detestation, or they must not have considered, that the eyes of the Lord are over all the earth, to behold the evil and the good,' else they never could have proceeded to such acts of wickedness. This, then, was their great error! the chief cause of all their misfortunes; they had not the fear of the Lord before their eyes— God was not in all their thoughts.' This is the dangerous shallow on which they, and many others, have suffered shipwreck. To warn you, young men, and your unworthy associate, I have said thus much. Tell him, ah! tell him, and be careful yourselves when you think or talk in future on the untimely fate of these young men, to Beware of the Rock on which they split! and then shall my words not lose their desired effect, nor this BEACON be Erected in Vain. Note.-The conspicuous place which the BEACON occupies in this Number must convince its author. that his labours are far from being disagreeable to the publishers of The CHEAP MAGAZINE. They re turn the Observant Pedestrian their warmest thanks for his obliging communication, and have no doubt but many of their numerous Subscribers, besides, the connexions of David Doubtful and John Careless, will heartily join with them in expressing a wish that they may soon again hear from the same pen. If they may presume to offer advice in any thing, it would be to be a ttle more brief in future; and this is more from a desire not to encroach too much on the pages as signed for the Miscellaneous Department of their work. than from being satiated with a subject so interesting at the present moment, and so much to the purpose as an Introductory Story for their publication, Reflections for the New Year. "These, as they change, Almighty Father these THE Is full of Thee." commencement of a new year must naturally sug gest to a wise man some reflections on the years which are now Row no more, and some anxiety concerning those which are yet to come. If his progress in knowledge and virtue has been in proportion to the opportunities of acquisition, a retrospect of the past must afford the most exquisite satisfaction; and for the future he can entertain no other anxiety than that the years which, as it were, have been habitually devoted to God, may not be lost by the guilt or indiscretion of a moment. A firm belief in a Supreme Being, who is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him, is the actuating His principle of such a man in all the vicissitudes of life. confidence is in the Divine protection, his resignation is in the Divine will, his habitual regard is the Divine pre sence. But to the bulk of mankind, immersed in the cares of business, or the pursuits of pleasure, this veneration of the Divine Being, this confidence in his goodness, and acquiescence in his dispensations, so far from being habitual, seldom form the subject of even a momentary meditation; although there is scarcely an object in the creation, however minute and insignificant it may seem, that does not demonstrate the existence of a God, "Who, high in glory, and in might serene, Sees and moves all, Himself unmov'd, unseen." Nothing can be more evident than that men, as well as whatever else has life, are weak and dependant creatures, that neither gave existence to themselves, nor can preserve it by any power of their own. The beautiful, harmonious, and beneficial arrangement of the various bodies which compose the material system; their mutual dependence and subserviency; the regularity of their motions, and the aptitude of these motions for producing the the most beneficial effects; afford unquestionable evidences of the creating power and wise disposal of an intelligent and almighty Agent. But these are more signally manifested in the structure of the human frame, and in the noble powers and capacities of the human mind, more especially in the moral principles and faculties, which are a distinguishing part of our constitution, and lead to the perception and acknowledgment of the existence and government of God. The admirable and beautiful structure of things for final causes exalts our idea of the Contriver, and the unity of design shows him to be one. The great motions in the system, performed with the same facility as the least, suggest his almighty power; the subtlety of the motions and actions in the internal parts of bodies. shows that his influence penetrates the inmost recesses of things, and that he is equally active and present every where. The simplicity of the laws that prevail in the world, the excellent disposition of things in order to obtain the best ends, and the beauty which adorns the works of nature, far superior to any thing in art, suggest his consummate wisdom. The usefulness of the whole scheme, so well contrived for the intelligent beings that enjoy it, with the internal disposition and moral struc. ture of those beings, shows his unbounded goodness. These are arguments which are sufficiently open to the views and capacities of the unlearned, while at the same time they acquire new strength and lustre from the discoveries of the learned. Since, therefore, God hath called forth his consummate wisdom to contrive and provide for our happiness, and the world appears to have heen constituted with this design at first, so long as this constitution is upholden by him, we must in reason suppose the same design to continue. What, then, can prevent us from entering a New Year with a tranquil mind? leaving events in the hands of that benign superintendant of the universe, who cared for us before we came into existence, and still manifests himself to be no less infinite in goodness than he is almighty in power, and unerring in wisdom. Natural Appearances in January. Stern Winter's icy breath, intensely keen, CIVILIZED nations in general have agreed to date the commencement of the year on the 1st of January, within a few days after the winter-solstice or shortest day, which takes place on the 21st or 22d of December. -In the month of January, the weather in the British islands is commonly either a clear dry frost, or fog and snow, occasionally intermingled with rain. Nothing can be more wonderful than the effects of frost, which, in the space of a single night, stops the running stream in its course, and converts the lake that was curled by every breeze, into a firm plain. This property of frost produces a beneficial effect to the farmer, for the hard clods of the ploughed fields are loosened and broken to pieces by the swelling of the water within them when it freezes, and thus the earth is prepared for receiving the seed in spring. Water from the clouds freezing slowly crystallizes in little icy darts or stars, forming by their assemblage the beautiful flakes of snow. Its whiteness is owing to the smallness smallness of the particles into which it is divided, for ice, when pounded, becomes equally white. Snow is very useful by protecting the plants it covers from the severity of the frost. Hailstones are drops of rain suddenly congealed into a hard mass, so as to preserve their figure. They often fall in warmer seasons of the year, as even then the upper regions of the atmosphere are very cold. When dew or mist freezes, as it frequently does on every object on which it falls, it becomes hoar-frost, producing figures of incomparable beauty and elegance. As the cold of this inclement season advances, the birds collect in flocks, and, rendered bold by want, approach the habitations of man. The wild quadrupeds also are driven from their accustomed haunts; hares enter the gardens to browse on cultivated vegetables, and, leaving their tracts in the snow, are frequently hunted down or caught in snares. The domestic cattle require all the care and protection of the farmer. Sheep are often lost in the sudden storms by which the snow is drifted into hollows, so as to bury them a considerable depth beneath it; yet they have been known to survive many days in this situation. Cows receive their subsistence from the provision of the farmyard; and early lambs and calves are kept within doors, and tended with nearly as much care as the farmer's own children. The plants at this season are defended by nature from the effects of cold. Those called herbaceous, which die dows to the root every autumn, are safely concealed under ground; and the shrubs and trees that are exposed to the open air, have all their soft and tender parts closely wrapped up in buds, which, by their texture, resist the effects of frost. |