Изображения страниц
PDF
EPUB

Here then the spirit of praise immediately her august audience, the divine poetess seems fixes, and the recent interposition of a gra- to pause for a moment, as if awed by the precious Providence rises instantly into view: sence of such a splendid audience, and overhis "avenging of Israel," in which Jeho-whelmed with the magnitude of the task she vah is acknowledged as at once just and has undertaken, and with renovated strength merciful: just, in recompensing tribulation aims her flight, like the eagle, up to her to them that troubled his covenanted church native skies. The deliverance of that day and people; merciful in giving his troubled brings former wonders of mercy to mind; people rest. and "God, the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever," is seen and adored in all. Instead of expatiating on the goodness of the Most High in strains addressed to the "kings and princes" whom she had called to attend, she rises at once to "JEHOVAH'S awful throne," loses all sense of created majesty, and loses herself in the contemplation of infinite perfection. "Lord, when thou wentest out of Seir, when thou marchedst out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, the clouds also dropped water. The mountains melted from before the Lord, even that Sinai from before the Lord God of Israel."*

Vengeance; the vengeance of God! Fearful thought! but oh, it is sweetly relieved, by the reflection, that the right of executing vengeance, is claimed by the God of mercy, with awful propriety, as his own. This dreadful thunder no arm but his own must presume to wield; "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord." If I must be punished, "let me fall now into the hand of the LORD, for his mercies are great: and let me not fall into the hand of a man." The only vengeance permitted to man is a vengeance of kindness and forgiveness; the only coals which he must scatter, are the coals of the fire of love. "If thine enemy The former part of this animated address hunger, feed him, if he thirst, give him probably refers to that passage in the history drink:"-" Be not overcome with evil, but of Israel which we have in the book of Numovercome evil with good." "Love your bers, chap. xx, relating to the passage of Israel enemies, bless them that curse you, do good through the land of Idumea, which was humto them that hate you, and pray for thembly and peaceably solicited, and unkindly rewhich despitefully use you and persecute fused. Of this, some particulars might have you: that ye may be the children of your been preserved by tradition to the times of Father which is in heaven; for he maketh Deborah, though not admitted into the sacred his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, canon, and suggested to her the lofty expresand sendeth rain on the just and on the un-sions which she here employs in celebrating

just."*

The voluntary actions of the people in "offering themselves" to fight their own battles, are with singular beauty ascribed to the wisdom and goodness of God who has "the hearts of all in his hand," and can "turn them which way soever he will.". He who could have saved by miracles, will save by means. If there be a spirit of concord to resist the common enemy, it is of the LORD, If internal dissension aid the enemy without, we behold a righteous God infatuating those whom he means to destroy.

Having thus simply proposed the glorious subject of her praise, "the sweet enthusiast" prepares to unfold and amplify it. She throws her eyes over the face of the whole earth: views all nations and their potentates, as interested in the glowing theme: and summons an admiring world to listen to her song. "Hear, O ye kings: give ear, O ye princes: I, even I, will sing unto the Lord; I will sing praise to the Lord God of Israel." What so delightful to a grateful and affectionate heart, as the enumeration of benefits received! What benefactor once to be compared with the Giver of all good, "the Father of lights, from whom cometh down every good gift, and every perfect!" Having proposed her theme and summoned † Judges v. 3. 3 E

* Matt. v. 44, 45.

[ocr errors]

the praises of Israel's God. Though he would not permit them to force a passage by the sword, through the country given to the pos terity of Esau their brother, yet in guiding them round the confines of Idumea, in the majestic symbol of his presence, the pillar of cloud and fire, the great God might by some sensible tokens, make Edom to know, it was not from want of power, but of inclination, that he led his people in a circuitous course. The language of the prophetess, divested of its bold figurative dress is simply this, "The wonders of this day, O Lord, recall and equal the greatest wonders of ages past. We have seen the stars in their courses fighting against our enemies, as our fathers of old saw mountain and plain, heaven and earth, giving testimony to the presence and favour of the God of Israel. The field of Edom and the vale of Kishon are equally filled with the glory of the Lord. We recognize in the hand which has discomfited the host of Sisera, the same almighty power which restrained the Idumean, and conducted our ancestors, if not the nearest, certainly the best road to Canaan.”

The latter part of the address evidently refers to the awful solemnity with which the law was given from mount Sinai; in which all nature, without a figure, bare witness to the presence and power of nature's God.

Judges v. 4, 5
34*

"The earth trembled, the hills melted like wax," the face of heaven was covered with blackness of darkness, lightning flashed, the hoarse thunder roared, the louder and more dreadful voice of the Eternal drowned its tremendous sound, men's hearts fail them for fear, Moses quakes.

What matter of joy to Israel, that he who of old had thus revealed his fiery law, that day, that very day had come riding on the swift wings of the wind for their salvation! To fix these emotions of rising gratitude and wonder, the bard dexterously and imperceptibly slides into a review of the recent distress and misery of her unhappy country; distress yet fresh in every one's memory, misery out of which they were just beginning to emerge: and she takes occasion to pay a just tribute of respect to the memory of a great man, whom God had honoured to be the instrument of redemption to an oppressed people.

which has reduced slavery to a system, has invented an article of commerce which God and nature abhor, and concur to prohibit; and what is the subject of the infamous, impious traffic? the souls and bodies of men.

Who can turn his eyes, without weeping tears of blood, to the fertile soil, element air, and the simple, harmless inhabitants of the eastern world, and observe the gifts of nature perverted into a curse, the goodness of Providence thwarted by the cursed lust of power, or more cursed lust of wealth, and the patient, uncomplaining Asiatic, perishing for hunger, in his own luxuriant domain: and the Ganges disgorging millions of fetid corpses into the ocean, the corpses of wretches who died for lack of food, to purchase for a still greater wretch an empty title, and a seat among the lawgivers of the wisest, most polished, and humane of the nations of the western world. Look to the thin and scanty remains of the Those who are themselves the most deserv- populous and prosperous nations of the southing of praise, are ever the most liberal in be-ern hemisphere, and a land whose veins are stowing it, where it is due. It is a slender and contemptible merit which seeks to shine by obscuring, concealing, or diminishing the worth of another. Deborah is but the more estimable, for the frank and unreserved commendation which she confers on departed or contemporary virtue and talents. "In the days of Shamgar, the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through by-ways. The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, until that I Deborah arose, that I Behold yet again-No, I sicken at the horarose a mother in Israel."* What a melan-rid prospect and will no longer encroach choly picture have we here of a ruined, wretched country! By means of oppression, all intercourse is interrupted; commerce is languishing to death; life and property have become insecure: every thing dear to man is at the mercy of a haughty tyrant; ever exposed to the ravages of a lawless band of armed ruffians; the scanty and dejected inhabitants tremble at the sound of their own feet, at the sight of their own shadow; behold them skulking from place to place, stealing through by-ways, to carry on a starved and precarious traffic; suffering much, and fearing worse.

Ah, little do we reflect, living at our ease, enjoying the blessings of mild and equitable government," sitting every one under his vine and under his fig-tree, while there is none to make us afraid :" little do we reflect on the misery and tears of myriads of our fellow-creatures oppressed, and there is none to help them; whose cry incessantly rises up to heaven, but rises in despair. Think what multitudes of the bold and hardy Africans are yearly driven or trepanned into servitude, through the violence or craft of their own countrymen, or, through the more fierce and unrelenting principle of European avarice, * Judges v. 6, 7.

gold and its mountains silver, of which Spanish cruelty and avarice have been constrained to make a desert, in order to secure the possession of it. Behold the sullen, dejected native trampling under his feet gold and diamonds, which he dare not put forth his hand to touch; and reproaching Heaven with heaping upon him in its anger, treasures which have attracted, not the pious zeal and attention, but the infernal rage, of men who nevertheless dare to call themselves Christians.

upon the feelings of humanity, by exhibiting the more than savage barbarity of systematic cruelty and oppression. God of mercy, put a speedy end to these horrors! assert thy offspring into liberty, the glorious liberty of the sons of God. Let us return to the sweet mistress of Israelitish song; I see her warm, and rise into native, conscious worth and importance: and honour the lovely pride, the honest vanity of the female patriot. "The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel." If ever there were ability, if ever there were services, if ever there were, an occasion, which could warrant self-praise, it was the ability, the public services of Deborah, and the glorious occasion on which she wrote and sung. Show me such exertions for the public good, and let a man, let a woman be as vain as they will, and let affected humility and self-denial say what they will, it is an honourable and lau dable ground of glorying that God has made us the means of conveying happiness to others. But occasions of doing justice to eminent, public female worth so seldom occur, that I must reserve to myself the pleasure of accompanying this great woman, this more than * Judges v. 7

princess, through the remainder of her song, in another Lecture.

who hath called us out of darkness into his marvellous light"-of God, who "so loved Men and brethren, we are furnished with the world that he gave his only begotten Son, a much more noble subject of praise-a sub- that whosoever believeth in him should not ject which angels delight to celebrate in ce- perish, but have everlasting life."*—Of "Him lestial strains-a subject which carries us that loved us, and washed us from our sins back into the eternal counsels of peace "be- in his own blood, and hath made us kings fore the world was," which carries us for- and priests unto God and his Father, to him ward to the grand consummation, when be glory and dominion for ever and ever. "time shall be no longer;" when "the ran- Amen." Of Him "who, through death, somed of the Lord shall return and come to has destroyed him that had the power of Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon death, that is the devil." The burden of the their heads:" when " they shall obtain joy Christian's song is, "Salvation," salvation and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall begun, going on, ready to be accomplished. flee away." Need I point out the era, Chris-"The kingdoms of this world are become the tians, and the spot, and the performers, and kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; the audience, or repeat the words of the lofty and he shall reign for ever and ever." theme?" There were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddlingclothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a,multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God, in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men.' Here are celebrated, not the transient interests of a petty tribe, the momentary triumph of the oppressed, and the downfall of the oppressor; not events which have long ago spent all their force, and left no trace behind; but the broad, unbounded, permanent interests of mankind; the triumph of "the love of Christ which passeth knowledge;" of "the peace of God which passeth all understanding," events which extend their influence into eternity. We celebrate "the praises of Him,

Luke ii. 8-14.

[ocr errors]

The song of Deborah exhibits awful distinctions between man and man, between nation and nation; presents a mystery of Providence, which human understanding endeavours in vain to trace: in the song of the redeemed of the Lord, all distinction is abolished; it presents a mystery of grace which "angels desire to look into;" it is in full harmony sung, by those who have "come from the east and from the west, from the south and from the north, and have sat down with Abraham and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of God:" where the spirit of this world finds no place, and its differences are absorbed of the "spirit of love: where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free; but Christ is all, and in all." Let these reflections be practically improved, in conformity to the apostolic exhortation, by our daily learning to put on, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another and above all these things, put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts. Amen. †Rev. i. 5, 6.

* John iii. 16.

t Rev. xi. 15.

HISTORY OF DEBORAH.

LECTURE XC.

Awake, awake, Deborah: awake, awake, utter a song: arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam. Then he made him that remaineth have dominion over the nobles among the people. the Lord made me have dominion over the mighty.-JUDGES V. 12, 13.

Ir is natural for man to look forward to fu- | he flatters himself with the fond hope, that turity; and to derive a part, at least, of his his name may survive his ashes, and that his felicity and importance from the estimation memory may be cherished and respected. in which he is to be held by posterity. He though his person be lost in the grave, and knows that his body must soon die, and his sink into oblivion. connexion with the world be dissolved; but

When this anticipation, and desire of im

mortality, serve as a stimulus to virtuous | applause or condemnation of unerring wisexertion, and call forth wisdom and goodness, dom and eternal justice. In the picture of honourably to fulfil their day, the love of human nature here suspended before our fame is a respectable principle in the indi- eyes, we behold it, as it is, not what it ought, vidual, because it becomes a blessing to man- in all respects, to be. kind. But to wade to the temple of fame through a sea of blood; to extract "the bubble reputation" from widow's tears and the groans of expiring wretches, is worse than contemptible; it is detestable, it is monstrous. And, whatever national partiality and prejudice may have done, reason and humanity will always regard such characters as Alexander and Cæsar with abhorrence, strip them of their ill-earned glory, and stigmatize their names to the latest generations, as the enemies of mankind.

Deborah having proposed her subject, in plain and simple terms, in the second verse, and summoned the princes and potentates of the earth to listen to her song, as if the whole world were interested in the event she was about to celebrate, she presents to them an object supremely worthy of their attention and reverence, namely, the great JEHOVAH marching in awful state before the armies of his people, and delivering to them his dreadful law from Sinai, while universal nature bears witness to the presence of the Creator and Lord of all. "The earth trembling, the mountains melting, the powers of heaven shaken."

From thence she turns a weeping eye to the recent miseries of her yet bleeding country, and summons her compatriots to gratitude and joy, for the deliverance of that day, from the recollection of the cruel restraints under which they so lately lived, and the calamities which they endured: and she rises into holy rapture at the thought, that a gracious Providence had not only wrought salvation for his people, but made her the blessed instrument of effecting it. But in recalling the memory of former evils, in order to awaken holy joy, she fails not to trace those evils up to their proper source, in order to excite holy sorrow and contrition; "They chose new gods; then was war in the gates: was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?"*

The spirit of patriotism, in other respects noble and excellent, is here faulty, pernicious, and worthy of the severest censure. It encroaches on the sacred rights of lovingkindness and tender mercy. It encroaches on the more sacred prerogatives of high Heaven. It would make the God of the spirits of all flesh, a party in the quarrels of two petty states, and force the great interests of an universe to bend to the caprice, the pride, the ambition or revenge of some paltry prince. Hence, the literary monuments of all nations exhibit a narrow, illiberal, ungenerous, impious spirit. The warlike genius of Rome acquired the ascendant over her rival Carthage. The literary genius of that gallant people assumed the superiority of course; and Punic perfidy, barbarity, and cowardice, became the subject of proverbial apothegms, historical records, and poetical rhapsodies. But suppose, for a moment, the scales changed, and the fate of Carthage The great object of the prophetess is, to preponderating, and we should have had this impress this everlasting and unchangeable whole picture reversed; and Roman, not truth, that sin is the ruin of any nation, and Punic faithlessness, cruelty, and cowardice that salvation is of the Lord. The moment a had been the burden of the song, and the new god is set up, behold a new enemy is object of detestation. While our notes of in the gate. That instant the idol is pulled triumph rend the vault of heaven, cross that down, the hope of Israel revives. The poetic brook, look forward from the summit of that question of Deborah, "was there a shield or little hill, where we are celebrating victory spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?" with all the insolence of success, and erect- expresses the highest degree of political deing the monumental column to prosperous jection and distress; and represents the invalour, and nought is to be seen, but sights sulting foe, as not only filling all their borof wo, no voice is to be heard but that ders with present consternation, but also, of lamentation and despair; while angels, undermining all their hope for the time to from yonder sphere, look down with pity and come; stripping them of every kind of arconcern, such as angels feel, on both the vic-mour both for defence and attack; to such a tor and the vanquished. "The broad eye of degree, that not one man, out of forty thouone Creator takes in all mankind: his laws sand, was furnished for the field. expand the heart;" and the "Te Deum," which angels sing with rapture, is, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men."

We must carry these ideas with us as a corrective to the vehemence of poetical enthusiasm, and learn still to distinguish between the rapturous praise and censure of a female patriot, and the calm, equitable, unbiassed

A Jewish Rabbint has given a turn somewhat different to the words of the text, and not an absurd one. "Has Israel chosen new gods? then was war in the gates. Was there shield or spear seen among forty thousand?" that is to say, "From the time that Israel made choice of strange gods, they were under a necessity of maintaining * Judges v. 8. ↑ Bal. Jarchi, page 64.

war in their gates; or, of supporting a standing army for defence against the inroads of their enemies. But now that you offer yourselves willingly to the Lord, and put away the strange gods which are among you, see whether you have any need of shield or spear against the most formidable and numerous hosts of foes, against the thousands and forty thousands of Canaan? No, JEHOVAH himself is your shield and buckler, he fights your battles. Heaven and earth combine to destroy the adversary, the stars in their courses fought against Sisera, the river Kishon swallows them up."

its channel, the highways are no longer blocked up, and therefore no longer unoccupied. Place your thrones of judgment where you will, in the gate, in the highway, the communication is open, there is none to make you afraid, the enemies whom you have seen, you shall see them no more again for ever."

Her next address seems to be made to the shepherds of the lately oppressed country. "They that are delivered from the noise of archers in the places of drawing water; there shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the Lord, even the righteous acts towards the inhabitants of his villages in Israel; then "My heart is toward the governors of Is- shall the people of the Lord go down to the rael, that offered themselves willingly among gates."* They are represented as trembling the people. Bless ye the Lord, Speak, ye at the sound of their own feet among the that ride on white asses, ye that sit in judg- pebbles of the brook, lest thereby they should ment and walk by the way. They that are awaken the attention of their rapacious masdelivered from the noise of archers in the ters; they are afraid to drive their flocks to places of drawing water; there shall they the watering place, lest they should expose rehearse the righteous acts of the Lord, even themselves and their harmless fleecy charge, the righteous acts towards the inhabitants of to the cruel shafts of the archer, ever on the his villages in Israel; then shall the people watch to gall and annoy them. But now, of the Lord go down to the gates."* That there, even there, in the very scene of their we may enter into the true spirit of the sorrow and misery, where the rustling of a patriotic bard, let us suppose, what it is ap- leaf durst not be heard, they shall break out parent she has in view, namely, severally to together into singing; there, free from soraddress the various orders and descriptions row, free from fear, "shall they rehearse the of men, whereof the Israelitish state was righteous acts of the Lord, even the rightcomposed, and who had each a peculiar, as eous acts to the inhabitants of the villages well as a common interest, in the salvation in Israel." Finally, she calls upon the inwhich they celebrated. She begins with habitants of the villages, the husbandmen her companions in the warfare, who, roused and vine-dressers, to add their voices to the by her exhortations, and a sense of their swelling band, on recovering their tranquilcountry's wrongs, had cheerfully offered them- lity, on being restored to the felicity of laselves to this laborious and hazardous service, bouring for themselves, and saved from the "My heart is toward the governors of Israel, mortification of seeing lazy, insolent stranthat offered themselves willingly among the gers devouring the fruit of their painful toil, people. Bless ye the Lord." They best and repairing, as before, in happier days, knew how little was due to human skill and to their own gates, to their own judges for valour, how much to the gracious and pow-justice and judgment. Thus we hear, as it erful interposition of Heaven; let them, therefore, lead the band, and ascribe unto Jehovah the glory due unto his name. She next turns to the civil governors and judges of the land, and invites them to continue the song, Speak, ye that ride on white asses, ye that sit in judgment, and walk by the way." Such was the simple state in which the rulers of Israel travelled from place to place administering justice. The ideas, in her address to them, are tender and pathetic, and may be thus extended. "Alas! my associates in government, it was but yesterday, that we were rulers without subjects, judges without a tribunal, and without authority: the lives and property of Israel were not secured and protected by law, but were at the disposal of a foreign lawless despot; and your progress through the land in the exercise of your high office, was checked and overawed by a licensed banditti. Let us rejoice together, that government has reverted Judges y. 9-11. † Judges v. 9. Judges v. 10.

66

were, the tuneful choir gradually increasing in number, the peasant taking up the song which the shepherd had put into his mouth, the shepherd following the magistrate, the magistrate the soldier, till all Israel becomes one voice, one heart, one soul, to celebrate the high praises of God. Faint representation of that more glorious consummation, that purer triumph, that more auspicious day, that inexpressibly more important salvation, to which the believer in Christ Jesus looks in hope.

The voice of this universal chorus having ceased, a solemn pause of some moments seems to ensue; when the divinely-inspired poetess awakes to new rapture; and the harmony of myriads of joyful voices subsides into the melody of one simple strain. "Awake, awake, Deborah: awake, awake, utter a song: arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam." What ge nuine touches of nature have we here, what

* Judges v. 11.

† Judges v. 12

« ПредыдущаяПродолжить »