and the expositions of them are much more so. One of our late divines removes all obscurity, by giving this general sense: "When men began to multiply on earth.... the CHIEF MEN-took them wives of all the handsome POOR women... whom they chose. There were TYRANTS in the earth in those days. (And also after the ANTEDILUVIAN days, POWERFUL MEN had criminal conversation with INFERIOR WOMEN, and the children who sprang from this illicit commerce, were the renowned HEROES of whom the heathens made their gods.")-Sons of Elohim, are vicious sons of POWERFUL men. Daughters of Adam, the modest, beautiful, daughters of the poor. ― Giants, TYRANTS, madmen-men of renown, HEROES.-Wall, in Robinson's Claude.

Genesis, ix. 4. But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. Leviticus, xvii. 10. And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people.

The custom among the Arabs, of cutting steaks from a living animal, with other such barbarities mentioned by Bruce, gives additional force to the prohibition against eating blood, at least during the institution of sacrifices. In Acts xv. 20, 21, the interdict, standing on the footing of eating things sacrificed to idols, 1 Cor. viii. 1-9, which is shewn by the Apostle to be a thing in itself indifferent, but to be forborne on its giving offence to a converted person, 1 Cor. x. 28, seems founded on tenderness to well-meaning Jews. See Dodd. Lect. Prop. 174. sc. 1.

Genesis, ix. 23-25. And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness. And

Noah awoke from his

wine, and knew what his younger son And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.

had done unto him.

Doubtless Noah's prophecy relates chiefly to the posterity of his three sons: nevertheless, what Bishop Newton says by way of relieving the difficulty in this passage, arising from the change of Ham to Canaan, appears to be as probable an opinion as any. The Arabic, says he, has, the Father of Canaan; and some copies of the Septuagint have Ham. Metrically, the words Ham abi are considered by the best critics in Hebrew poetry necessary to fill the verse. May we not suppose, therefore, that the copyist by mistake wrote only Canaan, instead of Ham the father of Canaan?

Genesis, xii. 13. Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister; that it may be well with me for thy sake: and my soul shall live because of thee.-Genesis, xx. 13. And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt show unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.-Solomon's Song, v. 1. I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse.

Among christians several words of the kindred class are not confined to their strict application;-and probably the usages of the Jews set the example. It seems more than intimated from Solomon's Song, that sister was one of the usual names of the bride. Hence the equivocalness of the appellative is glanced at by Abimelech, who to Sarah sarcastically styles Abraham her brother. Moses, in Levit. xviii. 18, (see margin,) by sister, meant another wife while the former was alive, but the double meaning of the word induced the Jews to restrict it to a sister by blood; and hence their pretext for polygamy. Abraham in two cases, and Isaac, betrayed a want of confidence in divine protection in the way of duty; but the more extended application of the word sister than prevails with us, should moderate their fault in

the eye of candour. We find terms denoting kindred, used to express endearment, by superiors to inferiors, as when Egypt's prime-minister, Joseph, said to Benjamin, God be gracious unto thee, my son, Gen. xliii. 29: and Christ says to the man sick of the palsy, Mark ii. 5, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. Inferiors we find, in critical junctures, using an appellative to superiors which couched the bighest reverence in a familiar expression,-as when Elisha exclaims, seeing Elijah ascend, 2 Kings ii. 12, My father, my father!-and the servants of Naaman, when entreating him to obey the prophet, 2 Kings v. 13, said, My father.-Something of the kind prevails, perhaps, in all countries. Grandfather and grandmother, are terms very generally applied by the Cingalese, to the aged.

Genesis, xii. 14, 15. And it came to pass, that when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman, that she was very fair. The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house .......

Strange as it may seem in Europe, that a miracle should be necessary to convince Pharaoh and Abimelech of their criminality in detaining Sarah, they acted in conformity with the custom of confining women in harams till at least the death of the king.

Genesis, xiv. 14. And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.-Genesis, xv. 2. And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus.-Gen. xxx. 1. Rachel said, Give me children, or else I die.

Eliezer, a native of Damascus, had been purchased as a slave by Abraham; and behaved so well, that his master giving him his liberty, made him his steward. The original, "child of the house," pro

perly rendered steward, has perplexed critics, but the same title is used by the Mamlouks. The people of India display much anxiety to obtain children; and frequently make offerings to their deities with that view.-Many perplexities in families are prevented by marriages celebrated after baptism by a person duly authorized; and candidates for admission into the Christian Church, are often discovered to possess no higher view than temporal interest. A Cingalese woman strongly expressing her wish to be baptized, a Missionary asked her the reason. That I may be married and bear children, was her candid reply.

Genesis, xxi. 25. And Abraham reproved Abimelech, because of a well of water, which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away.-Genesis, xxvi. 20. And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac's herdmen, saying, The water is ours: and he called the name of the well Esek, because they strove with him. See also Numbers, xx. 17-19.--Lamentations, v. 4.-Nehemiah, iv. 23. Margin, every one went with his weapon for water.-Matt. x. 42.

These passages denote the extreme value of water in warm climates, which is often paid for, and frequently unprocurable. Numbers xxi. 17, 18, is alluded to in a letter from a Missionary in the interior of South Africa. He says, the heat far exceeded any thing he had experienced in India-that no water could be procured, but by digging-that the party and the oxen had to drink what little sprung up, muddy as it was, and wait till another quantity could be dipped. Now, the anxiety of the multitude under Moses in such circumstances, might naturally be expressed in the manner described by the sacred historian. On passing through the village of Werteltivoe, on my way from Jaffna to Colombo, I observed the people dipping water out of pits large at top, but containing a small pool at bottom. Cocoanut shells answered the purpose. The water along that part of the country is bad, and in the dry sea

sons extremely scarce. When I passed, there had been little rain for some years, and a bottle of good water, where it could be procured, I found a most seasonable refreshment.-While writing, the recollection strongly reminds me of Jer. xiv. 3.

Genesis, xxiii. 16. And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant.

Abraham's use of the scales is no proof that money was not stamped. In Syria, Egypt, and Turkey, money is still weighed. With the merchant, is probably to be understood, with the cashier, or Shroof of the Cutcherry, or public office, a character well known throughout the East.

Genesis, xxiv. 4. But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.-Joshua, xv. 16. And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjath-sepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife.

Parents every where in India employ their influence and authority in seeking consorts for their children, always from the same caste, and commonly from among relations. A young person of either sex is supposed to have no choice in the business.

Genesis, xxiv. 60. And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.

The Cingalese, in uttering their benedictions on the bride, particularly express their wish that she should have a male child, become the mother of many children, live many years, and be born in high life at her next transmigration.