Ir is here assumed that God can reveal Himself ligent creatures, and that man can know Him only veals Himself. This two-fold assumption is bas thought, (1) that the Creator of intelligent beings self be intelligent, and that He who can create reasoning powers, can also communicate with and self known to them; (2) that universal experience men that, with all their unaided efforts, they ca searching find out the Almighty to perfection." W know Him, therefore, as He reveals Himself to us. Divine Revelation is two-fold:

1. It is objective in the form of creation, including material universe, with man at its head. In this for lation God makes known His attributes of power, w goodness.

2. It is subjective in the mind and conscience of this form of revelation God declares Himself by the n written on the hearts of men, whereby He shows th freedom and responsibility. This law enforces its through the medium of the conscience, which, for thi may be called the voice of God in men.

If sin had not entered into the world and destroy power of obeying this law, it is probable that no furt lation would have been necessary. But sin is in th

and in consequence revelation has taken a third form, which may be defined as both objective and subjective. In its written form it is objective, addressing men from without. But it was first communicated to men, inspired for the purpose, by whom it was then made known to others in a written record. In this last form it became special, having in view Christ and His redemption objectively, and the salvation of men subjectively.

The contents of the Bible were written at different times, by different persons, during a period of about fifteen hundred years. The writers represent many different ranks and conditions of life, as lawgivers, judges, prophets, kings, herdsmen, farmers and religious teachers. They all claim to have written what was made known to them by divine inspiration; so that with all, or most of them, the formula, "Thus saith the Lord," or its equivalent, is a common expression.

Their writings pertain to all the interests of men, temporal and spiritual; and their ostensible purpose is to show men their relations to God and His relations to them, together with His purposes with reference to their present welfare and future destiny. The writers of the Old Testament, while recording the revelations made to them, are constantly directing the attention of their readers to a revelation at some future time, which is to transcend and supersede theirs, because it is to be embodied in a person. So at least it appears when we read from the standpoint of our New Testament knowledge, although Old Testament prophets and saints may have been but dimly conscious of the sublime truth contained in their sacred Scrip

tures.

At the beginning we have a succinct and clear account of the history of creation, including a two-fold account of the origin of man. Then follows an account of the unhappy fall and expulsion from the garden of Eden, the terrors of which are, however, softened by the hope of future victory over sin, inspired in the hearts of our first parents, by the proto-evangel. Afterwards appears the evil fruit of the apostasy in the murder of Abel, and the almost universal prevalence of rebel

lion and sin when only Noah and his family rem their God. This universal apostasy brought c which destroyed that wicked generation, saving on his family, in whom we have the beginning of Then, in the course of time, a new defection follow attempted to mount up to heaven by building thei ing tower, in consequence of which they suffered t of tongues and the dispersion of the race, which have been their purpose to prevent. Further or call of Abraham, to whom the promise was made, th seed all the families of the earth should be blessed,' also repeated to Isaac and Jacob and their childr all their generations.

After the entrance of Jacob and his family into history narrows down to the children of Israel and tions with the neighboring peoples. In connection history, in all its vicissitudes, God, or Jehovah, ap prominent figure, giving them success or defeat, punishment, according to their obedience or disobed directing their development in such way as, in Hi was best for accomplishing His purposes.

Through Moses, Jehovah (Elohim) reveals Himself giver and King, and under His theocratic government the most implicit obedience to all His commands. U double government the whole course of the history constitutes a system of disciplinary training, which arbitrary and often burdensome, but which, in the c of the race, seems to have been necessary to secure the development, and especially to insure a line of descen the chosen people, worthy to reach their exalted destin Virgin Mary, who was to be the mother of the F Messiah.

Along with this recorded history, and sometimes with it, are found patriotic songs, sacred lyrics, poetical and praises to Jehovah, in many of which predictions an concerning future events in the history of that people.

connected with which prophecies, both typical and direct, appear to inspire and encourage the hope of a coming Deliverer.

In the prophetic books, this Deliverer is specifically described under the name of Messiah, as the Son and successor of David.

Messianic prophecy was germinally contained in the promise (Gen. 3:15) usually called the proto-evangel. But it only began to assume a definite form after the calling of Abraham.

Up to this time, B. C. 1921, according to the common chronology, the prophecy is of a general character. After this it became particular, and slowly but gradually took a specific form, "narrowing down in ever diminishing circles," until it clearly designated and described a unique person, with a specific char

acter.

The course of this development in Messianic prophecy coincides with the growth and development of the chosen people, descended from Abraham. And it is remarkable that many of the most precious promises to this people are made in connection with the announcement of the severest judgments. This is doubtless designed to remind them, that while God must and will chastise the sins of His children, and can by no means clear the guilty, yet He remembers them in mercy.

We can not, of course, follow the history of this race through all its vicissitudes; that would carry us beyond the limits of a Review article.

But for the sake of convenience we may divide their history into three parts, and name them the primitive, the medieval and the modern ages. Let the primitive age extend from the call of Abraham to the death of "the elders that overlived Joshua," about B. C. 1400; the medieval age, from that time to the return of the captivity, about B. C. 536; the modern age, from the return of the captivity till the dissolution of the Jewish nation, about A. D. 70, at which time the Christian Church was already fully established, and prosperously working under the superintendence of the Holy Spirit.

During the first period Jehovah was worshiped by the whole. people, and they remained substantially true to Him in the

main, although we can trace a tendency toward throughout the entire period. Yet the idolatry sporadic cases, consisted rather in representing images and worshiping Him in them, than in falli the false gods of the Gentiles.

During this time the prophecies concerning the M brace the general idea of a race deliverance or demption. They were all the Lord's people, and as claim a right or share in the coming redemption.

In the second or middle period the people became more and more entangled in heathenish idolatry. them repudiated the true God, who had brought them Egypt; and they degenerated into the debasing and worship of the Canaanites, in consequence of wE suffered the severe judgments of God, chief among w the withdrawal of the Messianic promise from the pe whole, together with the narrowing down of the prophe tribe of Judah and the family of David.

After the division of the kingdom, the worship of became almost obsolete among the ten revolted tribes, quence of which, after many judgments, all Israel was into captivity about B. C. 730. From that time the and people of Israel became lost to history, and were of the Messianic hope. Subsequently to that sad ev worship of Jehovah was confined to the kingdom of Jud. alas! even Judah fell into gross idolatry, and was can Babylon where it remained for seventy years. The s effect of this captivity, however, was to cure the people of entirely of their idolatry.

At the end of the seventy years the captivity was re the ancient faith was renewed by a remnant of the peopl anxiously waited for the fulfilment of the prophecies, an temple worship was again observed as of old.

In the third period, which commenced with the return captivity and the restoration of the temple worship, id was entirely abolished. But Pharisaism developed a tradit