kingdom of grace. God promised to Abraham that his seed should inherit the land of promise, and yet there was at that moment not even the prospect of his having a descendant; and when, after many years, the son of promise was born, centuries passed away, until at last the seed of Abraham did actually possess the land. We parted as friends. To convince the understanding we may be able, but to convert man's heart to the truth is the work of the ever-blessed Spirit. O, how my soul longs to see the glorious day of promise, when the Lord shall pour out his Spirit upon the house of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; even the spirit of grace and supplication !

July 30 (Jewish Sabbath).-Called upon the Ducats, who are still unwell. I then went to the Jewish synagogue, and conversed with about ten Jews who were present respecting the salvation of their souls. There were several Talmudical students present who maintained the most absurd doctrines; such as that the extent of the Holy Land had been much greater before the destruction of the temple, but that since then it had decreased very much.

A JEW PROHIBITED FROM RECEIVING MEDICAL RELIEF.

August 1.-A Jew belonging to the sect of the Chasidim called on me to-day. I was astonished to find, in the course of conversation, that he had read the New Testament, that he secretly believed in Christ, and that he was glad of the opportunity of speaking to me. He told me his history in the following words::

"I was an opulent merchant and had settled at Constantinople. I had a malady which made an operation necessary, and having become acquainted with Mr. Gerstmann,* he advised my going to England, where it

*Mr. Gerstmann (a believing son of Abraham) was a medical missionary, who was stationed, first at Jerusalem, and then at Constantinople, where he was called from time into eternity.

I

might be done. I intended following his advice, but my wife and the Jews opposed it, fearing lest I should become a Christian. I was, however, determined to go, when suddenly one night my wife, together with the whole of my valuables, disappeared. I knew she had done this by the instigation of the other Jews. I thus lost all means of getting to England. However,

I resolved to come to Jerusalem, where I have influential friends, with the hope that they would assist me in my project. On my arrival I went to Aaron Moshee, my uncle, the chief rabbi of the Chasidim, and told him my reasons for visiting the Holy City. He said, 'You have no occasion for going to England. I will pray for you, and give you some written charms which you must carry about you, and this will cure you. In the meantime I will take care of you.' But I had no faith in his prayer and charms, and applied to your kind physician, Dr. Macgowan, who gave me medicine, and promised to perform the operation. The moment, however, that Rabbi Aaron Moshee was informed that I had asked for medical advice, he withdrew his assistance from me, and I should have been starved, if Mr. Jacob and Mr. Ducat (both converts) had not assisted me.”

THE CHASIDIM.

There are not many of the sect of the Chasidim here; perhaps about fifty. They have two small synagogues, the one in the house of Rabbi Aaron Moshee, the other in the house of Rabbi Israel. They are great fanatics, and believe in the most absurd things. Their chief, whom they call Zadeek (the Righteous), pretends to have communication with the angels of heaven, whom he can call to his assistance whenever he thinks proper. They consider, therefore, the Zadeek as a kind of supernatural being; whatever

He was the first to make known the deplorable condition of the Jews in Jerusalem to the Christian public, which induced them to establish an hospital and dispensary in the Holy City.

he says they do, and must do it, on pain of being excommunicated. A short time ago there arrived a Jewish carpenter belonging to this sect. Mr. Christian, the German carpenter of the Mission, offered to employ him, but the rabbi prohibited his accepting the offer, until at last he was obliged to leave the sect, and to join the congregation of the German Jews, in order to be able to work for and with a Christian.

August 2.-My eyes have been, for the last few days, much inflamed, so that I have been compelled to ask the advice of Dr. Macgowan, who has prescribed for me, and ordered me to keep within doors for several days.

August 7.-I am thankful to say my eyes are much better. Two of the believing rabbies called. They said that they had now fixed the time when they intend leaving the Jewish community, whatever the consequence may be.

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THE UPPER POOL.' -THE VALLEY OF REPHAIM.

August 8.-I went to visit the Bishop and his family who have gone for a change of air to the Convent of the Cross. The way there leads you past several interesting spots. As soon as you are outside the Jaffa gate, you have to pass through the valley of Gihon, until you come to the Upper Pool. This pool is still in very good condition: it is about three hundred and eighteen feet long, a hundred and fifty broad, and twenty deep; but at present quite empty. From this pool the water was brought by an aqueduct to the Pool of Hezekiah, which is within the walls of the city, behind the residence of our Bishop. Remains of the aqueduct are still to be seen along the road from the pool to the gate. Very near the pool there is now a Mahometan burial-ground, and a large terebinth-tree, under whose branches you may every evening see a number of Greek priests enjoying the fresh breeze, or, as it is called in this country, "smelling the air." King

David, a short time before his death, commanded Zadok, the priest, and Nathan, the prophet, to anoint his son Solomon king over Israel, in this valley. Isaiah was commanded to go forth with his son Shear Jashub, to meet King Ahaz at the Upper Pool. Here it was that he foretold the birth of the Saviour-" Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." Here again it was that Rabshakeh, General of the King of Assyria, conferred with the ambassadors of King Hezekiah, and delivered his insulting message.

From this place the path ascends a rocky hill, from the summit of which you look down upon the once so fruitful Valley of Rephaim, where David twice defeated the army of the Philistines. (2 Sam. v.)

THE CONVENT OF THE CROSS.

You now turn to the left, and in a few minutes see before you the Convent of the Cross, which is situated in a deep dale between two mountains. You then

descend a steep hill, and arrive at the entrance of the convent. It is surrounded by immense walls, looking more like a strong fortress than the peaceable habitation of friars; but these precautions are necessary in a country like this, where wars and rumours of wars are not unfrequent. The convent takes its name from the tradition that it was from this spot that the tree was cut, from which our Saviour's cross was made. The spot where the tree is said to have stood is also pointed out: there is a large church built over it. The monks, four in number, and a superior, or archimandrite, are Georgians, and they profess the Greek religion. They say that the church was built by a Georgian Prince in the fifth century. It might once have been very fine, but it is now much out of repair. When I inquired upon what authority they believed that it was from here the wood for our Saviour's cross was taken, they replied, "We do not know it for

certain, but tradition affirms it to be so.' The monks all behaved very courteously. In the evening I returned to the Holy City again.

INQUIRERS FROM CONSTANTINOPLE.

August 10.-This day two Jews called upon me, and stated that they had heard at Constantinople of the baptism of Ducat and his family, and that, therefore, three of them had resolved to proceed to Jerusalem to inquire into the truth of Christianity; that one was staying at Beyrout until they could let him know whether they could receive instruction here. One of them knew Mr. Schaufler, of Constantinople, who had given him a New Testament, and some other books. I had a long conversation with them.

JEWISH EXPECTATION OF THE MESSIAH.

I then had a conversation with a learned rabbi respecting the second coming of the Messiah. I told him that in 1840, nearly the whole body of Jews expected the deliverer, and that many Jews in Tunis told me that if he did not come that year, they would allow me to cut off their heads. He replied, "It is true according to the Sohar, the Messiah might have come in 1840, but there is nothing certain." When I asked him, "Why almost all the eminent Jewish writers had fixed a time for his coming, viz.— Abarbanel in 5263, or 5294; Rabbino Sada Hai Gaon, Rabbi Solomon Jarchi, Rabbi Lewes, son of Gerson, Rabbi Abraham Hanasi Rambam, and Rabbino Bechai, all fixed the time, 5480 ?" he answered, "These great men knew well that they could not speak with certainty of Messiah's coming, but they did so in order to comfort the people, making them hope that Messiah would soon come. If they had not done so, if they had said, Messiah does not come for a long time, that more than 1,800 years must elapse after the