'Gainft Britain's peerless ifle the menace huri'd, "Europe's last hope, and guardian of the world.* But heaven's high Lord confounds their impious wiles, From her fir'd tubes the fmoky vapour brouds The air in darknefs and a night of clouds, While, fereen'd from hoftile fight, fecurely fail The skilful fleet beneath the friendly veil, And rous'd, to vengeance rous'd the The Dunife forts in vain their wrath *The force of this fentiment must be felt by every independent State which has feen the power of Auftria frittered away in the content with France, and the fmall States either neutralized, or fwallowed up in the vortex of her ambition. What check or counterpoife could then be oppofed to the giant power of France, but the naval force of England? This has been the lait barrier to the ftrides of French ambition, and no friend to the liberties of civilized itates would with to fee it diminished,whilft France hold- her immenfe acquifitions on the continent. With all her fuperiority at fea, England, unaided by thofe whote interests the maintained, has been obliged to make a peace which has fo unbalanced the ftate of Europe, that there is little reason to pe for any long period of tranquillity. "Nor dread th' event, this arm fhall win the way, "Or Albion's ships their giant bulk shall lay "Wreck'd on yon fhoals.”—The naval Chief replied, Shield of thy country, and her navy's pride, "Whofe fearlefs breaft no frowns of danger daunt, "I grant thy bold request, tho' anxious, grant. Go then-felect the braveft of our hoft, "Go-launch our lightning on yon hoftile coast, "Give the full reign to Britain's naval ire, "Whelm fhips and forts in one avenging fire, Sweep the firm phalanx from the guarded fhore, "And teach the Dane to brave our pow'r no more." NELSON, elate, obeys the dread command, His valour kindling as his genius plann'd, With care judicious culls from all he knew, A pow'rful squadron and a daring crew. A pafs through fhoals th' exploring hero found, And buoy'd, with matchless kill, the fhelving ground, By this determines all his force to bring And point his batteries 'gainst their weaker wing, Then bids his dauntless children of the deep, Lofe their long labours in refreshing Леер. At length chill NIGHT, on dusky pinions, fled, And fair AURORA heav'd her orient head, When from his couch, with vict'ry's prefcient fmile, Uprofe, alert, the hero of the Nile. There, as their eyes furvey'd the god like man, From ship to fhip infpiring courage ran. BRITANNIA'S glory all their hearts inspires, And wakes, in every bofom, martial fires. On their lov'd Chief they fix th' admir ing eye, Refolv'd with him to conquer or to die. Swift at the word the canvass fome unbind, Some loofe the fanguine ftreamers to the wind, Thofe on the yards BELLONA's chains display, These from its oozy bed the anchor weigh. And now the warriour fleet, in naval pride, Plough'd, through the dangerous ftrait, the narrow tide. And Denmark mourns her bravest war riours loft. See now, difmay'd, her remnant bandı retire, Her fleet all captur'd, funk, or whelm'd in fire, *This battle put an end to the northern coalition, formed for the maintainance of principles unauthorized by the general law of nations, in Amazement feiz'd the Danes to view it practicable in their nature, and hottile to the fail. O'er fhelves and fhoals before the fav ring gale, interefts of neutrals. The train of circumftances which led to this event, was interesting to ng as neutrals, the action brilliant and fuch a naturally invited poetical embellishment. NEVER exceed thy income. may make Youth Evin with the yeare: but age, if it will hit, Shoots a bow fhort, and leffens till his stake, As the day leffens, and his life with it. Thy children, kindred, friends upon thee call; Before thy journey fairly part with all. Yet in thy thriving still misdoubt some evil; Lest gaining gain on thee, and make thee dimme To all things els, Wealth is the conjurers devil; Whom when he thinks he hath, the devil hath him. Gold thou mayft safely touch; but if it flick Unto thy hands, it woundeth to the quick. What skills it, if a bag of stones or gold About thy neck do drown thee? raife thy head; 453 Much curioufneffe is a perpetuall wooing Nothing with labour,folly longa doing, Play not for gain, but sport. Who playes for more Then he can lose with pleasure, stakeş his heart; Perhaps his wives too, and whom she hath bore: Servants and churches alfo play their part. ·Onely a herauld, who that way doth passe, Finds his crackt name at length in the church-glaffe. If yet thou love game at fo deere a rate, Take ftarres for money! ftarres not to Learn this, that hath old gameters deerly be told coft: Dost lose rise up: dost winne? rise in that state. Who ftrive to fit out lofing hands, are loft. Game is a civil gunpowder, in peace Blowing up houfes with their whole increafe. THE BOSTON REVIEW, FOR DECEMBER, 1804. "By fair difcuffion truths immortal find." A narrative of the religious controverfy in Fitchburg, with comments on a pamphlet entitled, Facts and documents, &c. Worcester, printed by Ifaiah Thomas, jun. jority of the town became diffatisfied with their minifter, and called upon him to join them in a mutual council for his difmillion. He refused compliance, but upon condition, that one THIS controverfy is important, church to form in council should because it involves the effential be agreed upon by himself, his church, and congregration; that he fhould nominate one third part of the remaining churches, his church newly modelled and closely attached to him one third, and the congregation the other third. The town, thinking this a violation of the fpirit of his agreement and defigned to deprive them of an equitable decifion in the council, difmiffed their minister by their own vote. The oppofers of the new forms abfented themfelves from communion and publick worfhip with the church, to which Mr. W. continued, by ad vice of an ex parte council, to adminifter. They adopted various expedients, fome of them irregu lar and of bad tendency, to effect the diffolution of Mr. W.'s paftoral relation with his church. The church viewed thofe, who oppofed their new forms, as amenable to their body, and under their difcipline. Finally they fufpended two, and excommunicated five of the number. The cenfured conceived themfelves aggrieved and oppreffed, and after feeking redrefs in the ufual manner from the church, they applied to the neighbouring churches for affiftance. An ex parte council advifed to a mutual council, and till its decifion could be obtained, recommended the aggrieved to the communion of the churches. After much altercation a mutual council was obtained, which recommended terms of reconciliation between the church and the cenfured brethren. These were complied with on the part of the aggrieved, but rejected by the church. Mr. W. was difmiffed by the church in prefence of the mutual council agreeably to ftipulation. The church foon invited him to re-fettle with them, and when he gave a negative to their call, they proceeded to the clection of another paftor, and obtained a council to fan&tion his inftallation, contrary to the ex prefs vote and remonftrance of the town. The aggrieved in the mean time invited a refpectable number of churches to form by their paftors and delegates in council for their advice. This council, conceiving the profpect of an union clofed, established the aggrieved and thofe difpofed to join with them into a church. connection with the general interefts of the chriftian church. In the progrefs of the difpute, we perceive on one fide, a jealoufy for the fuppofed prerogative of the minifter, and for the power of the church; and a caution not to make conceffions, that would militate with their exercise; and on the other, an apprehenfion, that the rights of private judgment were invaded, and a fear, that measures propofed intended in their operation to eftablish dominion over confcience. In the cenfure of thofe, deemed their brethren, the church feem to have been precipitate in their decifions, fevere in their fentences, and harth in the manner of their execution, in a degree inconfiftent with the mild fpirit of the gospel, and for which we cannot account under the agency of a man of acknowledged abilities, and whofe piety is not controverted, but on the fuppofition, that his mind was heated by oppofition, and under the influence of an intemperate zeal to fupport his fcheme of fpeculative doctrines and fyftem of church government. But we will proceed to principles. The narrative is published, as the act of this church, and is intended to vindicate their proceed ings. The ferious mind laments that paffion and prejudice fhould be blended with the facred concerns of religion; but every interefting controverfy gives evidence of this weakness of human nature. In the inftance before us, we fhall not dwell on tranfactions local in their nature and temporary in their effects, we review this cafe principally in its The narrators implicate the Rev. Mr. W. in a disingenuous evafion of his own ftipulation with the people of Fitchburg in the propofed terms of a mutual council to fanction his difmiffion. They quote the authority of a diftinguifhed divine, and plead the practice of fome of our churches. to fhew the rights of the congregation in the choice and difmiffion of a minifter. The practice on this point is various in our country; but the agency of the congregation is every where confider |