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THE MISSION.

immortality to light through the Gospel," and she at once sent for me to hear my views about death and eternity. I found the room darkened, a small lamp burning in a corner, for the soul of the departed; and Madame L-sitting on the ground reading the Lamentations of Jeremiah. Having offered a few words of sympathy, I complied at once with her request, and explained the nature and cause of death, and spoke to her of Christ, who has deprived death of its sting and the grave of its victory. She listened with great attention; and when I had finished, she remarked that what I had told her had every appearance of truth, but it seemed to her too good to be true, for (she continued) the Jews who are God's own people, have 613 commandments to observe, in order to gain heaven, whilst the terms of pardon and eternal life, offered to the world at large, seem to be so easy as to leave them nothing to do but to believe and be saved; such a doctrine would be charging God with inconsistency. I expounded to her the doctrine of justification by faith, and spoke of the peace and joy the Christian experiences in believing. Calling on her again, after a few days, she confessed that she found it much easier to perform certain duties, however arduous, than to believe sincerely and lay hold by faith on the promises of God. I was glad to find that my previous conversation had produced some effect; she had evidently been pondering over it, and for the first time allowed me to read to her portions of the New Testament. I offered her a copy of it, that she might read it at leisure, but she refused, on the plea that, as the spirit of the departed would not be admitted into Paradise till eleven months after his death, he must, during that period, be hovering between heaven and earth, and probably a frequent visitor to her room; and as he was an enemy to the Gospel, she feared his displeasure, were he to discover the New Testament in her possession.

A few Saturdays ago, I was agreeably surprised to find several Jews assembled in the house of Mr. W-, awaiting my arrival. After a hearty welcome, Mr. Lassured me, in the name of the company, how highly they esteemed me; that whilst they regretted my having become a Christian, they nevertheless loved me as a brother, and begged me not to consider the objections they raised against Christianity as a personal insult. Another told me that he had been thinking a great deal about the new doctrines I was propagating, and the more he reflected, the more his mind became bewildered, to find in his own

Bible all the passages I quoted in favour of Christianity; still he believed that they must be capable of different constructions and interpretations; and as he was not learned enough to discover their real import, he had persuaded his companions to meet me at Mr. W -'s (who is a famous Hebrew scholar) and hear whether he could contradict my statements. It would be of no interest to record the objections and answers that were put forth during the two hours' conference; they were old argu. ments, usually employed in Jewish controversy; but I have reason to thank God for that interview: they were by no means satisfied with Mr. W.'s objections, and I hope that they all left with the conviction that Christianity is not a "cunningly devised fable," but will stand the strictest investigation, even of the most learned of its opponents.

I have lately lost several of my inquirers, who, with several other Jews, have gone to the Crimea to open little shops and stores; more than all, I regret and grieve about the mysterious disappearance of one, the most interesting of any. One day I met a priest in his room; the young man was greatly embarrassed, and so confused that he could hardly speak; but the priest came forth very boldly, and told me that he hoped to succeed in preventing the young man from renouncing one error and embrace another, and that he had been endeavouring to convince him that the Church of Rome was the true one, and the only suitable one for a Jew; for there the Jew might fancy himself worshipping in the temple of Jerusalem-there the priest was vested in robes of gold like the highpriest of old-there he would see an altar with the golden candlestick before it, the incense burning; he would hear the voice of music, prayers read for the dead, and the intercession of the saints implored-in short, it would be nothing less than changing the dull service of the synagogue for the glorious service of the temple. Mr.

M

asked me whether I could say anything in refutation. I replied that it was perfectly true that the Romish Church abounded in rites and ceremonies most fascinating and attractive; but that God delighted in such outward show I positively denied, and quoted 1 Sam. xvi, 7, and John iv. 24; and I added that I had no time at present to enter into any controversy on the subject, for I had a more solemn duty to perform,-to exhort him faithfully to examine himself, whether his heart was right with God,-whether he had found peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. The priest allowed me to

speak without interruption, but he seemed determined not to leave before me; and as I had another engagement, I was obliged to leave them. I called again the following day, but found that he had left his lodging for good on the preceding day, and

no one knows his present address; I fear he has taken up his abode in one of the convents, but I will do my utmost to find him, and, if possible, rescue him from his perilous position.

Perhaps few portions of the mission field are less promising than France; and yet, beneath the indifference which seems to pervade the religious atmosphere, plants of righteousness have sprung up among the seed of Abraham, and are, according to the testimony of our missionaries, bearing fruit to the glory of God.

Mr. BRUNNER relates that with eighty Jewish families, in PARIS, he has friendly and familiar intercourse. The number baptised in connexion with his mission is eighteen, all of whom, except two, are walking consistently with their Christian profession.

From MARSEILLES, Mr. COHEN writes that, since his residence there, he has, by sale or donation, distributed more than 160 copies of the Scriptures, in whole or in part; that he has preached Christ to more than 600 Jews during the past year, among whom were many soldiers, some of whom have already enlisted in the service of the Lord Jesus Christ; that he believes his mission to have been specially blessed to hundreds of travelling Jews, who have taken and carried with them leaves of the tree of life, which shall be for medicine and for food to souls far away from Christian charity, and unaware of their condition as sinners. Mr. Cohen speaks of eight persons as fruits of the Divine blessing on his labours during the past year.

Three of those baptised during the same period have fallen asleep in Jesus; namely, two Jewish soldiers and Rosina H, of whom an account has been given in the HERALD. The aged Jewish lady, whose baptism and conversion have been recited in our pages, has been permitted to celebrate the anniversary of her public confession, by a devotional service with a few Christian friends. On this occasion the following address was delivered by the Rev. J. Monod:

My dear friends, it is this day twelve months that our sister Miss M

who was then in her eighty-fourth year of age, and who belonged to the Jewish religion, was baptised in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. On this occasion of her anniversary she had desired, and all of us with her, to offer to her God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, the fruit of our lips, confessing His name (Heb. xiii. 15).

My dear sister in Jesus Christ our common hope, this day is as your spiritual birthday, not that Jesus Christ revealed Himself to your soul until the 18th of January last, but because this is the day on which you openly joined yourself to the Christian Church. In reflecting on this ceremony, and on the words, that I should address you on this occasion, my thoughts take me to that exhortation, so simple and so solemn, addressed by Jesus Christ to the impotent man after his cure at Bethesda (John v. 14), and to the woman after she

had been pardoned (John viii. 11), "Go, and sin no more." When we know Jesus Christ and the power of His grace in our hearts, we must die unto sin daily, but live a life of holiness, nothing less.

I could remind you of all the Lord's goodness towards you, but I prefer to exhort you to-day to respond to all His favours in a manner worthy of a child of God. This is not a new commandment; the old alliance, under which you have lived during the greater part of your life, preaches holiness from the beginning to the end; the new gives you the means to attain it. Study Holiness, and in order to do this you must "watch and pray,"-watch so as to combat the evil under whatever form it may present itself; it is subtle, and is found in a humble chamber as in the great world. To glorify God in the different relationships of your life (1 Cor. x. 31), you must fight against the least appearance of evil (1 Thess. v. 22). Have Him who has done so much for you

THE MISSION.

constantly before your eyes, and consecrate
to Him every instant of your life, so that
you may be prepared to meet your Master,
who will come to us all at one moment or
the other, but who will, to all appearance,
not delay long for you.
to you a pilgrimage longer than to the ma-
He has accorded
jority of your brethren. May He find you
watching when He comes! But, above all,

pray; with a sense of your weakness, keep close to Him who is all strength; you have only that which you receive, and you receive only that which God gives you.

May we all retain this instruction. It is necessary to move forward, to grow in holiness; without that, what good will be our Christian profession?

66

Miss M- has also addressed a note to the resident secretary, ex"Ask, and it shall be given you." pressing her firm belief in the doctrine of the Trinity-her lively faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and the peace she enjoys in Him, while at eightyfour-and-a-half years, she waits the summons that will call her into the presence of Him whom she has learnt, in the close of life's pilgrimage, to love with all her heart.

MULHOUSE.

The simple narratives given by Mr. GINSBURG fully confirm the testimony recently borne by an eminent physician on the Continent, who has liberally assisted and carefully observed the progress of his mission: "The work of Ginsburg at Mulhouse appears gradually to be becoming consolidated. There are friends gathering round him. He grows in faith, and is filled with the Spirit of God; and his efforts have been already made a blessing to many, and will be to more."

con

I well remember the time (though it is just nine years since I spent the last Christmas in Russia) when every pious Jew endeavoured to stay at home on Christmaseve, lest he might meet a goy and be obliged to salute him; and when to visit a Christian, during that time, was sidered more iniquitous than to enter a tephlah (an idolatrous house of worship) during any other season of the year. This high resentment was not peculiar to the Russian Jew alone, it was the long and continued spirit of the synagogue. And this has introduced the heinous custom, among the Jews, of playing cards that night in order to avoid every sacred engagement.

But honour be to the Lord, who has deigned to remove these inveterate prejudices and animosity against His SonHis people's own Goel, in awakening the church to her duty, and raising societies for the promulgation of the Gospel of peace, to meet our helpless and forlorn brethren in a spirit different to that of hatred and persecution which has obviously much contributed to, if not caused, their obstinacy and long rejection of their soul's refuge and salvation, but one of meekness and love, that every Jew may participate the blessings of its Author.

And now, though the fatal habit of gaming on Christmas-eve is still persisted in, in some countries at least, there is no

other malignant motive in it except the love of sin. And a remarkable fact it is, that no sooner had the twilight of Christmas-eve begun, than some of my Jewish unconverted brethren commenced to pay their respects by visiting me on this festival. Among those were Mad. Wwith her daughters. Mad. Wname, I think, has been mentioned to you whose in my first letters, sought and made my acquaintance two years ago. Since that time I frequently visited, spoke to, and read with her the Word of life before genarian grandmother, who is still fasting her sons and daughters, and their octoevery day prescribed by the rabbonim. frequently. In all family concerns, Mad. This family has also been visited by Mrs. Ginsburg, and other female friends, very her children, to advise with me. visits have, however, suddenly and unacW, either came herself, or sent one of countably been interrupted for several long absence, she said that: "The rabbonim months. When I asked her to explain her and other influential Jews had called on her, and inquired whether she also intended her youthful and well-bred children." to leave the religion of her fathers, and to mar, thereby, the brightest prospects of forsaking the religion which has always been her support and consolation when She replied that she never thought of misfortunes befel her, and when, after

Her

the death of her good husband, tribulation and affliction seemed never to end. "I have visited Mr. Ginsburg, I am not ashamed to own; but he never spoke in such terms as to affect the principles of religion or morality. I wish my children did as he advised them to do." Upon this she thought it better to absent herself for a while. But she did not like to wait any longer, she said. And when, finding me engaged, on her renewed visit, she conversed for some time with Mrs. Ginsburg, and came the following day with her youngest daughter, and since then, often repeating her visits during this month. I have, however, not yet seen the desired result of our long acquaintance, though this is but a negative reason (if any) to think that the word of God has remained of none effect.

Mad. Hvisit, at the

Her

also surprised me with a commencement of this month. She was very nervous and quarrelsome when she entered my room; and when my wife wished to shake hands with her, she refused, and so she did when I offered her my hand. But as she stayed entire two hours with me, when we could largely talk over all her grievances, and of the subject of salvation, she quitted the house very friendly, promising to send her husband to me. visit has indeed produced a most satisfactory result. When she returned, her implacable husband seemed much displeased with her recital of our conversation, and, to revenge it, he thought he must again prohibit his son to come to me, and take his Bible from him. This doubly harsh measure the mother considered both unjust and unwise; a dispute followed, which ended in wishing their son to spend the time he has been wont to be with me for the same purpose with them at home. And since then the Old and New Testaments have been regularly read and not once omitted. You will be astonished to hear that this" family devotion" is always commenced with prayer, to which they at first greatly objected; but Madame H-, out of curiosity, at last said: "Let us hear what he prays." The old mother, observing that her son was consuming too much candle in his bedroom, clandestinely went up, the other night, to the door of his chamber, to hear what he was about; and, to her" disappointment," as she said (perhaps to her greatest delight), she heard him, after having read a psalm, wrestling with his God, and most affectionately praying for his dear mother's immortal soul. May his, and other prayers offered on behalf of his parents, be speedily heard and answered! The blessed name of our

Saviour is not cursed in that house any more, as it has been hitherto. I feel now convinced that, particularly in this case, it would have been imprudent to rend asunder the sacred ties of parental love, through baptism. You will recollect, it is nearly a year since this youth has applied for admission into the visible Church of Christ; and had it been granted, a partition wall, to divide parents and son thereby erected, every prospect of salvation might have become beyond our horizon, whilst now, we have much reason to hope and pray (and I do most earnestly entreat your fervent prayers), that the Lord may show His compassion upon these two hoary people, and save them, as He mercifully did their children.

Mr. B, whose business having been interrupted for a considerable time, on account of the war, employed much of his time to find out his former Jewish acquaintances, in order to give them opportunity of hearing his reasons why he had left the synagogue and joined the church of Christ. This has induced some of his friends to visit me. Mr. W- (butcher by profession) is one of these; who, though of a very ignorant and superstitious mind, listened to the subject of the Messiah with the greatest imaginable astonishment and interest. His hope in the expected advent of the Son of David seemed very sanguine, whilst he had not the slightest idea of the atoning character, or the indispensable necessity, of His appearance. When I asked him if he needed no expiation, he plainly replied, "No;" for he eats no terephath (unlawful meat). He added, “I drink no jaum-nasah (wine of libation), and carry on no business on Shabbis." He has, however, changed his mind. After I had caused him to read the thirteenth verse of the twenty-ninth of Jeremiah, the thirteenth verse of the third of Jeremiah, and the whole first chapter of Jeremiah, he repeatedly exclaimed: "It is true! What book is it?" I informed this simple-hearted and sincere inquirer after truth, that this book has been written partly by Moshe Rabbani, and the rest by the Neweim; and proved to him from Deut. xxxii. 51, Jer. vi. 5, 7, and other passages, that the very best of men needed atonement for their sins, and that he therefore needed it also. Seldom has any one seemed to me more thirsty and hungry after the one thing needful; but never one more grateful than this unlettered butcher. Had not his business caused him to be continually absent from town, he said he should have called upon me frequently. Mr. B. (of the same profession as the

former), a very intellectual and interesting youth (21 years of age) is another, who came to me subsequently to a visit from our baptised brother. The plan of salvation was a thing he never heard of before; indeed, he thought good education and

profitable business are all men needed. He seemed very much pleased with his new acquaintance, and the Bible, which he never saw before, and which he promised to purchase.

From Mr. KESSLER:

BRUSSELS.

On the 8th December, the Rev. E. Panchaud, after the usual invitations by placards and hand-bills had been given, commenced the first conference with the Jews, by delivering a lecture on the "Dispersion of the Jews." After some introductory remarks, he divided his subject into the following heads:

I. The fact of the dispersion of the Jews, its extension, its circumstances, its length.

II. It cannot be explained by natural or ordinary causes, and presents no analogy in the history of the world.

III. It has been predicted, not only by writers of the New Testament, but also by those of the Old Testament.

Having illustrated each division with appropriate and edifying remarks, he drew the following consequences:

1. That both the Old and New Testaments are divinely inspired.

2. That, according to the inspired writers, this dispersion has no other cause than the chastisement of God on account of the rejection of the Messiah.

3. That therefore this dispersion will come to an end as soon as the Messiah shall be acknowledged by the children of Israel.

Our Jewish brethren were this time but few; yea, the whole congregation, both of Jews and Christians, consisted of not more than fifty persons. The reasons for this scanty attendance are obvious. A day or two before Saturday, we had such a heavy fall of snow that the streets were scarcely passable, and if so, connected with danger and difficulty; and, also, the meeting was held in a place of worship only opened a fortnight ago, in a bye-street, and not known among the public. The next meeting, please God, will be held in one of the two churches well known, and in a good situation.

Wishing to give a full summary at the end of this month, I shall to-day but briefly refer to what I have done during the past month. Our committee met on the 24th ultimo, and, on my proposition, resolved that I should deliver a discourse in German on the doctrine of the Messiah,

as developed in the Old Testament,-the result of which I hope to be able to mention in my next report.

Since my last, I have been to Antwerp, to see some of my former inquirers, whom I am happy to say I find progressing, though slowly, in spiritual things, who wish me to hold another public meeting. There is a vast difference, as I have observed before, between the Jews at Antwerp and those at Brussels. Whilst the latter are indifferent to almost anything bearing on religious matters, the former are, on the contrary, desirous, not only to engage in religious controversies, but sincerely to arrive at the truth. I shall have occasion more fully to point out to what this may be attributed, and go on to tell you, that, besides Antwerp, I have also visited Verviers. There no Jewish families are resident, but a good many Jewish work. men are employed in the various manufactories. The minister of the place told me that very often these young men come to his church, and ask whether it is the synagogue; and upon being answered in the negative, nevertheless stay over the service. I had opportunity to see several of these ouvriers, and after conversing with them on their spiritual state, promised to come again some future day.

In Brussels I make my usual rounds, and gain day by day a firmer footing among my brethren. My position here, as you will see from my annual report, is a very difficult one indeed, for many reasons; the principal one is, that I am obliged, before explaining to my brethren what Christianity really is, to refute all sorts of objections referring to the corruptions of Christianity, and particularly popery. They are not, as in England and Germany, acquainted with Christianity under the form of Protestantism; from the superstition around them, they consider it as something nearly related to idolatry. On the other hand, the more instructed know Christianity only in the shape of Rationalism and Socinianism. Lately, especially, a translation of Channing's works has been published here, and the principles laid down in his writings seem to make rapid

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