should halt before he submitted, and appear for a moment to hesitate: "What shall I say? Father, save me from this hour?" We wonder not that his spirit was "exceeding sorrowful, even unto death;" or that at the greatness of his endurance he should cry out in his pangs. But we may be astonished with a great astonishment at the strength of that love which could bear such an accumulated load of penalty as was needful for the atonement of all mankind, past, present, and to come. When we endeavour to measure its length and breadth, we find the task too great for us, we arrive at the conclusion that the description in our text is true, that the love of Christ" passeth knowledge". when they shall have their "perfect consummation and bliss both in body and soul in his eternal and everlasting glory". We have said enough, we apprehend-though we have touched feebly on such a theme to make all men among you see that St. Paul employed no exaggerated language, when he prayed for the Ephesians, that they might be filled with all the fulness of God, by "knowing the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge." II. We proceed now to the second portion of our subject, upon which we will speak with greater brevity. Though the love of Christ do "pass knowledge," yet it is the prayer of the apostle that we may know it." And We might speak of this love as it is exhi- there is no contradiction in the terms. For, bited in its stedfastness, its long-suffering, its though the perfect understanding and the yearning anxiety for the sinner: "The Son full appreciation of that love surpass our of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached powers, this is no reason why we should not among you, even by me and Silvanus and be able to discover that such a love exists, or Timotheus was not yea and nay." His love why we should be insensible to its worth. is like the ever-burning sun; and many waters The patient values the medicine which expels cannot quench it. Hence it is a remarkable the disease, though its properties surpass his illustration of the assertion of St. Paul, knowledge, and he is unacquainted with the "Charity suffereth long and is kind." Who reasons why such causes produce such effects shall count the sum of indignities which he in his state of health and feelings. The child sustained? yet his prayer was even for his knows his parent loves him, and he may be murderers, "Father, forgive them; for they much affected by his knowledge of it, though know not what they do." Again, if the he can attain no just conception of the earneststriving of his Spirit fail to change the un-ness, the tenderness, the yearning, the longconverted, and all his patience be in vain, then he will behold and weep. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killedst the prophets, and slewest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen doth gather her chickens under her wings! and ye would not." But think of this love in its present and future exercise. "Christ is entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us." He is also the watching Friend of his people, providing for all their wants, touched with the feelings of their infirmities, listening to their every cry, counting up their tears, praying for them against their adversary, who would sift them as wheat, advocating their cause, if any man sin, preparing a mansion for their reception in his Father's house; and in due time to return with great power and glory to receive them to himself, that, where he is, there they may be also. We have spoken, then, of the love of Christ as regards its origin, its condescension, the unworthiness of its objects, its comprehensiveness, its stedfastness, long-suffering and anxious yearning, its present exercise in his capacity of our High Priest and Friend, and its future perfecting when he shall gather together all his saints and servants; suffering, the self-denying of that affection. Thus, while the apostle supposed not that the Ephesians could understand fully the love of Jesus, he was desirous that their minds might be enlightened, so that they might be alive to its existence, and that their hearts might be impressed, so that they might be filled with that gratitude, that peace, that joy, that satisfaction, which it is calculated to inspire. He wished that they might know it with their understanding and their hearts; that they might know it intellectually and feelingly. We refer not to the heathen, to whom the gospel message has not been conveyed its unsearchable riches to them have not been revealed. But we speak of many baptized into the Christian faith when we say, "How little do they know of the love of their Redeemer!" They have little acquaintance with it as a matter of the understanding, and less as a matter of the heart. The prayer of the apostle, however, is that we may so know it as to be "filled with all the fulness of God." Not, indeed, in the same sense in which it was said of Christ, "In him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily;" but that filling up of the inner man with grace, with light, with love, with peace, with joy, with every Christian excellence which it is in the power of God alone to give. Now, how many are filled up with self, filled with pride and vanity, filled with discontent and envy, filled with misery, filled with the world! But, after all, their heads and hearts are as vessels filled with froth and emptiness. Amidst all their enjoyment and possessions they are conscious of an aching void. In the stead of this worthless plenitude the apostle desired the fulness of God; and he knew that a spiritual knowledge of the love of Christ would be most effectual to that accomplishment. For the love of sin will be displaced from his heart, who knows feelingly that Christ died for the ungodly; and the love of Christ's commandments will take its emptied place. The distress of an awakened conscience will be removed from that breast which knows the love of Christ, and it will have in the stead thereof "peace with God through Jesus Christ our Lord." These joys, which are earth-born, will yield to others not subject to life's changes and chances, and with which a stranger doth not intermeddle. Hatred to God and unloveliness towards man, in him who knows that Christ and his Father are one, and that love to our neighbour is an enforcement of our Redeemer, will be mortified; and in the stead thereof he will learn to love God with all his powers, and his neighbour as himself. In short, the mind and the heart will be emptied of every thing dark and worthless, and have poured into their places all the light and treasure of the gospel. Finally, let me ask you all, and myself also, what we know of the love of Christ. It passeth knowledge. But are we endeavouring; by searching of the scripture, by prayer, and by the zealous use of the means of grace, to add store to our attainment in the mystery of Christ's mercy, and to heighten our sense of his inestimable love? We trow that there are few states of mind which every man amongst you more condemns than want of a sense of kindnesses received. Shall not God, then, take it ill of us if, through negligence and callousness of heart, we remain ignorant of the love of Christ which "passeth knowledge"? Let me commend this knowledge to you. It is pleasant unto the soul. Of much of a different kind it may be said, "He that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow." Of much other knowledge, "it shall vanish away." But he who knows the love of Christ has discovered that after which so many crave: "There be many that say, Lord, who shall show us any good?" He has found that which shall furnish him wondering contemplation, when the inventions, the attainments, the philosophy of the world shall be forgotten. Let the words, then, of the apostle a be adopted as the matter of our earnest prayer: "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto us the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him," and that to each of may be given grace "to know the loved Christ, which passeth knowledge, that re may be filled with all the fulness of God." THE JEWISH SYNAGOGUE SERVICE, AMONG all the questions which are discussed with so much earnestness at the present moment by our Jewish brethren, there are but few which terests of the congregations of Israel. There is, are more important than those concerning the inindeed, something very wonderful and extraor dinary in the history of the synagogues and assemblies which form the centre and foundation of the religious communities in Israel. The earliest mention which is made of a syna. gogue is probably to be found in the Psalms. burned up all the synagogues of God in the land." Asaph complains (Ps. lxxiv. 8), “They have Some think that these were only certain halls in the temple, in which the Israelites used to meet together for purposes of religious instruction; and the original expression, certainly does not give us any very distinct idea of the place where the assemblies alluded to were held; but, already been particularly mentioned as the "sane however, as in the preceding verse the temple had tuary" of God, and the dwelling-place of his name," there seems to be great propriety in using the word here chosen by our translators for ex pressing these congregational and regular assen. blies, as being probably something distinct from that which we generally understand by the w the regular temple services, and as something lik synagogue. It seems from Ezek. xxxiii. 31, the the people were accustomed to come together, and sit before the prophet and hear his words" and doubtless there were in ancient times something like regularly-constituted congregations or asse blies, which met at different places, in some rege withstanding all this, however, the origin of the larly-understood and acknowledged place. Not synagogues, strictly speaking, is involved in obes rity. We only know for a certainty that they wer extensively and regularly used in the time et Christ, and that the law of Moses was thus di gently read and taught to the Jewish peop (Luke iv. 16, and Acts xv. 21, &c.). The vast importance of this institution is ob vious. fixed in the wisdom of God; and the Israelites The temple was destroyed at the time who rejected the eternal unchanging priesthood him who by one offering of himself, once offere for ever perfected them who are sanctified, found in the synagogue a point of union and strengts Their faith, and their hope, their nationality, and their very language itself, have been maintained and cherished in the synagogues. wildest storms and the heaviest persecutions the found refuge here. And it was, and it is here. * From Ayeret's "Jews of the Nineteenth Century." Amidst 1 1 that the pious Jew, in the use of the psalms of David, and in reciting the promises of God as contained in the writings of the prophets, awaits a better morning, which shall assuredly dawn when they begin to look on him whom they have pierced, and mourn. one The services of ths synagogue were doubtless at first very simple in their nature, consisting, probably, of the eighteen prayers or blessings, which are certainly of very ancient date, and some of the Psalms which accompanied the reading of the law, and the selected portions of the prophets, and that important passage (Deut. vi. 4, 5) "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is Lord; and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." But in the course of time different prayers were added. It became customary to read the eighteen prayers twice on each occasion; first, each member of the congregation praying for himself, in a silence so solemn and strict, that, if the king of Israel should salute any one thus engaged, he would not dare to break off his prayer on that account; and, while praying, the feet were to be so placed together as if they made but one foot; the head was to be bowed down, and the heart directed to heaven; and the right hand to be placed on the left, and both upon the heart. Thus three times every day, in the morning, in the afternoon, and in the evening (Ps. Iv. 17), every Israelite is bound to repeat in solemn silence these eighteen prayers or blessings; and twice a day, in the morning and afternoon prayer, as soon as each individual member has finished this part of his devotions, the minister of the congregation begins again, and chants the whole, the congregation responding to him. A variety of hymns for the service of the synagogue were added in the tenth century, composed by Kalir and others, which were introduced at different parts of the service, and, with other additions extended it to such a length, that on several of the feasts it requires five or six hours, or even more, to perform it properly; and, on the day of atonement, no less than fourteen or fifteen hours. Many of these hymns and prayers, thus successively added, contain allegorical and cabalistic allusions to parts of the Talmud and the most ancient writings of the Jews. They are chiefly composed in rhyme, and very frequently so contrived that the first letters of each line or verse either make up the Hebrew alphabet, or the name of the author, or contain some allusion to some particular passage of scripture, or peculiar expression. During the last few years a great many learned and intelligent Jews have formed different plans for getting rid of some or all of these additions and encumbrances, and reducing the worship to a more simple and natural form. In Hamburgh they omit some of the prayers, use others in a German translation, and introduce at different parts of the service verses of hymns selected from modern German authors, sung according to the tunes commonly used in Christian churches. In Frankfort, it is supposed that the reformed service which is held is merely supplementary to the synagogue service, which is kept up in its ancient form. Accordingly not a word of liturgy of any kind is used; and the Hebrew language itself is for the most part lost sight of. As, however, a great part of the congregation who assemble for the reformed service never attend at the synegogue at all, it is evident that for them the wonderful and astonishing bond of union found in the synagogue is broken. But let no one suppose that the synagogue is thus gradually becoming extinct; no, there is a strong feeling of the necessity for communion, for some centre, some abiding liturgy, some fixed custom, which shall be maintained and held fast. " RELIGIOUS MOVEMENT IN THE HOLY "For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem."-ROM. xv. 26. THE missionaries of the Church Missionary Society in Palestine state that the power and influence of the Greek and Romish convents are artfully and strongly exerted, not only to oppress the many persons of their sects who have been, and are now, seeking after the pure word of God, but to crushi altogether every attempt at scriptural instruction. The convents, being wealthy, possessing houses, lands, and consequent influence, have the means of persecuting inquirers, and depriving them of subsistence, by ejecting them from their habitations, and preventing them from being employed in their trades or occupations. Besides this, the sectarian and factious spirit, so prevalent amongst all classes of the population, operates in the same manner; and the most unscrupulous methods are resorted to, and often with too much success, to bring the local governors to aid in the designs of the persecutors. Men are beaten for the nonpayment of taxes they do not owe, and obliged to satisfy the government on account of dues (which must be paid in grain) for land lying waste through their not having the means of cultivating it. The journals and letters of the missionaries abound with statements of these persecutions. A few are subjoined, from the last journal of Mr. Sandreczki, a faithful lay missionary at Jerusalem: 1 July 9, 1852.-One of the new inquirers has been ejected from the house which the Romancatholic convent had hitherto permitted him to live in. Of course I cannot leave him with his family in the street. I told him and others, when they applied to me for lodgings, previous to their ejection, that I want to see how far the patriarch will proceed against them, before I take any measure whatever on their behalf. July 13.-One of the congregation, who had been hitherto employed as stone-cutter for a fabric in the Armenian convent, was dismissed to-day, because his employers discovered that he was a protestant, and would no longer give work to such a "sheitan," i. e., devil (their ipsissima verba). At the same time they dismissed another, whom they only suspected to be one of those who attend the meetings. This kind of persecution adds to my embarrassments; yet persecution is to me a good omen. July 30.-One of our protestants, who came back to-day from Nazareth, where he had been on a business which brought him into contact with | Palestine, in most of the valleys, is capable, with the famous padre Angelo, our great adversary a very small amount of skill, of yielding the richest there, was dismissed with the following words, crops. The olive-oil is of the best quality in the characteristic of the man : "Ruh, khanseer world; but, from the defective pressing-machines mal'oon" (i. e., "Begone, cursed swine!"). now used, one-half of the produce remains unThe man thus dismissed is an aged man, and half pressed. blind. A man, named Elijah, had long read the bible, and adopted and avowed evangelical sentiments. A priest came and demanded his bible for the purpose of burning it; but the poor man refused to give it up. The priest returned one hour afterwards with some Turkish soldiers, and immediately threw all the little furniture out of the house; and the poor family, consisting of his helpless blind father-in-law, his wife and children, were turned, at the close of day, into the streets, to seek a lodging where they might, while the doors of Moslem and Christian, papist and Greek, were equally closed against them. Various measures have been proposed for protecting inquirers and converts from these cruel proceedings; but a difficulty arises lest any direct interference for their support might be misrepresented as a system of bribery, for the purpose of inducing a false profession of protestantism; or, however well-intentioned, might be productive of injurious consequences, by fostering amongst them indolent habits, and an indisposition to labour for their own subsistence. On the other hand, it cannot be doubted that, if persons upon whom we urge Christian truth are by their reception of that truth deprived of their home and subsistence, it is our duty at least to prevent their perishing from want. The apostolic rule, "If any man will not work, neither let him eat," seems to afford the best solution of the difficulty. After much consideration, and consultation with gentlemen well acquainted with Palestine, it is thought that the best course to follow, for the benefit of the protestant peasants, for the protection of inquirers, and also for the good of the people at large, is to give judicious aid to the advancement of agriculture, and to improvements in such trades as furnish articles now forming the staple marketable commodities of Palestine. The following heads will indicate the nature of the aid to be afforded: 1. Renting land, probably in the neighbourhood of Nazareth, for cultivation, either to be under the management of the agent employed (in which case the proceeds will form the fund for the maintenance of the agent and labourers), or to be underlet, in small portions, to converts of good character, whose habits of industry can be depended upon. 2. Improved agricultural implements (including improved machinery for pressing olives), the uses of which must be taught. 3. Advancing money for the purchase of ploughs and oxen, to be returned from the crops. 4. The cultivation of cotton, and the purchase of cotton-cleaning machines. 5. Furnishing grain and seed for sowing. 6. Renting a house in Jerusalem, without furniture, to receive (temporarily) persecuted inquirers or converts, who, while so sheltered, will be encouraged to carry on their trades and occupations. There is unquestionable evidence that the soil of The Anglican bishop in Jerusalem, who is nor in England, confirms most fully all that we have stated, and entirely approves of the proposed pla as the most suitable for attaining the ends in view. The subject has been considered by the committe of the Church Missionary Society; but they feel that it does not come within their sphere, and therefore that they can only recommend it, a they cordially do, to friends of scriptural truth throughout the country. It is therefore proposed that some gentlemen who have been in Palestine, who have witnessed the movement towards gospel truth in the minds of the peasants, and who know the peculiarities and resources of the country, the nature of the government, &c., do, in conjunction with others, form a committee of management for the purpose of raising £1,000, and engaging a pious, intelligent, suitable agent to carry out the objects pro posed, who shall render a faithful account of all his proceedings, for the information of the committee. It is hoped that with this fund the proposed objects may be commenced and attained; so that that all persons persecuted for the truth's sake may find employment which will afford them food and raiment. If 100 subscribers of £10 each can be obtained, the object in view can be effected*. RELIGIOUS WRITERS OF SPAIN. No VII. BY MISS M. A. STODART. FRAY DIEGO DE ESTELLA. WE are, perhaps, lingering longer over the trea tise on the Vanity of the World than some of my not, as far as I know, ever been translated into readers may think desirable, but the work bas English; and the advice contained in it is so sound and practical, that the offence of too copious extracts (if offence it be) will, I trust, carry with it its own apology. ON VAIN GLORY. "Give glory to the Lord God," says the holy scripture. Let the glory of any good work be given to God, as author and principal and cause of the good that thou doest. Take care not to use up the glory that God will not give to any one, ac cording to that which he himself says, "My glory will I not give to another." Vain-glory is a great evil. Self-complacency and vain-glory are very hurtful to the spiritual man. In all that thou doest, fly from vain-glory as from a serpent. If it sees thee first, taking thee unperceived, thou * Subscriptions will be received for the "Palestine Fund" by Messrs. Williams, Deacon, and Co., Birchin-lane; Merr. Herries, Farquhar, and Co., St. James-street; Messrs Coutts and Co., Strand. wilt die from the very sight; but, if thou see it beforehand, knowing its vanity and the little reason that thou hast to receive vain-glory from thy works, thou wilt obtain a perfect victory. God with eternal light. If, then, thou caust do nothing without God, and God is the principal Author of the good that thou doest, why dost thou praise thyself? That faithful servant of whom St. Luke writes, to whom God had given a pound to trade with, when he came to give in his account, said to the Lord, "Thy pound has gained ten pounds." He did not say, "I have gained ten pounds," but "Thy pound has gained ten pounds"; the holy man attributing the gain to the grace of God, according to that of the apostle," God hath given the increase." Let God be praised in his works, and not man, who is a vile instrument of his grace. God says, "Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith, or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it?" Thanks are not given to the instrnment, but to the workman who did the good work with the instrument. If then thou do any good, thou art nothing but an instrument of God, who works by thee: beware lest thou usurp It is the part of man to plant and water; but to the glory and the honour due unto thy Lord. give the increase belongs, according to the judgment The apostle, after having related his many of the apostle, to divine grace. Judith did not say, sufferings and labours, said thus: "Yet not I, but "I cut off the head of Holofernes," but "The the grace of God in me;" and Christ our Saviour Lord cut it off by the hand of a woman." Eliezer says, in his holy gospel, "Without me ye can do was the servant of Abraham; and all the good nothing." And on this account the holy king success of his journey he attributed to God, and David so often repeats this, saying, "The Lord is said it had come from his hand. Elizabeth, mother my strength and my praise, and he is become my of John the Baptist, seeing that she had conceived salvation" and "The Lord is my refuge and the holy forerunner of the Lord, referring the strength" and in another psalm, he says to God, miraculous conception not to her husband, but to "Through thee I shall destroy mine enemies.'" God, said, "Thus hath the Lord dealt with me." He does not say, "By my virtue, or industry, or The saints are very faithful in giving honour and strength"; but "By thee and with thee, with thy glory to God, since it is his; contrary to sinners strength and power, I shall conquer all my adver- and vain persons, who exalt themselves with it. saries." Thou seest well how the psalmist attri- Those four-and-twenty elders of the Apocalypse butes all his victories to God, and refers them to took the crowns from their heads, and placed them him, as to the author of them, and of his salvation. at the feet of the Lamb; which thou oughtest to do, Because Moses and Aaron did not give God this putting the honour of any good work at the feet honour, as author of the miracle, they did not of Jesus Christ, and saying with the prophet, enter into the promised land, after having passed" Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but to thy forty years of great labour for the sake of it. If name be the glory:' "Thou hast wrought God then so punished these two saints, so dear to all our works in us, O Lord," says Isaiah. him, what will he do to thee who usurpest all the Nebuchadnezzar, praising himself, said, "Is not honour and glory of God in the work that thou this the great and strong city that I have built by doest? In every species of things, we have to my power and might"? There sounded a voice come to a beginning, from which proceed all the from heaven which said, "The kingdom is dethings of that species. All movement is caused parted from thee." Samson boasted of a victory by the movement of the primum mobile*. We which God gave him, and said, "With the jawhave to say the same thing of the mover. We bone of an ass I have slain them." He did not are not to put infinite space between the things say "God slew them"; but "I slew them," moved, and the mover; and thus we ascend to boasting of his strength, for which God chastised the First Cause. Thus good works necessarily him; and he was humbled for it, and in such a have to proceed from the influence of First Good- way that he would have died with thirst from the ess, because all good comes from the first good. vain-glory that he took of the work which God For which cause the apostle said, "Not that we wrought by him. are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;" and to the Philippians he says, "It is God that worketh in us both to will and to do." Thus, though the eyes be healthy, they cannot see unless aided by light from without. So we can do no good work, even though we have free-will, which is is the eyes of the soul, unless we are aided by *It will be remembered that the Ptolemaic system of stronomy was, at this time, the one generally received and dopted. A beautiful allusion to this subject occurs in one of ur author's meditations: "The first thing my eyes saw fter my birth were the gifts of thy hand, with which thou idst take my heart, to love thee continually. As the primum tobile carries off after itself the other spheres and heavens, 1oving them from east to west; so the force of this holy love, hich thou hadst for me first in thy eternity, carries away all he powers of the soul and faculties of the body, subjecting hem to the sweet service of the yoke of thy holy love." This is the first passage in which I have judged it deirable to make a slight alteration from the original. What have taken the liberty of translating "good work," is in panish, "obra meritoria de la vida cterna," "a work deserving f eternal life." It is ignominy to covet this vain-glory of the world. True glory consists in despising this vain-glory, and not setting any value on it, but to do all things to please God. If thou desirest to be praised, seek diligently to be praised of God; for the praise of men is finished when it begins. Holy Job held it a great sin to kiss his hand; and this thou doest when thou boastest and takest praise for the good work which thou hast done. Moses thought that his hand was sound; but, putting it into his bosom, he drew it forth leprous. If thou thinkest that thy works are sound and good, put thy hand into thy bosom, and consider the circumstances that are required for the work to be good, and thou wilt find that the leprosy is there if thou dost anything for vain-glory. What hast thou that thou hast not received? Thy destruction is from thyself; and thy salvation is of God. If thou lookest at the past, thou wilt find that thou hast done many things of which thou oughtest to be ashamed. If thou lookest at the present, thou must find thy |