Beclouds his judgment, dulls his intellect,
Perils his uprightness, and stains his name,
And minifies him to his fellow-men;

Yea, far worse degradation, to himself.

2. Who hath the hurried step, the anxious eye,
Avoids the public haunt and open street,
And anxious waits for evening? Restlessly
Tosses upon his bed, and dreads the approach
Of the tell-tale morning sunlight? Who, unmanned,
Starts at the sudden knock, and shrinks with dread
E'en at his own shadow; shuns with care

The stranger's look, skulks from his fellow's glance,
And sees in every man a creditor?

3. The debtor ;-he is only half a man;
He saddens and estranges his chief friends,
Burdens his dearest relatives; he hears
In vain the stranger's tale, the widow's prayer,
And sends away the orphan all unalmsed.
None dare to place him in a post of trust,
And business men regard him with a shrug.

4. "Owe no man aught." Stand in the world erect, And lean alone upon thyself and God.

The habitual borrower will be ever found
Wicked, or weak, or both. Sweat, study, stint,
Yea, rather any thing than meanly owe.
Let thine own honest hands feed thee and thine,
And, if not thy friend's purse, at least, respect
Thine own sweet independence.

5. Have fewest wants: the book, however good,
Thou shouldst not purchase, let it go unbought;

6.

And fashion's vests by thee be all unworn.
Soon luxuries become necessities,

But self-denying thrift more joy affords
Than all the pleasures of extravagance.
A cottage, free from clamorous creditors,
Is better than a mansion dunned; a coat,
However darned, if paid for, hath an ease,
And a respectability beside:

Gay, ill-afforded vests can never boast.

However cheap,

Whate'er thou want'st not, buy not. That is dear, A mere extravagant impertinence,

For which thou hast no need. Feel first the want

Ere it be satisfied: bargains full oft

Are money-wasting things, that prudent men
Will keep afar from with suspicious eye;

Perchance to any but of little use,

And to themselves, most likely, none at all.

7. The habit of economy once formed,

"Tis easy to attain to prosperous things.

Thou then shalt lend, not borrow: shalt not want
A helping trifle when thy friend hath need,
Or means to seize an opportunity,-

Seed-coin, to ensure a harvest. Thou shalt then
Want not an alms for pinching poverty; -
And, though a sudden sickness dam the streami,
And cut off thy supplies, thou shalt lie down .
And view thy morrows with a tranquil eye;
Even benumbing age shall scare thee not,
But find thee unindebted, and secure
From all the penury and wretchedness

That dog the footsteps of improvidence.

IN TER MI NA BLE, endless.

MILK' Y-WAY, galaxy; luminous cir-
AS TRAL, starry. [cle in the heavens.
IN FIN'I TUDE, unlimited extent.

IM PET U OUS, rushing.

OM NIS CIENCE, knowledge of all
things.

PER TUR BA' TION$, irregularities of
AB' SO LUTE, entire.

PRE CIS' ION, exactness.

[motion

AD JUST MENTS, arrangements.

AS TRON' O MER, one skilled in the RET'I NUE, company.

science of the stars.

AP PROX' I MATE LY, nearly.

SAT EL LITES, small planets revolv ing round others.

GRANDEUR OF THE UNIVERSE.

O. M. MITCHEL

1. If you would know the glory of the Omnipotent Ruler IF of the universe, examine the interminable range of suns and systems which crowd the Milky-Way. Multiply the hundred millions of stars which belong to our own "island universe" by the thousands of these astral systems that exist in space, within the range of human vision, and then you may form some idea of the infinitude of His kingdom; for lo! these are but a part of His ways.

2. Examine the scale on which the universe is built. Comprehend, if you can, the vast dimensions of our sun. Stretch outward through his system, from planet to planet, and circumscribe the whole within the immense circumference of Neptune's orbit. This is but a single unit out of the myriads of similar systems.

3. Take the wings of light, and flash with impetuous speed, day and night, and month, and year, till youth shall wear away, and middle age is gone, and the extremest limit of human life has been attained;-count every pulse, and, at each, speed on your way a hundred thousand miles; and when a hundred years have rolled by, look out, and behold! the thronging millions of blazing suns are still around you,

each separated from the other by such a distance, that, in this journey of a century, you have only left half a score behind you.

4. Would you gather some idea of the eternity past of God's existence, go to the astronomer, and bid him lead you in one of his walks through space; and, as he sweeps outward from object to object, from universe to universe, remember that the light from those filmy stains on the deep pure blue of heaven, now falling on your eye, has been traversing space for a million of years.

5. Would you gather some knowledge of the omnipotence of God,-weigh the earth on which we dwell, then count the millions of its inhabitants that have come and gone for the last six thousand years. Unite their strength into one arm, and test its power in an effort to move this earth. It could not stir it a single foot in a thousand years; and yet under the omnipotent hand of God, not a minute passes that it does not fly more than a thousand miles.

6. But this is a mere atom,—the most insignificant point among his innumerable worlds. At his bidding, every planet, and satellite,, and comet, and the sun himself, fly onward in their appointed courses. His single arm guides the millions of sweeping suns, and around His throne circles the great constellation of unnumbered universes."

7. Would you comprehend the idea of the omniscience of God,-remember that the highest pinnacle of knowledge reached by the whole human race, by the combined efforts of its brightest intellects, has enabled the astronomer to compute approximately the perturbations of the planetary worlds. He has predicted roughly the return of half a score of comets. But God has computed the mutual perturbations of millions of suns, and planets, and comets, and worlds, without number, through the ages that are passed,

and throughout the ages which are yet to come, not, approximately, but with perfect and absolute precision.

8. The universe is in motion,--system rising above system, cluster above cluster, nebula above nebula,—all majestically sweeping around under the providence of God, who alone knows the end from the beginning, and before whose glory and power all intelligent beings, whether in heaven or on earth, should bow with humility and awe.

9. Would you gain some idea of the wisdom of God,— look to the admirable adjustments of the magnificent retinue of planets and satellites which sweep around the sun. Every globe has been weighed and poised, every orbit has been measured and bent to its beautiful form.

10. All is changing, but the laws fixed by the wisdom of God, though they permit the rocking to and fro of the system, never introduce disorder, or lead to destruction. All is perfect and harmonious, and the music of the spheres, that burn and roll around our sun, is echoed by that of ten millions of moving worlds, that sing and shine around the bright suns that reign above.

11. If, overwhelmed with the grandeur and majesty of the universe of God, we are led to exclaim with the Hebrew poet-king,—“ When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained, what is man, that Thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that Thou visitest him?"-If, fearful that the eye of God may overlook us in the immensity of His kingdom, we have only to call to mind that other passage, "Yet Thou hast made him but a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor. Thou madest him to have dominion over all the works of Thy hand; Thou hast put all things under his feet.” Such are the teachings of the word, and such are the lessons of the works of God.