We have thus given our readers some idea of this work, which is published as a conversation between a mother and her daughters, and is now circulating through New England. We have no room for extended remarks, nor do we think them necessary. The work is chiefly interesting, as it exhibits the views entertained by many, and beginning to be openly advanced, respecting the Old Testament. The lovers of the Bible will see in it the tendency of things, and the necessity of awaking to a sense of their danger.

The sympathy of the writer for the Indians, so far as founded on truth, and the interest she manifests on the subject of their threatened removal, we, of course, approve.

MISCELLANEOUS.

BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATIONS.

From Jowett's Christian Researches.

House of the Dead.

While walking out, one evening, says Dr. Jowett, a few fields' distance from Deir el Kamr, with Hanna Doomani, the son of my host, to see a detached garden belonging to his father, he pointed out to me, near it, a small solid stone building, apparently a house : very solemnly adding, "Kabbar béity," the sepulchre of our family. It had neither door nor window. He then directed my attention to a considerable number of similar buildings, at a distance, which, to the eye, are exactly like houses; but which are, in fact, family mansions for the dead.

Perhaps this custom may have been of great antiquity; and may serve to explain some Scripture phrases. The prophet Samuel was buried in his house at Ramah : 1 Sam. xxv. 1: It could hardly be in his dwelling-house. Joab also, was buried in his own house." 1 Kings ii. 34, "I know that thou wilt bring me to death, and to the house appointed for all the living." Job xxx. 23.

Psalms, cxxix. 6. "Let them be as the grass upon the house tops, which withereth afore it groweth up."

In the morning, the master of the house laid in a stock of earth; which was carried up, and spread evenly on the top of the house, which is flat. The whole roof is thus formed of mere earth, laid on, and rolled hard and flat. On the top of every house is a large stone roller, for the purpose of hardening and flattening this layer of rude soil, so that the rain may not penetrate: but upon this surface, as

may be supposed, grass and weeds grow freely. It is to such grass that the Psalmist alludes, as useless and bad-"Let them be as the grass upon the house-tops, which withereth afore it groweth up."

Isaiah, lii. 2. "Shake thyself from the dust; arise; sit down, O Jerusalem,"

It is no uncommon thing to see an individual, or a group of persons, even when very well-dressed, sitting, with their feet drawn under them, upon the bare earth, passing whole hours in idle conversation. Europeans would require a chair; but the natives here prefer the ground. In the heat of summer and autumn, it is pleasant to them to while away their time in this manner under the shade of a tree. Richly adorned females, as well as men, may often be seen thus amusing themselves. As may naturally be expected, with whatever care they may, at first sitting down, choose their place, yet the flowing dress by degrees gathers up the dust as this occurs, they from time to time, arise, adjust themselves, shake off the dust, and then sit down again. The captive daughter of Zion, therefore, brought down to the dust of suffering and oppression, is commanded to arise and shake herself from that dust, and then, with grace and dignity, and composure and security, to sit down; to take as it were, again, her seat and her rank amid the company of the nations of the earth, which had before afflicted her, and trampled her to the earth.

It may be proper to notice, that Bishop Lowth gives another rendering-Arise, ascend thy lofty seat-and quotes Eastern customs to justify the version: but I see no necessity for the alteration, although to English ears it may sound more appropriate. A person of rank in the East often sits down upon the ground, with his attendants about him.

The following illustration of the parable of the ten virgins, (Matt. xxv. 1—13) is by an English Clergyman now in India, once "the friend and coadjutor of Dr. Buchanan."

The luminaries mentioned in the parable are, in the original, lampades, in our translation rendered lamps. It would be needless to inform the classical scholar that lampas is not what ordinary English readers understand by a lamp (that being luchnos) but properly signifies a torch. It may be a question, however, in what manner oil was applied to such an instrument or luminary as a torch.

Now, what occurs in India, presents us with a ready answer. When we are going to travel at night through unfrequented places in that country, where keeping up a light is very important, we do not trust ourselves to a lantern, as in a town or station; but a man is hired, who carries in his right hand a kind of torch, having a large head of tow, or other bibulous substance, in his left a vessel, out of which he keeps occasionally pouring oil upon the lighted tow. This makes a large strong flame, much stronger than that of the wick of a lamp. The blaze brightens the whole path, and defies the power of rain or wind, to extinguish it.

108 Society for Propagating the Gospel among the Indians.

Before I was set to thinking, by observing this, I remember sometimes inaccurately quoting Holy Scripture, by exhorting the people of a congregation to have oil in their lamps. I believe I was not singular whereas if we look into St. Matthew we find no such expression; but it is there, 'Oil in their vessels with their lamps,'

ANECDOTE.

The following anecdote is related by Whiston. Memoirs, Vol. i. p. 362. "There is a story, how a learned Friar of Italy, famous for his learning and preaching, was commanded to preach before the Pope at a year of Jubilee; and to be the better furnished, he repaired a good while before to Rome, to see the fashion of the Conclave, to accommodate his sermon the better. When the day came he was to preach, having ended his prayer, and looking a long time about, at last he cried with a loud voice three times, 'St. Peter was a foolSt. Peter was a fool-ST. PETER WAS FOOL!!' Which words being spoken, he came out of the pulpit. Being afterwards convented before the Pope, and asked why he so carried himself, he answered, 'Surely, holy Father, if a Priest may go to heaven abounding in wealth, honor and preferment, and live at ease, never or seldom to preach--then surely, St. Peter was a fool, who took such a hard way, in travelling, in fasting, in preaching, to go thither."

SOCIETY FOR PROPAGATING THE GOSPEL AMONG THE INDIANS AND OTHERS IN NORTH AMERICA.

In the notice of Dr. Wisner's sermon before this Society, contained in our last, we expressed our disappointment "at finding no treasurer's report published the present year." The following account of the state of the treasury has since been given to the public by Alden Bradford, Esq., Secretary of the Society.

"In Bank Stock, $18,700—(~,000 of which was for six months only,) the income being $698. In Insurance Company Stock, $1,200-$7,200. Deposited at 5 per cent. $700, six months, $1,850. Mortgages, $13,900-$564,00. Cash on hand, chiefly due missionaries, (Oct. 22d,) $806,47; and collections, (Nov. 6th) $115,64.

"The Treasurer observes, that the income has been diminished, by the failure of the Boston and American Banks to make a dividend in October last-but chiefly through the failure of a person, who has a large sum loaned him, on mortgage, by the former Treasurer, to pay the interest thereon for four years, amounting to $1,080. Without intending to criminate the former Treasurer, it is but just to observe, that the security held for payment of some large sums was not sufficient, that the interest had not been received thereon; that the present Treasurer has given particular and efficient attention to the subject, and has taken care to obtain new and sufficient security."

It was also stated, in the notice referred to, that "all the missionaries appointed by the Society, with possibly one exception, were, so far as we have been able to ascertain, Orthodox, till since the death of its late President, the Hon. William Phillips, who left to it a legacy of $5,000." Mr. Bradford doubts the correctness of this statement, and mentions the names of several, who have been employed by the Society, who, though they were not all "Unitarians, in the modern acceptation of the term," yet "were not of such theological opinions as to entitle them to the epithet of Orthodox, as usually understood."

NOTICES OF RECENT PUBLICATIONS.

1. Suggestions respecting Improvements in Education, presented to the Trustees of the Hartford Female Seminary, and published at their request. By CATHARINE E. BEECHER. Hartford: Packard and Butler. 1829. pp. 84.

This work is scarcely a proper subject of criticism, as it was intended primarily for the consideration of those to whom it was presented, and for the accomplishment of a mere local object. We recommend it, however, as deserving a wider circulation than that for which it was prepared, and as calculated to promote other important objects, besides that of enlarging the Female Seminary at Hartford. It is evidently the production of a vigorous mindthe result of much thought, and of a treasured experience in the difficult employment of school education. It seems to have been the plan of the writer to point out defects in the common systems of education, suggesting, as she passes along, appropriate remedies. The first of the defects here mentioned is,

"That the formation of the minds of children has not been made a profession, securing wealth, influence, and honor to those who enter it." The business of teaching has too often been looked upon as the resource of poverty, or as a drudgery suited only to inferior minds," "and few have engaged in it, except those whose talents would not allow them to rise in other professions, or who have only made it a temporary resort, till better prospects should offer."

Other defects are, "the want of proper school books;" the habit "of committing to memory words, instead of acquiring ideas; the "notion that the communication of knowledge," rather than stimulating the mind of the pupil to action, "is the primary and almost the sole object of instruction;" "the neglect of using objects of sight to aid in illustrating and communicating ideas; that pupils have not been taught "to instruct others; "that the public have no standard by which to test the character of schools;" and "that the great principle of the division of labor bas never, until very recently, and only in a few instances, been introduced into school education."

"But," says Miss B., "the most important and most neglected department in education still remains unfilled and unsustained in all our seminaries. We have yet to learn what could be effected, were the cultivation of the social feelings, and the formation and correction of the moral character and habits, the distinct department of one person, who should by talents and experience be suitably qualified.” "The writer holds that it ought to be a maxim in education, that there is no defect in character, habits, or manners, but is susceptible of remedy."

With these views as to the importance of moral education, in distinction from intellectual, it was a leading purpose of the writer, in addressing the trustees of the seminary over which she presides, to induce them to furnish additional accommodations, that an assistant principal might be employed, and the moral cultivation of the pupils be made a direct and prominent object. Whether all will be accomplished in this department of education which our authoress represents as practicable, we think doubtful. That much, however, may be done, by strict attention, timely directions and encouragements, a proper example, and a well regulated government, towards forming the character for virtue and happiness, we have no doubt. We hope, at least, that the experiment may be tried. The prospect even of partial success is sufficiently animating, to compensate for any sacrifices or responsibilities that may be necessarily incurred.

2. Strictures on the Review of Dr. Spring's Dissertation on the Means of Regeneration, in the Christian Spectator for 1829. By BENNET TYLER, D. D., Pastor of the Second Congregational Church in Portland, Me. Portland: Shirley and Hyde. 1829. pp. 64.

In the last volume of the Christian Spectator are several articles on the Means of Regeneration," commenced as a review of Dr. Spring's Essay on that subject, but continued as an independent discussion. These articles-written, as all allow, with distinguished ability-have been read with a variety of emotions by different individuals;-by some, with great satisfaction; by others, with equal dissatisfaction; and by others, with a degree of hesitation and embarrassment. Dr. Tyler is one of those who are dissatisfied with the discussion in the Spectator, and the object of the work before us is to make the public acquainted with the grounds of his dissatisfaction. After several preliminary remarks on the use of terms, the hypothesis of the reviewer in the Spectator is stated, as follows, viz.

"That antecedent to regeneration," (in what the reviewer calls the restricted sense,)" there is a suspension of the selfish principle in the sinner's heart; that certain acts are then performed by him, which are not dictated by selfishness, but by self-love; and that these constitute using the means of regeneration."

Respecting this hypothesis, Dr. T. suggests the following queries: 1. Whether it does not make regeneration "a gradual and progressive work;" 2. Whether it "does not involve the inconsistency of supposing that the heart is changed, antecedent to regeneration;"