PART III.

VOICES OF THE SUMMER

10

THE silent night has passed into the prime
Of day, to thoughtful souls a solemn time.
For man has wakened from his nightly death,
And shut up sense, to morning's life and breath.
He sees go out in heaven the stars that kept
Their glorious watch, while he unconscious slept,
Feels God was round him, while he knew it not,
Is awed, then meets the world,—and God's forgot.
So may not I forget Thee, holy Power!

Be ever to me as at this calm hour.

R. H. DANA.

It is an assured truth, and a conclusion of experience, that a little or superficial knowledge of philosophy may incline the mind of man to atheism, but a farther proceeding therein doth bring the mind back again to religion; for in the entrance of philosophy, when the second causes, which are next unto the senses, do offer themselves to the mind of man, if it dwell and stay there, it may induce some oblivion of the highest cause; but when a man passeth on farther, and seeth the dependence of causes, and the works of providence, then, according to the allegory of the poets, he will easily believe that the highest link of nature's chain must needs be tied to the foot of Jupiter's chair.

LORD BACON.-Adv. of Learning.

THESE things are not strange, they are familiar, and that makes them to be overlooked. Things which rarely happen strike, whereas, frequency lessens the admiration of things, though in themselves ever so admirable. Hence, a common man, who is not used to think and make reflections, would probably be more convinced of the being of a God by one single sentence heard once in his life from the sky, than by all the experience he has had of this visual language, contrived with such exquisite skill, so constantly addressed to his eyes, and so plainly declaring the nearness, wisdom, and providence of Him with whom we have to do.

BISHOP BERKELEY.

THE primal act of faith is enunciated in the word GOD: a faith not derived from experience, but its ground and source, and without which, the fleeting chaos of facts would no more form experience, than the dust of the grave can of itself make a living man. The imperative and oracular form of the inspired Scripture, is the form of reason itself in all things purely rational and moral. Hence it follows that what is expressed in the inspired writings, is implied in all absolute science. The latter whispers, what the former utters as with the voice of a trumpet. As SURE AS GOD LIVETH, is the pledge and assurance of every positive truth that is asserted by the reason.

COLERIDGE.-Lay Sermons.

PART III.

VOICES OF THE SUMMER.

CHAPTER XV.

Characteristics of the Summer Season-Compass of a Summer Land scape-Science is simply the Observance of God at work-The secret of all Naturalism and Atheism in the world-The field of grass and lilies as a teacher of God's love.

THE grand and prevailing characteristics of SUMMER are loveliness and enjoyment. It is the time of flowers, leaves, light, warmth, clear air, dews, rains, showers, rich and glorious sunrisings and sunsettings, morning and evening twilight, sparkling fountains, green fields, singing birds, and running waters. All things are full of beauty and of life, and all things utter the sweet voice of inspiration itself, that GOD IS LOVE. The season is so spontaneous and exuberant in adornment and delight, that you could not cut out a section anywhere, from any landscape, under any sky, which would not, in reference to the Divine Goodness, open to you a volume, where Meditation, in Cowper's expressive words, might think down hours to moments.