tomb! There we shall sleep quietly till the voice of our judge shall recall us to life in the following words:"O ye faithful servants! enter into the joy of your Lord! You have escaped the miseries to which you were subject in the vale of your pilgrimage; your lives on earth, even the most happy, were continually exposed to the vicissitudes of fear and hope; and your repose was interrupted by innumerable pains and anxieties. Now you receive the reward of that patience and resignation which marked your course on earth, and which has finally conducted you to the blessed regions of the just."

FEBRUARY 27.

WINTER IS A PERFECT IMAGE OF OUR LIFE.

WINTER is a season of unceasing vicissitude: snow and rain, tempests and serene weather, cloudy days and serene skies rapidly succeed each other. Scarcely are the heavens illumined by a brilliant sunshine than they are overshadowed by clouds; in an instant the bright orb of day is concealed from our view. And is not the moral world subject to the same variations? If the winter days are dark, sad, and melancholy, do not many of our days partake of the same gloomy nature? But, as storms and clouds are the necessary appendages of winter, and are agreeable to the wise laws of nature, so the storms and tempests of life work to our general good.

Who is there that can avert the clouds of adversity, or ensure his happiness from the attacks of mankind? How is it possible that the heavens should be always serene, or that the soul of man should be always in the enjoyment of peace and rest? The constitution of our nature renders it equally as impossible that we should be totally exempt from sorrows as that the air should never be surcharged by clouds.

The passions, whose effects are sometimes good and sometimes bad, are precisely, in the moral world, what tempests are in the natural world; and, as winter and its frosts are productive of the greatest fertility, so the sufferings and misfortunes we meet with teach us lessons of wisdom and virtue. Darkness gives us the proper value of light; a continual sunshine would dazzle and fatigue our eyes; and a fine and clear day is never so truly enjoyed as when it has been preceded by gloomy cloudy weather.

So, if we never felt the inconvenience of sickness, we should be insensible to the blessings of health; the pleasure arising from the society of real and sincere friends would be slightly valued, were we not taught their worth by the falsehood of others. We are naturally inclined to look on the worst side of things, and are inclined at all times to exaggerate the misfortunes which befall us.

Our self-love, our pride, and our false delicacy often induce us to consider those events real evils which, if viewed in their proper light, would be considered as wholesome chastenings;

and, on the contrary, we are blind to the comforts and blessings which have marked our lives. Yet, in truth, all our troubles should be considered as nothing, when weighed in the balance against the numerous benefits we enjoy; and the evils we complain of would become real benefits, if we knew how to make a wise use of them, just as snow, tempests, and frosts, and all the other changes of the winter season are means which God employs in order to dispense fresh mercies around us. But, when the heavens have been long enveloped in darkness-when the sky is loaded with heavy clouds, a time must come when the returning sunshine will spread joy and gladness around; and, when adversity appears so overwhelming that all hope is lost, then is the moment when it is most likely that our sorrows are drawing to a close.

Without murmuring, will accept, O Lord! the portion of suffering it is thy will to impose upon me. I have no right to expect everlasting days of joy and pleasure. No: let the rain succeed the sunshine, darkness light; and, even though the storms of adversity should disturb the tranquillity of my days, thy will, O Lord! be done.

Of what consequence is it whether my cup is more or less bitter, that my troubles are long or short on this side the grave? I know in whom I have believed. I know, O my God! that thou wilt bestow upon me life everlasting. They who sow in tears shall reap in joy. When the passing troubles of this life shall have glided away, I shall know how advantageous they

have been to me, and I shall bless God that he has opened me a passage to heaven through tribulations!

These thoughts will support me under every misfortune as the hope of returning spring cheers the gloom of winter, so will the prospect of eternal happiness enable me to bear up against the sorrows of this world. Through the dark perspective of human life, eternity dawns in the distance: the pleasures of a future life, though feebly understood, shed a gleam of light upon our path below, imperceptibly leading us to the realms of peace, of light, and joy.

FEBRUARY 28.

UTILITY OF MOUNTAINS.

WOULD it not be more desirable that the surface of our globe should be more even, and that it should not be disfigured by so many rugged mountains? The figure of the earth would certainly be more regular, our views more extensive, and our journeys more agreeable, if the earth consisted of one large plain. But perhaps I am deceived in judging thus: let me reflect upon the utility of mountains, previous to my condemnation of this part of the creation; and, first of all, it is manifest that from the mountains and hills spring our streams and rivers, produced either by abundant snows and rains or the clouds by which their heights are always covered.

Those chains of lofty mountains which stretch from the east to the west, and which traverse a great extent of country, prevent the dispersion of the vapour, and assist in condensing them to water: they are, then, so many reservoirs and alembics, which prepare and distil soft water for the use of man and beasts, and their gentle declivities conduct them to valleys, to water and fertilize the earth.

Besides this inestimable advantage, arising from springs and rivers, mountains possess many others equally valuable: they are the dwelling places of many animals that we value highly, either for their flesh or skins. The lofty sides of many mountains are adorned with trees, and plants, and useful herbs, which do not thrive in the plain. It is in the interior of mountains that metals and minerals are found in such abundance.

Mountains shelter us from the cold northern and eastern winds; they are the nurseries of the finest vines; they are the bulwarks of nature against the ravages of the sea and the fury of tempests, and are natural bulwarks and fortifications; they defend many countries from the invasions of enemies, and they check the ambition of conquerors. Perhaps they assist in maintaining the equilibrium of the globe; and, at any rate, they form vast amphitheatres, presenting to our view the most lovely pictures, and affording sheltered and beautiful sites for our dwellings.

It is true that some of these mountains are dangerous and formidable: they sometimes ap