soon after he arrived, stating that he had heard of his connection with Jews in Egypt-welcomed him to the holy city— offered him every civility in his powerconversed freely with him on the subject of religion-spoke favourably of the Hebrew New Testament, which he had not only seen, but even read through with great attention, when at Aleppo, in the house of a Rabbi at that place; acknow: ledging that those passages of the Old Testament which are cited in the New, do undoubtedly speak of the Messiah, and that the New Testament cites them faithfully. An important admission this, surely, from a Jewish Rabbi, and a Talmudist!

The chief Rabbi of the Polish Jews residing at Jerusalem—generally acknowledged, even by the Spanish Jews, as the greatest divine of the present age; and regarded, by his own disciples, as a prodigy of Biblical learning-sent for him, with an apology for not waiting, in the first instance, upon him—offered to read Hebrew with him gratuitously every day, and to converse with him on the subject of religion-argued with him in the presence of his disciples, receiving with meekness his answers to the Talmudical interpretations of the Old Testamentconsented to receive a copy of the New Testament, promising to read it-and told him, that, knowing from himself that he was once a Jew, he would be more kind to him than before he knew it.

Numbers of Rabbies came, separately and in bodies, to his room, applying for Hebrew Bibles, Testaments, and Tracts; and remained some time with him, reading them and proposing questions about them, frequently with considerable candour. One Rabbi, in particular, gave him much hope that a deep impression was made upon his mind he read the New Testament diligently, from day to dayheard Mr. Wolff preach the gospel very attentively, and seemed much affected— and, after hearing and reading daily for nearly a month, "confessed, with tears in his eyes, that he was convinced Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, and said that he should now speak with his wife and mother about Christ Jesus the Lord."

Remarks of the Committee on the Recep

tion of Mr. Wolff at Jerusalem. That all this should be suffered to go on without opposition, is more than could be expected: in fact, considerable enmity appears, at last, to have been excited against Mr. Wolff, even among those with whom he had been allowed freely to converse; insomuch that some of the Rab

bies prohibited further discussion with

him, threatened to anathematize those

who should dare any longer to argue with him, and ordered the Bibles and Testa

.ments which he had distributed to be But, mark the consequence-“The majority of them," says Mr. Wolff, "“declared that they would not, in any case, regard the anathema of the Rabbies; and one Rabbi declared, publicly, that he was reading the New Testament to examine it, and to tell me his candid opinion about it ;" and, in spite of the injunction of the superiors, even Rabbies continued to apply to him for the New Testament, and to read it.

Mr. Wolff does not seem disposed to exaggerate the benefits resulting from his visit to the holy city: yet, even as he states them, the results were by no means unimportant. The following is his retrospective view of the matter :

"The whole result of my conversation with the Jewish high priests, at Jerusalem, was this, that they perceived and became persuaded that a better spirit must exist among the Christians in England than among those in the Levant; that the gospel does not contain the superstitious tenets which the Christians of this country practise; and they perceived that they must give to Judaism a more spiritual dress, in order to gain ground with truly spiritually-minded Christians. I gained so much their confidence that they consulted with me about their own business: they made me acquainted with the history of Jerusalem in the last century; and copied to me the poetry of their famous Rabbies, about Jerusalem's condition. The great Solomon Sapira, who is considered as the greatest Hebrew critical scholar at Jerusalem, has written a criticism about the Hebrew New Testament and the Hebrew Bible which I gave

to him; but, as he had not yet finished when I left Jerusalem, he wrote to me a very kind letter to Jaffa, and desired me to go back to Jerusalem; for he does not dare to trust it to any body else."

On the whole, though your Committee feel the difficulty of pronouncing upon the evidence before them, unsupported as it necessarily is by any concurrent or collateral testimony, yet they cannot but think that the result of Mr. Wolff's visit to Jerusalem has been such, as fully to justify the expectations of those at whose desire it was undertaken. Perhaps it may be said of the Jews now at Jerusalem, as was said upon a far greater occasion, of their forefathers, in another metropolis-Some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed them not : probably, also were all the circumstances of the case known, it might be added now, as then, of those who departed, that they had great reasonings among themselves; and who knows in what degree even these may become prepared for future attempts?

One thing cannot fail of strikng those who hear of Mr. Wolff's reception at Jerusalem, and that is, a feeling of surprise that he should have been allowed AT ALL to bring forward the subject of Chritianity; or even to remain (known, as he was, to be an apostate from the faith of his fathers) without molestation in the city. One might have expected, that, when he declared his own apostacy, (as they consider it,) professed his faith in the Crucified Nazarene, and endeavour to draw others to the same faith, the learned Rabbies and Doctors, at least, if not the common Jews, would have rent their clothes, and thrown dust into the air, and cried, Away with such a fellow from the earth, for it is not fit that he should live! But instead of all this, he is admitted into their society, allowed calmly to discuss points of controversy, listened to with patience, even when exposing the sophistries of their revered Talmud-is visited by numbers of Rabbies from all parts of the world-distributes many Testaments and Tracts among them -and, after his departure, is invited to return by a learned Jewish Doctor, who has been writing a criticism upon the Chrisian Scriptures.

Your Committee wish not to make more of these facts than they deserve. They are aware how deceitful appearances among the Jews are: they are even ready to allow that craftiness and guile may have influenced some of them who outwardly paid Mr. Wolff much respect, (though it is not very easy to perceive what end they could gain by such dissimulation-if they were needy, which does not appear to have been the case, he was not rich); yet when all deductions are made, which either hostility or timidity may suggest, if the testimony of the Missionary be entitled to credit, the most dispassionate must allow that a good work has at least been begun at Jerusalem; and that it is the duty of this Society, and of all true lovers of Israel, to follow it up and help it forward.

General View of Mr. Wolff's Proceedings. The Committee make the following statements on this subject:—

It will be remembered that Mr. Wolff, who had been sent out under the direction of one or two benevolent individuals in this country, as a Missionary to his brethren in the East, was stated, in the last Report, to be proceeding on his way from Caïro to Jerusalem. Reference was also made to the favourable testimonies which had been transmitted respecting him from various quarters; and to the encouraging reception which he had met with from his countrymen, in the different places at which he had touched on his way to Egypt. During his temporary residence in that country, he very frequently had long and amicable discussions with learned Jews from various parts of the world, who came in large bodies to his room, treated him with the greatest kindness, and even with respect, and willingly received from him the New Testament and other Christian publications. On his departure from Caïro, he carried with him recommendations from the Jews who had resorted to him there, to some of the chief Rabbies at Jerusalem; who, on his arrival, seemed to vie with their brethren in Egypt, in demonstrations of cordiality and good will to

ward him.

Mr. Wolff went from Jerusalem to Antioch and Aleppo, where, to use his own words, several Jews "seriously confessed, openly confessed, that the truth of the gospel cannot be denied." He adds"The Austrian, Danish, Russian, and Prussian consuls-general, wifo are Jews, visited me often, as did several hundred of the most learned Jews of Aleppo: so that it was necessary to place a guard at the entrance of the house to keep them in order; for Mussulmans, desirous to hear my arguments with the Jews, accompanied them."

Mr. Wolff had quitted Aleppo and Antioch only a day or two before that tremendous earthquake, "by which," as he says, "all the towns, villages, and cities, 20 leagues around Aleppo, were utterly destroyed; and very many thousands of our fellow-creatures lost their lives." He himself most providentially escaped the wide-wasting destruction, by sleeping in the fields, near Latakia. Thence he proceeded to Alexandria, and thence to Malta, intending to return to this country: but, on his arrival at that island, finding it to be the wish of his friends in England that he should repeat his visit to Jerusalem, he sailed thither on the 3d of January last, in company with two American Missionaries destined to the same spot; where, to use his own expression, we shall see more exactly the result, which the reading of the gospel, and my conversing with these poor sheep of Is rael, might have produced through God's grace."

66

Very satisfactory testimonies to Mr. Wolff's spirit and proceedings have reached your Committee, from Malta, and from other places in the Levant which he has visited. Having had, for a considerable time past, full proof of his constancy and qualifications as Missionary to his brethren, your Committee could no longer doubt the propriety of taking upon themselves to pay a large portion of his expenses; the remainder of which has been defrayed by the kind friends, under whose direction he first went forth.

Opening of a Palestine Mission Fund. The Committee have opened a Fund for the support of a Mission in Palestine. They state the following grounds of this measure :

Every year deepens the impression on the minds of your Committee, of the importance of steadily directing their efforts to the countries bordering on the Mediterranean and Levant. It was stated, at the commencement of the Report, that one Missionary had been sent out thither, since the last Anniversary, and that another was preparing to follow him.

Your Committee are likewise in expectation of obtaining much interesting intelligence respecting the Jews in those regions, from another source. The Rev. Lewis Way, who has been spending the winter, with his family, at Nice, has kindly consented, at the request of the Committee, to visit the shores of the Mediterranean; and, for this purpose, he sailed from Nice early in March, accompanied by the Rev. Mr. Lewis, the Missionary just alluded to.. His object will be to collect accurate information as to the state and disposition of the Jews-to circulate among them Hebrew Bibles, Testaments, and Tracts-and to call the attention both of Jews and Christians, to the great work in which the Society is engaged.

It should not be omitted that, during his residence at Nice, Mr. Way had frequent conversations with the Rabbi of that place; who not only came to hear him preach, but further testified his candour and good-will, by giving him a Letter of Introduction to a brother Rabbi at Jerusalem, in case he should proceed so far.

Previous, also, to his sailing, subscriptions were entered into, by several wellwishers to the cause, under the head of a

"Palestine Fund for the erection and

maintenance of Chapels, Schools, &c. and for other Missionary Purposes, within the precincts of the Holy Land." Up

ward of 230l. were contributed towards this object.

The zeal of your Committee was provoked by this gratifying intelligence. They felt themselves called upon to adopt a plan so auspiciously commenced by their brethren at Nice; and accordingly have resolved to open a " Special Fund for the support of a Mission to Palestine:" 50%. were immediately subscribed to this fund

by your president: another liberal contribution has since been received; and your committee cannot allow themselves to entertain a doubt that, when this determination becomes generally known, many friends of Israel will gladly pour in their offerings to so interesting a department of the society's treasury.

For who, that has ever mourned over the desolations of that sacred city and land, does not long to build the old waste places, and to raise up the foundation of many generations? Who would not be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in? Surely every man-who, in the spirit of Him who went over Jerusalem, and prayed even for his

murderers, bewails the obduracy which, for eighteen centuries, has reigned over the people which He loved, and believes that, even from THEIR hearts, the VEIL SHALL one day be taken away, and that they shall turn unto the Lord-must feel a glow of holy zeal within him, when called upon to pity their wretchedness. and forward their conversion.

Nor are your committee without much encouragement to enter upon this work. What they have learnt, during the past year, concerning the Jews in Palestine and the adjacent countries, has strongly confirmed their previous persuasion, that a prospect of very extensive usefulness lies open to the society in these regions.

bethtown, N. J.

49 31

Do. in Church and Congregation in Middletown, Orange Co. N. Y.

13 00

Collected in 2d do. in do.

18 50

Collected at an evening lecture, in Shannock, N.J.

In the Church at Amboy, N. J.

In do, do, in Bound Brook, N. J.

In mission box, sundry times and places. In do. in New-Brunswick, N. J.

1 76 18 48 7 02 5 00

8.00

Received from a number of individuals in 2d Presbyterian Church in Newark, N. J. besides a number of articles of clothing- mus lin for cravats and shirts-frock patterns-one plaid cloak-books and stationary &c. Collected in Rev. Mr. Fonda's Church, Montgomery, Orange Co. N. Y. besides a number of articles of clothing,

40 50

Do. in Rev. Mr. Wisner's Church, in Ithaca, N. Y. besides a number of valuable articles of clothing. such as sheets, pillow-cases, blankets, stationary, and books, Received of Mr. Collins, as a thank-offering to God, from the Church and Congregation of Ithaca. N. Y. for the preservation of their civil and religious liberties during the year past, 25 00 Collected at monthly concert in Monticello, N. Y. 2 75 Collected in 2d Presbyterian Church in du. besides a number of articles for the use of the mission, such as one doz. pair shoes, schoolbooks, hymn-books, &c.

25 19

9 68

Donation by a poor man in Ithaca, N. Y.

1 00

Do. in the Church and Congregation in Somerville, N. J.