The hand of Jehovah was upon the prophet, and carried him out in the Spirit of Jehovah, and set him down in the midst of the valley, which was full of bones. There were very many in the open valley, and they were very dry; and whilst the astonished prophet looks upon them, God asks him, "Can these bones live? He does not reply in the language of positive unbelief, they cannot live, but appeals to the knowledge of the Most High: "Oh Lord God, THOU knowest!" Two things are then commanded. The prophet must first declare to them God's purpose of mercy, and then pray that the Spirit of God may come and give life; and the result of this is, they stand up an exceeding great army. Now in this vision, God has set before us the present condition of the Jewish nation, our duty, and His own gracious purposes towards them. First, let us learn something respecting the present state of the Jewish nation.

I. The valley is full of bones. These are scattered over its whole surface; both its sides are covered with these withered and disjointed fragments of the human frame. Perhaps the valley may represent some great battle-field. Mighty armies had come thither in all the pomp and glory of war; they had met in fierce conflict; thousands had fallen on either side; there was no man to bury them; the beasts and birds of prey had devoured their flesh, and these dry bones are all that remain. A long time has passed over them— they are very dry. Now, does not this give you a sad and true picture of Israel? They are scattered over the wide world. They are to be found everywhere in fragments, nowhere as a living national body. In England there are about 25,000 or 30,000 of them; in France about

60,000; in Austria 675,000; in Poland, called their northern hive, I think I have read there are two millions; in Russia a great many thousands; in Prussia they are also very numerous; in Turkey, both European and Asiatic, there are vast numbers; in Palestine about 15,000; all along the northern coast of Africa many hundreds of thousands; in the United States, 90,000; in Australia they are numerous; in China, in India, in Persia, in all lands are they to be found; so many portions of a vast body, dissevered one from another, yet not lost, and retaining in their dispersion proofs of their origin, and of their belonging to a separate and distinguished people.

Then, think how long they have been thus. The sun of persecution has scorched them; the storms of the people's fury have poured down upon them; oppression, robbery, imprisonment, banishment, torture, death-during a great part of eighteen hundred years-have been their common lot; yes, all that long time have they been on the sides of the valley, and still remain. The first part of the prophet's vision lasts; they are very many in the open valley, and very dry.

Now, when we apply this representation to a people, it points out these two things: first, that they are nationally dead; and, secondly, that they are also spiritually dead.

On the first of these points we shall not now enlarge; but only state that by the words nationally dead, we mean without a home, without a government, without the power to act as a nation. They exist as a people-a distinct portion of the human family-every-where; as a nation, no-where. The bones of the body are scattered up and down.

But on the second point, it is of great importance that we should dwell more fully. They are spiritually dead.

1. They cannot obey the law which God gave to their fathers. They have no temple, no priest, no sacrifice. The office of a priest, as the offerer of a sacrifice, is unknown. Their rabbies are not even of the family of Aaron; so that, although they read the law and learn the law, they cannot observe it. The modern Jews reject the truth, that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin; or, they would put something else in its place. Thus we see, that if there were no Gospel, the Jews must be regarded as without the religion which God instituted for their fathers, and which they hold themselves bound still to obey; that is, without the true religion, as a people, spiritually dead.

2. We must, farther, remember this sad truth, that they are not only without the religion of Moses; they are enemies of the Gospel of Christ. I do not now speak of the causes of that enmity; but of the fact. They are rejecting the only name under heaven, given amongst men, whereby we must be saved. They have the law; but they know not Him to whom it was intended to be a schoolmaster. The vail is upon their heart when Moses is read, so that they cannot look to the end of it, nor understand how its priesthood and its sacrifices pointed to the Lord Jesus.

The consequences of this are dreadful. Generation after generation passes away in unbelief. The little children, even, are taught to despise the very name of Jesus, the Holy Spirit is rejected by rejecting Him through whom His blessed in

fluences are given; that quickening spirit whose office it is to call men from darkness to light, from life to death. O sad state of the beloved people. Sad if only regarded as a fallen nation, once powerful; once dwelling under the shadow of the Almighty, and realizing the blessings of security and peace. But what is the death of the nation in comparison with this spiritual death! Exile and oppression may be borne. Death may

come as the reliever from these temporal evils; but for the spiritually dead, there is no Comforter, for them no true solace; because they know not the LORD OF LIFE, "In whom, whosoever believeth, though he were dead yet shall he live, and in whom, whosoever liveth and believeth shall never die!"

(To be concluded in the next number.)

MISSIONARY INFORMATION.

BUCHAREST.

THE REV. S. Mayers gives the following pleasing account of a Jewish school at Ibraila ::

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In the Khan, where I put up, is a Jewish school. The children, as soon as they heard that I brought Hebrew books with me, all came to my room. As is natural to children, they laid hold first on the little books; and soon the word Psalter was heard in every corner of the room, and a copy laid hold of by every child. They asked me for the price, and when I told them, one zwanzig (8d.), all rushed out into the street, in every direction.

It was of no use the teacher

calling after and threatening them if they did not come back; they would not listen to him, and in one rapture of joy they all dispersed.

"In about a quarter of an hour, most of them returned with copper money in their little hands, one having more the other less, and begged and kissed my hands to give them each a Psalter for the money they had, as they could not get more. One brought an old penknife, which his uncle had made him a present of, which he valued very much, and offered it to me for a Psalter. Others brought different other articles, as buttons, paper, tape, &c., and offered them to me for the book of Psalms. I supplied each with a copy, and great was their joy. They did not return to their school with a walking step; some ran, others danced for joy, up to their teacher, showing him their little treasures. I stood looking after those interesting little souls, and could not but lift up my heart in prayer to God, that as they read now in their little book, 'Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength;' they may also one day sing:

"HOSANNA TO THE SON OF DAVID.'"

BAPTISM OF A JEWESS AT BRESLAU.

"ON Sunday last," writes the Rev. J. C. Hartmann, “I had the privilege of receiving into the Church of Christ, by baptism, a Jewess. Her parents died when she was very young. One of her brothers, who is a locksmith, and living about three-and-a-half German miles distant from Breslau, took her into his house, and educated her.

When I was at the town last year, I called