It is, "Induratumque est cor Pharaonis, et non audivit eos." "And Pharaoh's heart was hardened;" showing more directly that this hardness of heart was the effect of the magicians' enchantments.

Again, with respect to the turning the waters of the Nile into blood: "And Moses and Aaron did so as the LORD commanded: and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants: and all the waters that were in the river were turned into blood. And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river. And there was blood throughout all the Land of Egypt. And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened; neither did he hearken unto them, as the LORD had said." The LXX translation for "Pharaoh's heart was hardened,” in the 13th verse, is peculiar, “xaì xatíoxvcev ʼn xapdía Papa." "And Pharaoh's heart grew strong and stout." As though he had wavered and been softened at the sight of Moses' miracles, but that as soon as he saw that the magicians, his own magicians, did so with their enchantments, he became reassured. He looked upon the whole scene as a contest between opposing magical powers. And his heart received infernal strength to oppose God's will to the uttermost of his power.

Again, in the plague of frogs. "And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt."1

The Apocalypse, in prophecies which concern both the miracles of the Beast, and the False Prophet, Antichrist and his Instigator, and the judgments with which GOD afflicted them, has an evident reference to the plagues of Egypt, and the enchantments of the Magicians. The first of the angels who had received the sevent vials of God's wrath, "poured his vial upon the earth: and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the Beast, and upon them which worshipped his image." The expressions," having the mark of the Beast," and " worshipping his image," show that the prediction is to be understood of Antichrist and his Times. If this be so, Dr. Wordsworth can scarcely be correct in supposing that the periods of the sounding of the Trumpets, and the pouring forth of the vials are cotemporary. But he has a very useful observation to the effect, that the plague of the noisome sore is equivalent to the boils and blains which broke out throughout the land of Egypt. And that the reason why this plague was the sixth in the literal Egypt, and the first in the spiritual, appears to be that this plague infested Jannes and

Jambres the magicians, and that it is thereby intimated that the judgment in the Apocalypse will be directed principally against the most eminent false teachers and dealers in lying wonders in the spiritual Egypt.

"The third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters, and they became blood."

The waters of the Nile were turned into blood, as a chastisement for the slaying of the Babes of the Israelites by Pharaoh's commandment to cast them into the River-a worthy retribution of the sin, as an ancient Father has observed, by the means by which it was accomplished. In like manner the angel of the waters cries in the Apocalypse, "Thou art righteous, O LORD, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because Thou hast judged thus. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets; and Thou hast given them blood to drink, for they are worthy."

The conclusion then at which we arrive from these passages in Exodus and Revelation, bearing upon the Advent and sway of Antichrist is this, that it will probably be a period of the most awful and terrible convulsions in the natural and physical world, and the distress and perplexity not be confined to the sphere of religion and morals only. Our LORD expresses how fearful these dreadful events will be, by saying, that "except the days were shortened, no flesh should be saved; but that for the elect's sake the days shall be shortened." And of what will happen in these last times the history of Israel's bondage in Egypt will prove a most exact foreshadowing and representation.

As Pharaoh persecuted Israel, so will Antichrist as supreme Ruler of the whole earth persecute all who will not receive the mark of the beast. GOD in taking vengeance for His servants' blood which shall be shed will plague Antichrist, his false prophet and preachers, and all who adhere to his Empire with great plagues -just as upon Pharaoh and all the Egyptians were shown signs and wonders and plagues, great and sore. Then, when the hearts of the mass of mankind begin to relent, and to perceive that they are fighting against GOD, Antichrist will show by means especially of his false prophets such infernal wonders and miracles, that those of the Egyptian magicians will be but very faint types in comparison.

Thus will the hearts of all but the elect be reassured and strengthened, to confide in the power and wisdom of "that son of perdition ;" and thus, though they will not at times be able to refrain from acknowledging the Finger of GOD, Antichrist will lure them on, until the LORD JESUS shall Himself be revealed, and shall consume both him and them "with the Spirit of His Mouth, and destroy them with the brightness of His Coming." The next branch of our subject which remains for our consideration is to ascertain from Holy Scripture and Primitive Tradition, 3 E

VOL. XX.

as far as we may, what will be the miracles and wonders which Antichrist will actually perform.

We shall examine the question,

1. Negatively. What miracles Antichrist will not be suffered to perform.

2. Positively. What he will perform.

(To be continued.)

THE HEIRS OF CHEVELEIGH.

The Heirs of Cheveleigh. By GERVAISE ABBOTT. London: Longman and Co.

Ir is remarkable how rarely a good novel is to be met with in all the vast heap of modern light literature at the present day. A good novel ought to combine talent and power, with some good purpose, beyond the mere amusement of the reader; but we find generally that these qualities are very unequally measured out amongst the romance writers of England. Imagination and the powers of description are too often coupled with infidelity or some unsound morality, and good principle with the feebleness and illogical reasoning of the female pen. It is, therefore, with much pleasure that we bring before our readers a work, (in the orthodox three volumes,) which possesses an unusual combination of those qualities, which, both as critics and as Christians, we can approve.

The "Heirs of Cheveleigh" is as full of romance, interest, (and we must add, improbability,) as the most voracious novel reader could desire; but at the same time there is throughout a loftiness of principle and soundness of views, which render it desirable reading. Part of it is rendered very interesting by the graphic description which it gives of the present state of the Church in Wales, with the history of a noble clergyman of that country, who must we think be sketched from life.

The Tale opens with the death of the owner of Cheveleigh, who leaves a widow with a daughter and son. By some legal irregularities in his will-into which we will not enter-it is found that, in the event of the death of these children, the magnificent estate and rent-roll would revert to Mrs. Akehurst the widow, instead of going to the natural heir of the family property, Mr. Akehurst's younger brother.

In the meantime Mrs. Akehurst has the life-rent of the estate, while her children are under age, and she puts her affairs into the hands of an attorney named Butler, who is essentially the diable noir of the piece. About this time Charles, the only son, dies;

and Lucy, the last surviving child, alone remains between her mother and the property. Mrs. Akehurst is a detestable character, unprincipled and ambitious, and utterly devoid (somewhat unnaturally, we must confess) of the least affection for her daughter. Her wicked agent, Butler, conceives nothing less than the bold project of becoming himself the proprietor of Cheveleigh and its twenty thousand a year; and to accomplish his purpose he determines on a scheme of consummate villany, which we must not pronounce too diabolical for human invention, after the history of Palmer and his relations, and which is most subtilly worked out. It is the description of this plot, and its intricate details, which forms the main interest of the volumes.

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Butler first involves Mrs. Akehurst in great pecuniary difficulties, which it is impossible for her to overcome unless the estate were to become her own. He then offers to free her on two conditions, first, that she will marry him; secondly, that she will give him power to take any steps he pleases to put her in possession, to the extent, as he plainly hints, of putting her daughter "out of the way. The wretched woman consents, and then commences a system of persecution towards Lucy, which she bears with a patience and resignation that is beautifully described. A strong attachment on her part, and engagement to a very creditable person come opportunely to assist Butler in his horrible plan, which is, in the first instance, to try to render her insane, and failing that to murder her. He has two years to do his work in before she comes of age, when the property would finally pass from Mrs. Akehurst. He begins by breaking off her engagement on the false plea, that there is violent and hereditary madness in the family, to which she must infallibly succumb. He separates her effectually from her lover, takes her abroad, and tortures her into a state of depression, which might be mistaken for melancholy madness. He then publicly declares that she is insane, and removes her to a gloomy castle in Germany, where he keeps her chained for months upon her bed. Still her twenty-first birthday is approaching, and she is not insane. He knows that this must be discovered, when her trustees come to put her in possession of the estate, and the unexpected appearance of the lover, who, by a very novel-like accident ascertains their residence, decides him on giving his victim the finishing stroke. He determines on cutting her throat, and making it appear that she has committed suicide. The murder is fixed for that same night; and into the few hours which follow this determination, such a variety of remarkable events and coincidences are crowded, that we must own, much as we like the book, it goes almost beyond the licence even of romance in such matters. We will try to enumerate them.

First, Mrs. Akehurst becomes suddenly penitent, and refuses to help in the horrible act, and tells Butler she shall denounce him,

upon which he flings her against the wall, and half kills her, and then enters a subterranean passage, which he has opportunely discovered leading to Lucy's room, and goes off to murder her. Meantime the lover begins to have misgivings that Butler's account of his lady's insanity is not true, and communicates them to a mysterious boy who is travelling with him. The boy reveals himself as a brother of Lucy's, (supposed to have died in his infancy, but really changed at nurse,) he has a presentiment that some evil will befall Lucy that same night; and they agree to rescue her. But in doing this, the new found brother receives a blow from a stone, and dies at a very convenient moment, having just had time to save his sister, and no time at all to put in his claim for her estate. Lucy, on arriving at the nearest village, finds her uncle's wife there, ready to chaperone her, which is accounted for in the following manner. A letter, written by a servant of Butler's to his mother, falls in a remarkable way into the hands of the uncle's banker's clerk, and proves so plainly that foul play is going on, that the uncle instantly starts off to search the continent for his niece. He discovers her residence just in time to arrive at the castle after Lucy's escape, having left his wife at the village. Mrs. Akehurst is found in a dying state; but, by another of these happy accidents, a clergyman has accompanied the uncle, to whom the wretched woman makes her confession, and dies, it is hoped, in peace. This death scene is not only beautifully described, but written in a style to show that the Author has a deeply devotional mind, joined to much sober good sense.

A search is then made for Butler, and it is found that having lost his way in an under-ground labyrinth, he has been entirely eaten up by rats, in a manner we should think as unpleasant to them as to himself. Of course Lucy and her lover are married, and live happily evermore.

One great charm of this work is its beautiful descriptions of scenery; and to show that we have not spoken too much of its high tone of thought, and purity of principle, we subjoin an extract referring to the Welsh Church, the whole of which is beautiful. The author has been describing a well-cared-for church in the heart of Wales, with its daily choral service and its rustic choir, due to the exertions of Mr. Evans, a devoted clergyman, and a most noble character; and he has just given a graphic account of a procession of Wesleyans, who are coming to establish a chapel in the parish. One of the number has thrown a stone at Mr. Evans, and laid open his forehead. A re-action of feeling takes place. The Wesleyans slink away, and those whom they had allured from the Church return to their allegiance:

"Being thus left to themselves, the rest of those who had joined in it, now considerably abashed at their late secession, either mingled