Page:The spirit of the Hebrew poetry 1861.djvu/39

 —"Thus saith the High and Lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones: for I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wrath; for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made."

The same conditions are observed—and they should be noted—in this parallel passage—"Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house that ye build me? and where is the place of my rest? For all these things hath my hand made; and all these things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and that trembleth at my word."

These familiar passages are illustrations, and they are demonstrations, of that mode of teaching "the things of God" which distinguishes the Hebrew Scriptures from all other writings—professedly religious—ancient or modern (those of course excepted which follow this same guidance). The terms are symbolic, or figurative purely; and the Divine attributes are not otherwise affirmed than in their bearing upon the spiritual welfare of that one class of minds that needs, and that will rightly avail itself of, this kind of teaching. To minds of the metaphysic class there is no conveyance of theistic axioms:—to minds of the captious temperament there is none: