the blessedness of that tabernacle, "which the Lord pitched, and not man!"

TABITHA. It should seem that this is rather a Syriac than a Hebrew word, meaning clear-sighted, as some think. We find an honourable widow called by it in the Acts of the apostles, whose death gave occasion for the Holy Ghost by the ministry of the apostle Peter, to manifest his almighty power in raising her again. (See her history, Acts ix. 36, &c.)

TABLE. We meet with this word in the Holy Scriptures for various and very different purposes. The Table of the Lord, the Table of Shew-bread, the Tables of the Law given to Moses on Mount Sinai, are all of them very different to each other, both in their office and design. I must refer the reader to the sacred word itself, for the several explanations of each. (See Exod. xxxii. throughout. Num. iv. &c.) But I detain the reader to make a short remark on the method constantly used in the old church, in providing such rich and costly provisions for the Lord's table in the Temple. (See Exod. xl. 4, &c.) Surely, these things were emblematical of the Lord's table under the New Testament dispensation. The bread and the wine, and the salt of the Covenant, (See Levit. ii. 13.) and the lamps constantly burning, and the perfumes always shedding forth their fragrancy: what could be more expressive of the Lord Jesus, and his rich and costly salvation? He is himself the living bread, and not only the salt of the covenant, but the whole of the covenant. (See Isaiah xlii. 6.) The sum and substance of it, the Messenger, the Surety, the Fulfiller, the Administrator, the All in all. And at his table every view of his endearing character is set forth in his body represented as broken, and his blood shed, with the enlightenings of his holy Spirit, and all the

graces he sheds abroad in the hearts of his redeemed guests, as the costly perfumes of his incense and sacrifice. Lord grant that when thy people sit at thy table, they may have to say, "the cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? the bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?" (1 Cor. x. 16.)

TABOR. See Mount Tabor.

TABRIMON. The father of Benhadad, King of Syria, made memorable from his wars with Israel. (1 Kings xv. 18.) His name is compounded of Job, good-and Rimmon, the fruit pomegranate. TAHAPENES. A city of Egypt. It is spoken of by the prophet Jeremiah. It is an Egyptian word, but supposed to be derived from a root, which signifies hidden. Tradition will have it, that Jeremiah was buried there. We know that he was carried thither. (See Jer. xliii. throughout.)

TALENT. Called in Hebrew Chiquar. In gold, it was worth 54,7521. and in silver 3421. or thereabouts.

TALITHA CUMI. Perhaps the former of these

words is Syriac and means young women; and the latter is Hebrew Cumic, arise. (See Mark v. 41.) TALMUD. Although we do not meet with this word in the Bible, yet as the Jews are very tenacious of what they called their Talmud, I thought it might not be amiss just to notice it in a short way. The word Talmud or Thalnud, means to teach. And the Talmud contains the substance of the Jews' doctrine and traditions in religion and morality. They have the Talmud of Jerusalem, and the Talmud of Babylon, according to the different periods in which they were compiled. As may be supposed, it consists in a multitude of unfounded histories: in many it is to be feared not unlike the Apocrypha.

Since the invention of printing, there have been copies of them from the press. TAMAR. A character remarkable in Scripture. We have her history in Gen. xxxviii. throughout. Her name signifies palm-tree. There are some circumstances in the history of this woman which strike the mind with astonishment. We read them, we ponder them, and when this is done we commonly say, the "Lord's thoughts are not our thoughts, neither our ways his ways." (Isaiah lv. 8.) It is a very remarkable circumstance also, that in the genealogy given by the Evangelist Matthew, under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the first chapter of his gospel, no mention is made of any women but of this Thamar, verse 3; of Rachab or Rahab the harlot, verse 5; Ruth the poor Moabitess, verse 5; and Bathsheba the wife of Uriah, verse 6. Was this intentional to set forth the grace of JEHOVAH and the unparralleled condescension of the Lord Jesus? Who shall answer the question? Who shall explain the subject? One thing is certain; as every thing in redemption is mysterious, so in our exercises on mysteries the lowest humbleness of opinion becomes the highly-favoured objects of such unheard of mercy. Lord I would say for myself and reader, "thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known." (Ps. lxxvii. 19.)

TAMMUZ. Perhaps this might be taken from the

word Ammuz, which means somewhat concealed. We no where meet with the word but Ezek. viii. 14. And the Holy Ghost, by his servant the prophet, hath thought proper to say so little upon it, that we can only form conjectures from the Scriptures connected with it. As this was an age when Israel were gone far into idolatry, it should seem

that this was an idol particularly worshipped by the women, as the sun was the idol of the men. And from the connected circumstances with the idolatry of the neighboring nations, there is reason to believe that acts of obscenity and lewdness accompanied this horrid species of Israel's transgressions. One of the old writers, David Kimchi, hath gone so far as to explain according to his views, and perhaps from tradition, that this figure of Tammuz was made of hollow brass, the eyes of the figure filled with a composition that when melted from the heat of a fire made within, seemed to drop like tears; and that upon those occasions the women at their festivals presented themselves before the idol as weeping before it. Oh, what an awful state is our nature reduced to by the fall! (See Moloch.)

TARES. Our blessed Lord having been graciously pleased to speak of the mysteries of his kingdom under the similitude of good seed, as in opposition to tares, the subject becomes exceedingly interesting, that we may obtain a just and proper notion concerning the tares.

I do not presume to speak decidedly on any subject but such as God the Holy Ghost hath been pleased most clearly to reveal; and therefore what the eastern writers have said on the article of tares, I only venture to relate, as the matter appears in their account, leaving the reader to his own conclusions under the grace of God. But if what they have said concerning tares be true, it serves to throw a more beautiful light on our Lord's parable concerning them than is generally understood.

They describe the tares, as in form and colour, so much alike to the pure grain, that to a common eye the difference is not discernable. In the blossoming season the resemblance is said not to be

so striking then as in the earlier appearance; but from that time to the fruit forming and advancing to ripeness, the discovery becomes more and more discernable. Hence, the reader will remember the caution given by the householder, not to gather up the tares until the time of harvest, lest in plucking up the tares the servants should gather up the true seed with them.

But what makes the parable of Christ so truly striking on the subject is, that while the tares are said to have carried with them so strong a resemblance to the pure seed, the tares differed so very highly from it in quality as to be little short of being poisonous. They possessed the power of intoxicating, and formed a very heavy load on the stomach of those, who by accident, gathered them mingled with their corn.

The parable of our Lord of the wheat and tares contains in its first plain and obvious sense many delightful instructions; but under this view which eastern writers give, that tares are not simply weeds, that by springing up with good seed check the growth, but are destructive and poisonous, the parable becomes infinitely more pointed. Our Lord indeed, when speaking of the tares, and explaining to his disciples in private the parable, expressly calls them "the children of the wicked one, and the enemy that sowed them the devil." (See Matt. xiii. 38. 39.) But this view of them, as in their nature poisonous, however in appearance like to the good seed, is certainly a striking beauty in the parable.

I would only beg to add a short observation upon the subject, and just to say, under this view, how mistaken must be the notion of those, who fancy that when our Lord said, Let both grow together until the harvest, that this was meant to say, per