, 1840-03-21
THE POETRY OF THE BIBLE.
BIZ THE RKv. yR sPaISG.


"One of the most eminent critics has
sad, tina; devotional poetry cannot please"
Ii II be SO, then has the bible carried the
dominion OF poetry into regions that are III
accessible 10 worldly ambition. il has
crossed the enchanted cncie,' and by the
beauty, boldness, and originality OF its con-
ceptlonS, has given 10 devotional poetry
glow, a richness tenderness. iC vain sought
Tor in Shakespeare or Milton, in Scott or By-
ron. Where is there poetry that can DO
compared With the song OF Noses al his VIC
tory over PiiaIUah With ths Psalms of d.
NId with the song ui Solomon, and with
the prophecies of Isaiah Where is their
an ~eie%iac ode 10 te compared with the song
of p..ii upon Ito death oi Saul and Jons-
than, or the lamentations OF Jeremiah -
Where IL ancient or modern poetry, is there
a passage line ibis In thoughts from The
vIslonI OF tie night. when deep sleep fall-ih
On men. fear came upon me and trembling,
which made all my bones TO shake. Then .
spirit passed belo:a my face the hair OF my
dcslI stood up. i; stood still. but | could net
discern The iorrn thereof. An image was be-
fore nine eyes There was silence. And
| heard 4 voice Swing, shall a mortal man
be more just than God shall a nIla be moro
pure than his maker! Behold he putte,h no
trust IN his servants, and his angels lie charg-
eth with folly. How much les, in them
that dwell in houses Of clay, whose founda-
tion IS IN the dust, and who are crushed be-
fore the moth Men who have felt tho
power Of poetry. when they ia:e marked
the deep working passion of DANTE and
observed the elevation of Milton, rs he
sCp,,hI,aI ITnano viii, ,,,,,a A., e., .~.I
tioa,' have thought that they discovered the
Indebtedness OF these writers TO the poetry
OF The old testament. But how much more
sublime. Is Isaiah than Milton How much
more enhindling than Dante is David /! How
much more picturesque than Homer is Solo
nun or Job! Like the rapid. glowing argu-
mentatlon, OF Paul, the poetic parts of the
Bible may be read a thousand times, and
yet have all the freshness and glow of the
iirst perusal. Where in the Compass of hu-
man language, is there L paragraph which,
TOR boldness and variety OF metaphor, delica-
cy and majesty OF thought, strength and in
%ventlon. elegance and refinement, equals the
in which God answers Job out Of
the whirlwind 2 What merely human ina
glnatlon, IN the natural progress Of a single
discourse, and apparently without an effort,
ever thus went down to the '~founfation Of
the earth'-stood at sthe doors of the ocean,
visited the place where the day-spring from
on high takes hold Of the uttermost parts of
the earth'-entered into 'the treasures of the
snow and the bail'-traced the path Of the
thunderbolt-and, penetrating the retired
chambers Of nature, demanded, Hath the
rain a father? or who hath begotien tho
drops OF the dewf And how bold its flights,
inexpressively striking and beautiful its
antitheses, when from the warm and sweet
PIeiades, it wanders 70 the sterner Orion,
and ITS rapid course, hears the young lions
unto God for lack Of meat'-sees the
war horse paving in the valley -descries
eagle on the crag of the rock-and in
that is vast and minute, dreadful and beau
tilnl, discovers and proclaims the glory Of
Him who Is excellent in council and won
dertul in workingP The style of Hebrew
poetry IS every where forcible and fgurative
beyond example. The book Of job stands
not alone in this contentious, spirited and
ENERGETIC form and manner. 1t prevails
throughout the poetic parts of the sculptures;
and they stand confessedly the most eminent
examples 10 be found Of the truly sublime