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than this. There was an entrance into the
fir; which wn® discovered first hv Al Ma
in m. 1 have read in ®omo book of the an
cient S.tbeans, says the writer, that one of
them was erected for Agadhimtimis and the
other for Hermes, who are said to have
been great prophets. A curious account is
then given how Al Malee At Aziz Othman
Ben Joseph undertook to destroy these Pyr
amids Having collected engineers, trench
makers and mason®, with many of his chief
men he gave command to begin the work.
Thev pitched their tents around the Pyra
mid, re ‘hey remained for eight months
and succeeded in throwing down one or iw>’
stones every day. Some with wedges and
levers started the stone on the top of tin
Pyramid, and others with ropes and cables
drew it off. It then fell with a noise ihat
the mountains trembled and the earth shook.
By its fall it sunk into the earth and was
with great labour raised up, then broken to
pieces and carried away. Much time being
consumed, their expenses failing, their anx
ieues multiplied, their minds discouraged,
their strength beginning to languish, alreadv
wearied and covered with shame, they at
length perceived that there was no pros-
pect of an end to their labours; that they
only disfigured the Pyramid, while they dis
closed Iheir own weakness ami impotence.
This happened in the year of the Hejra
593. Though on looking at the stones
thrown down, one would suppose the whole
Pyramid had been destroyed, yet, on look
lug at the Pyramid itself he would suppose
only a particle as it were had been taken
away. Abdollatiff says, when I saw the la
boor of throwing down a single stone, 1 said
to the chief of the ina®ons, would it he pus
sible for you to replace one of the stones it
1 should offer you 1000 pieces of gold. He
replied with an oath that it it would not he
possible if I would give him twice the sutn.
Mention is next made of grottos and the
ruins of buildings around the Pyramids; un
known inscriptions probably alluding to the
hieroglvphicks. On the Pyramids them
selves there are no hieroglyphicks. An ac
count is given of two obelisks at Heliopolis,
called Ain Sbamsa. The obeli*ks were
called obelisks of Pharaoh and are repre
sented to be twice as high at least as the
ore which now exists there. Near Ain
Shamsa, was the balsam tree, which produ
ced the balm of Egypt. Galenas is quoted
as saying that Palestine produced the best
balm; but Abdollatiffasserts that in his day
no balm was found in Palestine. I believe
none of the trees to which he refers, now
exist. Niebhur says the last perished in
the beginning of the sevenieenth century.
After describing the Pillar of Pompey which
he call® Amud A® Sawaria, the writer says
it was surrounded by ruins which he was
told were the ruins of the house of science
built by Alexander, when be erected the
city in which Aristotle taught, and where
was the library that Amro Ben At Aas burnt
by command of the Kalit Omar.
Memphis, which the Pharaohs inhabited,
was in Jeez .h, near Fostat or Old Cairo.
It was inhabited when Abraham and Joseph
and Moses Nourished (upon whom be
peace,) and how long before is known to
God, and after that till the time of Nehti
chadnezz if. He desolated Egy pt and for
40 year? it remained in this melancholy
condition. Thi* statement will naturally
remind the Christian of the prediction of
Ezek. 2?: B—l 2. And the subsequent hiß
- r y oflVvpt as wetl as it; present p.mdi
ti,"j, are i striking fulfilment or Ezrk 29 :
14—18. Some account is also given of the
idols o! Eevpt. Seeing the Egyptian? wor
ship them, was the occasion of that pr open
sity which the Jews afterwards manifested
to idolatry. Hence Christians, f ras much
as the gr iter part of them were Egyptians
or Saheans, being inclined ?o the same thing
and fond of the rites of their father-, placi
images in their churches. Os this subject
the v iter says he hsi“ treated more fully
in a work he wrote against the Christian-
The SlrtOomedaos, 1 fielieve, uniformly re
gard Christians a? idolaters; anil though
Christians sometimes call them heathen and
pagan?, vet there is not probably any sec
o! ’ men on earth more uniformly opposed 6-
all the outward forms and every avowed
species cf idolatry. It vva- no doubt one ol
the principal object ß of Mahomed, to abol
i-di idolatry and establish the worship of one
God. In speaking of thp Pyramids, Abdol
laiiff say- there is no mention of them in Hie
Pentateuch or any other sacred hook, an in
direct proof that he acknowledged the Pen
tateuch a< sacred.
In the year of the Hejra 596, when Ab
doliatiff was in Egypt, the Nile rose only to
32 cubits and 21 digits, whereas it usually
rises to 1G cubits. Such was not known to
have happened since the Hejra except in
356, when it was four digits lower still.
‘Phis failure of the Nilp in 696, occasioned
a famine the following year. Provinces
were destroyed by drought, and their in
ha'iitnuts oppre-scii with calamity and di?-
tn s-ed will hunger. The peasants and
villagers flocked to the principal cities.
Many migrated t Syria, Mauritania, He
jaz and It cman. Other* were dispersed in
different countries and wanderer! in every
direction. A good part however entered
C'air<l and Massar. The famine increased
and death invaded them. The famine was
so severe, that the poor were soon obliged
to eat dead bodies and carrion and excre
ments, and finally t-heir own children.
Notwithstanding the magistrates punished
this unnatural and barbarous conduct with
dc •(h, yet so dreadful did the famine rage
that it occurred continually. In Mnssar
alone within a few days, 30 women were
burnt; each of whom confessed that men
had been devoured by them. At length
men began mutually to devour each other,
ns well the opulent as the vile. After men
tioning women who ate their own children
mill husbands, the writer says there were an
infinity of suniiar cases. The calamity af
fected-all the cities of Egypt, as well As
•bftan, Cusa, Fayourn, Mahalla, Alexandria
and Damietta, as the other parts of the
country There was no city in which men
were noi devoured in the same way ; ,n Ca
iro, 500 were buried a day—notwithMand
ing so many were devoured; and in Ma®sar
the number was so great that they were
not not able to bury them. 400 a day were
sometimes seen floating down the Nile.
While reading the account of this famine,
one seems to forget al! the scenes ot hor
rour and suffering that he has ever heard ot
before. The work from which I have tak
en the above account closes thus. u To
God. Lord of all thing® that are created be
praise. May God be propitious to Mahom
ed the Lord of Apostles, the illiterate
Prophet, and to his most holy and pure
family.
“ The author who wrote thi, needing the
mercy of God, is Abdollatiff Ben Joseph
ben Mahomed of Ragrlad, in the month ot
Ramadan, year 600, at Cairo.”
PLINY FISK.
Malta, May 7, 1322.
TRIUMPH OF CHRISTI.IXITY.
Renunciation of Idolatry in Rurutu , an islant
in the South Seas.
The circumstances which led to this im
i portant event, as communicated by th*
■ Missionaries at Raiatea, are highly inter
- esting, and show, in a striking manner, tha
God by his providence and grace, is rapidly
fulfilling those special promises recorded it
Scripture, concerning the islands of the sea
It appears, that about 25 of the native:
of Rurutu, while out in a canoes “’ere driv
en by a singular succession of adverse
winds, to Raiatea, one of the Society Islands,
and a missionary station of considerable im
portance. Among their number was one
of their chiefs, named Auora, and his wife.
They had drifted about for several weeks,
and had suffered much from the want ol
food and water; but the Lord had designs
of mercy towards them—On their arrival
they were astonished al the customs among
these Christians; hut, on becoming acquain
ted with the new system, they were imme
diately convinced of its propriety, and ap
plied themselves to study, with a view ot
learning to read. The missionaries sup
plied them with books, and a certain part
of their time was devoted to their instruc
tion. Auura, the chief, appeared to appre
ciate the worth of knowledge; was atten
tive to the subject ; and by hi® questions
and remarks, exhibited evidence of a very
acute judgment. He was also anxious to
return to his countrymen, and to carry them
a knowledge of the true Gad. An oppor
tunity presented for sending them to Rurutu
by an English vessel which touched at Rai
atea, and arrangements were made accord
ingly, but Auura objected, unless he could
have someone to go and instruct his peo
ple. The church was assembled, and two
of the members, being of good report
among their brethren, volunteered their
services.
These two brethren, named Mahamene
and Puna, with their wives and little ones,
after being commended to the care of God
in the presence of the congregation, sailed
for a savage and heathen Island. A boat
was provided, and a crew selected ro ac
company these missionaries to Rurutu, in
order to bring early intelligence respect
ing the success of the enterprise.
They were furnished with credentials,
showing that they were .under ‘he patron
age of the London Missionary Society, and
recommending them to captain® of vessels
who might visit Rurutu.—Says the ac
count —
“ Part of the night previous to their de
parture was spent in supplying them as
••eil H J we could with those articles which
hey would find both necessary and useful.
Every member of the church brought
•ometliing a® a testimonial of hi® affection—
"tie brought a razor, another a knife, an
other a roll of cloth, another a few nail®;
-i>me one little thing and some another;
ve gave thpm all the elementary books
• e could spare, with a few of the Tahitan
G >®pel® of Matthew. Thus we equipped
em for t'is interesting little mission as
weP asou; circumstances would allow.
On August 9th, after a little better than
a month’s absence, we had the pleasure of
seeing the boat return, laden with prison
ers, the gods of the heathen, taken in this
bloodless war, won by the blood of Him,
•>vho is the Prince of Peace. They were
six days at sea in the open boat. On read
ing their let.er, we felt perhaps something
of that holy joy that the angelick hosts will
experience when they shall shout, “ the
kingdoms of this world are become the
kingdoms of our God and of hi Chrit.”
By the letter from Mahatnene, and Pu
na, it appears, that immediately after their
arrival a meeting of the king and chiefs
was held, when Auura, addressed them in a
short, but energetick and appropriate
speech, requesting that their idols, which
had so long deceived them, should he im
mediately destroyed, and that Mahatnene
and Puna, should be received as teachers.
To all this the king and chiefs readily re
plied, u it is perfectly agreeable to us.”
Mahamene and Puna then explained to
them their object and their design, and in
culcated the benefits of their religion, and
the evils of idolatry. According to the
predictions of the priest, “ any woman eat
ing either hog or turtle, should surely be
eaten by the evil Spirit; or any one eating
on a sacred place, would surely die, and be
eaten also.” Eating in this manner was to
be the test of the truth of Christianity; if
the predictions of the priests were not ful- 1
filled, the idols were to he destroyed. The
experiment was made; and, as in the case
of Elijah and Baal, Jehovah triumphed;
the idols were seized, and the Morais total-;
ly demolished; and Mahamene and Puna!
left peaceably to propagate the religion of ■
Jesus the true God.—vY, 11. Repository.
AMERICAN EDUCATION SOCIB^NK
The seventh annual meeting ol this social
Ply „a® held in Boston on Wednesday ol
last week. Hi® Honour, William l’hil
lips, E®q President, in the chair. The
meeting was opened with prayer by the
Rev. Dr. Holmes. The Officers of the last
year were all re-chosen, with the exception
of the Rev. S. E. Dwight, who declined a
re-election : and received the thanks of the
Society for his faithful service® during the
last four years. Rev. B. B. Wisner was
elected to till the vacancy occasioned in the
Board by thi® resignation.
Few institutions promise more important
and permanent benefits to the church and
the world thaD this. It has already extend
ed aid to three hundred and filiy-seveu
young men in their preparation lor the min
istry ; a few of them are already labouring
successfully in the vineyard of the Lord;
a few have been culled to rest from their
labours on earth ; and others are prosecu
ting their studies with laudable diligence in
various parts of the country.
The receipts into the Treasury exceed
those of the last year by nearly three thou
sand dollars; besides the substantial aid
rendered to the society and its beneficiaries
in classical hooks, board, tuition and cloth
ing, from many generous benefactors of the
church.
The Report however will probably he
soon published, and we need not anticipate
its details. Cut on this, as on every occa
sion, when we speak of the American Edu
cation Society, we feel constrained to urge
its claims on the beneficence of all who love
Zion, —and to intreat for it an increasing in
terest in the prayers of faith and labours of
love, by which the present age is distin
guished. [Boston Recorder, Oct. 12.
, “ Indulgent Parents, dear, pray nozo attend."''’
, The wise man says, “ foolishness is hound
f up in the heart of a child, but the rod of
; correction shall drive it far from him.”
i Very indulgent parents, (I mean those who
■ blind their eyes to the follies of their off
spring) should consider that if this correc
tion is not administered at home, their chil
dren will not escape it when they go abroad
’ into the world—That discipline which
is omitted in the nursery, will be imposed
in active life, and too often applied in the
penitentiary. I look with an eye of pity
on a spoiled child, and with commiseration
on its fond parents, sensible that the time
S wit- soon come whpn a father’s or a rooth
; ei 5 fondness will hav” no power to absolve
its misconduct; wnen the world with its
rigid opinions, will severely reprehend !
those bad habits, that audacious deportment,;
that rudeness of language and conduct, ]
which were pardoned or thought pretty in ;
1 childhood ; and hy its inexorable laws pun-1
i ish those gross immoralities, the seeds of
which have been nurtured by parental in
dulgence. I commiserate the parents, be
cause 1 foresee that every improper indul
gence—every omission to correct where
correction is due, will even to them be se
verely retributed. The food parent can
pare the rod—can conceal its faults, or
can pardon or protect the little culprit;
but a father’s partiality and commendation
.of his children, cannot, if they are ill edu
i cated, obtain for them the respect of the
! world ; nor can a mother’s arm, a mother’s
entreaties, or a mother’s tears, avert the i
rod of publick justice, should their children
practise those things when of age, which
I have so frequently been passed over as
venal in childhood.
Every one remembers yEsop’s fable of
the young man going to the gallows, who,
meeting with a woman in the way, bit off
her ear. On being reprimanded hy the
spectators, he replied, “ this woman is my
mother. When I was a small hoy, I stole
a knife and carried it to her: if, instead of
concealing my crime, she had whipped me ;
severely, and made me return the knife and
beg pardon of the owner, I should not now
have fteen going to the gallows.” Reflect,
parent®, what must have been the leeling3
of such a mother!
[JV Y. Mechanicks ’ Gazette.
FOR THE MISSIONARY.
THE BIBLE.
The Bible is either a revelation from
God, or it is a fiction palmed upon the world
bv the artifice of mao. There is no other
*
alternative which the mind can consistently
lake. Ifitbenota revelation from God,
when was it palmed upon the world, and by
whom? It is a maxim in law, that an impo
sition or a fraud must be proved, not pre
sumed ; the onus probandi , or burden of
proof therefore, devolves upon those who
dispute its title to the exalted character
which it professedly maintains. If an im
position, it must have been such in it 9 incip
iency. It must have been a fraudulent
scheme from the commencement. But
who ever read of a fraud or an imposition
attended with so happy consequences? It
is a singular fraud indeed which denounces
the heaviest penalties against every fraud,
strikes at the root of crime, and melio
rates the condition of mankind. What
then must have been the motives of those
who wrote the Bible? If bad, it -is singular
indeed that by an evil design so much good
should be effected. If good, it is certainly
inconsistent to suppose that they were all
dupes to the opinion that the end would
sanctify the means. Now a fraud of any
considerable magnitude is not easily and •
long imposed upon the world. On religious 1
subjects such impositions whenever prac
tised have been involved in mystery and
darkness. Like the favoured oracles of 1
old, they were thought to use such arishigA
pious expressions as would admit of almost
any interpretation. Not so with the reli
gion of the Bible. We are there plainly
taught what to believe and what to do ;
and there is no more mystery than the na
ture of the case requires. It is not neces
sary in order to render a revelation genu
ine that it should embrace every thing
which the too inquisitive mind may he anx
i ious to know, but that, so tar as it does ex
tend it should contain nothing but the truth.
The Bible therefore must stand or fall bv
this touchstone.
If it he a fiction palmed upon the world
by the artifice of man, it must have been
done at the very times in which the several
parts were professedly written, and by the
very persons whose name= they hear, solar
as it can be ascertained by internal evi
dence. And this testimony is not contradic
ted by contemporary history. There is no
more dispute among the learned about the
times in which the several Books compos
ing the Bible, were written, than there is
about the dates which they should affix to
works of literature and taste of the same
antiquity. But how can it be proved that
the facts recorded in the Bible did not take
place ? They are not mentioned you say
by contemporary authors. But some of
them are mentioned by contemporary writ
ers and there is a perfect coincidence in
their accounts. Besides it is no proof that
a work is spurious, if all the facts which it
contains are recorded nowhere else. It
would be difficult to find every thing which
Herodotus, or Tacitus, or Ctesar wrote in
other works of the same or greater anti-
; quity.
j It has been said, that the Bible contains
! contradictions and is therefore unworthy of
! God. In the historical parts it must be ac
knowledged that there are a few discrep
ancies of minor importance ; —But what
work of that magnitude, could be copied
a thousand times without a single mistake,
or translated into different languages with
out a single errour ? But among all the
discrepancies which have been discovered,
there is none involving any doctrine or du
ty, and none more palpable than is found in
the testimony of the most respectable wit
nesses in our courts of Justice.
The Bible has been rejected as a fiction,
because some of its truths are incompre
hensible. Vain man canst thou by search
ing find out God ? Canst thou find out the
Almighty unto perfection ? Because man
is a rational creature, it is not certain that
he can always reason correctly. How
many times is he compelled to change his
opinion fortified with all his boasted powers
of reasoning; nor is it certain but that he
may yet be compelled to abandon his most
favourite system. When we come to rea-
son with respect to God we are nothing.
What evidence for instance can be adduced
to prove that God does not exist, in Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit ? It is unreasonable
you say that three should he one and one
three. But what do you know of God ? Hp
is you say omnipresent. How do you know
it? Have you been every where and seen
him? Ar.d what do you know as respects
the mode of his existence as a spirit, filling
immensity ? If, again, he be God, he must
be self-existent. Can you conceive how
this can be ? Indeed when we come to
reason about God, his attributes and perfec
tions, we discover our feebleness, we are
bewildered at once, and lost in the darkness
of our own conceptions- And shall we who
are but worms of the dust and creatures
of yesterday, attempt to fathom the divine
mind and sit as umpires upon his work ?
Let U 9 firt solve the mysteries connected
with ourselves, tell how we live and move
and breathe, how we love and hate, are
pleased and sad, before we feel ourselves
qualified to decide upon the mysteries of
the God-head.
j The incarnation of the son of God, the
j second person of the Divine Trinity, it is
conceived is the most objectionable doctrine
to the natural heart of any contained in the
Bible. But is it impossible or even incon
sistent? Is it a greater mystery than many
which we are compelled to believe? For
my part I cannot conceive of any thing more
mysterious than that God should be a self
existent being. In our feeble manner of
reasoning, we say, that for every thing there
lis a cause. But what caused the existence
1 of God ? And if God created not the world
I #
I how came it into existence ? No mystery is
explained by considering matter eternal,
for then it must have existed without a
cause, and for something to be made out of
nothing is that which is impossible for us to
comprehend. Js it, we would ask, a greater
impossibility for God to become man, or in
other words be very God and very man,
uniting in his own proper person two dis
tinct natures the, divine and the human ?
This truth the Bible evidently teaches and
it is rejected because it is a mystery which
cannot be fully comprehended. There is
Inolhmg in (he Bible mysterious,but, j,
must be so from the very nature of ,,
case. These things cannot be made
fectly level with our capacities in m/ 6
®ent state. We are finite, the Bibletre’
of an infinite God, we are mortal, the
leaches us to aspire after life and it nmnr ,
it?, to look beyond the things which
seen and which are temporal n> those ||,j
which are unseen and eternal. j s |( °
reasonable to expect an existence h ev
‘he grave ? Is it unreasonable to s ea ‘!
righteous retributions of God ? Let
-nonce answer. Be judges yourselvj!
®ay, do you not fear it ? If there is to |
punishment hearefter for the g„ilt v , J
•lo they feel a consciousness of transgi,
sion ? and what sacrifice does nfctnre
scribe as adeqaute for the removal] ofj
and for the enjoyment of God? \y e j,. *
heard of none but the great atoning,, crifi
which God has revealed. The m or ,| pr
cepts of the Bible are universally acknow
edged to be good, yet we are told it j„ „ fi
tion palmed upon the world, <s• \vhy? \ er j
because it condemns their practices, fi
is after all, the grand secret reason for c ,
illing at a revelation from God. If f
emies of the Bible should be asked
testimony would be necessary to inintu
assent to its truth, would they, cluldthi
ask for more than has been furnished !
prophecy cannot convince, if miracles ci
not convince, if the purity and sublimit.
its doctrines cannot convince, if n resur,
tion from the dead, and the testimony i
forded by ten thousand living witnesses a
not convince, what more can they requin
It is an incredulity unparalleled on a
other subject. And what is strangest ofa
is, those persons are generally the loiide
against it and its objects, who have exami
ed it the least. They have learned j,
enough to know that it condemns then
that if the Bible be true they see no pos
bility of their escape except on the ten
which it proposes: and these are too In
miliating. They would give the world!
purchase eternal life, but they are to
proud to accept of it as a gift, too stubhoi
to supplicate for mercy, too much in lor
with sin to forsake it, and too wise in thei
own es'imations to receive instruction froi
the Babe of Bethlehem. Nothing was ev
er palmed upon the world so entirely hos
tile to every passion of the human heart as
the Bible; it therefore must be a revelation
from God. EPSILON.
Revival of Religion.
O
From the Christian Repository.
Extract of a letter from n Clergyman of C
Green Cos State of New York , to a siuden
in the Theological Seminary, Princeton
k ‘ F->ur or five weeks ago I visited Mr
Sluyter, and lectured for him at the ex
treme end of the congregation, about let
miles from his house in the town of Tagh
conlck. Previous to that time there wert
some favourable appearances, but nothing
very decisive. During the discourse t
considerable feeling was manifested; ant
atler the excercises were ceased, the ai
tous were requested to go into a separate
room. Fifteen went in, and a more di?
tressed time I never saw. They wep
aloud, and seemed as though they wot,
fall—After a short conversation and pra;
er, we turned to those in the other root
and addressed them personally—they it
mediately melted down like wax befoi
the fire. Certainly no less than twen
were convicted of sin. The last intcll
gence received from that quarter is, It
about 20 were rejoicing, and the work pri
gressing.
In Bethlehem about 33 attended the am
ions meeting, and 80 have been alreai]
admitted. w
In my church prospects are brightening
Our meetings are well attended. /Ther
are several anxious north and south ; thou:
I hold no regular anxious meetings in thoi
sections of the congregation. Onr Sabbat
meetings in the Church have been attend*
better than they were. In the west distri
Christians are more alive than during oi
great Revival, and ourgracious God has be
gun to pour down his spirit there. Fofl
weeks ago at a great conference meeting
persons were impressed—the next week!
more—last week I was prevented attend
ing, being about to attend classes, but tel
night God was in the midst of ns with po’ ( ‘
er; 13 kneeled as anxious, and 4 rejoicing.
I think appearances indicate a great work
has commenced. We have in the Congre
gation, including the Sabbath, thirty diffot*
ent religious meetings during the week.
The poor blacks hold two or three meeting*
a week unattended by whites.
Ten days ago we buried Elizabeth
BergeD, daughter of Anthony Van Bergen
She had returned from the south indispo*
ed, and was seriously sick only 6 days of *
bilious fever. She died in the transport’
of faith. It was one of the most pleasing
sick beds I have ever attended. From ‘b e
first she beljeved she would net recover-
A great number were present at the funer
al, and it afforded a favourable opportune
to improve the solemn providence. V" 1
know she was among the youngest of n° r
converts, being only 14 years old when she
uniled herself to the church. So yo ,in S
and so happy, when expecting death, wili
something new to many of our people.’
Thus far Mr. L . Three huiidr*
and eight! ‘even hare been already adde.U
to this church