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rather to purify the heart, than captivate the imagination, or gratify lettered curiofity: yet the God who created human nature, knew, intimately, the method by which that nature was most forcibly attracted; he knew, confequently, what mode of addrefs was beft adapted, and would moft readily be admitted into the bosom, and work its way into the foul. For this very reafon, it is obvious, he directed a language likely to answer fuch ends; and this accounts for the remarkable majesty, fimplicity, pathos, and energy, and indeed, all those strokes of eloquence which diftinguish the Bible whence, every vice may be reftrained, every error corrected, and every virtue encouraged. Religious eloquence, and the rhetoric of the fcriptures, are, in the highest degree, favourable to the cause of truth. Nor can they, furely, ever suffer, by any critical obfervations on the fplendour, correctness, or purity of the dićtion. Fully perfuaded of this, I proceed with my sketches.

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I cannot, however, pafs, by this part of fcripture, without noticing its unornamented fimplicity and importance. The first chapter of Genefis may be confidered as the exordium of the Bible. The facred penman, in a fingle page, hath related a variety of events, circumftances, and actions, which demand the most confummate attention. To one fcanty chapter is confined the work of the creation. Curiosity is captivated, and the foul impreffed by every sentence.

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Here is the firft aweful and admirable tranfaction, and yet compreffed within the limits of ten words. The fecond verfe mentions the chaotic ftate of things, of themselves, incongruous and incompetent, prior to the creation.

The third verfe, fills the human foul with as magnificent an image as it is capable of entertaining; and recites, indeed, fo

bright a bleffing, that we must feek relief from its effulgence in the feebleness of mortal understanding, that cannot bear the fuller difplays of cæleftial radiance.

The fourth verfe, recounts the Omnipotent's approbation at the furvey of his own performance and another bleffing, of equal magnitude-the divifion of light and darkness.

The fixth, gives name to these, and clofes the benevolent business of the first day.

I take it for granted, every man hath both an ear, and a foul for fuch paffages.

Modern writers, fenfible of the beauty of this admirable opening of the facred books, have viewed it as worthy their imitation, and, without any fcruple, adopted it as a pattern and yet, neither moderns, or ancients have equally the brevity, the fimplicity, or the perfpicuity of Mofes. It is needless to run into the catalogue of inftances: .

I cannot, however, pafs, by this part of fcripture, without noticing its unornamented fimplicity and importance. The first chapter of Genefis may be confidered as the exordium of the Bible. The facred penman, in a fingle page, hath related a variety of events, circumftances, and actions, which demand the moft confummate attention. To one fcanty chapter is confined the work of the creation. Curiofity is captivated, and the foul impreffed by every fentence.

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Here is the firft aweful and admirable tranfaction, and yet compreffed within the limits of ten words. The fecond verse mentions the chaotic ftate of things, of themselves, incongruous and incompetent, prior to the creation.

The third verfe, fills the human foul with as magnificent an image as it is capable of entertaining; and recites, indeed, fo

bright a bleffing, that we muft feek relief from its effulgence in the feebleness of mortal understanding, that cannot bear the fuller difplays of cæleftial radiance.

The fourth verfe, recounts the Omnipotent's approbation at the furvey of his own performance and another bleffing, of equal magnitude-the divifion of light and darkness.

The fixth, gives name to these, and clofes the benevolent bufinefs of the first day.

I take it for granted, every man hath both an ear, and a foul for fuch paffages.

Modern writers, fenfible of the beauty of this admirable opening of the facred books, have viewed it as worthy their imitation, and, without any fcruple, adopted it as a pattern: and yet, neither moderns, or ancients have equally the brevity, the fimplicity, or the perfpicuity of Mofes. It is needless to run into the catalogue of

inftances:

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