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No. 460.-i. 29. The lamb of God.] There is a circumstance related by Martinius, in his history of China, which, if authentic, serves to shew that Confucius, the lawgiver of that immense empire, had preserved some remains of the ancient belief in the doctrine of a promis ed Saviour. Martinius asserts, that a Chinese philosopher, who had embraced christianity, pointed out to him the last sentence of the book of Chuncieu, written by Confucius, from which it appeared that he had not only foreseen the incarnation of the Messiah, but had mentioned even the very year in the Chinese cycle when that event was to take place. In the thirty-ninth year of the emperor Lu, the huntsmen of that prince killed, without the western gate of the city, a very scarce animal, known to the Chinese by the name of kilin. A constant report had always prevailed, that as soon as that animal made its appearance, a hero of great sanctity would succeed it, who should bring glad tidings of great joy to all nations. Confucius having learned these circumstances, shed a profusion of tears, and with a deep sigh exclaimed, already does my doctrine approach towards its termination, and will soon be finally dissolved. After this he wrote nothing more, and even left a work unfinished, declaring that his rule of doctrine was at an end, and must speedily give place to that of a true legislator, who would cause wars and tumults to cease, and to whom all the different sects of philosophers must yield. It is worthy of observation, that this animal is described by the Chinese, as being of a remarkably mild and placid disposition, insomuch that it hurts no person, not even those who attempt to put it to death; and it is yet more remarkable, that the two words by which we express the idea of the lamb of God are said to be equivalent to the Chinese term kilin. With regard to the year in which our Saviour was born, the converted philosopher, from whom Martinius received this account, conjectured

that it was known to Confucius from the following circumstance. The Chinese characters and name of the year in which the animal was slain exactly correspond with their cyclical designation of that, in which the birth of Christ took place. In other words, the Chinese reckoning by cycles, and calling each year in a cycle by a different name, the kilin was slain, and our Saviour born, in the corresponding years of two successive cycles. He added, that Confucius wept from an emotion of excessive joy, because he conceived that the advent of the most holy one was prefigured by this circumstance. From the death of that mysterious animal he might perhaps have conjectured the sufferings of the Messiah, who was led like a lamb to the slaughter, through the western gate of Jerusalem.

FABER'S Hore Mosaicæ, vol. i. p. 110.

No. 461.-i. 42. When Jesus beheld him, he said, thou art Simon the son of Jona, thou shalt be called Cephas.] The eastern people are often-times known by several names; this might arise from their having more names than one given them at first; or it might arise from their assuming a new and different name upon particular occurrences in life. This last is most probable, since such a custom continues in the East to this day, and it evidently was sometimes done anciently. (2 Chron. xxxvi. 4. 2 Kings xxiv. 17.)

The sixth volume of the MS. Chardin seems to complain of expositors, for supposing that one person had frequently different names; and says, that the custom of the East still continues, for persons to have a new name upona change of circumstances. There seems to be some want of precision here: commentators have supposed, and the fact is apparent, that one and the same person has had different names; but they have determined, in common at least, nothing about the manner in which

they came by them. Sir John Chardin thinks, very justly, that they were given upon some change in life; but then there might be a variation as to the consequences. Some might invariably be called by the new name after its being given them. Thus Abraham was always so called in the latter part of his life, and never Abram: and his wife in like manner Sarah, and not Sarai; others might be called sometimes by the one, sometimes by the other, and sometimes by both joined together. So St. John tells us, that Jesus gave the new name of Peter to the brother of Andrew; yet he represents Jesus afterwards calling him Simon; and John himself sometimes called him Peter, and sometimes Simon Peter.

But as the account that is given us of this variety of names in the MS. Chardin is curious, it shall be subjoined. "Expositors suppose the Israelites, and other eastern people, had several names; but this is an error. The reason of their being called by different names is, because they frequently change them, as they change in point of age, condition, or religion. This custom has continued to our times in the East, and is generally practised upon changing religions, (Acts xiii. 9.) and it is pretty common upon changing condition. The Persians have preserved this custom more than any other nation. I have seen many governors of provinces among them assume new names with their new dignity. But the example of the reigning king of Persia (1667) is more remarkable. The first year of the reign of this prince having been unhappy, on account of wars and famine in many provinces, his counsellors persuaded him that the name he had till then borne was fatal, and that the fortune of the empire would not be changed till he changed that name. This was done, the prince was crowned again under the name of Soliman; all the seals, all the coins that had the name of Sefi, were broken the same as if the king had been dead, and another

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had taken possession. The women more frequently change their names than the men, whether owing to a natural inconstancy, or that they do not agree to the alterations they find in life, being put upon them on account of their beauty, gaiety, their agility in dancing, or fine voice; and as these natural qualities are quickly lost, either by accident, or by age, they assume other names, which better agree to their changed state. Women that marry again, or let themselves out anew, and slaves, commonly alter their names upon these changes." HARMER, vol. ii. p. 501.

No. 462.-i. 49. Thou art the king of Israel.] Those who entertained any expectations that Christ should appear as a temporal prince, had embraced very false ideas of his mission and character. They were, however, in a great measure induced by this mistaken hope to overlook the office which he was to discharge as a spiritual ruler in Israel. In this way he was far more honoured and exalted than he could have been by any of those ceremonies which were practised upon the coronation of kings in the East. It may be worth while to relate the circumstances of so great an event, as it may serve to evince on what objects the minds of the Jews were most intent. Mr. Bruce has given us a description of this kind, which, on account of the conformity it exhibits between the manners of Abyssinia and Judea, shall have the preference to any other. He says, that "it was on the 18th of March (according to the Abyssinian account, the day of our Saviour's first coming to Jerusalem) that this festival began. The king's army consisted of 30,000 men. All the great officers, all the officers of state, and the court, then present, were every one dressed in the richest and gayest manner; nor was the other sex behind hand in the splendour of their appearance. The king, dressed in crimson damask, with

a great chain of gold round his neck, his head bare, mounted upon a horse richly caparisoned, advanced at the head of his nobility, passed the outer court, and came to the paved-way before the church. Here he was met by a number of young girls, daughters of the umbares, or supreme judges, together with many noble virgins standing on the right and left of the court.

"Two of the noblest of these held in their hands a crimson cord of silk, somewhat thicker than a common whipcord, but of a looser texture, stretched across from one company to another, as if to shut up the road by which the king was approaching the church. When this cord was prepared, and drawn tight about breast high by the girls, the king entered, advancing at a moderate pace, curvetting, and shewing the management of his horse. He was stopped by the tension of this string, while the damsels on each side, asking who he was, were answered, I am your king, the king of Ethiopia. To which they replied with one voice, You shall not pass, you are not our king.

"The king then retires some paces, and presents himself as to pass, and the cord is again drawn across his way by the young women, so as to prevent him, and the question repeated, Who are you? The king answered, I am your king, the king of Israel; but the damsels resolved, even on this second attack, not to surrender, but upon their own terms. They again answer, You shall not pass, you are not our king.

"The third time, after retiring, the king advances with a face and air more determined, and the cruel virgins again presenting the cord, and asking who he is? he answers, I am your king, the king of Sion, and drawing his sword, cuts the silk cord asunder. Immediately upon this the young women say, it is a truth, you are our king, you are the king of Sion. Upon which they begin to sing Hallelujah, and in this they are joined by

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