country and on the Continent, have, at different times, directed their attention to this department, and favoured the religious world with occasional remarks, or formal treatises of great value. The voluminous works of the learned and indefatigable BOCHART, the Jewish Antiquities of IKENIUS and others, clearly prove how necessary and useful, in the estimation of Foreign divines, are writings of that kind to the Biblical student, and to every person who desires to obtain a full and accurate acquaintance with the records of inspiration. The celebrity which the Observations of HARMER, and the Oriental Customs of d BURDER, have recently acquired, leaves no room to doubt, that the friends of religious truth at home entertain the same views.

The mind of the writer has been long impressed with the necessity and advantage of applying the physical and moral circumstances of the East, to the exposition of the Scriptures. He is well aware, that this mode of interpretation may be carried too far. A glowing imagination may suggest a relation between some text of Scripture and an oriental custom, where none actually exists; but neither are the other methods of exposition exempt from danger. Critical acumen has but too frequently given a false view of the sacred text. It is readily granted, that an oriental phenomenon or custom, ought not to invade the province of genuine criticism, abridge her legitimate rights, and supersede the due exercise of her powers. It is only when she fails to elicit the meaning of a passage by the usual methods, or when some obscurity remains after all her exertions, which she is unable to remove, that the Biblical student may call for their assistance. They have a right to decide,

only when the other is mute, and to perfect what the other has been compelled to leave unfinished. When oriental circumstances are kept within their proper sphere, and applied with judgment and caution, it is humbly conceived, they may be of great utility in expounding the holy Scriptures.

In this conviction, the Author commenced a series of Lectures on the subject, to the Theological students under his charge, without the most remote idea of submitting them to the eye of the public. The rapid increase of the Class, together with the number and variety of the exercises required by the General Synod from their students every session, soon rendered it inconvenient to continue them; and it occurred to him, that in this form, his prelections might still be useful to those for whom they were originally composed, and not unacceptable to the friends of the Bible in general.

From the well-earned fame of his predecessors in this department of sacred literature, particularly of Mr HARMER and Mr BURDER, he feels not the least inclination to detract; on the contrary, he rejoices in their success, and in the approbation which their writings have obtained from a discerning public. Much, however, as their learning and industry have accomplished, he still thought the subject was not exhausted, and that a better plan than either of them had followed, might be adopted. He has freely availed himself of their labours; but not, he trusts, in a slavish manner. All the authorities quoted, as well by these writers, as by Mr TAYLOR, in his edition of CALMET, which he had access to, have been carefully examined, besides a number of works which they have overlooked, or which have been published since

they wrote. Claiming the same right to think for himself which he cordially allows to his neighbour, the writer has expressed his opinions freely, even when they happened to differ from their sentiments; but he has never, to his knowledge, departed from the language of candour and respect.

The only object which the Author proposed to himself in composing this work, was to illustrate the holy Scriptures; he has therefore uniformly and studiously rejected every particular in Oriental Geography, Natural History, Customs, and Manners, how curious and interesting soever, that was not subservient to his design. His statements in all the three divisions, may be deemed very defective; and had he proposed to give a complete view of these important subjects, they would certainly have been so; but they are sufficiently complete for his purpose. Nor did his plan admit of describing every place, or plant, or custom, whose name occurs, or to which allusion is made by the sacred writers; it embraced those only that are connected with the exposition of some important passage, or that contribute to the general elucidation of the Scriptures. This will account for the numerous omissions, particularly under the heads of Geography and Natural History, which the intelligent reader will observe in his progress.

AUTHOR'S ADVERTISEMENT

ΤΟ

THE SECOND EDITION.

THE testimonies of public and private approbation, with which the first impression of this work was received, encouraged the Author to commence, soon after its appearance, his preparations for a new and improved edition. With this view he engaged in an extensive course of classical and historical reading, and not only re-examined the sources from which he had formerly drawn his materials, but also perused many valuable works from the pen of modern historians and travellers, which he had not an opportunity of seeing before. He has thus been enabled to confirm his former statements, and enrich his pages with much new and instructive matter.

BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIR,

BY THE

REV. JOHN MITCHELL, D.D., S. T. P., GLASGOW.

WHEN a person sits down to peruse a book, it is natural for him to desire some information concerning the character and history of its author. And this intelligence is not only desirable but useful. For it will shed light upon the pages of the work; impart additional interest to its perusal; furnish a key for expounding the language and sentiments of the writer; and aid in estimating the weight of his authority, and the value of his opinions.

Such information is particularly interesting when it relates to one who has attained celebrity by his abilities, his acquirements, and his writings; since, from the perusal of his memoirs, we may derive invaluable lessons for the conduct of study, and of life. Introduced into the interior of his history, we shall be enabled to trace some of the steps by which he rose to eminence; or warned by his failures (if such be recorded) we shall be taught to avoid the causes which produced them, while in both ways we may be better prepared to select, and to improve, the true means of attaining proficiency, and stimulated, as well as aided, in our laudable