JOURNAL.

Feb. 15.-We were fortunate enough to find three small rooms, if we may apply the term to the wretched holes, into which we entered till we could procure a house. Since our arrival the Bishop has ordered that we should have morning prayers every day in Hebrew, and evening prayers in English, in the room fitted up for that purpose. Of course our present congregation is as yet very small. May the Lord soon add many more! As soon as I was a little settled, I went to see the Jews in their own quarter. They are here as accessible as on the coast of Africa; every Jew is willing to enter into conversation.

I went into the synagogues of the Sephardim, where I had some interesting conversation with the rabbies ; and then, whilst walking about I met a Jew, who had been in London, who knew Dr. M'Caul, Mr. Reichardt, and several other friends. He seemed well acquainted with the doctrines of Christianity, and promised to call on me. Unfortunately where I am now no Jew ventures to come, for our lodgings are in the Christian Quarter, and there the Jews are insulted. In Jerusalem the poor Jews suffer double persecution, from the Mahometans and from the so-called Christians.

I have made the acquaintance of Mr. A., a Jew under English protection, who is very rich. He has lately built a very fine house,* upon which he has spent 2,000l. The American missionaries are now residing there. He told me it took him two years and a-half to finish this house, but it is the best in Jerusalem. In his own house he has a jeshiba, or college, where several rabbies daily come together, to read, and also a

*The present residence of our Bishop.

synagogue. His influence is great among the Jews. When I called on him a second time I met some rabbies from Hebron, who informed me that the Jewish population of that place consists of 500 souls, 300 Sephardim, and 200 German and Russian Jews. I asked them whether they thought the time of the Messiah's appearance was at hand? The chief of them said, "We do not know our rabbies say that God has only revealed this secret to himself, and none else knows it." I asked, "Do you think Messiah will soon come?" He said, "There are certainly several passages in Scripture which refer to our own times." I said that last year the Jews almost all over the world expected the coming of Messiah. He replied, "So did we here, and certainly the Messiah would have come last year if the people of Israel had not been so sinful. The sins of Israel keep back the coming of the Messiah." I proved that this could not be, for the Messiah was promised to take away the sins of his people. I then entered into a conversation respecting the true Messiah. The four rabbies present, and also Mr. A., became very warm during our discussion. The latter observed, "I have everywhere met with many Christians, great men and learned men, who did not believe in Christ, and you, who are a Jew by birth, believe in him and defend his cause." I was also astonished to find during our conversation, that the rabbies thought we did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. With other Jews whom I met in the market-places I conversed. They wished to see the New Testament, which (D.V.) I will give them. I perceive that the Jews here-that is, the Sephardimspeak Jewish-Spanish, of which I understand nothing. I shall be obliged to study it. The Arabic spoken here is also very different from the dialect with which I am acquainted, and the handwriting is also so different that I can hardly read a word. These are difficulties which I hope, if the Lord preserves my health, I shall be able to conquer.

Feb. 26.-I have now had a little time to look about among the Jews in Jerusalem, whom I have begun to visit regularly every day for two hours, and shall continue to do so if the Lord spares my health. There is an interesting field of labour open among God's ancient people here. Here you meet Jews from all quarters of the globe, and we may say of Jerusalem, as regards the Jews, the same as we find it mentioned in the second chapter of the Acts, only the number is not so large, and if, by the blessing of God, we are successful in our Mission, the influence will be felt over the whole habitable world. Another encouraging feature of our work among the Jews here is, that most of the Jews living here have no other occupation but continual reading. I have, therefore, hitherto found them very willing to enter into conversation, particularly when I call on them at the synagogues and schools.

Yesterday was the Feast of Purim. I called on several Jewish families, and went into one of the German synagogues, the building of which was finished through the munificence of Sir Moses Montefiore. There I met several rabbies, who freely conversed with me, and invited me to call again, which I did to-day, being Saturday. I met many more there, and had some interesting conversation with them.

We still cannot find any house, and the rooms which we live in now are wretched beyond description. There are no windows in them, but only holes, which we are obliged to stop up on account of the cold and rain, but then we have no light except we open the door, and when it rains we are obliged to shut it and burn a light. With all this trouble we could only make one room, out of the three we have, habitable, by putting our carpets, &c. in the holes. In this room we and our two children and the maid-servant are living. It is, besides, our bed-room, and sometimes also our dining-room.

Yet I am thankful to say, that we enjoy the bless

ings of God and his peace. At our first entering the house we suffered from cold, from which we have all recovered.

Yesterday there arrived forty Jews from Tunis, to spend the remainder of their days in the Holy City; most of them are old acquaintances of mine. May they find Him, who was crucified for them also in the Holy City!

THE BISHOP'S FIRST ORDINATION.

April 27.-The candidate was Mr. John Mühleisen, one of the two missionaries of the Church Missionary Society, destined for Abyssinia, who had been directed by their Committee to return from Cairo to Jerusalem for that purpose. After both had spent some time in the Holy City preparing for the sacred occasion, one of them was directed by the Committee, for special reasons, to return to London, and the one named above was thus the only remaining candidate, who, after previous examination by Mr. Williams, was admitted to deacon's orders. It having become known that the solemnity was to take place on this day, our little chapel was quite crowded at the usual hour of service. Several persons from the Greek Convent and Church were present, and, but for the inconvenience of the hour, more would have been there from that of the Armenians also. There was also a number of English travellers. Mr. Nicolayson first read the morning service as usual, up to where the Litany Iwould have followed. The Bishop then preached, with deep emotion, a very impressive sermon, from Romans x. 15, "How shall they preach except they be sent ?" He concluded in the following manner, being part of his address to the candidates :

"One hope only I would express before I conclude, that, as you are the first ordained under our episcopate, and as you receive your sacred commission on the most interesting spot in the world, so you will never

cease to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. And when you shall be engaged in distant lands proclaiming the glad tidings of salvation, remember that it is also a part of the duty of a minister of God to ' declare in the isles afar off, and say, Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations; He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock: for the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand that was stronger than he: therefore, they shall come and sing in the height of Zion,'" &c. &c.

His Lordship then proceeded with the Ordination Service, assisted by Mr. Williams, and closed the whole by the administration of the holy communion, in which five clergymen partook with him and the Deacon, as did also other travellers and members of the Mission. In the afternoon the Deacon read prayers at the German service.

The absence of that increased sense of solemnity on such occasions in England, from the number of those thus solemnly set apart for the Christian ministry, was richly made up for on this occasion, by the thought, that it was the first time that, since a period of full 1,700 years, this sacred ordinance had been performed in the Holy City by a son of Abraham, a brother of the apostles and of the Lord, as well as a successor in the apostolic office. It is interesting to reflect that this, the ordaining of deacons, is the first on record of the specifically episcopal functions exercised by the apostles on that very same spot. (Acts vi.)