heart; thus made every man's brother, spending Himself in unwearied labours for their instruction and benefit, and finally bearing away their guilt, by His self-devoting sacrifice. Yet was this love of the great Mediator so wholly unintelligible to the favoured nation among whom it was displayed, that nothing but omniscient wisdom, and omnipotent patience could have sustained Him through the terrible conflict with the powers of darkness.

But did not Israel know? When they led Him as a sheep to the slaughter, when they taunted Him with "saving others," and defied Him to "save Himself," did no sacred words of Psalmist or of seer occur to their darkened memories and alienated hearts? Yes, their long promised Messiah had given them, by Isaiah's sublime pencil, and David's hallowed strains, a faithful portrait of Himself; but pride and unbelief had so obscured their mental vision, that, notwithstanding all His mighty works, we know that the leaders of the nation, (for there was a blessed minority) would not and could not believe in Jesus as the Redeemer of Israel.

woe.

Their subsequent dispersion, during centuries of suffering and humiliation explains the mode of Jehovah's deal. ings with nations apart from individuals; that its rulers are held responsible for the general weal or Would that England might now lay to heart the solemn lesson! But hath God forgotten Zion? The question to every student of the revealed Word needs no reply. "If heaven above can be measured, or the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the Lord." (Jer. xxxi. 35, 36, 37.)

The progress of events in these last perilous times, enables us to forestall with the certainty of Christian hope the speedy accomplishment of those splendid promises indited by the Holy Ghost concerning their future restora tion and blessedness, written with an overflowing fulness of love that passeth knowledge in its breadth, and depth, and height." We learn from Zech. xii. that Jerusalem's bitter grief, and repentance for her great national transgression, will occur at the precise period of her full deliverance and the manifestation of the Saviour's arm in its accomplishment. The torrent of regretful feeling thereby awakened is affectingly described by the sacred Prophet: "They shall look on

Me whom they have pierced, and mourn as one mourneth for his firstborn." So truly does the goodness of God lead to repentance, and faith in the great atoning sacrifice of the Son of God and Son of David awaken sentiments of the liveliest gratitude, and self-devotedness in Jewish and Gentile heart, the sacred bond of consanguinity in Israel's case adding increasing depth and tenderness to the general lamentation.

As a true son of Abraham, accept dear sir, these faithful but imperfect remarks, and believe me always respectfully and truly yours,

JANE BURNETT.

WHAT IS MEANT BY "THE MORROW AFTER THE SABBATH?" WHAT IS SIGNIFIED BY THE "TWO WAVE-LOAVES?"

DEAR MR EDITOR,-When you can command time and space, would you kindly give your opinion on the two following knotty questions, which were asked at our "Teachers' Bible Class" last week? Our lesson was on "The Three Jewish Feasts," and we got into the following difficulty. The wavesheaf of first ripe corn is directed, in Leviticus xxiii. 11? to be offered on "the morrow after the Sabbath "in the Passover Feast; and the Feast of Weeks is to be reckoned from this "MORROW AFTER THE SABBATH.”

I

Now does this mean - asks our beloved Pastor-the morrow after the "holy convocation," or first day of the Feast, or the morrow after the Sabbath which falls during the Passover week? inclined to the former opinion, but our revered Pastor observed, "Would not the Editor of the HEBREW CHRISTIAN WITNESS AND PROPHETIC INVESTIGATOR tell you?"

The other point was about the "two wave loaves" offered at the Feast of Weeks. (Lev. xxiii. 17.) Mr. T. says that some Christian writers regard them as typical of the two Churches,Gentile and Jewish,- but he said that the Jewscould hardly have looked upon them in that light, and he wanted to know whether there was any particular signification attached to them? I hope you will not mind being troubled with this. Yours very truly, A. L. O. I.

[We may truly say, in this case, "the trouble is a pleasure." Our readers will recognise in the signature the accomplished translator of Professor

Delitzsch's charming novelette EIN TAG IN CAPERNAUM, as well as of the second paper in this issue. It is a pleasure, therefore, to comply with the wishes of such a fellow-worker. On the subject of the meaning "on the morrow after the Sabbath," the ancient and modern Jewish exegetes are as much divided as Christian expositors are. The latter have respectively adopted the opinions and arguments of the former. We feel convinced that had the typical import of "the wavesheaf of the first ripe corn" been understood, in the inspired sense which St. Paul supplied, there would have been no difference of opinion in the matter. All would perceive at once that " on the morrow after the Sabbath" must mean the day after the Sabbath which falls during the Passover week, that is, according to our modern nomenclature, Sunday. St. Paul was very explicit on the typical meaning of the first fruit-offering, both in his preaching and writing. He told the aristocratic congregation which Festus got up for him :-" Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the Prophets and Moses did say should come that Christ should suffer, and that He should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should show light unto the people, and to the Gentiles."* He wrote to the Corinthian sceptics :"For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at His coming."† Agrippa, Festus, and the rest of the audience, as well as the Corinthian self-styled philosophers, must have perceivedwhether they were convinced or notwhat the preacher's and writer's allusion pointed to. The report of the resurrection of the Redeemer was then the staple topic throughout the known world. That resurrection, rumour"with its ten thousand tongues," for once at least truly-reported to have taken place on the day after the Sabbath which fell during that eventful Passover week. We stedfastly believe, therefore, that the wave-sheaf of first ripe corn was to be offered on the morrow after the ordinary Sabbath in the Passover week, that is, on the

But

* Acts xxvi. 22, 23. † 1 Cor. xv. 23, 22,

Sunday in that week, thus typifying the resurrection of Him whom St. Paul designated "CHRIST THE FIRSTFRUITS." The Feast of Weeks was computed from that Sunday, or that "the morrow after the Sabbath." It is a very interesting feature in the typical festivals, that the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost, is the only festival for which the day of the month is not prescribed.

The two "wave-loaves" offered on the Feast of Weeks we believe to have typified Christ, as the Bread of Life, and His Word, which He declared to be meat. We may just observe that the following prescription respecting the celebration of the Feast of Weeks furnishes a further illustration as to the meaning of the expression "on the morrow after the Sabbath :"-" And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave-offering, seven Sabbaths shall ye complete: even unto the morrow after the seventh Sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the Lord. Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals : they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the Lord." The two loaves may also signify the two covenants. The Jews, we believe rightly, commemorate the Feast of Weeks as the anniversary of the giving of the Law from Mount Sinai. We, as Hebrew Christians, commemorate this festival as the consummation of the New Covenant, which was sealed with the blood of Christ on Mount Calvary.-Editor II. C. W. and P. I.]

five years, would have increased to above 8,000,000!

What wonder then that their "horn" or power should have begun to bud forth, at the very time when that of their brethren of the house of Judah, captives in Babylon, or refugees in Egypt, and doomed to destruction there, was at its lowest ebb! IOTA.

Sept. 12.

Literary Notices.

ספר תורת אלהים עם עשרה

פירושים :

The Book of the Law of God, with Ten Commentaries. A New Edition of The Hebrew Pentateuch, with Ten Rabbinical Commentaries. The Widow Rom and Brothers, Wilna.

PRELIMINARY.

THE principal feature of this edition is that the commentaries of Rabbi Solomon Isaac (Rashi), Ibn Ezra, Ramban, Rashbam, Baal Hatoorim, Toledoth Aaron, Sephorno, Pathshegen, Abhi Ezree, are supplemented by a very elaborated Commentary, on the Chaldee paraphrase of Onkelos, commonly known as TARGUM, by Dr. Nathan M. Adler, Chief Rabbi of England. Judging from the introduction to the work, Dr. Adler is not only one of the Commentators of the present edition, but is the responsible Editor of it. We have only space in this our issue for a couple of prefatory observations on the Editor's perfor

mance.

The chief Rabbi of England has demonstrated that he is a better Hebrew scholar than his continental confreres were disposed to credit him with. Dr. Adler can write-as was to be expected from such a Jewish dignitary -good Hebrew. The first evidence, however, of this ability has been furnished in the work before us. This is all we have to say in praise of it. The tout ensemble of the performance proves Dr. Adler to be a Jewish Rabbi of the old old type. All the conceits and prejudices-and the immolations of grammatical rules and sound criticism to those idols-which mar the writings of the Jewish Rabbis of the

middle dark ages, disfigure this his performance. We shall abundantly demonstrate this hereafter. The Chief Rabbi of England must have been conscious of the fact; or else why, as Chief Rabbi of England, did he not publish his principal contribution to the work -which he quaintly entitled

, NETHINAH LAGGER-in the English language, for the benefit of the mass of the people committed to his spiritual charge???

This edition of the Pentateuch disproves, however, most effectually, the silly assertions made by ill-informed persons, who ought to know better, that Rabbinism, or Talmudism is relaxing its hold upon the Jewish mind. Here we have the Chief Rabbi of England, in 1874, as Commentator of the Chaldee paraphrase of Onkelos, and therefore of the Pentateuch itself, whose great forte is Talmudical impregnation!

We must say one word more at present. We regret that we cannot congratulate the venerable head of the English synagogues for good taste in the choice of a title for his contribution to the edition under review. Of course, Dr. Adler meant the designation NETHINAH LAGGER" A GIFT TO THE PROSELYTE"- as a compliment to his favourite author. But the term must have been floating in the Rabbi's memory apart from its context. The term is employed in Talmud Treatise PESACHEEM (chap. ii. fol. 21 col. 2), where it is maintained that a NEBHAYLAH, i.e., the carcase of a beast which died of itself, is to be offered as NETHINAH LAGGER. We are rather curious to know how the continental Jewish Rabbis will receive this problematic compliment to Onkelos. We think that they will agree with us that Luzzato's title, 7278, displayed better taste, on the part of the learned professor of Padua, than that exhibited by the farfetched name, and of somewhat unsavoury association, chosen by the chief of English Judaism.

We purpose to give the work a close and conscientious sifting; the result of which we shall submit to our readers, in five separate articles, according to the number of volumes of which the work consists.