BEGUN IN HAWKSTONE PARK, MAY
20th. AND 21ft. 1794; AND WROTE WHILST,
AND AFTER VIEWING THE BEAUTIES OF
THAT MOST CHARMING, ROMANTIC, AND
DELIGHTFUL PLACE.

BY JOSEPH WHITTINGHAM SALMON,
NANTWICH, CHESHIRE.

S

For the invisible Things of HIM from the Crea
"tion of the World, are clearly feen, being understood
"by the Things that are made, even His Eternal
"Power and Godhead." Romahs. I. 20.

--Was ev'ry falt'ring Tongue of Man,
Almighty Father! filent in thy Praife,
Thy Works themselves wou'd raise a gen'ral Voice.*
THOMPSON.

PRINTED AND SOLD BY E. SNELSON IN NANT--
WICH AND DRAYTON. SOLD ALSO
CRAIG NANTWICH. PARSONS, PATERNOSTER
Row LONDON. CLARK MANCHESTER.
LEADBEATER AND POOLE CHESTER. EDDOWES
AND SON SHREWSBURY. &c.

M,DCC,XCVI.

147.f.46

BY

Seek Ye first the Kingdom of GOD and it's Righteousness, and all Things fhall be added unto You. Matt. VI. 33.

THE

PREFACE.

>

THOUGH All Mankind in general, in every Station, will own, that they find a Principle within Them, which defires to be now and Eternally tiappy;' Yet Alas! how Few, compared to the Bulk of the Human Race, appear to be purfuing the right and certain Means to attain either prefent Happiness or future Bliss. And if We seriously enquire into the Caufe, why fo Few poffefs that precious Pearl of true Happiness, I am inclin'd to think, it will prove to be this, Namely, that they fearch for it in those Things, in which it can never be found-they feek it in the Creatures out of GOD, and thus reft contented only with the Pleasures and Delights which felfish and worldly Love afford Them, instead of feeking and afpiring after those higher, more fubftantial, and more fublime Pleafures and Delights, which are to be found and experienced in the Knowledge and Love of their CREATOR in the Con templation of his wonderful Works, both within and without, and in the mutual Love of One Another.

Nothing can be more rational, and at the fame time more certain, than that the LORD, our wife and good CREATOR, intentionally made Us All to be happy Here and for Ever. And for this Purpose hath given Us various Powers and Faculties, in the right Ule and Exercife of which, We cannot fail to obtain that prefent and eternal Bleffedness they were intended to lead Us A a

to

to receive from his bountiful Hand, who is the Giver of every good and perfect Gift; and therefore, if any of the Sons and Daughters of Men are unhappy Here, and continue to be miferable Hereafter, it must be their own Faults, and can arife from no other Source, but their own wilful Abuse of those gracious Powers and Faculties fo freely and mercifully beftowed upon Them for the Purposes of attaining Happiness, Salvation, and everlasting Life,

And as it was the kind Intention of our great and good CREATOR to make us All Here and Eternally Happy, in the Knowledge and Love of Himfelf; fo to make Each other Happy, under his gracious Providence, fhou'd be our great and chief Delight. Herein We shou'd imitate our Heavenly Father and the bleffed Angels in Heaven, which if We wou'd but fincerely do, the Earth wou'd foon be filled with the Glory of the LORD, who defires Nothing fo much as to fee all his Creatures fupremely happy in the true Knowledge and Love of Himself, and in the mutual Love of Each Other.

To caft my Mite, therefore, into the fpiritual Treasury, in Order to promote these two grand Objects, is the principal Cause and Design of my publishing the following POEMS &c.; and my Hope and fincere Wish is, that they may be the inftrumental Means of conveying both Delight, Edification and Ufe, to all my candid and well-inclined Readers, who have turned their Backs on the falfe, delufive Delights and Satis factions arising from selfish and worldly Joys; and who have fet their Faces towards a better Kingdom, that is a Heavenly One, and with a fingle Eye are fecking the true Delights and Joys, that are to be found in the pure Love of the LORD, and in promoting the prefent and eternal Happiness of Each Other.

The

The good and wife St. Auguflin was fo powerfully convinc'd, that all our Happiness confifted in the Love of the LORD and of One Another, that He frequent, ly faid "Love, and do what You pleafe." And furely, He spoke the Words of Truth and Sobernefs, because All who love the LORD cannot wilfully do Evil, or fpend their Days in Idleness to the Neglect of all those relative Duties, and focial Virtues which they owe to their Fellow-Creatures.

To know the LORD, and to love Him with all Our Hearts, is certainly the higheft Priviledge and Blessedness of our Natures, and to love Each Other as Ourselves, must be the happy. Confequence of that Knowledge and Love-This is the happy State of All the Blessed in Heaven, and ought to be the Delight of all rational Creatures upon Earth; and certainly wou'd be, if We regarded Each Other as equally related to our heavenly Parent as the equal Objects of his Grace and Mercy, and intended to be equal Inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Now, if it be really true, that our present and eternal Happiness folely depends on a right Knowledge and Love of the LORD, and the mutual Love of Each Other if this bleffed State of Mind can only con ftitute Us Heirs of an immortal Life, and finally make Us the happy Inhabitants of the Everlasting Kingdom of Heaven then, it muft furely be of the greatest Importance to Us All to become well acquainted with the Means that lead to fo great and interefting an End. And Bleffed, for Ever Bleffed be the Name of the LORD, We need not long remain ignorant of this faving Knowledge, if We only have Recourfe to the two following Particulars, Namely, Humbly and. attentively to confider the aftonishing Works of his Almighty Hand, which are Ever before Our Eyes; and feriously and maturely