LIGHT SHINING OUT OF DARKNESS. GOD moves in a mysterious way, Deep in unfathomable mines He treasures up His bright designs, Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take; Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, His purposes will ripen fast, The bud may have a bitter taste, Blind unbelief is sure to err, And He will make it plain. INSCRIPTION FOR THE TOMB OF MR. HAMILTON. PAUSE here, and think: a monitory rhyme And many a tomb, like Hamilton's, aloud Exclaims, "Prepare thee for an early shroud!" TO THE SPANISH ADMIRAL, COUNT GRAVINA, On his Translating the Author's Song on the Rose into Italian Verse. 1793. My rose, Gravina, blooms anew, TO MARY. 1793. THE twentieth year is well-nigh past, Thy spirits have a fainter flow; I see thee daily weaker grow My Mary! 'T was my distress that brought thee low, But well thou play'dst the housewife's part; Have wound themselves about this heart, My Mary! And still to love, though press'd with ill, With me is to be lovely still, ON THE LOSS OF THE "ROYAL GEORGE." Written when the news arrived, 1782. TOLL for the brave! The brave that are no more! Eight hundred of the brave, And laid her on her side. A land breeze shook the shrouds, Down went the "Royal George," Brave Kempenfelt is gone; It was not in the battle; His sword was in its sheath; Weigh the vessel up, Once dreaded by our foes! And mingle with our cup The tear that England owes. Her timbers yet are sound, And she may float again, And he and his eight hundred But Kempenfelt is gone, BUTLER'S ANALOGY. Ir men will indulge in vain and idle speculations, and form imaginary models of a universe, and lay down plans for ruling the world in a way which they suppose better than it is at present, there can be no arguing with them.-Wilson. Introductory Essay. THERE are very few things indeed for which we have, or can have, demonstrative evidence. For such feeble creatures as we are, probability is the guide of life. Everything turns upon it. Even a single slight presumption may not be without its weight; but presumptions, however slight in themselves, if frequently repeated, often amount to a moral certainty. Thus, if we accidentally observe for one day the ebb and flow of the tide, the observation affords only some sort of presumption, and that perhaps the lowest imaginable, that the same may happen again to-morrow; but the observation of this event for so many days, and months, and ages together, as it has been observed by men in all places and countries, gives us a full assurance that it will happen to-morrow. No man in his senses thinks otherwise. In like manner, when we observe in human affairs generally that anything does regularly come to pass, we infer that other things which are like to it, or have an analogy with it, will also come to pass. Human concerns are all carried on by this natural process of reasoning. And yet we have no demonstrative evidence in any such cases. It is thus men go on continually. They judge and act by what is probable, and never dream of asking for further evidence. FAIR and manly discussion in the temper which Christianity inspires, is far from being unfriendly to the interests of truth. A calm and unmeaning acquiesence is much more so. Torpor precedes death. To attain uniformity of opinion on all sub. ordinate points is a hopeless pursuit. The education of different men, their prejudices, their various talents and advantages, the party spirit, the unfavourable habits, and the defective measures of religious attainments which are found amongst them, the mere ambiguity of language, will constantly occasion a diversity, a great diversity, of judgments. The only healing measures in the midst of these disorders is the spirit of love love which rejoices to hope the best of others, which interprets favourably doubtful matters, which seeks the real welfare and happiness of all; love which bears and forbears, which reconciles and softens, which unites and binds together, which consoles and blesses, the hearts where it reigns. It is by this |