first of these orators has thus daringly profaned the paffage in Daniel; "I faw in the night vifions, and behold one, like the Son of Man, came, and there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom." Rabbi Segre illuftrates this prophecy by an enumeration of the victories and laurels of Buonaparte, and then exclaims "A fupernatural genius has really appeared on earth, surrounded with greatness and with glory infinite!"

Rabbi Zinzheimer, a German from Strafbourg, went even beyond this, andnot only applied Daniel's prophecy directly to Napoleon, but also that of Ifaiah: " Behold my fervant whom I uphold, mine elect in whom my foul delighteth: I have put my Spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment on the Gentiles; he fhall not fail nor be difcouraged till he have fet judgment in the earth, and the ifles fhall wait for his law. I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thing hand, and will keep thee, and will give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles." (Ifaiah xlii.)

Should the Great Sanhedrim follow the example fet by this affembly, we shall not wonder at their openly acknow. ledging Buonaparte as their Meffiah.

There feems a preparation for this in the answer given by the deputies to the fixth question, by which the French Jews acknowledge France as their country, without any restriction whatever. "This" obferves the translator, "is a ftill more heinous dereliction of the tenets of the Mofaic law; for they give up, by it, the hope of the expected Meffiah, and of the everlasting poffeffion of the promised land of Canaan, which they deem a part of the facred covenant between God and his chofen people."

That this is a grofs apoftacy we admit, but it does not amount to an abandonment of their expectation. On the contrary, it seems as if these men were prepared to acknowlege the French defpot as their leader, and are ready to fubmit themselves to any of his decrees concerning them, even though the fame fhould overturn fome of the principles and ufages hitherto held facred by their nation. When men have degraded themselves to fuch a ftate as these Jews have done, there is no act of impiety or extravagant fervility which they will have any fcruple to perform.

Among the parallel circumftances which have diftinguished the interregnum in England, and the period of the French revolution, the proceedings of these Jews at Paris are not FF

Vol. XIII. Churchm. Mag. for Sep, 1807.

without

without a counterpart. The fact is curious and worth res lating in this place.

About the year 1656, the Afiatick Jews fent hither the noted Rabbi Jacob Ben Azahel, with feveral others of his nation, to make private enquiry whether Cromwell was not that Meffiah whom they had fo long expected; and thefe deputies upon their arrival, pretending other bufinefs, were feveral times indulged with the favour of a private audience with the ufurper. One of them propofed purchasing the Hebrew books and manufcripts belonging to the univerfity of Cambridge, but this was only a pretence, that in going thither they might have an opportunity of vifiting Hunting don where he was born, and making enquiries there whether any of his ancestors could be proved of Jewish origin...

This project was very readily agreed to (the university being at that time under a cloud on account of its loyalty to the king) and accordingly the embaffadors fet out upon their journey. But difcovering by their much longer continuance at Huntingdon, than at Cambridge, that their bufinefs at the laft place was not fuch as was pretended, and by not making their enquiries into Oliver's pedigree with that caution and fecrecy, which was neceffary in fuch an affair, the true purpofe of their errand into England became quickly known at London, and was very much talked off: which caufing great fcandal amongst the Saints, he was forced fuddenly to pack them out of the kingdom, without granting any of their re quefts.*

186

With this anecdote we fhall dismiss the "" Tranfactions of the Parifian Sanhedrim," obferving only, that Mr. Kirwan has discharged the office of a tranflator well; and that the preface does honour to his talents and to his principles.

* Tovey's Anglia Judaica, p. 275.

Remarks on the Alliance between Church and State; and on the Teft Laws. By the Rev. RICHARD KING, M. A. formerly Fellow of New College, Oxford. 8vo. pp. 60. Booth.

"THE object of this publication is to explain the nature of the alliance between Church and State, and the neceffity of Teft-Laws: it comprehends the fubftance of the leading arguments

arguments in Dr. Warburton's celebrated treatife on that fubject, intermixed with occasional obfervations applicable to the prefent times.”

Such is the author's account of his performance, and in our opinion he has executed the defign which he undertook, with confiderable ability. He has extracted the effence of the celebrated treatife of the learned prelate with judgment, andi given his arguments in a fmall compafs without weakening their force.

Ciffuseness was the characteristic of Warburton, and a plain fubject in his management, became expanded to the utmost ftretch of ingenuity. In the tract before us, the doctrine of the alliance between Church and State is clearly laid down, accurately defined, and ably fupported. To the original arguments of Warburton, fome additions are made which that acute writer would not have treated with disrespect and there are severali obfervations applicable to existing circumfances which deferye serious attention.

To fome of his pofitions, indeed, many members of the Church of England will not accede. He laments, and we lament with him, that the unfounded jealoufy of the legislature has deprived the clergy of their right to affemble in convocation; but we are not quite fatisfied that the remedy proposed of admitting them into the house of commons would be either good for the order itself, or for the public at large. It is but fair, however, to let Mr. King ftate his own reasons.

"It is much to be lamented" he says, "that in England clergymen are excluded from a seat in the House of Commons; particularly as the houses of Convocation, unfortunately for them and the nation, are now discontinued; for from their learning, moral habits, and education, they would be well qualified to act as legislators. Men of all other professions are eligible to Parliament; and though it may be objected, that they would be liable to be tempted by pros pects of preferment, which objection is equally applicable to all other professions, yet this difficulty, might easily be removed by a law, to render them incapable of any other preferment than what they then possessed, after they have once been admitted into Parliament.

"If they were admitted to this share in the legislature, the State would receive the benefit of the abilities of twenty-six new members, supposing one to be returned for each diocese, distinguished for their learning and moral character; and what would be of infinite importance, perfectly independent: they would then be able to act as the guardians of the morals and religion of the country; and their presence in the legislature, in the eyes of the

FF 2

people

people, who are naturally influenced by those who teach them their great duties to God and man, would give a strong additional sanction to the laws, and ensure to them a willing obedience.

"The Bishops are not the representatives of the clergy, though, in the share they take in the legislature, they give a sanction to the laws, from their learning, their age and experience, and their venerable and apostolic character; but they do not often interfere in the public business."

The fubject of the Teft-laws is well difcuffed, and the following illustration from the inftitutions of the celebrated founder and legiflator of the ftate of Penfylvania, is aptly in

troduced.

"In later times, we see the conduct of the celebrated William Penn; though in his principles he was averse to an established religion, and Test-laws, yet was forced to have recourse to them. As the head of his sect, he first introduced society into religion, as the necessary means to preserve it: when he became the law-giver, he found it equally necessary to have that society established, and also to secure it by a Test-law. In the original constitutions of his government, in Pensylvania, we read, "That all persons living in this province, who acknowledge one God, the Creator, Upholder and Ruler of the world, shall in no wise be molested for their religious persuasion; " and "that all treasurers, judges, and all other officers in the service of government; and all members of council, and general assembly, and all who have a right to elect such members, shall be such as profess faith in Jesus Christ." Thus we see an established religion formed, and next a Test-law made, which excludes all, who will not subscribe that Test, from any the remotest share in the administration. Thus all Atheists, Deists, Jews, Turks, and Infidels of every kind, were excluded from all the honours and advantages of the State. Did these men complain, that William Penn was intolerant, and a persecutor?"

On the whole, the perufal of this pamphlet has afforded us great pleasure; and we can even venture to recommend it to the attention of those who are already familiarly acquainted with the able treatise of Warburton.

Remarks on the Dangers which threaten the Established Religion, and on the means of averting them: in a Letter to the Right Hon. Spencer Perceval, M. P. Chancellor of his Majefly's Exchequer. BY EDWARD PEARSON, B. D. Rector of Rempftone, Nottinghamshire. 8vo. pp. 98. 3s. Hatchard.

IN

'N this letter feveral important points are fubmitted to the confideration of Mr. Perceval, who is "conceived to take a greater intereft in the prefervation of our religious establishment, and to be a better judge of what is neceffary for the preservation of it, than most laymen of the present day.

After ftating the duty of the civil magiftrate with respect to religion, which is "to establish one form, and to tolerate all others that are not incompatible with the fafety of the state,” this ingenious writer observes, that

"It is entirely consistent with this duty, and indeed a part of it, not only to afford all necessary protection to the existing establishment, but to give it all possible advantages, and to bring it to all possible perfection. For, since the benefit of a religious establishment to the state, as also its own security, will be in proportion, or nearly so, to the number of those, who conform to it, every reasonable inducement to conformity, especially that arising from a persuasion of its excellence, ought to be carefully provided; and, though toleration should be allowed, dissent should be discouraged. In many cases, it may be difficult to discourage dissent, without infringing the rights of toleration; but, so far as the thing is possible, an endeavour to accomplish it is essential to the idea of good government. It is, therefore, the duty of civil magistrates, whether legislators or ministers, as such, by the maintenance of the established religion in its purity, if they think it as near to the truth of things as possible, or by the improvement of it, if they think it not so, to make the prevalence of true religion one of the principal objects of their atten

tion."

As one object of this address is to recommend fome alterations in the adminiftration of the church fervice, and in the service itself, which fome perfons may be inclined to confider as inconfiftent with the idea of an establishment, Mr. Pearson thus removes that objection.

"The