He went at the hour ap This satisfactory, the parents will even invite the teacher to give them some fuller explanations. Au interesting instance occurred lately. A girl of eight or nine years of age used to talk much at home of the Messiah, citing passages of Scripture relating to Him; but not being able to explain the proofs she brought forward, the curiosity of her parents and some other relatives became excited. They therefore invited the teacher to come at a set time and communicate further with them. pointed, and found a numerous assembly waiting for him. After some preliminary conversation, he read to them the 53rd chapter of Isaiah. portion of Scripture appeared to make a deep impression on the mother of the little girl, for when the teacher ceased reading, she turned to her husband and said, "Who is the man of whom it is said here that He should suffer for other men's sin?" Her husband at first did not reply to her question, but being urged for an answer, he merely said, "A prophet, a great man." "But," she added, "what prophet? Surely He must be more than other prophets, since through His suffering we may obtain forgiveness of sin !" While he still tried to evade giving a direct answer, the little one exclaimed, Mother, I will tell you, the Prophet is the Messiah." Her mother replied, "Why have I 66 never heard before that Messiah is to atone for our sin through suffering?" and then turning to the teacher, she begged him to repeat his visit, that she might get some further instruction. He feared at first his school might suffer from this meeting, but such has not been the case, and he continues to visit the family. In another case, the father of one of the pupils persisted in reading the Society's tracts, in spite of the remonstrances of his wife, who warned him of their dangerous tendency. While they were arguing, the father in favour of Christianity, the mother against it, their child, a young boy attending the school, heard them a long time silently, and then expressed his belief that Christianity must be the true religion and not Judaism. The father was quite in fear that after such an avowal the mother would insist on removing him from school, but to his great surprise, one day when he returned home he found her reading one of the dangerous tracts! It is not known what the effect of this change will be, but she has never since said one word to her husband about his religion, or attempted to hinder her child from attending the school. The usual examinations, by the Rev. J. H. Graf, have taken place, and have proved highly satisfactory. Some of the schools have also been examined by the Rev. W. Ayerst. The schools at Exin and Gnesen, about which there was so much anxiety last year, are now prospering far beyond the most sanguine expectations, and this calls for especial thankfulness, inasmuch as at the close of our last Report there was only a very faint hope of their being re-established. The school recently commenced at Adelnau is also going on most favourably. In conclusion, we may state that the distribution of clothes and other presents to the poor children in the schools during the past year, (for which they have to thank the Christian charity of some English ladies,) has been attended with very beneficial results to the missionary cause in general, and the schools in particular. If it could be repeated annually on a still larger scale it would be a very great benefit. THE LION. THERE was a time when this noble, though dangerous animal, was amongst those that lived in Palestine. Of this there cannot be any doubt, for the account contained in 1 Kings xiii., shows that this was so. We read in that passage, that God caused the prophet whom He had sent to declare His judgments against the altar at Bethel, to be slain by a lion. We may also remember how Samson slew a lion, when on his way to the country of the Philistines, in the body of which he afterwards found some honey, which had been put there by a swarm of bees. (Judges xiv.) Then there is the interesting account given by David, of the way in which he fought with the lion and the bear, which came and carried off a lamb from his father's flock, and how he smote and slew them both. (1 Sam. xvii.) We do not know that at the present time there are any lions in Palestine, although there are leopards, and it is believed tigers also. The former are often slain in the mountains of Carmel. In the Scriptures the similitude of the lion is often used. This we find in the Book of Revelation. In our next number we shall give some questions in reference to the lion. CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THE JEWS. THE next evening the children were as usual seated with their mother at their several occupations, when Annie said, "Mamma, after what you have told us of the way in which people who call themselves Christians have illtreated the Jews, we cannot wonder if they learnt to hate Christians." 66 We certainly cannot be surprised at it, my dear child. It is the religion of the Lord Jesus alone, that tells us to do good to our enemies, and to love those who persecute us? A Jew who knows nothing of Jesus, and has never learnt to love Him, can hardly be expected to have such feelings. But when they see this evil spirit in the disciples of Jesus, what must they think? Perhaps nothing has done more harm |