wifhes; fhocking ingratitude! Se veral inftances of this kind of wickedness might be produced; however, the following is fufficient: A farmer notified for uttering fuch daring and blafphemous expreffions, fuffered very much in his property, not many days ago, by thunder and lightening: his neighbours, who frequently heard him in the the courfe of the laft fummer, looked upon his calamity as a judgment for his atrocious guilt; whether it was intended as fuch, God alone knows; however, if judging of it in this manner tends either to promote his reformation, or prevent any of his fellow-creatures from falling into the like error, it will, though a prefent evil, become a bleffing, and in the end fufficiently make up his temporal loffes. It is certainly very wrong to cenfure the conduct of any one, merely because he happens to fuffer any calamity; the righteous are as equally liable to misfortunes as the wicked; our bleffed Saviour very beautifully reproves fuch uncharitable furmifes, when told of thofe Galileans whofe blood Pilate had mingled with their facrifices: "Suppofe ye," fays he, " that thefe Galileans were finners above all the Galileans, because they fuffered fuch things? I tell you nay, but except you repent, you fhall all likewife perifh.' But when a perfon is notorious for any remarkable wickedness, there can be no impropriety in viewing any calamity that may befall him as a judgment, particularly if it is done not out of reproach, but for our own improvement; for happy is he who is made cautious by other peoples misfor tunes. But to return; it is natural when the earth is parched, and vegetation retarded for want of moisture, or when the ground feems fufficiently moistened, to with and pray for rain or fair weather occafionally; people, whofe lot it is to till the ground, and who depend upon its produce folely for their maintenance, cannot avoid being under fome concern at either of thefe ex-, tremes; but herein is no impropriety, we are not culpable in this refpect, except we proceed to murmurs and ungrateful repinings, which can never answer any good purpofe; for we cannot, neither is it fit we should, controul the divine will; or, if we could obtain the direction of the weather, we should foon find ourfelves very inadequate to the tafk, and experience the greatest confufion; we should then have fufficient reafon for murmurs and complaints; we ought, therefore, rather to be thankful, that the fending or witholding his refreshing fhowers, as well as every other bleffing, are in the hands of Providence, who alone is capable of judging what may, or may not, be for our good, if we endeavour "to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God; we may juftly hope that he will not only give us rain from heaven and fruitful feafons, but affo fill our hearts with food and gladnefs." Let us then be thankful for fuch bleffings as he vouchfafes to beftow; if the feafons are favourable, "and our vallies ftand for thick with corn that they feem to laugh and fing," we have reafon to rejoice and be thankful, if otherwife we ought not to repine; whatever be our lot in this uncertain ftate, our wifest maxim will be to enjoy it with contentment, particularly if we with to be happy; for happinets is the natural offspring of content, whereas mifery is the produce of the oppofite conduct; let us ceafe from all unjust complaints, and practife virtue and religion; piety and integrity are never fruitless; in every state of being they lead to happiness. The state of man on earth is manifeftly defigned for the trial of Virtue. Sf2 There 1 E PHRAIM, a city in the tribe of Ephraim, towards Jordan, thought by fome to be the place whither Jefus retired with his difciples, fome short time before his paflion. John xi. 54. ETHIOPIA, properly fo called, is as very extensive country of Africa, comprehending Abyffinia, Nubia, and Abex. It is bounded by Egypt and the defart of Barca on the north, by the Red-fea and the Indian ocean en the east, by Anian and the unknown parts of Africa on the fouth, and by other unknown countries on the weft. There is frequent mention in the fcripture of Ethiopia; but it must be obferved, that by this name we are not always to understand Ethiopia, properly fo called for by the wordCufh,which is generallytranflated Ethiopia, that country is meant which lies upon the eastern coasts of the Red-fea, and at that point of the fea which joins to Egypt. Zipporah, the wife of Mofes, who was of Midian upon the Red-fea, is called a Cufhite, or Ethiopian.-In fhort, there are three countries all different from one another, called by the name of Cufh, which word is generally tranflated Ethiopia. The land of Cufh upon the river Gihon. 2. Cufh upon the eastern fhore of the Red-fea. 3. The land of Cuth, fituated above Thebais, and the Upper Egypt; and for want of making this diftinction, feveral writers have fallen into very confiderable errors. EUPHRATES, a famous river, the fource whereof is in the mountains of Armenia. It runs through the frontiers of Cappadocia, Syria, Arabia Deferta, Chaldæa, and Mefopotamia, and thence falls into the Pertian gulph. At prefent it difcharges itself into the fea, through a channel which is common to this river and the Tigris; bat formerly it had a particular channel of its own, and in' Pliny's time there were footsteps of this old channel to be seen. Moles fays, (Gen. ii. 244) that the Euphrates is the fourth of those rivers, the fource whereof was in Paradife. The fcripture calls it the great river, and affigns it for the eaftern boundaries of that land which God promifed to the Hebrews. Deut. i. 7. Profane authors inform us, that the Euphrates overflows its banks in the fummer like the Nile, when the fnow upon the mountains of Armenia begins to melt.-The violent tides in the Perfian gulph, caufes a reflux higher than thirty leagues above the mouth of the Euphrates. The Arabians are perfuaded that the waters of this river are very healing, and have the virtue of curing all forts of diseases. EZION-GEBER, a city of Idumæa, upon the banks of the Red-fea, end upon a gulph of that fea, called the gulph of Elan. 'After the Ifraelites had been fome time at Eleonah, they came to Ezion-Geber. Numb. xxxiii. 35. At the port of Ezion-Geher, Solomon equipped his fleet for the voyage to Ophir. Kings ix. 26. Near the mouth of this harbour there was a ridge of rocks, upon which the fleet of fhips were loft that had been fitted out for Ophir, by Jehoshaphat, in conjunction with Ahaziah king of Ifrael. From thefe rocks the place Look its name Ezion Geber, fignify. ing the back bone of a man, which thefe thefe rocks refembled. See Prideaux's Connect. part I. book i. G. GABBATHA, a place in Pilate's palace, from whence he pronounced fentence of death upon Jefus Chrift. John xix. 13. This was probably an eminence or terras, or gallery, or balcony, paved with ftone or marble, and pretty high: the Hebrew word fhort time they enablifhed their own language, which, St. Jerome informs us, was in ufe in his time, and very much like that which the people of Triers, in the European Gaul, are known to speak. GALILEE, a province of Palertine, which extends itself chiefly into the northern parts thereof. The tribes which it contains are Iffachar, Zebulun, Naphtali, and Afher, with tome parts of Dan and Paræa, be Gabbatha, fignifies chiefly an emi-yond Jordan. On the north it is nence or elevation; and this place in the Greek was called, the pavement. GADARA, a celebrated city beyond Jordan. Jofephus fays it was the capital of Peræa, fituated eastward of the lake of Tiberias fixty furlongs from the fhore. Pliny affirms it to be. upon the city Hieramace. It gave its name to a nation beyond Jordan; and St. Mark fays (vi. 1.) that our Saviour having paffed the fea of Tiberias, came into the country of the. Gacarenes. St. Luke viii. 26. fays the fame; but St. Matthew viii. 28. calls it the country of the Gergefenes: however there are fome Greek copies which read Gadarenes. But we are. told, that Gergafa was near Gadara, and the territory belonging to it larger than that of this laft city; and as the lands belonging to the one were included within the other, fome of the Evangelifts might fay the country of the Gergefenes, others the country of the Gadarenes. GALATIA, a province of AfiaMinor, bounded on the weft by Phrygia, on the east by the river Halys, on the north by Paphlagonia, and on the fouth by Lycaonia. It took its name from Galatæ, or the Gauls, who under their captain Leonorius (as Strabo informs us) left their own country in Europe, and having ravaged over Italy and Greece, paffed into the Afiatic continent, and reduced a great part of it to their obedience; but being broken by attalus, king of Peramos, and driveŋ of the other parts, they were at laft conhned to this rovince, where bounded by Lebanon and Syria; on the weft by Phoenicia'; on the fouth by Samaria; and on the east mostly by the river Jordan, and the sea of Galilee. It is generally divided into two parts,the upper and the lower Galilee, whereof the former is called Galilee of the Gentiles, Mat. iv. 15. either because it was chiefly poffeffed by the Gentiles, with Jews interfperfed among them; or rather becaule it bordered upon Gentile nations, fuch as the Phoenicians, Syrians, and Arabians. The whole country, according to Jofephus, was fruitful and well cultivated, and the people laborious and induftrious Our Saviour was called a Galilean, because he was brought up at Nazareth, a city of Galilee. His difciples, and Chriftians in general, wère called Galileans, because the apofthes were of Galile The Jews did not believe that a prophet could come out of Galilee. John viii. 61, 62. Their language and accent were different from those of the other Jews of the country. St. Peter, Matt. xxvi. 73. was known to be a Galilean by his accent. ON A DIFFERENT KINDS OF SALUTATION USED AMONG THE ANTIENTS, WHEN THEY MET TOGETHER. a another, were very different, and ach according according to their countries, as it is at this day. The Idumeans, at their meetings, ufed to speak these words: The Lord be with you. The true Hebrews, faluting each other, faid: God fave you, my brother. The philofophers were wont to fay: Go in a good hour. The Thebans faid: God give you health. The Romans' falutations were as if they would fay: God fend, or give you good fortune. The Sicilians faid: God keep you. The Carthaginians did not use any falutations by fpeeches at their meetings; but as a fign of love and friendlinefs, they would kifs their right hands each together, and then kifs one another, The Moors likewise, at their meetings, would kils the right fhoulder one of another; and when they took leave for their departure, then they would kiss each other's knee. In Italy, they have three feveral kinds of falutation for the day. In the morning they fay, Dio vi dia il buono giorno; God give you a good morrow. At noon; Dio vi dia faluta; God give you health. And at evening they fay, Buono fera, Good even. They fay alfo, many times, Mi rac commondo; I commend me to you. And after two or three hours of night is paft, then they fay, Dio vi dia la buona notte; God give you a good night. Sometimes they are accustomed to fay, Iddio vi contenti, God content ye. In the kingdom of Valencia in Spain, when men meet together, they falute each other in this manner; Gentle Sir, you are welcome. And at the departing, the one fays, God remain with you; and the other replies, Go in a good hour. In Catalonia, fuch perfons as chance to meet together, they falute one another thus: You are very well arrived here, Sir. In Caftile, fome are used to say, God keep you others, God be with you. And when they leave each other, the one faith, God conduct you and the other anfwereth, The bleffed angels bear you company. Some alfo ufe to fay, With your good grace and favour. And others, Adieu, Sir In the court, fome use to say, I kifs the hands of your mercy. And others, I kifs the feet of your honour, or worship. Which fubmiffive falutations are altogether vain, and, for the most part, delivered with feigning and diffimulation. For many offer to kifs the hands and feet of one another, that would much rather cut them off, or fee each other's utter ruin. And certainly methinks, men of worth, authority, and refpect, ought not to ufe any fuch falutations; only to kifs the feet, hath fome abfurdity in it; and, to kifs the hand, is a favour af forded by kings and princes, to fuch fubjects as they think worthy of it." But without going after fo many follies, it is reafonable, that we who are Chriftians, fhould imitate Jefus Chrift, our Lord and Saviour, in faluting one another. The words, indeed, with which he faluted his dif ciples were; Peace be with you. Our Redeemer inftructed us alfo, to falute houses at our entering into them, faying; Peace be in this house, but these are difcontinued. Epaminondas faid, that until the age of thirty years we fhould falute men thus: You are very welcome hither" For all this while it appeareth, that they are but come into the world. From thirty up to fifty, to falute thus: "Well be ye p" because that then they know what the world is. And from fifty, defcending down again, to fay, "Go in a good and bleffed hour;" for then it appears that they are begnning to take leave of the world, and that as they had an entering into it, fo there must needs be a departing from it. POETRY. THE COVENANT OF GRACE. E MAY 1, dear Sir, indulge the Mufe again? May I my friend refume, the tuneful pen?" Onay I hope your kindness will excufe The many failings of a youthful Mufe? Advent'rous Mufe, wilt thou attempt to fing, The love and wisdom of th' Almighty King? How great the theme! how wond'rous great the plan, Form'd by th' eterpal Three, to refcue mant Satan rebell'd, ambitious Satan fell, And justice thruft the rebel down to hell: Ah fallen ftar! where are thy glories now? Where are the fparkling honours of thy brow? Where is thy glitt'ring crown, divinely bright? Thy thining drefs of Heaven's tranfcendent light? Ah where the thou fand beauties of thy face! That heav'nly bloom, that fweet majestic grace! How are thy beauties chang'd, thy glories loft! Tho' rebel angels, found no pitying friend, Would break his holy law in Eden's bowers, Who were by righteous conftitution bound, With him to ftand, and fhare a mortal joy, Or fall with him and so themselves destroy. Son, I confent, the eternal Father faid, My Spirit thall defcend on all thy feed, All good on earth, and endless good in hea |