PSALM CXXXIX. | |7 tongue, | 7 but | O Lord, 7 thou hast | searched me, | 7 and known me. | 77 | 77 | 7 Thou | knowest my | down | sitting | 7 and mine | up 7 | rising, | 7 thou | under- | standest my thoughts | 7 a- | far off. 7 | 77 | 77 | Thou | compassest my | path, 7 | 7 and my | lying | down, 7 | and art ac- | quainted with | all my ways. 7 7 | For there is not a | word in my lo, 7 | 07 | Lord | thon 7 | knowest it | alto- | gether. 7 7 | 7 7 | Thou hast be- | set me | 7 be- | hind and be- | fore, 7 | 7 and | laid thine | hand upon me. | 77 | 77 | Such 7 | knowledge is | too | wonderful for | me : 77 it is high 7 | 7 I cannot at- | tain unto it. | 77 77 | Whither shall I go 7 | 7 from thy | spirit? | 77 | 7 or | whither shall I | flee from thy | presence? | 77 | 77 | If I ascend 7 | up into heaven, |77| thou bed in | hell | 7 be| hold, 7 | thou art | there. | 77 | 77 | If I art there 77 | if I make my : take the | wings of the morning | 7 and | dwell in the uttermost parts of the | sea: 7|77| Even | there | 7 shall | thy 7 | hand 7 | lead me, | 7 and thy | right 7 | hand say, 7 | Surely the even the | night 7 | 7 shall be light about me: | 7 7 | Yea | 7 the | darkness | hideth not from | thee; | 7 7 | but the | night | shineth as the day: | 77 | 7 the darkness | and the | light 7 | 7 are | both a- | like to | thee. | 77 | 77 | AGAINST PROCRASTINATION. Young. 7 Be wise to- | day; 7 | 7 'tis | madness | 7 to de- | fer; 7 | 77 | Next day 7 the | fatal | precedent | 7 will | plead, | 7 7 | Thus | on, 7 | 7 till | wisdom | 7 is | pushed out of | life. 7 | 77 | 77 | 7 Pro- crastination | 7 is the thief of time;7|77|77| Year after year it | steals, | 7 till | all are | fled, 7 | And to the mercies of a | moment | leaves 7 | | 7 The | vast con- | cerns | 7 of an e- | ternal | scene. 7 | 771771 If not so frequent, | would not | this be | strange? 7 | 7 That 'tis so | frequent, this is stranger | still. 77177 7 Of Man's mi- | raculous mis- | takes, 7 | this 7 | bears 7 | 7 The | palm, 7 | 7 that all men | 7 are a- | bout to live, 7 | 7 For ever | 7 on the brink of being | born. | 77 | 77 | All pay themselves the | compliment to think | 7 They one day | shall not | drivel; | 7 and their | pride 7 | 7 On this re-version | takes up | ready | praise, 7 | 7 At | least their | own: | 7 their | future | selves | 7 ap-| plaud; 7 | 77 | 77 | How excellent | that 7 | life | 7 they | ne'er will lead! 7 7 7 Time lodged in their own | hands | 7 is folly's | vails; | 77 | That 7 | lodged in | fate's, | 7 to | wisdom | 7 they con- | sign; | 77 | 7 The thing they | can't but | purpose, | 7 they post- | pone; 7 | "Tis not in | Folly, not to | scorn a | fool; 7 7 | 7 And | scarce | 7 in | human | wisdom, | 7 to | do | more. 7 | 77 | 77 | All promise | 7 is | poor | dilatory | man, 7 | 7 And that 7 | 7 through | every | stage: |77|7 when | young, 7 in- | deed, 7 | 7 In full con- tent we | sometimes | nobly | rest 7 | 7 Un-anxious for our- | selves; 7 | 7 and | only | wish,7| 7 As | dúteous | sons, 7 | 7 our | fathers | 7 were more | wise. 7|77| 7 At thirty | 7 7 | man | 7 sus- pects himself | 7 a | fool; 7|77| Knows it at forty, | 7 and re- | forms his | plan; | 77 | 7 At | fifty | 77 | chides his | infamous de- | lay, 7 | 77 Pushes his | prudent | purpose | 7 to re- | solve; | In all the magna- | nimity of thought 7 | 7 Re-solves; 7 | 7 and | re-re- | solves; 7 | then 7 | dies the same. | 77 | 77 | EXTRACT FROM COWPER'S TASK. Book 5. 7 Acquaint thyself with | God, 7 7 7 | if thou would'st taste 7 | 7 His works. | 77 | 7 Ad- | mitted | once to | his embrace 7 Thou shalt per- | ceive 7 | that thou wast | blind be- | fore: | 77 | 7 Thine | eye shall be in- | structed; | 7 7 | and thine | heart, 7 | Made 7 pure, 7 shall relish with di- | vine de- | light 7 | 7 Till then un- | felt, 7 7 what | hands di- | vine have | wrought. | 77 | Brutes | graze the | mountain | top, | 7 with | faces | prone | 777 And eyes | 7 in- tent | 7 upon the scanty | herb, 7 | 7 It yields them; | 7 7 or re- | cumbent on its | brow 7 | Ruminate 77 heedless | 7 of the scene out- | spread 7 | 7 Beneath, 7 be- | yond 7 | 7 and | stretching | far away 7 | 7 From | inland | regions | 7 to the | distant | main.| 77 | 77 | Man | views it, | 7 and ad- | mires; | 77 | 7 but | rests con- tent 7 | 7 With | what he | views. | 77 | 7 The | landscape | has his praise, 7 But not its author. | 7 7 | Uncon- | cerned 7 | who formed 7 | 7 The | paradise he | sees, | 7 he finds it | such 7 | 7 And | such 7 | well | pleased to | find it, | 7 7 | asks no more. |77|77| Not so the mind 7 | that has been | touched from | heaven, | And in the school of | sacred | wisdom | 7 7 | taught 7 | 7 To | read 7 | his 7 | wonders, | 7 in | whose thought | 7 the world, 7|77| Fair as it is, 7 | 7 ex- isted | ere it was: | 77 | 77 Not for its own | sake 7 | merely, | but for | his 7 | Much more, | 7 who | fashioned it, | 7 he gives it | praise ; | 77 | Praise 7 that from | earth re- | sulting, |77| as it | ought 7 | 77 | 7 To earth's acknowledged | sovereign, |77| finds at | once 7 | 7 Its only just pro- | prietor | 7 in | Him. 7|77|77| 7 The soul that | sees him, or re- | ceives sub- | limed 7 | | New faculties, | 7 or | learns at | least to em- | ploy 7 | More worthily | 7 the | powers she owned be- | fore, 7 7 Discerns in | all things | what with | stupid | gaze | 7 Of | ignorance, | 7 till | then she | over- | looked, 7 | 7 A ray of heavenly | light, 7 | gilding all | forms 7 | 7 Terrestrial | 7 in the vast and the mi- nute; 77| 7 The | unam-| biguous | footsteps | 7 of the | God, 7 | 7 Who gives its | lustre | 7 to an | insect's | wing, 7 | 7 And wheels his throne 7 | upon the rolling | worlds. | 77 | 77 | Much conversant with heaven, | 7 she | often holds 7 | 7 With those | fair | ministers of | light to | man, | 7 That | fill the skies 7 | nightly with | silent | pomp, 7 | Sweet | conference. | 77 | 77 | 7 In- | quires what | strains were they 7 | 7 With which 7 | heaven | rang, | 7 when every | star in haste | 7 To gratulate the | new-created | earth, 7 | Sent forth a voice, 7 | 7 and all the sons of God 7 | |