No. 1.

In another part of the paper Mr. Schönberger chronicles his own experience of the goodness and guidance of our God and the work he has been enabled to do, during a brief visit to the continent, and, since his return, in the district of Soho and in the east of London.

As far as I am concerned, these past six months have been perhaps the busiest of my life. What with direct mission-work among the Jews, which I ever keep before me as having the first claim on my time, and what with the additional privilege of ministering the Word of God to Christians at large and small meetings, my hands have indeed been full, but the Master has been faithful to His promise, "as thy days thy strength shall be," and His grace has been sufficient; His yoke is easy and His burden light. Several weeks of the time have been spent in pain and physical weakness, but even in the darkest days of our wilderness pilgrimage, we are cheered and strengthened by the never failing compassion of the "Angel of His presence." who in all our afflictions is Himself afflicted.

JUNE, 1894.

In November last, I spent a fortnight of happy service among Jews and Christians in Dublin. In the afternoons I gave a series of Bible readings, to which a goodly company of Christians gathered daily, and very encouraging testimony was borne by those present, that these expositions of Old Testament truths proved a time of help and spiritual profit. In one letter, since received, a dear servant of the Lord, well instructed in the scriptures, says, "I do praise the Lord that some of the Psalms feel more precious since you were enabled to unfold them in those short Bible readings. I shall not easily forget them. I trust that the lessons may be more deeply engraved in my heart, as well as in others.'

The mornings I generally devoted to mission work among my own people. The Jewish community in Dublin has increased very much these last two or three years, and cannot be less in number than 2,500. They are mostly refugees from Russia, who, I suppose, from mere force of habit, have formed a Ghetto in the Irish metropolis, for they inhabit a district almost entirely by themselves, dubbed by the not too friendly Roman Catholic Irish around them as the "New Jerusalem." They are for the most part hawkers and petty traders, generally prospering beyond their brethren of the same class in London. There are two earnest young Hebrew Christian brethren in Dublin (Mr. A. P. Weinberger and Mr. Philip Cohen), who while studying to prepare themselves for the ministry, are devoting some of their time to the evangelisation of their Jewish bre

thren. I was also greatly encouraged to meet two sisters in the Lord, who seem to have Israel heavily laid on their hearts, to whom it is given, by persevering prayer and patient toil, to exercise not a little influence for good in the homes and hearts of some of the poor Jews in Dublin. May the arms of their hands be made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob!

I found an open ear among some of the Dublin Jews, though there was sufficient of the spirit of opposition and even persecution to convince me that the cross of Christ has not ceased to be an offence among my poor Jewish people.

I also addressed two special meetings for Jews on two consecutive Sunday afternoons, in the Abercorn Hall, which were arranged by Mr. Cohen. The first time only few came, but on the second Sunday a goodly company of Jewish men gathered and listened very attentively while I proclaimed to them the story of Christ, first in English and then in German. What cheered me most in connection with this visit to Dublin was to find

a dear young Jewish brother, Miesel, by name, to whom I was first permitted to preach the gospel six years ago, and also during subsequent visits, now fully believing in our ever blessed Lord Jesus Christ, and consecrating his life to make Christ known to his relations and former Jewish companions. He is also -privileged to suffer persecution for His Name's sake. A Christian lady, an eye-witness of the fact, told me that a little before my last visit, while he was preaching in the open air, close to the Jewish quarter, his own mother, a bigoted old Jewess, came from behind and in the presence of all the people gave him a tremendous blow on the head, which caused him to stagger.

From Dublin I paid a two days' flying visit to Cork, where I also gave a public lecture in the Assembly Hall, which was well attended. In Cork

also the Jewish community has increased considerably the last two or three years, and they almost all live in a quarter by themselves, known as the "Hibernian Buildings." They are almost to a man hawkers and petty traders, the men being absent through the week travelling in the villages and towns around, but they nearly all return before sunset on Fridays, for their Sabbath. I went to their quarter on Saturday morning, taking with me a good supply of tracts and gospels. The large number of small dwellings which constitute the Hiburnian Buildings form an irregular quadrangle, with a large square in the centre, where I found about forty Jewish men, old and young, standing about in larger and smaller groups, conversing with one another. Immediately they saw me, they gathered round me, while I silently lifted up my heart in thanksgiving to God for such an opportunity, and sought His guidance as to what I should say. Several of the younger men seemed inclined to be rude and lawless, but an elderly and respectable Jew, whom I had visited on a former occasion, stepped forward and reproved them saying, "I know him, it is Mr. Baron." After this, I had silence, and there in the open-air, for the space of about an-hour-and-ahalf, I earnestly set before them the claims of Him whom Israel, as a nation, in the hardness of their heart, still reject. I afterwards conversed with a number individually, and had I had time I would have accepted the invitation of some to visit them in their own homes.

NEW BEGINNINGS. BY REV. C. A. SCHÖNBERGER. After a severe illness of more than two years duration, the result of arduous labours and peculiar mental trials, during which, I almost lost hope of recovery, I am now able to render thanks to the Lord, not only

for renewed health, but also that I am enabled to return to my former usefulness in the mission to the Jews.

In October last, my dear friend and brother, Mr. Baron, came to an agreement with me, that we should in future unite our efforts for the salvation of Israel, and commence a new work in dependence upon God, to be entitled, Hebrew Christian Testimony to Israel.” We by no means signify by this, that we preach a different way of salvation, or another gospel to Israel than that believed and taught by all who adhere to the Bible, as the word of God, but that our missionary testimony shall be given by such as are themselves sprung from Irsael, and, as Jews, are believers in Christ. We feel ourselves to have a special, even a unique call, similar to that of the Jewish apostles, to bear scriptural testimony to our still unbelieving brethren. As belonging ourselves to "the remnant, according to the election of grace (Rom. xi., 5), we desire to bear testimony for Jesus, the King of the Jews, to our people, and to impress them with the truth, that in our case the prediction of Isaiah is fulfilled. "The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob unto the mighty God, Isaiah, x., 21. The "peculiar' people, the scattered "everlasting' nation need such witnesses for Christ. The name that we have chosen does not signify a Hebrew Christian Gospel, but a testimony of the Gospel by Hebrews who have received Jesus, who love Him, and have a burning desire to promote His glory among their kinsmen. Before we commenced our work in London, I went abroad to visit my former stations, and to arrange for my permanent residence in London. With a heart full of gratitude to our covenant God, I set out on this tour, believing that the dispensation of suffering and my involuntary retirement from activity, was to prepare me for closer union with God in Christ Jesus, and truer devotion to

my call, that I might henceforth serve Him in the Gospel among my own people, with truer consecration than ever before. As opportunity offered, I singled out Jews as travelling companions, and with them had many profitable and interesting conversations, as I did what I could to impress them that Jesus is the Christ. "A sower went forth to sow." It is ours to sow faithfully, and if there is opportunity for sowing, we may rejoice, and trust that the Word of Life will accomplish that which the Lord pleases, and not return void.

I stayed for nearly three weeks in the beautiful city of Vienna, where for eight years, I was privileged by the Lord to spread the gospel among Jews and Gentiles. I had the great pleasure of meeting once again, some of the converts whom the Lord had given me in that place, and of renewing our love and brotherhood in Christ. They manifested great joy at my unexpected re-appearance among them, the more as they had heard distressing reports of my state of health, and feared that they would see me no more. It was a time of great refreshing, as the kindness of people proved to me, that our work in the Lord, is not in vain, and the seed of love in Christ, ripens earlier or later, to an harvest of love for Christ's sake.

From Vienna I made a trip to Budapest. A flood of memories of bye gone days, some joyous, some sad, swept over me as I again walked its well-known streets. In Budapest I was brought to Christ, and here my first labours for Christ were done. Old Mr. Saphir and his family were here, the first fruits of the Free Church of Scotland mission to the Jews. I, the last, whom that father in Israel, and father in Christ, led to receive Christ before he died. Now so many gone! Almost a whole generation since my conversion. Among them so many loved ones, and of blessed memory. What a mission was that, which was once here! What mis

sionaries, and workers, and converts! Dr. C. Schwartz, Philip Saphir and Dr. Adolph Saphir, Dr. Alfred Edersheim, and other Hebrew Christians, whom I had known, came continually to my mind, and I remembered Zion and what is said of her, This and that man was born in her." I stayed at Budapest only four days, but these were full of interest and usefulness, for there were Jews, and Converts, and Christians to be visited, and our friend and brother, Rabbi Lichtenstein, on whose account I had chiefly gone there.

My interviews with Rabbi Lichtenstein and his dear wife, were of a most affectionate character.

It

I had visited them three or four times previously from Vienna, when they were still in Tapio Szela. My first visit, in company with Brother Baron, has sacred memories. happened at a time when the Rabbi and his wife had to pass through one of their greatest trials, their eldest son, a promising medical doctor, lying in the grip of death, to whom we were made messengers of peace before he died. From that time our intercourse continued uninterrupted till we met again on British soil, a year ago in London. Now I sat in his abode in Budapest, where he had recently removed from Tapio Szela. The Rabbi related to me all his new experiences, speaking of his encouragements and rebuffs in his intercourse with the Jews of Budapest, and of his plans and methods, and I exchanged with him helpful gospel thoughts, and sacred experiences of our Lord's goodness, so trying to encourage and comfort as well as I could this aged master in Israel and confessor of Christ.

Budapest is a great field for evangelistic work among the Jews, who form a considerable and influential section of the inhabitants. I do not know any place in the world where more could be done for Christ among the Jews than here. The harvest is truly great, but the labourers are few!

On my return journey, I visited also Leipzig and Berlin. In the former place I once studied under Professor Delitzsch, of never to be forgotten memory, and now I had useful intercourse with Dr. Dalman, the present Director of the Institutum Judaicum.

-0LONDON.

Our work in London began in the end of November. A little hall in Soho was placed at our disposal, and as Mr. Baron was then absent in Glasgow, initiating the Bonar Memorial Mission to the Jews in that city, I commenced our new effort singlehanded. The beginning of a new mission in a new place and district, is a more or less anxious business. The open Hall, the bills of invitation, the ready missionary, do not ensure a ready audience to hear the message. The streets and houses must be visited, and, one by one by personal dealing induced to come and hear the glad tidings of Salvation. There is no scarcity of Jews in Soho, they are numerous and most of them employed in tailoring. In visiting them I found them not so much fanatic as indifferent, and careless in spiritual matters. Soho being one of the London centres of socialism, not a few of these Jewish tailors are given to infidelity, which is fostered by the subversive teaching of the socialists. I had many difficulties to grapple with, but I remembered that the Lord, for whose glory the work was meant, did not require from any of his servants, but that they should be faithful. I was helped by the noble example and self-denying co-operation of one of the Lord's handmaidens, a lady indeed well known for her sanctified zeal and persevering devotion to the cause of Christ among the Jews. In our visiting, we met again and again with cases where the breadwinner had been thrown out of work with the result of misery and starvation in the family. Now to preach to such people the gospel of grace can