Thy breast, Maria, as he was to emerge, That fleeter than the lightning-glance of God, More winged than his nger-kindled thoughts, Would the young infa giant-like arise
Methought I was to see Him mighty tread with one the ocean-depths, And with the other foot the orbs of earth; His right hand stretching o'er the sun, his left
Grasping the morning stars. He comes, I said,
Amid the rush of storms, and winds call'd forth From ev'ry cavern of the universe
To burst on Victory! Ah Satan fly,
Fly lest the powerful thunder fasten round, And hurling through ten thousand worlds, at last Dash thee exhausted, senseless, even dead Amid the regions of inanity!
Thus thought I, gods of hell, but 'twas not so. It pleas'd him, rather, to become a child, A puniest child of dust; of those, who weep E'en from their birth mortality! 'Tis true, Sang forth his praise, a choir of seraphim; Such as from time to time will leave their heaven To seek our realms of earth, and viewing spread, With death, her fair hills, that were wont to glow With tints of paradise; will wipe away Some trickling tear, and, then, consoled mount Toward their slavish skies; hymning to God! Ev'n thus 'twas then. They left the child of earth, (Or, seems it fitter, ruler of the skies,) To fly from Satan: but such puny foe Was worthy not of me: yet, as mine arm Of listlessness grew weary, I inspir'd The soul of Herod, mine high-priest on earth, To ordain the infant massacre. That blood, That spouted so from forth the quiv'ring joints; Those shrieks of madd'ning mothers, as escap'd With groans some soul from out its tenement; All pleasing burst upon me. But hark! Is't not the soul of Herod wandering there? Answer, thou hell-foredoomed wretch; was't not Satan, who plann'd those murders? O! can e'er Th' Almighty guard from me his works of might, His souls eternal, that I shed not o'er them My hidden banes, and prompt them on to ruin?
Yes, wretch, thy poor complaints, thy faultering doubts, And the short sobs of those thine hand hath launch'd To other worlds with curses on their lips
Against thyself and their Creator; such, Such was a sacrifice acceptable
To him who now torments thee! At the death
Of Herod, gods assembled, soon return'd The child from Egypt's plains: his years of youth Did he, upon a tenderest mother's breast, Amid her soft caressings spend, unknown, And yet, unfear'd. No fire of heaven, as yet, Had spurr'd him on to undertakings, vast, And full of awe. And yet I think, ye gods, Some loneliest grove, or solitary place
Must, oft, those thoughts of greatness have inspir'd That menace now, though distant, to o'erthrow Hell's dark foundations; and call forth anew Her seeds of bravery. This 'twas, methinks, Which more employ'd his greener infancy, Than fields, and flowers, and praises slavish tun'd By those around him, to the God whose hand Shap'd ignominious, with their kindred worms. Yet this I beeded not. Still there was nought To break my long repose; except, when earth, With cares unceasing, sent her souls; which, spite The looks of angry heaven, I view'd to throng And populate mine heritage below.
At last may I unmindful look no more; For late, as by the Jordan's coasts he* went,
God's holiness came brightening down from heaven. Say not, ye princes, some illusion then ;
Or image falsely cheated! 'Twas these eyes, These eyes immortal, that beheld it gleam, Lucid, as when from out the throne of God
It wandereth through the ranks of praying seraphs: 'Twas thus. But, whether sped that son of earth To honour, or hell's vigilance to awake, Satan decides not. True I heard around
Thunder's awe-striking peal, and words went forth : "This is my loved one; behold the Son
Shap'd from my soul." But, by the night I swear Of gloomiest hell, it was not there the voice That us'd, in ages past, to speak the Son Of space eternal to our slavish ears. No! 'Twas Eloa, or, some other sped From forth the throne, hell's monarch to deride. A dotard, too, e'er wandering 'mong the clefts Of some bleak wilderness, hath prophesied, And hail'd this son of earth. I heard him cry : Mortals, behold th' Eternal Lamb, whose power Shall pitying loose your sins: all hail! thou Son Of Him, who scannest o'er eternity:
Thou, who wast ages ere me! from the full
Of thine exalted pity, shall we know
Grace and benevolence: through Moses came The law, but truth doth emanate from Him, The anointed of the Lord!" Is't not enough Prophetick? Elevated? Thus do err
Those wild enthusiasts; yet build round themselves A gloom of holiness, which vainly strive Our deathless eyes to penetrate. The Seer* Would fain persuade us, how, beneath that form, That death-subjected form, there lies conceal'd The Thunderer of the Highest; He who drove, (Our worthiest, most exalted enemy,)
Hell's armed spirits to their new-form'd worlds; je Self he of earth, of whom this prophet dreams, Believes it so, and ev'n must Satan's voice Confess him something: for, from off the bed Of life expiring, will he oft arouse,
And bid new force invigorate my prey.
Yet is this nought. Still greater things frown o'er us; For, from their load of sin, he menaces
Our race of man to free; from sin, which e'en Th' All-framer hath implanted in the breast Of all, though 'gainst himself, and unsubdued
By slavish duties, ever bids arise;
Death, too, whose arm doth butcher each one down Oft as we wink upon him: all will he,
All liberate! Ev'n to you, ye souls, that, since Creation, I have, like the swelling sea, Collected round me; numerous as the stars, Countless as those, who bow, and tune their harps To please the arrogant; yes, ye, whom night And flames of hell eternally torment,
Ye shall be liberate! Yet can I doubt, The pang-dispenser o'er mankind, my powers Or think that they, who trembled not to curse, And scoff at Godhead, and at slaves, should yield To one unarm'd 'gainst death; what thunders strove But strove in vain to effect? Avaunt, thou thing Of proud audacity, and liberate
Firstly thyself; then, free thy kindred mortals!" Yes, he shall die, that gifted one from self,
To overthrow my realms! Amid the dust deform'd, And cold, and pale be shall be laid! 'Tis then Exulting, to those eyes, that e'er sball veil
Night and obscurity, I'll say; behold
Behold the resurrection! To those ears, which sound No more shall penetrate, my wrath shall speak:
Hark! I will cry, Is't not the awful voice
That bids the dead arise! And, when the soul
Shall flit from forth its clay, and seek, perhaps, In hostile guise, mine hell, in thunder tone Will I scream out 01 haste thee back to earth 'Tis there thou conquerest! 'Tis there thine arm Shall fetter gods; and triumph waits thee there! For thee the gates of hell shall ope themselves, And groan the abyss, and crowds of souls pour thick To hail thy presence with their prostrate gods! 'Tis thus I'll say; and, ere I do it not What mine eternal wisdom now resolves, Shall the Almighty, whilst I now address My train of spirits, haste himself to earth And raise her with her curst inhabitants To His own heaven! True, as that Satan lives Unvanquish'd through eternity, shall die The abject wretch! Yes, soon, amid the ways That lead from earth, will I strew forth his dust Before the face of heaven and its Lord! Such is my project; such is hell's revenge! (TO BE CONTINUED.)
THE annual convention of the diocese of Maryland, was held in St. Paul's church, Baltimore, on the 28th, 29th, and 30th days of May, 1823. The clergy consist of the bishop, 41 presbyters and 5 deacons ; of which number, 7 presbyters and 1 deacon, were absent. There were present 48 lay delegates, the representatives of 47 parishes. The convention sermon was preached by the Rev. Dr. Barry. The Rev. Dr. Wyatt was elected secretary. The subject of taxation in the several parishes, for the payment of the expenses attending the meetings of the general and state conventions, having been committed at the preceding convention to a committee of the laity, they reported the following resolutions, which were adopted by the present convention : 1. Resolved, That the funds heretofore denominated the deputies' fund and incidental expenses, be and they are hereby united into one, to be called "the convention fund," and that each and every parish in the diocese shall be required to pay to the next, and every succeeding stated convention, the sum of $6 for defraying the expenses of the deputies to the general convention, of the members of the standing committee, and the incidental expenses.
2. Resolved, That it shall be the duty of the treasurer to the convention, to open a separate account with each parish in the diocese, in which he shall duly charge the amount of annual contribution, and give credit for all sums received, and that he shall submit a statement of his accounts to every annual convention, which statement shall be published in the journal.
The committee on the state of the Church presented the following abstract of the parochial reports of this year.
Abstract of the PAROCHIAL and DIOCESAN REPORTS, made to the Convention, by the Rectors of the Die several Parishes, and by the Committee on the Funds of the Church.
Trinity Church, Baltimore city,
St. Peter's Church, Baltimore city, Grace Church parish, Baltimore city,
All Saints, Frederick county, CONTA St. James's parish, Baltimore
Christ Church, Washington city, Shrewsbury parish, Kent county, co St. James's, Anne Arundel county, Trinity parish, Charles county, St. Paul's, Chester, Kent county, St. Michael's parish, Talbot county, All Faith parish, St. Mary's county, Coventry parish, Somerset county, All Hallows parish, Worcester County, S All Saints parish, Calvert county, Prince George's parish, Montgomery county, St. Peter's parish, Montgomery county, St. Thomas's parish, Baltimore county, William and Mary parish, Charles county, St. John's parish, Prince George's county, St. Bartholomew's parish, Montgomery county, St. John's parish, Hagerstown,
J. R. Keech, G. B. Schaeffer, J. Judd, W. Hawley,
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