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I should possess with you and all above
In peace and joy and extasy of love?

Earth clogs my wings from soaring up so high;
When death shall break the chains, O then I'll fly
To thee, and heaven implore to make me fit,
And so to favour me that I may sit

Next to thy glorious uncle Dean and thee,
Who went but just before, and glad to see

Thee make the fatal pair of noble Granville's blood,
That now adorns both worlds with it's pure flood;
You next to God possessing most my heart,

It would compleat my bliss with thee to bear a part
In singing loud his praise, in the blest choir
Where all your charming voice and hymns admire.
They now admire to hear their new-come guest
So soon such sweet celestial notes express,
As if you had been bred up in their choir,
For it's the same great God doth both inspire.
O then the scene would only changed be,
Since thus on earth I sang his praise with thee.

But now my lute and harp have lost their tone,
My organ's hoarse, now your sweet voice is gone;
Henceforth all instruments to me seem harsh,
Or dismal notes of some sad funerall march.

O Heaven, do thou my consolation be!

In heaven's my hope 'ere long to be with thee;
And whilst I sojourn on this globe below,
The hours my cares will sparingly allow,
I'll please myself to think on thee in rhyme
To pass away this short but tedious time.

LIFE

OF

ELIJAH.

LIFE OF ELIJAH.

OF

I.

F the birth and parentage of Elijah no account is recorded in Scripture. In attempts to embellish the history of this extraordinary man, the Jewish writers, ever fertile inventors of legendary narrative, have liberally indulged the temerity of conjecture. Some of them, who embraced the doctrine of the transmigration of souls, have identified him with Phinehas the son of Eleazar, resuming the office of a faithful minister of God, and again distinguishing himself by his pristine fervour while others have represented him as an angel, sent down to proclaim the resentment of the Most High against an idolatrous nation. It would be an endless and an useless employment to enumerate the extravagant conceits, which have been entertained of his person and character; of his present state, and of his future advent.

The defection of the Ten Tribes from Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, produced an important revolution in the religious and civil government of the Jews. Their chiefs, under the name

6

of Kings of Israel,' and sometimes Kings of Samaria,' fixed their residence first at Sichem, and afterward at Samaria; while the Kings of Judah dispensed justice to the loyal tribes of Judah and Benjamin from their palace at Jerusalem.

Ahab, the son of Omri, succeeded his father on the Israelitish throne. The conduct of this prince was in the highest degree disgraceful. More wicked than his father, he is said to have done evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him.

Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, the first King of Israel, in order to prevent the re-union of the Twelve Tribes, had adulterated the divine service by consecrating two Golden Calves (in imitation, probably, of the Egyptian or Phoenician idols) as objects of worship at Dan and Bethel ; and addressing the people, in the words of Aaron to their forefathers, Behold, Israel, the gods, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt. He had prohibited his subjects, likewise, from visiting Jerusalem at the solemn festivals, and thus completely insured the continuance of idolatry. Ahab, not satisfied with merely treading in the steps of Jeroboam, made a greater progress in guilt, by contracting an unlawful marriage with Jezebel (the daughter of Ethbaal, King of Zidon) whom Josephus has characterised as 'a bold and enterprising woman.' Under her in

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