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I feel the fainting pulse, I hear the sigh,

I see the pallid cheek, the closing eye; He has no tender tie of father, friend; No children round the bed obsequious tend;

He has no hopes on earth, content to lie,

Alone, forsaken by the world, to die. In the deep cell, where chilling damps invade,

And dews and cold the plaistered dungeon shade,

He lies; around him breathe no awful choir,

No organ heals, nor tunes the sacred fire;

Long trains of nuns (no sad procession) there

Breathe on the dying saint an holy prayer;

No tinkling censor rolls its fragrance round;

No painted priests adore, and kiss the ground;

No fancied angels to his sight are giv'n, To waft his soul in extacy to heaven : Cold and appall'd he waits his coming doom,

And sees but death and terror in the

tomb.

The good man comes, in voice of pity calls,

And gilds with hope the cells remotest walls;

Tells the sick man the path of joy to tread,

Forget the living, but adore the dead; Points to the future heaven in the sky; Bids the pale wretch on faith and hope rely;

Shews where the wretched will have rest, he'll go ;

And tells the vanity of all below.

SONNET TO RELIGION.

WHEN melancholy haunts the troubled mind,

And sighs bespeak the anguish of the heart,

When not a ray of hope can entrance find,

Or calm our sorrows, or relief impart; With all the virtues that adorn hertrain, Religion comes, the clouded soul to cheer,

Dispels the gloom, and lulls to rest each pain, Forbids each sigh, and dries the fall. ing tear.

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With sweetest aspect and benignant mein,

Advanc'd thro' floods translucent to my sight;

Around him beam'd effulgent rays of light.

The mighty regent of the waves was he Whose voice could charm to peace the angry sea;

He smiling led me thro' those still domains,

Where more than midnight darkness ever reigns.

Beneath the ancient hills, what wonders lie

Hid thro' all ages from the mortal eye; Alcoves of amber breathing rich per fumes,

With crystal pannels and transparent domes.

O'er beds of pearl, midst coral groves I stray'd,

Charm'd by the Syren and the gay

Mermaid.

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EPITAPH.

On a young man who died, leaving a widow, to whom he had been but a few months married.

NOR manhood's prime, nor healing art,

Nor friendship's tears, could wrest his mortal part
From death's strong grasp : The recent nuptial tie
For a short respite sued in vain ;

The active spirit loos'd from clay,

Hope fain would trace to realms of endless day:
Then hush'd be fond regret, each murmur calm,
Nor of his early doom complain.

ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS.

In this place should be inserted a Letter from the Clergy of Connecticut, të Dr. Seabury, directing him, in case he should fail in his negociation with the English Bishops, to apply to those of Scotland; and also another from Dr. Seabury, to the Clergy of Connecticut, communicating an account of his failure in England: But these Letters do not appear on file, and all attempts to recover them have been unsuccessful. That such letters were written is known; and that the English Bishops refused to act in the case, for the reasons stated by them when first applied to; the most weighty of which was, that by consecrating a Bishop without his taking the oaths to the Civil State of England, they should incur what is there called a præmunire, that is, a deprivation of their civil rights and functions as Bishops. An act of Parliament, in their opinion, could alone enable them to proceed; this being refused, the business came to a close; and Bishop Seabury proceed. ed to Scotland, where he obtained Consecration, as will appear in the following Letters. EDITOR.

[NO. XIII.]

LETTER FROM BISHOP SEABURY, TO THE CLERGY OF CONNECTICUT. LONDON, JANUARY 5, 1785.

MY VERY DEAR AND WORTHY FRIENDS,

IT is with great pleasure that I now inform you, that my búsiness here is perfectly completed, in the best way that I have been able to transact it. Your letter, and also a letter from Mr. Leaming, which accompanied the act of your Legislature, certified by Mr. Secretary Wyllys, overtook me at Edinburgh, in my journey to the north, and not only gave me great satisfaction, but were of great service to me.

I met with a very kind reception from the Scotch Bishops, who having read and considered such papers as I laid before them, consisting of the copies of my original letters and testimonial, and of your subsequent letters, declared themselves perfectly satisfied, and said that they conceived themselves called upon, in the course of God's providence, without regard to any human policy, to impart a pure, valid and free Episcopacy to the western world; and that they trusted, that God, who had begun so good a work, would water the infant Church in Connecticut with his heavenly grace, and protect it by his good providence, and make it the glory and pattern of the pure Episcopal Church in the world; and that as it was

freed from all incumbrance, arising from connection with civil establishments and human policy, the future splendor of its primitive simplicity and Christian piety, would appear to be eminently and entirely the work of God and not of man. On the 14th of Nov. my consecration took place, at Aberdeen, (520 miles from hence.) It was the most solemn day I ever passed; God grant I may never forget it!

I now only wait for a good ship in which to return. None will sail before the last of February or first of March. The ship Triumph, Capt. Stout, will be among the first. With this same Stout, commander, and in the Triumph, I expect to embark, and hope to be in New-York some time in April; your prayers and good wishes will, I know, attend me.

A new scene, will now, my dear Gentlemen, in all probability, open in America. Much do I depend on you and the other good Clergymen in Connecticut, for advice and support, in an office which will otherwise prove too heavy for me. Their support, I assure myself I shall have; and I flatter myself they will not doubt of my hearty desire, and earnest endeavor to do every thing in my power for the welfare of the Church, and promotion of religion and piety. You will be pleased to consider whether New-London be the proper place for me to reside at; or whether some other place would do better. At New-London, however, I suppose they make some dependence upon me. This ought to be taken into the consideration. If I settle at New-London, I must have an assistant. Look out then, for some good clever young gentleman who will go immediately into deacon's orders, and who would be willing to be with me in that capacity. And indeed I must think it a matter of propriety, that as many worthy candidates be in readiness for orders as can be procured. Make the way, I beseech you, as plain and easy for me as you can.

Since my return from Scotland, I have seen none of the Bishops, but I have been informed that the step I have taken has displeased the two Archbishops, and it is now a matter of doubt whether I shall be continued on the Society's list. The day before I set out on my northern journey, I had an interview with each of the Archbishops, when my design was avowed; so that the measure was known, though it has made no noise.

My own poverty is one of the greatest discouragements I have. Two years absence from my family, and expensive residence here, has more than expended all I had. But in so good a cause, and of such magnitude, something must be risked by somebody. To my lot it has fallen; I have done it cheerfully, and despair not of a happy issue.

This, I believe, is the last time I shall write to you from this country. Will you then accept your Bishop's blessing, and hearty prayers for your happiness in this world and the next? May God bless also, and keep all the good Clergy of Connecticut!

I am, reverend and dear brethren, your affectionate brother, and very humble servant, SAMUEL SEABURY. Rev. Messrs. LEAMING, JARVIS and HUBBARD.

[NO. XIV.]

LETTER FROM BISHOP SEABURY, TO REV. MR. JARV15.

MY VERY DEAR SIR,

NEW-LONDON, June 29, 1785.

I HAVE the pleasure of informing you of my safe arrival here, on Monday evening, so that a period is put to my long and tedious absence. I long much to see you, and flatter myself that it will not be long before you will do me the favor of a visit here. I want particularly to consult with you on the time and place of the Clergy's meeting, which should be as soon as is practicable.

My regards attend Mrs. Jarvis. Accept my best wishes, and be. lieve me to be your affectionate humble servant,

SAMUEL SEABURY.

MISCELLANEOUS ARTICLES.

JOHN SPEED.

THIS honest and faithful historian, after having attempted the explanation of an ancient prophecy, adds, very finely, "But why do I (weak man) thus open the curtain of God's most sacred taberpacle, to behold the mercy seat of his divine mysteries in the accomplishment of these holy oracles, when as they who have worn the ephod, and in whose hearts Aaron's rod hath budded, with a religious reverence have feared to look into the same. Therefore, with the charge of Joshua, I will not approach near the ark, and with Job's hearers will lay my hand to my mouth."

With respect to prophesies, indeed, as well as any other mysterious matters, "fools rush in where angels dare not tread;" and much harm has been done to the interior fabric of religion by the foolish pains that have been sometimes bestowed to defend its outworks, and to explain that, which, according to that honour of human nature, Sir Isaac Newton, cannot be explained till the event renders it certain.

IT is objected to many of our popular readers of that master-piece of composition, the Liturgy of the Church, that they read it rather in a tone of declamation than of supplication; and that, in their ardor to find out new meanings in the prayers, and to lay a new emphasis on particular words of them, they appear to be rather more attentive to their own powers of declamation, than to ask in a proper way from the Great Being of all beings, the things for which themselves and their congregations have such great occasion. Earnestness is the soul of all public speaking, and whoever will really speak in earnest on any subject, will always speak 'well. Impress yourself properly with the subject on which you are speaking, and your tone of voice (however unmusical) will always be the proper one. Whoever really feels the urgency of supplication, or is enraptured by the gratitude of thanksgiving, will of necessity deliver himself in a manner well suited to each method of application.

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