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pear, that the conversion of men at any future period will be UNIVERSAL. It is evident indeed, from the sure word of prophecy, that there will be a long time of general holiness and peace, which will succeed to the present reign of vice and misery, probably "a thousand years;" during which, righteousness will be as common as wickedness is now; and further, that this period is at hand, even at the door.* But I see no ground for believing that such righteousness will be universal, or that this life will ever be other than a state of probation and trial to qualify for "meetness for the heavenly kingdom." Our Saviour sets forth, in different places, the character of his Church, to the end of time, and that character is always the same. The Gospel he compares to "seed sown by the sower, some on good and some on bad ground." Those who hear this Gospel he compares to men building on the rock, or on the sand; travelling in the broad or in the narrow way; and to wheat and tares growing in the same field. "The field is the world," saith our Lord; "the good seed are the children of the kingdom: the tares are the children of the wicked one: the enemy that sowed them is the devil: the harvest is the end of the world: and the reapers are the angels," Matt. xiii. 39. This we believe to be a picture of the visible Church to the end of time.

In regard to the progress, conflict and final extent of the Gospel, our Saviour notices all these circumstances generally in his last discourse to his disciples. In the twenty-fourth chapter of St. Matthew, he gives an epitome of his more detailed prophecy in the Book of Revelation. He foretels that there shall be " wars and rumors of wars, persecutions, famines, pestilences, earthquakes, false prophets and apostasies:" And then he adds, " And this Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a WITNESS unto all nations and then shall the end come."

To suppose that there will be a period when the Church on earth shall be no longer militant, is to suppose that a time will come when the Christian may without being able to say, "I have fought a good fight;"

die

* See Scott's Bible, Rev. xx. 4. Sold by S. T. Armstrong, Bos

ton.

when there will be little inward corruption and little outward opposition; little vestige of the old Adam, in the new race, and little use for the old Bible, in the new state of things. Let us interpret Scripture soberly. When the Millennium arrives, knowledge and holiness will be general; but not universal. Perfection is to be attained not in this world, but in heaven.

On the Author's return to England, he found that a society had been instituted for the Conversion of the Jews; and he was not a little surprised to hear that some Christians had opposed its institution. He was less surprised at this, however, when he was informed that objections had been brought against the Society for the circulation of the BIBLE. It is possible to urge political arguments against Christianity itself. Such a spirit as this does not seem entitled to much courtesy; for it springs directly from this assumption, That the Bible is not from God, or, That there is something greater than TRUTH.

The grand object, which now engages the attention of the Jewish Institution, is a Translation of the New Testament into the Hebrew Language. To assist them in this important work, a copy of the Manuscript found in Malabar, now commonly called the Travancore Testament, has been presented to them.* The volume has been fairly transcribed by Mr. Yeates, of Cambridge, in the square Hebrew character, and forms three volumes, quarto. The question now under consideration by the Society is, whether it shall be received as the basis for the general translation. The first sheet of the intended version has already been printed off, for the purpose of being submitted as a specimen to the best Hebrew scholars in the kingdom, both Jews and Christians; in order that it may go forth in as perfect a form as may be. So that it is possible, that before the end of the present year, the Four Gospels will be published, and copies sent to the Jews in the East, as the FIRST-FRUITS of the Jewish Institution. It is very remarkable, that this should be the very year which was calculated long ago, by a learned man, as that in which " the times of happiness to Israel" should begin. In the year 1677, Mr. Samuel Lee, a scholar * See p. 223.

of enlarged views, who had studied the prophetical writings with great attention, published a small volume, entitled, "Israel Redux, or the Restauration of Israel." He calculates the event from the prophecies of Daniel and of St. John, and commences the great period of 1260 years, not from A. D. 608, which we think correct, but from A. D. 476, which brings it to 1736. He then adds, "After the great conflicts with the Papal powers in the West, will begin the stirs and commotions about the Jews and Israel in the East. If then to 1736 we add 30 more, they reach to 1766; but the times of perplexity are determined (by Daniel) to last 45 years longer. If then we conjoin those 45 years more to 1766, it produces one thousand eight hundred and eleven, for those times of happiness to Israel.”

VERSIONS OF THE SCRIPTURES FOR THE JEWS IN THE ORIENTAL LANGUAGE.

SINCE writing the above, the Author has received the following communication from the Rev. David Brown, dated Calcutta, March 15, 1810.

"Dr. Leyden, of the College of Fort-William, in a letter communicated to me yesterday, has offered to conduct Translations of the Scriptures in the following Languages; viz. 1. AFFGHAN, 2. CASHMIRIAN, 3. JAGHATAI, 4. SIAMESE, 5. BUGIS, 6. MACASSAR, and 7. MALDIVIAN.

"The Jaghatai is the original Turcoman Language, as spoken in the central districts of Asia. The Bugis is the Language of the Celebes. The Macassar is spoken at Macassar, in the Celebes, and in the great island of BORNEO.

"Dr. Leyden is assisted, as you know, by learned natives in the compilation of Grammars and Vocabularies in the above languages, and entertains no doubt that he shall be able to effect correct versions of the Scriptures in them all.

Thus, sooner than could have been expected, are we likely to have the Bible translated into the language of the CELEBES.* But who can estimate the importance

See page 147 for an account of the importance of this lan guage.

of a translation of the Scriptures into the languages of Affghana and Cashmire, those Jewish regions!

The Jaghatai or Zagathai, is the language of Great Bucharia, which was called Zagathai, from a son of Zenghis Khan. It is an auspicious circumstance for Dr. Leyden's translation of the Jaghatai, that Prince Zagathai himself embraced Christianity, and made a public profession of the Gospel in his capital of Samarchand.* There were at that period above a hundred Christian Churches in the province; and some of them remain to this day. We are also informed, both by the Nestorian and Romish writers, that there was a version of the New Testament and Psalms in a Tartar Language. Dr. Leyden will soon discover whether this was the Jaghatai. That language is spoken in Bochara, Balk, and Samarchand, and in other cities of Usbeck, and Independent Tartary. This is the country which Dr. Giles Fletcher, who was Envoy of Queen Elizabeth, at the Court of the Czar of Muscovy, has assigned as the principal residence of the descendants of the Ten Tribes. He argues from their place, from the name of their cities, from their language, which contains Hebrew and Chaldaic words, and from their peculiar rites, which are Jewish. Their principal city Samarchand is pronounced Samarchian, which Dr. Fletcher thinks might be a name given by the Israelites after their own Samaria in Palestine. (See Israel Redux, p. 12) Benjamin of Tudela, who travelled into this country, in the twelfth century, and afterwards published his Itinerary, says, "In Samarchand, the city of Tamerlane, there are 50,000 Jews under the presidency of Rabbi Obadiah: and in the mountains and cities of Nisbor, there are four tribes of Israel resident, viz. Dan, Zabulon, Asher, and Naphtali." It is remarkable that the people of Zagathai should be constantly called Ephthalites and Nephthalites by the Byzantine writers, who alone had any information concerning them. The fact seems to be, that, if from Babylon as a centre, you describe a segment of a circle, from the northern shore of the Caspian Sea to the heads of the Indus, you will enclose the territories

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See Mosheim's Eccl. Tartar History, p. 49. † Theophanes, p. 79.

containing the chief body of the dispersed tribes of Israel.

This design of Dr. Leyden to superintend the translation of the Scriptures in SEVEN new languages marks the liberal views and the enterprizing and ardent mind of that scholar, and will be hailed by the friends of Christianity in Europe as a noble undertaking, deserving their utmost eulogy and patronage. It will give pleasure to all those who have hitherto taken any interest in "the restoration of learning in the East," to see that the College of Fort-William is producing such excellent fruit. May its fame be perpetual !*

THE BIBLIOTHECA BIBLICA IN

BENGAL.

The Bibliotheca Biblica is a Repository for Bibles in the Oriental Languages, and for Bibles only. They are here deposited for sale, at moderate prices; and lists of the various versions are sent to remote parts of Asia, that individuals may know where to purchase them; the commerce from the port of Calcutta rendering the transmission of books extremely easy. Those who desire to have copies for gratuitous distribution are supplied at the cost prices. This Institution is under the immediate superintendance of the Rev. David Brown, late Provost of the College of Fort-William, who was himself the Founder and it is supported by all the translators of the Bible in India,

*There are now several Orientalists, members of the Asiatic Society, who have been engaged in translating the Holy Scriptures. We hope hereafter to see the name of Mr. Colebrooke added to the number. Mr. C. is the Father of Shanscrit Literature, and has lately published an Essay on the Shanscrit Poetry and Metres. How much gratified should we be to see a version of the Pentateuch from his pen! or at least a Critique on the New Testament, which has been already translated into Shanscrit. Mr. C. is the proper man to oppose the Pentateuch to the Hindoo Cosmogony, and to invite the Brahmins to contemplate the Mosaic Records, in classical Shanserit. This would be a work worthy of his great erudition; and his name, as a Shanscrit Scholar, would then, indeed, five forever, Mr. Colebrooke has ever shewn kindness to the humble Missionaries, who have been cultivating the Shanscrit tongue; he has supplied them with books, and afforded them every liberal aid: it will give him no regret, at his last hour, to think that he has had it in his power, in any degree, to promote the cause of Christianity.

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