Of Moses, servant of the Lord,
And of the prophets' holy band.

2 As a mere man, what man can hold,
Comparison with that great Jew,
With Moses for his Master bold,
And who th' Almighty's precepts knew.
3 O how could sweet Isaiah sing,
What truths divine and clear impart,
What high delight his visions bring,
To ev'ry pious feeling heart!

4 And how did David strike the lyre,
Replete with many a vision bold,
How does it breathe celestial fire,
And, truly, future scenes unfold!
5 How copious was the Spirit sent,
To Daniel 'mong the captive tribes,
He seems th' historian of th' event,
Which as a prophet he describes!
6 The time, howe'er, would fail to tell
Of all the favour'd Hebrew race,
Of Amos and Ezekiel,

And others blest with heav'nly grace.

7 Moses foretold a Prophet great,
Who like and after him should rise,
And all the wrath of God should neet,
Who would not this great Prophet prize,

8 Think how the holy city lies,

Waste and by Heathens trampled down, The sons of Zion they despise, And mock at David's prostrate crown. 9 Think how for many a painful year,` The world's resentment ye have borne, What insults known and griefs severe, From joy and from your country torn. 10 The Prophet Moses has foretold, Is the Great Ruler Micah said

In Bethle'm should be born of old,
Who must like Moses be obey'd.

11 He is the Ruler of the world,

On God's right hand who holds his throne,
Eternal vengeance will be hurl'd
On all this Prophet who disown.
12 To those this Prophet who obey,
Gifts of high import will be giv'n,
Sceptres and palms in endless day,
The great eternal bliss of heav'n.

HYMN XV.

ISRAEL BLIND.

We grope for the wall like the blind, we grope as if we had no

eyes.

1 LIKE a poor lunatic distrest,

By giddy hooting boys pursu'd,
See Isr'el wilder'd and opprest,
Stubborn proceed through insults rude.
2 Like Samson captiv'd, humbled, blind,
Encircled by Philistine foes,

He is the rabble's sport unkind,
And groans beneath a thousand woes.

3 Yet Isr❜el shall again arise,

And keep his splendid state and throne,
Remove the bandage from his eyes,
When he the Saviour Christ shall own.

4 Like Samson he shall overthrow,
When on Jehovah he shall call,
His fierce and unrelenting foe;
But not like valiant Samson fall.
5 Heav'n-guided Britain shall upraise,
And to her sons her heart incline,
Assist to make on earth a praise,
Jerusalem again divine. -

Isaiah.

It is declared in the sacred prophecies that the Jews were to be "a proverb, a by-word, a curse, an astonishment, a hissing, and a

reproach;" but the wicked, and not the good, were chiefly to be the instruments of this wrath.

The following prophecy seems to relate to the Jews and Great Britain.

"Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the Lord thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee. And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee." Isaiah, lx. 9, 10.

POETICAL PARAPHRASE

ON OUR

SAVIOUR'S SERMON ON THE MOUNT.

Come unto me, all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

PREFACE.

Matthew, ii. 28, &c.

THIS discourse of our Saviour may be esteemed a summary of the doctrines of Christianity. It appears to be vain to attempt to recommend it by any eloquence. Unbounded admiration, one would suppose, must be the general consequence of its being known. We may urge, however, among innumerable arguments for the truth of Christianity, that the person who delivered such wise and good precepts could not have been an impostor, but that he came from God.

I was induced to give this paraphrase on it, from conceiving that it contained, as well as the soundest truths, the most poetical imagery. And I shall be happy, if I can invite any one by a love of verse (the

୮

influence of which is often astonishing) to attend to its incomparable excellence, who might have otherwise neglected it.

It is necessary that we consult the spirit, and not the letter, of this as well as every other part of Scripture; which is the office of reason in regard to all laws human or divine. We shall by this avoid many ridiculous and many destructive principles. We should continually reflect, when we read the Gospel, what St. Paul says of it, "The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life." Which observation alone is an answer to the laboured but ignorant declamations of some modern Deists. Our Saviour says, My spirit is Truth." Whatsoever, therefore, is true and reasonable in itself, though it may not comport with the outward letter of some passages of Scripture, contains the genuine principles of Christianity.

Dr. Clarke in his "Paraphrase on the Four Gospels," Dr. Doddridge in that excellent work his "Family Expositor," and Dr. Zachary Pearce in his "Commentary with Notes on the Four Evangelists, and on the Acts of the Apostles," have given some admirable comments upon this discourse. I would recommend the reader to the works of these authors, not only for these their comments, but that they were happy also in being particularly serviceable to mankind by writing most learned and able defences of Christianity. Their comments, however, upon this discourse, though in many respects good, are not altogether without exception. There is one point, for instance, in which I think they are all mistaken, the maintaining that our Saviour did not forbid swearing in all cases. I have explained my reasons for differ ing from them, in a note.

A

POETICAL PARAPHRASE, &c.

IN Galilee of yore, our sacred Lord,
When his disciples listen'd to his word,
And as around th' admiring people prest,
In this blest phrase his auditors addrest;
When they were hush'd (like calm unruffled floods,
As on their shore the gentle Halcyon broods)
And with a fix'd and fond attention hung,
Upon the heav'nly manna of his tongue.
"Blessed are they who bear an humble mind,
Who are contented, modest, and resign'd,
Who patient grief and injury endure,
For they of Heav'n the kingdom shall procure:
Blessed are they who innocently grieve,
For they celestial comfort shall receive:
Blessed the meek, for they full long shall stand
In well-earn'd honours on the plenteous land:
Blessed are they, whom thirst and hunger pain
For righteousness, for they content shall gain:
Blessed are they who tender mercy show,
For they that mercy which they give shall know:
Blessed the pure, on whom shall be bestow'd
The beamy vision of the living God:
Blessed are they, who wholly are inclin❜d,
To seek the peace and welfare of mankind;
For they who imitate their Sire above,
In th' attributes of goodness and of love,
Like his peculiar children shall be deem'd,
And worthy of his happiness esteem'd:
Blessed are they who grieve for virtue's sake,
For they of Heav'n the kingdom shall partake:
Blessed are ye, when men your persons scorn,
And make you with unjust affliction mourn,
And falsely of your purposes esteem,
And for my sake intemperate blaspheme;
Let your minds then to rapt'rous joy be giv'n,
For great will be your recompence in heav'n;