had apparently no connexion, at least not such as would cause them, more particularly a female, to come up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth unto Judæa, unto Bethlehem the city of David, so called, because he was born and educated there! It is true, Joseph, and Mary, (his espoused wife,) were of the house and lineage of David, but it was not likely that any but a very urgent cause would have induced them to travel," she being great with child." We read, however, that in those days there went out a decree from Cæsar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed, and all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And so it was, that while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered, and thus, as it was foretold by the prophet, and proclaimed by the angels, in the city of David, a Saviour was born, which is Christ the Lord.

Here, then, we cannot but see the admirable providence of God, in bringing it to pass, that this taxing or enrolment should be made at the very time when the Virgin Mary was to be delivered; that she, living at Nazareth, three days' journey from Bethlehem, should be compelled to go thither, that Christ should be born there, according as it was foretold. Here we cannot but mark with reverential awe and gratitude, all things gradually working together for the accomplishment not only of this, but of many other prophecies. That we may, however, better understand how this decree of a Roman emperor should affect the Jews, let it be remembered the Romans at that period had conquered almost the whole of the world that was then known; nation after nation they compelled to acknowledge their strength and authority, and to enroll themselves as subjects of that mighty empire; and among others, the country of Judæa, too weak to withstand such an enemy, had been obliged to submit and receive a Roman governor.

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That is, to the place where their ancestors were born, that their names, age, family, condition, and so forth, might be enrolled or registered, that the Roman Emperor might know the strength and riches of his dominions, and be able to levy taxes accordingly.

AN IMPROVED METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING A TEA-KETTLE.

THE advantages and comfort of having hot water at command, are too well known in every family to need any comment; in every well-regulated house, therefore, care is always taken to have a supply of this essential article. But there are times in the night, and in cases of illness, when the necessity of it is often so great, that many means have been devised from time to time for obtaining it quickly. It may not, however, have struck our readers, that a change in the formation of a common kettle will greatly promote this end; so much so, that a few sticks and a little paper will, in a very short space of time, set it boiling. The shape recommended is this: to reduce the height of the kettle to about one-third, and to expand the bottom of it to about three times the usual size, the form of which should incline to

an oval--in short, such as we may imagine a very small and flat fish-kettle, with a spout and handle. The principle is very simple, viz. to present a large base to the fire, with a shallow body of water. The advantage of such a vessel have been found very great, when tea or hot water have been unexpectedly called for.

ON THE CIRCULATION OF THE BLOOD.

Of the utility of the circulation, every one will be immediately aware, when it is mentioned that one of its chief purposes is to distribute to every part, every extremity, nook, and corner of the body, the nourishment which is received into it by one aperture. What enters at the mouth by means of this function, finds its way to the fingers' ends. To effect this difficult purpose, two things are necessary. First, a proper disposition of the blood vessels, which has been not unaptly compared to the laying of the water-pipes in a populous city. Secondly, the construction of the engine at the centre, viz. the heart, for driving the blood through them. In the case of the conveyance of water, one system of pipes is sufficient; but in the living body, another system of vessels is required, to re-convey the blood back to its source. The body, therefore, contains two systems of blood-vessels, called arteries and veins. The next thing to be considered is the engine which works this machinery : for this purpose, there is provided in the central part of the body a hollow muscle, viz. the heart, by the contraction of whose fibres the four cavities of which it consists are squeezed together, so as to force out of them any fluid which it may happen to contain. By the relaxation of the same fibres, these cavities are in their turn dilated, and of course prepared to admit any fluid which may be poured into them. Into these cavities are inserted the great trunks, both of the arteries which carry out the blood, and of the veins which bring it back. The arteries arise from cavities called ventricles; the veins pour their contents into cavities denominated auricles. By the successive contractions and dilations of these several cavities of the heart, it has been calculated that all the blood in the body passes through the heart about once in four minutes. Consider what

an affair this is, when we come to very large animals! The aorta (which is the name given to the chief artery) of a whale is larger in the bore than the main pipe of the water-works at London-bridge; and the water roaring in its passage through that pipe, is inferior in impetus and velocity to the blood gushing from the whale's heart.

To render this short account more precise, it must be observed that, with the apparatus mentioned above, two distinct circulations are carried on. For, besides circulating generally through the body, the blood must come somewhere into contiguity with the air, in order to purify it, and change its colour from dark to bright red. Hence the heart is, as it were, a double organ, having a double office to perform of its four cavities, two are employed to carry on the general circulation, while the remaining auricle and ventricle keep up the smaller circulation through the lungs, where the blood meets with the atmospheric air.

Stated in this summary way, nothing seems easier, more obvious, or more readily understood, than the physiology of this great and important function; but until the time of Harvey it was involved in the greatest obscurity, and mixed up with all manner of contradictory absurdities.-FAMILY LIBRARY: Lives of British Physicians.

THE SCRIPTURE INTERPRETER.

1 Cor. xv. 32.-"Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die." This occurs in that beautiful and impressive lesson the Burial Service, and to some it may appear advice not a little contradictory to that usually given by St. Paul. It may, however, be easily understood, if we recollect, that the Apostle is here labouring to enforce the doctrine of a resurrection, and asks, immediately before, what advantages he would derive from the sufferings he underwent, if he had not such a blessed end in view; and then adds the words above, "Let us eat," &c., meaning, if such were not the case, the Corinthians might rather follow the example of many of that period; particularly a set called Epicureans, who reasoned, that as there was no future state, it was as well to enjoy life while they could! St. Paul

therefore quotes their favourite maxim, and is shewing the absurdity of such a belief!

Matthew xxiv. 18.-"Let him which is on the house-top, not come down to take any thing out of his house."

The houses in Jerusalem, before its destruction, were all flatroofed, as many still are in eastern countries, with a communication between and steps to the ground, so that a person might run the whole length, and escape, without "entering therein."

This caution our Saviour gives, with others, to denote the dispatch necessary to evade the Roman army, whom God had appointed to compass the place on every side, and to lay it even with the ground, because it knew not the time of its visitation.

Matthew xx. 6.---“And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle."

By attention to the preceding verses, the time of day here alluded to (which, according to ours, is five in the afternoon,) explains itself, as the third is mentioned as the earlier of the two. Still it may not be generally known, that the Jews computed their time from sunrise to sunset, or from about six in the morning to six at night. Therefore their sixth hour would answer to twelve in the forenoon with us.

The darkness at our Saviour's crucifixion began at this hour, and lasted till three, or the ninth hour. The Jews divided also their nights into four parts, which they called Watches. The first was named the evening; the second, the middle watch, or midnight; the third, the cock-crowing, from midnight till three in the morning; the fourth, the morning, or break of day.

Matthew ix. 16, 17.--“ No man putteth a piece of new cloth into an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. Neither do men put new wine into old bottles, else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish; but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved."

This may appear strange to us, who know that a bottle will serve many turns; but in the days of our Saviour they were made of leather, or were rather bags made of the skin of an

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