would be for ever, and would not very likely be received on this side eternity. But nations had no immortality; nations had no eternity to which to look forward; and, therefore, they received their reward while upon earth. Taking this as a simple principle, let the meeting just look at the history of nations in their treatment of the Jews. It was a singular fact, that there were two countries only in Europe where, more than in all others, the Jews, as a nation, had not been oppressed. These two nations were Great Britain and Holland. Let any one take up the history of Europe, and he would find this to be the fact. On the other hand, the nations that had persecuted the Jewish people had been, as it were, made examples of by Heaven, who had avenged itself upon them. On the other hand, while Holland and Great Britain had tolerated the Jews, those nations had enjoyed a peculiar amount of social, civil, and political liberty. The Resolution which he had to move, was the following: "That the meeting express devout gratitude to the God of our mercies for His favour shown to this Institution, and that every effort be made to induce the exercise of earnest and believing intercessions for the ancient people of God by Christians of every denomination." The Now, in regard to the Report they had heard, it must be confessed that it was of a two-sided character. It was bright and cheering. In looking at the difficulties they had to encounter in meeting with the Jews as a people, it might be almost thought that they were insuperable. The Chairman had referred to some peculiarities of this kind; but there was one point which he had omitted, and that was, the prejudices which existed in the Jewish mind against any other religious belief than his own. Missionary, in visiting for the first time the Chinaman, the Esquimaux, the Hindoo, the Polynesian, was in a great degree prepared to meet them on tried ground; at all events, he met them with minds unprejudiced in the reception of any other creeds than their own. Not so with the Jew. The mind of the Jew was in every respect made up to the rejection of Christianity, and his recollections were bound up with the persecution of his fathers by those who professed Christianity on every spot on the face of the earth. The Jew could look upon scarcely a spot in Europe, or in Asia, where his fathers were not persecuted and trampled under foot. The Jew could point to those places, and say to the Christian, Is that the Christianity you wish to give me? Was it wonderful, that, with these feelings rankling in his mind, he should be prejudiced against the Christian missionary and the reception of the Gospel to his home and his breast? Oh! let Christians endeavour to do what they could to remove these prejudices, by showing, both by their words and their deeds, that they were deeply and sincerely desirous to mitigate the miseries, and to soothe the sorrows which had been the constant attendants of the Jewish people in every age and country. Dr. Archer then alluded to the coldness with which Jewish converts were frequently treated by Christian churches with whom they had associated in the bonds of Christian fellowship. The fact was deeply lamentable, and his wonder was that those converts had not been driven back into the ranks of Judaism by the unkindness and neglect with which they met in their intercourse with Christian churches. The nation, he believed, had been wrongfully accused of being avaricious; both ancient and modern history denied the truth of the assertion. Dr. Archer concluded his address by adducing a striking argument in favour of the certain fulfilment of prophecy relating to the restoration of the Jews, from events which had already taken place in their history, and sat down amid general applause. The Rev. Dr. HEWLETT, in seconding the Resolution, said, that the nationality of the Jew was the strongest that ever existed. It had discovered itself under every trying and painful persecution to which the Jewish people had been so long subjected by the different nations of the earth. Again, the Jewish mind was peculiar in the matter of religion. The missionary to the Mohammedan and the Pagan found their minds occupied with errors which it was absolutely essential to uproot before any impression could be made. With the Jewish mind it was not so. A substratum of truth was there laid, upon which it was possible to work. That which the Jew believed was the truth, although not all the truth. He believed in the shadow-the Christian missionary and the friend of Israel desired the Jew to believe in the substance. Turning to the resolution, Dr. Hewlett said it referred first to gratitude, and secondly to prayer. God had certainly blessed their efforts, and though success had been limited, there was, nevertheless, ground for gratitude. The resolution also referred to the different Christian denominations which had been engaged in the work. They had found their differences giving way before a common object, and in order to secure continuity of purpose, frequent, earnest, and believing intercession must be made to God on behalf of His ancient Church. God had promised that in this, as in every other matter, His word should not return unto Him void, but should prosper in the thing whereunto He sent it. The power of united prayer would bring down blessings, and would hasten the day when the fulness of Israel should be gathered in with the Gentile nations. The resolution was then put and carried, and a second hymn was sung, the words and the music of which had been presented to the Society by a lady, commencing "O mourn ye for Zion: her beauty is faded!" The Rev. W. H. RULE moved:"That deeply regretting the necessity laid upon the Committee to reduce the agency of the Society at a time when the experience of the past, the urgency of the present, and the prospects of the future, in respect of Israel, claim the most vigorous exertion, we resolve, in dependance on Divine guidance and assistance, to use our influence, and endeavour to restore and extend the efficiency of the Institution; and by every means to promote its usefulness among our brethren of the house of Israel at home and abroad." He appealed to those present, whether it were consistent with the principles of the Nonconformist bodies in England, Scotland, and Ireland, that they should be doing so very little on behalf of God's chosen people, the Jews. How was it that the Wesleyan Missionary Society could raise every year from 110,000l. to 115,000l., the London Missionary a similar sum, the Baptist Missionary Society its thousands of pounds annually, and yet that they, who boasted so much of their liberality, and of their voluntary principle, could not raise more than 4,0007. on behalf of the spiritual interests of the Jews. If they were liberal people, let them remember that it was the very corruptions of the Christianity which they professed which heaped such persecution upon the Jewish people. All history bore testimony to this lamentable fact; and if they had of late years somewhat improved in these respects,-if they were relieved from their former civil and spiritual bondage, let them see to it, that the liberal Christianity which they professed lead them not to sit down quietly and leave the Jew out of their calculations; but let them recollect that, as the age of intolerance and persecution had passed away, so the age had come when not only must they say, We are Protestant, we are evangelical, we are brethren, we are large-hearted; but that they must no longer cleave to the old fashion of putting the Jew last, and trampling him beneath their feet, in their works of faith and labours of love. The Rev. ABRAHAM HERSCHELL, in a few words, seconded the Resolution, which was put and carried; and the Rev. A. BEN OLIEL having offered prayer, the third hymn was sung "Holy, holy, holy, Lord! Angels and archangels cry; Saints redeemed from every land Catch the sound, and loud reply, The Benediction was pronounced, and the proceedings terminated. We very much regret that want of space compels us to postpone some interesting articles of intelligence, and notices of Books. We have also, on the same ground, to defer the quarterly List of Meetings and Contributions until the next number. The MONTHLY MEETING of Jewish and Gentile Christians, for Prayer and Scriptural Conference, will be held at the Office, No. 1, Crescent Place, New Bridge Street, Blackfriars, on WEDNESDAY EVENING, June 20th, at Seven o'Clock.-The Meeting is open to all Friends of Israel. London: Published by PARTRIDGE, OAKEY, and Co., Paternoster Row; and 70, Edgeware Road. Printed by Charles Frederick Adams, of 23, Middle Street, Cloth Fair, City, and William Gee, of 49, Seward Street, St. Luke, at their Printing Office, 23, Middle Street, Cloth Fair, City. AND RECORD OF CHRISTIAN EFFORT FOR THE SPIRITUAL GOOD OF GOD'S ANCIENT PEOPLE. PUBLISH YE, PRAISE YE, AND SAY, O LORD, SAVE THY PEOPLE, THE REMNANT OF ISRAEL." PUBLISHED UNDER THE SUPERINTENDENCE OF THE BRITISH SOCIETY FOR THE TO ITS CONSTITUENTS & THE FRIENDS OF ISRAEL IN GENERAL. A CRISIS has arrived in connexion with this Society (by the failure of Messrs. Strahan, Paul, & Co.) that renders it necessary to make a most urgent appeal in its behalf, unless the alternative be that the operations of the Society cease, and the Committee resign the trust confided to them. The event which deprives them of their Treasurer, and the power of anticipating the year's subscriptions, together with the fact of having commenced the year with a debt of £722, places them in a position of great embarrassment. Were the Committee to retire, it would not relieve the Society, and it would be the abandoning of an object dear to their hearts. And the distress which it would inflict upon twenty-one agents, employed at home and abroad, most of them Jews, and all of them tried and approved servants of the Society,-would be indeed direful. But such an alternative cannot be entertained, the constituency of the Society will not allow it; and there are friends of Israel who have not yet contributed to the help of the Institution, who will surely aid in averting it. VOL. X.-NEW SERIES. - The position in which the Society is placed, and which circumstances cause it now so to feel that unless there be relief there must be abandonment, is easily accounted for. The Jewish Missionary College was a branch of the institution of immediate and lasting value. The income did not warrant its continuance, but it was the means of preparing agents for the work, who, having finished their studies, were ready to enter the field, and were of course to be retained. With the prosperity that increased the agency there was the requirement of additional funds. How valuable an acquisition,-Jewish agents and Gentile agents with Jewish preparation, fitted for the work and manifesting the grace of God in their hearts, finding occupation at home and abroad in a work that they have loved notwithstanding the cross that is involved in it! Could the Society forbear to hope that they would be sustained in the employment of these men, especially when, to reduce their expenditure, they terminated the College, and thus limited the supply of the agency? The North African Mission was found to involve great expense, but it was an enterprise that engaged much Christian sympathy. Had the funds allowed of carrying out the extended plans of that Mission, it might have been fully retained; but not being able to do this, it has been partially relinquished. From the commencement of this year the agency of the Society has been within the resources that might be presumed upon, as compared with preceding years, but the mode of payment by the Auxiliaries, chiefly at the end of the Society's year, occasions intermediate difficulty; and now the Society not having a Treasurer to draw upon, that difficulty has become an impossibility. It is earnestly and respectfully suggested, therefore, that one simple method of affording present and permanent relief to the Society would be-if the Annual Subscribers could be persuaded to pay in advance their subscriptions at once, that the Society might be secure of funds for the payment of the salaries of the Missionaries now due; and by such subscriptions becoming due in future years at Midsummer, the Society would, it is hoped, be saved the necessity of again borrowing and incurring debt. Indeed, to liquidate that which is owing, and to proceed without embarrassment, the Committee require the sum of £2000, which they trust the efforts that they are now putting forth will, by the Holy Spirit's moving the hearts of God's people in favour of Israel, be realised. Truly such are the indications in connection with the Jews, and such the movements in Divine providence, that it will be with regret and disappointment that the Committee restrict themselves to the maintenance of their present extent of operations only. Surely the prayers and meditations and expectations of the people of God warrant a different calculation. Let it be remembered that the British Society makes good its title in being the Society for Christians of every denomination, and that to the object of propagating the Gospel among the Jews it restricts itself, leaving secular matters, which often are of a very serious character, as consequent upon the embracing of Christianty, to other hands than those of the Committee of this Institution officially considered. Brethren, strive for the object thus set before you. It is not a case of mere impression and feeling-it is one in which there is at stake an interest dear to you; but it is known by you that, without the pecuniary means required, this object cannot be pursued. The Lord prosper our appeal! Bear it on your hearts before the mercy seat. Look at it by | the light of God's word, and in prospect of eternity. Aid us by such suggestions as may occur to you, but do not withhold any effort whereby those supplies may be secured by which, under the Divine blessing, we, as your agents, may go forward cheerfully and confidingly -by which our common Saviour may be glorified, and large additions made to those already gathered into His fold. The Samaritans. "WE visited the Samaritan synagogue, where we met the high priest, and several members of this singular and ancient sect. It is a plain room, with an arched recess, in which stands the tabernacle, or heckál, wherein are kept the copies of the law; this recess is at the south-east side of the rcom, so that the worshipper, looking out, may have his face turned towards the site of the old temple on Mount Gerizim; it is screened off with a large thick curtain of green-and-gold silk brocade. We were shown several copies of the Pentateuch, and in the Hebrew language, with the true Hebrew (Samaritan) character. Some of these were of high antiquity, especially one large roll, well preserved and highly valued, as the most ancient of all, and which they are reluctant to exhibit to strangers. They assert that it was written by Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Aaron, and that it is 3600 years old. The Samaritans have eighteen recognised sections of the law in Genesis, and eight in Deuteronomy; while the Jews have twelve in the former, and ten in the latter book. Many of the Samaritan manuscripts have been procured at different periods, by the learned in England, France, and Germany, and some have been published in the great works, especially of Kennicott and Gesenius. The Samaritan language is a mixture of Hebrew, Chaldaic, and Syriac words, with peculiar grammatical inflections. The present Samaritans can speak very little Hebrew, and their ordinary language is Arabic. Gesenius has ably shown that little value should be attached to the characteristics of the Samaritan Pentateuch; that no critical reliance can be placed on it, and that there are no good reasons for using it as a standard for the correction of the Hebrew text. It is believed to belong to the first or second century of the Christian era. The Samaritans keep the Jewish passover, naming it Afsch, though they do not consider the sacrifice to be typical, but one only of commemoration and thanksgiving. They keep also the feast of weeks (Hamsiu), corresponding with Pentecost; the day of atonement (Kippor), which they pass in fasting and sorrow for their sins; and the feast of tabernacles (Sikot); but they reject all ceremonies not recognised by the law. They expect a great instructor and guide, whom they call Hathab, (or El-Muhdy, the guide) to appear in the world. They believe in the doctrine of the resurrection and day of judgment. They will not eat with Mussulmans or Jews. They practise circumcision, abstain from polygamy, except in the case of barrenness, and keep the Sabbath very strictly. They maintain that it was on Gerizim Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac, and call the spot Land of Moriah. It was close to this spot they erected their temple, or kiblch; the |