ing all to his judgment, to charge him with his dying voice to take the pardoned offender's blood. This great man was qualified to be a prophet of the human heart, by his familiarity with human life in every form. He was born in unambitious retirement, and, as a youthful shepherd, was acquainted with the cares and passions of humble stations. He had no preparation of experience for the duties and dangers of the throne; but, when raised at once to that dizzy height, showed that he had ample resources, to fulfil the one and to resist the other. For years he led the life of an oppressed and anxious exile, suffering from the jealousy of Saul, who feared, respected and almost loved him. When he came to the throne, upon the death of his misguided predecessor, he was at once a great and powerful sovereign. The wild natives of the country were successively defeated, and, from Egypt to the Euphrates,' the whole region quietly submitted to his power; and he established a fame more brilliant than victories can ever give, by securing the administration of justice in his empire, by extending the general prosperity from the highest to the humblest dwellings,-by encouraging the elegant arts, poetry, music and architecture, with every thing which could refine the manners and feelings of the fierce Hebrew race. He secured the resources of other countries in addition to his own, by launching his peaceful navies upon the sea. But, at the moment when his glory and success were at the highest, the tide began to turn. The bark, which rode the waves so triumphantly was wrecked, and lay torn and helpless upon the shore. He gave himself up to the sway of his passions; and the consequences of this guilt began to fall upon him. His house was filled with mourning, by the rebellion and death of his favorite son; he became the prey of evil tongues, and a dark and melancholy cloud thenceforth hung over all the setting of his day. By means of these various and unexampled changes, he became intimately acquainted with life, in all its lights and shadows of joy and sorrow, of glory and of shame. Every one can find, in the feelings and circumstances of David, something that resembles his own. His inspiration is adapted in this way to the hall of the monarch, the soldier's tent, and the hermit's cell,-to the solitude of the mourner, the desolation of the exile, the humiliation of the penitent, and the triumph of the great. It is welcome in the chamber of the sick, and at the bedside of the dying. It is suited to every variety of fortune and feeling, and, in one word, to every human heart. For reasons like this, these admirable writings, even apart from their sacred character, must be valuable and interesting to all; and it is of great importance, that they should be thoroughly understood. There are readers, who have no time nor opportunity to go to the explanations of commentators, and who are compelled to remain in ignorance of the meaning of many passages, on which light might be easily thrown by the alteration of one or two words. When they find that Mr. Noyes has respected their feeling in adopting the common version, and has made no changes simply for the sake of change, we are persuaded that they will feel grateful for his labors, and be ready to testify that he has done a good service, not only to the interests of general improvement, but to the cause of that religion, which he evidently has at heart. The amount of alteration which Mr. Noyes has found it necessary to make, may be judged by comparing his version of the twenty-third Psalm with that of our Scriptures. This beautiful Psalm is supposed to have been written, when David was driven out from the Holy City. In it he praises God, that when defeated by his rebellious son, and obliged to encamp beyond the river, where he was in danger of perishing, he is still supplied by Divine Providence, and can spread a banquet in the sight of his foes;-for veteran soldiers flocked to his standard, and many, like Barzillai, gave their wealth to sustain his army. We choose this, not because it is the happiest translation, but partly with a view to illustrate that prophetic character, by which the Psalms have overcome their first local application, and suited themselves to all persons and ages. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want! He leadeth me beside still waters. He reviveth my spirit; He leadeth me in the right paths, For His name's sake. When I walk through the darkest valley I fear no evils, for Thou art with me; Thy crook and Thy staff, they comfort me. Thou anointest my head with oil; My cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Any one may here observe, how easily the local and personal blessings for which David expresses his gratitude, take a figurative meaning, and supply a voice of thankfulness for every heart. The expression, valley of the shadow of death,' is here changed into darkest valley,' which is undoubtedly the true meaning; for the writer was not speaking of the darkness of death, but a deathlike darkness, which prevailed in the vales of the wild region where he was. The original expression is best literally rendered valley of the shades,' but the proper translation here is that which Mr. Noyes has given. The writer compares himself to a sheep wandering in those deserts, where sheep are in constant danger without the shepherd's care. We give but one more example, to show how a Psalm, which has conveyed no meaning to most readers, resumes order and connexion when newly translated. The following version of the hundred and tenth Psalm may be compared with that in our Bible. Jehovah said to my Lord 'Sit thou at my right hand, Until I make thy foes thy footstool.' Jehovah will extend the sceptre of thy power from Zion, Thy people shall be ready, when thou musterest thy forces in holy splendor. Thy youth shall come forward, like dew from the womb of the morning. Jehovah hath sworn, and he will not repent, Thou art a priest forever After the order of Melchizedek. The Lord at thy right hand Shall in his wrath crush the heads of kings; He shall execute justice among the nations; He shall fill them with dead bodies, He shall crush the heads of his enemies over extensive fields, He shall drink of the brook in the way; Therefore shall he lift up the head. If the reader of the common version find passages which convey no meaning to his mind, and if in this he find the place of these passages supplied by others, which, beside being clear, are harmoniously consistent with the spirit and sentiment of the rest of the Psalm, he has reason to believe, that the translator has faithfully discharged his duty. Let this test be applied to the work before us, and we believe it will be approved. There are one or two alterations, which we regretted to see; but they are not very important, and we are confident that its solid merits will secure the favor of all, whose good opinion the author desires to gain. O.N.B. Prabody ART. VIII.-Bank of the United States: 1. Report of the Majority of the Committee of the House of Representatives, appointed on the 14th March, 1832, to inspect the Books, and examine into the Proceedings of the Bank of the United States. 2. Report of the Minority of the Select Committee, appointed to examine the Books and Proceedings of the Bank of the United States. 3. Report of MR. ADAMS, of the Committee appointed to examine and report on the Books and Proceedings of the Bank of the United States. 4. Message from the President of the United States, returning to the Senate, with his Objections, a Bill to modify and continue an Act, entitled an Act to incorporate the Subscribers to the Bank of the United States. The question, which involves the fate of the Bank of the United States, is now before the country; and no man can say, that the means of forming a just opinion of its merits are withheld from those by whom it is to be decided. The closest scrutiny into the affairs of that institution, which suspicion ought to dictate or prejudice demand, has been already made; none of the instruments, by which public sentiment could be excited against it, have been overlooked, or employed in the spirit of lenity; the counsel on both sides have been fully heard; and the people of the United States, the good men and true, are about to declare their verdict. We hold it to be a great error to maintain, that it is of little consequence at what determina tion they may arrive. Be that determination what it may, it will seriously affect the interests of the country, for good or evil, for many years to come. It is, therefore, to be regarded as a great public question, in comparison with which the interests of this party, or that individual, sink into insignificance; and which must be considered, by those who would view it aright, solely in reference to the general welfare. In this light, we have on some former occasions attempted to examine it; and in resuming our observations, we propose to take up the history of the Bank where we left it, and to give as large an account as our limits will allow, of whatever proceedings have . been since instituted in relation to it, together with some remarks on the message of the President, in which he refuses his assent to the bill passed by both Houses of Congress, modifyin renewing its charter. It is well known that the Executive has deemed it expedient, in his communications to Congress at the opening of their several sessions since his induction into office, regularly to express his objections to the Bank, and his hostility to its continued existence, as it is at present constituted. In his introductory message at the last session, after remarking that he had previously, on more than one occasion, felt it his duty to declare his sentiments upon the subject, he added that he thought proper, without a more particular reference to the views of the subject then expressed, to leave it for the present to the investigation of an enlightened people, and their representatives.' A remarkable difference of opinion, however, appeared at this time to exist between the President, and one of his official advisers. The report of the Secretary of the Treasury, on the state of the finances, bears date on the day following that of the message. There was no intimation in the latter, that the sentiments of the President had undergone a change; on the contrary, the reference to his former communications indicated, that they remained the same as before; while those of the Secretary of the Treasury were expressed with frankness and decision in favor of the existing Bank. He regarded its constitutionality as clearly and definitively settled; and the experience of the Government had, in his judgment, demonstrated with equal clearness, the indispensable necessity of such an institution to the fiscal operations of the country, the security of commercial transactions, and the safety and utility of the local banks. Without asserting |