This, this is love; your fongs, ye angels, join,
Ye angels, wonder at this love divine;
Oh, could my foul each glowing thought improve,
Like you I'd worship, and like you I'd love.
Why points the deift to the hero's death *,
Careless of life, and prodigal of breath?
What tho' midft warring crouds his life he ends,
And dies to fave his country and his friends?
Behold this Lord of life, what love he fhews!
He dies, he suffers, for his greatest foes.
Here while on earth what acts of love he wrought!
'Twas love he practis'd, as 'twas love he taught.
Hear the great Lord of All his orders give,
And teach admiring legions how to live.
While wond'ring crouds the heavenly word admire,
Hang on his lips, and catch his facred fire,
This ardent throng, oh! let me humble join,
Imbibe each accent, make each precept mine,
Deep in my heart sow ev'ry heav'n-born thought,
And strive to practise what my Saviour taught.
"Should mean difdain or infolence of pride,
"Vex thee with curfes, or with fcoffs deride;
"Should thy fierce foe, with never-ceafing ftrife,
"Fix the deep wound, and perfecute thy life,
"Yet then, e'en then-oh, hear the heavenly found!
"Blefs while they curfe, forgive them while they
❝ wound;
"For them with ardor to thy God repair,
For them pour forth the fervent foul in prayer."
* See the frontispiece to Hervey's Meditations.
Can I at this my eager praife with-hold?
Hear this, ye deaf; ye blind in heart, behold!-
Qh, inexhausted love! oh, boundless theme!
That flows for ever one unruffled ftream!
Thy wid'ning prospects, endless lengths I fee,
I look, adore, and lofe myself in thee.
Do thou, my Saviour, Lord of life and love,
Hear my faint voice, oh hear it, and approve.
To thee my lab'ing foul can only raise
Imperfect thoughts, and impotence of praise.
At fight of thee her pow'rs diffolve away,
And faint beneath th' intolerable day.
Oh, fill my foul, my God, with love of thee,
Bright, holy, lafting, ardent let it be.
Give me for man a generous love like thine,
And as its author perfect let it shine.
ON HOSE A XIV. v.
ss I WILL BE AS THE DEW UNTO ISRAEL."
[fhed,
WH
HEN foft'ring dews their moift'ning influence Enfeebl'd nature rears her drooping head; The pregnant bud unfolds its balmy store, And bursting into life, becomes a flower! Thus heavenly grace like foft defcending dews, The feeble foul of man with ftrength renews! Expands the heart where feeds divine are sown, And breathes a life congenial with its own!
On the EXCELLENCE of SACRED POESY.
COULD the mufe now fwell with DAVID's fire, And praife her God with ISRAEL'S facred choir, Extol his greatness in JESSEIAN strains,
O
And found his goodness with the HEBREW (wains!
What bard would bend to great Apollo's fhrine,
Or afk the affiftance of th' inspiring Nine?
No more with pray'rs Parnaffus would refound,
And who would tread on Heliconian ground?
On HOMER'S plumes what bard would wish to foar,
Or hope, on them, fuch giddy heights t' explore?
Those Dædalean wings would prove but vain
To bear the poet through the wide domain.
The Roman lyre would then remain unstrung,
And MARO's work would never more be fung.
HORACE would fleep in everlasting night,
And OVID's fables would contempt excite.
His empty godfhip, Great Olympic Jove,
With all the fabled deities above;
Adult'rous Venus, and Alcides ftrong,
The thunder-forger, and the god of fong,
Would dwell in filence: their celeftial ears
Would reft unweary'd with their vot❜ries pray❜rs.
JEHOVAH's praise should all our harps employ,
Inspire our verse, and elevate our joy;
Still adding wonders to the rifing theme,
For he's a GOD, above the gods, fupreme !
Borne on the plumes of holy rapture's wing,
We'd join the choir where ardent seraphs fing;
With AARON, MIRIAM, and the MAN OF GOD,
Who fmote the sea, and dry'd it, with his rod;
Where JOSHUA, DEB'RAH, and the HOLY KING,
Shout loud HOSANNAHS till the planets ring!
We'd fwell the praises of the blefs'd above,
And ardent ftrive to reach their burning love!
Extol AL-SHADI, and exalt his name,
Chaunt o'er his mercies, and his works proclaim.
O for divine ISAIAH's tuneful tongue!
To fing the bleffings of JEHOVAH'S SON!
To found EMMANUEL's praife thro' worlds unknown,
Until my anthems reach'd his Father's throne!
To fhout forth pardon to returning man,
And tell the glories of redemption's plan!
Declare falvation to a fallen race,
Undone by nature, but reftor'd by grace!
To fing of JESUS, and his wond'rous love!
How he defcended from the realms above!
How he forfook his FATHER'S bleft abode,
Affum'd the Man, disrob'd himself of God!
Of Jews rejected, and by men despis'd,
Who bore their fins, and was for them chaftis'd!
Each nerve fhould join, each faculty rejoice
To praise the SAVIOUR with its strongest voice!
I'd rouze the CHERUB with my ardent fong,
And light fresh fire upon a SERAPH's tongue!
I
!
My matin praises should begin the day,
And end but with the fun's declining ray
But this is blifs too great for man to know,
To fing to God, with angels hymns below!
Let us adore him for his holy law,
And act the precepts which from thence we draw!
With rev'rence read his holy mandate through,
Drink of that balm, and catch that healing dew!
This will at laft exalt our feats on high,
Where we shall praise him through eternity.
All praise and glory unto God belong,
He aids my verfe, 'tis he inspires my song.
ΑΝ ΕΡΙΤΑΡΗ.
SAY
AY, paffing friend, why read the sculptur❜d tomb?
Why view in me thy swift pursuing doom?
Each fleeting moment chides thy longer stay,
And speaks thee mortal, ere it glides away.
I once, like thee, too prodigal of time,
Mif-spent the dawning of life's early prime;
But mighty GRACE my devious fteps purfu'd,
And all the vices of fond youth subdu’d:
In fwift fucceffion, DEATH, with hasty stride,
Soon ftopt the progrefs of life's flowing tide:
With friendly hand confirm'd my fweet employ,
And ftampt immortal all my future joy.
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