have with it a shade of blue; the edges of it were not defined as those of the former, but like a very thin smoke, with about a yard in the middle tinged with those colours. We all fell upon our faces, and the Simoom passed with a gentle ruffling wind. It continued to blow in this manner till near three o'clock; so that we were all taken ill that night, and strength was scarcely left us to load the camels and arrange the baggage. Thus God can cut off the proudest host by a blast of wind. Well might the prophet exclaim, 'Who would not fear Thee, O thou King of Nations ?"

GOLD.

"THERE are many allusions to Eastern customs and objects in the Scriptures which one does not observe without attentive thought. I detected one, last evening, which I had not noticed before."

"Will you mention it, father ?"

"Zechariah, in his ninth chapter, and the third verse, says, 'Tyre did build herself a strong hold, and

What does the prophet exclaim?

How can God cut off the proudest host? What does Zechariah say in his ninth chapter?

heaped up silver as the dust, and fine gold as the mire of the streets.' At first sight, perhaps, this text might convey an idea of immense riches; but it will display those riches in a much stronger light, if we consider what a traveller has said of a town of the East. The common mud,' says he, formed into brick, and dried in the sun, of which the houses are built, have, at some distance, the appearance of white stone. The short duration of such materials is not the only objection to them; for they make the streets dusty when there is wind; and dirty when there is rain. These inconveniences are felt at Damascus, which is mostly built in this way.' Maundrell observes, that after a violent rain at Damascus, the whole city becomes, by the washing of the houses, as it were, a quagmire.'" Looking at the text in this way, gold, like ‘the mire of the streets,' would be abundant gold."

66

WATER SPOUTS.

"I HAVE been putting down several texts to ask you about, father, and I hope you will be so kind as to explain them."

How are the houses built in the East? What of Damascus after rain?

"What are they?"

"One is in the forty-second Psalm, and the seventh verse. David says, 'Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy water-spouts; all thy waves and thy billows have gone over me.' Did the water-spouts fall

on him ?"

"No, my dear, not literally so; but his afflictions were such, that he compared them to waves and breakers going over him, and to the water-spouts overwhelming him. It was very natural for him to use this imagery, as expressive of the greatness of his trouble, as Dr. Shaw tells us, that water spouts are morefrequent on the Jewish coast than in any other part of the Mediterranean."

DOOR-WAYS AND GATES.

"I DON'T understand Proverbs xvii. 19. I wish you would explain it; Solomon says, 'He that exalteth his gate, seeketh destruction.""

What does David say in the 42d Psalm? To what does he compare his afflictions? Where are water spouts frequent? What allusion is made in Proverbs XVII. 19 ?

"It is supposed, and I think with much probability, that here is an allusion to a mode of violent attack which is still prevalent among the Arabs. These banditti are accustomed, if the door-ways are large enough, to ride into the houses of those whom they mean to plunder. To hinder them from doing so, a traveller tells us, that the door of the house in which the French merchants lived at Rama was not three feet high, and that all the door-ways in that town are equally low. A gentleman, referring to his entrance into a monastery near Jerusalem, says, 'The passage is so low that it will scarcely admit a horse; and it is shut by a gate of iron, strongly secured in the inside. As soon as we entered, it was again made fast with various bolts and bars of iron; a precaution extremely necessary in a desert place, exposed to the incursions and insolent attacks of the Arabs.' Other travellers give a similar testimony. The poor miserable Arabs are under the necessity of hewing their houses out of the rock, and cutting very small doors, or openings to them, that they may not be made stables for the Turkish horse, as they pass and repass. We lodged under an arch in a little court, together with our asses; the

What is a practice among the Arabs? How are they prevented from entering a door? What is said of a monastery near Jerusalem ? What does a traveller say of the manner of building among the Arabs?

door was exceedingly low, to withstand the sudden entrance of the insolent Turks.' So, you see, Harry, that to exalt the gate,' or to make a large entrance into a house, would most likely be followed with painful consequences, if not with destruction."

"Thank you, father, you have made it very plain. I could not think what the meaning of the passage was.' "It is probable, that the markets in ancient times were held at the gates of cities, Job xxix. 7; 2 Chron. xviii. 9. It appears, that in the time of our Lord, markets were places of common resort, Matt. xxiii. 7; Mark xii. 38. And it seems likely, that persons of

Job xxix. 7. When I went out to the gate through the city, when I prepared my seat in the street.

2 Chron. xviii. 9. And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah sat either of them on his throne clothed in their robes, and they sat in a void place at the entering in of the gate of Samaria.

Matt. xxiii. 7. And greetings in the markets and to be called of men Rabbi, Rabbi.

Mark xii. 38. And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the Scribes which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the market places.

What would follow exalting the gate in the East? What is probable concerning markets? Repeat verses from Job and Chronicles. When were markets places of common resort? Repeat verses from Matthew and Mark.