to which I wish especially to direct the attention of your youthful readers, it might be considered not only lawful, but even indispensable, both to employ the word, and also to call the thing itself to my assistance.

But the cause which I desire to advocate is one so sacred in its character, and so momentously important in its results, even to the embracing of the welfare of the whole world, that I would rather bring to bear upon it the solemnly awful and deep principled emotions which were felt by him, who, in the very precincts of the Divine presence, was commanded to remove the shoes from off his feet, the place whereon he was standing being "holy ground." This cause is, objectively, the cause of God and of his Anointed; subjectively, it embraces the conversion of the descendants of Abraham to the faith of Abraham.

Under feelings of the deepest interest for this long-neglected race, we hail the rise of an infant society, designated the "British Society for the Propagation of the Gospel among the Jews;" and would most cordially recommend it to the prayerful and pecuniary support of every believer, of all ranks, ages, and denominations. Why, then, peculiarly address young Christians on behalf of the Jews? Because of their youthful ardour? No-though we wish to see that enlisted in their service. The reasons shall be more fully developed in my next letter, if spared to write one, and permitted space in your interesting periodical.

Yours, &c.,

: mpya

P.S. As I have mentioned the society recently formed, it may interest your readers to see the laws of that society as given in its "First Report."

RULES adopted at a meeting held for the formation of the society, Dec. 5, 1842 :

1. That a society be formed, to be called "The British Society for the Propagation of the Gospel among the Jews."

2. That the society consist of Christians of evangelical principles, interested in the propagation of the gospel among the Jews. 3. That the more immediate field of the society's operations be London, and the larger towns of the United Kingdom.

4. That the society shall maintain a friendly correspondence and co-operation with the church of Scotland's mission to the Jews. 5. That the Association cordially invite the co-operation of all kindred institutions.

6. That an annual subscription of ten shillings constitute membership; and a donation of five pounds, membership for life. 7. That the committee consist of twenty-four ministers, and an equal number of laymen; and that the treasurer and secretaries be members thereof ex officiis.

SCRIPTURE ILLUSTRATIONS.

MAL. iv. 2.

THE late Mr Robinson of Cambridge called upon a friend just as he had received a letter from his son, who was surgeon on board a vessel then lying off Smyrna. The son mentioned to his father that every morning about sunrise, a fresh gale of air blew from the sea across the land, and, from its wholesomeness and utility in clearing the infected air, this wind is always called the Doctor. "Now," says Mr Robinson, "it strikes me that the prophet Malachi, who lived in that quarter of the world, might allude to this circumstance when he says that the Sun of Righteousness shall arise, with healing in his wings. The psalmist mentions the wings of the wind, and it appears to me that this salubrious breeze, which attends the rising of the sun, may properly enough be considered as the wings of the sun, which contain such healing influences."

GEN. xxxii. 24-32.

"And when he saw that he prevailed not against him." How wonderful! Omnipotence unable to conquer the worm Jacob! But the non-prevalence of the angel was nothing else than the inability to withstand the power of an unwavering faith, pleading his own promises. The strength by which Jacob prevailed was as truly God's strength, as that by which God, in outward show, contended against him. The Divine Being acted in the double capacity of an adversary and an assistant; fighting, as it were, against him with his left hand, and for him with his right; putting far greater force into the defence than into the assault, and, as Calvin says, "being stronger than himself, by yielding the victory to faith." "He touched the hollow of his thigh :” that is, probably, he dislocated the thigh-bone. A dislocation of the hip is an extremely rare case, only practicable to astonishing strength. Jacob could now no longer wrestle. All that remained to him was to cling to his opponent with all his might, so that he could not remove from the place without dragging him with him.

Indeed, Jacob could now neither stand nor go; and the wrestling angel, who had thus deprived him of his strength, left him no alternative but to hang upon his neck, if he wished to be preserved from falling. Thus, when the Most High begins to wrestle with a soul, he struggles with him so as to abase every high thing that exalts itself within him. He will cause him to feel that he has no alternative remaining, but to embrace with the arms of faith the Son of God, and, as a crippled conqueror, to prevail. "And he said, Let me go." The angel confesses himself conquered. As long as Jacob possesses strength he is overcome, and conquers at the moment it forsakes him! The words imply that the Son of God was in his power. It was an advantage to Jacob too precious to be neglected. "I will not let thee go." Could not the angel have dislocated or paralysed his arms, and thus freed himself from his deathlike embrace? No; his omnipotence was limited by his promise to his servant, "to do him good."

"Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew that shrank." At present, the Jews do not know what sinew this was; nor even which thigh it was in; and therefore they abstain from both, lest they should inadvertently eat the interdicted sinew. They sell those parts to Christians.

REVIEWS OF BOOKS.

On the Causes which Retard the Conversion of the World. Seeley.

THIS little treatise is, on many accounts, truly interesting. The subject of which it treats is one which must at once command attention—the most sublime of all conceptions, the most magnificent of all enterprises-the "conversion of the world!" Besides this, however, it derives additional interest from the fact that it comes from an unusual quarter-even from amidst the frivolity and infidelity of modern France-a voice of truth and soberness heard above the hubbub of Vanity Fair. Nor is this the whole; for its powerful appeals-its searching scrutiny -its earnest pleadings, remind us at once of the boldness of Luther and the tenderness of Melancthon; and we heartily commend it to the attention of our readers. We might be permitted to adopt the monition of the Saviour, "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear."

The design of the writer is, to show that the great obstacles to the spread of the gospel are to be found in the state of the church itself that the chief reason why we have not now apostolical success, is simply the lack of apostolical piety.

“It is not in prophecies, in prescience, in decrees, in the sovereignty of God, that the difficulty lies-no, it is nearer home; it lies in the state of the church. It is the want of faith, the little spirituality, the lukewarmness of love in the church, which keep back the conversion of the world. These, and these only, are the causes. There is no other invincible obstacle either on earth, or in heaven, or in hell. Let the church purify herself, let the church become devoted, let the church pray, let the church believe; and that day in which she shall sincerely consecrate to God all the affection of her heart, all the sweat of her brow, all the gold of her purse, and if it must be so, all the blood of her veins, will be immediately followed by apostolic times!"

The remedies which the author suggests and urges are sound and scriptural. Some of them are applicable to individuals, and others to churches. The remarks on street preaching are so powerful and so sensible, that we cannot withhold them from our readers :

"In the first ages, the novelty of Christianity must have excited much attention. In the first ages, the outward form even of the Christian religion was in itself quite different from paganism. In the first ages, the nations had not yet prostituted and materialised the name of Jesus. But in our days, Christianity is old; it no longer excites attention; it no longer stands out in strong relief from a universal paganism; and it has been despised for ages. This is why preaching in the streets-that last effort to force the age to look at the cross-that gospel brought to the multitude in spite of themselves-that Jesus, placed as it were across their path, that they may not be able to go to hell without passing over his body, is not only scriptural, and justified by conclusive examples-but is reasonable, is philosophical. You have a few churches, in which some few auditors come to listen to you; but in your towns and villages, there are thousands of sinners "for whom Christ died," and who care not to hear him spoken of. Speak to them of Christ, in spite of themselves. They have placed on their eyes the bandage of pleasures, that they may not see hell; tear it away, and make

them tremble before the bottomless pit. They have wrapped themselves up in coldness and indifference, that they may not feel the compassions and the love of God; make them see, by the fire of your eye, and the sobs of your voice, something of the intensity of the love which burns within you for the Redeemer ; and, all covered with confusion and shame, they will ask, whether you are angels, or they themselves are demons! Our streets are temples of Satan. In them blasphemies are uttered; the Sabbath is broken; vanities are sung; obscenities are displayed. Make of these places the gates of heaven. Have pity on these multitudes moved by the devil. Cast your nets upon these human waves, and draw out souls for the Saviour. Let vice lower its insolent head before the cross-let hell retire before the gospel!"

It is easy-and too common, alas !—to fasten upon some little points of detail, which may contain some show of excess or extravagance, in order to get rid of the truth itself, which may press unpleasantly upon the conscience. Such, we ardently hope, will not be the fate of this little volume. We are sure that it will bear the test of scripture, and we think that, in turn, it will be a test of the reality and sincerity of the faith of its readers. We only regret that it is not published in a form and at a price which might render it accessible to every member of every church.

Peril in Security; a Memorial of Nathaniel Edward Parker. By SAMUEL WILTON RIX. Second Edition. Hamilton,

Adams, and Co.

A TOUCHING memorial of a young surgeon, snatched away from life's enjoyments and life's prospects, at that time when the keenest relish exists for the one, and the strongest hope for the other. His youth was spent in the most diligent intellectual preparation for mature life.

"It was to be on a level with the aristocracy of mind that he aspired. He could enter fully into the sentiment which he placed in the opening page of his volume of manuscript extracts: — Of how much pure and exalted enjoyment is he ignorant who never entertained, as angels, the bright emanations of loftier intellect than his own! By habitual communion with superior spirits, we not only are enabled to think their thoughts, speak their dialects, feel their emotions, but our own thoughts are