the accuracy of his former views on this subject, and shows a leaning to the opinion of Dr Robinson. The same hypothesis has been lately warmly defended by Professor Lepsius,* of Berlin; but his argument appears to us in the highest degree forced, and out of harmony with the sacred narrative. Dr Wilson, in his "Lands of the Bible," supports the claims of Jebel Musa as the Sinai of scripture. But we cannot regard his reasoning otherwise than as unsatisfactory and inconclusive. He admits that the Wady Er Rahah is the valley in which "Israel camped before the mount," and he is forced to admit that from this place the top of Jebel Musa is wholly concealed; yet the narrative clearly intimates that the people did see the summit of Sinai from the spot where they stood. He argues, indeed, in support of his hypothesis, that when Moses and Joshua, in coming down from the mount, drew near to the camp, they heard the shout of the people in their idolatrous worship. From this he infers, that they were at some considerable distance before. But here the Doctor's facts are destructive of his arguments. He states that his companion and himself, while the one was standing on Jebel Musa, and the other on Jebel Sufsafeh, "could distinctly hear the call of one another from the respective heights on which they stood." Now, if the voice of one person could be heard from the summit, would not the shout of the whole camp of Israel be easily heard at Mount Moses from the northern base of Horeb ? And then what becomes of the argument derived from the incident referred to, which proceeds too on the gratuitous assumption, that the people had been shouting before, but were not heard by their leader till he neared the camp; whereas, for all that appears from the history, it was the first cry of the

*A Tour from Thebes to the Peninsula of Sinai, by Professor R. Lepsius, Berlin.

multitude, which reached his ears in his descent from the mount? Besides, if Jebel Musa was Sinai, and if the people were encamped in the valley Er Rahah, what need was there for the strict injunction, "Thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about; take heed unto yourselves that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it;"—since in this case, between them and Jebel Musa there lay a space of nearly three miles, and also the intervening mountain of Sufsafeh, hiding the summit of Sinai entirely from their view?

For these reasons we fully acquiesce in the view so ably defended by Dr Robinson, that Mount Sufsafeh is the Sinai of Scripture. The following is an extract from this distinguished traveller's description of the sacred scene:-"Here the interior and loftier peaks of the great circle of Sinai began to open upon us-black, ragged, desolate summits, and, as we advanced, the dark frowning front of Sinai (the present Horeb of the monks), began to appear. As we advanced, the valley still opened wider and wider, with a gentle ascent, and became full of shrubs and tufts of herbs, shut in on each side by lofty granite ridges, with ragged shattered peaks, a thousand feet high; while the face of Horeb rose directly before us. Both my companion and myself involuntarily exclaimed-Here is room enough for a large encampment! Reaching the top of the ascent or water-shed, a fine broad plain lay before us, enclosed by ragged and venerable mountains of dark granite, stern, naked, splintered peaks, and ridges of indescribable grandeur; and terminated at the distance of more than a mile by the bold and awful front of Horeb, rising perpendicularly in frowning majesty from twelve to fifteen hundred feet in height, and one can approach quite to the foot and touch the mount. As we crossed the plain, our feelings were strongly

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affected at finding here so unexpectedly a spot so entirely adapted to the scriptural narrative of the giving of the law. We measured across the plain, and estimated the whole at two geographical miles long, and ranging in breadth from one third to two thirds of a mile; or as equivalent to a surface of at least one square mile. We determined to scale the almost inaccessible peak of Sufsafeh before us, in order to look out on the plain and judge for ourselves as to the adaptedness of this part of the mount to the circumstances of the scriptural history. This cliff rises some five hundred feet above the basin, and the distance to the summit is more than a mile. extreme difficulty, and even danger of the ascent, was well rewarded by the prospect that now opened before us. The whole plain Er Rahah spread out beneath our feet. Our conviction was strengthened that here, or on some one of the adjacent cliffs, was the spot where the Lord ascended in fire,' and proclaimed the law. Here lay the plain where the whole congregation might be assembled; here was the mount that might be approached and touched, if not forbidden; and here the mountain brow where the lightnings and thick cloud would alone be visible, and the thunders and the voice of the trump be heard, when the Lord down in the sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai.'

came

This scene was most appropriate for the purpose for which it was chosen of God. Here he was to set apart Israel to be a peculiar people to himself, and he leads them away from the crowd of the great world into the rocky solitude of the " gray topped" mountains, where a temple was raised by his own hand, sublimely adapted for publishing his law. Here he intended to inspire the tribes with reverence for himself, and with a conviction of their dangers as sinners; and the voice of thunder

exceeding loud, and the sight of Sinai wrapt in smoke and flame, struck the whole multitude with trembling, so that they implored a mediator to stand between them and the Holy One. It was in these solemn circumstances that the eternal law of heaven was proclaimed, and as from Sinai Jehovah revealed the necessity of Calvary, so in the first words he uttered on the mount burning with fire, he declared the mercy of the cross, through which he pardons the guilty believing in his Son. "I am," says He, "the Lord thy God,"-discoursing on which gracious words Ebenezer Erskine gives to his sermon this truthful title, "A Treasure of Gospel Grace digged out of Mount Sinai."

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We now transport our readers across the great wilderness through which Israel journeyed, to the dwelling of Esau in Mount Seir, and especially to the far-famed Petra, the ancient capital of Idumea. mountains, in the midst of which this renowned city lies hidden, rise up from the eastern border of the Arabah, the deep valley extending from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Akabah. Immediately above this valley, an outskirt of low hills of limestone forms the base of the mountain range. Above and beyond these are lofty masses of dark porphyry, with high pointed cliffs, constituting the body of the mountain. Above these are irregular ridges of sandstone; and further, and higher than all, are long elevated ridges of limestone, to the east of which stretches the high plain of the Great Desert. The height of the porphyry cliffs above the Arabah is estimated at about 2000 feet; the elevation of the Wady Musa above the same is about 2200 feet; and the limestone ridges further back may not be less than 3000 feet. The entire breadth of the mountain range, between the Arabah and the eastern desert, is about twenty or twentyfive miles. The whole aspect of this region is less barren than the moun

tains on the west; while many tracks of country embraced in it are so abundant in fertility, as to afford striking illustration of the fulfilment of the promise made to Esau-“ Behold! thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above."

It is in the Wady Musa, in this Mount Seir, where the ruins of the ancient Petra are now seen. The length of the valley in which the city lies, measures from north to south nearly a mile; its breadth is nearly half a mile. On the east and west, it is skirted by precipitous rocks, rising to the height of from 200 to 1000 feet; but on the north and south they are much lower, and afford, through ravines between them, two entrances to the city. The ancient and principal entrance, however, was from the east, by the Wady es Sik; a deep and narrow defile of more than a mile long, and coursed by a pretty rivulet, which flows westward through the city. Passing along this gorge, with a perpendicular wall of rock on either side, we come to its mouth, where, on the western precipice, the splendid façade of the Khuzneh bursts on the view; which, with its noble Corinthian pillars, and gorgeous entablature supported by them, forms the most exquisitely beautiful object in this scene of wonders. Beyond this, in the bend of the Wady which turns to the north, stands the theatre, cut out of the rock, capable of containing four thousand persons. Further on, the site of the city itself opens fully to the view. The principal public buildings seem to have occupied the banks of the rivulet. Not far from the centre of the valley, are seen the remains of what appears to have been a triumphal arch, under which are three passages, and a number of pedestals and columns. A little to the west of this stands a sumptuous edifice, called "Pharaoh's House;" an imposing ruin of nearly thirty-four

paces square. Near to these, other piles of ruins, columns, and hewn stones lie scattered on the ground, indicating the magnificence of the ancient city, as well as the power exerted in its utter overthrow. These vestiges of former strength and grandeur cover an area of not less than two miles in circumference, affording room enough, in an oriental city, for containing 40,000 inhabitants.

The most remarkable spectacle, however, in this wonderful spot, is the numerous excavations, hewn out of the rock, in the front of the mountain around the valley. Whether these were formed for temples or human dwellings, or, as is most probable, for tombs of the dead, they cannot but surprise every observer by their vast number, and the incredible labour with which they must have been constructed. Besides occupying the entire face of the mountain by which the city is encompassed, they cover the whole front of the precipitous rocks in the ravines, which branch out on all sides. They are seen rising, one above another, on the side of the cliffs all around; and steps cut in the rock, now much worn by time, led in all directions to these mysterious receptacles, some of which are not less than 400 feet above the valley. A most striking and almost magical effect is given to these wonderful excavations, by the great variety of colours in the rocks in which they are formed. Many of them are thus adorned with the most lovely and brilliant hues. Red, purple, black, white, deep azure, and bright yellow are all blended together, so as to form the most charming variety of colouring; as brilliant as is observed in the colouring of flowers, or when the sky is illuminated with a glorious sunset. The splendour of these wonders of art, with their tall columns and graceful corridors glowing in the beams of an eastern sun, is a scene of beauty and grandeur to which no description can do adequate

justice. It is a spectacle of wonder and brilliancy on which every traveller of taste and observation dwells with rapture, and receives from it impressions which will be effaced only at death."

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Such, now, is the once renowned "Selah, the city of the rock." For the violence of Edom against the children of Jacob, and "because they pursued their brother with the sword, casting off all pity," Petra, the fortress of their pride, was doomed to desolation.-See Jer. xlix. 7, 16-18; Ezek. xxxv; Obad. 3-16. The wasting judgments thus denounced have been all most signally and literally accomplished; yet, how and when the capital of Edom was destroyed, no history informs us. This circumstance itself is a striking proof of the desolation which prophets foretold; and another remarkable illustration of the same thing is found in the extraordinary fact, that the very site of Petra remained unknown from the sixth century, till Burchardt discovered its ruins in the year 1812. Yea, at the present day, in the tenantless solitude of the valley where it stood, that is brought to pass which is written," There shall no man dwell there, neither shall a son of man sojourn there." Yet we look for days when the reign of gospel grace shall remove the curse from this dwelling of Edom; for " the desert and its towns shall raise their voice, the valleys that Kedar inhabiteth; the inhabitants of Selah shall sing, from the summits of the mountains shall they shout."*

We can add only a few words on the south border of Canaan. Dr Robinson rendered most important aid towards the settlement of this boundary, when he stated so very clear and convincing reasons for regarding Ain el Weibeh as the position of Kadesh-barnea. From this

* Isa. xlii. 11. Dr Henderson's Translation.

conclusion Dr Wilson has dissented; but we fear he must adduce a better argument than a vague allusion to a confessedly dark prophecy, before he persuade any careful reader of the scripture narrative that Kadesh-barnea lay to the west of Thamar! In opposition to this untenable hypothesis, we hold, according to the reasons stated by Robinson, that Kadesh was situated at Ain el Weibeh; and here we have a starting-point for fixing, with considerable certainty, the south border of the Land of Promise. These are the words of the sacred historian, as rendered by the learned Dr Geddes ::-"The southwest corner of your southern boundary shall be where the wilderness of Zin toucheth on the border of Edom; so that your southern boundary shall run eastward from the outmost point of the Salt Sea, and, winding about the south side of the heights of Akrabbim, shall pass on to Zin; thence, extending to the south of Kadesh-barnea, it shall pass on to Hasar-addar, and thence to Azmon ; from Azmon the boundary_shall wind about to the torrent of Egypt, and terminate at the Great Sea."Num. xxxiv. 3-5. According to the view, then, just given of Kadesh, the boundary line stretched across the wilderness, at a considerable distance to the south of the Dead Sea, till it reached the Mediterranean at the River of Egypt,-perhaps the present Wady el Arish. This large track of country furnished the people in the south with valuable pasture for their flocks; and, besides, it gave them on their weakest frontier an extensive open region, to which, maintaining their right, they would be enabled to prevent enemies from establishing themselves near their cultivated fields and populous cities. So cared for, and brought into the possession of the heathen, how well might Israel sing, "He chooseth out for us the lot of our inheritance?"

W. R.

Ir is a correct definition which Dr Wardlaw gives of church power, when he says, that "whether vested in the office-bearers alone, or in them and the people conjointly, it is solely judicial and executive; that is, it is the power of judging of the application of existing laws to particular cases, and of carrying into effect the law's punitive and corrective sentences."-P. 313. In a preceding part of these strictures, we have seen how that Dr Wardlaw, while he asserts, with more than ordinary warmth, that in the Independent churches all the people are not rulers-yet maintains, with apparent inconsistency, that church power is lodged in the people as well as in the office-bearers; for he declares that, according to the Independent form of church polity, the government of each church "is to be conducted, not by the office-bearers alone as its representatives, but by the office-bearers and congregation conjointly." Nay, according to the doctrine which he teaches, the people seem to possess a higher degree of church power than even the pastor himself; for he says, that "it is their right and their duty to judge his administration by the laws of Christ." He further admits, that "the church, taken collectively, may differ from its pastor or pastors respecting the application of the law of Christ :"and, in this case, the church power exercised by the people, will, as a matter of course, be paramount.

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Such a mode as this of conducting the government of the church would require to be supported by very decided authority from Scripture; for it apparently runs counter to certain exhortations, addressed by the apostles to the members of churches: such, for instance, as those contained in Heb. xiii. 7, "Obey them that

have the rule over you, and submit yourselves; for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account." In reference to the statements contained in this verse, if the question were asked at Dr Wardlaw,-Who are the persons that “have the rule” in an Independent church? he would answer-the pastor, or pastors, according as there might be one or more. And were it to be asked,Who are those that are enjoined to "obey," and to "submit" themselves? he would reply—the people or congregation. Were a third question proposed-What is the kind of obedience and submission which the members of Independent churches are required to give to their pastors? he would say (as he has said, p. 320)-" The pastors have no wish for the power to apply and execute the laws that exist, independently of the concurrence of their brethren. They have no wish for this; because they believe that with such authority Christ has not invested any man, or any body of men."

He would further say (as he has said, p. 318),-" The submission enjoined is submission to the presiding and directing pastor or pas tors, as the divinely authorized organ, by whom in each case the law of Christ is to be pointed out, and, with the concurrent judgment and voice of the church, to be carried into execution."

In reference to the passages now quoted, I would ask,—Does my friend mean to affirm, that concurrence on the part of the people is all that is enjoined on them by the apostle, when he says, in the text above mentioned, "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves?" If Dr Wardlaw answer this question in the negative, then why does he tell us that the pastors (or official rulers) of