begotten of him." 1 John v. 1. Upon no point of duty have the Scriptures laid greater stress.* And he who intelligently_cherishes this love, will act out all the other duties of the relation. For being a Christian love, it will lead its subject to seek the spiritual good of the brotherhood, which is its essential design. If it be asked, how can I do my part in securing this end, the answer may be found in the very nature and arrangements of the Church for promoting the object of its institution: such as its places "for assembling together," its officers, its ordinances, and means of various kinds. For in proportion as we promote the efficiency and success of these, do we discharge an important part of the duty of this relation. Obviously then, we must give a personal attendance upon the services of the church. The early Christians "continued steadfastly in the Apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and prayers," "not forsaking the assembling of themselves together as the manner of some is.' We need also to be much in secret prayer that these means of grace may be effectual in accomplishing their ends. Hardly any injunction is more earnestly urged in the Scriptures than "brethren pray for us, that the word of God may have free course, and be glorified." We may, too, "exhort one another daily," as opportunity is afforded, and circumstances may justify. "The strong must bear the infirmities of the weak." "If one be overtaken with a fault, they which are spiritual must restore such a one in the spirit of meekness." And "avoiding all root of bitterness," and "as much as lieth in us living peaceably with all men," we must sustain in all proper ways the discipline of the church. How invaluable a relation must that be which involves such duties, even though it should secure no temporal advantages.

The relation, however, involves the further obligation of kindness. "Be ye kind one to another," "pitiful, courteous," are among the requirements. This is the more necessary because of the various distinctions that necessarily obtain in this world. We need all to continually remember that, in the sight of God, all are on a common level so far as moral character is concerned. The mere artificial distinctions of society will soon be laid aside, and we shall enter the other world as naked as we came into this. The illustration of Paleyt

It seems hardly necessary to allude to the passages. "This is my commandment, that ye love one another." By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another" The Saviour calls this "the first and great commandment." The apostle Paul styles it "the law of Christ"-James, "the royal law"-and John says, "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren."

66 A party of friends setting out together upon a journey, soon find it to be best for all sides, that while they are upon the road, one of the company should wait upon the rest, another ride forward to seek out lodging and entertainment, a third carry the portmanteau, a fourth take charge of the horses, a fifth bear the purse, conduct, and direct the route; not forgetting, however, that, as they were equal and independent when they set out, so they were all to return to a level again at their journey's end. The same regard and respect; the same forbearance, lenity, and reserve in using their service; the same mildness in delivering commands; the same study to make their journey comfortable and pleasant, which he whose lot it was to direct the rest, would, in common decency, think himself bound to observe towards them, ought we to show to those, who, in the casting of the parts of human society, happen to be placed within our power, or to depend upon us."-Paley's Mor. Phil., Book iii. Chap. 2.

places this matter in its true light, and shows how we may live together in the various relations of life as Christian brethren, showing all kindness and courtesy to superiors, inferiors, and equals, without in the least interfering with distinctions which obtain in society.

N.. R. S.

THE LESSONS OF ECLIPSES.

AN eclipse is a notable event in the natural world. Attractive variety is associated with the uniformity of its phenomena. Not only do different parts of the earth witness different phases of the same eclipse, but every part witnesses at various times eclipses which are marked by peculiarities. The writer can never forget the surprise that overwhelmed him, when travelling along in forgetfulness of almanacs, at the sight of a new moon in the east. On that splendid summer's evening, the full moon had risen eclipsed; and although the only possible explanation almost immediately suggested itself, yet the feeling of wonder overbore for some time every other. Eclipses do not happen so often as to become common; nor are their appearances so uniform as ever to become uninteresting. There is diversity in their unity, as well as similarity in their variety. What are some of the lessons of eclipses?

I. Eclipses BRING GOD PROMINENTLY TO VIEW. We mean in his personal relations to his creatures. Where is the individual that has not been awe-struck by the changing light and form of the great heavenly luminaries? There is a solemnity during an eclipse which goes to the intellect and the heart of mankind. God's agency in the government of the universe receives an homage rarely felt at other seasons. There is no speech or language where the voice of such phenomena is not heard. Like the flash of lightning, or the rolling thunder, or the terrific tempest, or the volcano, or earthquake, an eclipse is a messenger that God is near. I feel thy presence, Lord, in the power that veils the greater and the lesser light. Thou who didst set them in the heavens, and me upon the earth, rulest us all with Almighty power!-Surely no rational creature can avoid acknowledging his relations to a Supreme Being in the sight of these majestic signs on high. An eclipse confronts atheism with a frown of awe, and preaches God "with words to the end of the world." Its evidence is intuitive; mankind see, believe, and feel.

II. Eclipses show the ORDER AND STABILITY OF THE UNIVERSE. The solar system is arranged upon a regular plan, comprehending many adjustments to secure its stability. Disturbing forces are constantly at work. These very disturbing forces, however, are marshalled VOL. I.-No. 10.

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into general laws, which restore the equilibrium; and thus the eccentricities, or incidental aberrations of a plan of many parts are controlled into provisions for its perpetuity. Such a coincidence of adjustments has been demonstrated by Laplace to be the result of design and not of accident; and he has proved, to use his own language, that "the secular inequalities in the motions of the planets are periodical, and included within narrow limits; so that the planetary system will only oscillate about a mean state, and will never deviate from it except by a very small quantity."* Now the occurrence of eclipses affords frequent opportunities of testing the mechanism of the heavens. Like the clockmaker, who looks at his clocks from time to time, and hears them strike the hour, and thus determines their accuracy, so the astronomer, observing the dial plate of the firmament, finds every motion and every shadow correct, and thus verifies from time to time, and from age to age, the regularity and stability of the movements of the heavenly bodies. It is clear that eclipses could not be predicted, if there were no order and permanence in the system.

"Upholding all things by the word of His power," is the secret of the harmony of the universe. Why do shadows only come in contact with the heavenly bodies, whilst the bodies themselves maintain the distances prescribed by original laws? The complicated elements of eclipses have been axioms from eternity in the mind of the Divine Architect. Every thing testifies to order and stability-to the never slumbering activities of an Omnipotent Providence. He who numbers the hairs of our heads, numbers to a hair's breadth the lines of obscuration in every eclipse, and threads out in infinite space the pathway of every world.

III. Another suggestion of an eclipse is THE POWER AND THE CREDIBILITY OF SCIENCE. The achievements of physical force, though sometimes stupendous, yield in grandeur and effect to the achievements of mind. The telescope as far excels the spade as a predicted eclipse is a work above a canal. Science gains a wonderful triumph when it can reach forth into empty space, and trace the sun, moon, and stars in their courses. That eclipse was foretold with mathemetical accuracy years before its time; and all that ever have been in centuries past, or will be in centuries to come, can be wrought out with the same unerring certainty. Not only can the time be determined, but the quantity of the eclipse at any given place, and the whole characteristics of its course in relation to the earth. Diagrams can be made in advance with a precision border

*The laws of motion alone will not produce the regularity which we admire in the motions of the heavenly bodies. There must be an original adjustment of the system on which these laws are to act; a selection of the arbitrary quantities which they are to involve; a primitive cause, which shall dispose the elements in due relation to each other, in order that regular recurrence may accompany constant change; that perpetual motion may be combined with perpetual stability; that derangements which go on increasing for thousands or for millions of years may finally cure themselves; and that the same laws which lead the planets slightly aside from their paths, may narrowly limit their deviations, and bring them back from their almost imperceptible wanderings.Whewell.

ing on that of the daguerreotype. Astronomy has a scroll of knowledge almost prophetic, and its monuments of glory shine in the firmament from moon to sun, and from star to star.

Eclipses render important aid to science in proving to the popular mind that astromomy with all its revelations can be relied upon. When the announcement is made that the distance of the sun from the earth is 95,000,000 miles, and that of the moon 240,000, &c. &c., mankind would be incredulous, were there not some positive and ocular proof that such statements can be believed. But the astronomer takes these distances in connection with the magnitudes, velocities, courses, &c., of the heavenly bodies, and going through a long process of calculation, says: "Observe your watch on the 6th day of January, 1852, at twenty minutes after 11 o'clock at night, and at that time precisely a total eclipse of the moon will commence; the total darkness will extend from 20 minutes after 12 to 58 minutes after 1 o'clock on the 7th; and the eclipse will end at 58 minutes after 2 o'clock." The public find every declaration verified, and are then ready to believe all the teachings of this wonderful science. Positively we know. of no other way by which astronomical skepticism could have been so thoroughly removed from the popular mind. The mass of mankind could not have been brought, without such demonstrations, to believe in these enormous distances, velocities, and magnitudes. But now all intelligent people, capable of yielding to proof, readily acquiesce; and no principles are more universally admitted than the principles of astronomy. IV. Eclipses answer IMPORTANT SCIENTIFIC PURPOSES. For example, they may be used in determining longitude. The exact instant of immersion or emersion, seen by two distant observers, enables them to compare their difference of time, and, of course, to determine their difference of longitude. If an eclipse occurs according to the almanac at London, at 12 o'clock, and it is seen by a mariner at 11 o'clock, then he is 15 degrees west of London. Eclipses are of great use in determining lunar irregularities—a problem among the most troublesome in physical astronomy; and the solution of it has other interesting bearings with reference to the mutual action of the planets upon the earth and moon. One of the most ancient Babylonian observations of a lunar eclipse enabled Dr. Halley to detect the lunar irregularity termed the acceleration. Various interesting speculations respecting the atmosphere of the sun and of the earth, the composition of the moon, the velocity and refraction of light, &c., are aided by the observation of eclipses. An eclipse of the moon presents to the eye a beautiful confirmation of the earth's rotundity. Eclipses also prove that the sun is larger and the moon smaller than the earth. We have before referred to the general demonstration of the truth of astronomical calculations which eclipses afford.

Astronomers have always taken a great interest in making observations on these celestial phenomena. Hence expeditions were recently fitted out to take positions within the penumbra of the late

eclipse of the sun. The accompanying diagrams give some of the results of the observations, which are interesting and useful.

Fig. 1. Appearance of rays of light shooting off as tangents to the moon's limb at the cusps.

Fig. 2. Shows the luminous beads, just before total eclipse, supposed to be the effect of sunshine between peaks and along valleys in the moon.

Fig. 3. Rose coloured prominences, 30 seconds before re-appearance of the sun. Also, the corona, or ring of light, like tarnished silver.

Fig. 4. Shows the beads at the end of the total eclipse. [The above as seen in Sweden.]

V. The calculation of eclipses has contributed to THE ADVANCEMENT OF KNOWLEDGE AND RELIGION AMONG MEN. Astrology has ceased to exercise its potent spell since science has broken its wand. Even as late as 1652, Evelyn observes in his diary, "April 29. To-day was that celebrated eclipse of the sun, so much threatened by the astrologers, and which had so exceedingly alarmed the whole nation, that hardly any one would work, nor stir out of their houses. So ridiculously were they abused by ignorant and knavish star-gazers." In preceding periods, eclipses were associated with all sorts of superstitions and terrors; such as that the gods were making mysterious demonstrations, that a serpent was swallowing the sun or moon, &c. We can hardly estimate the panic occasioned