and enjoyments of life, we see further instances of the power of mind, almost creative. By means of the spindle, the loom, and the needle, the human frame is arrayed with a covering, the tribute gathered from animal tribes, emulating in richness and brilliancy, the rainbow tints of the tulip, or snowy and delicate as the plumage of the dove. Not satisfied with the power of vision given to the eye, one instrument must be invented to help it to reach those orbs that otherwise invisibly revolve in the regions of space; another to assist it to penetrate into the minute recesses of creation. By means of the telescope, the laws which govern the planetary system are discovered; with the assistance of the microscope, kingdoms of insect tribes upon a rose-leaf are detected. Invention disdaining this earth as too small a sphere for its remaining labours, seeks a trackless pathway in ærial regions. The mind aspires to range in unbounded territories, fully indicating eternal existence in a world suited to powers so wonderful.* Considering this godlike creature in his state of infancy here, how poor are our conceptions of what he will be when he shall have time immeasurable, and opportunity, unimpeded by adverse circumstances, to progress towards perfection! * Note B. The passions of man mark the boundless nature of the soul. His desires, ever springing up, are ever insatiable. He is restlessly eager for more enjoyment, more treasure, more of every thing that he possesses. No sooner is one object obtained, than he forgets it in his desire to possess another. The miser hides his hard-earned gold, no better to him than pebbles, while his unceasing toil is for more. One victory obtained, the conqueror leaving all behind, presses on to new fields of action and of glory. Pyrrhus, in anticipating the conquest of Italy, thought not of rest until Sicily and Carthage, Africa and Macedonia, should be added to his victories; death found him, before ambition would suffer him to rest. The earth itself sufficed not to fill the desires of Alexander the Great. His despairing ambition, unable to reach the height of Olympian Jupiter, cast down the mighty conqueror to grovel with the brute. These aspirings of the soul, and its restless dissatisfaction, show it to be destined for a sphere of action more enlarged, for actions more elevated, than any that human affairs can furnish. And in direct proof of this, it might be urged that no desire of the soul is ever satisfied, unless it has the great Creator for its object. It is filled and quiet only in contemplation of unbounded existence and pleasures forever more. Here it is, that Reason, which distinguishes man from all animated existence, is completely satisfied. Reason in its continual search for truth, can rest in nothing short of Truth Eternal. That happiness was one purpose to be answered in the formation of man, is very apparent, from his constitution, both of body and mind, as well as from the adaptation of external objects to his constitution. The animal senses furnish him, in their moderate gratification, continual enjoyment. The lowest, those of feeling, taste and smell, find in nature a multitude of objects affording agreeable sensations. The smoothness, softness and fineness of many bodies, the delicious taste of fruits and vegetables, the fragrance of flowers are among the lowest pleasures of sensitive beings; but so eqxuisite are they in their kind that many an immortal mind rests satisfied in the enjoyment. The senses of sight and hearing are connected with the emotions of taste. whole visible creation is filled with beauty, and the human eye is formed to take it in, so connecting it with the mind, as to furnish a source of wonderful delight. The The variety of objects with which the earth abounds, and their qualities, give continual exercise to the enquiring intellect; furnishing such rich sources of knowledge and scope for inven tion, as to afford perpetual enjoyment to the mental faculties. But in man's social nature are his qualifications for happiness more apparent. How bountiful is the provision made for the “feast of reason and the flow of soul”! What a multitude of delightful ties bind together the vast family of man! What fond affections circulate through all the social life, uniting heart to heart! "God is love," and by this bond has He connected the whole rational creation. Not only does this love shine forth in the abundant sources of happiness provided for man in this life, but we are assured in the Sacred Scriptures, that "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should have eternal life." What mind can conceive the bliss of those, who, capable of such enjoyment here, where they are imperfect in themselves, and where imperfection is stamped on all around them, shall find themselves transported to a place, expressly prepared for the perfection of their natures. How will the beauties of earth fade away in the glories of Heaven! In connection with this branch of our subject, another point, and one of great importance, remains to be considered. That our nature is susceptible of high enjoyments, has been proved; that it is capable of great misery, we must also acknowledge. The pleasures of life are balanced by its pains. The senses that afford such a rich variety of delights, are also the occasion of exquisite torment. Wholesome and pleasant food is agreeable to the palate; but nauseous and bitter drugs are disagreeable. The sensations of touch or feeling are pleasant; but how do these pleasures compare with the tortures of the rack, or the distress of a broken bone? If beauty in objects create in us emotions of pleasure, so does deformity give pain. If the strains of harmony give transport to the musical ear, the jarring of discords to it is intolerable. Labour, so essential to enjoyment, whether bodily or mental, is attended by weariness or fatigue; frequently by pain and ill health, that much diminish the satisfaction and hinder the advancement of knowledge. The affections of the soul, such abounding springs of joy, often flow out in streams of bitter sorrow. These facts, and others of like nature, prove, that the soul, in its connection with the body, is capable of misery, as well as of happiness. But not in this relation alone does it endure pain, in its independent, spiritual state, do we find its severest sufferings. Not to speak of the numberless and nameless woes endured by wounded feeling, it is sufficient to remark the pangs that guilt, ever so much hidden from the observing |