Page images
PDF
EPUB

which your fathers ferved on the other side of "the flood, and in Egypt; and ferve ye the S LORD. And if it feem evil unto you to ferve s the LORD, choose you this day whom you will "ferve; whether the Gods which your fathers » served, that were on the other side of the flood, "or the Gods of the Amorites, in whofe land you dwell." "To give the greater weight and «force," fays Archbishop TILLOTSON," to the "exhortation that they fhould ferve the LORD,

[ocr errors]

he does by a very eloquent kind of insinuation, as it were, once more fet the Ifraelites at « liberty, and leave them to their own election: "it being the nature of man to stick more fted

fastly to that which is not violently impofed, «but is our own free and deliberate choice *"

Allow me to obferve, that there may be another beauty in the passage, which might not occur to that ingenious Writer. After JOSHUA had been recording the wonderful appearances of God for Ifrael, of which we have an account in the former part of the chapter, it was enough to kindle the people with a kind of holy indignation to hear their hoary victorious Leader and Deliverer faying, "If it feem evil unto you to serve * the LORD;" and confequently, by this manner of Ipeaking, he may be considered as engaging them to fall in the more eagerly and readily with the duty he is recommending, that of their ferving their LORD. The ideas of its feeming evil to

[ocr errors]

Serve TILLOTSON's Sermons, vol. iii. p. 365. Octavo edition.

[ocr errors]

ferve the Lord, at the close of the recapitulation of fuch signal and aftonishing mercies as God had wrought for Ifrael, appear by the virtue of contraft to be a most odious and intolerable ingratitude and what foul is there but what must abhor and execrate the thought of its being evil to ferve the LORD, that but just before has hearda diftinct and full recital of the wonders of power and goodness on its behalf? May not fuch a kind of address be justly ftiled, " Drawing us "with the cords of a man, and with the bands " of love? Hofea xi. 4.

CHAPTER XII.

The EPANAPHORA confidered.

§ 1. The definition of an Epanaphora. § 2. Inftances from PRIOR, VIRGIL, and CICERO. §3. Examples from Scripture. § 4. The Epanaphora adapted to exprefs lively and violent passions, with inftances. § 5. This Figure of Service in infifting upon any topic. § 6. Caution in the use of the Epanaphora.

EPanaphora

*

Panaphora is a Figure, in which the fame word is gracefully and emphati

* From sπava Pagw, I repeat.

cally

cally repeated; or in which distinct fentences, or the several members of the fame sentence, are begun with the fame word.

§ 2. We have a beautiful instance of this Figure in the following lines of Mr PRIOR's Poem, intitled, Henry and Emma.

Are there not poisons, racks, and flames, and fwords, : That EMMA thus muft die by HENRY's words? Yet what could fwords, or poifon, racks, or flames, But mangle and disjoint this brittle frame? More fatal HENRY's words, they murder EMMA's fame.

VIRGIL furnishes us with an example of this
Figure, when he fays,

Here are cool fountains, here are velvet meads;
Here the young groves are twisted into bow'rs:
Here, here, O how could I enjoy with thee
My life, delighted to its latest hour t!

We have an Epanaphora in the following pasfage from CICERO: What is fo popular as peace? in which not only beings endowed

[ocr errors]

with fenfe, but even our dwellings and fields "feem to rejoice. What is fo popular as li"berty? It is not only the desire of men, but " even of brutes; and is preferred by them to "all things beside. What is so popular as ease and leifure? for the fake of whofe enjoyment,

+ Hic gelidi fontes, hic mollia prata, Lycori; Hic nemus, hic ipfo tecum confumerer ævo.

both

[merged small][ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

“both you you and your ancestors, and indeed every "brave man have judged, and still judge, that "the greatest labours are to be endured *.”

§ 3. We may produce instances of this Figure $ from the facred Writings. Deut. viii. 3. " Blefs"ed fhalt thou be in the city, and blessed fhalt "thou be in the field: blessed fhall be the fruit "s of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, " and the flocks of thy sheep: blessed fhall be thy basket, and thy ftore: blefsed fhalt thou " be when thou comeft in, and blessed fhalt thou ss be when thou goeft out." In like manner, Pfalm xxix. 4. "The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty : " the voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; yea,

SS

SS

[ocr errors]

the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon. The ss voice of the LORD divides the flames of fire: ss the voice of the LORD fhakes the wilderness; ss the LORD fhakes the wilderness of Kadesh. "The voice of the LORD makes the hinds to " calve, and difcovers the forests."

[ocr errors]

But

* Quid enim eft tam populare, quàm pax? qua non modo ii, quibus natura fenfum dedit, fed etiam tecta, atque agri mihi lætari videntur. Quid tam populare, quàm libertas? quam non folùm ab hominibus, verum etiam à bestiis expeti, atque omnibus rebus anteponi videtur. Quid tam populare, quàm otium? quod ita jucundum eft, ut & vos, & majores veftri, & fortiffimus quifque vir, maximos labores fufcipiendos putet, ut aliquando in otio poffit effe. CICER, contra RULL. Orat. ii. n 4.

P

cally repeated; or in which diftinct sentences, or the feveral members of the fame fentence, are be-. gun with the fame word.

§ 2. We have a beautiful inftance of this Figure in the following lines of Mr PRIOR's Poem, intitled, Henry and Emma.

Are there not poifons, racks, and flames, and fwords, : That EMMA thus muft die by HENRY's words? Yet what could fwords, or poifon, racks, or flames,. But mangle and disjoint this brittle frame?

More fatal HENRY's words, they murder EMMA's fame.

VIRGIL furnishes us with an example of this Figure, when he fays,

Here are cool fountains, here are velvet meads;

Here the young groves are twisted into bow'rs: Here, here, O how could I enjoy with thee

My life, delighted to its latest hour t!

[ocr errors]

We have an Epanaphora in the following pasfage from CICERO: What is so popular as peace? in which not only beings endowed "with fenfe, but even our dwellings and fields.

[ocr errors]

feem to rejoice. What is fo popular as li"berty? It is not only the desire of men, but " even of brutes; and is preferred by them to "all things beside. What is fo popular as ease "and leifure? for the fake of whofe enjoyment,

[ocr errors]

+ Hic gelidi fontes, hic mollia prata, Lycori; Hic nemus, hic ipfo tecum confumerer ævo.

"both

VIRGIL. Eclog. x. ver. 42.

« PreviousContinue »