How did the multitude of heavenly bodies grow wi ser? -Lot, piece of ground, fortune, destiny, assigned place. Descried, perceived, spied, noticed. Congratulated, welcomed, hailed, received with gratulations. -Pole, end of the earth's axis, piece of timber, whole sky. Resurrection, resuscitation, rising from the dead. Angel, messenger, herald, heavenly messenger. Give a description of what the angel saw. nament. Sons of God, angels, or stars. See Job xxxviii. 7. O Lord, how manifold are thy works, &c. Ps. civ. 24. Repeat the whole passage; also Rev. xv. 3. What are the distinguishing excellencies of this composition? What instruction have you derived from it? Handmaid, attendant, waiter, assistant. -Theatre, place for scenic exhibition, scenes, stage. -Changes, events, fortunes, vicissitudes, moves, re moves, Drama, poem fitted for recital and action, comedy or tragedy. Impressed, weighed down, inculcated, taught. Why is Christ termed the Captain of salvation? Dew, moisture, sweat on the brow of the dying. -Temples, houses for religious worship, sides of the head, en, she is reluctant that their fellowship should be dissolved. She fixes her glance on the flight of the departing spirit. If it ascends toward "a temple not made with hands," she takes an eternal farewell: if it descends "to the blackness of darkness," she adheres as its companion forever. LESSON XXXVIII. A Thought on Death.-MRS. Barbauld. When just is seized some valued prize When one by one these ties are torn, Ah then, how easy 'tis to die! When faith is firm, and conscience clear, LESSON XXXIX. Comparative Insignificance of the Earth.-CHALMERS. The univere at large would suffer as little, in its splendor and variety, by the destruction of our planet, as the verdure and sublime magnificence of a forest would suffer by the fall of a single leaf. The leaf quivers on the branch which supports it. It is at the mercy of of the slightest accident. A breath of wind tears it from its Cord, string, by which lamps were anciently suspended. Ecc. 12: 6. Bowl, vessel, in which the oil was contained-used here figuratively. Reluctant, unwilling, not disposed, disinclined. What place is referred to? why called a temple? -Adheres, continues, remains, is closely joined. Golden, bright. Why are hopes called golden? Die, expire. What is death the termination of? -Duties, customs, obligations, things which we are bound to perform. .Earth, êrth, the terraqueous globe, incombustible Ties, what ties are here referred to ? Forlorn, destitute, forsaken, deserted. 3.Snatched, seized hastily, removed suddenly. -Ah, alas, pish, oh, expressing grief, contempt, or exultation. Faith, belief, confidence, trust in God. .Conscience, the faculty by which we judge of right and wrong. Spirit, soul, immortal principle. Visioned, seen in vision, future, beheld in prospect. Universe, all creation, all which we can suppose to exist. At large, taken as a whole, generally, viewed together. Planet, body revolving round a sun or centre, star not fixed. -Verdure, vêr'júre, green, foliage, green color. stem, and it lights on the stream of water, which passes underneath. In a moment of time, the life, which we know by the microscope it teems with, is extinguished; and, an occurrence so insignificant in the eye of man, and on the scale of his observation, carries in it, to the myriads which people this little leaf, an event as terrible and decisive as the destruction of a world. Now on the grand scale of the universe, we, the occupants of this ball, which performs its little round among the suns and the systems, that astronomy has unfolded- —we may feel the same littleness, and the same insecurity. We differ from the leaf only in this circumstance, that it would require the operation of greater elements to destroy us.But these elements exist. The fire which rages within, may lift its devouring energy to the surface of our planet, and transform it into one wide and wasting volcano. The sudden formation of elastic matter in the bowels of the earth-(and it is within the agency of known means to accomplish this) may explode it into fragments. The exhalation of noxious air from below may impart a virulence to the air that is around us; it may affect the delicate proportion of its ingredients; and the whole of animated nature may wither and die under the malignity of a tainted atmosphere. A blazing comet may cross the fated planet in its orbit, and realize all the terrors which superstition has conceived of it. We cannot anticipate with precision the consequences of an event, which eveery astronomer must know to lie within the limits of possibility. It may hurry our globe towards the sun, or drag it to the outer regions of the planetary system; or give it a new axis of revolution; and the effect, which I shall simply announce, without explaining it, would be to change the place of the ocean, and bring another mighty flood upon our islands and continents. These are changes which may happen in a single instant of time, and against which nothing known in the present system of things provides us with any security. They might not annihilate the earth, but they would unpeople it; and we who tread its surface with such firm and assured footsteps, are at the mercy of devouring elements, which if let loose upon us by the hand of the Almighty, would spread solitude, and silence, and death over the dominion of the world. Microscope, mi'kro-skópe, magnificence, an optic in strument. .Teems, pregnant, endued. -Scale, measure, grade, rank, proportion, gradation. Myriads, uncounted multitudes, immense numbers. -Ball, globe, world, any globular instrument. Stars, central luminous bodies, as all the fixed stars are supposed to be. Systems, suns and planets, central bodies and satellites. Astronomy. What does astronomy teach ? What should our insignificance teach us? Are we then overlooked by the Author and Upholder of the universe? Elements. this case? What do you understand by elements in Fire. What fire is meant? Where is it concealed? Energy, force, vehemence. Is it usually said of men or things? Wide and wasting. What is an alliteration. See appendix. Elastic, springing back, susceptible of compression and expansion. What is a sudden movement of the earth called? Virulence, noxiousness, contagion, poison. -Delicate, soft, nicely balanced, gentle. Ingredients, parts, various things which make up a whole. Animated nature. What is meant by this? Atmosphere. What do you mean by this? Comet, a star with a train or tail, devious body. Axis, the line real or imaginary round which a body may revolve. Annihilate, reduce to nothing, bring to an utter end! Who alone can annihilate matter? Unpeople, depopulate, deprive of inhabitants. -Tread, walk upon, trample down, rule with tyranny. What emotions does the study of astronomy excite? |