The advice of the fon of Sirach is very just and fublime in this light. By bis word all things confift. We may speak much, and yet come short: wherefore in fum, be is all. How fhall we be able to magnify him? For he is great above all his works. The Lord is terrible and very great; and marvellous in his power. When you glorify the Lord, exalt him as much as you can ; for even yet will be far exceed. And when you exalt him, put forth all your ftrength, and be not weary; for you can never go far enough. Who bath seen him, that he might tell us? And who can magnify him as he is? There are yet bid greater things than these be, for we have feen but a few of his works.

I have here only confidered the Supreme Being by the light of reason and philofophy. If we would fee him in all the wonders of his mercy we must have recourse to revelation, which represents him to us, not only as infinitely great and glorious, but as infinitely good and juft in his difpenfations towards man. But as this is a theory which falls under every one's confideration, tho' indeed it can never be fufficiently confidered, I fhall here only take notice of that habitual worship and veneration which we

ought

ought to pay to this Almighty Being. We should often refresh our minds with the thought of him, and annihilate our felves before him in the contemplation of our own worthleffness, and of his tranfcendent excellency and perfection. This would imprint in our minds fuch a conftant and uninterrupted awe and veneration, as that which I am here recommending, and which is in reality a kind of inceffant prayer, and reasonable humiliation of the foul before him who made it.

This would effectually kill in us all the little feeds of pride, vanity and felfconceit, which are apt to fhoot up in the minds of fuch whofe thoughts turn more on those comparative advantages which they enjoy over fome of their fellow-creatures, than on that infinite dif tance which is placed between them and the fupreme model of all perfection. It would likewife quicken our defires and endeavours of uniting ourselves to him by all the acts of religion and virtue.

Such an habitual homage to the fupreme Being would, in a particular manner, banish from among us that prevailing impiety of ufing his name on the most trivial occafions.

I find

I find the following paffage in an excellent fermon, preached at the funeral of a gentleman who was an honour to his country, and a more diligent as well as fuccefsful inquirer into the works of nature, than any other our nation has ever produced. "He had the profoundest veneration for the great God of heaven • and earth, that I have ever observed in any perfon. The very name of God was never mentioned by him without a • pause and a visible stop in his difcourfe; • in which, one that knew him most particularly above twenty years, has told me, that he was fo exact, that he does ⚫ not remember to have observed him once to fail in it.'

Every one knows the veneration which was paid by the Jews to a name fo great, wonderful and holy. They would not let it enter even into their religious difcourfes. What can we then think of those who make use of fo tremendous a name in the ordinary expreffions of their anger, mirth, and most impertinent paffions? Of those who admit it into the most familiar queftions and affertions, ludicrous phrases and works of humour? Not to mention those who violate it by folemn perjuries? It

would

would be an affront to reason to endeavour to fet forth the horror and profaneness of fuch a practice. The very mention of it exposes it fufficiently to thofe in whom the light of nature, not to fay religion, is not utterly extinguished.

I

·Deum namque ire per omnes

Terrafque, tradufque maris, cœlumque profundum.. Virg.

Was yesterday about fun-fet walking in the open fields, 'till the night infenfibly fell upon me. I at firft amused myself with all the richness and variety of colours which appeared in the weftern parts of heaven: In proportion as they faded away and went out, feveral ftars and planets appeared one after another, till the whole firmament was in a glow. The blueness of the Ether was exceedingly heightened and enlivened by the feafon of the year, and by the rays of all thofe luminaries that paffed thro it. The Galaxy appeared in its most beautiful white. To complete the fcene, the full moon rofe at length in that clouded majefty which Milton takes notice of, and opened to the eye a new picture of

nature,

nature, which was more finely fhaded, and difpofed among fofter lights, than that which the fun had before difcovered to us.

As I was furveying the moon walking in her brightnefs, and taking her progrefs among the conftellations, a thought rofe in me which I believe very often perplexes and disturbs men of serious and contemplative natures. David himfelf fell into it in that reflexion, When I confider the heavens the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou haft ordained; what is man that thou art mindful of him, and the Son of man that thou regardeft him! In the fame manner when I confidered that infinite host of stars, or, to fpeak more philofophically, of funs, which were then fhining upon me, with thofe innumerable fets of planets or worlds, which were moving round their refpective funs; when I ftill enlarged the idea, and supposed another heaven of funs and worlds rifing ftill above this which we difcovered, and these still enlightened by a fuperior firmament of luminaries, which are planted at so great a distance, that they may appear to the inhabitants of the former, as the stars do to us; in fhort, whilft I purfued this thought,