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Now my harp of Elohim!
Sing the fweets of Shufannim
Let the lillies droop and figh;
Let the roles blush and die:
Walk in brightness, friendly moon :
Pour, O fun, the liquid noon :
Gibeon and Ajalon's vale

Bade your halting chariots hail :
Circle, Chemoth†! every sphere,
Measure heav'n's eternal year :-
Gebor+ iffue from the east
Glittering in thy bridal veft...

Praise to Jehovah in the fires! in thine
Thou giant fun! fee, from his gaudy chamber
Opening a little eye of heaven, he chafes
Spirits of darknefs-dawning now he gilds
The fringes of a cloud-o'erpeeps the hills,
Thrufting his golden horns, like thofe, which deck'd
The brow of Mofes forc'd to wear a veil,
Because himself had feen the face of God.
He faw in wisdom's vivifying glass

The new born fun courfing the garnish'd heavens.
The ferpent's dragon wing--the buxom air
Swaddling the multitudinous abyss;

At this vaft picture of almighty mind

Shout all the fons of God and man for joy.

Ceafe ye from man-a cherub's tongue hath flain

That image fair of God's eternity.

Ceafe ye from joy-unlefs, an happier train
Of flaming cherubs tear him from the sky.
Shall beauty breathe in curfes? and infold
An hollow heart beneath a polish'd skin ?
Shall Eden bloom with vegetable gold
And all be unfubftantial sponge within ?
Earth! hide thy bloody fins two thousand years,
Thy fhame, O Sodom! and Gomorrah! thine:
The clouds fhall weep in univerfal tears,
And flames of anger purge your droffes fine.

Wrath is past-the welcome dove

Full of tremour, full of love,

Bears a branch to Noah bleft,

Arar heaves his ark to reft.

• Shufhannim-The Lillies. See Title of Pfalm 45. "To the Giver of the Victory, concerning the Lillies." The emblematical white and pure Believers. The Title of the 60th Pfalm is in the fingular "ol Shufhen, concerning the Lilly:" i. e. the pure Anointed. Parkhurft's Heb. Lexic, on the Word Shefh-'

:

+ Chemosh and Gebor-Hebrew names, expreffing the different powers of the Sun. See 2 Kings, xxiii. 13. and Pfalm xix. 5.'

Mofes

Mofes floating on the Nile,
Saw the royal daughter smile.
Come from Egypt, lovely fon!
Half thy glories are begun.
Sinai thunders with her God-
Shepherd wave thy magic rod-
Range thy feeble flock around,
Angels tremble at the found.'

'Tis done-retire-" This is no mortal bufinefs,
Nor no found that the earth owns."

ART. III. The Dialogues of Eumenes; or the Religion of the Heart, diftinguished from that Attachment to mere Modes, which too frequently deforms the Chriftian Temper. Small 8vo. Bristol printed, and fold by Dilly, &c. London. 1779.

THE

3 s. fewed.

HE celebrated Mr. Hervey fucceeded fo well in his attempts to unite the flowers of poetry with the thistles of theological controverfy, in his Dialogues between Theron and Afpafio, as to introduce among the modern puritans a tafte for the gaudy and brilliant in writing, and a fondness for religious books of entertainment, which was unknown to their ancestors. In conformity to this tafte, the Author of this work conveys his opinions and ideas refpecting religion in the vehicle of fiction; fometimes relating his tale in language exceedingly familiar and colloquial; and at other times rifing, on a fudden, into a kind of flowery and measured profe, which, to give it more completely the air of poetry, the printer has difpofed in lines of different lengths.

In the course of thefe Dialogues, we find a great variety of fubjects occafionally touched upon, in a manner which proves the Writer, notwithstanding his occafional cenfures of Wafley, to be in reality no enemy to the leading tenets, or ftranger to the characteristic fpirit, of Methodifm. The religion of the heart, which it is the profeffed intention of the work to recommend, in contradiftinction to the mere obfervance of external forms, doth not, according to our Author, confit in thofe fixed principles and fettled habits of piety and virtue, which are the foundation of a valuable moral character, but in certain ardent emotions and paffions, perpetually excited in the mind by acts of devotion, in the continual exercise of humiliation and penitence for fin, and of reliance on the merits of Chrift for falvation. A view of religion, which at the fame time that it encourages every folly of enthufiafm, is unfavourable to the interefts of genuine virtue, by leading men to fubftitute affection for principle, and emotion for action.-Of the general strain and spirit of this work, the following dialogue between Eugenius and Dame Jenkins, will give our Readers fome idea:

"Dear

"Dear Sir, why you feem to think that my religion, after all, is doubtful! O, Sir, do fpeak out! What is your real opinion?" "Really, Dame, I fear it is."

"Dear Sir! What do you think then that poor folks can do! How is it poffible that we can be saved ?"

"As eafy," faid Eugenius," perhaps more easy, for the poor than the rich."

But, Sir, how can that be? The rich may not only go to church to hear the fermon on Sundays; but they may have time to go to prayers on Wednesdays and Fridays, and indeed every faints-day in the year if they will. And befides, you know, Sir, they may be very charitable, as Sophron is, and do a great deal of good to all about them. And therefore, rich folks have greatly the advantage of the poor, in religion as well as in every thing else."

"They have indeed, faid Eugenius, in many outward things, at leaft; but, in religion, there is only one foundation for the rich and the poor

"But," faid the old Lady, interruping Eugenius, "you seem to be for destroying the very foundation itself! And what then can any of us do!"

"By no means, Dame Jenkins. Other foundation can no man lay, than that which is laid, which is JESUS CHRIST. And to him I would direct you, and all others, rich and poor, bond and free, young and old; for, in this refpect, there is no difference., Nor is there any other name by which any of us can be faved.”

"Yes, Sir, to be fure CHRIST is our only Saviour. And was I not baptized into his name, and grafted into the body of his church ? You don't fuppofe furely that I think there is any other Saviour! No, no, Sir, then I fhould not be a Chriftian!"

"But yet I am really afraid," faid Eugenius, "that you may have too great a dependence on the mere forms of religion; and I could wish you to attend more to the true fpirit and power of it. The religion of JESUS is a living principle in the foul; it takes hold on the heart; it fubdues every high and vain thought, and brings it into fubjection to the law of GoD, and the law of faith; it is the kingdom of GOD within us; nay, it is CHRIST himself in us the hope of glory."

"Indeed, Sir, I don't know what to say to this hidden religion you talk of. It may do well enough, perhaps, for rich folks, and fcolards and minifters; but I don't think that we poor folks know much about it."

"I am forry for that, indeed," faid Eugenius," for I cannot but think this part of religion much adapted to the circumftances of the poor. It is that part in which they may, and do often, excel. They have it not in their power, as you justly obferve, to recommend their religion by fo conftant an attendance on the outward forms of it; and still lefs to exemplify it in works of charity and benevolence. But in the devotion of their hearts to GOD, and in the exercises of repentance and faith, they may be as eminent as any of their rich neighbours. This, Dame Jenkins, is the religion of the heart, and without this, whatever you may think of it, you cannot be a real Chriftian."

"Repentance! furely, Sir, you can't fuppofe that we, who never committed fin, are to exemplify or recommend our religion by repentance? No, no, CHRIST came, you know, not to call the juft and the righteous, such as we who have no need of it, but finners to repentance!"

"And do you really think," faid Eugenius, "that you never committed any fin! Pray think a little before you give me a pofitive answer."

"Dear Sir, my neighbours will all anfwer for me. I was never accounted a finner, I believe, by any of them; and why should you think me fo?"

"I have all the reason in the world," faid Eugenius,

to think

you á finner; for there is no man that liveth, and finneth not. We are indeed all of us finners; and except we repent we must all perish."

"Yes, if I had committed any great fin, it would be my duty to repent; but, as that is not the cafe, I don't see the neceffity of repentance."

"You feem to allow then," faid Eugenius," that you may have committed fome little fins."

"Yes," fays the old lady," poffibly I may, however I cannot recollect any juft now; and I think I am as free from fin as any one I know."

“That may be," faid Eugenius," and yet were you to die in your prefent frate, I am much afraid, all your religion, and all your goodness would leave you far fhort of the kingdom of heaven!"

"Pray, Sir," faid the old lady, with fome degree of afperity, "What reafon have you to think fo hard of me?"

"My dear Dame Jenkins," faid Eugenius," it appears to me that you never yet experienced a real change of heart,-that you were never yet convinced of fin,-never yet truly forry for it; that you never yet faw your need of CHRIST,-never yet clofed in with that way of falvation which God hath graciously revealed in the gospel ; and therefore I tell you, for I fee I must be plain with you, that, notwithstanding all your ftrictnefs in attending to the forms of religion, you have indeed lived without God in the world; and I must add, fhould you die in fuch a ftate, you cannot escape the juft judgment of hell!"

"Dear Sir," faid the old lady, -If it be fo, what can I do!"

“Your words make me tremble!

If the Author had intended to place the whole doctrine of heart-experience, fo much infifted upon by writers of this ftamp, in the light of ridicule, he could not have done it more effectually than in the following converfation between Sufanna and Margaret:

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Well," fays Sufanna, pray what is the matter?-I have always thought you to be a very good fort of a woman, and that you got above all these fcruples long before now!"

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"No, indeed, I have not," replied Margaret, "I am as much, if not more difcouraged than ever.'

Rav. Aug. 1779.

H

"But

"But tell me, Margaret, what is the reafon of your difcouragement. Be free, open your mind, it may be fome relief to you. Pray, how long have you been in this low way?'

O, Sufanna," faid Margaret," I have been in a barren frame for a long time, indeed! but it was not till about two years ago that I found the true caufe of it.".

"And pray, what do you suppose to be the true caufe of it, Margaret ?"

"I thought to have told it to Philander feveral times, but, as often as I had an opportunity to do it, my heart failed me; and I have kept it to myself till now."

"But," faid Sufanna," do tell me what it is."

"Well, if I must tell you, though I am afhamed that any body fhould know it. It is because I do not love milk!"

"Because you do not love milk? Pray what has this to do with the state of your foul, and your progrefs in religion?"

"O, Sufanna! I think it has a great deal to do with it. One Sunday evening I opened my Bible on the fecond chapter of the first epiftle of Peter, and I read," If fo be ye have tafted that the LORD

is gracious; as new-born babes defire the fincere milk of the word, "that ye may grow thereby." The words ftruck me to the very heart, for it immediately came into my mind that my mother had told me, he could never get me to touch the breast; and that, as long as I could remember, I had never tasted a drop of milk. This, thought I, is the caufe why I have never gained any degree of ftrength and stability in religion. From this time I tried by all means to get the better of my natural averfion; but all in vain. And as this is the cafe, and if there be any meaning in the apostle's words, how can I expect to grow thereby !"

"I must confefs," faid Sufanna, "that my gift does not much lie in explaining difficult paffages of fcripture, but I am ready to think you mult certainly mittake the meaning. I would have you mention it to Philander, I don't doubt but he will clear up the matter, to your fatisfaction, much better than I can pretend to."

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Well, fays Margaret, I will take courage, and endeavour to do it the first opportunity; for, I do affure you, it hangs very heavy on my mind."

After thefe fpecimens of the familiar, our Readers will be furprised to find that the fame work affords examples of the fublime from a moft magnificent defcription of the day of judgment given in the laft dialogue, we fhall felect the following paffage:

B. this time the tempeft, black and dreadful, beyond defcription, driven by the awful frown of the incensed judge had nearly reached the callern horizon, and feemed to fink with increafing hor-. rors into the Tartarian gulf, the place affigned to the devil and his angels, by the unchanging decree of the great JEHOVAH.

I law, and trembled -!

Down! down they fell!

All nature felt the thock !

Earth, from its inmoft center, fhook!

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