in fuch ftrength, as made my heart melt within me. And I had a confidence that he would make me holy, and keep me to the end.

October 18. Thefe two days, anxious care has fo befet me, as to rob me of my ftrength. I could not reprove, though I had many calls to it. I trembled left Satan fhould get an advantage over me. But this morning the Lord took away all my care, and ftrengthened me fo that I feared neither men. nor devils.

Sunday, Nov. 12. This has been a day of folid joy. My foul kept a fabbath to the Lord. And my rejoicing was greatly heightened by feeing the triumphant death of one I was acquainted with. Bleffed be God, that has given me to know the Religion of Jefus Chrift, and to feel the power thereof.

Monday 20. This inbred fin makes me tremble: but the Lord gives me hopes of deliverance from it. While I was fpeaking to a fick man to-day, a fervant of Satan with flood me greatly. But the Lord fo ftrengthened me, that I believe the word was bleft, at least to the fick man. [To be continued.]

CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE.

MY Prayer has been, for thefe fourteen years paft, that

I may be nothing. And I praife God, I have reafon to hope, that I come a little nearer to that blessed Mark. I well know, there is no happiness like that, which flows from a conftant fenfe that I am nothing, and Jefus is All.

I have, at prefent, a deep fenfe of my Meannefs, Poverty, and Folly, fo that my foul lies in the duft. I am contemptible in my own eyes; yet I feel I am precious in his fight, who has paid fo dear a price for me. My foul is broken before

my

my Lord, and defires to follow him as the fhadow follows the fubftance. He has my heart, and reigns the Lord of all my wifhes and defires. I need no change of place, perfon or thing to raise or increase my happiness. The prefence of Jefus is fufficient his will is my refting-place, and his love my delight. But my joy is not every moment full, though in general I can fay,

I fee the juftice of God in all my trials, and I love him the more, because he is juft. But I know mercy guides the ftroke. I fpeak feelingly, I know no finite punishment is adequate to my infinite offences. But his merits and mercy exceed

them all.

I rejoice evermore in a conftant union and onenefs of fpirit with the Lord Jefus: and pray without ceafing, as the defire of my foul is going out after him at all times and in all places. And I, in every thing give thanks, as I fee the hand of God in all I meet with, great and fmall: though at fometimes, in things indifferent, I feel diflike, perhaps for a minute, before I advert to it; but when I discover this, I immediately embrace the thing I diflike, unless I have a good reason to the contrary. And I am afhamed before the Lord, that I can for a moment chufe any thing, after all that he has done

for me.

I defire never to feel any thing amifs. Yet I defire to fpend my whole life in holy fhame before him, remembering what I was. I would weep much, and love much, having had much forgiven.

VOL. V.

Ddd

JANE COOPER.

An

An Extract from A SURVEY of the WISDOM of GOD in the CREATION.

ΑΝ

AN amazing degree of natural inftinet, or understanding, God has imparted to birds of paffage. They fly in troops, often in the form of a wedge, with the point foremost. They fteer their courfe through unknown regions, without either guide or compafs. And they are peculiarly accommodated for their flight, by the ftructure of their parts.

In the act of migration, it is highly remarkable, 1. That they know (as the fcripture Speaks) their appointed times, when to come, when to go. Appointed by whom? Surely by the great Creator, who has imprinted on their nature an inclination, at fuch a time to fly from a place that would obftruct their generation, or not afford food for them and their young, and betake themselves to another place, which will afford all that is wanting.

It is highly remarkable, 2. That they know whither to go, and which way to fteer their course! That they should be directed yearly to the fame place, perhaps to a little island, as the Baffe in Edinburgh-Frith. How come land-birds to venture over a vaft ocean, of which they can fee no end? And how do they fleer their courfe aright to their feveral quarters, which before the compass was invented, man himself was not able to do? They could not poffibly fee them at that distance. Or if they could, what should teach or perfuade them that that land is more proper for their purpose than this? That Britain for inflance, fhould afford them better accommodations, than Egypt, than the Canaries, than Spain, or any other of the intermediate places?

But

But it has been commonly fuppofed, that feveral birds are of this number, because they difappear in winter, which really are not Cuckoos, for inftance, and Swallows: for neither of thefe ever cross the feas. Cuckoos lodge all the winter in hollow trees, or other warm and convenient cavities. And Swallows have been found in vaft quantities, clung together in a lump, like fwarms of bees, but utterly cold and sense. less, even in ponds that have been cleaned out, hanging under the water.

I know not how we can doubt of this fact, that Swallows have been found in winter, under water, clung together, attefted by men of unquestionable veracity. And yet others affirm, that they have feen flights of Swallows croffing the fea in autumn. The truth feems to be this. There are fome fpecies of Swallows, which feek a warmer climate at the ap proach of winter, while others remain here in a temporary death, like the flies on which they feed.

They have in Virginia, a Martin like ours, only larger, which builds in the fame manner. Col. Bacon obferved for feveral years, that they conftantly came thither upon the terth of March. Two of them always appeared a day or two before, hovering in the air. Then they went away, and speedily returned, with the whole flock.

The following feems to be a very rational account of most of thofe that are really Birds of Paffage.

When by the approach of our winter their food fails, Birds of Paffage are taught by inftinct to feek it elsewhere. Want of food feems to be the chief reason of their migration. The length of their wings enables them to catch the flying infects, with which the air is ftored during the warm months. And moft Summer Birds of Paffage, feed on the wing upon fuch infects as are feen no more when winter comes. If it be confidered, how much of the globe ftill re

mains unknown, it is no wonder we are not yet acquainted with the places to which they retire. Probably they lie in the fame latitude in the fouthern hemifphere, as thofe from whence they depart.

As Swallows cannot bear fo much cold, as fome other Birds of Paffage, they are conftrained to vifit us fomewhat later, and to depart fomewhat fooner. Some ftay a month after them. Probably many of them perform their long journeys chiefly in the night. Lying on the deck of a floop on the north-fide of Cuba, I and the company with me heard three nights fucceffively, flights of Rice-Birds (their notes being plainly diftinguishable) paffing over our heads northerly, which is their direct way from the fouthern continent of America, from whence they go yearly when the rice begins to ripen, and after growing fat, return back.

There are alfo winter Birds of Paffage, which arrive here in autumn and go away in fpring, namely, the Fieldfare, Redwing, Woodcock, and Snipe. But the two latter fometimes fpend the whole year here. Whereas the two former conftantly at the approach of fummer, retire to more northern climates, where they breed, and remain till at the return of winter, they return to us again.

The winter food of these birds being berries and haws, which are far more plentiful here than in more northern regions, this is one reason of their coming over: but the principal is, the feverity of the weather in those climates, which nature teaches them to exchange, for such as are more temperate: But why do they depart from us in the fpring? This ftill remains among the fecrets of nature.

[To be continued.]

EXTRACTS