CONCLUDING STRICTURES. On SCRIPTURAL SUBLIMITY and BEAUTY. PASSAGE. HE WAS HONOURED IN THE MIDST OF THE PEOPLE, IN HIS COMING OUT OF THE SANCTUARY. THI HE elegant Mr. Burke *, with his ufual ingenuity, obferves, that magnificence is a fource of the fublime after commenting upon which, he proceeds to illuftate his precepts by fuitable examples, amongit which is that of the above paffage, and thofe others fucceeding it, which belong to the description. It was with great propriety L 5 *Treatife on the Sublime and Beautiful. propriety he fixed upon this noble panegyric, on the high priest Simon the fon of Onias, as a fpecimen of fcriptural fublimity, in the richness of imagery, and allufion. But I cannot agree with him in thinking that fublimity arifes from a profufion of thofe images in which the mind is fo dazzled as to make it impoffible to attend to that exact coherence and agreement of the allufions, which we should require on every other occafion. With due deference to Mr. Burke, I will venture to say, that, most of the allufions are exact, and coherent. The proof is before us. Read the whole defcription. "How was he honoured in the midft "of the people, in his coming out of the "fanctuary! He was as the morning ftar "in the midft of a cloud, and as the moon "at the full as the fun fhining upon the "temple of the Moft High, and as the "rainbow giveth light in the bright clouds: "and as the flower of rofes in the spring of "the year as lilies by the rivers of waters, "and " and as the frankincenfe-tree in fummer; "as fire and incenfe in the cenfer; and as a "veffel of gold fet with precious ftones; as a fair olive-tree budding forth fruit; and as a cyprefs which groweth up to "the clouds. When he put on the robe "of honour, and was cloathed with the "perfection of glory, when he went up to "the holy altar, he made the garment of "holinefs honourable. He himself ftood by the hearth of the altar compaffed with "his brethren round about, as a young "cedar in Libanus, and as palm-trees compaffed they him about. "fons of Aaron in their glory, and the "oblations of the Lord in their hands, " &c."" So were all the It was the intention of the fon of Sirach, in these fentences, to fet forth his object with all the advantages of language. Poetry and oratory were equally folicited to animate and to adorn the portrait of the prieft in confequence of which, he is attended from the fanctuary to the altar, by L 6 all all the images and inftruments of the Sublime and Beautiful. Behold him thus furrounded-examine the whole fcene as it paffes before your eye, and you will pronounce it uniformly admirable. He is defcribed as coming out of the fanctuary amidft the acclamations of the people. The word honoured, is a moft dignified addition to the greatnefs of his characterLet us, for a moment, leave out this fingle word, and fee how the idea diminishes : "He was in the midft of the people in his "coming out of the fanctuary." How poor! Reftore to the fentence its full compliment, and the defign of the writer, as well as the excellence of the object, is complete. "He was honoured in the very "midft of the people." The next allufion carries him higher still. "He was as "the morning star in the midst of a cloud." No fooner was he out of the fanctuary, than his noble and majestic figure was dif tinguishable from the reft of the multitude, "as the morning ftar in the midst of a "cloud." The allufion to the cloud, hath alfo |