the absence or privation of natural light. One of the most terrible sorts of darkness was that which Moses brought upon Egypt as a plague on the inhabitants of that country. The Septuagint, our translation of the Bible, and indeed most others, in explaining Moses's account of this darkness, render it "a darkness which may be felt;" whilst the Vulgate has it "palpable darkness," that is, a darkness consisting of black vapours and exhalations, so condensed that they might be perceived by the organs of feeling. But some commentators think that this is carrying the sense too far, since in such a medium mankind could not live an hour, much less for the space of three days, as the Egyptians are said to have done; during the time the darkness lasted; and therefore they imagine, that instead of a darkness which might be felt, the Hebrew phrase may signify a darkness in which men went groping and feeling about for every thing they wanted. Le Clerc is of this opinion, and thinks that Philo, in his life of Moses, understood the passage in its right sense. "For in this darkness," says he, "whoever were in bed durst not get up; and such as their natural occasions compelled to get up, went feeling about by the walls, or any thing they could lay hold of, as if they had been blind."

During the last three hours that our Saviour remained upon the cross, a darkness covered the face of the earth, to the great terror and amazement of the people present at the execution. This extraordinary alteration in the face of nature was, according to Dr Macknight, peculiarly proper, whilst the Sun of righteousness was withdrawing his beams from the land of Israel and from the world; not only because it was a miraculous testimony borne by God himself to his innocence, but also because it was a fit emblem of his departure and its effects, at least till his light shone out anew with additional splendour in the ministry of his apostles. The darkness which now covered Judaea and the neighbouring countries, beginning about noon, and continuing till Jesus expired, was not the effect of an ordinary eclipse of the sun, which can never happen except at the new moon, whereas now it was full moon; not to mention, that the total darkness occasioned by eclipses of the sun never continues above twelve or fifteen minutes. It must therefore have been produced by the divine power, in a manner we are not able to explain.