than one occasion, we hired a conveyance immediately on arriving, and drove to Herculesbad, where we arrived after dark. The drive through the romantic, rocky ravine of the Czerna, lasting nearly three hours, was perfectly grand and awe-inspiring. The many groups of Roumanian peasants gathered round camp-fires here and there by the road-side, preparing their supper and chanting songs, reminded me of some of my experiences in Palestine and Morocco.

28th. Hercules bad is most beautiful for situation, and were it easier of access it would be much more famous as a place of resort than it now is. The hot springs, twenty-four in, number, strongly impregnated with sulphur, were already known to the Romans. One of these springs rises in a jet 18 inches thick, and yields 5,000 cubic feet of nearly boiling water per hour. Besides the great "Kur-Saloon" there are a number of smaller hotels and bathing-houses, but we are disappointed to find that "the season" only commences about the middle of next month, and that, as yet, the place was almost empty. However, we sought out five or six Jews to whom we told God's wondrous love in Christ. One was a young Jew who had spent the first twelve years of his life in America, but came back with his parents to Hungary, in '81. He was proud of knowing English. He and two or three others gladly accepted New Testaments, and Rabbi Lichtenstein's pamphlets.

At 2.35 we left Herculesbad for Temesvar, where we arrived at 8.15 p.m. This railway journey of five and a-half hours has been one of the most interesting missionary experiences in the present tour. We were in a secondclass corridor carriage, containing six or seven compartments, all of which were pretty full, and, as often happens in these parts, more than half, perhaps twothirds of the second-class passengers were Jews. Soon after we started, I took a handful of Rabbi Lichtenstein's newest pamphlet and went from one to another, giving to all whom I recognised as Jews. I returned to my place to let them read quietly for a time. Soon, however, we heard loud discussion among themselves in the compartments next to us, evidently on what they had read. We thought it was time for us to join in, so we went and stood in the doorway of their compartment. Immediately they saw us, two of the Jews, one a coarse, rich man from Berlin, with gold rings on every finger, and the other a bigotted man, the manager of an Insurance Agency in Temesvar, let loose upon us a perfect volley of invection, calling us "Renegades," and by every other bad name they could think of. The Temesvar Jew, who actually wore a "Mezuzah (amulet) inside a big gold locket, which hung from his chain, on the outside of which was engraved the name, "Shaddai" (Almighty), the very type of a fanatic, took his phylacteries out of his travelling bag, and, shaking them in my face, said, "This is my religion! Is it not enough that you have yourself become a Goi' but you seek to lead other Jews astray, to believe in the Crucified ?" Berlin Jew, who said at the very outset that his religion was “ Thue Recht und scheue Niemand," joined in more noisily, using language that we are not used to hear from Jews in these parts, and ended up his diatribe against missionaries by appealing to a "Christian," who sat next to him, to corroborate what he had said, that Jews do not need Christ: The Christian (a Roman Catholic), a specimen of those who bear the name of Christ in these parts, at first joined in with the Jews, and said: "Every people have their own religion. We Christians have been told to believe in Christ, but Jews have nothing to do with Christ." My spirit was grieved at this poor Gentile, who, in his ignorance, was confirming the Jews in their unbelief; so I left the Jews for the moment, and in their hearing I said to him: “Sir, it is a great pity that you call yourself a Christian, for you evidently

The

know nothing of Christ or His Gospel. Christ is not for one people, but for the world, and the day is approaching when unto Him every knee shall bow, and every mouth confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father. The religion of Thue Recht und scheue Niemand,' and that every man can be saved in his own way, is of the devil, not of God. Those who in these parts always repeat the formula 'Thue Recht, etc.,' are those who do wrong. Before we can do right we must be right, and we cannot be right unless we are renewed by God's Spirit through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And as to Jews having nothing to do with Christ; do you know, I said, that unless Jewish apostles and evangelists had first come to you Gentiles, and, at the risk of their own lives, first preached Christ to you you would never have heard of Him. Who was Christ? Who was Paul? Who was Peter, and who were all the other apostles ? And as to this present time, look here—we are two Jews, who in Christ are proud of the name Jew, and since we have believed in Him, we spend all our time and strength, and are prepared by His grace to lay down life itself for His Name's sake, and in the cause of the Gospel, but you Christians in these parts, what are you doing?-everything by your lives and conduct to excite prejudice in the hearts of Jews against the Holy Name which you profess." Mr. Marienburger followed with appropriate words, and really our testimony seemed to have a powerful effect on this man, for he gradually came round to our side, and before he parted from us, begged for a New Testament which he wished to read. Now and again, Mr. Marienburger and myself were divided, he in one part of the train, and I in another, and among those who might be seen in eager discussion with us, some frantically gesticulating the while, were not only Jews, but some of the so-called "Christians," including in one instance a Greek Pope and a Roman Catholic Priest. Our audience kept on changing at nearly every station, though a few travelled with us the whole distance. One of our fellow passengers from Karensabes to Temesvar was Dr. W., one of the most nobleminded Jews it has ever been my privilege to meet. A noted physician and scholar, he is also a great Hebraist, and has a heart attuned for divine things. He had not before met any Hebrew brethren who believe in Christ, but it was wonderful how the Lord opened his heart towards us and inclined him to open his ear to our doctrines.

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When once or twice we were surrounded by hostile groups who ignorantly opposed and insulted us, he stood up in our defence and reasoned with them in a manner quite as effectual as we could have done ourselves. Brethren," he said once, "How long shall we continue to be led by our old ignorance and prejudice? Is it not the one duty of man to search after the truth? I have taken this book," pointing to the New Testament, "from these gentlemen, and I mean honestly and carefully to study it, for I want to be brought near to God. I beg of you to do the same. These two gentlemen by coming to us on such an errand, are trying to do us the greatest possible service, for having, as they believe, found the truth, they desire to impart it to us."

This is the second day that we had the pleasure of having as fellowtravellers two Free Church ministers, Rev. Mr. Davidson, of N. Berwick, and the Rev. Mr. Guthrie, of Coldstream, also a prominent private gentleman (Mr. Cowan) from Scotland, who seemed interested in witnessing this kind of mission. work. They were on their return journey from Palestine, viâ Constantinople, and came this way in order to see the Danube.

TEMESVAR.

29th. This is an ancient royal free city of Hungary, situated on the river. Béga in the Banat plain which is famous as a wheat growing district and as being

perhaps the most fertile part of this country. It is equally distant (70 miles) from Belgrade and Szegedin, and forms now one of the chief commercial centres of Hungary. The population numbers just about 40,000, of whom 10,000 are Jews. The rest are made up of Germans, Hungarians, Servians, and other Slavs. Commercially and in other ways too, the Jews seem to have everything in their hands. They are not so far advanced on the way to rationalism as in some other centres, but typical orthodox Talmudical Jews, such as one meets in Galicia are very scarce here. The synagogue, which stands in one of the principal streets, is a grand edifice in Byzantine style. Every time I behold these magnificent Continental synagogues, or "Temples," as they call them, some of which as for instance those in Berlin, Vienna, Budapest, etc., are structures on which enormous wealth has been expended, I am reminded of the words of the prophet (Hosea viii. 14): "Israel hath forgotten his Maker and buildeth temples"; for these synagogues of the Dispersion are not like the Temple in Jerusalem which was the visible symbol of communion between Jehovah and Israel, but on the contrary they are symptoms of the apostasy, and of the evil which cometh into their mind but which shall not be at all, namely, "We shall be as the nations, as the families of the countries" (Ezek. xx. 32).

us.

Being the Jewish feast of Pentecost, we went out soon after breakfast this morning with a view of meeting our brethren, as they were returning from the synagogue. We were not disappointed, and found that our fame had preceded Our fanatical friend, with the Mezuzah (amulet) upon him who travelled with us yesterday, had well advertised us by warning the Jews in the Synagogue against us. Again and again we were stopped in the streets by eager groups of respectable and intelligent Jews, with whom we conversed briefly and who quite exhausted our supply of New Testaments and pamphlets. Hearing that the Café Hirsch in one of the surburbs called Factory is a great Rendez-vous for Jews, we went there soon after early dinner with a view, should the Lord enable us, to make Christ known, and before we returned we had much cause to praise God for the good opportunities given us and for opening our mouths to speak boldly for our exalted Saviour and Israel's Messiah. We found the place full with Jews chiefly of the better class, most of them sitting in large groups around tables, drinking coffee and conversing. We took a seat by a small table in the middle of the saloon, ordering a cup, or rather glass, of tea. Soon a well-to-do

man, whom we had met in the street this morning, came to us, greeting us cordially, and took a seat by our side. Others observing us to be strangers and foreigners, gathered around, some curious to overhear the discussion some eager to get a copy of the New Testament or a pamphlet, a small supply of which we brought with us. It would take a small book to record fully the many discussions we had in this one place, embracing in their range and variety, every truth taught in the Bible from the existence of God, down to some minute points of Christian doctrine. While most of them were earnest listeners, there were not wanting several who opposed and in their ignorance blasphemed the truth. One Jew, who had been in America and spoke English, said that Moses in reality never was a Jew but a son of Pharaoh's daughter only, it suited her convenience to give out that he was a Hebrew child, and that she had found him in the Nile. for the wonders recorded in the Bible," he continued, "if they were true, why does not God work wonders now?" We assured them that Jehovah still works wonders, some of a kind which all ought to acknowledge if they would but consider, as for instance the continued dispersion and preservation of the Jews, but if men wilfully blind themselves, it is no wonder they can see neither the power nor the glory of God. We returned to our hotel for our proper tea, and soon after, we had a visit from three Jewish gentlemen and a lady, the wife of one

"As

of them, who remained with us listening and asking questions till 10.15 p.m. This interview will long remain in my memory. They were all wealthy and cultured people of very nice spirit, and they came evidently not to cavil but to inquire. We read and explained to them several different portions of Scripture in Old and New Testaments, and tried to speak as best we could for our Saviour. There was evidently great impression made on them, and they were so much interested that they would have remained till a much later hour with us were it not for the fact that I was physically quite exhausted with the fatigue of the continued journeyings and speaking of the last few days. At an early stage of our conversation, the husband of the lady present turned suddenly to me with the question, "Tell us honestly before God, have you never regretted the step you have taken in becoming a Christian? I have read that no Jew, who becomes a Christian, is quite happy but is always in doubt as to whether he has done right in forsaking the religion of his fathers and confessing the Crucified as the Son of God." I solemnly and earnestly assured them that since I have known the Lord Jesus, now 17 or 18 years, there has never been a shadow of doubt in my mind that He is the Messiah of Israel and only Saviour, and that in Him is all my life and all my salvation. Instead of regretting the step, I thank God more and more every day of my life, for revealing His Son to me and in me, and if there is any regret in my heart, it is that a great part of my life was spent in folly and ignorance without knowing Him, and that since knowing Him, I have not loved Him more and served Him more perfectly. They seemed much impressed, and remained silent for a while, looking at one another. Before we parted we presented them with New Testaments, and they asked us to write our names in them, assuring us that they will read them carefully with a view of finding the truth.

ARAD.

31st. We arrived here at 10.30 this morning.

Arad is the Capital of a district of the same name in Eastern Hungary, bordering on Transylvania. It is a busy town, standing on the right bank of the Maros, with a population of about 45,000. It is one of the greatest cattle markets in Hungary, and the district is also noted for its abundant production of corn and wine.

Our first business on arriving was to call at the Post Office to enquire if parcels of German and Hungarian New Testaments whtch we had ordered from Budapest had arrived, as we had none but Hebrew left, a language unfortunately very little known by the Jews in these parts. We were happy to find a good supply awaiting us, and, after choosing rooms at the hotel, we went out into the street and spoke to those Jews we met, inviting them also to come to our rooms in the afternoon and evening. We had not long to wait. About 3 p.m. people began to visit us, and from that time on we had but little rest. The first were a party of 13 or 14 young men students from the gymnasium, about half of whom were Roman Catholics, the rest Jews. It was a fine sight to see these young men stand for quite a long time listening earnestly while we preached to them Christ. They were evidently first drawn by curiosity, but their curiosity was soon lost in interest and inquiry. They had never heard these things before, our doctrine of man's utter ruin, and God's wonderful love, being, I verily believe, as new to them as if we were speaking to a people away in Central Africa. When we announced that we would gladly give a New Testament to those of their number who would promise to study it, they each one begged a copy and we found that the Roman Catholics were quite as ignorant of this blessed Book as the Jews, some of them never having seen a copy of it in their lives.

Another party of students, this time about ten in number, all Jews, and all evidently belonging to the best families in the town, and who also listened very eagerly for a long time, and begged for New Testaments at the close, and then older people, began to come. Once, early in the evening, we had a party of ten elderly men in my room, all of the better class, one being a retired officer, who seems to be regarded in the town with great veneration as a hero, he having fought in the Freiheits-Krieg (war of liberty), in '48 and '49, and suffered imprisonment at the hands of Austria, after Gorgey's capitulation of Arad, on August 17th, 1849. Our method in conversation usually was to base our remarks on different passages of Scripture. At one time we were unfolding the Mission of Messiah, as foretold in Isaiah xlix., and showed its fulfilment in our Lord Jesus. At another, we were preaching Christ from Psalm cxxx., or enforcing His claims from some passage in the New Testament. It is impossible to describe the eager interest with which we were listened to, or the joy we felt in being thus privileged to preach the glorious Gospel of our Saviour Jesus Christ to these different and ever-changing audiences of our Jewish brethren. We gave New Testaments to thirty-eight altogether, out of a much larger number who asked for them, beside distributing a large number of Rabbi Lichtenstein's pamphlets.

(To be continued.)

notes.

BY DAVID BARON.

A HAPPY, blessed, New Year to all our friends and helpers! Most sincerely, do we pray for the blessing of Israel's God on all who seek the good of His scattered, but for ever beloved people. May all into whose hands this little magazine may fall, during 1896, be among those who have a claim to God's promise, "I will bless them that bless thee!"

HEARTY thanks to those dear friends, who have responded to our request for help towards the cost of publication and circulation of “The Scattered Nation." Above all, praise be to our God, for the many testimonies we receive of the usefulness to this little paper in strengthening faith and quickening interest in Israel's cause.

WE still need your help, dear friends, in this direction, for as yet, the number of actual subscribers is comparatively small, and we are earnestly desirous that the cost of publication should not be a burden on the general fund of the Mission.

OUR friends will kindly notice that this number contains the Audited Accounts and Balance Sheet of the Hebrew Christian Testimony to Israel for 1895, and that we do not intend issuing a separate annual report.