and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt-offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.

4. "Then, on the third day, Abraham lifted up his eyes ⚫ and saw the place afar off. 5. And Abraham said unto his young men, 'Abide ye here with the ass, and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.' 6. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt-offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand and a knife; and they went both of them together.

7. "And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father' and he said, 'Here am I, my son.' And he said, 'Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt-offering?' 8. And Abraham said, 'My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burntoffering:' so they went both of them together.

9. "And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order; and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. 10. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 11. And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham!' And he said, ' Here am I.' 12. And he said, 'Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from me.'

13. " And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns And Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt-offering in the stead of his son."

Additional examples of familiar narrative may be found as follows: the Betrothing of Rebekah, Gen. xxiv.; Judah's Appeal to Joseph, Gen. xliv.; Samuel's Report to Eli, 1 Sam. iii. 1–18; the Blind Man restored to Sight, John ix.; the Prodigal Son, Luke xv. 11-32.

EXAMPLES IN "MIDDLE" STYLE.

Narrative passages which, according to rhetorical arrangement, may be classed under the head of "middle" style, require, in reading, a tone of voice which is deeper, firmer, and more uniformly sustained, than that of simple and familiar narration, as exemplified in the preceding

extracts.

A homely, anecdotic turn of voice, is decidedly objectionable, even in the reading of ordinary historical incidents, as utterly incompatible with the appropriate dignity and elevation of the subject; and the objection to such tones becomes insuperable, when the themes are those of sacred history. The effect of fireside, colloquial intonation, applied to the pages of the Bible, is similar, in its effect, to that of parody on elevated composition. It suggests degrading and ridiculous associations.

A formal and mechanical solemnity of tone, however, can never comport with the reading of a book so remarkable for perfect simplicity of style and natural turns of expression, as the sacred volume. Nor is it claiming too much for the appropriate reading of the Scriptures, to say that it demands the deepest sensibility of soul to revealed truth, united to the quickest and keenest perception of the varying effects of language.

The Death of Abel. Gen. iv. 3-14.

V. 3. "And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. 4. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had

respect unto Abel, and to his offering: 5. but unto Cain, and to his offering, he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. 6. And the Lord said unto Cain, 'Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 7. If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at

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the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.' 8. And Cain talked with Abel his brother and it came to pass when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. 9. And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother?' And he said, ‘I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?' 10. And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. 11. and now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand. 12. When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength: A fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.' 13. And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14. Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.'”

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Additional Examples. — Jephthah's Vow, Judges xi. 2—40; the Curse of Jotham, Judges ix.; the Death of Eli, 1 Sam. iv. 1—18; the Rejection of Saul, 1 Sam. xv.; David's Encounter with Goliah, 1 Sam. xvii. 1—54; the Reign of Josiah, 2 Kings, xxiii. 1—30; the Raising of Lazarus, Gospel of John, xi. 1—44.

EXAMPLES IN ELEVATED STYLE.

Narration, when characterized by sublimity, or by marked elevation, requires a deeper, fuller, slower, more forcible and impressive manner, than that which is exemplified in the preceding passages.

The common fault in the reading of such parts of Scripture, consists in the absence of an impressive and commanding effect of voice, correspondent to the peculiar character of the subject. The mode of utterance, in such passages as the following, should not only be deep-toned and energetic, but warm and glowing. Fervor is a prom

inent element in the expression of sublimity and grandeur.

While the voice, however, is rendered full and resonant, in the reading of the loftier and bolder portions of Scripture narrative, correct taste and chastened judgment alike forbid all rhetorical display and inflation of manner, as utterly inconsistent with the genuine utterance of the language of the sacred records. The voice, though glowing with emotion, is, in such circumstances, to be subdued to the mood of reverence and hallowed association. No true heart can tolerate the idea of using the word of God as a theatre for the exhibition of vocal effect and artistic accomplishment.

While the reader shrinks, however, from such results, he can derive from this just repugnance to desecration no plea for the cold, lifeless, and heartless style of mechanical reading, which is so prevalent in the pulpit, and which effectually paralyzes the power of the Bible over the human heart.

Creation.-Gen. i. and ii. 1.

V. 1. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep: and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3. And God said, 'Let there be light:' and there was light. 4. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. 5. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night: and the evening and the morning were the first day.

6. "And God said, 'Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.' 7. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. 8. And God called the firmament Heaven: and the evening and the morning were the second day.

9. "And God said, 'Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear:' and it was so. 10. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas and God saw that it was good. 11. And God

said, 'Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit-tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth:' and it was so. 12. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 13. And the evening and the morning were the third day. 14. " And God said, 'Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven, to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years. 15. And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven, to give light upon the earth' and it was so. 16. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. 17. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, 18. and to rule over the day, and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. 19. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

20. " And God said, 'Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth, in the open firmament of heaven.' 21. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 22. And God blessed them, saying, 'Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.' 23. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

24. "And God said, 'Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and