"did bow; his ways are everlasting." Then the prophet faw the tents of Cufhan in affliction, and the "curtains of the land of Midian did tremble." Hab. i. Nor did the bleffed fpirit which animated these writers forbid them the use of vifions, dreams, the opening of scenes dreadful and delightful, and the introduction of machines upon great occafions: the divine licence in this refpect is admirable and furprizing, and the images are often too bold and dangerous for an uninfpired writer to imitate. Mr. Dennis has made a noble effay to discover how much fuperior is infpired poefy to the brightest and best descriptions of a mortal pen. Perhaps, if his propofal of Criticism had been encouraged and pursued, the nation might have learnt more value for the word of God, and the wits of the age might have been fecured from the danger of Deism while they must have been forced to confess at least the divinity of all the poetical books of Scripture, when they see a genius running through them more than hu

man.

Who is there now will dare to affert, that the doctrines of our holy faith will not indulge or endure a delightful drefs? Shall the French poet* affright us, by faying,

"De la foy d'un Chrêtien les myfteres terribles, "D'Ornemens egayez ne font point fufceptibles ?” But the French critic †, in his reflections upon Eloquence, tells us, "That the majesty of our religion,

* Boileau.

† Rapin.

C 4

"the

"the holiness of its laws, the purity of its morals, the

:

heighth of its myfteries, and the importance of every "fubject that belongs to it, requires a grandeur, a no"blenefs, a majefty, and elevation of ftyle, fuited to the "theme fparkling images and magnificent expreffions "must be used, and are beft borrowed from Scripture: "let the preacher, that aims at eloquence, read the Pro"phets inceffantly, for their writings are an abundant "fource of all the riches and ornaments of speech." And, in my opinion, this is far better counsel than Horace gives us, when he fays,

Vos exemplaria Græca

"Nocturnâ verfate manu, versate diurnâ.”

As, in the conduct of my ftudies with regard to divinity, I have reafon to repent of nothing more than that I have not peruled the Bible with more frequency; fo if I were to fet up for a poet, with a defign to exceed all the modern writers, I would follow the advice of Rapin, and read the Prophets night and day. I am fure, the compofures of the following book would have been Alled with much greater fenfe, and appeared with much more agreeable ornaments, had I derived a larger porsion from the Holy Scriptures..

Befides, we may fetch a further anfwer to Monfieur Boileau's objection, from other poets of his own country. What a noble ufe have Racine and Corneille made of Christian fubjects, in fome of their best tragedies! What a variety of divine fcenes are displayed, and pious paffions awakened, in those poems! The martyrdom of Polyeucte, how doth it reign over our love and pity, and

at

at the fame time animate our zeal and devotion! May I here be permitted the liberty to return my thanks to that fair and ingenious hand * that directed me to fuch entertainments in a foreign language, which I had long wifhed for, and fought in vain in our own. Yet I muft confefs, that the Davideis, and the two Arthurs, have fo far answered Boileau's objection, in English, as that the obstacles of attempting Chriftian poesy are bro ken down, and the vain pretence of its being impracticable, is experimentally confuted t.

It is true, indeed, the Chriftian myfteries have not fuch need of gay trappings as beautified, or rather compofed, the Heathen fuperftition. But this ftill makes for the greater eafe and furer fuccefs of the poet. The wonders of our religion, in a plain narration and a fimple dress, have a native grandeur, a dignity, and a beauty in them, though they do not utterly difdain all methods of ornament. The book of the Revelations feems to be a prophecy in the form of an opera, or a dramatic poem, where divine art illuftrates the subjec with many charming glories; but still it must be acknowledged, that the naked themes of Chriftianity have fomething brighter and bolder in them, fomething more

* Philomela.

Sir Richard Blackmore, in his admirable preface to his laft poem, entitled Alfred, has more copioufly refuted all Boileau's arguments on this fubject, and that with great juftice and elegance. 1723.- I am perfuaded that many perfons who defpife the poem would acknowledge the just fentiments of that preface.

furprizing and celestial, than all the adventures of gods and heroes, all the dazzling images of falfe luftre that form and garnish a heathen fong: here the very argument would give wonderful aids to the Mufe, and the heavenly theme would fo relieve a dull hour, and a languishing genius, that when the Mufe nods, the fenfe would burn and fparkle upon the reader, and keep him feelingly awake.

With how much less toil and expence might a Dryden, an Otway, a Congreve, or a Dennis, furnish out a Christian poem, than a modern play! There is nothing amongst all the ancient fables, or later romances, that have two fuch extremes united in them, as the eternal God becoming an infant of days; the poffeffor of the palace of Heaven laid to fleep in a manger; the holy Jefus, who knew no fin, bearing the fins of men in his body on the tree; agonies of forrow loading the foul of him who was God over all, blessed for ever; and the fovereign of life stretching his arms on a cross, bleeding and expiring: The Heaven and the Hell in our divinity are infinitely more delightful and dreadful than the childish figments of a dog with three heads, the buckets of the Belides, the Furies with fnaky hairs, or all the flowery ftories of Elyfium. And if we furvey the one as themes divinely true, and the other as a medley of fooleries which we can never believe; the advantage for touching the fprings of paffion will fall infinitely on the fide of the Chriftian poet; our wonder and our love, our pity, delight, and forrow, with the long train of hopes and fears, muft needs be under the command of

an

an harmonious pen, whofe every line makes a part of the reader's faith, and is the very life or death of his foul.

If the trifling and incredible tales that furnish out a tragedy, are fo armed by wit and fancy, as to become fovereign of the rational powers, to triumph over all the affections, and manage our fmiles and our tears at pleasure; how wondrous a conqueft might be obtained over a wild world, and reduce it, at leaft, to fobriety, if the fame happy talent were employed in dreffing the fcenes of religion in their proper figures of majesty, fweetness, and terror! The wonders of creating power, of redeeming love, and renewing grace, ought not to be thus impiously neglected by those whom Heaven has endued with a gift fo proper to adorn and cultivate them; an art whose sweet infinuations might almoft convey piety in refifting nature, and melt the hardest fouls to the love of virtue. The affairs of this life, with their reference to a life to come, would fhine bright in a dramatic defcription; nor is there any need or any reason why we should always borrow the plan or hiftory from the ancient Jews, or primitive martyrs though several of these would furnish out noble materials for this fort of poefy: but modern scenes would be better understood by moft readers, and the application would be much more eafy. The anguifh of inward guilt, the fecret ftings and racks and scourges of confcience; the fweet retiring hours, and feraphical joys of devotion; the victory of a refolved foul over a thoufand temptations; the inimitable love and paffion of a