years of age; she lived to upwards of ninety, and could reckon before her death 360 persons who had descended from herself.

Mr. Fox "having long served

both the church and the world, by his ministry, by his pen, and by the unsullied lustre of a beneficent, useful and holy life," he died comfortably April 18, 1587

42.

John v. 2-9. "There is at Jerusalem, by the sheep market, a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue, Bethesda; having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water. Whosoever then first, after the troubling of the water, stepped in, was made whole of whatsoever disease he had," &c.

DR. DODDRIDGE considers this account of the pool of Bethesda, as "the greatest of difficulties in the history of the Evangelists." The difficulties are, 1, that neither Josephus, nor the Talmuds, have given any intimation of this healing quality in the waters of Bethesda; and it is thought that they would certainly have given a minute account of it, if such miracles had actually been wrought there. 2. That miraculous cures should have been made, only when the waters were troubled by an angel, and, 8. That after the troubling of the waters, he only should have been cured, who was SO happy as first to step into the pool. We will present to our readers such information as we

have been able to collect upon this subject, without venturing ourselves to give a decision on a question, upon which learned and good men have expressed very different opinions; and on which directly opposite sentiments may be formed even by those, who precisely agree in their views of every doctrine of the gospel.

The traveller Sandys was at Jerusalem on Good Friday, 1611, "We entered the city," says he, "at the gate of St. Stephens, where, on each side, a lion retrograde doth stand; called, in times past, the port (gate) of the valley, and of the flock; for that the cattle came in at this gate, which were to be sacrificed in the temple, and were sold in the market adjoining. On the left hand is a stone bridge, which passeth at the east end of the north wall, into the court of the temple of Solomon; the head, (i. e. of the bridge,) to the pool of Bethesda; underneath which it, (the water of the pool,) had a conveyance, called also probaticum, for that the sacrifices were therein washed, and delivered to the priests. Now it is a great square profundity, green and uneven at the bottom, into which A BARREN SPRING doth drill, between the stones of the northern

wall, and stealeth away almost undiscovered. The place is, for a good depth, hewn out of the rock; confined above, on the Borth side, with a steep wall; on the west, with high buildings, perhaps a part of the castle of Antonia, where are two doors to descend by, now half choked with rubbish; and on the south, with the wall of the court of the temple.”—And "on the 9th of April, 1697," says Maundrell, "we went to take a view of what is now called the pool of Bethesda, which is 120 paces long, 40 broad, and s deep. At the west end, are some old arches, now dammed up, which, though they are but three in number, some will have to be the five porches, in which sat the lame, the halt, and the blind.”—But "this pool," we are told, is now dry, and half filled up. Here grow some pomegranate trees, and a species of wild tamarind, of a bluish color. The western angle is quite full of nopals. On the west side may also be seen two arches, which probably led to an aqueduct, which carried the water into the interior of the temple."

1. The latter part of the third verse,and the whole of the fourth, which we have printed in italics, are thought by some, on the authority of manuscripts which omit them, not to have formed a part of the original text.-But criticism of this sort comes not within the scope of our illustrations. Independently, however, of this part of the narrative, it is obvious, that a peculiarly healing power was supposed by the Jews, to be possessed by this

pool; and it will directly, we think, appear to our readers, to have been a popular sentiment of the Jews, that angels had a peculiar agency, in communicating both good and bad qualities to waters.-"In the history of our city," says the Talmud, "it is said of Abba Joses, that as he sat, and sought some good at the entrance of the fountain, the spirit which dwelt there appear. ed to him, and said, You know during how many years I have dwelt here, and you and your wives have come, and have returned in safety. But you are to know, that an evil spirit is now endeavoring to fix his abode here, who will do injury to men. Says Abba Joses, what then is to be done by us? The angel replied, go, and tell the people of the town, whoever has a ham mer, or a small bar of iron, let him come hither tomorrow morn ing, and intently fix his eyes upon the water; and when they see that the waters are disturbed, let them strike with the iron, and say, the victory is ours; and let them not depart, till they see drops of blood upon the water." -We do not adduce this Jewish tradition, as evidence that the close of the third verse, and the fourth are genuine; but it cer tainly shews that a belief of the agency of angels, in communicating miraculous powers to their waters, existed in Judea; and at least, that all which is said in the text of the pool of Bethesda, is perfectly consistent with the sentiments and spirit of the age. The object of the evangelist was, indeed, to inform his readers of the miraculous cure of the man,

who had been thirty eight years diseased; and to direct their attention to our Lord, rather than to this particular pool. And the miracle of our Lord is equally wonderful-equally benevolent and equally an evidence of his divine authority, whether we suppose that it was a fact, or only a popular sentiment, that at certain times, health was miraculously restored to the sick, who could bathe in its waters.

2. As Jerusalem was situated in a dry soil, a great number of ponds were made, or conservatories of water, within the city, for the purpose of washing the sacrifices, and of purifying the people; and among others, the pools of Siloam, and Bethesda; which some however are of opinion are the same. The name, Bethesda, is generally supposed to mean, a house of mercy; and they who admit the fact, of the miraculous powers of the waters, suppose that Bethesda was at this time distinguished from all the other pools of Jerusalem, as an indication of providence, that the day was near, predicted by Zechariah, when a fountain should be opened to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness; (ch. xiii. 1.) when healing was to be offered to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem, through the blood of Christ.-It is in the supposition, that miraculous virtue was first imparted to this pool, at, or near the time of our Savior's coming, and that it ceased at his death, that they who adopt this theory, account for the silence of Josephus and of the Talmuds on the subject;

for they could not relate it, without reviving a testimony to Christ, greatly to the discredit of their own nation, who had rejected and crucified the Messiah.

3. It is thought that in this pool, the carcases, or entrails of the animals which were sacrificed, were washed by the officers of the temple; and that it is to this circumstance Jerome refers in the expressions, "there is another pool, of surprising redness, as if it were mixed blood;" attributing the redness of the waters, to the blood of the animals, which were washed in them;-that the expression, "of WHATSOEVER disease he had," is restrained to the diseases previously mentioned, and imply only, that the blind, the halt, and the withered, and perhaps the paralytic, was cured of whichsoever disease he had. As cures are wrought, by enclosing the patient in the body of a newly slain animal, or by wrapping him in the skin, or by an application of the warm vitals of any beast, a similar virtue might be transfused into this pool, by the washing of the many thousand animals, which were sometimes at once offered in sacrifice. The certain time when this was done, was at some festival; as it was at a time when there was a feast of the Jews, that this sick man was waiting for an opportunity of stepping into the pool. An officer of the temple was sent, at a proper time, to trouble the waters, that they might be prepared for the sick who should come after him; and the word which we translate an angel, might as well be rendered, a messenger.

The healing efficacy of the waters soon passed away, by the sinking, or the evaporation of the quality, which was immediately imparted to the diseased.— This is the interpretation of Hammond; which is also adopt. ed by Archbishop Newcome, who thinks that the word another, in verse 7th, may have a plural sig. nification, as in the 84th verse of this chapter, and in the 1st of Cor. iii. 10. "Others prevent me; some one or other of the crowd continues to obstruct me, till the waters lose their quality, or till the place is full;-and I have no friend to bring me forward soon enough, to obtain their healing efficacy."

4. The celebrated Dr. Mead supposes, that the water of this pool acquired its medicinal virtue, from the mud settled at the bottom, which was charged with metallic salts; perhaps with sulphur, allum, or nitre; and when ever it happened that the waters were troubled by any natural cause whatever-perhaps a subterranean heat, or rains-these salts were raised up, and mixed with it; and might naturally be beneficial to those who went down into the pool, before the metallic particles subsided. Yet he supposes that God might have added miraculous circumstances to these natural effects, such as

that this pool should infallibly eure him who first went in, after the agitation of the waters, of whatever disease he had; and him only.

5. Again, it is conjectured that the pool of Bethesda, on account of some peculiarity in its waters, was chosen by the ancient Ca

naanites, as a convenient and desirable situation for a temple, sacred to the sun, the great and universal object of adoration in the eastern world; that the porches, which the evangelist men. tions, were remains of the building; that the troubling of the wa ters was probably caused by the introduction of water, the effect of periodical rains, or of an under spring, by a subterranean channel, which the Jews not knowing, and the cause of the ebullition, being unknown, they attributed to the agency of an angel; and that, although the tradition of their healing effica ey had been kept up by the Jews, the successors to the Canaanites, even to the time of our Lord, it does not follow, that they were therein guilty of infidelity to Jehovah, as they bath ed there only with a view of curing their bodily infirmities, without any reference to, or even idea of, the worship anciently performed there. It is conjec tured also, that the name was originally written, Beth-asada; which is interpreted, the temple of the ruler, or goddess of light, or heat.

Much has been written upon this subject; but not much more than we have given to our rea ders, which lies within the lim its of this department of our mis cellany. Under the head of "I lustrations, &c." it is our pri mary, if not exclusive object, to collect Jewish sentiments, and customs; and facts relating to climate, places, and persons; which will enable us better to understand the teaching of our Lord, and the narratives of the

evangelists. This is a department of study, which abounds with evidences of the authenticity of the gospel history; and in which, very often, we may not only obtain light where we before read with uncertainty, or without understanding; but in which we shall feel also a divine power in the expressions and sentiments of our Savior, which the mere letter could not have imparted. The facts which we collect, we leave, to exercise the judgments of our readers; and if, on the subject of this number, we have but given different the ories, without espousing any one, we have at least shewn, that great and good men may differ in their views of a fact in the narrative of an evangelist, while no doctrine, or principle of chris

tianity, is in the smallest degree affected by this difference.

See Hammond, Lightfoot, Goadby, Le Clerc, and Griesbach, on the text. Jenning's Jewish Antiquity, Vol. ii. p. 78

83. Newcome's Observations on our Lord, p. 70, 71. Calmet, Vol. iv 443, and 490, 491. We transcribe a note from Jenning's. There are two very learned dissertations on this subject, in the second volume of the Thesaurus novus theologico philologieus; one by Joan. Conrad. Hottingerus, de piscenâ Bethesda; the other by David Ebersback, de miraculo piscine Bethesde. The last contains a full reply both to Bartholine and Hammond. See also Witsii Miscell. Tom. 2 Exercet. xi. § 54-60, p. 314 320.

SECTION VI.

WE are now to consider the influence of education in producing love and hatred.

It may be proper to remind the reader, that in ascribing virtuous effects to the influence of education, we are not denying the influence of the Divine Spirit, or the agency of God, in producing these effects. This influence and agency we constantly admit as essential. But we wish to convince parents that a virtuous education is the means of God's appointment, and the means which God will bless for producing virtue in their children; and that they may as reasonably ex-. peet a harvest of wheat, without cultivating their ground and sow

ing good seed, as to expect a harvest of virtues in their children, while they neglect to sow the seeds of divine truth in their hearts.

Counteracting causes may indeed occur to defeat the pious designs of the faithful parent, and to render his labors abortive. But this is no objection to the general principle, as to the natural tendency of virtuous education. For to such casualties we are liable in all other laudable pursuits. The most wise and faithful endeavors of the husbandman to provide bread for his family, may be defeated by a hailstorm, a mildew, or an untimely frost. But this affords

no

excuse for neglecting the