disciples of the error, as we find them asking whether he will at this time—the time immediately succeeding his death-restore the kingdom to Israel?—(Acts i. 6.)

Imbued, then, with these feelings and ideas, the mother of Jesus, who, in the present narrative, appears to us typical of that Israel of which Christ, by his human nature, was a branch, came in the opening of his mission, saying, "They have no wine"-the spirit of the Jewish ceremonial is departed, and all are in expectation that the time of Christ is fully come (Luke iii. 15): that he will deliver his people from their oppressors. Such, we say, was the spirit in which this request was made; a spirit to which the answer of Christ is applied, and not to the mere request for a then supply of wine, in which latter case the reply, "My time is not yet come," seems, to say the least, most inappropriate, and to imply that a time should come when he would act in conformity to this request !

But free from all cavil is the answer, when addressed to the spirit in which Christ says the request was made-“Mine hour is not yet come."-The kingdom ye look for shall not be yet, for now mine is not of this world (John xxiii. 36), but a spiritual kingdom of light over darkness, a kingdom of God within you."

And in some such light must the mother of Jesus have looked upon her son's answer, as, instead of regarding it as a denial, we find her directing the servants to do whatsoever he commanded them.

Then came Jesus to the waterpots which were set for purifying after the manner of the Jews (a fit emblem of the Jewish ceremonial law), and bade them fill them to the brim-he fulfilled the law, gave body to the Mosaic outline.

But not so only, for the water, when borne to the governor of the feast, was wine; the new wine mentioned by Jesus in one of his parables, the doctrine of the kingdom.

And this, the Evangelist tells us, was the first miracle that Jesus did. Thus, at the commencement of his ministry, would he have it known what was the character of that ministry, and how it differed from that kingdom for which the Jews then looked, and which shall be when (as he stated, at the end of that, his ministry) he will drink of the fruit of the vine new, with his disciples (Matt. xxxi. 29), even at that marriage supper of which we have the account in the nineteenth chapter of Revelation.

REV. IV. 3.

"And he that sat was to look upon as a Jasper and a Sardine stone." THIS description is the prophet's account of the royal robes of the King, not of his person. He is speaking of the Father, not of the Incarnate Son; and, therefore, no attempt is ever made to set forth the person. But the glory, as it shone forth, is described—this glory being his royal apparel, and intended to strike our eye.

The canopy over the throne is "a rainbow, in sight like unto an emerald;" the green grassy earth, in which the King is so deeply interested, having suggested that hue, as appropriate to the symbol of wrath past, and the flood abated. In keeping with this reference to our earth, we find the King chooses to appear that day in robes that intimate,* in a double way, his interest in us. 1st, Had He shone forth in full unmitigated splendour, the blaze of light inaccessible" would at once have overwhelmed us, and have, in effect, driven us from his presence. Hence He mitigates the effulgence. The glory is worthy of the King, for it has the rare glow of the ruby, or sardius; but then it is tempered by the mixture of the dimmer jasper. And thus the robe of light (Psalm civ. 2) appears glorious as the sardius, but yet as undazzling to the eye as the jasper. But, 2d, Some other stones than “jasper and sardius" might have been fixed on to effect this end; but these two are chosen in preference to all others, because these are the two which might at once remind us that He who sits there as King is the same who gave us a Priest, that we might approach Him. It was He who directed that the typical priest of Israel should wear on his breastplate the precious stones; and of these (Exod. xxviii. 17, 20), we find the first was a sardius, and the last was a jasper. This order was by Divine appointment. Here, then, by this kind device, our King reminds us that He has, through the appointed Priest, prepared our access to Himself, and that He will meet us, clothed (so to speak) in priestly array. The robe, then, is purple-like, and so royal ;-but it is bright purpleit is sardius-coloured, mellowed in its radiance by the more opaque jasper. The robe, moreover, is one that at once recalls old associations. Like the rainbow, which speaks of Noah's days and the covenant with earth, this robe speaks of the priest going in for us to the Holiest with the breastplate, whose first row of stones began with the sardius, and whose last row ended with the jasper-thus presenting an alpha and omega summary of what that breastplate symbolised.

We may add, that in chap. xxi. 18, 19, we find the "jasper" colour chosen as the prevailing hue in New Jerusalem. This may be for two reasons similar to those given above. 1st, Because it was needful to temper and mellow the otherwise excessive brightness of so many sparkling stones. 2d, Because the previous use of this colour, in the way noticed above, conveyed pleasant assurance that it was done from interest in us. We can never see "the jasper" without remembering how very graciously the Lord tempered his glory in its display, to meet our eyes; and how the breastplate's row of precious stones ended with this one, so that it seems to usher us into, or prepare us for, New Jerusalem scenes.

As somewhat of an illustration, we may quote Ovid's words as to Phaeton's approaching the sun (Met. B. ii. 22-24). The untempered light was too bright, he had to keep at some distance:

66

Consistitque procul, neque enim propiora ferebat
Lumina."

* Hengstenberg, on the Apocalypse, assigns a meaning very far wide of the truth.

Even the created sun must have his beams somewhat dimmed, if men are to gaze on him. He has not a canopy, but a throne of emeraldlustre; and his beams are his robe

"Purpurea velatus veste sedebat

In solio Phoebus, claris lucente smaragdis.”

Did the idea of the emeralds arise from the poet thinking on our

green earth,” lighted up by the beams of that sun, and, therefore, appropriately represented as adding to his palace-glory?

Reviews.

With

1852.

Genesis Illustrated; a new Translation from the Hebrew, compared with the Samaritan Text, and the Septugint and Syriac Versions. Notes, by JOHN J. W. JERVIS. London: Bagster and Sons. THOUGH this is a learned and valuable work, yet it is not without its faults. It has gone too far in attempting to give an exact orthography in the Hebrew names, so much so that it is often almost impossible to recognise them in their new form.* Some of its translations are objectionable, as, for instance, chap. i. 3, and "the breath of God," instead of the Spirit of God; i. 5, "there were evenings, and there were mornings," the plural instead of the singular; iii. 24, " with gleaming, brandishing swords," which may be a paraphrase, but is certainly not a translation of the Hebrew. There are many other liberties taken with the original which shake our faith in the author as a translator, and make us feel that he is paraphrasing and expounding, while professing to be merely translating.

Yet, the volume is an able one, and the notes are full of information.

Heads of Hebrew Grammar, containing all the principles needed by a learner. By J. P. TREGELLES, LL.D. London Bagster and Sons. A MOST admirable Grammar. It is brief and simple, yet very complete and full. The name of Dr Tregelles will be a sufficient guarantee for learned accuracy, and high Christian principle; so that, while a learner can thoroughly trust him as a teacher of the language he professes, he cannot but feel, in reading such a paragraph as that in the sixth page of the preface, that he is in the hands of one whose reverence for the Word of God, and love to Him who is its alpha and omega, makes his book all that either a Christian or a scholar could desire.

We would here express our most earnest hope that Dr Tregelles is proceeding with his promised edition of the New Testament. We

* Who would recognise Adam under the form of Audhaum, or Eve under that of Hawwauh, or Abel under that of Hebhel?

trust that he is meeting with ample encouragement in this noble undertaking- -an undertaking which should be especially dear to Christians, as it will furnish us with an edition of the Greek text, the most perpect that has yet been given forth, and which carries with it this security-a security which no Christian will undervalue, however the mere scholar may smile-that it has been begun and carried on in the fear of God, and with the desire that He may be glorified; by a man of faith and prayer, who counts every word of God pure and precious.

Twelve Lectures on the History of Joseph. By the Rev. J. Montagu RANDALL, Vicar of Langham. London: J. Nisbet and Co., 1852. TWELVE Useful Lectures, embodying much Scriptural truth.

Noah and his Days; or the Times of the Millennium. A Posthumous Poem. By the Rev. S. PIGGOTT. London: Wertheim and Macintosh.

THOUGH the sentiments are good and Scriptural, there is not much poetry in this volume. We may, however, extract one of the conclud ing notes, which contains a list of extracts relating to the Jews :—

"I. The Jews shall be gathered from all parts of the earth, and brought home to their own land. Isai. xi. 11; xxvii. 12, 13; xliii. 5, 6; xlix. 11, 12.

"II. They shall be carried by the Gentiles into their place, who shall join themselves with the Jews, and become the Lord's people. Isai. xlix. 22; Ix. 9; lxvi. 19, 20.

"III. Great miracles shall be wrought when Israel is restored; as formerly, when they were brought out of Egypt; viz. :

"1. Drying up of the river Euphrates. Isai. xi. 15, 16; Zech. x. 11; Rev. xvi. 12; Hos. ii. 15; Mic. vii. 15.

"2. Causing rivers to flow in desert places. Isai. xli. 17-19; xlviii. 20, 21 ; xliii. 19, 20.

"3. Giving them prophets. Isai. lxvi. 18-21; Hos. xii. 9, 10.

“4. The Lord Christ shall appear at the head of them. Isai. xxxv. 8 ; lii. 12; lviii. 8; Hos. i. 10, 11; Mic. ii. 13.

"IV. The Jews being restored, and converted to the faith of Christ, shall be formed into a State, the Lord Christ himself being their King, who shall then be acknowledged king over all the earth. Isai. i. 26; lx. 17.

"V. They shall have the victory over all their enemies, and all kings of the earth shall submit unto them. Isai, xi. 13, 14; xli. 14-16; xlix. 23; lx. 12; xxv. 10-12; Joel iii. 7, 8, 19, 20; Obad. 17, 18; Mic. iv. 5-8, 11-13; v. 5-7; vii. 16, 17; Zech. ii. 13; ix. 13-15; x. 5, 6; xii. 6; Numb. xxiv. 17; Isai. xlix. 23; lx. 10-16; lxvi. 19, 20.

"VI. The Jews, restored, shall live peaceably, without being divided into two nations, or contending any more with each other. Isai. xi. 13, 14; xiv. 1, 2; Jer. iii. 18; 1. 4; xxxvii. 21, 22; Hos. i. 11.

"1. They shall be very numerous, and multiply greatly. Isai. xxvii. 6 ; xliv. 3, 4; xlix. 18-21; liv. 1-3; lxi. 9; Jer. xxiii. 3; xxx. 18-20; xxxi. 27; Ezek. xxxiv. 11; xxxvi. 38.

"2. They shall have great peace, safety, and outward prosperity. Isai. xxxii. 16-18; liv. 13-17; lx. 18-21; Jer. xxiii. 3-6; xxx. 10; xxxii. 34-41; xxxiii. 6-9; 1. 19, 20, &c.

"3. They shall be very glorious, and a blessing to the whole earth. xix, 24, 25; lxi. 9; Jer. xxxiii. 9; Zech. viii. 13.

Isai.

Isai. xxix.

"VII. The land of Judea shall be made eminently fruitful. 17; xxxv. 1, 2, 7, 9; li. 3, 16; liv. 11-13; lv. 12, 13; lx. 17; lxv. 17-25; Ezek. xxxiv. 26, 27; xxxvi. 37; Joel iii. 18; Amos ix. 13, 14.

"VIII. Jerusalem shall be rebuilt, and after the full restoration of the Jews, shall never be destroyed, nor infested with enemies any more. Isai. lii. 1; lx. 18; xxxiii. 6; Joel iii. 17; Obad. 17; Zech. xiv. 10, 11; Jer. xxxi. 38-40; Ezek. xxxviii. 11.

"IX. A little before the time of the Jews' call and conversion, there shall be wars, confusion, and desolation in the earth. Isai. xxxiv. throughout; Joel iii. 1, 10; Zeph. iii. 8, 9; Ezek. xxviii. 25, 26; Hag. ii. 21-23; Jer. XXX. 7-10.

The Death of Wellington, and the Resurrection of Napoleon.

A

Lecture, critical, historical, and prophetical. By A. A. REES. 1852. THOUGH We do not think that Mr Rees has proved his point, he argues ingeniously; and his Lecture is interesting. We give its closing

sentences:

"It is the universal testimony of the Prophets, that the Antichrist is to appear in the last days, and that he is to be destroyed by the glorious manifestation of Christ, just previous to the millennial reign (2 Thess. ii. 8). Now, that the present days are, in some sense, the last, is admitted by nearly all Christians, however various their views of the succeeding state of things. All are looking for a crisis-which even the world expects to be immediately followed by a lengthened era of bliss. The last seven years have been unparalleled for a quick succession of stirring events; whilst the general spirit of the age is in striking accordance with the predicted character of men at the close of the dispensation. (See 2 Tim. iii. 1–5).

"The ecclesiastical and civil convulsions of this period, answering to the foretold shaking of heaven and the earth,' prior to the appearance of the desire of all nations' (Hag. ii. 6, 7); the Disruption of the Church of Scotland, and of the vast community of Methodists-the incurable schism of the Church of England-the deep discontent and disorder of the minor sects the sudden and wide-spread revolutions of the Continent-the violent commotion of the masses, corresponding exactly to the troubled sea, out of which, in its last stage, the wild beast emerges (Rev. xiii. 1)—though, in another sense, he rises from the bottomless pit-the destructive famines and pestilences the earthquakes, fires, floods, and storms-the commercial panics-the wars and rumours of wars, analogous to the signs preceding the old dispensation (Luke xxi. 11); the very cry itself, There's a good time coming,' which is the unconscious yearning of wretched human nature for deliverance the gathering of the nations to the Crystal Palace, in the vain hope of cementing concord, followed immediately by the bloody massacre and revolution of Paris-the dread of invasion in England, and the enrolling of the Militia, as if in mockery of the shout of " Peace"-the universal spirit of insubordination and disrespect, reaching even to little children— the sudden removal of the two greatest men in the world; Peel, the greatest statesman-Wellington, the greatest warrior, whose combined efforts, by Catholic Emancipation, took away the only obstacle to the present and last rise of Popery-the appalling lukewarmness of the great bulk of professing Christians the fresh yearning of the Jews for their father-land-the waning of the Turkish Crescent-the waxing of Egyptian and Russian power (see Daniel xi. 40)--the thirty-seven years' peace, during which, the Gospel has been diffused at home and abroad, to an unexampled extent, as if to gather