10. Oh, God! 'twere more than life to mouldering dust, The hour that kindled men to thoughtful trustThat taught our hearts to seek thy righteous will, And so with love thy wisdom's task fulfil.

11. Redeem'd from fear, and wash'd from lustful blot, By faith we then might rise above our lot; And like thy chosen few, restored within, By hearts as morning pure might conquer sin!

Hymn XIII.

1.
The stream of life from fountains flows,
Conceal'd by sacred woods and caves;
From crag to dell uncheck'd it goes,
And hurrying fast from where it rose,
In foam and flash exulting raves.

2.
But straight below the torrent's leap,
Serenely bright its effluence lies,
And waves that thunder'd down the steep
Are hush'd in quiet, mute and deep,
Reflecting rock, and trees, and skies.

3.
And 'mid the pool, disturb’d yet clear,
The noisy gush that feeds it still
Is seen again descending sheer,
A cataract within the mere,
As bright as down the hill.

4.
A living picture, smooth and true,
Of headlong fight and restless power,
Whose burst for ever feeds anew
The lake of fresh and silver dew
That paints and drinks the stormy shower.

5.
So Thought, with crystal mirror, shows
Our human joy, and strife, and pain;
And ghostly dreams, and passion's woes,
The tide of failures, hates, and foes,
Are softly figured there again.

6.
Do Thou, who pourest forth our days,
With all their floods of life divine,
Bestow thy Spirit's peaceful gaze,
To still the surge those tumults raise,
And make thy calm of being mine!

HYMN XIV.

1.
ETERNAL Mind! Creation's Light and Lord !
Thou trainest man to love thy perfect will,
By love to know thy truth's obscurest word,
And so his years with hallow'd life to fill ;
To own in all things round thy law's accord,
Which bids all hope be strong to vanquish ill ;
Illumined thus by thy diffusive ray,
The darken’d world and soul are bright with day.

2.
In storm, and flood, and all decays of time,
In hunger, plagues, and man.devouring war;
In all the boundless tracts of inward crime
In selfish hates, and lusts that deepliest mar,
In lazy dreams that clog each task sublime,
In loveless doubts of truth's unsetting star;
In all-thy Spirit will not cease to brood
With vital strength, unfolding all to good.

3.
The headlong cataract and tempest's roar,
The rage of seas, and earthquake's hoarse dismay,
The crush of empire, sapp'd by tears and gore,
And shrieks of hearts their own corruption's prey-
All sounds of death enforce thy righteous lore,
In smoothest flow thy being's truth obey,
And heard in ears from passion's witchery free,
One endless music make-a hymn to Thee!

4, But most, O God! the inward eyes of thought Discern thy laws in all that works within ; The conscious will, by hard experience taught, Divines thy mercy shown by hate of sin ; And hearts whose peace by shame and grief was bought, Thy blessings praise, that first in woe begin, For still on earthly pain's tormented ground Thy love's immortal flowers and fruits abound.

5.
Fair sight it is, and med'cinal for man,
To see thy guidance lead the human breast;
In life's unopen'd germs behold thy plan,
Till 'mid the ripen'd soul it stands confest;
From impulse too minute for us to scan,
Awakening sense with love and purpose blest ;
And through confusion, error, trial, grief,
Maturing reason, conscience, calm belief.

6.
This to have known, my soul be thankful thou!
This clear, ideal form of endless good,
Which casts around the adoring learner's brow
The ray that marks man's holiest brotherhood :
Thus even from guilt's deep curse and slavish vow,
And dreams whereby the light was long withstood,
Thee, Lord! whose mind is rule supreme to all,
Unveil'd we see, and hail thy wisdom's call.

HYMN XV.

1. When up to nightly skies we gaze, Where stars pursue

their endless ways, We think we see from earth's low clod The wide and shining home of God.

2.
But could we rise moon or sun,
Or path where planets duly run,
Still heaven would spread above us far,
And earth remote would seem a star.

3. 'Tis vain to dream those tracts of space, With all their worlds approach his face : One glory fills each wheeling ball--One love has shaped and moved them all.

4. This earth, with all its dust and tears, Is his no less than yonder spheres ; And rain-drops weak, and grains of sand, Are stamp'd by his immediate hand.

5.
The rock, the wave, the little flower,
All fed by streams of living power
That spring from one Almighty will,
Whate'er his thought conceives, fulfil.

6. And is this all that man can claim ? Is this our longing's final aim ? To be like all things round-no more Than pebbles cast on Time's grey shore?

7.
Can man, no more than beast, aspire
To know his being's awful Sire?
And, born and lost on Nature's breast,
No blessing seek but there to rest ?

8.
Not this our doom, thou God benign!
Whose rays on us unclouded shine :
Thy breath sustains yon fiery dome;
But Man is most thy favour'd home.

9. We view those halls of painted air, And own thy presence makes them fair; But dearer still to thee, O Lord ! Is he whose thoughts to thine accord.

THE VOTE OF CONFIDENCE IN MINISTERS.

a

Thelate Debate on the Vote of Want the confidence of the people in Parlia. of Confidence in Ministers, is not to be ment, and to revive that cordial spirit regarded merely as a party struggle of obedience to the laws, which can between one class of statesmen and only be obtained in a free country by another. It is in truth an exposition tlieir being enacted by a legislature of the action and effects of the auta- whose sentiments are in unison with gonist principles which for fifteen those of the great body of the people. years have distracted the state, and The old Parliament, it was acknowby the ascendency of one of wbich to ledged, possessed the confidence of the supreme power during the last ten, aristocracy and the holders of large all the elements of strength in the Bri. property, whose representatives were tish empire have been wellnigh dis- the members for the close and nomisolved. These solemn and portentous nation boroughs. But then it was said events give a nobler character to the these representatives had entirely fordebates of party than they have ever feited the regard of the middle classes yet assumed in this country ; they be- of the community, who found themcome the exposition not of the strife selves possessed of great real importof men, but of the contest of principles; ance, but no deliberative voice in the and to them future ages will turn for legislature. This state of things, it contemporary evidence of the effects

was strongly urged, could not lastof those democratic principles, which if it continued, it would render the in all ages have been loudly contended constitution the mere mockery of a for by a large portion of mankind, and representative government; and therewill probably never cease to agitate fore the great object was to put the the world, so long as their pristine na- sentiments of the legislature in har. ture shall descend to the children of mony with those of the great mass of Adam.

the people. No danger, it was said, This debate forms a fit opening for need be anticipated from such a a new decade in the history of the na- change; the people will be perfectly tion. The lapse of such a period--a satisfied by the great addition to their long space in the lifetime of an indivi- power which they will receive; and dual, no inconsiderable one in the even if it should prove otherwise, the annals of a nation—naturally recalls middle classes, now become the real us to deliberate thought; it leads us rulers of the state, will unanimously to compare the past with the present rally round a government which restate of our country, and to enquire presents their feelings and attends to what we have gained—what we have their wishes; and the waves of exlost during the ten years that liberal treme democracy will beat in vain principles have ruled the Cabinet; against the ramparts of a constitution and to examine how many of the ex- founded in the wishes, and supported pectations of the advocates of change by the interests, of the whole middle have been realized by time, and how and higher classes of the community. many of the predictions of its oppo- Such were the predictions on which nents have been now placed beyond the advocates for change based the the reach of doubt by the results of new constitution, and succeeded in experience. Such an examination establishing their power.

How have will both best demonstrate the ten- these anticipations been realized? Is dency of the course which the nation there any one interest in the commuhas adopted, and throw an important nity which possesses confidence in Golight upon the merits of the memorable vernment, as they are at present condebate which has just been concluded stituted, and as they have been moulded in Parliament.

by the principles of innovation? Does was uniformly held forth by the the existing Government possess the movement party, at the commence. confidence even of the Parliament ment of the Reform agitation, that the elected in Great Britain according to grand object which they had in view, the franchise which they themselves essential to the country, was to restore bestowed, and the boundaries of con

ment.

stituencies which they had curiously course that confidence must be demonframed, so as to render their power strated in a country in which the immortal? Does the Government elective franchise has been so widely really possess the confidence of any extended, and carved out according to one class in the community ? Have their own wishes, and the system of they the confidence of the land holders? representation which they themselves have they the confidence of the mer- have laid down for their own purposes chants ? have they the confidence of in the returned members of Parliathe operatives ? have they the confi

The present Parliament was dence of the Conservatives? have they assembled under circumstances of unthe confidence of the Chartist Revolu- aralleled good fortune to the Liberal ticaists ? have they the confidence of party. Not only had the Legislature the Church of England ? have they been recently elected according to a the confidence of those who are mem- system devised by themselves, and supbers of the Romish persuasion? In ported by all the fervour and gratitude short, has any one class of the na- of a large newly enfranchised class, tion the slightest trust in them as but they had had the unparalleled good sincerely attached to their interests, fortune of having had the existing and willing to peril a social conflict to Parliament elected amidst the transmaintain them ? And has the nation at ports immediately consequent on the large, as a whole, any reliance upon accession of a youthful Queen, with either their ability or their inclination the whole weight of government at to defend the country from foreign their command, and the cordial supaggression, and uphold the interest port of the reigning Monarch in every and honour of the empire? It is in step of their career. What, then, was the answers to these questions that the the result of such a Parliament, elected solution of the real question at issue under such circumstances, when first between the Conservatives and Revo- seriously called upon to declare whelutionists is to be found; and it is byther they had or had not confidence in pondering on them that the best com- the Movement Ministry ? mentary on the late debate in Parlia- Let the following Table, compiled ment is to be got. And strange to with great accuracy by the Morning say, while it will at once appear from Herald, answer the question, which the decisive evidence of the votes of brings out both the actual majority of their own Parliament, and the official twenty one in their favour, and the admissions of their own Administra- elements of which it was composed :tion, that the revolutionary party nei

FOR THE MOTION. ther possess the confidence of the nation, nor of any one interest, party,

England. or persuasion in it; yet, by a strange Counties,

92 but not unprecedented combination of Boroughs,

131 circumstances, they have hitherto suc- Universities,

3 ceeded in maintaining themselves in

226 power even on the basis of popular re

Wales. presentation, while respected by no one

Counties,

12 class of the state; they continue to ex- Boroughs, ercise all the functions of government just because they have been proved incapable of exercising any of them,

Scotland. and are now immovable in their seats, Counties,

14

1 precisely because they are the objects. Boroughs,

15 of universal contempt. The Liberal party will ridicule these

Total, Great Britain,

258 propositions, and exclaim against the possibility of such a state of things

I eland. existing in a democratic community. Counties,

18 Before joining in the cry, let them pon- Boroughs,

9 der upon, and answer if they can, the Universities,

2 following considerations :

29 If Ministers possess the confidence of the British House of Commons, of Total for the motion,

287

I

17