How lovely! O how pleasant! when Than eagles swifter: stronger far Whom love in life so strongly tied Sad Israel's daughters, weep for Saul; Who fed you with the earth's increase, With robes of Tyrian purple deck'd, How are thy worthies by the sword O Jonathan! the better part Of my torn heart! The savage rocks have drunk thy blood! Thy love was great; O never more No woman when most passionate, How are the mighty fallen in fight! "To your homes," said the leader of Israel's host, "And slaughter a sacrifice; Let the life-blood be sprinkled on each door-post, "And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side-posts with the blood that And the Angel of Vengeance shall pass you by, The people hear, and they bow them low- The lamb is slain, and with blood they go, And the doors they close when the sun hath set, The judgment to be done. 'Tis midnight-yet they hear no sound No blast of a pestilence sweeps the ground, Nor rush as of harpy-wing goes by, But the calm moon floats in the cloudless sky, Once only, shot like an arrowy ray, It pass'd so swift, the eye scarce could say Yet the beat of every heart was still, The courage of Israel's bravest quail'd Though knowing the blood of their offering avail'd To shield them from its might: They felt 'twas the spirit of death had pass'd, That the brightness they saw his cold glance had cast Wail, King of Pyramids! Death hath cast His shafts through thine empire wide, But o'er Israel in bondage his rage hath pass'd, ' No first-born of hers hath died is in the bason and none of you shall the morning."— Ex. xii. 22. Read go out at the door of his house until the 12th chap. Go, Satrap! command that the captive be free, Anonymous. "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good." The fool hath said, "There is no God:" A far and brilliant course to run? The fanning breeze, the fostering shower? Satrap, a title given by Greek writers to the Persian governors of provinces before the conquests of Alexander. Here it refers to Pharaoh. 2"The day is thine, the night also is thine; thou hast prepared the light and the sun." - Ps. lxxiv. 16. 3 "The sun to rule by day: the moon and stars to rule by night.” Ps. cxxxvi. 8. 9. See also Gen. i. 16; 4 Job, xxxviii. 28. "Hath the rain And who hath begotten the drops of the dew?" 5 29. "From whose womb came the ice? The hoar-frost of heaven, who gave it birth?" No God!-Who makes the bird to wing No God!-Who warms the heart to heave No God!-Who fixed the solid ground3 Job, xxxvi. 26. "Lo, God is great, and The number of his years is un- 27. For he draweth up the drops of water, They distil rain in its vapour, 22. Which the clouds pour down; They pour it upon man in abundance." 1 Behemoth. The hippopotamus is generally understood to be the behemoth of Scripture. "Behold, he drinketh up a river, and hasteth not: he trusteth that he can draw up Jordan into his mouth."-Job, xl. 23. 2 Leviathan: this is generally supposed to be the crocodile of the Nile. By some it is considered to be the whale. Milton thus speaks of it :"that sea-beast Leviathan, which God of all his works Created hug st that swim the oceanstream." Who all things to perfection brought Knox. It happen❜d on a solemn eventide, Soon after He that was our Surety died, They spake of him they loved, of him whose life, distinctus. jactum. air. The farther traced, enrich'd them still the more; 1 See Luke, xxiv. 13-36. |