Jewish writings, and possessed of considerable powers of mind, was, by the grace of God, enabled "to count all things but loss, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord."

Abraham Jacob Schwartzenberg was born about the year 1764. He was brought up as a Rabbi, and well instructed in the "traditions of the fathers." He lived amongst the Jews in all honour, but ignorant of the blessed truths which accompany salvation.

His return from the new religion of the Rabbies to the old faith of Moses and the Prophets, was owing to a New Testament in the Jewish * language, which he received from the Rev. F. W. Becker, in 1825. His calm and thoughtful mind had been dissatisfied with the superstition of modern Judaism, and his heart revolted from the intolerance of the Rabbies, when he heard that at Lublin, a place thirty miles from Casimir, his native town, an English missionary was proclaiming the Gospel, and distributing books relating to the redemption of Israel. He went over to Lublin, and, unobserved amidst the crowd, listened to the disputations between the missionary and the Jews, and at last earnestly begged for a New Testament.

After he had obtained this blessed book, he went home, and, for the space of three years, during which no more was heard of him, he was diligently engaged in searching the Scriptures.

His was no hasty decision-no sudden determination of an uninstructed mind, given to change, this period was employed in the study of

*Judeo-Polish-a mixture of Polish and Hebrewspoken amongst themselves, by the Jews in Poland.

the Gospels and Epistles, and in consultation with the learned men of his own nation, to whom he made known his doubts concerning Judaism, and his rising convictions of the truth of the Gospel. The disciples of the Talmud, however, do not know how to appreciate an inquiry after truth. Their only idea is, that men ought to remain, as if devoid of reason, in the religion in which they were born, whether it be right or wrong. Rabbi Abraham inet, therefore, at their hands, only contempt, reproach, and persecution, and was, at last, thrust out of the synagogue. But this treatment did not stop his inquiry. He persevered, and, in his difficulties, applied to some Roman Catholics for information; but, being dissatisfied with their explanations of the image-worship which he saw around him, and which they called Christianity, he determined to go to Warsaw, and find out Mr. Becker, the missionary, from whom he had received the New Testament.

Thither he accordingly proceeded, and received instruction in the saving truths of the Gospel, and was at length satisfied as to the course which he ought to pursue. He returned to his native place for a few months; but, becoming anxious lest he should die without baptism, he went back to Warsaw in the autumn of the same year, that he might be received into the Christian Church, The account of his baptism is thus given by the Rev. Dr. M'Caul, who was then stationed at Warsaw, as missionary to the Jews:-" Sunday, Nov. 9, 1828, was the day fixed for the baptism of old Rabbi Abraham, In the morning, when I asked him how he was, he answered, with tears in his eyes, 'To-day, is

the day of atonement for me." He fasted all day, and spent most of the time in prayer. Before going to church, he seemed much affected, and wept. On the road, several Jews met us; when they saw him, they turned back and went down to the church. I invited them to come in, but an old man gave me a scornful reply. However, scarcely was I in the church, when they all came in, and sat down before me. The congregation was large, and at least one-third of it was composed of Jews, Polish and German. He was in his Jewish dress, as he himself wished. The Jews crowded about the font, and all the congregation stood up. Rev. G. Wendt preached from Genesis xii. 1-4, and I baptized him. He received, in addition to his former name of Abraham, that of Jacob, which he chose from Micah vii. 20, saying, 'Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.'"

He expressed a wish to retain his beard and Jewish costume, to prove to his brethren that no worldly motive had induced him to renounce the religion of the Rabbies. "The Jews often think," he said, "that persons are baptized in order to escape reproach, or to live in the Christian quarters of the city, or to walk in the Saxon garden (from which Polish Jews were then shut out), but I will shew them that none of these things move me: I am a Jew still-formerly I was an unbelieving Jew, but now I am a believing Jew and, whatever inconvenience or reproach may result, I wish to bear it with my brethren."

He lived fourteen years after his baptism,

during which time he fully shewed the sincerity and power of his faith. His son suffered on account of his father's embracing Christianity, and the aged disciple therefore gave up all his property to him, trusting himself to the good providence of God, and his blessing on the labour of his hands.

He was a man of strong common sense; and his humility, zeal, piety, kindness, and gratitude, made him dear to all who knew him. He was a man of prayer, and fond of reading the word of God. Before he was baptized, or had ever received any instruction from the missionaries, he had made himself thoroughly acquainted with the contents of the New Testament, and was so well acquainted with the argument of the Epistle to the Romans, and generally with St. Paul's Epistles, as to astonish those who examined him, when he applied for baptism.

He was deeply interested in the conversion of his brethren, and, although he was often pelted with stones and mud, he continued to visit the Jewish quarters of the city, and proclaim Christ crucified. He died in peace, on the 30th of June, 1842. He was sustained in his last illness by the promises and by the grace of the Lord Jesus. A friend, who watched with him in his last illness, when his life was drawing rapidly to its close, asked him concerning the stability of his faith in that trying hour. The aged pilgrim exultingly exclaimed, in reply, "If every drop of blood in my body could find a voice, there is not one which would not cry out, I believe in Jesus Christ the Son of God, and Saviour of the world."" These were almost the last words which he uttered, and his redeemed spirit entered into

after, when their King shall come again upon the earth. But what hope have they now? The poor Jew believing in the absurdities of his Talmud, his Targum, and his Mishna, what hope is there for him? What hope can there be, save in the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Let us, then, redouble our exertions, and prepare missionaries to go amongst the Jews, and qualify them to enter into discussion with them, on the doctrines of their oral law. Let us train up missionaries and send them forth into all countries where there are Jews, to argue with them, and prove to them from their own Scriptures, and their own prophets, that Jesus is the Christ. Let them shew to the Jews that it was indispensable for the fulfilment of their own prophecies, for Jesus to suffer and rise again."

With reference to the conversion of the Jews, the Rev. J. HALDANE STEWART said:

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'Surely there are many causes which should produce joyful thanksgiving to the Giver of all good. One reason why we should rejoice, is that which was so eloquently stated by my dear friend and brother who has preceded me-that we cannot look upon an unconverted Jew without feelings of sorrow and mournful regret, or without something at the least of the mind of our blessed Saviour, when he drew nigh to Jerusalem, and wept over it, and said, 'If thou hadst known at least in this thy day the things that belong to thy peace; but now they are hid from thine eyes.' Oh, who could see one of the descendants of that people, through whose ancestors we have received all our spiritual blessings, denying that Saviour through whom alone salvation comes either to Jew or to Gentile, without being