perceive the excellency of Puritanism in the state. So he, who cannot see how the persons who shall bear the commission of Christ, as ministers of his gospel, may, by divine authority, be designated to that office by that "church of the living God, which is the PILLAR and ground of the TRUTH,'

as well as by a succession of bishops, some of whom are only PILLARS of salt to warn the world to avoid their abominations, is not capable of judging of the merits of Puritanism in the church.

We have in this book new and substantial evidence that these errors are as inseparable as the Siamese twins. Cut off either of them, and both will die. We thus find additional encouragement to hope, that the reaction of our admirable free civil institutions upon the erroneous ecclesiastical systems of the land will become one of the most powerful means of their recovery from error.

ARTICLE III.

JOHNSON'S REVIEW OF HOPKINS'S EXAMINATION OF
JOSH. 10:12–15, REVIEWED.

By Rev. T. M. HOPKINS, Pastor Pres. Ch. Racine, W. T.

A Review of the Rev. T. M. Hopkins's Examination of Josh. 10: 12-15. By Professor H. M. Johnson, Methodist Quarterly Review, October 1845.

THE Reviewer introduces himself to the reader in the fol

lowing strain of purest fustian. "The Biblical Repository for Jan. 1845, presents us with a full grown, and perhaps timely delivery, of a German embryo idea, in the shape of a profound doubt of the genuineness of the passage in Joshua, giving account, that the sun and moon stood still;

which doubt grows in the mind of the writer into a certainty of disbelief, duly compacted with ligamentous evidence, authority and criticism; and arrayed withal in the necessary argumental investments. We wish to unfold the wrappages of this new-born, before its strength shall have become consolidated; to dissect its members and prove whether there be in it a life which may not die."

By the time we had concluded this, we entertained sound fears, that it was all over with us; we had even settled in our own mind upon an epitaph: "Alas, poor Yorick !" Because, having seen that our " embryo idea" was threatened with "dissection," we thought it possible, that a like fate awaited ourselves: on more mature reflection, however, we have been led to regard what is past, on the part of the Reviewer, only a "timely," and as we would fondly hope, "safe delivery" of a vast amount of wind.

Finding ourselves, therefore, still in the land of the living, we shall endeavour to show to the satisfaction of every reasonable man, that "this new-born" does, in fact, "contain in it a life which may not die."

At the very outset of his enterprise, the Reviewer seeks to secure a verdict in his favour, and to make all necessary provision against prospective defeat, by representing, that all such speculations as this, which he is about to "dissect," are the legitimate offspring of German Rationalism. How easy thus to overthrow an antagonist! Who can entertain a doubt after this, that the sun and moon stood still, according to "The book of Jasher?"

Homer has somewhere related that a snail, on looking out of his shell, saw a frog leaping by; and being seized with a desire to leap in like manner, forthwith crept out for that purpose; but upon making trial of his leaping powers, soon found that he must first build himself a stool. Here we have, if we are not utterly deceived, the veritable and main object of all such manœuvres. In order to enable the reader to see clearly and judge correctly in this matter, he must look through glasses smoked with slanderous suspicion !

There is not a candid man on earth, one, over whose intellect the smell of thought ever passed, who would discover, on reading the Examination, the faintest traces of that form of Infidelity.

"Success," says Johnson, (the Dr., not the Professor,) "inspires courage:" and having met with no insurmountable obstacles in getting through with an introduction, the Reviewer girds up the energies of his pen to the task of meeting the arguments brought forward in support of the doctrine of the Examination. We shall endeavour to accompany him, at an humble distance, if possible,-to learn the fate of our unhappy idea; and if it is slain, "be in at the death." He condescends to shed a ray of hope upon our prospects, by admitting the first argument in all its force: the argument (see Biblical Repository for January, 1845, p. 107) is, "Joshua 10: 12-15, is evidently an interruption of the narrative; an interruption, which, when considered with reference to its own statement at the close, destroys the credibility of the passage." It is there added in explanation, "the reader has only to leave it out, and he will find a well connected account of a series of events, in all parts perfectly consistent with itself." "True," says the Reviewer," and the same may be said of any paragraph in any narrative of events, occurring successively, and not necessarily dependent on one another." But we ask if these statements are not so dependent one on the other, that the credibility of v. 15, "And Joshua returned and all Israel with him unto the camp at Gilgal," is hopelessly lost, if the rest of the narrative (v. 16 et. seq.) be true? How can Joshua and all Israel with him, return from Makkedah to Gilgal, a distance of some thirty-three or thirty-four miles, the evening of the day on which they had achieved so signal a victory, and yet be at Makkedah (see v. 16) to bring out the five kings to slay them? If Joshua and all Israel with him, have returned to Gilgal, they are not at Makkedah as is stated in the subjoined text: which now of these two conflicting statements must we give up?

In order to escape, if possible, from this difficulty, the Reviewer endeavors to separate verse 15 from the rest of the suspicious passage. He admits that all commentators have found a difficulty in it, which they knew not what to do with; and that the statement therein made is not reconcilable with the surrounding text. (See Methodist Quarterly Review, pp. 507, 508.) But his labours to save the remainder, when he has given up verse 15, amount to but little, as we shall soon see. With what a grace, the complaint of cutting knots instead of untying them, comes from a man that finds it necessary so soon to introduce the knife! Especially is this the case, when, in the course of his efforts to defend the rest of the passage, he becomes so thoroughly convinced of the hopelessness of his cause as to express a willingness to give up all after the appeal in verse 13, "Is not this written?" etc. (Review, p. 508.);

The controversy then would seem to be narrowed down to a very small compass; but no, we go for the whole, and nothing less. There is such a marked family likeness in all the parts as to force us to the belief, that they belong together; and since we are favoured with a sight at the Book from which the whole appears to have been taken, we shall prefer to present "an extract," a larger one than the disputed passage, yet one that embraces it, to satisfy the reader we have judged correctly in deciding, that inasmuch as in life they have been most firmly united, in death they should not be parted.

The reader will of course allow himself to smile at the idea just advanced; yet it is most true, "The Book of Jasher" is now lying before me; the veritable ¬¬¬, “Sepher Hajasher," (literally "correct record,") with its chapters and verses and with the passage in dispute, is at hand! We shall quote it in its English dress, presuming the Reviewer will be satisfied with the assurance, that it claims to have been originally written in Rabbincal Hebrew, to have been discovered in Jerusalem, when the city was taken by Titus, and to have been first printed at Venice, A. D. 1613. So much THIRD SERIES, VOL. II. NO. II.

18

for its authentic antiquity! What could be more satisfactory?

If there is any thing of the ridiculous and absurd in this representation, it belongs neither to us nor our cause. Our Professor must share it, for aught we see, with no one, since it is exclusively his. He maintains, as we shall soon see, that it was altogether "reasonable to suppose, that a poetic account of this great miracle was actually in circulation, before history, with a graver pen, enacted the imperishable record"! (Review, p. 509.) A book containing the famous extract, a volume as large as the entire Pentateuch, written and put in circulation, after the miracle of stopping the sun had been performed and before that miracle had been recorded by the sacred historian, a flying scroll which has been sailing through the heavens, lo, these thirty-five hundred years, has finally alighted upon our table, here before us! credat qui potest; non ego. He who can receive this, ought surely never to be accused of not believing enough.

The reader, it is presumed, and possibly the Reviewer, will be glad to see the entire passage from which the verses in dispute are thought to have been taken. He can then determine for himself, whether there be any good reason for stopping at the appeal in the midst of verse 13,-as suggested by the Professor,-regarding that which precedes it as a true record of an event which actually took place, and that which follows, to the end of verse 13, the original extract.

BOOK OF JASHER, CHAPTER 88: 63.

"And when they were smiting, the day was declining towards evening, and Joshua said in the sight of all the people,

Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon,

And thou moon in the valley of Ajalon,

Until the nation shall have avenged itself upon its enemies.

And the Lord hearkened to the voice of Joshua,

And the sun stood still in the midst of the heavens,

And it stood still six and thirty (n) times, or moments,
And the moon also stood still,

And hasted not to go down a whole day.