truth itself; yea, and we also bear record, and ye know that our record is true. More than this will hardly be necessary to insure to this our brother a kind and friendly reception."

After suitable inquiry and examination, Mr. Sperschneider was cordially adopted by the general Board, as one of the Society's missionaries to India: preparations were directed to be made for his early departure: and the venerable Archdeacon of London was requested to deliver, in the name of the Society, a charge to him, at a general meeting of the Board, called for that special purpose. In our Number for October, we have already given several interesting passages from this excellent charge.

From April 24, 1817, to April 16, 1818, the receipts and expenditure have been as follows:

direction, has been appropriated to the general designs of the Society; and the remaining 2007. is to be expended in furnishing Bibles to Jews, in Mattachery and Jews' Town, in India.

An anonymous benefaction of 3001. has been received. Legacies have been left to the Society, by John Taylor, Esq. late of Brentford, 500l.; by the Rev. Thomas Frank, late Vicar of Bordeu, Kent, 3007. ; by the late Rev. Johu Bull, of Bristol, 1007.; and by the late Robert Bridges, Esq. jun. 1007.

The amount of salaries and gratuities, paid to the missionaries during the year, has been 9347. 16s. 8d.

The amount of books, sent to members, between the audits of 1817 and 1818, on the terms of the Society, has been 37,2681. 17s. 8d.; of which 23,519/. 75. 8d. was the members' part, and 13,7397.10s.od. that of the Society.

The remainder of the payments were made on account of balance due to Messrs. Rivington, books distributed gratuitously, printing Reports, the Scilly mission, salaries to officers, the Family Bible, the repurchase of stock, and incidentals.

546 17

0

7

&c. for prompt payment 2,253 8 59,255 4 5

The disposable funds of the Society are very nearly the same as last year; having been, at the audit of 1817, 24,2357. 14s. Od.

Of the amount received for books, as above specified, the sum of 11,000l. was on account of sales of the Family Bible.

The Society record with gratitude several important benefactions made in the course of the present year. From Mrs. Paumier, of Bath, they have received a donation of 600%.; of which sum, 4007., by her

LONDON SOCIETY FOR PROMOT. ING CHRISTIANITY AMONG THE JEWS.

THE Committee commence their last Report with very justly congratulating the Society on the graduat enlargement of the sphere of its operations, and on the increasing evidences of the Divine favour and benediction which have accompanied its proceedings during the past year, unalloyed by circumstances of an opposite character.

Under the head of Auxiliary Socities is reported the formation of a society for Colchester and East Essex, which has remitted 4231. 11s. 3d.; and of another at Norwich, from which 2501. has been received: with the establishment

of penny societies in the isles of Mann and Guernsey. It is further stated, that, in various other parts of the kingdom, where measures, formerly adopted in aid of the Society had felt the influence of misrepresentations and objections, more favourable dispositions and a revival of zeal have been excited, by exhibiting more correct views of its present state and proceedings. The Committee entertain a confident persuasion, that the more accurately the plans of the Society and the principles of its administration are understood, the more speedily and effectually will any remains of prejudice, to which former occurrences may have given birth, be dispelled. Various liberal contributions are acknowledged.

A great improvement has taken place in the state of the Society's finances. The debts with which it has so long been burthened are now fully discharged, and the system of economy, which has been so vigorously pursued during the last two years, may be considered to have produced its full effect. An apparent increase in the expenditure of several departments is accounted for, by the discharge of former debts.

The fund for building schools, for Jewish children, now amounts to nearly 11007.; but is still inadequate to the object proposed. Three boys and six girls have been admitted into the schools during the year past three girls have been withdrawn by their friends: three boys and two girls have been put out to service or apprenticeship; and two boys, who are too old for the school, are in want of situations. There are, at present, in the schools, thirty-six boys and thirty-three girls; besides seven boys and two girls in the country, the expense of whose maintenance is charged to the account of the schools. Dr. Bell's system of instruction has been introduced into both the schools.

A monthly lecture to Christians, on subjects relative to the Jews, at St. Swithin's, London Stone, has been continued. The monthly lecture, at Ely chapel, to the Jews, has been discontinued; and a quarterly lecture to Christians, on subjects connected with Jewish conversion, has been substituted in its stead, at the same chapel. An occasional lecture has been opened at the parish church of St. Catherine Cree, Leadenhall-street, which is in the centre of the Jewish population; and has been hitherto attended by many Jews, for whose instruction it is principally designed.

A list is given of tracts lately published for the use of Jews; and we are glad to find that the printing office attached to the institution has paid its own expenses during the past year, besides furnishing useful employment to the Jewish youths under the Society's care.

The Visiting Committee have continued to administer relief, and, where opportunities have offered, spiritual instruction, to siek and distressed Jews, at their own habitations; but visitors have not yet offered themselves in sufficient numbers to carry this plan into effect to any considerable extent.

The Hebrew New Testament was brought to a close, and the first entire edition of it published, in September, 1817. The whole of this edition, as far as complete copies remained, was immediately disposed of; four hundred and fifty-six copies were sold to the British and Foreign Bible Society: one hundred were placed at the disposal of the Rev. Lewis Way, on his visit of inquiry to the Continent; three were sent to America, five to Malta, and three to Madras. Twelve were presented to the Edinburgh Bible Society, and forty to some of our Archbishops and Bishops and sundry individuals in this country connected with the Society. A thousand copies of the Epistles and

Apocalypse were disposed of to the committee of the British and Foreign Bible Society; thus making complete the same number of copies of the four Gospels and Acts purchased by them last year. Five hundred copies of the General Epistles and the Apocalypse were likewise sold to the British and Foreign Bible Society, and nearly seven hundred and fifty copies of various portions of the New Testamen were granted to Mr. Way, previously to his going abroad.

From the circulation thus given to even so comparatively small a number of copies of the New Testament in Hebrew, incalculable benefits, it is trusted, may arise to the scattered descendants of Israel. Nearly three thousand five hundred copies of the Hebrew New Testament have issued from the Society's press but what are these among more than four millions of Jews, on the lowest computation of their numbers in different parts of the world; to say nothing of the probable opinion of some writers, that they exceed double that number. Influenced by this consideration, the Committee, immediately on the completion of the first edition, resolved on commencing a second, on stereotype plates. This edition has since been completed.

To render the translation as free from imperfection as possible, the original translators of the work were engaged in preparing a dictionary, in which the authorities for the use of the Hebrew words used in the translation will be collected. They had engaged a learned Jewish convert, who lately came over to this country from the Continent, to undertake and submit to the translators and former correctors a critical review of the version already published; and were about to take steps for having a similar review prepared by some of the Dost learned Jews in Germany. The Committee are anxious that their version should commend itself, by its purity of style, to the most re

fined Hebrew scholars in the Jewish nation, and prove an imperishable monument of the zeal and liberality of British Christians.

To facilitate the dissemination of the Christian Scriptures among their Jewish brethren, the Committee resolved to print an edition of Luther's German New Testament, in the Rabbinical, or GermanHebrew character; for the benefit of such of the Jews inhabiting Germany, Poland, and the neighbouring countries, as do not understand the Biblical Hebrew. The necessary type had been procured from Holland, and the work was about to proceed.

To give effect to these resolutions, considerable pecuniary supplies will still be needful; for although the Hebrew Testament fund has received several handsome contributions, both from associations and individuals, it is still in arrears; the expenditure attendant on the first edition having been very great, and the copies which have been sold having been disposed of at little more than half the cost price. The Committee were, however, encouraged from having received, during the preceding year, several benefactions, accompanied with cordial assurances of concurrence, from individuals, especially some belonging to the Society of Friends, whose religious principles hinder them from co-operating with this institution in other departments of its labours.

To other instances formerly mentioned, as affording great encouragement to hope for the Divine blessing on the translation thus happily completed, the Committee add the case of a Polish Jew, residing in this country, but not able to read the English Language, who was, under the blessing of God, converted to the faith of Christ by reading the Gospels in the Hebrew tongue, which had been put into his hands by this Society. He made a public profession of his faith by baptism, at the Episcopal Jews' chapel, and

his conduct since that time had been such as to afford the best hope of his sincerity.

A young Jew and an aged Jewess have also been baptised. A young Jew, of promising character, is studying at the University of St. Andrews. Seven or eight Jews usually attend the holy communion, at the Episcopal chapel, of all of whom there is reason to think well. One aged communicant, of 95, has departed in the faith; as has Henry Abrahams, a youth of nineteen years of age, who had been employed in the printing-office for the last five years, and of whose death an account is given in the Appendix to the Report.

In the autumn of 1817, the Rev. L. Way, accompanied by the Rev. R. Cox, of Bridgenorth, Rev. N. Solomon (a converted Jew), and the Sultan Katagary, left this country with a view of ascertaining, by personal inquiry and investigation, the state of religion among the Jews abroad; and of endeavouring to diffuse among them, as opportunity might occur, Christian information. A very principal object with Mr. Way was, to circulate copies of the Hebrew New Testament. He took out also with him a large supply of the Society's tracts.

In the course of this journey (undertaken at Mr. Way's sole expense), frequent communications have been received from him, which, so far as they relate to the great object of his tour, are, upon the whole, highly encouraging. He every where met with a kind reception, and in most cases with candid attention, from the Jews to whom he addressed himself. He has been the means of interesting several Protestant Christians in behalf of that unhappy people; and of opening sources of information and channels of correspondence, which, it is hoped, may hereafter prove highly serviceable to this institution.

Mr. Way proceeded direct from this country to Holland. At Rotterdam, he and Mr. Solomon had

opportunities of addressing several Jews from the pulpit; and, meeting there with the young Israelite (already mentioned as studying at the University of St. Andrews) who had formerly been in this country, and who had been approved, as a candidate for baptism, by the Scotch minister of the place, Mr. Way administered that ordinance to him, in the presence of a very large congregation, according to the forms of the Church of England. In an interview with an intelligent Jewish physician of this town (the first foreign Jew to whose acquaintance he was introduced), on stating it to be one object of his journey to put the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments into the hands of welldisposed Jews, be received from him the following assurance: "Sir! if you do that, and your conduct toward them is consistent with the contents of that book, you must succeed."

At the Hague, to which he next proceeded, Mr. Way had a very interesting conversation with the chief Rabbi, in which many of the leading points of difference between Christians and the Jews were freely discussed. On the subject of the two great prophetical periods mentioned by the Prophet Daniel, in his ninth and twelfth chapters, the Rabbi expressed himself dissatisfied with the calculations of the Targumists and Rabbins, because all their times were past; and when Mr. Way, in compliance with his request, had told him the interpretation adopted by many Christian expositors, of the passage (Dan. xii. 12.) relative to the 1395 days, he replied, "It may be so; and I pray God would send it sooner, that we might have the happiness of meeting at Jerusalem; and I hope you may be one chosen to help the children of Israel to return." In the whole of the intercourse which took place between them, the Rabbi shewed the greatest civility, and accepted a copy of the Hebrew New Testament, which