Our author' will have it a command to the world to see and hear, and he translates Tiriu, "look ye," and youn Tishmangu, "listen ye;" and so does the Bible translation, and bishop Lowth; so that he can skulk behind the rampart of authority for error, and thereby save himself from being laughed at, although he gives us bishop Horsley's more correct translation, "shall see," and "shall hear." It is no wonder that our author found the commentators he was enabled to search (for he cannot read the Hebrew) far from being enlightened and satisfactory guides; such translations are enough to darken any subject.

I should only offend the Hebraist by defending the self-apparent position, that Tiriu, is" they shall (or will) see," and won, Tishmangu, "they shall (or will) hear," (or hearken ;) and he who is no Hebraist would perhaps receive no edification from it. I shall therefore notice some other of our author's blunders. passing I must notice, page 47——

In

“Similarity of phrase, and other circumstances, lead us with evidence sufficiently satisfactory to refer the whole, to that decisive battle, which shall terminate the present administration of providence and grace, and prepare the world for the last and most glorious dispensation of the gospel on earth."

What have we here? I have heard of the dispensation of the Law, and the dispensation of the Gospel, and have been led to believe that ians took the present to be the time of the Gospel dispensation. Here we are taught otherwise that the present is the administration of Providence and Grace, and that the most glorious dispensation of the Gospel will not commence till after" that decisive battle." This article of belief is a new discovery in ianity; shortly it will be discovered...... is not yet come, and will not come till after the decisive battle!

..... •

"It is intimated in scripture that the success of the Messengers in the conversion of the Jews shall be extraordinary and rapid. They shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.' Ignorance and infidelity shall yield to the powerful influence of the gospel. New born desires and united endeavours shall be produced of returning to their own land and of submitting themselves to Jesus their king. They shall commence their journey powerfully aided by the very nations that formerly despised and oppressed them."

The whole verse, of which the part is by our author misquoted, is, Dan. xii. 4. "And thou Daniel close up the words and seal

the book to the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased."

This is the text, and the literal, obvious, and plain meaning of it is" although there shall be many opinions broached of the time of the end, and although mankind will increase in general knowledge, none will discover the exact time of its coming till the end; for the same reason as is assigned verse 9th, because the words are "shut up and sealed until the time of the end"—but there is no intimation of missionaries or gospel-rather the contrary, as will in the sequel appear.

Our author proceeds, page 48 :

"The report of their advance, their numbers and their pious zeal, shall reach and alarm the churches of anti...... Alliances with infidel nations shall be formed, and they shall undertake an expedition with numerous forces to oppose the return and resettlement of the converted Jews in Judea. Their collected forces shall assemble near the eastern shores of the Mediterranean, at the ancient Megiddo, which from the destruction that shall follow, shall be known, for ever after with the addition of charem, a curse, by the name of Armageddon."

The report of whose advance? No doubt he means the converted Jews shall alarm the church of anti. . . . . .—And who pray are these anti...... ian churches, who are to oppose the return and resettlement of the converted Jews, and form alliances with infidel nations? Alas, our author does not tell us! and why not? To me it appears plain he could have pointed them out to us; and since he has not done it, it becomes our province to assist him through the difficulty.

In that epitome of history in futurity, in Dan. chap. xi. the angel, after informing Daniel of the destruction of Jerusalem, and the present captivity of the Jews, proceeds to inform him of the creation of a new religion, in these words, v. 36: "And the king will do according to his pleasure; and it will be extolled and exalted above all Gods, even concerning the God of gods there will be spoken marvellous things. And it will prosper until the indignation shall cease, for what is determined shall be done."

Explanation. By authority a new religion shall be established, and which religion shall be extolled above all former religions, even teaching blasphemies against God, who is above all; and this new religion shall prosper until the Messiah shall come, or until God's indignation against the Jews shall be ended.

"And neither will it regard the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god, for it will be extolled above all."

Exp. This new religion will be contrary to ancient paganism; it will be ascetic as regards women, teaching against the desire men have towards women, nor will it in any case conform to any previous religion, for it will be extolled above all.

"But in his estate will be honoured the God, the most strong ones, and a God concerning whom his progenitors knew nothing will be honoured with gold and silver, and precious stones, and pleasant things."

Exp. But this religion will teach to honour the true God, as most strong ones, a plural: and also a new God, who had not before been considered a God at all, shall be worshipped with religious reverence in peculiar grandeur.

"And he shall make establishments for those who inclose themselves in holds, in honour of the most strong ones, and the strange God who shall be acknowledged, and he shall cause them to rule over the many, and even apportion the earth for a trifle."

Explanation. Convents shall be established for such who accept celibacy in honour of this religion, who will be made to rule the populace, and, for a very trifling consideration, will he give away very extensive countries.

"And towards the time of the end the king of the south will push at him, and the king of the north will storm over him with chariots, and horsemen, and with many ships, and he shall overflow and pass over."

Explanation. Near the time the redemption of Israel is to take place, the king of the south, (the emperor of Turkey and head of the Mahomedans) will weakly push against the king of the north, the head of the ...... ians, (the emperor of Russia,) who will war against and conquer all Turkey, for he will come with a large army of artillery and cavalry, and a strong naval force, and will invade and conquer.*

* Ezekiel, chap. xxviii. treats of this conqueror under the name of Gog, he is described to be from the land of Magog, Magog is the name of the nation, not the country. He is, verse 2d, called WNT N'V】 Nasi Rush, as by them pronounced

After having conquered all these southern countries even as far as Egypt and Barbary. Then says Dan. verse 44, " And tidings out of the east and north shall cause him to be seized with terrors, and he shall go forth with great fury to destroy and utterly to

take away many.

The tidings which are to trouble the autocrat of Russia are not to come out of the west; so that it cannot mean the converted Jews will trouble him, these tidings are to come from the north and east. The ten tribes of Israel are principally situated in ancient Chaldea, Media, and Tartary, which lie north and east of Jerusalem. The noise of their return to resettle their ancient country in a body; a whole nation at once moving; an army of myriads of Israelites coming to possess themselves of a country in his possession, without his permission, and without even asking his consent, will cause terror to seize him, and in consequence he will go out with great fury to destroy and utterly to take away many. Verse 45. And he will plant the tabernacle of his ephod between the seas for the glorious holy mount, and he shall come to his end, and there will be no help for him.*

Exp. He in consequence will establish the

....

ian religion Roesh. Nasi, means Prince or Ruler, and although Roesh would translate Head or Chief, as Seria Cohen Harush, Seria the chief priest, yet here is an article, Harush, the chief, confining it : in our text it is undefined,(Roesh.) Again, whenever the countries under his government are mentioned, which is three times done in this and the following chapter, it is always Nasi, Rush, otherwise not. But principally N' Ez. xxxviii. is marked with Zakeaph Gadoel, and which requires a pause of particular attention, as if marked, in English, Prince of, with at least a comma after it, and 7 has a Tipcha, also a King accent, showing cach must be read by itself. and that they do not belong together; otherwise would be accented with a Servitor, as is the case in 2 Kings, xxv. 18, where N is marked with a King, Zakef Katoen, and has Munach, a Servitor, showing that it belongs to N But if in Ezekiel NV) should belong to it ought to have a Mercha instead of a Zakeaph Gadoel, which is the proper Servitor to the Tipcha of For an Hebraist this must be conclusive, that Rush, in Ezekiel is a proper name; and as Masech and Tubal are confessedly taken as names; I take Rush, which immediately precedes, also to be a common name, descriptive of the country of Gog and that the text not only gives us the ancient name of the nation Magog, but Rush is its modern name also.

* 1798 Hapadnoe, his Ephod, false worship, or church. This is the opinion of Kimchi, from his father, and is supported by other learned Jew authority. Others

to be the only religion of those who will live in the Holy Land, but he will be destroyed with an utter destruction, without salva(To be continued.)

tion.

DEA'S LETTERS.

(Continued from page 344.)

LETTER XIII.

THE next prophecy cited by Matthew, as fulfilled in Jesus, is concerning the place of his birth, and greatness. The place referred to is in Micah, (1) "And thou Bethlehem in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah: For out of thee shall come a governor, that shall rule my people Israel. (2) This is said to be the answer made to Herod by the chief priests and scribes, when he inquired of them concerning the place of the Messiah's birth; both he and all Jerusalem being troubled at the news published by the eastern wise men, of having seen his star in the east; by which they knew of the birth of the king of the Jews. (3) This is the account transmitted to us of this affair: but in this whole transaction there seems some things, not only very improbable, but even incredible.-Such as that Herod should gather the chief priests and scribes to ask such a question, and that they should return him such an answer. That an extraordinary star should appear in the east; or that its appearance should be known to be a notification of the birth of a child in Judea.-That the wise men should take a long journey to no purpose. That are inclined to translate it as in the Bible, pavilion, then it would mean, “he will establish his head quarters." To this I have two objections. 1st. How in that case are we to understand and translate Leyhar, to or for the glorious holy mounfain? We cannot say he shall plant the tents of his pavilion between the seas to or for the glorious holy mountain: if he is between the seas, he is in or on the glorious holy mountain, which is situated between them; and therefore the English Bible has it "in the glorious holy mountain," which is a false translation, the Lamud being a prefix, signifying to or for. 2dly. We shall be obliged to consider the word 1379 Chaldaic, in which case only it is rightly translated pavilion; but the angel was speaking Hebrew, in which 17 means "his ephod." For these reasons I am firmly persuaded "his ephod" is the proper translation.

(1) Micah, ch, 5. v. 2. (2) Mat. ch. 2. v. 6. (3) Ibid. v. 1—4.