able, or because he was deluded, and the world had used him very well.

"The world used me very well once, and I was quite satisfied with it; and when grace arrested me, I was loth to part with it. But conviction marred it, and I felt neither fit for God nor the world. Its former pleasures at last became a misery, and I well remember the last dancing party. I was glad to get away from the scene of my wretchedness, and never dared enter it again." This is how the grace of God is first felt; it produces a separation. Abraham left his own country and his father's house, Matthew the receipt of custom. And you are spoiled for the world, too, if called by grace. This inquiry of one worldling of another, then, is a test for us. "How does the world use us?" It will not give you up quietly, but coaxing at first will be turned into hatred; for Satan will get into a great rage, knowing that his time of possession of you is but short-in fact, at an end. But this will drive you to Him who has overcome the world. MARCUS.

TYRE.

THE celebrated city Tyre-or, as it is sometimes called in several of the prophetic books, Tyruswas situated 33°17" north latitude, on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, partly on the mainland and part of it forming an island.

The word Tyre signifies rock, and this name specially belongs to the island part of the city, though it is thought by some that that on the mainland is the most ancient, while others maintain the contrary, and this last seems to be the most correct. The most famous part of the city is on the island. The town was 22 stadia in circumference-stadia, commonly called furlong-that is, two hundred and thirty-three yards.

The houses were built many stories high on account of there being little building space on the rock. There were two harbours, the one on the north side, called "Sidonian," formed out of an indenture, was 900 ft. long and 700 ft. broad; the other, on the south side, called Egyptian," was constructed by the means of a great breakwater ; a canal running through the city connected the two harbours, each of which was shut up by a boom. Old Tyre, on the mainland, stretched along the shore for seven miles; it is mentioned in Joshua as the 66 strong city." When David sent the officers of Israel from Dan to Beersheba, to number the people, we find one of their halting-places was "the stronghold of Tyre" (2 Sam. xxiv. 7).

In Kings vii. 13, we find it recorded that Solomon sent and fetched Hiram, who was the son of a widow, of the tribe of Naphtali, out of Tyre, whose father being a man of Tyre, and a worker in brass, the son was also a cunning man in the works of brass; and for this reason Solomon fetched him to assist in the building of the temple.

We also find, in 1 Kings v. 1—12, ix. 11-15; 2 Chron. viii. 2, when Solomon ascended the throne of Israel, Hiram, king of Tyre, who had ever been a lover of his father David, sent to congratulate him, upon which Solomon informed him of his intention to build the house of the Lord; and they two entered into a league or covenant with each other, whereby Hiram agreed to furnish Solomon with servants to hew him cedar trees out of Lebanon, also fir trees, because there were none who were skilled to hew timber like the Sidonians;" also Hiram sent servants who had knowledge of the sea, to Ophir to fetch gold, of which they brought four hundred and fifty talents unto King Solomon. In return, Solomon gave to Hiram food for all

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his household during the building of the temple, that is, twenty thousand measures of wheat, and twenty measures of pure oil, year by year. To this he added, as a present, twenty cities out of the land of Galilee, with which, however, Hiram was not pleased. (See 1 Kings ix. 12, 13.) In Ezra iii. 7, we read that the builders of the second Temple paid the men of Zidon and Tyre in meat, drink, and oil, for bringing cedars from Lebanon to the Sea of Joppa, according to the grant that they had from Cyrus, the king of Persia.

In Ezekiel xxvii. we have a very full description of its riches, prosperity, and merchandise. There we find that she considered herself "of perfect beauty," "a merchant of the people, and sat on the seat of God in the midst of the seas." From this chapter we gather that she possessed a powerful navy, and prided herself on the beauty of her ships, and the wisdom and skilfulness of their pilots and commanders. Her oars were made of oaks from Bashan; the ivory which adorned the benches of the galleys came from Greece (v. 6); the sails were made of linen from Egypt, ornamented with different colours (v. 7). The inhabitants of Zidon and Arvad were her mariners, but the wise men of Tyre itself were her pilots and commanders (v. 8). Her calkers came from Gebal or Biblos, on the coast between Tripolis and Benyhus (v. 9). From Persia and Africa came her war troops, who hanged the shield and helmet in her, and set forth her comeliness (v. 10). Herpopulation also was very mixed, gathered from many lands. Her merchandise appears to have been very extensive, the merchants of many countries coming to trade in her fairs, exchanges, and marts. In v. 12 we see that Tarshish, then a Phoenician colony, a famous city and port in the south of Spain, was her merchant by reason of all

kind of riches, trading in her fairs with silver, iron, tin, and lead; Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech in slaves and vessels of brass (v. 13). From Togarmah in Armenia came horses, horsemen, and mules; from the islands in the Gulf of Persia, ivory and ebony (v. 15); and rich cloths for the decoration of their chariots or horsemen (v. 20).

Syria

appears to have dealt with her in a multitude of wares of her making, and to have brought for sale into her fairs, emeralds, purple, broideredwork, and fine linen, coral and agate (v. 16). Judah and the land of Israel brought into her market wheat, honey, oil, and balm (v. 17). Damascus, wine of Helbon and wool (v. 18). The tribe of Dan brought into her the produce of Arabia, bright or wrought iron, cassia or cinnamon, and the calamus aromaticus. From Arabia, Petra merchants brought lambs, rams, and goats (v. 21). From Sheba and Oman came the best of spices; and from India gold and precious stones. From Mesopotamia, Carrhoe, and Babylonia, the Assyrians brought all sorts of manufactures (v. 23, 24). Thus was she (v. 25) "replenished, and made very glorious in the midst of the seas."

From v. 26 to the end a very different picture is presented to our view, in the prediction of her great and unrecoverable fall. (See also Ezek. xxvi. and xxviii.; Isa. xxiii.; Jer. xxv. 22.)

In Jer. xxvii. 3, and Zech. ix. 2-4, her subjection to Nebuchadnezzar, who besieged the city for the space of thirteen years, is foretold.* Reference is

The final overthrow of Tyre took place after a terrible siege by Alexander the Great, of Macedonia, shortly before his subjugation of Persia, in the year B.C. death, and four thousand sold into captivity. 332. Eighteen thousand of the population were put to

Nehemiah

also made to this in Ezekiel xxix. 18. denounces some men of Tyre for their desecration of the Sabbath see Neh. xiii. 15, 16); Joel for selling Jews into slavery (Joel iii. 3,4); and Amos (chap. i. 9. 10 for breaking the brotherly covenant ; yet, in Psalm lxxxvii. 4, we find that there were some of God's people new-born, and in xlv. the daughter of Tyre is represented as bringing her gifts on the occasion of the royal marriage, when the Lamb (Rev. xix. 7) shall take home His bride. WILLIE MAYERS.

INTERNAL EVIDENCE.

A MAN of subtle reasoning ask'd
A peasant, if he knew

Where was the internal evidence
That proved the Bible true.

The terms of disputative art
Had never reach'd his ear;
He laid his hand upon his heart,
And only answer'd, "Here!"

EXTERNAL evidence.

PROPHETS of old events foretold
Ages ere they transpired;
Each word fulfill'd, as God had will'd,
Proclaims they were inspired.

CHARACTER.—As they who, for every slight infirmity, take physic to repair their health, do rather impair it; so they who for every trifle are eager vindicate their character, do rather weaken it.

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