arch.] "That be far from thee, to do after this manner; to slay the righteous with the wicked! And, that the righteous should be as the wicked, that Shall not the judge of all the Genesis xviii. 25. be far from thee! earth do right?" (6) Page 107. The Lord blessed him greatly.] "The Lord hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great. And he hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver and gold, and men-servants, and maid-servants, and camels, and asses." It was thus, that the eldest servant of Abraham's house, probably Eliezer of Damascus, described his master's posses→ sions to the avaricious Laban. Were this a fictitious narrative, it would have been accounted an exquisite stroke of nature, to make an aged confidential servant thus diffusely and circumstantially narrate on the topic of his master's wealth. A felicity of this kind, would be admired, and very justly, in Homer, or Xenophon. When the sacred historian speaks in his own person, he avoids all ostentation of detail. He dismisses the subject with simple dignity. "And Abram was very rich, in cattle, in silver, and in gold; and Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents." Compare Genesis xiii. 2. 5. xxiv. 35. It is not altogether foreign from the purpose of this note, to remark an indication, early and incidentally afforded, (Gen. xxiv. 29-30.) of Laban's temper and disposition. "And it came to pass, when he saw the ear-ring, and bracelets upon his sister's hands, &c. he said, Come in thou blessed of the Lord!" Had Eliezer appeared as a destitute and humble suppliant, would such have been the salutation? Thus it is that scripture speaks volumes in a few words. (7) Page 108. Such was the hospitality of Abraham.] In this hospitality, there is true refinement. When Abraham invites the strangers, he modestly says, "I will fetch a morsel of bread." When the heavenly visitants consent to remain, what prompt and liberal alacrity, how plentiful the feast, and how respectful the attention of the patriarchal host! "And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, make ready quickly three measures of fine meal; knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth. And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf, tender and good, and gave it unto a young man, and he hasted to dress it. And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree. And they did eat." Let it now be remembered, that Abraham was altogether ignorant of the quality of his guests; that to him they seemed no more than weary, and perhaps, indigent strangers. Let the invitation be compared with the entertainment, in all its circumstances *; and then, let it be pronounced, whether all heathen antiquity * It is well known, that the usages of the modern Arabs, are little, if at all, different from the usages of the more ancient. Now, it is by no means common with the modern Arabs, to provide a regular entertainment for those who stop to take a short refreshment. In such cases, they content themselves with presenting to the guests a slight collation. Nor, in those countries do they often kill a calf; the Turks esteeming it a folly, and indeed a sin, to kill an animal so small, which at its full growth, would be of considerable value. Both circumstances illustrate the liberality of Abraham. See Harmer's Observations, last Edit. Vol. ii. p. 88. affords an example of such a banquet. The nearest resemblance, probably, in any very ancient classic, to hospitality like that of Abraham, is in the Odyssey*; the reception given by Telemachus to Minerva, under the shape of Mentor. But there, the invitation, though courteous, is common-place; without the least endearing particularity. In the conduct, also, of the entertainment, indignation against the suitors is mingled with attention to the guest. And the feast itself, is but a part of the luxurious fare which was lavishly provided every day. Ovid's beautiful fable of Baucis and Philemon †, indeed, has many touches of almost patriarchal simplicity. But he draws from disciplined imagination; Homer, from the manners of his own times. In such a case, it is manifest that the later writer must have considerable advantage. Compare, for example, the golden age of Hesiod, with that of the same Ovid. ‡ The former is purely physical; the latter predominantly moral. And the difference clearly arises from the different circumstances of the writers; the one, conversant among men whose existence was little more than sensitive: the other, conversant among the brightest geniuses, in the most philosophic age, of the Roman empire. But to return from this digression; it is beyond all doubt, that the story of Baucis and Philemon is borrowed from Lot's entertainment of the angels. To scripture, therefore, or, at least, to primitive tradition, we may trace a large proportion of its primitive simplicity and pathos. The point, the antithesis, and the intermingled conceits, † Ovid; Metam. viii. 620. &c. Ovid; Metam. i. 89.— 122. * Homer; Odyss. i. 103, &c. Hesiod. Oper. et dier. i. 108.-119. it is needless to observe, are Ovid's own. The eloquent CHATEAUBRIAND, in his "Génie du Christianisme," has drawn an ingenious and interesting parallel between the Homeric and patriarchal manners. He has failed, however, (and who must not fail?) to do full justice to the latter. In imagination, feeling, and moral sensibility, this writer stands foremost among his countrymen. But he wants that body of thought, and manly strength of expression, which alone give lasting satisfaction to the mind. We read, and admire. We come back, and often wonder why we did admire. ،، But May it be allowable to notice in a later period of the sacred history, one of those touches of nature which speak powerfully to the heart: by which, at least, the present writer has been always inexpressibly, and perhaps unaccountably affected? Samuel ministered unto the Lord, being a child, girded with a linen ephod. Moreover, his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice." It is the received opinion, that Samuel himself composed the greater part of the first book which records his acts, and bears his name. This passage must have been his own composition. And it is surely delightful to see this judge and prophet, this ruler of nations, and consecrator of kings, in the fulness of his age and honours, recollecting with filial gratitude, and recording with affectionate simplicity, this minute, but touching instance of that maternal tenderness, which watched over his childhood, and which sanctified itself by an association K with the most solemn act, at once of domestic and of national religion." It is not thus," if we may borrow the words of Rousseau, "it is not thus that men invent fictions." (8) Page 109. Not a cold conviction of the understanding.] The intuition of faith is incomparably superior to the demonstration of reason. In proportion, however, to the vividness of his faith, and to the vigour of his mind, the wisely religious person is always willing to submit the grounds of that faith to the most rigid and exact inquiry. "The sacred Scriptures," says a very distinguished writer of the present day, "make the fullest use of our rational powers; uniformly presenting such facts as grow clearer, the more severely they are examined; completely satisfying our understandings, as to their aptness to the great purpose of working on our hearts; and, on the whole, making our religion as reasonable, as if, like mathematical truth, it had been exclusively addressed to our intellect; while its influence on the rightly-disposed heart, gives such an inward proof of its divinity, as no merely rational scheme could, in the nature of things, possess." MRS. HANNAH MORE's Hints for a Princess, i. 221. "Then Abraham (9) Page 113. A good old age.] gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years," Genesis, xxv. 8. From this passage, this beautiful expression is familiar to every English reader. But, I believe, it was unknown to the ancient classics. No such phrase is to be found |