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it shall suit their views to do so); but they have employed the unexpired moments of the existing law-a law which they themselves had most vehemently reprobated with a rigour hitherto unknown; not only mutilating or rejecting articles in the journals at their pleasure, but, in the case of the proposed law on the press, prohibiting all discussion whatever, even of the most moderate description.

The only relieving circumstance

which we can discover in their measure, is, that offences against Christianity, whether as established or tolerated, are considered weighty enough to be noticed; though even here we shall be agreeably surprised if in operation the effect of this clause is not found somewhat to resemble the celebrated Declaration of James the Second, which, under a specious plea of liberality, was covertly intended to serve only the purposes of intolerance and bigotry.

On the foreign policy of the new cabinet we can have no remarks to offer, as no decisive indications of its bearing have yet been given. The viscount de Chateaubriand, well known by his writings, is appointed ambassador to the court of St. James's.

SPAIN.-The capital and provinces of Spain still remain in a state of great agitation, from the struggle of contending parties. The Cortes have declared that the cause of these disturbances is to be found in the conduct and measures of administration, which have alienated the affections and destroyed the confidence of the country. They particularly dwell upon the evils which have arisen from a licentious press, which they consider might have been checked by an efficient executive; and they recommend the formation of a new cabinet. The old ministers have accordingly been removed. Whoever may be appointed to succeed them, will have a sufficiently onerous and invidious task to perform in steering the vessel of the state through the dangers which menace it, and preventing the civil war which seems to impend over this agitated country.

TURKEY.-The last month has afforded no new light respecting the intentions of Russia with regard to Turkey; nor any decisive intelligence respecting the internal affairs of the latter power, excepting, that it would appear that Persia does not continue her hostile advance into the Turkish

territory, and that the Greeks have succeeded in getting possession of some more of the fortified places of the Morea and the adjacent provinces. The report of an unjustifiable outrage committed by the Greeks on the capture of one of these places, Tripolizza, where, it was said, that in the teeth of a capitulation they had indiscriminately massacred the Turks, men, women, and children, who had fallen into their power, produced a strong sensation to their disadvantage in this country. There is great reason to believe, however, that the report is either altogether untrue, or essentially misrepresented. But even if it were true, much as we should lament the occurrence, and strongly as we should reprobate the conduct of the Greeks, we should no more be induced by it to change our view of the intrinsic justice of their cause, and of the duty of aiding it, than we should be led to abandon the cause of the African race because the captives in a slave ship had risen on their keepers, and thrown them into the sea, or because some signal instance of bad faith had attended an insurrection of slaves in the West Indies. Our general views on the subject of Greece remain unaltered. We refer for them to our former Numbers.

UNITED STATES.-The President's message, at the opening of Congress, speaks of the relations of the United States with Great Britain, as continuing on an amicable footing. With France there had been some interruption of direct commerce on account of the refusal of that country to accept the terms of maritime intercourse proposed by the United States, and agreed to by England. The message intimates without disguise the satisfaction of the President at the success of the Independent party in South America; and even goes so far as to avow it to be the intention of the government of the United States to recommend to the government of Spain to acknowledge the independence of its Trans-atlantic provinces. The treasury report presents a most economical view of the public expenses; the civil, military, diplomatic, naval, and miscellaneous expenditure being only about two million one hundred and fifty thousand pounds sterling. The message briefly alludes to the efforts which continue to be made by the American navy for the entire suppression of the Slave Trade.

DOMESTIC.

Meetings have been held in various counties of England, to consider the causes and the remedy of the present agricultural distress. These meetings have been attended chiefly by land owners and farmers, who certainly have not thrown much light on the subject of their consideration, however loud and well founded may be their complaints of growing difficulty and depression. That, however, which is their main grievance at the present moment-namely, the lowness of the price of the necessaries of life-is so direct a consequence of the bounty of a gracious Providence in multiplying the fruits of the earth, that we dare not regard it, whatever may be the inconvenience caused by it to a part of the community, in any other light than that of a signal blessing for which we cannot be too grateful. The obvious remedy for the evils under which the farmers labour is a reduction of rent fairly adapted to the new circumstances of the country. A farther relief might doubtless be obtained by a reformation of the poor laws, and by such a diminution of the public expenditure as would lead to a diminution of taxes; but it is vain to anticipate any early or sensible relief from this source, either to the farmer or the landlord. The latter, we apprehend, must submit to a considera ble abridgment of the income he has of late been deriving from land, and which has been progressively increasing for the last twenty-five or thirty years: nor do we conceive that any

contrivance which the wit of man can suggest, will avail, under existing circumstances, to prevent the necessity of this result. As for the notion promulgated by some individuals of reverting to the ruinous system of a paper currency, unsupported by a metallic basis, with the view of raising the price of the necessaries of life, it is too extravagant to require a single remark.

The state of Ireland, or rather of the only part of Ireland which has experienced any serious disturbance, the county of Limerick, is becoming more tranquil. We hope soon to enter at some length into the circumstances of this part of the empire, when we shall endeavour to point out the causes which retard its improvement, and retain it in its present uncivilized and semi-savage state. In the mean time, we beg to call the attention of the public to a pamphlet which has recently been published by that tried and indefatigable friend of Ireland, Mr. Robert Steven, as full of valuable information and important suggestions. He has contemplated the state of that country with the eye of a Christian philanthropist; and we trust that his representations will obtain the attention they deserve. The pamphlet reached us at too late a period of the month, to admit of our doing more than giving this brief annunciation of its appearance and import.

"Remarks on the present State of Ireland," &c. printed for Smith and Elder, Fenchurch Street.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

A.; S. H.; D. R. N.; R. A.; J. S.; P. T.; BENEVOLUS; LAICUS; П5; PACIFICUS; R. N. O.; CLERICUS; J. M. W.; F. S.; and a Memoir of Mrs. K.; are under consideration.

We cannot pledge ourselves respecting the proposed papers of ANGLO-AMERICANUS, on the condition of Episcopacy in the United States of America, till we see them. Some particulars in his letter seem also to require an authentic signature, with which he will perhaps be kind enough to favour us.

We are sorry a correspondent has had the trouble to transcribe Bishop Burnet's Letter to Charles II. as it has already appeared in our pages. See Vol. for 1808, page 753.

J. F. G. was probably not aware that the Memoir of Dr. Bateman, which he wishes to reprint, has been reprinted by Mr. Butterworth, Fleet Street; and by the Edinburgh Tract Society.

C. D. will find that the proceedings of the Church Tract Society have been regularly reported in our pages.

We are requested to state, that the half of a Bank Note, No. 6981, for 100%. has been received by the British and Foreign Bible Society.

We refer the Correspondents who have addressed us relative to the plan of our work on completing our Twentieth Volume, to the statements on that subject in'the Prefatory Remarks, in the Appendix for 1821, published with the present Number.

CHRISTIAN OBSERVER.

No. 242.]

FEBRUARY, 1822. [No. 2. Vol. XXII.

RELIGIOUS COMMUNICATIONS.

ON THE APOCHRYPHAL NEW

TESTAMENT.

(Continued from p. 5.)

1. The apocryphal books either propose or support some doctrine.or practice, contrary to those which are to be

books

HAVING enumerated the bles, tament, and shewn by external evidence that they are not inspired or canonical, Mr. Horne proceeds, as follows with the third section of his argument.

pro

The internal evidence for the spuriousness of these productions is much stronger than the external evidence: for, independently of the total absence of all those criteria of genuineness which are clearly to be seen in the canonical books, it is evident that the apocryphal productions ascribed to the Apostles are utterly unworthy of notice; for, 1. They either pose or support some doctrine or practice contrary to those which are certainly known to be true.2. They are filled with absurd, unimportant, impertinent and frivolous details.-3. They relate both useless and improbable miracles.4. They mention things, which are later than the time when the author lived, whose name the book bears. -5. Their style is totally different from that of the genuine books of the New Testament.-6. They contain direct contradictions to authentic history, both sacred and profane.-7. They are studied imitations of various passages in the genuine Scriptures, both to couceal the fraud and to allure readers; -and, 8. They contain gross falsehoods, utterly repugnant to the character, principles, and conduct of the inspired writers.

CHRIST. OBSERV. No. 242.

appear designed to obv true, and heresy, which had its origin subsequent to the apostolic age.

One of the doctrines, which these spurious writings were intended to establish, was, the sanctity of relics. As a striking proof of this, we are told in the first Gospel of the Infancy, that when the eastern magi had come from the east to Jerusalem, according to the prophecy of Zoradascht, and had made their offerings, the lady Mary took one of his swaddling clothes in which the infant was wrapped, and gave it to them instead of a blessing, which they received from her as a most noble present. As bandages, of a similar nature and efficacy, were preserved in some churches with the most superstitious reverence, the purpose for which the above was written is obvious.

The corrupt doctrines relative to the Virgin Mary form an essential part in the scheme of some of these designers. Those who believed, or affected to believe, that the Virgin was exalted into heaven, who adopted the notion of her immaculate conception, and her power of working miracles, found but little countenance for their absurdities in the genuine Gospels. It was a task

too hard for them to defend such tenets against their adversaries, while the canonical books were the only authority they could appeal to. Hence a gospel was written De Nativitate Maria (the Gospel of

K

the Birth of Mary), in which her birth is foretold by angels, and herself represented as always under the peculiar protection of Heaven. Hence in the gospel attributed to James, which assumed the name of Prot-evangelium, as claiming the superiority over every other, whether canonical or apocryphal, the fact of the immaculate conception is supported by such a miracle as to leave no doubt upon the most incredulous mind. Hence too in the Evangelium Infantiæ, orGospel of the Infancy, the Virgin, who is simply said by St. Matthew to have gone into Egypt, is represented as making her progress more like a divinity than a mortal, performing, by the assistance of her infant Son, a variety of miracles, such as might entitle her in the minds of the blind and bigotted to divine ho

nours.

In further corroboration of the design of exalting the Virgin Mary, she is sometimes made to work miraples herself, is almost always made the instrument or means of working it, and is the person applied to, and receiving the praise of the work, while Joseph stands by as an unconcerned spectator, and is never mentioned. But what is most remarkable, is, that she is canonised, and called always (not only by the author of the gospel, but by those who were perfect strangers to her before, in Egypt and elsewhere) diva Maria and diva sancta Maria; which we know not how better to translate, than in the language of her worshippers, the Lady St. Mary. And aged Simeon, in his prayer, which is found here, chap. ii. v. 25. and recorded Luke ii. 28. -34. is introduced as stretching out his hands towards her, as though he worshipped her. But of all this the first ages were ignorant; nor in the first centuries after Christ do we find any thing of this prodigious deference to the Virgin: this was an invention of later ages, and was not heard of in the church till the fourth or fifth century, nor so

common as this book supposes till some centuries after.

2. Whoever has perused with candour and attention the memoirs of the Four Evangelists, cannot but be struck with the natural and artless manner in which they relate every fact. They never stop to think how this or that occurrence may be set off to most advantage, or how any thing unfavourable to themselves may be palliated. Nothing ludicrous, no impertinent or trifling circumstances, are recorded by them. Every thing, on the contrary, proves that they derived the facts which they have related, from infallible and indisputable sources of information. Far different was the conduct of the compilers of the apocryphal gospels. The unimportant, impertinent, and frivolous details with which their pages are filled, plainly prove that they were not possessed of any real and authentic information upon the subject which they undertake to elucidate; and clearly invalidate their pretensions as eye-witnesses of the transactions which attended the introduction of the religion of Jesus Christ. Thus, in the pseudo-gospel of the Birth of Mary, we have an idle tale of Christ's ascending the stairs of the temple by a miracle at three years of age, and of angels ministering to Mary in her infancy. So, in the Prot-evangelion, ascribed to James the Less, we are presented with a dull and silly dialogue, between the mother of Mary and her waiting-maid Judith, and with another equally impertinent between the parents of Mary. We have also, in the same performance, an account of Mary being fed by angels, and a grave consultation of priests concerning the making of a vail for the temple. The pseudo-gospel of the Infancy, and that ascribed to the apostle Thomas, present childish relations of our Saviour's infancy and education, of vindictive and mischievous miracles wrought by him, of his learning the alphabet,

&c. &c.

3. In the pseudo-gospels of Mary, of the Infancy, and of Thomas (which have been already cited), numerous miracles are ascribed to the mother of Jesus, or to himself in his infancy, which are both USELESS and IMPROBABLE.The proper effect and design of a miracle is, to mark clearly the Divine interposition: and, as is evident, the manner and circumstance of such interference must be marked with a dignity, and solemnity, befitting the more immediate presence of the Almighty. When therefore we observe any miraculous acts attributed to persons, not exercising such a commission, performed upon frivolous or improper occasions, or marked by any circumstance of levity or inanity,we conclude that the report of such miracles is unworthy our attention, and that the reporters of them are to be suspected of gross error or intentional deceit. Thus we smile with contempt at the prodigies of a writer, who gravely relates as a stupendous miracle, that a child at the age of three years, ascended without assistance the steps of the temple at Jerusalem,

which were but balf a cubit each in height. In the same gospel, in supposed accommodation to a prophecy of Isaiah, which is most grossly misinterpreted, a declaration from Heaven is alleged to have taken place in favour of Joseph the reputed father of Jesus, similar to that, which, upon the strongest grounds, we believe to have been made in honour of Jesus at his baptism. The bandage which was mentioned in it as having been presented by Mary to the Magi, is of course represented as the instrument of a miracle, being cast into a fire, yet not consumed. In another of these ingenious productions, when Elizabeth wished to shelter her infant son from the persecution of Herod, she is said to have been thus wonderfully preserved : "Elizabeth also, hearing that her son John was about to be searched for, took

him and went up unto the mountains, and looked around for a place to hide him; and there was no secret place to be found. Then she groaned within herself, and said, 'O mountain of the Lord, receive the mother with the child. For Elizabeth could not climb up. And instantly the mountain was divided and received them. And there appeared an angel of the Lord to preserve them."

Various miracles are said to be wrought both by Mary and her Son, particularly by the latter, who is represented as employing his powers to assist Joseph in his trade (he being but a bungling carpenter), especially when he had made articles of furniture of wrong dimensions *.

following illustration. It is not without * Mr. Horne presents, in a note, the extreme pain that I transcribe so absurd, and I may say blasphemous, a passage; but I do it, as doubtless Mr. Horne did, from a conviction that one such paragraph is sufficient to convince every

reader of the immeasurable discre

pancy between the true and the spu

rious books of the sacred canon. The passage is taken from 1 Infancy xvi. p. 36. of the Apocryphal New Testament, corresponding to chap. xxxviii. xxxix. of Jones and other writers." And

Joseph, wheresoever he went in the city, took the Lord Jesus with him, where he was sent for to work, to make gates, or milk-pails, or sieves, or boxes; the Lord Jesus was with him, wheresoever he went. And as often as Joseph had any thing in his work to make longer or shorter, or wider or narrower, the Lord Jesus would stretch his hands towards it, and presently it became as Joseph would have it; so that he had no need to finish any thing with his own hands, for he was not very skilful at his carpenter's trade. On a certain time the king of Jerusalem sent for him, and said, I would have thee make me a throne, of the same dimensions with that place in which I commonly sit.' Joseph obeyed, and forthwith began the work, and continued two years in the king's palace, before he finished it.

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And when he came to fix it in its place, he found it wanted two spans on each side of the appointed measure, Which when the king saw, he was very angry

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