reins of the world collects these meteors, that they may fulfil the task which he hath appointed them on the face of the earth; whether he intends that they should punish men, or manifest the effects of his bounty. "God is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath opposed him and hath prospered? He snatcheth up the mountains, and overturneth them with the breath of his nostrils. He shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble. * Job, xxvi. 7, 8, 12. + Job, xxxvi. 27, &c. Job, xxxvii. 5, &c. |