ABSTRACT
The morning shone bright with a summer sun. The trees, though now rich in foliage, were still varied with the fresh hues of spring. The river flashed gaily in the sunbeam; or rolled foaming from the prows of stately vessels, which now veered as in conscious grace, now moved onward as in power without effort, bearing wealth and plenty from distant lands. 172 What heart, that is not chilled by misery, or hardened by guilt, is insensible to the charms of renovated nature? What human heart exults not in the tokens of human power? Mine rejoiced in the splendid scene before me; but it was the rejoicing of the proud, always akin to boasting. ‘How richly,’ I exclaimed, ‘has the Creator adorned this fair dwelling of his children! A glorious dwelling, worthy of the noble creatures for whom it was designed; – creatures whose courage braves the mighty ocean, – whose power compels the service of the elements, – whose wisdom scales the Heavens, and unlocks the springs of a moving universe! And can there be zealots whose gloomy souls behold in this magnificent frame of things, only the scene of a dull and toilsome pilgrimage, for beings wayworn, guilty, wretched?’
