names of a Pope and a Dryden, and, in some early instances, even the author of the Night Thoughts! Thus we find this originally divine art often prostituted to the vilest purposes; but shall we, on account of these inexpiable strains, Condemn the Muse that knows her dignity? Rather let us endeavour to restore poetry to that station which it originally possessed. Too long has it worn the insignia of the prince of darkness; it is time that it should return to a higher service. That the use of poetry was divine, can be questioned by none who are acquainted with the sacred Scriptures. There we find specimens of exalted com position, and touches of inimitable skill, written ages before the names of Castalia, Aganippe, or the tunefull Nine were known to song. Bold and inconsiderate, indeed, must he be who ventures indiscriminately to censure that pleasing method of conveying instruction which the Holy Spirit himself has seen fit so frequently to employ. What is better calculated to rouse the dying embers of devotion, and to kindle the flame of zeal, than the enraptured voice of melody? What is better suited to elevate us above the grovelling scenes of time and sense, and to transport us to those regions where we shall sing for ever the "song of Moses and the Lamb?” I would by no means be understood to insinuate that Christianity requires the recommendation of verse, or the elegancies of language. I only lament, with the excellent Dr. Watts, the perversion of an art, which, under the control of reason, and accompanied with the Divine blessing, is eminently calculated to promote the cause of religion and virtue. As this essay is written in defence of sacred poetry, it may not be amiss to remark, that the most ancient compositions which have reached us (with the exception of the Bible, part of which was writ The sacred name Of prophet and of poet was the same. I cannot doubt that poetry was originally instituted for holy uses; and that in progress of time, as the light of Revelation gradually ceased to shine, it assumed a new character, and like most other institutions of Divine appointment, was counterfeited for other pur poses. For what is there in the worship of Jehovah which has not been imitated? Has not the evil spirit his temples, his priests, his sacrifices, and his oracles? Has he not his worshippers in every land? In this system of adoration, music and poetry have always borne a very prominent part, and are attended with no inconsiderable effect; but I cannot avoid remarking how superior, even in this respect, is sacred poetry to profane. Where shall we trace through all the page profane, A livelier pleasure and a purer source Of innocent delight, than the fair book Of Holy Truth presents? For ardent youth The sprightly narrative; for years ma ture The moral document, in sober robe This "Book of Truth" contains materials at once the most curious and instructive. Are we charmed with the histories of past ages, and the narrations of extraordinary events? There we are not only led to converse with the Antediluvian sages, and are made acquainted with the manners and customs of Scenes-in comparison of which the fictitious dreams of the metamorphoses, and the vain Theogony of Hesiod, were they true, would be but uninteresting tales. At the mere intimation of Jehovah's will, a confused and undigested chaos assumes an appearance of the most exquisite symmetry! Heterogeneous substances are divided with infinite skill, and reciprocally operate upon each other with the most beneficial influence to the whole! What a noble subject would this be for a true poet to enlarge upon! Here the liveliest genius might expatiate with the greatest freedom, without in the least degree transgressing the boundaries of truth. The Christian Poet should, indeed, always remember that he stands on holy ground, and that he is not wantonly to rush beyond its limits, to cull flowers which are not congenial with the nature of the soil. Indeed it is not necessary that he should do so, even for the sake of poetical effect. "There is not a greater lie in all the poets," observes Cowley, "than that lying is essential to good Poetry." On subjects unconnected with religion, it is true that this assertion needs modification. A simple statement of the occurrences of common life could hardly excite that liveliness of feeling which it is the peculiar business of poetry to produce. Scenes of dull uniformity must therefore be presented under new aspects, and throug. the medium of exaggeration, and be enlivened by the enchanting hues of fiction. But the Christian poet needs not have recourse to such expedients; if he look into the Sacred Word, he will find it ཏ to be an inexhaustible magazine of poetical elements. Where shall we meet with a detail so affecting as the simple history of Joseph ? What can be more surprising than the events in Egypt, and the passage through the Red Sea ? What astonishing instances of power and providential care mark every step of the Journey through the Wilderness!-instances so astonishing as would appear utterly incredible, were they not recorded in the word of Him who is Truth itself. Nor is the elevated language in which some of these events have been celebrated less worthy of admiration. What are all the feats of Homer's gods and heroes, compared with the wondrous deeds enumerated in the Song of Moses; and what is the language in which they are expressed, to that of the sacred penman? This triumphant song is not only far more sublime than any uninspired writing, but likewise by far the most ancient poetical effusion with which we are acquainted. The retreat of the ten thousand Greeks has always been considered a most arduous enterprise, and remains immortalized by the pen of one of the most elegant writers of antiquity; but when viewed in connexion with the pilgrimage of the children of Israel from Egypt into the land of Canaan, it loses half its interest. Nor is the sacred soil less fertile in subjects for the epic than for the lyric muse. Who is better calculated to be the hero of a poem than Moses or Joshua, Sampson or David? What achievements so glorious as those which they performed, who "through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens ?" The eventful life of the son of Jesse would especially furnish a most noble subject for a divine poem. The fragment of the Davideis, imperfect as it is, and marked with numerous blemishes, affords a specimen of what might be done by a man equal to such a task, and who would devote himself to its performance. It is true that Milton has chosen the loftiest and most august theme. of all; and has built upon it such a monument, as abundantly proves the infinite advantages which a bard, enlightened by Revelation, has over the most exalted of the heathen poets. While, then, we have the works of Milton, (to say nothing of the poetical parts of Scripture itself,) why should we endeavour to persuade ourselves that divine subjects are unsuitable to the genius of poetry? Of the dramatic way of writing also, which has in almost every age been much admired, the Sacred Volume affords some beautiful specimens. The Book of Job partakes much of the nature of a drama. It was in all probability written in verse: but be that as it may, it certainly contains some of the finest and most poetical ideas that language can express. Nothing can equal the dignity of the Almighty's speech from the whirlwind. It is, as Dr. Young expresses it, by much the finest part of the noblest and most ancient poem in the world. Bishop Patrick says, "Its grandeur is so much above all other poetry as thunder is louder than a whisper." Young's own paraphrase is usually, and I think deservedly, considered a beautiful and elegant sketch: even Johnson himself could not help allowing that in this he had very well succeeded. The following lines are an appropriate translation of a most exquisite original: Where didst thou dwell at nature's early birth? Who laid foundations for the spacious earth? Who on the surface did extend the line? Its form determine, and its bulk confine? declare, sannas rung! When shouting sons of God the triumph crown'd! And the wide concave thunder'd with the sound! With what elegance and propriety scriptural facts may be clothed in a dramatic dress, may be seen by consulting Racine and Corneille, or the admired work of Mrs. Hannah More, in the execution of which she has indeed (to use her own words) "reflected with awe that she stood on holy ground," and yet has indulged her imagination in the most useful and interesting excursions. It is a subject of doubt among many serious Christians, whether works of fiction, upon religious subjects, be they prose or verse, have a tendency to promote the interests of religion. If they contain nothing that is wild, extravagant, or romantic-if they preserve throughout an awful regard to the Divine Majesty, and continually inculcate the principles of morality and evangelical obedience-I do not see why they may not be read with profit and advantage. Such writings seem to derive some countenance from Scripture itself. The Book of Job, just mentioned, is, I conceive, a kind of parable, founded upon truth; for, probably, no person will say that all the conferences of Job and his friends, &c. were carried on in the very form and words in which they are related to us. It is sufficient that the general facts be strictly and literally true: as to the form and manner of their relation, they are such as seemed best to the compiler, under the infallible guidance of the Holy Spirit. The same may be also said of those beautiful little poems called the Canticles; though there is undoubtedly a sublime and significant meaning under the veil of the exterior imagery. Again; are we pleased But to select all the elevated passages of the Bible would require a volume. A vein of dignified simplicity runs through every part of it. From its pages some of the most eminent English poets have borrowed not only ideas, but many of their happiest expressions. Dr. Watts tells us, that he thinks nothing is more favourable to the cultivation of poetical genius than the incessant reading of the Prophets. This, in his opinion, is far better than following the counsel which Horace gives us, of turning over day and night the Grecian models. How greatly did an intimate acquaintance with the songs of Sion contribute to the unrivalled excellency of the prince of all poets! That he had such a predilection, he himself has told us: and surely that such a genius should derive his highest gratification from the Oracles of Truth, ought to remove every prejudice that may exist in the mind of any one, as if religion were incapable of being associated with a cultivated taste in all its modifications. As his words strikingly bear upon the point in hand, they may properly form the conclusion of this paper. Yet not the more Cease I to Smit with the love of sacred song; but Thee Sion, and the flowery banks be- That wash thy hallow'd feet and warb. Paradise Lost, book iii. lin. 26—32. CERETICUS. REVIEW OF NEW PUBLICATIONS. Considerations on the Doctrines of the Evangelical Clergy; and on the probable Effects of Evangelical Preaching: a Sermon, preached at Frome, Somerset shire, on Monday, June 2, 1817, at the Visitation of the Rev. Charles Sandiford, Archdeacon of Wells. By the Rev. RICHARD WARNER, Vicar of Norton St.-Philip's, Somerset; and Rector of Great Chalfield, Wilts. With an Introduction and Notes. xii. 66. Bath Cruttwell. pp. London: Longman and Co. The Nature and Tendency of Apostolical Preaching considered: a Sermon preached in the Parish Church of St. Michael, Bath, on Sunday, June the 8th, 1817, for the Benefit of the Bath Infirmary and Dispensary. By WILLIAM DEALTRY, B. D. F. R. S. Rector of Clapham, late Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. pp. iv. 38. 8vo. London: Hatchard. 1817. LE Sage, when insisting upon a point respecting which he found great difficulty in carrying conviction to the minds of his readersnamely, the unparalleled shortness of his own memory-gives us several curious histories of persons labouring under this unhappy malady. To these instances many others might be added. Dr. Priestly states, that he wrote a treatise on light twice over, with an utter forgetfulness of his first essay and we even remember reading of an unfortunate person who retained a faint recollection of having been present at some remarkable siege, but could not possibly recollect whether he was of the number of the besiegers, or of the besieged. But of the various phenomena of this kind, we do not remember to have seen distinctly noticed that very large class of "forgetters," who from day to day continue to urge the very same arguments in the very same spirit and the very same words with their predecessors, in complete inattention to the fact that these arguments have been confuted by every writer upon the subject; and that those who advance them have been challenged again and again, and have shrunk from the challenge, to establish them by a single fact. The sermon of Mr. Warner, for instance, is pointed at what are called the "Evangelical Clergy." He even names one or two individuals as attached to that body, and brings a host of formidable charges against their opinions. Now, the request has more than once been urged, and fair disputants ought to listen to it, that the objectors to the sentiments of these individuals should produce passages from their numerous writings, establishing the charges. But Mr. Warner, though in a far better spirit than many of his fellow soldiers in this singular campaign, forgets every past skirmish and defeat, and returns to the attack, as though no arrow had ever been shot by the enemies, or repelled by the friends, of the class of persons on whom the assault is made. In this state of things we really could scarcely have summoned resolution to enter anew upon this endless contest, and to restate what appears to have been stated a thousand times before with so little effect, but for the singular coincidence presented to us by the publication of the two sermons which we have chosen for the subject of our present criticism. Mr. Warner is a clergyman who would wish to be understood as not to belong to that body of persons called, for the sake of distinction, Evangelical. Mr. Dealtry is also a clergyman who has been very generally considered as associated with that body. These two gentlemen have both written and published sermons on the very same text. That of Mr. Warner was preached on Monday, the 2d of last June; that of Mr. Dealtry, on Sunday, the 8th of June. The sermon of the one evidently could not be, and we have particular reason to believe was not, designed as an answer to the other: and yet, had an answer been specifically intended, the sermon of Mr. Dealtry could scarcely have been better adapted to the purpose. Not the smallest indication appears of his having heard of Mr. Warner's attack, and much less of his intend |