what man has lost, even in outward show, by revolting from his God.

Manoah's wife went on to repeat exactly what the angel had said: "Then Manoah intreated the Lord, and said, O my Lord, let the man of God which thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born." A beautiful instance of simple faith! he makes no question of the matter, refers it all to God, and speaks of the child, which as yet existed but in the divine promise, as though it was even then about to be born. We may safely assert that Manoah was a man of prayer, who thus calmly, thankfully, received the answer to his accustomed supplications. The lovely and instructive history proceeds: "And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came again unto the woman as she sat in the field: but Manoah her husband was not with her. And the woman made haste, and ran, and shewed her husband, and said unto him, Behold, the man hath appeared unto me, that came unto me the other day. And Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said unto him, Art thou the man that spakest unto the woman? And he said, I am. And Manoah said, Now, let thy words come to pass! How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him? And the angel of the Lord said unto Manoah, Of all that I have said unto the woman, let her beware. She may not eat of any thing that

cometh of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing: all that I command her, let her observe. And Manoah said unto the angel of the Lord, I pray thee, let us detain thee, until we shall have made ready a kid for thee. And the angel of the Lord said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread: and if thou wilt offer a burntoffering, thou must offer it unto the Lord. For Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the Lord. And Manoah said unto the angel of the Lord, What is thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass we may do thee honour?" It is impossible to pass over this grateful, and doubtless patriotic sentiment, for Manoah would have proclaimed that there was a prophet in Israel, and have sent his oppressed, afflicted, guilty countrymen to enquire of the Lord at his mouth. There is a nobleness in the language of this Israelitish pair the more striking from the simplicity and humility that accompany it. His request was not granted. "The angel of the Lord said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?" The margin reads, Wonderful: and because "Wonderful" is one of the names by which our blessed Lord is called, some have assured themselves that it was Christ himself who spake. We see no ground whatever for the assumption: the angel Gabriel announced to Zacharias the promised birth of a son in his old age; one far greater than Samson; and he too was sent to Mary with

tidings infinitely more important than either it is surely, therefore, too much to catch at a single, doubtful word to introduce the Lord of angels on such an occasion as this. Considering how prone the Israelites at that time were to idolatry, the very reason of Manoah's question was sufficient to prevent his obtaining an answer. The holy angel would not give his name to be enrolled among the new gods of Israel. "So Manaoh took a kid with a meat-offering, and offered it upon the rock unto the Lord and the angel did wondrously; and Manoah and his wife looked on. For it came to pass, when the flame went up towards heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground. But the angel of the Lord did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the Lord. And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God." The greatness of the miracle, and his surprise at discovering the celestial character of the Being with whom he had so familiarly conversed were such that he went beyond the mark, as he had before fallen short of it, and imagined that he had, instead of a mere prophet, seen Him whom none can look upon and live. His wife's encouraging reply is admirable: 66 If the Lord were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt-offering and a meat-offering at our hands, neither would he have shewed us all these

things, nor would as at this time have told us such things as these." Verse 23. They would not have received instructions as to the bringing up of a child yet unborn, if their own lives were about to terminate; nor could it be in wrath that the Lord had made known to them purposes so gracious towards themselves, and towards the whole nation who were to have a deliverer in their offspring, whose birth and destiny were, probably, thus intimated in order to impress men's minds more deeply with the assurance that the promised deliverance was wholly of the Lord.

V.

ANGELIC SYMPATHY.

UNDER this head may properly be classed those peculiar ministrations that had reference to the prophets of Israel, from Elijah onward: and, following the order in which they stand in the Bible, in preference to the chronological dates, we will briefly note them all. It will be remembered that the angel who showed the Apostle John the glorious things by him recorded, declared, "I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren the prophets; and of them which keep the sayings of this book: (Rev. xxii. 9.) from which we may at least gather, that the interest taken by that heavenly guide in these wondrous revelations, was intense. When, therefore, an angel is deputed to communicate with an inspired prophet, we feel that there is somewhat more than a general ministration in it: the divine knowledge which the celestial being is commissioned to impart to his earth-born brother fills his own mind, and he appreciates the high distinction conferred on himself,