not esteemed by them as sufficiently exact for the design; and that an entire new Hebrew translation was wanting. It is not yet discovered from what text he translated, though it is clear, from some passages, that he has not followed any popish version. The quotations from the Old Testament are translated without any partiality to the Hebrew text, in common with the best versions. the text. I am, Cambridge, Oct. 10, 1810. &c. T. YEATES To the Editor of the Christian Observer. Without further remark, I refer to a statement make by Dr. Buchanan, at the last annual meeting of the London Jewishi Institution. The Hebrew translation of the New I forbear to detain your readers Testament, and its discovery, he ob- any longer, Sir, reserving for anserved, were circumstances truly other opportunity any specimens of important to the views of that respectable society, who now have an opportunity of exceeding the means and progress of any similar institution of a former age. This Travancore MS. ably supplies the defects above complained of, and will doubtless most effectually assist in the production of a version in the pure style of the Hebrew of the Old Testament. I have the honour to be engaged in transcribing it in the sacred character, by Dr. Buchanan's appointment, and at his expense. The text of the Gospels is now just completed; so that I have to remark, that this is the second time that I have written the text of the four Gospels, and in the Hebrew language. Were 1 allowed to offer my opinion as to the character of the work, I should not scruple to pronounce it worthy the attention of the best informed scholars, and deserving of public notice. The translator, who was a Jew, has subjoined a note at the close of St. John's Gospel. He there so→ lemnly appeals to Heaven, that he had undertaken this translation, not with the view of embracing the Chris tian faith, but with the express design of opposing its doctrines; and that, for this end, he had laboured in the perfect understanding of the text, and had given it a most fair and exact translation. It must be remarked, that the fidelity of this Jew overcame his unbelief, and his integrity as a translator gave force to the doctrine he was about to oppose; for, according to Dr. Buchanan's report, he embraced the Gospel, and died a Chris tian! THE enclosed letters are sent for insertion in your useful work. They were written, as you will perceive, many years ago, by a Tutor in the University of Oxford, to one of his Pupils, who was happily awakened to a serious attention to Christian piety. The writer of them was' the Rev. Mr. Merrick, the wellknown author of a poetic version of the Book of Psalms; and as they discover him to have been a man' possessed of a much more elevated degree of piety than has, I apprehend, been supposed by many, you' will doubtless be glad of the opportunity of introducing them to public notice, as I am of the permission of sending them to you for that purpose. The gentleman to whom these letters were addressed, persevered in the same happy pursuit in which he had so early engaged; and, after many years adorning the Gospel of God his Saviour, both in his private and ministerial character, not long since finished his course in peace. The other gentleman mentioned in the letters, has uniformly. pursued the same happy course, and is now, at a very advanced age, waiting, in faith and patience, for that complete salvation which is by Jesus Christ. It should suggest a useful hint to many young men of the present age, who, if they do not despise yet treat with cool indifference, the daily sacrifice of prayer and praise, which, in our Colleges and Halls, the several members are required to attend, that one of those appears, in the judgment of his pious tutor, to have derived great benefit from a serious and devout attendance upon that daily service. Many have, doubtless, experienced a similar advantage; and if it be not more general, the failure is surely to be imputed to a very blamable neglect of prescribed forms, or to the levity, not to say impiety, of those, who thereby render themselves insensible to advantages, for the neglect of which they must give an account, and which, should they come to a right mind, they will recollect with sorrow. You will, I believe, Mr. Editor, think with me, that the sentiments contained in these letters are worthy the attention of young men in general, and particularly of the students in our Universities. They will here see, that the cultivation of uniform and sober piety, accompanied with deep humility and fervent devotion, was seriously recommended in the private letters of a man whose talents all must admire, and whose Christian excellence all would do well to emulate. The benefits of such an early attention to real religion will be perceived in advanced life, if they should, like the instances before us, attain to it. In the end, they will experience that peace which God has promised to those who wait upon him; and, being summoned hence, still conscious of their own demerits, and relying alone on the infinite merits of their crucified Redeemer, they will receive the approbation of their gracious Master, and enter into the joy of their Lord, I am, &c. "Dear Sir, R. S. T. "I snatch a minute or two for writing (at a time which will not allow me room to open my sentiments to you at large), as I am persuaded that It will be agreeable to you to hear from me, though I say but little.— You will easily believe, that the points which I would chiefly aim at in writing to you, are to encourage you in the happy pursuit in which you are engaged, and to direct you (as far as I am capable of doing it) how to carry it on in the easiest and most useful method. But with regard to the first point, that of giring you encouragement, it is the less necessary, as you seem already to have had a taste of that cheerfulness and satisfaction which the practice of religion brings with it. And as to particular directions for your religious conduct, the reflections which I have put into 's hands, may in some measure acquaint you with my sentiments on that head.— I cannot express the pleasure which I feel in reflecting on the turn which both of you have taken, as your entrance on a course of piety in the early part of life, carries with it advantages which those persons who apply themselves to it in a more advanced age have no share in, and which they would give the world to retrieve. They who in their youth are sensible of the difficulty of correcting the wrong dispositions of the mind, may in some measure conceive how greatly the difficulty must be increased, when those dispositions have by long allowance taken deep root in the heart, and set their owners at such a distance from God, as makes the very thoughts of religion terrible to them, and every duty of it irksome and laborious: but they, who, at your time of life, remember the true purpose of their being, and make religion their principal concern, may assure themselves, that as they are drawing nigh unto God, so he is at the same time drawing nigh unto them, and that he will carry them on from strength to strength, and make them more than conquerors through Christ who loved them. Nor can any one form an idea of that joy which so early a candidate for heaven will feel at the close of his life, when' he can look back on a long course of years spent in the service of that God into whose presence he is going, and has the fullest assurance that the same merciful Being who has all along guided him by his counsel, is about to receive him into glory. Your friendship and connection with, as you are placed in the same situation, is a great blessing to you both, and will afford you opportunities of assisting each other in your spiritual advances. Pray assure him of my affection for him, and of my sincerest wishes for his welfare, which he has taken a most effectual method of promoting.Accept at the same time of my heartiest professions of love and regard for yourself, and allow me to write myself, without ceremony, "Dear "Your affectionate friend, "JS. MERRICK. Reading, Sept. 30, 1749. "P. S. I am not absolutely determined as to the day of my returning to Oxford, but may possibly be there on Monday se'nnight." " My dear "I take part with you in the pleasure of that prospect which the increase of piety among our young men affords. May Almighty God establish and perfect the good dispositions of those who are already exemplary, and continually add to their number. The opportunities of public devotion reached out to them in their present situation so regularly and constantly, are admirably calculated for preserving and confirming their regard for religion, and for calling off their minds from sin and vanity, to the best and noblest employment our nature is capable of; that of holding a daily intercourse with the great God of heaven and earth, and of labouring to form our souls, by the assistance of his grace, to a resemblance of his goodness. How happy is it for our valuable young friend, that he has, by an earnest application to this employment, "I am, my dear Friend, Reading, July 6, 1750. "My father and mother desire their compliments to you." To the Editor of the Christian Observer. As a substitute for Not at Home, let the servant say his mistress is not visible, or invisible; and at other times that she is visible: and let there be a perfect understanding in the fashionable world of what the terms "visible and invisible" imply, so that neither rudeness nor ignorance may break in on those moments which are either devoted to retirement, the family circle, or the attributed to one or other of the well-chosen friend. George Street. BOB SHORT. N. B. Crazy folks must not think that the lady of the house is metamorphosed into a spirit. causes hinted at in the opening of this letter. Without any further preface, I now submit to you Mr.Gilchrist's view of the Hindoo cha racter. "An experience of seventeen years, in every situation in which a Briton could contemplate them, confers on me some right to form an estimate of their true character, which I am compelled to pronounce is deplorably bad, and so much in the extreme, that want of ferocity is the only negative quality in their favour, to shield them from the epithet diabolical, which in every thing else they richly deserve. For the credit of degraded human. na ture, that some excellent men, nevertheless, are to be met with, is admitted; and from the bottom of my soul I esteem them as invaluable diamonds of the very first water, whom we should all cherish, as the expiring embers of honesty and truth, in this Indian sink of turpitude, corruption, and vice of every kind. It has been fashionable of late to speak of the mild, inoffensive disposition of the native inhabitants, and especially of the Hindoos. I To the Editor of the Christian Observer. It is curious to remark the contradictory opinions which are often entertained by intelligent and conscientious men, respecting the character of particular individuals, and even nations. The force of preju dice will account for much of this contrariety, and much of it may also arise from local and accidental circumstances. All your readers are, doubtless, familiar with the favourable reports which many ancient travellers, as well as modern writers, have chosen to give of the Hindoo character. They have pa negyrised, in a particular manner, their humanity, and have given them credit besides for many valuable moral qualities. It has even been the fashion of late with the Anglo-Indians to exalt the natives of Hindoostan in the scale of moral worth; whether with a view to shew that the attempt to improve their moral condition, by the introduction of Christianity, was altoge ther superfluous, I will not take upon me to say. I have lately met, however, in the work of an Anglo-horiously for twelve years. Fearing that Indian, with a different estimate of the same people; and though his representations may possibly be too unfavourable, yet I deem them very deserving of attention. The writer to whom I allude is Mr. Gilchrist, the author of the English and Hindoostance Dictionary; a gentleman respected by all who know him, and who, there is not the smallest doubt, himself believed that what he wrote was strictly true. If his testimony be incorrect, therefore, its incorrectness'must be "Among a thousand servants of all de scriptions, whom I have trusted and employed, including numerous Moonshees, writers, overseers, &c., I have had the luck to meet with one man only, whom I know to be upright in his conduct, and this was a Moonshee, who served me faithfully and la my notions of the natives were taken up hastily, I some time ago took the opportu nity of learning the real sentiments of a gentieman, who has spent thirty years of his life among them, as a merchant, farmer, &c. whose humanity and tenderness to them are proverbial, and who has even been reproached with good nature to his dependents in the extreme. I put this question to him, What do you really think of these people, and what confidence have you in your ser vants? I deem the whole of them rogues, and would trust them as I must do thieves, whom I see breaking into my house at night, when I have not the means to repel them," 1 To the Editor of the Christian Observer. PHILOS. Be always cheerful as well as serious, that you may win men to religion. Avoid all controversies. Talk familiarly to children about religion, as a delightful employment. Put easy questions to them, and encourage them by little presents. Pray for all who affront or injure you. shall candidly own, that between, Calcutta. 1787. Vol. i. Preface, those harmless creatures, and their pp. xxviii. and xxix. countrymen, the Mussulmans, I am more at a loss to determine which are worst, than to confer the meed of preference on either. The most unerring index to the national character of any people is, in my idea, to learn what their own sentiments are of each other; and, except, where the natives are leagued for. mutual preservation, while plundering us or their own brethren, I may safely affirm, no people shew more reciprocal distrust, than than exists. among the individuals of every tribe and even family here; it being a maxim with them to pillage indis-, criminately both friend and foe, whenever an opportunity presents itself of doing so with any prospect of success or impunity. A native's rapacity spares nobody. His avarice hooks all fish as lawful prey that falls within the huge sweep of his venality, while his apathy per-. ceives with no more emotion the spoliage of the poor, than it does that of the wealthy; nay, it would stoop without one qualm, to wrench the last rupee from misery herself in the arms of expiring nature. The official vultures of the East never heave a sigh for suffering humanity, or pity the distresses of their fellowcitizens, in one pang of remorse at the enormities they commit. The tears of the widow and the orphan, and the groans of wretchedness, however piercing, cannot possibly soften hearts petrified by a current of bribery and chicane from their infancy, against every tender impulse; nor can these penetrate ears deaf by long habit to the silent voice of sympathy, of conscience, and of God"-Dictionary, English and Hindoostanee, by John Gilchrist. "Their want of all feeling for the animal creation, has often struck me with hor Accustom yourself to a regular and daily course of devout retirement, and frequent attendance on the sacrament. Frequent public worship every day in the week, if your business permit, and you live in a place. where it can be done. Accustom yourself to secret ejaculations in walking, riding, or in whatever company you happen to be. Use frequent meditation; nothing. can be more profitable than this. Entertain the highest regard for the word of God, and disperse reli-, gious books, if your circumstances will permit. Encourage by your influence, and your purse too if you can afford it, societies for promoting the Gospel both at home and abroad,. When you reprove, let it be tenderly, privately, and with all due. humility. For the reformation of swearing, lying, slandering, Sabbath-breakror; for while they will not mercifully knocking, passionate, or unchaste persons, a suffering wretch on the head at once, it you may write hints on slips of may pine for days, under their very noses, paper (or procure printed, tracts) without meat or drink, merely because they against any of these vices, and give are too lazy to give any, or it is not their them to, or place them in the way of, such persons. business to do so." |