French Empire; unless the Huns of may be allowed a singular and Attila may possibly have belonged important omission; which I am to that family. induced to state to you, that it may be re-examined by more competent judges. With respect to Bonaparte, the snake as yet is scotched, not killed: we must wait and see, whether the antitype of the first mayor of the palace will be slain by some new Brunehaut. AN INQUIRER. To the Editor of the Christian Observer. I ADDRESS you, in the appropriate character affixed to your periodical publication; that by your means an observation, which I have made in my studies, may attract more general notice. At a time, when the most laudable and vigorous exertions of the British and Foreign Bible Society tend to send the holy Scriptures to all nations, it must be more particularly important that the versions for foreign countries should be correct and faithful. On this, however, it cannot be expected that the friends of that noble institution in general, or even its conductors, should be in all respects competent to decide: and it is peculiarly incumbent on the learned who are skilful in any of the languages employed, to furnish such information on the subject as may occur to them in their researches. I have very small pretensions to advance in this respect, and would speak with diffidence; but the engagements, in which I have for several years been employed, have led me to the study of the Arabic: and in the course of my learning and teaching that language, I have had occasion to read many parts of the Arabic Bible circulated by the Society. In doing this, I have observed no material deviations from the original; though in the Psalms, and in some other parts of the Old Testament, the translation seems rather made from the Septuagint than from the Hebrew. But the other day I discovered, what-all circumstances considered In the First Epistle to Timothy, the first chapter and the tenth verse, the word av parodis aus, rendered in ανδραποδίσαις, our version, men-stealers, has no word in the Arabic to answer to it. I own that and the preceding verses were of difficult construction to me, examined it over and over again, with my inadequate helps; but I and I can find no word that at all answers to avoparodis ais. Every other word is translated, but this is wholly omitted. I have another Arabic Testament; and in that the omission is supplied-Lilmokkatile annasi, 'circumventers of men; those who lay ambushment for men.'→ Every other word also in my Arabic Bible is found in this Testament. Now, as it is probable that a considerable number of these Bibles will eventually be sent to the coast of Africa (the land and resort of men-stealers), the omission is remarkable and important, and what calls for attention. The faithfulness of the translation in other respects forbids the suspicion that it was intentional. Probably it is an error of the press, like the omission of the word not in the seventh commandment, in one edition of the English Bible! But still it should be known aud rectified. But, having stated the fact, I have done my part. I remain, &c. T. S. FAMILY SERMONS. No. LXIV. Acts xvii. 30.-God commandeth all men every where to repent. THE doctrine of human corruption, though written in almost every page of the Bible as with a sun-beam, and though strengthened by every thing we see and feel, is yet one which few cordially embrace, and to which none indeed fully assent, but those who are themselves in some measure recovered from the power of sin, and renewed in the spirit of their minds. Hence it is, that the opposers of this doctrine are not to be found in common among men of a holy life and heavenly conversation: the same Spirit who hath thus far sanctified them, began his operations by giving them deep and affecting views of sin. They are oftener to be found among those who are most immoral in their conduct; at least, who live without God in the world. But what will it avail those who may justly be charged with the guilt of much actual transgression, to deny, or even to disprove, the doctrine of original sin? They will not deny that they, and all men, have sinned; and thus saith the Lord, "The soul that sinneth shall die." Can any one, who is convinced of this awful truth, be indifferent to the inquiry, "What must I do to be saved?" It is plain that even a whole life of future perfect service, suppose such a thing possible, could not atone for past sins. All we can do, is already due from us to God. Having done all, are we not still unprofitable servants? How then shall future obedience atone for past sins or present failures?Whence, then, may the sinner expect salvation? From Jesus Christ alone; "for there is salvation in no other, neither is there any other name given under heaven, among men, whereby we must be saved." He alone is able to wash away our sins, to deliver us from their guilt and punishment, to free us from their dominion, and to raise us from the death of sin to a life of righteousness. He is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world. We have sinned; but Christ hath died; putting away sin by the sacrifice of himself, and bearing our sins in his body upon the tree, that we, being dead unto sin, should live unto righteousness. But how are we to be put in possession of these unspeakable blessings? I answer," Repent, and believe the Gospel."-Repent; that is, turn from sin to holiness; forsake sin; put off the old man, which is corrupt, and put on the new man, which is fashioned after God in righteousness and true holiness.-Believe the Gospel; that is, believe the record which God hath given of his Son; listen to him, as a Teacher come from God; rely on him, as your great atoning Sacrifice; look to him, as your Mediator and Intercessor; and yield yourselves to him, as instruments of his glory, to be fashioned by his Word and Spirit, and to be saved by his mere grace and mercy. But I mean to confine myself, in the present discourse, to the consideration of the grace of repentance. The importance of the subject will be obvious to every one who is acquainted with his Bible. When the forerunner of Christ came to prepare his way, be came preaching the doctrine of repentance, and saying, "Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Repent, and bring forth fruits meet for repentance." Our Saviour began his preaching in the same way: "The kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe my Gospel; for, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.' Paul assures us, in the text, that "God hath commanded all men, every where, to repent." And St. Peter's preaching is in the same strain: Repent ye, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out;...for Christ hath God exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance and forgiveness of sins." St. 1. The obligation we are under to repent is from these passages sufficiently plain. Indeed, what more could be wanting to prove this than the single declaration of our Saviour, " Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish?" A few short years may yet be granted to the impenitent; but death must overtake them; and, if it find them still in that state, the wrath of God will abide on them for ever. Let us then not despise the riches of God's goodness and forbearance, but rather let them lead us to repentance: otherwise, after the hardness and impenitence of our hearts, we shall treasure up wrath unto ourselves against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. Would to God that a view of this awful judgment might tend to excite just fears in our minds, and to convince us of the necessity of repentance!The terrors of the Lord ought, indeed, to alarm our consciences, and to rouse us to flee from the wrath to come. But these of themselves might have the effect of driving us to despair: God, therefore, has not only denounced wrath on the impenitent, but has graciously promised mercy and favour to the repenting sinner. He is even now in Christ reconciling sinners to himself. His language is, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Confess, and forsake your sins, and you shall find mercy. Repent, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out."And not only hath God commanded us to repent; not only bath he invited us to partake of his mercy; but he hath promised that he will himself work in us, in this respect, to will and to do of his good pleasure. Repentance and faith are his gift: Christ is exalted as a Prince and a Saviour to bestow them. Ask, and they shall be given. It is the office of the Holy Spirit to convince us of sin, and to lead us to Christ, in other words, to renew us to repentance; but he giveth his Holy Spirit also to them that ask bim. I trust then, that if the terrors of the Lord prevail not with us, our Saviour's dying love, and these his gracious promises, will constram us to repent, and forsake our sins. It might, indeed, appear unnecessary to press in so many words so plain a duty, did not experience prove that most men's hearts are either so hardened by sin, or so distracted by worldly care, and business, and pleasure, that the view of eternal things seems lost, and threats and promises are heard with equal indifference But whatever be our indifference, we may be assured, that, if we continue to disobey the call to repent, if we continue to reject the offers of pardon and forgiveness, we shall, ere long, lament our folly in that pit of ruin where repentance will be unavailing. Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." 2. But what is repentance? Repentance is a grace wrought in the heart by the Spirit of God; by which we are made to feel, not only a deep sorrow for our past sins, but a rooted hatred to all sin; by which, also, we are made to turn from sin to holiness, and to walk, for the time to come, in newness of life. It is the Holy Ghost who reproves or convinces the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judg ment. "Turn thou me, and I shall be turned," was the prayer of the Church of old. Christ is exalted to give repentance. This, then, as well as every other good gift, is from above, and cometh from the Father of Lights; and to him are we to look for it, for it is "God who worketh all" graces " in all" his children. "We are his workmanship," namely, all who are created anew in Christ Jesus; for "it is God who worketh in us to will and to do of his good pleasure." And what is his pleasure ? "As I live, saith the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked should turn from his way," (i. e. repent), " and live." God, then, is the author of repentance, and by it we are made to feel a deep sorrow for our past sins and a rooted hatred to all sin. Repentance laments not some particular action, that may have injured our character or our interest, or is about to be followed by punishment; but it las ments over sin of every kind, and especially over that corrupt nature and that evil heart of unbelief which have been the fruitful sources of transgression; and this grief is accompanied with a deep sense of the evil of sin, and an universal ha tred to every kind and degree of it. True repentance is always connected with a sense of having displeased a kind and gracious God: " Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight." Nor is it so much the particular action which the true penitent laments, as the temper of mind which led to it. But it is when he takes a view of redeeming love, as shewn in the death and sufferings of Jesus Christ, that his guilt fully appears. Then is his mouth indeed stopped; and while he looks on Him whom his sins have pierced, he mourns for them, and is humbled under a sense of his own vileness. In this state, he may indeed be slow to lay hold of the pro'mises of God; but when he is enabled to believe that Jesus Christ hath come to seek and to save the lost, and that His blood cleanseth from all sin, then is his sorrow turned into joy; and though he still laments the sins he has committed, yet does his heart swell with gratitude and love to that God who hath given him space for repentance, who hath opened his eyes to see the things which make for his peace; who spared not his own Son, but freely gave him for sinners; and who even now grants him the blessed hope, that his sins are for- given, and that he is admitted into the family of God. This is that glorious change from darkness to light, that translation from the kingdom of Satan to that of God, which, under the various names of repentance, conversion, putting off the old and putting on the new man, is always spoken of in the New Testament as essential to salvation. And all who flatter themselves that they are Christians, .without having been thus turned . from sin to holiness, without having thus repented, are only deceiving their own souls. But, further, it is an essential mark of true repentance, that we bring forth fruits meet for it. By its fruits shall we know if our repentance be deep and genuine; and, if we bring not forth fruits meet for repentance, shall not we also be hewn down and cast into the fire? We must not only cease from evil, but we must learn to do well. We must not only refrain from what is wrong, but we must repair, as far as we can, the evil we have already done, and must resolve henceforth to walk in newness of life. In short, it is by the after life and conversation that it will appear whether we have truly repented. If we be not purged from our old sins, if we be not made to walk in newness of life, then have we neither part nor lot in this matter. as many, only, as are led by the Spirit of God, are the sons of God; and such are not only ever harmless and blameless, but, being led by the. Spirit, they bring forth the fruits of the Spirit: and these are, love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. For 3. But let me add a few words on the benefits of repentance. Heaven, then, and all then, and all the blessings of Christ's purchase, are in its train. God it is, as I have already shewn, who works in us this good work. He hath promised not to desert the work of his own hands, but to carry on what he hath begun unto the day of Christ. Though, like the Prodigal, we have wandered from our Father's house, and wasted our substance; yet, if we now arise, and go to our Father, he will make us to know the joy of his salvation. There shall then, for us, be no condemnation. We shall be justified from all things, and forgiven all our trespasses. We shall be made more than conquerors over all our enemies, through him who hath loved us. We shall stand by faith in his power, and his grace shall death of our Redeemer: this will tend to increase our hatred of sin, our desires after God and his grace. We must, above all, be much engaged in fervent prayer to theGod and Father of our spirits, that he would create in us a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within us. We must pray to him for his grace to fit us for his glory, to increase our faith, to shed abroad his love in our hearts, and to cause us to abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost. strengthen us. Sin, that reigned unto death, shall have no more dominion over us; but grace shall reign, through righteousness, unto eternal life. Nor will his care of us end with this life. He will guide us through the dark valley of the shadow of death: he will bring us into his own better land, where all ears shall be wiped from every eye, and where an abundant entrance shall be administered unto us into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour. But let us not imagine, for one moment, that all this will be done as a reward for repentance, or on account of our deservings. If we have repented, this is, as we have seen, the effect of God's grace: it is our Saviour's gift. The blessings that follow are the effects of the same grace continuing its work. Christ alone is the procuring cause of all these blessings. His merits, not ours, are the sole ground of God's favour and acceptance. It is in him alone, we have righteousness and strength. It is in him alone, therefore, and not in ourselves, that we ought to glory. 4. Would we then perform this duty aright, we must frequently review our past lives, comparing them with the just and holy law of God, which cannot fail to give us a deep sense of our own unworthiness and guilt. We must daily examine our hearts and actions by the light of Scripture, that we may see wherein we fall short of the law of God; wherein we have indulged any passion or temper displeasing to him: thus shall we the better prevent the inroads of sin; while we are led at the same time to see more of our own weakness and sinfulness, of our need of a Saviour, and of the extent of Divine love in sparing us, and doing us, good.-We must likewise often meditate on the word and works of God; the spirituality of God's law; the hateful nature of sin; the great plan of our redemption; the life, the actions, the character, the sufferings and 5. I would conclude with pressing this subject on the consciences of all present. Those who are young may, perhaps, be apt to flatter themselves, that it is too soon for them to begin the work of repentance. But are not the young also inheritors of an evil and corrupt nature? Have not they also sinned against God? And for these things will not God bring them also into judgment? Let me then entreat you who are young, now to repent and turn to God. Put not off this grand work till custom shall have hardened you in sin. If you reject the grace of God now, it may never be offered to you again; or, if it should, is it likely you will be more disposed to receive it when you are grown grey in-iniquity, and when use has made sin dear to you? Many, it is to be feared, are now in outer darkness, who once pleased themselves with some such hope. Trust not to the doubtful and dangerous chance of a death-bed repentance. You may be hurried out of the world without being allowed time to put up one cry for mercy. Remember, you have no lease of life. This very night may your souls be required of you: therefore delay not even till to-morrow the work of repentance, Do not allow yourself to be deceived by imagining, that you shall find more delight in sinful pleasure than in the service of God. This is a mistake which has ruined thousands. For whatever may be the enjoyments of worldly pleasure, they are at the best short-lived and |