acts herein as a Sovereign, bestowing his gifts very differently from our calculations; there is yet, in this view of Jewish Character, something which conveys a most instructive lesson to every Christian Missionary. He, more especially, He, more especially, who would undertake the office of an Evangelist to the Jews, must be fully prepared to suffer the contempt of many; who will despise him, because they despise the objects of his Mission. More than this: he may, in some countries, expect to share their oppressions; and, instead of having any hope of civil protection at hand, he must before God betake himself to prayer; and, like a poor man, use toward the oppressor, many entreaties and much Christian persuasion. Let a Missionary to the Jews settle in Jerusalem let him take, as a model for his manner of life, that touching description of the Redeemer, In all their affliction, he was afflicted: let him to the Jews become as a Jew-they will then love him, for his sympathy; understand him, for his resemblance to them; and, for his self-devotedness, put faith in him and in his words. To Missionaries of this stamp, in fact, and to such alone, can it ever be expected that God will grant the honour of extensive success; whether it be among Jews or Gentiles, that they are sent to labour.

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APPEAL FOR MORE LABOURERS.

IN the Mediterranean there are not more than five or six Clergymen of the United Church engaged in promoting the objects of Religious Societies. It may, therefore, be useful to notice, somewhat in detail, the different feelings which may probably sway the minds of some young and pious persons, and restrain them from giving themselves to the work of Missions.

Some, it may be, are reluctant to resign the comforts, the quiet, and the society of their Native Land, for the inconveniences, the insecure or uncertain circumstances, and the limited choice of companions, incident to many Foreign Stations: it is also a great trial to a reflecting and feeling mind, to see that a Missionary may bring his wife and children into circumstances, where there may be little society, or perhaps only evil examples all around them; and that, consequently, for the purposes of education or in cases of necessity, there may be many painful separations: others may shrink back under the apprehension of lingering sicknesses or early death. But they who have not grace to resign their attachments to home, to encounter the risk of domestic trials, and to overcome the apprehension of disease and death, are not desirable Candidates for the Missionary Office.

Possibly some may, either from their habits of life or from an ambitious temper, feel as though to enter into the service of a Missionary Society, and to toil abroad among the ignorant and the degraded, were to humble themselves too low, and to become too much the servants of others, and too little their own masters. It is manifest, that where such high imaginations reign, the heart is altogether unfit for this branch of the service of Him, who came, not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. Where, however, this kind of pride is the besetting sin of a man, but is bewailed and resisted in the spirit of evangelical self-abasement and self-sacrifice, he ought not, from a consciousness of his infirmity, to stand aloof: but rather, so much the more willingly, take upon himself Christ's yoke; and expect, in faith, to receive that grace which will enable him, not to mind high things, but to condescend to men of low estate.

Some may over-rate the difficulty of learning to speak foreign languages; or they may be disheartened by the apprehension of a long and seemingly unprofitable interval, during which they will not be able to minister to edification among those to whom they are sent: generally, it is very discouraging to an adult, to find himself placed in a situation, in which there is so much preliminary work, before he can consider himself fairly engaged in his main business; and this discouragement is peculiarly felt in Christian Missions-a work, in its very nature, so entirely distinct from the affairs which incessantly interest the men of this world: while not a few may conceive that the apparent and immediate usefulness of their Ministry in England, is greater than it would probably be in

a Heathen Land; and it is difficult for a zealous and fervent man, to content himself with the prospect of sowing for thirty or forty years, and of then dying and leaving others to reap the harvest. If, indeed, the requisite ability for the acquisition of a new tongue be wanting, this is a sufficient indication that the post of duty is at home; and it may be hoped that the opportunities of making such trials, in reference to the languages of the Unchristian World, before Missionaries leave their native land, may be so increased, as not only to obviate the disappointment and loss which have sometimes arisen from this discovery being made too late, but to prepare Missionaries of competent ability before they leave their own country to enter on immediate service when they reach their destination: where such ability is possessed, and the best available means of preparation are employed, all discouraging anticipations must be mastered and subdued by faith in the word of Him who hath said My grace is sufficient for thee!

It may be further mentioned, that some persons -critical and speculative men, indeed, rather than devout and practical-comparing the state of things around them with that of the Apostolic Age, perceive in many respects so great a contrast, that they are mistrustful of a system which does not appear to be blessed with that manifest and abundant effusion of the Holy Spirit, which attended the labours of the early disciples of our Lord. But sentiments like these indicate a mind seeking excuses for not entering on a decisive and resolute course of action. He, who desires to feel rightly and scripturally in

reference to the subject of the propagation of the Gospel in the world, will look for motives, wisdom, encouragement, and success, not to Man, but to the Great Head of the Church. Our lot might have been cast in a day or in a country, which should have given us no hope whatever from the Rulers of the Visible Church, or from any persons distinguished for their public influence; while the poorer classes,instead of being as they were in primitive times, rich in faith, might have been sunk in the grossest viciousness and stupidity. Between such a degraded and discouraging state and the primitive fulness of Apostolical Light and Love, there are many gradations: in every condition, however, of the Church, it should be our principle to look up to God alone, for our motive and our strength. Even a single individual may confidently hope, that he may be rendered the instrument of much good, if he follow the Divine Guidance with simplicity and heartfelt zeal.

That it has been granted, in the present day, to numbers of every rank and station, to imbibe the genuine spirit of the Gospel, is ground for adoring gratitude. Whatever, in a comparison of our own day with primitive times, may tend to discourage us, let us remember that we serve the God of all grace; and that as our prayers are, so will His gifts be. If we keep our eye stedfastly on Him, who has promised to be with His Church alway, even unto the end of the world, we shall have an unchangeable hope-a hope ever aspiring after higher things: mutual distrusts and murmurings will have place where to stay: whatever be the state of the