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1877

means of the salvation of the Jews. Through our mercy they are to obtain mercy. The apostle says to us Gentile believers not through God's mercy to you they shall obtain mercy, but through your mercy. By your pity and love--the reflection of divine pity and love-they shall be drawn to Him. It is true He could do all the work Himself. With His own arm He could reap the whole harvest, but in the mystery of His grace and wisdom He will have us as His fellow workers. Shall we decline the honour, insulting Him with false humility? The loving child of a loving father delights to imitate him and share in his work. The little son of a farmer seeing his father sowing wheat in his fields begged to have a small bag of the grain that he too might scatter the precious seed. "But will it grow for ME?" he asked. Like him love will make us sow in our Father's field, while we humbly wonder that we so sinful and so weak should be permitted to do any thing to bring about the great and glorious harvest.

Even if it were not so, if in labouring to win Jews to Christ we met with nothing but discouragement, would it not be a privilege to share in the sorrows of the great Sower, to know the fellowship of His sufferings by like Him stretching out our hands all the day long to a disobedient and a gainsaying people?

For then in the day when He shall rejoice over redeemed and sanctified Israel, we shall indeed enter into the joy of our Lord. Then those who have mourned for Jerusalem shall be glad with her. Would you by doing nothing for the salvation of the Jews deprive yourself of this peculiar blessedness?

Not only then, but now also we shall be grievous losers by taking no part in working for that glorious time for which we profess to hope. The unprofitable servant is even here in a measure he thinks not of punished with outer darkness. In vain he will try to rejoice in hope of the glory of God for which he is not labouring.

Mrs. Wodrow, of Glasgow.

ONE has lately gone to be with Christ who in a rare degree combined praying and working, an assured hope of Israel's redemption, with unweared efforts for their good. Hence she was one of the happiest Christians we ever knew. Solemn views of unseen realities neither chilled her overflowing kindness, nor dulled the sparkling freshness of her cheerfulness even to old age. Mrs. Wodrow, of Glasgow, had a meeting for prayer for the Jews weekly in her house for about forty

18 77.

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years. The atmosphere of her home was one of ceaseless, hopeful prayerful active love to the Jews. Discouragement could not extinguish it nor years weaken it. Why? Because it was not a romantic sentiment which would have evaporated on contact with realities, but a rational faith, founded ont he promises of the living God. Her husband Robert Wodrow was the author of a solid work on unfulfilled prophecy. It was he who stirred up the Church of Scotland to send forth the mission of inquiry into the condition of the Jews in many lands of which McCheyne and Bonar were members. He was the writer of the affectionate and scriptural address which the General Assembly adopted as their letter to the scattered nation. It was translated into several languages, and his widow travelled in many countries of Europe, and as far as Algeria in order to circulate it among the Jews: Even after the infirmities of age seemed to demand repose she continued these long journeys with wonderful courage and self-denial.

In an acquaintance of thirty years we never knew her speak sternly but once, and that was to rebuke a faltering of faith in working for the Jews. Though simple and transparent as a little child, her mind was naturally of a high order. She had a rare gift of narrative, and it was a great pleasure to listen to a story of her travels or a narrative of grace, given in vivid colours and brightened by kindly humour. When we last saw her the fair and active form was sadly shrunken with age and weakness, but her love to the Jews and hope for their salvation burned as brightly as ever, the ruling passion strong in death. How great will be her joy when she sees the prayers of all those years answered? "Whose faith follow."

Judæa for the Jews.

THE following article from the Echo came under our notice after the Jewish Herald for February was in print :—

A rumour, emanating from a source which we have frequently found to be trustworthy, has been bruited abroad to the effect that the Ottoman Government, at its wit's end for ready cash, has conceived the idea of selling Palestine to the highest bidder, and that an Armenian banker is at present in London, empowered by the Porte to offer the refusal of the bargain to the wealthy Hebrews who have chosen the English capital as their not altogether unprofitable place of exile. We venture no opinion as to the truth or probability of the story. One can well imagine the satisfaction with which the Turk would, if it were practicable, rid himself of a profitless strip of territory; and at the same time pocket a few sure millions, and spite his

1877

means of the salvation of the Jews. Through our mercy they are to obtain mercy. The apostle says to us Gentile believers not through God's mercy to you they shall obtain mercy, but through your mercy. By your pity and love--the reflection of divine pity and love—they shall be drawn to Him. It is true He could do all the work Himself. With His own arm He could reap the whole harvest, but in the mystery of His grace and wisdom He will have us as His fellow workers. Shall we decline the honour, insulting Him with false humility? The loving child of a loving father delights to imitate him and share in his work. The little son of a farmer seeing his father sowing wheat in his fields begged to have a small bag of the grain that he too might scatter the precious seed. "But will it grow for ME?" he asked. Like him love will make us sow in our Father's field, while we humbly wonder that we so sinful and so weak should be permitted to do any thing to bring about the great and glorious harvest.

Even if it were not so, if in labouring to win Jews to Christ we met with nothing but discouragement, would it not be a privilege to share in the sorrows of the great Sower, to know the fellowship of His sufferings by like Him stretching out our hands all the day long to a disobedient and a gainsaying people?

For then in the day when He shall rejoice over redeemed and sanctified Israel, we shall indeed enter into the joy of our Lord. Then those who have mourned for Jerusalem shall be glad with her. Would you by doing nothing for the salvation of the Jews deprive yourself of this peculiar blessedness?

Not only then, but now also we shall be grievous losers by taking no part in working for that glorious time for which we profess to hope. The unprofitable servant is even here in a measure he thinks not of punished with outer darkness. In vain he will try to rejoice in hope of the glory of God for which he is not labouring.

Mrs. Wodrow, of Glasgow.

ONE has lately gone to be with Christ who in a rare degree combined praying and working, an assured hope of Israel's redemption, with unweared efforts for their good. Hence she was one of the happiest Christians we ever knew. Solemn views of unseen realities neither chilled her overflowing kindness, nor dulled the sparkling freshness of her cheerfulness even to old age. Mrs. Wodrow, of Glasgow, had a meeting for prayer for the Jews weekly in her house for about forty

Mar. 1. 18 77.

years. The atmosphere of her home was one of ceaseless, hopeful prayerful active love to the Jews. Discouragement could not extinguish it nor years weaken it. Why? Because it was not a romantic sentiment which would have evaporated on contact with realities, but a rational faith, founded ont he promises of the living God. Her husband Robert Wodrow was the author of a solid work on unfulfilled prophecy. It was he who stirred up the Church of Scotland to send forth the mission of inquiry into the condition of the Jews in many lands of which McCheyne and Bonar were members. He was the writer of the affectionate and scriptural address which the General Assembly adopted as their letter to the scattered nation. It was translated into several languages, and his widow travelled in many countries of Europe, and as far as Algeria in order to circulate it among the Jews: Even after the infirmities of age seemed to demand repose she continued these long journeys with wonderful courage and self-denial.

In an acquaintance of thirty years we never knew her speak sternly but once, and that was to rebuke a faltering of faith in working for the Jews. Though simple and transparent as a little child, her mind was naturally of a high order. She had a rare gift of narrative, and it was a great pleasure to listen to a story of her travels or a narrative of grace, given in vivid colours and brightened by kindly humour. When we last saw her the fair and active form was sadly shrunken with age and weakness, but her love to the Jews and hope for their salvation burned as brightly as ever, the ruling passion strong in death. How great will be her joy when she sees the prayers of all those years answered?" Whose faith follow."

Judæa for the Jews.

THE following article from the Echo came under our notice after the Jewish Herald for February was in print :

A rumour, emanating from a source which we have frequently found to be trustworthy, has been bruited abroad to the effect that the Ottoman Government, at its wit's end for ready cash, has conceived the idea of selling Palestine to the highest bidder, and that an Armenian banker is at present in London, empowered by the Porte to offer the refusal of the bargain to the wealthy Hebrews who have chosen the English capital as their not altogether unprofitable place of exile. We venture no opinion as to the truth or probability of the story. One can well imagine the satisfaction with which the Turk would, if it were practicable, rid himself of a profitless strip of territory; and at the same time pocket a few sure millions, and spite his

enemies, the Christian Powers, by handing over to their original possessors the Holy Places, which have more than once furnished the Latins and the Greeks with occasion of offence against the Children of Islam. That the project, if it has been really conceived, is likely to be easily carried into execution, we very much doubt, but that one of the results of the present entanglement of the Eastern Question may be the restoration of the Jews to their own country is by no means so difficult to believe. We live in an age when the impossibility of yesterday is the accomplished fact of to-day. Fifty years ago, and few but dreamers and conspirators dared to hope for the independence of Greece and Italy; and not only this, but the efforts that were heroically made by the patriots of either country on behalf of freedom, and which, humanly speaking, were those which should have earned success, most signally failed. The ultimate achievement of the longed-for liberation, in each instance, was the fruit of unexpected occurrences and unlooked-for complications. The defeat and death of the unfortunate Charles Albert seemed to most contemporary observers the last blow to the hopes of those who had dared to dream of the unity of the Italian Peninsula ; and the terrible massacre by which the Mussulman-ruthless and regardless of human life then as now-strove to drown in one ocean of blood the seeds of Hellenic liberty appeared but too effectually to have stifled every hope. Now that two of the old-world centres of civilisation have won their places in the comity of nations, he would be a bold man who should maintain the impossibility of the renewal of the birthright of the Chosen People. The modern Jew, at any rate, would prove no worse a representative of his forefathers than the modern Greek. What, indeed, he would be and do is an interesting theme for speculation. Let us imagine for a moment the Turk driven to his ancient home, Greece enlarged to her old borders, Egypt independent in name as well as in reality, and the Sclavonic peoples united into one strong and vigorous commonwealth, and why should not the Jew claim his own? His race and nationality is surely as distinct and separate as any other of the populations subject to the Ottoman yoke, his history far more authentic and clearly defined, his right immeasurably surer beyond dispute. Suppose, by the common consent of guaranteeing Powers, Palestine once again became the land of Israel, and the spoil won from the Gentiles, in spite of centuries of oppression, having been expended in the purchase of the fee simple of the land from its immediate possessors, a last great Exodus of the Israelites took place "out of the north country and whithersoever I have driven them," and the Children of Jacob once more possessed their own land, what might we look for? We know the old history and character of the favoured race. A nation given to agriculture and peaceful pursuits, they were shut out by stringent laws against political and commercial intercourse with neighbouring nations. True, such considerations were disregarded by some of their most renowned monarchs, though seldom with other than disastrous results. But it would be far otherwise, we fancy, in the imaginary future we are dreaming about. The lessons learned in the long years of adversity could hardly be forgotten; as of old, in the Law

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