The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1857-07-10

poetry, hang as pictures in the memory 70
which time but adds additional life and
freshness. Here was unsophisticatcd gen
ius, artlcss as childhood, strong as Hercules
taught by God only, as were the fishermen
founders of our faith, and seeking the cover
of the wilds of the West to lavish its spark.
ling stores upon a rude and fugitive popula-
ton.
What follows is scarcely an outline OF his
sermon, but rather sketch of some OF It's
most eloquent passages. He announced tor
his text these words r..
And man shall be as hiding-place
from the wind, and a covert from the TEN
pest as rivers Of water in a dry place. as
the shadow Of a greatrock in weary land"
Isaiah xxi, Q.
There are two kinds oflanguage, the lit
eral and the iigurative. The one expresses
the thought plainly, but not pasionasely
the other pasiOnately, but not always SO
plainly. The Bible abounds with both these
modes of talk. The text is an example oil
that lovely style Of speech the fgurativc.-
The prophets mind was as clear US the sea
of glass in the revelations, aud mingled with
fire. He saw away down the river of ages
glorious coming events. He held his ear to
the harp Of prohecy, and heard in its fainter
cadenccs, loudcning as he listened, the birth
song of the multitude Of the heavenly host
on the meadows Of Bethlahem. He saw the
hills of Judea tipped with heavenly light ;
the first sermon mountain, and the crucifix.
ion IN m1untain, and the mountain Of ascen-
sion, clapped their hands in the prophets
vision of gladness. Gny.bcarded Time
stretched his brawncy sincws to hastcd on
the fullness Of latter-day glory. Brethren,
the text is as full of latter-day glory as is
the sun of light. 1t is Us full Of Christ as
the body of heaven is Of God. The sinners
danger and is certain destruction, Chrlst's
saving love, his sheltcring grace and his
fe.lsting goodness are brought to Wow in the
text, and impressed in the language of COM
parison.
g And man shall be as hiding. place
from the wind.' Many parts ofthc ancient
countries (aud it still is the case) was de.
sert wild wastes of weary dcsolation; re-
gions of fine bls,ering ,nds just as it was
left when the flood went away, and which
has not been suffered to cool since the first
sunshine that succeeded that event. No
grass, no flower, no tree there is pleasant to
the sight. A scene of unrclieved waste an
ocean made Of powder, into which the curse
ofangcred Heaven had ground q portion of
earth. Now and then, hugo reck, like
shattered shafts and fOllen monuments in q
neglected graveyard, and big enough to be
the tombstone Of millions, would lift its
mossless sides above the accumulating sands.
No poisonous serpent or venomous beast
here await their prey, for death here has
ended his work and dwells mid silence
But the traveller here, who adventures, or
necessity may have made n bold wandcrer,
finds foes in the elements fatal and resist!ess.
The long heated earth here Mt places sends
up oil kinds of poisonous gases from the
many minerals of its mysterious bosom
these things take fire, and woe be to the
traveller that is ovcrtaken in this fire of the
Lord ithout shelter. Again, these gases
are poison, and there are the poison winds
us well rs the fire winds. They can be seen
coming, and look green and yellow, and
coppcry, spotted snakc-like, and float and
wave in the air, like poison coats on water,
and look like the wing ofthe death angel
Aying as swift as the cloud-shadow over the
cotton field, and when they overtakc the
flying traveller they are sure to prove his
winding-sheet the drifting sands do the
rest and cbliterate the faintest traces Of his
footsteps. Tins is death IN the desert, amid
the winds loud scream in your sand-GllinS
ears for funeral sermon, and your grave
hidden forever. No sweet spring here to
weave her hansinss Of green about your
love-guarded dust. The dews shall shed
no tears upon your famined graves
The resurrection angel alons can find
you.
"But against this FIRE wind and this TEN.
pcst Of poison that witaers with breath,
and mummifes whole caravans and armies
in their march, there is one breastwork, one
hiding place. one protecting shadow in
the dreaded desert. IL is 'the shadow Of
great rock in this weary land Often has
the weary traveller seen death in the distance,
pursuing him on the wings Of the wind, and
felt the certainty of his fate in the darkness Of
the furnace-like air around him. A drowsi.
ness stronger almost that the love Of life
creeps over him, and the jaded camel reels
in the heavy sand.road under him. Ashcut
Of danger from the more rcsolute captain Of
the caravan is sent along the ranks, prolong-
ed by thousand thirst-blistered tongues,
commingled in one ccascless howl of woe,
varied by every tone Of distress and despair.
To 'the great rock, shouts the leader as up
ON his Arab horse he heads this flight to
the Refuge Behind them at q great dis.
tancc, but yet fearGally near for safety, is
seen dark belt;bcndins over the horizon,
and sparkling in its wavy windings like a
great serpent, air hung at a little distance
from the ground, and advancing with the
swiftness Of AN arrow. Before them, IN the
distance. mighty great rock spreads Out
its broad and all.resis,ins sides, lifting it,
narrowing point above tn, clouds, tipped
with the suns Gery blaze, which had burn,
upon 1t since infant creation awoke frou