Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1880-08-04
Rhetoric Of the Sacred Writers.

While each Of the sacred writers had
rhetoric peculiarly his own, the Holy Spirit
is marked by no particular rhetorical form
OF utterance; and therefore he can make use
of all theirs. II he has any individuality in
this respect, will some one tell us what it is
Now, what is style in literary composition
1t is that characteristic method of selecting
words and putting sentences together, which
stamps the authors productions with the in
huences of his habits, his condition in soci-
ETY., his peculiar form of education, the cir
cumstances which tinge his views, his rea-
soning, his experience, and which leave
upon his works the influences of his imag-
ination and genius These give you his
mental and moral physioguomy, and make
up his style. But God is free to act with or
without these fixed laws. He has no habits,
no education, no surroundings, no expert
ence. No circumstances tinge his views, his
reasonings, nor has he any idiosyncrasies of
speech, because he has no mother-tougue
through which he expresses his attributes of
character, nor does he leave his finger-mark
of native genius upon his literary fabrics.
1t is a great falacy, then, to suppose that
uniformity of verbal style must have marked
his authorship in the Bible had he selected
| its words. No. As the author of all styles
he uses them all at his pleasure, after first
clothing his servant with them as he will
He bestows all the powers Of mental indi
viduality upon his instruments for writing
the Scriptures. aud then uses their forces as
| he will to express his own mind by all their
various powers and habits. Take an illus
tration from his forces in nature. In any
given department of vegetable life, there
may be but one genus, but you can classify
its members into thousand species. For
example, examine the family of dubious
roots. BY the combined employment of the
same elements, heat, air, moisture, electri-
city, light, all acting together upon their or
gans, you have the tulip, the hyacinth, the
crocus, and the vast family of lilies. These
come in every shape of cup, and shade of
color, and you can assign the difference to
no cause whatever, either of natural chem.
istry or diligent culture 1t is exclusively
attributable to the infinite variety of styles
which the mind of God devises for the vari
ETY. of flowers. And so, in the various books
of the one Bible, his mind is seen in the in
finite variety of expression which dictates
the wording of every writer. One has pun.
gently said "There is as great difference
between Johns Gospel and the Book Of
Chronicles as between mans brain and the
hair of his head; nevertheless, the life of the
body is as truly in the hair as in the brain.
cannot tell how the Spirit suggested word.
to the sacred writers, but can tell this quite
as well as any other man can tell me how h,
suggested their thoughts. And if diversity
of expression proves that he did not choose
their words, then diversity of idea proves that
he did not dictate their thoughts for their
thoughts vary quite as much as their Ian
guage. In each case, the one is fitted to tn,
| Ill e Il
shows the thought and expression to rise il
one common source. In fact, sometimes tn,
same writer uses entirely different styles il
his different books. Note, for example, tn,
wide diversity between Johns Gospel, hi
Epistles, and the Apocalypse. His dictiol
in the Gospel is far higher than in the Apo
calypso and indicates higher literary cul
ture than that which runs through his Eps
ties. In the Gospel he gives a finished reve
lation of Christ in the flesh, in the Apocs
lypse he reveals him in the holy mount
This is an emblematic panorama of the en-
tire prophetic books, making each image
watchword 10 some great truth, which hang
on the running thread of Old Testamen
beauty and strength And so the dress o
the whole book is peculiar, so peculiar tina
some interpreters of note have seen in it Tn
arbitrary outline of the Roman or Gree
drama, with its scenes, acts, prologue, epi
logue, and other parts of tragedy Yet it i
clear that he carefully avoided all such ana
ogies, while the method, historical declars
tions, and some doematical ideas, are unpal
alleled in their peculiarites. While in tn
Gospel and Epistles of John you find no in
agination, the Apocalypse treats Of idea
subjects, which have no connection with tn
biography of Jesus, yet the. author is just a
much at home in poetic license and imagiI
atve pictures as in his wonderful narrative
If he can handle grotesque imagery, obscur
symbols and unnatural phantoms, whic
throw both ideas and descriptions into a
admixture of disorder, with the same eas
simplicity of words that mark his otht
writings we must claim that his whole rhe
oric finds its real authorship in the Hol
Spirit.-Rep. Dr. Thomas Armiage.