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me." Our colporteur did as he was told, and returned to , where he easily found two individuals ready to testify to any act of violence of which the curé might be guilty. The latter, on seeing the Bible-seller return, was somewhat surprised; but he at once recommenced his former proceedings: whereupon our friend intimated to him, in a decided manner, that unless he at once discontinued his opposition, he should, without delay, follow the advice of the prefect, and, in the presence of his witnesses, have a legal statement drawn up against him. At this the priest took alarm, and went away not a little confused. The inhabitants of the parish, however, regained their confidence, and purchased copies of the New Testament. In another department, the prefect sent the following message to our colporteur, through his secretary-"Come and take up your abode in the chief town of the district, where you will be gladly welcomed. Good men like yourself cannot do otherwise than good among the people; and it were to be wished that your books might serve as the rule of conduct for every one in that case the country would be much more happy and tranquil." *

THE JEWISH MISSION.

* *

THE question may be asked, How is it, that amid all the interest that is generally felt for the Missionary enterprise to foreign lands, so little comparatively is felt towards the support of the Mission to the Jews? The British Society for the spread of Christianity among the Jews, is not one of long growth, but its principles, its aims, its great design, are apparent,-to declare the glad tidings of the gospel to a people scattered over the world, and once the favoured nation of the Most High. The funds of this Society are small, wholly inadequate for carrying out great and extensive operations. What are its claims among the churches of our land? is an inquiry which cannot be lightly passed over. In proportion as we study the truth, we cannot fail to be struck with the mind of God in reference to this interesting people. If we refer to Genesis xii. 2, 3, we read the following passages, where God, speaking to Abraham, said, "And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." Now, here it is evident that a peculiar privilege is to be bestowed on all who are found to deal kindly to the Jewish people, even the blessing of the God of Abraham; and a curse denounced against all who shall be found cursing them. As the Divine blessing was to come on all the families of the earth through Abraham and his righteous seed, so

we are to consider all the blessings which are so richly bestowed on us, through the dispensation of the gospel, reach us only through the great Founder and Head of the Jewish nation. Are we ignorant of these truths? or do we not rather slight their importance, and pass them over without due consideration or mature attention? In order, therefore, that we may more fully enjoy the Divine blessing on ourselves and our families, we are to ascertain the Divine mind in reference to his once chosen people, and knowing this, we are to carry out the Divine precept in reference to the amelioration of their spiritual condition,-"And I will bless them that bless thee." In what way can we benefit the Jew, in the highest sense of the word? How are we to confer on him the greatest of blessings? Certainly not in a temporal sense, to make him richer, or to endow him with a larger share of this world's goods. This is not the blessing referred to; nor can it, in any sense, be otherwise interpreted than by seeking to confer on him spiritual blessings, to enrich his soul, and prepare him for everlasting happiness. As this is evidently the mind of God in relation to his ancient people, we are brought to acknowledge, and powerfully to feel, the claims of a Society whose avowed object is to make Christ known among them. are blinded by prejudice, and, wilfully ignorant of the gospel, go about to establish their own righteousness, unmindful of His perfect righteousness, without which there can be no salvation.

They

How

Up to the present time, feeble have been the efforts, and weak the attempt to carry out God's gracious design, and to co-operate in this glorious work of making known to them the unsearchable riches of Christ. shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? If there is a veil over the mind of the Jew, blinding him to all the great and holy blessings derived from a knowledge of the precious gospel, it must be allowed that there is also a veil on the hearts of professing Christians, dimming the high privilege conferred on them to shed the light of life on those who are destined to become the lights of the world. "For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead? Through their fall, salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles: how much more their fulness?" Now, where is this jealousy for the salvation of Israel? Where the spirit of holy emulation and anxious desire to do them good? Where the heart"O that the salvation of burning prayer, Israel were come out of Zion!" Where the

sacrifice made to spread among them the word of the Lord, and to send forth preachers who shall lead their feet in the paths of righteousness and peace; and, pointing to that redeeming blood, exclaim, Behold the way to God! Where is the zeal, benevolence, sympathy, and holy compassion, to reclaim Israel from the pit of darkness, and shed on them the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness? How striking is the language of Holy Writ, that they are to obtain merey through our mercy; in other words, that through the instrumentality employed by the Christian Church, they are to be converted and gathered into the fold with the fullness of the Gentiles, that so all Israel may be saved. Behold, then, our obligation and responsibility placed before us by the unerring mind of the Spirit, teaching us the high privilege, conferred on us individually, to put forth every effort for the accomplishing of those great and blessed promises, when the Jew and Gentile shall form one glorious church, and the latter-day glory be ushered in! It cannot admit of a doubt, that whenever this period shall arrive, when the Jews shall be gathered in, they will be employed as Missionaries through the length and breadth of the world. The mere fact of their being scattered among all nations, their acquaintance with divers languages, manners, and customs of the people among whom they live, would indicate that, when once enlightened and converted, they would be eminently qualified to preach the gospel, and thus become witnesses for the truth, and instruments to the ingathering of the human family into the Church of Christ. They are destined to become the messengers of mercy, preachers of righteousness, heralds of salvation, to bring on that glorious Millennium when all shall know the Lord, when all shall bow to the sceptre of Jesus, and rejoice in his salvation. In proportion as we discover a growing interest manifested for the promotion of Scriptural truth among the Jews, so it will be evident that brighter times are at hand, and that prophetic writings as to the future glory of the Church of Christ are hastening to their fulfilment. God, in his infinite wisdom, has condescended to reveal to us that they are to obtain mercy through the means intrusted to us, through the power of that gospel committed to our charge, and in no other way. Are we to wait for a clearer demonstration of the truth? Are we to expect their conversion without special united prayer and effort? Are we to sit down with our arms folded, and look forward for others to do the work to which we are called? Are we to shake off our responsibility, and imagine that the period is not arrived when great and steady efforts are to be made to rescue them from the dark cloud which hangs over their race?

Are we to expect a miracle in their favour, rather than a special instrumentality to present to them the glorious truth of the Messiah's spiritual reign, and exaltation at the right hand of God, as a Prince and a Saviour? Are we not directed to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, with the assurance that all shall prosper who love her spiritual welfare? What high motives, then, are brought before us, to encourage to the perseverance of prayer for the coming of the Lord's kingdom among this interesting people-and what pledges we have of the full stream of blessings upon all who shall engage in proclaiming to them the gospel of salvation through a crucified Redeemer! Such honour have all bis saints; who perceiving, by the eye of faith, the latter-day glory, hasten now to embrace the opportunity of sustaining, by a generous liberality, the cause which, by diffusion of the truth, seeks their conversion. God expects his servants to be faithful, and calls them to this work of service and labour of love. He has committed to us the true light, in order that it may shine by its influence among the scattered tribes of Israel, and open the bright path to the everlasting kingdom. If we are called to the work, let us not be slow to understand the will of the Lord, but uniting in prayer for the ingathering of the Jews, feeling the weighty responsibility laid upon us, dreading the charge of neglecting their spiritual welfare, and regarding the promises of Divine favour, let us so act in unison for the promotion of this glorious cause, as to resolve to sustain a mission so eminently calculated to lead to their conversion. In the Report of the Society, just published, it would appear that the committee commenced the year with only a nominal balance, and that its foreign Missions have pressed considerably on their finances. They earnestly appeal to their friends for continued aid, hoping they will not be compelled to arrest the onward movement for lack of means. What can be done to enable them to enlarge their operations? The annual receipts have amounted to £4620 68. 2d. If the members of every church would give an annual subscription according to their ability, what a measure of prosperity would inevitably follow! By the adoption of a system where all co-operate by their contributions, the funds of the Society would very soon enable the committee to enlarge their sphere of labour. It is more blessed to give than to receive, and in aiding a Society for the Propagation of the Gospel among the Jews, we shall enjoy the Divine approval, and present a sacrifice well pleasing in His sight. FRED. S. GERVIS. Tiverton, July 27th, 1852.

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VOL XXX.

MISSION CHAPEL AND PREMISES, GRAAFF REINET, SOUTH AFRICA.

SOUTH AFRICA.

GRAAFF REINET.

THIS Mission, which was commenced by the late Dr. Vanderkemp so far back as 1801, devolved in the following year upon the Rev. A. A. Van der Lingen, who continued to prosecute his Missionary labours until 1847, when he was succeeded by the Rev. T. Merrington.

The population of the settlement is about 3000, consisting of Dutch, English, Hottentots, Kaffirs, &c., the attention of the Missionary being, of course, mainly directed to the instruction of the Natives.

A new and substantial Mission Chapel, represented in the annexed Engraving [see page 180], 60 feet by 25, was some time since erected at Graaff Reinet; and it is a gratifying fact, that the church and congregation have by their own exertions raised the amount expended upon the edifice, with the exception of a small sum contributed by friends in the colony, and of a trifling balance remaining due, which, but for the interruption of trade and labour by the Kaffir War, would have been cleared off last year.

In October, 1819, Graaff Reinet was visited by our lamented friend, the Rev. J. J. Freeman, who in his "Tour" gives an interesting narrative of the event, from which we extract the following:

"From Somerset I proceeded to Graaff Reinet. Mr. Merrington, our Missionary, and Mr. Campbell, schoolmaster, from Graaff Reinet, had met me. It became dusk, and we wished to start; but the horses had wandered, got into some jungle down the dry bank of the Milk River, and could not be found. We left a man in search of them, betook ourselves to my wagon, travelled through the starlight night, and reached our destination about seven in the morning. Amidst this arid and mountainous region the village has a beautiful appearance; it lies in a fertile valley, surrounded by lofty hills of sandstone and porphyritic clays. The town is well supplied with water from the springs that run among the hills. The gardens are delightfully irrigated. There is beauty in a gushing stream that can scarcely be appreciated except in a dry and thirsty land.' The Zondags river flows immediately below the village. The population here is about 3000. Fruit in the season is abundant. Unfortunately for me, it was not the season during the time of my visit. The inhabitants are principally Dutch; the English, however, are on the increase. The streets in

the town are spacious; a fine stream runs through them, in Dutch style; and oleanders, the finest I have ever seen, flourished by their side, with the lilac-coloured syringa.

"The Sunday which I spent at Graaff Reinet was one of the most magnificent days I enjoyed in South Africa. The thunder and lightning of the preceding day had cleared the atmosphere; the closeness and sultriness then complained of had passed; the sky was intensely clear and exquisitely blue. It was a Sabbath morning: all was calm-emblem of the rest, and brightness, and sacredness, of a still more exalted state.

"The services of the Rev. Mr. Lang, clergyman of the English Church here, are conducted in the English language. The Dutch Reformed Church is mainly for the white population using the Dutch language. Some few of the coloured people attend there, but under restrictions which rather discourage than invite attendance. Hence a chapel such as our Society sustains is needed for a large portion of the population, where they may feel they have a home, and where the pure principles of New Testament church government may be adopted and practised.

"The religious services of the day were very delightful. The attendance on the public services was highly encouraging. Mr. Merrington appeared to me to be steadily pursuing his work with all his heart and soul; and his wife, a daughter of our late

Missionary, Mr. Kitchingman, of Bethelsdorp, approving herself a helpmeet to him, and a blessing to many. I found also an excellent school here, under the efficient superintendence of Mr. Campbell."

INDIA.
MADRAS.

THE TRIUMPH OF FAITH, EXEMPLIFIED IN THE DYING EXPERIENCE OF A
FEMALE CONVERT.

THE following narrative is from the pen of the Rev. W. H. Drew, under date Madras, 8th June ult., and impressively illustrates the truth of that emphatic announcement made by an apostle, on a memorable occasion in the olden time, that "God is no respecter of persons; but in every nation, he that feareth Him and worketh righteousness is accepted with Him."

"I think," writes Mr. Drew, "you will be interested in reading the following account of the death of a young woman, one of the members of my Native Church. In Eliza (that was her name) another soul has been saved, by the grace of the Lord, out of the thick darkness of the heathenism of India, and has safely reached its heavenly home.

"From among the poor and despised ones of this world, God chose her to be his own child. She had a very distinct conception of this, and spoke of many circumstances in her history, as proofs of the tender care with which her heavenly Father had provided for her in her sickness and last illness.* The case of her sister Hannah, who died about two years ago, resembled hers in all its leading features. They were both the blessed fruits of Christian effort-some of India's first-fruits unto the Lord-precious in the sight of the Lord as the souls of the most wealthy or most honourable among men.

"They were suddenly deprived by death of their two parents, and left orphans when very young. Their parents were the servants of a Christian gentleman, at that time in the Northern Circars. They were both cut off by hill-fever in one day. So

Nothing could exceed the kind and constant attention to her of Dr. Urquhart, for which she felt very grateful.

were these poor little ones cast upon the wide world without any natural protector, but not without a friend,-not without an eye to watch over them, and care for them. They were placed by their father's master under the kind Christian care of the late Mrs. Gordon, and supported by him for many years in her Orphan Refuge at St. Thomas' Mount. In that Institution they not only acquired truly valuable habits of industry and care, but, what is of infinitely greater moment, they learned to know and love God. They are among the rich fruits of the efforts of that devoted Christian woman, and will be, I doubt not, her 'joy and crown of rejoicing in the day of the Lord.'

"Eliza was also for some years in our Girls' Boarding-school, where her conduct and character were most satisfactory, and where, also, she doubtless learned much that was of great value to her.

"The circumstances of her last sickness and death are so interesting that we think they should be recorded for the joy of the church. Nothing could exceed her gentleness and patience in her illness; and to all who conversed with her, her replies were such as showed the truth and warmth of her Christian feelings. Mr. Baylis, speaking of his interview with her, says, 'The first time I saw her, I spoke to her some time as to the foundation

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