heathen wives, went to the Samaritans, and settled among them. One of these was Manasseh, a son of the high priest, who persuaded the Samaritans to renounce many of their idolatries, and built a temple on Mount Gerizim, where rites were celebrated resembling the worship at Jerusalem. In the days of our Lord, the hatred between the Jews and Samaritans was at its height. They had no dealings with each other, John iv. 9. They opposed each other when passing through their respective countries, Luke ix. 52, 53, and the title of "Samaritan" was applied to our Lord by the Jews, as including or implying all that was bad, John viii. 48.

The GALILEANS were a political faction in Galilee, who resisted the Roman power, and sought religious liberty by force of arms, in the time of Augustus. The ZEALOTS and SICARII, or murderers, Acts xxi. 38, were similar bodies of political enthusiasts, shortly before the destruction of Jerusalem.

The KARAITES are a sect among the modern Jews who require particular notice. They reject the vain traditions. of the Pharisees, and aim at keeping closely to the letter of the Mosaic law. Some writers think that they existed in the time of our Lord, and that the Scribe mentioned Mark xii. 28, was of this class. The Scottish missionaries to the Jews in 1839 made many inquiries respecting these Karaites, and found that a word from them is trusted more than the bond of another Jew. Many of them are found in Turkey and the east, and a colony of 4,000 of them have long been settled in the Russian Crimea, where they are peaceably employed in agriculture. It is said that they have no enmity to the followers of Jesus, and are probably descended from some of the ten tribes, who took no part in the crucifixion of Christ. Their chief rabbi, or priest, is always considered to be a cohen, that is, a lineal descendant of the house of Aaron. On one occasion, when the emperor of Russia wished them to serve as soldiers, they obtained exemption, as being some of his best subjects, to whose charge no crime had been laid during 600 years. In Poland it is said that no Karaite has deserved punishment during four centuries. Their name, which means textualists, was at first a term of reproach, but they now regard it as an honour, and call themselves the children of the Bible.

CONCLUSION.

THE laws and polity of the Jewish nation show the wisdom, happiness, and safety of attending to the Divine commands; also the folly, misery, and punishment of disobedience; and thus they afford a lesson to every individual, family and community. The history of the Jews, since their dispersion, as well as their present condition, adds much to the impressiveness of the admonition. They are unable to observe the first part of the ceremonial law, while destitute of a temple and a priesthood, yet, not discerning the more excellent way, 2 Cor. iii. 15, and obstinately rejecting the truth as it is in Jesus, they still keep up its repulsive and prohibitory observances, and unite with them many vain. traditions and commandments of men. Yet these have been made the means of preserving them as a distinct and separate people, in a state that is a standing miracle, left in mercy to convince men of the truth of Scripture, and conveying undeniable outward and visible evidence to all those who are not influenced by spiritual considerations. This is the more remarkable, as every tribe among their oppressors and conquerors has long since mingled with the mass of nations; the Jews alone exist as a distinct people, unchanged in their habits, and the Persians who restored them to their own land, still continue to exist as a nation. Thousands and millions of the Jewish race have from time to time been absorbed among the Gentiles, have ceased to be Jews thus it is evident, that the separation of the body of the people is owing to the perpetual interposition of the Divine providence in fulfilment of the prophecies of Scripture, and not from any physical or natural circumstances preventing them from being mixed with others, when their distinguishing customs and habits as a people are laid aside. Who that rightly considers this fact can for a moment hesitate to give full credence to those prophecies which declare the happiness of this people, when they shall at length look on Him whom they have pierced?

The sufferings of the Jews as a nation, through many succeeding centuries, fully show that the word of God is

perfectly true and faithful both in its threatenings and its promises. It is a savour of death unto death, or of life unto life. The principles by which the Israelites of the present day are actuated, show how blindly those err, who regard only the letter and not the spirit of the best and wisest institutions, and how speedily the first must be mistaken and forsaken, if the latter be not kept continually in view, while being ignorant of the righteousness of God, they are going about to establish their own righteousness. Yet, the Jewish principles, in their present distorted and mangled state, retain much that is instructive, much that is valuable; they show how glorious the fabric once was which now is so great, so impressive, even in its ruins. All is now cold and lifeless, like some ancient time-worn mansion, which only shows what its former glories have been; the full tide of life which once animated its now deserted walls and crumbling towers, has been withdrawn. No longer it affords a refuge for the wanderer, a shelter for the helpless, a defence for the oppressed; though the lines of its outward walls remain the same, it is only an abode for wild animals, a dwelling-place for the birds and beasts of the field, and even the noisome and unclean remain there undisturbed : "Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation."

Vitringa has truly remarked, "In the land of Canaan, where the Israelites dwelt, as in the land and garden of the Lord, there were two trees, of life and death, the latter of which it was the part of wisdom to shun. Moses declares, Deut. xxx. 15, that he had set before them good and evil, life and death. The cause of death was the idolatry, with its carnal delights and impure lusts, which prevailed among the heathen of that period. To these the mind of the Israelites was prone, and indeed, the impiety, the profane thoughts of God, the self-righteousness derived from acts of a carnal worship of God under the old dispensation, and other things of a like kind, which exposed the Israelites to the danger of death, bore a resemblance to the tree of death or of knowledge, which things were opposed to a tree of life, that is, a compliance in faith with the commands of God, such a compliance proving the possession of life, derived from Christ, who is its sole author under every dispensation. But the Israelites stood not in this state of prosperity and happiness; they suffered themselves to be seduced by the devil, first into the practice of idolatry, together with the filthy superstitions of the surrounding

heathen, and their flagitious practices, all which were gratifying to the flesh; and then into a state of hypocritical self-righteousness, founded on privileges and works of a carnal nature, while they renounced the righteousness of God, and him who is the true cause of eternal life, even Christ Jesus. They were therefore cast out by the avenging hand of God, from his land, and deprived of those privileges which they had heretofore enjoyed in the land of Canaan. "The case of the New Testament church is much the same. The whole earth (might have) become a paradise after the conversion of the Gentiles to the faith of Christ. The desert was then transformed into the garden of the Lord. In that garden, Christ Jesus is proposed to all the posterity of Adam, as the cause of life to all who believe in him and observe his commandments. On the contrary, the posterity of Adam were cautioned to abstain from the fruit of the tree of death, which here denotes, in the first place, those carnal pleasures and gratifications which are inconsistent with faith in Christ. It also denotes those destructive heresies, that damnable superstition, the idolatry and carnal worship which, contrary to the very nature of the new dispensation, were introduced into the church by false prophets, the adversaries of the true kingdom of Christ, whom we are accustomed to call by the name of antichrist. Of these, whosoever eateth, dies, according to the style of Scripture, the second death, and by the avenging hand of God is expelled from his Paradise."

As a conclusion to this account of the Law and Polity of the Jews a few remarks from the pen of a well-known Christian minister, may be added concerning the connexion between the Law and the Gospel. "The law being unalterable, and all men having broken it, and there being no provision made in the law for the pardon of the least transgression, but a punishment threatened to the least, they are therefore guilty before God. The gospel sets forth to the convinced sinner, salvation from guilt and punishment, by giving him freely as perfect a righteousness as the law demands. It invites him to receive the righteousness of Christ, against which the utmost rigour of the law can make no objection, because it is the righteousness of God, a divine, infinite, and absolutely perfect righteousness. When this righteousness is imputed to the sinner, he is pardoned, the law ceases to accuse, conscience no longer condemns, he has peace with God, and the love of

God reigns in his heart. With respect then to the sinner, justification and acceptance before God, the Law and the Gospel ought to be distinguished in these respects.

"According to the law, salvation is by works; according to the gospel it is by grace. The law says, Do this; but the gospel says, Believe this and thou shalt be saved.

"The law threatens to punish the sinner for the first offence, but the gospel offers him pardon for many offences.

"The law leaves him under guilt and condemnation, the gospel invites him to receive pardon and salvation.

"The law sentences him to death, the gospel offers him justification to life. By the law he is a guilty sinner, by the gospel he may be made a glorious saint. If he die under the guilt of the broken law, hell will be his everlasting portion; if he die a partaker of the grace of the gospel, heaven will be his eternal inheritance.

"But if the law and the gospel are distinct in these and several other respects, some persons may think the law is totally repealed by the gospel: for they cannot see wherefore serveth the law, unless it be to justify a sinner. The moral law is unalterable. It cannot change any more than God can change. To this day it stands in full force, and not one tittle is repealed. It is still the revelation of God's most holy mind and will concerning the obedience which he requires of his creatures. And if they disobey, the law immediately passes sentence and condemns them to death. While they continue careless and secure in sin, they consider not the law as the ministration of death and condemnation, and none of them see it in this light until the Holy Spirit awakens them. It is by his preaching of the law to their consciences, that they are alarmed with fearful apprehensions of their guilt and danger. He brings them to see the exceeding sinfulness of sinning against the holy, just, and good law of God, and convinces them that the broken law can never make them legally righteous. This puts them upon seeking such a righteousness as the law requires, and disposes them to receive gladly the righteousness of the Lord Christ, for he is now the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

"Thus the Holy Spirit convinces sinners that the law is not repealed by the gospel, and when he gives them the righteousness which is of God by faith, and they have justification to life freely by grace, does he teach them to