THE REDEEMER'S TEARS OVER JERUSALEM. 241 warm day sometimes revives them; when they eat a little, but soon relapse into their former sleepy condition. Squirrels, and various kinds of field-mice, pro vide magazines of food against winter, but are not known to become torpid. The badger, the hedge-hog, and the mole, keep close in their winter quarters in the northern regions, and sleep away great part of the season. The only vegetables which now flourish are the numerous tribes of mosses, and the lichens, or liverworts. Lichens cover the ditch-banks and other neglected spots, with a leather-like substance, which in some countries serves as food both to men and cattle. The rein deer lichen is the greatest treasure of the poor Laplanders, who depend upon it for the support of their only species of domestic cattle, during their tedious winters. On the 21st of December happens the shortest day; when the sun is not quite eight hours above the horizon in these islands. About 15 degrees to the northward the sun does not rise at all, and a continued night lasts weeks or months, according to the distance from the north pole. Thus the old year steals away; and a new one begins with lengthening days and brighter skies, inspiring fresh hopes and expectations. THE REDEEMER'S TEARS OVER JERUSALEM. THEY signify the real depth, and greatness of the misery into which thou art falling. They drop from an intellectual and most comprehensive eye, that sees far, and pierces deep into things-hath a wide and large prospect takes the compass of that forlorn state into which unreconcileable sinners are hastening, in all the horror of it. The son of God did not weep vain and causeless tears, or for a light matter; nor did he for himself either spend his own, or desire the profusion of others' tears. "Weep not for me, O daughters of Jerusalem." He knows the value of souls, the weight of guilt, and how low it will press and sink them; the severity of God's justice, and the power of his anger, M 242 THE REDEEMER'S TEARS OVER JERUSALEM. and what the fearful effects of them, when they finally fall. If thou understandest not these things thyself, believe him that did, at least believe his tears.-They signify the sincerity of his love and pity, the truth and tenderness of his compassion. Canst thou think his tears deceitful? his, who never knew guile? Was this like the rest of his course? And remember that he who shed tears, did from the same fountain of love and mercy, shed blood too! Was that also done to deceive? Thou makest thyself some very considerable thing indeed, if thou thinkest the son of God counted it worth his while to weep, and bleed, and die, to deceive thee into a false esteem of him and his love. But if it be the greatest madness imaginable to entertain any such thought, but that his tears were sincere and inartificial, the natural genuine expressions of undissembled benignity and pity, thou art then to consider what love and compassion thou art now sinning against; what bowels thou spurnest; and that if thou perishest, it is under such guilt as the devils themselves are not liable to, who never had a Redeemer bleeding for them, nor, that we ever find, weeping over them.-They show the remedilessness of the case, if thou persist in impenitency and unbelief till the things of thy peace be quite hid from thine eyes. These tears will then be the last issues of (even defeated) love, of love that is frustrated of its kind design. Thou mayest perceive in these tears the steady unalterable laws of heaven, the inflexibleness of the divine justice, that holds thee in adamantine bonds, and hath sealed thee up, if thou prove incurably obstinate and impenitent, unto perdition; so that even the Redeemer himself," he that is mighty to save," cannot at length save thee, but only weep over thee, drop tears into thy flame, which assuage it not, but (though they have another design, even to express true compassion) do yet unavoidably heighten, and increase the fervour of it, and will do so to all eternity. He even tells thee, sinner, thou hast despised my blood, thou shalt yet have my tears. That would have saved thee; these do only lament thee lost. But the tears wept over others as lost and past hope, why should they not yet melt thee, while as yet there is hope in ACCOUNT OF IRON. 243 thy case? If thou be effectually melted in thy very soul, and looking to him whom thou hast pierced, dost truly mourn over him," thou mayest assure thyself the prospect his weeping eye had of lost souls, did not include thee. His weeping over thee would argue thy case forlorn and hopeless. Thy mourning over him will make it safe and happy. That it may be so, consider further that-They signify how very intent he is to save souls, and how gladly he would save thine, if yet thou wilt accept of mercy while it may be had. For if he weep over them that will not be saved, from the same love that is the spring of these tears, would saving mercies proceed to those that are become willing to receive them. And that love that wept over them that were lost, how will it glory in them that are saved! There his love is disappointed and vexed, crossed in its gracious intentions; but here having compassed it, how will he joy over thee with singing, and rest in his love! And thou also, instead of being involved in a like ruin with the unreconciled sinners of the Old Jerusalem, shalt be enrolled among the happy citizens of the New, and triumph together with them in eternal glory. ACCOUNT OF IRON. Or all the metals, iron is the most abundant and most universally diffused. It is not so malleable as gold or silver; but such is its ductility that it may be drawn into wire almost as fine as a hair, and such is its tenacity, that an iron wire, only seventy-eight thousandth parts of an inch in diameter, will support a weight of nearly 550 pounds avoirdupois without breaking. When iron combines with nine times its weight of charcoal, it forms what is called plumbago, or the substance of which black lead pencils are made. When it is first extracted from the ore, that is, the stones and other substances in which it is found, and fused and run into moulds, it is called crude or cast iron, of 244 ACCOUNT OF IRON. which stoves, cannon, pipes, and various other articles are formed. When, by means of being fused, stirred, and hanımered, the charcoal is in a great measure expelled from it, it becomes soft and pliable, and is called wrought or malleable iron. And when united with a certain portion of charcoal, and hardened by being plunged while in a heated state into cold water, it becomes what is called steel, and, in this form, is used for making the various kinds of cutting instruments. Iron, although one of the imperfect metals, is susceptible of a very high polish. It is often manufactured in such a way as to be greatly more valuable than gold. The watch pendulum springs, for ordinary work, are sold by the London artists at half a crown each, and ten of them weigh but a single grain, Hence, a pound avoirdupois being equal to 7000 grains, and containing of course 70,000 of these springs, will be worth £8750 Sterling. And, if the avoirdupois pound of gold be valued at £58, 6s. 7d. it follows, that the pound of iron, made into pendulum watch springs, is of 150 times more value than the same weight of gold. But, when it is considered that the best kinds of springs sell for half a guinea each, the pound weight will amount to £36,750 Sterling, which is 630 times greater than the value of the pound weight of gold! Iron, though the cheapest, is at the same time the most useful of all the metals. It is absolutely necessary, for carrying on all the different arts and manufactures. It is the great means of civilizing mankind. Nations have been found possessing large quantities of gold, yet continuing in a state of barbarism; but there never has been any instance of a people understanding the manufacturing of iron, and having that metal within their reach, who did not speedily attain to a considerable degree of civilization. The art of working this metal was discovered in the east. It was first communicated to the Greeks by the Phrygians, and from them it gradually made its way through the rest of Europe. Native iron has been found in some parts of the world: but its occurrence is rare. In Britain and Sweden there are great quantities of ore. In Sweden, the richest iron mine is that of Danmore, in the Province of Upland. VIRTUE. FALLS OF NIAGARA. 245 It is eighty fathoms deep, and occupies a considerable portion of territory. The largest iron works in England are carried on at Colebrook Dale in Shropshire, where they have all the necessary materials at hand and in abundance-ore, from the adjacent hills-coals, from the vale and limestone, from the quarries in the vicinity. There are also iron works in Scotland; the most considerable of them being at Shotts, Cadder, Muirkirk, Devon, and Carron. SWEET day! so cool, so calm, so bright; Sweet rose! whose hue, angry and brave, Thy root is ever in the grave 1 And thou must die.. Sweet spring! full of sweet days and roses; 7 And all must die. Only a sweet and virtuous soul, of Then chiefly lives. THE Table Rock, from which the Falls of Niagara may be contemplated in all their grandeur, lies on an |