The Madisonian., 1840-01-14
MISCELLANEOUS,
POERTRY OF THE BIBLE.

The Knickerbocker awards the highest praise to a
recent work BY Rev. Dr. Spring, of New York up-
on the " Obligations of the world TO the Bible p
1--WE have argued (says the edor) with Dr. Spring.
IN these pages and elsewhere that the Scriptures are
infinitely superior 10 any other known composition
for all those qualities" In its historical ddactic
argumenative, and comparative features we are
shown, that the bible iswhout peer equal. The
poetry OF The Sacred Writings is here happily
glanced al
"One of the most eminent critics has said,
that devotional poetry cannot please If it
be SO, then has the BiblG carried the domi-
Mon of poetry into regions that are inaccessi-
bic to worldly ambition 1t has crossed the
enchanted circle, and by the beauty, bold
ness, and originality of its conceptions, has
given to devotional poetry glow, a richness,
tenderness, in vain sought for in Shakespeare
or Milton, in Scott or Byron. Where is there
poetry that can be compared with the sony OF
Moses at his victory over Pharoah; with the
Psalms of David; with the Song OF Solomon,
and with the prophecies of Isaiah! Where
is there an elegiac ode to be compared with
the song Of David uponthe death of Saul and
Jonathan, or the Lamentations of Jeremiah
Where In ancient or modern poetry, is there a
passage like this In thoughts from the vi
slons OF the night, when deep sleep falle,h on
men, fear came upon me and trembling, which
made all my bones to shake Then a spirit
passed before my face: the hair of my flesh
stood up. 1t stood still, bu, | could not dis
cern the form thereof. An image was before
mine eyes There was silence. And heard
voice saying, Shall mortal man be more just
than God; shall man be more pure than his
Maker! Behold he putte,h no trust in his
servants, and his angels he chargeth with folly.
How much less in them that dwell in
houses of clay, whose foundation is in the
dust, and who are crushed before the moth y
Men who have felt the power Of poetry, when
they have marked the deep working passion
of Dante, and observed the elevation of Mil
ton, as he combined image with image, in
lofty gradation,' have thought that they disco
vered the Indebtedness of these writers to the
poetry of the Old Testament. But how much
more sublime is Isaiah than Milton How
much more enkinding than Dante is David
How much more picturesque than Homer is
Solomon or Job Like the rapid, glowing
argulnentatons of Paul, the poetic parts of the
Bible may be read a thousand times, and vet
have all the freshness and glow Of the first
perusal. Where, iii the compass of human
language, is ,here a paragraph which, for
boldness and variety of metaphor, delicacy
and majesty Of thought, strength and invcn-
lion, elegance and refinement, equals the pas
sage in which God answers Job out of the
whirlwind 2'-What merely human imagna-
tion, in the natural progress of single dis
course, and apparently without an effort ever
thus went down TO the foundation of the
earth'--stood at the 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 hail'-traced the path of the
thunderbolt-and, penetrating the retired
chambers Of nature, demanded Hath the rain
father or who hath begotten the drops Of
the dew p And how bold its flights, how in
expressively striking and beautiful It's anti
theses, when from the warm and sweet Plei-
AIDES, it wanders to the sterner Orion, and in
lis rapid course, hears the young lions cry
ing unto God for lack of meat-sces the war
horse paving in the valley--descries the ca
gle on the crag of the rock-and in all that is
vast and minute, dreadful and beautiful, dis
covers and proclaims the glory OF Him who is
excellent in counseland wonderful in work
ing! The style Of Hebrew poetry is every
where forcibe and fgurative, beyond exam
pie. The book OF job stands not alone in this
sententious, spirited and energetic form and
manner. 1t prevails throughout the poetic
part of the Scriptures and they stand con-
fessedly the most eminent examples to be
found ofthe truly sublime and beautiful" ~.
LORD BROUGHAM AND NEWSPAPER
WRITING,
Some phrenologists contend, that the casts
which have been taken of the heads of cele-
brated lawyers show lamcniable deficiency
IN the organ of conscicntiousness and are Of
opinion, that Lord Brougham, aware Of this
fact, has from that consideration alone, refused
to allow a cast of his head to be taken, al
ihonph he has nnenly. In the nairnnare nf