nal diftrefs. But, fee, the father ftretches forth his hand, and brandishes the knife. In that moment the angel of the Lord calling him out of Heaven, ftays his arm! What divine imagery is here! What a picture for the pén, or pencil! I behold the scene tranfacting before me: the child is fastened to the wood, and directing his aftonished and streaming eye to the parent, as if he would fay, Oh, my father, what offence have I unwittingly committed, and wherefore, ah wherefore, wilt thou kill me? The parent himself stands over his babe in utterable agony, yet refolved to conquer the rebellious feelings of his frame; the tear of nature falls faft upon his cheek

he turns afide his face, unable to fee him bleed-the ftroke is coming, the poifed arm is defcending, and, lo, the angel, the faving angel, interpofes for the preservation of the child. What harmonious accents flow from his lips-" Abraham, Abraham, έσ lay not thy hand upon the lad; neither "do thou any thing unto him." The voice of a God only was fit to convey fuch D 6

intelli

intelligence. With what extacy muft it have been received; and how must Abraham have hafted to unbind his darling? Here the tender heart might indulge itself in many pathetic and pleafing ideas: it might represent the father and fon embracing, rejoicing in the escape, and bowing in gratitude to the benevolence which occafioned it and, laftly, as foon as the facrifice of the Heaven provided ram was over, it may exhibit the patriarch preparing to depart, and thus addreffing his fon : Now then, my child, my dear Ifaac, now let us feek thy mother; haply fhe forbodes fome mischief befalling thee; let us then hafte to compofe her. Believe me, Ifaac, my heart filently bled for the danger which fo late impended, and I could have died myfelf to fave thee; but the will of Heaven must always be obeyed: I now perceive it was a trial, and I exult in having done my duty, without deftroying my fon: but hafte, Isaac―thy mother will think that we tarry.

ESSAY

DEATH OF ABRAHAM.

PASSAGE.

THEN ABRAHAM GAVE UP THE GHOST; AND DIED IN A GOOD OLD AGE, AN OLD MAN AND FULL OF YEARS, AND WAS GATHERED TO HIS PEOPLE.

THERE is a moft beautiful itera tion in these words, which give us the sense they are intended to exhibit, with aftonishing propriety. The venerable patriarch is, as it were, placed before us in his coffin, with the fmile of fatisfaction fettled upon his features. He died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years. We have here one of the few inftances wherein tautology is delightful, especially where the famenefs of the fenfe is relieved by variety in the expreffion: but even the fense itself is extremely copious and full.

He

He died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years: i. e, as if the writer had faid, after having paffed an hundred and threescore and fifteen years in a state of virtue and obedience; in the whole course of which, confcience could find nothing to reproach him, but the memory delighted to contemplate the purity of the past, then perceiving the gentle approaches of diffolution, he laid himself down on the bed of refignation, and equally calm and contented, departed from this world to the next, as in the ferenity of flumber. None of thofe frightful appearances, or dolorous founds were, we may fuppofe, near his pillow, which, even in death, was fmoothed by piety, and the gloomy apartment illumed by, the chearful radiance of reflection. The laft hour, in fuch cafes, lofes its hor ror: no greedy heir was watching and wishing the flight of his foul; no interested relations were computing the time when Fate would afford the opportunity to plunder and to pillage. Haply, Ifaac only was prefent, and the tears which be fhed were

the

the irresistible drops of nature, flowing from the filial heart the reft was all compofure; for he died in peace, and was gathered to his people; which, by the bye, is an exquifite phrafe, fignifying, he was buried with his ancestors (at least with her to whom, when living he was united) in the field of Ephron. There is, indeed, much beauty in the chapter wherein the particular circumftances attending the purchafe of this field is related, and we cannot too much admire the confiderate fenfe of Abraham, or his conjugal tenderness, in providing a proper place for the remains of his wife; nor is the exactness, with which the whole matter is told as a point both of business and humanity, lefs worthy our obfervation.