ness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness, as the stars for ever and ever.” (Dan. xii. 1-3.) The achievement of these stupendous works will bring the Son of God a second time from heaven. Hence we are told that "the heavens must receive him until the times of restitution of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all his holy Prophets since the world began;" (Acts iii. 21;)-intimating that, at that period, they must restore him. Accordingly it is said, "Unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time, without sin, unto salvation." (Heb. ix. 28.) His second appearing, however, will not be confined to them who look for it, or, like his first, to one nation; for every eye shall see him coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory, that is, in great personal splendour, and attended by the most illustrious retinue, even all the holy angels. And then shall all the ungodly on earth, (significantly called all the tribes of the earth, because of their multitude,) mourn at the sight of him, particularly they that pierced him. For" he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." (Matt. xxiv. 31.) And when this is done, then all that remain, being incurably infected with moral evil, shall be cast into an immense and fathomless furnace of fire, where their worm shall never die, and where their fire shall never be quenched. There "Enclos'd with horrors, and transfix'd with pain, They toss, they writhe, they pant beneath the load, And bear the wrath of an offended God." But while these unhappy beings will be eternally confined in that ... black and hollow vault, Where day is never seen, where shines no sun, A lightless sulphur, check'd with smoky fogs the favoured faithful shall dwell in endless and unutterable bliss. For then will the REDEEMER turn aside the veil which has concealed the ineffable glories of the eternal God from the impertinent gaze of man from the beginning of the world, and shall let out the full blaze of his transforming and beautifying splendours on the innumerable millions of the redeemed. And then will they attain to the end of their creation and redemption, in the nearest possible approach of their nature to the likeness of the DEITY, and in the communication, of all the joy and felicity that their capacity will admit. Then all the good they ever hoped for, all the blessedness of which they ever had any conception, all the riches of mercy ever promised to them, all the treasures of salvation ever purchased for them, and all the glory which the triune God can possibly confer on them, will be ensured to them for ever, even for ever and ever. And "Then shall the saints in glorious triumph move To take possession of their thrones above; And fill the vacant stations of the sky; And drink the fountain-head of sacred truth; To swim in seas of bliss; to strike the string, And lift the voice to their almighty King; To lose eternity in grateful lays, And fill heaven's wide circumference with praise." And when all things in the universe shall have been thus restored to their proper places, and all the ways of GoD shall have been conducted to this glorious consummation, "then shall the kingdom be delivered up unto the FATHER, and GoD shall be all in all." To improve the subject, it may be observed, 1. Since the Sufferings of CHRIST were so circumstantially and so long foretold, and the numerous predictions on this subject have been so exactly verified; and since it was so expressly foretold that his sufferings would not be endured on his own account but for others, and for us; ought not a consideration of these things to awaken our attention to our circumstances as sinners, to excite us to humiliation before GOD on account of our awful state, which made this process necessary to our salvation, and to call forth our gratitude to him for having mercifully appointed it? And ought we not, for the same reasons, earnestly to seek a personal and perfect interest in his sufferings? For let it be well observed, that it is not the appointment of a SAVIOUR for us, nor yet the circumstance of his having actually been in the world and suffered for us, that will save us. No; nor will even scriptural views of the sufferings of CHRIST, and a persuasion that they were intended for our benefit, necessarily lead us to a saving interest in them. And without such an interest in them, what advantage will they ultimately yield us? Think you that he suffered merely to afford us matter for speculation, or admiration, or conversation, or disputation, or encouragement to presumption and daring in our sinful courses? Surely the blood of JESUS was shed for a nobler purpose! And wherefore was it shed, but to demonstrate to us the exceeding sinfulness and ruinous tendency of sin, to wean us from the love and practice of it, to encourage us to seek the pardon of it, and to make the exercise of mercy to us honourable to the character of JEHOVAH as our moral Governor, and suitable to the great ends of his government? Was it not, in short, to oblige us to consecrate ourselves to his service on earth, and to furnish us, as his servants, with a title to eternal life? If so, then no farther than as we are made partakers of this experience are we genuine Christians, or meet for heaven, with whatever community of professing Christians we may be connected. May God write these truths deeply on our hearts; and if we are yet destitute of this personal salvation, may we never rest until it is bestowed! And should we, on examining ourselves, find, that as face answereth to face in a glass, so our experience answereth to this statement, yet even then ought we not to rest in present attainments, but should be "forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before," and so "pressing to the mark for the prize of the high calling of GOD in CHRIST JESUS." Nothing should be allowed to detain or stop us short of the highest measure of that good which has been purchased for us by JESUS CHRIST. O that we may give all diligence to obtain "a full reward." 2. Seeing that the SPIRIT of CHRIST foretold the Glory as well as the Sufferings of our LORD, and that these prophecies have, in so great a measure, been fulfilled; ought not these things to fill the disciples of JESUS with joy, and with the liveliest expectations of the perfect accomplishment of all that was foretold? Nay, ought not a consideration of these things to lead the followers of CHRIST most earnestly and constantly to pray that all the glory covenanted to him may speedily be given him, and to aspire to the honour of being JEHOVAH's instruments in advancing the glory of his only-begotten and well-beloved Son? And let it not be forgotten, that every Christian has it in his power, either in a greater or in a less degree, to further the cause of the REDEEMER in the world, and is therefore under an obligation to a faithful use of his ability. By personal efforts you may contribute to the spread of religious knowledge, and to the conversion of sinners. And by pecuniary aid, you may minister to the support of those funds which are to defray the expense incurred in employing others to do the same thing, beyond your line of operation. Nor can you reasonably expect to hear JESUS CHRIST say unto you in the last day, "Well done, good and faithful servants," unless you shall have been found through the day of your probation, at least through that portion of it lying between your conversion and your death, faithfully to have employed all your means for the furtherance and consummation of his glory in the salvation of the world. GOD grant, that in that day we may find acceptance with him as his servants, and be permitted to enter into the joy of our LORD! BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATIONS. IN MR. JOWETT'S "Christian Researches," a Review of which appears in our last Number and in that for the present Month, we observe numerous interesting Illustrations of Scripture, drawn from the scenes which he visited, and from the customs of the people of Egypt, and other places. We select, in this article, some of the most important. The following are from the Journal of his voyage on the Nile: CUCUMBERS..—“ Extensive fields of ripe melous and cucumbers adorned the sides of the river. They grew in such abundance, that the sailors freely helped themselves. Some guard, however, is placed upon them. Occasionally, but at long and desoJate intervals, we may observe a little hut, made of reeds, just capable of containing one man; being, in fact, little more than a fence against a north wind. In these I have observed, sometimes, a poor old man, perhaps lame, feebly protecting the property. It exactly illustrates Isai. i. 8: And the daughter of Zion is left..........as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers.' The abundance of these most necessary vegetables brings to mind the murmurs of the Israelites, Numbers xi. 5, 6: We remember........the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: but now our soul is dried away.'" SUGAR-CANE." We moored near Radamun, which lies between Minïe and Manfelout, to see the factory of an Englishman, MR. BRINE; where we were kindly received. There are many thousands of acres of sugarcane in these parts. Allusion to this production is made in Jeremiah vi. 20: To what purpose cometh there to me incense from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a far country?' It is also mentioned in Isai. xliii. 24: Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money.' The West Indies were not then known." EGYPTIAN LABOURERS. - -"From hence, we rowed, about three miles, to Hermopolis, to see the first magnificent relic of Egyptian Architecture. In the village of Ashmounin, close adjoining, an Italian, SIGNOR FOURNI, superintends a Nitre Factory for the Bashaw. It is collected, by a triple process, from the rubbish of old cities. Hermopolis is such; of which, not a single house, nor even one stone upon another, remaius, except the above-mentioned ruin. SIGNOR FOURNI had just received an order for 3000 quintals, to be prepared with haste. For this purpose he was building small reservoirs and ducts, with old picked bricks, gathered from ruins; and which are better than the modern baked bricks. A great number of young persons of both sexes were engaged in the work, carrying burdens. To give vivacity to their proceedings, they are required to sing; and, to keep them diligent, there were task-masters, standing at intervals of about ten feet, with whips in their hands, which they used very freely. We seemed to behold the manners of the ancient Egyptians: Exodus v." SEPULCHRES. HIEROGLYPHICS.— "Further in the recesses of the mountains, are the more magnificent tombs of the Kings; each consisting of many chambers, adorned with hieroglyphics. The scene brings many allusions of Scripture to the mind; such as Mark v. 2, 3, 5; but particularly Isaiah xxii. 16: Thou hast hewed thee out a Sepulchre here, as he that heweth him out a Sepulchre on high, and that graveth a habitation for himself in a rock ;' for many of the smaller sepulchres are excavated nearly half way up the mountain, which is very high. The Kings have their magnificent abodes nearer the foot of the mountain; and seem, according to Isaiah xiv. 18, to have taken a pride in resting as magnificently in death as they had done in life. All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory; every one in his own house." The stuccoed walls within are covered with hieroglyphics. They cannot be better described than in the words of Ezekiel, viii. 8-10: Then said he unto me, + Son of Man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged in the wall, behold a door. And he said unto me, Goin; and behold the wicked abominations that they do here. So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, pourtrayed upon the wall round about.' The Israelites were but copyists: the master-sketches are to be seen in all the ancient temples and tombs of Egypt.-It is remarkable that Scripture gives no explanation of the particular meaning of the hieroglyphics. Moses, no doubt, who was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians,' must have understood their sacred science; yet he furnishes us with no specific clue,nothing but the general condemnation of them, as idolatrous in the highest degree: Deut. iv. 15, &c. The wisdom of man seems, in this cradle of the sciences, to have betrayed its genuine tendency; and the monuments of Egypt are a durable comment on the first chapter of the Epistle to the Romans." "March 20. HARVEST.-The barley-harvest was getting in. This may explain Jer. viii. 20: as the harvest precedes the summer, it is put first in the description: The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved."" Under the head of Scripture-Illustrations, MR. JOWETT has the following. The Author thus introduces them : "Some notices, in illustration of the Scriptures, have occurred in the preceding Journal. The Author will here subjoin others of this nature. The circumstances struck him forcibly, as portions of that mass of evidence which is furnished, both to the truth and the meaning of the sacred records, not only by the unchanging face of nature, but by the indelible character of Eastern manners. It is a remarkable fact, the value of which, in testimony to the Scriptures, the Christian will know how to appreciate, that the Bible is the very textbook of the most intelligent travellers in these countries. The Author has seen copies of the sacred volume in their hands, which have not only served, as it may be hoped, the higher purpose of ministering daily to the spiritual life, but have shown, by the manner in which they have been marked throughout, that they have been their constant guides through the scenes which they have visited." BUFFALOES. "At Molubis, on the east bank of the Nile, I observed a cattle-fair. Several buffaloes were swimming, from the opposite side, across the water. Their unwieldy body sinks deep in the water, so that only part of the neck is level with the surface; while their uplifted head just raises the snorting nostrils above the water. Often, a little Arab boy takes his passage across the Nile upon the back of this animal; setting his feet on the shoulders, holding fast by the horns, and thus keeping his balance. As the buffaloes rose out of the water on the bank, I was struck with their large bony size, compared with the little that had appeared of them while in the water. Their emerging brought to mind the passages in Gen. xli. 1, 2: 'Behold, he stood by the river: and, behold, there came up out of the river seven well-favoured kine and fatfleshed; and they fed in a meadow.' It was the very scene, and the very country." CORN.-"The earth brought forth by handfuls:' Gen. xli. 47. This I witnessed. I plucked up at random, a few stalks out of the thick cornfields. We counted the number of stalks, which sprouted from single grains of seed; carefully pulling to pieces each root, in order to see that it was but one plant. The first had seven stalks; the next, three; the next, nine; then eighteen; then fourteen. Each stalk would bear an ear." BRICKS MADE WITH STRAW.-" At one place, the people were making bricks, with straw cut into small pieces, and mingled with the clay to bind it. Hence it is, that, when villages built of these bricks fall into rubbish, which is often the case, the roads are full of small particles of straws, extremely offensive to the eyes in a high wind. They were, in |