Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1808-08-06
REVERE IN AN EVENING WALK.

| s REVERE IN An EVENING WALK.
Z" An undey0ut astronomer is mad,
| GREAT and marvellous are thy works
! Lord, God, Almighty; jus. and true are
| ali thy ways, thou king of saints Such
| Is the warm and elevated language OF IN
| spiration. Sucn are the sentiment. OF pie
ty and love.
The existence of A Being infinitely good,
wise and powerful, is so srikingly display.
ed on all the works Of creation, thar 70 ooubt
1t shows ingratltude, to deny II, implety.---
!" Every thing glvsth proof of God; every
thing, that proyeth it, giveth caus, OF ado
| ration List the bold innuel a5sen.Ivcly ex-
anime the beauty and grandeur OF the uni
verse and consider the constitution OF LIS
own nature, teariuliy and wonderfully inaae.
Let hun reflect on the revolutions OF the
seasons and the charming diversity, they ar
ford. Let nm contemplate the ilv1ly bloom
OF spring, the rich spiendor OF summer, the
ripe luxuriance Of autumn, and the hoary
face Of winter;
Cor look abroad through nature to the range
OF planets, suns, and adamantine spheres,
WneehnS unshaken tnro' the void immense"
WIN not the survey of scenes, SO beautiful,
SO wonderful, so magnificent and sublime,
teach him to confess the existence, admire
the wisdom, adore the goodness, and revere
the majesty Of the Most High! Viii it not
dissipate the horrid gloom OF his thoughts,
and diifuse the holy light of religion ovsr
his mind lie, who will Tot be convinced
bytruths, SO manifest and imp.s ss;ve,
els lost to virtue, lost to manly thought,
Lost to the noble sailies of the soul"
He has perverted the gifts of nature, and
| degraded the dignity OF humanity. lie is
| unworthy to participate the blessings OF So
! cial intercourse, OF to enjoy the esteem Of
| his fellow creatures. He should DC consi-
dcted az an alien to society, an enemy to
man, and an object OF contempt.
Although clear evidence Of divine per-
| lection may be derived from examining the
| wonderful structure of the body, and the no.
bic faculties OF the soul; from contemplating
| the lower orders Of creation, and the Geiigh,-
full varieties Of the earth yet whenw raise
our view, and survey " the spacious hrlna-
| ment On high" where
I" Orbs wheel in orbs. round centres. centres
roll )"
Ourbelicf is strengthened, and our admit
ration is increased. We cannot but exclaim
with the Psalmist, " The heavens declare
the glory Of God, and the armament shew-
eth his handy work" He, who can behold
these splendid objects of almighty power
with Indifference, must either possess the
GOODNESS Of nddelity, or, in the forcible Ian
guage of our motto, must be mad.
In contemplating the heavens, there is a
pleasure, which, to pious and rejecting
mind, is Tar more pure and sublime, than a.
ny other employment can afford. 1t is a
pleasure derived from the sweets and most
refined affections of the heart from the af-
fections of love, gratitude and devotion.
At the solemn hour of night, when every
breath is peace, and not cloud obscures the
serenity OF the heavens, who can behold the
"blue ETHEREAL sky" spangled with immune
rabie stars,
I" Forever singing as they shine,
| The hand that made us is divine"
without glowing with admiration for won
ders SO magnificent, without feeling adora-
ton for their great Creator!
There is noble pathos in the skies
/ Which warns our passions, proselytcs our
| hearts,
The mind is exalted by their majesty and
enlightened by their splendcr. Imagination
is awakened; and while our eyes are elevat-
ed above the earth, we seem to approach
4 r,oare,. 70 fhs r,resence of that A lniphtv