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to be in this position. One of them the other day told me he would ere now have resolved to embrace Christianity, but his present circumstances are such as altogether to prevent him. He is one of those who go away from the Saviour sorrowful, because he has great possessions. This class of Jews are not strangers to the reveries of the German rationalists. In fact, the truth as it is in Jesus not having as yet sufficient hold of them, they are driven and tossed like waves of the sea, every wind of doctrine for a time fills their sails, until they discover that it is not bringing them nearer the haven of truth. In their case the work of God seems especially necessary to make them stedfast and immovable. have distributed among them some copies of the Shorter Catechism, in Italian, 100 of which were kindly sent me from Glasgow, and I am glad to say, that it promises to be a very great help indeed. Even with the more disputatious it is a powerful weapon, for they are very ready, either through perverseness or mistake, to allege that we believe so and so, whereas I point to a statement in the Catechism, and say, "This is what we think on this point, and there is the passage of Scripture by which we prove it; you have, therefore, no right to say that we believe as you think when our written opinions testify to the contrary." They are, for example, always prepossessed with the idea that we worship three Gods, and I refer them to the 6th question to show them what our statement really is. Then is put the question, how can these things be? and they would immediately push me beyond the limit which separates the known from the unknown; but I always tell them that thus it is revealed in their own Scriptures, and that without revelation it would be as hard to believe that the Lord our God is the Lord, as to believe that there are three persons in the Godhead. One of them said the other day, " But if we admit there are three persons in the Godhead, we might as well admit there are ten or a thousand." To which I replied, "Your argument would be just if there were no revelation, but as long as you admit the authority of the Word of God, you must be limited by what it says of the incomprehensible and invisible God, and if he declares that there are three persons in the Godhead, it becomes us to believe that which we cannot otherwise determine." Then we must go over all those passages

which prove the doctrine of the Trinity, which of all others they contest most fiercely, well knowing that it is one of our most difficult points. It is in vain to adduce the authority of the New Testament, for they will not admit it. We must consequently prove to them from the Old that there are three persons and yet one God. Now observe their perversion of mind; almost all the words which go to establish this doctrine are several times used to express some other object than the true God; for example, Elohim signifies magistrates, angels, &c., and wherever our doctrine could be proved, they take refuge in this fact, thus making the few exceptions prove the general sense in which that word is to be understood. We have to take them to each passage, and show them how the sense is discerned, and what qualification of the word shows us that the true God cannot be meant.

I frequently have to tell them that, on their principles, an Atheist might show them that their book, the Old Testament, does not contain the idea of a God, that if Elohim signifies only the mighty ones, or powerful influences (they gave me one day the latter rendering for the word in the 1st of Genesis), then the Atheist might continue this translation throughout the whole Bible, and consequently might say there is no other God than nature. I tell them that if in Daniel ix. and in other passages Messiah means, as they would have us to believe, any anointed one, then they ought no longer to expect a Deliverer so designated. I have lately greatly confused them by adducing the opinions of some of their ancient writers, which nearly correspond with our own, on the subject of the Trinity, and on other points. Some of them one week flatly denied that these were the sentiments of the Zohar, &c., but they returned the next Saturday, endeavouring in various ways to gloss over statements which are so much against them. After all, it appears to me evident that of this class of Jews there is little hope. Paul disputed with such three months, and the effect of his persuasive eloquence was, in the case of some, a hardening of the heart. I fear such still is the fruit of the preaching of Jesus to very many Israelites. There is one pleasant feature, however, in our intercourse, that these disputants are always, and especially out of doors, very respectful to myself, and however fruitless such labour may be, I must continue to main

tain these Saturday meetings with them, not knowing how near the work of God may be. He is to breathe upon the dry bones, and then shall they live. . . . Much more pleasant is my meeting three or four times a-week with some three or four Jews whom I have taught from the mere elements, who did not know a letter when they came to me, and can now read with perfect facility. These read the New Testament without hesitation, and my instructions to them are chiefly | appeals to the heart. They are beginning to be annoyed by the other Jews, but their parents are, I am thankful to say, quite willing that they should attend me. One of the chief elders went to the father of one of these youths a few days ago, and said in a rage, “ Take away, take away your son from that missionary, he is becoming a Protestant." The father said, "My son is of age, he may judge for himself; besides, none of you found the smallest fault with him while he was content to remain as ignorant as a brute, but now that he is beginning to know something and to conduct himself well you attack him; if Mr. Charteris makes my son good, by all means let him." I have been greatly grieved at the death of one who came to me upwards of a year, a professed candidate for baptism: about fifteen months ago he and another wished to go to Malta, to be baptized, in order to avoid persecution here. As they were not well instructed in the truth I advised them to remain in Corfu some time longer, and after reading with me every day until we had finished the whole of the New Testament, and they had given additional evidence of being children of God, when I would either baptize them or recommend them to some other station. To this they agreed, but the one of whom I write became somewhat heady, was seduced, I fear, into sin and into gaieties which did him, for a time, much injury. I expostulated with him, and told him that I could not receive into my house one who came to receive Christian instruction and acted so inconsistently with it. The consequence was that he did not return to me for a long time, nay, he was appointed as a sort of under-teacher in the Rabbi's boys' school, for he was tolerably well educated. I learned from others that he was, however, afterwards in an anxious state, and from hints sent me through his friends, one of them his own brother, I found he wished to return, if I seemed much disposed to

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receive him. I was very anxious to do so, but felt that decision was necessary, and said I should consider his case and let them know. This was about two months ago, and he, without coming to me, left Corfu, with the intention" di fare un giro del mondo," as the Jews say; but he told some of the youths in his confidence, that he would go to the missionaries at Constantinople to be baptized, and expressed his sorrow that he had so acted towards me. The poor fellow, alas ! has not realized his intention if it was sincere. He left with his father's blessing and with a little stock of clothes, &c., to the value of 5l., went aboard ship, burst a blood-vessel through sea-sickness, was put ashore at Syra, and died two days afterwards. His death created a great sensation here. It had been rumoured that he had left in order to be baptized, and the whole of the inveterate Jews, even the Rabbi himself, are pointing the finger of scorn at his father and family, and declaring that this is a judgment from God. The poor father came to me weeping like a child, telling me his son when departing had sent me his love, that he took the Bible I gave him, and all the nice Protestant little books, and that he was resolved to walk, nella strada diritta, in the right way. Then next day came his elder brother also, crying and telling me how their family was annoyed. He said he would not regard it, that he also would come and learn to be a Protestant, for he knew I was in the right. He even went the length of saying that he hoped his brother was a Christian, for a good priest at Syra had compassion on his dead body, and had it buried behind a convent, in a secluded resting-place. told him that if he had hope of his brother being a true believer in the Lord Jesus, he ought not to be so sorrowful, but to go and do likewise, and it would be well with him also. He assured me he would come frequently to speak with me, and as he appears a simple-minded man I expect him. The day will reveal if the Lord has taken one of this family, and I cannot but trace his work in the heart of the father and other members of it. I hope the conversation of the departed son frequently turned on the truths of the Gospel, and that thus the others have been gradually in some measure prepared for the good seed of the word.

I

This is the Feast of Tabernacles, and we

have given three weeks' vacation to the girls' school, as it is impossible for them to come on the feast days. I presented four of those who could read best with a copy of Diodati's Italian Bible to each. Miss Burgoyne and Miss M'Kenzie gave to every one of the girls a little bag, or thimble, or some little article of their own making in school, with which they were greatly pleased. We had above thirty when they were dismissed, and we expect these and more to return. Four of them came to-day and sung the Portuguese hymn before our windows in order to attract our attention, and seemed so pleased when I looked out to them.... You must always bear in mind that I am not a missionary to the Jews only. I came here avowedly to testify to Jew and Greek repentance towards God and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ. I trust that with increasing secular knowledge slowly though it has progressed in the Ionian Isles, the true light is also to shine. There are not wanting intelligent Greeks who approve of the principles of Protestantism, and deplore the degraded and priest-ridden condition of the Eastern Church. My space prevents me from entering upon a description of it, and I must refer you to Dr. Wilson's account of it, which, considering the time allowed him for making his observations, is certainly, as far as I have been able to judge, the justest statement of the condition of the Greek Church I have met with. The utter absence of spirituality, a lifeless formality, Maria-Latria, saint and relic worship, stamp the Greek Church so visibly with the features of Rome, that every observer must declare them to be twin sisters, though the ancient feud between them is little abated in virulence. There have been distributed here a great number of copies of the Patriarch of Constantinople's Encyclical Letter, in which he makes a renewed and fierce onslaught on the Roman apostasy, tracing all the errors of Rome to her denial of the procession of the Holy Spirit from the Father only. The pamphlet is much opposed to a re-union with Rome. A shrewd Greek said to me (after reading it) that it was the renewal of a contest as old as the days of the apostles, viz., who shall be greatest, and pithily added, 'This is all human, not Christian. There is some little promise of a rain to refresh this thirsty soil. A little cloud has arisen no bigger than a man's hand, and

The

your prayers are asked that it may come with the speed of the horseman, and may not descend in vain. I gave to the Rev. James Hamilton a hurried sketch of a movement at Zante among some priests and seminarists; the latter are candidates for the priesthood and have derived their name from the Theological seminary here. They are at a discount among the ignorant and the prejudiced, who prefer to them the most clownish and uneducated men as priests, many of whom I have been assured cannot read a word. young men of the seminaries are of course more enlightened and liberal. A few of the Zantiotes favourable to our views were lately at Corfu. I saw them frequently, and endeavoured to help on the movement by such counsel and instruction in the more perfect way as they seemed to need. One of them has long been a consistent Protestant, and has been, under God, considerably instrumental in advancing the good cause, having taken a leading part in a prayer meeting, at which the word of God was read and expounded. This meeting was opposed by the Bishop, for bishops do not generally favour prayer meetings. Nevertheless the meetings were well attended, and seemed to be blessed to the enlightening and strengthening of a few in the faith. A young man, a seminarist, who seemed more decided than the others, was called up before six other priests appointed by the Bishop to examine him, and on his failing to give them satisfaction as to his adherence to their views of the Greek standards, he was stripped, unlawfully it is thought, of his collegiate gown, was dressed fantastically, and exposed to the ridicule of the mob. Crowds waited in the streets of Zante for his return from the Bishop's to his own house, but it having come on to rain heavily, they were dispersed, so that providentially the youth reached his home in safety, and has since been a sort of pri soner there. He has been visited by a few of the intelligent and more enlightened, who have expressed their sympathy for him, and their abhorrence of the violence shown him. He has remained firm, and avows his intention to do so. Matters have been rather precipitated at Zante by the indiscretion of a monk from Mount Athos, who has been going about asking assistance in money to bring water to a convent there. Having had several conferences with this man, and having sifted

him thoroughly and arrived at the conclusion, along with my friend Mr. Arnold, that he was a compound of both fool and knave, I advised the inquirers with whom he began to fraternize, to have nothing to do with him. To be quit of him they sent him to Zante. While there he went into the church of the patron saint, and on being shown his body, he said it was usual in the Levant to handle the body, because sometimes the priests substituted wood, &c. for bones. Upon this the priest officiating accused him as an unbeliever, a ferment was raised among the people, mad on their idols. The poor monk was seized, shaved, and had the hair of his head cut-the greatest possible indignity to a priest; for you must know that they here glory in long hair, though St. Paul says it is a shame for a man to wear it. The monk was then embarked in an open boat, and sent away by authority of the police from the island. I have reason to hope that the parties who have got up all this excitement will be made to understand that they have gone too far, that they have not observed the line of demarcation between the ecclesiastical and the civil; and the civil authorities, it would appear, have been very remiss in doing their part. The tumult at Zante, and the first trial of our friend's faith there, will, I trust, turn out to the furtherance of the Gospel. Mr. Pelicassi, who has been at Corfu for a few weeks, has returned to Zante, and as soon as he writes I shall send word how matters progress. There is much need of a missionary at Zante, and I intend to write Mr. Hamilton on the subject without delay. Besides this opening among the Greeks, which it would be well to improve, there are about 500 Jews there, and about 500 or 600 soldiers, and of course a few of them are Presbyterians.. There has been a sort of agrarian outrage at Cephalonia, which has called away the 16th Regiment from this station, and a good many of the artillery. I hope it will soon be suppressed. It appears very like the foolish enterprises of your neighbours the Irish, only the Greeks have shown rather more courage. Baron Deverton, the resident, showed great energy, and his guard, consisting of a sergeant and twelve men of the 36th, behaved with great firmness and bravery in opposition to an overwhelming force. His Excellency Lord Seaton has left for Cephalonia. My audience is diminished by the with

drawal of so many troops, a small proportion of whom belong to us. There have been a great many in hospital during the latter part of summer. There are still a few Presbyterians there. Two have died of consumption, both taken away in the morning of their days, one of them brought to a hopeful state during his illness; of the other I cannot speak with so much certainty. He was very anxious to receive instruction and seemed readily to admit the truth, but sank so rapidly and was so prostrated both in body and mind, as to convince me more than ever that we should serve God with our best health, and with the highest vigour of talent.

Our morning Sabbath-school, at present consisting of sixteen, has received a great shock in the death of a fine little boy, son of one who was discharged from the Rifles, a man of piety, and a Baptist. The little fellow was very regular in attendance, seemed to like his lessons, which he generally could repeat well and give intelligent answers about them. He was in the Sabbath-school on Sabbath morning. I noticed he was not quite well, and sent him to the servant to get a drink. He came back refreshed, joined in the lessons, went home, slept a few hours, awoke, saying he was quite well. In the evening he again fell sick and died, as I have said, on Tuesday morning. I did not fail to improve the sad event next Lord's-day, and my little audience were much moved with what I said. Truly childhood and youth are vanity. During the last four months I have been much in the midst of troubles, but what mission-station has been exempted?

To the Secretary of the London
Committee.

Nov. 21, 1848. I have been interested concerning two Jews who have been here about three weeks, and have greatly interested me. They came from Constantinople, and were en route for Rome, recommended by letter to the principal of one of the Colleges there, as Jews anxious to embrace the Christian faith. They did not, of course, reveal their object to the Jews here, by whom they were received kindly, and provided with a lodging till they should leave. This is the usual course pursued in regard to vagabond, or wandering Jews. They have passports from the Consuls of the countries to which they belong. They have recommendatory letters from

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the Rabbies and other friends,-they show these in every place to which they go, and are furnished with a lodging, &c., from a fund for that purpose for a specified time, when, if they do not leave, they must provide for themselves. Obadiah fell into conversation with the two men in question, discovered their secret object, dissuaded them against going to Rome, had long discussions with them, and at last brought them to me. One of them I found to be a simple-minded and, to all appearance, sincere man, of ordinary intelligence, able to read Spanish read Spanish and Italian, and to write a little. He knows the New Testament tolerably well. He has been led almost wholly by the other, who is apparently not so much impressed with the truth, but is much more erudite, knows almost all the arguments on either side, and in discussing disputed points, lays open the intricacies of the Jewish mind and heart in a very interesting manner. The history of his present convictions is this:-He had been employed a good many years ago in writing a refutation of the "Old Paths." was allowed to have a New Testament, in order to consult it, but the more he read to refute, the more did the truth force itself upon his mind. To please his employers he wrote a certain part of the contemplated refutation, when a Jewish Rabbi came from England to Constantinople, on his way to Jerusalem. He told the Jews that it was useless to think of replying to the arguments of that book, the "Old Paths," for they could not convince the Christians, and would only make the book better known to the Jews. The better way was to prevent the book from being read at all: accordingly the reply was stopped. The Jew, however, while he had satisfied those of his own community by what he had written, wrote at the same time in a private note-book his own doubts, and from that time has been gradually more convinced of the truth. He had once or twice seen Mr. A. Thompson at Constantinople, but says he could not do so without great difficulty, both because Mr. T. lived at a distance, and because the Jews were so hostile any who were known to frequent the houses of the Protestant missionaries. Their difficulty was increased by the recent baptism of the Rabbi's son there. It would appear that they could more easily hold intercourse with the Roman Catholics, the Jews not being so jealous

of them as of the Protestants. Accordingly they went to them and were recommended, as I have said, by the priests, who thought it advisable, in order to avoid disturbance, to send them to Rome to be baptized. It is accounted a great disgrace upon the community in which they live, if any Jews are baptized by the missionaries who labour there, and they are not so persecuted on their return, if they have gone elsewhere to be baptized. I find for example that every one of those with whom I have had some success here say it is impossible to be baptized in Corfu, and speak of going to Malta, Constantinople, Jerusalem, &c. I have lately heard of one who left this last summer, and was baptized at Constantinople, by whom I have not been yet able to ascertain. These two men declare that in leaving Constantinople their sole object was to be baptized and to return to their families, if the latter would come to them and live with them, apart from the Jews. They complain, as most doubting and inquiring Jews do, of the obstinacy of their wives. This is, of course, owing to the ignorance in which the Israelitish women are kept, few of the middle class being able to read. After further intercourse with them, I might have baptized them here, but this would have been attended with difficulty, owing to their having been entangled with the Jewish community since they came, like Peter of old, Judaizing, and, to this extent, "not walking uprightly." I quite agreed with them, that it would be much better for them to go to Malta, where there are but few Jews, with recommendatory letters to the minister of the Free Church, and to Dr. Disanctis. To them they are to go directly, and to hold no intercourse with the Jewish community. They will thus avoid the imputation of first living on Jewish bounty, and then becoming renegades. I thus avoid the interruption in my own work, and in our school, which would undoubtedly have taken place had I baptized them. I should, besides, have found it absolutely necessary to have more intercourse with them, and even this would have excited suspicions and tumult. It was only by stealth they could come to me every two days, and generally after nightfall. I consider it enough if they persevere in their present intention to have been the means of arresting them on the road to error, almost, if not altogether, as great as that they