in consequence of the active measures adopted in Sweden, these wants have already been in some measure relieved; and that every disposition prevails in that country to supply them effectually.

1

The Committee of the Swedish Bible Society are using every exertion in printing the Scriptures; four presses are constantly employed by it, and preparations have been made for an edition of 15,000 copies of the Bible, and for one of nearly as many Tes

taments.

The Societies of Gothenburg, Westeras, and Gothland, which have now become Auxiliaries to the National Bible Society at Stockholm, are all active within their respective circles. At the first of these places, a Branch Society, composed of the Scholars of a Free School in Gothenburg, has been formed, at their own request, and is supported by a small weekly contribution.

Your Committee have only to add, on the subject of Sweden, that the Bible Society there has not only the Patronage of his Majesty the King, but that the Crown Prince has been a most liberal contributor to it, as well as to the Evangelical Society at Stockholm, and has promised a considerable pecuniary donation towards the establishment of a Bible Society in Norway.

(To be continued.)

RUSSIAN BIBLE ASSOCIATION.

The following extract of a letter from an active agent of this Society, in Russia, is calculated not only to excite our gratitude to God, for the increasing prosperity of the Bible cause; but also to animate our hopes and encourage our expectations, that the flame of love which first ascended from the enlivened hearts of Britons will extend itself farther and wider, till the whole earth shall be warmed and cheered with the brighter rays of the Sun of righteousness, to the knowledge of whom, under the Holy Spirit's influence, the Scriptures of truth form the legitimate channel. Alexander's visit to this country will long be remembered by young and old among us; and we trust that the disposition of his mind with respect to the circulation of the Scriptures received, in that visit, such a bias, as will cause the hearts of millions in his extensive dominions to bless God for guiding his feet to these highly-favoured shores. It is well worth our notice, that, at the very time when the Report of the First Annual Meeting of the Bible Association alluded to in the following extract was reading, an ukase was preparing for publication, wherein the peasants of that very district are declared free. O may this proclamation of bodily emancipation be the forerunner of a much more important deliverance, from the slavery of sin and Satan to the service of Christ, which is perfect freedom!

"In my last letter to my dear friend Mr. Steinkopff, I gave some account of what we were enabled to do for the cause of the Bible Society in D. I mentioned the zeal of the vice-president,

the worthy dean of the district. I intended giving you some account of the Bible Association which he has established among the peasants in his parish. It differs very much from what you understand by a Bible Association in England; but is admirably calculated for the state of the people in this country. It is more a branch society; every person paying a yearly subscription is a member of it. Some pay ten, others fifty copecks annually; and some a ruble, and even more. Mr. Forster, one of the elders of the Moravian Brethren, is president; his assistant, Mr. Schmidt, is treasurer; the worthy and reverend dean, who is president o the mother society, is the first secretary; a young peasant is the second secretary, keeps the accounts, writes the addresses, &c. which he does in a manner that would do honour to any of us who are more experienced in these matters. Six peasants are the directors. These constitute the committee. The Society consists of between three and four hundred peasants. The committee mee regularly for business in the house of the worthy pastor. At first they were a little shy, never being accustomed to enjoy the privilege of sitting in the company of persons so much their superiors; and far less to sit at the same table, to consult about matters of so much importance. Now they feel themselves quite at their ease; they feel that they also have a part to act in the scale of human beings; and the dean assured us, with tears in his eyes, that he has seldom heard so much good sense, or remarks so judicious, as those uttered by these good peasants in the meetings of the committee. Every thing is conducted with the greatest regularity. This summer they held their first annual meeting. The whole Society assembled at the parsonage, and at the appointed hour marched in solemn procession, two and two, with their committee at their head, to the church. The meeting was opened with a song of praise; their pastor engaged with them in prayer; the Report was then read, and the treasurer gave an account of their income and expenditure during the past year. An extract from the Report of the Dorpat Society was now read to them, and afterwards a short account was given of what was done and doing by the Russian Bible Society, by the British and Foreign Bible Society, and of the progress of the work throughout the whole world. The meeting then concluded in a religious manner, in which several clergymen who attended for the purpose took part. The effect produced was astonishing. The poor peasants seemed now, for the first time, to feel that they also were men, and, as such, had a part to act. They felt themselves to be fellow-workers with all who are good and great in the best of causes. Their ideas were expanded, and they retired with reluctance from the scene, to them new, but most interesting The result was as might be expected; immediately after the meeting a number became subscribers who had not subscribed before. Nor was this all: the account of this new thing spread around, and the peasants in some

of the neighbouring parishes have come forward and requested that their pastors should also establish such a Bible Society among them.

"We, with the committee in Dorpat, made arrangements for having them established in all the parishes of the district, which we hope will soon be done."

The writer then proceeds to describe the active and almost unexampled exertions of this worthy dean, not only in promoting the Bible cause by establishing associations, but also in the education of children, and by teaching them several branches of industry, and, among others, book-binding, This he has made to turn out to the advantage of the Bible cause; his own scholars have bound more than three thousand copies of the New Testament for the committee in Dorpat, and he has engaged to bind a thousand for the society in Riga. In short, the whole letter is one of the most interesting documents that has reached these shores from that once dark dungeon of slavery, but now rising into the scale of enlightened and free countries, under the benign and liberal sway of an Alexander, who, we trust, will yet do greater things than these, and, before he leaves this world, will from men deserve the title of ALEXANDER THE LIBERATOR AND THE CHRISTIAN!

Eighth Report of the Jews' Society, (of London.)
(Continued from page 157.)

PUBLICATIONS.

During the past year, the work of the Rev. Mr. Scott, in answer to Rabbi Crooll, the intended, publication of which was announced in the last Report, has come forth. It is distinguished by all that extent of scriptural knowledge, Christian temper, and sound argument, which might have been anticipated by those who were acquainted with Mr. Scott's former writings; and which render it worthy as well of its venerable author, as of the Sacred Cause which it defends. Your Committee recommend this work to the Members of the Society generally; both as exhibiting, at one view, the chief points of controversy between Jews and Christians, and as containing evidence of the present religious state of that people. Your Committee hail, with the most unfeigned satisfaction, the revival of religious discussion with the Jews, which, with the exception of the work of Levi in defence of Judaism, and the able Answer which it received in the Remarks upon it by an inquirer, may be said to have slept since the days of Bishop Kidder. Being thus revived, it is the earnest wish of your Committee that it may not be suffered again to sleep, until, as they trust at no distant period, it shall be consigned to everlasting rest by the conversion of the whole House of Israel to the faith of their own Messiah.

It has been judged necessary by your Committee to enlarge the plan of the Monthly Publication of the Society: from the 1st of January, a New Series has been commenced, under the title of

"Jewish Expositor, and Friend of Israel." Of the execution of this work, it does not become your Committee to say much they hope it will be made beneficial to the Jews, in drawing their attention to the great truths of the Christian Faith; and useful to the cause of the Society amongst Christians, by diffusing information respecting the state of the Ancient People of God. Your Committee cannot but feel, however, that it is of the greatest impor tance that their Literary Friends, throughout the kingdom, should be sensible of the duty which is imposed upon them, of helping the Editors to render the work as acceptable as possible both to Jews ews and Christians. The numerous and arduous avocations of the Editors render this more peculiarly necessary; as they are quite unable to devote so much of their own time to the work, as would be requisite to their conducting it without such assistance. The circulation of the Expositor has considerably exceeded that of the former work.

A Selection of Psalms and Hymns has been printed for the use of the Episcopal Jews' Chapel.

EPISCOPAL JEWS' CHAPEL.

The Jewish Converts and Children, under the patronage of the Society, have attended this place of worship; where besides the Two Sermons preached on the Sabbath, there has also been a New Lecture, of a practical nature, instituted on the Wednesday Evening. We cannot say that many of the Unconverted Jews have constantly resorted there, although occasionally some have attended it. The Chapel has been found very acceptable to the Christian Community in that populous neighbourhood, and has consequently (exclusive of the rent of the ground on which it stands) defrayed its own expenses. Many Christians have been induced, by their attendance there, to feel a lively interest in the Salvation of Israel. The Jewish Children have been publicly catechised at the Chapel on each Sabbath during Lent, in the Catechism of the Established Church, with the Explanation published by the Rev. Basil Woodd; and have given great satisfaction, by the correctness of their answers. The Committee have lately passed a Resolution, which they hope to carry into effect without delay; viz. that a Series of Argumentative Lectures, exclusively addressed to the Jews, demonstrating that Jesus of Nazareth is the true Messiah, shall be preached at this Chapel, on the First Wednesday in each month, by such Clergymen of the Established Church as may be willing to render their services in this important work.

Lectures to Christians on subjects relative to the Jews are preached, by various Clergymen, at Bentinck Chapel, on the Third Thursday, and at St. Swithin's London-Stone, on the Second Tuesday, in each month. A monthly Lecture has also been preached at the Ely Chapel, and is still continued.

JEWS BAPTIZED.

Since the last Report, only one adult Jew, and four children,

have been baptized in the Society's Episcopal Chapel. It grieves your Committee to be obliged to add, that the adult has, since his baptism, in various respects manifested himself to have been unworthy of participating of that ordinance. However painful circumstances of this nature may be, the history of the Church, even in her purest age, teaches us to anticipate their occurrence. While they should lead us to use great caution and circumspection, they ought neither to excite surprise, nor to damp our zeal. The person here alluded to, having manifested those appearances of seriousness which seem to indicate the commencement of the work of Spiritual Regeneration, and having continued to express an earnest desire for baptism, from which he had, for a considerable time, been held back, it was judged improper any longer to deny him the ordinance. In this instance, therefore, it is manifest that no undue precipitation was used, in administering the initiatory rite of the Christian Church.

While what is mentioned above should call forth sensations of sorrow, your Committee are happy to have it in their power to give some information of a more exhilarating nature. It was men

tioned in the last Report, that besides the three youths under the immediate charge of the Society, there were several adult Jews in this country who were receiving instruction with a view to the exercise of the Christian Ministry to their Brethren. Your Committee have now the satisfaction to state, for your information, that a friend of the Institution, who is aware that, at present, its funds are not adequate to that purpose, has taken under his charge some respectable young men of the Jewish Nation, who have expressed a desire to be instructed in the principles of the Christian Faith, as Probationers. They are from various parts of Europe; and such of them as have already or may hereafter manifest decided tokens of piety, and competent talents, it is designed to educate as Missionaries. A door not being at present opened for Mr. Frey's ordination in the Established Church, it has been judged expedient by your Committee to give him a destination which connects him with this establishment. He has, therefore, been stationed in the immediate vicinity of the young men above mentioned; and the three youths educating by the society have been removed from the former situation, and placed under his charge, where they have the advantage of all the means of grace provided for their brethren. Another young man, who was baptized some years ago, under the patronage of the Society, and has since been employed in the PrintingOffice, having expressed a desire to become a Missionary, has alse been put under the tuition of Mr. Frey, at the expense of a benevolent individual, to whose acquaintance he was introduced in a providential manner. Six of the Probationers, who are receiving instruction as above mentioned, have been admitted to Christian baptism since the last Anniversary; and your Committee have the satisfaction to inform you, that there are among them promising indications of decided piety, and also of competent talents for the vocation of Missionaries.