observed that the language appeared to him very sublime, so far as he could enter into it; but, though he had been obliged to learn it in his youth, he could not enter much into it. In fact, as soon as boys at School have learned the first book, answering to our Spelling-Book, they are put into the Psalter; which they are required to commit to memory, because it is used in the Churches, though they have very little comprehension of the meaning. How inveterate is the prejudice against the most natural and efficient mode of learning! The great body of the people, in consequence of this mode of instruction, cannot understand the Prayer-Book, nor the Epistles; nor of the Gospels any thing more than the general drift of the historical parts and of the Parables." (P. 87, 88.) 3. The Copts have been generally considered to be the legitimate remains of the ancient Egyptians, as retaining in their features, and even in their name, proofs of their descent from that great and wonderful people : but, for reasons which he states, Dr. Richardson is of opinion that they are rather the descendants of the Grecian colonists who were amalgamated with the ancient inhabitants of that country. Twenty-three centuries of bondage and persecution have reduced their numbers, while the spirit of contention and heresy has almost extinguished the Gospel among them. The Copts are, generally, very poor. The head of their church is the patriarch of Alexandria, who (they pretend) sits in the chair of St. Mark the Evangelist, to whom they ascribe their conversion to Christianity, and whose relics they were accustomed to exhibit in the ninth century. The Coptic patriarch may be regarded as the head of the Abyssinian church, since he always appoints the Abuna, who is the highest ecclesiastical dignitary in that country. Mr. Jowett gives the following account of their mode of celebrating divine worship. "On Sunday, we went to the Coptic Church. Episcopacy and the Patriarchal Dignity are here exhibited in humble guise. The Church is in the Convent: the approach to it is by winding avenues, narrow, and almost dark; on each side of which were seated, on the ground, the sick, the poor, the halt, the maimed, and the blind, asking alms, and scarcely leaving room for our feet to pass. Escaped from this scene, we entered the Church, which was well lighted up with wax tapers. There is a recess for a Communion Table; where a Priest, standing by himself, had a ready begun the Service, in the Coptic Language. Next to this was a considerable portion, latticed off, for the Patriarch, Priests, and chief persons; and, behind these, the remainder of the Church was occupied by a moving mass of people. The building seems to be about thirty feet square. We were squeezed into that part where the Patriarch and the Priests stood; and I could not help feeling how inevitable contagion would be in such a situation, if the Plague were in Cairo. I noticed with grief, the irreverent behaviour of the Congregation: they could not at all hear the Priest, nor did they seem interested Some little boys were standing laughing and trifling in the presence of the Patriarch; and though one of the Priests reproved them, it seemed to make but little impression on them. We were all standing; and many, as is their custom, leaning on crutches. Some blind old men near me took great pleasure, when joining in the responses at one part of the Service, accompanied by the clangor of cymbals: this kind of performance was by no means musical: the Coptic is the only Church wherein I have witnessed this custom, which accords literally with the words of the Psalmist, Praise Him with the loud cymbals. At length the Patriarch read, from a beautiful large manuscript, in Arabic, the Gospel for the day. He made several mistakes: a little Boy once, and at another time an Old Man standing by, corrected him: nor did the circumstance appear to excite the least surprize or confusion. The attention of the people was peculiarly fixed during this portion of the Service: it seemed to me that they understood and valued it. Here also, as in the Coptic Church at Alexandria, I remarked that the Old People, occasionally, with a low voice, accompanied the reading of the Gospel. Who shall say that Christ was not present-dimly seen, perhaps; yet felt with secret reverence and affection! Thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my Word." (P. 112-113.) Dr. Richardson states, from the information of the patriarch himself, that the congregation were provided neither with Bibles nor Prayer-books, for use in the church or for study at home; but that they knew the responses by memory, having been taught them in their infancy, which was quite sufficient for all the duty they had to perform. What we call family worship, appears to be scarcely known in these countries. The Armenians are few in number, not exceeding 100 or 150 at Cairo, and 50 or 60 in Upper Egypt, where they exercise the office of bankers to the government. They are under the care of a bishop, who, by courtesy, is styled the Armenian Patriarch. 4. The Abyssinians are, by their creed and discipline, properly connected with the Coptic church; but, in consideration of their very peculiar circumstances, and of the high degree of interest which attaches to that people, Mr. Jowett has given a large portion of his volume to their history and confession of faith, as well as to the history of the Ethiopic translations of the Scriptures. We have room only for a few particulars. "The Church of Abyssinia claims high veneration for its antiquity. It was about the year 330, that this country received the Gospel, through the teaching of Frumentius, who was ordained the Bishop of Abyssinia by Athanasius, then Patriarch of Alexandria. For nearly fifteen hundred years has Christ Jesus been worshipped by that nation. From Frumentius to Simeon (A. D. 1613) they count Ninety Abunas." (Ludolf. Hist. lib. iii. 7.) "Of this long period it is remarkable, that, for nearly 1200 years, the Chris tians of Abyssinia have withstood the encroachments of their neighbours the Mahomedans. Separated only by a narrow sea, and strip of territory, from the very gate of Mecca, this Christian Church has flourished, like an oasis in the desert; while an immense mass of nations, to the North, the East, and the West, has been desolated by Mahomedan Usurpations. "The attachment of this people to the Religion of their Ancestors has been, with much reason, attributed to the circumstance, that Christianity was introduced into this country, not by force or treaty, but by knowledge and conviction. Hence it is, that both Rulers and Subjects have ever united in their defence of the Faith; and Abyssinia exhibits the solitary instance, in Africa, of Christianity surviving as the National Religion.” (P. 171—172.) The connexion of the Abyssinian church with that of the Copts in Egypt, involves a point of material consequence. The faith of both these churches is tainted with heresy: nor is it probable that the Abyssinian church will easily be emancipated from the Monophysite error, since, not only does their Abuna (the sole bishop of their nation) possess almost absolute power, VOL. II. NO. 4 43 338 receiving his authority immediately from the patriarch of Alex- sorrow. Concerning the Jews, and the qualifications of those who would attempt their conversion, Mr. Jowett has offered some valuable facts and hints. But we must hasten to the concluding division of his volume, which treats of the Mohammedans. The causes of the continued prevalence of the tenets of the false prophet of Arabia are ascribed by Mr. Jowett to the profound ignorance of the nature of the human heart, in which the Mohammedan religion leaves its votaries, the want of right moral fecting which accompanies inveterate and universal ignorance,the vices which their creed cherishes, and to which, generally speaking, the climates inhabited by them are conducive,-the cunning, fraud, and extortion which universally prevail under their governments, and the chilling despotism by which they are all characterized. The causes of the continued depression of Christianity in Mohammedan countries, are-ignorance, more especially of the Scriptures,-declension from the fundamental doctrines of Christianity,-intolerance,-the schims and feuds, of various sects of professing Christians, in the East,and their gross superstitions and idolatrous customs. No Mussulman dares become a Christian, even if he were so disposed from conviction; for, by embracing the Christian faith, he would incur a forfeiture of life and property, and would be Mr. Jowett has recorded one immediately deprived of both. instance of a Christian, who had embraced Islamism, recanting his apostacy and suffering martyrdom at Smyrna ; (pp. 20-22 ;) and, with deep regret, we state the fact which he has also recorded, that there are not unfrequent instances of Christians who have renounced their Saviour! ART. VIII-A Description of the new First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia.-(With an engraving.) THIS edifice is situated at the corner of Seventh and Locust streets, on the south side of Washington Square, with its principal front facing the square on the north. The length of the building is 140 feet including its portico, and breadth 75 feet. The principal floor is raised on a basement 8 feet high to which you ascend by a flight of steps under the portico (on the eastern and western sides,) leading to two doors that form the chief entrances to the vestibule, which is 37 by 32 feet with school rooms, 26 by 16.6 (on the right and left.) At the extremity of this vestibule on either side is a flight of geometrical stairs 15 feet wide that affords an easy and convenient access to the gallery, and prayer room above; or to the basement underneath.Four large folding doors inserted in the wall, that separates the vestibule and stairs from the body of the church, with two similar doors in the rear, give ample thoroughfare in entering or departing from the principal church room. The plan of the pews is novel, and although not pleasing to the eye, it possesses many valuable properties both for seeing and hearing to the best advantage The whole plan embraces three double blocks of pews, each separated by aisles 5.8 inches wide, containing 42 single pews, two double ones, 9.3 inches in length and capable of seating, with ease, 6 persons in each single pew. The centre block is, in form, a simple parallelogram; but the lateral blocks are in their general figure in the shape of trapezoids. The partition or subdivision of these blocks, radiating to one common centre, gives to the back of each pew, as they approach towards the pulpit, a position at right angles with it; so that each pew is facing the pulpit in a proportional ratio as it approaches the speaker, increasing naturally in length as well as in value. The desirable properties of this arrangement of the pews has met with general approbation, together with the inclined plane of the floor, capping of the pews, height of the pulpit, gallery, and general proportion of the rooms: the whole have been successfully studied to promote the most important objects of the edifice, those of hearing and seeing to the best advantage.-The ter minating outline of the pews next to the pulpit, by this plan, is in figure corresponding with the lines of the pulpit, affording an appropriate space and form for the accommodation of the communion table and at the same time forming convenient passes to the rear doors. The pulpit, by most persons, is thought to be happily placed, both in its plan and height, as it commands a perfect view of every part of the room and is of a just distance between the gallery and principal floor. The gallery, although unusually large and projecting, bears a good proportion to the general size of the room. It contains 80 pews of six per 340 sons each. The church room is 71 by 85 exclusive of bows at either end, and 30 feet high in the centre, with a fall in the floor of 30 inches in the whole length. A prayer-room, 71 by 32, and 20 feet high, extending across the whole front of the building capable of accommodating 500 persons with ease, is handsomely fitted up with a neat light gallery for singers. In finishing the conveniences and parts which compose this edifice, both in interior, and exterior, a due attention was had to preserve a chaste simplicity of decoration, in character with the building and the purpose to which it is to be applied. The architect has been very successful in uniting with its more essential properties, convenience, strength, and economy,-that appropriate finish which is accordant with good taste. In effecting this union much credit is due to Mr. James Clark, who executed the designs of the architect with faithful accuracy and intelligence. The paneled compartments of the ceiling are designed to accord with the plan of the floor with a range of enriched panels immediately over the aisles from which are suspended lamps that light the room, each roseat in the centre of the panel serves The foundations, walls, floors, roof, and every as a ventilator. part of the building is executed of the most substantial proportions, and of the best materials of their several kinds, and no expense spared to have the work executed in the most approved and correct manner, that reflects much credit both on the mechanic employed in the erection as well as the building committee. The mechanics engaged in this church were, John Haviland, Architect. The cost of the building when completed, will not exceed 45,000 dollars. The Exterior. The elevation of the principal front facing the north is 77 feet in breadth; composed of a portico in the Hexastyle of the Grecian Ionic order, taken from the Ionic Temple on the river Ilyssus at Athens,* and elevated on a basement 8 feet high. The * Nicholson in his principles of architecture, vol. 3, p. 84, in speaking of the beauties of this example observes, that "the simplicity and greatness of the parts, their judicious arrangement, the beautiful turning of the volutes, and the graceful curve of the hem hanging between them, renders this one of the most beautiful and bold examples of this order. The elegant base of the column, the grand proportion of the entablature, the massy mouldings of the cornice, and the spacious surface of the frize, well adapted for sculptured ornaments, and the architecture for its strength, as it is not broken into two or more faces, are considerations which should recommend the example, |