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tude and grandeur which overwhelms the human um derstanding.

To explore, more extensively, the region of the starry firmament; to mark the changes that are taking place: to ascertain all the changeable stars; to determine the periodical variations of their light; the revolutions of double and triple stars; and the motions, and other phenomena peculiar to these great bodies, will furnish employment for future enlightened generations: and will perhaps, form a part of the studies and investigations of superior intelligences, in a higher sphere of existence, during an indefinite lapse of ages.

If every one of these immense bodies be a SUN, equal or superior to ours, and encircled with a host of planetary worlds, as we have every reason to conclude, how vast must be the extent of Creation! how numerous the worlds and beings which exist within its boundless range! and how great, beyond all human or angelic conception, must be the Power and Intelligence of that glorious Being, who called this system from nothing into existence, and continually superintends all its movements! The mind is bewildered and confounded when it attempts to dwell on this subject; it feels the narrow limits of its present faculties; it longs for the powers of a seraph, to enable it to take a more expansive flight into those regions which "eye hath not seen;" and, while destitute of these, and chained down to this obscure corner of creation, it can only exclaim, in the language of inspiration, "Who can by searching find out God?-Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite!-Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty!Who can utter the mighty acts of Jehovah, who can show forth all his praise!"

(To be continued.)

ADVERSITY.

Adversity has ever been considered as the state in which a man most easily becomes acquainted with himself; and this effect it must produce, by withdraw. ing flatterers, whose business it is to hide our weak.

nesses from us; or by giving loose to malice, and license to reproach; or at least, by cutting off those pleasures which call us away from meditation on our own conduct, and repressing that pride which too easily persuades us that we merit whatever we enjoy.

HISTORICAL AND PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY LAND-No. VII.

LAKES, SEAS, &c.

Of the LAKES mentioned in the Scriptures, two are particularly worthy of notice; that of Gennesareth, and the lake of Sodom, both of which are termed seas agreeably to the Hebrew phraseology, which gives the name of sea to any large body of water.

The SEA OF GALILEE, through which the Jordan flows, was anciently called the Sea of Chinnereth (Numb. xxxiv. 11,) or Cinneroth (Josh. xii. 3.) from its vicinity to the town of that name; afterwards Genesar (1 Mac. xi. 67.), and in the time of Jesus Christ Genesareth or Gennezareth (Luke v. 1.), from the neighbouring land of the same name (Matt. xiv. 34. Mark xv. 53.); and also the sea of Tiberias (John vi. 1. xxi. 1.), from the contiguous city of Tiberias. The waters of this lake are very sweet, and abound with fish; this circumstance marks the propriety of our Lord's parable of the net cast into the sea (Matt. xiii. 47-49.), near the shore. Pliny states this lake to be sixteen miles in length by six miles in breadth. D. E. Clarke, by whom it was visited rather more than twenty years since, describes it as longer and finer than the Cumberland and Westmoreland lakes, although it yields in majesty to the stupendous features of Loch Lomond in Scotland: like the Windemere, the lake of Gennezareth is often greatly agitated by winds. (Matt. viii. 23-27.)

Dr.

The LAKE OR SEA OF SODOM, or the DEAD SEA, is about 72 English miles in length, and nearly 19 in breadth. It was anciently called in the Scriptures the Sea of the Plain (Deut. iii. 17. iv. 49.), being situated in a valley with a plain lying to the south of it; the Salt Sea (Deut. iii. 17. Josh. xv. 5.), from the ex

tremely saline, bitter, and nauseous taste of its waters; the Salt Sea eastward (Numb. xxxiv. 3.) and the East Sea (Ezek. xlvii. 18. Joel ii. 20.) By Josephus and other writers it is called the lake Asphaltites, from the abundance of bitumen found in it; and also the Dead Sea, from ancient traditions, erroneously though generally received, that no living creature can exist in its stagnant and sulphureous waters. Here formerly stood the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, which, with two other cities of the plain, were consumed by fire from heaven to this destruction there are numerous allusions in the Scriptures.

Beside the preceding rivers and lakes, the Scriptures mention several Fountains and Wells: of these the most remarkable are the fountain or pool of Siloam and Jacob's Well.

SILOAM was a fountain under the walls of Jerusalem, east, between the city and the brook Kedron: it is supposed to be the same as the fountain En-Rogel, or the Fuller's Fountain. (Josh. xv. 7. and xviii. 16. 2 Sam. xvii. 17. and 1 Kings i. 9.) "The spring issues from a rock, and runs in a silent stream, according to the testimony of Jeremiah."

JACOB'S WELL or fountain is situated at a small distance from Sichem or Shechem, also called Sychar, and at present Napolose: it was the residence of Jacob before his sons slew the Shechemites. It has been visited by pilgrims of all ages, but especially by Christians, to whom it has become an object of veneration from the memorable discourse of our Saviour with the woman of Samaria. (John iv. 5—30.)

In our own time it is the custom for the oriental women, particularly those who are unmarried, to fetch water from the wells, in the mornings and evenings; at which times they go forth adorned with their trinkets. This will account for Rebecca's fetching water (Gen. xxiv. 15,) and will farther prove that there was no impropriety in Abraham's servant presenting her with more valuable jewels than those she had before on her hands. (Gen. xxiv, 22—47.)

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VILLAGE IN THE VALLEY OF ADJELOON.

We halted at the house of a christian Arab at Adjeloon; and as our host, Yakoobe, had come with us from Curfr Injey thus far, the priest of the village called together all the christians who were in the neighbourhood to meet us. It appeared that at Curfr Injey there were only four christians among all its inhaitants, at Anjerah ten, at Ain-Jerrah fifteen, and at this place, Adjeloon, twenty. They have a small room here which is appropriated to worship, and on Sundays and feast days they have the occasional visits of the other villagers to add to their congregation. There are about 400 inhabitants in each of the three former villages, and 200 in this, which, however, must have been once the largest place of the whole, judging from the extent of the ruined dwellings around it, and particularly on its northern side.

We left Adjeloon about ten o'clock, and after ascending a narrow valley to the northward, inclining easterly, entered into a fine forest of sinjan trees, where, after an hour's journeying, we passed over a spot covered with the vestiges of former buildings, walls, and streets, though now entirely overgrown with shrubs and trees. This spot is called by the people of the country Belled-el-Yosh, or the country or place of Joshua, probably referring to that leader's bidding the sun to stand still upon Gibeon, and the moon in the valley of Aja.

lon (Josh. x. 12;) this valley of " Adjeloon," as it is now pronounced, through which we had come, and on the skirts of which the ruins spoken of are placed, being undoubtedly the same with the valley of Ajalon named in the scriptures.-Buckingham's Travels among the Arab Tribes.

FORM OF

ANCIENT

BOOKS AND SCROLLS, PARTICULARLY THOSE MENTIONED IN THE SCRIPTURE.

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We present our readers with the form of an ancient book, as held with both hands by a young man, who is supposed to be reading it with great earnestness. It is probably meant for some serious treatise. The form of the page, and the direction of the separating column

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