former High Priest, still inviolate, was found; and though the quantity which it, contained was barely sufficient once to light the sacred lamps, yet, by the special blessing of the Deity, it proved sufficient for the consumption of a whole week; during which period new oil was obtained, and consecrated. In honour

of this manifestation of the divine blessing, we burn the lights of

or, "the inauguration," while our prayers and thanksgivings convey our gratitude to the Most High, who nerved the arms of his servants, and saved his people from extermination or apostasy.

OR,מאסף FROM THE

66

THIS is one of the most obscure and difficult passages in Scripture. Why should the blood of man be required from the brute beast, which is not gifted with reason? Further: As, agreeably to the ordinary reading, and like wise to tradition, the first part of the verse denounces suicide, and the second part homicide, the sns (the period) ought to have been after the word 1778, "will I require," where the sentence ends; instead of which it is placed after "will I require it." Moreover, it is a surprising fact, that wherever in Holy Writ we find the word ', (here rendered "beast,") as applied to the animal or brute creation, it is always in

,אדרשנו the word

that in this passage the meaning intended to be conveyed is precisely similar to that of all other instances where the word occurs by itself without any adjunct; and that consequently by it is meant the soul of

man.

,בהמה conjunction with the word

חית השרה ,חיתו יער

"brute," or wo, "reptile," or, "bird;" and if none of these words accompany it, the expression is either 18, "beasts of the earth." or "beasts of the field," or "beasts of the forest," or , "a wild beast.' But where no adjunct accompanies the word, it invariably relates to the soul of man, except in the present instance, where it stands by itself without any adjunct-but nevertheless is made to refer to the brute

creation.

In order to explain all these apparent difficulties, I am of opinion,

We have been favoured with this translation by an erudite correspondent, to whom we take this opportunity of returning our best thanks.-EDIT.

This removes at once every

a

difficulty and obscurity; the passage becomes perfectly intelligible, and the translation very different from its present rendering. Should, however, the question arise: "As the first part of the verse denounces the punishment of the suicide, how can that punishment be inflicted on senseless inanimate corpse?" I reply, The Sacred Scriptures proceed to tell you, without stop or intermission, "from every soul will I require it." Although, by the act of the suicide, life is become extinct, and the tie between body and soul destroyed, still the soul survives, and "from the soul will I require it." And this soul is now justly called , "living or "imperishable," because it no longer performs its functions within a perishable body. The ss, or period, is, according to this rendering, justly placed where it ought to be, most distinctly marking the first part of the verse relating to suicide, which it separates from the second part relating to homicide. And, moreover, we have the satisfaction to find in the Sacred

Scriptures this early and perfect indication of a punishment to the soul after death, and the necessary sequitur, its immortality and future reward. S. H., SEN.

noble bearing; " of another, "He is of a benevolent disposition, it is stamped on his countenance; of one, that he evinces not a particle of pride, whilst the countenance of another is said to beam with every virtue. And if we refrain from uttering opinions which the manifestation of qualities of an opposite nature are calculated to impress upon us, it is in obedience to that charitable precept which teaches us to speak all the good we know or perceive, and to abstain from proclaiming the defects and weaknesses of our fellow-men.

These impressions being almost always sudden and involuntary, shows that they arise from no other cause than the effect produced by the expression of the countenance, and the bearing of the person thus judged; and were it not founded in nature, the painter would be employed in portraying falsities, and creations of his own imagination, instead of truths and realities, when, in the expression of the countenance, and in the gestures and action of the body, he endeavours, with his pencil, to convey an idea of the passions and feelings which actuate the personages whom he represents to our view.

:

A

We are stating a fact, and are not to be understood as inculcating, that external appearances are to be made the rule for one man's judging of another This, as appears from what has gone before, is clearly not our intention. It is in fact our duty, to suspend our judgment, and even to endeavour to control impressions that are unfavourable to our fellowmen, until we examine further. Yet it is undeniable, that this faculty of giving and receiving impressions by external signs serves many useful and even beneficent purposes; for, whilst we are compelled, sometimes as if instinctively, to put ourselves on our guard against sinister appearances, let it not be forgotten in how many more instances we are drawn to love and respect our fellow-creatures, and to sympathize with them, by this same mode of judging from external signs, and before we can have ascertained by other proofs that they are deserving of either.

It detracts nothing from our position, if it be said that man possesses likewise the faculty of dis sembling or concealing his internal emotions:" The very fact of his endeavouring to do so, is a confirmation that, without such an effort, they would be betrayed by his countenance. No one need strive to hide the expression of his good qualities; the effort, then, when made, must be to suppress the expression of such as are bad: To succeed in this, and for a continuance, is confessedly an arduous task, in which few attain an unenviable perfection; for the mask will slip aside, in spite of every effort, and the true character will be perceived behind it: So much stronger is nature than art!

Thus every man is, in a great measure, able to make himself acceptable to his fellow-men, even at first sight; not by putting on the semblance of virtues which he does not possess, or by endeavouring to suppress the expression of vices to which he is addicted, but by sincerely and assiduously cultivating every virtue that ennobles his nature, and carefully abstaining, not only from those vicious courses which degrade him below the brute creation, but likewise from admitting into his breast those low passions and feelings which deteriorate from his nature, such as his Creator intended it should be. By such a course, a countenance to which nature has denied her favours, be.. comes more pleasing and acceptable to us, than the most perfectly-formed features indicating habits of a contrary description.

But what is man, with all his preeminence? Helpless on first coming into the world, he appears in all stages of his existence, and to the very period when his eyes close upon the present scene, to need the fostering care of a parent. How shall man know which paths to tread, which to shun? How shall he teach himself, or from what fellow-man will he learn, to develope the intricacies of his own heart, and to guard against the assaults of his self-love, his passions, and his appetites? Instruction he needs in all these; and instruction, as it is good or bad, or,

as the good is followed or neglected, will form his character. This, being no less true with nations than with individuals, has caused the distinguishing traits of nations to be ascribed to the effects produced by their climate, their soil, manners, customs, and government, respectively.

The enumerating of these causes without classing them, as on a first view it might seem proper to do, into such as are calculated more especially to affect either the physical or moral character of nations, appears to intimate the close connexion which it is understood subsists between the mind and the body, and thus neither can wholly escape being affected by any cause which operates on the other. Thus, though the stature, complexion, peculiar form of the head, the eyes, &c., of the human frame are more strictly referable to the physical causes,-climate and soil; yet the moral causes,ners, custom, and government, which operate more directly on the moral character of man, have no small influence on his body likewise, and more especially on the expression of his countenance and his bearing.

-man

It is not to our purpose to discuss the effects of physical causes: We are to deal only with those which affect the expression of the countenance and the bearing of the body. Such are the moral causes.

The manners and customs of a whole people may be taken as a fair criterion of their morals; and their morals, it will not be disputed, are greatly influenced by the laws which govern them.

When the laws enforce virtue and denounce vice, their observance not only promotes the moral perfection of the people, but, if there is any truth in our proposition, they must likewise impress their beneficial effects on their countenance and bearing; and the reverse to this may be assumed. Thus, whilst one nation is distinguished by an erect body and noble mien, another is marked by a crouching carriage and ignoble countenance. One people evinces a mild and patient character, whilst another exhibits a fierce and impatient spirit. History confirms the

The

truth of these observations. expression of countenance and bearing of the Greeks and Romans was very different in the more virtuous periods of their history from that which they exhibited in their decline.

The manners, customs, and government of most European nations, and consequently their morals, assimilate so nearly in many points, that the natives of each are not now so easily distinguishable as they were some centuries ago; and this, instead of disproving, more strongly corroborates, our position; for, the same moral causes operating, are seen to produce the same effects on the characteristic traits of these nations. Yet shades still exist; in some they are broad and strong; in others, less defined and marked by a fainter outline, they require a more experienced eye to discern then: But even these may be discovered, and are referable to the still prevailing shades in the manners, customs, and government of the respective nations.

But if we remove out of Europe, the effects of the moral causes are more striking. A Turk, a Chinese, an Indian, and an African,* offer, in the expression of their several countenances, and in their deportment, an evidence of the truth of our position.

From what has preceded it will be inferred, that the wisest and most beneficent lawgiver is he who lays down such laws as are calculated to raise the moral and physical qualities of man to the utmost perfection which he is capable of attaining in his present state. Such a code of laws necessarily implies a legislator intimately acquainted with man's nature, the numerous relations in which he will be placed, what he ought to shun and what to cherish. And this knowledge would not avail him without the ability likewise to provide for every case that can possibly arise.

Now, so apparently conflicting are the interests of mankind, the feelings arising from self-love are seemingly so much at variance with

*The two last are included, because we are adverting to moral and not physical

causes.

many of our duties as members of the social state, and so difficult is it to assign wise limits even to our virtues, as well as to those appetites and passions which have been given to man for the wisest and most benevolent purposes, that no human legislator ever has been, or ever will be, found so presumptuous as to pretend to be capable of reconciling all these apparently jarring elements, and of reducing them to order and a beautiful harmony.

HE only who created man, and who knows the inmost recesses of his heart and thoughts, could prepare for him such a code of laws, by the observing of which these discrepancies would vanish, and his nature be raised to its proper dignity.

The utter insufficiency of man to form such a code of laws, offers one of the strongest arguments in support of the truth of revelation. For how much less care of him, than of the brute creation, would it not have argued, had man, amidst so many conflicting passions and interests, been left without that instruction which he so much needs, and which he himself is incapable of affording? The brutes can neither make themselves better nor worse than they have been created: They obey their respective instincts and perform their parts with scarcely any will of their own. But with man it is different: Created from the first a free-agent and a responsible being, he was allowed the power to choose between obedience and disobedience. The lesson afforded at the very outset of his history teaches us that man is not all-sufficient in himself for attaining the perfection of his nature; that without the guidance and instruction of his Maker he would too frequently use his free-agency to his own detriment: And, even now that a full instruction has been vouchsafed, we have presented to our eyes every day the melancholy effects of man's repeated disobedience.

Human lawgivers appear to be chiefly occupied in framing laws for augmenting the power and wealth of their respective communities; and those laws, often detrimental to other nations, have likewise too frequently

proved injurious to the moral character of their own people.

It is only through Divine Laws that man can attain to his proper dignity and perfection. They alone can promote the happiness and welfare of the whole human race, without inflicting evil upon any; and it is their exclusive character to be calculated for all people, for all ages, and for all places. It may assuredly then be affirmed, that, in proportion only as human laws are based on the immutable laws of the Deity, will they be calculated to promote the true happiness of a people, and to impress them with a moral character.

which

From the foregoing premises we are led to conclude that no people ought to exhibit a more noble bearing, or an aspect more expressive of virtuous habits and elevated sentiments, than the people to whom the Deity Himself vouchsafed to be the Legislator. It is impossible, on carefully examining the tendency of those laws, not to perceive how well their observance is calculated to raise man to the highest perfection which his present state is capable of attaining. There is no virtue, no good feeling, that is not enforced; no vice, no weakness, that is not denounced. That command, especially, renders it imperative upon every Israelite to study profoundly his law, to have always before his eyes the wise and beneficent precepts which it contains, in order that his conduct in every particular may be conformed to them, joined to the habit of constantly dwelling on the sublime truths which he finds in almost every page of the sacred volume, it must be confessed, is eminently calculated, not only to render them truly good, but to extend their beneficent effects on the aspect and bearing of the whole nation, if it be admitted that virtuous habits of mind and action have any influence at all on the external appearance of man.

Let us see how far this opinion agrees with what we find in the Scriptures themselves. Moses, when enforcing upon the people the observance of the laws and statutes which their God had given them, says, that, among other good effects, "The Lord will take away from thee