essential point be less explicit, now "that which is perfect is come?" or have children fewer privileges now than they had then? Impressive to a child as the Hebrew story that revealed the Saviour was, the fact, now it is more distinctly known, is infinitely more appealing; for though it is connected with reasons hid in recesses of light which are too dazzling even for a seraph's eye to pierce, it has historical aspects so winsome with touching love and pictorial beauty that nothing can be more adapted to arrest a child's thought, or live in a child's memory.-From "Central Truths," by Rev. C. Stanford. THE Monthly Meeting for Prayer, with, and on behalf of the Jews, will be held at the Office of the Society, on May 15, at 7 o'clock. CONTRIBUTIONS IN AID OF THE SOCIETY, From March 23rd to April 1st, 1861. £ 8. d. 5 0 0 100 Craven Chapel 100 1 0 0 Darlington 50 00 Dartmouth 1 1 0 1 1 0 Devonport Driffield 1 1 32 Drumrany, Ireland 1 10 0 Dunmow 4 16 9 0 10 0 Durham 4 3 6 3 3 10 2 20 ASSOCIATIONS & COLLECTIONS. Epsom..... Exeter Falcon-square Chapel.. Fritchley Gravesend Guildford... Hackney .... Halesworth. Halstead Hartlepool 9 18 6 16 1 6 700 2414 0 017 0 5 210 Peterboro' Pickering.. Plymouth, Coll.. DJ. R. W. F.'s Children Poole... 1 18 6 Ramsgate... Reading 200 290 578 Ripon... 1 14 9 590 44 4 010 21 0 0 970 2 10 0 114 5 300 13 4 0 6210 7 17 81 216 River-ter. Presbyterian Church 2 8 8 Rochdale Haslingden... Hemel Hempstead 1 2 5 100 St. Asaph... 59 15 91 St. Helen's St. Ives, Hunts Salisbury 23 12 0 11 18 5 446 4 5 4 312 0 970 406 800 1 18 0 58 2 4 10 9 111 6 8 17 7 768 250 Heywood, Mrs. Cheetham. Do. High Wycombe.. Islington John-street Chapel. Kettering...... Kidderminster Kingsland Cong. Church .... Kuareshoro' and Harrowgate.. 8 13 1 Lydney. 6 1 6 Lymington... 0 13 1 1413 0 7 1 5 29 17 6 Maldon Do. Subscriptions Maidstone Union Chapel, Brixton, by 250 Miss Bigg 100 15 4 0 898 4 8 6 Wandsworth-real Wesleyan 1 17 3 0 18 9 2 4 10 9 19 0 Warwick 2 6 9 11 3 9 44 060 476 9 18 2 Isle of Wight.. Do. by Mr. Baines Do. Monmouth New Park-street Chapel .... Nottingham Norwich Norwood, by Mrs. Trestrail.. 0 16 8 3 4 8 10 16 6 Wainfleet Chapel Wrexham............. The Special Fund List is unavoidably postponed until next month. Now ready, price 28. per dozen, post free, DEAD AND ALIVE AGAIN! BY THE REV. SAMUEL MARTIN, OF WESTMINSTER, Being the Substance of the Sermon preached on the 26th of April, 1860, on Behalf of the British Society for the Propagation of the Gospel among the Jews London: HENRY JAMES TRESIDDER, 17, Ave Maria Lane, Paternoster Row, E.C. London: Published by JOHN SNOW, 35, Paternoster Row. Printed for the Society by Adams and Gee, at 23, Middle Street, West Smithfield, E.C.-No. 185.-May 1, 1861. "PUBLISH YE, PRAISE YE, AND SAY, O LORD, SAVE THY PEOPLE, THE REMNANT OF ISRAEL." OFFICE:-No. 1, CRESCENT PLACE, BLACKFRIARS, LONDON. No. 186.] JUNE 1, 1861. [Price 1d. Eighteenth Anniversary. THE ANNUAL MEETING was held as usual at the Freemasons' Hall, and was well attended. Very many old friends were there, and vacant chairs were more than filled by those who had not previously favoured us by their presence. The aspect of the meeting was more domestic than formal, as, instead of an elevated platform at the end of the room, we were seated on chairs around a slightly raised dais on one side. Sir Culling Eardley having signified his inability to preside, the Hon. W. Ashley was applied to, who cordially accepted and gracefully occupied the chair. The character of the meeting was intelligent and devotional, and we believe a blessing was on its proceedings. The Committee are thankful to have secured an accurate account of the meeting, which they now present to their friends, not pledging themselves to an approval of every sentiment on which Christians may differ, while with heart and soul they pursue the one glorious object. The Chair having been taken by the HON. WILLIAM ASHLEY, Prayer was offered by the REV. W. BEVAN and a hymn sung. The CHAIRMAN said:-Although I have never in any way been connected with this Society, I have always felt a deep interest in the cause which it labours to promote, and it is nearly twenty years since I became a member of the committee of the London Society, and of the Jewish Operative Converts Institution. Those Societies are managed exclusively by members of the Established Church, and although I myself am warmly attached to that church I am no bigotted Christian. I hail with peculiar satisfaction occasions like the present, when Christians of different denominations meet together on the broad platform of universal love to their fellows; when all sectarianism is laid aside; when we are no longer "one of Paul, or one of Cephas, but all of Christ. This is one of the secrets of true practical Christianity, and is a shadowing forth of that bright day which will dawn on the world, when all forms and ceremonies shall give way to one universal song of adoration and praise, and all doubts and difficulties shall be driven away by that bright light which shall proceed out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. There is another feature of this Society which I hail with VOL. XVI.-NEW SERIES, VOL. VII. delight the decided measures which it has adopted for pushing forward its work in Italy, that noble country where every attempt that has been made to circulate the Scriptures has been put down by the strong arm of the law, and visited with the heaviest penalties that an over-stretched penal code could inflict. Thus much I may say, apart from all political movement, that at the present moment the eyes of all Europe are fixed on that country, watching with intense anxiety her struggles for civil and religious liberty. It is well known that large numbers of that most interesting and remarkable people, the Jews, are scattered throughout the peninsula of Italy, and that in the large towns of Rome, Naples, Turin, Genoa, and other places, particular districts have been assigned for their residence, beyond which they have not been permitted to dwell, and that the efforts of the Church of Rome, which have been directed to their conversion, have most singularly failed. Still, whatever have been those efforts, however heavy the judicial blindness with which it hath pleased God to visit His ancient people as a punishment for their sin in crucifying the Lord of life, they have kept clear of the sin of idolatry-they have not been driven to seek a refuge from persecution in the bosom of an idolatrous church. If you happened to be in Rome during the holy week, you would not soon forget the story of the Pope's Jew, a worthy individual who has submitted to be pensioned on condition of his being baptised at Easter, a story which shows how general is the belief of the extreme difficulty of obtaining a Jewish convert to the Roman Catholic religion, because no conscientious Jew would ever willingly embrace a religion which sanctioned the worship of images, and does not hesitate to strike the second commandment from the decalogue. Now that all restrictions are removed from the circulation of the Scriptures in Italy, the British Society has sent forth its missionaries to gather in the harvest which the providence of God has prepared, and hitherto the results have been most satisfactory. Witness the following extract of a letter from Dr. Mayer" The last fortnight has been spent in a manner so grateful to the cause of Christ that I am not able to express. It has been spent in preaching the Gospel to the people of Tuscany-I did not go to them, they came to me." God has opened a door for missionary work among the Jews in Italy. The British Society has promptly sent forth Christian missionaries into the field opened for their labour, and by so doing they have added to the already strong claims which it has on the support of all who love the salvation of Israel. There are around me gentlemen who will not only show you what has been done, but how largely the funds of the Society need strengthening to carry on the work that is before them. With respect to the general question of the conversion of the Jews, and the duty entailed on Christians to aid in that great work, I must say it has always been to me a matter of extreme astonishment and wonder how Christian men of intellect and piety can attempt to explain away the plain promises of Scripture, or to throw any doubt upon the future conversion of the Jews, and their restoration to their native land. There are, no doubt, many passages in prophecy which are obscure and hard to be understood; but it would seem that the Spirit of God, when moving the prophets to speak of the restoration of Israel, had induced them to use terms so plain as not to be misunderstood. Hosea, in the third chapter, says: "For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim. Afterwards shall the children of Israel return and seek the Lord their God, and David their king, and shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the latter days." Whether they shall be restored in a converted or an unconverted state is a matter of doubt; many think, with Dr. McCaul, that the number of those who are converted upon the restoration will be comparatively small, and that their entire conversion will take place at the second coming of our Lord, and that their conversion will be brought about by means so natural as to be the inevitable consequence of political combinations, rather than the pre-ordained fulfilment of a prophecy uttered 3,000 years ago. A very near relation of mine was once conversing with the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs upon the political prospects of the world; his Lordship said, "One of the questions that will hereafter occasion considerable embarrassment to the powers of Europe will be the occupation of Syria; what people shall possess it. Has it never occurred to you that, as Syria is a country requiring to be peopled, so also is there a people in existence in want of a country. Why not encourage the Jews to return and colonise Judea; to become an agricultural, commercial, flourishing nation ?" The reply was, "Very true, I really see no reason why that should not be brought about hereafter. It is really a remarkable sign of the times, when events involving the fulfilment of such great prophecies can be discussed as calmly as the formation of a ministry, or the introduction of a new reform bill." I will not allude to any more of the texts in the Old Testament bearing upon this subject, but I am tempted to mention one in the New Testament, in the 1st of Acts, which has always appeared to me as confirming the views of those who look for the fulfilment of prophecy and the future glory of Israel. When the disciples, moved by the natural love of their fatherland, asked a question so dear to their hearts, "Lord, wilt thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?' He did not rebuke them for taking too literal a view of it, as He |