priest, his Divine Melchizedek, but his royal priesthood, the glorious band of ransomed men, by means of whom he is to rule this world in righteousness and show the wondering universe what true kingship is, what true priesthood is, and how the holy union of these two sacred offices is the perfection of all rule, the eternal basis of a happy earth, the eternal link between himself and creation, between the things above and the things beneath, the things celestial and the things terrestrial. Now that union is impossible. It is fraught with unspeakable peril. Such offices cannot be trusted in the hands of imperfect men. The attempt to unite them has been the root of the earth's heaviest and most intolerable woes. But then the union shall be effected, when the true Melchizedek arrives to ascend the priestlyroyal throne, and, under him, the perfection of all government shall be exhibited in the hands of holy men, of men who passed through humiliation like his own, knowing nothing here but obedience, patience, sorrow, weakness; and then shall it be truly seen how they only can rightly rule who have learned to suffer and obey.

In conclusion, let us say, that we have seldom heard such a cry of despair as comes from this strange pamphlet. It is one of the saddest and most affecting signals of distress hung out in these last days in behalf of a wrecked and sinking world. He who raises it has done and spoken the utmost that his philosophy can devise for the last twenty years. But it is all in vain. The world lies broken and helpless. Its men of might cannot find their hands. The crisis is approaching when, its utter ruin having been demonstrated and its utter powerlessness made visible, God shall interpose to renew it,rebuilding it from the foundation, sweeping off the long curse, brightening its sad skies,-binding its rebel prince, and introducing the glad age of righteousness under the sway of the Virgin's Son.

ART. III.-NINEVEH AND NAHUM.

It is now five-and-twenty centuries since men began to point to a succession of mounds and dry heaps on the banks of the Tigris, and to say as they passed by, that Nineveh once stood somewhere near that spot. During these five-and-twenty centuries no discovery was made to assure the world that the

site of Nineveh was really there. When, in the seventh century of our era, Chosroes met Heraclius on this spacious field, it is remarked by one who relates the battle, that "the city and even the ruins of the city had long since disappeared," leaving a wide plain for the operations of the two armies. Until a few years ago, all that had been found of Nineveh's remains was a few fragments, the whole of which might be contained in a case three feet square. Many a time the Arabs of the district pointed to an old dam across the Tigris, and spoke of it as "The Causeway of Nimroud," the mighty hunter; but no other definite tradition existed regarding the spot, except as connected with the remnant of the tower, ascribed, in like manner, to Nimroud. In the second century Lucian had said, “Οὐδεν ίχνος ἐτι λειπον αὐτης, ουδ' ἀν είπης όπου ποτ ̓ ἦν.” (See Newton on the Proph.)

For more than twenty centuries, then, how emphatically true were the words of Nahum (ch. iii. 17—19) :—

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'They crowned are as the locusts,

And by captains as the great grasshoppers,
Which camp in the hedges in the cold day,
But when the sun riseth they flee away,

And their place is not known.

Thy shepherds (i.e., rulers) slumber, O king of Assyria !
Thy nobles are in their tents (),*

Thy people is scattered on the mountains

And no man gathereth them.

There is no healing of thy bruise!

Thy wound is grievous!

All that hear the bruit of thee shall clap the hand over thee."

And then, -as the prophetic harp's last string is touched, -the reason for this complete and continued desolation is given,

"For on whom did not thy wickedness pass unceasingly?"

Nahum was a prophet of the Ten Tribes, born at Elkesi, in Galilee. His prophecy may have been carried to Assyria by some of the captive people; for a village remains, called Elkosh, three hours' journey to the north of Mosul, inhabited by Nestorians, and resorted to by Jewish pilgrims, who fancy it the birthplace

* Spoken ironically-They have found a tent at last, and this tent is the grave. The Sept. renders the words freely, “ ἐκοιμισε τους δυνάστας σov," he has laid thy nobles to rest. The French of Olivetan, "Se sont tenus en leurs tentes."

of the prophet. They honour Nahum thus specially because it was he who was sent to tell of Nineveh's doom. His prophecy is, "the burden of Nineveh, the book of the vision of Nahum, the Elkoshite." He was sent about ninety years after Jonah's time to pronounce the certain doom of the city once SO exalted. It may be well, therefore, to confine our attention for a little to the writings of this prophet,-at least, more especially to these,-while we look upon recent discoveries and investigations which cast light on many a statement of the Word of the Lord regarding that city, and the kingdom of which it was the proud metropolis. Little did Botta, the French Consul, think of the service he was rendering to the illustration of prophetic truth when, some years ago, he was providentially led to prepare the way for Layard, by lighting upon sculptured slabs and other indications of what the mounds of rubbish contained. It was the Lord who led thither Botta first and Layard next,—that same Lord who said in ancient days of the king of Nineveh, "I will send him." "Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so." (Isaiah x. 7.)

The most important details of these recent investigations and discoveries are now pretty generally known; we do not, therefore, undertake to repeat them. Calling in the aid of Arabs to carry off the rubbish as it was dug, and Nestorians to handle the pick and spade, Layard has done great service to the cause of truth. And it is not a little interesting to find him using as his labourers the supposed descendants of those tribes which were the first to be carried captive by Assyria. Dr. Grant tells us that the Nestorians believe themselves descended from the tribe of Naphtali especially, which tribe was the very first carried captive by Pekah to Assyria (2 Kings xv. 29). And now their descendants are employed in bringing to light those remains of the Assyrians that verify the Word of that same Jehovah, for apostatizing from whom their forefathers were sent into captivity, and on returning to whom they shall find their homeward march prepared in these last days.

No book but the Bible is now in existence to cast illustrative testimony on these excavated remains.

Let us, then, take up the Book of Nahum, and survey Nineveh and its remains with that book in our hands. We begin to read,

"God is jealous,

And the Lord revengeth," &c. (i. 1—13.)

The principles of Jehovah's actings are laid before us—his

dealing toward adversaries and toward friends, and His almighty power to carry into effect His just and righteous sentences. This occupies us from ver. 1 to ver. 14. In ver. 8,"Darkness shall pursue his enemies," is a general statement, though the veil so long drawn over Nineveh is a special instance of the accomplishment of the general threatening. It is, however, at ver. 14 that details regarding Assyria begin. In this verse, we are struck with the expression,

"I will make thy grave!" (i. 14.)

It may indeed be spoken generally of the entombment of all Assyrian greatness and glory; but do not yonder mounds, that have appeared for five-and-twenty centuries to the eye of the passer-by no better than the hillocks in a grave-yard,do these not give an emphatic meaning to this Assyrian grave?"

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Again, in that same verse, we read 'House of their gods' in connexion with the Assyrian king. Now, though this, too, might be taken generally as indicating that the idolatry of Assyria would perish along with the kingdom-their idols left to shame, unable to aid their worshippers-yet is there not an additional interest imparted to the words by the fact, brought to light in the course of Layard's researches among the old buildings of Nineveh, that the residence of the king was itself a temple (vol. i. 473), and that temple or palace invariably full of sculptured slabs, with gigantic figures of their deities, eagle-headed, lion-headed, or the like? Does not this fact give force to the words, addressed to the Assyrian king,

"Out of the house of thy gods

Will I cut off the graven image and the molten image"? (i. 14.)

It is at this point that the Prophet, who had hitherto been telling in brief the ruin that awaited Nineveh, is led to introduce Israel by way of contrast:

"Behold! upon the mountains

The feet of him that bringeth good tidings,

That publisheth peace!

O, Judah, keep thy solemn feasts!

Perform thy vows.

For the wicked shall no more pass through thee;

He is utterly cut off."

Glancing through the future, the prophetic spirit sees of desolation pass over Nineveh-her"

ages

VOL. II.

grave" remains

unopened for more than twenty centuries; and when at last the mound of her tomb is pierced, it is not to prepare for her a resurrection, but only to call the attention of nations to her utter ruin. On the other hand, the same prophetic spirit sees Israel raised from the dust again-Judah keeping solemn feasts-they that were " ready to perish in the land of Assyria" returning to Zion with joy, peace has come back to the ancient people, and their tribulation ended. They look round-they think of their old enemy at Nineveh, but are told that never more need they fear evil from that quarter. Nineveh shall never rise from her tomb-her grave"-she is eternally "vile." The Lord will show his sovereign grace in thus casting down and lifting up. But Nineveh must be brought upon the stage of history again, and presented to our view, in order that this end may be gained. Accordingly, in our day, when the restoration of Israel is drawing on, this ancient seat of Israel's enemies is brought to light, along with all the pomp connected with it in days of idolatry, when it sought to set up idols in room of Jehovah, who dwelt between the cherubims.

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In chap. ii. the Prophet is addressing Nineveh, bidding her prepare for a day of no common trial. And why?

"For the Lord hath turned away the excellency of Jacob, As (he did to) the excellency of Israel;

For the emptiers have emptied them out

And marred their vine branches." (ii. 2.)

Has the Lord turned away "Jacob's excellency,"-all that his people gloried in-and shall He not show His wrath upon idolatrous Nineveh? Shall He not spare His peculiar people, and yet spare you? If His own must feel chastisement, then prepare you for the full vial of vengeance, yea, for the very dregs.

Nineveh is all astir. The foe is in sight; the defenders must run to the ramparts. A few graphic touches are given by the pen of Nahum, or rather by his pencil; for his writing is vivid painting. Eschylus has not reached, far less surpassed, Nahum's sublimity and fire. But our part is to observe how, amid all this fire and fervour, the Prophet has described not imaginary but real scenes. He speaks of

"The shield made red"-"The valiant men in scarlet." (ii. 3.) The Assyrian red is repeatedly noticed by Layard, in his "Researches." He says that it excels that of Egypt (vol. ii. 311).