THE SELECTOR; AND LITERARY NOTICES OF NEW WORKS.
Reading edition
SCRIPTURAL ANTIQUITIES.
(Concluded from page 411.)
Phenomenon of the Rainbow.
It seems to us very probable, that the density of the atmosphere was changed at the deluge, having been considerably attenuated, nor can this inference be regarded in the light of mere speculation: there seems sufficient evidence that it really must have been so. The rainbow appearing for the first time—the abbreviation of human life, and the diminished size of animal and vegetable forms, all seem to require this condition. Far be it from us to doubt the direct interposition of JEHOVAH in this catastrophe, but GOD sometimes employs secondary agents to effect his designs. "I do set," says the ALMIGHTY, "my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of the covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud; and I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you, and every living creature of all flesh: and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh." It cannot be reasonably supposed, that the rainbow ever appeared before the deluge, nor from our previous remarks, is it at all necessary to suppose it. Had the patriarchs seen this beautiful phenomenon in an antediluvian world, its recurrence after the deluge could not have been a symbol of security, since, though the spectacle had been already witnessed, the deluge had supervened; but it was a new phenomenon, the consequence of the altered condition of the atmosphere, and was perhaps the result of a super-added law. The design implies stipulations of a somewhat similar description, and even pagan testimony might be cited as concurring in this view of it.
"Jove's wondrous bow of three celestial dies, Plac'd, as a sign to man, amidst the skies."
The Fall of Manna.
Water from the Rock.
At the rock, in Horeb, called Meribah, Moses miraculously supplied the people with water. He smote the rock, and an abundant stream immediately issued: this extraordinary source of supply is now dried up, but there is still left sufficient evidence to confirm the fact. It will suffice for our purpose that we quote, in corroboration, the description of an eye-witness and recent traveller: "We came to the celebrated rock of Meribah. It still bears striking evidence of the miracle about it; and it is quite isolated in the midst of a narrow valley, which is here about two hundred yards broad. There are four or five fissures, one above the other, on the face of the rock, each of them about a foot and a half long, and a few inches deep. What is remarkable, they run along the breadth of the rock, and are not rent downwards; they are more than a foot asunder, and there is a channel worn between them by the gushing of the water. The Arabs still reverence this rock." Dr. Clarke only spoke the truth when he asserted that the BIBLE was the best itinerary that the traveller in Palestine could possess.
"Weighing in the Balance."
The sentence of the ALMIGHTY, emblazoned on the walls of the palace of Babylon, which registered the fate of Belshazzar, was deciphered by the skill of Daniel. Part of this sentence is thus interpreted: "TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting." The author gives an interesting illustration of the allusion. Here, it will be perceived, is the balance in which the actions of the individual have been weighed; and we have only further to remark, that the former Mogul kings were, on their ascending the throne, literally weighed. Thevenot gives an account of this curious affair in his time. The balance wherein this seems to have been performed, is described as being rich. The chains of suspension were of gold, and the two scales, studded with precious stones, also of gold, as well as the beam, &c. The king, richly attired and shining with jewels, goes into one of the scales of the balance, and sits on his heels. Into the other are put little bales, said to be full of gold, silver, and jewels, or of other costly materials. These little bales are described to be often changed.
We have marked many more extracts than we can insert, and find that we must content ourselves, and we hope the author, with again directing attention to his very interesting production.