DIFFICULTY OF PROCURING A LODGING.

March 7.-Though I have already seen a great deal of the Jews, and have had many conversations with them, yet I could not keep a regular journal of my proceedings, because I had no place to sit down to write, so miserable are our lodgings; however the weather has cleared up, so that we are able to have one door open -the only place where the light comes into the room. I have, moreover, ordered some windows to be made, and thus, I trust, I shall be enabled to go on more regularly until I obtain a suitable lodging, which is very difficult in this country. This morning a Mahometan met me by appointment, to show me a house in the heart of the Jewish quarter. When I entered,

an aged Jewish woman addressed me in Italian, and inquired what business had brought me to this country and to her house? I satisfied her on the first point, stating the reasons of our establishing ourselves in the Holy Land, and pointing out to her and to her son, who was present, the way of salvation. The good old woman listened attentively and said, "Perhaps you are in the right." Meanwhile several of the other Jewish inmates had gathered around me, and when they heard I was going to rent their house, they burst into tears and said to me, "Judge ye, whether this is a good action to drive us out of a house in which we have been living so long, not knowing where we are to go to." I said to them I had come to this country for the purpose of doing good to the Jews and not harm; they might therefore be assured I would not take the house from them. Their tears now changed to smiles: they wished me every blessing. Poor people! they are already oppressed and miserable enough. I will not aggravate their condition by driving them out of their houses, though I am in very great want of one.

I next met a Jew in the streets, with whom I conversed. He told me he had read the New Testament,

and accompanied me home, where I had an opportunity of directing his thoughts to his soul's salvation.

THE SECT OF THE KORAIM.

On going out again, I entered the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where I saw the Greek Bishop gorgeously apparalled, with a kind of crown upon his head, distributing the consecrated bread to a large multitude. Having left the Church, I addressed some Jews in the street: one of them was of the sect of the Koraim, a sect for which I had always felt a very great interest, but had never seen any of them. He informed me that there are only two families of them here. They are hated by the Rabbinical Jews, do not intermarry, and have no more intercourse than is necessary with them. They reject the whole of the oral law, and believe and observe nothing which cannot be proved from the written word of God; they have no phylacteries; and the passages from which the Rabbinical Jews prove the necessity of putting on phylacteries during prayer, they consider as figurative sentences. He invited me to come to his house on the following Saturday, when I could also see his father, who is chief of the Koraim here, an invitation which I gladly accepted.

COLLECTIONS FOR THE JEWS AT JERUSALEM.

Whilst conversing with some Jews, a Jewish rabbi addressed me, and begged me to compare an English translation with the Hebrew original of an agreement, which was made, some years since, between him and the chief rabbies of this place, with whom he has now a lawsuit. His case was this -- -The chief rabbies made an agreement with him that he was to go to Gibraltar and the kingdom of Morocco, to collect money for the poor Jews of Jerusalem; that he was to have forty per cent. of the collections; and that they would not send any other

collector in those parts until he had finished. Now the chief rabbies of Jerusalem had not acted according to their agreement, but had sent another messenger who superseded him, by which action he was a great loser. For many years he endeavoured to settle with the Jews here, but could not. As he is a British subject, the matter is now to be decided by the British Consul here.

The evil that arises from the practice of sending such collectors from Jerusalem exceeds description. It would be much better if all the Jews throughout the world would send their contributions for their brethren in Jerusalem through a banking-house.

66
JEWISH BELIEF IN CHIBUT HAKEBER."

poorer

I paid a visit to the celebrated Professor Edrehi, the editor of the well-known book called "Sambation," whom I had met at Leghorn some years ago. He is now very old and infirm: when I entered his room he was walking about with the assistance of a stick. I asked him whether he was glad he had finally reached Jerusalem? He replied he was.

I. But why? Is not the Lord God every where? He. That is true; but every Jew likes to die in the land of his fathers; and as the Lord God gave it to them, it is ours.

I. But tell me, is it not chiefly because you have been afraid of "Chibut Hakeber," "* the punishment

*"Chibut Hakeber."-The Jews believe that as soon as the body is interred some angels come and punish it very severely, but those who die in the Holy Land are exempted from punishment. On that account this prayer is offered up for the dead before he is put into the grave:-"We beseech thee O Lord, most merciful King, in whose hand is the soul of every living thing and the breath of all flesh, to accept our prayer and supplication in behalf of the soul of (N. son or daughter of N.) and deal graciously with her, according to thy great mercy; open unto her the gates of mercy and compassion, and the gates of Paradise; receive her with love and favour; send unto her thy holy angels to lead her

of the grave, and that your body, if you die in any other country, would have been obliged on the day of the resurrection, to roll under ground until it arrived in Jerusalem, and, therefore, you came to the Holy City ?

He. Our Rabbies say so, and I, as a Jew, believe what they say; but still I wish to lay down my bones in the land of my fathers.

I gave away some tracts, and the "Old Paths," in four parts, to some Jews, and requested them to read them to each other, which they did. May the Lord open their eyes and heart by his Spirit!

March 8.-After morning prayer, I called on Simeon, who, with the whole of his family, was con

beneath the tree of life, to the company of the souls of the righteous and virtuous, there to enjoy the brightness of thy glory. Satiate her with thy benevolence, which is laid up for the just; and grant also that the body may rest in repose and be established in gladness, joy, and peace: as it is written, He shall enter into peace, they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness: and again, Let the saints be joyful in glory; let them sing aloud upon their beds: and again, When thou liest down thou shalt not be afraid, yea thou shalt lie down and thy sleep shall be sweet. O keep him from the p 1 Chibut Hakeber, and from the worms and vermin in his grave: pardon and forgive him all his iniquities, for there is not a just person upon earth that doeth good and sinneth not. Remember him, his merits and righteousness, which he has done, and bring him from his soul healing to the ashes of his bones in the grave, from the great portion of good which is laid up for the righteous: as it is written, O how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee: and again, He keepeth all his bones, not one of them is broken. Let him dwell in safety and be quiet from fear of evil; may he not see hell, but let his soul be bound in the bundle of eternal life, and quicken him at the resurrection of the dead, among the number of thy people Israel. Amen." The Mahometans hold the same doctrine : they say, as soon as a man is placed under ground, two angels come and ask, "What is your religion? Who is your Prophet, and towards what place do you direct your face when you pray?" The true Mahometan answers, "My religion is the Islam, my prophet is Mahomet, and I direct my face when I pray towards Mecca." Then the angels are satisfied; but the Infidels do not know what to answer, and are punished.

verted to the true faith some years ago, and has since resided in Jerusalem, where he has gained the esteem of all who know him, and is also highly beloved by his brethren according to the flesh, who often call upon him when in difficulties for assistance. A few

days since a Jewess called on him and begged him to come to her house, which some Turks had entered, and demanded some brandy; she had refused to give it to them, upon which they seized and broke every thing in the house they could lay their hands upon.

Simeon went with her; when he entered, the Turks fell upon him and gave him several severe blows upon the head, cut his nose nearly off, and thus lacerated he was carried home. I found him confined to his bed a great sufferer, but through the assistance of Dr. Macgowan he is doing well. The poor man is quite disfigured. I am sure the Lord will bless him for his work of love for which he is now suffering.

After breakfast I went out and had some conversation with two Polish Jews: one of whom was very violent, and instead of proving from Scripture that my argument was not correct, he made use of very unbecoming language. Other Jews who were present begged that I would not mind what he said, which I thought was the best advice they could give me.

REMARKABLE PASSAGE RESPECTING CHRIST IN A JEWISH AUTHOR.

I then went into the Jewish Quarter and paid a visit to the Chief of the Koraim, who received me very kindly, answered many questions I put to him concerning their sect, and showed me several of their books, in one of which, called on 1 (Seghor Leabraham), I met this remarkable passage. The author, after having mentioned the great persecutions they had to endure from the Rabbinical Jews, so that many of their sect had been killed by them, and amongst others one of their most eminent rabbies,