Whose throne is heav'n, and whose footstool

earth,

Scourgeth the sons he loveth to exalt.

50. But tho' their flesh be sometimes marr'd and

torn,

Such wounds are not inglorious, if receiv'd
Revengelessly! Yea, and although the blood,
Which is the life, flow from the good man's side,
Heav'n can revivify the blushing stream,
Its course salubriate, its strength renew,

And drown the icy carcase in its flood
Of death itself!

Ev'n so, when Abel, like a fruitful tree,

Fell'd by the axe, was prostrate on the field, 60. His spirit mounted to the spheres of life,

righteousness, when depressing, persecuting, and punishing the upright, are, unconsciously, removing the veil from truth, paving the way to its ultimate triumph, and making wreaths of endless glory for the Messiah and his redeemed ones.,

60. His spirit monnted, &c.—There is a sublime passage, with reference to the spirit of the murdered Abel, in Gesner's truly poetical and deservedly popular work. It may be well to quote the passage as it stands in the English version by Mrs. Collyer.

And gave an earnest that the body too,
In after day, when the great angel shall

Place one foot on the ocean, one on land,

"The angel of death called forth the soul of Abel from the ensanguined dust. It advanced with a smile of joy. The more pure and spirituous parts of the body flew off, and, mixing with the balsamic exhalation wafted by the zephyrs from the flowers which sprung up within the compass irradiated by the angel, environed the soul, forming for it an ethereal body. It saw with a transport, till then unknown, the bright messenger coming towards it." This, so far as it goes, is excellent indeed; it is picture-it is poetry; but I could not help advancing still further -even to the great scene of "the latter day," when, as Job foresaw, Christ shall stand upon the earth, "and though after their skin worms shall have destroyed mens' bodies, yet in their flesh," (mark the word!)-not in the cold denuded spirit, not in the uncoloured metamorphosed rigidity of an ejected principle of existence, not in the soul merely, but in the body also—in the very identical body which they employed on earth-in their own unalienated, unchanged, though purified flesh, shall men at the appointed time, 'the latter day,' “see God." The Jews were not the only people who had an idea of the soul's immortality :—the doctrine is traceable in the sacrifices, purifications, and religious ceremonies, of the heathens also: but that the body should ever be raised from a state of decomposition and decay, and sublimated and refined, and made again the tabernacle of divinity's bright spark-this was to the ungospelled myriads of mankind (save when at august intervals, a Job or an Ezekiel lifted up a little the curtain of eternity,) a thing unheard of and unknown.

And, gazing on the ruins of a world,
Swear that by him who lives for evermore,

Time shall no longer be, remodell'd rise!"

The voice here endeth: and the Patriarch turns,
As if to catch the vision of a form,

And span the features of an angel's face,

70. But form nor feature can the Patriarch see!

Nor hears he save the rustling of the wings,
Which tells the visit is from other worlds!
Wond'ring, the dreamer from his couch descends,
With hands uprais'd, invokes the God of grace,
And calls his sons, Shem, Ham, and Japhet,
round:

Then in their ears he utters all the words
Which from the messenger of heav'n had fall'n.
Japhet esteems the oracle as one

Giv'n for a reason not yet understood,

It is not to be denied, however, that in the revealed fact of the soul's immortality, faith, with her right hand upon the arm of Omnipotence, might gain a dim but blessed prescience of the body's resurrection.

80. And wrapp'd in myst'ry! nor dares to speak
Shem the full utt'rance of his heart, for he
Trembles lest woes are rip'ning for his sire!
Ham laughs aloud, and says his father raves
Like one whom madness hath arrested sore!
And now the sun is rising in the East,
And, spangled over with the dews of morn
Each bush is wet! 'tis time of sacrifice:-
The altar smokes!-the victim is prepar'd!-
The Patriarch, his wife, sons, and sons' wives,
90. Are kneeling in the attitude of pray'r!

Anon the father, rising, stretches out

His hands tow'rds heav'n, and with loud voice he thus

Addresses him whose breath sustains all worlds:
"Shine, Lord, on us, and bless this family!

Be thou our shield from foes! our sun by night
When other suns are hidden from our eyes!
Thine angel spake of some things sad and dire!
The missionary from thy throne, full wing'd,
Told us of dangers! Hallow'd evermore

100. Be thy great name! O let not wrath descend

On those who bear the impress of thy hand!"

The Patriarch ends, and, while in silence
wrapp'd,

He and his family are kneeling yet,
Behold, a cloud, of golden orange, stands
Over the altar trembling! and anon

It burns to crimson! and this voice proceeds
From out its awful bosom in the air:

"Noah! fear not! I am the Lord thy God!

All pow'rs against thee leagu❜d, are leagu❜d in vain!

110. When night again across the skies shall throw Her vast black drapery, and threat to hide The jewell'd heads of thrice ten thousand stars, A throng of men, rebellious and distort,

Shall stand before thee, and hem round the place

Where thou dost dwell! But, notwithstanding force