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also a great readiness to attend to his suggestions, and to concur in the plans which he recommended for adoption. Adverting to the lifeless and irreverent manner in which the worship of the synagogue is conducted among the orthodox Jews, he remarks; "There seem to be some few among the Jews them selves who feel this, and are very desirous of introducing some improvements into the worship of their synagogues, so as to make it more edifying, who (for this purpose) frequent Christian churches, and make many inquiries into the employments of Christian ministers, and their manner of proceeding with the congregations committed to their care. All this is a proof that some feeling of the necessity of religion is growing up among them; and this gives us at least a hint to work upon."

The gradual diminution of prejudice is an encouraging indication of improvement in the dispositions of the Dutch Jews towards Christianity. A striking instance of this kind was mentioned in the last Report; in which it was stated, that for three years successively, the professor of divinity in one of the Dutch universities had been requested to examine the children of a Jewish school in the same town, as to their proficiency in Hebrew. This favourable inclination on the part of the Jews may be fostered by conciliation and kindness. "What I observe" (says Mr. Thelwall)" as most of all important is the impression which kindness and friendship make upon the Jews, for (alas that it should be so!) they are not accustomed to meet with this from Christians." On another occasion, after mentioning a visit paid to the Jewish school, he says, "The Jew who was with him (the rabbi) appeared to be touched with the interest we expressed in the Jewish children, and pressed us very much to call upon him."

A Jew of considerable opulence, having been long inwardly con

vinced of the falsehood of the present system of religion among his brethren, and of the absurdity of their mode of worship-persuaded also that their present religion is not the religion of Moses and the Prophets, and struck with the purity and simplicity of Christianity, and with the coincidence of the New Testament with the Old-had, about a year before Mr. Thelwall met him, been baptized, with his wife and five children, and had become a supporter of Bible, Tract, and Missionary Societies. The sister of the individual just mentioned, and her five children, the eldest of whom is twenty-five, were baptized early in last year, by a minister of the Reformed Church.

Another case of conversion to the Christian faith, which the Committee adduce from Mr. Thelwall's correspondence, is as follows:-A Jew, who had been bred up in the greatest ignorance, early enlisted as a soldier, and served in the French armies in Russia. Afterwards he returned to his family, but was soon turned on the wide world to seek his fortune, and led a roving life for some time, till at length he was taken up for theft, convicted, and sentenced to three years' imprisonment in the house of correction at V., where every Sunday morning. Mr. B. was accustomed to give a sermon or exhortation to prisoners. The Jew was excused from attending these services, as likewise all who did not belong to the Reformed Church; but, observing his fellowprisoners assembling, he himself requested permission to attend, which of course was allowed. He found what was said very plain and intelligible, and he was sometimes affected even to tears; so that at length he requested permission to have more particular and personal instruction. The Directors of the house, fearful that he had some sinister designs in this request, represented to him, that if he continued a Jew, and his conduct in other respects was satisfactory, they should make such repre

sentations to the king as would lead to a remission of one year of his punishment; but that, if he persisted in his desire of Christian instruction, they should not dare to do this, lest it should give occasion to any suspicion, either in his own mind, or in those of others, that his release was in any way connected with his change of faith. But though the matter. was thus put to his choice, he chose rather to continue his whole time in prison, for the sake of Christian instruction, than to remain in his ignorant Judaism, and thus obtain a year's freedom. The Directors took bim at his word, and he received instruction from Mr. B. for the space of two years-using also the opportunities afforded in the house of correction, of learning to read and write. He seemed to require that period for instruction, being very slow of comprehension, though he was very diligent and attentive; and when he was liberated, Mr. B., with two of his elders, received his confession of faith, preparatory to his baptism, with which all three were highly pleased. They then represented to him the difficulties and temptations to which he would be exposed, especially from the Jews, who would try by promises and threats, to prevail with him to desert his faith, and return to Judaism, and they were really afraid he would not be able to withstand the temp tations which awaited him. To all this he replied, with tears in his eyes, that he would shed the last drop of his blood for Jesus Christ." On the Sunday following, in the presence of a very numerous congregation, he was baptized.

In Germany, it would appear that there are numbers of Jews who are secretly persuaded of the truth of Christianity, but are restrained from making a public confession of their faith by the fear of a persecution which would deprive them of the means of support.-Ą Jewish Missionary, Mr. Petri, states, that he was, in different instances, encouraged by the Jews to address him

self particularly to the children and young people, who were left at liberty by their parents, (though themselves were too old, as they said, to change their religion,) to follow their own discretion. Many females applied for New Testaments, bitterly lamenting the ignorance in which they were held by their rabbies. In one place, where some bigoted Jews attempted to get hold of the books which he had circulated, in order to destroy them, "the young men and females would not part, on any account, with their New Testaments, but would read and examine them, in order to know whether Jesus be the Messiah." The Jews themselves in the south of Germany, are publishing extracts from the Old Testament, expressly for the use and instruction of their women.

The Committee next advert to Prussia. The following extract from a letter from Mr. Hoff gives some interesting particulars relative to the proceedings of the Society's Missionaries at one of the places which they visited, Koenigsberg :"The first day after we became known, our room was almost always full of Jews: there was then a great fair at Memel; and Jews came from various quarters, especially from Si- · lesia, and solicited books. They willingly paid the price we asked for the New Testaments and the Prophets. Our books were soon disposed of, and we were glad to obtain more. As many wished to have German Bibles, we obtained of the Bible Society here twenty copies, of which we have only five left. They paid for the greater part of these Bibles: almost 300 Tracts, and twenty New Testaments and Prophets were soon distributed. As our second supply was inadequate, we sent for a chest of books from Dantzic.

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that Jews may be happy without Christianity. To this we opposed the word of God; and God blessed his word with respect to this young man. He came to us again, and requested us to read the Bible with him, which we did willingly; and he now, God be praised, as a sincerely penitent sinner, seeks pardon through Him who was wounded for our transgressions' and bruised for our iniquities.' As he lives wholly by teaching languages, he instructs several young Jews. The Jews here are singularly prepared for Christianity: we are beloved by them, and are already in very confidential intercourse with many of them. We may surely hope that our labour in the Lord will not be in vain."

A full confirmation of these statements was subsequently received, in a letter from Dr. Weiss, professor of philosophy in that city; who communicated also the intelligence, that an Auxiliary Society for promoting Christianity among the Jews had been established, under the sanction of Dr. Borowsky, bishop of the Evangelical Church.

fervently, Sir, you may believe me, I read this book day and night.' He at his own impulse travels to Grodno and Wilna, proclaims Jesus Christ openly, and distributes New Testaments and tracts. Many Jews have implored me, for God's sake, to procure for them the whole Bible in their own tongue, offering me a crown, equal to 3s., for each copy. I think I alone could dispose of 500 copies, at 3s. per copy, besides such as should be given to poor people. The missionaries would then find a field already prepared for the seed, and the conduct of their business would be far easier, and more blessed in its result."

Speaking of a visit to Leipsic, Mr. Goldberg writes; "On the very first day of my arrival in that city, I met some Polish Jews, to whom, during the last Easter fair, I had preached the Saviour of the world. They cordially rejoiced at seeing me again. They behaved very friendly; and one of them told me, that he had ofted read the holy Scriptures, and thereby had been brought to a sense of the depravity of his soul. During my whole stay From Berlin a correspondent at Leipsic, I was almost every evenwrites;" I have been, since the ing visited by this Jew, who brought Society has been established here, other Jews with him, with whom I requested to attend four baptisms of had long conversations on the way Jews. Two took place to-day. An of salvation. Their behaviour gave elderly Jew, in Silesia, told a friend me reason to hope, that many of of mine not long since, that the them will quietly examine, and, proofs of the truth of our religion, perhaps, ultimately receive the savgiven in one of our tracts which ing truth of the Gospel. A Greek came into his hands, pierced his Jew, who came to my friend to buy heart; that he was too old to some articles, and saw the books change his religion; but that his lying on the table, took a Jewish children shall be baptized. A German New Testament, and read young rabbi was baptized here it with so much eagerness as to lately I was one of the godfathers. make him forget his business. He asked me what book it was: I told him it was the New Testament, in which we were taught how we here may lead a godly life, and obtain salvation hereafter. I caused him to read the third chapter of the Gospel of St. John, and explained it to him. The impressions it produced on his mind, and the emotions I observed, were to me a new

"The 100 New Testaments in Jewish German have been demanded of me, I can say with truth, every one of them with prayers and entreaties, by Jews from Poland. I have not one left.

"An old learned Jew, the grandfather of E. A., holding up in my parlour a New Testament in his hands towards heaven, exclaimed

proof of the life-giving power of the word of God. I went with him through the promises of the Old Testament referring to the Messiah; and every passage appeared to him in the light of Divine truth, whereby he was strongly affected. He held the New Testament close in his hands, and asked me to sell it to him. I said, as I see you are desirous to read it for your improvement and instruction, I will give it to you in remembrance of our conversation this day. But he absolutely refused accepting it as a donation; and I was obliged to take the cost price, which he gladly paid."

The Committee next proceed to Prussian Poland, where the Society's missionaries, Mr. M'Caul and Mr. Becker, have distributed a large number of New Testaments and tracts. They write as follows from Cracow :

"We gave a tract to each of the Jewish factors of the hotel, and, to allow time for the effect, went to the Russian post and Professor Randtke soon after our return, Jews came in considerable numbers for books; they came in such disorder, that we could not either count the books or the persons exactly; they were between eighty and a hundred.

"Thursday morning. The Jews began to visit us so early as seven; and until twelve, our lodging was completely full: fatigue, from speaking, compelled us to stop until two o'clock. The Jews here disputed far more vigorously than elsewhere, and remained for hours together: this compelled us to speak much more than at any other place where we have yet been. The number of tracts, Testaments, and cards amounted to 271; and as scarcely any person received two tracts, the number of persons could not have been much less."

The Committee report the formation of an Auxiliary Society at Oletzko, a Prussian town on the frontiers of Poland. There are now six foreign Societies.

The encouraging account which has here been given, of the disposition of the Polish Jews towards Christianity, is confirmed by the testimonies of other persons not connected with this Society. The German Missionaries employed by the Edinburgh Jewish Society write: "At Berditchief we remained several days. This place contains 30,000 Jews. Our conversations with them were of a highly interesting and important nature. Thousands of them received our books and tracts, and heard what we said of Jesus as the true Messiah. The prejudices of many seemed to give way."

Mr. Moritz, a converted Jew, employed as a missionary in Russian Poland by his Imperial Majesty, says,

"There have now upon the whole been with me at least eight hundred Jews of all ages: among whom there were nearly all the Jewish schoolmasters of the place, and the greater part of the youths that study the Talmud in the Beth Hamedrash: there have also been some respectable Jews from Berditchef, who were there afraid to visit me. The crowd was on the first day so great, that I was obliged to place my people at the door as guard, allowing only a certain number at a time to enter, and when these were dispatched another number could enter. I was forced to this expedient, otherwise I should have been suffocated and in this manner I have distributed 1000 Hebrew and 200 Polish Hebrew tracts, and fiftyeight New Testaments in these languages."

Information had been received, that an institution for the education of poor Jewish children, and training of schoolmasters, was about to be opened at Basle, under the superintendence of some pious members of the Protestant communion.

The Committee proceed, in the close of their Report, to point out the importance of steadily directing their efforts to the countries bordering on the Mediterranean and Le

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vant. They especially refer to Mr. Wolff's journey, some interesting particulars of which have already appeared in our pages. We most ear

nestly wish them the blessing of God in this and the other departments of their truly Christian undertaking.

LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY (DEMERARA, &c.)

THE Directors of the London Missionary Society, in their Missionary Chronicle for this month, have published the following statement respecting the alleged participation of one of their Missionaries in the late disturbance in the colony of Demerara. We present the statement, for -the present, without any comment, except the expression of our deepest sympathy with this and another Missionary Society, whose objects and agents have been most severely, and we fully believe most unjustly reviled.

"The Directors have at length the satisfaction of informing the members of the Society that they have received a letter from Mr. Elliot, dated October 18, inclosing a copy of one written to the Treasurer on the 25th September, but detained in the colony; besides communications from other persons. "The letters of Mr. Elliot assert the innocence of the Missionaries of all participation whatever in the crime of the insurrection; and the Directors entertain no apprehension of advancing that which they shall have to retract, in. saying they give full credit to the declaration. They will quote the terms in which these assurances are made to themselves, convinced that the manly feelings of conscious integrity which shine through them, will carry to the bosom of every impartial reader a conviction of the veracity by which they are dictated.

"Numerous false reports have been sent forth against Mr. Smith,' (Mr. Elliot might have added, against himself also); but assure yourself and all the Directors, that whatever reports you may hear, the only crime the Missionaries have committed is their zeal for the conversion of the Negroes. They have CHRIST. OBSERV. APP.

neither been so weak nor so wicked as to excite the Negroes to rebellion. The Missionaries want justice only; they have no favour to ask; they have nothing to fear. The Missionaries have not degraded their holy calling, nor dishonoured the Society of which they are members, by sowing the seeds of rebellion instead of the Word of Life. The real causes of the rebellion are far, very far, from being the instructions given by the Missionaries.' He adds; We are not cast down; the Lord our God supports us; and we are persuaded that He who protected. Daniel in the lion's den, will support and protect us.'

"The Directors are persuaded that the friends of the Society will approve of their not making larger quotations from these communications at present; and that they will accept the brief statement which they are about to offer, in the confidence that they will be enabled, ere long, to present to them a circumstantial justification of the character and conduct of their greatly calumniated Missionaries.

"The statement, brief as it is, will be sufficient to shew the falsehood of the almost innumerable reports which have been industriously circulated through the kingdom, and indeed through the world.

"The colony of Demerara is divided into the East and West coasts by the Demerara river; the former, including Mahaica, being on its right bank. Mr. Elliot is stationed on the West, Mr. Smith on the East coast, about twenty miles distant from each other.

"It appears that the insurrection was entirely confined to the East coast; so that no commotion whatever took place on the estates on which Mr. Elliot labours, and not 5 R

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