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Joseph; Josh. xxiv. 32. They thought proper to bury Joseph in that portion of land, which his father Jacob had given him, (see Gen. xlviii. 22, compared with chap. xxxiii. 19, and John iv. 5,) as his per. sonal property, rather than in the cave of Machpelah, which, per. haps, might not be large enough to contain all the bodies that were at the same time brought up out of the land of Egypt. For, though we are not told what became of Joseph's brethren and kindred, who died in Egypt, yet, without doubt, their bodies were carried into the land of Canaan, to be buried there, as they would have the same desire, and give the same charge concerning their bodies. And, indeed, a tradition prevailed among the Jews, that they were all carried thither with the bones of that great man, Joseph; which is confirmed by the words in Acts vii. 15, 16. So Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he and our fathers, and were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor the father of Sychem. This as to the Patriarchal people.

[To be continued.]

POETRY.

DESCRIPTION OF JEHOVAH,

Psalm 18-By Dr. Ladi.

HE spoke and lo! the heavens were bow'd,

High on cherubic wings he rode,

Majestic to behold.
Profoundest night, the black abyss,
And the thick gloom of all the skies,

Beneath his feet were roll'd.
Tempestuous winds about him past ;
Sublime upon each winged blast,

The great Jehovah came.
He flew abroad, all cloth'd in fire,
But bade thick clouds of smoke aspire,

To wrap the awful flame.

Enfolding skies his brightness veil'd:
And, in the depth of night, conceal'd,
His dread pavilion stood.
The blacken'd clouds around him
sweep,

And the dark waters of the deep,

Enthrone their sov'reign God. "Midst pealing thunders, fire and smoke,

Jehovah awful silence broke,

And shook the pow'rs beneath.
The rapid lightnings of the sky,
In awful dread of the MOST HIGH,
Were scatter'd by his breath.

THE WAR-HORSE.

PARAPHASED FROM JOB.
By the same.

"And hast thou given the horse strength,
hast thou clothed his neck with thun-
der ?"

AGAIN th' Almighty from the whirlwind broke,

And thus to Job, in stern continuance spoke :

"Didst thou the horse with strength unequall❜d mould,

Whose lofty neck the writhen thunders fold?

And canst thou make th' intrepid courser fly,

When steely dangers glitter in his eye?

"See! all around him spreads the flamy cloud,

Spurn'd from his nostrils, while he snorts aloud,

Trembling with vigour, how he paws the ground,

And hurls the thunder of his strength around!

Behold! he pants for war, and scorning flight,

Collects his strength, and rushes to the fight.

E

"When clouds of darts a sable horror spread,

And the full quiver rattles o'er his head:

To him no dread the sound of battle bears,

The clash of armour, and the strife of spears;

But o'er his neck his waving mane reclin❜d,

Spreads to the gale and wantons to the wind:

He spurns the field, fierce, terrible and strong.

And rolls the earth back as he shoots along.

"Lo! where their strife the distant warriors wage,

The neighing courser snuffs the sanguine rage;

While roaring trumpets and the dire affray

Provoke his laughter on that dreadful day;

More loud he snorts, more terrible he foams,

When nearer still the storm of battle comes ;

And mingling roars are dreadful on the heath,

In shouts of vict'ry and in groans of death."

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The host of Israel stretch'd in deep

array;

Their tents rose frequent on the enamell'd green;

Bright to the winds the colour'd streamers play.

Red from the slaughter of their foes, In awful steel the embattled heroes stood;

High o'er the shaded ark in terror

rose

The cloud, the dark pavilion of their God.

Before the Seer's unwilling eyes, The years unborn ascend in sight, He saw their op'ning morn arise, Bright in the sunshine of the fav'ring skies;

While from th' unsufferable light, Flee the dire Demons of opposing night. No more, elate with stygian aid, He waves the wand's enchanted pow'r,

And baleful thro' the hallow'd glade, His magic footsteps rove no more. Fill'd with prophetic fire, he lifts his hand,

O'er the dim host in deep array,

And aw'd by Heav'n's supreme command,

Pours forth the rapture of the living lay.

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Pours wide the lightning of his ray, And flames destruction on the opposing world!

Death's broad banners, dark, un-
furl'd,

Wave o'er his blood-encircled way!
Scepter'd king of Moab, hear
Deeds, that future times await,
Deadly triumph, war severe,

Israel's pride, and Moab's fate! What echoing terrors burst upon my ear!

What awful forms in ghastly horror rise!

Empurpled rage, pale ruin, heartstruck fear,

In scenes of blood ascend, and skim before my eyes!

V.

Dimly on the skirt of night
O'er thy sons the cloud impends,
Louring storm with wild affright
Loud th astonish'd ether rends.
Long hosts, emblaz'd with sun-bright
shields appear,

And victory severe
Sits on their lightning swords along
the shores,

Arm'd with the bolts of fate,
Impending navies wait;

Above, around, the shout of ruin

roars.

For nought avails, that clad in spiry pride,

Thy rising cities glitter'd on the day; The vengeful arms wave devastation wide,

And give thy pompous domes to mouldering flames a prey.'

VI.

Edom bows her lofty head;
Seer submits her vanquish'd lands;
Amalek, of hosts the dread,
Sinks beneath their wasting hands.
See, whelm'd in smoky heaps, the
ruin'd walls,

Rise o'er thy sons' unhappy grave;
Low their blasted glory falls;
Vain the pride that could not save !
Israel's swords arrest their prey;
Back to swift fate thy frighted stand-
ards turn;

Black desolation rolls along their
way;

Warsweeps in front, and flames behind them burn.

And death and dire dismay Unfold their universal grave, and ope the mighty urn.

[Trumbull.]

SINGULAR RUSSIAN CEREMONIES.

The Greek Church has some similarity with the Latin in point of ceremonies, but exceeds it, which is not saying a little, in superstitious rites. Among others, for example, annually on the 6th of January, twelfth-day, as it is called with us, a singular feast is solemnized, denominated by the Russians the blessing of the waters. For this ceremony at St. Petersburg, a sort of wooden chapel or tabernacle, painted green and stuck about with boughs of fir, is constructed on the ice of the Neva, between the admiralty and the imperial palace. This little building is covered with a dome, resting on eight small columns, on which stands the figure of John the baptist with the cross in his hand, amidst bulrushes; the inside of the edifice being decorated with paintings representing the baptism of Jesus, his transfiguration, and other transactions of his life. From the centre of the dome is suspended by a chain a monstrous large Holy Ghost of wood over the aperture in the ice, round which are spread rich carpets. This little temple is entirely surrounded with palisadoes, which are also ornamented with fir branches; the space within being likewise covered with carpets. A sort of gallery round the building communicates with a window of the palace, from which the imperial family come forth to attend the ceremony (For several years past the empress and her grand children only saw the solemnity from the windows of the palace.) The ceremony begins immediately when

the regiments of guards have taken their station on the river. Then the archbishop appears amid the sound of church bells and the firing of the cannon of the fortress, and proceeds along the carpets, attended by his train of bishops and other ecclesiastics, into this little church, where, standing at the hole in the ice, he dips his crucifix three times in the water, at the same time repeating prayers, and concludes with a particular one to the great saint Nicholas, which done, the water is accounted blessed. The prelate then sprinkles with it all the surrounding multitude, and the banners of all the regiments which are at that time in Petersburg. The consecration ended, he retires; and now the people press in crowds to the hole in the ice, where they drink it with pious avidity; mothers, notwithstanding the cold, dip their naked babes in the stream, and men and women pour it on their heads; every one holds it a duty to take home a vessel of the water, in order to purify their houses, and for the cure of certain diseases, for which it is affirmed to be a powerful specific. During which four popes,* one at each corner of the aperture, chant a sort of litany for the occasion.

On Palm Sunday, which is a great day in Russia, the patriarch, mounted on a horse, represented our Saviour riding into Jerusalem. The tzar used to go from the castle, with the patriarch, to the church which is called Jerusalem. After a number of people, whose business it was to clear the way, followed a very large chariot drawn by six horses, in the manner of a pageant; in this chariot was placed a tree, with apples, grapes and figs tied upon its branches, and a number of boys about it, with green twigs and boughs in their hands. All the boyars and nobility of the court attended this magnificent ceremony, and joined in the exclamation of " Hosannah to the son of David! Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord! Hosannah in the highest !” as the patriarch moved along, clothed all in white. The tzar, supported by two boyars, and with the imperial diadem on his head, led the horse by the bridle, which was three or four yards in length. The patriarch wore on his head the great patriarchal infula or mitre, richly set with jewels. In his right hand he held a cross of gold, embellished with a profusion of diamonds, and other precious stones, with which he made the sign of the cross over the multitude that thronged about him with great reverence and devotion, expressed by genuflections and prostrations. The horse on which he sat was adorned with splendid trappings and the richest caparisons, but disguised, so as to bear somewhat of the resemblance of an ass. On each side of the patriarch went several bishops on foot, clothed all in white, and holding thuribles in their hands. The pictures of saints, the chalice, books, bells, tapers, and other things used at mass, as well as the rest of the church ornaments, were borne by the superior clergy, some of whom also carried the consecrated banners of the saints. The way from the palace to the Crescent was all laid with scarlet cloth. At this place it was that the patriarch used first to take horse. He found it tied to a pale, and sent two of the bishops to untie it, and bring it to him. As the procession pasThe Clergy, generally, are called Popes in Russia.

sed along, some of the people pulled off their upper garments, and spread them in the road; others, who had more piety, purchased cloths and silks of several yards in length, on purpose; and the rest, who had but little covering, and no money, contented themseives with cutting branches and boughs from the birch trees, and strewed them in the way.

Thus they proceeded to the beforementioned church; where hav ing stayed above half an hour, they returned in the same order, till they came to a sort of stage or platform, where the patriarch presented the tzar and the principal boyars with palm twigs; after which he took off the tzar's crown, and laid it in a silver dish, and then gave him the diamond cross to kiss. This being done by the tzar with a very profound reverence, the patriarch lifted up the cross, and waved it aloft on different sides, first towards those upon the platform, and then towards the people in general, who at this instant prostrated themselves flat upon the ground. The whole ceremony was concluded by singing a number of hymns; and the patriarch, as an acknowledgment to the sovereign for leading his horse, presented him with a purse of 200 rubles. [Tooke's Russia.]

FROM A LANSINGBURG PAPER OF AUGUST 26.

CONSECRATIONS.

ON Thursday last, the newly erected Episcopal Church at Troy, was consecrated by the Right Rev. Bishop Moore, under the denomination of St. Paul's Church. The bishop was assisted on this occasion by several of the neighbouring clergy, and a very crowded and respectable congregation attended divine service, joining with becoming decency in the sacred offices of the day. The Bishop's deed of consecration was read by the Rev. Mr. Beasley. The consecration service being performed, prayers were read by the Rev. Mr. Stebbins, and a most impressive discourse, adapted to the solemnity of the occasion, was delivered by the Bishop, from Exodus, ch. iii. v. 5, which was received by the numerous auditors with the most profound silence and marked attention. The religious duties of the morning were concluded with the administration of the Holy Sacrament of the Lord's Supper by the Bishop, of which the clergy, and a very considerable number of the congregation were partakers.In the afternoon, after divine service, the Right of Confirmation was administered by the Bishop, when, we are told, about sixty persons were confirmed. A suitable discourse was delivered, with great effect, on this occasion, by the Rev. Mr. Beasley, from Prov. ch. iv.

v. 18.

On Friday last, also, the ceremony of the consecration of the recently built Episcopal Church in this village, was performed with the like solemnities as at Troy, by the Right Rev. Bishop, whose deed of consesration, giving to it the name of Trinity Church, was read by the Rev. Mr. Lilly, (from South Carolina) who also read prayers on this occasion. The consecration sermon, which was well adapted,

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