JOSEPH RABINOWITCH.

Of the many religious movements of the past, few have attracted the attention of the Christian world to the same extent as the remarkable "Christ-believing" movement amongst the Jews in Bessarabia; and Joseph Rabinowitch, the honored instrument in the work, has been regarded with much interest.

It is now about three years since attention was first directed to this movement (in a lecture delivered by Rev. J. Wilkinson, of the Mildmay Mission, London, England), and the first detailed account appeared in the London Times, August 20, 1884, in a letter written by Bishop Titcomb, in which he said:

The author of this South Russian Bessarabian movement is a lawyer named Joseph Rabinowitch, a man who is respected far and near by his compatriots, and who has for a long time been endeavoring to ameliorate the condition and to raise the culture of the people. During the time of the persecution in South Russia, in 1882, he was zealously advocating the repopulation of the Holy Land. In order to discover ways and means for this he set out himself for Palestine, and from the time of his return, there commenced a complete revolution of his religious convictions.

These convictions are based upon a belief that the historical Jesus of Bethlehem was, after all, the true Messiah spoken of by Abraham, Moses and David-for the crucifixion of whom the Jews have ever since been wanderers and their land made desolate. This deep impression on the mind of Rabinowitch was not produced by any influence of Christian missionaries, but entirely by the force of circumstances; and it carried along with it a very strong feeling that the only hope for his people's return to their land would be by their acknowledgment of such facts. In this way, without for a moment thinking of joining the Christian Church by baptism, a plan of forming congregations of Jewish nationality, founded upon

the historical and doctrinal works of the New Testament, slowly and gradually ripened in his soul. He returned from Palestine with this watchword, "The key to the Holy Land lies in the hands of our brother Jesus ?" It may be said, indeed, that the centre of gravity in his creed lies hidden in the cry-" Jesus our brother ?" These thrilling words have proved, as a matter of fact, to possess such powers of attraction among his persecuted brethren that they have not only awakened the hearts of all in Kischeneff-his own place of residence-but of many also in other parts of Bessarabia. More than 200 families have now joined in one communion under the title of "The National Jewish New Testament Congregation;" and by some of them the last Passover was celebrated according to a liturgy expressly drawn up by Rabinowitch.

In March, 1885, a number of friends met in conference with Rabinowitch, at Berlin, where decisions were arrived at, designed to consolidate and materially aid the work. Since that time the movement has greatly advanced, and regular correspondence has been maintained between Dr. Saphir, Mr. Wilkinson and Joseph Rabinowitch, whose recent visit to London was undertaken in order to meet face to face with his friends, and enjoy Christian fellowship and sympathy.

He received (as a matter of course) a cordial brotherly welcome, and his addresses were marked by intense earnestness.

At one of his meetings he said:

I am not anxious to attract Jews to what is called the Church in Russia. I am anxious that the Jews should become believers in Christ and still remain in the synagogue. I am anxious to turn every synagogue into a Hebrew Christian Church, and thereby save Christians the expense of building many churches. I want in this respect the prophecy of Zechariah to be fulfilled, which runs thus: "In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses Holiness unto the Lord; and the pots in the Lord's house shall be

like the bowls before the altar. Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holiness unto the Lord of hosts." O, how much would be gained, were each Jewish synagogue to be turned into a Hebrew Christian Church, with the inscription on each Holiness unto the Lord.

The Jews see that they can still be Jews and at the same time believe in Jesus-that just as an Englishman can be a Christian, and a German can be a Christian, and a Frenchman can be a Chris; tian, so the Jew can be a Christian.

Now what we want is to make arrangements for the continuance of the work in Kischineff and throughout Russia, that the seeds sown may not be carried away by the fowls of the air.

Up till now my services have been held in a place rented for the purpose. What I want now is a place of our own, a place of prayer, praise and preaching, that will be a paramount witness for Christ, and that will be the birthplace of Jewish souls. As I do not know how soon the Lord may call me away, I should like to look upon a house free from debt, where the glorious work would go on after my departure. I want, therefore, the Christians of England to help me by their prayers and gifts. I should like them also to assist me to print a harmony of the life of Jesus, which I have written specially for my Jewish brethren.

Truly God's hand is in this movement. Let us praise Him for thus opening the door, and at the same time let all who love "Israel" pray that the faith of our brother may be strengthened, but at the same time let all remember that prayer should be seconded by work, and that in this instance the work should take the form of contributing toward the support of the movement. Contributions may be sent to Rev. John Wilkinson, 79 Mildmay Road London, England.-The Faithful Witness.

TRUTH is often the mean between two extremes, and hence contention against one extreme is sometimes mistaken as a plea for the other extreme, whereas the truth contended for lies between them. -Selected

THE SPIRIT OF MAN.

1. Man has a spirit. We cannot say he is spirit, as we can affirm him to be a soul. "God is spirit" (John iv. 24); so is our glorified Redeemer (1 Cor. xv. 45); and so, it would appear, are we to be when we bear the image of the heavenly, though it certainly does not follow that our Lord is, or that we are to be, without embodiment. True, indeed, "that which is born of the Spirit is spirit," to the degree to which it is so born; but, though saints should even now be spiritual men in the main drift of their moral natures, it must be admitted that, so far as our constitution is concerned, the holiest man is as yet more a psychical (soul-man, than a pneumatical (spirit-man). But, while carefully admitting this, it would surely be going too far in the opposite direction to deny that there is a spirit in every man as a constituent part of himself. Indeed, the contrary can be soundly established; for when Jehovah created man, He formed a spirit with him (Zech. xii. 1), and when by His servant Isaiah (Isa. lvii. 16, He speaks of the noshamoth which He has "made," this word, it should be noted, is synonymous with ruchoth, and is really nothing else than spirits;" though the poverty of our own language at this point holds us back from marching to the step of the Hebrew parallelism. Now, as we could not say in common parlance that God had made or formed "breaths;" and as it would be impious to represent Him as making His own Divine Spirit, it follows that God has put in man, as a part of man, a created, "formed" or "made" spirit. So that, indeed, no man could be a

living man and be wholly destitute of a spirit as well as a soul and body. This being admitted, it will naturally be further allowed that man's spirit is the Divinest element in him. It is something of that which God is, and which God sends forth to create and renew (Ps. civ. 30). No wonder, then, that man's spirit should, when not wholly stifled, speak up for God, and reflect some little of the uncreated light (Prov. xx. 27). No wonder, again, that dying saints should manifest especial concern for the safe-keeping of their "spirits" (Ps. xxxii. 5; Acts vii. 59; cf. Luke xxiii. 46). The spirit is not in the man; but as it is the Divinest, so it is probably the most creative and re-constructive element of man's complex

nature.

2. Man's spirit, though to some extent synonymous with his soul, is nevertheless to be sometimes distinguished from it. It would, no doubt, appear very simple to say that "spirit" is just another name for "soul." But to affirm this would be to go against the evidence. All that can be admitted in this direction is to say, as above, that sometimes the words are interchangeable. This may, no doubt, be freely allowed. Here and there throughout the whole Bible passages may be found in which it is difficult to see what would be the difference practically were "spirit" to be put for "soul," or "soul" for "spirit." But at this point we must resolutely stop. For (1) some things are affirmed of spirit which are never predicated of soul: e. g. (a) "God is Spirit "—we never read that God is soul. In His Divine condescension, using the language of men, He may say "My soul" for "I" or "Myself," and that is all. (6) Spirit