Barren long their land hath lain,
Yet a few brief hours,

And her wastes shall bloom again,
Bright with vernal flowers.

Fields of waving grain shall grow,
Full of harvest hope;

Blood of purple grape shall flow,
On each rocky slope.

What though where the fathers praised,
There the children weep;

And o'er walls the foe hath razed,
Tearful vigils keep;

Salem's golden domes and towers,
Gorgeous yet shall shine,

In the purple sunset hour,
With a light divine.

Yet shall tones of joyance clear,
Wake each silent street,
Where so seldom meets the ear
Sound of passing feet.

Voice of bridegroom and of bride,
Marriage songs shall raise;
Children's tongues shall lisp beside,
Hymns of holy praise.

In the hour of Zion's peace,
Earth may well rejoice;

Then shall strife and tumult cease,

Hush'd the battle's noise.

Then on Zion's hill shall reign,

He whose right it is,

To restore to earth again

Her primæval bliss.

Then shall pass from shore to shore,

Blest salvation's story;

God shall give to man once more

Knowledge of His glory.

ANON.

Printed at the Operative Jewish Converts' Institution,

Palestine Place, Bethnal Green, N.E.

THE

Children's Jewish Advocate.

MARCH, 1864.

JEWISH CONVERTS.

Ir is one of the signs of the times, that the Lord is gathering into His fold members of the house of Israel, in many parts of the world in which our Society has never laboured. Although the fruit of our missionary labour has been very great, yet if we would know how many sons and daughters of Abraham have been taught to know and love the Lord Jesus Christ, we must go far beyond this limit, and we may say that there are ten times as many Jewish believers who have been converted by indirect agencies, as those who have been led to Christ through our missionary brethren.

No missionaries have been employed in the West Indies. There, too, there are so large a

number of Jews, that the Bishop of Kingston, in Jamaica, at one time applied to our Society to know whether we could send a missionary to them. Some of them are poor, but the greater number are in good circumstances, and some are rich. There was a time when, notwithstanding their riches, the Gentiles did not like to associate with them. Now they may be said to have the chief influence, and it is said that their power is so great, that the newspapers do not like to publish anything that may offend them.

But besides this, it is a blessed thing to know that even there the Lord has some of the remnant according to the election of grace. In most of the towns will be found some of those who have given up Judaism, and embraced the Gospel. Some of these are true-hearted Christians. In other cases there are those who know the truth, and who are sometimes crying out, "What must I do to be saved?" but are not yet decided for Christ. This may

be said to be the case in the little town of which a picture is given in the frontispiece.

A few years ago a great stir was made in the town of Falmouth, in Jamaica, when a young man of great promise was baptized. The Jews of this pretty little town have almost all the influence, and much did it concern many of