some general notion of what you are to expect from each book may possibly help you to understand them, and heighten your relish of them.

The first Book, GENESIS, contains the most grand, and, to us, the most interesting events that ever happened in the universe :-creation of the world, and of man:-The deplorable fall of man, from his first state of excellence and bliss, to the distressed condition in which we see all his descendants continue:-The sentence of death pronounced on Adam, and on all his race-with the reviving promise of that deliverance which has since been wrought for us by our blessed Saviour:-The division of mankind into different nations and languages: The story of Abraham, the founder of the Jewish people, whose unshaken faith and obedience, under the severest trial human nature could sustain, obtained such favour in the sight of God, that he vouchsafed to style him his friend, and promised to make of his posterity a great nation; and that in his seed-that is, in one of his descendants-all the kingdoms of the earth should be blessed: this, you, will easily see, refers to the Messiah, who was to be the blessing and deliverance of all nations. This book proceeds with the history of Isaac, which becomes very interesting to us, from the touching scene I have mentioned-and still more so if we consider him as the type of our Saviour: it recounts his marriage with Rebecca-the birth and history of his two sons, Jacob, the father of the twelve tribes, and Esau, the father of the Edomites or Idumeans the exquisitely affecting story of Joseph and his brethren and of his transplanting the Israelites into Egypt, who there multiplied to a great nation.

In ExODOUS, you read of a series, of wonders, wrought by the Almighty, to rescue the oppressed Israelites from the cruel tyranny of the Egyptians, who, having first received them as guests, by de

grees reduce them to a state of slavery. By the most peculiar mercies and exertions in their favour, God prepared his chosen people to receive, with reverent and obedient hearts, the solemn restitution of those primitive laws, which probably he had revealed to Adam and his immediate descendants, or which, at least, he had made known by the dictates of conscience, but which, time, and the degeneracy of mankind, had much obscured. This important revelation was made to them in the Wilderness of Sinah: there, assembled before the burning mountain, surrounded 'with blackness, and darkness, and tempest,' they heard the awful voice of God pronounce the eternal law, impressing it on their hearts with circumstances of terror, but without those encouragements and those excellent promises, which were afterwards offered to mankind by Jesus Christ.

The next book is LEVITICUS, which contains little besides the laws for the peculiar ritual observance of the Jews, and therefore affords no great instruction to us now; you may pass it over entirely; and, for the same reason, you may omit the first eight chapters of NUMBERS.

In DEUTERONOMY, Moses makes recapitulation of the foregoing history, with zealous exhortations to the people, faithfully to worship and obey that God, who had worked such amazing wonders for them: he promises them the noblest temporal blessings, if they prove obedient, and adds the most awful and striking denunciations against them, if they rebel or forsake the true God.

The book of JOSHUA contains the conquest of the Israelites over the seven nations, and their establishment in the promised land.—Their treatment of these conquered nations must appear to you very cruel and unjust, if you consider it as their own act, unauthorized by a positive command: but they had the most absolute injunctions, not to spare these corrupt people to make no covenant with them, nor

shew mercy to them, but utterly to destroy them." And the reason is given-'lest they should turn away the Israelites from following the Lord, that they might serve other Gods. The children of Israel are to be considered as instruments in the hand of the Lord, to punish those whose idolatry and wickedness had deservedly brought destruction on them: this example, therefore, cannot be pleaded in behalf of cruelty, or bring any imputation on the character of the Jews.

The book of JUDGES, in which you will find the affecting stories of Samson and of Jeptha, carries on the history from the death of Joshua, about two hundred and fifty years; but the facts are not told in the times in which they happened, which makes some confusion; and it will be necessary to consult the marginal dates and notes, as well as the index, in order to get any clear idea of the succession of events during that period.

The history then proceeds regularly through the two books of SAMUEL, and those of KINGS: nothing can be more interesting and entertaining than the reigns of Saul, David, and Solomon: but after the death of Solomon, when ten tribes revolted from his son Rehoboam, and became a separate kingdom, you will find some difficulty in understanding distinctly the histories of the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah, which are blended together, and, by the likeness of the names, and other particulars, will be apt to confound your mind, without great attention to the different threads thus carried on together. The Second Book of Kings concludes with the Babylonish captivity, 588 years before Christ-till which time, the kingdom of Judea had descended uninterruptedly in the line of David.

The first book of CHRONICLES begins with a genealogy from Adam, through all the tribes of Israel and Judah; and the remainder is the same history which is contained in the books of Kings,

with little or no variation, till the separation of the ten tribes: from that period, it proceeds with the. history of the kingdom of Judah alone, and gives therefore a more regular and clear account of the affairs of Judah than the book of Kings. You may pass over the first book of Chronicles, and the nine first chapters of the second book: but, by all means read the remaining chapters, as they will give you more clear and distinct ideas of the history of Judah than that you read in the second book of Kings. The second of Chronicles ends, like the second of Kings, with Babylonish captivity.

You must pursue the history in the book of EZRA, which gives an account of the return of some of the Jews, on the edict of Cyrus, and of the rebuilding the Lord's temple.

NEHEMIAH carries on the history for about twelve years, when he himself was governor of Jerusalem, with authority to rebuild the walls, &c.

The story of ESTHER is prior in time to that of Ezra and Nehemiah; as you will see by the marginal dates; however, as it happened during the seventy years' captivity, and is a kind of episode, it may be read in its own place.

The history of JOB is probably very ancient, though that is a point upon which learned men have differed it is dated, however, 1520 years before Christ I believe it was uncertain by whom it was written many parts of it are obscure, but it is well worth studying, for the extreme beauty of the poetry, and for the noble and sublime devotion it contains.

Next follow the PSALMS, with which you cannot be too conversant. If you have any taste, either for poetry or devotion, they will be your delight, and will afford you a continual feast. The Bible translation is far better than that used in the Common Prayer Book; and will often give you the sense, when the other is obscure.

The PROVERBS and ECCLESIASTES are rich stores

of wisdom; from which I wish you to adopt such maxims as may be of infinite use, both to your temporal and eternal interest.

The SONG of SOLOMON is a fine poem-but its mystical reference to religion lies too deep for a common understanding.

Next follow the PROPHECIES, which, though highly deserving the greatest attention and study, I think you had better omit for some years, and then read them with a good exposition; as they are much too difficult for you to understand, without assistance. Dr. Newton on the Prophecies will help you much, whenever you undertake this studywhich you should by all means do, when your understanding is ripe enough; because one of the main proofs of our religion rests on the testimony of the prophecies; and they are very frequently quoted and referred to in the New Testament.

The thread of the history is to be pursued, from Nehemiah, to the first book of MACCABEES, in the Apocrypha; taking care to observe the Chronology regularly, by referring to the Index, which supplies the deficiencies of this history, from Josephus's Antiquities of the Jews. The first of Maccabees carries on the story till within 195 years of our Lord's circumcision the second book is the same narrative, written by a different hand, and does not bring the history so forward as the first.

The other books of the Apocrypha, though not admitted as of sacred authority, have many things well worth your attention; particularly the admirable book called ECCLESIASTICUS, and the Book of WISDOM.