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punish them, but to save men from them; and this desire sustained his unceasing zeal and devotion in His work and suffering for their sakes. This attitude will disarm you of every feeling of impatience, or dislike, or weariness with men; it will enable you to find in every sin which you deplore a new claim upon your zeal and devotion; and even as the appalling sin of our Lord's murderers only made His prayer for their forgiveness more earnest and intense, so will the sins and degradation of those you seek to bless serve to quicken your sympathy with them.

2. Keep before your mind your own indebtedness to Divine love. You know, in some measure, what you owe to Him; you can recall the time when your soul was in doubt and gloom, because your sins were felt to be so great as to shut you out from the mercy of God; and you can remember, too, your joy when you found that the love of Christ was large enough, and mighty enough, even to cover your guilt. Has not your feeling ever since then been this-as I believe it is in every true Christian heart-that since God has loved and forgiven you, you never will despair of the salvation of any one? And does not the thought that other souls are yet in sorrow, under the burden of guilt, that oppressed you-does not this give you a tender pity towards them? Can you help sympathising with the needs of those who still live without that Saviour whom you have found? And do you not feel all the tenderness of your nature going forth to men as you try to realise that they are weary, sorrowful, hopeless, not having the blessing which you have found?

3. Keep in remembrance also, and very especially, the fact that God loves every soul to whom you bring His Gospel, and that for every soul Christ died. I know no more powerful stimulus to your sympathy than that. When you go to your work, remember that God has gone before you in His love for those you seek to bless. The strongest pity of your heart towards men will always be but feeble, as compared with His fatherly pity towards you and them. Many a time your mind may fail to apprehend impressively some of the reasons why you should be always zealous, always pitiful, and always hopeful in your work for men; but should your mind be a blank in everything but the remembrance of this-that God loves these men, and that Jesus came to save them-this will be a sufficient stay and stimulus to your soul. Yea, even although you may allow yourself to think only of the sins and failings of men, and to think gloomily of how hard it is to be hopeful in your work for them (and I have known missionaries who have suffered much-or shall I say erred much-in this), you have only to remember that God has easorns for loving them, that He never loses hope of the most degraded,

and your soul will start afresh with the inspiration of a renewed faith in God, and hope of men. In truth, in such a remembrance, you will act under the influence of a feeling that stirs tender hearts all the world over. How often has the watchful and yearning love of a stranger been called forth at the sick or dying bed of some poor boy who has no mother to comfort him or smooth his dying pillow! Aud have not loving hearts been strengthened and sustained in their sympathy by the thought that they were as in father's or mother's stead to the sufferer? Do we not all feel tenderly towards any suffering one, only by remembering that he is someone's child; that some heart is breaking for him, or motherly prayers are being offered for him; and that his death will make a terrible blank in some life to which his life was God's sunshine? Even so do the needs of our fellow-men appeal to us. It is just such an appeal that meets us in the Redeemer's word: "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, ye have done it unto Me." For these men and women for whom you will work and pray are God's children—wandering far off from Him. His great heart will bless you in your kindness to them-ay, more than mother's heart can bless the stranger who cares for her wandering and homeless child. And if the fountain of your loving sympathy with them should ever threaten to fail, go to the cross and have it filled again-go there, where we all need to go day by day, and hour by hour, for new penitence, new trust, new hope, and new joy; and the Saviour's woes for men will teach you how great is His love for them; and His unwearied endurance and faithfulness in seeking to save them, will shame away the thought of despising men, however vile, or halting in your labours for their eternal well-being.

I have thus chosen to speak to you chiefly of one element of your Christian life, rather than speak generally of the missionary's life and work. For what I have seen and known in other lands of that life and work, convinces me that the sanctified feeling I have referred to is what the true missionary needs more than all others, next to his personal love to the Saviour. I know no more fatal disqualification for mission work than the lack of sympathy with the deepest human needs, and I regard as the most grievous backsliding of the foreign missionary the fading away of his tender sympathy with men. I trust it may never be with you as it is has been with some I have known, who, starting on their work in fervent apostolic zeal, and warm-hearted sympathy, have subsided into the lower position of mere professional teachers of religion, or schoolmasters. You will be exposed to that temptation and that danger; and, therefore, I warn you of it now. Depend upon it, that in proportion as your human and Christian sympathy declines, to that

extent will your work fail in its influence and power; and according to the measure of its strength, so will be the measure of your success in your good work, and of your spiritual powers and hopefulness in your own life.

Now I say that in sympathising with men you are giving to them one of the chief blessings your Lord gives to you. His tender sympathy with you always will be the mainstay of your life. You will always feel Him near you-always be sure of His fellow-feeling. Every path of usefulness in which you walk He has trod before; in every path of suffering and self-denial He has been before you; He has sanctified and dignified and glorified labour, and even pain, for the sake of needful, sinful men. In your sympathy with the souls He loves, be sure of His sympathy with you; and take to your heart for new courage, and new hope, day by day, His resurrection-promise, "Lo, I am with you alway!"-Communicated.

Correspondence.

MY DEAR MR. EDITOR:

Most of the readers of the Recorder have seen and examined the Revised English Version of the New Testament. It is also generally known that the company of learned men in England and America, who made this revision, did not confine themselves to the work for which they were specifically appointed; viz., "the revision of the Authorized English Version," but that they went behind the English Version, and revised the Greek Text. It is under discussion, in England and America, as to right of a company of scholars, who were appointed for a specified work, to undertake and accomplish a very different one. It will be readily admitted by all Biblical students. that the revision of the Greek Text is a much more fundamental work than the revision of the Authorized English Version. It will also be readily admitted, that those who use any particular version may revise the said version without conference with any other Christian people, who do not use the version. But the English company did not think it would be expedient for scholars in England to engage in the revision of the Authorized English Version without inviting those in America, who used the same version, to participate in the work of revision. Hence the formation of a company in America to take part in the work. The effect of requesting American scholars to take part in the work has been to interest the whole body of English speaking Christians, in the revision.

It appears to me, Mr. Editor, that the English and American companies, in undertaking the revision of the Greek Text, forgot the

principle which led the English company to invite the co-operation of American scholars. The principle which led to this action was this; viz., Christians in America had the same interest in the English Version that Christians in Great Britain had; hence they should be invited to participate in its revision. A still larger body of Christians have the same interest in the Greek Text which the Christians in Great Britain and the United States have. It would appear then, that the same principle, which led the English company to invite American scholars to take part in the work of revising the English Version, should have prompted to have invited the scholars of Protestant Europe to participate in the revision of the Greek Text. The Protestants of all lands have the same interest in the Textus Receptus of the Greek Text as the Protestants of Great Britain and the United States. From it the German and other Protestant versions of the continent have been made. It would appear, therefore, that any revision of the Greek Text should be made by scholars respesenting the whole of Protestant Christendora, that thus Protestant Christians having the same Greek Text should have an agreement in all the versions used by the several Protestant nations.

The Greek Text, as amended by the companies, who have revised the English Version, is not likely to be accepted as the Standard Greek Text. It does not agree with the Text Revised by the Rev. Drs. Wescott and Hart. Thus there are two revisions of the Greek Text under the consideration of scholars in Great Britain. It is doubtful how far either will be accepted. If the scholars in Germany, who are engaged in the revision of the German Version, have made any revision of the Greek Text, the fact has not been made public in English newspapers.

It is however known that the British and Foreign Bible Society have issued a circular letter to missionaries who are engaged in translating the New Testament into any language, informing them that they are at liberty to translate from the Greek Text as amended by the Revisers of the English Version.

Seeing that this Greek Text is not accepted at home, and that further revision will be necessary before a standard Greek text is settled, it appears to the writer that it is not expedient, at present, to depart from the Greek Text which has been hitherto used in making the translations into Chinese. The reasons for regarding it as inexpedient to use this text as emended by the Revisers of the English Version are obvious. As this text is not yet accepted at home we cannot be certain how long it may before another revision is undertaken. If we therefore now conform to this emended text we may soon be called upon to use another emended text. If some accept this now, others will not accept it; and thus we will have another cause of discrepancy in the various versions and editions which will be in use, besides those that now exist.

As the present Textus Receptus of the Greek Text has been in use for more than three hundred years, I do not think the interest of truth or sound doctrine will suffer by continuing to use it in making translations into Chinese till something is settled more definitely at

home. We may hope that in due time, in the good providence of God, a satisfactory revision of the Greek Text may be made, which all missionaries may cordially accept.

Praying that the Holy Spirit may guide all our counsels to his glory.
I am, Yours, Mr. Editor,
Very truly,

A BIBLE STUDENT.

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HERE is a book about Jews, written sions may we not be led! You may by a Jew for Jews: Jewish Life in the as well say that because America East, by Sydney M. Samuel: Lon- does not fall to the ground when don, 1881. As the author boasts of her President is killed, but instantly the intelligence of his fellow-reli- puts another able man in his place, gionists, and despises the attempts that therefore no country is posseswhich Christians make to convert sed of so much legislative ability and educate them, we feel naturally as America. And this would lead inclined to ask in what way they have demonstrated their vast superiority over the rest of mankind. The book teems with proofs of the idleness, avarice, filth and ignorance of Jews generally, and a more thoroughly pauperized people scarcely ever existed, even according to the author's own shewing. Perhaps he would appeal to such men as Lord Beaconsfield, Sir Moses Montefiore and the like. But we object that this is unfair. In the first place, out of all the thousands of Jews scattered abroad, how many such men do you find? And again, is it just to argue from such cases as these? The greatest men among them have been foreignborn, foreign-bred, and foreigntrained. Is not more due to the circumstances of birth and education than to grace? And if you argue that because a dozen such men can be found, therefore the Jews as a whole are the most enlightened race in the world, to what strange conclu

at once to a counter argument. Presidents Lincoln and Garfield fell by the hands of assassins, therefore the American race must be the most blood-thirsty of people! This will perhaps help us to understand something of the prejudice and bigotry of the Jew. It is partly the fault of his early education, partly of his ignorance and wilful blindness. When men refuse to read the signs of the times, ignore history, despise prophesyings, and declaim reformers, their day is surely on the wane. We pity the Jews in their blindness of heart; but when their most highly educated men get up and say right and you are wrong, cease your patronising ways and mind your own business," it takes the heart out of us, and no worder if some people say " If you will perish, you must." But Mr. Samuel is not the mouthpiece of the whole people, and some of them are feeling after light.

"We are

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