gion. It ought, however, to be | med a barrier between the inqu "In the acts of the Council of Nice, it is recorded that Joannes, Bishop of India, signed his name at that Council, A. D 325This date corresponds with the Syrian year 636; for the primitive Syrian church does not compute time from the Christian "When the Syrian Christians understood that the proposed Malayalan translation was to accord with the English Bible, they desired to know on what authorities our translation had been made; alleging, that they them-æra, but from Alexander the selves possessed a version of un- Great. The Syriac version of doubted antiquity, namely, that the Scriptures was brought to used by the first Christians at India, according to the belief of Antioch; and that they could the Syrians, before the year not depart from the reading of 6 36; and they allege that their that version. This observation copies have ever been exact led to the investigation of the transcripts of that version withancient Syrio Chaldaic manu-out known error, through every scripts in Malayala; and the in-age, down to this day. There quiry has been successful be- is no tradition among them of yond any expectation that could the churches in the southern mountains having ever been dehave been formed. "It has been commonly sup-stroyed, or even molested.posed, that all the Syriac manu-Some of their present copies scripts had been burned by the are certainly of ancient date.Romish church at the Synod of Though written on a strong Udiamper, near Cochin, in 1599. thick paper, (like that of some but it now appears that the most MSS. in the British Museum, valuable manuscripts were not commonly called Eastern Padestroyed: the inquisitors con- per,) the ink has, in several plademned many books to the ces, eat through the material in flames; but they saved the Bi- the exact form of the letter. In ble. They were content with other copies, where the ink had ordering that the Syriac scrip- less of a corroding quality, it has tures should be amended agree-fallen off, and left a dark vestige ably to the reading of the Vul- of the letter, faint indeed, but not, gate of Rome; and these emen- in general, illegible. There is dations now appear in black ink, one volume found in a remote and of modern appearance, tho' church of the mountains, which made in 1599: but many Bibles, merits particular description :and many other books, were not it contains the Old and New produced at all; and the church-Testaments,engrossed on strong es in the mountains remained but a short time subject to Romish dominion, (if indeed they can be said to have been at any time subject to it ;) for the native Governments have ever for vellum, in large folio, having This volume is illuminated; but | Epistle of Clement, in which res→ not after the European manner, the initial letters having no ornament. Prefixed to each book there are figures of principal Scripture characters, (not rudely drawn,) the colours of which are distinguishable; and, in some places, the enamel of the gilding is preserved; but the volume has suffered injury from time or neglect, some of the leaves being almost entirely decayed. In certain places the ink has been totally obliterated from the page, and has left the parchment in its natural whiteness; but the letters can, in general, be distinctly traced from the impress of the pen, or from the partial corrosion of the ink.— The Syrian church assigns to this manuscript a high antiquity; and alleges that it has been for some centuries in the pos- | session of their Bishops; and that it was industriously concealed from the Romish inquisition in 1599 but its true age can only be ascertained by a comparison with old manuscripts in Europe of a similar kind. On the margin of the drawings are some old Roman and Greek letters, the form of which may lead to a conjecture respecting the age in which they were written. This copy of the scriptures has admitted as canonical the pect it resembles the Alexandrine manuscript; but it has omitted the Revelations,—that book having been accounted apocryphal by some churches during a certain period in the early ages. The order of the books of the Old and New Testament differs from that of the European copies,-this copy adhering less to unity of subject in the arrangement than to chronological order. The very first emendation of the Hebrew text proposed by Dr. Kennicott, (Gen. iv. 8.) is to be found in this manuscript. The disputed passage in 1 John v. 7, is not to be found in it that verse is interpolated in some other copies in black ink, by the Romish church, in 1599. "Thus it appears that during the dark ages of Europe, while ignorance and superstition in ́ a manner denied the Scriptures to the rest of the world, the Bible found an asylum in the mountains of Malayala; where it was revered and freely read by upwards of 100 churches; and that it has been handed down to the present time under circumstances so highly favorable to accurate preservation, as may justly entitle it to respect, in the collation of doubtful readings of the sacred text. POETRY. [To be continued.] THE following Hymn, though not without defects, has great beauties....... The Author is unknown. MIGHTY GOD, while, angels bless thee, May an infant lisp thy name; Lord of men' as well as angels, Thou art ev'ry creature's theme. Lord of ev'ry land and nation, For the grandeur of thy nature, Works with love and wonder wrought. For thy Providence that governs, But thy rich, thy free redemption, Flow my praise, for ever flow. Go return! immortal Saviour! tural language, is the same person with the upright. Perfection, in the absolute sense, it is hardly necessary to observe, is never found in the present world. Every object, both in the natural and moral kingdom, is here stamped with mutability, decay and dissolution. In every thing A Discourse, occasioned by the Death of his Excellency Jonathan Trumbull, Esq. Gov-earthly, there is much, that is of ernor of the State of Connect- too little value in the sight of icut, and delivered, at the re- God to deserve a lasting existence. The world itself, as well quest of the General Assemas its furniture, and inhabitbly, in the Brick Church in ants, is destined to a speedy terNew-Haven. By Timothy mination, and will soon be blotDwight, D. D. President of ted out of being. A great part Yale-College. Published by of all that, which forms the comthe request of the General plicated idea of Man, will follow Assembly. PSALM XXXVII. 37. MARK THE PERFECT MAN, This discourse was far advanced before the Writer was informed, that the Rev. Mr. Ely had chosen the same Text for his Sermon, AND delivered at the Funeral of Gover FORnor Trumbull. Hhh the geral destiny. Even the | tions, furnish, usually, fewer lesmind, if renewed here, will, like sons of instruction, and present the body which it inhabited, enter fewer motives to excellence, than the world of life, shorne of many those, who, with more enlarged attributes, which have hitherto minds, are placed by their Maformed much of its character. ker in more elevated stations. Still every such man is, to those who mark his life, a profitable source of improvement; really to all who observe him; pecul iarly to those who resemble him in character and station. As moral beings, all men are substantially on a level: and the most enlightened, refined, and dignified, may learn wisdom and excellence from the hum But, although no child of Adam is perfect on this side of the grave, there are many who are in some degree, possessed of those characteristics, which, when unmixed and unalloyed, constitute perfection. All these are, on this account, styled in the Scriptures perfect. This name seems also, to be sometimes given to those of them especially, who sustain the charac-blest votary of righteousness and ter, referred to, in superior degrees. In this manner we may, without violence, construe the language of the text. truth. He, who fails of becoming wiser and better by reading the story of the Shepherd of Salisbury Plain, may rest satisfied, that he fails, because he loves neither wisdom nor virtue. But the history of Abraham, Moses, David, or Paul, is, nev. The man of this character the Psalmist directs us to mark; that is, to observe with attention and care; as an object, which claims our solemn regard, and which to us may become partic-ertheless, instructive in a sull ularly useful. In the view of this divine writer; in the view, let me add, of the Great Being, under whose inspiration he wrote this passage; there is something in the character and conduct of such men, which, when duly regarded by us, will naturally be productive of real and important good. All upright men are not, however, equally interesting, nor equally profitable, objects of this attention. Nor can all men derive equal instruction, or equal benefit of any kind, from the contemplation of the same upright man. Good men, however good, when possessing humble faculties, filling very limited spheres of life, and acting in retired and obscure sta higher degree. The Cottager, who cannot even read, may be a source of improvement to his fellow cottager in almost every thing which can be useful to him; but will not very naturally, nor very often, become an object of the notice, or even of the knowledge, of persons in the higher walks of life. Nor would his worth, when observed and acknowledged, usually come home to the hearts of such persons with all the commendations, and enforcements of which virtue is capable. But when this glorious excellence finds a seat in minds of a superior structure, and is raised to distinction of place and inftsence, it becomes visible to the surrounding world; attracts the |