Portland gazette and Maine advertiser. (Portland, Me.) 1805-1818, 1816-10-22
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MONITOR-No. TX.
roR tbs PORTLAND GAZETTE.

ALI other writings whether ancient or modern. In
dependcnily of their divine ocgn, their style alone
is sufficient to asnme1d them TO perusai, and
merit our unqualified encomium. 10 the crater,
as well as the poet, they are models, worthy
OF imitation. each NAV derive images from the M,
aerons illusions OF that almost exhausle-s
To what does Milton owe, in so great degrees his
reputation and celebrity for the loitiness subnity,
grandeur, and magniieence ofhj style, which have
given him a precedence before all modern poets,
and rank IN tie archieves Of fame equal fnot
superior to the most celebrated bards of antiquity
1t was from the Bible that Milton drew forth hi
magazine OF sublmites; il was from the bible, thai
he borrowed his most admired images. Catching
the fire of the sacred poets il was the bible that f-
alone could extnguish Among these borrowed
IDEAS one particular drawn in from passage oil
the eighteenth Pstlm, strikes our attent,on.
How of tamid
Thick clouds and darkness, does heavens all.rul-
ing sire,
Choose to reside; his glory unobscured,
And with the majesty OF darkness round
Circles his throne.--
1t was from the bible that Ames acquired the,
beauty and harmony which so eminentiy Oh ractcr-
ICED his performances, and which rca,er him so de-
serving the palm which has been generally award
ed and SO literally bestowed upon him and the dis
tingushed appellation-the American Cicero. :. [
will hazard the assertion" said that eminent orator
and statesman, g 1 will hazard the assertion, that
no man ever become truly eloquent, without being
a constant reader Of the bible, and admirer of
the sublinity and purity OF its language"
:" % all writings, ancient or nloterno says the
celebrated Dr. Blair I" the sacred scriptures afford
the most striking instances of the sublime. In then
the descriptions of the Supreme Being are Won
derfully noble, both from the grandeur of the OBJ
ject, and the manner of representing it. What an
assemblage OF awful and sublime ideas is presented
in the eighteenth Plasn, where the appearance OF
the Almighty is described PIN my distress cal
led upon the Lord he heard my voice out of his
temple and my cry came before him Then the
earth shook and tlemhled; the foundations Of the
hills were moved, because be was wroth. tie bow
ed the heavens and came down, and darkness was
under his feet, and he did ride upon cherub, and
diday; yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind
He made darkness his secret place; his Pavilion
round abolt him, were dark waters and thick
clouds of the sky. The circumstances OF darkness
and terror are applied with Propriety and success
in frightening the sublime.
g The celebrated instance given by Longinus
from Moses - God said, let there be light, and
there was light, "belongs to the true sublime; and
its subiimity arises from the strong conception Il
conveys Of an effort of power producing its eiIee
with the utmost speed and faclity. similar
Thought is magnihcently expanded in the following
passage OF lS1ta1. nus SdttH tffG IlOIu lily
deemer, and be that formed thee from the wonh, I
an the Lord that makest all things; that stretch
eth forth the heavens alone; thai greadeth aheose
the earth by myself, that saith to the dee; lie Dr.
and will dry up thy rivers thai esits 4 Gyrus
he is my shepherd, aud shall perform aeng ieasurt
even saying to Jerusalem aon shah be aails, aa8
TO the temple, thy foundations shall be lad
The figure, however y says this emiue aglbels
another place, switch elevates beyond all olheF
this poetical style Of the scriptures Is pefsonihe
ton. The pers..nifcations ofthc Inspired writers
exceed in force and description, those of all ether
poets. This is more particularly true, when any
appearances or operation of the Almighty is con
cerned" :. Before him wet the pes. ilence. The
waters saw thee - God, and were afraid. The
SAY thee and they trembal. he over
fowings of the waters passed by the deep uttered
his voice, and lifted up his hands on hish.' The
poetry OF the scriptures is very different from mod
en- poetry. Ii is the burst of inspiration. Bold
sublinety not correct elegance, is IT'S character.
"The several kinds Of poetry found in scripture
are chiefly the aidactc, elesac, PASTORAL and lyric.
The book Of Proverbs is the principal instance OF
the didac,c species Of poetry. Of eiegiac poetry
the laaeatation Of David ever jonathan is very |
beautiful Instance OfpasteraI poetry, the song oi
Soloman is a igb exenr 6cit,on and of lyric poe
try, the Old iestamentis full. he whole book |
,f Psalms is a collection OF sacred odes.
Among the composers of the sacrea DOCKS,
Ihefeis an evident diversity d style. Ofthessacred |
poets the most eminent the author OF The books
IF job David, and Isaiah. Ii the compositions OF
David, there is great variety of manner. In the
oit and tender he excels and in his Psalms arr
many lofty passages. But in strength Of descrip-
loo be yields to JOB in submity, to Isaiab
Without exception, Isaiah is the snhiime Of ali
,uets. Er. Louth, compares Isaiah To Homer, Ie-
eu,iah to Leonidas, and and Ezekiel to Esdlylus.
Among the minor prophets, Hosea, Joel, Micah,
iabakkuk and especially Nahum distinguish
d for poeticai spirit.
Tile book of JOB is the most descriptive Of all the
acred poems A peculiar glow of fancy aud
rengtl Of description characterize the author, and
10 writer abounds so much in metaphors" The
relation Of the vision OF Eleaphez is remarkable
or its awful und terrific sublimity.
Nor is the Newt testament, tho generally speak
ne. inferior to the Old, destitute os submity.
rhis ,nferiority is 10 be attributed to the difference
hat existed ia the situations OF their respectivel
writers. The one foretold events concealed in the
womb of futnrity, which weren the falness OF time,
10 be accomplished; the Others described them RS /
having already taken place The situations OF the !
ormer were more favourable to sublmlty Of express
sion than those of he latter. But such efforts OF
this volume, as are prophetics and especially the
aud predictions of our saviour, are by |
no means inferior 10 the most celebrated specimens