are recorded in Scripture require to be illustrated in the same way and by the same means. The Chronicles of the Kings of Judah are to be interpreted upon the same principles, and to be understood in the same manner, as the Commentaries of Cæsar, or any other historical document: And he who knows nothing of the Land of Canaan, but that it is some land in the "far East," must form very imperfect, and it may be very erroneous notions, not only of the land itself, but of the history of its inhabitants. In reading, for example, of the fierce and bloody struggles between the Israelites and the idolatrous nations whom they dispossessed, we shall read with very little understanding, unless we know something of the relative position of their different territories. When the Israelites were at length settled in the Promised Land, which was parcelled out among them, an acquaintance with the locality of the inheritance of the several tribes is necessary towards a right and full understanding of many of the facts and circumstances of their future history. The consolidation of the kingdom under David—its expansion under Solomon, and its dismemberment under Rehoboam-the carrying away of the Ten Tribes by Shalmaneser, and the placing of them in Hala and Habor, and in the cities of the Medes-the subsequent destruction of Jerusalem, and the captivity of the Jews in Babylon-the return from that captivity, and the rebuilding of the Temple-the wars of the Maccabees the subjection of the Jews to the Romans-the divisions of their country as a Roman province-its vassal-kings and governors-and the various measures of their different administrations;-these are passages of Sacred History very important to be clearly understood, but which require a considerable amount of Geographical knowledge clearly to understand them.

Prophecy is History written by anticipation; and the same reasons which render it necessary to know the scenes of historical events, make it necessary to know the countries and places which are the subjects of Prophecy. One of the earliest predictions upon record, is that in which Noah foretold the fate of his posterity-Gen. ix. 25, "Cursed be Canaan, a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. Blessed be the Lord God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. God shall enlarge Japhet, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant." We are enabled to judge of the meaning and accomplishment of this prediction, by the particular account which is given in the following chapter of the respective settlements of the descendants of Noah, "after their generations, in their nations." The isles of the Gentiles were divided by the sons of Japhet; the families of the Canaanites were spread abroad; and the descendants of Shem had their dwellings in the East. But, without the knowledge which Geography gives of these different divisions of the earth and their inhabit

ants, we cannot understand the meaning, much less see the accomplishment, of the prediction.

The prophecy which was made to Abraham (Gen. xiii. 14) is quite geographical in its terms:-" The Lord said unto Abraham, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art, northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward; for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it and to thy seed for ever. Arise, walk through the land, in the length of it, and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee." It is plain that, before we can understand this passage, we must know something of the place where Abraham at the time was, and of the extent of prospect which that place commanded; and although we cannot, like Abraham, arise and walk through the breadth and length of the land that was promised, we can learn something of its boundaries, as these are marked out in a subsequent prophecy (Gen. xv. 18), where it is said to stretch from the river of Egypt to the great river Euphrates, and to contain the Kenites, and the Kenizzites, &c.; or as they were afterwards shown to Moses from Mount Pisgah, and described as comprehending (Deut. xxxiv. 1) "all the land unto Dan, and all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea, and the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm-trees, unto Zoar."

In reading the prophecies against Nineveh, and Babylon, and Tyre, it is not enough to know that such cities existed and were destroyed, according as it had been prophesied. To enter fully into the meaning and spirit of the prophecy, it is necessary to know something of the local situation and peculiar circumstances of these cities; for the prophets make allusions to these which cannot otherwise be understood. For example, in foretelling the destruction of Nineveh, the Prophet Nahum (ii. 6) said, "the gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be dissolved." Now, to understand this, it is necessary to know the geographical position of Nineveh, as close upon the banks of the Tigris, and liable to be overflowed by its stream. We then see the accomplishment of the prophecy, in the fact, that, during the siege of Nineveh by the Medes and Persians, the river, being swoln by long-continued rains, broke down about twenty furlongs of the wall. The enemy entered by this breach and took the city.

The fate of Babylon was somewhat different; but we must, in like manner, come to the understanding of it by means of Geography. Babylon was situated on the river Euphrates, and her best protection against her enemies was thought to be in the breadth and depth of the river. It was prophesied, however, by Jeremiah (1. 38), "that a drought would be upon her waters, and that they should be dried up; that her sea should be dried up"-(li. 36), "and that her springs should be made dry." Accordingly, we read that Cyrus so diverted the course of the Euphrates, and

drew off the waters from their usual channel, that his army were able to enter by the bed of the river and take the city.

In the various prophecies which were uttered against Tyre, it has sometimes been described (Ezek. xxvii. 3) "as situate at the entry of the sea," and yet as "having its borders (xxvii. 4) in the midst of the sea." Sometimes it is spoken of as a place besieged with horses and chariots (xxvi. 7), and at other times it is called an island, and "the strength of the sea” (Isaiah, xxiii. 2, 4, 6). Now these, apparently contradictory passages, can only be reconciled by the knowledge of the geographical position of the city, or rather of the two cities, one of which stood on the mainland and the other on an island; and the prophecy, referring to both, alludes now to the situation of the one, and then to that of the other. It may be remarked too, that the knowledge of the geographical position of Tyre gives emphasis and illustration to the denunciation of the Prophet Ezekiel (xxvi. 5), that it should be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea. In prophetic anticipation of the destruction of Tyre, Isaiah calls upon the inhabitants, and says (xxiii. 6), "Pass ye over to Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the isle." And again he says (xxiii. 12), " Arise, pass over to Chittim." Now, when it is understood that Tarshish or Tartessus, in Spain, was a principal place of traffic to the Tyrians, and also that they had sent forth colonies to Tarshish and to Chittim, that is, to the islands and countries bordering on the Mediterranean, an additional meaning is given to the language of the prophet; as it is natural to think, that, in the season of their distress, the Tyrians would fly to those who, by commerce or colonization, were their friends. Jerome asserts, on the authority of Assyrian historians, that they fled to Carthage, or to some islands in the Ionian or Ægean sea, carrying with them all their valuable effects; so that, when the city was taken, Nebuchadnezzar found nothing worthy of his labour. Hence it was that the Prophet Ezekiel (xxix. 18-20) was afterwards commissioned to promise him the spoils of Egypt for his reward.

In like manner, in the denunciations against Egypt, there are many allusions which can only be understood by reference to the geography and circumstances of the country. For example, when it is threatened by the Prophet Ezekiel (xxx. 14) that "the Lord will set fire in Zoan," the denunciation does not at first strike us as any way remarkable; but when it is recollected that Zoan, the ancient capital of Egypt, was on all sides surrounded with water, and that its ruins lie, to this day, in the midst of a marsh, it will be seen that there is a particular significance and emphasis in the mode of destruction, as a mode of destruction very unlikely, and almost impossible. When the same Prophet (xxix. 3) speaks of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, as "the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his waters, which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself," there is a

propriety in the language which the geography of the country explains. In the dominions of the Pharaohs, the only river is the monarch Nile, which sweeps, in solitary majesty, throughout the whole length of Egypt, without accepting a single tributary stream. Wherever its dark waters reach, green fertility follows, while all beyond them is brown and sandy desolation, on which the beetle rolls its ball, and the lizard leads its loathsome existence. One great object of the kings of Egypt, therefore, was, to spread the waters of the worshipped river as widely as possible. Canals and reservoirs, constructed for that purpose-and constructed with a magnificence and skill of which even the builders of the Pyramids might be proud-can still be pointed out. Nothing, therefore, could be more apt or significant than to represent Pharaoh as a great dragon, lying in the midst of his waters, and boasting of his river, and of his labours to extend its fertilising effects.

The desolation which was to come upon the land of Judea, and the destruction which was to fall upon the city of Jerusalem, will be better understood, in proportion to our acquaintance with the geography of that land, and the locality of that city. In reading what the Spirit hath said unto the churches, we can only enter into its full meaning, by knowing something of the original situation and subsequent history of these churches. And, in short, it is plain that the Prophetical and Historical passages of Scripture can only be properly understood by a knowledge of Sacred Geography. In reference to the Prophetical passages, this knowledge will often help us to distinguish between those prophecies which have been fulfilled, and those which are yet waiting for their accomplishment. It will thus save us from being distracted by the cry of "Lo, here! or Lo, there!" and prevent us from falling into the unhappy position of the Jews, who stretch out their hands towards a part of the heavens which is for ever closed, and continue to cry for a deliverance which has come and been neglected by them. In reference, again, to prophecies which really remain to be accomplished, it is of primary importance to know the geographical position and limits of the countries, or the parties to which such prophecies refer. If we look in Ethiopia for what is to happen in India, we shall look in vain. If we refer to Mahometanism what belongs to Popery, we are mistaking Mecca for the mystic Babylon, and confounding the Cross with the Crescent. In watching the signs of the times-in discerning the face of the prophetical sky which is stretched over us, we must distinguish between the burden of Dumah, and the burden of Damascus-between the burden of the Desert of the Sea, and the burden of the Valley of Vision; and, by our knowledge of Sacred Geography, distribute into their respective places those dark clouds which are hanging heavy with judgment over this fore-doomed earth.

It may not, at first sight, appear very plain how a knowledge of Sacred

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Geography is necessary and useful towards the right and full understanding of the Moral and Practical parts of Scripture. But when it is considered that Geography, in a large and liberal interpretation of the term, comprehends not only a knowledge of the different quarters and divisions of our globe, but also an acquaintance with the natural appearances and productions of the several countries, and of the laws and government, manners and customs, of the inhabitants, it will be seen that a knowledge of these things may be very useful towards understanding the precepts of morality. In teaching moral and practical truths, the teacher must make his appeals to the ordinary feelings and associations of those whom he more immediately addresses; and his illustrations and allusions must be taken from the scenes and circumstances in which they are placed; so that it is plain that a knowledge of all these things will conduce much towards the right understanding and the full impression of the truths to be inculcated. Indeed, as the language of Scripture in general is accommodated to the associations and feelings of those to whom it was, in the first instance, addressed, a knowledge of the principles and peculiarities upon which these associations and feelings are founded will be useful towards the right understanding of Scripture in general. But an acquaintance with the manners and customs referred to is peculiarly necessary towards a full understanding of the Moral and Practical parts of Scripture. These manners and customs are so different from our own, and they are so frequently referred to in the Practical parts of Scripture, that if we be ignorant of them, we cannot feel the true nor full impression of the precept. In reading the Book of Proverbs, or the Book of Ecclesiastes, we cannot fail to be struck by the constantly recurring allusions to the customs and manners, the plants and animals, the productions and appearances, of an Oriental clime; and the force and point of many of the lessons which these books contain must be lost to those who are ignorant of these things. Many of the expostulations and reproofs of the Prophets are couched in terms equally full of such Oriental allusions and idioms. The Parable, too, is altogether Oriental. This mode of communicating instruction was very much employed by our Saviour. And when he spoke in Parables, these Parables were generally founded upon something in the manners of the people, or the customs of the country, or the occurrences of the day. Now, it is peculiar to this mode of instruction, that the point or moral of the whole Parable may depend upon the right understanding of a single word or phrase; and if that be misinterpreted, the whole will seem dark and enigmatical, or lead to erroneous and inapplicable conclusions. The Parables of the sower who went forth to sow, of the husbandman who planted a vineyard, of the householder who hired labourers, of the king who made a marriage for his son, and of the master who entrusted different talents to his servants, require a considerable acquaintance with Eastern manners and customs, fully