MOONLIGHT. ems AIDEN, loved-one, let us wander,— m See! the solemn Queen of Night Dreamy, dim, serenely cold, Nature, in a tranced mood, Deep the silence, yet a sound. -- List intensely!-you will hear, Chaunting in that realm above Maiden! thus with thee for ever Fain would I be doomed to dwell; Gazing on the moonlit river, Up the dim mysterious dell. This mystic mood, from nature caught, Wrapt in love and lofty thought, Pure, sublime, and never ending. J. W. THE SECOND ADVENT. Having just arisen from the perusal of the article, p. 59, on the Early Church and the Lord's Second Advent, my inclination has been strong to suggest to you another alternative' in the explanation of that difficult chapter in Matthew (the 24th.) By omitting verses 15 to 28 (inclusive), or by simply enclosing them in parentheses, the difficulty appears to vanish. The chapter may then be read from the 3rd to the 35th verse, with but one interruption, as 'the signs of Christ's coming and the end of the world.' The 34th verse being the only obstacle-This generation. '-What other strict rendering the greek for this word may have (not being skilled in ancient lore) I do not correctly know. parenthesis may be read after the 2nd verse. EDITORIAL NOTE. G. The There is another interpretation proposed for getting rid of the difficulty discust in Mr. Belsham's letters, which has gained currency of late years. Whether it must rank amongst the 'far fetched and unnatural interpretations,' the reader must judge; it is certainly a mode of understanding the phrases which never occurred to the Primitive Christians. It is thus stated by his grace, the Duke of Manchester, one of the most able interpreters of prophecy. "Our Lord gave this prophecy to the apostles, not for their sakes alone, but doubtless for the benefit of the whole church, each generation acting upon the cautions and predictions, as the circumstances should arise. The generation which was alive when the destruction of Jerusalem drew nigh, observed the sign, when ye shall see Jerusalem encompast with armies', and applied the ye to themselves. In the same way, the generation of the Church which shall see the darkening of the sun and the other signs, they must take up this comfort, Lift up your heads,' and apply it personally to themselves." (The Finished Mystery. 1847. p. 385.) “The rapidity with which these events follow each other, is the principle idea intended to be conveyed. When her branch is yet tender *** ye know that summer is near,' so the first symptom denotes the near approach of the kingdom of God. *** So rapid will be their fulfilment, that 'this generation' which sees the commencement, shall not pass away until all be accomplisht.' *** We are to observe the signs of the times, rather than the series of years." (Ibid, p. 386-7.) Alexander Dallas, A. M., Rector of Wonston, supports the same view. Referring to the uncritical reference of generation to 'the race of the Jews,' adopted by Dr. Priestley, Mr. Towers, A. Clarke, and others, he says: 'All such persons seem to have been wasting their strength in trying to force the bars of the great gates of a city, while an unlocked wicket was ready at their feet, unheeded from its apparent insignificance. The word in greek (ovtos) translated this, is a pronoun, used emphatically to describe the thing last spoken of: and may be rendered into English as often by the word that, as by the word this; the choice between the two will depend entirely upon the context; as abundantly appears from our own English version. But the most proper rendering it receives, is by the words 'the same,' [as] The same was in the beginning with God;' i. e. this divine word just mentioned (John i. 2): 'In that night,' etc. (Luke xvii. 34.) . With critical accuracy he emphatically refers to the parable the generation who shall be living to see the shall behold the summer fruits of these glorious events. generation last spoken of in the budding of the April branches, (Look to Jerusalem, p. 114.) A HEBREW READING. Hosea, ii. 16. The peculiar point and beauty of this passage is entirely lost, by the translators having dealt with the two words in antithesis as proper names, and not having given their meaning, as in some other cases. ('eyshë) signifies 'my husband'; and is placed, by the metrical arrangement of the sentence, in contradistinction to (v'hle) 'my master'. So that the verse, when properly translated, reads thus ;- And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord, that thou shalt call me Husband, and shalt call me no more Master.' A. W. B. SUNSET. HE evening sky is fair.-Around the sun A nun's thin veil of white gleams the celestial blue. Rich streams of gold upon the waters play,- Of silent adoration: bird and flower, Meadow and stream, unite to worship Thee, The ancient Geber's God; and wherefore should not we? K.B. GOD ALL AND IN ALL. The following attempt to give Unity and Intelligence to the perplexing forms of being around us, arose out of a conversation which the writer had with EMERSON, on the subject of 'Poetry,' when, among other subtle things, he remarked, that 'the Inspirer is ever near, but we are not always in the listening attitude.' ALMLY the infant is sleeping, God knoweth all the heart of each, That each to the other doth somewhat teach. Softly the south wind bloweth, The shoots of the young vine twineth,- Perfect each link of the beautiful chain. When the tender blossom springeth, When the Seer his deep Truth speaketh, God speaks to all, thrö these forms of the SOUL, LITERARY NOTICES. THEOLOGY AND BIBLICAL CRITICISM. Journal of Sacred Literature. Edited by JOHN KITTO, D.D. No. 1, January, 1848. London; C. Cox: Edinburgh; Oliver and Boyd. HE spirit of progressive improvement by which the present age is signalized has been remarkably developt in this department of Literature. It is not our intention to give a detailed account of those circumstances which have contributed to direct attention to this province of literature, and to guide our studies in it; but we may observe that the onward spirit of the age necessarily affected this as well as other departments of study. The importation of foreign works, American and Continental, and the increasing demand for them, are unmistakeable signs of progress. While we do not undervalue the labors of Horne, Campbell, McKnight, Lee, Bloomfield, Davidson, and other British writers, still, it must be admitted, a far greater impulse was given to the study of the literature of the Scriptures by such continental scholars as Ernesti, Jahn, Rosenmüller, De Wette, Gesenius, Hengstenberg, Winer, Neander, and by the American Professors, Stuart, Nordheimer, and Robinson. Amongst our own writers, few have so rapidly attained an extensive popularity as Dr. Kitto. It is only a few years since his Pictorial Bible was first published, but it was every where so well received as at once to create the fame of its laborious and judicious editor; and now there are not many clergymen's libraries without some of the works of this useful writer. The 'Pictorial Bible' was followed by the History of Palestinea— (a work, however, containing not a few unfounded references to scripture)-Sunday Book-Cyclopædia of Biblical Literature-Descriptive Notes in Fisher's Gallery of Scripture Engravings—and, lastly, the Journal of Sacred Literature-all within the period of ten years. A Life of our Saviour, published separately, formed part of the 'Sunday Book,' while the Illustrated Commentary is a republication of the notes of the 'Pictorial Bible. ' Several smaller works have also issued from the same prolific pen, as the Lost Senses-Deafness and Blindness'-forming two of Knight's Shilling Volumes; Ancient and Modern Jerusalem, forming two of the monthly volumes of the Tract Society; a revised edition of Draper's Bible Illustrations; an Introduction to the 'Olive, Vine, and Palm'; and a host of articles in Reviews and periodicals. With such a vast accumulation of labor it might be supposed that much of it would be gone thrö in a very perfunctory manner; but no one who has carefully examined his writings will admit the justness of such surmize. If anywhere the marks of haste might be expected, it would be in his 'Cyclopædia,' issued in Parts, of which a considerable proportion of the articles were written by himself. Yet these articles are among the most carefully written in the work, and some of them-Palestine, for instance-display immense research. He has done more than any previous writer to illustrate the Scriptures from the manners and customs of Western Asia, and his 'Pictorial Bible,' especially in the greatly enlarged edition now in course of publication, is highly prized by every student of the sacred volume who has added it to his library. It is one of the few books which Dr. Chalmers kept before him, and constantly consulted, when preparing his 'Daily Scripture Readings.' Dr. Kitto's Physical History of Palestine, forming a long introductory treatise to his 'Pictorial History,' is now the a The school edition of this History is abridged, but carefully re-written. |