And Flames, attentive to fulfill
The di&tates of his mighty Will.
On firmest base uprear'd, the Earth
To him afcribes her wondrous birth.
He spake; and o'er each mountain's head
The deep its watry mantle spread :
He spake; and from the whelming flood
Again their tops emergeat stood;
And fait adown their bending fide
With refluent stream the Currents glide :
Awd by his fern rebuke they fly.
While peals of thunder rend the sky,
In mingled tumalt upward borne
Now to the mountain's height return;
Now lodg'd within their peaceful bed
Along the winding vale are led,
And, taught their destin'd bounds to know,
No more th' affrighted earth o'erflow,
But obvious to her use (their course
By Nature's ever copious source
Supplied,) refresh the billy plain,
And life in all its forms sustain.
Here stooping o'er the river's brink
The herds and flocks promiscuous drink ;
There, 'mid the barren Desert nurs'd,
The Wild-Ass cools his burning thirst :
While faft befide the murm'ring spring
The feather'd minstrels fit and fing,
And shelter'd in the branches Thun
The fervors of the mid-day sun.
His show'rs with verdure crown the hills;
The earth with various fruits he fills :
Preventive of their wants, his aid
Yields to the Brute the springing blade ;
For Man, chief object of his care,
His hands the foodful herb

prepare,
The glad'ning wine, refreshing oil,
And bread that strings his nerves for toil.
By Him with genial moisture fed
The Trees their shades luxuriant spread;
The Cedars, nurtur'd by his hand,
On Lebanon's high lummit stand,
And weave their social boughs, design'd
A refuge for th' aerial kind:
While on the Fir-tree's fpiry top
The vagrant Stork is feen to stop,
Where, cradled in their waving nest,
Her infant brood in safety reft.
See from the bills the Goats depend,
Or bounding from the cliff descend :
The lefser tribes, in furry pride

Array'd, the rocks dark cavern's hide.
Rev. Sept. 1765.

R

Her

Her way by Him preferib'd, the Moon
Our seasons marks, and knows her own;
And taught by Him the Orb of day
Slopes in the West his parting ray.
Now Night from Ocean's bed ascends,
And o'er the earth her wings extends ;
While favour'd by the friendly gloom
The fylvan race licentious roam :
The Lions chief with hideous roar
From God their needful food implore,
And eager for the wonted prey
Along the echoing Desert Aray;
Till now, as Morn approaches nigh,
Back to their cavern's haunts they fly,
Where, faria e with the bloody feast,
The lordly savage finks to sert.
His care sufficient to the day,
Man to his labour takes his way,
His task at earliest dawn begun,
And ended with the setting sun.
Eternal Ruler of the Skies,
How various are thy Works, how wise!
Nor Earth alone beholds her shores
Inrich'd from thy exhaustless stores ;
Alike, throughout their liquid reign,
Th'extended Seas thy gifts contain:
Beneath, unnumber'd reptiles swarm,
Of diff'rent size, of diff'rent form;
Above, the ships enormous glide,
Incumbent on the burthen'd tide ;
And oft, the rolling waves between,
The huge Leviathan is seen,
There privileg'd by Thee to Pray,
And wanton o'er the watry way;
Thy care, great God, fultains them all;
As, urg'd by hunger's furious call,
Expectant of the known fupply,
To Thee they lift the asking eye,
And

reap from thy extended hand
Whate'er their various wants demand.
If Thou thy face but turn away,
Their troubled looks their grief betray ;
If Thou the vital air deny,
Behold them ficken, faint, and die ;
Dust to its kindred dust returns,
And Earth her ruin'd offspring mourns :
But soon thy breath her lofs fupplies;
She fees a new-born race arile,
And, o'er her regions scatter'd wide,
The bl ffings of thy hand divide.
Thv glo:y, fearless of decline,
Thy glory, 'Lord, Hall ever hine,

Thy Works in changeless order lie,
And glad their great Creator's eye.
Earth at thy look thall crembling stand,
“ Conscious of fou'reign pow'r at hand,
And, touch d by Thee, Almighty Sine,
The cloud-topt Hills in smoke alpire.
To God in ceaseless strains my tongue
Shall meditate the grateful song,
And, long as breath informs my frame,
The wonders of his Love proclaim,
Assurd that his paternal ear
With full regard my voice will hear ;
His Aals its unexhauft d theme,
His favour my Delight fupreme.
Behold his wrath on Sinners Med ;
Behold them number'd wiih the dead :
But Thou, my Soul, the hymn of praise
In loudest notes triumphant raise;
And let confenting Nations join

To bless with Me the Name divine. To whatever poetical reputation Mr. Merrick may be entitled by this tranflation, his whole claim to merit does not relt upon that. His translation, or rather paraphrase, has frequently elucidated the text. Passages that were dark and difficult he has rendered easy and obvious; and where, in our cominon translation, there appeared inconsistencies and a want of connection, he has reconciled the former, and regulated the latter.

From PSALM IV.
What joy my conscious heart o'erflows !
Not such th' exulting labourer knows,
When to his long expecting eyes

The Vintage and the harvests rise. How much clearer and more natural is this interpretation, than “ Thou hast put gladness in my heart, fince* the time that their corn and wine and oil increased !”

Mr. Merrick acknowledges his obligations to the learned Dr. Lowth for several interpretations and observations, through this work; and gives us reason to hope that the world will be favoured with them in fome future publication.

• Thus it stands in the Common-prayer-book verfion; but in the Bible-translation we read, “ Thou hast put gladness in my heart, mire iban in the time thar their corn and their wine increased."

MONTHLY CATALOĠ U E;

For SEPTEMBER, 1765.

RELIGIOUS and CONTROVERSIAL. Art. 11. Reliquiæ Sacræ : or, Meditations on Selcet Passages of

Scripture ; and Sacred Dialogues between a Father and his Chil. dren. By the Reverend Mr. Richard Pearsall, late Minister at Taunton, Somersetshire. Published from his Manuscripts, designed for the prefs; by Thomas Gibbons, D.D. 12mo. 6s. Buckland. W ;

E have already given our Sentiments of some of Mr. Pearfall's 232; and Vol. XIX, p. 595. We have observed, that the Reader is not to look for elegance or spirit in the works of this Author; but, at the same time, it is allowed that they have their merit. His general and leading view, is to raise the thoughts of his readers, from natural to fpiritual and divine objects; to warm their hearts with gratitude do the Great Parent of the universe, and to his Son, our gracious and compassionate Saviour. He is not always happy in the transitions he male from carthly to heavenly things; and there are some very forced conccits to be met with in his performance : but the goodness of his de-. figns will, in a great measure, with candid readers, acone for the manner in which they are executed. Our chief objection is to the horrible representations he fo cften gives of the eternal wrath and vengeance of the Almighty, against bis poor offending creatures. He lays great stress on the eternity of hell-toiments ; and seems rather desirous of terrifying than persuading soners to repentance. His fyllem, we allow, is what many will let down as thoroughly orthodox; but orthodoxy itself is not, at all times, nor with all men, the same thing: and therefore, we doubt not, but there are many good Christians who will receive very little edi. fication from such a reflection as the following, taken from his letter addressed to the members of his congregation at Taunton, wrote but a: httle while before his his death :

To be delivered from the curse of the law, is a moft inestimable privilege, and to behold Jesus bearing that curfe in his forrows up to death, is as important and glorious a subject of contemplation as is possible; an incarnate Gop dying, our furety paying the dreadful debt, the tremendous justice of God Almighty satisfied, and ihea hing its flaming fiord, the wraihful throne of an offended deity sprinkled and turned into a mercy-seat, are subjects fit for angels themselves to gaze upon, and admire.'- -This short extract will serve as a specimen both of the Au. thor's principles, and of his manner of writing Art. 12. Strictures on the Commentary and Conference of the Rove

rend Mr. Dodd, Chaplain in Ordinary to his Majesty: With Reflections on the Reverend Mr. Heathcote's Use of Reason.' By Mr. Antininny T. 8vo. 2s. Folingsby. Some iturdy Hutchinsonian haile bere made a vigorous attack on

M

poor Mr.

Mr. Dodd's Biblical Annotations:--poor Mr, Dodd! never was cula prit commentator so unmercifully belaboured!

Mr. Antininny hath also moit triumphantly reason'd against Reafon :alas poor Reason!

Mr. Heathcote, too, how terribly he is trimmed ! Heathcote!

In good faith, Mr. Antininny seems to be one of the most formidable champions in the whole army of modern Cabaliftical Decypherers ;' and

we will have nothing to say to him, left, the next time this Goliah - thinks proper to brandish his weaver's beam, our jackets should likewise

come in for a dusting. Art. 13. An Attempt to reflore Scripture Forms of Worship; or a

Friendly Dialogue between a common Unitarian Christian, converted by some late Writings, and an Athanafian. 12ma. 4d. Worcester, sold by S. Gamidge.

In this Dialogue, the Unitarian has greatly the advantage of the AthaDasian; who becomes so far a convert to the opinion of his opponent, as to renoonce the authority of councils, fathers, creeds, &c. and to declare his determination, to give the New Tefament a serious review, in order to a due confideration of all those passages which refer to God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is a plain, fenfible piece, and is published by the pious Author, with a view to its being distributed among the common people, by those well-disposed persons who can afford to purchase and give away • such little tracts, in order to help forward the glorious work of another reformation : which, adds he, with great truth, though the times are favourable in several respects, is very much obstructed by irreligion on one side, and superßition and enthuHasm on the other.'

POLITICA L. Art. 14. A Pair of Spectacles for short-fighted Politicians; or, a

Candid Answer to a late extraordinary Pamphlet, entitled, “ An Honest Man's Reasons* for delining to take any P'art in the new Administration. 8vo. Williams.

This optical politician does not, like the Honest Man, see the present adminiftration in the light of a flimsy cobweb, which every puny Ay may break through. . On the contrary, he regards it as a itrong edi. fice, that promiies not the short date of a few msnths only, but an increasing and permanent security. It may, says he, it will, no doub, receive additional buttresses and new ornaments; but the foundation and groundwork will Äill continue the fame; a foundation, I trust, nac to be shaken by the impotent blafts of envy and malevolence, built as it is, not on bollow ground, but on the united favour of the crown, and the almost universal approbation of the people.'-All this, however, is merely the Author's private opinion, not argument. In short, those who only have recourse to these political spectacles, to affili them in gaining

IS.