have suffered so very much. True it is, we have felt a great deal of the misery which has existed here for several months, we have spent several days and nights in fear and anxious expectation, but when we compare ourselves with so many others, we cannot but praise the Lord. When the distress was, as it were, coming upon this town from all sides, we resolved to have a public prayer-meeting in German during the week in our place of Divine worship, and this was attended as numerously as the service on Sundays. This prayer-meeting we continued till Warsaw was taken; since that time we have given it up for various reasons. We have the hope to God that these meetings have proved a blessing and comfort to several, as they have assured us. Several Jews have been at our house, some of whom have bought Bibles. We have endeavoured to set before them Jesus Christ as the true Messiah, and to represent the present calamities, which also befel them, in a great measure as punishments for our sins, and intended by God to awaken every one of us out of his sleep in sin."

The troubles, however, passed over, and the following year found the missionaries occupying the same stations, and the work still progressing favourably, although there were not wanting circumstances calculated to try their faith, and to make them realize the truth, that "Paul may plant, and Apollos water, but that God only gives the increase." For instance, a journey undertaken in the autumn proved discouraging at the time, though afterwards it was found that the Word had not been preached in vain. During this time more indifference on the part of the Jews, and greater hostility to the Gospel, was experienced, than on former occasions.

But if these were circumstances calculated to put faith upon its trial, there were also indications of the watchful care of an over-ruling Providence. The reader will recollect how good a friend to the cause the Grand Duke Constantine had been, and that in the early days of the Mission he had stood as sponsor for that Jewess whose baptism once created so great a commotion. His successor in the Government, the Prince Paskewitsch, was now found to be favourable to the work; and a proof of this disposition was afforded by the fact, that of two Jews who were baptized at Warsaw, one was baptized in

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his Highness' palace. Another incident, of a different character, was well calculated to encourage them in their labour of love. Two applications were made for Bibles and Lexicons from the school for the education of rabbies. These indeed were not the first applications; for when previously Bibles had been wanted for poor scholars, the missionaries had been applied to. Well might the friends of Israel find matter for rejoicing in the fact thus made evident, that the missionaries were not regarded as enemies, but as friends, or to use their own words:

"That the Jews of Poland had learned by experience, that the houses of Christian missionaries were the depositories of the Word of God; and that in Jewish schools, the Bibles printed and distributed by this Society were bearing a sure testimony, not only that Jesus is the true Messiah, but that Christianity is a religion of love. Those who recollect what idea Jews have learned to form of Christianity from their past treatment, will fully appreciate the importance of a fact like this."

The event of most consequence that marked the two following years, was the occupation of a new station, in 1834, in the South of Poland. Kielce was the place selected, as possessing many advantages. It lay equi-distant from Warsaw on the one hand, and from Lublin on the other. It was also about the same distance from Cracow, and the direct road from Warsaw to the latter place lay through Kielce. It was therefore a most convenient and suitable centre for missionary operations.

A circumstance of a very satisfactory nature, concerning the Lublin Mission, is mentioned by Mr. Becker. Speaking of the proselytes there, he calls attention to the respectable position in society occupied by many of them; several held offices under Government, whilst others were respectable tradesmen. We say that a circumstance like this is of a satisfactory nature, as such cases of conversion are above those suspicions with which many, both Jews and professing Christians, regard converted Israelites-suspicions, in numberless instances, as absurd as they are ungenerous, seeing that the convert has everything to lose by embracing the faith of Christ.

The main features of the work that now present themselves are the

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Missionary Journeys. A most encouraging one was undertaken to Augusti Suvalki and Calvary, in 1835, during the course of which the missionaries were for many days in succession surrounded by crowds of eager and inquiring Jews. Speaking of his reception at Calvary, at that time containing 6000 Jews, Mr. Becker wrote, that on the afternoon of the first day of their visit, the number of Jews who came to their lodging to converse, rose from time to time, from ten to twenty, and from twenty to thirty," with whom, he added, they were engaged during the whole afternoon till half-past eight o'clock. It was just the same the next morning and the next afternoon; at one time there were fifty Jews present together: and this state of things continued for several successive days. The chief speaker on the part of the Jews in these discussions, who parted from the missionaries in the most friendly manner, proved to be the brother of a person who seven years previously had been in communication with the brethren at Warsaw, and had intended to make a public profession of Christianity, but had been dissuaded by his father and relations, who had come a distance of fifty German miles to induce him to alter his intention.

No events of peculiar interest present themselves, though the work was vigorously prosecuted, until 1838, in which year a good deal of excitement was occasioned among the Jews by the reception of a Jewish teacher into the mission-house. He had many years previously heard of missionary operations being carried on among his brethren, and came for the first time, with the specific purpose of inquiring into the truth of Christianity, a little before Christmas in 1837, and continued his visits several times a week in spite of many very considerable difficulties. About Easter he intimated his wish to separate entirely from the Jews; and his admission into the mission-house being determined on, he left his school and friends on April 12th, and came to the missionaries with his eldest son, a boy about six of age. This caused the mission-house to be almost stormed by the Jews; and on many Saturdays, when the number who came was especially large," conversations were held with them in three or four different places-in the prayer room, the passage, and the yard." Many came repeatedly, among whom were some of the sect of the Chasidim,

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and several learned Jews from the country; among them, at their own request, tracts, and especially a number of New Testaments in the Hebrew and Jewish language, were distributed. Meanwhile the Jewish teacher, upon whom the eyes of all were fixed, boldly but with meekness confessed his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as his Redeemer. The result of these and similar conversations it remains for the great day to disclose; but one effect was at the time apparent, viz., that the Jews who attended spoke in a much milder spirit about Christianity, and listened with quietness to the proofs of its truth which were alleged.

We have taken the foregoing narrative from one of the official reports which, from the year 1835, the missionaries were compelled to lay before the "General Consistory of Evangelical Confessions;" with regard to which reports the remark may be made, that though attended with some inconveniences, they had nevertheless this advantage, that the greatest possible accuracy of statement was secured.

Speaking of the general results of this year's labours, as tested by the applications for baptism, the missionaries remarked that scarcely in any previous year had such applications been so numerous as in this.

Cracow had been for some time occupied as a missionary station. It was a place where the Jew was at a great disadvantage with respect to Christianity. Worse educated than Polish Jews in general," the Jews of Cracow know but little of Rabbinism and still less of Christianity." In such a place missionary work was attended with peculiar difficulties, and yet the work was not unowned of God. In 1833 the door was first opened for missionary work, the Government then gave free permission to circulate the Scriptures, and to establish schools among the twenty thousand Jews of Cracow and the surrounding district. Two important decrees moreover were passed by the reigning senate shortly afterwards; one granting full permission for the establishment of a mission to the Jews, and the second prohibiting the undue interference of the rabbi in preventing the Jewish children from attending the school. During the five years, commencing with the year 1834, sixteen individuals had been baptized into the Protestant Church; but during the summer of 1840, the number of applicants for baptism was quite surprising; the missionaries had Jews in their rooms from six and seven in the morn

I

ing until nine and ten at night. Some attended the family prayers both morning and evening, and some regularly visited the missionaries on Sunday evenings. To quote from a letter of Mr. Hiscock, the missionary at that time stationed there :

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"I am sure," he writes, "it will rejoice the hearts of all dear Christians in England, who love the Lord, and consequently His ancient people Israel, to hear that there is really a great work going on here. Mr. Behrens' own words: Notwithstanding my severe sufferings, and further, notwithstanding the Bull of Excommunication (n) issued secretly by the rabbi, (secretly, because he knows that he does not dare openly to do so,) not a single day passed without the attendance of some Jews.' That the rabbi should do this, is a strong proof that the strongholds of superstition, prejudice, and ignorance are beginning to totter. But we have better proof than this of the change that has taken place, i.e., what we ourselves see and hear."

CHAPTER XVI.

Review of twenty years' Missionary labour-An interesting occurrenceKalisch-Opposition at Cracow-Missionary Journeys-Lublin -Mr. (now Dr.) M'Caul's visit-Trials at Cracow-Edict enjoining the Jews to adopt European Costume-Remarkable saying of a learned Jew on his death-bed-Testimony to the efficacy of the Mission-Changes-Visitation of Cholera. In the report of the missionaries for 1841, laid before the proper authorities, there is a brief review of the effects of the past twenty years of missionary labour. Up to that period, in connection with the Mission, there had been baptized at Warsaw 115, at Lublin 33, and at Kalisch and other stations, occupied only for a short time, 5, making altogether a total of 153-no insignificant number, if we take all the circumstances of the case into consideration; but it would be a most fallacious test of the value of missionary work, if we were to estimate it merely by the number of baptisms to which we can point upon its registers. The remarks, which are subjoined in the Report to the above statistics, are most important, and embody a principle that is applicable to all missionary stations.