ages for; while he spoke the fire burned; again and again he wished he could proclaim to the whole world, what Jesus had done for his soul;he repeatedly looked up and clasping his hands, said, my Jesus, my Jesus. On leaving him, I said, Oh James, I know nothing of all this, I cannot say that Jesus is mine; he made no reply, but affectionately kissed me.' The two brothers walked on and met with their friend, but were sadly disappointed to hear him speak very cautiously, if not coldly upon the subject. Though shaken, or rather as James expressed it, damped for the moment; he was not moved, but continued to rejoice in God his Saviour.

was

Soon after this change effected, the brothers appear in a new character; as teachers, workers of miracles, speaking in unknown tongues, and evincing in various ways the manifestations of the Spirit.

But their claims to extraordinary gifts appear to us most visionary and unfounded. Two cases of healing are indeed brought forward, where young

women who had been some time confined to their bed, and supposed to be dying, were suddenly restored; but which were in no respects uncommon or extraordinary. Few medical men of any extensive practice will be found, who cannot point out similar cases of sudden and unexpected recovery, from the utmost extremity of danger.

We pass over all which Dr. Norton tells us of these brethren and their female servant speaking with unknown tongues; that is, really making noises unintelligible to themselves and to all others; for

it does not appear that either of the speakers, or any of the hearers, could comprehend a single syllable of what they professed to utter; nor can we dismiss the subject, without expressing our conviction, that in the case of these Macdonalds, there is too much ground to suspect the prevalence of enthusiasm, if not, as has been acknowledged in the case of others, of hypocrisy.

But we would rather for a moment call the attention of our readers to the alleged manifestations

of the Spirit. The two following extracts are respectively addressed to believers or unbelievers.

'The times of the Gentiles are near a close. The wine cup is nearly full.. It is filling. It shall be handed round. The wine cup in the hand of the Lord shall be handed round. It cometh here, to this nation. Oh, for souls to be pressed in. Woe, woe to all not under the covert of Jehovah. There is no shelter but this. Hide ye, hide ye. Be entwined, be encircled in his arms. Oh, it shall be nearness to God. The Lord the dwelling-place of his people. The Lord shall build a temple. He shall have a church. His banner shall be unfurled. Woe to all from under it. Oh, the mockers! They know not what they do. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh. The Lord shall have them in derision; Oh, to be mocked of God, to be scorned of Jehovah ! Oh, their souls;-but we have the blood of Jesus to plead before the throne. Oh, know all that is in this mighty plea. 'Twas shed for the world. Oh, what a plea! The love of God longeth to burst. Oh, know it. See every man a redeemed sinner. Clasp him to your bosom; he is dear to Jesus. Clasp the vilest to your bosom: cast yourself at his feet: pour God's love into him it presseth for entrance to the vilest. 'Tis holy love to cleanse the vilest. "Twould sanctify the most unholy. This is what sanctifies-this is what purifies; the glorious gospel of the grace of God. It is all of grace-free grace. Oh, it is so obscured, but it shall burst with a glorious splendour; it shall roll along the earth. At even-time it shall be light. Glory, glory to grace. Glory to the Lamb slain glory! glory!

The Lord is rising up out of his placeHe riseth out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. He shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon: He will bring to pass his act-his strange act. He will do it. He will lay judgment to the line, and righteousness to the plummet, and the hail shall sweep away the refuges of lies. The day of vengeance is in his heart-the day of vengeance-the day of the fierceness of His wrath-it lingereth not. Jehovah shall arise. He is a man of war-He will scatter the proud-He will do it -He will bring to pass his act, his strange act. Who may abide the day of his coming? Who shall stand when he appeareth? His eyes are as a flame of fire. Woe, woe, woe, to all who refuse to listen to the voice of mercy now-Woe to all who now refuse to kiss the Son-eternal woe-eternal damnation --separation from God-cast into the lake of fire, where shall be blackness of darkness, and weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth.

Behold he cometh with clouds, and

every eye shall see Him, and they also that pierced Him, and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. They shall see Him, and they shall mourn. He will come-He will not tarry. Now the judge standeth at the door-He knocketh now. The judge, the holy judge will come; he will call men to account-he will do it. He cometh to trample his enemies-- His vesture shall be dipt in blood, the blood of his enemies, and the slain of the Lord shall be many. He will plead by fire, and by his sword. 'Tis righteous judgment, -righteous judgment for blood trampled on, despised love.

"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness, but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish; but the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; when they shall say peace and safety, sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape." Now they say, 66 peace and safety:" scoffers have arisen saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation." But he will come; He will not tarry; He will come as a thief, prepare for it; prepare to meet thy God-to meet thy King-to hear thy sentence. The sheep shall be on his right hand, and the goats on his left. He will speak the awful sentence, "Depart from me, ye cursed." Oh, the lake that burneth it is a fire that never shall be quenched; a lake of fire burning with brimstone; their worm never dies; ob, the gnawings of an accusing conscience: an accusing conscience for despising the day of grace-for rejecting love!

We almost shrink from the enquiry, Can any one seriously conclude that such crude effusions as these are the results of a divine operation? To us the very supposition seems to savour of profaneness, to approach almost to blasphemy. We shall be told, indeed, that the language is the language of Scripture; that almost every sentence is to be found in the Bible, and that therefore it is to be regarded as the Spirit's application of his own word; but we must enter our protest against any such assumption; and object most strongly to such a system of interpretation. We must ever object to the rhapsodies of a heated imagination being represented as the results of a divine teaching,

there is nothing in those circumstances but what any novice of sufficient impudence might utter, and which is not, after all, more calculated to surprise than to edify.

In fact, the whole of the assumed manifestations of the Spirit in the volume before us, convey the idea of the Saviour's immediate coming. Now that he will come; that he will come suddenly, unexpectedly; to the confusion of his enemies and the salvation of his people, is clear; and that he may come in less time than any have yet conceived, is also clear. But we are not justified in even attempting to define the period of his approach, or in assuming the character of what may eventually prove false witnesses for God; when these modern pretenders speak of the Saviour's coming, the impression they usually convey is, that in a few days, weeks. months, or at the most years, he will appear. But the question may well be asked, Where is the promise of his coming? Some ten years have now elapsed since these pretenders to prophecy uttered their exclamations, but as yet no sign of the Son of Man appears.

The whole business appears to us a delusion of the great enemy. His object ever is to draw men off from the exercise of repentance, faith and holiness, to some ritual or speculative discussion. To enquire what shall be hereafter; to speculate on the Saviour's second coming-on the millenial dispensation, on the destruction of antichrist, on the latter day glory,-is much more agreeable to the natural man, much more flattering to our pride, than the diligent examination of our own hearts and lives by the rule of God's word; the daily communing with God in fervent prayer; the incessant endeavour after increasing conformity to the mind and will of God. Hence many are led to speculative en

quiries rather than personal experience; and new converts are often induced like these Macdonalds to enact a public part when they ought rather to have been engaged in private communion with God, and in the instruction of their own families and dependants.

We have perhaps already bestowed more room on these young men than they deserved, and yet we feel on the whole disposed to insert the following extract, which Dr. N. has introduced in his chapter on the fruits of the Spirit.

The following striking letter is the only one of its kind that I have any copy of, and may as suitably as anywhere be inserted here.

My dear Brother,-The subject we conversed on when you were here, Judah and Benjamin as the types of the first and last churches in this dispensation (as the one was the head and the other the last in the former) has not since been much more opened up to me; I see it but indistinctly, but I am satisfied that there is as much plain as proves the type, and that if it were clearly seen, it would throw light on the present position and prospects of the church. That Ephraim or the ten tribes, is a type of nominal christendom, I think is also obvious. It was first thought of from the complete distinction that existed between Israel on the one side, and Judah and Benjamin on the other (Benjamin being always joined with Judah) which two alone continued faithful to the house of David, of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came, and to whom the kingdom and authority were given. In looking at their births we find Leah, the type of the Jewish church, was the mother of Judah, and Rachel, the type of the Gentile church, was the mother of Benjamin; and so the founders of the first church were Jewish (the Apostles) and the last (the one now to arise) is Gentile. When Judah was born, it is said his mother left off bearing, just so the Jewish church has done; and when Benjamin was born, it was a little way from Ephrath (that is abundance) his mother had hard labour, and as her soul was departing, she called him the son of my sorrow, but his father the son of the right hand; just so the Gentile church bringing forth her last begotten will be taken away, and the son of the church's sorrow shall be the son of the father's right hand, to get him the victory. Ephraim (the type of the apostasy) was born after the exaltation of Joseph, and in the land of Egypt.

In the deliverances wrought for Israel
APRIL, 1840.

X

by the judges, which are all types of the last great deliverance, Ephraim seems to be left out; at least in the cases of Jephtha and Gideon, which last is a remarkable type of the end, when the earthen vessels will be broken and the light be seen. Ephraim was not with him, he did it with his few men without their assistance. At the time that David was brought back to Jerusalem after the rebellion of Absalom, it was Judah and Benjamin that did it, and to them he said, Ye are my brethren, my bones and my flesh (the same as the church is said to be in Ephesians) why are ye the last to bring back the king? At this time Israel separated themselves from David; and it is remarkable that it was a man of Benjamin that blew the trumpet; a son of Belial he is called, a type I think of the apostate coming out of the last church. In the seventh of Isaiah, in the days of Ahaz the father of the good Hezekiah, who cleansed the temple and restored the ordinances in a way they had not been from the dedication of the temple until then, we find Ephraim confederate with Syria against Judah, just as the false church is now against the true; and in the twenty-eighth chapter, when the judgments are spoken of, and the "rest" it is said shall be proclaimed by men of other tongues, the woe is denounced against the drunkards of Ephraim, then flourishing in a rich pasture. You will also find much in the books of Hosea and Zechariah to open up the subject; where although sin is charged against Judah, it is not in the same way as it is against Israel, who not only departed from the Lord but leagued with his enemies: thus it is said, Israel shall be gathered from Assyria and from Egypt, and he shall pass through the sea with affliction; meaning I think the judgments which the professing church shall be left to come through. In the seventyeighth Psalm, the sin that is brought against Ephraim is forgetting God's wonders, and trusting not in the Lord for deliverance, but in their own weapons; they were armed with bows and spears (carnal weapons) yet they turned back in the day of battle they could not stand; for God was not acknowledged ;-just so the professing church has trusted to the strength of man's intellect and not to God the Holy Ghost; their weapons are carnal, and therefore they are weak; they are but as other men, as Samson was when deprived of the seven locks of his Head (the seven spirits) but now that these begin to grow we knew that strength.cometh, and the Lord will arise and smite his enemies; passing by the tribes of Ephraim, he will choose Judah for his dwelling, and place his tabernacle there for ever; the man of the right hand will be brought forth, though it be with hard labour, and victory will be obtained. "Our fathers

got not the promised land by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them, but thy right hand and arm because thou hadst a favour to them," and He is now as willing to give us our inheritance; only let us be strong and of a good courage-faithful is he who hath pro

mised.

To us we confess, the whole of this letter appears pre-eminently absurd. The system of typical interpretation here adopted opens the door to the wildest conclusions, introduces confusion and disorder, and is every way calculated to strengthen the Romanist in his prejudices against the right of private judgment, and in his apprehension of the danger of the indiscriminate

reading of the word of God. We do not believe that Leah or Judah were ever intended to be types of the Jewish Christian Church, or that Rachel or Ephraim sustained any typical character. Young converts and novices in religion often indulge in such wild reveries; and though their folly is evident to most men, yet they usually find some supporters; though few are so infatuated as, like Dr. Norton, to attribute them to a divine agent. Such melancholy instances may well lead us to watch and pray for the spirit of love and of A SOUND

MIND.

MUCH has been done of recent years to facilitate the acquisition of the Greek language, and the work at the head of our article is a valuable addition to that which already exist. Dr. Giles has attempted more than has hitherto been done to like extent, giving us in a volume of moderate size and price, not only a Greek English, but also an English Greek Lexicon, in some degree commensurate with the fulness of our language.

The chief Lexicon extant which has afforded a version of English into Greek for the aid of the Greek composer, is one by Dunbar and Parker. On comparing Dr. Giles with them, we find him much more full and copious, as will be seen at once, by consulting the two together.

The Greek English Lexicon of Dr. Giles, is not so copious and full in the renderings given, as the excellent work of Dr. Donnegan, although an equal number of Greek words, both derivatives and compounds, are inserted. The studious learner, however, is provided with a sufficient stock of renderings for obtaining a sound knowJedge of the language, though the student of particular writers may find Dr. Donnegan more serviceable, by the translations he gives of remarkable expressions.

On the whole, we think that our readers who are engaged in study or in tuition, will find the present work to suit them better as to price, execution, and extent of matter, and typography, than any single work which is extant.

WE inserted in our last the liberal proposal of the committee of the British and Foreign Bible Society, with respect to the supply of bibles and tracts to Sunday Schools. The following supplementary regulations have since been published:

'It is to be distinctly understood, that the object in view, in this great reduction of price, is to benefit the poor, and to facilitate the possession of the Holy Scriptures by every young person in Sunday and other Schools throughout the kingdom; and that it is not intended to authorize the sale of Bibles or Testaments to booksellers, or any other party, for purposes of pecuniary advantage.

'In carrying this important measure into practical effect, it is necessary to observe:

1. That the distribution, both to schools and to the poor, shall be made through the medium of our Auxiliary and Branch Societies and Asssociations.

2. That in order to guard against an abuse of the privilege thus granted, every order from the Committee, or Superintendent, or other recognised officer of a school, shall be in writing, and shall specify the average number of children attending such School.Payment to be made to the Secretary or Depositary of the local Society or Association, before the books are delivered.

'3. That Schools which are not situated within the limits of an Auxiliary or Branch Society or Association shall be at liberty to apply directly to the Parent Society; in order that such applications be referred to the nearest Auxiliary, or to the Agent of the District.

4. That all applications from nonsubscribers, for liberty to purchase Bibles and Testaments at these greatly reduced prices, for distribution among the poor, be considered and decided in the Committee of the local Society or Association. And that all applications from Annual subscribers of one guinea and upwards, for liberty to purchase beyond the extent of their present privilege, be subject to the same regulation.

'5. It is recommended that the copies of these two editions of the Scriptures, similarly bound, which are now on hand in the Depositories of our local Societies,

be issued at the reduced price of 1s. 6d. and 6d.'

One of the Secretaries of the Christian Instruction Society writes:

'In the early part of the last year, a female Visitor called at a house, and inquired if any of the inmates were willing to subscribe for Bibles. The woman of the house replied, that she did not want one, her husband being a Roman Catholic. The visitor, however, took the opportunity of speaking to the poor woman about her soul, with so much affection and earnestness, that she declared her wish to subscribe for a Bible, though she must do so unknown to her husband; and accepted a loan Testament. The husband, however, shortly afterwards found the book, and, in a great rage, compelled her to return it. Our visitor was at this time laid aside by illness; she, however, felt so much interest in this case, that, at all hazards she hastened to the house; when, to use the words of the poor woman herself, who subsequently described the particulars of her visit-'I informed the kind lady I could have nothing more to do with the Bible; which made her talk to me with such tenderness about my soul, that, when she was gone, I was led to think, surely there must be something in this Religion, which causes so much anxiety for my salvation! I renewed my subscriptions, and again accepted a Loan Testament: a short time after this, my husband again found it, and some other books, and, with many dreadful oaths, was about to burn them; but I told him they were not mine, and this prevented him from committing them to the flames. I kept them secretly after this; and many a blessed opportunity I have had of reading them. By degrees, I became very anxious to know the Truth; and having been induced to attend a place of Public Worship in the neighbourhood, I, on one occasion, heard a sermon on the unbelief of Thomas, which was greatly blessed to me: I saw my character, in the sight of God, to be that of a miserable sinner, and wept bitterly; but more so when I was directed to Jesus as a loving Saviour. During my absence, my husband again found the books; but, oh, how did I wonder, and bless God, to find his anger was restrained! for he behaved kindly, and even asked me what sort of a