'And God said, let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit-tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

'And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

'And the evening and the morning were the third day.'

"You will observe, my children," said Mr. M. “that on the second day there was a division of the waters of the globe. A part of them rose into the atmosphere or firmament, and remained there in the form of vapor and clouds. But another and still greater part remained behind mingled in with the matter of the earth.

"Now, on the third day, God proceeded to separate these waters which remained under the firmament, from the more solid materials.

"At his command, the waters rolled into the beds or basins prepared for them, thus forming the mighty oceans. At the same time dry land appeared, with its mountains and hills, its plains and vallies."

"Father," asked Harriet, "is it known, why there is so much more surface of water than of land, on the globe?"

"The whole surface of the globe," said Mr. M. " contains about two hundred millions of square miles; about three quarters of which are water, and about one quarter land.

"We cannot doubt, that God had wise reasons for fixing these proportions, as he has. The Bible intimates, that all things pertaining to the earth were arranged, with great exactness. He hath measured (Isaiah xl, 12.) the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with a span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance.'

"But I think we can assign a good reason, why there is so much more water than land, viz., that there may be vapor and rain enough to water the earth."

"I do not understand you father," said James. "Well, I will endeavor to explain myself. From all parts of the earth and the ocean, vapor is constantly rising. This vapor forms clouds and descends in rain-sometimes in dew. But for this evaporation,

as it is called, or ascent of vapor, we should have no rain, and of course no vegetation.

"Now, were there but half the sea that now is, there would be only one half the quantity of vapor-but half the quantity of rain-but half so many rivers; and yet the quantity of land would be much increased. Hence vegetation would suffer.”

"I should never have thought of such a reason. said Harriet," and yet it now seems quite rational." "Father," asked Thomas, "was the sea created salt?"

"Probably it was," said Mr. M. "May I ask why ?”

"To keep it pure and wholesome. But for its saltness, and continual agitation, it would become putrid."

"Is the bottom of the ocean level?"

"It is very far from being level," said Mr. M. "It is supposed to be almost, perhaps quite as uneven, as the surface of the land."

"How deep is the ocean?" asked Sophia.

"Its depth is not known. It has never been sounded beyond a mile and sixty-six feet; yet, it is thought that in some places it may be five or six miles deep."

Said Thomas," father, I should think that the sea would run over, so many large rivers are constantly pouring their waters into it."

"But you forget, my child, that the sun and the wind dry up the waters of the ocean, as fast as the rivers discharge their waters into it."

"Oh! yes, I now understand-the ocean supplies the vapor, which forms clouds-the clouds produce rain, which form the rivers, and the rivers return it again to the ocean."

"Exactly so," said Mr. M. "The Bible tells us that all the rivers run into the sea, and yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers came, thither do they return again.""

But," said James, "I have thought of a question. If the waters of the ocean were all gone, how long would it take the rivers, which now flow into it, to fill it ?"

"Mr. Dick, in his Christian Philosopher, says that it would require more than twenty thousand years." "Such an immense body of water, I should think," said Harriet, "would sometimes break forth and again drown the world."

You recollect what 'Hitherto shalt thou

"It would do so, my child, were it not kept within its bounds by the power of God. is said in Job. (xxxviii, 10.) come, but no farther and here shall thy proud waves be stayed.'

"The ocean is at all times, a magnificent object. When we stand on the sea shore, and cast our eyes over the expanse of its waters, we see less than a hundred thousandth part of the whole. How would it appear could we see it all at a single view? How does it appear-how wild, terrific, sublime, when its billows have been raised by the tempest. How little does man then appear to himself-how omnipotent HE, who controls its noisy and raging waters as easily as he does the atom that floats on the breeze.

"The earth was now dry-but it was a barren ball. The Holy Spirit had moved upon it, and rendered it capable of producing vegetation; but as yet no vegetation existed. It was now that God issued his command, and grass, and trees, and plants, and flowers suddenly sprung into existence."

"Were they full grown when produced?" asked

James.