sisted in revoking their privileges; excluding them from all public employment; prohibiting all familiar intercourse between Jews and Christians; rejecting all Jewish testimony against a Christian in a court of justice; prohibiting the Jews from having Christian servants; forbidding their appearance in public during the holy week; obliging them to wear a distinctive mark upon their garments; and excluding them from the practice of medicine. Moreover, tithes were imposed on their landed property; their magnificent synagogues were stripped of their adornments: and they were also prohibited from taking interest. All these decrees, however, proved fruitless. They only served to show, as late as the fourteenth century, the small degree of power possessed by the clergy, and the great influence exercised by the Jews. A remonstrance, urged by the Cortes (in 1213), against the election of Jews to public offices was attended with rather more success, but for a very brief period. even A similar attempt made by the Cortes of Madrid, in 1309, fell entirely to the ground. Those of Burgos decreed (probably with no better success,) that neither the nobility, the clergy, nor the Jews should henceforth be employed as receivers of the taxes. MEMOIR OF ANNA BEHRENS. OUR biographical notices on this occasion refer to the wife of a missionary of this Society, himself a descendant of Abraham; from whose communications we gather the following particulars of her life and conversion : She was born at Cracow, on Dec. 20, 1815, being the oldest of five sisters, of whom three are still alive, and married to opulent Jews of the reform party. Her father, Wolf Grünbaum, a native of Austrian Silesia, had in early life been principal tutor at the Imperial Normal School at Lemberg; but on his marriage he settled at Cracow, where he established a banking business, which continued to flourish till his death. We may mention that the Senate of Cracow accorded to the rich Jewish banker an honour, unprecedented in those days, viz., the presentation of the freedom of the city. The subject of this memoir was loved by her father with great affection, and he instructed her himself in all commandments of Judaism. At the age of five or six, she had daily to read to him the long morning and evening prayers in Hebrew, a task which she found not a little irksome, as her heart had no share in what her mouth uttered without her understanding it. Before she was eleven years old, however, her father died, leaving to his widow a considerable fortune and a large mansion. The education of the eldest daughter had not been neglected, and as she was able to read and speak with facility the Polish, German, and French languages, she was of much assistance to her mother, who continued the banking busi ness after her husband's death. The same care, however, was not taken of the daughter's spiritual interests as of her worldly accomplishments, and to her religious education the mother was entirely indifferent. Miss Grünbaum declared in afteryears, that at this time she had felt a void in her heart, and was very unhappy. But the outward prosperity of the family was destined to receive a severe check. Their bank had extensive pecuniary transactions with the Polish nobility, and when, in 1830, the revolution broke out, debtors and creditors were alike involved in its ruinous consequences; the family Grünbaum was reduced from affluence to poverty. Under this reverse of fortune, Miss G. assisted her mother faithfully, labouring with her own hands for the maintenance of her younger sisters, by means of needlework, &c. While exerting herself in this laudable way, she made the acquaintance of a Polish lady, a pious Roman Catholic, who soon became greatly attached to her, and took as much interest in her welfare as if she had been her own child. She provided not only for her instruction in various branches of useful knowledge, but made it her great object to excite in her a desire for her soul's salvation. This kind friend took her daily with her to church, spoke seriously to her of the sinfulness of the human heart, the wrath of God against the sinner, and the necessity of a Redeemer, without whom we must perish everlastingly she pointed her to Jesus, crucified for her, as the only Saviour and Redeemer from death, the devil, and hell. The young Jewess was at first greatly alarmed, on being spoken to respecting these subjects, as she had never heard the holy name of our Lord pronounced by her kinsmen, : but with contempt and abhorrence; when, however, she was better acquainted with the history of the birth and work, life, death, and resurrection of our Saviour, her eyes were opened to see the truth, and the love of Christ took possession of her heart. Having at last resolved to make a public profession of her faith, she avowed her intention to her mother, and begged her consent to her baptism. At first she met with much opposition, but she persevered in her faith, and declared that, having now found her Lord and Saviour, it was impossible for her to live without him; until her mother, who herself was no strict Jewess, at last complied with her wish. She now received instruction from a Roman Catholic priest, and finally went in company with her mother to Kelze, in the kingdom of Poland, in the Cathedral of which town she received the rite of baptism. Having thus become a member of the Christian Church, Miss G. returned to Cracow, and continued to reside with her relatives, but had to suffer much from their enmity towards that Saviour in whom she believed with her whole heart. Notwithstanding these trials, however, she scrupulously observed all precepts and statutes of the Roman Catholic Church. She went to the Church at least once a-day, and sometimes oftener; observed rigorously all prescribed fastings, and went frequently to confession. Her confessor was a serious and well-meaning man, who to the best of his knowledge endeavoured to strengthen her in the Christian faith. Her integrity and piety became so manifest, that both among Jews and Christians she was known as "the pious Anna." In the year 1840, Mr. C. J. Behrens was appointed to missionary labour among his Jewish brethren in Cracow. In the pursuit of his calling he became acquainted with the family Grünbaum; and the spiritual state of that member of it to whom these notices refer, could not but engage the special attention of a Protestant missionary. Mr. Behrens was privileged to be the instrument in her becoming a convert to evangelical truth. Referring to the state of her mind at that time, when her faith, though sincere and zealous, was not that of the Gospel, Mr. B. states : "Notwithstanding her deep piety, she felt some uneasiness, because she felt her inability of performing so many good works as her Church prescribed. On her speaking to me about this, I showed her from the Word of God, that all our good works are nothing but filthy rags, and therefore of no value before the Lord. I gave her a copy of the New Testament, and of our Scriptural Liturgy, exhorting her diligently to read the first, and to pray in the spirit of the latter. She followed my advice; and it pleased the Lord so to bless these means, that the gold of her faith became purified from the dross of human invention, and, finally, grace was given her to acknowledge and avow the evangelical faith,—that salvation is to be sought and found solely in the merits of our High Priest, who has offered up himself a sacrifice for our sins, and wrought out an everlasting redemption." Mr. Behrens having become a widower five years after his arrival in Cracow, was led to believe that this daughter of Abraham would make a suitable helpmate to him in his labours; and |