transformations of the gods give such copíous hints to flourish and expatiate on, as the true miracles of Christ, or of his prophets and apostles?"

Do not, my dear -, suppose, from what I have said and quoted, that I would hazard the unguarded assertion, that no beautiful composition exists out of the Bible; or that its pages contain examples of every beauty; or that every casual resemblance in a human author must necessarily be a copy from the sacred ones. Still less would I assume, that independent of containing all things needful to salvation, they contain all that are desirable for information. Nevertheless, I have a very high idea of what the Bible, as a book, is able to do for man as an intellectual being; and I never read our standard authors (Shakspeare in particular) without a vivid impression that their perusal of the Bible was more than occasional, and their obligations to it far from slight. Indeed, I think, that in England we can never ascertain exactly how far these obligations extend. A child's first reading lessons are generally selected from this book, and if, in after life, he neglect it,

he yet hears large portions read in public worship, and thus unconsciously imbibes a general impression of scriptural sentiment and phraseology. There may be gross ignorance as to doctrinal truth, deficient acquaintance with the historical arrangement, and yet a feeling of familiarity-difficult to lose, and otherwise impossible to account for.

The free perusal of the Scriptures, as restored by the Reformation, had more than a remote influence upon English literature; it was at once a cause and an earnest of the intellectual splendor which marked the Elizabethan era. "I cannot think" (says an

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author not noted for his reverence of sacred things) "that all this variety and weight of knowledge could be thrown in, all at once, upon the mind of a people, and not make some impression upon it, the traces of which might be discerned in the manners and literature of the age. For, to leave more disputable points, and take only the historical parts of the Old Testament, and the moral sentiments of the New, there is nothing like them in the power of exciting awe and admiration, or of riveting sympathy. We see

what Milton has made of the account of the creation, from the manner in which he has treated it, imbued and impregnated with the spirit of the time of which we speak. Or, what is there for romantic interest and patriarchal simplicity, equal to the story of Joseph and his Brethren, of Rachel and Jacob, of Jacob's Dream, of Ruth and Boaz, the descriptions in the book of Job, the deliverance of the Jews out of Egypt, or the account of their captivity and return from Babylon? There is in all these parts of Scripture, and numberless more of the same kind, (to pass over the orphic hymns of David, the prophetic denunciations of Isaiah, or the gorgeous visions of Ezekiel,) an originality, a vastness of conception, a depth and tenderness of feeling, and a touching simplicity in the mode of narration, which he who does not feel, must be made of no penetrable stuff.' There

is something in the character of Christ, (leaving religious faith quite out of the question,) of more sweetness and majesty, and more likely to work a change in the mind of man, by the contemplation of an idea alone, than in any to be found in history, actual or feigned."

Ι

Personally speaking, I must confess myself jealous of the homage rendered to productions of human genius, unless similar, or rather preponderating homage be paid to that work "which has God for its author." never, in my general reading, exceedingly admire any poetical thoughts or figures, any instances of noble feeling, or fine illustrations of character, without looking whether the pages of the Bible do not contain something similar. This habit I strongly advise you to adopt. It will familiarize your mind with the minutiae of Scripture; heighten your interest in its perusal, and your estimation of its worth; whilst, far more frequently than a careless reader can imagine, you will attain your immediate object. To those who search for beauties, as to those who search for truth, that verse may be applied-" Every one that seeketh findeth." Your favorite "Elements of Criticism" has one fault which, independent of every other, is sufficient to destroy my complacency towards the work. Instances of fine composition are selected from writers of all kinds, ancient and modern, who are applauded without limit, whilst not above

half a dozen quotations are made from the Scriptures, and those accompanied with faint or dubious praise. I know that you are just now enraptured with Ossian, and I have no wish to disturb your delight in the bard of the clouds; only when you have admired Fingal to the utmost, and completed your enthusiasm with Revesden's engraving of him, let me beg you to examine the character of David considered merely as one of the heroic race. Nay, I will go further and say, that if you institute the comparison between David and the Homeric chiefs, or with any recorded in classic and chivalrous history, or immortalized in romance and song, you will find none so perfect as a hero. Separate him altogether from the prophet and the saint, and regard him simply as a warrior who lived at a period when war was the occupation of life, and personal prowess the sole distinction of character. And what do you find? At the outset you have realized romance in the ruddy shepherd boy, called from his songs and his sheep to be anointed to a crown. You have the daring of valor in his fearless combat with Goliath, and its simplicity in his