ART. II. The Jewish Bard. In Four Odes, to the Holy Mountains. By John Wheeldon, A. M. Rector of Wheathamstead, Herts, and 13. Goldfmith. 1779. Prebendary of Lincoln. 4to.

HERE, with no common flight, Urania foars

Up to the holy mountains, and from Horeb,
From Hermon, Carmel, Tabor, pours fuch strains,
As fait not mortal tongues to utter,

Nor mortal ears to hear.

Perchance, above, around, these holy mountains,
Is found that "brightest heaven of invention,"
To which the Avon bard long fince aspired :
And there the "Mufe of fire" fits on a cloud,
From whence the looks difdain on things below.
It may be fo-but what can mortals know?
Such dazzling light! "Oh, 'tis too much for man!”
I faint beneath ** th' intolerable day,"

And "drink amazement at this fource of light."

But hark! the fings! From Horeb burfts the mighty found! Mortals attend, and wonder! for wonder

Much ye may, but must not understand.

Jehovah reigns! awake my harp of Salem!
Hail, everlafting mountains! holy hills!
And hallow'd streams!-Apollo never here
Rock'd a young poet on his golden lyre,
Foft'ring the feeds of fancy. Say, ye swans
Of Greece and Mantua! how a Cherub fings.
Ye faint-ye faulter-lead them on, my eagle,
Deep in the glorious circle of the rainbow

Which the Moft High hath bended, wave their wings;
'Then wearied with their gazes at the fun,
Shade them at night in Horeb's vocal pines,

And let them think unutterable things.

So flept the prophets of Dodona's grove,

Their feet unwash'd, their flumbers on the ground:
So the fair cygnets of Idæan Jove,

In folemn-breathing musings more profound +.
Thou fwan of Avon ! how I love thy trains!
Cherub of Eden ! clap thy gorgeous wings:
Tell the fweet fingers how the lark maintains
Gay from the graffy bed her airy rings:
Dash'd by the fighings of an eastern wind,
The pretty warbler wheels and pants for fear;
And feeing heaven before, and earth behind,
Drops to her net, and whifpers,-God was there.
While their light'ning eyeballs fleep
Quench'd in flumber dark and deep,

Now my harp of Elohim!

Sing the fweets of Shufannim *.
Let the lillies droop and figh;

Let the rofes blufh and die:
Walk in brightnefs, friendly moon :
Pour, O fun, the liquid noon :
Gibeon and Ajalon's vale

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

Praife to Jehovah in the fires! in thine
Thou giant fun! fee, from his gaudy chamber
Opening a little eye of heaven, he chases
Spirits of darkness-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 seen 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 valt picture of almighty mind

Shout all the fons of God and man for joy.

Ceafe ye from man—a cherub's tongue hath flai■

That image fair of God's eternity.

Cease 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 paft-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 emblemati cal white and pure Believers. The Title of the 60th Pfalm is in the fingular: "ol Shufhen, concerning the Lilly:" i. e. the pure Anointed. Parkhurst's Heb. Lexic. on the Word Shefh-'

+ Chemoth 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 fmile.
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."

3 s. fewed.

ART. III. The Dialogues of Eumenes; or the Religion of the Heart, diftinguished from that Attachment to mere Modes, which too frequently deforms the Chriflian Temper. Small 8vo. Bristol printed, and fold by Dilly, &c. London. 1779. THE celebrated Mr. Hervey fucceeded fo well in his at

tempts to unite the flowers of poetry with the thistles of theological controverfy, in his Dialogues between Theron and Apafio, 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 courfe 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 Wiley, 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 those 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 exercife of humiliation and penitence for fin, and of reliance on the merits of Christ for salvation. 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 ftrain and spirit of this work, the following dialogue between Eugenius and Dame Jenkins, will give our Readers fome idea:

"Dear

"Dear Sir, why you seem 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 faved?"

"As eafy," faid Eugenius," perhaps more eafy, 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 deftroying the very foundation itself! And what then can any of us do!"

66

Nor is

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. 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 Christian!"

"that you may

"But yet I am really afraid," faid Eugenius, have too great a dependence on the mere forms of religion; and I could with 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 fay 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 circumstances 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 observe, to recommend their religion by fo conftant an attendance on the outward forms of it; and itill 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 just 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 anfwer." "Dear Sir, my neighbours will all answer 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 a 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 fee 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 just 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 ftate, 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 gofpel; 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 Gob in the world; and I must add, fhould you die in such a state, you cannot escape the juft judg ment of hell!"

"Dear Sir," said the old lady, "Your words make me tremble! -If it be fo, what can I do!"

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

"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 had got above all thefe fcruples long before now!"

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

BEV. Aug. 1779.

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