tue, and allure fouls to God. If the heart were first inflamed from Heaven, and the Mufe were not left alone to form the devotion, and pursue a cold scent, but only called-in as an affiftant to the worship, then the fong would end where the infpiration ceafes; the whole composure would be of a piece, all meridian light and meridian fervour; and the fame pious flame would be propagated, and kept glowing in the heart of him that reads. Some of the fhorter odes of the two poets now mentioned, and a few of the Rev. Mr. Norris's Effays in verfe, are convincing inftances of the fuccefs of this propofal.

It is my opinion alfo, that the free and unconfined numbers of Pindar, or the noble measures of Milton without rhyme, would best maintain the dignity of the theme, as well as give a loose to the devout foul, nor check the raptures of her faith and love. Though, in my feeble attempts of this kind, I have too often fettered my thoughts in the narrow metre of our Pfalmtranflators; I have contracted and cramped the fense, or rendered it obfcure and feeble, by the too speedy and regular returns of rhyme.

If my friends expect any reason of the following compofures, and of the firft or second publication, I entreat them to accept of this account.

The title affures them that poefy is not the bufinefs of my life; and if I feized thofe hours of leifure, wherein my foul was in a more fprightly frame, to entertain them or myself with a divine or moral fong, I hope I fhall find an eafy pardon.

In

.

In the First Book are many odes which were written to affist the meditations and worship of vulgar Chriftians, and with a defign to be published in the volume of hymns, which have now paffed a fecond impreffion ; but upon the review, I found fome expreffions that were not suited to the plainest capacity, and the metaphors are too bold to please the weaker Christian : therefore I have allotted them a place here.

Amongst the fongs that are dedicated to Divine Love, I think I may be bold to affert, that I never compofed one line of them with any other design than what they are applied to here; and I have endeavoured to fecure them all from being perverted and debafed to wanton paffions, by feveral lines in them that can never be applied to a meaner love. Are not the noble inftances of the grace of Chrift reprefented under the figure of a conjugal ftate, and defcribed in one of the fweeteft odes, and the fofteft paftoral that ever was written? I appeal to Solomon*, in his Song, and his father David, in Pfal. xlv. if David was the author: and I am well affured, that I have never indulged an equal licence: it was dangerous to imitate the facred writers too nearly, in fo nice an affair.

The "Poems facred to Virtue," &c. were formed when the frame and humour of my foul was juft fuited to the fubject of my verfe: the image of my heart is painted in them; and if they meet with a reader whofe

Solomon's Song was much more in ufe among Preachers and writers of divinity when thefe poems were written than it is now. 1736.

foul

foul is akin to mine, perhaps they may agreeably entertain him. The dulness of the fancy, and coarseness of expreffion, will disappear; the fameness of the humour will create a pleasure, and insensibly overcome and conceal the defects of the Mufe. Young gentlemen and ladies, whose genius and education have given them a relish of oratory and verfe, may be tempted to seek fatisfaction among the dangerous diverfions of the stage, and impure fonnets, if there be no provifion of a safer kind made to please them. While I have attempted to gratify innocent fancy in this refpect, I have not forgotten to allure the heart to virtue, and to raise it to a difdain of brutal pleasures. The frequent interpofition of a devout thought may awaken the mind to a serious fenfe of God, religion, and eternity. The fame duty that might be despised in a fermon, when propofed to their reafon, may here, perhaps, feize the lower faculties with furprize, delight, and devotion at once; and thus, by degrees, draw the fuperior powers of the mind to piety. Amongst the infinite numbers of mankind, there is not more difference in their outward shape and features, than in their temper and inward inclination. Some are more easily fufceptive of religion in a grave difcourfe and fedate reafoning. Some are best frighted from fin and ruin by terror, threatening, and amazement; their fear is the propereft paffion to which we can addrefs ourselves, and begin the divine work: others can feel no motive fo powerful as that which applies itself to their ingenuity, and their polifhed imagination. Now I thought it lawful to take hold of

any

any handle of the foul, to lead it away betimes from vicious pleasures; and if I could but make up a compofition of virtue and delight, fuited to the tafte of well-bred youth, and a refined education, I had fome hope to allure and raise them thereby above the vile temptations of degenerate nature, and custom that is yet more degenerate. When I have felt a flight inclination to fatire or burlefque, I thought it proper to fupprefs it. The grinning and the growling Mufe are not hard to be obtained; but I would difdain their affiftance, where a manly invitation to virtue, and a friendly fmile, may be fuccefsfully employed. Could I perfuade any man by a kinder method, I should never think it proper to scold or laugh at him.

Perhaps there are some morose readers, that stand ready to condemn every line that is written upon the theme of Love; but have we not the cares and the felicities of that fort of focial life reprefented to us in the facred writings? Some expreffions are there used with a design to give a mortifying influence to our fofteft affections; others again brighten the character of that state, and allure virtuous fouls to pursue the divine advantage of it, the mutual affiftance in the way to falvation. Are not the cxxviith and cxxviiith Pfalms indited on this very fubject? Shall it be lawful for the prefs and the pulpit to treat of it with a becoming folemnity in profe, and muft the mention of the fame thing in poely be pronounced for ever unlawful? Is it utterly unworthy of a ferious character to write on this argument, because it has been unhappily polluted by

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fome fcurrilous pens Why may obviate a common and a growing mischief, while a not be permitted to thousand vile poems of the amorous kind fwar abroad, and give a vicious taint to the unwary reader? I would tell the world that I have endeavoured to recover this argument out of the hands of impure writers, and to make it appear, that virtue and love are not such ftrangers as they are reprefented. The blissful intimacy of fouls in that state will afford fufficient furniture for the gravest entertainment in verse; so that it need not be everlastingly dreffed-up in ridicule, nor affumed only to furnish out the lewd fonnets of the times. May fome happier genius promote the fame service that I propofed, and by fuperior fenfe, and sweeter found, render what I have written contemptible and useless.

The imitations of that nobleft Latin poet of modern ages, Cafimire Sarbiewfki, of Poland, would need no excufe, did they but arife to the beauty of the original. I have often taken the freedom to add ten or twenty lines, or to leave out as many, that I might fuit my fung more to my own design, or because I saw it impofble to prefent the force, the fineness, and the fire of his expreffion in our language. There are a few copies wherein I have borrowed fome hints from the fame author, without the mention of his name in the title, Methinks I can allow fo fuperior a genius now and then to be lavish in his imagination, and to indulge fome excursions beyond the limits of fedate judgment: the riches and glory of his verfe make atonement in

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