The Wilmingtonian., 1823-09-18
ELEGANT EXTRACTS.


ELEGANT EXTRACTS.
Illustration Of the eristence of God
"See here hold Bible in my hand, and
you see the cover, the leaves, the letters,
the words, but you do not see the writer's
or the printer, the letter founder, the ink
maker, the paper maker, or the binder
You never did see them, you never will
see them and yet there is not one of you
who will think of disputing or denying
the being of these men. 60 farther, Il
affirm that you see the very souls Of these
men in seeing this book, and you feel your
selves obliged to allow that, by the con-
trivance, design. memory, fancy, reason,
and so on. In the same manner, if you
see picture. you Judge there was pain
ter; if you see house, you Judge there
was builder of it; and if you see one
room contrived for this purpose and
another for that, door to enter, win
dow TO admit light, chimney to hold
fire, you conclude that the builder was
person of skill and forecast who formed
the house, with view to the accommoda.
tion of its inhabitants. In this manner ex-
anime the world, and pity the man who
when he sees the sign of the wheat-sheaf,
hath sense enough to know that there is
joiner, and somewhere painter, but who,
when he sees the wheat-sheaf itself, is so
stupid as not to say to himself, "ths had
a wise and good creator Hutchinson.
A Tree, the emblem of Life.-"AsI / sat
carelessly at my window and cast my eyes
upon large acacia which grew before me,
l conceived that it might aptly represent
country divided into provinces, towns,
and families. The large branches might
hold out the frst-the smaller branches
connected with them, the secondhand
those combinations of collateral leaves,
which specify the acacia, might represent
families composed of individuals. 1t was
now late in the year, and the autumnal
tlnts had taken possession Of great part
of the tree.
AS | sat looking at it, many of the yel-
low leaves, (Which having been produced
earlier, decayed sooner) were continually
dropping into the lap of their great mother
Here was an emblem of natural decay
the most obvious appearance of mortality
AS continued looking, gentle breez,
rustled among the leaves. Many fell
which in natural course, might have en-
joyed life longer. Here malady was added
to decay.
The blast increased, and every brancl
which presented itself bowed before it,
A shower of leaves covered the ground
The cup oil retribution, said |, is poure,
out upon the people. Pestilence shake
the land. Nature sckens in the gale
They fall by multitudes, Whole famiie
are cut off together.
Among the branches was one entirel
withered. The leaves were shrivelled, We
clinging to it. Here was an emblem q
famine. The nutriment Of life was STOP
ped. Existence was just supported, bu
every form was emaciated and .hrunk.
In the neighbourhood stretched brancl
not only shriyeled and withered, but ha,
ing been more exposed to winds, it wa
almost entirely stripped of its leaves
Here and there hung a solitary leaf iuS
enough TO show that the whole had latel
Deen alive. All said l. here is an en-
aiem of depopulation. Some violent eau,
hath.laid waste the land. Towns and vi
,ages, as well as families are desolated.-
scarcely ten are left alive to bemoan
thousand.
How does every thing around US brin
lis lesson to our minds Nature is In
great book of God In every page is il
straction to those who will read. Mora
ity must claim its due. Death in variou
shapes hovers around us.-'Fhus far wer
tie heafhen moralst. He had learned n
other knowledge from these perishin
forms OF nature, but that men like tree
are subject to death.
Better instructed, learn thou a noble
iesson.-Learn that the God who with Il
blast of winter shrivels the tree, and wi,
the breezes of spring restores it, offers
to thee as an emblem of thy hopes I'll
same God presides over the natural ar
moral world. His works are unilorm.-
Truihs which nature teaches are the trutl
OF revelation also. 1t is written in bo
these books, that the power which reviv
the tree, will revive thee also like it, wi
increasing excellence and improvement,
(,tIui,,