light at our Saviour's Crucifixion: Matt. xxvii. 45; Luke xxiii. 45.

The sun does not really move, but it appears to do so; and therefore we speak of its rising and setting, i.e. its coming up above, or sinking down below, the horizon or line of sky, which bounds our sight when we look round us, either on land or at sea. And the Bible speaks in the same way: Matt. v. 45; Luke iv. 40.

From its being so beautiful, and the source of so much blessing to mankind, the sun was anciently to most heathen races an object of worship, which the Jews were specially warned against making it: Deut. iv. 19; xvii. 2, 3; 2 Kings xxiii. 11; Job xxxi. 26–28.

The Christian rather will see in the sunas Holy Scripture leads us to do—an emblem of God in the spiritual blessings He confers upon mankind; the bodily benefits which come to us from the sun, as it lights and warms us, typifying the spiritual benefits which God directly pours upon us, in giving us the light of knowledge for our souls and the heat of love for our hearts: Ps. lxxxiv. 11; Isa. lx. 19; Rev. xxi. 23; xxii. 5.

Especially is the Lord Jesus called the "Sun of Righteousness," because such divine light and heat are given to us through Him: Mal. iv. 2; Luke i. 78, 79; Rev. i. 13—16.

And those who follow Him in righteousness here, will shine like Him hereafter: Matt. xiii. 43.

In Ps. civ. 20-23 a beautiful contrast between man and the beasts is drawn, the former doing his work in daylight, the latter seizing their prey in the dark. And so our Blessed Lord warns us to be active while we can, while the daylight of our present life lasts: John xii. 35.

(See Hymn iii. vers. 1, 2, and Hymn v., Hymns Ancient and Modern.)

2. THE MOON.

"Fair as the moon."-SONG OF SOL. vi. 10.

CREATED originally with the sun, to give light to the earth during that portion of the twenty-four hours which we call night: Gen. i. 16-18; Ps. lxxiv. 16.

It is much nearer to the earth than the sun, the distance being 240,000 miles; where- · as the sun is distant 95,000,000 of miles. It is not, like the sun, a luminous body, i.e. a body which gives out light from itself, but it reflects back upon the earth the light which shines upon it from the sun. An eclipse of the moon occurs when, at her full, the earth is directly between her and the sun; while the sun is eclipsed when, at her change, the moon comes directly between the sun and the earth.

Like the sun, the moon was often an object of worship to ancient heathen nations: Deut. iv. 19; xvii. 2, 3; Job xxxi. 26-28.

Our division of time is in great measure

regulated by the moon.

She makes a revolu

tion through the heavens in about twentyeight days, and as she does so marks our months: Ps. civ. 19.

And under the Mosaic law, the Jews were directed to regulate their religious festivals by the changes of the moon: Numb. x. 10; Lev. xxiii. 24; Ps. lxxxi. 3, 4; Isa. lxvi. 23; Amos viii. 5; 1 Chron. xxiii. 27, 28, 31.

Our own contemplation of it ought to excite in us feelings of adoration of Him who made it Ps. xix. 1; viii. 3, 4.

:

Christ Himself being typified by the sun, (Mal. iv. 2,) the moon may be taken as a fit type of the Church, which derives all its spiritual light from Him: comp. Song of Sol.

vi. 10.

Moon-shaped ornaments mentioned in Scripture: Judges viii. 21, margin; Isa. iii. 18.

N.B. There has always been a common belief that the moon may produce madness, whence mad persons were called lunatics (luna being the Latin for moon), or "moon-struck:" but this is very uncertain. See, however, Ps. cxxi. 6.

3. THE STARS.

"And behold the height of the stars, how high they are!"-JOB Xxii. 12.

THEIR original creation mentioned Gen. i. 16; Job xxxviii. 4, 7.

From their great number they are often called "the host (or multitude) of heaven:" Gen. ii. 1; Ps. xxxiii. 6; Jer. xxxiii. 22.

And a great multitude of descendants is compared to them: Gen. xv. 5; xxii. 17; Exod. xxxii. 13; Deut. i. 10; x. 22; 1 Chron. xxvii. 23; Heb. xi. 12.

It is spoken of as a proof of God's personal government of the world, that though so many, they are all known separately and singly to Him: Ps. cxlvii. 4; Isa. xl. 25, 26.

They contribute, with the moon, to give light to the earth during the night: Jer. xxxi. 35; Ps. cxxxvi. 9; Acts xxvii. 20.

Like the sun and moon, they have been made the objects of worship among heathen nations: Deut. iv. 19. And the Jews had