never could have realized. We are not to think that facts of experimental discovery are more real, because they may be in a certain sense more tangible to us. The discoveries of revelation are quite as real, though further off from our grasp and they have a reality of their own, because they express science in its ideal truth, its truth that is as existing in the mind of the Creator. As when one sees an army drawn up for military movements, the mind forms a truthful conception of its arrangements, but an inadequate onė, being only able to describe the bearings of the various regiments as seen in section, whereas the mind of the General includes a larger area of considerables, and sees the whole army spread over it as in a ground-plan, so the Divine delineations of science are quite as real, quite as tangible, as our profoundest calculations, although perhaps from their very truthfulness, much more simple than our incomplete descriptions. Therefore, in considering the subject-matter of the Bible, it is of the utmost consequence to let it speak for itself, and to consider well the real extent of its assertions, before we attempt to assert that such or such a point is the point of contact with external departments of knowledge.

It is important to remember the peculiar character of the Bible, as being one complete book, and yet at the same time a collection of many independent books. There is a unity making the whole one, and there is a totality in each of its component parts. On this account it is very necessary to be attentive to the immediate object of each book in itself, and also to its relation to the whole scheme of revelation. Many students of the Bible doubtless miss the real profit which various passages were intended to convey, from an anxiety to review them in connection and harmony, as it is called, with other parts of the Bible, instead of considering them well in themselves, as independent expressions of the counsel of GOD. The various portions were published at the first for separate objects. If when we bring them together we find what seems to us like discrepancy between the various parts, doubtless we are safe in assuming that one intention of this was just to make us pause, to make us weigh each part well by itself, to make us careful not to systematize the different sections, lest they may become crystallized and petrified, but to learn humbly what GOD teaches in the exact way in which He teaches it, and to bear with the difficulties in which our state of ignorance involves us.

Just as in the case of the relation of the Bible to experimental science, so in this other case of the relation of the various parts of the Bible to each other, we must be careful to take the word of GOD as it is written, before our improved editions of it. But on the other hand, in both cases it is of importance that we should bring all the external helps we can get to the understanding of every passage. Thus it is of the highest moment that we should search into the book of nature and see how it illustrates the written word of VOL. XVIII.

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GOD, and this not, as perhaps too many do, merely with a view to the baneful work of controversy, but for the pure ends of intelligent devotion. In like manner we shall find the study of parallel passages of Scripture collected from various books of the Bible, a most helpful supplement to the understanding of each one. Of course when Scripture is thus spoken of as its own interpreter, we must understand Scripture itself, and not any version of Scripture. In fact, the popular concordances based upon versions of Scripture are quite as likely to mislead as to guide aright. It may frequently be quite impossible to transfuse into the version of two passages that particular phase of idea which in the original constitutes a real bond of union and channel of mutual elucidation; and again, the necessities of another language may as often cause the fortuitous appearance of similarity between passages which in the original text were no way allied. But no real student of the Bible can fail to be struck by the frequent repetition of phrases in different books, and sometimes under circumstances which at first sight appear utterly incongruous. This is of course a matter of Divine appointment, and it is for us to notice such recurrent phrases, just as in the realm of natural science we should catalogue recurrent phænomena. It would be not an uninteresting form for a commentary to assume, which a concordance would supply. Words grow in their meaning, as they gather near the great mystery of the Incarnation, and thus books of later date furnish a key to the phraseology of the earlier. When we come to the New Testament we see how a language of doctrine suddenly arises up like the birds in spring, which presently developes into the full theology of the Church, and lives on in the affiliated wreaths of the devotional writers of Christendom.

The New Testament sets before us the manifestation of CHRIST. The great work of the Old Testament is to prepare the way for His coming. The history of the Jews is important for this reason, and for this reason only, because " of them as concerning the flesh CHRIST came." The Gospels strike as it were their roots into the ancient history by the genealogies of S. Matthew and S. Luke. When then we find any individual having a special place assigned to him in the Old Testament, we may safely regard the notice as a shadow of Him that was to come. Thus S. Paul calls our attention to the mysterious appearance of Melchizedek, the great High Priest, to whom reference is made in the subsequent promises of David. As Melchizedek sets our LORD before us in His Priestly character, so does Job set Him before us in His character of the great Victim, Who nevertheless, after His passion, "saw of the travail of His soul and was satisfied." Joshua points to Him as the great Captain of our Salvation. David upon his throne, bears the mysterious tokens of the King of the Jews, Who was to reign upon the Cross, and the promises of a son who should build the Temple of the

LORD, were not adequately fulfilled in Solomon, but linger on until prophets should tell of another Son of David, Who was to "build His stones in the Heavens," Who afterwards spake to His Apostles of the Church which He would build, that the gates of Hell should not prevail against it. In these more prominent instances we see the tokens of the general law of the Old Testament history, that as all good comes to man through CHRIST, so all the good that is in any way mentioned, is in some degree a type, because it is a ray shining in those dark places from the Incarnate good and Holy One which was to come. As He is the great Mediator between GOD and man, so all the intercourse between earth and heaven was rendered possible, as it were by His touch, some light breaking upon those ancient devotions and impressing upon them the stamp of His Passion. So again all evil, all enmity against the good, is only the beginning of the fiend's great assault. The whole volume then, whether in biography, or in history, or in ceremonial law, or in devout breathings of the sin-worn soul, is but an extended commentary upon the primeval prophecy," He shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel." This is the one subject which gives the unity to the collected volume of the Bible. Upon the great cataract of the world's history as it sinks into the abyss of the forgotten past, the Bible rests as a bright bow of many colours, but that which gives unity and permanence to the evanescent form is the light which shines upon it from the Sun of Righteousness. This then must be remembered as the one subject of Holy Scripture, the Incarnation of our LORD JESUS CHRIST.

The two points then to which we must specially pay attention, are, first, that throughout the whole Bible GOD Himself is the speaker, and secondly, that the subject matter of the whole Bible is the Incarnation of our LORD JESUS CHRIST. The whole is summed up in the words of S. John: "This is the witness of GOD, which He hath testified of His SON."

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If we are really attentive to this twofold consideration, we shall at once see how entirely the study of Holy Scripture is to be a matter of devotion. If this were borne in mind, we should scarcely hear the levity with which much of the Old Testament is often quoted. should scarcely hear the condescending patronage with which Scripture is often praised or vindicated, if men realised its sacredness in all its parts, as having relation to CHRIST. What is evil in the history is doubtless often surprising to us, but why is this? Is it more surprising than the mystery of the Passion? If then we believe the struggle between good and evil in the people of GOD to find its culminating point in the agony of the Son of GOD, we shall not wonder if GOD could see and praise the hidden faith in many a struggle where we can only see the marring processes of the evil one. The first thing then to be avoided in the study of Holy Scripture is a captious, world-judging spirit. The first thing to be cultivated is a sense of mystery.

One great difficulty meets us here, namely, that although we may intend to use Scripture devotionally, we must get up the knowledge of its contents as would do with any other book. This teaches us a further lesson. Intellect itself needs to be sanctified. Even the knowledge of God's works in Nature is not to be sought but with reverent spirits. The great means of sanctifying the intellect is doubtless that which GOD has provided for us, the reverent investigation of the revealed word in which He Himself

meets us.

It should therefore be laid down, as a first rule, by all who would use their Bibles aright, that they will always use some prayer before studying Holy Scripture, whatever the purpose of their study may be. We may especially mention the valuable old prayer, "LORD, let not Thy Word be to my condemnation, as having been heard by me but not kept, known but not obeyed, believed but not loved!"

It is a very desirable practice also to read some of God's Word daily kneeling, with an effort of the mind to hear God speaking. In days when it is so common to hear men using God's Word for the mere gratification of their own self-will in controversy, it is especially important that we strive to cultivate the habit of hearing with humility the voice of GOD speaking to us therein in love. Such a practice also is a great help towards realizing the continual movement of God's love towards us. It is of great moment for us to understand that the Bible is not merely a book sent into the world to be used anyhow, but that as a function of the Body of CHRIST it is the living Word of GOD in which GoD speaks to us with power according to our daily need.

We ought always to be thankful for any fresh light which kindles upon any passage, if it be in accordance with the analogy of faith. So if we can form any comprehensive ideas which help us to understand the bearing of the various parts of the Scripture upon each other, we ought to cherish them, remembering always not to let them become hard and dominant in our minds, lest they destroy the life of the separate parts and obscure other consistent relations. We may be quite sure that there are multitudes of harmonizing excellencies in the Word of GOD which pervade its whole system but escape our cognizance. While it is most desirable therefore to gain as much as we can of a philosophical habit of regarding the internal mechanism and proportions of Holy Writ, we must remember not to set up the image of our own minds as a dwarfed representation of the Divine Philosophy, for thus we may distort that which was true, and be hindered instead of helped by our contemplations.

Above all it must never be forgotten that practice is the end for which we are to read and pray. If people would at least strive to do some one thing with especial reference to the passage which they have been reading, they would learn first of all how little

their lives had been hitherto influenced by what they had read, and secondly, how much their lives might be influenced by it.

If GOD speaks to us in His Word, He does not speak that we may forget, but that we may obey. If GOD has been speaking to us, we must set it down to our own fault if what He has said seems to us not worth the hearing; and yet assuredly it is not worth the hearing unless it is to have some effect upon our after doings. Here then we see the great reason why Scripture is so little understood, and so little profitable. It is profitable to the man of GOD, but not to the man of sin. So far otherwise that it will in all probability be the very chiefest weapon which the man of sin will wield against the Church in the last days, to her wounding, it may be, because of her sins, but to his own discomfiture in the end. We see tokens of this day by day, in the way in which worldly minds even now "wrest the Scriptures to their own destruction." As then the great subject of Scripture is the Crucified SAVIOUR, so the only proper student of the Scripture is the penitent bowed in consciousness of his sin at the foot of the cross. The sins of the people of old caused the prophets to be deceived, and an impenitent heart will find even Scripture prophesying to it after its own idols. Our sins separate between us and GOD, but if we have realized this separation, with a contrite heart we may always look for the SAVIOUR'S presence and teaching in His own Word, and we should begin its study with that prayer upon our lips with which the volume itself closes,-"Even so, come, LORD JESUS!"

We have been led into these reflections upon the devotional study of Holy Scripture, by having to notice Mr. Barry's Introduction to the Old Testament. It breathes a religious tone throughout, and is the essay of a masculine mind fairly conversant with the controversies of modern science and literary criticism, but also, which is much better, penetrating with much ability into the undercurrent of deep lessons which is to be found indicated by the few facts which are on record concerning the portion of history included in his review. On one point, indeed, his mind seems to be somewhat warped by the congeniality of a class of writers whom he goes out of his way to praise. He evidently has no will to offend against the teaching of the Church, but his hesitation as to the propriety of saying that CHRIST "reconciled His FATHER to us" vitiates his review of the book of Job without his being probably aware of it. The book is upon the whole a very able and useful sketch of the principles involved in the earliest records of the human race. It is interesting in itself, but perhaps chiefly valuable as indicating what we may expect from its author in time to come.