place, according to Russel and the chronology adopted in this work, B. C. 1608; and by the above plan Achenchases, the son of Horus, died in that year. Again: there is a monumental sculpture, representing the Israelites under their taskmasters making bricks, in the reign of Thothmosis III. According to the scheme I have adopted, this would take place about one hundred and fifteen years before the Exodus and as the Israelites had been long oppressed before the birth of Moses, so long, indeed, that it became evident that their numbers rapidly increased, notwithstanding their oppression, and the savage measure of destroying the male infants was adopted in consequence, and the Exodus took place in the eightieth year of Moses, this is also a corroborating incident. Further : the date of Joseph's going down into Egypt falls in the early part of the reign of Amosis, after the expulsion of the Shepherds, and the descent of Jacob, three years before the death of this Pharaoh. In this instance, also, the Scriptural account which supposes the prince who made Joseph governor to be the same who received his patriarchal father, is justified. And, lastly, this arrangement places the accession of the eighteenth dynasty only two years later than the time fixed by Champollion Figeac from independent astronomical and historical data, which date is also supported by the authority of Mr. Osburn.

It would display a childish affectation to rest upon any exactitude of date to a year or two in a case of this kind; but confidence may certainly be challenged for this scheme, on the ground of its general accordance with historical and Scriptural fact, while it does not appear to be open to any serious objection. Nor is it unworthy of observation that other schemes of chronological arrangement either altogether overlook the date of the Exodus, or place it in circumstances atlogether irreconcilable with the Scripture narrative and with the facts of the case. (Kenrick's Ancient Egypt; Cory's Chronological Inquiry; Wilkinson's Ancient Egyptians; Horæ Ægyptiacæ; Literary Gazette for 1829; Osburn's Ancient Egypt, and his Egypt: her Testimony to the Truth.)

NOTE 6, page 56.—The Monumental Names of Kings.

In the oldest monuments, as those of the Pyramids and tombs of Gizeh, the names of Egyptian kings are enclosed in oval shields or rings, and each king has only one. The characters included in the oval are phonetic, and express the name of the king as it was then pronounced. In later times, that is, in the eighteenth and succeeding dynasties, each king has usually two such shields or oval rings. Over the first there are generally delineated the figure of a bee, and a branch of a plant; over the second, a vulpanser, and the disk of the sun, which are read, "Son of the Sun." Where two shields are found, it is generally admitted that the second contains the proper name of the prince in phonetic characters. As to the contents of the first of these rings, there has been some little difference of opinion. Champollion considered these signs as symbolical titles; but perhaps Osburn has caught the correct idea, in regarding them as the inaugural and distinctive title assumed by each king on his accession to the throne. The name found in the second ring is that which corresponds to the lists of Manetho. (Kenrick's Ancient Egypt; Osburn's Egypt: her Testimony to the Truth.)

NOTE 7, page 65.-Sir Gardiner Wilkinson on the Date of the Exodus. Nothing seems more extraordinary than the opinions expressed by this learned Egyptologist on this subject. He maintains that the Exodus took place during the reign of Thothmosis III., although he confesses that if it did, it must have been in the early part of his reign. Without raising any question as to the date of this event, which of itself would be sufficient to refute this notion, or referring to the general interpretation of Biblical critics, that the Pharaoh who ruled Egypt at the time of the Exodus was destroyed with his army in the Red Sea,-which will by most persons be regarded as a fatal objection to this learned writer's theory,-I rest simply on the undoubted fact, that the deliverance of Israel, and the consequent plagues of Egypt, arose out of a controversy which Jehovah had with the idolatry of Egypt; and that the result was a great punishment of that proud and wicked kingdom. This was notorious for ages, was patent to the world. Hence the prophet asked so confidently, "Art thou not he which smote Rahab, and wounded the dragon ?" Can it, then, be believed, as Sir J. G. Wilkinson teaches, that the Exodus occurred just as Egypt was rising to its greatest glory; that this event released Egypt from inconvenience, and increased her strength? Surely this is impossible! The Exodus, with its precursory plagues, must have been a fearful infliction on this land, and could not have occurred just prior to a series of unexampled triumphs and national

successes.

NOTE 8, page 70.-The Providential Preparation for the Israelitish Invasion of Canaan.

When the host of Israel encamped at Kadesh-Barnea, and spies were sent to ascertain the condition of the people occupying the land of Canaan, their fenced cities and martial power overwhelmed the feeble faith of the Hebrews, and they said, "We were in our own sight as grasshoppers; and so we were in their sight." Thus the purpose of God, that they should at that time take possession of the land, was frustrated, and the conquest of Canaan delayed more than thirty-eight years.

To insure the accomplishment of this purpose at that period, two measures were devised, and carried into execution, both displaying marvellous condescension and mercy. In order to teach Israel to rely more fully on Jehovah, and to have confidence in the word of his power, they were led through the wilderness during this long period, and had, on many most critical occasions, to obtain deliverance from ruin by a sole and simple trust in the promise of God. On the other hand, the nations of Palestine, so proud in their martial glory, were at the same time assailed in successive campaigns by Sethos and his son Rameses II. with all the military force of Egypt; so that many of their strongest fortresses were destroyed, and their military power greatly diminished. By these means the Lord graciously paved the way for the accomplishment of his purposes,-the judicial destruction of the Canaanitish nations, and the establishment of Israel as a separate and independent nation.

NOTE 9, page 71.-The Martial Career of Sesostris.

Mr. Osburn-a scholar whose immense learning, especially in respect of Egyptology, coupled, as it is, with a deep religious reverence for Scripture

truth, entitles him to great deference and respect-has here advanced a scheme which, after the most careful investigation, appears open to insuperable objections with regard to his view of the route of this monarch, and the scene of his conquests. Mr. Osburn, guided by his reading of the hieroglyphic sculptures, supposes the Egyptian army, after the reduction of Punon, to go northward by the Wady-el-Erabah, expelling the Arvadites and Jebusites; and that they then embarked on the Dead Sea, probably in the ships of the Arvadites. Having reached the southern end of the sea, it is said, "the hieroglyphics seem to indicate that the march of Sesostris lay through the countries of the Jebusites and Hittites." Having, in fact, sailed from the south of the Dead Sea to the north, he is considered to have made a double, and returned southward again to Hadessah, which is supposed to lie near Jerusalem. This city he captured; and the conquest is spoken of as the most glorious event of the war. Having effected this object, he is supposed to have gone north again, to embark on the Dead Sea, and thus to return to Egypt. The following appear to be serious and valid objections to this scheme:-1. It is a notorious fact, attested not only by all ancient history, but also by recent Assyrian discovery, that long before the days of Sesostris the kings of Egypt had extended their conquests to the borders of Assyria; and that Sesostris is both by Egyptian monuments and general history regarded as equal, if not superior, to any of his predecessors. 2. The Shetin with whom Sesostris fought the great battle of this campaign, and whose subjec tion was his greatest triumph, are always on the monuments associated with Naharina, or Mesopotamia, and are so mentioned on the Assyrian Obelisk. 3. The manner in which both the monuments and the Greek writers speak of the passage of Sesostris through Canaan, forbids the opinion that this was the great scene of the war. On the monuments the king is described as forcing his passage through the country; and Herodotus speaks of it as if he molested none but those who opposed him. Mr. Osburn, also, distinctly says, "It is sufficiently apparent that nothing of great importance took place during the progress of Sesostris to the land of the Shetin;" and certainly this was not in Palestine. 4. It seems altogether incredible that the Egyptian king should find a fleet able to transport his army on the Dead Sea. Who ever heard of ships on that sea? This fleet, too, belonged to his enemies, who are supposed in each instance to have made a peace with him, just exactly in time to place their fleet at his disposal. For these reasons I feel compelled to differ in opinion from such an accomplished scholar as Mr. Osburn, and to lay down in the text a different and, as I believe, a more probable route for this conqueror. (Osburn's Egypt: her Testimony to the Truth; Kenrick's Egypt under the Pharaohs, vol. ii, pp. 260, 278, 288; Papers by Mr. Birch on Egyptian Obelisks, in the Transactions of the Royal Society of Literature, New Series.)

NOTE 10, page 76.-The Cruelty exhibited in Egyptian Sculptures.

The importance of Egyptian sculptures to any extensive acquaintance with the early history of the country is universally acknowledged; but it is not so -generally known as it should be upon what principles these representations, so far as relates to warlike triumphs, are constructed, nor the cruel and sanguinary spirit which pervades them.

The walls of the temples and palaces which are covered with these immense pictures are often sixty to eighty feet high, and from six hundred to eight hundred feet long. A general rule may be laid down in respect of those which refer

to military affairs. The first scene usually depicted is the battle and the victory The conqueror, who is always one of the Pharaohs, is represented of gigantic stature, accompanied by as many of his warriors as can be introduced. These are pictured as slaughtering multitudes of their enemies, trampling upon the fallen, driving over heaps of slain, taking and sacking their strong-holds, and leading off male and female captives. This exhibition, which represents slaughtering rather than fighting, is sufficiently coarse in its sanguinary character.

The next scene is the repose after victory. The conqueror sits in his chariot, and calls upon his troops to rejoice; while the prisoners are brought bound to his feet, and the number of the enemy which have been slain ere estimated by the number of their right hands which have been cut off, brought to the sovereign, and counted over in his presence.

The next scene is laid in Egypt, and in the temple where the picture is found. Here the conqueror offers to the gods the spoils which he has obtained, and drags to their feet long lines of captives. These are represented nearly naked, tied together by one cord, which passes round the necks of all of them. As if this did not inflict sufficient degradation and suffering, their arms are bound in a variety of ways, all calculated to produce intense agony. In fact, this is done in a manner which plainly'denotes an intention to infliet torture;— as if, says a learned writer, "the cries of the wretched sufferers formed an important accessory to the diabolical ceremony."

Then we must not forget the common pictorial appendage to almost every one of these representations, and which may be regarded as the title-page or table of contents or even as both combined-of the entire picture. In this part, one or more of each of the conquered nations or tribes is placed in a kneeling posture in a circular form, as if tied to a stake in the centre; while a gigantic figure of the king gathers a portion of the hair of each into his left hand, and destroys them with a scimitar or club, which he brandishes in his right hand.

The atrocious cruelty thus exhibited is magnified by other representations. When Sethos, who reigned next after the Exodus, is represented as returning to Egypt in triumph from his wars in Canaan, he is seen seated in his chariot, leading in four separate cords as many strings of captives from the vanquished tribės, whose arms are tied into forms which must have given exquisite torture. Two of them, chiefs, have had their hands cut off; while three heads, reeking in gore, are suspended about the chariot;-a representation by no means uncommon in the sculptures of Egypt. When the great Sesostris is depicted as returning in triumph to Egypt from his wars, not only is he accompanied by the usual strings of captives bound in the most unmerciful manner, but three of the chiefs of the vanquished tribes are represented suspended beneath the axle of his chariot, in a posture of the greatest pain and utmost degradation.

It is, therefore, certain that the art, science, philosophy, and religion of the Egyptians, in all their combined influence upon their great monarchs, failed to inspire even common humanity, or to save them from the most enormous and detestable acts of cold-blooded cruelty: and what gives the deepest stain to their national morals is, that they did not hesitate to record and emblazon this diabolical torture in connexion with their noblest triumphs.

NOTE 11, page 125.-The Fulfilment of sacred Prophecy in the History of Egypt. PROPHECY I.-The first of these wonderful manifestations of the divine prescience respecting this nation, taking them in the order of their fulfilment, was

the interpretation given by Joseph to the dreams of Pharaoh; from which he foretold the seven years of plenty, and the subsequent seven years of famine. Gen. xli.

These predictions were literally verified: and all the extraordinary operations of these fourteen years must have made known to the people at large the power of Jehovah, and have challenged the recognition of all Egypt, as a standing proof of the infinite prescience of the God of the Hebrews.

PROPHECY II we have in the divine declaration given to Abraham: "Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; and also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance." Gen. xv, 13-16.

The long and painful bondage of Israel, and their triumphant Exodus, wonderfully fulfilled these prophecies.

PROPHECY III refers to the signal defeat of Pharaoh-necho at Carchemish. A more spirited and graphic picture can scarcely be found than that which is given by Jeremiah (chap. xxvi, 1-12) of the martial parade of Egypt in this campaign, and of its total failure. Our sketch of Egyptian history shows how exactly this prediction came to pass.

PROPHECY IV.—We have here an important class of predictions, which foretold the conquest of Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar. When Jeremiah was forcibly carried into Egypt after the rebellious Jews had slain Gedaliah, the word of the Lord came unto him; and having, in obedience to the divine command, hidden great stones in the approach to the royal residence at Tahpanhes in the sight of the men of Judah, he said, "Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will send and take Nebuchadrezzar the King of Babylon, my servant, and will set his throne upon these stones that have hid; and he shall spread his royal pavilion over them." Jer. xliii, 10. Again: the prophet, having, as above, predicted the defeat of Pharaoh at Carchemish, adds: "The word that the Lord spake to Jeremiah the prophet, how Nebuchadrezzar King of Babylon should come and smite the land of Egypt." Chap. xlvi, 13-16. Ezekiel iterates the same predictions. Far away in the east, on the banks of the Chebar, he declared, "Thus saith the Lord God, I will also make the multitude of Egypt to cease by the hand of Nehuchadrezzar King of Babylon. He and his people with him, the terrible of the nations, shall be brought to destroy the land." Ezek. xxx, 10, 11. The same prophet, also, by divine command, announces in express terms the singular fact, that the spoil of the land should recompense the Babylonish army for their long and unproductive siege and ruin of Tyre. Chap. xxix, 18, 19.

Of the manner and extent in which these prophecies were fulfilled, we have but slender information; but the fact is unquestionable. Berosus declares that Nebuchadrezzar, as soon as he had received intelligence of his father's death, set in order the affairs of Egypt, and hastily crossed the desert to Babylon; (Cory's Fragments, p. 39;) clearly implying that Nebuchadnezzar had obtained the government of that country prior to this period. Megasthenes, also, expressly affirms that this Chaldean warrior conquered the greatest part of Africa; and it is evident that no conquests could at that time have been made in Africa, except through Egypt. On this point the testimony of Josephus is decisive. He says, "Nebuchadnezzar, having subdued Cole-Syria, waged war against the Ammonites and Moabites: and, having conquered them, he invaded Egypt, slew the king who then reigned, and appointed another.”—