because the true and proper word would be unattractive. Destruction, not creation, is the true expression of the facts disclosed by geological research: it is not conversant with the joyous commencement but with the melancholy termination of the past. Between us and creation the fall has placed a dark impassable gulph, and no investigation of the earth as it is can possibly make us acquainted with its primitive condition, and what it once was. Geology is like searching a charnel house, and expecting to find in the dust of the tombs a history of the living man-nay, it is as though a dead corpse could make the search or comprehend the actions of the living for we ourselves lie under the word of death; and man has fallen from his once high estate, and vainly will endeavour by self-investigation to discover what man the lord of creation once was; and still more vainly attempt to discover what that creation was of which the lifeless wrecks and fragments alone are now within his reach. It is by revelation that we are taught the facts of creation, and the mysteries concerning ourselves which are no longer discernible to sense, and the higher, deeper, mysteries in the mind of God, in first forming and still upholding all things: taught by revelation we can enter with gladness on the contemplation of the first origin of the earth, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy; and we can look forward with exultation to the still more glorious futurity, when the veil of sin and mortality which as yet covers the face of all things shall be removed-when death shall be swallowed up in victory, and God shall wipe away all tears for ever. Guided by the word of God the spiritual may already pierce the veil and hold communion with the God of love, though imperfectly, and as it were for a moment; but, in the restitution of all things, the purpose and plans of God will be made patent to all; and his infinite wisdom and love, in creation, and redemption, and restitution, will be found to coincide and be openly manifest to the universe.

Creation is a word which ought not to be loosely employed. None but God can create-creation is an attribute of Deity; for it is the act by which he called out of nothingness the things that are. Creation is the bringing into being some new thing-something which had no previous existencewhether it be new matter, new life, or new spiritual endowments in the living man. It is not merely arranging or refining substances already in existence, because, anterior to such processes, there must be the qualities inherent in the substance to admit of the supposed organization, and these in

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herent qualities are the work of the Creator as well as the substance itself: nor can matter itself, when it has been organized, evolve the functions of life in all living beings-the life itself as well as the creature endowed with it springs from God. And the higher spiritual endowments which are peculiar to man come not from the mind of man, by presenting to his intelligence materials on which the reason may work so as to evolve spirituality-it comes by the Holy Ghost, and it is the gift of God. The spiritual man is a new creation in the proper sense of the word; and all the mistakes proceed from our reversing the true order of things, and supposing that progress is from beneath in its origin, as well as upwards in its attainments; whereas its origin is from above, and each successive step is progression upwards towards the source from whence all things came; and towards which, according as they look to their origin and avail themselves of their endowments, all men are tending. "Every good and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variablenes, neither shadow of turning of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures."

The nebular theory, derived from the most remote of the stars, was an attempt to evade creation by a mechanical hypothesis: and, while telescopes were limited to their former range, it was not possible to refute this mechanical hypothesis by direct proof to the contrary; but Lord Rosse's more powerful instrument has dissipated this illusion, and has shown that there are no nebulæ, and that the theory is without foundation. The analogy derived from the solar system and from our own planets was employed in constructing theories concerning the primæval condition of the earth: this analogy is no longer tenable, since Dr. Woolaston has shown that the atmosphere of our earth is limited, and that the other planets have no atmosphere; and, therefore, so far as we can reason from analogy, no such plants or animals as our earth possesses, none of which could subsist without an atmosphere. The earth is therefore sui generis among the planets. And we believe that among the creatures each genus, and among the earths each elementary substance, is also sui generis: made so at creation, and guarded against intermingling, by Dalton's laws, in matter, and by the laws of grafting on kindred stocks in vegetables, and by the barrenness of mules in animals; and above all other animals pre-eminently sui generis is man—of necessity the noblest of the works of creation, because he was made in the image of God. Beyond this, the work of creation

cannot go; but up to this, man is called to aspire, is invited, and strengthened to press forword. That man had the power to fall, and that a creature so excellent could deteriorate, is a part of the great mystery of godliness on which we cannot now enter; and that when deteriorated man should not be able to raise and restore himself is a still more important part of the same great mystery, and a still more essential element in revealing the attributes of God, and embodying them in his image-man. But, without natural theology, natural history wants its soul, and is blind, partial, and imperfect: with it, we shall be led forward to the contemplation of that new creation towards which all things are tending, and which is more than a revival of paradise-when God shall be fully revealed in all the works of his hands, and it shall be acknowledged that he hath created all things, and that for his pleasure they are and were created (Rev. iv. 11).

Notices of Books.

Travels in the East. By CONSTANTINE TISCHENDORFF, Editor of the "Codex Ephrämi Rescriptus," "Codex Friderico-Augustanus," &c. Translated from the German by W. E. SHUCKARD. London: Longman and Co. 1847. Pp. 287, 8vo.

THE well-earned reputation, acquired by Professor Tischendorff by his fac simile editions of the "Codex Ephrämi" preserved in the Royal Library at Paris, and of the "Codex Friderico-Augustanus "now at Leipzig, (of which notices have been given in our journal), excited much curiosity among the friends of sacred literature, to see the result of his personal travels in the east. Nor will they be disappointed. He is a lively observer: and though some of the scenes which he has described have been often delineated, yet his narrative is full of interest and animation, and will amply repay the trouble of a perusal. We shall endeavour to give our readers some idea of his route.

He departed from Leghorn on the 28th of March, 1844, in a steamer for the island of Malta, where he staid a week, during which he observed every thing worthy of note. Dr. Tischendorff is of opinion, which he has corroborated by local evidence, that Malta is the Melita, mentioned in the twentyeighth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, where St. Paul

suffered shipwreck, on his stormy voyage from Cæsarea to Rome:

"This island is remarkable from its soil, the peculiarities of its inhabitants, and its history. Surveyed from one of its elevated points, we observe many districts in their aboriginal state of naked rock, for the whole of the very superficial soil that lies upon it has been brought from Sicily. Nevertheless, Malta possesses a luxuriant vegetation. The palm grows nobly by the side of the olive; and its oranges are of singularly delicate flavour. Unfortunately the splendour of its roses I knew only by repute, and yet gardens and meadows glowed with variegated beauty. The heat would be insufferable were it not relieved daily by refreshing breezes. Its aspect is wholly African, in spite of the Act of Parliament which has incorporated Malta with Europe.

"The climate of the island is considered as very salubrious, and its extreme fertility may possibly be a concurrent result; and so rapid is the increase of population, that her sons have to seek a domicile away from home, and with them she has enriched the proximate coasts of Asia and Africa. A suggestion was recently made to colonize the Peloponnesus with Maltese, but only under an especial guarantee from the Greek government. It was, however, followed by no result, as that government would not be responsible for every contingency. These Maltese would, in my opinion, be just the people for Greece, which, absorbed in musing over its sad political visions, allows the soil to sigh for the plough.

"The population comprises a variety of different elements. The women, with their olive complexions, their dark and sparkling eyes, their perfidious mantillas of black silk reaching from head to foot, belong, as the very first glance convinces, aboriginally to the island. The Italians harmonize readily herewith; the charming Neapolitan at my Hôtel del Mediterraneo is exactly in her place. But we find here stiff Englishmen in multitudes, and, indeed, as lords of the island. The Scottish garrison, clothed above in the vesture of the north, and beneath in that of the south, are not here exposed to the chance of having their naked legs frost-bitten. But every feature of its northern protectors does not as congruously blend with the characteristics of the island. Hence a certain trait of Maltese nationality stands prominently forth in harsh contrast, notwithstanding the inscription glittering in gold opposite the palace of the governor: Magna et invictæ Britannia Melitensium amor et Europe vox has insulas confirmant, 1814. It is well known that Englishmen carry with them the stamp of their origin on the brow, and in the eye and in the heart, even to the very furthest recesses of the earth; and at Malta they conspicuously avoid all assimilation with the peculiarities of the place. How absurd does it seem that the present governor does not even understand Italian! Italian is the written language, as well as that of superior society; whereas the Maltese, which is a dialect of the Arabic, is confined to familiar intercourse. To the expressed wish of the Maltese, that the former governor should remain with them longer than the usual time,

the English minister for foreign affairs could only object that places were few, but expectants many.

"There are but few French in the island. British influence is unlimited; although an attempt was made to restrain it a few years ago, when the Russian fleet repaired to Malta to recruit, after the battle of Navarino, I was told that the Russians then made such an enormous expenditure, and gave such profuse presents to the natives, that the local government hastened by all possible means the oft-delayed departure of their fleet. Russia's friendly advances, before the island reverted to the protection of the English, were also remembered. It is very natural that Russia should not forget that the Emperor Paul was Grand Master of the order of St. John, who was only prevented by his assassination from opposing his claims to the appropriation of the island by the English.

"The truly splendid period of Malta's history still dwells in the memory of all, though the present generation, within its own experience, beholds but the faint reflection. I refer to the time of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem. Originally a colony of Carthagi nians; then belonging first to Rome and next to Byzantium; and subsequently wrested from the hands of the Goths by Belisarius; in the ninth century under the dominion of the Saracens, who were driven thence by the valiant Norman, Roger, in the eleventh, whereby it became annexed to Sicily; Malta was presented by Charles V., in the sixteenth, to the Knights of St. John, when Rhodes was taken from them by Solyman II. I say presented, for they held it by the small tenure of delivering a falcon annually at Palermo. Shortly afterwards these noble knights maintained, under La Valette, their glorious war of defence against Mustapha. Twenty years later they built the magnificent church of St. John, which, by its marble splendours, its tombs of the grand masters, and its conquered standards and flags, still exhibits to the eye the glory of the past. This order of knighthood harmonized admirably with the religious disposition immemorially characteristic of the Maltese. The island contains now but one of these chivalrous knights: his sword is fixed in its scabbard, but he still wears the cross upon his breast. He spoke to me very particularly about the incomparable hospital, to whose service he had been attached. Fifteen hundred sick were attended there; religious distinctions were unknown; all were served upon silver." (pp. 3-5.)

After encountering a levanter, he reached Alexandria, whence, after a short stay, he sailed up the Nile to Cairo, the ancient city of the Caliphs. The banks of that far-famed river are not to be compared with those of the Seine or the Rhone, but they have their own peculiar beauty; and the water of the Nile he found to be delicious. Here he met with a practical illustration of the occasional severity of Mehemet Ali's government. The sheikh of a neighbouring village, who had not immediately delivered up or sent back to his village a countryman, who had fled from it on account of