awakened, and a demand for woven stuffs had become general. The loom is an instrument, so framed, that each alternate thread, stretched upon a common roller, may, by means of a simple and ingenious mechanism, be alternately elevated and depressed. This is called the warp, which forms the foundation of the stuff, and hence is called stamen by the Romans. The intention is to receive and catch hold of another thread, called the woof, which is thrown through them by a shuttle, an instrument with two points, swelled in the middle to receive a pirn, or quill, as it is commonly called. By this invention, the very same operation is performed, as by darning, but with immensely greater quickness and precision. The fabrics thus manufactured, can be made of any fineness or delicacy, which the necessary strength of threads will admit ; and great variety, also, can be introduced into the workmanship; so that the principle of the loom, though so simple, may be considered as the perfection of art. That there are substances, capable of being formed into threads of great fineness and tenacity, depends on qualities which the Creator, doubtless for this very purpose, has bestowed on various modifications of vegetable and animal nature. These have already been adverted to in the 'Spring' volume, but must again come under our notice, with a special view to the particular object in question.

SEVENTH WEEK-SUNDAY.

THE EMPTINESS OF HUMAN ATTAINMENTS.

THE wonderful discoveries, which human ingenuity has made, and the astonishing results of human industry, have a tendency to make us lose sight of our defects and weaknesses. Every one who knows any thing of his own heart, must be sensible of this. We are apt to cherish sentiments of self-dependence and self-sufficiency, totally

at variance with our real situation. We forget that we are the weak and perishing creatures of a day; that we have nothing which we can call our own, nothing on which we can rely; that there is a resistless current constantly passing over us, and sweeping away every earthly prop, on which we rest for support. Above all, in the bustle of an inventive and toiling world, we too often cherish the insane and ungrateful propensity, of attributing to ourselves all the powers, and talents, and acquirements bestowed upon us by Providence, and reject those religious sentiments of dependence and filial submission, which are so delightful in themselves, and so suited to our condition. It is of importance, therefore, that we should frequently be brought back to a sober view of human life, as it ought to appear in the sight of a being destined for immortality.

It is not to be denied, that human attainments are desirable; but then, to be so, they must be properly applied. They can only be called useful acquirements, when directed to pursuits, ennobling in their nature, and permanent in their duration. The philosopher may make wonderful discoveries; but they are wonderful only to such ignorant and short-sighted creatures as himself. How ridiculous his pride and parade must appear in the sight of superior beings, who perceive that he has been all the while merely skimming the surface of Nature, and is profoundly ignorant, even of what he pretends to have investigated, and still more of what it most imports an immortal creature to know! If we turn from science, to the arts, we shall find that those who are most deeply versed in worldly wisdom, and most successful in promoting their temporal interests, are often utterly ignorant and regardless of whatever relates to their eternal welfare but, "what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" If, again, we regard the pursuits of ambition, whether wealth or greatness be the object, we shall find an equal degree of emptiness and vanity attaching to them. How contemptible are those honors which cannot shield their possessor from one real calamity; which the breath of mortals can

give and take away, and which, at all events, in a few years, must end in the grave! How worthless those riches which leave their owners as helpless, as liable to disappointment, sickness, and death, and as wretched as the meanest of their dependents. Learn what we will, and possess what we may, we are still weak and perishing creatures, and we in vain seek, in any earthly attainment, for what may satisfy the longings of a rational and immortal soul.

But there is another, and far more important, light, in which we ought to view this subject. Not only have we no reason to glory in these things, but we have cause, on account of our abuse of them, to regard them with the deepest humility and self-abasement. They are not of our own creation; they are the gifts of God. Whether they consist in natural endowments of body or mind, or in hereditary possessions, or in attainments of labor or of skill, they are still bestowed by Him who made, preserves, and governs all things; and, what is more, they are conferred, not for the purpose of gratifying our pride or selfishness, but that they may be employed for-promoting His glory, and the good of our fellow-creatures. And can we say, that we have been faithful stewards of the Divine bounties; that we have used the world as not abusing it, and have occupied the talents committed to us, for the purposes for which they were granted? Alas! have we not, on the contrary, too frequently employed them in acts of rebellion against our Divine Master and Lawgiver? And does it not, therefore, become us rather to ask, "What profit is there in those things?" than to employ them for fostering a senseless vanity, or for the indulgence of enervating and debasing luxury?

"Let

The unsatisfactory nature of earthly things should induce us to set our affections on things above. not the wise man," says the Scripture, "glory in his wisdom; neither let the mighty man glory in his might; let not the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glorieth, glory in this,-that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord, which exercise loving-kindness,

judgement, and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight, saith the Lord."* What an unspeakable satisfaction is it to know, that the Creator and Governor of the universe, condescends to be our Father and our Friend; that He hath sent his Son to save us, and that His Holy Spirit communicates with us to purify, enlighten, and guide us. If mortification and disappointment await us, in the contemplation of human life, a very different feeling rises within us, when we reflect on that Paternal care which continually watches over us to promote our eternal welfare. The revelation which the Eternal has made of his character, and especially of the manner in which his perfections. are exercised for the salvation of the guilty race of Adam, can never be regarded with an admiration sufficiently profound. To man, himself, in the abuse of that freedom of will with which his Creator had honored him, do we trace the evils which beset his path through the earthly wilderness. The remedy for such evils, was provided, before his guilt had incurred them; and, what is remarkable, these very evils were to be employed as one of the means by which the remedy was to be applied. He was to be disciplined in the school of adversity. By the various vicissitudes of his lot; by pain succeeding pleasure, by health alternating with sickness, and hope with disappointment, his virtues and graces were to be tried. By a wonderful train of adaptations between the natural and moral world, his mental powers were to be elicited. In grief, in suffering, in want, and in weakness, his faith and patience were to be called forth and strengthened; temptations were to be overcome; passions were to be subdued; a right hand was to be cut off, a right eye plucked out, and through many trials and much tribulation, the renovated child of earth was to enter into the kingdom of heaven.

16*

Jeremiah ix. 23, 24.

SEVENTH WEEK-MONDAY.

CLOTHING.-ITS ANCIENT HISTORY.

THERE are three ways, by which we are enabled to judge of the state of mankind in the early ages with regard to articles of dress: we may consult historical records; we may examine ancient statues and paintings; and we may discover actual specimens of ancient clothing, especially in the envelopes of mummies, as noticed in a previous volume.

In referring to the first of these methods, I have already adverted to the writings of Moses. In these, we find various incidental or direct notices, by which some light is thrown on the subject. I have elsewhere mentioned the proof we have, from this source, of the progress of the art of weaving linen in Egypt, so far back as the time of Joseph. In these writings, too, we find proofs of taste and magnificence in articles of dress, in the description given of the habits of the high priest, and the vails of the tabernacle. The tissue of all these works was of linen, of wool, of goats' hair, and of byssus.* The richest colors, gold, embroidery, and precious stones, united to embellish them.

That the art of dyeing stuffs, was familiar in those early ages, we have sufficient proof. They were even woven of divers colors. We read of Joseph's "coat of many colors," a gift of paternal affection, and an object envy to his brethren; and though we were to consider this as a mistranslation, yet we find in the book of Exodus several instances, in which party-colored cloths are distinctly spoken of.† Embroidery is also mentioned,

of

* [This word seems to have been used by the ancient writers sometimes for linen and sometimes for cotton. When applied to the cloths in which the Egyptian mummies were wrapped, it must mean linen, it is said, as the fibres of these cloths have been subjected to microscopic examination, and proved to be linen.-AM. ED.]

† Exodus xxvi. 31. "Thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work," or, "of an agreeable variety," as it might be translated. See also the first verse of that chapter, and the second verse of the thirty-ninth chapter.