fore us.

When a few more suns have set, we shall be with Moses, and all the prophets in the kingdom of our God, where we shall exult over the issue of our course, and for ever rejoice in the waves which rolled us safely into the bosom of Jesus, our friend.

May it be your privilege, my readers, to experience this blessedness! and when death arrives, may you, in prospect of a glorious immortality, be able to sing ;

“There I shall bathe my weary soul,

In seas of heavenly rest;

And not one wave of trouble roll,

Across my peaceful breast."

CHAPTER XIII.

THE SUN.

"The greater light to rule the day.'-GENESIS i. 18.

Glorious and transcendent orb!
King of day, and of heaven's hosts
Supreme. Thine ever glowing face,
Shines like one vast expanse of gold,
And from thine all-bounteous bosom
Unnumbered blessings constant flow.
Great picture of th' eternal God!
In whom all creatures live, and move,
And from whom they receive the light
Which shines upon th' sin dark soul,
And guides us to a world of joy.

THE most glorious and astonishing object amongst the hosts of heaven, is the

sun. This mighty luminary is at the immense distance of ninety-five millions of miles from the earth, and is a million times larger. He is the source of attraction to all the planets; through him they retain their places in heaven's unbounded space, and from him they derive all their brilliance. There are many wonders connected with the sun which it is impossible to trace, but at the same time many excellencies which it is impossible to disregard. In considering the latter, we are struck with the sun's great use in imparting light, producing the different seasons, and bestowing life upon all creatures.

What a dismal place would the earth be without the sun! Unblessed with his cheerful beams, chaos would reign, and all nature be clothed in gloom and horror; but enjoying his effulgence we

feast upon a thousand beauties, and participate unnumbered delights. Withdrawing his light for a few hours, gives us a fit time for repose, after which we return with fresh ardour to the glories he unfolds. What a splendid sight to see the sun ushering in the rosy morn! As he majestically rises from the horizon, the sky becomes tinged with brilliant hues; the fleecy clouds appear dressed in gorgeous robes; the mountains and hills are tipped with golden tints; the fields brighten with smiles, the flowers appear in diversified magnificence, and all nature bursts forth into liveliest and richest splendour. The sun revolving round his own axis produces winter, spring, summer, and autumn, each of which bring their comforts, delights, luxuries, and blessings. When the sun rises he causes day,

and when he sets produces night. Nothing in nature could subsist without him, because warmth is the great principle of life, and for this blessing we are wholly indebted to the king of day. These few observations show us, that the greater light which rules the day is of the most wonderful nature, and transcendent benefit.

The sun is a striking emblem of the great Jehovah. This David thought. He says: "The Lord God is a sun and shield, he will give grace and glory, and no good thing will he withhold."* As the natural sun is pre-eminent above all the heavenly bodies, so is God, the spiritual sun, above all the existencies we can contemplate. His being is a subject of the profoundest mystery, and highest interest. When we attempt

* Psa. lxxxiv. 11.