Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1864-05-27
Devotional Poetry of DR.. Watts.
BY WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT.

to repeat, with his book in my hand,
and with such gestures as were pre-
scribed to me, the psalm beginning
with the words:
"Come sound his praise abroad,
And hymns of glory sing"
The critics, in general, have shown
but stinted favor to Dr. Watts de-
votional poetry. DR.. Johnson pro-
nounced it unsatisfactory, though he
admits that DR.. Watts "has done bet
ter then anybody else, what nobody |
had done we'll" Southcy, fr ON
whom | expected something differ
cnt, in that meagre memoir of DR..
Watts-mcagre, yet interesting, so
far as relates to his theological OPP
inions, which c EN- principally to
have engaged Southey's attention
alludes to Johnson's opinion, y ct
takes no pains to controvert it. He
indeed questions Johnson's decision
against devotional poetry in general,
but takes no pains to show, as he
might easily have done, that Watts
book contained great many very
beautiful things.
| maintain, for my part, that DR..
Watts has done admirably well what
he undertook to do, and the proof, if
wanted any other than thepleasure
with which always read him, | find
in the strong hold which his dcvo- G
tional verses have taken on the hearts I
of men in all conditions Of life, and |
| think, all varieties Of religious be- C
lief No compilation Of hymns for il
the public worship Of any denomina- P
ton is ever made without borrowing Y
largely from DR.. Watts. He has 0
been in his grave for considerably h
more than century, yet have his m
psalms and hymns lost none Of the d
favor which they had when they were Pc
first adopted by religious assemblies
for public worship, and believe are
even ow, generally speaking, in
greater esteem than ever, notwith- !.
standing tina t such poets as bod ~
bridge, Cowper, Charles Wesley,
Barbauld, and Hcber have written du
devotional verses of very great NOR J"
t since his time. fro
The secret of this popularity lies, VIII
$ it seems to me, in the union Of api
trong feeling with great poetic mcr- reg
!. In what he wrote there are oc- am,
aSional transgressions against good q
lste, as in his versifcation Of Solo swe
IONS Song. They are slovcnly :.
mes, and even stanzas, but there is -
ways great feryor and profound =
No poet has ever ex-
ressed religious emotions wi h
reater energy. He faints and Ian :
uishes for the divine presence; he way
eplores the waywardness of the fort
uman heart; he eXults in the divine ing.
lvor; he is awed by the divine ma 4
ssty; he looks with transport on stra
he works of the divine hand; he {.
wells with delight on the vision of ;nr
better life beyond the grave; and .
ii these moods of mind find full ex-
ression in his verse. Many of his WI"
ymns seem to have been dashed out Del
a the excitement Of the moment, as
{ the feeliHg which had taken pos the
ession Of him could not be satisfied ly
Without expressing itself in poetic tin,
orms. His versions Of the Hebrew to
'salms are as remarkable for this as II =,
he compositions which he called wa
lymns. He seems to have first filled =.
his mind with the imagery of the an 90
lent bards, and catching inspiration uo'
rom them, flung his thoughts upon oar
he page in form suitable TO the
more mild and perfect dispensation VIII
If Christianity.
Some of DR.. Watts devotional eau
'erses show that he possessed mag
nation in high degree. What a :
beautiful picture, for example, is set ed
before us in the hymn beginning ,
"There is land of pure delight" Il |
N this hymn, which is too familiar fat
% all readers to be transcribed here the
We have the green fields of immor- pre-
al life with their unwithering flow 8
RS lying in perpetual light; the mar frje
'ow river of death, dividing it from .
he present state Of being; and the ma,
imorous crowd of mortals on the
lither bank shiyering and shudder- V ",
ng at the thought of passing through 'o''
hose cold waters. remember that /
'nce, on fine Sunday evening in from
he latter part Of April, coming out mort
u the harbor Of Havana, in a steam -.
II moving measily on the tossing -,
waves Of the Gulf Stream, which pau
lere rushed against the reefs of the s'o'I
iorthern coast Of Cuba-I had been I
riven to my berth by a strong pre- man
lonition of sca-sickness-a party of sire,
americans struck up this hymn, and him
hen they had ended sang the scarce mos,
less beautiful one beginning with copy
"when I can read my title clear" of h
nd ending with the stanza, be h