THE JEWISH ADVOCATE. JANUARY, 1850. ANNUAL LETTER FROM THE BISHOP OF JERUSALEM. (EXTRACTS.) Samuel, by Divine permission Bishop of the United Church of England and Ireland in Jerusalem, to all brethren who pray and labour for the coming of the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, whose heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved: grace mercy and peace. BELOVED BRETHREN,-Again a year, marked by judgment and mercy, has been added to the long time of grace which a merciful God has set apart for the ingathering of His redeemed from all nations and tongues and kindreds, since I last addressed you, and endeavoured to bring Zion to your remembrance and to commend her sons and daughters to your love and prayers. Alas! Jerusalem still continues to be trodden down of the Gentiles, and the veil remains over the eyes of Israel, and the messenger of good tidings must often weep bitterly; but yet the Lord is with us, and during this year, as in former years, He has given us tokens of his favour and grace through good and evil report, to continue His witnesses before Jews and Gentiles. Wherefore it is again my agreeable duty to invite you all in the name of the God of Abraham of Isaac and of Jacob, to unite with us in prayers and thanksgiving on the approaching day, which for a series of years has been set apart for that purpose by the true friends of Israel, viz. the 21st of January, 1850, being the eighth anniversary of the entrance of the first Protestant Bishop into Jerusalem, and at the same time the first anniversary of the consecration of the first Protestant Church in the Holy City. And as, according to many thankfully received reports, the Lord has been with you and richly blessed you on former similar occasions, so may He be with you and with us on this coming day, and pour upon us all an abundant measure of His spirit, to quicken us and to fill us with the love of Christ, that we may continue faithful in His service, and that His good pleasure may prosper in our hand. Although we have been preserved from the sword that has ravaged several countries of Europe, and from the pestilence with which God has so severely visited England, still the past year has been to us a year of rebuke and of much anxiety and disappointment, and I trust of self humiliation. Besides a general want of spiritual life and Christian graces amongst several of the proselytes, two of them, too proud to receive the admonitions faithfully addressed to them, have for several months past, avoided the house of prayer and refused all Christian advice, and the conduct of several enquirers has been such as to oblige us to suspend their instruction and withdraw from them. All this, besides the frequent failings, I trust of weakness rather than malice, of those whom I believe to be sincere and truly converted to God by faith in Christ, has often filled my heart with sorrow and my eyes with tears. But my own conscience, which compels me to make this melancholy statement, forces me publicly to confess myself guilty of much of the evil which I bewail, by my own want of spiritual life, and consequent languor in intercessory prayer. And I have no doubt that my brethren the missionaries feel with me our need of Divine grace, and of the help of the believing intercession of all our brethren abroad, whose heart is engaged in the important work committed to our hands. In making this statement, I am perfectly aware that the enemies of Israel, of Christ, and his people, will consider it as a cause of triumph on their part, but I cannot help it; let them exult whilst we confess our misery in the presence of Him who resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble. But beside this dark side of our individual and collective life, I am thankful to be able to say, that there is another side on which the Sun of righteousness has shone. For we have been permitted to observe indubitable signs of the grace of God working in the hearts and on the lives of some of the proselytes, not to say that notwithstanding the want of spirituality complained of, the greater number of baptized Israelites have endeavoured to walk worthy of their calling, as far as their outward behaviour is concerned, especially those who have latterly been received into the Church by baptism. And surely the friends of Israel abroad will derive reasons to be thankful with us, from the fact that during the course of this year, nine adult Israelites have been received into the Christian Church, after giving strong evidence of their sincerity and faith in Christ, as far as their understanding is concerned, whilst one and another have given proofs that they are partakers of a new life in Christ Jesus, for which His holy name be praised. In the outward developement of the Mission, that is, with respect to the means of bringing the word of truth to bear upon Jews, proselytes and others, several important steps have been made. : First Christ Church, on Mount Zion, the erection of which has met with so much opposition,.... was consecrated on the 21st of January, in the presence of a native Bishop, several priests and others, and a number of Jews; and has since been our visible sanctuary. On the same day two Israelites were baptized in it. Secondly a House of Industry was opened on the 21st of December, 1848, under very promising circumstances, and placed under the management of a proselyte educated at our late College. There the Jews, who, generally persuaded that Jesus is the Christ, come to us for further instruction, are received, lodged, fed, and in general taken care of, during the time of their special instruction previous to their being baptized, and the time necessary for them to learn a trade. During the time of their stay in the House, they are placed as apprentices, with masters of trades, members of our Church, as tailors, shoemakers, watchmakers, silversmiths, &c.; whilst every evening they receive instruction in reading and writing, in German and English, (most of them being German Jews,) in Arithmetic, &c., but especially in the Word of God. There are now eight, all young men but one, who give us great encouragement |