A pleasing vision! could we thus be sure Polluted souls would be at length so pure;

The view is happy, we may think it just,

It

may be true-but who shall add it must? To the plain words and sense of sacred writ, With all my heart I reverently submit ;

But where it leaves me doubtful, I'm afraid

To call conjecture to my reason's aid;

Thy thoughts, thy ways, great God! are not as mine, And to thy mercy I my soul resign.

Jews are with us, but far unlike to those,

Who, led by David, warr'd with Israel's foes;
Unlike to those whom his imperial son
Taught truths divine-the preacher Solomon:
Nor war nor wisdom yield our Jews delight;
They will not study, and they dare not fight, (2)
These are, with us, a slavish, knavish crew,

Shame and dishonour to the name of Jew;

The poorest masters of the meanest arts,

With cunning heads, and cold and cautious hearts;
They grope
their dirty way to petty gains,
While poorly paid for their nefarious pains.
Amazing race! deprived of land and laws,
A general language, and a public cause;
With a religion none can now obey,
With a reproach that none can take away :

A people still, whose common ties are gone;

Who, mix'd with every race, are lost in none.

What said their prophet ?—“ Shouldst thou disobey, "The Lord shall take thee from thy land away;

"Thou shalt a by-word and a proverb be,

"And all shall wonder at thy woes and thee;
"Daughter and son shalt thou, while captive, have,
"And see them made the bond-maid and the slave;
"He, whom thou leav'st, the Lord thy God, shall bring
"War to thy country on an eagle-wing:

"A people strong and dreadful to behold,
"Stern to the young, remorseless to the old;
"Masters whose speech thou canst not understand,
"By cruel signs shall give the harsh command:
"Doubtful of life shalt thou by night, by day,
"For grief, and dread, and trouble pine away;

"Thy evening-wish,-Would God! I saw the sun;

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Thy morning-sigh,-Would God! the day were done.

"Thus shalt thou suffer, and to distant times

"Regret thy misery, and lament thy crimes." (3)

A part there whom doubtless man might trust,

are,

Worthy as wealthy, pure, religious, just;

They who with patience, yet with rapture look
On the strong promise of the sacred book:
As unfulfill'd th' endearing words they view,

And blind to truth, yet own their prophets true;

Well pleased they look for Sion's coming state,
Nor think of Julian's boast and Julian's fate. (4)

More might I add; I might describe the flocks
Made by seceders from the ancient stocks;
Those who will not to any guide submit,
Nor find one creed to their conceptions fit—
Each sect, they judge, in something goes astray,
And every church has lost the certain way;
Then for themselves they carve out creed and laws,
And weigh their atoms, and divide their straws.
A sect remains, which though divided long

In hostile parties, both are fierce and strong,

And into each enlists a warm and zealous throng.

Soon as they rose in fame, the strife arose,

The Calvinistic these, th' Arminian those;

With Wesley some remain'd, the remnant Whitfield chose.

Now various leaders both the parties take,

And the divided hosts their new divisions make.
See yonder preacher! to his people pass,
Borne up and swell'd by tabernacle-gas;
Much he discourses, and of various points,
All unconnected, void of limbs and joints;
He rails, persuades, explains, and moves the will,
By fierce bold words, and strong mechanic skill.
"That Gospel, Paul with zeal and love maintain'd,
"To others lost, to you is now explain'd;

"No worldly learning can these points discuss,
"Books teach them not as they are taught to us;
"Illiterate call us! let their wisest man

"Draw forth his thousands as your teacher can:
“They give their moral precepts; so, they say,
"Did Epictetus once, and Seneca ;

"One was a slave, and slaves we all must be, "Until the Spirit comes and sets us free.

"Yet hear you nothing from such men but works;

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They make the christian service like the Turks'. "Hark to the churchman: day by day he cries, "Children of men, be virtuous and be wise; “Seek patience, justice, temp'rance, meekness, truth ; "In age be courteous, be sedate in youth.'— "So they advise, and when such things be read, "How can we wonder that their flocks are dead? "The heathens wrote of virtue, they could dwell “On such light points: in them it might be well, They might for virtue strive; but I maintain, “Our strife for virtue would be proud and vain. "When Samson carried Gaza's gates so far,

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"Lack'd he a helping hand to bear the bar?
"Thus the most virtuous must in bondage groan :
"Samson is grace, and carries all alone. (5)

"Hear you not priests their feeble spirits spend, "In bidding sinners turn to God, and mend;

"To check their passions and to walk aright,
"To run the race, and fight the glorious fight?
"Nay more to pray, to study, to improve,
"To grow in goodness, to advance in love?

“Oh! babes and sucklings, dull of heart and slow, "Can grace be gradual? Can conversion grow? "The work is done by instantaneous call; "Converts at once are made, or not at all;

Nothing is left to grow, reform, amend;

"The first emotion is the movement's end:

"If once forgiven, debt can be no more;
"If once adopted, will the heir be poor?
"The man who gains the twenty-thousand prize,
"Does he by little and by little rise?

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"There can no fortune for the soul be made,
"By peddling cares and savings in her trade.
"Why are our sins forgiven ?-Priests reply,
- Because by faith on mercy we rely ;
"Because, believing, we repent and pray.'—
"Is this their doctrine?—then they go astray:
"We're pardon'd neither for belief nor deed,
"For faith nor practice, principle nor creed;
"Nor for our sorrow for our former sin,
"Nor for our fears when better thoughts begin;
"Nor prayers nor penance in the cause avail,
"All strong remorse, all soft contrition fail ;

VOL. II.

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