Oh, what is man, great Maker of mankind,
That thou to him so great respect dost bear;
That thou adorn'st him with so bright a mind,
Mak'st him a king, and even an angel's peer.

Oh, what a lively life, what heavenly power,
What spreading virtue, what a sparkling fire,
How great, how plentiful, how rich a dower,
Dost thou within this dying flesh inspire!

Thou leav'st thy print in other works of thine, But thy whole image thou in man hast writ ; There cannot be a creature more divine, Except, like thee, it should be infinite.

But it exceeds man's thought to think how high God hath raised man, since God a man became ; The angels do admire this mystery,

But are astonished when they view the same.

Nor hath he given these blessings for a day,
Nor made them on the body's life depend;
The soul, though made in time, survives for aye,
And though it hath beginning, sees no end.

CHAPTER II.

Balaam's fourth prophecy.

LET us now consider Balaam's fourth prediction, certainly inferior to none of the preceding. So soon as this unholy man had delivered his third prophetic announcement, Balak was so highly exasperated that he ordered him to quit his dominions without delay. The king

of Moab obviously thought that the bard of Pethor had, of his own free will, blessed the Israelites, and that he might have cursed them had he been so inclined, though Balaam had forewarned him not to expect that he should deliver anything but what the Deity really communicated and desired should be promulgated. Balak supposed that the true God of Israel was as easy to be propitiated by animal sacrifices, as the imaginary deities of Moab, and that, therefore, his disappointment arose solely from the treachery of the man whom he had engaged, at great cost of treasure, to execrate the dreaded enemies of Canaan, not from the latter's inability to act against the divine determination. Stung by disappointment, and without allowing himself time to reflect, or most

likely too impetuous to submit to the sober discipline of reflection, he at once declares his intention of withholding from his avaricious mercenary the rewards promised to his success in bringing destruction upon Israel, assuring him that it was his gracious intention to have elevated him to the highest civil dignities, but declaring with an impious taunt that the Lord whom he professed to serve, instead of rewarding him for his worship and service, had “kept him back from honour." This was a covert impeachment of the divine justice, and went to insinuate the impolicy of serving a divinity who requited his worshippers with loss.

The severity of Balak's disappointment is, perhaps, more forcibly exhibited by this sarcastic impiety than by the exasperation under which he manifestly laboured at the moment when he so peremptorily commanded Balaam to leave his dominions. So vehement is this indignation, that he does not merely in general terms order the prophet to quit his presence and depart at once from his territories but passionately bids him commence his journey with the least possible delay" therefore now flee thou to thy place"

use the utmost expedition in quitting my territories, and withdrawing thyself from the presence of one who would have rewarded thee with kingly munificence.' Balaam in his reply reminds the enraged sovereign, in the most emphatic terms, what he had declared upon first reaching his capital, that he had no power to act contrary to that omnipotent will which he was about to consult. Spake I not also to

thy messengers which thou sentest unto me, saying, if Balak would give me his house-full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the commandment of the Lord, to do either good or bad of mine own mind; but what the Lord saith that will I speak?" I have, therefore, used no deception in this matter, but faithfully delivered the revelations made to me.'

The king of Moab appears to have been somewhat appeased by this just expostulation, as he listens without further interruption to the oracle which the prophet had yet to deliver. This was the most important of the whole series. We shall observe, that this remarkable prophecy was not distinguished, as those previously uttered had been, by the erection of seven altars, and the sacrifice of as many burntofferings. Balaam does not attempt to solemnize this prediction by the introduction of those rites of heathen superstition, which in three successive instances had turned out to be so utterly inefficacious in realizing the end for which they were ostensibly offered. There is a becoming solemnity in the manner of introducing this annunciation of Israel's political supremacy and spiritual distinction. Although now all hope of reward was cut off from the avaricious prophet, ere he departs from Moab a disappointed and degraded man, he once more proclaims the divine benediction upon that favoured people whom the Deity had determined to bless. Having engaged the king's attention, he said unto him-" Come, therefore, and I will advertise thee what this people shall

do unto thy people in the latter days. And he took up his parable and said :

Balaam, the son of Beor, hath said,

And the man whose eyes are open hath said;
He hath said, which heard the words of God,
And knew the knowledge of the Most High,
Which saw the vision of the Almighty,
Falling into a trance, but having his eyes open :
I shall see him, but not now;

I shall behold him, but not nigh:

There shall come a Star out of Jacob,
And a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel,

And shall smite the corners of Moab,

And destroy all the children of Sheth :

And Edom shall be a possession,

Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies,

And Israel shall do valiantly:

Out of Jacob shall come He that shall have dominion,
And shall destroy him that remaineth of the city."

It will be seen that in the exordiums of all these prophetic songs, Balaam ingeniously contrives, by indirect implication, to let the king of Moab know, while the prophetic rapture was upon him, that the person whom the monarch had employed to curse Israel, was under the immediate control of the true God; he, consequently, leads his royal patron to the inference not to be evaded, that, though endowed with the gift of prophecy, he was, nevertheless, unable to predict according to the dictates of any other will than that of Him who supplied the oracle. These communications are made to the Moabitish monarch each time in nearly equivalent terms, though these terms are differently arranged, except in the two latter prophecies, in which they almost exactly correspond. In the first and second, the corres