name of Haleb or Aleppo, though almost destroyed by an earthquake in 1822, is not to be confounded with the more celebrated Aleppo of Asia Minor. Under the names of Chalybon and Chalybonium vinum the wine of Helbon was known to the Greeks and Romans, but unless it had been an inspissated wine, thick as treacle or honey, its transportation could not have been easily effected, certainly not without a great risk of spoiling a fermented wine. Possibly the name was extensively given to some imitations prepared for the European market.

CHAPTER XXVIII. VERSE 26.

And they shall dwell safely therein, and shall build houses, and plant vineyards.

VINEYARDS] Hebrew, kèrahmim.

CHAPTER XXXIX. VERSE 19.

And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you.

AND DRINK BLOOD TILL YE BE DRUNKEN] Hebrew, ushthithem dahm leshikkaron, and ye have drunk (= shall drink) blood to drunkenness' to repletion; the sense being that of gorging, to correspond with the first clause of the sentence.

CHAPTER XLIV. VERSE 21.

⚫ Neither shall any priest drink wine, when they enter into the inner

court.

WINE] Hebrew, yayin; Lxx., oinon; V., vinum.

Ezekiel, in ver. 17-19, refers to the 'linen garments' of the priests when ministering in the inner court; and as the use of linen was designed to insure a cleanliness symbolical of inward purity, the prohibition of wine was obviously a real means to that great moral end. Josephus (Antiq., b. iii., c. 12, s. 2) recognizes this connection:-"Moses enjoined the priests not only to observe purity in their sacred administrations, but in their daily conduct, that it may be unblamable also; and on this account it is that those who wear the sacerdotal robe are without spot, and concerning all things are pure and abstinent [kai peri panta katharoi kai neephalioi], being forbidden to drink wine so long as they are wearing this robe [pinein oinon heōs ou teen stoleen echōsi kekōlumenoi]." It was, in fact, equal to saying, 'While you are My special servants, wearing My livery, you must do My work on this abstinent plan, or perish; there is no other plan of absolute safety and purity.'

On the phrase 'drink wine,' the Assembly of Westminster divines of 1651, in their Annotations,' have this comment:-"Occasions of evil to be avoided; specially in sacred things-Lev. x. 9; Psa. xciii. 5-and by sacred ministers. They of all men must not be given to wine." Does not the question, then, fairly arise, Why not avoid the evil by the adoption of the same plan?-a plan devised and enforced by the All-wise in regard to His own servants, engaged in His own special work? Are men wiser than God?

This republication of the Levitical law (Lev. x. 9) is worthy of the careful attention of those who look upon the prophecies of Ezekiel as typical of the

dispensation under which all believers are 'kings and priests unto God.' It cannot be without significance now, that during their most solemn official duties abstinence was enjoined upon the ancient priests. Christianity does not sanction the abolition of safeguards against evil, but renders their adoption more pleasing to God, because inspired by filial reverence and godly fear. Philo, who was contemporary with the apostles, shows, in his treatise on Monarchy, that he had entered into the moral and catholic spirit of the Levitical ordinance. The passage is very striking, and is as follows:-"God issues additional commandments, and orders Aaron, whenever he approaches the altar and touches the sacrifices at the time when it is appointed for him to perform his sacred ministrations, not to drink wine or any other strong drink, on account of four most important reasonshesitation, and forgetfulness, and sleep, and folly. For the intemperate man [akratos, which Dr Mangey refers not to the drinker but to the drink—unmixed wine, a sense which the passage will well bear] relaxes the powers of his frame and renders his limbs more slow of motion, and makes his whole body more inclined to hesitation, and compels it by force to become drowsy. And he [or it] also relaxes the energies of his soul, and so becomes the cause to it of forgetfulness and folly. But in the case of abstemious men (neephontōn) all the parts of the body are lighter, and, as such, more active and movable, and the outer senses are more pure and unalloyed, and the mind is gifted with a more acute sight, so that it is able to see things beforehand, and never forgets what it has previously seen. In a word, indeed, it must be considered that the use of wine is most unprofitable to the soul for all the purposes of life (sunolōs, men oun teen oinou chreesin pasi tois kata ton bion alusiteleotateen einai upoleepteon psuchees), inasmuch as by it the soul is weighed down, the outward senses are dimmed, and the body is enervated. For it does not leave any one of our faculties free and unembarrassed, but is a hindrance to every one of them, so as to impede its attaining that object to which it is by nature fitted. But in sacred ceremonies and holy rites this mischief is most grievous of all, in proportion as it is worse and more intolerable to sin with respect to God than with respect to man, on which account it probably is, that it is commanded to the priests to offer sacrifices without wine (neephalia), in order to make a difference and distinction between sacred and profane things, and pure and impure things, and lawful and unlawful things."

CHAPTER XLV. VERSE 17.

And it shall be the prince's part to give burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and drink offerings, in the feasts, and in the new moons, and in the sabbaths, in all solemnities of the house of Israel: he shall prepare the sin offering, and the meat offering, and the burnt offering, and the peace offerings, to make reconciliation for the house of Israel.

AND DRINK OFFERINGS] Hebrew, vě-han-nāsek, 'and the libation,'

CHAPTER XLV. VERSE 21.

In the first month, in the fourteenth day of the month, ye shall have the passover, a feast of seven days; unleavened bread shall be eaten.

UNLEAVENED BREAD SHALL BE EATEN] Hebrew, matzoth yäahkāl, ‘unfermented (things) shall be eaten.' Matzoth here is taken as a collective noun, and joined to a singular verb. It means 'fresh, sweet things.'

THE BOOK OF DANIEL.

CHAPTER I. VERSE 5.

And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king.

Of the KING'S MEAT] Hebrew, mip-pathbag ham-mělèk, 'from the food of the king.' Gesenius gives to pathbag the force of 'delicate food,' 'dainties,' and refers it to a Persian origin. LXX., apo tees trapezees tou basileōs, 'from the table of the king.' V., de cibis suis, 'from his victuals.'

And of the wine which he DRANK] Hebrew, umiy-yayin mishtahv, ‘and from the wine of his drinking.' LXX., kai apo tou oinou tou potou autou, and from the wine of his own drinking.' V., et de vino unde bibebat ipse, ‘and from the wine whence he himself drank.'

Under Nebuchadnezzar the Babylonian empire attained its greatest expansion and glory; but being founded on mere military supremacy, its decay was as rapid as its rise. Luxury enervated the Babylonian princes and nobles during times of peace; and while their food was dainty, their drinks were chosen with the view rather of exciting thirst than of allaying it.

CHAPTER I. VERSE 8.

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.

WITH THE WINE WHICH HE DRANK] Hebrew, bè-yayin mishtahv, 'with the wine of his (the king's) drinking.'

Daniel's scruples may have arisen from his knowledge of idolatrous rites used in connection with the king's provisions,—perhaps their formal dedication to Bel before they were served up for the royal table.

CHAPTER I. VERSE 10.

And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink: for why should

he see your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king.

YOUR FACES WORSE LIKING] Hebrew, penaikem zoaphim, 'your faces sad.' Zoaphim is rendered by the LXX. skuthropa, melancholy-looking'; by the V., macilentiores, 'leaner.'

The prince of the eunuchs reasoned correctly from a right premiss-that the best diet will produce the best effect upon the countenance; but his minor premiss being fallacious-that the king's diet was the best-his conclusion is at fault. He mistook, as many still do, less excusable after Daniel's refutation of the error, luxurious for strengthening fare, and highly flavored for nourishing food.

CHAPTER I. VERSES 11-16.

Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12 Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink. 13 Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king's meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants. 14 So he consented to them in this matter, and proved them ten days. 15 And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king's meat. 16 Thus Melzar took away the portion of their meat, and the wine that they should drink; and gave them pulse.

V. II. TO MELZAR] Hebrew, el-ham-meltzar, 'to the meltzar.' The LXX. reads, Amelsad; the V., Malasar. Some critics regard meltzar not as a proper name, but as the designation of an office.

V. 12. PULSE] Hebrew, haz-zāroim. The verb zahra signifies 'to sow,' and zāroim may be taken comprehensively as including grain, herbs, and roots. Lxx., tōn spermatōn, ‘of seeds'; Codex A adds tees gees, 'of the earth'; V., legumina, 'pulse.'

V. 15. THEIR COUNTENANCES APPEARED FAIRER AND FATTER] Hebrew, nirah maraihem tov uvěriai bahsar min-kol-hailahdim, their countenances appeared good, and they were fat in flesh above all the (royal) offspring.' Lxx. has their countenances appeared agathai kai ischurai tais sarxin-good and firm in flesh;' but Codex A has 'their countenances appeared good, and they were firm in flesh'-i. e. all over their body. V., apparuerunt vultus eorum meliores et corpulentiores, their faces appeared better and fatter.'

The prince of the eunuchs having dismissed his plea, Daniel applied, on behalf of himself and his young friends, to Meltzar-or some subordinate officer designated 'the meltzar,'-and proposed an experiment, which that officer had the good sense to sanction. The period granted, ten days, afforded a reasonable time for solving the question; and it was solved, not more to Daniel's satisfaction than to the officer's surprise. Instead of looking upon lean and melancholy countenances, he saw four pleasant faces with fat and full-rounded cheeks. Having made out so good a case, the Hebrew youths were permitted to continue the dietary for which they had petitioned. Several circumstances call for special notice in this experiment.

1. The wisdom of Daniel.

He had observed that all physical nutriment comes primarily from the produce of the soil, and was not confined to dainty dishes or flesh of animals. Equally discerning was he as to the compatibility of good health without wine of any kind, whether fresh or fermented. The nutritions elements of grape-juice existed, he well knew (as all might know by a little reflection), in other substances, and he was not the slave of the miserable modern superstition, alike deceitful and destructive, which assigns to the process of fermentation the production of some peculiar element of vitality and vigor. From the example of the Nazarites, if not himself one of that noble band of Jewish abstainers, he was well assured that the wine which Solomon had called 'a mocker' was no necessary ingredient of a wholesome and nutritious diet.

2. Not less notable was the moral courage of the young Hebrew exile. He dared to run counter even to court prejudice and fashion. He scorned scorn where conscience was concerned. Anticipating an apostolic maxim, his example virtually said, In things evil be not conformed to the court.

3. The enlightened spirit of Meltzar, too, calls for eulogy. He did not doggedly set himself against change, and exclude the light of evidence. He did not say, “Daniel must be wrong because the king thinks differently, and venerable Babylonish usage is all the other way;" nor did he use the powers of his office tyrannically, by refusing liberty to his charge in a matter relating to their own comfort and convictions. Some portion of his spirit infused into many British minds would incline them to undertake that personal trial of abstinence for themselves which Daniel desired leave for himself and his companions to carry out. Some, indeed, who do enter upon this trial, begin with misgivings or longings fitted to insure its failure, while the blame is absurdly cast upon the principle that has been unfairly tried and treated. 'Ten days' were allowed to Daniel, while some who can choose their own period of experiment shorten it to half the time; and cases are not unknown where 'ten hours' have been thought long enough to try it as against the other side,' which has been practised for half a lifetime. Experiments of this order prove nothing but the insincerity or trifling disposition of those who enter upon them.

4. Daniel and his friends' success is at once an example, an argument, and an encouragement. It was a visible success-written on the faces of Daniel and his friends; not an exceptional triumph, a lucky chance, but a result in accordance with Divine natural law, and therefore one capable of being repeated and confirmed by experience in all ages and civil communities. The success of the experiment demonstrates that the use of luxurious fare and intoxicating drinks is not compatible with the utmost perfection of body and brain; while it allows entire liberty as to particular kinds of food, practically found to be best adapted to nourish the body or gratify an unvitiated taste. The statement of Daniel (x. 3), that he had abstained for a season from wine, and the implication that he afterward resumed its use, do not in the least qualify the great conclusion of this narrative; even assuming, gratuitously [see Prel. Dis.], that the 'wine' in each case was similar as to intoxicating quality. To assume that Daniel, late in life, used the wine from which he so advantageously abstained in his youth, cannot get rid of results; nor, therefore, weaken the natural demonstration thus afforded, that abstinence insured (as a negative condition) the most robust health, and even a measure of health superior to that evidenced by those who (in the face of the fact) continued their allotted portion of the king's meat and wine,-a class assuredly not without descendants unto this day.