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Stiled.

poured.

vapour.

process?

apparatus?

fortuitous?

fcales.

difcerned.

11" In thofe early days when the knowl edge of nature was confined to narrow limits, they, like our Indians,

"Saw God in clouds, and heard him in the avinds.'

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Hence they filed the Deity the father of the rain,' and reprefented him as calling forth the waters of the fea, pouring them down according to the vapour thereof.

12. Whence we infer, they believed the water rofe in form of vapour from the ocean, and that it became freshened in its paffage through the air; and it moreover appears that they were fenfible that this procefs was regularly and perpetually performing; for they remarked that although all the rivers run into the fea, yet was the fea not full; unto the place whence the rivers come, thither they return again.

13. They feem alfo to have known that MOUNTAINS made a part of this GRAND APPARATUS and to have believed that it was not a fortuitous or random procefs, but regulated, as we now find it, by weight & measure. May not this be inferred from that fublime queftion of Ifaiah Whe bath measured the waters in the hallow of his hand, and weighed the Mountains in fcales?

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"14. Although they difcerned this magnificent apparatus, and faw its effects, yet were they restrained by a religious awe from attempting its inveftigation, becaufe forms, lightning and hail, were conceived to be the precurfors? precurfors of the chariot of the Deity! who

choose.

maketh the clouds his chariot'-who walketh on the wings of the wind'-accompanied with hail flores and fire;' Or, if you choofe to have the fpirit of thefe paffages expreffed in English

metre

•On cherubs, and on cherubims,
Full royally he rode,

▾ And

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And on the wings of mighty winds,
"Came flying all abroad.'

Abroad.

15. For this reafon,probably,the origin and myfterious ? courfe of the winds whence they came and whither they go,' were deemed myfterious. Hence, inftead of inveftigating the caufe, their pious minds, overwhelmed with awe, funk into undiscerning amazement! Under fuch impreffions,

awe ?

I ceafe to wonder that he who wrote that an- undifcerning. cient drama,the book of Job,puts among ft the -most difficule of his questions that which demands an explanation of the balancing of the clouds.'

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16. But shall not we, who are happily free from the terrors of the Mofaic,as well as Pagan fyftems, and who enjoy the encouraging Scheme. intellectual scheme of Chriftiarity, which, never forgetting Deity, poftpones every thing cor

poreal to the primary mental caufe-I fay, thall corporeal? not we unite our efforts to fill up that dreary blank left in fcience by the ancients?

Science.

patient.

17. And asman, who is the fervant and interpreter of nature, can act and understand no further than he has, either in operation or in contemplation, obferved of the method and order of nature, let us commence a patient ob- ordinary ? fervation of the ordinary & extraordinary phenomena that occur in this fcene of wonders,

the atmosphere; and then collect thofe frag- fcene. ments of knowledge, widely fcattered through

the world, on the fame fubject.

18. "Although much of the operations go- inquifitive ? ing forward in the atmosphere may have fome links that have hitherto escaped the most inquifitive eye, and others, though feen, may detached? not be fully understood, ftill we ought not to be difcouraged. Thefe detached links will one day be united, and form a part of the great chain of natural caufes, adding til ftronger proofs of that unity of defign which pervades the great Temple of Nature.

L

"Some

chain.

pervades ?

Defined?

19. "Some men feem deftined to obferve and record naked facts; others, of a fuperior genius follow after and apply them. Some future Franklin may do with thefe defiderated facts what Newton did with thofe collected by Kepler and Galileo, and there with form a fyftem which may teach us to bridle the winds fubfervient themfelves, and render them farther fubfervi

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ent to human ufes."

Drunken.

I.

frugality?

lottery.

chanced.

Jufpecting.

feizes.

prize.

flies.

flairs.

received.

An affecting Story.

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alfields, had a faithful and laborious wife, who by her frugality and induftry, had laid by her as much money as purchased her a ticket in a late lottery. She had hid this very privately in the bottom of a trunk, and had given her number to a friend and confident, who had promifed to keep the secret, and bring her news of the fuccefs.

2. The poor adventurer chanced one day to go abroad, when her carelefs hufband, fufpecting the had faved fome money, fearches every corner, till at length he firds the fame ticket, which he immediately feizes, fells, and fquanders away the money, without the wife fufpecting any thing of the matter.

3. A day or two afterwards, this friend, who was a woman,comes and brings the wife word, that he had a prize of five hundred pounds. The poor creature, overjoyed, flies up flairs to her husband, who was then at work, and defires him to leave his loom, that evening, and come and drink with a friend of his and hers below.

4. The man received this cheerful invitation, as bad husbands fometimes do, and after a crofs word, told her he would not come. His importunity? wife with tendernefs renewed her importunity, and at length faid to him, "My love, I have

within these few months, unknown to you, Months. fcraped together as much money as has bought us a ticket in the lottery; and now here is Mrs. Quick come to tell me that it is come up this morning a five hundred pound prize."

5. The husband replied immediately, "You replied. lie, you flut, you have no ticket, for I have

fold it.

The poor woman upon this, fainted

away in a fit, recovered, and immediately ran defraud? distracted. As fhe had no defign to defraud

her husband, but was willing only to partici

pate in his good fortune, every one will nat- participate? urally pity her,but think her husband's punish

ment but juft.

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