The Jewish

of Canaan, the promised land. economy is so much directed to temporal rewards and punishments, that it has been questioned whether the Jews had any knowledge of a future state. This opinion has been defended with vast erudition by Warburton, in his Divine Legation of Moses; but it has been controverted by Dr. Sykes, and other authors of respectability. The principal sects among the Jews, in the time of our Saviour, were the Pharisees, who placed religion in external ceremony-the Sadducees, who were remarkable for their incredulity; and the Essenes, who were distinguished by an austere sanctity. Some accounts of these sects will be found in the last volume of Prideaux's Connection, in Harwood's Introduction to the Study of the New Testament, and in Marsh's improved edition of Michaelis, recently published.

The Pharisees and Sadducees are frequently mentioned in the New Testament; and an acquaintance with their principles and practices. serves to illustrate many passages in the sacred history. At present the Jews have two sects, the Caraites, who admit no rule of religion but the law of Moses, and the Rabbinists, who add to the laws the traditions of the Talmud. The dispersion of the Jews took place upon the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, the Roman

emperor, A. D. 70. The expectation of a Messiah is the distinguished feature of their religious system. The word MESSIAH signifies one anointed, or installed into an office by unction. The Jews used to anoint their kings, high-priests, and sometimes prophets, at their entering upon office. Thus Saul, David, Solomon, and Joash, kings of Judah, received the royal unction. Thus also Aaron and his sons received the sacerdotal, and Elisha, the disciple of Elijah, the prophetic unction.

Christians believe that JESUS CHRIST is the Messiah, in whom all the Jewish prophecies are accomplished. The Jews, infatuated with the idea of a temporal Messiah, who is to subdue the world, still wait for his appearance. According to Buxtorf, (a professor of Hebrew, and celebrated for rabbinical learning) some of the modern rabbins believe that the Messiah is already come, but that he will not manifest himself on account of the sins of the Jews. Others, however, have had recourse to the hypothesis of two Messiahs, who are to succeed each otherone in a state of humiliation and suffering-the other in a state of glory, magnificence, and power. Be it however remembered, that in the New Testament Jesus Christ assures us, in the most explicit terms, that he is the Messiah. In John iv. 25, the Samaritan woman says to Jesus,

I know that Messias cometh which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak to thee am HE. According to the prediction of Jesus Christ, several impostors would assume the title of Messiah: and accordingly such persons have appeared. An history of "False Messiahs" has been written by a Dutchman. Barcochab was the first, who appeared in the time of Adrian; the second, in 1666, was Sabbethai Levi, who turned Mahometan; and the last was Rabbi Mordecai, who was talked of in 1682.

The Talmud is a collection of the doctrines and morality of the Jews. They have two works that bear this name; the first is called the Tal

mud of Jerusalem; and the other the Talmud of Babylon. The former is shorter and more obscure than that of Babylon, but is of an older date. The Talmud compiled at Babylon the Jews prefer to that of Jerusalem, as it is clearer and more extensive.

The Jewish economy was certainly typical of the Christian dispensation in many important respects, but these types and antitypes have been wretchedly abused. A curious instance of this kind occurred about the time of the reformation. Le Clerc has recorded it; and the perusal of it must create a smile. The story is

this Two eminent Protestants, a Lutheran and a Calvinist, had been wrangling a considerable time about the precedency of their patriarchs, without any seeming advantage; when the one took it into his head to make Luther the antitype of Aaron, seeing he was the first who had set up and lighted the grand candlestick of the reformation in the tabernacle. The other not being able to disprove the fact, had recourse to the same typical reasoning, and affirmed that if Luther was Aaron's antitype, upon that score, Calvin was much more so, since it is manifest that if he had not taken the snuffers in his hand and snuffed the lamps, the candlestick would have given so dim a light, that few people would have been the better for it!

The most remarkable periods in the history of the Jews are, the call of Abraham, the giving of the law by Moses, their establishment in Canaan under Joshua, the building of the Temple by Solomon, the division of the tribes, their captivity in Babylon, their return under Zerubbabel, and the destruction of their city and temple by the Emperor Titus. Their books of the Old Testament are the most ancient and authentic records extant. For further information respect→ ing Judaism, many publications may be consulted. See the writings of Josephus, their famous historian, of which there are several

translations in our language-Dr. Jenning's two volumes of Jewish Antiquities, Dr. Shaw's Philosophy of Judaism, and the late Mr. David Levi's Ceremonies of the Jewish Religion.

I shall conclude this article of the Jews, with remarking that the late indefatigable Dr. Priestley addressed them some years ago with spirit, and the above Mr. Levi, a learned Jew, has replied. An excellent Address, however, to the Jews, has since come from the same pen, dated Northumberland, America, October 1, 1799. It concludes in the following pointed manner: "I for merly took the liberty to address you, and had the happiness to find you were satisfied that I wrote from the purest motives, and a sincere respect and good-will to your nation. Having then advanced all that I thought necessary for the purpose, I shall not repeat it here. But I cannot help observing, that though one of your nation, a person whom I well know and respect, replied to me, he did not undertake to refute my principal argument, viz. that from Historical Evidence. He did not pretend to point out any defect in the arguments that I advanced, for JESUS having wrought real miracles, for his hav ing died, and having risen from the dead. And if the gospel history of those facts be true, whatever may be objected to Christianity on other accounts, the divine, mission will be unquestion