What matter of joy to Ifrael, that he who of old had thus revealed his fiery law, that day, that very day had come riding on the fwift wings of the wind for their falvation! To fix thefe emotions of rifing gratitude and wonder, the bard dexterously and imperceptibly flides into a review of the recent diftrefs and mifery of her unhappy country; diftrefs yet fresh every one's memory, mifery out of which they were juft beginning to emerge: and fhe takes occafion to pay a just tribute of refpect to the memory of a great man, whom God had honoured to be the inftrument of redemption to an oppreffed people. in Thofe who are themfelves the moft deferving of praife, are ever the moft liberal in beftowing it, where it is due. It is a flender and contemptible merit which feeks to fhine by obfcuring, concealing, or diminishing the worth of another. Deborah is but the more estimable, for the frank and unreferved commendation which the confers on departed or contemporary virtue and talents. "In the days of Shamgar, the fon of Anath, in the days of Jael, the high-ways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through by-ways. The inhabitants of the villages ceafed, they ceafed in Ifrael, until that I Deborah arofe, that I arofe a mother in Ifrael."* What a melancholy picture have we here of a ruined, wretched country? By means of oppreflion, all intercourfe is interrupted; commerce is languifhing to death; life and property have become infecure: every thing dear to man is at the mercy of a haughty tyrant; ever expofed to the ravages of lawlefs band of armed ruffians: the fcanty and deed habitants tremble at the found of their own feet, at the fight of their own fhadow; behold them fkulking from place to place, ftealing through by-ways, to carry on a ftarved and precarious traffic; fuffering much, and fearing woric. Ah, little do we reflect, living at our cafe, enjoying the bleffings of mild and equitable government, "fit * Verfe 6, 7. ting ting 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 oppreffed, and there is none to help them; whofe cry inceffantly rifes up to heaven, but rifes in despair. Think what multitudes of the bold and hardy Africans are yearly driven or trepanned into fervitude, through the violence or craft of their own countrymen, or, through the more fierce and unrelenting principle of European avarice, which has reduced flavery to a fyftem, has invented an article of commerce which God and nature abhor, and concur to prohibit; and what is the fubject of the infamous, impious traffic? the fouls and bodies of men. Who can turn his eyes, without weeping tears of blood, to the fertile foil, the clement air, and the fimple, harmless inhabitants of the eastern world, and obferve the gifts of nature perverted into a curse, the goodness of Providence thwarted by the curfed luft of power, or more curfed luft of wealth, and the patient, uncomplaining Afiatic, perifhing for hunger, in his own luxuriant domain: and the Ganges difgorging millions of fetid corpfes into the ocean, the corpfes of wretches who died for lack of food, to purchafe for a ftill greater wretch an empty title, and a feat among the lawgivers of the wifeft, moft polifhed and humane of the nations of the western world. Look to the thin and fcanty remains of the populous and profperous nations of the fouthern hemifphere, and a land whofe veins are gold, and its mountains filver, of which Spanish lty and avarice have been constrained to make in order to fecure the poffeffion of it. Behold the fullen, 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 neverthelefs dare to callthemfelves chriftians. Behold Behold yet again—No, I ficken at the horrid profpect and will no longer encroach upon the feelings of humanity, by exhibiting the more than favage barbarity of fyftematic cruelty and oppreffion. God of mercy, put a fpeedy end to thefe horrors! affert thy offspring into liberty, the glorious liberty of the fons of God. Let us return to the fweet miftrefs of If raelitish fong; I fee her warm, and rife into native, confcious worth and importance: and honour the lovely pride, the honeft vanity of the female patriot. "The inhabitants of the villages ceafed, they ceafed in Ifrael, until that I Deborah arofe, that I arofe a mother in Ifrael." If ever there were ability, if ever there were fervices, if ever there were an occafion, which could warrant felf-praife, it was the ability, the public fervices of Deborah, and the glorious occafion on which fhe wrote and fung. Shew me fuch exertions for the public good, and let a man, let a woman. be as vain as they will, and let affected humility and felf-denial fay what they will, it is an honourable and laudable ground of glorying, that God has made us the means of conveying happiness to others. But occafions of doing juftice to eminent, public female worth fo feldom occur, that I muft referve to myfelf the pleasure of accompanying this great woman, this more than princefs, through the remainder of her fong, in another Lecture. -Men and brethren, we are furnished with a much more noble subject of praise-a fubject which angels delight to celebrate in celeftial strains-a fubject which carries us back into the eternal counfels of peace "before the world was," which carries us forward to the grand confummation, when "time fhall be no longer;" when "the ranfomed of the Lord fhall return and come to Zion with fongs, and everlasting joy upon their heads:" when "they fhall obtain joy and gladnefs, and forrow and fighing fhall flee away." Need I point out the era, chriftians, and the spot, and the performers, * Verfe 7. performers, and the audience, or repeat the words of the lofty theme?" There were in the fame country fhepherds 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 fhone round about them and they were fore afraid. And the angel faid unto them, Fear not: for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which fhall be to all people. For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Chrift the Lord. And this fhall be a fign unto you; ye fhall find the babe wrapped in fwaddling-clothes, lying in a manger. And fuddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hoft praifing God, and faying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men."* Here are celebrated, not the tranfient interests of a petty tribe, the momentary triumph of the oppreffed, and the downfall of the oppreffor; not events which have long ago fpent all their force, and left no trace behind; but the broad, unbounded, permanent interests of mankind; the triumph of "the love of Christ which paffeth knowledge;" of "the peace of God which paffeth all understanding :" events which extend their influence into eternity. We celebrate "the praises of Him, who hath called us out of darkness into his marvellous light"-of God, who "fo loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whofoever believeth in him fhould not perish, but have everlafting life."t-Of "Him that loved us, and washed us from our fins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen :"+ Of Him "who, through death, has destroyed him that had the power of death, that is the devil." The burden of the chriftian's fong is, "Salvation," falvation begun, going on, ready to be accomplished. "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms doms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever."* The fong of Deborah exhibits awful diftinctions between man and man, between nation and nation; presents a mystery of Providence, which human understanding endeavours in vain to trace in the fong of the redeemed of the Lord, all distinction is abolished; it presents a mystery of grace which "angels defire to look into ;" it is in full harmony fung, by those who have "come from the eaft and from the weft, from the south and from the north, and have fat down with Abraham, and Ifaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of God:" where the fpirit of this world finds no place, and its differences are absorbed of the " fpirit of love where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcifion nor uncircumcifion, barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free; but Chrift is all, and in all." Let these reflections be practically improved, in conformity to the apoftolic exhortation, by our daily learning to "put on, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meeknefs, long fuffering; 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." hearts." Amen. * Rev. xi. 15. Vol. VI. F Hiftory |