and illustrate several rules to be observed in instructing youth in the knowledge of the holy scriptures. These rules we regard as of essential importance; and, although the observance of them may not be followed by all the good we could wish, we hope at least, that the experiment will be made, and the course recommended, pursued, till time and experience shall show you a more excellent way. First Rule. Recommend to the attention of your children, first of all, those parts of scripture, which are the most simple and easy to be understood. It is unreasonable to expect; that their attention can be engaged, if, as is too often the case, they are required to read what really excites no ideas whatever in their minds. It is impossible for either young or old to love or admire, unless they first have formed some idea of the objects, which are to excite the sentiments of admiration or love: and we have no doubt, but that much of the distaste for the reading of the scriptures, which is known to exist, may be traced to the indiscreet practice of requiring young people to read the whole bible in course, and, by this means, keeping them occupied for a long time on portions, which are absolutely as unintelligible to them, as though they had been written in an unknown tongue. We do not call in question the authenticity of any part of the sacred volume, or maintain that we are at liberty to pronounce any one page of revelation unimportant in itself: but we are sure that very many pages are unimportant to chilVol. V.-No. 6. dren and to some who are advanced in years, and for this reason more especially, that they are not and cannot be understood. It is a maxim established by common consent, although unfortunately it is not often reduced to practice in our treatment of the young, that we must understand what we read in order to receive instruction and benefit therefrom. Now in a book of such magnitude as the bible, a book of such remote antiquity, the parts of which were written on such various occasions and for such various ends,-a book which you can read only in a literal translation from languages, which differ essentially in their structure from our own, a book, in short, which is filled with perpetual references manners and customs, which have long since grown into disuse, I say, in a book of such a character, it would be unreasonable in the highest degree to expect, that all should be plain and level to the understandings of children. to I shall be better understood if I come to particulars. There are then certain portions of the inspired volume, which, simply on account of their obscurity, we think it most injudicious to recommend to their attention. The ceremonial laws of the Jewish code are decidedly of this character. I can hardly conceive of a surer mode of produ cing a disrelish for reading the scriptures, than that, which I believe to be pretty common among many christian parents, of requiring their children to read, chapter after chapter in the order in which they are 22 placed, the books of Leviticus and Numbers, as well as parts of Exodus and Dutreonomy. What ideas can young children form of the nature of those rites and ceremonies with a deseriription of which those books are principally filled? Indeed, supposing it possible that they could gain a perfect acquaintance with those ritual observances which have now become obsolete, we might still doubt whether it would profit them. But at present it is sufficient reason for saying they ought not to be read by children, that they are quite above their comprehension. Nor do we think it proper at an early age to read such difficult parts of scripture, as the book of Job, the writings of the Prophets, or the doctrinal parts of the Apostolical Epistles. Ask any child of a good understanding, under the age of ten years, after reading a chapter from the sublime writings of Isaiah or Ezekiel, whether it has formed any definite ideas of its meaning, and I believe the answer will be invariably the same. How can young children gain any knowledge or receive any good impressions from studying some of those very difficult chapters contained in the Epistle of Paul to the Romans or in that to the Galatians? How will they be able to understand the Revelations of St. John, or perceive the moral of the book of Job, or put a spiritual meaning on the terms and descriptions found in Solomon's Songs ? You will not I trust understand me to maintain that children must absolutely read nothing but what is perfectly intelligible to them. I mention this caution now; and I shall have occasion to refer to it again, and to explain my meaning more fully under the second Rule. In all these, every candid person must acknowledge, that there are many things hard to be understood. They are excellent in themselves; but quite above the understandings of ordinary youth. They are inspir-But what I intended to assert ed writings; but they were composed not for children, but for grown men and reason teaches to accommodate mental as well as corporal food to the capacity which is to receive it. Children must be fed with milk and not with strong meat; for as yet they cannot bear it was this, that, other things being equal, you should begin with those parts of scripture, which are most simple and plain. In a following number, we will state our second Rule, and then show how they are both to be applied. THE LITURGY OF THE JEWS. "Shemoneh Eshreh-The Eighteen Prayers." FIRST PRAYER. "BLESSED be thou, O Lord our God, the God of our fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, the Great God, powerful and tre graciously unto us knowledge, wisdom and understanding. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who graciously givest knowledge, unto men.' FIFTH PRAYER. mendous, the High God, bountifully dispensing benefits, the Creator and Possessor of the Universe, who rememberest the good deeds of our fathers, and in thy love sendest a Redeemer to those who are descended from them, for thy name sake, Other, to the observance of thy King, our Helper, our Saviour and our Shield. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who art the Shield of Abraham." SECOND PRAYER. "Thou, O Lord, art powerful forever, Thou raisest the dead to life, and art mighty to save, Thou sendest down the dew, stillest the winds, and makest the rain to come down upon the earth, and sustainest with thy beneficence all that live therein; and of thy abundant mercy makest the dead again to live. Thou helpest up those that fall; Thou curest the sick. Thou loosest them that are bound, and makest good thy word of truth to those that sleep in the dust. Who is to be compared to thee, O thou Lord of might? And who is like unto thee, O our King, who killest and makest alive, and makest salvation to spring up as the herb out of the field? Thou are faithful to make the dead to rise again to life. Blessed art thou, O Lord who raisest the dead again to life." THIRD PRAYER. "Thou art holy, and thy name is holy, and thy saints do praise thee every day. Selah. For a great King and an holy art thou, O God. Blessed art thou, O Lord God most Holy." FOURTH PRAYER. "Thou of thy mercy givest knowledge unto men, and teachest them understanding; give "Bring us back, O our Fa-. law and make us to adhere to thy precepts, and do thou, O our King, draw us near to thy worship, and convert us to thee, by perfect repentance in thy presence. Blessed art thou, Ŏ Lord, who vouchsafest to receive us by repentance." SIXTH PRAYER. "Be thou merciful unto us, O our Father, for we have sinned; pardon us, O our King, for we have transgressed against thee. For thou art a God, good and ready to pardon. Blessed art thou, O Lord, most gracious, who multipliest thy mercies in the forgiveness of sins." SEVENTH PRAYER. "Look, we beseech thee, upon our afflictions. Be thou on our side in all our contentions and plead thou our cause in all our litigations; and make haste to redeem us with a perfeet redemption for thy name's sake. For thou art our God, our King, and a strong Redeemer. Blessed art thou, O Lord, the Redeemer of Israel." EIGHTH PRAYER. "Heal us, O Lord our God, and we shall be healed. Save us, and we shall be saved. For thou art our praise. Bring unto us sound health, and a perfect remedy for all our infirmities, and for all our griefs, and for all our wounds. For thou art a God who healest, and art mercifal. Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, who carest the diseases of thy people Israel." NINTH PRAYER. "Bless us, O Lord our God, in every work of our hands, and bless unto us the seasons of the year, and give us the dew and the rain to be a blessing unto us upon the face of all our land, and satiate the world with thy blessings, and send down moisture upon every part of the earth that is habitable. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who givest thy blessing to the years." TENTH PRAYER. "Convocate us together by the sound of the great trumpet, to the enjoyment of our liberty, and lift up thy ensign to call together all of the captivity, from the four quarters of the earth, into our own land. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who gatherest to gether the exiles of the people of Israel." ELEVENTH PRAYER. "Restore unto us our Judges as at the first, and our Counsellors as at the beginning, and remove far from us affliction and trouble, and do thou only reign over us in benignity and in mercy, and in righteousness, and in justice. Blessed art thou, O Lord, our King, who lovest righteousness and justice." TWELFTH PRAYER. "Upon the pious and the just, and upon the proselytes of justice, and upon the remnant of thy people of the house of Israel, let thy mercies be moved, O Lord our God; and give a good reward unto all, who faithfully put their trust in thy name, and grant us our portion with them, and forever let us not be ashamed. For we put our trust in thee, Blessed art thou, O Lord, who art the support and confidence of the just." THIRTEENTH PRAYER. "Dwell thou in the midst of Jerusalem, thy city, as thou hast promised; build it with a building to last forever, and do this speedily, even in our days. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who buildest Jerusalem.” FOURTEENTH PRAYER. "Make the offspring of David thy servant speedily to grow up, and flourish, and let our horn be exalted in thy salvation. For we hope for thy salvation. every day. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who makest the horn of our salvation to flourish.” FIFTEENTH PRAYER. "Hear our voice, O Lord, our God, most merciful Father, pardon and have mercy upon us, and accept of our prayers, with mercy and favour, and send us not away empty from thy presence, O our King, for thou hearest with mercy the prayer of thy people Israel. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who hearest prayer." SIXTEENTH PRAYER. "Be thou well pleased, O Lord our God, with thy people Israel, and have regard unto their prayers, restore thy wor ship to the inner part of thy house, and make haste with favour and love to accept of the burnt sacrifices of Israel, and their prayers, and let the wor ship of Israel thy people be continually well pleasing unto thee. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who restorest thy divine presence to Zion." SEVENTEENTH PRAYER. "We will give thanks unto thee with praise. For thou art the Lord our God, the God of our fathers forever and ever. Thou art our Rock and the Rock of our life, the Shield of our salvation. To all generations will we give thanks unto thee, and declare thy praise, because of our life which is always in thy hands, and because of our souls which are ever depending upon thee, and because of thy signs which are every day with us, and because of thy wonders, and marvellous loving kindnesses, which are morning and evening, and night, continually before us. Thou art good for thy mercies are not consumed. Thou art merciful for thy loving kindnesses fail not. Forever we hope in thee, and for all these mercies, be thy name, O King, blessed, and exalted and lifted up on high for ever and ever; and let all that live, give thanks unto thee. Selah. And let them in truth and sincerity praise thy name, O God of our salvation, and our help. Selah. Blessed art thou, O Lord, whose name is good, and whom it is fitting always to give thanks unto." EIGHTEENTH PRAYER, Give peace, beneficence, and benediction, grace, benignity, and mercy unto us, and to Israel thy people. Bless us, O our Father, even all of us together as one man, with the light of thy countenance. For in the light of thy countenance hast thou given unto us, O Lord, our God, the law of life, and love, and benignity and righteousness, and blessing and mercy, and life and peace. And let it seem good in thine eyes to bless thy people Israel with thy peace at all times, and in every moment. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who These "Eighteen Prayers" were copied from Dean Prideaux's Connections, v. II. book VI. p. 538-542. By the historian we are told, that the Jewish writers say-these prayers were composed and instituted by Ezra; that it is certain they are very ancient; that they were used as a Liturgy in the synagogues of the Jews in the time of our Saviour's ministry; and consequently that he joined with the Jews in the use of these forms when he worshipped with them in their synagogues. See p. 538. It is reasonable to suppose that from an established Church Liturgy we may obtain correct information of the views of that Church in respect to the number of persons in Deity. Suppose that two thousand years hence, a dispute should arise in respect to the avowed opinion of the present Church of England on that point; if a copy of their Liturgy, or their established forms of prayer, can then be produced, will it not decide the question ? Evidence of the same nature we now have as to the faith of the ancient Jewish Church. We have not only many prayers of individuals recorded in the scripture; but we have also, handed down to us, the estab lished Liturgy, which was used in their public worship. In the English Liturgy, God is evidently considered as three persons. In the Jewish Liturgy, he is as evidently regarded as one person only; unless the terms, KING and FATHEL, mean three persons in one Being; and |