long his residence eight months. At this time provisions became scarce, and his money was exhausted at the end of six months. While he was engaged in preaching the Gospel in his own house, his porters went out on the chase, and so greatly did the Lord bless their exertions, that the produce yielded ample food for him and his servants for two months, and enabled him, besides, to feed thirty poor people.

At that time, a young man, the son of a governor, visited his house every day. When the missionary was about to depart, he came up to him trembling; "I will be thy servant," said he, "if thou wilt instruct me in God's Word." He was accordingly added to the twelve porters. The Abyssinians, who will beg upon the slightest occasion, did so particularly at that period; M. Gobat, therefore, exhorted them to increased fervour of prayer to God. The young man thought within himself, the missionary has a great deal of money, but if he were in our place, I should like to know whether he would not beg? Before setting out, he came up to M. Gobat, saying, "You know we are about to proceed through a desert country, and that we must take provisions for the journey." M. Gobat frankly told him, that he had been without any money for two months.

The small store of meal, which they obtained in exchange for game, sufficed them for the first four days of their journey. In the evening of the last day, this young man retired beneath the shade of a tree, resolving to see whether his master would really pray in faith and trust in the Lord as he constantly directed them; for he was now convinced that he had no provisions in hand.

On the following morning, M. Gobat offered up the petition, Give us this day our daily bread,"

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with a fervour such as he had never shown before. Towards noon he and his people approached a village, in which a woman of his acquaintance resided. On the way, he found her servant waiting for him with a cruse of beer and a basket of provisions. "My mistress,' " said the servant, "has sent this for thee and thy people." The supply, besides satisfying their own wants, sufficed also for several poor persons.

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On the following day the travellers proceeded till sunset without meeting with any food. On coming to a well, M. Gobat besought the Lord to bless the waters to the satisfying of their thirst and hunger. Soon after, two servants of a ruler came up to him, saying, they had been sent by their master to bring home the white man; and that he had already killed an ox for him. He was ill, but received the missionary with great kindness, and they parted on the following morning. After journeying half an hour, they arrived at the entrance of a deep and uninhabited valley. They might have been tempted to exclaim, "Who shall prepare a table for us in the wilderness? But after a descent of five hours, they were met at the foot of the mountain by two men, whom their friendly host had sent on before them with provisions.

The next day, their course lay through a very desolate country, and M. Gobat was about to prepare his companions for a fast, but he determined otherwise, because he thought it would betoken his want of faith in God. At noon he had his reward; they were greeted by a young man who presented M. Gobat with a basket of

"How do you

provisions and a cruse of beer. know me?" asked M. G. "I know thee not,' replied he; “I am servant to a man who lives some miles off. Last night my master was very restless; at length he rose, and gave me orders to carry this gift to the wanderer who would come along this road. As thou art the first white man whom I have met, I present it to thee." The latter part of their journey lay through a more frequented region; but M. Gobat testifies, that he was on no occasion reduced to beg for any one thing.

On reaching Adowa, he found that the King was also arrived; and he received an invitation from the prince, who made him sit beside him on a throne ;—an honour never before shown to any one. Thus did the gracious goodness of the Lord watch over and preserve the messenger of Christ for three years!

Soon after his return, Mr. Kugler died, and he continued quite alone for two years, without even receiving letters from Europe. He returned thither in 1833, in the hope of carrying back with him other missionaries to reap in a land so ripe for the harvest.

The young man who has been alluded to as volunteering to enter his service, was enabled to believe when he saw that the God of the believing disciple day by day supplied him and his people with bread. He afterwards became extremely melancholy; kept himself for more than two months at a distance from his master, and, as soon as his daily labours were ended, retired to search and study the Scriptures. One morning, however, he came up to him, with a very cheerful air, saying, "Thank God! I can now

speak with

you. I am very wicked; and I was afraid that if I told you of my sins, you would send me away. But last night I felt convinced in my heart that God has accepted me." And then he proceeded to acquaint him with his preceding misgivings and doubts.

When in Europe, M. Gobat was strengthened in his work by one missionary only. In 1834 he was united to Miss Regina C. Zeller, a daughter of the excellent and devoted superintendent of the celebrated Training Institution at Brügge, in Baden. With this amiable "helpmeet," to whom no trial or danger has ever appeared otherwise than as a mercy, he again returned to a land which had become so dear to him. He was, however, taken very ill on the Red Sea, but resolved to proceed to Abyssinia, in order to introduce his brother missionary, Mr. Isenberg: for he fully expected to die there. He was confined to his bed for two years at Adowa, the capital of the province of Tigre, during which period he was not able to engage in any active work. But persons who had known him during his previous visit, came from a distance even of sixty leagues, to induce him to accompany them. He was at length forced to come to a determination to return home, and left Adowa on the 1st of September, 1836.

Such are the steps by which it has pleased God to enrich his faithful servant in Christ, with those treasures of wisdom and experience, which, as the venerable Primate of our Church observed, qualify him beyond all others to become a chief pastor within her apostolical pale, and frequent will be the opportunities which he will have of renewing his intercourse with the Abyssinians who visit Jerusalem, in their numerous pilgrimages to Palestine.

ISRAEL AND THE GENTILES.

JEWS IN SPAIN AND PORTUGAL.*

Maimonides.

IN our last number we gave an account of Aben Ezra, one of the most remarkable men of his nation. We now extract from the same source, whence we drew that brief memoir, a summary of the life of MOSES BEN MAIMON.

Equalling Aben Ezra in the extent and variety of his knowledge, though perhaps his inferior in character and genius, Maimonides, his contemporary, has, without doubt, made a more forcible and decided impression upon the whole views of posterity, especially among his own nation. When we have given a few particulars concerning his character and biography, we will endeavour to point out the nature of this influence, and the kind of feeling that was awakened in the synagogue by the theology of this doctor.

Rabbi Moses Ben Maimon, or, with the Greek termination that has since been affixed, Maimonides, and among the Jews, by a peculiar species of abbreviation with which they are familiar,t Rambam," was born at Cordova, in Spain, at that time in possession of the Arabs,

-1139.

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*Da Costa's "Israel and the Gentiles."

The Jews are accustomed to designate their chief rabbins and writers, by composing a word formed of the initial consonants of their names, prefixing the initial of their title of Rabbi. Thus Moses Ben

Maimon is called by them Rambam,- -a name we must distinguish from Ramban, the similar abbreviation of Rabbi Moses Ben Nachman.