the style of their own versions.

Still they owe it to the public to shew, that the errors in them are not likely to be on the side of vulgarity. That the style and

phraseology should be too high rather than too low, circumstances rendered almost unavoidable. The Serampore missionaries never ransacked the villages in the various provinces of India, for the sake of picking up all the "low, vulgar" expressions they could find. In its various dialects they selected the best Sungskrita pundits they could procure; and when no Sungskrita pundit of a province could be found, the best vernacular scholar, they could find, uniting with him a Sungskrita pundit of perhaps the next province, who, our Author may easily suppose, understood that language, since he says that it is not uncommon for one native to speak seven' or eight of these dialects fluently. Further, they took the greatest care not to interfere with the style and idiom,' confining themselves to supplying these pundits with' just ideas while the rough copy was in preparation. It is true that when they came to examine them, they never, suffered a verse, or even a single line of any one of these rough copies, to go to press as left by these pundits ; still they endeavored to avoid interfering with the construction and idiom as much as possible, knowing that their grand business was the accurate rendering of the sense.

It is however, a fact that what alterations they did make in the style, were certain of being rather too high,' than too low. It was impossible to find expressions suited to express the attributes of God, and the mysteries of salvation, without resorting to the Sungskrita language. When in every dialect at least two-thirds of the words are Sungskrita, and in some, four-fifths, the remaining part would never furnish terms to describe the mysteries "which even the angels desire to look into :" and as

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the Serampore missionaries were familiarized with such terms already in preparing the Sungskrita, the Bengalee, the Hindee, the Orissa, and the Mahratta versions, it followed of course that they should if necessary resort to the same terms in other dialects. And our Author may easily convince himself, that in general all writings are esteemed by the natives in proportion as they approximate in their language to the classic parent of all the dialects.

Nor did the Serampore missionaries wish to lower. the style of any dialect. While they knew that nothing but resorting to Sungskrita, would furnish that variety of theological terms which Christianity employs and the New Testament includes, they were aware that in eve ry Indian dialect the style is at the lowest pitch already ; and that any change must be to a higher style. Hence they felt that if they made this their aim in these versions, though they might be less understood at the present moment, every year of improvement which might dawn upon India, would render them more and more intelligible, and in proportion as the rising generation cultivated reading, in that proportion would they find the Scriptures more and more perspicuous.*

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Relative to the Chinese, our Author tells us (p. 39,), that about twenty-five years ago, "the French missionaries in the province of Sutchuen, were desired by the congregation De Propaganda Fide at Rome to translate the gospel into Chinese and send a copy to them. The missionaries, while they answered that the Chinese language did not admit of a literal translation, as the request was urgent, prepared, with the assistance of their best informed proselytes, a translation of the gos

* Dr. Ryland once observed in a letter to Dr. Carey, that the Septuagint version was at first scarcely intelligible to a Greek.

pel of St. Matthew, a copy of which they sent to Rome, "at the same time informing the congregation De Propaganda," what trouble it had cost them; and how laughable a translation it was after all. Now we happen to have evidence before us, either that our Author was misinformed in this business, or the congregation De Propaganda Fide; and that the missionaries in reality found no difficulty in translating the Scriptures into Chinese, had they felt such a step perfectly convenient. We have in the Library of Serampore College a manuscript copy of St. Paul's Epistles, with the exception of those to Philemon and the Hebrews, by a Romish Missionary in China, sent us about thirteen years ago by the Rev. Dr. Morrison, the style of which is so good, that with the alteration of a few characters, Dr. Morrison very properly made it the basis of his own translation of these Epistles. Those who could thus translate St. Paul's Epistles, however, were quite capable of giving the whole Scriptures to the Chinese, had it been their wish.

But there was one omission in this translation! In the eleventh chapter of his First Epistle to the Corinthians, the apostle describes the institution of the Sacred Supper by our Lord himself, which is faithfully given till the verse which begins, "After the same manner also he took the Cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood; this do ye as often as ye drink it in remembrance of me." This verse and all that relate to the cup are left out! This forms a key to the Scriptures never having been given by the Romish missions to China, Japan, or India. To subject the Scriptures to an Index Expurgatorius, is awkward, as it cannot be always concealed. It is not however the less necessary on this account. The reputation

of the "western brahmuns," the Jesuit "twice-born,” would have required, that every page both in the Old and the New Testament should have been expunged, which speaks in any way of eating meats; as well as certain passages relative to dissimulation and idolatry. And unless our Author's attack on the character of the Serampore missionaries, be altogether his first step in a new career, had he given the Scriptures to his proselytes in Mysore, it might have been found convenient to expunge the ninth commandment, "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour." This expurgatory mode however, being rather too bold a step to be taken with the Sacred Writings, and necessity still pleading so strongly, they wisely forbore to give the Scriptures to Japan, China, or India.

Our Author's fanaticism in deluding himself into the belief, that "let Bibles in every shape and in every style be circulated among the Hindoos and spread in every village, cottage, and family,-let the Christian religion be presented to these people under every possible light, -the time of their conversion has passed away, and under existing circumstances there remains no human possibility to bring it back;" has been already examined. Indeed we can scarcely believe that any man in his senses could have deluded himself into such a fanatic belief, and are almost ready to think it feigned. be be quite sincere in this belief, however, we have already shewn, that it contradicts the whole current of Scripture, both in the Old and the New Testament. His assumption that the Hindoos have rejected the word of God, is completely false: wherever it has been really given to them, it has brought forth a degree of genuine fruit, generally proportioned to the diligence and godly simplicity with which it has been dispensed among them.

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His talking (p. 42,) of " the awful and unfathomable mystery of predestination," discovers such disgusting ig. norance of the Sacred Scriptures, that even to notice it, is painful. The example he brings from Paul to support his placing the Hindoos under an everlasting anathema, is entirely against himself; for Paul brings it to prove, that God WILL NOT cast off even the remnant of Israel, but will assuredly save them; and moreover, that he will make known the riches of his glory in calling those nations "his people, who were not his people, and those beloved who hitherto had not been beloved." Thus had the Hindoos never hearkened in the least to the gospel, which assumption of his is indisputably false, this passage, instead of proving that they are "under an everlasting anathema," would only serve to prove as far as it goes, that they will ultimately hear the word of God and be saved.

Paul's example is quoted by our Author to prove, that missionaries are not to be "stiff, or too troublesome; not to insist and strive to enforce by all means the impugned truth on the minds of their hearers." Let us however examine Paul's conduct.-A handful of the Jews at Antioch, seeing the multitudes of Gentiles hear with attention, were filled with envy and spake against those things spoken by Paul; upon which Paul and Barnabas waxed bold and said; "It was necessary that the word of life should first have been spoken to you; but seeing ye judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles." Here we enquire, first, when did these heathens in Mysore see almost a whole city come together to hear the word of God from our Author, that they should be moved with envy because, others heard the gospel, and hence contradict and blaspheme? Secondly, does our Author in turn