bird be not one of the cuckoos, and be really a sea-bird, it may be one of the shearwaters which live in such numbers on the sea-shore of Palestine. He mentions especially two species, the great shearwater (Puffinus cinereus) and the Manx shearwater (Puffinus anglorum), both of which are extremely plentiful on the coast, skimming continually over the water, and being at the present day regarded by the Mahometans with superstitious awe, being thought to be the ever-restless souls of the condemned, who are doomed to fly backwards and forwards continually until the end of the world, clad in sombre plumage, and never permitted to rest.

Besides the shearwater, many species of gull inhabit the same coast, and it is not at all unlikely that the word shachaph was used in a collective sense, as we have seen to be the case with tzippor, and signified any of the marine birds, without aiming at distinction of species. *

DIFFERENT STYLES OF THE PROPHETS. All the sacred writers, inspired by the same spirit, treating the same subject, acting under a divine influence, each uniformly exemplify, in the peculiarity of his style, the character of his mind. Who can fail to perceive that the character of the mind of Isaiah was sublimity. He is always an eagle in his flightnever losing sight of the sun-never stooping in his majestic career. Stripped of his poetical garb, and arrayed in the plainest dress by a literal translation into another language than his own, his book retains its grandeur, alloyed, yet easily distinguishable; and he moves with a princely port, under all the disadvantages of an humble investment.

The mind of Jeremiah was cast into the mould of tenderness. Far less sublime than the prophet who preceded him, he is much more pathetic; and it is impossible to read the language in which he deplores the ruin of his country, without feeling our hearts melted, and mingling our tears with those of the patriot.

Ezekiel, possessing neither of these qualities to the same extent as the others, is distinguished for the force and fire of his appeals. Neither of these is greater than the other as an inspired writer; all were influenced by the same spirit of truth -all were clothed with the same authority—all demanded the same submission to their awful messages; but each displayed the quality of his own mind in the character of his style.-- DR. COLLYER.

* By permission of Messrs. Longman and Co., from “Bible Animals,” an interesting and attractive work, by the Rev. J. G. Wood, M.A., F.L.S.

CHRIST'S MIRACLES OF HEALING.

Peo HAT Christ's life-work, in so far as it was exhibited in

the cures He performed on men's bodies and minds,

was remarkable in its outline, has been shown in a 1 preceding paper; and it is as interesting when we

examine it in detail. The works of healing which Christ performed might be classed under three heads; and deserving to be named first, as apparently the most mysterious and difficult of cure, were the cases of de. moniacal possession. Some have attempted to prove that these demoniacs, or demonized persons, were only afflicted with insanity, hypochondria, or epilepsy, and that therefore the Scripture narra. tive is framed only in accordance with the popular opinion. We believe this opinion is most untenable; and whatever conclusion we may come to as to the time when such instances were first noticed, and when they ceased to exist, no impartial reader of the Bible can fail to perceive the literality of the account there given of those thus possessed by demons, which exerted a controlling and directing influence upon both mind and body. It has been suggested that these were the spirits of dead men, who were allowed to revisit the earth, and dwell for a time within others then living. But it is evident that they formed part of the mighty host of unseen spirits which are engaged about mankind for good or evil ends. That there were differences amongst these evil beings is evident from our Lord's words to his disciples in one particular case. “This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting." There are some spoken of simply as demons. Others are called evil, or unclean spirits, the Greek word (pneuma) being that usually applied to any spiritual being, while the added adjective characterised these as evil (that is, malicious or malignant, in reference to their agency on man) or as unclean_not only having lost their original purity, but desirous of making others as vile as themselves. Over all these we find Christ is supreme; their terror at his approach is extreme; His command silences them; and at His word they depart, forbidden to return.

Then, secondly; we find Christ curing natural defects, which no physician of the highest modern skill would hope to succeed with. Blindness was then, as now, common in the East; many were blind from birth, and others were afflicted with ophthalmia and other painful diseases of these organs. The

deaf, and therefore either dumb, or capable only of imperfect utterance, become as others when Christ speaks. The lame or halt, suddenly acquiring the use of those limbs which had long been apparently dead, rejoice and can scarcely control themselves under the emotions of astonishment which they feel at the newly found power.

Thirdly; a number of diseases, internal and external, are described by the Evangelist as giving manifestations of the om. nipotence of Christ. Some of these are expressly designated, such as an “issue of blood,” a “fever,” or “ paralytic;" but under the latter word (which is derived from a verb, signifying to unloose, relax, or be enfeebled, significant of the effects of the malady) a critic has pointed out that at least five different kinds of disease are included, viz., apoplexy, catalepsy, paraplegy, hemi. plegy, and cramp—the latter, in Syria, being often extremely fatal, and causing death if not cured ; and, if cured, sometimes leaving the limb affected utterly powerless or “withered.” Leprosy, too, that disorder so much dreaded in itself, on account of its ceremonial defilement, and for the avoidance with which the patient was treated by his fellows; this too, in both its forms, fled at the word which came from Christ's lips.

In general terms the evangelists refer to a host of diseases which were the subject of His miracles. Distempers of a grievous or chronic nature are probably intended by the Greek nosos; while malakos probably indicates those which were slighter or temporary. Some sufferers are said to be “impotent folk,” the word there referring not so much to the particular disease as to its effects, shown by loss of strength and power. The strong word, basanos, which was used to signify an examination by torture, is applied generally to diseases attended with acute suffering. So also is mastijos, a scourge, used as an appellation for other disorders, either from the pain attendant upon them, or because they were regarded as divine chastisements for sin.

We cannot turn the sacred page, and read the successive narratives of miraculous cures, without feeling impressed with the fact that human nature varies little; that man in the nineteenth century, if he shows a longer list of diseases, and is more successful in curing them, is still but man, and needs as much as he did in the days of Christ the interposition of an omnipotent physician, who, though He works unseen, is still able to relieve every sufferer, and rejects none who come to Him in faith.

J. R. S. C.

ww

THE MOABITE INSCRIPTION. The famous Moabitic inscription lately discovered by M. Clermont-Ganneau has now been published by him.* In many parts it is unfortunately still imperfect, but we may hope that these deficiencies may be supplied hereafter by the recovery of the missing fragments. Already, however, it is possible to state what facts of historical interest are contained in this very early monument of Phænician sculpture. I have not thought it necessary to give the reasons why my interpretation differs in some respects from that of M. Clermont-Ganneau ; such a description must be reserved for the pages of a journal specially devoted to philology.

The stone containing the inscription in question was a monumental altar erected by Mesa, king of Moab, at Karhah, after his revolt on the death of Ahab, to signalize his victories over Israel. Until his days, says he, Chemosh was irritated against the land of Moab and oppressed it, but then became more favourable, and so Israel began to perish. Then a number of successes follow-his general, Omri, takes Medeba, erects several buildings in it, amongst them a temple (P) of Chemosh. Mesa himself builds Baal-Meon and Kirjathaim, fights against Israel at Jaazer (?), retires towards the land of Moab, and performs his devotions (?) to Chemosh at Kerioth, remaining with his men till the next day. Then by order of Chemosh he besieges Nebo (a great lacuna), Jahaz, and at last takes Dibon. Next he declares himself to have built Karhah, the walls of ha-Yearim and .. with its gates and towers; he orders the people to dig cisterns in the interior of Karhah, and compels the Israelite captives (?) to surround it with a trench. Mesa also mentions the construction of a fortress or ford at the Arnon, the building of BethBamoth, Bezer, of the fortifications of Dibhon and other towns which he added to his land; he built also . . Beth-Diblathaim and Beth-Baal-Meon, to which last he transferred some Moabites (?). Finally, at the command of Chemosh he fought against Horonaim (a great lacuna). All these towns, the conquest of which is here related, were acquired by Mesa after the death of Ahab, during the two years of his successor Ahaziah and the first year of Jehoram ; at the end of these three years, as mentioned in Isa. xvi. 14, “ the glory of Moab was contemned” by the expedition of the three kings, related in 2 Kings iii., in which all the newly made conquests were lost.

AD. NEUBAUER, in “Daily News.'' * La Stèle de Mesa, roi de Moab, 896 av. J. C., lettre à M. le Cte. de Vogüé par Ch. Clermont-Ganneau, Paris, 1870.

Biblical Criticism.

LIFE AND IMMORTALITY BROUGHT TO LIGHT BY THE GOSPEL. 2 TIMOTHY i. 10.—“Our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and

hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” “At first sight, or on first hearing, these words would seem to express more than, after consideration, they can fairly be supposed to mean. The two statements made, taken absolutely, are contradicted—the first, by a fact in providence, daily before our eyes;. the second, by a fact in history, apprehended by our understanding. Death is not abolished' since the appearance of Christ; and the doctrine of 'immortality' did not remain to be 'brought to light' by His advent. Among both Jews and Gentiles, previous to His coming, there was the belief of a future, immortal life; and, since His resurrection, death still reigns over the whole race, just as it reigned ‘from Adam to Moses,' or from Moses to Malachi. It is obvious, therefore, that the text must mean something less than what it seems to say, or something different from its literal or conventional import. A single remark may help us to the apprehension of this modified meaning.

“The word which, in the passage before us, is rendered abolished,' is, it may be observed, rendered 'destroyed' in the 14th verse of the second of Hebrews. It is there said that Christ took flesh and blood,' that, through death, He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who, through fear of death, were all their lifetime subject to bondage.' We cannot be far wrong, I think, in inferring from this that Christ has abolished' death in some sense similar to that in which He has destroyed' the devil; that is to say, that, without literally annihilating either, He has so wrought against, and so far weakened and subdued [them, as to restrain them from hurting those that are His. With respect to the word rendered brought to light, it may be observed, that it does not so much mean to discover, or make known, as a new thing, which is the ordinary import of the English phrase,

-but to illustrate, clear up, or cast light upon a thing; it thus assumes the previous existence of that which is illustrated, but it asserts the fact of its fuller manifestation. Thus explained, the meaning of the text would amount to this, or may be thus paraphrased :-Previous to the coming of Christ, the idea of immortal life stood before the human, or the Hebrew, mind, like some vast object in the morning twilight; it was dimly descried