the Talmud, as subject to a species of fermentation, or as giving rise to impurities, which they deem dependent on a similar law. Every room and cupboard is lime washed, and every shelf is scrubbed to remove even any stain or impression, from the probability that such stain has been produced by fermented matter. Thus the Rabbies, under the express command of religious observances, have enforced such rigid cleanliness, that the houses of Jews are rendered pure and healthy by the preparations for this annual festival. This may in some measure account for the known longevity of Israelites-the writer of this having known many who had attained the ages of 100, 110, and even 120 years, whilst few die, comparatively speaking, very young.

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In most European cities, the Jews have been forced to reside in some obscure and crowded locality, where one might expect them to be more liable than the general mass of the population to fevers and other ailments, which are supposed to arise from the want of cleanliness and of fresh air. It appears, however, that the Jews are, in part, less visited by disease than the generality of their fellow-citizens. This, whilst attributed, in fact, to their superior temperance, may well be believed to be owing in no small measure to their one month of annual purification and its consequent cleanliness.

The plates, dishes, tea-cups and saucers, knives and forks, saucepans, kettles, spoons, &c., which are used during the other parts of the year, are not used for the Passover. These things are kept from year to year for this one week, or else new articles are purchased. In cases where poverty does not allow the changing of every thing

at this season, there are certain rules which show how to purify them with boiling water, or with fire, or both, so as to deprive them of any fermentable matter, which might otherwise, as in some kinds of porous earthenware, be absorbed.

"The houses of the middle-class Jews, when the annual preparations for the Passover are completed, present a novel and most cleanly aspect. Every shelf, dresser, tray, and cupboard is covered with beautiful white napkins; and as each Jew knows beforehand the pains and penalties consequent on not removing all things subject to fermentation, there is experienced a sensation of purity which reacts on the mind, and disposes the sincere Israelite to express intense gratitude to God, as if he had been actually a manumitted slave, and felt for the first time the pure air of freedom. To these facts may be added the constant ablutions prescribed during this month, rendering cleanliness of person a religious obligation; whence also arises cleanliness in culinary preparations. In short, it is manifest that the injunction of the lawgiver, even while one is disposed to smile at the literalness with which it is followed out, has been attended, through that very literalness, with effects of a most salutary as well as extraordinary kind."

MISSIONS TO THE JEWS.

JERUSALEM.

Baptism of Three Jews.

THE Rev. John Nicolayson, in a recent letter, says,-“In the afternoon of Good Friday, three

of the candidates for baptism, previously under instruction, were grafted in that sacrament into the Church of Christ, the original olive tree. They were two of the inmates of the House of Industry, —Paul Isaac Halberg, Simon Peter Kornblau, and Reina Maria, Shoofamy's wife.

“Another inmate of that Institution, Benjamin Dobinsky, was also fully prepared for baptism on that occasion; and Hermann Fuller and his wife had also been under preparation: but circumstances led to our deferring their baptisms, perhaps till Whit Sunday. The two of the House of Industry give very satisfactory evidence that a real work of grace had been begun in them, particularly Simon Peter Kornblau, who is learning the trade of a watchmaker.”

Intercourse with Inquirers.

“The circulation of Scriptures at the Depository has continued much as usual, as have also the calls of Jews on me, except as interrupted during the two first weeks, by their feast of the Passover. I have lately had two or three new applicants, all Sephardim. Among them a respectable young man from Constantinople, who has been in connexion with Chacham

mentioned in my last, and is earnestly pursuing his enquiries and studies, in secret as yet. That Chacham has not called on me again since, owing, probably, chiefly to the interruption of the Passover season. But I know that he continues his studies and investigations privately. Another secret enquirer is Chacham who is a Sephardi. So that there is growing evidence of the silent effects of the stir lately produced among A lad lately admitted into the House of

them.

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Industry, and apprenticed to Mr. Max Ungar, a tailor, is also a Sephardi, and so is old Mr. P., employed at the Hospital, who had once seen better days, having been American Consul at Mogadore, and who is now zealously studying Christianity. As he understands English, he attends all our English services at Church, as well as the daily Hebrew services at the Hospital. Among other calls I have had lately from Jews, was that of two Persian Jews; one from Teheran, where he had seen our brethren Sternschuss and Stern, and the other, an old man, Rabbi B., of Bash Kalân, where under great oppression (from the Kurds) his whole property has been extorted from him, and his two sons are kept as security for further demands made on him; which when he spoke of, he wept like a child. He was deeply distressed, and his heart therefore open to the consolation of the Gospel, a full outline of which I had an excellent opportunity of setting before him indirectly in conversation chiefly with the other, who is a very intelligent young man, well versed in the Hebrew Bible, and not ignorant of the Gospel, and who also spoke Hebrew more fluently than the other. He appeared to be convinced, not only that Jesus is the Messiah, but that the first and great object of his coming must needs have been to make atonement for sin, according to Isaiah; but seemed to think that there would now be no hope for Israel until he come again, according to Hosea.

"I urged that from this very prophecy it is clearly the duty of all Israel to repent and seek David their king, as well as the Lord their God, and not merely to wait for Him till he come,

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that in fact if we could but see a spirit of penitent sorrow and believing prayer and supplication poured out upon Israel as a nation, that would be the surest sign of their speedily finding him coming for the redemption. When he referred then to the expression, In the latter days,' I not only argued that these very days are the latter days, but insisted that hence it becomes the more solemnly binding upon every individual Israelite to repent and seek salvation in Jesus, as the atoning Lamb of God, by appropriating by faith his atonement made once for all' to his own soul, lest either he should die in his sins, or the Lord coming suddenly he should be found amongst those transgressors in Israel, of whom it is said, they shall then be destroyed. They both listened with deep and serious attention, and asked for Bibles and other books for themselves and their children. I gave the old man three Bibles, and

a copy of the Pilgrim's Progress' in Hebrew,

and to the other, two Bibles at his own request, and a copy also of the 'Old Paths;' and as the old man is returning by way of Bagdad, I gave him a line to Mr. Sternschuss."

The House of Industry.

"We have now six Inmates in the House of Industry, which is just double the number we had at the opening of the Institution. May we through the blessing of God be established in the faith, and increase in number daily, to the honour and glory of Jesus Christ our Lord and Redeemer.

“During the last two months I had many calls from Jews and Jewesses, either for assistance, or simply to show their friendship towards me; an aged Israelite declared to me that our mission