Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1864-05-14
The Devotional Poetry of pr. waits.
W. RRYAxr.

Hymns ever since the time, When scarcely
three years Cd, I was made to repeat, with
his book in my hand, and with such gestures
as were prescribed TO me, the psalm begin.
ming with the woid>
"Come sound his praise abroad
And hymns of glory sing"
The critics, III general, have shown but
stiuted favor to DR.. Watts devotional poe
try. Dr. johnson pronounced it unsalisIac-
tory, though be admits that DE- Watts "has
done better than anybody else, what no.
BODY had doue we'll" Southey, from whom
expected something different, in thai
meugre memoir of DR.. Watts--meagre
yet interesting, SO tar as relates to his the
oIogicul opinions, which seem principally to
have engaged Soutbey's attention-alndes
TO Jobuson's opinion, yet takes no pairs to
coutrovett IL. lie Indeed questions John.
sons decision against devotional poetry iu
general; but takes no pains to show, as he
III ght easily have done, that Waits book
contained a great many very beautiful
things.
i maintain. for my part, that Dr. Watts
has done admirably well what he undertook
to do, aud The proof, if l wanted any other
than the pleasure with which l always read
him, tind III the strong hold which his de
vOtiUnal verses have taken on the hearts of
men IN all conditions OF life, and | lux
all varieties of religious belief. No CON.
pilation OF hymns lur the public worship of
any denomination is ever made without Dor
rowing largely from DR. Watts He has
Oeen III bis gave for cOnside ably more than
century, yet have his psalms aud hynus
lost noue OF the favor which they had wheu
they were first adopted Uy religious ussem.
bIleS tor pubic worship, and | believe are
even now, generally Speaking, in greater
esteem than ever, notwl hStandiug that such
poets as Doddrdge. CJwper. Cnarles W es-
ley, Bubuud, aud HIeber have written de
votlonul verses Of very great merit since his
time.
The secret Of this popularity lies, as ii
seems TO me, in the union Of strong feeling
WITH great poetic merit. la what he wrote
there are occasional trauSgresslons sgainS;
good taste, as in his We lsllicatiOn OF Solo.
nuns Song. Tney- ATE siovenly liRes, aud
even stahzls, bnt there is always great fer
vor and profound earnestness No poet
has ever expressed religious emotions with
greater eucrgy. lie falnts and Iauguiahe,
Tor the dlvlue presence; he deplores the
waywaIducos Of the human heart; he exulIs
In the divine favor; lie is a@ed by the di'
vine majesty; he looks with transport on
| The works OF the divine hand; he Gwells
| with delight on The vision OF u better life
| beyond the grave; and all these moods o
mind fiud full expression in his verse. -
| Many Of his hymas seem to have been dash
ed out in the excitement OF the moment, a
if the feeling which had taken possession o
Lin could not he satisfied without express
Ing tself in poetic forms. HIS versions O
he Hebrew psalms are as remai kabe fo
this as The compositions which he cAliet
bymus. lie seems 10 have first filled BIZ
mind with The imagery of the ancient bards
and catching Inspiration from them, hdnt
bis thoughts upon The puge iu form sniIe'
to the more mud and perfect dispeusatioI
of Christianity.
Some of DR.. Watts devotional verse
show that he possessed imagination in
high deg,ee. What a. beautiful picture, 70
example, is set before US in the hymn te
gInnIng
"There is land of pure delight
In his hymn, which is 100 familiar to read
ers 10 be Transcribed here, we have lh
green fields OF immortal life with their vi
withering 1owers lying in perpetual light
The narrow river OF death, dividing it froi
the present state of being; and the tlmorol
. crowd OF mortals OH he hlther bank ShlVe
ing aud shudde!ng at the thought OF pas
ing through those cold waters. ! remen
Der that once, on fine Sunday evening
1 the latter part Of April, coming ont of III
hurbor of Havana IN S Gamer moving al
euslly on the tossing waves of the Gu
Stream, which here rushed against the rec
of the northern coast of Cuba-I had tee
driven TO my berth 10y Stiong premoni 10
of seu-sickuess--a party of Americans o
deck struck up this hymn, aud when the
had ended saug The scarcely less beautiG'
one beginning with
"when can read my title clear"
aud ending with the stauZA,
There shall bathe my weary ssu
> In seas of endless rest,
And not wave Ot trouble roll
Across my peaceful breast"
As they sang, II almost seemed as II the st
T. felt the influence OF genlle strain and gre
! smoother, aud the waves murmCred mo
r softly before the PROV that divided them.
t once heard distinguished literary ge
d tleman instance the following couplet iro
II QUE Of Watts hymns, as conveying TO {
}, mind images which could only occur 10
l. poet OF no common genius:
|, "Cod mountains and the midnight air
Is Witnessed the tervor OF his prayer"
i was aDle to.match them, or nearly {
r with couplet irom his version oil the O
e huud ed aud twenty first psalm:
II eNo sun shall smite thy head by day,
:. Nor the pale mOeu, with sieNiy ray,
II snail blast thy couch; no baetul s.ar
a. Dart his mali snant tire So far
r. How pathetic is this expostulation 10 |
as Que huIdred aud second psalm:
n. "Spsre us, O, Lordl aloud pray,
Nor let 60 down at noon
Thy years one eternal day
Ana must thy children die so Eoonf
How magn,iceudy Is The Que hundred
psalm verslied, closing with this gra
staIZI:
Su "We,u crowd thy gates with thanktulsonga
lr High as the heavens our voices raise,
And earth, with ten thousand tongues, IA
lis Shall mi thy courts with sounding praise
en- might refer to many other examples
N, like excellence in these poemSi out
Ill mention only one more, the charming III
sr' tuueral hymn, the eighteenth ot The