son more full of blessed suggestions than Elioenai, "Unto my God is mine eye," or, "My God eyes me!" Precious summary of consolation! It contains in it the Well of Lahairoi, "The Living One seeth me;" it is full of David's joy, "Poor and needy, yet the Lord thinketh on me;" it is the essence of Psalm cxxi., and the substance of Psalm cxxiii.

Hezekiah repeats an old renowned name (ver. 13); Azrikam proclaims, "My help has risen up!”

Ver. 24.-"And the sons of Elioenai were Hodaiah, and Eliashib, and Pelaiah, and Akkub, and Johanan, and Dalaiah, and Anani, seven.”

The man whose forehead (one may say) had written on it, "Unto my God is mine eye," had seven sons. "Happy is the man who hath his quiver full of them!"-under the eye of his God, he had this blessedness. And with his eye on his God he names the first Hodaiah, "Jehovah is his glory," or, "Praise ye Jehovah!" the second, Eliashib, "One whom God restoreth;" the third, Pelaiah, "One whom Jehovah makes distinguished;" the fourth, Akkub,* q. d. one that has reached the goal, or, got his wages; the fifth, Johanan, recalling Josiah's son whose name spoke of the Lord's grace (ver. 15); the sixth, Dalaiah, "One whom Jehovah has freed;" the seventh, Anani, "Whom Jehovah covers" (Gesenius), or "One who has been beclouded." Each word is a history.

All these are honourable in God's sight for the part they took in returning from Babylon. They are recorded in this book, while others are forgotten, and they furnish us with a pledge of God's remembrance of those who for the Lord's sake leave "houses and lands," or father, and mother, and wife, and child, and who shall receive a hundredfold more in this life, and in the world to come Life Everlasting. And that last name, “Anani," is it not appropriate that it should be last in the whole series? For thus shall it be in the Day of the Lord's Return, and our return with Him. Each believer has been ofttimes" beclouded," but shall be on that Day Anani in its better sense—“ One who has been beclouded;" from whom sorrow and sighing, as well as every shadow, have fled for ever away.

* Gesenius and others keep to the sense which the root has in Jacob's name. But a much better one is found by supposing Akkub to be a derivative from "the end,” wages."

Notes on Scripture.

MATT. XXVI. 45.

"Sleep on now, and take your rest," &c. This passage has been much controverted; but all the discussions have assumed now to be the correct rendering of Tò λonòν. Ought this, however, rather to be rendered afterwards," i. e. "after this is over?" See 2 Tim. iv. 8, Henceforth (or after this) there is laid up for me;" Heb. x. 13, "From henceforth expecting," &c.; Gal. vi. 17, "From henceforth let no man trouble me." This may also be Paul's meaning in 1 Cor. i. 16, After this I know not whether I baptized any other." See Bos, Ellipses Græcae, under μepos, and Vigerus de Idiotismis, chap. i. Our Lord's meaning would then be plain: "Sleep on AFTER THIS, and take your rest; (but not now, for) behold the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise up, let us be going, behold he who betrayeth me is at hand."

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LUKE II. 14, AND XIX. 38.

In the former of these passages we have the "multitude of the heavenly host ” (πλῆθος στρατιᾶς οὐρανίου) looking downward and singing “ On EARTH peace” (ἐπὶ γῆς εἰρήνη). In the latter we have "the multitude of the disciples" (rò Años тwν μаbηтav) looking upwards and singing, "Peace in heaven” (eipývn év ovpavą). Such in the latter day shall be the glad responsive song between heaven and earth, each rejoicing in the other's peace, when that shall fully be brought to pass which is written, “He maketh peace in his high places" (Job xxv. 2); and again, "Having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven" (Col. i. 20).

JOHN I. 1. THE WORD.

This word we find not only in no other Gospel, but in no other writings whatever of the whole New Testament, except those of St John.* In his Gospel it occurs thrice, even within the narrow compass of his first sentence; "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God;" and shortly after (ver. 14) the incarnation of the Saviour is expressed thus: "And the Word was

* Yet most improperly has the expression the Word, in Luke (i. 2), and in the Epistle to the Hebrews (iv. 12), been sometimes applied to our Lord's Person. The context shews in both places, that nothing more than the common meaning of the expression is to be thought of.

made flesh (Gr. καὶ ὁ Λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο). From that time forward it recurs no more throughout the whole Gospel. "The Word made flesh," being no other than the "only begotten Son of God" who came into the world, thenceforward is made known to us by His human name of Jesus, or by that of the Sox. The appellation of THE WORD, so fitting and so impressive at the first introduction of Christ in His eternal pre-existence with the Father, with like perfect propriety and fitness disappears altogether when the Gospel assumes a narrative character, and becomes properly historical. Yet we read anew at the beginning

of the Epistle (1 John i. 1, 2): "That which was from the beginning -the WORD OF LIFE." And once more, thereafter, in one of those dread prophetical scenes in which the Book of the Revelation announces the advent, the final triumph, and the kingdom of Jesus Christ (chap. xix, 11– 13), the same expression recurs: "And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood; and his name is called THE WORD OF GOD." The source whence is derived this appellation of the Son from the glory which He had with the Father from eternity, we clearly discover, both from the above cited passage, from the Proverbs of Solomon (viii. 22– 36), and from its connexion with the whole of the ancient Jewish theology, in which the Word often occurs as that living organ, that second I of the great I AM (Jehovah), by whom He created the world, and reveals himself to men.*

DIVERSITIES IN THE GOSPELS.

"In the first three Gospels the reality of our Lord's human nature comes out in all manner of ways. In these we behold Him sharing, feeling, practically experiencing all human wants, exigencies, and sentiments, only without sin. Thus, when He went without food, at last He was an hungered (Matt. iv. 2; Luke iv. 2). Our fourth Gospel does not speak of the hunger felt by the Saviour; but, on the other hand, it, and it alone, and more than once, speaks of His thirst. It presents Him to us (chap. iv. 6, 7) oppressed by the noonday heat, athirst, and asking to drink; but at the same time discovering to the Samaritan woman, to whom His request was addressed, the need she had of the living water, which He alone could give. At a later period we find, in this Gospel only, our Saviour completing His sufferings of soul and body in that significant exclamation, I thirst (chap. xix. 28).

* We often read in the Jewish Targums (expository commentaries on the Old Testament) of the (the Word of Jehovah) for Jehovah,

and more particularly for the revelation of God in all the fulness of His life and working, which is likewise expressed to us in the Jewish Theology by the SHECHINA.

In St Matthew and St Mark we hear the Saviour testify, that "He came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many" (Matt. xx. 28; Mark x. 45). In our fourth Gospel, it is true, we do not find these very words, but we find the thing itself stated in a much more striking manner. There we find Jesus called the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sins of the world." It is recorded of Him there, that leaving the Paschal table, "He took a towel, and girded himself, and began to wash the disciples' feet " (chap. xiii. 3, 5).-Da Costa.

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Reviews.

A Question concerning the Basis of Faith: Are the Scriptures throughout, or only in part, the Inspired Word of God? By ALEXANDER THOMSON, M.A.

WE refer to this excellent volume, merely to give some extracts on the subject of the inspiration of Scripture-a subject which is becoming of more importance and significance every day—a subject to the various bearings of which none are more keenly alive than the students of the prophetic Word. Certainly, without a belief in the verbal inspiration of Scripture, we should not deem it worth our while to study what is written in it regarding the future. Take a few extracts at random ::

"I know there are some who will think it quite enough, when they have carelessly turned over a few leaves, that their glance should light on the approving mention of such a thing as verbal inspiration. Forthwith the volume will be dismissed with contempt, as a useless plea for an irrational and superannuated dogma. I write not for such. I have nothing to say to the theological tyros of that advanced section,' whose wisdom consists in sneering at the old school.' I will only remark, that it might be as well, if those who rail so glibly at verbal inspiration, and think the mere phrase quite enough in the way of argument as others used to conjure with the words 'Methodism' and 'Enthusiasm '-would take the trouble to inquire what it really means, before they become so cheaply contemptuous."

"The objection has no existence but in their own narrow philosophy, and their confused conception of the matter. It involves the egregious fallacy, that it is impossible for the Divine Spirit, who gave man his understanding originally, completely to inform and guide the mind, both in thoughts and expressions, so as to leave its constitution inviolate, its freedom unimpaired. What kind of philosophy is this, which insists that the Spirit of God cannot possibly inspire a man fully, so as to preserve him from error, without destroying his liberty and making him a machine? So that the inference would follow, that the more a man is under the control of the Holy Ghost, the less is he of a moral and responsible being!"

"The Spirit of God-who is the Spirit of freedom, who does not degrade but elevate those in whom He acts-when inspiring the prophets and apostles, did not supersede the use of their natural faculties, but enlarged, strengthened, and exalted these, and so employed them for the ends of the ministry to which He called them. It was the whole man that was inspired, not a part of him merely; the Spirit breathed Himself, not into the writer's pen or lips,

but into his understanding, his memory, his imagination, his heart and soul, so that the laws of his being were not violated, but transfigured and glorified; his being and all his faculties were lifted up into a higher sphere; but they were still human, most truly so. They still acted with perfect freedom, without constraint; yea, with the purest spontaneousness-the most unobstructed liberty."

The Church of the Future. By the Rev. ALEXANDER M'CAUL, D.D. THIS admirable Sermon was one of a course preached during the Manchester Exhibition. It is a clear and excellent statement of certain

prophetic points.

The author thus writes of the lack of missionaries :

"But for a long time a more serious want has been felt. It is that of men. It has, indeed, existed from the first, at least in the Church of England missions. When the great missionary movement commenced at the beginning of the century, the missionaries sent out were mostly devoted and zealous foreigners. The establishment of missionary seminaries has procured British subjects; but few men of standing in the Church, or prominence in the religious world, have volunteered as missionaries of existing societies. Men have been found willing to go as bishops, or archdeacons, or rectors of colonial parishes, or government or Indian chaplains; but there seems a positive repugnance to missionary work and service, and it prevails among the laity just as much as among the clergy. Few even of those gallant men, whose chivalrous spirit has led them to traverse sea and land in the naval and mili. tary service of their country, and whose eyes have seen the misery of the heathen, when they are set free from the calls of a worldly warfare, and devote themselves to the service of religion, choose the missionary office. Our soldiers, our sailors, our merchants, our travellers, our artisans, have made Anglo-Saxon enterprise, and daring, and power of endurance the admiration of the world; but all seem to consider themselves exempt from the command to go and teach all nations. There are hundreds of pious men in this country, blessed with the means to go where they will, and free to volunteer in the missionary field, if they would, whose very presence would be beneficial in many a missionary station, whose motive would be duly appreciated by Jew and heathen, and whose hearts, and hands, and courage are ready in any other work of love or mercy, but feel no call to devote themselves and their means to the promotion of the gospel in the service of missions. Nay, the most extraordinary phenomenon of all is, that the managers and directors of missionary societies are as backward as others to go into the missionary field themselves, or to bring up their children for the missionary work. No doubt, many have good and sufficient reasons for their shyness of missionary enterprise; but the common consent of all these classes to stand aloof, notwithstanding the urgent appeals put forth for men, leads to the suspicion, that though for fifty years there has been much missionary excitement, there has been but little missionary spirit. Subscriptions and speeches are but poor answers to the question, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?' Thousands advocate the duty of going into all the world, and preaching the gospel to every creature; but the response, Here am I, send me,' is heard from few, and those generally the young, the inexperienced, often the uneducated; and thus the most arduous, the most spiritual, the most glorious portion of the Church's work, that which evidently requires the most wisdom, and experience, and gravity, as well as the most love and zeal, and the most ability, and the most extended acquirements, is left to those whose age and antece