hovah shall arise out of his place to shake terribly the earth, the worshippers of idols shall be so confounded and terrified, that they shall cast away their idols of silver and gold to the moles and to the bats. That is, they shall be so convinced that idols cannot help them, and so ashamed and afraid of being overtaken by the Divine judgment with idols in their possession, that they shall cast the most costly they possess into the dark caverns, old mines, and desolate places, and to the filthy ani. mals that frequent such places. Is. ii. 20, 21.

THE BEAR. The Bear is a fierce beast of prey; its height nearly three, and its length about four feet. It has a long head, small winking eyes, a prominent snout, and short ears. rounded at the top. Its limbs are strong, thick, and clumsy. Its feet are large, and its tail very short. Its fore paw somewhst resembles a man's hand. lis hair is long,

thick, and shaggy, and varies from black to a reddish browI). There are also, in the cold polar regions, white bears, much larger in size, and very different in their habits from those mentioned in Scripture. · The Hebrew name of this animal is taken from its growling. The red bear greatly infested the land of Canaan, inhabiting its wildernesses, and thence roaming forth to prowl around the flocks, and watch the dwellings in quest of prey. The whole aspect of this creature is dull and heavy, and his motions as awkward as his shape is clumsy; yet he is not destitute of a consi. derable degree of alertness and cunning. If hunger compel him to attack a man, or one of the larger animals, he watches the moment when his adversary is off his guard, steals upon him in silence, and, having reached him, rises upon his hind legs, opens his thick and shaggy arms, and crushes the victim to death in his horrid embrace, at the same time grinding his teeth, and growling in the most horrible manner.

The bear, in pursuit of his prey, swims with ease the broad and rapid stream, and climbs the highest tree in the forest. Many beasts of prey surpass him in running, yet his speed is so great, that a man on fout can seldom escape: and neither the river nor the tree can afford any security.

The bear can subsist a long time without food, and satisfies himself by licking huis right paw ; but having suffered long absti. nence, he becomes unusually desperate and furious.

The female bear is still more fierce and terrible ; especially in defence of her young, or when deprived of them : on missing them she becomes frantic with rage, and attacks

with intense ferocity every animal that comes in her way. She has no regard what. ever to her own safety, but will dare to attack even a band of armed men: her keen scent enables her to track the plunderer, and if once she catches sight of him, she will only quit her revenge with her life. A more desperate attempt can scarcely be performed than to carry off the cubs of a bear during her absence; if she misses them and pursues the plunderer before he has reached a place of safety, his only chance of preservation is in dropping one of the cubs, and continuing to flee; she will then, at. tentive to its safety, carry it home to her den before she renews the pursuit.

We have in Scripture two interesting narratives connected with these savage and furious creatures--one in the history of David. When a youth, keeping his father's flock, a bear rushed forth, and seized a lamb: the undaunted stripling pursued the depredator, and rescued the lamb out of his mouth: when the enraged savage rose against him, and was about to enclose him in his fatal grasp.-exerting uncommon presence of mind and strength, and a firm reliance on the protection of God, he caught the monster by his chin, and smote him and slew him.

There are several allusions to the wrath of God, under the figure of a furious bear rushing upon its prey; such as Lam. iii. 10. Hos. xiii. 8. Amos v. 19. " Consider these things, ye that forget God, lest he tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.” :

In Isaiah lix. ll. the complaint of the church, when bernoaning her transgres: sions, and bewailing the wretched state to which sin bad reduced her, is compared to the harsh and mournful voice of the bear. 6. We roar (or, as Bishop Lowth renders it, we groan) like bears, and mourn sore like

doves.”

In another passage, the depredations of the cruel oppressor are compared to the fierce and destructive attacks of a raging bear, Prov. xxviii. 15.; and in another, the mad, headlong passion of a furious and revengeful man, under the influence of his impetuous passions, is compared to the frantic rage of a female bear when deprived of her young, Prov. xvii. 12. These pas. sages serve to teach us what an awful and dangerous thing it is to be given up to the dominion of our sinful lusts and passions, which war against our own souls, and would render us destructive and terrific to others. • In the vision of Daniel, the second beast is represented as like a bear, Dan. vii. 5. by which was represented, the empire of the Medes and Persians. That empire, though cruel and rapacious as the others, was in some respects inferior to them, as is the bear to the lion ; less rapid in its conquests, more uniform in its manners, and more steady in its purposes, than that sym. bolized by the leopard.

Finally, as of the other animals already alluded to, so it is figuratively predicted of the bear, that under the reign of the Mes. siah it shall cast off its ferocious and savage nature, and become the peaceful and harm. less associate of domestic animals: “The cow and the bear shall feed, and their young shall lie down together," Isa. xi. 7. May it be ours, to imbibe and display such holy, lovely, peaceable dispositions, as shall prove us to be under the influence of the gospel of Christ!

EASTERN CHARIOT. Between seedtime and harvest, oxen were employed in dragging the cart or waggon. The princes of Israel brought their offerings for the tabernacle in six waggons, each drawn by two oxen, (Numb. vii. 3, 7, 8.) It appears that these waggons or carts were usnally drawn by two beasts, probably abreast. When the Philistines returned the ark to Israel, they made a new cart, and yoked in it two milch kine: (1 Sam. vi. 7) The same mode was also employed afterwards in bringing it up from the house of Abinadab. Oxen were also used for car. rying burdens, 1 Chron. xii. 40.

What cause have we for gratitude to the all-wise and bountiful Creator, in thus ficting and disposing the inferior creatures for our use! and how may we be stimulated, even by their example, to patient and per. severing industry and usefulness.