The preacher (beg his pardon, the poet) then describes his Heaven. This falls into verse almost of its own accord.

"Glorious bodies are not restored to the righteous only to strike a harp, nor imperishable bodies to the wicked only to suf fer and not die. To the righteous they are given to renew the connexion between spirit and matter, which is productive even in this fallen world of such exquisite delight; and in order to meet the nicer capacities of these new-formed organs, a new world is created, fair as the sun, beautiful as the moon, fresh and verdant as the garden of Eden."

Yet not unto the righteous are restored
Such glorious bodies, but to strike a harp,
Nor to the bad, bodies imperishable
To suffer and not die. No-they are given
Unto the righteous, that may be renewed
That union between matter and the spirit,
Productive, even in this fallen world,
Of exquisite delight; and then to meet
These new-form'd organs' nice capacities,
Fair as the sun, as the moon beautiful,
As fresh and verdant as was Eden's gar-
den-

Lo! a new world created!

The imagination of the new poet of Heaven and Hell now brightens and expands, and yet exhibits proofs " of a cool and reasonable spirit."

"Who knows what new enchantment of melody, what new witchery of speech, what poetry of conception, what variety of design, and what brilliancy of execution, he may endow the human faculties withal -in what new graces he may clothe nature, with such various enchantment of hill and dale, woodland, rushing streams, and living fountains; with bowers of bliss and sabbath-scenes of peace, and a thousand forms of disporting creatures, so as to make all the world hath beheld, to seem like the gross picture with which you catch infants; and to make the eastern tale of romances, and the most rapt imagination of eastern poets, like the ignorant prattle and rude structures which first delight the nursery, and afterwards ashame our riper years."

Why was this done back into prose? Surely in the original it will be found thus written.

Who knows what new enchanting melody,
New witchery of speech, what poetry
Of new conception, what variety
Of new design, and oh! what brilliancy
Of execution, new, he may endow

The human faculties withal-in what new

Various, of hill and dale, woodland and

streams

Rushing, and living fountains; with what bowers

Of bliss, and Sabbath scenes of peace! disporting

A thousand forms of creatures, such as make

All that the world hath witnessed seem like pictures

Drawn gross, to catch the infant's roving eyes!

And the most rapt imagination

Of Eastern poets, all the eastern tale Romantic, like the ignorant prattle vain, And those rude structures which at first delight

The nursery, and then ashame our riper

years.

Mr Irving then draws an animated picture of those exquisite enjoyments which will spring in the new Establishment," from the heavenly loves and friendships of domestic life.

"The tongue shall be eloquent to disclose all its burning emotions, no longer labouring and panting for utterance. And a new organization of body for joining and mixing affections may be invented, more quiet homes for partaking it undisturbed, and more sequestered retreats for barring out the invasion of other affairs."

Then shall the tongue, no longer labouring,
Panting for utterance, eloquent be to speak
All its emotions burning; then a new
Organization of the bodily frame
For joining and for mixing the affections
May be invented ;-homes more quiet far,
For undisturb'd partaking of the mixture,
Retreats far more sequester'd, to bar out
The invasion of all different affairs.

The Poetical Preacher then attacks all those persons who, from that depraved taste in human nature which delights in strife and struggle, cannot look upon innocent peace without a smile of scorn, or a ravenous lust to mar it ;" and who, out of this "fund of bitterness," pour forth epithets of derision upon the innocent images of heaven. He observes, that "these light and ignorant wits" laugh likewise at the pastoral simplicity of heaven, "and strive to be severe on the indolence of the bowers of bliss." Mr Irving meets these gentry boldly.

"But that with all these accompaniments it will be a scene of activity, I have no doubt. Activity both of body and of mind; that sensual and physical enjoy. ments will be multiplied manifold; that affectionate attachments will yield a thousand times more enjoyment; that schemes of future good will occupy our thoughts,

and enterprizes of higher attainments urge our being forward. Then will be the pleasure of the eye, but none of the weariness; the glow and glory of life, but not its pride; the thrilling joys of flesh and blood, but none of their odious lusts."

And yet, that with all these accompani

ments

"Twill be a stirring and an active scene,
I have no doubt; a great activity
Of body and of mind. I have no doubt
That in the Heaven of the Christian's God,
Both sensual and physical enjoyments
Are multiplied, for ever manifold!
Affectionate attachments then will yield
Thousand times more enjoyment; then
will schemes

Of future good more occupy our thoughts;
Then enterprizes of more pith and moment
Will urge our being forward. Then will be
The pleasure of the eye, but all without
Its weariness; life's glow and glory,
Without its pride then all the thrilling
joys

Of flesh and blood, without their odious lusts.

There does not appear to us to be any want of warmth in such delineations; nothing particularly frosty, yet, certainly, nothing that is not sound and orthodox, and agreeable to the tenets of the Presbyterian Church. Yet Mr Irving himself, although " he has no doubt" that heaven will be precisely as he has described it, seems to have been uneasy lest his fair hearers should accuse him of not handling the subject con amore, and makes something like an apology, which, doubtless, was accompanied in the pulpit with a suitable bow.

"Thus coolly do I prosecute a subject which would sustain the loftiest flights, and call into action the strongest enthusiasm of the mind, because I would justify these great truths of our religion by an appeal to the cool reason and correct feelings of human nature, not by high-wrought eloquence, or picturesque delineation. And I would now meditate with the same calmness and collectedness the dark side of futurity, praying you to suppress your fears, and listen with your reason and judgment alone, which are the only faculties of your minds, from which these several discourses of Judgment have asked a verdict."

Thus coolly do I prosecute a subject Which might the loftiest flights sustain,

and rouse

The enthusiastic powers of all the mind,
Because that I do wish to justify
The primal truths of Christianity,
By an appeal to reason calm and cool,
To human nature's most correct emotions,
And not at all by high-wrought eloquence,
Or by delineations picturesque.

Mr Irving now goes to hell," in the same cool and reasonable spirit" in which he entered heaven.

"It is most manifest to any one coolly considering his own bosom, that if it were to give a licence to the evil that is within him, to the suggestions of malice and lust and passion, he would become hateful to himself and horrible to all around. If the fear of God were cast away, and the fear of man; if the rewards that attend honesty and chastity and peace were no longer known; if one, in short, had nothing to lose in life, no death, and no retribution after death staring him in the face, the lengths to which he would proceed are shocking to reflect upon.

"Now this is precisely the state of things in the nether world. There is no hope, there is no end, there are no good beings to hold the balance against evil, and there is no restraining providence of God. be enough to constitute the hottest, cruelWere there nothing more, I hold this to

est hell. I ask no elemental fire, no furnace of living flames, no tormenting demons, nothing but a congregation of the wicked, in the wicked state in which they died and appeared at the tribunal, driven together into one settlement, to make the best or the worst of it they can. Let every man arise in his proper likeness, clothed in his proper nature, which he did not choose to put off, but to die with; let beauty arise with the same pure tints which death did nip, and wit with all its flashes and knowledge, with all its powers and policy, with all its address; let the generations of the unrighteous gather together;

-and because of their possessing none of the qualities which God approves in his volume, nor caring to possess them, let them be shipped across the impassable gulf to some planet of their own, to carry on their several intrigues and indulgences for ever; then here were a hell, which neither fire nor brimstone, nor gnawing worm, are able to represent." To any one, coolly considering His proper bosom, 'tis most manifest, That were he to give licence to the evil That is within him, and to the suggestions Of malice, lust, and passion, he would be To himself hateful, horrible to all. If both the fear of God and fear of man Were cast away; rewards of honesty, Of charity and peace, no longer known:

1823.

If one, in short, had nought to lose but life, No death, no retribution after death Staring him in the face, the lengths that he would go

Are shocking to reflect on.

Now, my friends,

This most precisely is the state of things
In the nether world. For there there is no
hope,

There is no end, nor no good beings there
To hold the balance against evil, and there
Is no restraining providence of God.
Now, were there nothing more, my Chris-
tian Friends,

I hold that even this is quite sufficient
To constitute the hottest, cruelest hell.
Observe I ask no elemental fire,
No furnace heated with the living flames,
Not even tormenting demons! All I ask
Is but a congregation of the wicked,

In the same wicked state in which they
died

And stood at the tribunal, driven together
Into one settlement, to make the best
Let every man
Or worst of it they can.
Rise in his proper likeness, and be clothed
In his proper nature, which he did not
choose

To put off, but to die with. Let arise
Beauty, with all the self-same tints so pure
That Death did nip; and Wit, with all
its flashes;

Knowledge, with all its powers; and Policy,
With its addresses all; the generations
Of the unrighteous gather all together,
And because they possess no single quality
That in his volume God approves, nor care
About possessing them, then let them all
BE SHIPPED ACROSS THE GULPH IM.

PASSABLE,

worm,

Can represent !

"

god-like

"Panora

"Here, then, I say, is hell enough out of the natural workings of such a population, without one interference of Almighty God. With what full swing power will rage and havoc with what fell swoop the arm of revenge will bring its bloody stroke! Hosts encountering hosts in dubious battle, wounds and bloodshed and agony, and no relief of death! Knowledge will invent systems of slavery and arts of cruelty; and inventions for accomplishing the ends of wickedness, beyond aught recorded of in history, will come forth from thoughtful and malicious brains. All the cruel acts of man will be played off remorseless; inquisitionary dungeons will arise anew, and racks and torments for the body of men will ply their ancient work. The ferocity of Carribs and the dark cruelty of Malays, and the torturing of American savages, and Sodom's lustfulness, and Carthaginian fraud, and Rome's tyrant grasp, will all revive. And beauty will be there to light the cruel fires of jealousy, and arm nation against nation as heretofore. And poetry will be there to compose And ambition to league the war-song. revolts; and civil warfare, with every form of mischief this earth hath groaned beneath, all embittered and exasperated manifold.

"Now, tell me, brethren, could you endure such anarchy and confusion for a life long-could you endure it for ever? this carnival of every lust, and revelry of every passion."

MY BRETHREN,
OUT OF THE NATURAL WORKINGS OF
ITS PEOPLE,

HERE, THEN, I SAY, IS HELL ENOUGH,

AND ALL WITHOUT ONE SINGLE IN

TERFERENCE

OF THE ALMIGHTY GOD. With what fell swung

Power here will rage and havoc ! with what

fell sweep

Revenge's arm will bring its bloody stroke! Brethren! behold here hosts encountering hosts

In dubious battle, blood and wounds and agony,

And no relief of death. Knowledge here
Will frame new slaveries, and cruel arts;
Inventions for the ends of wickedness,
Beyond the records of old history,
Come forth from thoughtful and malicious
brains.

All cruel arts of man will be played off
Remorseless; dungeons inquisitionary
Will rise anew, and for the bodies of men
Will racks and torments ply their ancient
work.

There will the Carrib's wild ferocity
Meet the dark cruelty of the Malay,
And savage tortures of America;

There Sodom's lustfulness, the fraud of
Carthage,

And tyrant grasp of Rome, will all revive ; And Beauty will be there to light the fire Of Jealousy, and arm, as heretofore, Nation against nation. Poetry, (alas! Divine no more) the war-song will compose, Ambition will be there to league revolts, And Civil War, with every form of mischief

"Neath which this miserable earth hath grieved,

Embittered and exasperate manifold. Now, TELL ME, BRETHREN, IF YOU

COULD ENDURE

SUCH ANARCHY AND SUCH CONFUSION FOR A LIFE LONG? COULD YOU ENDURE'T FOR EVER?

ENDURE THIS CARNIVAL OF EVERY LUST, &c.

We take upon us to assert, that Mr Irving's congregation, in the Caledonian Church, Hatton-Garden, would, if allowed to speak out, have answered this question in the negative, with one universal groan.

But hitherto Mr Irving has "supposed things no otherwise conditioned than they are here on earth." The reader, therefore, who shall stop short here, must be contented with a most imperfect and inadequate idea of hell. So let him read on, for entire satisfaction.

"Hitherto I have supposed things no otherwise conditioned than they are here on earth. But what, if the ground should be doubly accursed for their sakes? What, if the body should be liable to tenfold racking pains; what, if the eye should look only upon unsightly things, and the ear should lose its faculty of tasting melody or, perceiving it, should be invaded with

2

restless, dunning noises; what, if the sun should smite with tropic fires, and suffocating winds whirl the miserable natives to and fro; what, if the realities of all that is threatened should come to pass, and the mighty devils become our masters, and we their thralls, to be used and misused as their beasts of labour; what, if God should put forth his power, and give the wicked, who set him at naught, their habitation upon some burning star or fiery comet, to live like the salamander in everlasting fire? -What, if all that Dante and Milton and Tasso have imagined in their several hells -the physical torments of the one, the mental anguish of the other, the deformed, filthy, obscene forms of the third-should concur; and the imagined picture of Belial be realized!

Thus far, my friends, I have supposed things

No otherwise conditioned than on earth. But if the ground should doubly be accursed

Even for their sakes, brethren! I ask,
WHAT THEN?

What, if the body should be liable
To tenfold racking pains; what, if the eye
Should only look upon unsightly things;
What, if the ear should lose its faculty
Of tasting melody, or, tasting still,
Should be invaded with strange dunning
noises ;

What, if the sun should strike with tropic fires,

And suffocating winds whirl to and fro
The miserable natives; what, if all
That ever has been threatened, come to
pass,

And the all-mighty devils be our masters, And we their thralls, ay, or their beasts of labour,

To be used and misused? Say what, if God Should put forth all his power, and give

the wicked

Who set thus at naught their habitation Upon some burning star, or fiery comet, Like salamanders in eternal fire?

SAY WHAT, IF ALL THAT MILTON, DANTE, TASSO,

Have all imagined in their several hells, All, all the physical torments of the one, All, all the mental anguish of the other, And of the third, the obscene filthy forms Deformed, should all concur-and the imagined picture

Of Belial be realized, &c.

"But of these things-coolly, correctly, and reasonably," says our Preacher and Poet, "I make no handle; wishing to address myself to imagination no farther than is necessary to embody the thing for the consideration of reason."