meek and forgiving spirit that marked her character and conduct during her desertion. But it was with the condition that she should be unmolested in regard to her religious opinions, and the discharge of her Christian duties,—a condition to which Red-Jacket willingly acceded. Their conjugal relations having thus been re-established, the chieftain and his wife continued to live together with their usual harmony, until a divorce was pronounced by a summons from another world."*

While our author speaks as the friends of religion would wish him to speak of the duty and value of missionary efforts among the Indians, it is evident that his anticipations of their future destiny are altogether gloomy. We are not prepared to reject these views. But concerning one thing we trust no Christian will allow himself to doubt or hesitate; and that is, that it is the duty of us, who possess the country which once they occupied, and who have gradually crowded them off to remote settlements, as long as any of their tribes remain, to SEND THEM THE GLORIOUS GOSPEL. This duty is undoubtedly devolved upon us as a Christian people. If we neglect it, no other portion of the evangelized population of our globe will probably consider themselves as called upon to attempt the work. And even if it should prove to be the will of God that they all melt away, and that, fifty years hence, there should not be an Indian remaining in the United States; still, can any one who has a Christian heart doubt, that, in the mean time, we are bound to do all in our power to secure the eternal welfare of some of that unhappy people whose well being in this world we are likely to destroy-by taking the advantage of their weakness and ignorance-by imparting to them our worst vices and by almost every form of fraud and oppression by which craft and power may root out and extinguish a weaker party. In all this we have no doubt, from the spirit of his work, that our author would entirely concur.

But while we contend earnestly for the duty and importance of American Christians sending the gospel to the Indians, we are persuaded there is also more importance than is commonly imagined, in selecting men of the right stamp for this purpose. However sincerely pious and well meaning a missionary to those people may be, unless he have, over and above his other qualifications, something of that native sagacity, good sense, and knowledge of human nature which so eminently characterize the Indians, he had

* "I have derived the facts of this relation respecting Red-Jacket and his second wife, directly from Mr. Harris, the missionary, himself."

better not attempt to minister to them. Unless we mistake, we have known missionaries thus employed, who, though, persons of excellent moral and religious character, were adapted to do little or no good,-perhaps in some cases harm in that field of labour.

Red-Jacket died in 1830, in the 78th year of his age. For nine years after his decease, our author informs us, neither a stone, nor any other memorial marked his grave. But during the summer of 1839, an actor, connected with the New York theatre, by the name of Placide, while on a visit to Buffalo, determined that the place of his sepulture should no longer be undistinguished. Under his direction a subscription was set on foot, and a neat marble slab erected over the grave of the departed chief, bearing his Indian and English names, his age and the date of his death, and representing him as the friend and protector of his people.

Here we take leave of our respected author. We feel indebted to him for a truly valuable work, which we take for granted the literary public will have discernment enough to patronize. We are glad to learn from his preface, that he has in view, and hopes to accomplish the publication of two other historical works. We shall anticipate their appearance with interest, and shall be glad to meet him again in a field in which he has done so well.

The typography, and the general style of elegance in which this work is "gotten up," are worthy of high praise. It is accompanied by a likeness of Red-Jacket, which we think no one can contemplate without feeling that he is looking upon the image of a very remarkable man.

ART. II.—1. Joannis Calvini in Librum Geneseos Commentarius. Ad editionem Amstelodamensem accuratissime exscribi curavit E. Hengstenberg. Berolini.

Pars Prior, pp. 276. Pars Altera. pp. 277. 8vo. 1838. 2. Kommentar über die Genesis von Dr. Friedrich Tuch, Privatdocent an der Universität zu Halle. 8vo. pp. 896. Halle, 1838.

3. A Companion to the Book of Genesis. By Samuel H. Turner, D. D. Prof. Bib. Lit. and Interp. of Scrip. in the Theol. Sem. of the Prot. Epis. Church, and of the Hebrew Lang. and Lit. in Columbia College, New York. 8vo. pp. 405. New York and London. 1841.

4. A Family Exposition of the Pentateuch. By the Rev. Henry Blunt, M. A., Rector of Streatham, Surrey, Chaplain to his Grace the Duke of Richmond, and formerly Fellow of Pembroke College, Cambridge-Genesis-First American from first London edition: 12mo. pp. 235. Philadelphia, 1841.

If it be true, as has been said, that every generation must supply itself with books, and if this be true of sacred no less than of secular literature, it behooves the censors of the public press to watch with lively interest, both the quantity and quality of the supply which is, from time to time, afforded. When the quantity is deficient it becomes an urgent duty to incite those who are already qualified to active labour, and, where such are wanting, to create them, as it were, by inducing men of talent to qualify themselves for this peculiar kind of usefulness. When, on the other hand, the quality of such productions, whether few or many, is below the standard fixed by sound scholarship, good taste, and the necessities of the church, no efforts should be spared, upon the part of those who influence the public judgment, to supply what is deficient and correct what is erroneous, by discriminating criticism, and by continually holding up to view the highest models and severest rules, as standards of comparison. How far the course pursued by professional critics is in actual accordance with this statement of their duty, it is not for us to say. Still less are we entitled to pass judgment on the biblical and theological department of literary criticism, and least of all upon our own humble labours. We may say, however, that we have endeavoured to afford our readers the necessary means by which to form a correct notion of the gradual accessions to our stores of sacred learning. And in so doing, we have done enough, undoubtedly, to show that this important field has not of late been suffered to lie waste without attempts at cultivation. A year ago we took occasion to examine the comparative merits of three new works upon Isaiah. We have now a like duty to discharge in reference to four works upon Genesis. We are glad that this part of scripture still continues to receive attention. Its importance has been too long and too greatly underrated. We have seen, with much surprise, a disposition on the part of some who occupy themselves with sacred learning, to select as special objects of attention, those parts of scripture where the difficult and interesting questions which present themselves are almost purely of a litera

ry nature; where the bearing of the exposition upon doctrines, or duties, or the general meaning of the word of God, is remote or incidental; where the most successful exegesis adds but little to the aggregate amount of knowledge, and the least successful takes but little from it. This suggestion, we are well aware, is liable to be misunderstood, as tending to encourage an irreverent discrimination between books and parts of books, equally canonical and equally inspired. To save ourselves from such an imputation, let us add that we maintain the absolute equality, in this respect, of all parts of the bible, and that we do not even mean to make allusion to a supposed distinction in the relative importance of the subjects, which are treated of in different parts. Even supposing them to be alike in this respect, and equally difficult of exposition, it is certain that there still may be a most material difference in the very nature of the difficulties which exist. In one case these may arise from an apparent inconsistency with other parts of scripture, if not with the immediate context, or from the doubtful import of the very words and phrases upon which the general meaning of the passage turns; while in another case, the general sense is undisputed, as well as its agreement with the rest of scripture, but particular expressions are of such a nature as to furnish full employment to the most laborious critic, for an indefinite length of time. Between such cases there is certainly a difference, altogether independent of the nature of the subject, and entirely unconnected with the question of authority or inspiration. And what we speak of as surprising is that some, who feel an unaffected interest in biblical interpretation, should expend their strength upon those questions, the solution of which tends the least to throw light on the scriptures as a whole. This disposition has been greatly fostered by the example of the modern German critics, most of whom regard the scriptures as precisely on a level with the Greek and Roman classics, and are therefore naturally led to dwell upon those parts which afford most room for the display of ingenuity, refined taste, and antiquarian research. An instance is afforded by the celebrated work of Gesenius on Isaiah, which enters, with the liveliest interest, and the most minute precision, into those parts of the book which relate to the local and temporary interests of ancient nations, while those which are intrinsically of far greater moment, are treated with a superficial brevity, and

often with a negligence disgraceful to the author's reputation. This is all well enough in a professed unbeliever; but it would not look so well in a Christian interpreter, who, if he really possessed a Christian spirit, would instinctively adopt the inverse method, as Vitringa, in his great work on Isaiah, has done. What has now been said in reference to insulated passages or parts of books, is also true of whole books, and we look at the selection which a writer makes, as some imperfect indication of his spirit and his way of thinking. We are not sure, however, that these observations, however just they may be in the general, admit of a specific application to the book of Genesis, because that book contains so much that is attractive to all classes of interpreters, the grammarian, the historian, the antiquary, the geologist, the man of taste, and the devout Christian. Of all these the last we are afraid is usually most apt to undervalue the importance of the subject, not in itself considered, but comparatively. Judging of it merely by the amount of evangelical truth which it explicitly reveals, he naturally, and in one sense justly, sets it far below the subsequent and clearer revelations. But in so doing he is apt to overlook its unspeakable importance as an introduction, and to some extent a key, to those very revelations which seem so much clearer, but which owe their clearness, in great measure, to the gradual and incomplete developments of that inspired preface, which the Holy Ghost has placed at the beginning of the sacred canon. When we trace revelation backwards from its full blaze to its dawn, the latter seems obscure and unsatisfactory, and we are naturally tempted to regard it as no longer worthy of attention; but experience teaches us that by pursuing our researches in an opposite direction, we may often find the paradox verified, that what is comparatively clear may be rendered more so by the aid of what is dark. The earlier parts of revelation were not merely temporary substitutes and preparations for a permanent and final one. If they had been so they would not have been preserved as inseparable parts of the canonical scriptures, but would long since have perished with a multitude not only of uninspired writings, but of inspired communications designed to answer only temporary purposes. With such impressions of the value of this sacred book, not only on its own account, but as a means of illustration to the later scriptures, we are glad to find that the prolific press is actively employed in bringing forth, for its elucidation, things both new and old.