in regions far distant firom each other, saw in their spirits a capacity for union, ay! and still more, ordained and formed that capacity,-and then, by His providence, caused them to be so educated and prepared as to be more and more suited to each other, and, at length, by wondrous ways and secret workings, so ordered circumstances as at the proper time to bring them into each other's presence and society, when—heart leaped to heart, and their spirits
"Like kindred drops, were melted into one."
And now we come to manhood, mature age,—that period, when the mind and character are developed, and man begins to take his place, and act his part, on the stage of life. This period is life proper; the other periods were but preparations for life; though, indeed, the whole of our existence in this world is intended but as a preparation for an eternal existence in a still higher sphere. Let us, then, contemplate some of the enjoyments life affords, and endeavor at the same time to discern in the midst of them the All-bountiful Hand that is supplying them.
We have already dwelt upon the enjoyments of domestic life, the delights of conjugal and parental affection, which, when elevated by religious principle, form, indeed, the solid basis of all social happiness. We proceed, therefore, to consider other sources of happiness. And among these, we shall—perhaps to the surprise of some—assign the first place to a man's profession, his office, his regular occupation and work in the world. It is too common, at the present day, for men to consider the duties of their profession or regular occupation as a task, as drudgery, to be got
