business of the church was finished, in order that the members might by spoken to respecting his salary. The good man modestly desired that nothing might be said on this subject, as he had no complaint to make, and was satisfied with what the people raised for him. He was answered, That as the matter was taken up from a sense of duty, it must proceed. I do not remember all that was said after the minister retired; but thus much occurs to my recollection: - The speaker, after stating that the deacons were of opinion that the income raised for the minister was not sufficient, observed how reasonable it was that the man who gave the whole of his time and talents to promote the best interest of a people, should have an adequate provision for the supply of all his wants: he, therefore, trusted the members would consider the case, and cheerfully give their assistance. He concluded by saying, he hoped none would consider what had been said as an exhortation to benevolence; but as a call upon them. to do justice; for even so hath the Lord ordained, that they who preach the gospel should live of the gospel.'--Suffice it to say, that the subscriptions were increased to upwards of 507. more than in any former year; and have gradually been increasing ever since; for the people esteem it not only their duty, but their privilege, to do any thing that may shew their respect to, and promote the comfort of that man whom God has sent among them, and made a blessing to themselves and families. Jesus said to her (i. e. to the woman taken in adultery) Hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee; go, more. 6 And Jesus' and sin no SOME persons have falsely concluded from these words, that our holy Lord seemed to connive at the woman's crime, when he said Neither do I condemn thee;' but it should be remarked, that he uses the same term in reference to her accusers: Hath no man condemned thee?' Now it is certain, that, in the ordinary sense of the word, they had condemned her,-they had expressed their abhorrence of her sin; but no man had passed a judicial sentence upon her; nor would our Lord do it, for it was not his office. If the words, therefore, were rendered, by a phrasis which exactly hits the meaning of the Greek word narana, Hath nobody passed sentence on thee? Neither do I pass sentence on thee, the meaning would be much clearer, and the danger of mistaking the sense would be avoided. See Campbell in loc. ILLUSTRATION OF LUKE II. 7. And she brought forth her first-born Son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a MANGER, because there was no room for them in the INN (or, house allotted to strangers.) We are not to conceive of the inn spoken of by the evange list, as a house of entertainment, as in England, where every suitable accommodation was provided for travellers, and paid for by them. The inn of the antients, and in the east (Karanpa, diversorium) was a large open building, where, under one roof or dome, without partitions, travellers and their cattle were admitted promiscuously. The only division was an area in the middle, for the cattle, separated by a low wall. Around this place, each party had a space allotted, which served for kitchen, parlour, and bed-chamber. Their provisions were such as they brought with them, or purchased on the spot; their own upper garments, &c. served them for bed-clothes, and the saddle for a pillow. The public supplied them only with lodging. Some travellers formed a kind of partition between themselves and the next company, by curtains from their tents. - It was necessary that there should be a large number of these at Jerusalem, to accommodate the vast multitude of persons who visited it at the great festivals: but in such a small village as Bethlehem, it should seem there was only one: The Inn, (xararuμa); and when Joseph and Mary came thither, it was already full: there was no room for them in the inn.' They were therefore obliged to resort to a still more homely place; for when Jesus was born, his mother laid him in a manger (Ev Tn QaT); which supposes that the place in which the manger was formed was a stable, a place distinct from the house allotted to strangers,' and still meaner. Tradition says it was a cave; and it seems very probable; for Justin Martyr, who wrote about the middle of the second century, says, that when Joseph could find no place in the village of Bethlehem to lodge in, he betook himself to a cave near it; and that when they were there, Mary bore the Messiah, and laid him in a manger palm. Such natural caves as could, in a strait, afford shelter both to men and cattle, were not uncommon in that country (we have such about Nottingham, &c. in our own country); and the hospitality of the people might induce them to take some pains to render them tolerably commodious; at least to furnish them with mangers for the cattle. Origen, who wrote in the third century, confirms the tradition, by saying, That at Bethlehem, they showed the cave wherein Jesus was born, and the manger in which he was swathed.' The place was not properly a stable, in our sense of the word,—a house only for catile, and attached to an inn; but 6 was intended for supplying travellers, as to this day they are supplied in the cast, with both stable and lodging under one roof; neither did it belong to the inn or house allotted for the reception of strangers, with which it had no connection. It was, however, undoubtedly, a mean and wretched place; and that the Lord of Glory' should condescend to be born in such a place, was a striking instance of his voluntary abasement, a suitable commencement of that life of humiliation which was to be closed by the disgraceful death of the cross. While we admire the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,' in becoming thus poor to enrich us, let us learn not to affect the pomps and vanities of the world, let us not too anxiously covet all the soft and pleasing accommodations of the world, and let the poor of the flock be reconciled to their mean accommodations, and be content with such things as they have.' See Harmer's Observations, and Dr. Campbell on Luke ii. 7. THE REV. S. MARSDEN'S EXERTIONS IN NEW SOUTH WALES. THE next object of consideration with his Majesty's principal chaplain of the colony, was how to turn its resources to most advantage, and to provide employment for the adult, as he had provided instruction for the young. It is well known, that most of the culprits sentenced to transportation, are men of talents, though of talents perverted; of those that are transported, moreover, the greater number are fully initiated into some branch of mechanics or manufactures. With a view of turning these talents to a proper use, of making the criminals contribute to their own support, and, above all, of taking them off from habits of idleness and dissipation, he next proposed to the minister, That the colony should be allowed one or two practical mechanics, with very small salaries, such as should be a recompence to them, but not sufficient to support them without their own exertions; and one or two general manufacturers. To the last proposal an objection was urged, That it would interfere with the staple trade of the mother country; but the objection was overcome by an engagement, on the part of the proposer, That if government would accede to it, the enormous expence which the state at present sustains for clothing the convicts at Botany Bay, should entirely cease within a certain period: he observed, That the wool belonging to the government flocks, which, in conjunction with its wild herds, are now sufficiently numerous to provide food for the convicts, without any expence to the parent state, was now sufficient in quantity to provide them with proper cloth ing; and that they might hereby be rendered their own manufac turers. Both these requests were in consequence acceded to. The benevolent petitioner was, as in the former case, authorized to provide himself with four such persons as he thought would best answer his purpose; and he set off by the mail, on the same night, at his own expence, toward Warwickshire and Yorkshire: he succeeded, at length, agreeably to his wishes; and the artisans and manufacturers have by this time arrived, or are on the point of arriving, at their destined abode. ، Having thus, in by far the greater number of points, accomplished his most benevolent and patriotic object, he now prepared for his own return, that he might put the whole of his machinery into proper and harmonious action; but an almost infinite multiplicity of business still awaited him to transact. In quitting Port Jackson, he had been solicited to become the agent of almost every poorer person in the colony, and especially of great numbers of the convicts. As though the common father of all, he undertook this voluminous concern; and the writer of these observations has known, him, in consequence, burdened with letters from Ireland and other remote parts, the postage of which, for a single day, bas often amounted to a guinea; which he cheerfully paid, from the feeling that, although many of these letters were altogether irrelative, and of no use whatever, they were written with a good intention, and under a belief that they were of real value. It will please the reader to learn, however, that, at this same period Mr. Marsden had also the pleasure to receive dispatches of the most satisfactory kind from his head bailiff (who was himself formerly a convict, but is now a free settler, and has proved a faithful servant to this gentleman for nearly fourteen years) confirmed by collateral testimonies, announcing that his agricultural concerns, which he had now quitted for about three years, were in the most flourishing state; that his live stock had, upon an average, been doubled in num ber and value since he had left Paramatta; and must have been at least triple the number to what it amounted at the period of M. Péron's visit. He had also found, from actual experiment at Leeds, that the wool of his own growth, taken in the gross, unmixed and unselected, produced a cloth at least equal, and in the opinion of the manufacturers, superior to that of the best French looms. ، From New South Wales, or Notasia, as it is called by mo dern geographers, his eye often glanced at New Zealand. Tippa-Hee, who may be regarded as the sovereign of the island, though it has several subordinate chiefs, had twice made a voyage to Port Jackson, in pursuit of European knowledge, and, like Mr. Péron, had been affectionately entertained at Paramatta: he had acquired a tolerable knowledge of the English language; had learnt some few of its arts, especially that of writing; and was very anxious to learn more. To New Zea land, therefore, our philanthropist earnestly directed the attention of the Society for Missions to Africa and the East; and succeeded in obtaining a practical artisan well versed in carpentry and building, and, at the same time, of sound Christian principies, and a devotional turn of mind. This man, and his wife, he has taken over with himself, and, we believe, will be found of incalculable service. He is also accompanied, we believe, by another well-qualified person, skilled in flax-dressing, twinespinning, and rope-making. · One of the last public acts to which his heart was directed before he re-quitted his native country, was that of procuring, by public contributions, and donations of books, what he called a lending library, to consist of the most valuable and useful publications in religion, morals, mechanics, agriculture, commerce, general history, and geography; to be lent out under his own controul, and that of his clerical colleagues, to soldiers, free settlers, convicts, and all others who may have time to read, so as to prevent idleness, and occupy the mind in the best and most rational manner. In this desire, too, he succeeded, under the favour of Providence; and it is with no small gratification we add, that by the gift of books and subscriptions, he was enabled to take over with him a library of not less than between three and four hundred pounds value; which he intends annually to augment, on a plan he has already devised. We ought not to close this imperfect sketch, which few of our readers will think too long, without stating that, on its being communicated to his Majesty that Mr. M. was extremely desirous of obtaining the royal assent to purchase and take over with him a couple of Merino sheep, his Majesty, with his accustomed generosity, not only freely gave such consent, but requested Sir Joseph Banks, with whom Mr. Marsden had the honour of being acquainted, to select for him, as a royal present, five Merino ewes with young. Sir Joseph had much pleasure in obeying, and hastened to Portsmouth for this purpose with all speed; where he arrived just in time to put his present on board before the ship sailed. Eclectic Review for November, 1809. PLAIN PREACHING. AN ANECDOTE. WHEN the famous Council of Nice assembled, in the year 325, for the discussion of the Arian Controversy, before they entered upon the immediate business for which they were convened, their attention was engaged by the attempts of some heathen philosophers who appeared among them; some with a |