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CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE.

As winds, and storms, and dashing surges

roar

With dreadful fury on the sea skirt shore; At other times, the gentle zephyrs play, And the unruffled stream pursues its way: 'Tis thus, methinks, it passes in my soul, One day the weather's fair, another foul. Now tempest tost with various doubts and fears,

My heart o'erwhelm'd with wos, my eye with tears,

Impending clouds of darkness o'er me spread,

And in the paths of Hell I seem to tread; My ways all strew'd with thorns, while black Despair

Would fill the measure of my days with

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And flow'rs of Eden deck this vale of

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Yet still the same, he wooes this heart of stone,

And makes his love by countless mercies known!

What can I say, dear Lord, to love so

strange?

To love that all my rebel acts can change? Language here fails; an angel can't explore !

Be hush'd then, Muse, and silently adore! Or if some zephyr breathe upon thy strings,

Or passing angels touch thee with their wings,

Let thy best notes resound my Saviour's praise!

And all thy themne be his redeeming grace! That shall employ in Heav'n my better pow'rs!

That shall on earth solace my captive hours!

And then no Heav'n I'll ask but Jesus' That shall my charter be.to worlds above!

love!

THE DEW-DROP. MARK the resplendent orb of day, Early diffuse his orient ray,

G. R.

Eoliv'ning all around!
The dew, soft trembling, then is seen
On ev'ry beauteous spire of green
That decorates the ground,
As, if the op'ning scene invite
To hail his mild returning light,
Each drop refulgence gaios;
The prism's diverging colours too,
On ev'ry humid ball we view,

That clothes the verdant plains.
But should the sun his glory shroud
In some opaque obtruding cloud,
Soon is their beauty lost:
So Christians, if their Lord remove,
The sudden loss of comfort prove,
Nor longer beauty boast.
Warn'd by the dew drop's transient show,
All self-dependence I forego,

Nor trust my treach'rous heart. Jesus! to thee my soul would fly, Thou Son of righteousness on high,

Thy quick'ning beams impart ! The smallest drop throughout the field Will somewhat of sweet radiance yield, Cheer'd by the rising day;

So I, the meanest of thine own, Dear Lord! would dwell before thy throne,

And shine with borrow'd ray.

ANNETTS.

PSALM LXIV. 15. .

Let not the water-floods overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up.

THE world's a sea; my flesh a ship
that's man'd

With lab'ring thoughts, and steer'd' by
Reason's hand:

My heart's the seaman's chart, whereby
she sails;

My loose affections are the greater sails
The topsail is my fancy; and the gusts
That fill these wanton sheets are worldly
lusts.

Prayer is the cable, at whose end ap-
pears

The anchor Hope, ne'er slipp'd but in our fears:

My will's th' unconftant pilot, that com

mands

The stagg'ring keel; my sins are like the sands;

Repentance is the bucket, and mine eye The pump, unus'd (but in extremes) and dry.

My conscience is the plummet, that does

press

The deeps, but seldom cries, O fathom

less :

Smooth calm's security; the gulph's despair;
My freight's corruption; and this life's
my fare.

My soul's the passenger, confused, driv'n
From fear to fright; her landing port is
Heav'n.

My seas are stormy, and my ship doth

leak ;.

My sailors rude'; my steers-man faint and weak:

My canvas toro, it flaps from side to side: My cable's crack'd, my anchor's slightly ty'd;

My pilot's craz'd; my shipwreck sands

are cloak'd;

My bucket's broken, and my pump is chbak'd ;

My calm's deceitful, and my gulph's too

near;

My wares are slubber'd, and my fare's too dear:

My plummet's light, it cannot sink nor

sound:

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New-cast my plummet, make it apt to the Where the rocks hurk, and where the quicksands lie:

Guard thou the gulph with love; my calms.with care;

Cleanse thou my freight; accept my slen-> der fare :

Refresh the sea-siek passenger; cut short
His voyage; safe land him in his wish'd
for port.

Thou, thou whom winds and stormy seas.
That through the deep gav'st murmuring
obey,
Say to my soul, be safe; and then my eye
Israel way,
Shall scorn grim Death, although grim
Death stand by.

Oh! thou, whose strength reviving arm
did cherish

Thy sinking Peter at the point to perish,
Reach forth thy hand, or bid me tread

the wave;

I'll come, I'll come: the voice that calls
will save.
Rotberithe

T. J. N.

Written after reading the Accounts
published by the Strangers Fricud
Society, for the year 1802.

What scenes of misery and woe!
Alas! What blasts of sorrow blow
Unheeded by the throng!

The busy, careless, and supine,
Such visits and such scenes decline;
Nor dwell they on their tongue!

Little
How many fellow-creatures sink,
ye rich and prosp'rous think

Through poverty and grief!
A trifle let the wretched share,
O from your treasure kindly spare :

Their pains and woes, their wretched state,
To bring them kind relief.
O think, it might have been your fate,
Unworthy what you have:
Then let their miseries awake-

Some gen'rous purpose, for his sake

Who came the lost to save!
Great God, with blessings e'er surround
Those who in works of love abound,
Who visit scenes of woe:
To Death, nor to Disease a prey,
O keep and bless them in the way
In which they kindly go.
Crown their endeavours to reclaim
Poor guilty sinners through thy name,
And bring them back to God.
Wisdom, and Strength, and Health afford,
While thus they imitate their Lord!
This path the Saviour trod.

O Sin, what mis'ry hast thou brought
On wretched man; nortongue nor though:-
Can tell or e'er conceive.

Escape eternal death,-n day,
O awful view l-bot now we may

If we on Chrift believe!
Westminster.

S

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EVANGELICAL MAGAZINE.

MAY, 1803.

MEMOIR

OF

WILLIAM COWPER, ESQ.

CONCLUDED FROM OUR LAST..

MR. COWPER'S relapse occurred in 1773, in his fortysecond year. His derangement so completely subverted those doctrinal sentiments which had afforded him, for the last nine years, the most transcendent comfort, that he considered himself as cast off for ever from the hope of mercy, although he never disputed the divine change which had been wrought in his mind. Through the depths of his distress, Mr. Newton attended him with unfailing tenderness of friendship, and once entertained him fourteen months at the vicarage; but he was deaf to consolation or encouragement, while he supposed the ear of his Creator to be shut against his complaints and requests. He ceased not only from attending public service, but likewise from joining in domestic worship, or attempting private devotion. His judgment was equally convinced as ever of the glory of Christ, and his desires for communion with God were as fervent; but apprehending his own perdition to be determined by an immutable decree, he regarded it as blasphemy in him to ask for mercy. His pious neighbours were struck with terror, as well as with compassion, at so awful a change. He was inaccessible to all, except Mr. Newton; but all, like him, longed to contribute to his relief. After the first dreadful paroxysm of his disorder, although his unhappy persuasion remained unalterable, he was induced to admit some diversion of his mind from melancholy. Estranged from human society, he was inclined to domesticate a young leveret; and his neigh bours instantly supplied him with three. The choice of their food, and the diversity of their dispositions, amused his mind; and their occasional diseases called forth his tenderness. Two of them died; but the third was his companion throughout his abode at Olney. Seven years elapsed before he sufficiently reA a

XI.

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