THE CHRISTIAN NATURALIST. 207 



of Christians to hail the advent of that still more glo- 

 rious and solemn period, when to those who look for 

 Him, *' He shall appear the second time without sin 

 unto salvation."* 



In following the course of the seasons it has been 

 the desire of the Christian Naturalist to direct the 

 attention of bis readers to some of those portions of 

 the visible world, which might serve to impress them 

 with a deep sense of the glory and goodness of the 

 great Creator. Each, therefore, of the principal scenes 

 of * the rolling year,* and some of the grander specta- 

 cles of nature, have in their turn been presented to our 

 thoughts, and for awhile detained our musings. We 

 have taken a glance at the stern features of Winter ; 



* There is every reason to believe that this festival is observed 

 at the season when the nativity really happened. St. Chrysostom 

 preached a Homily, A. D. 386, in which he shews by several 

 arguments that the 25th. of December was the true period. 

 These are drawn from the general celebrity which this day had 

 obtained as Christ's natal day from the eai^liest times, and 

 from the clue which he supposes is furnished by Luke i, 

 26. The learned antiquary Selden, published a Treatise to 

 prove the accuracy of this festival, and concludes that the * yearly 

 celebration or memory, continued from the oldest Christian 

 times, has taught us the exact day of the month.' — Selden was 

 one of the lay members of the Westminster Assembly of 

 Divines, in 1643. 



