to our brethren of America for their contributions to this department of sacred study. As compared with us, they took the lead in it at the first, and perhaps they are in advance of us still. It is little more than a year ago since we imported from them Moses Stuart's work on the Apocalypse, exhausting the philology of that mysterious book; and now we have from Professor Alexander a book, which the biblical student will regard as a treasure of no less value. If it do not display all the expository tact of the other, it is at least equally rich in its learning, and will probably be more satisfactory to the sound and soberminded student. A work of nearly a thousand closely printed 8vo pages, we cannot pretend to have read throughout; but, from careful examination of several of the more notable passages in the prophecy, we are fully prepared to concur in the estimate which the British editor-than whom our readers could desire no more competent judge has pronounced of its worth. After some brief and pointed critical remarks, admirably setting forth the characteristic merits and failings of previous expositions of the evangelical prophet-particularly those of Vitringa, Gesenius, Lowth, Henderson, and Barnes-the editor's preface thus proceeds to describe the work in hand:

"We reckon it among the best commentaries on Isaiah of any age or in any language. It embodies in it the fruits of many years of continuous toil and research, and its size gives it the advantage of a gratifying fulness. Professor Alexander exhibits consummate scholarship. He discovers intimate acquaintance with the nicer particularities of Hebrew philology, in its tenses, particles, and more delicate combinations; and, at the same time, possesses no little relish for the aesthetic elementthe buds and blossoms of oriental poetry. His stores of auxiliary erudition are ever at disciplined command, and are applied with eminent judgment. The value of his publication is also enhanced by the excellent synoptical accounts of the labours and opinions of former and contemporaneous authors, which are to be found under almost every verse. The work is pervaded by a sound exegetical spirit,-the spirit of one who has been baptized unto Christ. Interesting views of the nature of prophecy, in itself and in its relations, as well to the Jewish commonwealth as to the church of the Redeemer, abound in the following pages. The reveries of Teutonic criticism are unsparingly held up to scorn, and the old paths are proved to be still the safest and best. The exposition is free from extraneous matter. It has no digressions; no learned lumber obstructs the reader's way,

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with its conceited and multifarious curiosities. The principles which the author has laid down for his own guidance in the extreme literalness of his version, are sometimes followed, however, with such rigidness and system, as to afford facetious remarkings to any satirical reviewer. But this peculiarity some may consider no blemish,—may rather hail it as an improvement. In one word, this transatlantic commentary is cautious and reverent in its textual criticism,-in its habitual demeanour toward those words which the Holy Ghost teacheth.' It is no less expert, accurate, and felicitous in its philology, basing it on the acknowledged laws of mind and principles of language. Its hermeneutical canons are always sagacious, and in general correct; while the exegesis is distinguished by its harmony and vigour, and relieved by its exalted and luminous conceptions. Nevertheless, we are not so sanguine as to anticipate for the author whom we are honoured to introduce, that his readers will assent to all his hypothesis, or will be converted to his marked and favourite interpretations of those paragraphs and sections, the precise meaning and fulfilment of which are, in the present day, topies of keen and protracted controversy."

We had lately occasion to notice Dr Eadie as the author of "Lectures on the Bible to the Young." Here we have him as editor of one of the most profoundly learned books which have appeared for years back in the department of biblical criticism. Like the elephant's trunk, which can lift a needle or tear up a growing oak, his mind is equally ready for either kind of effort. By introducing the work before us to the attention of biblical students in this country, he has laid them under an obligation for which we tender him warmest thanks.

FIVE TRACTS on the STATE CHURCH: The
Church in Fetters. By J. H. TILLETT.—
The Endowment of all Religious Sects.
By Rev. J. BURNET.-What is the Sepa-
ration of Church and State?
By E.
MIALL.-Church Property, whose is it?
By Rev. J. HINTON, M.A.-The Duty of
Christians in relation to Church Establish-
ments. By Rev. J. P. MURsell.

London: Anti-State Church Association.

BRIEF, but lucid, pointed, and conclusive, essays on the topics they profess to treat. It is impossible that such artillery, directed with so much calm imperturbable resolution, should fail to tell on the bulwarks of the English establishment. We have marked in each tract a characteristic paragraph for transference to our "Gleaner," whenever our space will permit.

The OLIVE, VINE, and PALM: embracing an Illustration of the Numerous Allusions in Scripture to these Trees and their Produce. With an Introduction. By JOHN KITTO, D.D. 18mo. Pp. 164.

Edinburgh Grant & Taylor. A LARGE amount of interesting information in regard to the three most famous of the trees of Palestine, is embodied in this volume. The vine furnishes the chief materiel of the book, occupying 100 out of 160 pages; and we could easily believe that the treatise on this subject has been flanked by those on the Olive and the Palm, for the purpose of avoiding the partisan aspect which the volume might have had in the eyes of some readers, had it been

exclusively occupied with a statement of the author's knowledge and opinions respecting the vine and its different products. The author agrees with those brethren of the Total Abstinence Society, who maintain that the scriptures do not sanction, either by precept or by historical example, the use, even in moderation, of wine fitted to intoxicate. In supporting this view, he enters on an examination of the passages usually understood as countenancing an opposite opinion. They who wish to see the argument on the author's side of the question well stated, and the natural history of the vine, as well as of the olive and the palm, well and fully related, will find much satisfaction in this little work.

ATHENS.

No one can contemplate, without the most painful interest, the circumstances which have compelled the Rev. Dr King, the indefatigable missionary of the American Board, to retire, at least for a season, from his useful and persevering labours in this city. Greece received its political constitution from European powers; by which religious toleration is guaranteed, and the press is free so that, with twenty-five newspapers already established in Athens, we might have expected public opinion to be sufficiently powerful to secure to any foreigner, who lived peacefully among them, all liberty and safety in pursuing works of holy benevolence, although in his own way. But the public mind is so tainted with the national superstition, and so abjectly subject to their ecclesiastical authorities, that not even the civil power has been able to protect Dr King from the persecution of which he has been long the object, and is now the victim. There is no intolerance like that of a paramount religion; and the intolerance of the corrupted forms of Christianity at least equals that of Mahommedanism, or any species of heathen idolatry. The adoration of the Virgin Mary is one of the tenets of the Greek religion, fondly cherished and devoutly practised; but which will not, of course, bear the light of either scripture or any rational investigation. And wo be to the man who will attempt to hold up the light of scripture before the votaries of this worship, for the purpose of exposing its hideous deformity! Dr King had published a book in confutation of this flagrant superstition, which soon enkindled the indignation of the Greek Synod; who, in August 1845, denounced it and its author equally, prohibiting its being read, and calling upon

all to burn it; and further, forbidding all connexion with the author, who is designated " a most impious heretic," whom no one may salute in the street, and none may enter his dwelling or eat or drink with him. This ecclesiastical anathema, duly published, had naturally the effect of exciting such a popular ferment against this excellent missionary, that his life could not be regarded as safe. Even the king's attorney took up the matter; and, in a fit of indiscreet zeal, cited him to appear in person before the criminal court at Syra, on the 25th July 1846, to be tried for the charges brought against him by the Holy Synod in 1845. On application, however, to the prime minister and the minister of j justice, it was ascertained that the proceeding was without their knowledge, and contrary to their opinions; and the citation was speedily recalled. What authoritative proceedings could not accomplish, the untiring and fearless malignity of a private individual, hired no doubt by persons of higher name, has effected. This desperado, Simonides by name, determining to effect his expulsion from Athens at all hazards, started in his crusade so indiscreetly, that he was at first arrested by the government for his conduct toward Dr King, and punished. But this rebuke seemed only to inflame his hatred. He published in the Age, one of the first newspapers in Athens, three articles in successive numbers, urging measures for arresting "the scandal of his preaching," and, with the basest fabrication, describing scenes, of which he stated himself to have been an eye-witness, in Dr King's house, in the celebration of marriage and of baptism, too profane and indecent to be repeated. The result was, that Dr King first received from the minister for ecclesiastical affairs, through the governor of Attica, an order to desist from

preaching in the capital; against which he asserted his right to preach in his own house, and denied the slanders put forth against him in the Age. But a few days after, he received, through the Swedish ambassador, an earnest request from the minister of the interior to withdraw for a little until the ferment was over, as the king and the government feared that his stay in the capital would occasion bloodshed. On this he took legal advice, and decided upon leaving Athens; which he accordingly did in August last.

CAFFRARIA.

IN consequence of the happy termination of the Caffre war, every facility is now afforded for the missionaries to return to their labours among these hopeful tribes. The British governor has issued a proclamation inviting the return of the missionaries to their missions: and, that no misunderstanding or misconception may arise, her Majesty's high commissioner gives notice, that the land of their mission stations shall be held from her Majesty, and not from any Caffre chief whatever. Every facility will be given, and every aid afforded to the missionaries, conducive to the great objects in view,-conversion to christianity and civilisation; and these laudable gentlemen may rely upon the utmost support and protection the high commissioner may have it in his power to afford.

CALCUTTA.

THE crisis which appears to have recently arrived in the progress of Christian missions in India-the open conflict which burst forth betwixt the darkness and the light, and led to some combined effort to prevent the native youth from being sent for education to Christian seminaries--has given rise to some incidents of deep and affecting interest. Many of the youth, withdrawn by it prematurely from missionary educational institutions, had got their minds so far enlightened, as deliberately to question, if not utterly to discard, the absurdities and hopelessness of Hindooism; and were also disciplined to those habits of thinking, and of investigating truth, that they could not stop where they were. And yet the whole influence of their parents and guardians, and the whole religious zeal of their more influential countrymen, were combined, to deepen their prejudice against Christianity, and deter them from embracing it. What must be the distraction of mind into which young native Indians must have been thrown, in such a condition! A letter from one of them, affectingly illustrative of this, appeared recently in a native paper--the organ of the educated Antichristian party of

Hindus-from which we shall make a few extracts. The writer, a native youth, begins by referring to the truth as indisputable, that "man is a mere pilgrim in this vale of tears, an expectant of eternity;" and then states, that perhaps no people are less aware of this than his unhappy countrymen; and so the Hindu youth, who is otherwise minded, encounters no ordinary difficulty in prosecuting his inquiry after things that pertain to an unseen world. He was by his father placed at the Free Church Institution, where the Bible, as a matter of course, was one of his classbooks; but he studied it with no greater interest than he did Euclid, or any other book given him: learning its doctrines, but thinking, as a Hindu, it was no concern of his to believe them. Yet he confesses there were moments when the reality of its doctrines came home to his conscience with a force altogether irresistible. It was the death of a dearly beloved brother which caused his present distracted state of mind. His brother was well educated; he had the greatest contempt for the religion of their country, but was far from enterThat brother taining Christian notions. often read with him the Bible, as it was one of his class-books. "One day, while reading a certain passage, he suddenly exclaimed,-Surely, surely, this can be no human composition; it is, it must be, the Word of God! I must study it more seriously.' But this he never did; for he was soon after laid on his bed of sickness, which he was not destined to leave. If his life was amiable, his death was horrible. Never, never, can I forget the trembling and agitation, the anguish and despair, of his last moments. Even now, while I write, his sighs, and groans, and piercing shrieks, seem to ring in my ears. He never spoke a word--he was conscious he was dying; but he knew not whither he was goinginto what state he was entering. All before him were shadows, clouds, and darkness. The death of one so dearly beloved roused me from my sleep of indifference and carelessness. What shall I do? shall I live, that I may die a happy and peaceful death? were my anxious inquiries. I should have mentioned that, excepting the religious instruction I had received in the Free Church Institution, and which I had almost forgotten since my removal, never, from the first dawn of reason, did such words as God, holiness, heaven, sin, hell, salvation, judgment to come, sound in my ears, either through my father or any relatives or friends. The death of my beloved brother directed my mind to these solemn, though, to many, unpleasant subjects. I had read and studied the Pooranic Shastras; dislike and disgust were the only

How

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consequences. I once mustered courage to complain to my father of my spiritual destitution. What was the result? grieve to state, he severely rebuked me. Second consideration probably made him regret ; for he soon after introduced me to a personage who was reputed to be a man of profound erudition, and whose house was the resort of many pundits. But he so overwhelmed me with a volley of unintelligible and heterogeneous jargon, about Idealism, Pantheism, and Polytheism, that I felt glad to discontinue my visits. "Sir (he addresses the editor of the native newspaper), you know my history,-what would you advise me to do? This letter may provoke the ridicule, or contempt, or censure of some of your correspondents; but, sir, is not the soul of inestimable value? Is not salvation desirable? Is not heaven to be gained, hell to be avoided? In conclusion, I beg distinctly to state (and which you may have discovered ere this time), that I am neither Old nor Young Bengal, but an humble, though a sincere, inquirer after truth."" This affecting document, about the genuineness of which there is no room for doubt, encourages missionaries, and every supporter of Christian missions, to cast their bread upon the waters. Divine truth, sown in the spirit of prayer, has a power which may be silently exerting its invincible influence in the heart and conscience of benighted men, when, to present appearance, it is lost. May the spirit of truth guide into all truth every sincere inquirer after the right way!

FEEJEE ISLANDS.

THE latest intelligence from the Wesleyan Missionaries in this group of cannibal islands is still but chequered. They pursue their untiring labours with faith and hope; but meet with little that is cheering, and much that is painful and discouraging. The gospel has been introduced into twenty-four islands, including the two large ones. Nine are wholly or mainly Christian: and though they have none of the leading chiefs among their numbers, they have several very influ ential chiefs, and some who have been famous, even in Feejee, as murderers and cannibals. The word of God is preached every Sabbath in fifty-three places: and the fact that they have 3300 whom they consider their stated or occasional hearers, is a gratifying proof that they do not labour in vain. They had been for several years occupied in carrying forward a complete translation of the New Testament into the native language: and were now so far in progress, that, according to their own expectation, they will have seen the completion of it by this time. The feelings of

:

the missionaries are still harrowed by the frequent occurrence of deeds of horrid cruelty; both in connexion with the incessant warfare prevailing in some district or another of the islands, and in the ordinary occurrences of private life. "Cannibalism," say the missionaries, "is still practised to an awful extent and crimes of various kinds, too dark to admit of disclosure, habitually committed." A native conjurer, a few days before he died, confessed to one of the missionaries the folly of his past life, and said that his high pretensions were false; but determined to die a heathen. His wife wished at his death to be strangled; but the missionary assisted in preventing it. Two of the missionaries were together when they received information of the death of the chief of the king's turtle-fishers, whom one of them had seen in health a few days before. They hastened to his house, and found him lying in Feejeean state. His body was scarcely cold before his deluded relatives had strangled his chief wife. She was lying close by her deceased husband; and her murderers were kissing her, and making the various noises customary on such occasions. Some of the women seemed glad that they were beforehand with the missionaries in having effected her death.

MADAGASCAR.

THOUGH still persecuted by the queen and her government, yet, by the latest intelligence from this interesting island, the native Christians continue to multiply and increase; more than 100 new converts have been added to their number. And the heirpresumptive to the throne, although he has not, as it would appear, yet made an open profession of Christ, joins with the believers in prayer and reading the Scriptures, and shows himself to be on the side of God. He has rendered eminent service to the afflicted native converts, employing his influence successfully in getting the sentence of death commuted, when passed on twentyone of them. His hopeful adoption of christianity is a striking instance of that decision of character which distinguishes his tribe. Once convinced, he held no counsel with political expediency and unmanly, fears, but joined himself to the persecuted Christians; and it is believed would prove "faithful unto death," if called on so to attest the sincerity of his convictions. The more he is persecuted, the more he will inquire. Yet the native Christians, in their letters, beg that prayers may be offered up for him by the churches. They probably fear for the purity of his life amid general corruption, and the temptations to which he will be peculiarly exposed, and all their hope is placed in the help of God.

I. That the acknowledged inefficiency of the Parochial Schools of Scotland, and the dissatisfaction with regard to them which generally exist, are mainly attributable to the subjection of these schools to the control of the Established Church; while there is thus combined the inconsistency of a system called national being placed in the hands of a minority, with the injustice of maintaining the interests of a party at the public expense.

II. That the remedy for these evils is not to be found in educational grants to different religious denominations-a scheme whereby the interests both of religion and of education are liable to suffer from the spirit of party; that such a result is much to be deprecated, at a period of life when it is a main object of all sound moral training to foster kindly and generous sentiments; and that, where this scheme has been put to the test of experiment, it is already yielding the bitter fruits of alienation and animosity which might have been anticipated.

III. That to render the parochial system of education truly a national one, the following conditions appear indispensable:

1. The control of the Established Church over the parochial schools entirely to cease, and the right of superintendence and of management not to be placed in the hands of religious denominations as such.

2. Attendance at a normal school, and certified acquaintance with the art and practice of teaching, to be required of all candidates for the situation of teachers.

3. Security for the sound principles of teachers to be sought in a right mode of appointment; and religious tests to be abolished, as sectarian in spirit, and, at the same time, nugatory as evidence of character.

4. Heads of families in parishes, or in such districts as may be found convenient, to have the right of electing the teacher, and of superintending, by a committee of their number or otherwise, the business of the schools.

5. The funds at present set apart for the support of parochial schools, to continue to be applied to this purpose, and such additions as may be found necessary in particular districts, to be raised by local taxation. With a view to place the system under the wholesome control of public opinion,

6. Stated returns from the national schools, embracing the branches taught,

fees, attendance, &c., to be made to the Privy Council or to a National Board of Education, and a full digest of such returns to be published annually.

JAMES HARPER, Convener.

RESOLUTIONS OF THE UNITED PRESBYTERIAN SYNOD ON UNIVERSITY TESTS, MAY 1848.

That the existing University Tests are not only sectarian, unjust, and impolitic, but totally inefficient for the professed object for which they are imposed, viz. to ascertain the religious principles of persons appointed to professorships: That this Synod regard the entire abrogation of such tests as desirable; and are of opinion, that the right of appointment, placed in the hands of duly qualified parties, and exercised under the influence of public opinion, would prove the most eligible and available check upon improper nominations to chairs

in the national universities.

PRESBYTERIAL PROCEEDINGS.

Berwick. This presbytery met on 20th June. Four students were examined, with a view to their admission to the Divinity Hall. Mr Falconer intimated his acceptance of the call from Spittal, and his induction was appointed to take place on 11th July. Mr Hugh Dunlop delivered discourses, with a view to his ordination at Zion Chapel, Berwick. The presbytery having met again on the 11th July, Mr Dunlop gave his remaining trial discourses, and his ordination was appointed to take place on 2d August.

Carlisle.-This presbytery met at Wigton on the 27th of June. Read a communication from the secretary of the Home Mission Board, in reply to the last deliverance of the presbytery regarding the Wigton station, in which he intimated the wish of the Board to continue the usual pecuniary aid, provided the presbytery can secure the services of a zealous and active missionary. Read also a letter from Mr Duncan, probationer, expressive of his readiness to take charge of the station, if agreeable to the presbytery and the people. After hearing a commissioner from the congregation, agreed to accept of Mr Duncan's proposal, upon condition that he lay himself out to do all the work pertaining to a laborious missionary, by not only preaching twice each Sabbath in the ordinary place of worship, but also by holding frequent religious services in different districts of the town and neighbourhood, and by pursuing a systematic course of household visitation. Adjourned, to meet at Carlisle on the last Tuesday of Angust.