fcriptural fpring. spring. He would otherwise never have been qualified to furnish us with the above cited description fo exquifitely horrible. Yet after all, with no better a religion, one is glad to find a man fo truly good as Mr. Cowper undoubtedly was. However, it is but justice to acknowledge (retaining the metaphor) that the fcripture is a fountain which fends forth not bitter water only, but Sweet. From the fcripture Mr. Cowper derived the fhocking and blafphemous representation which he has given us of the Divinity, who is, likewife, there characterized as the benevolent parent of the prodigal fon. Nevertheless, if men do indeed believe a future ftate of endless happiness for the elect, and endless mifery for the reprobates, the confideration is fo very important and interesting, that it cannot fail to occupy their minds exceedingly; and that confideration muft bring with it a character of Deity very different from the character of a benevolent parent. It is a remarkable fact that a philofophical christian, in a correspondence with me upon the fubject of Revelation, conceded not willingly I prefume) "That "the object of chriftian worship had been "too generally a malignant Deity." This gentleman, in common, I apprehend, with every philofophical theift, is convinced agreeably to Mr. Cowper's doctrine, that there is in the univerfe but one proper Caufe of all things. He believes however that that VENERABLE CAUSE, whatever temporary calamities may be admitted into the grand fyftem, operates, according to the dictates of eternal wisdom and benevolence, not partially for the advantage of a few favourites, but for the benefit of the whole creation thus tafting, as Thomson expreffes it, "The joy of God, to fee a HAPPY WORLD." THE END. T. Benfley, Printer, Bolt Court, Fleet Street, London. "Life's neceffary means but he must die. "Storms rife t' o'erwhelm him; or, if ftormy winds "Rise not, the waters of the deep shall rise, “And needing none affistance from the storm, "Shall roll themselves afhore and reach him there, "The earth fhall fhake him out of all his holds, "Or make his house his grave: nor fo content "Shall counterfeit the motions of the flood "And drown him in her dry and dufty gulfs*." The very extraordinary matter contained in these quotations leads me to. make the following remark. When the dreadful natural events occur which fo afflict mankind, one fhould think a good man, that worships a God whofe attributes are wisdom and benevolence, would be folicitous to reconcile fuch events to those venerable attributes: whereas Mr. Cowper has reprefented the object of his worship, when producing these awful phænomena, as inftigated by wrath and fury to execute vengeance-on whom? On his own creatures, who have offended him *See Cowper's Poems Vol. II. pp. 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53. by he had proved, that God was the Cause of all things, and the creatures nothing more than his inftruments. If, however, his prejudice had not hindered him, he must have perceived that, if this be true, then the Divine Being, whenever he has punished mankind for their fins, must have punished them not for what they did, but for what he did himself by their inftrumentality. If, moreover, he punished them not with any view to their benefit, but to fatisfy his wrath and vengeance* on creatures who were nothing more than his inftruments;—what must be our idea of fuch a Deity? An idea which I am unwilling to exprefs. But if fuch a Deity there were (as happily there is not) we fhould be constrained to think him not the best, but the worst being in the universe. Mr. Cowper feems not to have tafted merely, but to have drank deep of the *Jeremiah ch. v. 9. God is represented as faying, "Shall not my foul be avenged?" ย fcriptural fpring. He would otherwise never have been qualified to furnish us with the above cited description so exquifitely horrible. Yet after all, with no better a religion, one is glad to find a man fo truly good as Mr. Cowper undoubtedly was. However, it is but justice to acknowledge (retaining the metaphor) that the fcripture is a fountain. which fends forth not bitter water only, but fweet. From the fcripture Mr. Cowper derived the fhocking and blafphemous representation which he has given us of the Divinity, who is, likewife, there characterized as the benevolent parent of the prodigal fon. Nevertheless, if men do indeed believe a future ftate of endless happiness for the elect, and endless mifery for the reprobates, the confideration is fo very important and interesting, that it cannot fail to occupy their minds exceedingly; and that confideration muft bring with it a character of Deity |