should be able to exhibit every feature of truth, and press you with the difficulties which must result from maintaining the authority of the Mosaic dispensation only by principles which are every one of them applicable in the fullest extent to a system which you believe to be false." Letter, Pp. 37, 38.

A Jew, of the name of Mayers, has written a Reply to this Letter. The greater part of it is occupied with proofs of the Divine authority and mission of Moses, which are neither so strong nor so well arranged as those quoted by Mr. Hamilton from David Levi. He objects to the Resurrection being compared in point of evidence with the Exodus; because the latter was a public, transaction, while the eyewitnesses of the former were but few; but he does not take any notice of his opponent's having anticipated and answered this objection. (pp. 22-24.) He would invalidate the testimony of the Gospel histories, on the ground that they were written long after the events which they relate; that they were not written on the spot; that they were never sufficiently promulgated; and that they were written in Greek: but, had he examined the leading elementary treatises on the evidences of Christianity, he would have found that these objections have been satisfactorily refuted. This Letter, without noticing the peculiar argument of that to which it is a reply, feebly re-produces old and oft-refuted objections to the Gospel History, and leaves untouched Mr. Hamilton's chief question, "Why do you receive the Toldoth, and reject Ta

citus ?"

We pass on to a much more able adversary of the Christian faith-the author of "The Light of Israel." This tract attacks and condemns our religion chiefly on the ground that it abolishes the Mosaic Law, and maintains that the advent of Messiah has taken place, although those predictions of peace and triumph which the Scriptures contain have not been fulfilled, as we are as

CHRIST. OBSERV. No. 259.

sured they shall be, at his coming; and that, in both these respects, it contradicts the Old Testament. Those passages which Christians adduce as proofs that Messiah must have come, the author endeavours to explain away but certainly without success. He further reasons, from Deut. xiii., that the Jews were justified in putting Christ to death; and intimates with sufficient plainness, that he considers our Lord to have been personally foretold in that prophetic admonition. On these, and other points, he other points, he is met by Mr. Hamilton, in his brief Reply; and so far as relates to verbal criticism, the Rabbi's claims to be considered as a superior Hebrew scholar, are not exhibited in a very favourable light: indeed, if his translator has done him justice, (for his tract was written in Hebrew), he has committed some mistakes that go very far to set aside his authority as a critic. The points at issue between these writers are two: whether the Prophets have foretold a single or a twofold advent of the Messiah; and whether the obligations of the Mosaic Law are to cease or to continue under his dispensation. On the first subject we have, in Mr. Hamilton's "Observations," an enumeration of those passages which so strongly predict the humiliation of Messiah, that the Jews, in order to reconcile them with passages of an opposite character, equally applicable to him, have invented the fable of two Messiahs the one suffering, the other triumphant. This fable is rejected; and it is argued, that as these passages cannot relate to the same person at the same time, and in the same sense, they must relate to the same person at two different times, and in different senses. The same inference is drawn from the distinction between the kingdom of the Stone (Dan. ii.) and the kingdom of the Son of Man (chap. vii.) This is a very decisive argument; and it is forcibly exhibited in Talib's Answer to David Levi, published by the Jews' Society in its infancy. We 30

are sorry to perceive that a late writer on the second advent, has, contrary to all approved expositors, made the kingdom of the Stone, the commencement of Messiah's kingdom of Glory, and thereby attempted to deprive us of this argument: nay he has interpreted the Desire of all nations as signifying those saints which shall accompany our Lord at his second appearance. It is the duty of all who value sober expositions of Prophecy, and who feel how much they conduce to support our most holy faith, to protest most solemnly against such novel and unsupported interpretations.

But to return; the negative of the second point-the perpetuity of the Mosaic law-is maintained on this ground, that "the circumstances under which the rites of the Old covenant are introduced into the New (Jer. xxxi.) are sufficient proof that the latter differs from the former in those very things that were essential to its continuance." The new covenant was to have a different High Priest (Ps. cx. 4.); different sacrifices (Ps. xl.); different incense (Mal. i. 11.); different Levites (Is. lxvi. 19-21.); a different altar (Js. xix. 19, 20.); and different feasts (Zach. xiv.) The argument drawn for the application of the words for ever, to the Law, is set aside by reference to Ex. xix. 9; 1 Sam.i. 22, xxvii.12; 1 Kings xii. 7. Our author might here, perhaps, have occupied higher ground; for so far from the ceremonial part of the Jewish law being perpetual and unalterable, very early changes were introduced into it. Lev. xvii. 1-7,is virtually repealed by Deut. xii. 15, 20-22: the usury laws also were gradually modified; compare Ex. xxii. 25, Lev. xxv. 35-37, and Deut. xii. 19, 20. The law of restitution, Ex. xxii. 1, was changed before the time of Solomon, Prov.vi.31.

We cannot close this article with out expressing our hopes that this renewal of the Jewish controversy may be attended with good, especially as we have before us so fair a

specimen of the temper in which it ought to be conducted. Those divines who attend to its progress will find that it involves almost all the topics on which the orthodox church maintains a warfare with the enemies of the Christian faith. When we argue with a Jew, we argue with a Deist, so far as the inspiration of the New Testament is concerned; we encounter also the erroneous principles of Arians, Unitarians, and Socinians, as respects the essential Divinity of the Son of God; and we uphold the authority of the written word, in opposition to tradition, as much with the Rabbinical Jews, as with the members of the Church of Rome. The right conduct of this controversy will require that the evidences of Christianity, and the character and fulfilment of the Prophetic writings should be more than ever attentively investigated; while such a discussion must necessarily contribute to increase the number of Hebrew scholars. For such results as these the friends of the Jews' Society, who have been the champions in this warfare, certainly have a claim on the respect and gratitude of the Christian public. And we may add, as concerns the operations of that Society, that we are glad to find its advocates guarding against anymistake or misrepresentation respecting its objects; explicitly declaring that they have no view to the restoration of the Jews to Palestine; and that they look only to the instruction of individuals. In endeavouring "to save some," they certainly cannot be deemed to contravene the awful purposes of the Almighty, by which he has cast off the nation, as a nation; for even He, who with tears pronounced of Jerusalem that "the things belonging to her peace were hid from her eyes," commanded that the Gospel should first be preached in that very city.

Disappointments and hindrances must be expected in all missionary exertions, but the effort must, ultimately succeed; for its advocates may say, with the Jewish

GREAT BRITAIN. PREPARING for publication:-A Transla tion of Humboldt's Geognostical Essay on the Super-position of the Rocks in both Hemispheres ;-Brown's Vulgar Errors, with additions and corrections by the Editor.

In the press :-Observations in Switzerland, &c.; by R. Bakewell;-Tour in France, by F. J. Carey;Journal of Ten Months' Residence in New Zealand; by Capt. Cruise.

Cambridge.-Sir Wm. Browne's gold medals were adjudged as follows:-Greek Ode-"In Obitum Viri admodum Reverendi Doctissimique Thomas Fanshawe Middleton, Episcopi Calcuttensis"-To W. M. Praed, Trin. Coll. Greek Epigram: Εὰν ἧς φιλομαθὴς, ἔση πολυμαθής. Latin Epigram ; "Ος φεύγει παλιν μαχήσεται: To J. Wilder, Fellow of King's Coll Latinode: No prize adjudged.-The Members' prizes were adjudged as follows: SENIOR BACHELORS. "Quænam sunt Ecclesiæ Legibus Stabilitæ beneficia, et quâ ratione maximè promovenda?" Alfred Ollivant, B.A. Trinity College. No second prize adjudged.-MIDDLE BACHE LORS. "Qui Fructus Historiæ Ecclesiastica Studiosis percipiendi sunt?" C. E. Kennaway, B.A., St. John's college; G. Long, B.A., Trinity college.-The Porson prize to B.H. Kennedy, of St. John's college. The Rev. P. P. Dobree is elected Regius Greek Professor, in the room of Dr. Monk resigned.

66

The first general meeting of the Royal Society of Literature was held at the apartments of the "Literary Fund Society" on the 17th of June. The proceedings were opened by an appropriate inaugural address by the Bishop of St. David's, who is chosen president. The council are, the Marquis of Lansdowne,

Lord Grenville, Lord Morpeth, Sir T. Acland, Bart., Sir A. Johnstone, Mr. Chantrey, Mr. Combe, the Rev. G. Croly, Mr. Cumming, Mr. Empson, the Rev. Dr. Gray, Mr. P. Hoare, Mr. Jerdan, Archdeacon Prosser, the Rev. Dr. Richards, and the Rev. C. Sumner. The Rev. H. Baber is the librarian, and the Rev. R. Cattermole the secretary. The objects of the institution have been already stated in our pages.

Mr. Platt, A.M., Fellow of Trinity college, Cambridge, has just published a Catalogue of the Ethiopic Biblical Manuscripts, in the royal library of Paris, and the library of the British and Foreign Bible Society, with some account of those in the Vatican library, and remarks and extracts. The greater part of those in the Bible Society's library were recently published in Paris from a private source. They consist of the Pentateuch, and three following books; the Psalter, with the Song of Solomon; the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Luke; three copies of the Gospel of St. John; the Apocalypse; Scripture bymns currently appended to the Psalter; a fragment in Amharic; the hymns of Jared; the entire Scriptures in Amharic, translated by Abu Rumi, under the superintendence of M. Asselin; the Gospels of St. Mark and St. John inTigré, in Roman characters; and the Gospel of St. Mark, in Amharic, in Roman characters. Mr. Platt's object in visiting the royal library at Paris was to make investigations with a view to the adoption of the best text of the Gospels in Ethiopic, an edition of which the Bible Society is about to publish, together with the same portion of the Scriptures in the Amharic, or vernacular dialect, from their invaluable manuscript. Mr. Platt has appended to his work some specimens of versions of the New Testament, into the modern lan

UNITED STATES.

The late Act "to prevent the cruel and improper treatment of horses, oxen, sheep, and other cattle," enacts, that upon a complaint being made before a magistrate upon oath, he shall issue a summons for the offender, and, the offence being proved, shall adjudge a fine not exceeding five pounds, nor less than ten shillings; or, in default of payment, commit the offender to prison for a period not exceeding three months. The complaint must be made within ten days from the offence. The wording of the Act unhappily does not apply to cock-fighting and several other brutal sports; but it seems clearly to take in bull-baiting,

We learn, that in the Royal Marine corps at Plymouth, the tread-mill has superseded the lash. Except in extreme cases, the invariable practice of the presidents of courts-martial is to send the prisoner from one to four months to the treadmill in the county bridewell, instead of to the halberts; and the effect has been found to be very salutary. Most cordially do we rejoice in every judicious effort made to banish the disgraceful use of the scourge in our army and navy.

HOLLAND.

The town of Haerlem has just celebrated the fourth centenary festival in commemoration of the invention of printing, which the Dutch lay claim to in behalf of Coster, the early printer of Haerlem. The wooden engraved plates used in printing "The Mirror of our Salvation," are still preserved in that city, in a silver coffer, under the vigilant care of the Magistrates.

RUSSIA.

Russia continues rapidly to advance in a taste for literature. No less than three new journals have appeared at St. Petersburgh since the 1st of January last; devoted to history, political economy, voyages, travels, bibliography, the sciences, fine arts, and general literature.

At Novoi Oskole, one of the most ancient and obscure towns of the Ukraine, there is said to be a very respectable library of Russian publications, which all the inhabitants may read, at very moderate prices. A school-house has been annexed to it.

TURKEY.

A suit has been just decided in the Supreme Court of the United States, by which lands in Vermont have been recovered, to the amount, it is calculated, of 20,000., to be devoted to religious and charitable purposes. These lands had been formerly granted to the London Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, which being a foreign corporation, it was urged that they were lost at the Revolution. The recovery of this property, it is stated, will probably lead to the formation of the Protestant Episcopal Churches, in the State of Vermont, into a separate diocese.

Among the presentments by a late Charleston Grand Jury is stated to have been the following:-"We present, as a grievance, the number of schools which are kept within the city by Persons of Colour, and believe that a City Ordinance, prohibiting, under severe penalties, such persons from being public instructors, would meet with general approbation!”— Of the injustice and inhumanity of such a presentment, we say nothing; but we extract it as explanatory of the so-often alleged fact of the want of intellectual capacity in the Black and Coloured races. Is it wonderful that stripes and abject degradation and incessant toil impede intellectual development in a slave; or that even free Persons of Colour should be kept from their due expansion of mind, when subjected to a cruel policy which would inflict "severe penalties" for the exercise of every species of mental effort beyond what is absolutely necessary to form a drudge for a White employer?

INDIA.

The East-India Company has liberally determined that the period during which the Bishops of Calcutta, and the Archdeacons in his diocese, shall be required to fill their office, in order to qualify them for a retiring pension, shall be reduced from fifteen years to ten: that the period of the service of a Chaplain, nominated to an Archdeaconry, shall count in the proportion of five years to three up to five of the ten; and that in future the Bishop shall be provided with a suitable residence, and his visitation expenses be paid.

CHINA.

On occasion of the late conflagration at Canton, a public proclamation was issued, in which foreigners are addressed in the following singular terms :

this Heaven-sent calamity, are not the only persons whose hearts are grieved and wounded; I, the Foeyuen, since my ears heard it, and my eyes saw it, have not for a moment ceased to feel bodily pain, and mental anguish, on account of it. But the proverb says, Of every drink and every filled cup, there are none that are not previously fixed by fate. This judgment of fire was no doubt occasioned by the influence of the destiny of the Pearl river, which runs past the city and suburbs. But I desire that you all, gentlemen, merchants, poor natives, and foreigners, will every one quietly submit to a righteous destiny. Do not sorrrow, grieve, lament, and sigh: you must not repine at Heaven, nor criminate man, and so in vain add to your trouble and vexation; but it is incumbent on you to receive the warning

from Heaven above. Repent of your sins; examine yourselves, and always preserve impressed on your minds the words, 'heavenly principles, good heart;' and really acting according to these, you will not be ashamed before the discerning gods, and no doubt the high Heaven will silently assist you; and how do you know but that the residue left by the fiery flames shall re-arise in piles of gold, and heaps of gems, and riches and honours ?"

The remainder of the proclamation warns persons not to encroach on their neighbour's land in re-building their habitations; and directs that food and necessaries should be issued for the native sufferers, and a place "to roost or rest in" for the foreigners "who have in barks passed over seas several myriad miles in width to cone to the celestial empire."

THEOLOGY.

Meditations on the Scriptures, &c.; by the Rev. R. Weland. 2 vols. 8vo.

Orations for the Oracles of God, in four parts: Judgment to Come, an Argument, in nine parts: by the Rev. E. Irving, A. M. 8vo. 12s.

Sermons, devotional, practical, and occasional; by the Rev. W. Snowden. Vol. II. 8vo. 10s. 6d.

Nine Sermons; by the Rev. H. W. Gery, M.A. 8vo. 6s.

The Second Advent, or the Glorious Epiphany of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 vols. 8vo. 28s.

Sermons and Miscellaneous Pieces; by the Rev. R. W. Mayow. 12mo. 7s. 6d. Translation of the Latin Vulgate New Testament. I large vol. 8vo. 1s. 6d.

An Inquiry into the Just Limits of Reason, in the Investigation of Divine Truth, for which the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge and Church Union in the Diocese of St. David's adjudged a premium of 50. for the year 1822; by the Rev. J. Davies.

The Influences of the Holy Spirit, with special reference to the present times.

Lectures on the Harmony of the Scriptures; by J. H. Cox. 1 vol. 8vo. 7s. 6d. The Life of Mrs. Elizabeth Walker, abridged and revised; by the Rev. J. W. Brooks. 3s. 6d.

A Sixth Letter to the Rev. G. Wilkins, in reply to a chapter in " Body and Soul," entitled "Evangelism;" by the Rev. J.H. Browne, Archdeacon of Ely.

MISCELLANEOUS.

Sylva Florifera, the Shrubbery; by H. Phillips, F.H.S. 2 vols. 8vo. 21s. Letters on Conchology; by the Author of "the Wonders of the Vegetable Kingdom."

An Introduction to Conchology; by S. Crookes, F.L.S. 4to. 31. 10s.

Memoirs of W. Hayley, Esq., the Friend and Biographer of Cowper; written by Himself. With portraits. 2 vols. 41. 4s.

Memoirs of the Rev. John Blackader; by A. Crichton. 12mo. 8s.

Catalogue of recent Shells; by L. W. Dillwyn, F.R.S. F.L.S. &c. 2 vols. 8vo.

11. 18s.

The Perfect Model for Christian Teachers. 1s. 6d.

History of Suli and Parga. 8vo. 7s. 6d. Historical View of the Literature of the South of Europe; by M. de Sismondi : translated by T. Roscoe. 2 vols. 8vo. 24s.

Hints on Ornamental Gardening; by J. B. Papworth. 8vo. 11. 11s. 6d.

AnAnalysis of the Egyptian Mythology; by J. C. Prichard, M.D. 8vo. 27s.

Figures and Descriptions of the Genus Fucus; by D. Turner, F.R.S. 4 vols. 4to. 211.-on medium folio, 361.

Ghost Stories; collected to counteract the vulgar belief in ghosts and apparitions.

12mo. 8s.

Men and Things in 1823; by J.S.Boone. 8vo. 5s.

Herrick's Hesperides. 2 vols. post 8vo. 11. 8s.-large paper, 4to. 41. 4s.

The Siege of Valencia, the Last Constantine, and other Poems; by Mrs. Hemens. 8vo. 12s.

A Reply to the Article on Church Establishments in the Edinburgh Review; by A. Campbell. 8vo. 1s. 6d.

Rich and Poor. 1 vol.

A Letter to John Bull, with a Sketch of a Plan for the Safe Abolition of Slavery. The Claims of the Clergy to Tithes, and other Church Revenues. Is. 6d.