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peace, we divided our labours; Mr. Lord spoke in one room, and I in the other. From the hour we came home (about ten o'clock), till after sunset, we neither ate nor drank, but either spoke, or listened to what they had to say.

"It will be easily conceived that it is next to an impossibility to detail the various questions they brought against our holy faith, and the replies we gave. I can only say that above 100 of our Jewish brethren had the Gospel preached unto them. During the whole of the conversation, I was repeatedly reminded of the great Apostle's declaration: I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.' Being Saturday, their first attack was, why we did not keep the day of rest; and then, why we did not observe rites and ceremonies. They could hardly comprehend how one could believe Moses and the prophets, and yet be freed from the ceremonial law.

"We had also to contend against the false imputation Christianity labours under in these countries. Their coming in contact with the native Christians, has made them, alas! not without reason, decry Christianity, as a system full of idolatry and superstition. More than once, we had to teach them to distinguish between the religion of Christ, and that which they saw practised. Holding up a Hebrew New Testament to them, we told them: this contains the commands and precepts of Jesus; against those, if you object,we will, by the help of God, defend them, but not the foolish inventions of human imagination.”

LINES ON HEARING THE HEBREW

CHILDREN* SING.

I.

I'VE listened, spell-bound, to earth's sweetest music;
Its melody has held my heart in thrall.
But the voices of those little children singing
Their simple hymns, was sweeter far than all.
And as they sang, glad, silent tears would fall.

II.

Oh, Christian people! ye who love the Saviour!
Ye for whom that Saviour lived and died,-
Go and hear those little Jewish children singing
His praises whom their forefathers denied:
Christ the Redeemer! Christ the Crucified!

III.

Hark to their infant voices! Mark the strain divine!
What gratitude, what hope those songs inspire!
Oh! listen to the little school children singing,
"All hail, Lord Jesus! Hail to the Messiah !"
So angels sing in heaven, and never tire.

IV.

A heavenly voice above that childish chorus, Perchance may whisper, "Sinner, lov'st thou me? "Art thou glad to hear the little children singing? "Then feed these lambs for my sake, willingly." "Lord," we reply, "thou know'st that we love thee." ELIZABETH YOUATT.

*In the Society's Schools, Palestine Place, Bethnal Green, London.

LONDON: Printed at the Operative Jewish Converts' Institution, Palestine Place, Bethnal Green.

THE JEWISH ADVOCATE.

APRIL, 1849.

CONSECRATION OF CHRIST CHURCH,
JERUSALEM.

OUR readers will be glad and thankful to learn that the new Church on Mount Zion, has at length been consecrated. This long-hoped for event took place on Sunday, 21st January, the seventh anniversary of the arrival of the first Protestant bishop of Jerusalem.

James Finn, Esq., British Consul for Jerusalem and Palestine, Assaad Kayat, British Consul at Jaffa, and the Prussian Consul at Jerusalem, together with the principal lay members of the congregation, met the bishop and his two chaplains the Rev. John Nicolayson and the Rev. F. C. Ewald-at the entrance of the church; where they formed a procession, and then went before his lordship to the vestry. After robing, the bishop and his chaplains re-entered the church, and the service proceeded. The bishop preached on the words, "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all people."

The following prayer, composed for this interesting solemnity, was offered up by the bishop, instead of the last prayer in the consecration service :

"Blessed be Thy name, O Lord, God of Israel,

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that it hath pleased Thee to dispose the hearts of Thy people all over the world, to favour Zion, and to erect this house for Thy worship and service. Bless them, O Lord, for their regard to Thy honour and to the good of souls. Bless them for their love to Zion, and for their compassionate care for the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Bless all Thy servants, by whose common care, this tabernacle has been reared among the ruins of Jerusalem: Prosper their work, and give success to their endeavour to lead the sons and daughters of Abraham to their Redeemer. Bless all those who pray for the peace of Jerusalem: and grant, O Lord, that all those, for whose good this pious work is intended, may show forth their thankfulness by making a right use thereof, to the glory of Thy blessed name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN."

Mr. Nicolayson gives a fuller detail than we have thought it necessary to introduce, of this most deeply interesting service, and then adds: "The unusual severity of the weather during the preceding week had prevented many friends at Beyrout and elsewhere from attending on this interesting occasion, as they had purposed, and there were only three English travellers here, who had prolonged their visit on purpose. But the usual congregation (chiefly converts) and many natives of the city, men and women, Jews and Jewesses, and Pilgrims of other lands and other communities, quite filled the place, even to the organ-loft. Perfect order and propriety were observed under the influence of the deeply solemn spirit which marked the members of our own congregation, which those also felt who could not understand the language used."

The Syrian bishop with some priests and deacons, attended throughout the whole solemnity. The former expressed himself deeply interested in the service. There were also some Armenian and Greek Catholic priests present. The Armenian Patriarch, being indisposed, did not attend, though he had accepted the invitation of the bishop.

In the afternoon, the service was in German. The Rev. F. C. Ewald read the prayers. The Rev. J. Nicolayson preached on Matthew xviii. 20. The bishop baptized two Israelites, who, having been long waiting for this privilege, were thus "graffed into their own olive-tree," and we trust, they have been made partakers with ourselves in the salvation that is in Christ, by like precious faith. A great number of Jews were present at this service also. May this be a day long remembered as the commencement of a brighter period in the history of this muchtried mission!

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IN the next year, the Committee proceeded to adopt other important measures for carrying on the great work entrusted to them.

A PRINTING OFFICE was established for the employment of converts, and for teaching young Jews the art of printing, in order that they might obtain a living when they had forfeited the means

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