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versation, we do not need them, merely because we have the sense, before we speak. For the same reason, in repeating from memory we think nothing of the points.

But if the points can afford us little or no assistance, how shall we ascertain the place and length of every pause? I answer, by the sense. If we could divest ourselves of the influence of bad habit, and could understand and feel what we read, proper pauses would fall in their proper places, without any special effort of ours, as they do in conversation. To counteract bad habit, it may be useful to make some special efforts, to regulate the length of our pauses, particularly such as should be very long. The periodic pause may vary from one syllable, to forty. At the close of a paragraph, it may be from six to sixteen; at the close of a chapter, from ten to forty.

Direction XVI.

Keep your lungs well supplied with air. It is not uncommon to see persons in reading, especially in reading fast, suddenly catch their breath with a sigh. This is because their lungs are nearly or quite exhausted of air. This is always a fault. It is unpleasant to the hearer. It is painful and often injurious to the reader. If long continued, it may occasion consumption and death. It should be avoided entirely, and not merely avoided. We must keep at the greatest distance from any sensation of exhaustion. A habit of this may be easily formed. Draw in as much breath, as your lungs will comfortably contain. After reading a few words, fill them again; and thus keep them nearly filled continually. This will render your utterance easy, so far as voice is concerned; and if necessary, you can even vociferate, without much inconvenience.

Direction XVII.

Make due allowance for circumstances. This topic has already been mentioned; but it deserves to be the subject of a distinct direction. Consider what you read-the thoughts, the words. Consider your audi

ence, who they are, and what is the occasion, &c. &c. The same piece should be read very differently under different circumstances. After a while, however, you may feel the impression of the circumstances, with very little consideration. You have then only to speak out what you feel.

Direction XVIII.

Improve your voice to the utmost. By attending particularly to articulation, emphasis, movement, &c. you can hardly fail to improve your vocal powers, though you do not think of the subject. But this is not enough. A good voice constitutes almost half the excellence of a good reader; and it is desirable to carry the improvement of this talent to the utmost point, that nature will allow. Attention to vocal music may be one of the best means that can be used for this purpose. It may conduce to render the voice soft, melodious and flexible, and at the same time, improve its energy and dignity. Attention to music, whether vocal or instrumental, may also be useful to improve the car, to improve the taste in relation to sounds, and greatly assist in managing the voice, in whatever way it is employed. Much loud reading may likewise be useful to improve the voice. especially with regard to strength.

Direction XIX.

Study well beforehand what you would read.

This may be useful chiefly on three accounts; to gain the sense, to gain the impression, and to gain facility in uttering the words.

Direction XX.

Regularly associate for mutual improvement. A pleasant name for such an association is Reading Circle. The number of members may be from two to six. A number greater than six will be less conducive to improvement, as each one will have so little opportunity to perform. The time may be equally divided between reading and remarking, each one performing in turn. Remarks should be made with the utmost freedom and kindness.

INDEX.

All hail the power of Jesus, 83 | Among those hilly regions, 140 | Bestow, dear Lord, upon,
Angels, roll the rock away, 5 And here awhile the muse, 133
Awake, our souls,

Behold the lofty sky,

1

19

42 Amazing period,

132 Behold the morning sun,

20

Acquaint thyself with God,111 And kind thou wilt be,

160

Begone, unbelief,

82

Ah little think the gay,

139 And what, O man,

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All truth is from.

97 As thus the snows arise,

138 Beside you stragling fence, 90

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THE POETIC READER.

NO. 1. C. M.

SEMINARY SONGS.

CowPER.

Youth prayed for and entreated.
ESTOW, dear Lord, upon our youth,

1.B The gift of saving grace;

And let the seed of sacred truth

Fall in a fruitful place.

2. Grace is a plant, where e'er it grows,
Of pure and heav'nly root;
But fairest in the youngest, shows,
And yields the sweetest fruit.

3. Ye careless ones, O hear betimes,
The voice of sovereign love;

Your youth is stain'd with many crimes;
But mercy reigns above.

4. True, you are young; but there's a stone
Within the youngest breast;

Or half the crimes, which you have done,
Would rob you of your rest.

5. For you, the public prayer is made,
Oh, join the public prayer!
For you, the secret tear is shed,
Oh, shed yourselves a tear.

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NO. 3. C. M.
Sovereignty of God.

EEP silence, all created things,

And wait your Maker's nod.
My soul stands trembling, while she sings
The honors of her God.

2. Life, death and hell, and worlds unknown,
Hang on his firm decree,

He sits on no precarious throne,
Nor borrows leave-to be.

3. Chain'd to his throne, a volume lies,
With all the fates of men ;
With every angel's form and size,
Drawn by th' eternal pen.

4. His providence unfolds the book,
And makes his counsels shine;
Each opening leaf, and every stroke,
Fulfils some deep design.

5. Here he exalts neglected worms,
To sceptres and a crown;

And there, the following page he turns,
And treads the monarch down.

6. Not Gabriel asks the reason why,
Nor God the reason gives;
Nor dares the fav'rite angel pry
Between the folded leaves.
7. My God, I would not long to see
My fate, with curious eyes;
What gloomy lines are writ for me,
Or what bright scenes may rise.
8. In thy fair book of life and grace,
O may I find my name,
Recorded in some humble place,
Beneath my Lord, the Lamb.

1.

NO. 4. L. M.

Death and Resurrection of Christ.

HE dies! the Friend of sinners dies!
Lo! Salem's daughters weep around;
A solemn darkness veils the skies!
A sudden trembling shakes the ground!
2. Come, saints, and drop a tear or two,
For Him, who groan'd beneath your load;
He shed a thousand drops for you-
A thousand drops of richer blood.
3. Here's love and grief beyond degree;
The Lord of glory dies for men !
But, lo! what sudden joys we see!
Jesus the dead revives again!
4. The rising God forsakes the tomb!
Up to his Father's court, he flies!
Cherubic legions guard him home,
And shout him welcome to the skies!
5. Break off your tears, ye saints, and tell,
Sing, how he spoil'd the hosts of hell,
How high our great Deliv'rer reigns;
6. Say, "Live for ever, glorious King,
And led the tyrant death, in chains,
"Born, to redeem, and strong, to save!"
Then ask, "O death, where is thy sting?
And where thy vict'ry, boasting grave?”

NO. 5. 7's. GIBBONS. Christ's Resurrection and Ascension.

1. ANGELS, roll the rock away!

Death, yield up thy mighty prey! See, the Savior quits the tomb, Glowing with immortal bloom. 2. Shout, ye seraphs; Gabriel, raise Fame's eternal trump of praise; Let the earth's remotest bound Echo to the blissful sound.

3. Now, ye saints, lift up your eyes; See, the conquerer mounts the skies; Troops of angels on the road,

Hail and sing th' incarnate God. 4. Heav'n unfolds her portals wide. Glorious Hero, thro' them ride; King of glory, mount thy throne; Boundless empire is thy own. 5. Praise him, ye celestial choirs, Praise, and sweep your golden lyres; Praise him in the noblest songs, From ten thousand thousand tongues. 6. Let Immanuel be adoredRansom, Mediator, Lord;

1.

To Creation's utmost bound, Let th' immortal praise resound.

FA

NO. 6. C. M. WATTS.
Redemption.

NATHER! how wide thy glory shines!
How high thy wonders rise!
Known thro' the earth, by thousand signs,
By thousands, through the skies.

2. But when we view thy strange design,
To save rebellious worms,

Where vengeance and compassion join
In their divinest forms ;-

3. Here, the whole Deity is known;

Nor dares a creature guess,
Which of the glories brightest shone,
The justice or the grace.

4. Now the full glories of the Lamb,
Adorn the heav'nly plains;
Bright seraphs learn Emmanuel's name,
And try their choicest strains.

5. O may I bear some humble part
In that immortal song!

1.

Wonder and joy shall tune my heart, And love command my tongue.

NO. 7. L. M. GREGG.

Not ashamed of Jesus.

JESUS, and shall it ever be

A mortal man asham'd of thee? Asham'd of thee, whom angels praise, Whose glories shine through endless days! 2. Asham'd of Jesus! sooner far,

Let evening blush, to own a star;
He sheds the beams of light divine,
O'er this benighted soul of mine.

3. Asham'd of Jesus! just as soon, Let midnight be asham'd of noon; "Tis midnight with my soul, till He Bright morning Star! bids darkness flee. 4. Asham'd of Jesus! that dear friend,

On whom my hopes of heav'n depend!
No! when I blush, be this my shame,
That I no more revere his name.
5. Asham'd of Jesus! yes I may,
When I've no guilt to wash away;
Nor tear to wipe, no good to crave,
No fear to quell, no soul to save.
6. Till then-(nor is my boasting vain)
Till then, I boast a Savior slain !
And, O may this my glory be,
That Christ is not asham'd of me!

NO. 8. C. M. COWPER.
Walking with God.

1.OA calm and heav'nly frame;

H! for a closer walk with God,

And light, to guide me on the road,
That leads me to the Lamb.

2. Where is the blessedness I knew,
When first I saw the Lord?
Where is the soul refreshing view
Of Jesus and his word?

3. What peaceful hours I once enjoy'd !
How sweet, their mem'ry still!
But they have left an aching void,
The world can never fill.

4. Return, O Holy Dove, return,
Sweet messenger of rest;

I hate the sins, that made the mourn,
And drove thee from my breast.

5. The dearest idol, I have known,
Whate'er that idol be,

Help me, to tear it from thy throne,
And worship only thee.

6. So shall my walk be close with God,
Calm and serene, my frame;
And purer light shall mark the road,
That leads me to the Lamb.

NO. 9. 7's. COWPER.
Christ, the Refuge from the Storm.
1. JESUS, lover of my soul,

Let me to thy bosom fly;
While the billows near me roll,
While the tempest still is nigh;
Hide me, O my Savior, hide,
Till the storm of life is past;
Safe into the haven, guide;
O receive my soul at last!
2. Other refuge have I none;
Hangs my helpless soul on thee;
Leave, ah! leave me not alone;
Still support and comfort me.
All my trust on thee, is stay'd;
All my help, from thee, I bring;
Cover my defenceless head,
With the shadow of thy wing,

1.

3. Thou, O Christ, art all I want;
More than all, in thee I find;
Raise the fallen, cheer the faint,
Heal the sick, and lead the blind.
Just and holy is thy name;
I am all unrighteousness;
Vile and full of sin I am;

Thou art full of truth and grace.

NO. 10., 8, 7, 8, 7, 4, 7. ROBINSON.
The Pilgrim's Guide.

"G

UIDE me,
O thou great Jehovah,
Pilgrim thro' this barren land;
I am weak; but thou art mighty;
Hold me with thy pow'rful hand.
Bread of heaven,

Feed me, till I want no more.
2. Open, Lord, the crystal fountain,
Whence the healing streams do flow;
Let the fiery, cloudy pillar,

Lead me all my journey through.
Strong Deliv'rer,

Be thou still my strength and shield. 3. When I tread the verge of Jordan,

Bid my anxious fears subside;
Death of death, and hell's destruction,
Land me safe on Canaan's side:
Songs of praises,

I will ever give to thee.

NO. 11. L. P. M. ADDISON.

The divine Shepherd.

1.T and feed me with a shepherd's cale;
HE Lord my pasture shall prepare,

His presence shall my wants supply,
And guard me with a watchful eye;
My noon-day walks he shall attend,
And all my midnight hours defend.
2. When in the sultry glebe, I faint,
Or on the thirsty mountains, pant,
To fertile vales and dewy meads,
My weary, wand'ring steps he leads;
Where peaceful rivers, soft and slow,
Amid the verdant landscapes, flow.
3. Though in a bare and rugged way,
Through devious, lonely wilds I stray;
His bounty shall my pains beguile;
The barren wilderness shall smile,
With lively greens and herbage crown'd;
And streams shall murmur all around.
4. Though in paths of death, I tread,
With gloomy horrors, overspread,
My steadfast heart shall fear no ill,
For thou, O Lord, art with me still;
Thy friendly hand shall give me aid,
And guide me through the dismal shade.

NO. 12. L. M. DODDRIDGE.

Spiritual Resurrection.

LOOK down, O Lord, with pitying eye

See Adam's racc in ruin

Sin spreads its trophies o'er the ground,
And scatters slaughter'd millions round.
2. And can these mould'ring corpses live?
And can these perish'd bones revive?
That, mighty God, to thee is known;
That wondrous work is all thy own.
3. Thy ministers are sent in vain,
To prophesy upon the slain;
In vain they call, in vain they cry,
Till thine almighty aid is nigh.
4. But if thy Spirit deign to breath,
Life spreads thro' all the realms of death;
Dry bones obey thy powerful voice;
They move, they waken, they rejoice.
5. So, when thy trumpet's awful sound
Shall shake the heavens, and rend the ground,
Dead saints shall from their tombs arise,
And spring to life beyond the skies.

1.

NO. 13. L. M. CowPER.
Exhortation to Prayer.

WHA

7HAT various hindrances we meet,
In coming to a mercy seat!

Yet who, that knows the worth of prayer,
But wishes to be often there?

2. Prayer makes the dark'ned cloud withdraw;
Prayer climbs the ladder, Jacob saw;
Gives exercise to faith and love;
Brings every blessing from above.
3. Restraining prayer, we cease to fight;
Prayer makes the Christian's armor bright;
And Satan trembles, when he sees

The weakest saint upon his knees.

4. While Moses stood with arms spread wide,
Success was found on Israel's side;
But when through weariness they fail'd,
That moment, Amalek prevail'd.
5. Have you no words? Ah, think again,
Words flow apace, when you complain ;
And fill a fellow creature's ear,
With the sad tale of all your care.
6. Were half the breath, thus vainly spent,
To Heaven, in supplication, sent,
Your cheerful song would oft'ner be.
"Hear what the Lord has done for me."

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