God, were brought to a knowledge of their lost condition, of their separation from God by sin, and of their need of a Saviour. They learnt to know Jesus Christ, to love him, and to follow him; to renounce the world and its lusts, and to walk joyfully in the way of God's commandments. The proud and the self-righteous, indeed, looked with disdain on these "saints," as they reproachfully called them; especially on the former transgressor; but the children of God gave praise to their Heavenly Father, who of his great goodness and longsuffering had mercy on the malefactor, and overruled his heineous deeds for the salvation of his immortal soul, and by the mysterious dealings of his providence, blessed them to the souls of others.

ROMANS XI.

When Israel's seed, by unbelief and sin,
Fell from their bright and once exalted place;
God did not cast them off, but hedged them in,
And chose a remnant that should seek his face.
"Blindness," indeed, he said, "in part should fall
Upon this erring race; but only till

The Gospel of the Cross be preached to all,
And Gentile times their days of grace fulfil."
And further yet the word of promise stands :
That, "when again graft in their olive tree,
Israel shall be the heralds to all lands,
Of that salvation which has set them free."
Yes, in that day, that long expected day,
The tide of Gospel truth shall visit all:
Gentile and Jew shall own Messiah's sway,
And, fill'd with love and awe, before his footstool fall.
E. M. L.

CHANGE OF NAME TO AVERT DEATH. It is one mark of all false systems of religion and superstition, that they offer to the dying sinner

only "refuges of lies." This is seen in heathenism, in Popery and in Judaism. Christianity alone offers full, free salvation by an Almighty and ever willing Saviour, whose blood atones for our transgressions, and whose merits are all-sufficient.

Judaism, called by St. Paul "the Jews' religion," consists of the traditions of men. That Apostle, when he says, that he "profited above many who were his equals" in age, in the Jews' religion, tells us in what that religion consists, being, he adds, more exceedingly zealous of the "traditions of the Fathers." Our Saviour told the Pharisees, that they made void the law through traditions; that they rejected the word of God that they might keep their own traditions. Thus, whilst true Judaism, which is the religion of Moses and the Prophets, agrees with the doctrines of the New Testament,-is the Gospel preached in type and prophecy; false Judaism,—the religion of the modern Jews-is alike opposed to both Old Testament and New, and offers in its vain traditions, but "refuges of lies" to the enquiries of the anxious spirit.

Thus the changing of the name of a person dangerously ill is an invention of the Rabbies, or of Satan, acting through them, for the delusion of dying men. The Talmud is full of such tricks and subterfuges. The sick person's name is changed, in order to save his life, when it is supposed he is about to die, in pursuance of a sentence pronounced and a warrant delivered into the hands of the executioner on the day of atonement. Now both this sentence and the warrant, it is affirmed, become null and void, when the person against whom they are directed bears another name. The warrant mentions Joseph; the exe

cutioner-the Angel of death-comes to take the life of Joseph; but lo! he eludes both the warrant and the officer, he has changed his name: Joseph has become Samuel. His name is not in the warrant. What a clever trick is this! Alas that men should be found to believe such a lie, and sport thus with the Allwise and Almighty Creator, whose sentence they believe has appointed this man to die.

In order to give the change of name publicity, as well as to make it legal, it has to be done in the Synagogue, in the presence of a certain number of persons. The following is the substance of the form of attestation which is used ::

"May it please the God of our Fathers, to make the change of name serve for the abolishing of the decree thou hast made, and cause thee to revoke that sentence which thou hast pronounced against the name (of Joseph,) which ought not to be executed against the name (of Samuel). He is at this present time become another man, as an infant new-born, to live a holy life to the end of his days."

"THE PLACE OF WAILING."

JERUSALEM.

ONE of the most deeply interesting spots in Jerusalem is the Jews' place of wailing. This is a spot on the western side of the area in which the Temple stood. Here are courses of masonry of very large stones, which doubtless have remained there from the time of Herod, if they are not of much more distant antiquity. representation of these is given in "Bartlett's Walks about Jerusalem," and also an interesting

description of the custom, which has prevailed for centuries, of the Jews going thither, and, before these reliques of their past greatness, and their temple's glory, weeping over the destruction of the City, and the "holy and beautiful house.”

Dr. Robinson also takes particular notice of this spot, and of others where similar large stones are found. He measured one of those on the Eastern side of the Temple area, and found that it was twenty-four feet long, six feet broad, and three feet high. Those on the Western side are of similar dimensions.

The following is Dr. Robinson's account: "The lower part of the wall is here composed of the same kind of ancient stones, which we had before seen on the Eastern side. Two old men, Jews, sat there upon the ground, reading together in a book of Hebrew prayers.

"On Friday they assemble here in great numbers. It is the nearest point in which they can venture to approach their ancient temple; and, fortunately for them, it is sheltered from observation by the narrowness of the land, and the dead walls around. Here, bowed in the dust, they may at least weep undisturbed over the fallen glory of their race; and bedew with their tears the soil which so many thousands of their forefathers once moistened with their blood.

"This touching custom of the Jews is not of modern origin. Benjamin of Tudela mentions it, as connected apparently with the same spot, in the twelfth century; and very probably the custom has come down from still earlier ages. After the capture of Jerusalem under Adrian, the Jews were excluded from the city; and it was not till the age of Constantine that they were

permitted to approach so as to behold Jerusalem from the neighbouring hills. At length, they were allowed to enter the city once a year, on the day on which it was taken by Titus, in order to wail over the ruins of the Temple. But this privilege they were obliged to purchase of the Roman soldiers."

Mr. Bartlett says, "We repaired to the place on Friday, where a considerable number of Jews usually assemble. In the shadow of the wall were seated many venerable men, reading the book of the law, wearing out their declining days in the city of their fathers, and soon to be gathered to them in the valley of Jehoshaphat. There were also many women in their long white robes, who, as they entered the small area, walked along the sacred wall, kissing its ancient masonry, and praying through the crevices, with every appearance of deep devotion."

Mr. Wilde, in his interesting narrative, says: "Nothing is so affecting as this scene, and years will never efface it from my remembrance. They (the Jews) stood in groups mourning and singing the Psalms of David, in the very places and in the very language in which David composed them; before those same walls which echoed them twenty-four centuries before; their notes were mixed with sighs, or interrupted by sobs. They kissed the outer stones of the wall, but they could not enter within. The crescent of Islamism glittered on the pinnacles of the minaret, and the blood-red banner of Mahomet floated over their heads. If ever I should be asked what interested me most in my journey on the shores of the Mediterranean, I should answer, that it was the sight of the faithful Jew, weeping over the stones of Jerusalem."