- Pierpont.
- Greenleaf Thomas
There was a thunder shower this morning; which roused me before the Sun—
Cold Rain all the Morning. Heard Mr. Pierpont this morning from
Exodus 20.5. “For I the Lord thy God am a jealous God.”—and in the
afternoon from Hebrews 11.4. “he, being dead, yet speaketh.” I do not
remember having heard him preach before; and his reputation being very
high, neither of his Sermons entirely fulfilled my expectations— His
manner and delivery are cold; though he is an elegant Poet— His Style is
ornamental, but not remarkable for energy, or precision— His stamp is
not deep, or my mind was not in the proper state to receive its
impression— He dined with me, and I collected more thoughts from his
conversation than from his discourses— He made several remarks upon the
book of Job, which he thinks was not
written by Moses—nor even a Hebrew Book.
It is Arabian— No one of the names of the actors in it, are mentioned in
any other part of the Scriptures; nor is there any allusion in any part
of the Book to the Mosaic History— Mr
Pierpont believes Job to have been a descendant of Abraham; but not of Jacob. He thinks that the name of Satan, was borrowed by the Hebrews from the Chaldeans.
Upon my remarking that the first occasion upon which Satan is named is
in the account of David’s numbering the
People; he said it was—in the Book of Chronicles. 1.21.1. probably
written during or after the Babylonian captivity—but that in the other
account of the same event—2. Samuel 24.1. the purpose of David is said
to have been moved by the Lord— With regard to a future State; the ideas
and opinions of the Jews appear to have been cotemporaneous with those
of the Heathens— It was not communicated with the Law from Sinai— A dim
and obscure conception of it, is found in the 476evocation of the shade of Samuel—
Something more distinct in the Book of Daniel; and still more so in the apocryphal books of the
Maccabees— The same difference is
perceptible between the Elysian fields of Homer, and those of Virgil. I spoke of the prophecies in the Old Testament,
the application of which is made in the New Testament to the person, and
mission of Christ; most particularly that of Isaiah 7.14. applied
Matthew 1.23. of this prophecy as first delivered to Ahaz, and all the circumstances attending it, Mr Pierpont gave from memory a very exact
account, and appeared to think that there had been a fulfilment of it at
the time; although that is not mentioned in the narrative— The events
announced by the prophet, and of which the birth of the child from a
virgin was the miraculous sign, did happen and are recorded, and it is
to be presumed that the sign itself was accomplished— I asked him if he
thought the prophet Isaiah himself had
any conception of the application which his prophesy was ultimately to
receive; or whether the Prophets were like Hamlet’s flute, which he presents to his associates, and
tells them if they will give it breath, and govern its vantages, it
would discourse most excellent music— Mr
Pierpont said that was a great and very difficult question— I mentioned
to him the strange and wonderful passage in one of Plato’s dialogues where Socrates says that there must come a special messenger
from Heaven, to reveal the future state of the human Soul—and I noticed
the weakness of the argument of immortality in the Phaedon— But Mr Pierpont is not more familiar with Plato,
than judge Story— My brother was here, in the afternoon,
and Mr
Thomas Greenleaf in the Evening.