thereby give demonstrative evi- | unfeigned piety; and all these dence that they are ignorant of are not to be changed in compliexperimental religion. They ance with the perverse humors The motto affirmay have a name to live, while of a sinner. they are really dead, in trespas-med by the will of the Creator, ses and sins; may think them- and engraven on the pillars of selves in the path to heaven al- the universe is this: "HE though descending the broad WHO IS HOLY, IS HAPPY; AND road to death. WHOEVER IS UNHOLY, MUST AMEN." LITERARY INTELLIGENCE. (Concluded from p. 439. "THERE are many old Syriac manuscripts besides the Bible, which have been well preserved: for the Synod of Udiamper destroyed no volumes but those which treated of religious doctrine or church supremacy.Two different characters of writing appear ever to have been in use among the Syrian Christians, the common Syriac and the Estrangelo. The oldest manuscripts are in the Estrangelo. Eternal life consists in unmixed holiness, such views of God as finite minds can receive, and a perfect devotion to his service. Until there be found in us this recovery to holiness by the gospel, we must be wretched beings; convicted by our own consciences, and wretched by our own temper; wretched in time and for eternity. Men may roll from opinion to opinion, from scheme to scheme; they may turn from one course of life, and from one denomination of christians to another; they may be zealous and inflamed with a boisterous zeal in their pretensions; but are neither safe, or happy, until they have turned to God, their maker and redeemer. When they have obeyed God thro' faith "But there are other ancient and repentance, their hearts are documents in Malayala, not less placed at rest, by having obtain-inte ting than the Syrian maned a satisfying object of enjoy-uscripts. The old Portuguese ment; their consciences be- historians relate, that soon after come peaceful; God through the arrival of their countrymen Christ becomes their friend; and the whole universe presents objects for their blessedness. Nature itself, on any other principles, stands directly opposed to happiness. The glorious nature of God, the powers and qualities of rational existence, the circumstances of social connection, the structure of created minds, and the events of a most wise providence, all forbid happiness, to those who have not VOL. II. NO. 12. in India, about 300 years ago, the Syrian Archbishop of Angamalee, by name Mar Jacob, deposited in the fort of Cochin for safe custody, certain tablets of brass; on which were engraved Rights of Nobility and other privileges, granted to the Christians by a Prince of a former age; and that while these tablets were under the charge of the Portuguese, they had been unaccountably lost, and had neMmm ver after been heard of. The loss of the tablets was deeply regretted by the Christians; and the Portuguese writer, Gouvea, ascribes their subsequent oppressions by the native powers, to the circumstance of their being no longer able to produce their charter. It is not generally known that, at a former period, the Christians possessed regal power in Malayala. The name of their last king was Beliarte. He died without issue; and his kingdom descended, by the custom of the country, to the king of Cochin. When Vasco de Gama was at Cochin, in 1503, he saw the sceptre of the Chris-mixed metal. The engraved adds, that they never existed "The learned world will be gratified, to know, that all these ancient tablets, not only the three last mentioned exhibited in 1599, but those also, (as is supposed,) delivered by the Syrian Archbishop to the Portuguese, on their arrival in India, which are the most ancient, have been recently recovered by the exertions of Lieut. Col. Macaulay, the British Resident in Travancore; and are now offcially deposited with that offcer. tian king. "The plates are six in number. They are composed of a page on the largest plate is 13 "It is further recorded by inches long by about 4 broad. the same historians, that besides They are closely written: four of the documents deposited with them on both sides of the plate, the Portuguese, the Christians making in all eleven pages. possessed three other tablets, On the plate reputed to be the containing ancient grants, which oldest, there is writing perspicuthey kept in their own custody: ously engraved in nail-headed and that these were exhibited to or triangular-headed letters, rethe Romish Archbishop Me-sembling the Persepolitan or nezes, at the church of Tevele- Babylonish. On the same plate car, near the mountains, in 1599, there is writing in another char the inhabitants having first ex-acter, which has no affinity with acted an oath from the Archbishop, that he would not remove them. Since that period little has been heard of the tablets. Though they are often referred to in the Syrian writings, the translation itself has been lost. It has been said that they were seen about 40 years ago; but Adrian Moens, a govenor of Cochin, in 1770, who published some account of the Jews of Malabar, informs us that he used every means in his power, for many years, to obtain a sight of the Christian Plates; and was at length satisfied they were irrecoverably lost; or rather, he any existing character in Hindostan. The grant on this plate appears to be witnessed by four Jews of rank, whose names are distinctly written in an old Hebrew character, resembling the alphabet called The Palmy rene; and to each name is prefixed the title of Magen; that is, Chief. "It may be doubted whether there exists in the world another document of equal antiquity, which is at the same time, of so great a length, and in such faultless preservation as the Christian Tablets in Malayala. The Jews of Cochin, indeed, nity to frequent revolution; but many old writings have been found at the remote synagogues of their ancient enemies, the black Jews, situ contest the palm of antiquity and of preservation; for they also produce tablets, containing privileges granted at a remote pe-ated at Tritona, Paroor, Chenotta, riod. TheJewish tablets are two in and Maleh; the last of which places number. The Jews were long in is near the mountains. Among possession of a third plate, which these writings are some of great length, in Rabbinical Hebrew; but now appears to be the property in so ancient and uncommon a charof the Christians. The Jews acter, that it will require much commonly show an ancient He- time and labour to ascertain their brew translation of their plates. contents. There is one manuscript Dr. Leyden made another trans- written in a character resembling lation; which differs from the the Palmyrene Hebrew, on the brass plates: but it is in a decayed state; Hebrew and there has lately and the leaves adhere so closely to been found among the old Dutch each other, that it is doubtful whethrecords at Cochin, a third trans-er it will be possible to unfold them, lation, which approaches nearer and preserve the reading-It is to Dr. Leyden's than to the He-sufficiently established by the conbrew. In a Hebrew manuscript which will shortly be published, it is recorded that a grant on brass tablets was given to the Jews, in A. D. 379. curring evidence of written record and Jewish tradition, that the black Jews had colonized on the coasts of India, long before the Christian æra, There was another colony at Rajapoor, in the Mahratta territory, "As it is apprehended that there which is not yet extinct; and there are at this time, Jewish soldiers and may be some difficulty in obtaining Jewish native officers in the British an accurate translation of all these service. That these are a remnant tablets, it is proposed to print a cop- of the Jews of the first dispersion at per-plate fac simile of the whole, the Babylonish captivity, seems and to transmit copies to the learned highly probable. There are many societies in Hindostan and in Eu- other tribes settled in Persia, Ararope; for this purpose an engraver bia, Northern India, Tartary, and is now employed on the plates, at China, whose respective places of Cochin. The Christian and Jewish residence may be easily discovered. plates together, will make 14 pages. The places which have been aiA copy has been sent, in the first in- ready ascertained, are 65 in nunstance, to the Pundits of the Shan-ber. These tribes have in general, scrit College, at Trichiur, by (particularly those who have passed direction of the Rajah of Cochin. "When the White Jews at Co- the Indus,) assimilated much to the chin were questioned respecting the customs of the countries in which they live; and may sometimes be ancient copies of their Scriptures, seen by a traveller, without being they answered, That it had been recognized as Jews. The very imusual to bury the old copy read in perfect resemblance of their coun the synagogue, when decayed by tenance to the Jews of Europe, intime and use, This, however, does dicates that they have been detachnot appear to have been the prac-ed from the parent stock in Judea, tice of the Black Jews, who were many ages before the race of Jews the first settlers: for in the record-in the west. A fact corroborative chests of their synagogues, old copies of the law have been discovered; some of which are complete, and for the most part, legible. Neither Could the Jews of Cochin produce any historical manuscripts of consequence, their vicinity to the seaCoast having exposed their commu of this is, that certain of these tribes do not call themselves Jerus, but Beni-Israel, or Israelites; for the name Jew is derived from Judah; whereas the ancestors of these tribes were not subject to the kings of Judah, but to the kings of Israel. Coventry, revival of religion in, 379 Gospel and law, harmony of the, Curtiss, Mrs. Anne, death of, D Death of Lemuel Lincoln, 231 360 231 230 power of the, 468 81 461 131 249 man, gospel sufficient 425 Harmony of the law and gospel, 468 the gospel a support in, 367 117 185 321 Heavenly state, thoughts on the, 131 319 40, History of a religious tract, 311 321 Hope, hymn on, 158 Hora Solitaria, extracts from, 183 I 156 281 399 327 205 Imprudence of Christians, 323 241 England, religious intelligence from, India, religious intelligence from, 238 Indian missions, 354 Infidel, conversion of an, $14 257 76 336 Eternity and time, Existence of God, unscarchable, 60 Explanation of types, 26, 89, 135, F Faithfulness of God, Fall of Peter, Knapp, Mrs. Anna, memoirs of, 107 Installation of Rev. Dan Hunting- ton, 399 Intelligence, literay, 434, 473 Introduction, Judson, Phebe, death of, 930 410 man, 331 L 191 Law and gospel, harmony of the, 468 Lee, revival of religion in, 94 142 152 Phebe Judson, 231 96 Long-Island, revival of religion on, | New Haven, revival of religion in, Love to God, Lenatus and Philesia, $43 M'Lean, Rev. Allen, ordination of, Officers of the Connecticut Bible Society, 220 Miss. Soc. of Con. 59 Vermont, 307 Rev. Thomas W. Bray, 41 Rev. Thomas Clap, 201 iams, P Perseverance in prayer, Rev. Samuel Stone, 11 427 416 443 410 Millennium, preparation for the, 21 | Poetry, viz. Ministers, society for the education 198 Philadelphia Bible Society, 269 377 3 Preaching, loose and indistinct, 67 294, 325, 361, 404 305 Presbyterians, English, account of, 321 Prophecy, fulfilment of Rev. xiv. 266 |