From the Christian Observer. SCOTTISH CAFFRE MISSION. THE missionaries and conductors of the Scottish Mission among the Caffres give the following interesting statement of the results of this yet incipient undertaking. "At first, I had all to do with my own hands; and many a night have I lain down with an aching heart, wearied limbs, and a frame worn out with fatigue, but now many of the people have acquired a little practical knowledge in various branches of labour, though still I require to superintend them; and they are beginning to turn that increase of knowledge to an increase of their own comfort and decency. It is a comfort to me that I can show brickmakers, thatchers, sawyers, ploughmen, and jobbers at ditching, hedging, and field work, who do wonderfully well considering the master they had to instruct them. "Where formerly a wilderness of long grass was, and the soil never turned up since the flood, we have now growing many of the necessaries and even some of the luxuries of life. A neat little village has been formed, inhabited by those who a little while ago roamed the world at large, as wild and savage as their old neighbours the lions and tigers of the forest. They imitate us in all things-even in their dress; and now beads and baubles have fallen in the market, and old clothes are in demand. The bullock's skin dress is laid aside. Others of the people begin to imitate our people in their building, gardening, dress, and manners. If you except the black faces, a stranger would almost think that he had dropped into a little Scotch village. "The same improvement in civilization is going on at Lovedale. The people here have of late become very desirous of clothes to wear. The women and girls have worked for articles of clothing, but I have great difficulty to keep them at work. It is agreeable to see them adopting the dress, as well as the thoughts and feelings of civilized life. "That you may have some idea of the steady energy which has been imparted to the wild Caffre character, as well as of the powerful hold which religion has taken of their minds, we would refer you to the fact that they have begun to build for themselves at Chumie a large and substantial place of worship. Last year an attempt was made to induce them to commence the undertaking; but religion and civilization had not yet sufficiently bound them together and taught them to labour jointly for the public good. This year the necessity of a new and enlarged church was again pressed upon their attention. A simultaneous desire was expressed to proceed: without delay they began to quarry stones, fell timber, and prepare the materials for the building. The foundation was laid with much solemnity. The missionaries had to build the walls themselves till they were above ground, for the Caffres know nothing of masonry: Above ground however, the walls are not of stone. They are built of layers of clay, well kneaded and substantial house. In rotation, th bour at this part of the work. T called out from a list of the whole They receive no remuneration exc during the day. The most wealth contributed to this by sending eac a cow for food. "Last spring, the missionarie agricultural implement which the people for digging and tilling the g crop was more than an average or thanksgiving for the abundant ha pointed, and observed at both place apparent gratitude. According understanding among the mission portunity was embraced of instruc ple on that day in the nature and tian charity; and a mode was p which they also might exemplif tude to God for his unmerited me them, and extend their compassi norant countrymen. The people immediately made a collection had to give, corn, which far exc pectations of the missionaries. I about four bolls of millet. Mr. not intend calling upon his people engaged in gratuitously build church. He was unwilling to pr too heavily. They were apprize the transaction at Lovedale; an prise the whole body of the pec themselves one morning at his o with an offering of corn. The b and the aged came with their gif dren borne upon the shoulders of if they had strength to hold it, h ket full of corn in their hands. twelve bolls were received from free-will offering. The whole is the money sent, as they expre friends beyond the sea, that they more teachers among them." From the Amulet. THE REFUGE BY MRS. HENRY ROL "Take up thy cross and folle TURN from this world;-'tis not From wave to wave why wilt th Like yon small lovely speck of On ocean's ever heaving brea If toss'd by every storm that ble Brighten'd by every gleam that And melted by each tear that fl Canst thou find rest? Could wealth to thee true joy in Can giddy pleasure charm thy Or splendour soothe its secret s Or heal its pain? Could taste-could feelings mo Can all the stores of art combin E'en mid'st the favour'd sons of Thou'st sought in vain? Is there no shelter to be found, A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the Garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness: yea, and nothing shall escape them. The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run. Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array. Before their face the people shall be much pained; all faces shall gather blackness. They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks: neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded. They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief. The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. THIS is, perhaps, one of the most striking and animated descriptions that is to be met with in the whole compass of prophecy. The contexture of the prophecy is extremely curious; and the double destruction to be produced by locusts, and the enemies of which they were the harbingers, is painted with the most expressive force, and described with the most terrible accuracy. We may fancy the destroying army moves before us while we read; we may imagine that the desolation is spreading while we turn over the pages. Dr. Shaw, in the following description of this fearful insect, has furnished us with an interesting illustration of the prophetic denouncement: "I never observed the mantes (a kind of locusts) to be gregarious; but the locusts, pro wards the latter end of March, the wind having been some time from the south. In the middle of April their numbers were so vastly increased, that in the heat of the day they formed themselves into large and numerous swarms, flew in the air like a succession of clouds, and as the prophet Joel (ii. 10.) express es it, they darkened the sun. When the wind blew briskly, so that these swarms were crowded by others, or thrown one upon another, wo had a lively idea of that comparison of the Psalmist, (Ps. cxix. 23.) of being tossed up and down as the locusts. In the month of May, when the ovaries of these insects were ripe and turgid, each of these swarms began gradually to disappear, and retired into the Metijiah, and other adjacent plains, where they deposited their eggs. These were no sooner hatched in June, than each of the broods collected itself into a compact body of a furlong or more in square, and marching afterwards directly forwards towards the sea, they let nothing escape them; eating up every thing that was green and juicy, not only the lesser kinds of vegetables, but the vine likewise, the fig tree, the pomegranate, the palm, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, (Joel, i. 12.) in doing which, they kept their ranks like men of war, climbing over, as they advanced, every tree or wall that was in their way; nay, they entered in our very houses and bed-chambers like thieves. The inhabitants, to stop their progress, made a variety of pits and trenches all over their fields and gardens, which they filled with water; or else they heaped up therein heath, stubble, and such like combustible mat ter, which were severally set on fire upon the approach of the locusts. But this was all to no purpose, for the trenches were quickly fill ed up, and the fires extinguished by infinite swarms succeeding one another, whilst the front was regardless of danger, and the rea pressed on so close, that a retreat was altogeth er impossible. A day or two after one of these broods were in motion, others were already hatched to march and glean after them, gnaw ing off the very bark, and the young branche of such trees, as had before escaped with the loss only of their fruit and foliage. So justly have they been compared by the prophet Joe (ii. 3,) to a great army, who further observes that the land is as the Garden of Eden befor them, and behind them a desolate wilderness. -SHAW's Travels into Barbary and the Levant p. 187, 4to. London. 1757. ISAIAH, vii. 20. DR. LOWTH renders this passage "In that day, JEHOVAH shall shave by th hired razor, By the people beyond the river, by th King of Assyria, The head and the hair of the feet; the country from one end to the other, and the plundering of the people, from the highest to the lowest, by the Assyrians; whom God employed as his instrument to punish the Jews. Ahaz himself, in the first place, hired the king of Assyria to come to help him against the Syrians, by a present made to him of all the treasures of the temple, as well as his own: and God himself considered the great nations, whom he thus employed, as his mercenaries, and paid them their wages; thus he paid Nebuchadnezzar for his services against Tyre, by the conquest of Egypt. (Ezek. xxix. 18-20.) The hairs of the head are those of the highest order in the state; those of the feet, or the lower parts, are the common people; the beard is the king, the high priest, the very supreme in dignity and majesty. The eastern people have always held the beard in the highest veneration, and have been extremely jealous of its honour. To pluck a man's beard is an instance of the greatest indignity that can be offered. (See Isaiah, 1. 6.) The king of the Ammonites, to show the utmost contempt of David, "cut off half the beards of his servants; and the men were greatly ashamed; and David bade them tarry at Jericho till their beards were grown." 2 Sam. x. 4, 5. Niebuhr, Arabie, p. 275, gives a modern instance of the very same kind of insult. "The Turks," says Thevenot, "greatly esteem a man who has a fine beard; it is a very great affront to take a man by his beard, unless it be to kiss it; they swear by the beard." Voyages, i. p. 57. D'Arvieux gives a remarkable instance of an Arab, who, having received a wound in his jaw, chose to hazard his life, rather than suffer his surgeon to take off his beard. Memoires, tom. iii. p. 214. See also Niebuhr, Arabie, p. 61. GENESIS, xxix. 18. And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter. In this unadorned narrative of the persevering endeavours of Jacob to obtain for his wife the fair daughter of Laban, we have an example of such passages of Scripture as require, and amply receive, illustration from the researches of modern travellers. That it was usual both in ancient and modern times, among the people of the East, to purchase the bride, has been shown by ROSENMÜLLER, as cited by BURDER. (Oriental Literature, vol. i. p. 56.) "Among many people of the East, in ancient and modern times, we find it customary, not for the bride to bring a dowry to the bridegroom, but the bridegroom must, in a manner, purchase the girl, whom he intends to marry, from the father. Therefore Shechem says, (in chap. xxxiv. 12.) to Dinah's father and brothers, 'Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me: but give me the damsel to wife.' In the same manner Tacitus relates, that, among the analant Gormane the wife did not bring the but oxen, and a harnessed hors a sword. In return for these ceives the wife.' This custor among the Bedouins. When ineets with a girl to his taste her father through one of his now treat about the number of or horses, that the son-in law w father for his daughter; for the ver save any money, and their only in cattle. A man that therefore literally purchase his fathers are most fortunate w daughters. They are the prin the family. When, therefore, negotiates with the father whos intends to marry, he says,-Wil your daughter for fifty sheep, twelve cows?-If he is not rich so much, he offers a mare or for ties of the girl, the family, and him that intends to marry her, pal considerations in making Customs of the Bedouin Arabs p. 119. This is confirmed by account of the Arab tribes who 1808. The ceremonies at the wandering Arab are remarka Arab knows a girl who pleases to her father, and makes his wi him. The latter speaks to 'Daughter,' says he, there is you for his wife: the man is g pends upon yourself if you wi wife; you have my consen..' fuses, there is an end of the mat contented, the father returns to informs him of the happy intellig he adds, I demand the price This consists of five camels; but the intervention of others, a co added, and those given are freq ble enough. Niebuhr also foun among the Curds, and Turcoma wandering shepherd's life. 'It Curd of an ancient family ask (about 165,000 dollars) for his gives her but a small dowry; considerable Arabs and Turks pend upon the dowry, not only w received from the bridegroom, b besides: many daughters are the a fortune. Travels, part ii. p. derson and Iverson's Travels, (p of the Banians, that it is custon marriages, for the bridegroom of give to the parents of the bride ney for their daughter, and the chase the bride. He that has and many, may become rich in and for this reason the Banian have more daughters than sons. in his enlarged description of his to China, says of the Siberian any body intends to marry, and asks his future father-in-law for he does not immediately obtain but the future father-in-law sch the agreement is settled. Now if there is one who does not possess so much, nor is able to obtain it from others in order to pay this sum immediately, he is obliged so long to do with out a wife; on the contrary, if he immediately pay the sum agreed upon, he obtains his bride without further difficulty. He says the same of the Tungese. Though these people now lead a miserable life, they still continue to take many wives. But they must give the father, for their wives, ten and sometimes twelve reindeer.' Where such a custom prevails, it is very natural that the bridegroom, when he has no property, should obtain his bride by serving her father; and Jacob was obliged to have recourse to these means, because he was in a strange land, and saw no other way. Similar customs, according to an account written in the seventeenth century, are not uncommon in Guinea. Courtship is made in Guinea, by presents and services, and proceeds very slowly: for some who have no means of giving presents, obtain their wives by servitude. They build houses, work in their rice-plantations, and do all the services that may be necessary; and this often lasts three or four years, before they can be married.' Dapper's Africa, p. 399. In some parts of Tonquin, it is usual for a young man to live in the house of the parents of the girl he intends to marry, and he even does all the household work for a couple of years. If, after the expiration of the service, both parties do not agree, and the marriage does not take place, the suitor receives payment for his services.' De la Bissachere, Etat actuel du Tunkin, tom. i. p. 270." In this passage there are very palpable incongruities, which can be removed only by one delicate circumstance in the history of Epaphroditus. The Philippians might be allowed to say, that they were full of anguish to hear that Epaphroditus was sick, but it is an hat he when now 379 Does not this advice imply, that they were disposed to receive him with reluctance, or not to receive him at all in the Lord, and to hold such in contempt? How is this incoherence to be removed? At the first promulgation of the gospel, those of the pagans who embraced it were expected to withdraw from their stations, which they had before occupied, especially if such stations were inconsistent with genuine piety and benevolence. Thus such converts as bore arms, or were engaged in any department of paganism in general, gave up their profession as immoral; and thus with their opinions they changed their modes of living. It may be gathered from Suetonius and Dion, that Epaphroditus showed his attachment to the new religion, not by any profession, but by his conduct, having had the prudence to remain at his post.* As the emperor was at the head of the army, every man in his service was at least nominally a soldier; and his continuance in the court of so odious a monster as Nero, and in a profession so repugnant to the spirit of the gospel, must have necessarily sunk him, as weak and timid in the estimation of his more ardent, but less prudent brethren. And it is highly interesting to observe that this is the point of light, in which he is placed and de fended by the apostle of the Gentiles. The original term means weakness, either in mind or in body; and the writer, after using it in the first of these senses, uses it again in the second; agreeably to a custom familiar to th Jewish and Christian writers, of employing the same word in the same place, in a litera and metaphorical acceptation.f The Christians at Philippi had heard, tha Epaphroditus had the weakness not to give u his connexion with the emperor, and perhap in words not to have made a public avowal his faith: such a report of him was doubtle and this must have proved to that good ma propagated by some envious nominal believer an unfeigned cause of sorrow. The clau therefore should be thus rendered, "For Suetonius, in his Life of Domitian, c. 1 19, speaking of Epaphroditus gives him t title of à libellis, meaning that he was emplo ed by the emperor in decyphering and answ made to him. Hence his office correspond ing such letters, addresses, or petitions as we to that, which in modern language is styled secretary of state, and he has been call master of requests. He was originally, it a chance of war; but afterwards advanced pears, a man of education, made a slave by t this high post of honour in the emperor's s vice by his industry and talents. Hence D Cassius styles him, a freed-man of Nero. was put to death by Domitian, in the fifteer year of his reign. The word which the Apostle here us he uses also in a metaphorical sense in R iv. 19. και μη ασθένησας τη πιςει, meani ence of his a longs to see you, and is full of anguish, because ye have heard, that he has proved weak; and indeed he was weak, being by sickness nigh unto death." His sickness is explicitly said to have proceeded from the service of Christ, that is, from exposing his life to defend and supply the Apostle, while a prisoner of Nero. Epaphroditus must have naturally I wished to visit the churches, in order to remove the prejudices which were cherished against him; and hence we perceive the propriety of the admonition to receive him with gladness in the Lord, and to hold such in estimation. At Rome, as in other places, there were men loud in their profession of the gospel, while they had yet no danger or difficulty to encounter. These changed their tone, and left the Apostle to shift for himself, when the hour of trial arrived: Epaphroditus acted quite an opposite part. He made no profession, and continued in office, as if he had not been a believer; but when the season arrived, when he was called upon to honour, or to betray his faith, he stands forth and supports the Apostle at the hazard of his life. Touched with his generosity and firmness the Apostle bears him in return the most honourable testimony, rendering prominent his character as a man not of words, but of deeds, and recommending him, and such persons as resembled him, to reverence and admiration, in opposition to those pretenders, who were men not of deeds but of words. Such men hold in estimation, because for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death. As the Philippians had the temerity to denounce Epaphroditus for weakness, the Apostle scruples not to remind them that they had been deficient in liberality towards him now in bonds, and as such unable to supply his own wants; while he, whom they had injured, had supplied that deficiency at the risk of his life. To soften the odium, which attached to Epaphroditus as a nominal soldier under Nero, St. Paul calls him, my fellow-soldier; and in reference to his being a minister of the Emperor, he styles him a minister of my wants. In his epistle to the Colossians, St. Paul has farther these words: "Epaphras, your countryman, a slave of Christ, saluteth you." (chap. iv. 12.) Grotius and some others have observed that Epaphras is but an abbreviation of Epaphroditus, not to mention that in this place some copies have the latter reading. Epaphroditus then was a native of Colossi, and at this time a slave of the emperor. To this circumstance the Apostle alludes; and he endeavours to do away the odium, which attached to him as a slave of Nero, by holding him forth as a slave of Christ: as though he had said, "do not have any prejudice against him for being engaged in the service of the emperor: for he is truly and faithfully the servant of him, whose service is perfect freedom." While the Apostle lived at Rome, Epaphroditus visited Colossi, probably as being his native place; whence he brought back an ac second LUKE XX. 1-8. And it came to pass, that on one as he taught the people in the preached the gospel, the chief p scribes came upon him, with the spake unto him, saying, by u doest thou these things? or u gave thee this authority? And and said unto them, I will als thing; and answer me: the ba was it from heaven, or of m reasoned with themselves, sayi say, from heaven; he will say lieved ye him not? But and if w all the people will stone us: f suaded that John was a prop answered, that they could not was. And Jesus said unto the I you by what authority I do th We have in this passage the conversation between some of t scribes, and our Saviour Christ, authority of his mission. As t our Lord on this occasion, whe derstood, exemplifies, in a strikin "wisdom with which he spake," in being enabled to present ou the following illustration of the the pen of that distinguished p Warburton. "To the question proposed by scribes Jesus replies by another baptism of John, was it from men? They answered they whence it was; neither,' say you by what authority I do these is generally esteemed a mer question, and taking advantage lity of answering him to refuse t a shift quite below the dignity of racter: it would have been mor refused answering at first. But seems not to have been taken was a satisfactory one, on the ch principle. Observe how the ca chief priests and scribes came was teaching in the temple without question a deputation drim, who had, or were then un ed to have the right of inquiri dentials of all who pretended God: or to try the spirits o Here then was the dilemma. to submit to the established au it was too early to own his Mess was to be done? Why with presence of mind altogether them about the authority of Joh ed to be a messenger from G runner: but they not owning h yet for fear of the people, not to disclaim it, answered, 'the whence his authority was.' point Jesus wished for and w him answering them in this ner:-If you come from the S authority I acknowledge, to |