which, some of the Jews are of opinion, was 
made by the appointment of Moses himself; - 
but which otliers, with greater appearance of 
probability, ascribe to Ezra. The Jews in- 
ed that one of these sections should be 
id in the synagogues every Sabbath day.— 
he number consisted of fifty-four; because 
in their intercalated years a month* being 
added, there were ‘fifty-four Sabbaths. In 
other years, they reduced them again to 
forty-two, by joining together two short 
sections. They euded the last section with 
é last words of Deuteronomy, on the Sab- 
th of the feast of ‘Tabernacles; and begun 
ew with the first section from the begin- 
ning of Genesis, the next Sabbath afier.— 
Each of these sections was again subdivided 
into seven parts, for as many readers ; every Is- 
raelite having the privilege of reading, except 
women, slaves, and others, who were deemed 
incapable of doing it. Notwithstanding this 
prvlege, a priest, a Levite, or some person 
of eminence, was usually selected in prefe- 
Tence to those who were more uninformed ; 
the latter being never permitted to begin till 
those of the former description had finished. 
_ Till the time of the persecution of Antiochus 
iphanes, they were accustomed to read 
aw only; but that being prohibited 
being read any longer, they substituted, 
eeei 
in me room of it, fifty-four sections out of the 
Prophets. When the reading of the law was 
restored by the Maccabees, the section read 
on the Sabbath out of the Law served for the 
first lesson, and that out of the Prophets for 
‘the second.{ The reading of the | 
x ,aw;, 1n- 
» was not confined to the return’ of the 
Sab ath, as it was constantly rehearsed every 
venth year, before all the people, at the 
feast of Tabernacles.” 
' Asavery fair specimen of our author’s 
me thod, we select the following passage, 
| where 
ristianity, he observes,— 
© Here then is an effect proceeding from 
_ a Cause, according to human estimation, in- 
uate to produce it. Nothing similar, as 
fer as we are informed, ever took place before 
_ @rsince. Can any one believe, that an ob- 
| Seure peasant, in an obscure country, with 
_ Mo better assistance than twelve poor fisher- 
} men, could have brought about so great and 
| extraordinary achange by any possible mode 
human exertion? or is it credible, that, 
ithout co-operation and support, they would 
. a 
of the Law.” 
Ann. Rey. Vor. Il. 
ROBINSON’S EVIDENCES OF REVEALED RELIGION. — 
» speaking of the prevalence of 
‘section which was proper for that week, and read it half wa through ; and on 
proceeded to read the remainder. On Saturday, which was their solemn Sabbath, they r 
he whole over again, both morning and evening. On week days they read it only in the. 
horning; but on the Sabbath always repeated it in the evening, for the benefit of those who 
id not leave their work to attend the synagogues on week days.” 
« { The whole of the prophetical writirigs were not, like the Law, read over in public; 
but such parts only were selected for that purpose, 
146 
have taken the steps they did to’ accomplish 
their object? If they-had no surer method 
of advancing their cause, than that with 
which their own efforts could have supplied 
them, they would have had recourse to those 
things which are commonly successful on si- 
milar occasions ; they would have attempted 
to impose on the tat arbiters of mankind 
by conciliation and flattery ; they would have 
dazzled their imaginations by visionary pros- 
pects of future advantage; and would have 
moved every engine, which is usually direct- - 
ed by the artful and designing against human 
weakness. But these things, so often prac- 
tised by others, could not be turned to ad- 
vantage by them. ‘They possessed neither 
influence, wealth, ner power; they had, 
(with few exceptions) neither abilities, learn- 
ing, address, nor eloquence; so far indeed 
were they from auning at allurement, that 
the method which they took of making con- 
verts to their cause, was likely to operate as 
an effectual discouragement. They attacked 
the obstinate and rooted prejudices univer- 
sally entertained for the established forms of 
religious worship; and loudly condemned 
those darling follies, vices, and superstitions, 
to which mankind had shewn so long and 
fond an attachment; they exhorted their 
hearers to embrace a cause, which could not 
fail to involve them in the most serious evils ; 
and to. acknowledge the divine mission of 
one, whom, far from clothing with supema- 
tural splendor, they represented as terminat- 
ing a miserable life by an ignominious death. 
Ail they had to put into the opposite scale, 
was the promise of a recompence, invisible 
and distant ; and of such amature, as precon- 
ceived opinions must reasonably regard as 
chimerical and ‘delusive. This address was 
not made in a dark age, or to a savage peo~ 
ple, but to the wisest and most enlightened 
nations of the earth, ata time when human 
learning and philosophy were at their greatest 
height; thus every motive that usually in- 
fluences the mind of man, religion, custem, 
law, policy, pride, interest, vice, and even, 
hilosophy, were united against the Gospel. 
ihese are enemies at all times formidable and- 
difficult to be subdued, even when attacked 
upon equal ground; but now entrenched 
and rendered inaccessible by the strongest 
bulwarks of civil power ; yet against all thege 
obsiacies christianity struggled, and com- 
pletely triumphed. It overturned the tem- 
ples and altars of the gods; it silenced the 
at This month was added between February and March; and was done, when the corn 
would not be ripe at the Passover, nor the fruits at Pentecost.” ; 
* +The manner of reading the Law was as follows:—On Monday they began with that 
Thursda 
as had a reference to the foregoing lesson 
L , 
