Indeed throughout, he appears to have disguised his purpose, and never would boldly, and openly, acknowledge himself, even for the Messiah. You say we fulfilled the liii. ch. of Isaiah. When the persecutors of the Jews will see their errors, then it will be fulfilled. This prophecy will be treated of in a future number of the Jew, God permiting, in the examination of the Gospel according to St. Mark, till when, I will thank you to explain, who were the great and the strong spoken of in verse 12. You charge us with mocking Jesus agreeable to Ps. xxii. This subject will shortly be treated of, when I come to the examination of Matthew, xxvii. 46. in the mean time, I should be under an obligation if you will inform us, how you apply to Jesus, verses 4-5 "Our fathers trusted in thee!" Was Jesus more than one, that he says, "OUR," and had he more than one father, that he uses the plural," fathers." And let me also inform you, "they pierced my hands; and my feet," is not in the original, where it is, "The assembly of the wicked, have like a Lion encircled my hands and feet; of which see the whining, and complaints of Scott, (Scott's Bible.) As to statements from the wisdom of Solomon, or 2d Esdras, take them and welcome, they are no proof to Jews, any more than a passage out of the Alcoran. You say "He is the son of David," Matthew will not allow it, for he says, David calls him Lord, and he asks. how is he then his son? will you please to answer Matthew's question? You find we deny the premises, and say David calls no man LORD.

And now kind sir, you perceive I have "considered all these things," as you require of us in your last paragraph, and yet conclude the Messiah has not yet come, that no new covenant is yet introduced. And I beg you to credit me, when I assure you, that I am very sorry that there is not an end to transgression and sins, as you understood it; although I believe, firmly believe, that, that has eventuated, or rather began even at the end of the seventy weeks of Daniel, which was inteded for the purpose of, and finally will consume the transgression and silence sin, even the sin of idolatry, and unbelief in scripture, and bring about the anointing of the Holy of Holies, at the period known only to God, and agreeably to the prophecy in Daniel afore cited.

I may not close without tendering you, the thanks of the dispersed Jews, for the interest you appear to take in their welfare, and expressing my fervent wish, that it may tend to your own benefit, and to the enlightening of your mind, and release you from the thraldom of the spirit of deep sleep.

EDITOR.

EXAMINATION OF ST. MATTHEW.

Continued from page 397.

CHAP. XXVII. Verse 9. "Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value. And gave then for the Potter's field, as the Lord appointed me."

The above text is direct and in point, and if any one could show us thus written by Jeremy, and this Jeremy allowed to be a prophet, then something might at least be said in favour of ...... ianity; but the worst of it is, no body knows who this Jeremy, the prophet, was. believe, either, he never wrote a book, or if he did, no body has ever seen it but Matthew, for as is commonly said, it is not between the covers of the Bible, only in the Testament. He certainly cannot mean Jeremiah, for if ever he spake these words, it is a great pity he did not write them in his prophecies, for there are no such words to be found there. I have two charges to bring against St. Matthew, the first is: he has created or made a story, and to help himself out in it, he fathers a pretended prophecy on a man, who never existed. But as to the fact: thirty pieces of silver for the potter's field! a field near Jerusalem! was sold and bought for thirty pieces silver!! I do not believe it. Land must have been very cheap, or the pieces must have been very large. Now, it is well known, and can very easily be made appear, that land was very high, and scarce, and silver very plenty, and the pieces current passable portable but I suppose we must look for miracles, for it is uot at all probable. I am under obligation to the Editor of the large family Bible, for his referrence in this place; he refers me to Zechariah ch. xi. 12-13. where we find these words recorded in the original, by the prophet, as a part of a prophecy.

ואמר אליהם אם טוב בעיניכם הבו שכרי ואסרו חדלו ושקלו את שכרי שלשים כסף : ויאמר ה' אלי השליכהו אל היוצר אדר היקר אשר יקרתי מעליהם ואקחה שלשים הכסף ואשליך אתו בית ה' אלהיוצר : :

Bible Ttranslation. "And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prized at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver,

Literal Translation.

And I said unto them, If it is good in your view, give my wages, and if not, forbear. And they weighed for my wages, thirty worthies. And the Lord said unto me, Cast it to the potter, the precious worth, wherewith I may make worthy their rebellion.

and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord."

The difference in the translations, is in the rendering the word this, the Bible has, "my price." At first view, every Hebraist, will say I am correct in translating it wages; the word is never used to signify the price or value of any thing; but is always used in the sense I have translated. Examples: Gen. chap. xxx. 16.

KEE SACHUR SACHARTICHA. This accorking to the ediom of the Hebrew is for hired, I have hired thee; and which is correctly translated in the Bible, for surely I have HIRED thee. Again, verse 18.

נקבה שכרך

Translated, God hath given me mine HIRE. This is exactly as it is in the text under consideration. Again, verse 28, NAKVA SYCHARCHA. Appoint me THY WAGES. Again, 32, VIHAYA SYCHAREE. And they shall be MY WAGES. In xxxi. 8. the word is twice used. Numerous other examples might be given, and none can be brought, correctly rendered, in the sense of the Bible translation, in the text under consideration.

The next difference is in translating the word

הכסף

KASEPH, and

HAKESEPH. this I translate, Desire, it is the first form of the

verb. Examples: 1 Psalms xvii. 12. Again,

Job xiv. 15.

ON TICHSOF,

NICHSOF, Gen. xxxi. 30. In all of which places, it is translated, Desire, viz: 1st to desire, or, desireth to: 2d, thou wilt have desire. 3d is, according to the Hebrew, doubled for the superlative case, thou longest, or desireth very much, or sore longeth.

The third difference is in the word, O MYNGALYHAM, Their tresspasses, from the root. To tresspass, of which no examples

can be wanting.

I must also premise, that in the 12th verse of our text, we have the word price, "a goodly price." But the Hebrew word is not

the 11th but HAYAKAR, and which is from the root,"

היקר

precious examples are numerous :

as in YAKAR

my soul was יקרה נפשי בעיניך

And their blood וייקר דמם בעיניו .4 .cious in my sight, Isa. xliii

precious in thine eyes. 1. Sam. xxvi. 21. ". Thou wast pre"And

shall be precious in his sight. Isa. lxxxii. 14.

We now will proceed to give the explanation of the whole prophecy, since it may easily be perceived, the meaning cannot be that, which the writer of the Gospel, according to St. Matthew, would have it; and here I shall put the explanation in a column opposite the translation, that both may appear at one view.

Zechariah xi.

Open thy gates O Lebanon, and

Explanation.

In figurative language, the pro

the fire shall destroy thy cedars. Howl fir-trees, for the cedar is fallen; because the mighty are spoiled; howl, O ye oaks of Bashan, for the forest of the vintage is come down. There is a voice of the howling of the shepherds; for their glory is spoiled: a voice of the roaring of young lions; for the pride of Jordan is spoiled.

phet foretells the destruction of all the governments of the old world, whom he compares to strong lofty trees, and wild beasts. The vintage is the nation of Israel, and Judah is his pleasant vine. The forest of the vintage means the descendents of David, the pride of Jordan. And, as sure as the house of David, the pride of Jordan, is come down from reigning over the

vintage of the Lord, so sure will the kings of the world, and all other dynasties come down from reigning over men.

Having foretold the destruction of all the old governments, and dynasties, the prophet now speaks of the nation of Israel, and Judah, and also of the people of all the world generally.

4-5. Thus saith the Lord my God feed the flock of the slaughter. Whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty: and they that sell them, say, Blessed be the Lord; for I am rich: and their own shepherds pity them

not.

The flock of slaughter, are the nations of Israel, and Judah, the reason for calling them by that name, is given in the prophecy; because their possessors slay them, and account themselves not guilty. Nay, they praise themselves, for the act of persecuting the Jews. It is, as it were their religion;

they say, "Blessed be the Lord, for I am rich: rich not only in this worlds goods, violently filched from the Jews, but say they, we are rich in the grace of God, and this has long been the situation by both ......ians and Mahomedans; who, although they disagree in all things, yet in their hatred, robbery, persecution, and masacres of the flock of slaughter, the innocent Jews, they are perfectly the same; neither do their shepherds, the rulers of those countries where the Jews are persecuted, pity them; the flock of slaughter.

6. For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, saith the Lord: but, lo, I will deliver the men, every one, into his neighbour's hand, and into the hand of his king; and they shall smite the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them.

The prophet informs us, that God will not any longer pity the inhabitants of the world, but will deliver them over to the scourge of tyrants,, whether kings or neighbours, that is, either hereditary, or elective governments, all will tyranize and oppress the people,

and they, that is both, shall equally smite the land.

The condition of the people will not, in the least, be meliorated, by a change of govern

ment; for all will smite the land.

7. And I will feed the flock of slaughter, even you, O poor of the flock. And I took unto me two staves; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock.

While this is the case with the world, God says, That himself fed the flock of slaughter; by his immediate providence, did all things happen to the Jews, the flock of slaughter, for the word, is in the past tense, and the prophe

cy now proceeds to inform us, the whole course of the peculiar government of God, by his agents, over the Jews. The two staves are the houses of Jeroboam, and Rehoboam: the first is called, Dy plea sant, DV "Her ways are pleasant ways;" thereby the prophet intends the government under Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who on the division of the government of the Hebrews, after the death of Solomon, did accept of the crown of Israel, under the express agreement of ruling lightly, and pleasantly. The second is called, Bands, thereby, the prophet intended the government of the house of David, under Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, who would not agree to have the ancient prerogatives of the monarchy restrained; but would rule with bonds, and with a strong arm. And with these two agents, I fed the flock of Israel and Judah.

8. Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul loathed them, and their souls abhorred me.

The three shepherds, in this verse, spoken of, as being cut off in one month, were those who were slain by Jehu, the son of Nimshi, and Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah. Jehu, first slew Joram, king of Israel, and Ahaziah, King of Judah, after which Athaliab, killed, as she thought, all the seed royal of the house of David. These were cut off for their wickedness, and hatred of God.

9-10-11. Then said I, I will not feed you; that that dieth, let it die; and that that is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let the rest eat, every one, the flesh of another. And I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people. And it was broken in that day: and so

The consequence of which, and in consequence, also, of the wickedness of the people, the destruction of the monarchy of Israel was determined on; and the staff called pleasant, was cut down. I should here notice, that the word translated, cut down, is N and means to chop down, as a tree is cut down; and not merely to cut in two, as