Travellers, passing near Jordan, have found a kind of fruit or pulse, eaten by the Monks there, which they call locusts: SANDYS, in particular, describing the wilderness of John the Baptist, remarks, that it abounds with trees called locusts. The Italians call the fruit of these trees carobe; the French call it careages; and the Dutch denominate it Jaans Broot, that is, John's Bread: it is the same as what the prodigal son desired to eat with the swine, Luke xv. 16, which should be there rendered carob-beans: it was very commonly eaten of old by the prophets, and by poor people, as may be seen from what CAPELLUS advances on Prov. xvii. 1.

4532. [Matt. iii. 4.] Dr. CLARKE in his Travels relates, that a tree grows in Palestine, which is called the locust-tree, and produces an eatable fruit. It also grows in several of the countries, which border the Mediterranean sea. It has been lately found in much greater abundance, in some parts of the East Indies, whence it has now become an article of export. Many thousands of its pods are at present (1816) in the Warehouses of the East-India Docks. These pods are about 20 inches long, and from half to three quarters of an inch in diameter. We call them pods for want of a term, which should more accurately describe them, but they are not flat, neither have they that sort of hinge on one side and slight fastening on the other, which plainly shew how the shells of peas and beans are to be opened. On the contrary, these are round; but there are two opposite lines along them, where the color alone would induce any one to suppose the skin to be, as it is, thinner than elsewhere. Having this fruit before us only in its dry state, we can describe it in no other; but at present a knife could scarcely be made to penetrate the thicker part, and does not very easily make its way into the thinner. The fruit, which lies in little cells within, is a pulp, or paste, somewhat like that of tamarinds, but smoother, and not so sweet. There are pips in it, nearly as hard, and about half as large, as those of a tamarind, containing at kernel in each.

Such was a part of the food of John the Baptist during his abode in the wilderness. It should be added, that in the stem of this locust-tree, the wild bees still deposit their honey.

JOSEPHUS speaks of a honey pressed from the (membranous covering of the flowers of certain) palmtrees near Jericho, as little inferior to the honey of bees. Wars, b. iv. ch. viii. § 3.

4539. CLEMENT of Alexandria says of St. Matthew, that "he abstained from the eating of flesh; and that his diet was fruits, roots and herbs."

Pedagogue, b. 2. c. 1. In Minorca, brown wheaten bread is the principal nourishment of the poor. The general breakfast is a piece of bread, a bunch of grapes or raisins, and a draught of water. ARMSTRONG'S Hist. of Minorca, p. 209. Descartes, at his table, in imitation of the good-natured Plutarch, always preferred fruits and vegetables to the bleeding flesh of animals.

Tiberias into the Dead Sea. Its waters being pellucid, soft, and without any obvious saline taste, "I was led to suppose," says Dr. MARCET," that it was uncommonly pure, and could in no degree partake of the peculiar saliue qualities of the Dead Sea." But, by analysing its properties, I discovered in it the same salts, and was induced from a variety of circumstances to infer, "that the River Jordan might possibly be the source of the saline ingredients of the Dead Sea, or at least that the same source of impregnation might be common to both."

water becomes vapor by the means of fire, and air is nothing but vapor and exhalations rendered elastic by fire. - This mighty agent is every where at hand, ready to break forth into action, if not restrained by other things. Being always in motion, it actuates and enlivens the whole visible mass of the world, it distinguishes the various stages of nature, and keeps up the perpetual round of generations. So quick in its motions, so subtil and penetrating in its nature, so extensive in its effects, it seems no other than the Vegetative Soul and Vital Spirit of the world.

NEWTON as quoted in Barton's
Analogy, p. 63.

4544.. Fire is the universal fountain of life, order, distinction, stability and beauty of the universe. It is not only in the sun and other heavenly bodies, but it makes part of every lump of matter upon, and in our Globe; it may be struck out of the hardest masses, and is discovered in the deepest caverns; the very water, which is generally supposed to extinguish it, does also retain it, as appears from the fashing of waves in the time of a storm; it exists even in the darkest caverns, as is evident from hence, that many animals see in the dark, and fire may be kindled in them, by the collision of bodies. Gold is no more than mercury with abundance of light or fire in it, as appears from an experiment. Fire mixes with all bodies, and its operations are various according to its kind, quantity, and degree of vehemence. As it mixes with water, one degree of it keeps water fluid, another degree of it turns it into elastic air. For

4549. [Matt. iv. 1. Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness] Into an elevated sphere circuitously above the earth, where all terrestrial things are exhibited by

SWEDENBORG, on Divine Love, n. 424.

4551. Not into a desert, but into the desert; a phrase, which must suggest to the mind of the reader the Great Desert of Arabia, in which the Israelites wandered so many years, and in which Mount Sinai is situated: and this notion, if not elsewhere contradicted by the historian, will appear the more probable, when in reading of a miraculous fast of forty days, we recollect a similar fast of Moses and Elias on Mount Sinai, or on the way to that mountain. See Exod. xxxiv. 28. 1 Kings xix. 8. The instant we imagine ourselves in this Desert, the whole history, including both the artifices of Satan and the answer of our Lord, receives extraordinary light. The people of Palestine, shew the wilderness, in which Jesus is supposed to have been tempted, and from the forty days it has acquired the name of Quarantaria : it is an extremely rugged and wild ridge of mountains, to the north of the road, which leads from Jerusalem by the Mount of Olives to Jericho. Its aspect is most hideous: but it can hardly be the Desert of the Temptation: and the assertion of those, who for 1600 years past have been paid by travellers for shewing the Holy Places of Palestine, is utterly destitute of weight Not to insist, that no writer of common sense would call this merely the Desert without a more particular description, its situation is at variance with the whole history: no man could there be in danger of perishing with hunger: for in whatever part of that desert he might happen to be, he need travel only for a few hours to reach a place, where provisions might be had, viz. Ephraim, Bethel, Jericho, or elsewhere: if any one were there so unreasonable as to say to a famished worker of miracles, Command that these stones be made bread," the proper answer would be, "Shall God, then, work a miracle merely in aid of our sloth? and buy bread." The Angels, also, on this supposition were superfluously employed in bringing food to Jesus. Again, our Saviour could not here have been altogether in solitude, for as Mark (i. 13) says, among wild beasts or serpents, but among men, possibly among robbers, who then infested this Desert, and made it dangerous to travel from Jerusalem to Jericho.

Let us go

MICHAELIS, as quoted in Middleton's Doctrine of the Greek Article, p. 176.

4554. [5. The holy city] The Orientals never call Jerusalem by any other name than Elkuds, the Holy. Sometimes adding the epithet Elsherif, the noble. This word Elkuds, seems to me, says VOLNEY, the etymological origin of all the Cassiuses of antiquity, which, like Jerusalem, were high places; and had temples and holy places erected on them. (Trav. vol. ii. p. 305.) — PRIDEAUX also was of opinion, that the Cadytis of Herodotus is the city Jerusalem.

4558. [ 8. The devil sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world] Our Earth being interiorly figured in the spiritual world, and transparent, so as to be seen entire and at once. See Rev. xxi. 18.

Sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world (not of the earth, but of the world above), and the glory of them. The glory of one of these kingdoms, probably, is identical with that electric light arising from the earth's magnetism, which is necessarily of a ferruginous nature, because no

4561. [18] One species of coral is white, in great request among Negrocs, as giving an agreeable contrast to their jetty skins. There is also a black coral, a sea-plant abounding in this lake and in the salt waters of the Asphaltis, little used by the Europeans, but in great repute with the Asiatics and Arabians. These turn it into a great variety of toys; into spoons, heads of canes, handles for knives, hilts for swords, necklaces, and other trinkets. They also make of it chaplets of beads, with which at present, the Mahometans of Arabia Felix regulate their devotions; and without which, around the neck in one or more rows, they seldom, if ever, inter a corpse.

See Nat. Delin. vol. iii. p. 166.

4562. [ 23.] It has been questioned by what right Christ and his Apostles, who had no public character among the Jews, taught in the synagogues. In answer Dr. Lightfoot observes, that though this liberty were not allowed to any illiterate person or mechanic, but to the learned only; yet they granted it to prophets and workers of miracles; and such as set up for heads and leaders of new sects; in order that they might inform themselves of their dogmata, and not condemn them unheard and unknown. Under these characters Christ and his Apostles were admitted to this privilege.

JENNINGS' Jewish Antiq, vol. ii. p. 54.

4563. [24] There are no lunatics among savages. St. PIERRE'S Studies of Nature, vol. iii. p. 231.

4567. [ 9. Blessed are the peace-makers] The best and most useful laws, I have ever seen, are generally practised in Holland. When two men are determined to go to law with each other, they are first obliged to go before the reconciling judges, called the peace-makers. If the parties come attended with an advocate or a solicitor, he is obliged to retire, as we take fuel from the fire we are desirous of extinguishing. The peace-makers then begin advising the parties, by assuring them, that it is the height of folly to waste their substance, and make themselves mutually miserable, by having recourse to the tribunals of justice: follow but our direction, and we will accommodate matters without any expense to either'. If the rage of debate is too strong upon either party, they are remitted back for another day, in order that time may soften their tempers, and produce a reconciliation. They are thus sent for twice or thrice; if their folly happen to be incurable, they are permitted to go to law; and, as we give up to amputation such members as cannot be cured by art, justice is permitted to take its GOLDSMITH.

course."

See No. 1117.

a

Hence men's

Light; they have none of their own: each of them receives it but on one side, on that side next the sun; aud the reflection of that light, from each, is the glory of each, glory comparatively great in proportion to the magnitude of the planet, the shortness of its distance, &c. crowns are but each a hemisphere of rays: so that, to attribute glory, is by reflection, to irradiate it on others; and thus, jointly, backward to the GLORY, the LIGht above. HUTCHINSON'S Glory or Gravity, p. 220.

4570. [Matt. v. 22. Whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell-fire] "It is found, that men are extremely jealous of their character in this particular; and many instances are seen of profligacy and treachery, the most avowed and unreserved; none of bearing patiently the imputation of ignorance and stupidity. Dicearchus the Macedonian general, who, as Polybius tells us, openly erected one altar to Impiety, another to Injustice, in order to bid defiance to mankind; even he, I am well assured, would have started at the epithet of fool, and have meditated revenge for so injurious an appellation.”

4571.

HUME.

Man, careless, froward, stubborn, vain, impetuous, disdains the imputation of ignorance, and loathes the authoritative dictates of assuming superiority.

HOOPER, M. D.

4572 [24.] It was a custom and a law among the Jews, that the sacrifices of particular men should not immediately, as soon as they were due, be brought to the altar, but that they should be reserved to the feast next following, whatsoever that were, whether the passover, or pentecost, or tabernacles, and be then offered. At these times all the

Israelites were present, and any brother against whom one had sinned, was not far off from the altar. To this time and custom of the nation it is probable that Christ might

4579. [29, 30.] And if thy right eye would cause thee to offend, let it be plucked out, and cast from thee: &c. By what is here said of the eye and hand, it is proba ble our Lord refers to members of correspondent importance in the church; who, on doing injury, should be separated for " whether the preservation of the main body. In this sense, one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it." 1 Cor. xii. 26.