591 599 encompass the heavens like a girdle, of a con- Now resting, And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his works which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it ; because that in it he had rested from all his work, which God created and made. Gen. ii. 2, 3. intermixed with voice Choral or unison: of incense clouds Behold, how the prayers of all the saints ascend before God with acceptance! see the method we are to take, if we desire that ours should be acceptable to him; and encouraged by such a view, let us offer them up, not only with humility, but with cheerful confidence, though we are conscious of their great unworthiness. Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty. Rev. xv. 3. 610 Of Spirits apostate and their counsels vain Thou hast repell'd, There is no wisdom, nor understanding, nor counsel against Jehovah. Prov. xxi. 30. his evil Thou usest, and from thence creat'st more good. Overcome evil with good. Rom. xii. 21. Let us cultivate those kind and social affections which 628. this great proficient in them all so forcibly inculcates; that distrust of ourselves which shall cause us to cease from our wisdom, that we may repose ourselves upon the unerring guidance of our Heavenly Father-that kindly obstinate attachment to peace, that heroic superiority which melts down with kindness the heart that but a little before was glowing with rage: And, on the whole, that resolute perseverance in goodness which must be finally victorious, and will assuredly rise with a new accession of strength and of glory from every seeming defect. founded in view On the clear hyaline, the glassy sea; And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal. Rev. iv. 6. and in reward to rule Over his works, on earth, in sea, or air, Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands. Ps. viii. 6, 7. Oh! what a change hath sin and sorrow made? Rev. W. L. BOWLES. END OF THE SEVENTH BOOK. 66 BOOK VIII. for Heaven Is as the book of God before thee set, Let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and for years. Gen. i. 14. Let us read The living page, whose ev'ry character 84 Cycle and epicycle, orb in orb: Cycle, a circle, a continual revolution round the sun. Epicycle, a circle above a circle, a lesser circle, whose centre is in the circumference of the greater, a cycle within another, an orb in orb; as planets having their centre different from the centre of the earth. 101 The Maker's high magnificence, who built So spacious, The Lord reigneth; he is clothed with majesty, the Lord is clothed with strength, wherein he hath girded himself; the world is established, that it cannot be moved. Ps. xciii. 1. 129 The planet earth, so steadfast though she seem, Insensibly three different motions move? The earth, like other planets, has a spherical form. Its diameter is seven thousand nine hundred and sixty miles, and its circumference twenty-five thousand. It revolves on its axis in rather less than twenty-four hours; and moves round the sun in three hundred and sixty-five days and a quarter, at the distance of ninety-five millions of miles. It moves in its orbit at the rate of sixty-eight thousand miles an hour. By its diurnal motion, the inhabitants at the equator are carried one thousand and forty-two miles every hour; while those who live under the parallel of London are carried at the rate of only six hundred and forty-four miles in the same time. exact time which the earth takes in making one revolution round the sun, is three hundred and sixty-five days, five hours, and forty-eight minutes; which period of time is called a tropical year. The civil year contains three hundred and sixty-five days, for three years together; but every fourth year contains three hundred and sixty-six days, and is called the leap year. 167 Solicit not thy thoughts with matters hid, Leave them to God above, The Secret thoughts belong unto Jehovah our God; but those things which are revealed belong unto Deut. xxix. 29. us. nor with perplexing thoughts To interrupt the sweet of life, Let not your heart be troubled; ye believe in God, believe also in me. John xiv. 1. Let not Y your heart, therefore, be troubled: though I am going to leave you in a world, where you will seem likely to become a helpless prey, to the rage and power of your enemies: believe in God, the Almighty Guardian of his faithful servants, who has made such glorious promises, to prosper and succeed the cause in which you are engaged; and believe also in me as the promised Messiah, who, whether present or absent in the body, shall always be mindful of your concerns, as well as ever able to help you. Hail, heavenly peace of mind! Thy dwelling place serene No mortal e'er can find, In all this earthly scene; I sought, in vain, the gift divine, Till faith in Jesus made thee mine. Rev. T. RAFFLES. 212 Than fruits of palm-tree pleasantest to thirst And hunger both, Palma, the palm-tree. Boerhaave's characters of this tree are, that its fruit, under an edible pulp, hath a hard strong nucleus, like the stone of a plum. But to this may be added, that the palm-tree rises up with one single and individual trunk. The species are numerous: Boerhaave mentions nine, Dale adds six, and Ray increases the number to twenty more. Some of the most noted are, the Palma Ady; a palm-tree in the island of St. Thomas, which affords plenty of juice, that ferments into wine. The entire fruit is called, by the Portuguese, caryoces and cariosse: the natives call it abanga. The fruit ex |