the most joyful of all holy effusions, yet addressed to a
Being without passions, is confined to a few modes, and is
to be felt rather than expressed.

What we have said of the variation of the devout affections, as they
exist in various persons, is sufficient, we apprehend, to answer this.
But the rest of the paragraph requires some additional reflection:

Repentance, trembling in the presence of the Judge, is not
at leisure for cadences and epithets.

This is rather invidiously put, and looks as if the author had not
entire confidence in the truth of what he was saying. Indeed, it may
very well be questioned; since many of the more refined passions, it
is certain, naturally express themselves in poetical language. But
repentance is not merely a passion, nor is its only office to tremble
in the presence of the Judge. So far from it, that one great business
of sacred poetry, as of sacred music, is to quiet and sober the
feelings of the penitent--to make his compunction as much of 'a
reasonable service' as possible.

To proceed:

Supplication of man to man may diffuse itself through many
topics of persuasion: but supplication to God can only cry
for mercy.

Certainly, this would be true, if the abstract nature of the Deity
were alone considered. But if we turn to the sacred volume, which
corrects so many of our erring anticipations, we there find that,
whether in condescension to our infirmities, or for other wise
purposes, we are furnished with inspired precedents for addressing
ourselves to God in all the various tones, and by all the various
topics, which we should use to a good and wise man standing in the
highest and nearest relation to us. This is so palpably the case
throughout the scriptures, that it is quite surprising how a person of
so much serious thought as Dr. Johnson could have failed to recollect
it when arguing on the subject of prayer. In fact, there is a simple
test, by which, perhaps, the whole of his reasoning on Sacred Poetry
might be fairly and decisively tried. Let the reader, as he goes over
it, bear in mind the Psalms of David, and consider whether every one
of his statements and arguments is not there practically refuted.

It is not, then, because sacred subjects are peculiarly unapt for
poetry, that so few sacred poets are popular. We have already glanced
at some of the causes to which we attribute it--we ought to add
another, which strikes us a