SEAL should remain private) till the time of the end; till opened as in the Apocalypse. In the second century after Christ, the Basilideans used gems, shaped and engraved after the manner of seals, for superstitious purposes, as amulets, and bearing their mystic devices. These seals, or engraved stones, are commonly called Abraxean gems, from the mystical word Abraxas, or Abrasax, which is frequently read on them, and which is thought to be the name applied to their Supreme Being. The Greek letters of which it is composed, in their numerical value, make up the amount of 365; which they taught was the number of the spiritual powers, or angels, which proceeded in gradations from the celestial regions (called Pleroma or Fullness), and governed the universe. The word abraxas was of Egyptian origin, and was thence adopted by the Basilideans. On their stones are also to be read the names of Jao (abbreviated from Jehovah) Adonai, Sabbaoth. But these heretics had no veneration for the God of Moses; whom so far from considering to be the Supreme God, they placed as the last and lowest of the angels (whom they called Æons) as the creator of this inferior world. - It was a distinguishing feature of these kind of heresies, that they interwove some of the doctrines of Christianity with the mythology of the Egyptians; and some interminglings of Greek mythology and philosophy. Most of these Abraxean gems, or seals, bear inscriptions in Greek, very difficult to be understood, on account of the cabbalistic and mysterious words which disguise the sense. On some of them are seen human figures, with the head of a cock; or a cock having other heads and figures incorporated with it; in allusion to the Greek god of healing, Esculapius, whose symbol was a cock, to betoken the vigilance necessary to a physician. These gems were most probably medical amulets, used by these mystics in their pretensions to medico-magic, to which they were much addicted, and by which they are accused of having imposed on the rich and credulous. M. SEAR. A Hebrew measure containing about a gallon and a half, liquid measure, or about a peck, dry measure. SEASON. A season of the year is expressed in Hebrew by the word TD moad or magnad. It is derived from the verb Tjoad or jagnad, to appoint. In some parts of Scripture, as in Numbers 10. 4, and 14. 35; Joshua 11. 5, it signifies to meet by appointment: and thus the idea is beautifully marked of the heavenly bodies meeting at appointed times in their set conjunctions, and arriving at their due place in the firmament; and thus bringing about what we call the 'seasons. This moad, is the word used where we have it rendered “set time" in Genesis 17.21; because it refers to the season of the year at which Sarah was to bear Isaac; and for the same reason the word moad is used, (2 Kings 14. 16,) alluding to the season of the year at which the Shunamite's son (an only one, and a child of promise, like Sarah's,) was to be brought forth. Also in Hosea 2. 9, "I will return and take away my wine in the season," because referring to the vintage season, which was in July. And in Deuteronomy 16. 6, "Thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt," i.e., in the Spring. Where "season" in our translation means any indefinite time, it is expressed in Hebrew by ny oat or gnat, as in Exodus 18. 22; Jeremiah 33. 5; Ezekiel 34. 26; Deuteronomy 28. 17. An appointed, given, or limited time, is expressed by the Chaldee word ¡Di zemon, as in Daniel 2. 16. When the promise is made to Noah (Gen. 8. 22,) that the seasons shall succeed each other in due rotation, without any interruption from destructive phenomena, such as the Deluge, six kinds of division of the year seem to be indicated,-seed-time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter. Summer and winter alone have peculiar names appropriated to them. The word autumn never occurs in our translation, and spring only once, in Ezekiel 17. 9, "It shall wither in all the leaves of her spring," where it might be equally well translated, "branch," as "all the leaves of her branch," as the same word tzemach is in other parts of Scripture rendered "branch." Summer, in Genesis 8. 22, and the other parts of Scripture, is p kitz, from the verb P jakatz, to awaken: literally, the awakening season, which in this sense includes spring, being, together, that division of the year when the earth is awakened from its dormant winter state. The Jewish civil year began in our September. The first season in order to be noticed is seed-time, y zero or zerang, so called from the verb y zarang, to spread abroad. Its duration was from the last part of Tisri, through all Marchesvan, and the first half of Chisleu; that is, from the beginning of October to the beginning of December. During this time the Jews ploughed, sowed wheat and barley, and gathered the latest grapes. At this period they lighted their fires, and left their cool summer houses, or small country seats, to retire to the warmer houses in the town. (Jerem. 36. 22.) In speaking of seed-time we may here remark, that the Jews were forbidden, in Leviticus 19. 19, and Deuteronomy 22. 9, to sow their fields and their vineyards with divers seeds. The cause of this prohibition, we learn from Maimonides, was, that the sowing of divers seeds together was an idolatrous custom of pagan people, such as the Zabians and Amorites, in honour of some of their false deities, and attended with charms and fumigations, and even with filthy rites. Maimonides mentions the sowing together of corn and dried grapes, which seems to be some old rite in honour of the ancient Ceres: and Bacchus. Verse 9 above quoted in Deuteronomy 22, countenances the conjecture that the prohibition to the Jews was on account of idolatry; for it gave as a reason, "Lest the fruit of the seed which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard, be defiled," i.e., God would not accept the offering of the first-fruits of what had been sown contrary to his law and his honour, and then the whole would be unclean, and unfit for the use of man. charaph, Winter, choreph, from the verb to strip: literally, the stripping time, when the trees are stripped of leaves, and the earth of flowers. The same root signifies to reproach: figuratively, to strip of honour; hence winter is also called choreph, as it were the reproach of the earth. This season was the last part of Chisleu, all Tebet, and the beginning of Shebeth, i.e., from the beginning of December to the beginning of February. In Judæa it is extremely cold, with vehement storms of wind and rain, which do great damage; hence Our Lord's parable of the house that fell when the rain descended and the winds blew. (Matt. 7.26.) The cold season, P kor, is the end of Shebeth, all Adar, and beginning of Nisan, i.e., from the beginning of February to the beginning of April. The commencement of this season is very cold, but soon becomes warmer. Then by the melting of the snow formerly the Jordan used to overflow its banks so much as to constitute an era in the times, (IChron. 12. 15,) "These are they that went over Jordan in the first month, when The next star, Cesil, which our version renders Orion it had overflowed all its banks." This "first month" is Nisan, which was the beginning of the ecclesiastical("or loose the bands of Orion,") is thought by Dr. Hales, year. This inundation was so great as to drive the wild beasts from their lairs. Jeremiah, in chap. 49. 19, and 50. 44, speaks of the lion coming up from the swellings of Jordan. This river is now so shrunk that it is scarcely perceptible, particularly in summer, till the traveller approaches close to its channel, the sides of which are closely veiled by thickets. The barley at this time was usually ripe. The harvest, TYP katzir, from the verb katzar, to mow and reap, lasted from the latter end of Nisan, during all Jyar or Ziv, to the first half of Sivan; that is, from the beginning of April to the beginning of June. The wheat and barley harvest took place at this time, the barley being the first. During harvest time rain very seldom falls; the weather is delightful, and the air is serene. Where, in 1 Samuel 12. 17, the prophet says, "Is it not wheat harvest to-day? I will call unto the Lord, and he shall send thunder and rain, that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is great," the occurrence of thunder and rain at this season is made use of as a miracle, so that when it took place," the people greatly feared." So Proverbs 26. 1, classes rain in harvest with snow in summer, as equally strange and injurious. Summer, kitz, or the awakened season, is the latter half of Sivan, all Thammuz, and the beginning of Ab; that is, from the beginning of June to the beginning of August. The weather is then so warm in Judæa, that the people live very much upon the roofs of their houses. (See art. RooF.) Those who had summer residences in the country, repaired thither, or to their summer parlours," well ventilated and artificially cooled. (See Amos 3. 15; Judges 3. 20-24.) This was the time of the vintage. 66 The hot season, D chum, or the great heat, is the latter part of Ab, all Elul, and the beginning of Tisri; i.e., from the beginning of August to the beginning of October. During this time the heat is intense in most parts of Judæa, and the face of the country is burnt up, and the fountains and brooks dried away. Throughout the Scriptures, the seasons most commonly alluded to are summer and winter, making, as it were, the year into two principal divisions, the awakened, p kitz, and the stripped, choreph, the spring being included in the former, and the autumn as the commencing part of the latter, when the first leaves begin to fall off, and when the flowers have dropped, but are succeeded by fruits. So Job 29. 1-4, "O that I were as in months past, as I was in the days of my youth." (In the Hebrew, "As I was in the days of my winter.") Job could not mean winter, that dreary season which is symbolical of age and desolation; but his autumn, when his judgment was matured, and when its fruits had succeeded to the flowers of his spring and summer. So in Isaiah 18. 6, when the prophet foretels the destruction of the Ethiopians, and that the birds and beasts shall have a year's food on them, he says, "The fowls shall summer upon them, and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them." for astronomical reasons, to be Antares in Scorpio, which was the cardinal constellation of the autumnal equinox in Job's time. "Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season?" What star or constellation is meant by Mazzaroth has not been ascertained. The most probable Hebrew verb from which the word could be derived, seems to be azar, to bind, to girdle; whence it has been supposed that Mazzaroth means the whole zodiac or girdle of the heavens, with its signs, but it is not certain that the zodiac was known in Job's days. Derived from azar, to girdle, it would appear very strikingly that Mazzaroth is Orion, a constellation most remarkable for his brilliant belt of stars. Ancient nations calculated their seasons by the heliacal rising of certain stars and constellations, i.e., their rising just before the sun. Orion's heliacal rising is in July, and was formerly in the middle of June: this would make him the fit constellation to mark the summer in this passage of Job. True, among classical writers we find Orion considered under a stormy aspect. Anacreon (Ode 17,) calls him σvyvov piva, sad Orion; and Horace, (Epode 15,) "Nautes infestus Orion," Orion hostile to sailors; but that is in his acronycal rising, (i. e., rising about sunset,) which was in November. Then, when he is visible at night, is the season of storms, whence his appellations among the Greek and Roman writers. Wherefore in the 4th book of the Æneid, Anna persuades Dido to detain Æneas, while winter and watery Orion vex the sea: Dum Pelago desævit Hyems, et aquosus Orion! "Canst thou . . . . . guide Arcturus and his sons?" It is pretty generally received that wy Gnish means Arcturus in the constellation Boötes, formerly Arctophylax, the bear-ward. "His sons," alludes to the group of Boötes and his greyhounds (the Canes Venatici,) and the Great Bear, which is close to him. These northern constellations represent winter in opposition to Mazzaroth. The heliacal risings of Arcturus begin in October. It was considered a stormy star: "Særus impetus Arcturi cadentis," (Hor. Ode 1, book iii.) in the note to which are quoted the following lines: Increpui hybernum et fluctus movi mantimos, Nam que Arcturus signum omnium sum accerrimum, Vehemens sum exoriens, cum occido vehementur. "I have chidden (or vexed) winter, and moved the ocean-floods. For I am Arcturus, the most stern sign of all; I am vehement when I rise, more vehement when I set." The former and the latter rains are seasons often mentioned in Scripture, and answer to autumnal and vernal periods. These rains are called by the Jews -mal מקש moreh,) and מורה jorah, (sometimes יורה The four seasons, spring, summer, autumn, and winter, seem to be indicated in Job 38. 31,32, by reference to remarkable stars. “Canst thou bind the sweet influence of Pleiades?" These are seven stars in the constellation of Taurus, which rise with the sun about the vernal equinox, generally accompanied by rains, harmonizing with the latter rain or spring rain of the Hebrews. Dr. Hales produces astronomical proofs that Taurus was the cardinal spring-constellation in Job's time. See Horne's Introduction. kosh. The Rabbins, and most of the commentators, agree that jorah, which we translate "the former rain,” was the rain of autumn; and malkosh, (which we render "the latter rain,") was the spring rain. As the Jews began their civil year in autumn, this was the natural order to them. But Calmet and others think that jorah is the vernal rain, and malkosh the autumnal, because jorah is always mentioned first in the Scriptures, spring being naturally the beginning of the year, (not to the Jews, however,) and because malkosh is derived from up lakash, a verb signifying to make the vintage, to crop, to gather; also because Joel 2. 23, says, “He will cause to come down to you the rain (malkosh,) in the first month," which first month of the civil year would be Tisri (October). But it is to be remembered that the prophets always spoke of the ecclesiastic year, the first month of which is Nisan (March), according to which malkosh would be the March and April rain. SEASONS Psalm 84. 7, says, "The rain (jorah) filleth the pools," which seems to indicate that jorah was the autumnal rain, that filled the pools after the summer's drought. As for the derivation, we may understand malkosh to be derived from p lakash, to gather, or make the vintage, because that rain coming in spring caused the crops to grow, and prepared them for being gathered. jorak, is derived from jarah, to cast forth like darts, also to guide, instruct, regulate. Jorah seems derived from this verb, because falling in October and November, after the seed was sown, it prepared the earth for casting it forth. The Septuagint, indeed, translates jorah (which the Jews consider the autumnal rain,) as Twiμov, the early, and malkosh, oμov, the late rain; but as the Seventy-two were translating into a Gentile language, it is natural to suppose they might use the Gentile order of nature. The two rainy seasons in Judæa are in the latter part of October and beginning of November, and latter end of March and beginning of April. Rain at any other time is very rare. The autumnal rains are not without intermission, but fall in frequent and heavy showers. The weather during the day is warm, but at night cold. The spring rains are violent, and accompanied by chilly weather. There is a tradition that before the fall of man the globe was not placed obliquely as at present; that there was no variation of seasons, nor twilight; and that had man continued innocent the earth would have been blessed with one perpetual spring or mild summer. We find nothing corroborative in Scripture, except that it from Genesis 2. 5,6, that before the fall, at least, appears there was no rain: "the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, but there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground." To this tradition of the change of the position of the earth at the fall, and the introduction of the different seasons, Milton alludes, Paradise Lost, book x. The Creator, calling forth by name His mighty angels, gave them several charge, Some say, he bid his angels turn askance As deep as Capricorn; to bring in change Of seasons to each clime; else had the spring The same tradition is alluded to in Ovid's Metamor phoses, book i.; after the golden age, Jupiter shortens the spring, and divides the year into four seasons, summer, winter, unequal autumn, and short spring; then first was ice and burning heat. Jupiter antiqui contraxit tempora viris, Perque hyemes, æstusque, et inæqualis autumnos, M. SEAT. The place in which a person is seated regulates, in Eastern nations, the degree of rank or precedence which he claims for himself, or receives from others. In Persia, the distance from the throne within which the dignitaries of the court and nobles may sit is regulated by the strictest etiquette. The same particuliarity is observed in every department of public and private life, in the formal divan, in the social feast, and even in the retirement of the domestic chamber. To this peculiarity there are many allusions in Scripture: thus "the seat of Moses," in which the Scribes and Pharisees sate, expresses metaphorically the dignity which belonged to their office as teachers or expounders of the Law; "the seat of honour" to which allusion is made in the Apocrypha, was the highest seat in the synagogue so much coveted by the Pharisees. Thrones are mentioned only in reference to deity or sovereignty; every other kind of dignity is determined by the seat. It was usual for persons who were greatly respected to be employed as judges or arbitrators; and for such seats were provided in some public place, round which the people respectfully stood, paying the most respectful reverence to the person deemed worthy of occupying the seat. Job alludes to this interesting characteristic of ancient simplicity. When I walked early through the city, WEMYSS'S Translation. A similar custom prevailed in ancient Greece, and is mentioned by Homer in his description of the shield of Achilles. The appointed heralds still the noisy bands, Iliad, xviii. Among the Romans a chair of a particular form was used by the magistrates when administering justice, and this is "the judgment-seat" so often mentioned by the writers of the New Testament. C. SEBA. The son of Cush and grandson of Ham; the genealogists say that he was the progenitor of the tribes on the west of the Euphrates. SEBAT. The fifth month of the Jewish civil year, and the eleventh of the ecclesiastical year. SECRET. We may perceive throughout the whole tenor of Scripture, that there are two classes of secrets: 1st, A secret, utterly and entirely such, which is not intended to be revealed; which the understanding of man is incapable of comprehending; or of which the existence may be made known; but not the nature and manner. 2nd, A secret hidden from the world in generel, but which may be revealed at some fitting time, to selected persons; in fact, a secret less absolutely such than the foregoing. At the head of the first class are those secrets belonging to the Almighty, which are sometimes called the deep things of God; those ineffable depths into which we are unable to look. The essence and nature of God, his eternal duration without beginning or end, his omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience; all these are deep and secret things which our finite minds cannot contain; and even the faint idea of which caused the Psalmist to exclaim, (Psalm 139. 6,) "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, it is high, I cannot attain unto it." In Deuteronomy 29. 29, such unfathomable secrets are put in opposition to those things which would have been secrets but for Revelation, but which are made known at fitting times to fitting persons: "The secret things belong unto the Lord our God; but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of his law." Of the second class are things not generally known, but revealed at fitting times to fitting persons, such as those revelations of God's will and his ways as he has been pleased to make known from time to time, though not generally; and also his secret and inward commu nion with, and influence on the spirit of man. In the Hebrew Scriptures this distinction is more obviously made than in our version, by the use of two different words, D seter, applied to the first class, and נסתרת seler (or its form סתר .sodd to the second סור nesterath,) derived from the verb satar, to hide or conceal, is the word used in Deuteronomy 29. 29: "The secret things belong to the Lord our God," i. e., his unapproachable depths, or the secret things reserved for himself alone, as contradistinguished from the (6 things revealed" in the latter part of the verse. Psalm 31. 7, "Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder:" the unknown dwelling of God which we cannot conjecture, knowing only that the "heaven of heavens cannot contain him." (1 Kings 8. 27.) A parallel passage is in Psalm 27. 5: "In the secret of his Tabernacle shall he hide me," used here as a highly figurative expression for the extreme security of a hiding place undiscoverable by enemies. Isaiah 65. 19. The Lord says, "I have not spoken in secret places, in a dark place of the earth." He did not keep his law an unapproachable secret from Israel; but made it publicly known, as at Mount Sinai. Daniel, in chap. 2, ver. 22, speaking of God, says, "He revealeth the deep and secret things," (8ñop_meseterata, formed from seter.) At first sight this may appear to mean God's revelation to Daniel of the secret of Nebuchadnezzar's vision, which did not remain a secret, but was publicly explained. But on looking at the original text, we shall find that these "deep and secret things" do not relate to the explained vision; throughout the whole chapter, wherever the secret of the dream is mentioned, as in verses 18,19,28,30,47, the word used is No raza, 17 razin, plural, clearly distinguishing it from the "deep and secret things" above, which thus appear to allude, not to the explained dream, but to those deep things of God's nature, the existence of which he has given us to know, but not the manner of them, such as his attributes of omnipotence and omniscience, &c. Thus Daniel blesses God that he had revealed such knowledge of those attributes as (without understanding the manner of them,) gave him (Daniel) and his companions faith, to seek assistance in their straight from God, as able to hear them and to aid them. And the prayer of faith being answered, Daniel thanks and praises God accordingly. (Psalm 30. 12,) "Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from my secret faults," (nester, from D seter,) particularly appropriate here as meaning those sins which are actually a secret to ourselves; which we have forgotten, or are not conscious of, and are known to God alone. This meaning is evident from the beginning of the verse, "Who can understand his errors?" We shall see infra, that secret sins, i. e., sins of which we are conscious, but which we hide from the world, are expressed by a different Hebrew word. ters says, "Where are their gods? Let them rise up and be your protection," (D seter, secret place,) i. e., your hiding-place from my vengeance. "Stolen In Proverbs 9. 17, it is used for a theft, which of course the perpetrator would closely conceal. waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant." Prov. 21. 19, the "gift in secret" that "pacifies anger," suggests the idea of a bribe, a common Oriental mode of pacification to this day. In Judges 3. 19, the secret errand Ehud pretended to Eglon, appeared from the use of this word to be so profound a secret that none but Eglon himself should know it, wherefore all persons were sent out from his presence. It must be observed, however, that the use of the word seter in the absolute sense of secresy is limited to the substantive and adjective. The verb D is used in the general senses of to hide, to conceal. The second class of secrets, things less absolutely hidden than the first, not universally known, but revealed at fitting times to fitting persons, is marked by the use of the word TD sod, which occurs only as a noun in Hebrew; there is no verb whence it is derived. The highest sense of it is in its application to those operations and counsels of God which he is pleased to reveal at his own time; and also his secret communion with the spirit of man. So in Job 29. 2,4, "O that I was as when the secret (TD sod) of God was upon my tabernacle," i. e., the peace of God which passeth general worldly understanding. Psalm 25. 14, "The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will show them his covenant;" not only the peace of God, but gracious revealings of his will and his way, uncomprehended by the wicked. A parallel passage is John 7. 17: "If any man will do his (God's) will, he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." Amos 3, "Surely God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his prophets." Here TD sod, a secret that will be revealed is used instead of seter, an incomprehensible secret; such as is alluded to in Deuteronomy 29. 29; TD secret, here, is that which God resolved in his privacy to do, which remained a secret till revealed at a fitting season to fitting persons, the prophets. This word, TD sod, secret, is sometimes translated counsel, and applied to the determinations of God, private till the proper time of their revelation. Jerem. 23. 18, “Who hath stood in the counsel (secret) of the Lord;" i. e., what prophet can pretend to announce God's will, of his own knowledge, before it has been revealed to him? Hence comes a lower sense of the word as counsel, private conference, (Gen. 49. 6,) "O my soul, come not into their secret, i. e., into the private counsel wherein they plotted cruelty. TD sod, not seter, is used, because it was not an absolute secret, but known to a few. Job 19. 19, "All my inward (or secret) friends abhorred me," i. l., the confidants of my private counsels. Prov. 11. 13, "A tale-bearer revealeth secrets," (TD sod;) what he has heard in private conference. 19 The distinction pointed out in the classes of secrets expressed by D seter, and TD sod, is proved by observing what Hebrew words are used for secret in a general and indefinite sense, merely as something reserved or hidden from public knowledge. The usual word is by gnalmah or almah, from y gnalam or From this first and high sense of the substantive Dalam, to hide, cover up; it is used Psalm 90. 8, “Thou seter, the word comes to be applied to inferior things, but always in the sense of profound secresy, as in 1 Samuel 19. 2. A hiding-place, not to be made known to any one, (Deut. 32. 38,) translated in our version "protection," but meaning a place of refuge not to be approached or found out. The Lord reproaching idola hast set our iniquities before thee: our secret sins in the light of thy countenance;" i. e., our conscious sins, which we covered up from the world. So in Psalm 64. 21, "God knoweth the secrets of the heart;" all the private thoughts of the heart in an indefinite sense. So also in Ecclesiastes 12. 14, "For God shall bring every work SECRET into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil." Job 11. 16, Zophar says to Job, "O that he (God) would show thee the secrets of his wisdom," i. e., those things concerning the state of his soul which Zophar thinks he might have known, were he not deficient in religious knowledge, because he had ignorantly and presumptuously (as Zophar reproached him,) justified himself on account of his former innocence. Job 28. 2, "He bindeth the floods from overflowing, and the thing that is hid (original by tagnalumah, from y gnalam,) bringeth he forth to light." As Job in the foregoing verses of this chapter has been speaking of nature, or natural history, it is most probable that by the hidden things he means the seed or corn hidden in the ground, which God brings to light. Another word for secret is on setem, from OND satam, to obstruct, hinder, used in Ezekiel 28. 3, "There is no secret that they can hide from thee." This we may certainly understand as in the light of sciences, or the secrets of science and worldly knowledge which are obstructed or hindered from the world in general by the difficulty and labour attending their acquisition. The following verse favours this view, as it manifestly alludes to worldly knowledge and acquirements. "With thy wisdom and with thine understand-❘ ing thou hast gotten thee riches." The same distinction is to be traced in the Greek of the New Testament between deep and incomprehensible things, and secrets of a less absolute nature. The first class, deep incomprehensible things, or things only partially revealed, of which we know the existence, not the mode of existence, is expressed by μvorηptov, translated mystery, and harmonizing with the Hebrew seter, which is, in fact, the original root from which μvoτηpɩov, mystery, is derived. The radical letters are s. T. R., to which the servile мbeing prefixed, gives M. s. T. R., and with the usual vowel e interpolated in the Hebrew pronunciation without points, we have Me Sre Re, mystery. In 1Timothy 3. 16, the incarnation of Christ, in which state he was justified in the spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory, is called the mystery of godliness, because the manner of the union of the human and divine natures is beyond our comprehension. Therefore is the atonement called a mystery in 1Corinthians 2.7; and the resurrection, 1Corinthians 15. 51; the mystical union of Christ with his Church. (Ephes. 5. 32.) In brief, all those great dogmata of religion, the fact of the existence of which is revealed, but not the manner, essence, and nature; and which are thus touchstones of faith, that, seeing them, not with eyes of perfect understanding, we yet believe; walking by faith, and not by sight. Faith and mystery are inseparably connected; for faith is the evidence of things not seen, (Heb. 11. 1;) if clearly seen through they could be no longer objects of faith; "faith cometh by hearing," (Rom. 10. 17,) not by seeing. When Our Lord (Matt. 4. 2.) tells his disciples that to them it was given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God, the text does not mean that all things were to be wholly opened up to them; but that they were the fitting persons chosen to be taught the facts of the existence of things hitherto unknown to them, and still hidden from "those who were without," such as the incarnation, atonement, resurrection, &c. We say the fact of the existence of such things, not the mode of their existence, which remained a mystery still. The mysteries of the Gospel, of the kingdom of God, we see now but "through a glass darkly," (2Cor. 13. 12;) "but when that which is nerfect is come," we shall see "as face to face," and doubtless increase in knowledge of divine things will be one of the joys of the glorified state. We cannot expect that all the secrets of God himself will be laid open to us; such expectation would be a presumptuous lowering of his dignity. But we may reasonably hope that all things connected with our salvation, and with the vindication of God's ways to man, will be no longer mysteries, but will be cleared up to us, that our joy may be full. The second or inferior class of secrets is never expressed in the Greek by μvorηpiov, but by less definite words, such as кρUπта, Kекрνμμеνа, &c. κρυπτα, κεκρυμμενα, N.B. The verb kрUTT with its participles, like the Hebrew verb D satar, is used in the indefinite and general sense, to hide, to conceal. We may here remark that when in Judges 13. 18, the angel that appeared to Manoah and his wife refused to tell his name, because it was secret, as our version renders it, the Hebrew word used is not any of those mentioned 'in this article, but is ' properly wonderful, something beyond mortal capacity or experience. It harmonizes with what is said in the following verse, that the angel did wonderfully, i. e., that he did some extraordinary things of the nature of miracles. His name was something not to be uttered by mortal lips, as his deeds were not to be imitated by mortal powers. In Isaiah 9. 6, where the name of the Messiah is to be called wonderful, it alludes to the ineffable name Jehovah, which is considered by the Jews too holy to be pronounced, and indeed the true pronunciation of which they say is lost. M. SEED. The prolific principle of future life, whether in animals or plants, is properly called "seed," and hence in Scripture the term is frequently used to signify posterity or descendants. When the word is used emphatically, "THE SEED" implies some conspicuous descendant, immediate or remote, of the person mentioned; thus, "the seed of the woman," "the seed of Abraham,” “the seed of David," are used to point out the Messiah, who was descended from Eve, and remedied the disasters of the Fall,—from Abraham, and fulfilled the prophecy that in him all the families of the earth should be blessed;" and from David, whose kingdom, in a spiritual sense, he restored. It may be remarked that many commentators, with great probability, assert that Christ is called "the seed of the woman" in allusion to his having been born of a pure virgin, as foretold by the prophet Isaiah. Both in ancient and modern times, the Jews have vauntingly styled themselves "the seed of Abraham," and have boasted of the spiritual privileges attached to their descent; it was for this reason that they were reproved by Our Blessed Lord, when he told them that God "from these stones (that is, the Gentiles) could raise up childreu unto Abraham.” C. from SEER, chozah, a Beholder of Visions; from chaza, to gaze or look steadfastly; also, roeh, N raah, to see or perceive mentally, but less frequently used than chozeh. Though the Seer was a Prophet to whom the Lord revealed his will in visions, and by types, which the Seer was commissioned to announce and explain, and thus foretell coming events, yet there is a distinction made in Scripture between Seers, and Prophets properly and especially so called. (2Kings 17. 13,) "The Lord testified against Israel and against Judah, by all the prophets and all the seers." (Isaiah 30. 9,) "This is a rebellious people which say to the seers, See not, and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things." By the derivation of the name prophet, 1 nabi, which comes from nibba, to foretell, to speak, in an eminent and extraordinary man |