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LECTURE XVI.

OF SUBLIMITY OF SENTIMENT.

Sublimity of sentiment arises, either from elevation of mind, or from some vehement passion; in each, it is either natural, or the effect of divine inspiration-Elevation of mind is displayed in the greatness of the subject, the adjuncts, and the imagery-Examples from the descriptions of the Divine Majesty; of the works and attributes of the Deity; also from the display of the Divine Power in the form of Interrogation and IronyThe Hebrew poets attribute the human passions to the Deity without departing from sublimity; and that frequently when the imagery appears least consistent with the Divine Majesty: the reason of this.

If we consider the very intimate connection, which on all occasions subsists between sentiment and language, it will perhaps appear, that the peculiar quality, of which we have just been treating, under the title of Sublimity of Expression, might ultimately be referred to that of Sentiment. In the strictest sense, however, Sublimity of Sentiment may be accounted a distinct quality, and may be said to proceed, either from a certain elevation of mind, and a happy boldness of conception; or from a strong impulse of the soul, when agitated by the more violent affections. The one is called by Longinus Grandeur of Conception, the other Vehemence or Enthusiasm of Passion. To each of these we must have recourse in the present disquisition, and in applying them to the sacred poets, I shall endeavour to detract nothing from the dignity of that inspiration, which proceeds from higher causes, while I allow to the genius of each writer his own peculiar excellence and accomplish

ments. I am indeed of opinion, that the Divine Spirit by no means takes such an entire possession of the mind of the prophet, as to subdue or extinguish the character and genius of the man: the natural powers of the mind are in general elevated and refined, they are neither eradicated nor totally obscured; and though the writings of Moses, of David, and of Isaiah, always bear the marks of a divine and celestial impulse, we may nevertheless plainly discover in them the particular characters of their respective authors.

That species of the sublime, which proceeds from a boldness of spirit, and an elevation of the soul, whether inherent in the author, or derived from a divine impulse and inspiration, is displayed first in the greatness and sublimity of the subject itself; secondly, in the choice of the adjuncts or circumstances (by the importance and magnitude of which a degree of force and elevation is added to the description;) and lastly, in the splendour and magnificence of the imagery, by which the whole is illustrated. In all these the Hebrew writers have obtained an unrivalled pre-eminence. As far as respects the dignity and importance of the subject, they not only surpass all other writers, but even exceed the confines of human genius and intellect. The greatness, the pow er, the justice, the immensity of God; the infinite wisdom of his works and of his dispensations, are the subjects in which the Hebrew poetry is always conversant, and always excels. If we only consider with a common degree of candour how greatly inferior the poetry of all other nations appears, whenever it presumes to treat of these subjects; and how unequal to the dignity of the matter the highest conceptions of the human genius are found to be; we shall, I think, not only acknowledge the sublimity, but the divinity of that of the Hebrews.

Nor does this greatness and elevation consist altogether in the subjects and sentiments, which, however expressed, would yet retain some part at least of their native force and dignity, but the manner in which these lofty ideas are arranged, and the embellishments of descrip*tion with which they abound, claim our warmest admiration and this, whether we regard the adjuncts or circumstances, which are selected with so much judgement as uniformly to contribute to the sublimity of the principal subject; or the amplitude of that imagery, which represents objects the most remote from human apprehension in such enchanting colours, that, although debased by human painting, they still retain their genuine sanctity and excellence. Since, therefore, the sublimity of the sacred poets has been already exemplified in a variety of instances, it will probably be sufficient, in addition to these, to produce a few examples as illustrations of these remarks, chiefly taken from those parts of Scripture, in which a delineation of the Divine Majesty is attempted.

In the first place then let me recal to your remembrance the solemnity and magnificence with which the power of God in the creation of the universe is depict. ed. And here, I cannot possibly overlook that passage of the sacred historian, which has been so frequently commended, in which the importance of the circumstance and the greatness of the idea (the human mind cannot indeed well conceive a greater) is no less remarkable than the expressive brevity and simplicity of the language:-" And God said, Let there be light, and "there was light." The more words you would accumulate upon this thought, the more you would de

1 Gen. i. 3.

tract from the sublimity of it: for the understanding quickly comprehends the Divine power from the effect, and perhaps most completely, when it is not attempted to be explained; the perception in that case is the more vivid, inasmuch as it seems to proceed from the proper action and energy of the mind itself. The prophets have also depicted the same conception in poetical language, and with no less force and magnificence of expression. The whole creation is summoned forth to celebrate the praise of the Almighty:

"Let them praise the name of JEHOVAH ; "For he commanded, and they were created." And in another place:

"For he spoke, and it was;

"He commanded, and it stood fast."3

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The same subject is frequently treated more diffusely, many circumstances being added, and a variety of imagery introduced for the purpose of illustration. Whether this be executed in a manner suitable to the greatness and dignity of the subject, may be easily determined by a few examples :

"Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the carth? "If thou knowest, declare.

"Say, who fixed the proportions of it, for surely thou knowest; "Or who stretched out the line upon it? "Upon what were its foundations fixed? "Or who laid the corner-stone thereof? "When the morning stars sung together, "And all the sons of God shouted for joy.

"When the sea was shut up with doors,

"When it burst forth as an infant that cometh out of the womb.

"When I placed the cloud for its robe,

"And thick darkness for its swaddling-band.
"When I fixed my boundary against it,
"When I placed a bar and gates.

2 PSAL. cxlviii. 5.

3 PSAL. XXXiii. 9.

"When I said, Thus far shalt thou come, and not advance, "And here shall a stop be put to the pride of thy waves."4 "Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand "And hath meted out the heavens by his span ;

d;

"And hath comprehended the dust of the earth in a tierce, "And hath weighed in scales the mountains, and the hills in a "balance?

"Lift up your eyes on high;

"And see who hath created these.

"He draweth forth their armies by number;

"He calleth them each by its name:

"Through the greatness of his strength, and the mightiness of his

66 power,

"Not one of them faileth to appear."

In these examples, the power and wisdom of the Deity, as demonstrated in the constitution and government of the natural world, you see have suggested a variety of circumstances, a splendid assemblage of imagery, of which it is a sufficient commendation to say, the whole is not unworthy the greatness of the subject. The ease is, however, materially different, when the attributes of God are considered in themselves simply and abstractedly, with no illustration or amplification from their operations and effects. Here the human mind is absorbed, overwhelmed as it were in a boundless vortex, and studies in vain for an expedient to extricate itself. But the greatness of the subject may be justly estimated by its difficulty; and while the imagination labours to comprehend what is beyond its powers, this very labour itself, and these ineffectual endeavours, sufficiently demonstrate the immensity and sublimity of the object. On this account the following passage is truly sublime. Here the mind seems to exert its utmost faculties in vain to grasp an object, whose unparalleled magnitude mocks its feeble endeavours; and to this end it em5 ISAL. xl. 12 and 26.

4 JOB Xxxviii, 4-11.

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