Man as a micro

cosm.

1st. By the air, the type of their distance in spiritual intellect; 2dly. By its own central attractions, and external limits, the types of consciousness of self, and of the limits of natural and moral ability; and 3dly. By the difference in soils, waters, and productions. These are at present unknown to us, but our planet will possess, upon the whole, indications of a balance of some particular temperament, when considered with respect to the other bodies of the system; which will incline to the sanguine, or melancholic, and probably to the choleric, or phlegmatic, in proportion as they are further from, or nearer to the sun, and in proportion as the axis of reason, and the equator of the will and affections, are more or less conformed in perpendicular, and in parallel to the plane of their orbits, and also the same to the homologous parts of the sun; which is the great common standard of right and wrong, to every body in his system; and which temperaments may be termed, the Mercurial, the Martial, the Jovian, the Saturnine, &c.

Again, if any individual man be considered as a microcosm, or little world in himself, (which is not a novel consideration,) he will be found like the terraqueous globe to contain in due proportion, on a minute scale, every kind of soil or temperament blended in himself; from the equator of the heart, or the ardent passions,

and vapourous imaginations of childhood and early youth, to the poles of the rigid, frozen, selfish thoughts and desires of cold, fearful, and melancholy age. All these various temperaments, or climates, and soils, are contained in the child, as well as in the man; in the tender plant, as well as in the full grown tree; but they cannot all be displayed distinctly at once, or developed all together: each has its own particular circle, or dominion, or zone, and they are all brought forward in their due times, in the course of the great annual, or circular period of human life. Thus the angel says to Esdras, chap. v.

"The creature may not hasten above the Maker, neither may the world hold at once all them that shall be created therein," &c. For like as a

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young child may not bring forth the things that belong to the aged, even so have I disposed the world which I have created.”

The above quotation is certainly apocryphal, yet it is so consonant to truth and proportion, that I would quote it, as St. Paul quoted heathen authors to the Athenians, and to Titus, saying, "this witness is true." Yet I confess that it is said in the legend of Tobit, that "Alms doth deliver from death, and shall purge away all sin." Now allowing this to be false doctrine, which it most certainly is, if it is taken literally, yet I do not see any justice in

condemning Esdras for the errors of Tobit. But if by alms be meant charity, or divine love, the true principle of alms, then I would say, that it is the seed of eternal life, and the gift of God, and whenever it is sown in "a good soil," it will produce that fruit, for Christ's sake, and by his power in spite of indwelling sin. For why was David's great sin forgiven? I answer, for Christ's love's sake, and also because his David's heart was generally right with GOD, being full of divine love.* His sin was not the general rule, but an exception to it.

It will, doubtless, strike forcibly on the mind of my readers, that the two great and opposite temperaments of the human soul and body, that is to say, the SANGUINE and the MELANCHOLIC, are displayed with equal force of contrast in the terraqueous globe; for what, in short, can describe them more clearly, than the two opposite and extreme climates, soils, waters, and productions, both vegetable and animal, of the EQUATOR and POLES of the TORRID and of the FRIGID ZONES? The first is ex

"And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves, for charity shall cover the multitude of sins." It is indeed said by some, that charity will cover the sins of others, but not our own sins, before GOD. But what then means this? "And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us." See 1 Peter, ch. iv.; and Luke xi. But this is not legality, or self-righteousness, it is love-the love of God.

treme in heat, light, volutility, rarefaction, mobility, and, in short, in all childish and youthful expression; the latter is equally extreme in cold, darkness, concentration, rigidity, torpidity, in a word, in all male aged, selfish, and melancholic expression. Again, the temperate zone, like firm, decided, vigorous, maturity of reason and sentiment, faith and knowledge, is a just medium between those two extremes; and from the one to the other, there is a continual regular gradation of all things, liable nevertheless, like all earthly things, to occasional exceptions, arising from particular local causes.

Again, if we compare the EAST with the WEST quarters of the globe, we shall find HEAT opposed to COLD, and DRYNESS to MOISTURE, in a general view of comparison; corresponding, though not perhaps in so obvious and selfevident a way, to the CHOLERIC or ARDENT, and PHLEGMATIC, or cold and indifferent temperaments of the human soul and body, as described in section the first.

But though the three zones taken together, do thus exhibit a great, extensive, and accurate view, and lively picture of human nature in its various temperaments, and also of the several seasons of human life, in the three great and general divisions of youth, manhood, and old age; yet this is not the whole of the subject. For each particular zone, and every part of each

zone, docs also display the same similitudes, only on a more minute and particular scale; each part having certain peculiar differences, from every other part, as well as certain general resemblances. Thus they all have their morning, mid-day, evening, and night; they have all their spring, summer, autumn, and winter; but yet there is a difference in heat and cold, light and darkness in each, from the equator to the poles, originating from difference of latitude and longitude, or comparative situation. Hence every zone, every climate, and every degree in every climate, exhibits as true a picture, in proportion to its extent of the same things, as the whole hemisphere, or the whole world, or perhaps the entire solar system.

Now it is evidently the very same in the moral and intellectual world of human nature, as well as in the body of man. Thus every individual, every family, every village or town, province, and kingdom, exhibit the same common and general resemblances, and have their spring, summer, autumn, and winter; that is to say, their infancy, youth, manhood, decline, and old age. Thus the manhood of the individual is the beginning of the infancy of his family; the maturity of his family is, in like manner, the beginning or infancy of a village or tribe; and so on, until they prosper into nations and kingdoms, and at last people a hemi