;

Saying, We are twins in death, proud Sun
Thy face is cold, thy race is run,
'Tis mercy bids thee go.

For thou ten thousand thousand years
Hast seen the tide of human tears,
That shall no longer flow.

What though beneath thee man put forth
His pomp, his pride, his skill;
And arts that made fire, flood, and earth,
The vassals of his will?-
Yet mourn I not thy parted sway,
Thou dim, dis-crowned king of day!
For all those trophied arts.

And triumphs that beneath thee sprang,
Healed not a passion or a pang
Entail'd on human hearts.

Go, let oblivion's curtain fall
Upon the stage of men,
Nor with thy rising beams recall
Life's tragedy again.

Its piteous pageants bring not back,
Nor waken flesh upon the rack
Of pain, anew to writhe;
Stretch'd in disease's shapes abhorr'd
Or mown in battle by the sword,
Like grass beneath the scythe.

Ev'n I am weary

in yon skies

To watch thy fading fire; Test of all sumless agonies,

Behold not me expire.

My lips, that speak thy dirge of death-
Their rounded gasp and gurgling breath
To see, thou shalt not boast.
The eclipse of Nature spreads my pall,
The majesty of Darkness shall
Receive my parting ghost!

This spirit shall return to Him
That gave its heavenly spark;
Yet think not, Sun, it shall be dim
When thou thyself art dark!

No it shall live again, and shine
In bliss unknown to beams of thine,
By Him recall'd to breath,
Who captive led captivity,
Who robb'd the grave of victory,-
And took the sting from Death!

Go, Sun, while Mercy holds me up
On Nature's awful waste,

To drink this last and bitter cup

Of grief that man shall taste-
Go, tell the night that hides thy face,
Thou saw'st the last of Adam's race,
On earth's sepulchral clod,
The dark'ning universe defy
To quench his Immortality,

Or shake his trust in God!

MR. WRIGHT'S LETTER TO THE UNITARIAN CONGREGATION IN TROWBRIDGE.

Horncastle, December 20, 1827.

CHRISTIAN BRETHREN,

AFTER spending five years with you as your minister and pastor, though now removed to another part of the country, it is impossible for me to become indifferent to your welfare, or that I should cease to feel a deep concern for your spiritual edification, and for the success of the cause of truth and righteousness among you. Influenced by this feeling, I am anxious to lay before you such remarks, and to suggest such advice, as may be salutary and prove useful to you, and, in particular, as may revive the impressions which appeared to be made on some of you by some of the last discourses I delivered among you.

I wish solemnly to appeal to you all, as to what were the tenor and aim of my public discourses and more private instructions among you. The state in which I found you as a congregation, so soon as I had formed a deliberate judgment of it, fully determined me to insist frequently, and with as much earnestness as possible, on practical subjects; to cry aloud, without sparing, against all sinful practices, unchristian dispositions, corrupt selfishness, and lukewarmness and indifference in religion, and all illiberality

and uncharitableness; the existence of which evils gave me the greatest pain; and to urge, by all the motives and considerations I could bring forward, the absolute necessity of obedience to the gospel, of heavenly-mindedness and devotedness to God, and of conformity to the example of Jesus Christ both in spirit and conduct. I am aware that there are persons who thought I insisted too much upon these things, who would have preferred discourses of a merely speculative and controversial kind; but I cannot repent of the course I pursued, and hope it produced some good effects, though I lament that the effects were not greater and more extensive and I entreat those who thought that I insisted too much on matters of practice, to put it to their consciences, whether their dislike to practical preaching did not arise from a consciousness that they themselves indulged in the evils pointed out, and neglected the duties enforced? I call all of you to witness, that if you have not departed from your iniquities, you have been faithfully warned of them and of their dreadful consequences; that if you continue to neglect the cultivation of the true Christian spirit, and the performance of the various Christian duties, these things have been plainly pointed out to you and warmly urged upon you; that if you continue coldhearted, lukewarm and indifferent, it is in despite of strong remonstrances and earnest exhortations to a contrary conduct: and I now, my brethren, exhort and beseech you to consider all these things and lay them to heart, that the labour bestowed upon you may not be ultimately in vain. Consider how awful your state will be at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, if, while ye profess to know God, ye in works deny him: if you continue lukewarm, Christ will cast you from him, as that which is nauseous is cast out of the mouth.

That my labours among you failed, at least in part, of producing the good effect they were intended and I trust calculated to produce, and that I did not obtain the success in your town and its vicinity which I had in the outset hoped for, is but too evident, and you lament it in your. address to me on my leaving you; you have also the goodness to say, that this partial failure is not to be ascribed to any want of zeal or proper exertion on my part. In this I hope you are correct. Conscious as I am of manifold defects, I know not what I could have done among you that I did

You intimate that my labours

not do to obtain success. not being more successful is not to be attributed to the congregation, but entirely to the unfavourable circum-. stances in which you are placed, and the state of things around you. That this is true in part I admit, but am sorry that I cannot allow that the failure of success is in no part to be ascribed to the congregation; and, though my mind revolts at the idea of accusing any of my brethren, I feel it my duty to state my views of this matter plainly, because I am fully persuaded that on your spirit and conduct in future, as individuals and as a congregation, the success of the cause among you must materially depend: and be assured that it is solely with a view to your improvement, and the future success of the cause, I mention this.

I am well aware that the circumstances to which you allude, the high degree of bigotry and uncharitableness which prevails in your town and its vicinity, the gross misrepresentation of our religious views that obtains credit around you, and the undue influence used to controul the working people in religious matters, prevented many persons from becoming my hearers, and in some degree prevented the success of my ministry; yet I must entreat you to consider whether the incorrectness of the spirit and conduct of some among you, your want of mutual love and union, and your worldly-mindedness, lukewarmness and indifference, may not have disaffected others to the cause you espouse, strengthened their prejudices, and led them to think unfavourably of the Christian ministry among you. I cannot help thinking, that had your attendance on the public services been more regular and constant; you made a point of bringing your families with you; had you been more united and shewn more love one to another; had you shewn more steady zeal in the cause; and, above all, had your spirit and conduct been more truly Christian; had there appeared in you less of the spirit of the world and more of the spirit of Christ,-my labours as a minister among you would have been more successful, I should certainly have been much more happy, and it is highly probable should still have remained with you.

had

I have not made the above remarks as applicable to every individual among you; I am happy to think there are a few persons, even in Trowbridge, to whom they do not apply; but I fear they are too generally applicable; a sense of

duty compels me to make them: and I beseech you to examine yourselves, and see how far what I have said is indicative of what your spirit and conduct have been.

I greatly rejoice that God has, in his providence, placed among you, as my successor, a young minister whose heart and soul are in the work, who seems so well suited to the situation, whose zeal is so ardent and his views so liberal, who will be unwearied in his labours for your edification, for the glory of God and the good and salvation of men. I pray God that you may all of you fully know his value, and that his labours among you may be made abundantly successful.

I now proceed to state the course you ought to pursue, what you ought to do, as individuals and as a congregation, that you may increase and prosper, and that the cause of pure and undefiled religion may flourish among you. Remember, you must not rely merely on what your minister can do; however zealous and laborious, without your countenance and support, your assistance and co-operation, he cannot effect much; and you are bound to do all you can to second his efforts and promote his success.

1. Let me exhort every one of you to reform whatever is wrong in his conduct, to correct whatever is improper in his spirit or temper, and carefully to shun every appearance of evil. The eyes of other denominations of Christians are upon you, and if you act improperly, if you manifest a bad spirit, you will bring a reproach upon the doctrines which you profess, and the congregation to which you belong. If any of you be frequenters of public-houses, and associate with drunkards; or be brawlers, quarrelsome and turbulent persons; or if you allow yourselves in the use of profane or indecent language; or if you backbite and revile others; or if you indulge in any kind of lewdness, or commit any dishonest action,-you will bring a great scandal on your profession, and for all these things God will bring you into judgment, and you must reap the bitter fruit of them. You ought to maintain a pure and righteous conduct and conversation, to shew a humble, meek, kind, forgiving, benevolent spirit, seeking by your whole character and behaviour to adorn the doctrines you profess, and to recommend them to the attention of others: by thus living and acting you will strengthen and encourage your minister and your brethren, and may expect the approbation and blessing of God and you will not prosper as a congregation any