first made to Christ, who was to refers to the manner of men. be cut off. As his death was ne- Now is there any such thing in cessary to make way for their existence among men as a man's fulfilment to us, so it gave them covenant. In a covenant there the form of a testament. Though must be parties. One man cannot the death of the purifier did not make a covenant, but he may take place until the fulness of make a testament; and this is the time, the promises, in the mean apostle's meaning. To this, the while, were testamentary, for words addeth and disannulleth from the beginning sacrifices typi- correspond. A man's testament cal of the death of the purifier is confirmed by death alone, and were offered. This death thus then it is of force. Thus he typified made these promises tes- teaches that through Christ's tamentary. Thus the promises death, "the blessing of Abraham which God made to Abraham when has come on the Gentiles through he typically cut off the purifier, (i. Jesus Christ." Here, then evie. promised that Messiah should dently the apostle teaches that be sacrificed,) were in the form of God's covenant with Abraham a testament, on account of the sa- was a testamentary disposition. crifice which he offered. This Blessings were promised through sacrifice typified the death of the the death of Christ, the Redeemer testator, Christ the purifier, by and Purifier. These constitute whose death alone, he, or any of his testament, for the sum and our fallen race, could be made substance of his testament is this, partakers of heavenly blessings." I will sprinkle clean water upon The transaction of God with you, and ye shall be clean: from Abraham is thus a testament as well all your filthiness and from all as a promise of the purifier, and your idols will I cleanse you. A indeed, a testament confirmed by new heart also will I give you: and the typified death of the purifier. a new spirit will I put within you: As a testament the apostle Paul and I will take away the stony exhibits it in his epistles to the heart out of your flesh, and I will Galatians and the Hebrews. In give you an heart of flesh and I both these epistles, we find in the will put my Spirit within you, and margins of the large Bibles that cause you to walk in my statutes; the word covenant in the text, is and ye shall keep my judgments there rendered testament. Who- and do them and ye shall dwell ever reads these epistles with at- in the land which I gave to your tention, will find that it is abso- fathers; and ye shall be my peolutely necessary to substitute the ple and I will be your God." Of word testament for covenant, this testament he is both mediator when this transaction of God with and surety. This may appear Abraham is noticed. As a proof, inconsistent, and yet, on examinawe quote but one passage, that is, tion of the place and work asGalatians iii. 15. "Brethren, I signed to Christ in the plan of speak after the manner of men; salvation, the inconsistency will though it be but a man's cove-disappear. This plan is a grant nant, yet if it be confirmed, no of eternal life, made by God in man disanbulleth or addeth there- favour of sinners. But as this to." You observe the apostle grant could not be made out to : them without satisfaction to jus- confirmed by the latter, as has tice, a mediator was necessary. been explained, the transaction, The deed or grant was lodged in commonly called the Abrahamic the hands of this mediator, that covenant, presents itself to our he might make the satisfaction view in the Scriptures. Here required. Thus he mediates be- we have the Lord cutting off the tween God and sinners by cove- purifier in the consumption of the nant. But the deed must be exe-typical sacrifice, thus promising cuted-Jesus having made the that in due time he should die to satisfaction, gives the deed to his confirm every promise, and propeople in the form of a testament. cure every good. And here we As a covenant, it is God's deed have, through the same sacrifice immediately to him, and his work which typified the death of the is to fulfil its condition. As a testator, conveyed to Abraham testament, it is his own deed to and his seed in the form of a testamen, bequeathing to them the re-ment, the promises which Christ deemed inheritance, and actually purchased by covenant. Such is bestowing it. In the covenant, the nature of this covenant, a prohis work is to purchase ;-in the mise on the part of God that testament, to give what is pur-Christ should confirm the covechased. As he purchased great nant of grace by his death, and and inestimable blessings, so these through this promise a testamenwere promised to Abraham and tary grant of the blessings belonghis seed after him in the form of ing to the covenant of grace to a testament, or a deed of convey- those for whom Christ died. ance. In this two-fold view of a testament and promise, the former REVIEW. Discourse delivered at the conse- THE Jewish Synagogue in this cration of the Synagogue of city is said to have been the first in the City of place of worship of the kind קק שארית ישראל New York, on Friday, the 10th erected in this country. At its of Nisan, 5578, corresponding first erection the number of Jewwith the 17th of April, 1818. ish worshippers was small; it was By MORDECAI M. NOAH. New- therefore unnecessary to make York, printed by C. S. Van the building large. But a century Winkle, 1818. having passed over their heade, an temporal authority. Religious intolerance has laid waste the fairest countries, and has desolated the fairest cities; it the innocent; it has blasted the hopes has given to the sword the aged and and to their ordinary increase, posterity. A specimen of Mr. numbers being added who fled Noah's style of eloquence, and of from European intolerance to the manner in which he expresses this asylum of the oppressed, it his liberal and high-minded senbecame necessary for their ac-timents, is taken from p. 12. commodation to enlarge the place of worship. Measures being ac"For the first time in eighteen cencordingly taken for this purpose, turies, it may be said that the Jew feels and the building completed, it that he was born equal, and is entitled was opened for dedication; and to equal protection; he can now breathe on this occasion the discourse freely; he can cultivate his own pownounced at the head of this arti- he advances, respects, and patronizes ers, and pursue his own religion, while cle was delivered, owing to the other religions founded on morality and want of a regular Pastor, by good faith. We now look back on those Mr. Mordecai M. Noah, one of dreadful times, like the traveller, who, the members of the congrega- and tempests, sees them rolling behind after being enveloped in dark clouds tion. him stripped of their appalling influThere is much in this dis-ence, and finds himself on a plain where course which we approve. It dis- day breaks forth bright and glorious. covers a good deal of patient and The first of blessings in the gift of gocandid research into the history is the emancipation of the soul from vernments, is freedom of conscience, of past ages; a vein of rich and splendid eloquence runs through some parts of it; it abounds with excellent remarks on the doctrine of civil and religious liberty, and of virtue, and cancelled the obligations is characterized by a liberality of morality." towards other religious denominations, which is seldom found in the writings of persons belonging to the Jewish nation. We "Let us turn, then, from Europe can unite most cordially in Mr. and her errors of opinion on points of Noah's congratulations, that the faith, to conteinplate a more noble prosJews have at last found a land pect. OUR COUNTRY, the bright exof toleration and of equal rights. ample of universal tolerance, of liberWe lament all the instances in In the formation and arrangement of ality, true religion, and good faith. which they have been persecuted for conscience sake in other countries. We rejoice that the sages who formed our civil code, centre. They proclaimed freedom of excluded every indication of conscience, and left the errors of the preference for one religious de- heart to be judged at that tribunal nomination more than another. whose rights should never have been We bless God that we all "sit usurped. Here, no inequality of priviunder our own vine and our own vidious distinctions exist; dignity is leges no asperity of opinion-no infig-tree,' ," without any to alarm blended with equality, justice adminisour fears; and we most sincerely tered impartially merit alone has a pray, that all our present civil and fixed value; and each man is stimulated religious rights may be transmit- ambition of doing his duty, and meritby the same laudable ambition-an ted unimpaired to the remotesting the good will of his fellow citizens. And again, p. 18, 19. our civil code, the sages and patriots whose collected wisdom adopted them, closed the doors upon that great evil which has shaken the old world to its : Until the Jews can recover their an- make for his countrymen exclucient rights and dominious, and take sive pretensions to belief in the their rank among the governments of the earth, this is their chosen country; unity of Jehovah. To say that here they can rest with the persecuted the Jews acknowledged the unity from every clime, secure in person and of God, was well; but to say that property, protected from tyranny and they were chosen to establish and oppression, and participating of equal rights and immunities. Forty years of defend that unity, implies that all experience have tested the wisdom of the world around them had deour institutions, and they only will be nied and were fighting against this surrendered with the existence of the perfection, and that they had arisen as his only champions. All the Christian denominations of nation." It is one of the privileges of which we have any knowledge, this happy state of things, that we subscribe most unfeignedly to the may all think for ourselves, and declaration in Deuteronomy vi. that by a comparison and inter- 4. Hear, O Israel: the Lord our change of ideas, we may aid each God is one Lord. Socinians and other in thinking correctly. Mr. Arians do, indeed, differ in sentiN. therefore, will not condemn ment and faith, from other nomius for differing from him in some nal Christians as to the manner of matters of opinion and of faith; the divine subsistence; but all nor will he be offended, we hope, if in the spirit of candour and conciliation, we make brief animadversions upon a few things which arrested our attention, in perusing his discourse. concur in acknowledging the fact of his unity. It would be unnecessary at this late day, and in this connexion, to notice this acknowledged truth, had not the Socinians attempted to call off the atten1. This discourse seems to as- tion of inquiring Christians, from sume for the descendants of Israel the real difference between them, the exclusive belief of the unity by altering their name-by callof God. In the 2d page, we ing themselves Unitarians. They find this clause, "It has pleased call themselves so, because they ALMIGHTY God, whose unity and deny the divinity of the Son OMNIPOTENCE WE have never ceas- and Holy Spirit; and in this reed to acknowledge, and defend," spect they symbolize with the &c.; and again, in p. 4. the peo-Jews. This may be the true sople of Israel are said to be, lution of a fact, lately communi"chosen by the Almighty to es-cated by a gentleman from Baltitablish his unity and omnipo- more, that the Socinian chapel tence." Now, independently of now erecting in that city, was the redundance of speaking of pointed out to him as a Jewthe Almighty as having omnipo-ish Synagogue! The Socinians tence, and of the incorrectness of have in fact better claims to the the assertion, that the Jews have name of Jews, than they have to never ceased to acknowledge that of Christians. We call ourHis unity, (since their own Pro-selves Unitarians in the most phets repeatedly charge them strict and proper sense of the with the sin of changing their term and yet acknowledge the God for dumb idols,) it was not divinity of Father, Son, and Spiproper on the part of Mr. N. to rit. Nor are we at all discom posed at the arrogant assertion, interpretation of these passages, |