are used also as school-rooms. I went into the synagogue of the Sephardim or Spanish Jews. I met a Rabbi who had six children before him to instruct, and he told me that these six children had only one Bible amongst them, which was torn, and as they were all orphans they could not afford to buy Scriptures. I promised to supply them. I then went into an adjoining synagogue. Here there were forty-three children crowded together, and four teachers, who also told me that the children were entirely destitute of copies of the Scriptures, and begged me to let them have some; in fact, some of the children had only one leaf of the Bible in their hands. I opened my Bible and read to one Rabbi present the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah, asking him of whom the Prophet did speak this. He took my Bible, read the chapter several times over, and said, 'I do not know; I never read the Prophets. I read the five Books of Moses and the Talmud.' I told him then, of whom the Prophet spake. I went thence into another synagogue, where I met two other Rabbies and eight children. The same want of Bibles was visible, the same desire expressed to have them, the same ignorance was manifested by the Rabbies as regards the Scriptures. Is it not a melancholy sight to behold the children of those through whom the Scriptures have been handed down to us, destitute of the same, and ignorant of their blessed truths?"

The missionary work amongst the Jews is not generally carried on by means of public preaching. Arguments and comparing prophecies respecting the Messiah with their fulfilment in our blessed Saviour; proving the falsehood of the

doctrines and statements drawn from human tradition, as well as examining the evidences of the truth of the Christian religion, occupy the attention; and oftentimes crowds of Israelites will assemble to listen and to assist in the discussion. We give here a conversation between Mr. Ewald and some Jews, to show the way in which the truth is brought before them. Mr. E. says:

"The Jews very frequently enjoy the refreshing air outside the city, beneath the shadow of evergreen trees. I there often find opportunities of laying before them the Gospel of salvation. On these occasions we can speak more freely, and with less interruption. I will give the substance of one of these conversations, held in the neighbourhood of the Damascus gate, in sight of Jeremiah's cave. I approached a tree under which six Israelites were seated :

"I. The Passover is now over.'

"A Jew. 'Yes; and we are now looking forward to another feast-Pentecost.'

"I. But you cannot celebrate any feast according to the law of Moses; for instance, the Passover, which was instituted in Egypt as a memorial of the great deliverance, when God smote all the first-born of Egypt, but preserved the Israelites, in remembrance of which the paschal lamb was to be sacrificed yearly; now, you have no longer that sacrifice, therefore you cannot keep the feast as God has commanded.'

"A Jew. Our temple is destroyed, and we have now no permission to offer sacrifices. If it is rebuilt, we shall again have the sacrifices reinstated, according to the law of Moses.'

"I.' But you have then, now, no atonement for your sin; how can you appear before God?'

"A Jew. And you; what sacrifices have you?'

"I. "That of which the Prophet Isaiah speaks: "He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities.'

"A Jew.

This refers to our Messiah, who is sitting in the gates of Rome; and, as often as Israel sins, he is smitten, for he is Israel's surety; therefore the prophet speaks thus.'

"I. Very true; these words have reference to the Messiah of Israel who has been smitten for your sins and mine. They refer to Jesus Christ, who suffered, not in Rome, but in this city, and is now exalted to the right hand of God.'

"A long discussion then commenced between us, they maintained that Jesus Christ could not have been the Messiah; I endeavouring to lead them to the Scriptures, and to prove by them that Jesus was the Messiah, and that those who believe on him should have eternal life, and that those who reject him shall not see life.

"One Jew replied, 'We, Israel, are all like one body. The good which one of us does has reference to the whole body, and, in the same manner, the evil also; and there are in each generation thirty-six men of piety, like unto Abraham our father, else the world would be destroyed. For it is written, Lo Ishmael, which signifies, "Thirty-six, God will hear." Ishmael means "God will hear;" and the letters 7 and o stand for thirty-six. These thirty-six men of the same piety as our father Abraham are our atonement, and other atonement we do not look for.'

"Alas! how is the apostolical assertion verified Until this day remaineth the same vail

untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament, which vail is done away in Christ.'"*

AMSTERDAM.

There are thirty thousand Jews resident in Amsterdam. The Rev. C. W. H. Pauli, himself an Israelite, labours zealously amongst them, and God blesses his Word to many of those who hear it. Mr. Pauli is privileged to preach every Sunday in the largest church in this city, and many Jews attend, with a large Christian congregation, to listen to his faithful expositions of the Word of God. During twelve months of Mr. Pauli's residence in Amsterdam, he baptized ten converts. He has others under Christian instruction. In his last letters, he gives the following interesting accounts :

"Baptism of a Jewish Family.-I cannot defer communicating to you the baptism of a very interesting Jewish family, consisting of six souls, -a father, mother, two daughters, and two sons. I had the undeserved privilege of admitting this family into our Church.

"B. Van G, the father, is of an old Dutch Jewish family; his wife belongs to a Portuguese family. Both man and wife have always lived as pious Jews, and their character stands high for probity. They have both for some time past been regular attendants at my church. The preaching of the cross was blessed to their souls. The man had to undergo many a severe struggle on account of his early imbibed prejudices, but the light of the

From a very instructive and interesting work just published by Mr. Wertheim, Paternoster-row, entitled "Journal of Missionary Labours in the City of Jerusalem, by Rev. F. C. Ewald."

glorious Gospel of Christ prevailed over the shadow and gloom of darkness which a rabbinical education had cast over his soul. Add to this, that this family resided in the very midst of the Jewish quarter at Amsterdam. I could only visit them late in the evening, as the Jews constantly watched both mine and the family's movements.

"The children were removed from the Jewish school, and their parents taught them the Lord's Prayer, the ten commandments, and the creed, in an incredibly short time. No sooner did the Rabbies hear that the children had been removed from the school than they went and remonstrated with the parents.

"Neither threats nor promises, however, were of any avail in inducing the parents to send the children back to school.

"I anticipated that it would soon become necessary to remove this family from the Jewish quarter, as signs of approaching persecution began to appear; their lives were even endangered. With much difficulty I succeeded in obtaining a lodging for them; and, on the day of removal, Van G- was violently attacked by the Jews, beaten, and even bitten. However, the Lord delivered him, although much injured.

"But still heavier trials awaited him. On the Saturday following his removal from the Jewish quarter to the opposite end of the city, the Jews came, four or five at a time, and tried all they could to shake him and his wife in their faith. Last Sunday (the fourth after Easter,) they and their four children received the sacrament of holy baptism in the midst of an immense congregation, among whom were many Jews."