ousness." (Psalm xxiii 2, 3.) This several passages in Holy Writ where hypothesis will likewise accord with these verbs are used. (To be continued.) M. J. VI. IMPORTANCE OF A KNOWLEDGE OF THE HEBREW : LANGUAGE. It was our purpose to have quoted, in our last number, the subjoined just remarks in our brief Review of MR. MOCATTA's Wisdom of Solomon, &c.; || but we were prevented through want of room. They occur in his preface to that excellent and useful publication. THE Sacred Volume, exclusive of its religious and moral influence, possesses various and irresistible attractions. Does it not transmit to us the chronicles of the most remote antiquity? May we not therein trace the source of universal history, chronology, and the original code of all laws for the regulation of civilized society? Independently of the inexhaustible store of information it contains, can we be indifferent to the diversified beauties of composition that adorn its pages, and which have been celebrated by innumerable classic writers, in all ages and in all countries? Perhaps, in illustration, one or two brief quotations may be allowed. A learned critic * observes, that" the Scriptures abound in beauties of style in prose; and that they are the most ancient monuments of poetry extant, replete with all the various kinds of poetical composition, interspersed with imagery highly expressive and natural, with personification and metaphor, giving boldness and sublimity." In relation to the Pentateuch, another English author of celebrity has distinctly affirmed, that Moses, considered as a historian, an orator, and poet, has never been surpassed Such are the recorded opinions of eminent Biblical scholars and linguists; and such must be the conviction of every intelligent Hebraist, who alone can attain a just perception of the superlative beauties of the Inspired Writings. The value of the Hebrew Scriptures being thus clearly substantiated, must not the divine, the philosopher, and the poet, perceive ample inducement, at a small cost of la *The Rev. Dr. Blair. bour, to acquire the means of consulting these treasures of knowledge at their source, and no longer rely on the defective medium of a translation, which, however good, can never reach the emphatic energy, comprehensiveness, and sublimity of the original Hebrew text? When we call to mind the important truth, that in this highly favoured language the Supreme Being was pleased to reveal his will to mankind, we shall no longer feel disposed to censure the bold, but somewhat harsh, assertion made by Dr. Anselm Bayly. He affirms, that it is a shame, if not a crime, for the Clergy to be unacquainted with the Hebrew language. In granting thus much, how can any person professing the Hebrew faith attempt to palliate or justify his ignorance of a language that is peculiarly his own, and which has been not unaptly denominated, "the unchangeable inheritance of the sons of Israel?" the language in which the precepts of his religion were delivered and handed down, and in which his orisons are offered to his God, both in public and private. It is but candid, however, to admit, that there are many Hebrews in all countries who are well versed in their own tongue, and who are thereby enabled to hold correspondence with their co-religionists in every quarter of the globe, in a dialect perfectly intelligible to each other, without the irksome task of appealing to an interpreter on either side. Thus do they become possessed of an extraordinary and highly valuable privilege, which it must be acknowledged no other language, either ancient or modern, can bestow. || Vide Hebrew Review, page 272. LONDON -Printed by James Nichols, 46, Hoxton-Square. I. ON THE CHARACTERISTIC TRAITS IN THE COUNTENANCE AND BEARING OF NATIONS, ARISING FROM MORAL CAUSES. (Continued from page 278.) THE period at which we are arrived in the history of the Israelites, forms one of the most remarkable and important epochs in that system of the government of our world, by a beneficent Deity, to which we have frequently had occasion to allude. Innumerable instances might be adduced, from the Sacred Writings, to show that it was pregnant with the fate of thousands of future generations, whose destiny might be said to tremble in the balance, depending on the conduct of the Jewish people whether the scale for weal, or that for woe, should descend; whether the purpose for which they had been selected should now produce its fruits, and nations be speedily brought, through their instrumentality, to know Him who had created them, or be left, for ages afterwards, to grope their way in the darkness which had hitherto enveloped them. God had, to this moment, led the Israelites by the hand,-established them fully in the land he had promised to their fathers,—had fed them with divine food by his servants,and he whose character we have been just delineating, had been inspired to superadd to the Law, the most sublime expositions of its precepts, and of the attributes of the Deity. The temple was now to be built, not only to serve as the house of prayer for the nation of Israelites, but as the spot on which THE STANDARD, to be held up to the whole huinan race, was to be erected. It is a most extraordinary fact, proved incontestably both by sacred and profane history, that, at this very period, every nation on the face of the globe, except the Israelites, was plunged in the grossest ignorance of the true God, and in the practice of abominable or absurd rites of worship to false gods. How clearly-how convincingly does this circumstance enable us to trace in the Sacred Writings the Deity's resolve, to prove to mankind that, with all their boasted sense and reason, they would be insufficient, without his instruction, either to direct their own ways properly, or to penetrate his pure nature, and discover his attributes. The trial having been made, and failing in the case of every nation, (for all were now immersed in the same darkness, if they were not equally guilty of practising inhuman and abominable rites,) we see the Deity's prescient and benevolent care of his creatures shining forth in its divine radiance, in timely preparing his people to serve, at this critical juncture, as his instruments for bringing mankind to see their errors, to impart to the nations the knowledge of the true God,—to be to him " a kingdom of priests." Whilst we glory at such a destiny for our people, we cannot, without shuddering, contemplate the awful responsibility of the trust it implies, and which, at Sinai, they voluntarily undertook, when they there entered into a covenant with their God. Can we wonder, then, that Solomon, on coming to the throne, feeling the important charge which had devolved upon him,-to keep the chosen instruments of God's purposes towards the whole human race in perfect obedience to his will,-should inter cede for wisdom, and that, in a measure to enable him to perform his important duty in a competent manner?The petition is not only accorded him, but, that none of those requisites should be wanting which, through the imperfect state of man, are necessary for procuring success to endeavours which have for their object even his own good,-honour and riches are likewise promised him. The temple is finished,-its dedication, one of the most sublime and imposing spectacles ever presented to the eyes of man. The sacred edifice, seen from an immense distance, crowns the summit of Mount Moriah, a spot which, from its being the scene of the searching trial of the faith and obedience of Abraham,-was, from thenceforward, selected by the Deity for erecting a house of prayer to him for all nations,-as the sacred spot in which he would fix his name, and the place which, at the end of time, whatever might be its intermediate condition, from the sins of its inhabitants, should again shine forth in still greater splendour than the scene we shall now endeavour to describe. The preparations are completed for installing the ark within the most holy place. On this solemn and impressive occasion, all the Levites, to the number of thirty-eight thousand, attended: "Around the great brasen altar, which rose in the court of the Priests, before the door of the temple stood,—in front, the sacrificers, all around, the whole choir, arrayed in white linen; one hundred and twenty of them were trumpeters, the rest had cymbals, harps, and psalteries." The whole assembled nation crowded the spacious courts beyond." "At an appointed signal, the removal of the ark commenced; and when placed between the extended wings of the cherubim, all the trumpeters and singers burst forth at once in praises and thanksgivings to God." 66 spirit of the Jewish religion. With the pure piety and fervent devotion which it breathes,-with the invocation for blessings on his people it contains, are intermingled the most benevolent prayers for the whole human race. The following passage proves that this prince had a due sense of the purpose for which his nation had been selected from all others by the Deity. Moreover, concerning a stranger, that is not of thy people Israel, but cometh out of a far country for thy name's sake, (for they shall hear of thy great name, and of thy strong hand, and of thy outstretched arm;) when he shall come and pray toward this house; hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee fór; that all people of the earth may know thy name, to fear thee, as do thy people Israel; and that they may know that this house which I have builded is called by thy name." (1 Kings viii. 41-43.) And in truth, what could more strongly impress it on his mind than the scene which now lay before his own eyes, and those of the whole assembled nation? How strongly must it have brought to the recollection their insignificant origin,―the sufferings of their fathers in Egypt,-in the wilderness, and whilst driving out the seven nations from the land of their inheritance,-compared to their present prosperous and happy state, powerful condition, and noble attitude in the presence of other nations! It must have spoken home to their hearts, that not a single thing had failed of all that had been promised them by their God. He had led them through every danger, had established them in the land promised them,-had pointed out a place, and caused a house to be erected, in which his name should dwell among them; the fulfilment of which He manifests in the most unequivocal manner, by causing fire to descend and consume the sacrifices, and by filling his house with his resplendent glory immediately after Solomon had offered up his prayer. Not a circumstance is omitted that can possibly impress the whole nation with the conviction that their God had hitherto faithfully kept his promises to them, and the past was an earnest that the greatest of all His promises, "that all nations should be blessed through them," would hereafter be as faithfully kept and performed. It is with great propriety that commerce is considered one of the most effectual means employed by Providence for bringing the human family together, and binding them to each other in acts of mutual kindnesses, through the advantages to be derived to all by the interchange of the productions of their respective countries, and the fruits of their industry. It is a circumstance well worthy of notice, that this very means appears not to have been overlooked by the Deity, for enabling his people more easily to promulgate a knowledge of Him. We have only to look at the geographical position of the country he had selected for them, to feel satisfied that this is a reasonable conclusion. It is the most central spot on our globe,-extending to the Euphrates on the east,-to the Mediterranean on the west, whilst its northern boundary reached the foot of Mount Lebanon, and the southern touched on the Red Sea, it was most advantageously situated for communicating with all parts of the world, and for constituting the Israelites the fittest for promoting an interchange of the commodities of all nations, to their mutual benefit. It is difficult to persuade ourselves that this was not the intention of the Deity when he first decreed that the posterity of Abraham should be the instruments for working out his beneficent purposes towards the whole human race. For what better means could have been devised than, through pursuits which, to be successfully prosecuted, require that a state of profound peace should prevail;-that all engaged in them should be imbued with kindly and friendly feelings towards each other; -and that by the multifarious occasions which would present themselves the Israelites would be furnished with abundant opportunities for presenting to their less instructed neighbours the practical effects of their excellent religion, by exhibiting to them that example of strict honour and integrity in their dealings which their law commands them to observe? By such a kind and justly captivating course we perceive how the nations might have been led willingly to embrace the pure faith and worship of the Israelites; for they could not have failed being struck with its far greater wisdom, and humane character, than their own foolish and abominable practices. We may infer, from that which did occur, what might have been the happy result of a continuance in the course which had brought so many blessings on the Hebrew nation. During the forty years' reign of Solomon, peace prevailed throughout the land: "Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig-tree, from Dan even to Beersheba." And the wealth, poured into the country by means of the friendly intercourse kept up with other nations, was such as to cause the sacred historian, in allusion to it, to say, that 66 silver was in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars as the sycamore trees that are in the vale, for abundance." The renown of the nation spread far and wide. Foreign princes sought their alliance and friendship, and were anxious to learn the wisdom of the Hebrew Monarch, not out of idle curiosity, but that they and their people might profit by it. The celebrated visit of the queen of Sheba ended in herself and her whole nation embracing the faith of the Israelites. Modern travellers confirm, to the letter, the truth of Scripture on this occasion, by the discovery they have made of the descendants of her people in Abyssinia, who have preserved the record of the event, and whose history fully corroborates it. And it is scarcely to be supposed that the effect of the noble and virtuous example exhibited by the Hebrew people was limited to this instance: It had, no doubt, considerable influence likewise in checking those abominable and inhuman practices which belonged to the worship and customs of such other nations as came within the sphere of its salutary operation. Nor can we, without denying the effects of moral causes, imagine to ourselves any other than a noble deportment, and a countenance expressive of virtuous and pious habits in the whole nation, whilst their every action and feeling were thus under the wholesome discipline of their law. Their merchants would have been princes, and their learned men the priests of the Most High. And we have reason to believe that such was the case, from the expressions of the queen of Sheba, who, after having witnessed the happiness and prosperity of the people, and listened to the wisdom of their prince, could not help exclaiming, "It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom. Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it; and behold, the half was not told me: Thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard. Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom." Now we have the authority of Scripture, that Solomon was not only eminently wise in the highest of all wisdom, the knowledge of the true religion, and all its important advantages to mankind, but that he was 1 kewise deeply conversant in those other and inferior branches of knowledge, the sciences, upon which the moderns are apt to plume themselves as discoveries of a comparatively recent period. It is hardly to be credited that, having a prince addicted to such pursuits, those about his court should not have imbibed a taste for them also; if indeed the nation, until then, had been totally uninformed on such subjects,-which there are sufficient grounds for considering was not the case. Nor can we imagine that those only who were about the person of the prince were attached to those studies; we must recollect that the whole nation were exempt from all servile work, which was allotted to the descendants of the seven nations who were still dwelling among the Israelites; affording the latter ample leisure for cultivating their minds, and there are abundant proofs to show that the opportunity was not neglected; for such of their writings as have come down to us, all evince a highly educated and cultivated understanding, and they indicate a knowledge on subjects upon which their superficial readers ascribe to them a total ignorance. We may hence pronounce, with confidence, that so many moral causes, combining, must have impressed their effects on the countenance and bearing of the nation generally, at the period upon which we are treating. But the bright era on which we have fondly dwelt, lasted not long enough to operate all the good to mankind it was calculated to produce; sufficient however was effected to take from the Israelites all pretence for thus addressing the Deity: "See, notwithstanding all the wonders thou hast performed; notwithstanding the strict fulfilment of all thy promises, — and that thou hast made us and our king a wise and understanding,powerful and wealthy,—a happy and virtuous people, the nations still remain insensible to all these great and manifest proofs of thy power and goodness;-they are blind as well as deaf.-To what purpose, then, beyond our individual benefit, have all these things been done?". -a This subterfuge for extenuating their own derelictions from their duty, on the ground that it affected themselves only, and did not implicate the happiness and salvation of the rest of mankind, was denied them; for good had been effected towards other nations whilst they were obedient to their God, and they were thus left under the awful responsibility which they subsequently incurred, more extensive good not having been performed. Solomon infringes the law by multiplying his establishments of every description beyond all reasonable bounds. He forgets, or wilfully overlooks, the end for which so much prosperity and wisdom had been bestowed upon him and his peoplethat they were to be subservient to |