CHRISTIANITY AMONG THE JEWS.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume 1, Issue 1, 1 January 1855, Page 20

CHRISTIANITY AMONG THE JEWS.

We have been favoured by a kind friend of the natives with a number of the "Dublin Daily Express" containing a Report of the Jews Society, from which we are tempted to make a few extracts. We are quite sure that our friends will peruse with great zest the interesting and valuable information we now lay before them, which is alike new to ourselves and to the native tribes. i The editorial remarks are as follows: "The thirty-fifth annual meeting of the Society for promoting Christianity among the Jews was held yesterday (May 9th, 1854) in the Music Hall. Having for its object the evangelization of a people who present so extraordinary and instructive an example of the overruling power of Providence, and whose history is so intimately associated in all the various vicissitudes through which they have passed, with the development and progress of religion, this excellent institution is one which appeals with peculiar impressiveness to the sympathies of the reflecting and generous Christian. It has acquired, in the course of its operations, an increased amount of public support, in proportion as it has succeeded in removing the obstinate prejudices so long felt towards the Israelites, even among professedly religious people, and been enabled to present evidences of its successful operations. Since its last anniversary it has partaken of the same measure of encouragement, which has attended the efforts of other Missionary Societies, and, like them, it seems to have added to the number and steadfastness of its friends. The assembly at its meeting yesterday was even more numerous than on previous occasions, and the proceedings were not less interesting and instructive." The following is from the Report of the Society, read by the Rev. Dr. Marks :

"lt is calculated that there are about 10,000,000 Jews in the world. They are scattered everywhere ; and in order to reach as many of them as possible, your society has occupied such stations as seem most important. From the number of resident Jews, and from the facilities which offer for intercourse with them at present, your society occupies thirty-two stations, which are as many as their circumstances will permit: that is to say, four stations in Palestine and Egypt, viz., Jerusalem, Safet, Jaffa, and Cairo ; two in in Turkey in Asia, viz., Bagdad, and Smyrna; three in Turkey in Europe, viz., Constantinople, Jassy, and Bucharest; one in Austria, viz., Cracow ; four in Poland, viz., Warsaw, Lublin, Suwalki, and Petrikaw ; three in the Duchy of Posen, viz., Posen, Lissa, Gnesen ; four in Prussia, viz., Dantzic, Kdnigsberg, Berlin, and Stettin; one in Selesia, viz., Breslau; one in Sweden and Denmark, viz., Gothenburgh ; two in Holland, viz., Amsterdam and Rotterdam; three on the Rhine district and France, viz., Frankfort-on-the-Maine, Kreuznach, and Strasburgh; one in North Africa, viz., Tangiers; and three in England, viz., London, Manchester, and Liverpool. The total number of agents employed by the Society is ninety-nine. They are located at the different stations ; fifty of these agents are believing Israelites. With regard to the direct efforts which are made for educating Jewish children in the faith of Christ, it may suffice here to say, that the society has at present sixteen schools, in which there is an average attendance of 1,000 young persons daily. Within the last few years many thousands have, from time to time, been educated in these schools; and wej cannot doubt that the impression thus received in childhood have, in many instances, remained till later life, marred, it may be, but not altogether counteracted, by the evils and by the temptations with which they have subsequently been surrounded. "It is a very encouraging aod important facl, that at present it is comparatively easy to obtain access to the Jews generally. A late eminent traveller amongst them informs us :—*ln almost all the countries we have visited this fact is quite remarkable. Indeed, it seems in many places as if the only door left open to the Christian missionary is the door of preaching to the Jews.' •If the door in one direction is shut, and the door to Israel is so widely open, does it not seem as though God were saying to us by His providence, as well as by His Word, *Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.' **At Jerusalem your society's influence is more and more felt, and its operations steadily progressing. From 8,000 to 10,000 Jews reside there. The first native Jew converted at Jerusalem was Rabbi Joseph, iu September, 1838. Dr ! Alexander, also a tonverted Jew, and the first Bishop of Jerusalem since the days of the Apostles, was sent out in November, 1841 ; and

finally, the church on Mount Zion was consecrated by the present Bishop Gobat, the 21st of January, 1849. The diocesan school, the House of Industry, and the hospital at Jerusalem, continue in full operation, and are of the utmost importance to the success of the mission. The former is intended for receiving converts and inquirers, and affording them, besides spiritual instruction, the means of qualifying themselves to obtain a future livelihood, by providing lodging, boarding, and clothes for apprentices. The hospital was established for the relief of the sick and destitute Jews, of whom there generally are very many at Jerusalem. In London, there is at Elethnal-green a chapel for converted and inquiring Jews, and a male and female school. These schools have beeD always full from their being first established, and accommodate 100 children—fifty boys and fifty girls—who are fed. clothed, and otherwise provided for. In the last report it is mentioned, that during the past year fifteen boys have left the school, chiefly under favourable circumstances; two have been apprenticed by the committee ; six are obtaining employment through other channels, being still under the eye of Christian friends ; and four of those who were permitted to qualify themselves by remaining longer in the school, have entered upon respectable situations as schoolmasters. Twelve boys have been admitted. During the same period thirteen girls have left the school, and twelve others have been admitted. Of those ! who are gone out, one is engaged as a schoolmistress under a clergyman, to whom the Hebrew schools are deeply indebted ; another, who had also been under training for a schoolmistress, was taken ill, and after some weeks died in great peace, resting on the merits of the Redeemer ; there are gone to Christian relatives, and the rest are placed in respectable service. The total number of Hebrew children received into these schools, frcm the commencement, amounts to 624. "In the course of every year a considerable number of Israelites have been baptised at the chapel in Bethnal-green. About 700 have thus been admitted into the professing Church of' Christ, and there is good reason to believe that, | at the present moment, there are upwards of 2,500 professing Christian Jews in London. The number at Berlin is stated as 2,000, and very many of them are professors in the universities and preachers of the Gospel. Thus the success which has attended your society has been great under the Divine blessing; and a great desire for the work of God has been excited among the Jews, who had previously but little acquaintance with their own Scriptures, and but scanty means of obtaining them. Hebrew Bibles are purchased in hundreds at a time, of the missionaries in Poland, for importation into Russia. In Germany the missionaries find assistance from Jew-

ish teachers in this important work ; in many instances it has been been for the benefit of schools, where, instead of the Talmud, Jewish children are now taught irom Moses and the prophets. More than once it has happened that a poor Jew, anxious to procure a copy of the Pentateuch, or the Psalms, went about begging among the Jews until he had obtained, in copper coin, the amount required to purchase it. Respecting Holland, we are told there never was in this country such a thirst for the Word of God as recently. The missionaries generally state that they find among the Jews an increasing desire to obtain copies of the New Testament.' Letters from Konigsberg made special mention of the acception which the New Testament, "The Old Paths," and 'The Pilgrim's Progress,' meet with from the Polish and Russian Jews. They are often found quoting from memory. Interesting information has reached the committee from other sources, which shows that a work is silently going on among the Jews, of the great Russian empire, of the extent of which we can form no idea, but have the satisfaction of knowing that the publications of this society have been the blessed means, although none of its missionaries are permitted to labour in that country. Jews themselves have reported that, in the heart of Russia, many written copies of the Old Paths' are in existence, and are read in secret by the Jews, and that such an Hebrew, MS. of that work was hnown to have been sold for £2., and that there a*e also such written copies of the Hebrew New Testament in circulation. When we remember that no bibles are admitted into Russia, any more than missionaries, these are remarkable facts, as vindicating the signs of the times. "Nothing can be more unjust than to judge of the success of your missionaries by the number of baptisms recorded in the published periodicals of the soeiety. It is well known that mission aries are not usually called to baptize converts. This is the proper work of the local clergy. Many of our most devoted, most faithful, and we may perhaps truly say, most successful labour* ers, have never had an opportunity to act as pastors of congregations, their special work being a preparatory one ; still the numerous conversions actually known attest that the Gospel iSTiot preached, nor the Word of God distributed, m vain. It is a good evidence of the Divine blessing on the work in general, that al« tnough, forty years ago, there was not as far as we know, a single clergymen in the Church of England of the House of Israel, since that time nearly sixty have been ordained in that church. Of these sixty the majority are now labouring as stated pastors over Christian congregations in this country ; some in our colonies, or as missionaries to the heathen ; and twelve as missionaries to the Jews. Among the agents

employed by the society sixty are believing Israelites ; and indeed if it wero not so, it would still be our duty to go forward, and to say to all, "I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts." We ought to advance with holy boldness and unshaken hope, knowing that God hath commanded us to engage in this work, for He hath proclaimed unto the end of the world/ Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold thy salvation cometh ;' and that, whatever may be the immediate and apparent result of our exertions, 'God hath concluded them all in unbelief that He may have mercy upon all.' [To be continued.]