ed him a prophet, to warn mankind of their approaching danger, and to call them to repentance. He foretold the coming of the deluge, as the token of divine justice against the ungodly; and if his testimony had been believed, it would have been sufficient to shew the importance of holding the faith of the Messiah, the only deliverer, and of returning back to God, who alone could avert the threatened judgment. He represented emblematically the truth which he proclaimed by a sign as novel as it was expressive. He continued for 120 years preparing an ark for the avowed purpose of saving himself and his house. Thus his ministry, which, in itself was calculated to excite attention, was prolonged a sufficient length of time to warn and instruct all who paid any regard to divine things. Noah enjoyed a more full revelation of the mind of God after the flood, and lived 350 years;-a period of time sufficient to teach the fathers of the new generation and, in some sense, the new world. Without common sense, experience is unprofitable; and without heavenly wisdom, no practical knowledge is obtained by the best method of instruction. The descendants of Noah no sooner increased in number than they forgot the God of their father's house, and set themselves in opposition to the plans of heaven. Instead of peopling the world, they sought to establish themselves in one quarter of it, and to perpetuate their name by the exhibition of their power, wealth, and magnificence, in the Tower of Babel. In mercy, Jehovah interposed, and by an awful sign reminded them of their duty to him; he confounded their language, and divided them into tribes, and thus compelled them to separate from each other. This event was, doubtless, calculated to rouse them to consideration, and to excite them to enquire after. God; and had they been disposed to know his mind, they might have obtained information concerning it, since his revelation was not utterly lost. Shem lived for a considerable time after the birth of Abraham, and besides him there were living during this period, eight fathers, a number surely amply sufficient for all the purposes of religious instruction. Now, if they had regarded spiritual as much as temporal things, they would have conveyed the knowledge of the former, as well as that of the latter, to all the countries which they peopled. Consequently, to their own or their children's wickedness, or inexcusable ignorance, must be ascribed the future ignorance of the Messiah, which at any time prevailed in the world. Besides, it is evident from many facts, that God was more generally known during the age of the world which preceded the time of Abraham, than is generally conceived. I have, in the preceding remarks, referred to someof these facts. There are, however, some others that claim our notice. In several countries, the inhabitants, in general, could not fail to be acquainted with the true religion. We have no particular account of all the worshippers of God; a few only of the most. distinguished characters are mentioned. This observation obviously applies to every age of the church. Job and his friends possessed the most sublime views of God, and observ ed publicly the rites of his worship. They were persons too remarkable to escape public attention, and it was impossible that their religion could be a secret in the country where they sojourned. It is not very probable that they alone, of all the inhabitants, worshipped the true God. Indeed, there are many intimations to the contrary in the book of Job-chap. iv. 3, 4, v. 1, xv. 9, 10, xvii. 6, 9, xx. 19, xxvii. 17, xxix. Abraham, at the commencement of his journey, seems to have fallen into the same error which is recorded of Elijah afterwards; he imagined that he was the only servant of God. Hence his mistake respecting the inhabitants of Egypt, whose king feared God. Now, since this was the character of the king, it is more than probable that his example was imitated by not a few of his subjects. In one district of Canaan we find, about the same time, Melchizedek sustaining the double character of king and priest; surely it is reasonable to conclude, that his subjects worshipped the true God. We have no method of ascertaining the state of the true religion in other countries. That its rites were generally observed is almost certain, from the similarity of their religious ceremonies in future ages, with the institutions observed by the patriarchs. That the multitude soon lost the true import of these ceremonies, is no surprising thing; but that some were taught of heaven to observe them in their true spirit, charity warrants us to hope. Degeneracy from the worship and service of God has always been gradual, not immediate. May we not, therefore hope, that in the various nations of the earth where the seeds of truth were sown, a goodly number continued for a time to serve God. This the day of judgment will declare, when many shall come from the north and the south, the east and the west, to sit down with Abraham in the kingdom of heaven. (To be continued.). ་་་་་་་་་་་་་· TO THE EDITOR OF THE CHRISTIAN HERALD, In reading your review of Mr. J. Fletcher's Sermon, entitled "Spiritual Blessings," &c. I observed in an extract, that he quotes in support of the doctrine of Divine Sovereignty, Acts xiii. 48,-And as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. I recollected when reading this, to have taken par ticular notice of Dr. Adam Clarke's criticism upon this pas sage. Inter alia, he says, "Though the word (Trayvo) in this place has been variously translated, yet of all the meanings ever put on it, none agrees worse with its nature and known signification, than that which represents it as intending those who were predestinated to eternal life; this is no meaning of the term, and should never be applied to it."Again, the Dr. says the verb TTTW, or Tacow, signifies to place, set, order, appoint, dispose; hence, it has been considered here, as implying the disposition or readiness of mind of several persons in the congregation, such as the religious proselytes mentioned verse 43, who possessed the reverse of the disposition of those Jews who spoke against those things, contradicting and blaspheming, verse 45." See Clarke's notes. Dr. Doddridge gives the following paraphrase of the passage; And as many of those who were present, as were, through the operation of divine grace upon their hearts, in good earnest determined for eternal life, and brought to a resolution of courageously facing all opposition in the way to it, believed, and openly embraced the gospel," &c. And he has the following note.-The word has various significations; it is rendered ordained only here, and Rom. xiii. 1,' (where the margin, I think more properly, renders it ordered): elsewhere it is rendered determined, Acts xv. 3; addicted, 1 Cor. xvi. 15; and most frequently appointed, Mat. xxviii. 16; Acts xxii, 10; xxviii, 23. In the Greek classics, I think, it generally, in its passive form, signifies men, who having been appointed for some military expedition, and set in their proper offices, as we render it Luke vii. 8, are drawn up in battle array for that purpose." So that it expresses, or refers at once to the action of their commander in marshalling them according to the plan he has formed in his own mind, and to their own presenting themselves in their proper places, to be led on to the intended expedition. This I take to be precisely its sense here, and have therefore chosen the word determined, as having an ambiguity something like that in the original."See Doddridge in loco. Now, as Mr. Fletcher quotes the passage in support of the idea of absolute election, or predestination to eternal life, it would be obliging if any of your correspondents, skilled in the Greek language, would give us a few critical remarks upon the original word, rendered ordained in our version. I think Parkhurst coincides with Doddridge in his interpretation of the term. Yours, &c. J. C. (53 NOTES ON SCRIPTURE TEXTS. Psal. xlix. 6-11. THE eighth verse of this Psalm is generally supposed to refer to the redemption of the soul from sin to the possession of eternal life, and to the inefficacy of wealth to obtain this. It is doubtful, however, if this be its true meaning. It seems rather to refer to the natural life, to the mortal frame, or that part of man which is subject to corruption. The sixth verse describes the effect produced by wealth on those who make it their chief portion; they trust in it, "and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches." In the seventh its inefficacy is exhibited: "None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him;" and the ninth explains the nature of the redemption referred to. Not a redemption from sin but from death;-"That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption," for the wicked would live always here; "Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwellingplaces to all generations." The eighth verse is contained in a parenthesis, and comes in to enforce the Psalmist's doctrine. The life, as if he had said, is more precious than to be redeemed by money. Though the rich man should offer his wealth to God, that his brother might be exempted from death, and live always on the earth, it would be utterly rejected, and for ever fail in obtaining the end. It may be asked, however, will the original word here rendered soul, bear to be translated life? To this it may be answered, that the connexion evidently requires it should be so translated. Some, indeed, even doubt whether it should ever be rendered soul. Not to multiply examples, I shall satisfy myself with referring the reader to Gen. ix. 4, 5,-" But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall eat. And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man." The words life," lives," are the same in the original as that rendered "soul" in the passage we are considering. 66 Let none suppose, that by explaining the passage thus, we weaken or enfeeble its meaning; we rather add force and energy to it. If riches cannot procure exemption from death, which is the lesser evil; how can they redeem from eternal misery, which is the greater? ༢.་ DAN. xii. 2—" And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." THESE words might, at first sight, seem to imply, that, at the time referred to, only a part of the dead should arise.Hence, some have supposed, that they describe a period previous to the general resurrection. I am inclined to think, however, that they point to that time when all who are in their graves shall come forth,-when the dead, small and great, shall stand before God. The Hebrew word (ret, or rebim, many) is variously applied; it means, in general, as a noun, multitude, number, magnitude, abundance, enough. It is here in the plural form, and the verse may be thus rendered—And the multitudes of them that sleep; or, if I rightly understand the original, more literally still-And the multitudes from sleeping in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. The same word occurs in the same form in Psal. cix. 30, where it is rendered multitude. L. Auldkirk. JUVENILE DEPARTMENT. Short Account of EBENEZER EBENEZER BROWN was born May 25th, 1799, of pious parents, whose earnest and constant prayers accompanied their earliest efforts to impress his mind with the importance of religious truth. Though a child of gentle and pleasing manners, and endowed with a disposition peculiarly affectionate, yet, like most children, he gave early evidences that the seeds of sin were taking deep root in his heart, and that their fruit, if matured, would be bitterness and death. At the age of thirteen he be gan to discover a seriousness of mind uncommon to boys at that period, and having been kept from associating with wicked and profane children, it was with pleasure his friends witnessed the ef fect of their restraints in the re lish he began to manifest for better companions; and these he always found in those good books to which he had access, and which afforded him useful instruction and innocent amusement at times when other boys of his age would have been at play. But as yet he had not displayed any satisfactory evidence of a change of heart. In the month of November, 1812, he was visited with a disease of the hip joint, in consequence of which his medical attendants ordered him to be kept to his bed. In this situation, not subject to much pain, and free from every care, his mind was left at leisure to review his situa tion and examine his heart, while the great realities of eternity |