state leaves the poet at liberty to fill up the spaces by the beautiful creations of his own fertile imagination, they are such as harmonize with the spirit and letter of those parts of scripture that clearly, and pointedly relate to the subject. If, then, we believe that the curse inflicted by God on man, when the latter broke over the just limits of his state, shed its mortalising and desolating influence over every sense, organ, and faculty of both mind and body, we have good reason to conclude that, before that direful event occurred, music, in its diversified capabilities of mood and style, flowed from human lips more sweet, cheering, and angelic, than has ever since. been heard from mortal voice. Numerous thoughts here present themselves, and wrapt, as it were, in the mournful and faint reverberations of the hushed music of that happy state, make feeling appeals in behalf of our art, whose "glory has departed." But they must be silenced until the arrival of a subsequent part of this work, when it is hoped they may be heard with that candour to which they are justly entitled. In marking out the progress of music as we descend the stream of time, we shall now be reminded of the existence of instruments, to aid the human voice in extending the power, and variety of musical sound. Here also, however, much doubt encumbers the subject, the dark shadows of antiquity preventing us from taking anything like an ample and discriminating view of instrumental music, in connexion with system, through many of the first ages of the world. As believers in the scriptural account of the deluge, we cannot receive as genuine, any traditional or documentary information, in whatever form, as to what took place before the flood, but what is derived from Bible history. For all the remaining knowledge of the antediluvian world at the time of the flood, was compressed and epitomised to the scanty dimensions of the ark. Of course all nations since, in tracing up their history, must at once stop at the flood. And if we would make ourselves at all acquainted with the transactions of the world beyond, we must pass over, with Noah and his family, in the ark.* * It may be right to observe, for the benefit of some of my readers, that on the facts supported in the paragraph to which this note refers, there is much difference of opinion amongst learned men. The points in dispute, in which scripture history is mainly concerned, are the accounts of the creation of the world, and the deluge. That opinion on these facts, and which is formed from the simple, and unaided reading of the scriptures, is, that the world was created about four thousand years before Christ, according to Usher, and Blair; and that man was formed immediately after ;--that the deluge was universal, covering every particle of land on the surface of the globe; and that not one human being survived the awful visitation, but those that were within the ark. That reading of scripture, which is opposed to this opinion, is, that the world has existed, perhaps millions of years; but that the first man was created about the time, supposed by the opposing party; This event took place, according to Archbishop Usher, in the year of the world 1656, and 2348 -and that the flood was not universal, and was but to a very limited extent. This theory, in varying forms, has for a length of time been supported by writers of distinction; chiefly, we believe, of those of the Italian and German school. But that which was once considered a fanciful speculation-the conjectures of daring genius-has of late years become invested with arguments, which on many minds extend and deepen the conviction of its truth. It is the increasing, and we might say, enthusiastic study of geology, which has led to this revolution of opinion. American, French, and writers of other nations, have joined the English in investigating the science in all its minutiæ and general bearings; and still the study is prosecuted with increasing avidity. Looking at the achievements of the few years just past, it will not be difficult to augur that a little advance in the future will make startling discoveries, and render plain many phenomena of the science. The general impression hereby produced on the minds of geologists is, that the science is at variance with revelation; and that, relying on the truth of the science, revelation must give way, and with it the whole fabric of Christianity, and all that is vital in religious hope and feeling. It is easy to imagine that such a conclusion would speedily be adopted by minds disposed to entertain infidel opinions, and who treat with contempt the great verities of the Bible. But amongst the most eminent geologists are to be found some of our most valuable theologians, whose regard for the Word of God is scrupulous, conscientious, and open; who take the torch of divine truth to guide their scientific discoveries, and think it not right to penetrate those caverns where its fire will not burn, and its light cannot be seen. These writers, while on the one hand they have given encouragement to a free investigation of the works of God, and on C years before Christ. Confining ourselves, then, entirely to the scriptural account for our informa the other have been anxious to uphold the authority of the Word of God, have endeavoured to give that illustration to their respective character, as to shew that they both spring from the same all forming hand. Perhaps no work has more fully developed this intention than that of Dr. Pye Smith, "On the Relation between the Holy Scriptures and some parts of Geological Science," which was delivered as the sixth series of the Congregational Lectures. It is a most elaborate production, and compresses within a comparatively small compass, a vast amount of information on the science; and shews that the Doctor had more scientific knowledge than had generally been given him credit for. But the great peculiarity of his work, and its avowed object, is to harmonize the science and the scriptures, by his mode of expounding the latter. Thus, for instance, in regard to the deluge: he shows by a great variety of considerations, imbued with much reason and truth,-which cannot here be given even in an epitomised form,-that the waters could not have covered every part of the land all over the globe. And he wishes it to be understood that this need not be maintained in the face of reason and propriety, from a squeamish and an unmeaning regard for the credit of the sacred scriptures, as being quite uncalled for, and likely to injure, rather than serve the cause of revealed truth. He then considers the meaning of the Hebrew words in question, the idioms of the language, and the way in which similar language is employed on other occasions, supported by the criticisms of several eminent commentators. The scripture description of the flood runs thus: "The waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth, and all the high hills that were under the whole heaven were covered."* To those who have studied the phraseology of scripture, there is no rule of Genesis vii. 19. tion on music, we find about 1150 years preceding that period, a solitary passage on the subject, in interpretation more certain than this, that universal terms are often used to signiiy only a very large amount in number or quantity. We may cite a few instances, where it is evident the words used in the above passage have a restricted meaning. "And the famine was upon all the face of the earth;-and all the earth came to Egypt, to buy corn from Joseph, for the famine was extreme in all the earth."* Yet it is self-evident that only these countries are meant, which lay within a practicable distance from Egypt. "The hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field;" but, a few days after, we find the devastation of the locusts thus described: "They did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left."+ "This day will I begin to put the fear of thee, and the dread of thee upon the face of the nations under all the heavens;" yet this declaration respects only the nations of Canaan and those lying upon its frontier, all being within a very small geographical district. "All the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom." This cannot be reasonably understood of any kind of resort but that of embassies and complimentary visits, from sovereigns and states within a tolerable distance The queen of Sheba was very likely one of the principal visitants. Our Lord himself condescended to use the style of the Jews in saying of her, that "The queen of the south came from the uttermost parts of the earth, to hear the wisdom of Solomon."|| After quoting various other scriptures, Doctor Smith says, "From these instances of the scriptural idiom in the application of phraseology similar to that in the narrative concerning the flood, I humbly think that those terms do not oblige us to understand a literal universality, so that we are exonerated from some otherwise insuperable difficulties in natural history + Exod. x. 5, 15. *Gen. xli. 56, 57. Matt. xii. 42. Deut. ii. 25. |