to unite herself with Harmony, and to accept of her assistance. The example of Elisha is remarkable," who when about to pronounce the answer of the Most High to the inquiry of the two kings of Israel and Judah, orders a minstrel to be brought to him, and upon his striking the harp, is immediately agitated by the Holy Spirit." Many commentators have indeed supposed that the prophet applied to music only to sooth the perturbation of his mind; in this they follow an opinion of some of the more modern Rabbies (an opinion, it may be observed, by no means satisfactorily proved) that every emotion of a more vehement kind excluded the Holy Spirit, and consequently was totally inconsistent with prophecy; when, on the contrary, we learn from the testimony of the prophets themselves, that the act of prophesying was often, if not always, accompanied with a very violent agitation of the mind." Be this as it may, I am inclined to believe, both from this last and the other instances, that the prophet himself accompanied the minstrel, and uttered some hymn, or rather the prediction itself, to the music of the harp; and both the style and the form of this prophetic reply are very much in favour of this opinion.20 From all these testimonies it is sufficiently evident, that the prophetic office had a most strict connection with the poetic art. They had one common name, one common origin, one common author, the Holy Spirit. Those in particular were called to the exercise of the 16 2 KING'S iii. 15. והיה כנגן המנגן ותהי עליו יד יהוה 17 18 See MAIMON. More Neboc. ii. 36, and many others quoted by SMITH, Dissert. of Prophecy, c. viii. 19 See JER. xxiii, 9. EZEK. iii. 14, 15. DAN. vii. 28, x 8. HABAK. iii. 2, and 16. 20 Dryden, in the adjustment of his measures, and Handel of his music, to the diversified strains of Timotheus, seem both to have possessed the same idea. S. H. prophetic office, who were previously conversant with the sacred poetry. It was equally a part of their duty to compose verses for the service of the church, and to declare the oracles of God: and it cannot, therefore, be doubted that a great portion of the sacred hymns may properly be termed prophecies, or that many of the prophecies are in reality hymns or poems. Since, as we have already proved, it was from the first a principal end and aim of poetry, to impress upon the minds of men the sayings of the wise, and such precepts as related either to the principles of faith, or the laws of morality, as well as to transmit the same to posterity; it ought not to appear extraordinary, that prophecy, which in this view ranks as a principal, and is of the highest importance, should not disdain the assistance of an art so admirably calculated to effect its purposes. Of this we have an illustrious proof in that prophetic ode of Moses, which he composed by the especial command of God, to be learned by the Israelites, and committed to memory: "That this song may be," says God himself, "for a witness against the people of Israel, when they "shall depart from me; this shall be a testimony in their "mouths; for it shall not be forgotten, nor shall it de 21 part out of the mouths of their posterity for ever."22 But, as on the one hand, this poem of Moses is a clear and remarkable specimen of the prophetic mode of writing; so, on the other, there are many prophecies which are not less conspicuous as poems. It remains, therefore, only to produce a few examples from the prophetic writings. Many of the most ancient of those, which are extant in the Mosaic history, I have already quoted," as exhibiting the fairest examples of the Hebrew poetry : for instance the imprecation of Noah, the blessing of Ja 21 DEUT. xxxii. 23 See DEUT. xxxi. 19, 21. 25 See Lect, IV, cob, and the predictions of Balaam: than all which (and particularly those of Balaam) I do not know that the whole extent of the prophetic writings could afford more pertinent instances. Nay, so eminently distinguished are they by all the characteristics of poetry, that those who are inclined to acknowledge any kind of metre in the Hebrew poetry, must, I am convinced, refer to these as metrical compositions, if they be in the least desirous of maintaining their opinion by fact and argument. Among the prophecies of Balaam I will also venture to class that most elegant poem, which is rescued from oblivion by the prophet Micah," and which in matter and diction, in the structure, form, and character of the composition, so admirably agrees with the other monuments of his fame, that it evidently appears to be a citation from the answer of Balaam to the king of the Moabites :25 "Wherewith shall I come before JEHOVAH ? "Wherewith shall I bow myself unto the High God? « Will JEHOVAH be pleased with thousands of rams? Shall I give my first-born for my transgression ? And to be humble in walking with thy God?" But if we proceed to other parts of the Sacred History, examples will not be wanting: and among the first of these is that Cygnean song of Moses, as it may properly be called; I do not speak of the prophetic ode, which has frequently been distinguished by that title, 24. Mic. vi. 6-8. 25 See Mic. vi. 5, and the late Bishop BUTLER'S Sermon on the character of Balaam. but of the last blessing of that divine prophet, in which are predicted the future fortunes of the Israelites: "JEHOVAH came from Sinai: "And rose up unto them from Seir :"-25 The prophecy is evidently of the same nature with that of Jacob; both in the exordium and the conclusion it is exquisitely sublime; and throughout the whole affords an admirable specimen of the prophetic poetry. In the same class with these may be ranked the answer of Sam. uel the prophet to Saul, in which he reproaches him with his disobedience and contumacy, and denounces against him the Divine decree of expulsion from his kingdom. It consists of four distichs elegantly corresponding to each other. “Hath JEHOVAH pleasure in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, "As in listening to the voice of JEHOVAH ? "Behold! to listen is better than than to sacrifice, "And to obey than the fat of rams. "Rebellion is as the sin of divination, "And contempt as the crime of idolatry. "Because thou hast rejected the word of JEHOVAH, "He hath also rejected thee from being king."27 The last words of Davides afford an evident and illustrious instance to the same purpose, however difficult and obscure the verbal interpretation of the prophecy may be. I apprehend the examples from sacred history will appear sufficiently numerous, if I add the prediction of Isaiah concerning Senacherib, which is inserted in the book of Kings: "He hath despised thee, he hath mocked thee, O virgin daughter ❝ of Sion; "He hath shaken his head at thee, O daughter of Jerusalem."29 36 DEUT. xxxiii. 27 1 SAM. XV. 22, 23. All the old translators seem to have read p .without prefixel תרפים and להקשיב for 28 2 SAM. xxiii. 1-7. 29 2 KINGS XIX. 21-34. ISA1, xxxvii. 22—35. The same passage occurs again among the predictions of the prophet: and this reminds me that it is now full time to pass from the historians to the books of the prophets themselves, which will afford us abundant instances to demonstrate that the compositions of the prophets are truly poetical, and at the same time to illustrate the nature of their poetry. |