I pray God that He

my own pastorship. may more and more abundantly bless us, and make us a blessing, uniting us together in the bonds of faith and of love, prospering the work of our hands, encouraging our hearts, and enabling us to go forward in years to come upon a mission of good both to those who are fellow-countrymen of most of us, and to the neighbourhood at large. May His heavenly grace in Christ Jesus dwell in the hearts of each individual among us, and make every family to be a worthy Christian household, ruled in the fear of God.

KENSINGTON, May 24, 1866.

G. C.

SEARCHING THE SCRIPTURES.

"Search the Scriptures; for in them. ye think ye have eternal life and they are they which testify of me."JOHN V. 39.

T

:

HESE words of our Lord are addressed to those who professed to have an intense reverence for the Scriptures. (then of course only the Scriptures of the Old Testament), but who, in fact, understood not their spirit. Though these Scriptures were read in their synagogues every Sabbath, though in their letter they were most deeply respected, yet in their spirit they were but slightly understood by a large number of the people and of their teachers. They heard the words, but they measured not their significance; they listened with a dull reverence, but they appreciated not the spirit and power of the words which they heard.

B

Christ Himself and, as He said, before giving utterance to the words of the text, the Father which had sent Him had borne witness of Him-the people in great part saw this not; but, while professing the utmost reverence for the words of Moses and the prophets, rejected Him whose coming they had been sent to foreshadow and declare. There were indeed spiritually-minded men, who, viewing these Scriptures in a sense not perceived by others, poring over them in prayer and in meditation from day to day, saw the light as it burst forth, and welcomed the lowly Redeemer, as His Sun arose upon the world, but these were few and far between. The multitude, the large majority, who represented what may be termed public opinion, saw Him not—understood not the Scriptures —their hearts being hardened, and their ears dull of hearing, and their eyes closed. The words of the old prophets rang in their ears, from Sabbath to Sabbath, but they were but as the sounding brass and the tinkling cymbal, spells to bind them, not living words to move them unto expectation and action.