The National Register.
London, England, 1818-12-06 00:00:00

CONVERSION OP THE JEWS.

TO TIIS BDITOR OF TILE NATIONAL lIEGRITER.

• R —The sathiert of the Conversation of the Jews, having
lit this Shine become one of the most intere•tista topics in nll
ports of Ow worlal,l send )011 the following es:Krell-rein the
•riety's list report ; it i• taken from the journal of 311.
P•oerson, in %%Welt he lohites A striking nye, stew nine!' ha-
t ~ri j,•os :it Kosiov, in the Crimea. A. li.

" Sitting and musing in rr.y lo.igings on the obstinacy of the
,fahousetlans. and revolving in ray .nind the best means to emplat
/it order to Mance them to receive the truth, in came a company of
Jews. and isv. down at oily side, and entered into cotiv.nisation with
e on religion. 1 spo'ie to thens, and read portion, of the N.:w
'rm,tamoot to them. Otte of than opened a copy, and read to his
triaistryincu two or three chapters. Ile read it with ea..e. and tamest.
ly requested that I should give it to him. I told him that it was the
New Testament; that I had brought copies of it to give away to
:'ilohcoriedons ; and Clot i Wai airati. though I 410.1111 ieve it him,
he would nut read it, at it curtained the history of that Jesus whom
tneir forefaCiers erticilie I, bat whom we believed to be the prontisal
Messiah, and the Saviour of die world. Ile said, that it' I would
only give it to him, he ivould read it, and natal as much in need of
et as the Maloniedansdid. Ills brethren made intercession for him.
and &ill. We wish out sel.,es to !earl what is contained in the New
Te..!•:rn-iit. After stnne heotation on my part. but anxiety on theirs,
I thlaglit it mig:it be of advantage to the young mac, and therefore
pile it to , and exhorted him to read it. No sooner had he
re:saved it. than another Jew sat down beside me, and read the New
Testament thatimly. and insisted that I should give him a copy also.
This Jew was • fanit Kaki:hese:rid. and intornied me that he had sold
Mr. Po:action a Tartar Bible in Hebrew characters for two hundred
'tables. After a considerable deal of CORVerSittilM, 1 gave him like-
wise a New Testament. Ile not istly read it with the geentest ease,
•but evidently understood what he read. Ile offered to sell me another
Tartar Bible; but as Mr. Pinkerton had already purchased a copy.
I did not think it advisable to buy another. Several more Jews
cam: fot ward who could read 'Turkish, and requested New Testa...,
tricots, lw! was obliged to refuse them. One, however, who was
peculiarly urgent, would not go away, and used many arguments to
induce tic to give him enc; but for a long wade wititout effect, my
whole stock being now reduced •to eight copies. lie at last said,
Gin: inc this lioak : it had brew good our she Met 1 had never seen it,
sinless you gi.v. it m• : it nary be V china advaattsge to me. After
such expml:4loll4, I could not withold it front him any longer, but gave
it to hint a. the word of God, and exhorted him toread it. There were
more than twenty Je.vs in this company, and I conversed with them
more than a hoar. In the evening several other Jews made applica-
tion for books ; but nay stock being so low i could not grittily. their
desire, but promised to get copies sent to them from Theodosios I
'could have given away many copies of the Scripture to •diy, and
was sorry that I had sent the whole. commission to 'lheodosia. Tlie
circulation of the Tartar Testament among the Jews, did not indeed
.0 cur to rue tiIII was actually among them, and saw their anxiety to
po...rss the sacral volume.
.4 Next morning, a few more Jaws came, and made enquiry about
tthe coming of the-lessiah. I pointed out to them the predictions
.01' the prophets with regard to Guist, and particularly insisted on the
fifty-third chapter of Isaiah, and the passage in Daniel. which says,
the Messiah shall be cat cf. Mr. Paterson then gave them a
summary account of the lii.tory of Christ, and dwelt particularly on
the cessation of sacrifices among the Jews. concluding with .Mituig
the resurrection of Christ, his ascension. and the certainty of his
.canting to judgment.' Wheal had proceeded thus tar, says he, the
• man tram Uakellesetai, and a• few more, joined the ewitpany, and 1
• doired hint to read to his countrymen the translation of the fifty-
`third chapter of Isaiah, oontained in one of our tracts, which he im-
mediately did. One or two of them appeared to be impressed with
what was said. and expressed themselves that the Messiah was come,
and that it was in rain to look for any other."