Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1866-01-05
miscellaneous.
THE BIBLE ASA LITERARY WORK.

OF, w work, is a fact which those who eneer
at its divine inspiration would do we'll TO re.
gard, that is--its marvellous unity and com
pleteness as a composition it IL not, as some
are apt TO imagine, an irregular assemblage Of
philosophy, poetry, drama, and defamation.
but one consecutive work and then, when
we reflect that il was written by different
men, at vast intervals Of space and time, this
marvellous continuity would prove, If we had
never been told so, that power higher than
man had watched over the work, directed it.,
arranged it, assigned the different periods Of
its production, and chosen its agents. None
other than supernatural power could have
preserved such unity in work so compiled.
Written at different times, in different coun-
tries, and by different persons, yet, after all,
II had but one author, and those men who are
termed the sacred penmen were but the aman-
uenses Of the Eternal, who chose to write his
book as the world required it, and with whom
thousand years are but az one day. There
is consecutiveness running through all its
parts as complete as in epic poem. In fact,
II the Bible could be classed under any one
description Of human compositions, it would
be most appropriately called an epic poem
not capable Of being scanned like the hexame-
ters OF Homer, but prose epic, in the same
way ne we regard the Teiemdque Of Fenelon,
as prose epic. Let us for moment review
the Bible in this light.
IL opens with the creation Of its subjects
voice is heard in the darkness, and at it's
bidding the dawn of the first day breaks, dis
closing the dark masses Of chaos which, at
another word IRON the Unseen, roll back and
resolve themselves into order the waters
divide and the earth appears, mans beautiful
home. the scene Of the coming drama; firm
ament spans the whole like majestic canopy;
the brilliant orb Of day moves grsndy on,
followed in turn by procession of minor
gloTies the moon appears, stars glitter into
being, and the gorgeous panorama Of night is
disclosed like spangled curtain drawn over
the canopy Of heaven; then, when the earth
is decked out in its verdant carpet, when the
mighty waters lash in vain against the limits
assigned to them by Omnipotence, animal life
crowds into being in all its variety. After
these comes man, the hero Of the poem. Tor
whom all things are made. and to whom all
things are placed in subsection. Creation is
complete, and the action Of the poem com
fnences-.,he first terrible incident OF the fail
from happiness grsndly depicted the deluge
Of Gods wrath followed by the covenant of
his mercy spanning the heavens a people
grooming in bondage; their release a great
march through wilderness, with its varied
incidents, its wanderings and returns, its re-
bellions and submissions a triumphant en-
trance into the promised land. Then follows
moving panorama OF events, during which
we hear the music Of festivity, the tramp Of
soldiery broken in upon and subdue3 by the
sweet singer Of Israel--a splendid episode Of
poetry, which for gorgeous imagery and sub
lime conceptions has never been equaled by
the productions of any language. Next to
the poet comes the kingly sage, with his d.
gest Of human experience and wisd, ~; then
follows band Of noble seers, who, wilS eyes
uplifted to heaven, pour out in q food OF elo-
quence, psthos and poetry, their predictions
of the tragedy which is to succeed. In the
fullness OF time the climax Of the poem is
reached in the advent Of the loDg-predicted
Messiah, announced by a commission Of heav-
emily angels four books describe his career,
and we have four descriptions Of that most
awful scene ever witnessed upon earth, which, |
in calm beauty, graphic dehneAtion, and soul- !
melting pathos, have never been excelled.
To these succeeds the recital Of the Acts Of
those disciples who were so grandly dismissed
into the world by their great Master their
teachings conveyed in language simpie-Ain
thought terse, diguifed, and energetic; the
Epistles Of the great Paul, noslest of mortsls,
and the whole closed by revelation of the
invisible world in a shower of brilliant meta
phors. he veil is lifted, for an instent, we
gaze entrapced enraptured on the dazzling
glories, and it drops forever. Where can we
frd such another poem
To read the Bible mslhetcally, or as
work of taste, we have only to treat it as we
should any other great master piece of genius. |
1t would be useful, perhaps. il we we're to |
suggest a few rules which will Apply to any
reading. Let the student in the first perusal
30 carefully through, marking off such pas
sages as strike the attention OF fancy, so that
lac may have them distinguished for easy ref
erence, and he will insensibly come to value
book over which he has spent such labor
then he should review these passa ges, read
Them. and re-read them, until he feels their
beauty and appreciates their genius. This APP
probation is only to be obtained by constant
repetition.
Let him take that marvellous monody in
in Job, Man that is born of woman" etc. !
and endeavor to realize the vivid thought and
the beautiful poetry, the coming forth as a |
flower, the fleeing as shadow, the revivify- |
ing OF the dead tree, and the melancholy pa
thos Of the whole; or again, take that appall-
ingly sublime passage from the fourteenth
Isaiah, where be predicts the death OF the
Eing of Babylon, paints the terrible scene Of
the reception Of his soul in hell, and the up
using of the spirits Of all the dead kings to
rcproach him.
1t would be difficult to find passage in |
any literature, ancient or modern, more terri
bly, grand than the whole OF that chapter.
The other suggestion we would make is this,
q at the true appreciation of any thing beau
t'ul is wonderfully facilitated by knowl-
e'ge OF collateral circumstances. The scene
must be realized by remembering the incl
dents which surrounded it. Let us take as
al example, the twenty-fourth Psalm--a very
BEAUTIFUL burst Of exultstion even at the frat !
glance, but much heightened when we recol-
lect the circumstances for which it was writ
ten. Let us imagine for moment a grand
pi occasion OF priests aud people going up to
the Temple, the priests bearing tho Ark, aud
ire vast multitude following. As they ap-
pioach the spot the voice OF one OF the priests
10 heard, beginning thus:
90 The earth Is the Lord q, and the funess thereof
The world, aud they that dwen lbereini
For he hath founded Il upon the seas,
And established IL upon the foods"
To this another rejoins
"swho shall ascend inc the hill Of the ord?
Or who shall stand In his holy place"
Then the reply;
4