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PRAYER -UN I ON FOR ISRAEL
ADDRESS BY REV. A. DAVIDSON.
The usual weekly united sen-ice con
ducted "by the Presbyterian churches was
amalgamated last evening with the meet
ing of the Prayer Union for Israel—a
branch of the body which at present ex
ists in (England. The combined meeting
took place at the Kyrie-street Presbyter
ian Church, and there was a fair attend
ance.
The officiating ministers were the Revs
J. V. M'Nair, J. A. Forrest and A.
Davidson. The two former conducted
the devotional exercises, and the Rev.
A. Davidson delivered an interesting ad
dress on "Intercessory Prayer for the
Jews and Christians working among
Them." He said they had in Geelong a
branch of the Prayer Union for Israel,
which numbered about 00 members,, who
pledged themselves to remember the
Jews in prayer, and to help on Christian
work aniongst them. It was their privi
lege and duty as Christians, who had re
ceived many benefits through the me
dium of the Jewish nation, to sympathise
with them. They had received what was
most dear to them through the Jews
their Saviour came of tho Jewish nation;
and the Bible, which was the Bread of
Life, had been handed down to them
tlirough Jewish sources. Some people
thought it was useless and hopeless to
attempt to Christianise the Jews, but
that was an entire mistake. He would
give them two facts proved by mission
ary statistics, as follow:—(1) Missions to
the Jews had had greater success in pro
portion to the number of agents engaged
in them, and the amount of money spent
on them, than any other missions; (2)
the proportion of Jewish converts to the
whole number of Jews throughout the
world had been greater than the propor
tion of Gentilo converts.
Wherever Jews were converted to
Christ they became the most eager mis
sionaries to others. Not a few of them
had become eminent ministers of the
Gospel. He would give seven reasons
why they should encourage prayer and
work for the conversion of the Jews,, as
follow:—The Jews were found in all
lands; they had access to all peoples;
they were familiar with tho languages,
manners and customs of all nations; they
had physical constitutions acclimatised to
all countries; they admitted as inspired
three-quarters of the Bible; the remain
ing quarter, the New Testament, rested
upon the foundation of the Old Testa
ment, and made it complete: they were
looking for a Messiah according to tho
Old Testament prediction, and that Mes
siah could be shown by many proofs to
bo the Jesus of the New Testament.
Christians often lacked interest in mis
sions, because they were ignorant of
what was being accomplished. Missions
to the Jews were no new tiling. The
Apostle Paul always began his preaching
in the Synagogue, and ever since efforts
had boon put forth to bring the. Jews
to Christ. The speaker told of German
societies for the conversion of the Jews.
Every year, he said, some Jews were ac
cepting Christ, and vowing themselves
Christians. In many parts they were
becoming more accessible to tho mission
ary." and were amenable to Gospel effort.
They, were becoming disposed to sjeak of
Jesus as a Jew, with some pride in the
influence which He exerted in the world.
The speaker referred to Joseph Itav
vinowitcli, the Jewish lawyer of Kis
chineff, in South Russia, who had he
come converted to Christ, and had won
over many of liis countrymen.
The Hebrew Now Testament had been
largely circulated amongst the Jews of
Eastern Europe, and to it many of them
owed their conversion. Tho Jews had
awakened Christian sympathy, arid had
led Christians to study the promises and
prophecies of tlio Bible regarding the"
persecuted Jews. The revulsion of feel
ing in Jews when they became converted
J was so strong that they were seized with
an eager desire to proclaim the Christ
thev had formerly denied.
The speaker said there was literature
available which Christians might some
times distribute amongst the Jews with
advantage.
After the meeting, Mrs._ J. H. Hope,
secretary of tho Prayer Union for Israel,
enrolled a number of now members.
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