CONTENTS OF NO. III. Anr. I.-Narrative of a Mission of Inquiry to the Jews, from the Church of Scotland, in 1839. Eighth thousand. ART. IL-1. Essays on partial derangement of the Mind in supposed con- 2. A Treatise on Insanity and other Disorders affecting the 4 Dictionarie des Sciences Medicales, Par une Société de 5. Report of the Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane, for ART. III.-The Valley of Vision: or the Dry Bones of Israel Revived. 329 352 380 ART. IV.-History of the Church of Scotland, from the Introduction of Christianity to the period of the Disruption. By the Rev. W. M. Hetherington, A. M. Torphichen. Author of the Fulness of Time, History of the Westminster Assembly of Divines, &c. 403 ART. V.-The General Assembly of 1844. ART. VI.-A Glimpse into the World to Come, in a waking dream. HYPONOIA; or Thoughts on a Spiritual Understanding With some Remarks upon the Parousia, or Second Coming of the Lord Kühner's Grammar of the Greek Language. Ancient History. The Works of the Rev. John Newton. Memoirs of John Kuss. 418 The Harp on the Willows; Remembering Zion; Farewell Annals of the Persecution in the Church of Scotland from the Restoration to the Revolution. Keith's Evidence of the Truth of the Christian Religion. Rev. John Dick's Lectures on the Acts of the Apostles. 1. The Prelatical Doctrine of the Apostolical Succession Ex- 2. Discourses on the Apostolical Succession. THE PRINCETON REVIEW. JULY, 1844. No. III. ART. I.-Narrative of a Mission of Inquiry to the Jews, from the Church of Scotland, in 1839. Eighth thousand. Edinburgh, 1843. 12mo. pp. 555. Or this most interesting volume we would gladly see a reprint in America; but as we are aware of no proposals for this, we shall endeavour to furnish our readers with some of its statements. That these will be welcome to many, we are the rather inclined to believe, because we cannot close our eyes to the fact, that renewed attention is beginning to be paid to this department of missions, and that the expectation of a return of God's ancient people to their own land is becoming more general. Of the origin of the enterprise no better account can be given than that which opens this volume. "The subject of the Jews had but recently begun to awaken attention among the faithful servants of God in the Church of Scotland. The plan of sending a deputation to Palestine and other countries, to visit and inquire after the scattered Jews, was suggested by a series of striking providences in the case of some of the individuals concerned. The Rev. Robert S. Candlish, Minister of St. George's, Edinburgh, saw these providences, and seized on the idea. On the part of our church, the thing was done suddenly,' but it soon became evident that God had prepared the people.' The Committee of our General Assembly, appointed to consider what might be done in the way of setting on foot Missionary operations among the Jews, were led unanimously to adopt this plan, after prayerful and anxious deliberation. Our own anticipations of the result of our inquiries might be described by a reference to Nehemiah, (i. 2, 4.) We thought we could see that, if the Lord brought us home in safety, many people would ask us concerning the Jews that had escaped and were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem'; and that our report might lead not a few to weep, and mourn, and fast, and pray, before the God of heaven,' for Israel. We have good reason to believe that this has been the effect. In Scotland, at least, many more 'watchmen have been set upon the walls of Jerusalem,' men of Nehemiah's spirit, who keep their eye upon its ruins, favouring its very dust, and who will never hold their peace, day nor night, till the Lord make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.' "It was a token for good at the very outset, that Dr. BLACK, Professor of Divinity in the Marischal College, Aberdeen, and Dr. KEITH, Minister of St. Cyrus, whose writings on the evidences from fulfilled prophecy have been so extensively read and blessed, were willing to give themselves to this work, along with two younger brethren, Rev. R. M. M'CHEYNE, Minister of St. Peter's, Dundee, and Rev. ANDREW A. BONAR, Assistant Minister of Collace, Perthshire. Mr. Robert Wodrow, an Elder of our Church, whose whole heart had yearned over Israel for many a year, was also appointed by the Committee, but ill health compelled him reluctantly to decline. Those of us who had parishes to leave behind, felt that, in a case like this, we might act as did the shepherds at Bethlehem, leaving our flocks for a season under the Shepherd of Israel, whose long lost sheep we were now going to seek. Nor have we had any reason to regret our confidence, and one at least of our number found this anticipation of the good Shepherd's care more than realized on his return.” The record of such a tour, extending as it did over parts of France, Italy, Malta, Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Asia Minor, Wallachia, Moldavia, Poland, and Prussia, necessarily affords much general information, of an interesting kind. The biblical and religious character of the enterprise could not but throw much light on many passages of the Word; and the scriptural references in the volume amount to more than nine hundred. But the limits of our article will constrain us to exclude every thing which does not relate to the direct object of the mission, namely the condition and prospects of the Jews. As a book of travels, the volume furnishes delightful reading; and we have certainly never perused a work of this kind which from beginning to end was so imbued with the most affectionate piety. The excellent authors, throughout their pilgrimage, seem to have beheld every object, with hearts subjected to an extraordinary spiritual unction.* * In condensing the more important parts of this narrative, we shall frequently interweave the language of the writers, even when we do not indicate our obligation to them by inverted commas. It adds to the interest of the work, that, while its third edition was passing through the press, one of the brethren above named, the Rev. Mr. M'Cheyne, departed this life. "It was his meat to do the will of his Father, and to finish his work. He carried about with him a deep consciousness of sin, and rested with steady confidence in the righteousness of Immanuel. During the six short years of his ministry, he was the instrument of saving more souls than many true servants of God have done during half a century. But (adds one of his associates) as, in our journey to Jerusalem, he hastened before us all to get a sight of the city of the Great King, so now he has got the start of us all in seeing the New Jerusalem that is to come out of heaven from God." The deputation sailed from Dover on the 12th of April, 1839, and went overland from Boulogne to Marseilles. In this city they learned that there were about a thousand Jews. The Rabbi, whom they met, was a neologian, and a rejecter of the Talmud. In Genoa, there is a synagogue, but there are only about 250 residents. Several have lately became Roman Catholics. In other places, the following numbers are reported: Milan, 1500; Ferrara, 4000; Turin, 1500; Nice, 500; Rome, 5000 or 6000; Gibraltar, 2000. In all the Italian towns, they keep boxes in the synagogues, inscribed, "For Jerusalem," or " For Saphet." The Jews of Italy write pure Hebrew, and not Italian in Hebrew characters. Leghorn is the principal place in Italy for Jews. They number about 10,000. The synagogue is reckoned the finest in Europe, except that of Amsterdam. The place of the ark, and the desk, are of marble. About 500 attended service. Close by the ark stood two Orientals, in Eastern costume, venerable men, with long grey beards, lately come from Jerusalem. There was also an eminent Jew from Saloniki. Such visits are frequent. The deputation visited. the Jews' library, where they saw Hebrew works on the sciences; Hebrew copies of Euclid, Josephus, and Philo, and an Encyclopedia in five volumes. They visited the free school, containing 180 boys, and 80 girls. A Rabbi from Barbary shewed them his Hebrew books, most of which were obscure commentaries. The Jews here are of such importance that their festivals are noted in the almanac. They are governed by a council of forty men, called "Elders." They send about four thousand dollars a year |