Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1846-09-17

the solemn sky, and nothing there be.okens pre-
paratlons for the stupendous scene But at
length the morning comes and that vast cncamp-
mcnt is filled with the murmur Of the moving
multitude, all turned anXiously to distant Sinai.
And lol a solitary cloud comes drifting along
the mountain. SO have | seen cloud caught
by an Alpine summit, and held firmly there
But the most vivid impression ever got of Sinai
was from Mount Vesuvius. The mysterious
cloud it wraps around its own head, conceaIing
the brightness and terror within, always remind
ed me of the cloud on Sinai And then the te-
nacity with which it would cling there When
the midnight heavens were black with tempests,
and the sea was one wild waste Of waves, and
the clouds were dashing like maddcned spirits
over the sky before the bast-wth every flash
Of lightning that lllumined the gloom, l have
caught the distant Top Of Yesuvlus with that
cloud around its head, moveless as a rock amid
the furious blast, while thunder and flame and
motion were within. So did the cloud rest on
Sinai as the people looked, and suddenly the
thunder began to speak from its depths, and the
fierce lightning trayersed its bosom cleaning
and flashing through every part of it. That
cloud was Gods pavilion; the thunder was its
sentines, and the lightning the lances' points as
they moved around the sacred trust The COM
motion grew wilder every moment till the sue
cessive claps of thunder were like the explosion
of ten thousand cannon shaking the EARTH
Amid this ncessant firing of heavens artillery
suddenly from out the bosom Of that cloud came
single trumpet blast. Not like the thrilling
music of thousand trumpets that heralds the
shock of cavalry; but one solitary clarion note
with no sinking cadence or rising swell, but an
infinite sound rising in its ascension power till
the universe was filled with the strain. The
incessant thunders that rock the heights cannot
drown it, for clearer, fuller, louder, it pcals on
over the astonished spectators, till their hearts
sink away in fear, and nature herself stands awe
struck and trembling before it, And 10! col
umns of smoke began to rise, fast and furious
from that mysterious cloud, as if a volcano had
opened i'll its bosom, and the pcnt-up elements
were dscharging themselves in the upper air
and the steady mountain rocks to and fro on it
base, as if in the grasp of an earthquake
of great furnace, and the whole mount qu1ket
greatly"
Amid this rapid roll of thunder, and hashin,
Of lightning and 6ercoly ascending volumes O
smoke and convulsivc throbs of Sinai, aud Will
that trumpet strain still "waxcd louder and loud
er," Moses led the trembling lsractcs forth t
the foot of the mountain. Suddenly the up
roar ceased, aud the thunders hushed their voice
and the last echo of the trumpet died away, am
all was still. And from that silent cloud cam
voice more fearful than they al-tho voice c
Jehovah calling Moses up into the mount. Th
great law giycr of Israel parted from his people
and with solemn step was seen sealing the rock
and climbing the heights, till at las. the cIou
received him in its bosom.
! The moral law was given, and also the civ
code, which men have so carnedly traced to tn
social compact The first act in the might
drama was ended and Moses was ordered t
$ bring up Aaron and Nadab and Abhu an
t seventy of the elders, to worship in the mour
c tain aud God showed himself in his glory t
t them
. When this strange worship was ended, tn
G voice of Jehovah was again heard issuing lrol
G the cloud but what change had passed owe
its dark form A serene and pure radience be
y gan to play around it, quiyerng like brigl
G light with its own intensity. Brighter an
. brighter it grew till the eye turned away dazzle
c by the sight Brighter still it cleaned till
, seemed glowing furnace, shooting forth Twin
+ fire on overy side. Its wrahful strcaks stream
l. ed down the mountain, filling the cavities wit
= deeper gloom, touching every rock and crac wit
G flame. and bathing the white tents in uri,
s light, And when the night came on, and dark
a ness wrapped the world, that mountain was on
4 blaze of light, shedding strange lnsre on tn
f. barren scene, and revealing every face and form
of that immense host, as if they stood beneath
, burning palace, printing with terrible distinct
! ness, and in lines of fire, the surrounding land
scape. The stars went out before its brancy
= and the moon looked dark in its splendor Fo
/ six days and nights did the glory flame on, shed
. ding such baptism on the wondering camp a
g was never before witnessed by mortal eye, 70
| the sight Of the glory of the Lord was like
f devouring fire on the top of the noun; IN the
eyes of the children of Israeli Little sleep wa.
in the tents of Jacob then, for each one held hi
+ breath, in awe, wondering what next would hap
pen in this succession of strange scenes, Al
t length that voice, before which nature herse
seemed to change, again issued from the cloud
calling Moses to a second interview Taking
Joshua with him, he again assembled the hill, and
was wrapped from sight forty days and forty
f nights
As week after week passed by, and there were
no farther exhibitions, and Moses did not return
the people passed from ideness into pleasure
, and from pleasure into in6delity, and at length
emboldened by their own members, assembled
tumultuousy together and demanded another
, God, saying, AS for this man Moses, who ha,
brought lis here, we do not know what has be-
come of him. The golden calf was made, ant
the intoxicated throng danced around it. What
scene was there Right at the foot of Sinai
u