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when the children of Israel among all the nations where they are scattered, from the North and the South, from the ends of the earth, and the Isles of the sea, join with one voice to implore from the Lord God of their fathers, pardon and peace, upon that day should christian prayer be silent? May it arise in united and fervent supplication for the "lost sheep of the house of Israel; " that turning away from the sorrowful remembrance of those sacrifices, which were themselves but the " shadow of good things to come," they may draw nigh in faith, and receive the blessed assurance of forgiveness and reconciliation, through the Lamb of God, which "taketh away the sin of the world," to whom be blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, for ever!"

year (1841) on the 25th day of September, being the tenth day from that of the new moon, which occurs on the 15th of the month. According to the Mosaic law this fast should always take place on the tenth day of the seventh month, (Tisri) but in what manner this was computed in ancient times I am not quite prepared to say, but suspect they had two computations, a solar and a lunar; as they had two years, the civil and the sacred. Modern Jews employ a lunar computation, and once in three years intercalate a second Adar after the first; but as the three great annual festivals, the Passover, the Pentecost, and the feast of Tabernacles, were necessarily adapted every year to the solar computation, they must have used, when in their own land, a different, and not improbably an empirical method, supplied by the natural course of the seasons, in a climate much more regular than our own. Such a method, seems at least to be suggested in Lev. xxiii. 10, and Deut. xxvi. 9.

CHAPTER II.

A FRIEND PRESENTS HIM WITH A HEBREW TESTAMENT-HIS SECRET AND PERSEVERING STUDY OF IT-HE TAKES THE RESOLUTION OF MAKING AN OPEN CONFESSION OF CHRISTIANITYESCAPES TO BERLIN-ADVENTURES BY THE WAY-HIS BAPTISM AND SUBSEQUENT CONDUCT.

IT happened to David Goldberg at this period to pass one day by a christian school, where his attention was arrested by the voice of a child pronouncing the name of Jehovah; he listened and heard, to his great surprize, the ten commandments recited. He began to think that the religion of the Epicureans, as the christians are frequently designated, might not be so idolatrous as it was represented, and to wish to know more upon the subject. It is astonishing what strange and ignorant ideas respecting Christianity, prevail sometimes even amongst Jews of education. Mr. Hausmeister relates that a pious and well-informed Jew, now a christian, at a time when he was enquiring concerning the truth, came to his house once on a Sabbath evening as he was going to church, and was invited to go also. Just before he left home, Mr. H. poured

some water into a basin, to wash his hands; "Now,' thought his Jewish friend, I shall be baptized before I go to church!'

David Goldberg obtained through a friend a Russian Catechism, but not understanding the language himself, he was obliged to be indebted to another person to translate it for him, and he soon laid it aside. There lived at Berditchef a young friend of his, Samson Meyersohn, a rabbinical student, and one like himself, zealous of the traditions of their fathers,' the same, whose bitter reflection upon the occasion of his marriage, has been already mentioned. To this friend who, unknown to him, had recently been brought to the knowledge of Christ, he now disclosed his unhappy state of mind, being tormented to know by what means he might obtain peace of conscience, having tried in vain all that was recommended by the Talmud and the Zadikim. The extreme grief and uneasiness on account of sin, and ardent desire for forgiveness which has hitherto been displayed in the course of this narrative, can hardly be comprehended by those, who bear the same weight from day to day, yet never feel the pressure: and why is it that they do not? It is because our sins hang easily about us, and occasion us but little annoyance, while we are running on the road to destruction; but when we begin to move away from them in an opposite direction, it is then that we begin to feel their power; it is then also that struggling to free ourselves from their hold, we find how impotent we are. Many people look upon sin as a thing they can easily lay aside whenever it may suit them to do so: they

know it not as the bondage of corruption, from which we have no power, without Christ, to loosen ourselves; and which, unless we repent, will hold us in its fearful chains, unto eternal condemnation.

David Goldberg received in answer from his friend a parcel, containing a Hebrew New Testament, several Tracts, and a letter to the following effect: German Missionaries, Messrs. Betzner and Saltet, have arrived here, who distribute small books, and prove from passages of the Holy Scriptures that the Messiah has already appeared, and that it is Jesus, who is worshipped by the Gojim. (Gentiles). As to the two Germans they shew a reverence and a love to Jehovah, as great as can be found amongst the most pious Israelites. It is remarkable that they ground their faith and their arguments on the Thora.' (the Pentateuch.) Delighted with this acceptable present, which opened to him a way of obtaining the knowledge he wished, he applied himself immediately to this new study. Day after day, in silence, secresy, and solitude, before sun-rise, not daring to let any other human eye behold the books which thus he treasured, he pursued the investigation, and traced with deep delight the prophetic dawn unto the full splendour of the gospel day. Intent upon the truth, he hid within his own heart, alike his doubts, his hopes, his reasonings, his thoughts: nor had he a human being to whose instruction he could have had recourse; he went on his way rejoicing indeed, but alone. Many are the trials to which they who are thus destitute of christian fellowship are exposed; the world within, exists without one corresponding link to

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the world without; the new feelings, hopes, and desires, are so buried in the heart, that they are apt to seem sometimes to their possessors in the moments of wavering faith, as the visions of their own excited imaginations; the parable of Pythagoras,' observes Lord Bacon, 'is dark but true; "eat not thy heart; certainly if a man would give it a hard phrase, those that want friends to open themselves unto, are cannibals of their own hearts.' Yet this peculiar state of religious experience has also its advantages; there is surely no pleasure which the soul can know, equal to its first looking upwards in filial love as the adopted of the Father; and if it is alone in its pilgrimage, when admitted thus into the 66 house of the Lord upon earth," it knows not that sin will pursue it even there, and disturb its peace; it enters upon its new and glorious possession, as one in which it may take rest; not as one in which it is called to wage perpetual warfare against its former enemies. The experienced christian knows the unceasing conflict; the ardent convert dreams of nothing but sudden, and complete victory.

When however, this christian Israelite was fully convinced of the whole truth, when he had followed his Lord through the days of his rejection, suffering, and sorrow, until in faith he saw him sitting at the right hand of the Father, when he looked up to Him as the Redeemer, the Holy One, his Saviour, then like Andrew with irrepressible joy he hastened to his brethren, and like him exclaimed, we have found the Messias!"

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