ure on the
other. This requires a delicacy in the perception and enunciation of
truth, of which the most earnest believer may be altogether destitute.
And since, probably, no man's condition, in regard to eternal things,
is exactly like that of any other man, and yet it is the business of
the sacred poet to sympathize with all, his store of subjects is
clearly inexhaustible, and his powers of discrimination--in other
words, of suppression and addition--are kept in continual exercise.

Nor is he, by any means, so straitly limited in the other and more
difficult branch of his art, the exhibition of religious doctrine
itself, as is supposed in the following statement:

Whatever is great, desirable, or tremendous, is comprised in
the name of the Supreme Being. Omnipotence cannot be
exalted; infinity cannot be amplified; perfection cannot be
improved.

True: all perfection is implied in the name of GOD; and so all the
beauties and luxuries of spring are comprised in that one word. But is
it not the very office of poetry to develop and display the
particulars of such complex ideas? in such a way, for example, as the
idea of GOD'S omnipresence is developed in the 139th Psalm? and thus
detaining the mind for a while, to force or help her to think steadily
on truths which she would hurry unprofitably over, how strictly soever
they may be implied in the language which she uses. It is really
surprising that this great and acute critic did not perceive that the
objection applies as strongly against any kind of composition of which
the Divine Nature is the subject, as against devotional poems.

We forbear to press the consideration that, even if the objection were
allowed in respect of natural religion, it would not hold against the
devotional compositions of a Christian; the object of whose worship
has condescended also to become the object of description, affection,
and sympathy, in the literal sense of these words. But this is,
perhaps, too solemn and awful an argument for this place; and
therefore we pass on to the concluding statement of the passage under
consideration, in which the writer turns his view downwards, and
argues against sacred poetry from the nature of man, as he had before
from the nature of GOD.

The employments of pious meditation are faith, thanksgiving,
repentance and supplication. Faith, invariably uniform,
cannot be invested by fancy with decorations. Thanksgiving,