for the unconverted, the inquiring, the timid, the declining, the tried and afflicted of Israel; for the missionaries and agents, and for those who direct their efforts?

I have been led to these hints by having been present recently at the Monthly Prayer Meeting of the British Society, when the subject of prayer was earnestly dwelt upon; and when it was unanimously agreed that a portion of every Saturday morning, between seven and nine o'clock, should be devoted by each one to special prayer for Israel, and Israel's friends; and when the hope was expressed, that very many others would be led to unite in this concert of love and earnest petition.

Will your readers join in thus sending forth the confluence of their hearts' desires, in the name of Him who waits to receive the crown of Israel's salvation? And then, under the influence of their own prayers will they go forth, and in every way help forward this work of faith and labour of love?

SPES.

Intelligence.

BRITISH SOCIETY FOR THE PROPAGATION OF THE GOSPEL AMONG THE JEWS.

ORDINATION OF MR. A. BEN OLIEL.

Our readers who have often been interested by the communications of Mr. Ben Oliel, from both shores of the Mediterranean, whither he is to return, before the close of the present month, will learn with pleasure that he has recently been designated to the ministry of the Gospel, as a missionary to his brethren, on the northern coast of Africa. This service took place in the presence of a very large congregation, in Orange Street Chapel, Leicester Square, on Wednesday evening, November 10..

The Rev. S. Luke commenced the service by reading Zechariah xii. and xiii., followed by earnest prayer.

The Rev. W. H. Rule, to whom Mr. Ben Oliel, in a Hebrew letter, first opened his mind, when awakened to a sense of his state as a sinner, bore testimony to his subsequent consistent walk as a Christian, and to his qualifications for the missionary office; referred to the peculiar difficulties to which he will be exposed in the proposed sphere of labour, and to the importance of his bearing with him the doctrine of Christ, and the character of a Christian.

The Rev. W. Lucy proposed the usual questions, to which Mr. Ben Oliel replied with great propriety, and devout feeling, expressing his views of the fundamental truths of Christianity, almost entirely in the

words of Scripture; and commending himself and his beloved companion, with deep feeling to the sympathy and prayers of his audience.*

He was then solemnly commended to God in prayer, as a minister of the Gospel to the Jews, by the Rev. Dr. Henderson.

The Rev. R. H. Herschell addressed the word of counsel, of warning, and encouragement, to the missionary, with peculiar earnestness and solemnity. He remarked that he was sent forth, not as the missionary of a party, but ordained to his mission by Christians of different denominations, whose sole object was the conversion of Israel. Mr. H. affectionately reminded him,

1. Of the importance of his preserving a definiteness of character. "For me to live is Christ," and whether in private or in public, his theme was to be "redemption through the blood of Christ."

2. That he must live the life of faith-"I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me," &c.

3. He must look well to the spirit of his public ministrations. "Study, think, and do not trust to the mere impulse of the moment,-come forth from intercourse with God in your closet, with your mind well stored, that when basking under the shekinah of His presence, yon may speak the truth as it is in Jesus."

4. He must remember the enemies with whom he had to do: the devil the world, and unbelief. "In setting forth Christ and Him crucified you oppose and insult the great foe. You must not only have on the whole armour, but you must gird it close about you.”

5. "Remember the object you have in view,-the glory set before you, --or you will be sure to look back, and loiter in your course. Let Christ be the magnet of your soul,-" God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ."

6. He must love the cause of Israel. Remember Paul-willing to become a curse for his brethren's sakes.

The Rev. Dr. Archer appealed with eloquence and holy fervour to the assembly on behalf of Israel, and in aid of the Society, reminding them of the importance of the work, as a simple fact, and in its connection with the conversion of the world.

He urged the duty of familiarizing themselves with the subject. "Feel for the Jew, and regard his position at this moment. Support the cause by your exertions and your purse; follow it and its agents by your earnest prayers."

The Rev. Benjamin Lewis closed the service by prayer.

The society, as stated by Dr. Archer, employs nineteen missionaries, and is preparing for the mission work, at its sole expense, six young men in the Jewish Mission College, although its average annual income for the last nine years has been little more than £2700.

The Society is now in very urgent need of pecuniary assistance, as without it even the present agency cannot be sustained, nor can the many appeals for help be responded to.

INABILITY TO FIND PEACE FOR A WOUNDED CONSCIENCE IN THE SERVICES OF JUDAISM. WE doubt not, the two Jews mentioned in the subsequent quotation, were not the only ones in the synagogue, on the

*In our January number, we hope to give the substance of Mr. Ben Oliel's replies.

occasion of their unsatisfactory visit there, who were unable to derive any consolation from the religious exercises in which they were engaged. We have thought that often there is heard by the ear of God, mingling with the rich harmonies of Jewish worship the sighing of convinced hearts that have been brought to feel their guilt before a holy God, and bitterly to realize the consciousness of the inability of all that Judaism, even in its most impressive services, can offer, to minister to the sensitiveness of a wounded conscience. Would that all the assemblages convened on the Jewish Sabbath, in the synagogues of the land, were led by the same uncontrollable impulse that appears to have moved these two Israelites to seek the counsel and teachings of those whose highest delight it would be to lead them to Him "of whom Moses and the prophets did write," and whose "blood cleanseth from all sin."

Two Israelites, who, for some time have been under instruction in Christianity, called upon me to-day, being the day of Atonement, under the following peculiar circumstances. They had visited the Synagogue, with an impression upon their minds that they had sinned against God during the past year, and thus mingled their prayers with the rest of the Jews; but having already tasted the preciousness of Christianity, it was natural that their hearts loaded with sin, should feel uneasy and dissatisfied with their long prayers and rabbinical ceremonies, that can afford no hope of pardon. They, therefore, both left the Synagogue and came direct to me, compiaining that no sooner did they enter the Jewish place of worship and offer a few prayers, than they began to feel restless, and were convinced there was wanting the Spirit of God among them. They expressed a desire rather to converse with me on some point relating to Christianity, which they thought would be more profitable than spending the whole day in the Synagogue. I was happy to receive them, and, on opening our conversation, Mr. Cexpressed a desire to consider the doctrine of our Lord's divinity, and added, that it was his decided conviction, after considering the momentous question, that it requires the grace of God before any man is able truly to believe in the divinity of Jesus, and that it was more particularly so with an inquiring Jew. Knowing that this was the single point that at present deters him from being baptised, I endeavoured to show him, as briefly as I was able, that the doctrine of the incarnation was no new teaching of Christianity, but was, in reality, a fact, even under the Old Testament dispensation.

FOREIGN OPERATIONS.

MR. SCHWARTZ, writing from Breslau, says:

M.

Within the last few years, no less than eight thousand Jews have embraced Christianity in the Prussian dominions alone. It is true, the missionary of the cross cannot always point out, individually and specifically, the conversions that have taken place from his operations; but, certain it is, that every one engaged in this hallowed enterprise contributes more or less towards the accomplishment of the grand purpose of bringing Israel to acknowledge Him of whom Moses and the pro

phets did write. Let me illustrate this statement. The depots of the British and Foreign Bible Society, which have formerly existed in Austria have all arrived here (and, indeed, they could not have fixed upon a better place than Silesia), and it was during the fair here, when the colporteur was sitting with his Bibles exposed for sale, that several Jews were also present who were looking at some Hebrew Bibles. One of them, of a very respectable appearance, opened a Bible at Isa. xxix. 10. I addressed him and said, "Is it not remarkable how this passage has been fulfilled with regard to the spiritual condition of the Jews? Ask any Jew, who may happen to pass here, the import of this very prophecy, and he will answer you in the very words of the prophet, I cannot, for it is sealed.'" These few words produced the effect I desired, for it roused him to examine the passage more closely on the spot, and awakened a desire to know what interpretation I would give to the passage. I showed him that this threatening was denounced against Israel, in consequence of a sin which, alas, cleaves to Israel unto this day, namely, that of lip worship. "Tell me," said I, "candidly, is it not so to this day? Is not everything in the modern system of Judaism but mere form? Is there anything calculated to affect the heart with a lasting impression, and is it not, on the contrary, an idle round of ceremonies, emphatically nothing else but lip worship?" At these words he shook his head very mournfully, and said I was right; and then took my arm and walked with me for a considerable distance, until we arrived at his lodging, when he asked me in, and we continued our conversation. He said, "To tell you candidly, I, in my heart, believe in Jesus, and would have avowed my faith long ago, were it not for circumstances which constantly prevented me carrying my intentions into effect."

Indeed, he is not the only one who is thus minded. There are numbers of Jews who are in the sume state.

FROM THE RECORDS OF KINDRED INSTITUTIONS. LONDON SOCIETY.

PALESTINE.-LETTER FROM THE REV. J. NICOLAYSON.

The information this letter conveys will, no doubt, take our readers by surprise, showing, as it does, not only that there are bodies of Jews at this moment cultivating the soil of Palestine, but that the ground which some of these hold is their own freehold property, inherited from their fathers, who are stated to have held it before and since the dispersion by the Romans:

Jews Cultivating the Lands inherited from their Fathers in Palestine. While we wished to visit together the several places already occupied. or still to be recommended for occupation, as stations, one principal object in view was to find out some of the villages with agricultural Jews, of which we had so often heard, but never before had the opportunity of visiting any.

Of our passing visits to Nabloos, Tiberias, and Safet, therefore, I will only observe here, that at Tiberias we had an interesting interview with a number of Sephardim rabbis, at the house of the principal Khakham, who had lately visited us at Jerusalem, and now received us with demonstrations of great delight. But as it was the day of Purim, we could not expect to make any very serious impression on either our

friend or his other guests, who had yielded but too implicit obedience to the Talmudic injunction and rabbinic practice in honour of the day. At Safet we passed the Sunday (March 7th), and had divine service at the mission-house. Brother Reichardt read the service, and expounded the Gospel for the day in English. I baptized Tanoos Kerm's infant son, in Arabic (many native Christians, men and womon, were present), and we both administered the Lord's Supper to our little travelling party, and Mr. Tanoos, and his grown up son.

On the Monday we set out for the village Bakeeâh, with a guide on horseback, who was to conduct us there by a longer but more practicable road, which itself proved sufficiently difficult. In the afternoon we arrived, during a heavy shower of rain, and were happy to find shelter in a new-built upper room, belonging to the Druse Sheikh of the village.

Several young Jews, distinguishable from the other peasant youths only by the way in which they wear their hair, soon made their appearance. Of these we made inquiries about the number and occupations of the Jews here, and were happy to find them genuine peasants. They conducted us to their very rural synagogue. Here we were at once surrounded by Jews of all ages, with whom we could freely converse both in Hebrew and Arabic. Soon the old blind (late) Khazan came tottering on his staff up to me, seized my hand, and asked my name. Knowing what was his intention, I gave him my neme" Yohanan" (John), and added that we were not Jews, but believed in the words of Moses and the Prophets, and on the Messiah they speak of, as already come. "All right," said he, and proceeded with his prayers. He then asked brother Reichardt's name, and that of his nephew also, and did the same for each of them.

After much conversation with him and them in the synagogue, the young people proposed to conduct us to the cave of R. Shimeon Bar Yokhai. We consented, and found near the village, above the copious fountain, a very small but just accessible cavity in the face of the precipitous rock, with a large kharoob tree at its opening on a small terrace before it; thus in entire accordance with the account given in the Zohar, both of his abode and means of living for forty years, while composing (or rather giving utterance to) the principal contents of that famous Cabbalistic Book, so rich in fragments of the ancient genuine Jewish theology.

In the evening, the present Khazan, and his cousin, whom we had seen at Tiberias, came to our lodgings, and with them several young men. With the former we had first some conversation on their history, present position, and occupation; in which we learnt that they have their own possessions here in the land of their fathers, which they never quitted even at the time of Jerusalem's destruction by the Romans. We had then the most favourable opportunity of setting the whole divine plan for man's redemption and salvation before these simple, open-hearted and intelligent Jew-peasants, as pre-indicated and promised in the Old Testament, and more fully revealed and fulfilled in the New. We conversed at first in Hebrew, which they spoke very readily, but at length in Arabic, as more familiar to them. They asked for, and we promised to send them Hebrew Bibles, and also New Testaments.

The information we gathered from them was peculiarly interesting as showing, not only that they are real agriculturists, (or genuine pea