ment to Musselmen, and brought me the money for them. I sold this morning, before I arose from my bed, eighteen Arabic Psalters at ten barras a piece; two Greek New Testaments for one piastre; a Greek New Testament to a poor man for thirty-six barras; also four other Greek New Testaments for two piastres. An Armenian asked for Turkish Bibles, written in Armenian characters. Sold two Syriac New Testaments by Abraham Ben David, for two piastres. The old Greek priest, Jacobus Jerusalemitanus, requested Persian, Greek, and Arabic Bibles and Testaments. Several other Armenian gentlemen called for Bibles and Testa

ments.

It has been fortunate that I gave Arabic Psalters, and Greek and Syriac New Testaments, to Jews to sell, for they sold them to Mussulmen; and those Christians who were jealous, and did not like to see the New Testament in their hands, came to me in the Armenian convent-priests, merchants, peasants, children, poor and rich, so that more than 300 persons came at once to me, and the members of the convent desired me to give all my New Testaments and Psalters to the charge of the dragoman of the patriarch, who carried my cases of Testaments and Psalters in the public street, near the gate of the convent, and in this way I sold 150 Arabic Psalters, and fifty Greek New Testaments, in less than half an hour: besides this, I gave fifty Arabic Psalters, in the presence of Procopius, to a Greek priest, called Petrus Jesus, to give gratis to poor Greeks. I was obliged to go the second time to Procopius, to supply me with 100 Greek Testaments, and the same number of Arabic Psalters, the whole of which the dragoman sold for fifty-two piastres. I got 160 piastres for the whole.

The dragoman of the patriarch brought me the money, and told me, that a Mussulman riding upon an ass, passed the gate of the convent, and seeing the crowd of Christians who bought the books, stopped near the gate, and bought one Psalter, and sitting as he was, read it in the presence of all the people. Two Spanish Jews called on me, and the Lord enabled me to preach to them the great doctrine, that Jesus is the Redeemer of

our souls-the Son of God-God over all-blessed for ever!

Rabbi Joseph Wolf called on me, and said that he would teach me the whole Cabbala, if I were disposed to spend three nights with him in his house. He shewed me the origin of the Cabbala in Exodus iv. 19-21, each one of these three verses containing in the Hebrew, seven characters, which constitute the Shem Hamforash.

April 2.-Procopius gave me a letter of introduction to the superior of the convent of St. Saba, three hours journey beyond Bethlehem; and the patriarch of the Armenian convent gave me letters of introduction to the guardian of the Armenian convent in Bethlehem, and sent Pater Paolo Tiutiungi with me, to whom he consigned the keys to all the rooms of the convent of Bethlehem, that every thing might be shewn me. A peasant of Bethlehem met us on the road, and besought me to give him Arabic Psalters and Gospels: when I told him that my trunks were not arrived from Damietta, he desired me to receive his money, that I might not forget to send him the books as soon as they should arrive at Jerusalem, an offer which I did not accept. The superior of the Armenian convent at Bethlehem received me very kindly, and asked me, with a humility which made me blush, the explanation of several passages of Scrip ture. Several of the laity of the Armenian persuasion were present; every one of them believed, and expressed a determination of reading the Scriptures every day. Pater Paolo Tiutiungi read the xviith chap. of St. John to his countrymen, in an old Venice edition of the Armenian Bible. I then went to the place where the babe was wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger— that babe which by angels was adored. I read Luke ii.

April 4.—Went to the convent of the Greeks, called St. Saba, where I stopped one night, and preached the Gospel in Arabic to the superior of the convent: he made me a present of two Greek Psalters in manuscript, and one in print.

April 5.-Returned to Bethlehem. The guardian made me a present of the Liturgy of the Armenian na

tion. I returned to the Armenian convent at Jerusalem, and waited on the patriarch.

April 6.-Met with rabbi Solomon, the disciple of rabbi Mendel, whom I knew when at Cairo; he embraced me before all the people.

I called on the Caraites, and explained to them Jer. xxxi. 31-34, and read with them Matt. vi. in Hebrew. My mind was very much cast down. Alone in this wide world! exposed to manifold dangers in spirit and in body! Lord Jesus, look down from heaven, and have mercy upon me, and upon thy poor people Israel! The Easter days have arrived, but I cannot conscientiously go to church, and bow down before so much mockery. I have publicly declared among my brethren according to the flesh, that I consider the ceremonies of the Christians at Jerusalem as idolatrous, and I never shall accommodate myself to them.

April 7.—Called on rabbi Solomon Ben Menahem, who received me very kindly, but declined speaking with me about religion. Rabbi Mendel was to-day more than usually confused and ardent in his arguing, but he nevertheless said to me, that knowing that I was once a Jew, he would be more kind to me than before he knew it, and that he will sometimes give me an apple to eat, on which I must ask a blessing. I told him that I may well do this, for the New Testament tells me, whether we eat or drink, we must do all to the glory of God. I then offered to find the New Testament, and besought him to read it, and write down his opinion of it: he did not take it readily, but as he has taken it, and promised to read it, I hope the grace of the Lord will enlighten his prejudiced heart.

April 8.-Pater Paolo Tiutiungi, whom my friends will see in England, spoke with me to-day very seriously about the spiritual concerns of his nation, and told me that the English nation may be a great blessing to the Armenians, if they will establish an English college and a church at Constantinople, and send a missionary thither who preaches the pure Gospel. I ask, who is better qualified for such a mission than Pater Paolo Ti

utiungi, after that in England, by the grace of God, he shall have acquired an enlarged experience of the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ, and the knowledge of the English tongue? Rabbies Solomon, Isaac, and Abraham called to-day on me; I argued with them three hours. I visited a sick Jew, at which he was very much rejoiced.

April 9.-Preached the Gospel to rabbi Abraham more than an hour; he was very attentive indeed, and seemed to be touched very much.

April 10.-Went in the company of Pater Paolo Tiutiungi, and a Catholic, to see the Convents of the Copts, and the habitation of an Abyssinian priest.

April 11.-Called on rabbi Solomon. His wife, Abraham Ben Jeremiah, his son-in-law, and his son rabbi Isaac, desired me vehemently to turn to Judaism, and to burn the New Testament; to let my beard grow, not to eat swine's flesh, and to marry a Jewess.

I. Dear friends, you know that I love the Jews, but I am now alone with you, and no Christian hears us. I declare, even before you, that I believe Jesus of Nazareth is the true Messiah. I may accommodate myself to you in many things: just as St. Paul and Peter did. I am willing to let my beard grow, to wash my hands before I eat, yea, even perform all those prayers of the Jews which are according to Moses and the prophets; but I must always tell you, that I do not believe I shall be justified before God by performing certain prayers, or by washing my hands, but by faith in the Messiah, who is Jesus of Nazareth. We must look upon him, whom we have pierced, and mourn. "Abraham believed in the Lord, and he counted it to him for righte ousness." I believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord and Saviour.

Bathsheba, the wife of Rabbi Solomon. We will give you the books of the rabbies; read in them and you will be persuaded.

I. I shall read them with the greatest interest, and acknowledge every thing as truth which I find agreeing with Moses and the prophets; but Christ Jesus is too

deeply in my heart. No book can take him out of me. Read the New Testament that I will give you, and you will be persuaded that Christ has commanded us to do nothing against the prophets.

Rabbi Solomon and his wife. We are now going to dinner, we beg you to dine with us.

I. With great pleasure.

Rabbi Solomon. Wash your hands before you go to dinner.

I immediately washed my hands.

which we per

Rabbi Solomon. Perform that prayer form as often as we are washing our hands.

I did not remember the contents of that prayer, and desired them first to recite the prayer.

Rabbi Solomon and his wife. We say thus, 'Blessed be thou, O Lord, our God, King of the world, who hast sanctified us with thy commandments, and hast commanded us to wash the hands.

I. 1 cannot recite that prayer, for the Lord has not given us that commandment, it is neither to be found in Moses nor in the prophets.

Rabbi Solomon. Do us the pleasure to perform our prayer when we break the bread.

I remembered the prayer, and immediately said with a loud voice, "Blessed be thou, O Lord, our God, king of the worlds, who hast brought forth the bread from the earth."

After dinner was over, I said to them, Allow me now to tell you the prayer which I often say at home; and I said in Hebrew, Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, &c.'

6

Rabbi Solomon and all the Jews present. Exceedingly fine, exceedingly beautiful!

.

I. And this prayer is to be found in the New Testa

ment.

No answer followed. They reproached me with having transgressed the command of Moses, by not having taken a wife. They cited Gen. i. 29, ii. 18. I replied, that I intended to marry as soon as the Lord gave me a wife who not only loves me, but the Lord above all.