a plain passage of Scripture; and a very plain passage, I must say, is the one before us. The contrast so pointedly marked between offer ing sacrifice, and simply performing the other ceremony-and that at a time when it might, as he thought, be considered as a civil act rather than a religious one-convinces me that our translators have given, in the common version, a faithful copy of the original, which it was their duty to represent to the English reader. 2, I think, is certainly "when I come," not "when I did come."

The next verse is Amos iii. 6.I confess I am quite surprised that this passage should be considered as having any difficulty. "Shall there be evil in a city and THE LORD hath not done it?" which Mr. Bellamy, renders "the Lord hath not requited it?" The evil here intended, is evidently, from the context, the visitations by which a city is afflicted, and which people, instead of ascribing to the immediate operation of God, suppose to arise altogether from se condary agency. The prophet as serts, in opposition to all such erroneous opinions, the exclusive agency of Jehovah; and in so doing, points out the only quarter from which help and deliverance can arise. The proposed alteration gives the Hebrew word ny an unnatural sense, and changes the whole meaning of the passage.

To the next alteration (Isaiah ix. 3), I have nothing particular to say, except that it seems rather a liberty to make a question of the second clause of the first period: "Hast thou not increased the joy?" Supposing, however, that this can be defended, there seems to be more uniformity in the passage as it stands in the new, than in the old translation.

In the next instance (1 Sam. xvi. 23), Mr. Bellamy has translated the Hebrew literally; but, in doing so, he seems to have deprived the English reader of the sense of the passage, which is plainly what our translators give in the common version.

The next passage is Isaiah vi. 10.-The plain object for which the alteration is proposed, is to avoid a supposed inference affecting the character of God as the righteous Judge. But I am not aware, that, unless we suppose the proceeding in question to be capricious and unreasonable, there is any ground for the objectionable inference. That our translators have truly represented the original, I am persuaded, and would endeavour to prove it at large, only that I fear to trespass too much on your space and the time of your readers. But one plain objection to the new translation is, the alteration in the grammar of the third clause, which is certainly the same as that of the former ones, and is preserved in the common version, and shut their eyes."

24:

66

נפל

The next specimen is 1 Sam. xix. "Then he took off his garment, and prophesied also the same, before the face of Samuel, but he supplicated artfully, all that day and all that night." And here again I am constrained to say that our translators have been inore successful in giving the sense of the original than Mr. Bellamy. b does not, I believe, in its simple form, ever denote "to supplicate;" and there is a plain connection between the word by, in the second clause, and the act of Saul's taking off his clothes, in the first; which of itself seems a sufficient objection to the alteration proposed.

In the next specimen, 1 Sam. ii. 25, the particle is made to speak a language to which it is not accustomed; and that, evidently, to avoid a supposed difficulty. Does Mr. Bellamy imagine that he can obliterate from the sacred pages

all allusion of that kind on account of which the present alteration is proposed? Mr. Bellamy is afraid of making God the author of sin, and his jealousy on this head is laudable; but it should never tempt him to turn aside from the plain path of a translator, which is, to give a faithful representation of his original. In the present in stance, "the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD" (ver. 17); and God had determined to make them an example; and he would do it in that way that would most effectually promote his designs in doing it.

Though I do not deny that there is in the next specimen (Jer. iv. 10), some difficulty, as the translation stands at present, I am nevertheless inclined to think that our translators have faithfully represented the original; and this is better than to remove a difficulty at the expense of grammatical fidelity. cannot, I believe, be rendered "for saying;" and, if it cannot, the foundation of the improvement fails, and with it, all that rests upon it; and we must have recourse to some other method, be it what it may, of solving the diffculty. But this is rather the busi. ness of the commentator; to whom 1 shall at present leave it.

The next passage, Jeremiah xx. 7, does not require any change, in my opinion, to render it consistent with other passages of Scripture; and I must confess myself still disposed to abide by the old translation.

Upon the whole, it appears to me, that, if these instances may be considered as fair specimens of the projected new translation, we should not be any great gainers by adopting it in the place of our old one. But let me not be supposed to wish to discourage the labours of Mr. Bellamy, or of any one else, who, acknowledging the great excellence of our present translation, and modestly proposing to use any advantages which time may have furnished, may employ himself in the removal of real difficulties

and in the illustration of real obscurities. This is a work which cannot be too much commended and encouraged; but it requires to be managed by a delicate, as well as a dextrous hand; nor can any thing be more unfavourable to the successful prosecution of such a work, than the previous adoption of a scheme, however plausible, which is to serve for a guide in our interpretation of the word of God: and, I confess, when I find that Mr. Bellamy is to produce a translation from which angels are to be excluded, and in which events that have been thought miraculous are to be reduced to ordinary occurrences, I am quite at a loss to understand how it is to reflect to the mind of the English reader a faithful picture of that Hebrew volume, in which I have been accustomed to trace the ministry of those angels, and to recog nise the existence of those miracles, which, it seems, are only to be found in the erroneous text of the several versions.

T.K..

To the Editor of the Christian Observer.

You have at different times given in your work various State Prayers. Perhaps you would be kind enough to insert the following Prayer for the East-India Company, composed in the year 1698, and which received the approval of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of London. I believe it is still in use at all the Presidencies.

"A Prayer for the Honourable and United Company of Merchants of England trading to the East Indies. To be used in their Factories abroad.

"O Almighty and most merciful Lord God! thou art the Sovereign Preserver of all that trust in thee, and the Author of all spiritual and temporal blessings: let thy grace, we most humbly beseech thee, be always present with thy servants, the

build it." I firmly believe this; and I also believe, that without his concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel: we shall be divided by our little, partial, local interests; our projects will be confounded; and we ourselves shall become a reproach and a bye-word down to future ages. And what is worse, mankind may hereafter, from this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing government by human wisdom, and leave it to chance, war, and conquest. I therefore beg leave to move,

"That henceforth prayers, imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessing on our deliberations, be held in this assembly every morning before we proceed to business; and that one or more of the clergy of this city be requested to officiate in that service."

Dr. Franklin adds, in a note to his Letters just published, that "the Convention, except three or four persons, thought prayers unnecessary!" C. W.

To the Editor of the Christian Observer. THERE was a time, when the great champion of the Church of Eng land, I mean Hooker, charged his opponents with undervaluing the importance of reading the holy Scriptures. The case is now altered; and our Dissenting brethren, together with such members of our church as subscribe to the Bible Society, are not unfrequently blamed for magnifying the utility of circulating the sacred records. I doubt, however, whether language more positive than that of Hooker has been adopted by them on this subject. "Wherefore (says he) should any man think but that reading itself is one of the ordinary means whereby it pleaseth God of his gracious goodness to instil that celestial verity, which, being but so received, is nevertheless effectual to save souls ?""With whom ordinary means will prevail, surely the power of the word of

God, even without the help of interpreters in God's church, worketh mightily, not unto their confir mation alone which are converted, but also to their conversion which are not."-" Did we ever hear it accounted for a wonder, that he which doth read should believe, and live according to the will of Almighty God?"-" Of things necessary to all men's salvation, we have been hitherto accustomed to hold (especially sithence the publishing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, whereby the simplest, having now a key unto knowledge which the Eunuch in the Acts did want, our children may of themselves, by reading, understand that which he without an interpreter could not), they are in Scripture plain and easy to be understood."-" Scripture is not so hard, but that the only reading thereof may give life to willing hearers."-"Surely, if we perish, it is not the lack of scribes and learned expounders that can be our just excuse. The word which saveth our souls is near us; we need for knowledge but to read and live."

book V. of the Eccles. Polity, where The passages occur in sect. 22 of the author is defending our custom of publicly reading the word of God without note or comment.

To the testimony of Hooker on the efficacy of reading the holy Scriptures, you will perhaps allow me to add that of Bishop. Warburton: "Take a plain man (says he) with an honest heart; give him his Bible, and make him conversant in it; and I will engage for him, he will never be at a loss to know how to act agreeably to his duty in every circumstance of life."

JOHANNENSIS.

FAMILY SERMONS.—No. CXIII. Ephes. iv. 30.-Grieve not the Holy

Spirit of God, by whom ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

As, under the Old Testament dise pensation, the great promise to which the faithful Israelite was

taught to look, was the coming of the Messiah; so, under the New, the coming of the Holy Spirit was predicted, for the teaching, and comforting, and sanctifying of the Christian. Our Lord expressly consoled his disciples with the argument that it was expedient he should go away; for that if he went not away the Holy Spirit would not come; but that, if he went away, he would send him unto them. So effectually did he fulfil this promise, that we find on the day of Pentecost this blessed Spirit de scending in his powerful influences upon the assembly of the faithful, teaching them not only to speak with new tongues but greatly animating and comforting their hearts; so that many, who had hitherto been the most fearful and unbelieving, became from that moment resolute and courageous in the cause of their Redeemer, and even submitted to martyrdom rather than forsake their Lord.

The Holy Spirit, though less openly and miraculously, yet not less really, still descends upon the Christian in the present day, in structing him when he is ignorant, guiding him when he is ready to wander, supporting him when weak, sanctifying him when encompassed by the sinful infirmities of his fallen nature, and consoling him amidst the troubles and perturbations of the world. He does not, how ever, find the heart naturally prepared for the reception of so exalted a guest. Sin too often separates between the Almighty and the human soul. His Divine influences are coldly received or deliberately counteracted; and he, in consequence, becomes grieved at the hardness of our hearts. Surely we should not so often suffer this unhappy effect to take place, if we duty considered the infinite importance of the influences of this Divine Agent; "without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy;" without whom we cannot be delivered from error, or guided into truth; and who alone can sanctify us, or make

us meet for the inheritance of the saints in light. Humbly looking, then, to Him for his gracious influences and assistance rightly to consider and duly to practise a duty so immediately relating to our conduct towards himself, let us view,

I. The exhortation in the text; II. The motives on which it is grounded.

FIRST, We are to view the exhortation itself; Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God.-The meaning of the appellation here employed appears sufficiently obvious.

By

the Holy Spirit of God" we are evidently to understand the Third Person in the sacred and undivided Trinity; equal with the Father and the Son, and exerting upon mankind his peculiar offices of a Teacher, a Sanctifier, and a Comforter.

To speak of grieving this Divine Person is, however, an expression of somewhat more difficulty, and may seem to require further consideration. To suppose God capable of grief, or any other human passion, would be plainly inconsistent with his nature. The expression, therefore, is one of accommodation to our weakness and ignorance. The Holy Spirit is said to be grieved when we act towards him in such a manner as, comparing earthly things with heavenly, would be likely to grieve an endeared and exalted friend; or when he exhibits towards us, in return, such symptoms of displeasure as would, in the case of a fellow-creature, be considered as evidences of his being grieved at our conduct. The Scriptures, being accustomed to represent God as the Father and the Friend of his people, frequently employ such expressions to point out his feelings towards them, whether of anger or of compla cency, as would be most correspondent to the idea of such a heavenly relationship. To grieve the Divine Spirit evidently intimates more than the mere counteraction of his influences on the part of an unconverted and wicked man. This