I by no means say that the zealous advocates for this ancient verson intend this; but I maintain that this is a fair conclusion from their premises. We cannot have two discordant standards of truth and duty one must give way to the other, in general; though it be allowed that some errors, which during a lapse of ages have occurred in the accredited competitor, may, with great caution, be corrected by the authority of the allowedly fallible version.

selves divinely inspired, might take liberties which we must not; because their comments were equally the word of God with the texts commented on.

It seems to me of no small im-portance that this subject should be well understood; and therefore, if you will allow me, I purpose to bring the matter of fact fully and fairly before the religious public, by producing every direct quotation from the Old Testament, which occurs in the New; contrasting the Septuagint with the original of the New Testament; and giving a translation of the former, with some very short remarks; just noticing how far the one or the other most exactly agrees with the Hebrew

text.

I acknowledge that I venture forth in such an undertaking with some degree of trepidation; but, as I only desire to have the real fact fairly ascertained, which I think will give more competent scholars an opening to adduce their remarks, I feel resigned, in the prospect of some degree of correction as to the execution of my plan, in hopes that by means of it "the word of God may be better understood and more honoured. I will subjoin a specimen of what I purpose, which, if thought worthy of insertion in your publication, shall be followed up (D. V.) by regular communica tions.

My own theory I would thus state, as the result, at least, of long-continued and careful examination, and deep reflection on the subject. The sacred writers of the New Testament used the Greek language; as those of the Old Testament had, generally, the Hebrew. They had frequent occasions of quoting the ancient "oracles of God:" there was no other Greek version extant, except the Septuagint: this was generally in the hands of all the Christians who spoke the Greek language; and, wherever this only Greek version did not materially vary from the Hebrew Scriptures, they quoted from it; yet seldom in the exact words. But where that version materially varied from the meaning of the Hebrew Scriptures, they either gave the sense of the passage quoted in their own words, or took as much of the Septuagint as suited their purpose, and altered what needed alteration. Thus, several passages, as it appears to me, are neither direct quotations from the Hebrew text, nor quotations QUOTATIONS FROM THE OLD TESTAfrom the Septuagint: and some agree with the latter, even where it varies from the former: but only when the deviation does not so affect the meaning of the passage as to interfere with the pertinency of the quotation for the purpose intended. All this accords to what ordinary writers, in similar circumstances, would have done, and in part have been authorized to do: bat the sacred peamen, being themCHLIST, OBSERV. No. 100.

Your constant reader,

T. S.

MENT IN THE NEW, COLLATED WITH
THE SEPTUAGINT.

The Gospel according to St. Matthew.

I. 23. Ev yarra ei (Matt.). Er yaora yeta (Is. vii. 14. Sept.) The meaning being identical, a translation is needless: "A virgin shall conceive" (Bible Trans.) seems exactly literal.

-. καλέσεσι (Matt.): καλεσεις 2 C

(Sept.): "thou shalt call." Here his Holy Spirit; for without this the Septuagint accords to the He- a Paul or an Apollos would address brew. you in vain.

Ι. 6. Και συ Βηθλεεμ, γη Ιέδα, αδαμως ελαχιση ει, εν τοις ηγεμόσιν Ιεδα, εκ σε γαρ εξελεύσεται ηγέμενος, στις ποιμάνει τον λαον με τον Ισραηλ. (Matt. authorized version, and marginal reading). Και συ Βηθλεεμ, οικος Εφραθα, ολιγοςός εί, εκ τ8 είναι εν χιλίασιν Ιεδα, εκ σε μοι εξελευσεται, τα είναι εις άρχοντα το Ισραήλ. (Mic. v. 2. Sept.)" And thou, Bethlehem, the house of Ephratha, art the least, to be of the thousands of Judah; from thee shall come forth to me One, to be the Ruler of Israel."-This is, undoubtedly, a more literal translation of the Hebrew text, than that in Matthew; but this circumstance, however accounted for, is not favourable to the sentiment that the writers of the New Testament always quoted from the Septuagint..

15. Et AIYUTTY Exaλera Toy vio με (Matt.) Εξ Αιγύπτε εκαλέσα τα TEXva auTB (Hos. xi. 1. Sept.) " Out of Egypt have I called his children;" that is, Israel's, or Jacob's, children. Here the evangelist exactly accords with the Hebrew; and a quotation from the Septuagint would have been wholly inapplica-, ble to his purpose. The noun in the Hebrew is singular, and the pronoun is of the first person singular.

FAMILY SERMONS. No. XVI.

Prov. xxiii. 26.-My son, give me thine heart.

THE words I have now read may be considered as a solemn message from the great God of heaven and earth, to each of you; as a claim on his part for your love and service My son, give me thine heart. O that God would now assist me, and, while I am urging the justice and reasonableness of this demand, would powerfully plead his own cause, with the vital grace and energy of

These words, in their strict sense, are the advice of Solomon to his son ; but they may very fairly be applied to my present purpose, which is to engage your hearts to God; whom you may conceive to lay claim to you in the language of the text: " My son,” or my daughter, "give me thine heart." To this voice, which now speaks to you from heaven, I trust you will not be disobedient; but that you will be persuaded to give your hearts-that is, yourselves-to God, in prefer ence to every other rival for your affections. Many will be endea vouring to draw your hearts from God to themselves. The world will promise to do great things for you: "All these things will I give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me." The flesh will urge you especially the young among you, break through the shackles of edu cation and the restraints of consci ence, and to enjoy pleasure while you may. The worldly and the sensua will join their persuasions; while Sa tan will employ all his art and ma lice to render their efforts to deceiv and delude you effectual. Now, i the face of these claims on your a fections, which, through the corrup tion and depravity of man, are, alas but too generally successful, Gom by the word of his grace, and th influence of his Spirit, advances h claim:- My son, give me thine hea -or rather, as the words may mo properly be rendered for our prese purpose, Give, my son, thine hea to ME. Let me, then, entreat ye not to dispose of yourselves rash and foolishly, but soberly and can fully to weigh this matter-to co sider, that is to say, who has t justest claim to your hearts; a where you may bestow them wi most advantage. And if you shou after a fair inquiry, be convince that God has the strongest claim your affections, and that they ca

not be bestowed so advantageously on any other object, I trust you will then be prevailed on to give your selves up to him, and to consecrate your hearts to his love and service, through Jesus Christ.

1. Consider the question of right and justice. God demands you for himself; the Lord Jesus Christ claims your heart. In opposition to them are ranged sin and Satan, the world and the flesh, the vain, the worldly, and the profligate. Can you besitate as to the justice of these opposing claims?"Behold," saith God, "my hands have made thee and fashioned thee. I breathed into thee the breath of life, and made thee a living soul. My visitation hath since preserved thy soul in life. Thou hast lived on the provi-, ious of my bounty. By my providence hast thou been preserved from innumerable evils. I bear a father's love to the work of my hands, and as such I demand of thee the love and obedience of children. Thou hast indeed provoked me with thy sins, yet have I borne with thee, and, instead of destroying thee, as I could have done in a moment, have waited to be gracious to thee. Nay, I have sent my only begotten Son to redeem and save thee, by dying for thee;-to make atonement for thy sins by the sacrifice of himself. I have sent my Holy Spirit to renew and sanctify thy polluted nature, and to raise thee from the death of sin to a life of righteousness and glory. Thou owest me, therefore, thine heart and all that thou hast."

Hear, also, the Lord Jesus Christ sege his claim upon you. "I left the bosom of my Father, and united myself to flesh and blood, that I might suffer and die for thee, when thou wast lost beyond recovery by by human power. Read the greatness of my affection for thee, and my zeal for thy salvation, in the pans and agonies I underwent for thy take; in the blood I shed to resencile thee to God, and to restore

thee to his favour, in whom all thy happiness centres. And wilt thou not give me thine heart?"

And, now, what are the pretensions which the devil, the world, and the flesh can make to your affections, that will admit for one moment to be set against these powerful claims? What have they done; what can they do for you? They deceive, they ensnare, they corrupt, they defile, they trouble, they ruin you; but they neither will nor can promote your real good. What unspeakable folly and madness, then, to admit their claims in preference to those of God! Rather do I hope that all of you are now saying to yourselves," I abjure from my heart all such pretensions. To thee, O blessed God, would I devote and consecrate myself. I perceive thy right and title to my best affections; and to thee, through Jesus Christ my Redeemer, who hath bought me with his blood, would I gladly resign myself, and all I have and am. Had I a thousand times more to give, it should all be thine. Depart from me, therefore, all ye wicked doers; I will keep the commandments of my God. His I am, and him will I serve."

II. Having thus shewn who has the greatest right to your hearts, I now come to consider on whom you may bestow them with the greatest advantage. And here I must confess, that the world and the flesh have more to say for themselves than under the former head. Right and title they have none at all; but they promise you much in the way of interest and advantage. Under their guidance, they tell you, you will enjoy a life of pleasure and ease, free from the restraints of religion. You will have unbounded liberty of conduct, and withhold your eyes from no joy. Whereas religion is an irksome and melancholy service. It is the parent of gloom and despondency, the enemy of all social happiness. It prevents men from rising in the world, and

desire. But it has also pleasures of another and a nobler kind; those spiritual and divine pleasures which flow from communion with God, from the testimony of a good conscience, from the hope of the divine favour and acceptance, and from the prospects of eternal happiness in a future state.

The idea, therefore, that religion tends to make men unhappy, is a mere calumny. We may eat our bread with joy," "if we can kope that God accepteth our works," and that we are at peace with him through Jesus Christ. It is sin which makes men miserable: either their own sin, or that of others. How many instances have we known, of persons ruined by their own vice and wickedness! The world sets before us a few images of outward pomp and grandeur; but it labours to conceal the thousands who die martyrs in its wretched cause. And even of those who make a great and gay shew outwardly, there is many a man thoroughly miserable within, and who is more an object of pity than of envy.

The truth is, the devil, the world, and the flesh, promise you what it is not in their power to give. For even the good things of this life are distributed by the providence of God, and without his leave you cannot enjoy the meanest comfort. But if you give your hearts to God, he will certainly bestow as much of those things upon you, as his wisdom knows to be best for you. And if he should see fit to give you only a little of this world's goods, that little, sweetened and sauctified by his blessing, will be better than the treasures of many wicked. Under the various troubles of life also, he who has a God to go to, and to trust in, and who by faith and prayer can cast all his cares on him, must be far happier than the children of the world can be. For what have they to comfort them under the evils of life, or to whom can they look for relief and help?

And if the case of persecution be objected, I auswer, that, if called to endure its fires, which, thank God, is by no means the common lot of good men in the present day, we shall have pleasures and comforts which will much more than balance our pains. If our sufferings for Christ should abound, our consolations also shall abound through him; so that we shall be able to take joyfully the spoiling of our goods, as the believing Hebrews did, and even embrace a stake, for the name of Christ, with more transport than others experience in sitting down to the richest entertainments.

Since, then, the cause of piety has thus plainly the advantage, you will be inexcusably blind to your own interest, if you give not your hearts to God. In his name, therefore, I again demand them for him who has the justest title to them, and on whom you may bestow them with infinitely greater advantage than you can on any other object. "Godliness is profitable for all things, having the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come."

Let me, then, beseech you, even now, without delay, to make a surrender of your hearts to God, through Christ. I would especially urge this duty on those who are vet young. "I love them," saith God, "that love me; and they that seek me early, shall find me." Now is the season, my young friends, when the surrender of your hearts to God will be peculiarly pleasing to him. Let me beseech you, therefore, not to let slip the golden opportunity; not to follow a multitude to do evil; but to choose the too-much-forsiken paths of piety. God will, in that case, put distinguished honour upon you, and receive you with marks of peculiar affection. And how many sins and sorrows may you prevent by such a course! What a foundation will you have for joyful communion with God all your days! What a comfortable proof will it afford of your sincerity,