earth and the whole world are deceived were to be cut off with the sword of theological disputation? Is it not time that our minds were recalled to the true genius of Christianity-to its spirituality and simplicity-to its applicability to individual man, to its transforming tendency, as a proclamation of divine love and grace-to the transcendent excellence of its essential truths, and their adaptation to arrest and enchain the attention, in preference. to any subordinate topics-to the only source of all efficacy and success, to the method of teaching it, by which all the force of its requirements may be brought to bear on each person, and by which each one may be prepared to appear, as he must appear, at the bar of judgment as an individual, alone, to answer for himself? Is it not time to discover that controversy, at this day, owes its existence and influence to the attention bestowed on it by the learned teachers of Christianity, and would die and be buried, were they wholly to neglect it, and apply all their energies and all their time, in the simplest and most direct manner, to the personal instruction and salvation of their hearers; opposing errour only, by exhibiting the truth in love, and manifesting the spirit, the grace, the light, the blessedness of religion, in all their conduct? Is it not time that educated worldly men, who exhaust their lives in studying every thing but Christianity, who lavish their intellectual and bodily energies upon the transient objects of secular pursuit, endeavouring to check the currents of evil, not in their source, but at their extremities, or labouring to acquire a momentary consolation from worldly applause, for their toils and efforts, uncheered by a ray of hope beyond the horizon of their temporal life;-is it not time that such men should, by beholding a just exhibition of Christianity, and a just application and direction of its power, be made ashamed of their ignorance, and of the comparative littleness and meanness of the objects for which they sacrifice their immortal interests? Is it not time that Christianity were so exhibited and so applied by its teachers, as to command the attention and homage of the intellectual world, assert a practical sway over the sympathies and associations of the common mind, expose the baseness of indifference, and the impudence of skepticism, and become universally the unrivalled and constant theme of thought, conversation and feeling, as comprising all that befits and concerns us in our moments of probation on this threshold of our being, as ministering a cure for all the evils of our apostacy, and opening before us the pathway and prospect of infinite and eternal blessedness! ART. VIII. REVIEW OF MONTGOMERY'S MESSIAH, AND MANT'S GOSPEL MIRACLES. By ISAAC CANDLER, Baltimore, Md. I. The Messiah: a Poem in six books. By Robert Montgomery. London. 12mo. 1832. II. The Gospel Miracles, in a Series of Poetical Sketches, with Illustrative Conversations. By Richard Mant, D. D. M. R. I. A., Lord Bishop of Down and Connor.-London, 12mo. 1832. "Pity, religion has so seldom found SUCH was the exclamation of Cowper, who himself acted subsequently as guide, with unusual success, endeavouring to remove from English literature the reproach of having a large body of poetry with few distinctive marks of Christianity; so that he has been styled, and not inaptly, the poet of the New Testament. Devotional poems had indeed been published by Herbert, Watts, and others; but their compositions were valued for piety, rather than for poetical merit; while the pieces of a similar character in the works of Pope and Thomson, though enriched by harmony of versification and beauty of imagery, were considered, with some exceptions, little superiour, in a religious point of view, to those of heathen moralists; and Young's Night Thoughts, though containing some magnificent passages, were rejected as too gloomy and ascetic. Milton's Paradise Lost, though professing to -'Assert eternal Providence, was more read and admired for its sublimity in describing Pandemonium, for its picture of "obdurate pride" in the master-spirit of hell, and for its happy delineation of two innocent beings in paradise, than for its tendency to elevate the soul above earth and earth-born cares, and waft it on the wings of rapture into the Empyreum! The English poets having thus generally failed in securing the approbation of those who wanted devotional poems adapted not only to please the ear and kindle the imagination, but to warm the heart, Dr. Johnson, who was fond of paradox, and of showing his skill in argumentation, undertook to demonstrate that success was hopeless! And to this day, his reasoning, which occurs in his life of Waller, has never received, so far as we are aware, an adequate answer. Accordingly, believing, as we do, that it merits examination and is not unrefutable, we purpose, on this occasion, bestowing a few pages on the subject. Considering the influence, at one time almost paramount, and still considerable, possessed by the Doctor, we think that we shall be rendering a service to literature by exposing his fallacies. He begins by asserting, that "poetical devotion cannot often please." Is not this a tacit acknowledgment, that devotional feeling may be embodied in such poetry as will sometimes please? And if a poet has been successful in one department of devotion; he may in another, or where he has failed, some other poet may produce a composition worthy of admiration. Dr. Johnson, however, doos not deny that poetry descriptive of nature, and laudatory of its author, may be excellent. The works of God, and the motives to piety, are not, he thinks, incompatible with poetical excellence, though God and piety, abstractly considered, are. This he explains more fully, thus: "Contemplative piety, or the intercourse between God and the human soul, cannot be poetical. Man, admitted to implore the mercy of his Creator, and plead the merits of his Redeemer, is already in a higher state than poetry can confer." This, we suppose, simply implies, that devotional feeling is superior to poetical, a position not likely to be contested by those who have experienced the elevation of soul resulting from pure worship; but does it thence follow, that the substance of this feeling cannot be shadowed? or that the devotee is incapable of expressing, in verse, the thoughts which arose in his mind when prostrated before his Maker? Few, we believe, will maintain this. But if the devotee can become the true poet, the reader of his verses may feel devotion kindled in the perusal, and may make them the medium of his gratitude and love, as the aged stork avails itself of the wings of its offspring to soar to heaven. "The essense of poetry," says Johnson, "is invention, such invention, as by producing something unexpected, surprises and delights. The topics of devotion are few, and being few, are universally known; but, few as they are, they can be made no more; they can receive no grace from novelty of sentiment, and very little from novelty of expres sion. Poetry pleases by exhibiting an idea more grateful to the mind than things themselves afford. This effect proceeds from the display of those parts of nature which attract, and the concealment of those which repel the imagi nation but religion must be shown as it is; suppression and addition equally corrupt it; and such as it is, it is known already." Were poetry restricted to narration, perhaps invention might be considered its essence, though it would be rather presumptuous to assert, that he who is the most ingenious in framing a new tale, is therefore the best poet. But poetry is not limited, it embraces description, argument, morality, the passions, and man, as an intelligent agent; then why not religion? Why not?" answers the Doctor, "because religion must be shown as it is." And must not nature, we reply, be shown as it is? And can nothing be poetically described, that is "known already?" Why, then, did Thomson choose the Seasons for his theme, and produce one of the most beautifully descriptive poems to be found in any language? How many persons have seen a landscape for years, and found in it nothing extraordinary, nothing but what is commou-place, and yet, when they have viewed its image on the canvass, have experienced the highest delight in contemplating the skill of the artist, and by a re-action have afterwards found the landscape itself beautiful. So it is with the subjects of poetry, as was long since remarked by a Roman bard. Weston, the residence of Cowper, has little in it to allure the passing traveller, more than is af forded by the circumjacent scenery; but, such is the power of genius, that the bridge, " with its wearisome but needful length," the low-roofed cottage, designated by the poet as "the pheasant's nest," the ring of elms encircling the herdsman's hut, the proud alcove, the vista in Sir John Throgmorton's woods, these and many other points of view, all become interesting, and excite admiration. And * Ut pictora poetis erit. Hor. is there nothing analogous to this in religious poetry? May not he who has passed unheeded, mercies received and sins unpunished, be awakened from his insensibility by a display of the Divine attributes in harmonious numbers? May not that of which he was before convinced by reason, become the means of humbling his pride and elevating his affections, when it touches his finer feelings? To maintain that because religion must be shown as it is, no poetical grace can be bestowed upon it, is as much at variance with reason, as to say that a faithful copy cannot please, because it contains nothing meretricious; for its very faithfulness may be the cause of pleasure. We indeed agree with Dr. Johnson, that, "omnipotence cannot be exalted; infinity cannot be amplified; Perfection cannot be improved;" but we believe that these attributes of Deity, when reverently viewed and earnestly expatiated on, may be the materials of devotion in the reader, as they had previously been in the poet who tunes his verses in their praise. The duties of contemplative piety are stated by Dr. Johnson to be these, thanksgiving, supplication, repentance, faith, each of which he endeavours to show is unsuitable for poetry. Now as we are decidedly of opinion that they are all legitimate subjects for the poet; we purpose to refute the Doctor by examples, so that if we should fail in argument, it may be obvious that we have facts on our side. He says: "Thanksgiving, the most joyful of all human effusions, yet addressed to a Being without passions, is confined to a few modes, and is to be felt rather than expressed." Why not expressed? Does not the Book of Psalms abound with expressions of thankfulness, couched in highly poetical language? Why should man, the only intellectual inhabitant of the world, be silent in his Maker's praise, when he observes that every thing is contrived in Infinite wisdom, and love. The royal Psalmist not only vents his own feelings, but calls on the hills, the rivers, and the inferiour animals, to join in the chorus. Thomson's Seasons abound with passages of thanksgiving; they are scattered through the Paradise Lost, and lend a peculiar charm to the Task. Who has read Mrs. Barbauld's Hymn, beginning, |