grounds. A wish to have both a comfortable and a quiet Sabbath made Saturday her busiest day; she prepared every thing on the Saturday, and had even gone so far as to make up the little sitting room, and lay the breakfast things the night before. Walters always liked a little hot dinner on Sunday; he was accustomed to it when he was a single man, and never used to dine at home but on that day; and when he set up in business he had calculated so much on being disturbed at meals, that he adhered to the custom of making his Sunday dinner the only one he reckoned on for comfort. [To be continued.]

THE OLD PHYSICIAN.

In a small town in the north of Germany, a short time back, lived a Physician, who was celebrated in all the country round, for his great skill and learning, and well known also for his humanity towards the poor, and the sick, whom he made it his delight to relieve in every way, One thing, however, was wanting to this old man, without which nothing could give happiness, I mean the peace of God through Christ crucified, His youth had been spent during the time when infidelity reigned triumphant in the German Universities, and in the literary circles of society, and he had not resisted the torrent, the progression of light, as was then called that denial of the light of the world, without which there can exist nothing but the most profound darkness, and real barbarisin, however it may be disguised under the deceitful exterior of a corrupt and a corrupting civilization. The father of Erdinann, such was the name of our Physician, had been a pious and faithful minister of the Word of God, and he had often sounded the words of divine truth, and the name of the Saviour of sinners in t the ears of his son; but his son bad rejected these doctrines, as incompatible with we know not what freshly constructed philosophical system, which he had brought back with him from the University, and from that time had continued to follow; thus for fifty years he had lived without prayer, without bible, without religion, without communion, and, as he afterwards said, without God in the world. He looked upon all these things but as so many means of useful restraints for the vulgar and the ignorant, and for them alone. He had but one principle; to do well and to fear nobody; and as by the expression to fear nobody, he meant likewise, not to fear God, it is useless to add, that he alone determined what to do well included. Live and let live; was also the maxim of his practical life. The pleasures of the table, of society, and of card playing, had, together with the business of his profession, sufficed to draw him off from all serious reflections as to his future state. And in this manner he had reached the age of seventy six.

But the infirmities of old age were now beginning to come upon him. Confined to the house with a most obstinate cough, and left quite alone, he began to feel himself very miserable. His ill humour was felt by those about him. Never having been married, his coachman and his old housekeeper were the only beings he had to torment. His sleepless nights were spent in alternately ringing his bell, scolding, and threatening. It is with individuals as it is with nations; when they

have not peace within, they accuse those around them, as being the cause of all their troubles and disquietudes. Our poor old man felt himself bowed beneath the hand of One more powerful than himself, who was saying to him, "Set thy house in order, for thou shalt die." But he strove long to resist the call. Often he invited to his table men as little serious as himself, with whom he affected great cheerfulness, and a good appetite, to hide from them as well as from himself, the feeble remains of life, which still existed within him, and at such times, the flatterers who surrounded him, would praise his good looks, and appear astonished at his vigour, and would talk eagerly of the fiftieth anniversary of his doctorate, which they hoped to celebrate in a few months.

"

At this period, there came to this little town where Erdmann resided, an old preacher, who had formerly been a friend of his at the University. The first time that the friends were alone together, the old Physician, with an anxious countenance, asked his friend this serious question; "Do you think we have sufficient proofs of the immortality of the soul?" This gave rise to a long conversation, the result of which was, "that the philosophical proofs of the immortality of the soul are not conclusive; that we cannot arrive at any certainty on the subject, but that we may consider ourselves happy, if we can think ourselves immortal!"

It is unnecessary to say that this conversation did but add to the secret anguish of the old Physician. He opened his mind on the subject to one of his friends, who was assisting him in drawing up his will; adding, that if the immortality of the soul could be clearly proved to him, he should die happy. Alas, this was but another and an equally fatal error for him to fall into ; and yet how many infidels have done the same, as if immortality of itself alone, may not prove the most dreadful of all miseries. And this is why the Bible in no part speaks of immortality as a simple theory; it tells us of an eternal happiness, or of an eternal misery, of a resurrection unto life, or a resurrection unto condemnation. And indeed God only hath immortality, (1 Tim. vi. 16); and he alone who hath life, imperishable life in God, hath an immortality which is to him a subject of consolation and joy. Jesus Christ often joins the very promise of resurrection to the actual possession of spiritual life (John vi. 40, 54.)

Erdmann was advised to send for the new minister of the parish, who had but just entered upon his office, and have some conversation with him. He shook his head incredulously; "Do you think," he answered, "that a young man can teach me that which my friend, who is so learned, and so full of experience could not, though he has lived and studied fifty years longer than that young preacher has ?" At last, however, he was persuaded, by a young medical man, who was attending him, and had been a friend and fellow student of the young minister, to ask him to come and visit him, and from that time the two young men frequently met at the Physician's house. But generally speaking, the conversation was not such as the servant of God could have desired. He wished to speak faithfully and plainly of death and of judgment to an old man so near his departure; but every time that he attempted to give

the conversation a serious turn, the Physician taking advantage of the ascendancy which his age and his powers of conversation gave him, turned the discourse into another channel. The pastor was much grieved at this, and notwithstanding his inexperience of the world, and of mankind, he resolved, after having in vain waited for a favorable opportunity, to speak out plainly at all events to the poor old man who was ever putting off to a future time the interests of his soul. He felt that his high office rendered it important that his time should not be frittered away in this manner. One day therefore when the old man was taking leave of him, and like Felix, putting off to a more convenient season, the important subject, pressing the young clergyınan at the same time to come again soon; the minister of Christ said gently but very seriously; "dear Sir, I am extremely grateful to you for the kindness with which you have received me, I am at present a stranger in this town, and I am most anxious to shew my gratitude to you; but the duties of my ministry so occupy my time, that I have none to spare in merely useless conversation; if you seriously desire to talk with me of your soul and the things of salvation, be so kind as to send for me, and I shall only be too happy to come to you at any hour you may desire." The Physician looked at the speaker for a moment with a mixture of astonishment and irritation; but very soon recovering himself, he held out his hand to him in a friendly manner, saying, "well, when I do send for you, pray remember that you do come to me."

Three days after this conversation the Physician's old coachman came to the pastor's house, and begged that he would come at once to his master, as he was very anxious to see him. He accordingly went instantly, and found the old man in bed, though he had kept up as long he could in order to hide from himself how very ill he was. After the first greeting, the sick man of his own accord asked the minister the same question which had often caused him so much anguish of spirit, and this gave rise to the following conversation.

"Do you really think that the soul is immortel ?" "I have not the slightest doubt of the matter, and it would be little to believe this alone: I believe besides, that you and I, Sir, shall after our death, be eternally happy, or eternally miserable.".

Prove this to me."

"It appears to me, that without saying much on the subject, you carry the proofs of it in your own breast. From whence come those fears, and that anxiety which assail you even at the thoughts of the near approach of death? Is it not, because your conscience bears witness within you, that after death, there is something to hope or to fear ?”

"That may be. But prove that all this is true; for I ask for proofs, and you do not expect, I presume, that I should believe, what you advance, on the mere word of such a young man as you."

66 Assuredly not. My person, or my age have nothing at all to do with the question; and as you desire proofs, we will listen to them from the lips ofa man who is older than you or I, by eighteen hundred years; aye, and much more than that, for He has been from time

everlasting. Have you a Bible?" The Physician thought for an instant, and then said, "Yes, I have a Bible;" then calling his old housekeeper, he desired her to go and fetch his Bible out of a drawer which was filled with relics of antiquity. The Book of God, which had never been read by him, since the time of his confirmation, was brought. The Minister took it, and on opening it read with some emotion the following words, which were written on the blank page of the sacred volume, and which proved that the hand of the good Shepherd had been extended towards this wandering sheep, while he was yet at a distance from him: I give this Bible to my dear son Gottwerth, on the eighth anniversary of his birthday; and I beseech the God of all grace, that He will, by the power of His Word and of His Sprit. bring my child to a knowledge of the true faith, to a holy life, and to a blessed deathW. Erdmann.

W. Erdmann was the grandfather of our Physician, and had been a Minister full of faith and zeal, and a christian poet of most distinguished talent: his name is still blessed in many of the churches in Germany, who have received as a rich heritage from him, those truly spiritual hymns which they sing to their edification and comfort. Among others, the churches are indebted to him for that beautiful hymn which begins by these words, "Jesus Christ receiveth sinners," of the most popular among them, it may be found in most collections, and has been known by heart from their very infancy, by all christians in Germany.

one

"See," said the Minister, after reading to the Physician the words his grandfather had written, "your ancestor who left this legacy to his son, departed this life long ago, in the hope of a blessed eternity; your father has followed him; they are now rejoicing before the Throne of God, with the spirits of just meu made perfect; and it is there we also must meet them; is not this your de: ire ?" "Yes, I own it is," said the sick man, evidently affected. "But how can I believe in the reality of these things ?"

The Minister then, with the Bible in his hand, set before him the proofs of everlasting life, resting them on the foundation of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, à fact which every reasonable man must admit as unanswerably confirmed by History. He who holds the keys of hell and of death, who was dead,; and is alive for evermore, caused His Spirit to accompany His Word; the sick man listened with increasing atterition, and agitation, and at length cried out; I will believe this, I must believe it. I wish to get rid of my unbelief. my unbelief. But explain to me, if there is really a never-ending life, how can we attain it? What must be done to mabe us worthy of enjoying it ?""

"To answer your question according to the manner in which you have put it," said the young pastor, “I will tell you that there are two ways of reaching eternal life; one which includes all that must be done to be counted worthy of attaining thereto, this way is by the

· Every verse ends with those must comforting words, with which the enemies of our Saviour reproached him, (Luke xv. 2.) It would be impossible to describe the effect produced by the repetition of them after each verse, set to beautiful music, and sung by a numerous assembly, *,

law. The faithful servant of Christ then set before him the divine law in all its holiness, in all its inflexible strictness, in all its exactions, extending even to the most secret feelings of the heart, and how it requires an entire life, which has never, in the slightest degree, failed in the fulfilment of its very strictest demands, and then added; "if your life agrees with this demand, and you have kept the whole law; then you have a right to eternal life. But examine yourself most seriously!" "Oh! no, no! I have not lived after this manner. But, if it is as you say, all my past life is lost, and I can never have any hope of eternal life." "I rejoice to see that you understand that God cannot be satisfied with a few outward acts, with some good works, but that he demands an entire life of holiness. A law would no longer be a law, if to keep it partly would suffice." « What

do you mean by saying that you rejoice!" cried thie old man." I again repeat, that if you are right, and I own that my conscience tells me that you are, I am lost! For my life is just at its close. I am on the borders of the grave; and I have no time to make amends for the past." "This is very true, and you may add, that were you as young as I am, and could you live without sin to your present advanced age, that could not atone for the least of your sius before God. All the power of the universe could not prevent an act from being an act, nor make that which is, to be as if it were not. Now sin is an act which

exists in the sight of God." "But how then is it pos

sible to be saved? How can I be saved? I cannot, I perceive, offer to God those good qualities which men have praised in me; they were the result of my natural disposition; I have never done anything for God; I have never kept His law. What can I offer to Him ?" Offer Him the merits and the perfect righteousness of His dear Son; nothing else can save you!"

"I do not understand you; pray explain what you mean.":

"Do you not know that God himself has begun and finished the deliverance of sinners, condemned by the law? Here the Minister explained to the old man the glad tidings of redemption through Jesus Christ; he read and dwelt upon the 22d of Luke beginning at the 39th v., and then spoke to him of the ministry of reconciliation with God, from the th chapter of the 2nd epistle to the Corinthians at the 14th versc. This doctrine, or rather these most wonderful proofs of the love of God towards His lost and rebellious creatures, sunk into the accusing conscience, and the miserable and doubting heart of the sick man, and fell like a gentle balm, on a fiery wound, and like soft and pure light dispelling the dark shades of night. These words of heavenly mercy, were received by the thirsting soul who listened to them, as that which could alone meet the helplessness of his case, and bore as powerful a witness to themselves in his heart, as the words of the law had done to his conscience. After a very long and solemn silence, the old man exclaimed, as if a new world had been unfolded before his eyes. "Yes, it is indeed a blessed message which you have declared to me. But," he added with a saddened look, "I do not think it is addressed to me; for what can I do to believe in Jesus Christ,

you

"This is the work of God, that we believe on Him and that God will forgive me my sins for His sake?" whom he hath sent."-"But why do you not already look upon all that has been going on in your heart, during this conversation as His work? It is not I who have done it; neither is it you; you would still be in that fatal security which have rested in for so many years, had you been left to yourself."-" I believe this; but still Do not make things more difficult than they are; God, now, by His word, (and he cannot deceive you) offers you pardon and free salvation, purchased for you by our blessed Saviour. Pray, therefore, that He will give you faith to lay hold of this salvation."" Pray! I do not know how to pray! I have never prayed!"-" Still you can pray, just as he who is perishing with hunger or with thirst can call out for bread or for water. In the same way, can you in the extremity of your wretchedness, call upon God; that will be praying. God will not wait for eloquent addresses before he delivers you; He waits but for the cry from the heart. If you wish it, we wil pray together."

The sick man consented, and the minister after pleading with the Saviour His own blessed promise, Matthew xviii. 19, 20, poured out his soul before God with all the ardour of faith, and the unction of love. It pleased God not to withold the manifestations of His grace.

The sick man who had at first followed in silence the intercession of the servant of Jesus Christ, ended by repeating aloud each supplication, as it proceeded from his lips, till his heart, touched and broken, burst forth into sobs and tears, and his friend was forced to stop, that his own might flow with those of the poor penitent. He took leave of him, firmly convinced in his own mind, that through God's mercy another soul was saved.

Early on the following morning, the old coachman was at the minister's door, and he could not cease from recounting the miraculous change which had taken place in his master. "My master used to spend the night in ringing his bell, in scolding, and in swearing. But last night he was so kind to us all! He begged that we would all go to bed and sleep, for he hoped, he said to sleep himself. However the housekeeper sat up in the room adjoining iny master's; and she heard him praying and reading his Bible aloud, and at last he fell quietly asleep. This morning he seems quite happy, and his first orders to me were to come and fetch you, Sir."

The young pastor, found the sick man in a peaceful frame of mind, believing in his salvation, but thinking he did not believe, because that on many important points, he was still full of ignorance and doubt. All these points he brought before the minister, who answered them from scripture. The old man hearing the young clergyman speak of some portions of the Psalms as particulaly comforting and useful to him in his state of mind, said he would learn them by heart, so that he might be able to repeat them, during the long silence of his sleepless nights. Indeed his whole time was spent in improving himself in the knowledge of the scriptares, either by reading when alone, or by the explanations which he sought daily from his minister. He was at last blessed with the assured hope of his salvation, and

from that time his remaining days were spent in praise and thanksgiving. He begged to be allowed to receive the holy communion, never having partaken ofit since the time when he was first admitted to the holy ordinance. On the day fixed for this affecting ceremony, the Minister found the dying man, who had not before left his bed for a week, seated at his table, dressed in black, and as for a festival. He uncovered his venerable head, the hair of which was white as snow, and joined with all his heart in the sacred service, and when about to partake of the holy ordinance, and communicate with Him who had given Himself for him, and who was now, spiritu ally, about to give Himself to him, he pushed back his chair, threw himself on his knees, without any regard to his extreme weakness, and poured out his soul before God in prayer full of unction, and thanksgivings full of ardour. Ah, he now knew how to pray

!

Four days afterwards the Minister went to see him ; it was Sunday, and the old man received him with even more affection than usual; and stretching out his hand to him, he said, "I think I shall go to day." The pastor prayed with him, and on taking leave, he heard him repeat in a feeble voice the beginning of that fine Psalm; "The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want."

After divine service when the minister returned, he found that the old man had fallen asleep without agony, or suffering of any kind! His redeemed spirit had already joined the spirits of his father and his grandfather in that rest which remaineth for the people of God.

Parents, you who have at heart the salvation of your children, who pray for them, who set before them the Word of Life, take courage; let not doubt overwhelm you, though perhaps you may for a long time see them walking in the path of error. He, whose faithful promise extends to a thousand generations, He has heard your supplications; He will yet save the child of your prayers, though it should be at the eleventh hour.

The Ancient People of God. "HATH God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite.-God hath not cast away his people;" such were the words of the great Apostle to the Gentiles, now more than 1800 years ago, and time, far from giving cause to doubt the Divine inspiration of the Scriptures, hath but added its seal to their testimony, and as the objections which have been raised of other portions of Scripture, are denied by Christians as containing any proofs, why should this passage, if not avowedly declared to be written without the inspiration of God, be acted upon as if it were so ?

It may be argued how can we tell that God hath "not cast away his people ?" the Scriptures decide for us, that He has not; and it may be enquired, whether cast off from the favour of the Almighty for ever or not; what have those of any other faith to do with this subject, one which, though of so much importance to the Jew, is so indifferent to the nominal Christian: and much, very much have we to do with the subject, unimportant as it may appear to him who is a Christian in name alone.

If the Word which declares the Jews are not cast away by God be untrue, we may justly believe the whole of the records of the creation and the Redemption to be untrue likewise, and if they are untrue, our faith is vain, there is no vital difference between the heathen and the Christian;

and if we say, the Scriptures inform us the Jews are not cast away, but we believe from their present state of misery they are, therefore we believe the Scriptures to be untrue, we may as well say, the same Word informs us that the sincere followers of Christ shall reign with Him in His kingdom of glory, shall have crowns of unfading lustre bestowed upon them, but many of His most sincere and devoted followers are among the humblest dwellers upon earth, the most lowly in station as well as in mind, therefore we believe the Scriptures to be untrue when speaking of their future exaltation; we might quite as justly say one as the other, therefore there can be no surprise that the Israelite should as much believe his state of trial, his long and bitter captivity is but for a period, as the Christian believes that his affliction is but for a moment, is light when com pared with the glory which shall be revealed. We cannot be surprised that the Israelite should tenaciously hold to the promise given to his forefathers of future exaltation; and, that while it assists him to bear his oppressions, giving a tone of elasticity to his mind which no tyranny could break, no lengthened persecution could destroy; we cannot wonder that it shall also make him look with a mind exaspe rated to its utmost point of endurance, upon the Christian who declares to the contrary and acts towards them ac cordingly, and make him render back with the spirit of a heathen, scorn for his bitter scorn, and hatred for his uncalled for oppresion. Believing as they do, that the nations of Canaan which they were commanded to destroy were Christians, and that He whose name we bear was an impostor, it can cause no surprise that they should look upon us as nations if not to be destroyed, at least to be in our turn their captives, when the day of their glory shall come.

And why should we place so many difficulties in the way of their becoming united with us under one Head; why should we place so many obstacles in their path choked as it already is, with the seeds of tradition and error, growing on apace for centuries; does not the same Parent watch ov er both the Jew and the Gentile, does not the same sun shine upon both, though a still higher Sun sheds its bright beams of light but upon the hearts of a few of Israel's sons. Could we but know their constant sufferings, and the tenacity with which they cling to their hopes of glory and greatness, we should not believe that a benificent Creator has ordained, that they alone of all the human race should endure the miseries of this life, without the hope of happiness hereafter, still less would humanity lead us to place before them such an opinion, and seek to destroy that principle which has sustained the captive, and given endurance to the oppressed; surely among one of the greatest of our sins against this people, this one will stand forth with the greatest prominence when confronted we appear before the bar of eternal Justice.

It is true that nationally for many ages they have been removed from the especial favour of God, but individually they have ever been as much received to His favour as the heathen, or the individual who, without consent of his own has been enlisted under the banner of Christ, manfully to fight against His enemies, and who, after long years becomes awakened to the import of the name he bears; and that they are not nationally removed from the favour of God for ever, some of the strongest language of the Bible informs us, as in Jeremiah, "Thus saith the Lord, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; the Lord of hosts is his name; if those ordinances depart from before me, saith the Lord, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever," and again, "Thus saith the Lord; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I

will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the Lord."

And what has been the result of our acting towards them as if removed from the favour of God for ever; one result alone is sufficient to convince us of our error; we have prevented them accepting our faith, and where that has been received in many cases no open declaration has been made, retaining still the name of their religion, though believers in our own; instances are continually occurring, for though in some foreign lands an Israelite gains little in the estimation of the inhabitants by becoming a Christian, yet in our own we might expect their treatment to be different, but there are frequent accounts in England of those who will not openly renounce Judaism, so indignant do they feel to Christians at their conduct towards them. Among many others it is mentioned that a few years ago an Israelite who had obtained a high reputation as an artist, receiving much kindness from a Christian actively engaged in promoting the welfare of this people, and acquiring confidence in him, informed him that both he and his brother, who from their earliest years had been among Christians, had embraced our faith, but that he felt too indignant at the conduct of Christians, both to them and their people openly to profess it, and he recommended most strongly that all efforts for this people should be made in the language and conduct of affection and kindness, and that far from leading them to suppose we believe they are for ever removed from the favour of God, that we should shew to them that we consider they were the first people upon earth in the ages now past, and are still the chosen people of God.

A painful instance of our conduct to them was displayed some years ago in Germany, when on a small town in that country having been destroyed by fire, a Jew subscribed a considerable sum for its rebuilding, when but a very few years after wishing to pass through the town, he was stopped at the gates, and refused an entrance, a law of the place commanding all Israelites to be refused admittance...

But in all the countries where they are in the most miserable condition those in Persia call for our greatest sympathy; oppressed as they are in all lands, in this their treatment is the most aggravated; in vain do they seek to leave it, the government will not permit them, and so fearful is it of their doing so, that individuals trading to India are obliged to go alone, and leave their families and some of their property behind to insure theit return. To use their own language," our captivity is dreadful in all lands, our oppressions grievous to bear, but our sufferings in the land of Iran are greater than in any other." The Rev. Mr. Wolff, so long a missionary among his brethren in Persia, gives a most painful account of their state, where their numbers are very great, and where in some instances to escape the oppression of the inhabitants they have become Mahommedans,in name atleast, adding a fresh source of affliction to their more steadfast brethren, who mourn over them much as we should do at Christians becoming converts to Judaism; their priests here are in a very low state, frequently seen sitting on the ground at the door of some wretched abode, forming a painful contrast to the days when their priests were the presenters of their sacrifices to the Almighty, and their High Priest was the type of the Messiah that should come.

Mr. Wolff mentions how exactly in the streets of one of the chief cities of Persia, the words of the prophet Amos were fulfilled, "wailing shall be in all streets, and they shall say in all the highways, alas! alas ! and they shall call the husbandman to mourning, and such as are skilful of lamentation to wailing;" he says, that "on entering the Jewish quarter at Shiraz, I saw old and young men, and old and young women, sitting in the street and begging; their heads were bowed down to the ground, and fainting,

and stretching out their hands, they cried after me with a fainting voice; only one penny, I am a poor Israelite, a poor Israelite. I distributed some trifle among them, and several said to me; we have heard that you are a son of Israel, and have brought with you the Gospel in Hebrew, give it to us. While I was speaking to them, I heard the unhappy People crying, I am an Israelite, a poor Israelite, one penny, only one, I am a poor Israelite." And he adds, no wonder that the harp is silent and mute among them for they are indeed a poor Israel."

From the melancholy view of their depressed state in this country, how gladly does the mind turn to that small body of this people who are not in the same depressed condition; like the winding stream in the desert whose banks are irrigated and fertile proclaim to the wearied traveller refreshment and shelter, so do the Caraite Jews present relief to the mind, when considering the wanderings and afflictions of the Hebrew people; their utmost number. not exceeding perhaps five thousand, they continue a remnant of the true Israelites, for what purpose preserved no one can presume to decide, though we may, perhaps, suppose they have been so to shew us the beauty of the former dispensation, and while they lead us to consider the more perfect one established when the Messiah appeared, they also lead us to look still onward to the far greater beauty of that which shall be. Everywhere esteemed, everywhere honest and industrious, the Caraites are free from the oppressions of their brethren, neither have we the slightest reason to believe that they are partakers in the great guilt of their nation; they declare their fathers had no part in the crucifixion of the Saviour, and their statements on every subject are undoubted by those among whom they dwell. In Lithuania they have been settled about four hundred years, and in the Crimea about six hundred, their celebrated fortress in the latter place, termed the Jews' Castle, contains still in the sepulchral grove attached, tombstones in the Hebrew language, one of which Dr. Clarke mentions as being dated five hundred and seventy years ago: they state themselves to have separated from their nation so early as the Babylonish captivity, and, bitter enemies as the Rabbinical Jews are to them, and whose statement gives a very different account; modern travellers where they are settled, mention that there is no foundation for doubting what they affirm, as to the early time of their separation from the Jewish nation. It has been aserted that they are the lawyers of our Saviour's time, but their own denial and the want of proofs to establish this have caused the supposition to be considered incorrect. In the scriptures we are led to believe, that' where the Hebrew people have not had the Christian faith offered to them, that still the Almighty requires that they should adhere to the ancient faith delivered to them,-and well would it have been had this been the case, without the traditions of fiuite man to alter, and as they consider, to improve the commands of an Infinite God-and the Caraites present to us a people who have, and still do adhere to the faith of their forefathers exhibited in the Old Testament: peaceable, honest, and industrious, everywhere esteemed, and everywhere treated with respect, so honest, so peaceful indeed is their life, that a Christian writer has asserted no criminal judgment was passed upon any individual of one of their colonies for four hundred years.

Mr. Wolff, found a settlement of these people established at three days' journey from Bagdad, in the desert of Hit; they give their early history as being those who mourned for the corruptions which had sprung up during the Chaldean captivity, and to imprint the Scriptures without tradition firmly within their hearts, they studied them constantly, and read them incessantly, and from thence were termed Caraites or readers, which name they have since retained, and fearing to become partakers in the