by persons of different characters, feelings, and habits. But the best reply to all of them will be given in one short word-Try. Let the effort be made and persevered in, and see if difficulties do not disappear before the experiment. Let it be entered upon with humility and prayer, and faith, and self-denying constancy; and let the event decide the credit which is due either to the plan, or the objections which are made to it. Should it be said that it is not at all reasonable to suppose that the body of the Dissenting congregations in the metropolis, will be likely to combine in such exertions; it may be enquired, what should hinder any one church, or any one minister from making the experiment for themselves? Such an example would be influential. The good done would at length attract the attention of others, who would be disposed to tread in their footsteps; and thus, by slow degrees, effects might be produced, which would issue in the glory of God, and the welfare of mankind.

Christian brethren and friends, your principles and advantages, as Dissenters, afford peculiar facilities to exertions of this kind. You can easily obtain licenses for any place of worship you may open, by which

you are placed under the full protection of the law. You are not in danger of being thought irregular, by any ecclesiastical tribunal which can exert a dominion over you. You require no episcopal sanction to enable you to undertake such a labour of love. All you want is a full determination in the strength of Christ to effect it. Persevering in this strength, the weak can oft do wonders; and feeble efforts are of ten crowned with distinguished success. To all your other benevolent endeavours to do good in heathen countries, and in the dark and deserted places of your own land, add your pervading exertions to benefit the neighbourhood around you; and whatever may be the event, your work, like that of your Saviour, will be with the Lord, and your judgment with your God.

I remain,

Your fellow-labourer in the Gospel of Christ.

We are happy to inform our worthy Correspondent, that measures similar to those he recommends are adopted in one extensive district; and it is hoped will be extended to all others of our vast metropolis. He is not, however, fully aware of the diffiuclties which attend the execution of such a plan.—EDITORS,

MENNONITES.

LETTER, No. III.

Amsterdam, Sept. 18, 1820. BEING furnished with letters of introduction from Rotterdam to Messrs. Muller and Koopman, both pastors of the Mennonite Baptist church in this city, we made it our first business to call upon those friends; but, to our

great disappointment, we found neither of them at home, nor were they expected to be for several weeks. We then set about finding Rev. Mr. Chevalier, secretary to the Netherland Bible Society. Our interview with this gentleman lasted about an hour, and a very agreeable one it was. Mr. C. seemed to enter with considerable interest upon every topic connected with our mission, and made many enquiries respecting the translations carrying on at Seram

pore, and, in particular, the Chinese by Dr. Marshman. From Mr. C.'s we went to my friend Dr. M‘Intosh's, and found him absent, and to be so for some time. This was also a very severe disappointment. We seemed now quite ata stand, and set fast from the absence of the only friends we had in the city, and so much more of brother Ward's time baving elapsed than he had calculated, he decided at once upon returning to Euglaud, so as to be in time for the packet for America, where it was his intention to visit for the interests of the mission. The day after he left me, he wrote saying, that his driver wanted to detain bim all night on the road at a village, contrary to agreement. This was the occasion of a good deal of trouble to find an interpreter in the place. In this, however, brother W. bappily succeeded; and after a firm and spirited remonstrance, the man gave way, and all was right again.

Though I felt brother W.'s loss not a little, it was in a good degree repaired by the acquisition of a new acquaintance in the youngest son of Professor Koopman, mentioned before. He, it seems, had hastened home on being apprised of our being at Amsterdam. From him, also, I derived not only much local information, which was indispensable to the sending forth of my circulars to the different churches in Holland, and individuals in the city, but I had, also, the assistance of his pen. While thus engaged, the set of translations which had been forwarded by water conveyance from Rotterdam, arrived. They were received by the friends with marks of lively satisfaction, and, in the mean time, I received a friendly visit from the Rev. Mr. Thelwall, a worthy Missionary of the Church of England. He called again in the evening, and took me with him to the Committee Meeting of a Tract Society, which he had been the means of forming upon the English plan. But the gratification I had in attending this meeting, and in bearing a part in its deliberations, as well as that of becoming acquainted with several of the excellent of the earth, was not the greatest advantage resulting to me from an evening thus spent.

Fortunately, without at first being conscious of it, I sat at the Committee table next to a Mr. De Haap, a Dutch VOL. XVII.

merchant, and whom, ere long, I found to be one of the deacons of the Mennonite Baptist church in the city. I watched an opportunity, therefore, (and gladly) before the meeting closed, to make known to him the mission I had come to Holland upon. From the manner in which my communications were received, I thought I might go a step farther, which was, to request the favour of another interview with him for the purpose of going into further particulars; to which, what I had already stated, was only an introduction. My request was acceded to without hesitation, and the following day, at his own house, was named for our second interview, which, to me, was agreeable in the highest degree. All I said was listened to with the most marked attention. He was pleased, much pleased, with the outline I gave him of the Mission, and with the idea and plan of my journey into Holland for its promotion. Out of all this I now raised a second request, which was, that he would pave the way, if possible, so as to afford me a meeting with the minister and deacons of the church to which he belonged. In this he also readily acquiesced, and after communicating with bis brethren and ministers, I received a notice from him to say, that the friends would be glad to meet me at the vestry of the church the Wednesday following.

When the time came, Mr. Müller, one of the pastors of the church, called and took me with him to the meeting. I was first shewn into an anti-room, where, after remaining about half an hour, I was sent for into the vestry. As the English Baptists had been previously almost entirely unknown in Holland, and still more so their mission, I was prepared to expect a goodly number of friends together on the occasion, All the deacons of the church were present, I think in number twenty-four. On my entering the room these all rose, and Mr. V. Geuns, the senior minister, who was presiding, then bid me, in the name of the whole vestry, a friendly welcome. As directed, I took my seat opposite the chair, and proceeded to state the business I had come upon. This naturally brought along with it an account of the Mission which I traced, in a pretty large outline, from its rise up to its present state; and then passed

by request into some account of the English Baptists. All this might occupy the space of three-quarters of an hour, during which there appeared to be a marked attention paid, and from which I was not without hope some favourable impression was made; nor was I in this disappointed. On concluding my statement the president rose, and thanking me for the favour of my communications, begged me for a short time to retire. In about the space of twenty minutes I was called in again, upon which the President rose, and in a few words assured me, on the part of all the friends present, of the satisfaction my visit had afforded them, and the approbation with which the information I had brought before them had been received. He further added, that as it was my intention to visit the sister churches with the same view as I had them; such a letter of introduction should be drawn up and delivered me as would, no doubt, facilitate the undertaking. The following is a translated copy of it.

The Vestry of the United Baptist Church at Amsterdam, to the reverend Vestrys of all the Baptist churches in the Low Countries. Beloved Brethren in our common Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, greeting. "We have this day had the satisfaction of seeing among us the bearer of the present, W. H. Angas, one of our English Baptist brethren, and the pleasure of making his acquaintance. He has related to us much of what is new and interesting respecting the promising state of the Baptist denomination in Great Britain, and much concerning the zeal with which they are inspired, for the promotion of science and Christian knowledge among the heathen; especially in Bengal. He has informed us of a most valuable establishment at Serampore devoted to that purpose. He has laid before us a printed code of regulations for a college, the chief object of which is, the translation of the Bible into the divers tongues of the East, and the qualifying, or preparing native youth for Missionaries: and as a specimen of what has been there already accomplished, he has presented us with a considerable number of translations of the scriptures in different languages, together with a specimen

in the Chinese; proposing at the same time, a closer connexion between the Dutch and English Baptists, with a view to becoming workers together in the said object. To this end, he bas first particularly requested of us this our letter of recommendation to all our sister churches, and we rejoice in being able to contribute, in any way, to so truly Christian an undertaking. We have, therefore, resolved, that a committee out of our number be forthwith formed, consisting of the two senior ministers, J. Van Geuns and S. Müller, together with the four deacons, J. Slagregen, J. Vollenhoven, P. Enghen, and Abraham De Haan, in order to a further communication, and to open a correspondence with our English Baptist brethren, and to take into consideration the best means of promoting, on our parts, this truly excellent object.

"And hereupon, most highly esteemed brethren, we have taken the liberty of recommending to your notice, help, and direction, W. H. Angas, our English brother; and we make no doubt information you may call for, both of his being able to afford you every be effectual in removing every obstacle. printed and verbal, and such as shall

"Receive herewith, beloved brethren, our fraternal regards and Christian salutations, whilst in conclusion we subscribe ourselves,

common

Beloved brethen in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, your willing servants and brethren, the Vestry of the United Baptist church of Amsterdam, and in their name,

J. V. Geuns, in the Chair, T. Jerborg, Secretary." Amsterdam, Sept. 14, 1820. This valuable document was put into my hands the day after I had notice of it. I say valuable document, because every thing, humanly speaking, seemed to depend upon the disposition which the largest and most respectable Baptist church in Holland, should manifest towards the mission. My great anxiety, therefore, on this point was quite relieved; and He who knows all things, knows what my feelings were when I read the contents of the letter that was to perform the part of a Missionary pioneer for me through Holland. With it, therefore, in my hand, and with joy in my heart, I embarked without loss of time for the Zaan, where

the first Mennonite Baptist churches takes place in the direction of North Holland. And now here I must take leave of you till my next, after adding a few words on the Baptist church at Amsterdam. There were, formerly, two churches in that city, distinguished by the names of the Sun and the Lamb. Their difference of religious opinion was, at first, and for a considerable length of time, important, but approximating by degrees near to each other in this respect; the two churches united in one under their respective pastors. They together consist of about one thousand eight hundred members, and are supplied with four pastors: one of whom, Professor Koopman, directs the theological studies of the young candidates for the ministry. The number of deacons is about twentyfour. There is a fund for defraying the expenses attending preparing students for their ministry, which fund is in the bands, and under the direction of the Church of Amsterdam. The students, as in Edinburgh, lodge in the town, and not under one roof, as is the case in our seminaries. Accept of my best regards, and present the same to the brethren of the Committee; and I remain, in the hope of soon writing you again from the Zaan,

Yours always truly,

W. H. ANGAS.

ELI AND ELOI.

To the general reader there may appear to be something extraordinary in the respective accounts of Matthew and Mark, when they direct our attention to the words uttered by our Lord on the cross at the ninth hour. For Matthew states, that the first two words were Eli, Eli; whereas, Mark's language leads to the inference, that the exclamation began with Eloi, Eloi. Those persons, however, who read the Hebrew Bible, are, in some measure, prepared to solve the difficulty, having met with the very same variation in the Old Testament. Thus the two English words "My God" in Psalm xviii. 2, are expressed by the Hebrew word Eli, whilst in 2 Sam. xxii. 3, we have,

Strictly speaking, El comprises two words, EL meaning GOD, and I signify

with respect to the sense, an obvious counterpart in which Elohi is used instead of Eli; and, when Hebrew is ex. pressed by Greek letters, Eloki becomes Eloi. By analogy, therefore, we may conclude that the word Eloi in Mark xv. 34, is a synonym of Eli in Matt. xxvii. 46.

That Eli was the real expression used at the cross, may be inferred from the supposition of the Jews, that our Lord invoked Elijah. For, though the Hebrew word Elijah was Elias in Greek, yet in Syro-Chaldaic, or the language spoken by our Lord, the name of that prophet appears to have been Elia, and was probably pronounced like alia in our word regalia, whilst Eli was probably equivalent in sound to ali in the same word.

It may also be seen that Eli, Eli, are the Hebrew expressions used at the beginning of the twenty-second Psalm, where, as the ancestor of Christ, David exclaims, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me." As the word EL, therefore, was one of the ancient names of God, the word ELI, or MY GOD, was not only the language of the Jewish scriptures, but it was also

ing OF ME: and GOD OF ME in the Hebrew idiom is equivalent to MY GOD in the English idiom.

In this compound word, ELO' means GOD; and, consequently, ELO'I is equivalent to Eli, and signifies MY GOD. In the passage, however, in the second book of Samuel, the Hebrew points seem to have induced our faithful translators to render the Hebrew, "The God of my Rock," rather than "My God, my Rock," consistent with the Hebrew when divested of the points. But the Septuagint or ancient Greek version never seems to have been affected by those guides to the Masoretical pronunciation: and hence, the very same Greek words for "My God" in Mark's translation of Eloi, are also used for "My God" in 2 Sam. xxii. 3, and in Ps. xviii. 2. In short, the sense in both places appears on investigation to be " My God, my Rock, in him will I take refuge:" and the Hebrew in each case is precisely the same, with the exception of Elo'i in the former passage, and of Eli in the latter; and from the coincidence of the Greek where the Hebrew thus differs, it is obvious that Eli and Elo'i

were accounted convertible terms.

See the Syriac Version of the New

Testament.

the language of those who lived in the ages of antiquity. It was natural then, that the ancient word Eli should be devoutly uttered by the suffering Saviour who was no stranger either to antiquity, or to the Hebrew scriptures. —But as ELO’I was the Syro-Chaldaic word for "MY GOD," and as the latter part of our Lord's exclamation was in that language, it was as proper to use the appropriate and intelligible substitute Elo'i in any Syro-Chaldaic narrative, as it was for the Hebrew writers to substitute Jehovah for antiquated names of God, used by those who had never known the Deity by that sacred

name.

Though, however, the first accounts of Christ might be adapted to the land of Judea, yet such was to be the progress of the gospel, that the Greek language was eventually adopted in order that inspired narratives might be furnished to distant nations, and to generations then unborn: and, under these circumstances, Matthew's gospel takes the original mixture of Hebrew and Syro-Chaldaic, as uttered at the cross, for the basis of his Greek translation of our Lord's exclamation; whereas, in the gospel by Mark, recourse is had to the Syro-Chaldaic dialect for the sense, and to the Greek for conveying that sense to others.

It may be concluded, therefore, that the ancient Hebrew word Eli was the expression used by our Lord, and that the vernacular term Elo'i exactly conveyed its meaning to a native of Judea: and thus it should seem that such was the antiquity of our Lord's phraseology, that the Jews themselves did not understand him, but actually thought he meant to say, "Elijah, Elijah, why hast thou forsaken me." There was, however, something very affecting in the expiring Saviour's exclamation. It was a mode of expression in which the language used by him from his earlier years in this world, was solemnly mingled with the language of ages that had long rolled away. It is not, indeed, surprising, that any man in the agonies of death should utter words familiar to him from his youth. For in such an extremity the strongest man appears as the weakest, and the most skilful orator uses the unadorned language of natural feeling. But to have heard a dying man in the Christian age speak

ing partly in his native tongue, and partly in the language of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, we must have gone to Calvary, and have heard it from the lips of Him who once said to the Jews, "Before Abraham was, I am,” (John viii. 58;) and who was not only max but Immanuel, “God with us." Bromley, Middlesex. J. F.

ON CIRCUMCISION.

WERE female infants members of the Jewish church? If so, how were they made members of that religious community? Not by circumcision. If they were members of the Jewish church, it must follow, that circumcision was not an essential pre-requisite to church-membership, and since females were once constituted members of the church without any ceremony, it seems that the gospel has abrogated their privilege; for, it is said, they cannot now be members of the church without having the initiatory rite of Christianity applied to them. If, however, the gospel church be the continuation of the Jewish church, these females are members without submitting to any ceremony. Will it be said, that females were incapable of circumcision? It is readily granted, but the question still returns. How were they made members of the church? Can we suppose that God instituted an ordinance as introductory to the covenant of grace, which, from its very nature, necessarily excluded all the female sex from the possibility of entering into that covenant?

If the men among the Jews believed that circumcision was the only introduction into the covenant of grace, they must have concluded that women were not in the covenant. Ifcircumcision was the only introduction into the covenant, is it not very unaccountable that we never read of one female doubting her interest in the covenant. The title of the man was explicitly announced, but an awful silence is maintained as to the title of the woman. The sexual aspect of circumcision, was calculated to fill the female mind with gloomy apprehensions, that, as the woman was the first in the transgression, all her female descendants were excluded from the benefits of the covenant of grace. In exact proportion to