God hath sent ;" and thus he is become a "child of God, by faith in Christ Jesus." Thirdly,-He is a devoted missionary of the cross of Christ, to his natural brethren, the Jews.

I have now open before me, the Missionary Journal and Memoir of this modern Daniel, written by himself, and revised and edited by John Bayford, Esq. F. S. A. of London, England, compiled by that gentleman from the Jewish Expositor, and presented to that periodical, by the friends and patron of said Missionary, who gave his early history, and later Journal in letters.

Previous to entering upon the outlines of the Memoir, I shall introduce, verbatim, a short paragraph from Mr. Bayford's preface to the work, dated at London, April 29th, 1824.

"The missionary labors of Mr. Wolff have excited a very general interest. The account he gives of his many conversations with the Jews in different places, is curious and striking. He exhibits the Jewish character somewhat in a new light, in the relation he gives of their manners, their opinions, and their general habits of thinking. And he adds another testimony to this most important fact, that in the present day, Jews are every where found well disposed freely to discuss, and candidly to investigate the truth of the Christian Religion."

I shall now begin my abstract of the Memoir of Joseph Wolff, which I shall offer chiefly in his own

language, and observe all possible brevity that the interest he is worthy of exciting may admit.

His father was the Within fifteen days

He was born (of Jewish parents) in Weilersbach, a small village near Bamberg, in Bavaria [Germany] in the year of our Lord, 1796. Rabbi of Jews in that place. after our missionary's birth, his parents removed to Halle in Prussia, where his father again exercised the office of Rabbi.

N. B. We exclaim, what a young traveller!!!

I will here give the reader some of his own expressions.

* "I had a strict Jewish education: my father began to teach me all the Jewish ceremonies when I was four years old; and told me that all the Jews were expecting the Messiah every day and every hour, that his advent could not be far off; and at that time we should dine on the great fish, called Leviathan. I believed all my father told me, and I considered Christians as worshippers of a cross of wood, and no better than idolaters. I began to read the Hebrew prayer book when I was six years old, and recited it every day, without being able to understand its contents."

In the order of providence, it appears, that Joseph was sent to a Christian school, "to be in

Mr. Wolff is called the most learned man now in the world; but I must inform my reader, that at the time he wrote this Memoir of himself, he was in the very infancy of his English learning.

structed in German reading." This circumstance is to me a token of his special election to the office he holds at the present day. As much as Paul was a chosen vessel unto Christ, to bear his Name to the Gentiles, so (I believe) is Joseph Wolff elected to preach the gospel to his kinsmen in the flesh.

But to return-Mr. Wolff's father made his own terms, when he entered his son as a pupil in the christian school at Halle. He was never to be present at any lecture on christian doctrine, &c. and he writes "I continued to be an orthodox Jew."

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When he was seven years old, he began to think about Christ Jesus, whom he then viewed as a bad man, and an enemy of the Jews. In the midst of these thoughts, it seems a suggestion suddenly entered his mind "to become a Christian."-This he disregarded and remained a zealous Jew.".

At seven years and a half old, he felt himself to be "a great sinner" and "was in great distress as often as he committed a fault."*

At that season his father instructed Joseph in the Jewish Talmud-intending, no doubt to imbue his mind, seasonably, (for his purpose) in all the traditions of his nation. But what avails the effort and watch care of man, when Jehovah putteth forth his powerful hand. How easy for God to destroy the plans of the wise, and bring to nought the understanding of the prudent. And how simple are * Thus early did Christ deal with Joseph, by the Spirit of truth!

the means sometimes used to accomplish this, What I am now going to relate is proof of the same. I will give you the original words.

"every evening I was obliged to go, to buy milk at a barber's, who was a Lutheran Christian. My mother ordered me to be present in the stable while the barber's servant was milking, that I might inform, if he should put any thing into the milkpail, which the Jews are prohibited eating; for the Jews know that nominal Christians deride in this manner the ceremonies, and the law of the Jews. But being weary of staying so long in a stable, I went into the dwelling of the barber, and conversed with him about our Messiah."*

The barber and his wife, who were true Christians, heard me with patience and compassion. Then he said to me, O! my dear child! you do not know the true Messiah. Jesus Christ, whom your ancestors did crucify, is the true Messiah; but your ancestors always expected an earthly kingdom, and not an heavenly one-therefore, they killed him, as they did the prophets; and if you will read, without prejudice, your own prophets, you will be convinced.

"I was confounded when I heard him thus speak. Without ability, at that time, to read the prophets well, I believed what the barber told me, and said to myself, "it is true that the Jews have killed and

* How remarkable! a boy this side eight years of age!

persecuted the prophets, because my father told -perhaps then Jesus Christ was kill

me so:

ed innocent."

From that scene we are to date his departure from the Jewish traditions, in sentiment at least. The thoughts of his heart became unquiet and mournful; and though he never mentioned the least of them to his parents, its seems the vigilant eye of his father detected the change, by his son's restless and dejected appearance; and some questions he put to him, increased those suspicions, that he said to Joseph's mother, "Alas! our son will not remain a Jew."

At twelve years and a half, he was sent to Bamberg, to stay with an uncle. Then he openly declared, he would embrace the Christian faith. He was instantly persecuted, and obliged to fly.

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"When I had travelled" (said he,) " a day without money, and did not know where I could obtain a night's lodging, I found in a field a shepherd, who invited me to sleep in his house. I accepted his offered kindness, and accompanied him to the village, where I was kindly received by his poor family."

A variety of scenes awaited the early pilgrimage of this young outcast from the Jews. He went from the shepherd's village to Frankfort, where he was received by a Lutheran professor, who received and kept him three months, and taught him