necessary to be known. The houses were generally built with flat roofs; upon which the inhabitants were accustomed to walk, and sometimes to sleep, and where pious persons were used to retire for prayer, Acts x. 9. The bottles mentioned in Scripture were made of the skins of animals; and their books were few and small, written upon pieces of parchment, which were folded upon rollers, &c. &c. See "The Manners and Customs of the Jews."

15. Notice several peculiarities in our version of the Bible. The words printed in Italic letters, have not corresponding words in the original: they were added by the translators to complete the sense; but in some instances they make it obscure. The word LORD, when printed in capital letters, is, in the Hebrew, Jehovah, signifying that Being who is eternal and selfexistent, and who gives being to others. Lord, in small letters in the original, signifies ruler or sustainer; see both Psalm cx. 1. The larger Bibles have many words placed in the margin, which are the more literal renderings of the original words to which they refer: those in the Old Testament are distinguished by the letters Heb. signifying that such is the correct meaning in Hebrew; and those in the New Testament by Gr., denoting that such is the literal signification in the original Greek.

CH. X.-GEOGRAPHY OF THE BIBLE, PARTICULARLY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT.

THE principal countries mentioned in the Old Testament, except Egypt, are situated on the western border of the Asiatic continent. In that quarter of the world, the first man was created-there dwelt the first longlived patriarchs, and the descendants of Noah, till long after the deluge-there the great monarchies of Assyria, Babylon, and Persia were founded and flourished. The ruins of stately palaces, and of other magnificent buildings, which are still to be seen throughout the countries

t formed the Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian, and Grecian and Roman empires in Asia, sufficiently est the multitude and riches of its ancient inhabitants, 1 corroborate the astonishing accounts transmitted to by different ancient historians.

Paradise, or the garden of Eden, is supposed to have en situated in Armenia, near the celebrated river phrates. The country called Palestine, or the land Judea; Syria, including Phœnicia; Asia Minor, now led Natolia; Mesopotamia, now termed Diarbeck; aldea; Assyria, and Arabia, constitute the principal untries noticed in the Old Testament scriptures, and e all in Asia. Egypt, which is on the north-east coast Africa, is separated from Asia only by a narrow neck land, called the Isthmus of Suez, and the Red Sea, ow called the Arabian Gulf.

Asia is celebrated as being far superior to Africa or ven Europe, both in the salubrious serenity of its air, nl the rich fertility of its soil, producing the most deliious fruits, and the most fragrant and balsamic plants, ums, and spices.

The Scriptures, however, relate chiefly to the events which took place in Palestine or Canaan-where the ingdoms of Israel and Judah flourished-where the emple of God was erected by king Solomon-where nost of the inspired Scriptures were written-where our Lord Jesus Christ accomplished the all-important work of human redemption-and where the apostles of the Saviour were supernaturally qualified to go forth among Il nations, to preach the gospel of eternal salvation, ringing sinners of every tribe into the kingdom of Messiah.

Canaan was so named from Canaan, the son of Ham, the son of Noah. It lay between the Mediterranean Sea and the mountains of Arabia, extending from Egypt on the south to Phoenicia on the north. It was bounded on the east by Arabia Deserta; on the south by Arabia Petrea, Idumea, and Egypt; on the west by the Mediterranean, called in Scripture The Great Sea; and on the north by the Mountains of Lebanon in Syria. Its length