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surance, as though it were unanswerable. Let it once more be understood, that Trinitarians say, that they do not believe that God is three, in the same sense that he

is one. The very terms in which they express their belief, refutes the charge. They say that in God, one Being subsists in three persons. How does this appear any more absurd, than to say, in one family are five persons, in one legislature one hundred members? All the differ ence is, we better understand how five persons can subsist in a unity of family, and how one hundred men ean compose one legislative body, than how the three divine persons subsist in one Supreme Being. But the how makes no part of our faith. It deserves not to be dignified with the name of reasoning, to say that our ignorance of the modus existendi of a subject, proves any proposition affirmed of that subject absurd--God said, "let there be light and there was light." Who knows how this light existed, before the sun shone? In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." Who knows, how God accomplished this work of creation? Now, ac cording to Unitarian philosophy, these things, if not understood, are not to be believed. But can we cease to believe, that the heavens and the earth are the works of God? Of this belief, deeply seated in our nature, the cold hand of this icy-hearted philosophy can never divest us.

Whether then the voice of right reason utters a word against the doctrine of the Trinity, let the reader now judge.

We propose in our next to consider, with what truth the "Abstract" declares, that the scriptures "concur" in teaching us, that Christ is not God. TRINITARIAN.

ISAIAH'S MESSAGE TO THE AMERICAN NATION. A New Translation of Isaiah, Chap. xviii.-With Notes Critical and Explanatory, a Remarkable Prophecy, respecting the

Restoration of the Jews, aided by the American Nation; with an Universal Summons to the Battle of Armageddon, and a Description of that solemn Scene. By John M'Donald, A. M. Pastor of the Presbyterian Church, in Chapel st. Albany-Philadelphia, published by A. Finley.-18mo. pp. 107, price 374 cents.

This is a reprint of a publication which was first made about ten years since. The author, whom in early life we intimately knew, was a native of Scotland, educated at the University of Edinburgh, a man of genius, and an accomplished scholar. He had studied the Hebrew language under the erudite Professor ROBINSON, known familiarly in the university and throughout Scotland, by the name of Rabbi Robinson. Mr. M'Donald was himself an excellent Hebrew scholar, and fond of researches and disquisitions which involved a knowledge of Eastern learning. He has been dead for some years past. He favoured us with a copy of this publication when it was first made, and we then read it with a very lively interest. At that time,

in operation in this country in favour of the Jews had been commenced, nor, so far as we know, contemplated. This ought to be noted and remembered; for what has since taken place, entirely uninfluenced, we believe, by this publication, really seems to indicate that the author's interpretation of the prophecy on which he comments, is the true one. Were he now alive, to witness a very respectable society incorporated for meliorating the condition of the Jews, an asylum opening for their reception from foreign countries, affiliated societies, male and female, formed and forming in almost every part of the United States, Jews converted to the Christian faith preaching in our country, and studying theology in our seminaries-he would doubtless felicitate himself, and with better reason than authors often do, that he had been the first to discover and make known the true import of an impor

none of the measures which are now

tant prophecy, delivered more than 2500 years ago, when, in the old world, the American continent was not known to exist. The present republication of Mr. M'Donald's essay -its original form was that of a sermon-has been made, we know, at the instance and under the patronage of the auxiliary society established in the City of Philadelphia, in December 1822, for meliorating the condition of the Jews. We very earnestly recommend it to the purchase and perusal of our readers. The composition is chaste and elegant, and the subject at this time peculiarly important and interesting. On the precise design of any particular prophecy we have always been afraid to pronounce with confidence before the manifest commencement, at least, of its fulfilment-thinking with Sir Isaac Newton in his treatise on the prophecies of Daniel, that these prophecies were not intended to make us prophets. Yet the general import of prophecy every Christian, as he has opportunity, ought certainly to investigate with care: and while, on the one hand, we are not prepared to express a complete conviction that the interpretation here given of a difficult prophecy, is that which events will fully verify, on the other hand, we say explicitly, that we should not dare to maintain the contrary. The present aspect of Jewish concerns among us, strongly favours the interpretation of Mr. M'Donald, and inclines us to believe that events will confirm it.

The author, in his introduction, gives the following account of the manner in which he was led to the

exposition which forms the subject of his essay.

"Commencing a course of morning lectures on Isaiah, upwards of two years ago, the author soon discovered that his knowledge of its contents was beyond conception limited and obscure. Recourse for aid, to such commentators as lay within his reach, convinced him that they were far from being enlightened and satisfactory guides.-Diffuse where they might have been silent; and silent where difficulty and darkness prevailed. Even Calvin, the most VOL. II.-Ch. Adv.

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judicious of that class, very frequently illustrates his Theological system, where he ought to give, and we expect his exposition of the prophecy.

"Disappointed in himself and in his aids, he determined to become his own transla tor, and to keep a steady eye on the prophet, in his manner as well as in his expression. Unless under the influence of he views his labour and patience amply self-deception, a case not very uncommon, repaid.

"On his first approach to this chapter he found it enveloped in darkness impenetrable. Every attempt to discover its meanfound it. ing was fruitless. He left it sealed as he

"Several months elapsed, before a ray of light fell upon it. In the close of the prophecies, and especially in the last chapter, phrases similar to those in this prophecy frequently occurred. He found that they all had a reference to that awful day with which God shall terminate the present, and introduce a more glorious dispensation.

"Under these impressions, he returned chapter to the same event, and the appliand began to apply the contents of this cation appeared natural and satisfactory. Horsley's translation, about the same time, falling in his way, added confidence to his own conjecture. He resolved to publish the result of his inquiries, as they appear related to a scene, on which the present aspect of Providence seems to invite the public eye. The view of the prophecy as here exhibited, is calculated to press on the American mind the important part which Heaven has destined our nation to act in this wonderful drama. Pious stu

dents in Theology, it is hoped, may also be stirred up to prepare themselves or their successors to undertake the divine em

bassy to which God will call them in providence, as he now calls them in his prophecy.

"The author relies, in confidence, on the candour and indulgence of those best qualified to judge of the subject, with its evidence and the execution."

known the scope or purport of the The following extract will make

whole essay.

Isaiah, Chap. XVIII-General View of the Chapter.

1. "God calls aloud on the American nation-her situation and national characteristics described-sheltered under the outspread wings of her own eagle-placed beyond the rivers of Cush, at that time the western boundary of Jewish geographical knowledge- sending ambassadors by sea and in vessels of reeds on the face of her Ꮓ

own waters. 2. A commission given to her gospel messengers, represented as qualified and prepared to carry her message to the dispersion of Jacob-his description of this people-scattered-plundered-subjected to terror in the extreme -of marvellous expectation-in deep oppression, whose country is in complete desolation. 3. A summons to all the inhabitants of the world on seeing the standard unfurled and hearing the sound of the trumpet to prepare and hasten to the battle of God. 4. Jehovah's private message to the prophet, stating the nature of his providential dispensation till the time of the battle. 5. A prophetic vision of the battle under the smilitude of the destruction of a vineyard on the very eve of vintage. 6. A view of the field of battle,

COMMON TRANSLATION.

with the armies and their principal leader, abandoned unburied, to birds and beasts of prey. 7. The American nation, uniting with the friends of Christ of all nations, in presenting the Jews wonderfully changed, as an oblation to God of the first fruits of men, in Mount Zion."

The author presents us with four translations of the xviii. chapter of Isaiah-the common version, compared with his own, and the versions of Bishop Lowth and Bishop Horsely, compared with each other. We doubt not it will gratify many of our readers to see these several versions. We therefore insert them entire.

ISAIAH, CHAP. XVIII.

1. Woe to the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia.

2. That sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters, saying, Go, ye swift messengers, to a nation scattered and peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled!

3. All the inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye.

4. For so the LORD said to me, I will take my rest, and I will consider in my dwelling place like a clear heat upon herbs, and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.

5. For afore the harvest, when the bud is perfect, and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks, and take away and cut down the branches.

6. They shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains, and to the beasts of the earth: and the fowls shall summer on them, and all the beasts of the earth shall winter on them.

7. In that time shall the present be brought unto the LORD of hosts of a people scattered and peeled, and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden under foot, whose land the rivers have spoiled, to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts, the Mount Zion.

BISHOP LOWTH'S TRANSLATION.

1. Ho! to the land of the winged Cymbal Which borders on the rivers of Cush;

NEW TRANSLATION.

1. Ho! the land of the overshadowing wings, that lies beyond the rivers of Cush.

2. That sendeth ambassadors by sea, and in vessels of reeds on the face of the waters. Swift messengers, go ye to a nation, dispersed and pillaged, to a people under terror in the very extreme, a nation of expectation, of expectation and trodden down, whose country rivers have spoiled!

3. All ye inhabitants of the world, and all ye that dwell on earth, when the standard is lifted upon the mountains, look ye! and when the trumpet is sounded, listen ye!

4. Then thus did JEHOVAH say to me: I will sit still now and I will look intently from my habitation, like serene heat after bright sunshine, and like a dewy cloud in the heat of harvest.

5. But while the harvest was passing away, when the bud had become perfect, and the blossom had changed into the juicy grape: he cut down the luxuriant branches with pruning hooks: he removed the standard vine: he cut in pieces!

6. They abandon them promiscuously to the eagle of the mountains, and to the beasts of the field. On HIM the eagle of the mountains is glutted; even on HIM all the beasts of the field insultingly riot!

7. At that time shall a present be brought to JEHOVAH of hosts, of a people dispersed and pillaged, even of a people under terror in the very extreme, a nation of expectation, of expectation and trodden down, whose country rivers have spoiled -to the place of the name of JEHOVAH of hosts-Mount Zion.

BISHOP HORSLET'S TRANSLATION.

1. Ho! land spreading wide the sha dow of (thy) wings which are beyond the rivers of Cush.

2. Which sendeth ambassadors on the sea,

2. Accustomed to send messengers by sea, even in bulrush vessels upon the sur

And in vessels of Papyrus, on the face of face of the waters! Go, swift messengers,

the waters;

Go ye swift messengers,

To a nation stretched out in length and smoothed,

To a people terrible from the first and hitherto,

A nation meted out by line and trodden down;

Whose land the rivers have nourished. 3. Yea, all ye that inhabit the world and that dwell on earth;

When the standard is lifted upon the mountains behold!

And when the trumpet is sounded hear! 4. For thus hath JEHOVAH said unto me, I will sit still, and regard my fixed habitation;

Like the clear heat after rain, Like the dewy cloud in the day of harvest. 5. Surely before the vintage, when the bud is perfect;

And the blossom has become a swelling grape;

He shall cut off the shoots with pruning hooks,

And the branches he shall take away; he shall cut down.

6. They shall be left together, to the rapacious bird of the mountains:

And to the wild beasts of the earth: And the rapacious bird shall summer upon it;

And every wild beast of the earth shall winter upon it.

7. At that time shall a gift be brought to JEHOVAH, the God of Hosts, From a people stretched out in length and smoothed,

And from a people terrible from the first and hitherto,

A nation meted out by line and trodden down,

Whose land rivers have nourished,
To the place of the name of Jehovah
God of

Hosts, to Mount Zion.

AN EASY METHOD OF ACQUIRING THE READING OF HEBREW WITH THE VOWEL POINTS ACCORDING TO THE

ANCIENT PRACTICE. By an Experienced Teacher. First American, from the second London Edition: And may be had of all booksellers in the United States.-Price 37

gents.

This publication is contained on one side of a sheet of drawing paper, that it may be conveniently affixed to the wall of a study, and thus

unto a nation dragged away and plucked, unto a people wonderful from their beginning hitherto, a nation expecting, expecting, and trampled under foot, whose land rivers have spoiled:

3. All the inhabitants of the world, and dwellers upon earth, shall see the lifting up, as it were, of a banner upon the mountains; and shall hear the sounding, as it were, of a trumpet.

4. For thus saith JEHOVAH unto me; I will sit still, (but I will keep my eye upon my prepared habitation,) as the parching heat just before lightning, as the dewy cloud in the heat of harvest.

5. For, before the harvest, when the bud is coming to perfection, and the blossom has become a juicy berry, he will cut off the useless shoots with pruning hooks; and the bill shall take away the luxuriant

branches.

6. They shall be left together to the bird of prey of the mountains, and to the beasts of the earth. And upon it shall the bird of prey summer, and all the beasts of the earth upon it shall winter.

7. At that season a present shall be led to JEHOVAH of Hosts, a people dragged away and plucked; even of a people wonderful from their beginning hitherto : a nation expecting, expecting, and trampled under foot, whose land rivers have spoiled, unto the place of the name of JEHOVAH of Hosts, Mount Zion.

Albany, May, 1814.

be easily and frequently inspected. It consists of three lessons. The first exhibits the different alphabets in use among the Jews--The second, the vowel points, with the English vowel sounds to which they correspond; and rules for pronouncing and reading the Hebrew when written with the points. The third lesson exhibits all the letters and vowel points, with the true pronunciation.

This work has been highly re

commended by several very competent judges. It has lately been published in New York by D. A. BORRENSTEIN, a converted Jew, a printer by trade, who has recently come to this country. Our object in noticing it, is at once to serve him,

and to make known to those of our readers who may wish to learn Hebrew, where they may find the plainest, and in all respects the best directions for reading with the points, which we have ever seen.

Literary and Philosophical Intelligence, etc.

From the National Gazette. Approximate elements of the comet of 1823 and 1824.

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Time of passing the Perihelion, 12mo. 7th, 16h 40' mean time at Philadelphia. Perihelion dist. (mean dist. of the earth from the sun being 1.) 0° 2700 Long. of ascending node, 299 45 Long. of Perihelion, 268 00 Inclination of orbit, 74 00 Motion retrograde.

The comet passed through the plane of the earth's orbit 12 mo. 1st; and through the orbit of Mercury at about the same time, at a distance of 38 millions of miles from the latter planet. The nearest approach to the earth happened about the 21st of 1st mo.; when its distance from us was about 37 millions of miles. At the present time its distance from the earth is about 171 millions of miles. On the 21st of 1st mo. the tail extended into space 166,000 miles, in a line very nearly at right angles to the earth's motion.

J. R. Water Proof Cloth.-A chemist of Glasgow has discovered a simple and efficacious method of rendering woollen, silk, or cotton cloth completely water proof. The mode adopted is to dissolve caoutchouc in coal tar oil, produced in abundance at the gas works; by a brush to put five or six coatings of this mixture on the side of the cloth or silk on which another piece is laid, and the whole passed between two rollers. The adhesion is most complete, so much so, that it is easier to tear the cloth than to separate it from the caoutchouc.

Burchell, in his "Travels in Africa," relates thus the discovery of an Ostrich's

nest.

"In our way over the plain we fell in with an Ostrich's nest; if so one may call a bare concavity scratched in the sand, six feet in diameter, surrounded by a trench equally shallow, and without the smallest trace of any materials, such as grass, leaves, or sticks, to give it a resemblance to the nests of other birds. The ostriches to which it belonged must have been at that time feeding at a great

distance, or we should have seen them on so open a plain. The poor birds at their return would find that robbers had visited their home in their absence, for we carried off all their eggs. Within this hollow, and quite exposed, lay twenty-five of these gigantic eggs, and in the trench nine more, intended, as the Hottentots observe, as the first food of the twentyfive young ones. Those in the hollow being designed for incubation, may often prove useless to the traveller, but the others on the outside will always be found fit for eating. In the present instance the whole number were equally good.

"The expedient resorted to by Speelman on a former occasion was now adopted to a certain extent; after filling all our bags, the sleeves of their watch-coats and their second pair of trowsers were crammed full of eggs. It was considered as an auspicious omen, that at the commencement of our journey so valuable a prize had been placed in our way. Our faithsion of the spoil; and their share, which ful dogs were not forgotten in the divi we immediately broke into a bowl, was eaten upon the spot.

"We made our dinner from the ostrich eggs; each of the Hottentots eating a ready mentioned, as much food as twentywhole one, although containing, as alfour eggs of the domestic hen. It is, therefore, not surprising that I found myself unable to accomplish my share of the meal, even with the aid of all the hunger which a long morning's ride had given me. The mode in which they were cooked, was one of great antiquity; for all the Hottentot race, their fathers, and their grandfathers' fathers, as they expressed themselves, have practised it before them. A small hole the size of a finger was very dexterously made at one end, and having cut a forked stick from the bushes, they introduced it into the egg, by pressing the two prongs close together; then, by twirling the end of the stick between the palms of their hands for a short time, they completely mixed the white and the yolk together. Setting it upon the fire, they continued

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