gradually undermined his health, until its final and fatal termination. Throughout his illness he exhibited the same dread of death, which I have remarked among the Jews generally. In his ast moments I was sent for, and found him supported in bed by his relatives, who relieved each other by turns. It was painful to witness the impatience and restlessness, with which he bore pain, and especially the wild expression of horror depicted on his countenance, at the prospect of death, which he felt was rapidly approaching. The only comfort which his friends and relatives attempted to give him was, to endeavour to conceal from him the fact that he was a dying man; and when he turned his eyes upon me, and asked if there was no remedy for his sufferings, they motioned to me to write a prescription for the purpose of satisfying him. I took no notice of the signs they continued making to me to that effect; for I felt it would be morally wrong to be a party to such a deception. But the inquiry with which they pressed me, the imploring looks of the dying man, beseeching me to relieve his pains, and above all the dark, miserable and unprepared state of his mind, moved me to such a degree that I burst into tears. I then told him plainly that all human remedies could avail him nothing, but that I wished to see him in a more composed and resigned frame of mind. The true Christian, I remarked, did not fear the prospect of death, because he felt himself a pardoned sinner, and reconciled to God by his son Jesus Christ. Sin must be atoned for or we could not have peace with God. "I am now," said the Rabbi, "atoning for my sins by these sufferings." Thus he made himself to be his own Saviour, putting his own sufferings in the place of the sufferings of Christ, the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world. But the poor man's thoughts were too much distracted by pain and apprehension to allow of any continued conversation. I shortly afterwards withdrew, probably to the no small relief of his friends, who doubtless were scandalized by my sincerity in telling him of his danger, but especially that I had presumed to profane the ears of a dying Rabbi with the name of Jesus which is still the same stumbling block and offence to the Jews as ever. Letter from the Rev. J. C. Reichardt. It is my pleasing duty to inform you that, since my last letter, we had the privilege of admitting four members of the house of Israel into the Christian Church, by baptism. The first baptism took place on Sunday morning, the 19th, in Hebrew, at our English service, and was that of a native Israelite, born at Jerusalem, and of a respectable family. He is the first native Jew of Palestine who has been baptized at Jerusalem, and his case clearly shows that we have nothing more to fear from the persecutions of opposing rabbies in the case of native Jews. About a year ago he was, indeed, thrown into prison by their influence, and had to suffer for Christ's sake from false charges brought against him; but he was liberated by the kind exertions on his behalf of our excellent and truly Christian English Consul. The conduct of this individual, before his knowledge of the Gospel, was indeed not what it ought to be, but during the last four years he has led a consistent life, and himself ascribes this change of character to the influence of Christianity; and having myself instructed him for some time, I felt satisfied that we could yield to his earnest request to be admitted into the Christian Church by baptism. Many Jews were present to witness the event, and in the afternoon I saw a large number of Spanish Jewesses come to our Church from curiosity. The other three were baptized yesterday (Whit-sunday) afternoon, in German, at our German service, and were a respectable couple from Bavaria with a son of about ten years old by a first wife, deceased. The father had been an inquirer for eight years, but his wife was at first very much opposed, and threatened, though much attached, to leave her husband, if he persisted in becoming a Christian. At last the power and influence of the Gospel were too strong for her, and with her husband she began seriously to inquire into its truths. For about a year and a half they have been regularly instructed by my nephew, Mr. H. C. Reichardt, and having also myself instructed and examined them daily for some time, and feeling satisfied as to their faith and conduct, I baptized them, in the name of our triune God, in our Church on Mount Zion, yesterday, when I preached from Acts ii. 33, on the subject of Pentecost, or the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the disciples of our Lord in Jerusalem. Baptisms at some of the Stations during the present year. WE have to record the following baptisms, which have taken place at some of our missionary stations, but have not yet been mentioned in our pages: At Berlin, two baptisms, on February 15th and April 18th. At Königsberg, also two, in the month of March. At Posen, a Jewess, baptized on April 20th. At Cracow, a father and son, on February 15th; and another adult on April 18th. At Warsaw, a Jewess, on April 12th; and two Jews, on August 8th. At Suwalki, one baptism, March 14th. At Amsterdam, one baptism, May 20th. At Frankfurt-on-the-Maine, one baptism, April 7th; and One at Trieste, on July 25th. 66 LONDON. Extracts from the Journal of a Missionary. Being a very rainy day, I went to a Jewish coffee-house, where I met about thirty-five of the children of Israel. Nearly the half of them were old acquaintances of mine, who recognised me as soon as I entered the room. I had many an interesting conversation, and availed myself of every opportunity of pointing out to them Jesus Christ, as the way, the truth, and the life. I especially noticed one of the name of a native of Warsaw, listening attentively to the preaching of the cross, and after I had left the house he followed me, and heartily thanked me for the instruction and advice I had given him three years ago, when he lived in Bethnal Green, where I used to visit him with Mr. Mayers, now at Adrianople. He assured me that he had carefully read the "Old Paths," as also several other tracts, and that it had pleased God to bless those means, so that he now believes in Jesus as the only Messiah, Sanctifier, and Redeemer. He also told me that his two children have been baptized in the Christian Church, and that he himself regularly attends a place of Christian worship. I urged upon him not to think lightly of the sacrament of baptism, and that he should pray to God to give him strength to enable him to come forth and confess Christ openly, for he that denies Christ before men, him will He deny before his father in heaven." JERUSALEM. "Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation."-Joel iii. 20. THE pathless woods are round thee, oh Palenque, and bright flowers Bloom o'er thy buried temples and long deserted bowers, And dazzling fire-flies cluster upon thy palace wall, But not a single record, no voice is left to tell, fell; The strong One's hand hath spoiled thee, we know not how, or when, Nor from the dust of ages thou ne'er shalt rise again.* And thou, oh queenly Babylon, deck'd in the times of old, With Tyre's imperial purple, and Ophir's boasted gold, * The mysterious and interesting ruins of Palenque are fully described in Stephens' Central America." |