are idle, our thoughts are vain; there is no idleness, no vanity, in the word of God.

Those oxen and goats which were sacrificed, teach thee to kill and sacrifice the uncleanness and filthiness of thy heart; they teach thee, that thou art guilty of death, when thy life must be redeemed by the death of some beast; they lead thee to believe the forgiveness of sins by a more perfect sacrifice, because "it was not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins." (Heb. x.) That leprosy teacheth thee to know the uncleanness and leprosy of thy soul. Those genealogies and pedigrees lead us to the birth of our Saviour Christ. So that the whole word of God is pure and holy. No word, no letter, no syllable, no point or prick thereof, but is written and preserved for thy sake.

To be continued.

ON THE SABBATH.

By the late Dr. M'Cree.

THE Sabbath is the wisest and most beneficial, as well as the most ancient, institute of heaven, the first gift which God conferred on our newly created parents, and by which he continues to testify at once his care for our bodies and our spirits, by providing relaxations for the one, and refreshment for the other; the joint memorial of creation and redemption; the token of God's residence on earth, and the earnest of man's elevation to heaven; an institute which blends ogether, like the colours of the rainbow, itself, a

sacred emblem, recollections of the innocence of our primeval state, and the grace of our recovery, with anticipations of the glory to which we are called; an institute, in the observance of which we feel ourselves associated, not only with all who in every region, yea, on every sea, believe in the same Saviour, but also with holy men, Apostles, Prophets, and Patriarchs, in every age, sin ce men began to call on the name of the Lord; nay in which we are raised to communion with the Father of our spirits; and by resting with him on the seventh day, receive the sacred pledge, that, in labouring and doing all our work on the six days, we shall have that blessing which alone "maketh rich and addeth no sorrow."

SCRIPTURE DIFFICULTIES.

An exacter knowledge in language and circumstances would cause many difficulties in the Bible to vanish like shades before the light of the sun. Jeremiah, to describe a furious invader, saith, Behold, he shall some up as a lion from the swelling of Jordan against the habitation of the strong." One would be apt to think this passage odd and improper, and that it had been more reasonable to have said, 'a lion

from the mountain or the desert.' But travellers who have seen the river Jordan bounded by low lands, with many reeds or thickets, affording shelter to the wild beasts, (which, being suddenly dislodged by a rapid overflowing of the river, rush into the upland country,) perceive the force of the comparison, and that the difficulty proceeds, not from the nonsense of the writer, but from ignorance in the reader.Bishop Berkeley.

RECOLLECTIONS OF NEW ZEALAND, IN 1833.

By a Staff Officer of the Indian Army.

(Continued from page 37.)

Mr. Clark, the catechist, having kindly brought the Reverend Mr. Yate's pony from Waimate for my use, I availed myself of his escort to pay that station my contemplated visit. The road, which was a mere footpath, lay principally along the narrow ridges of hills. The country was generally clear of timber, but densely covered with fern and low brushwood, the universal characteristics of New Zealand scenery. It is, however, very well watered, as well from occasional showers at all seasons of the year, as from the multitude of rivulets with which the whole country is intersected. We were frequently obliged to head these streams on our journey from Paihia to Waimate by winding along the ridges, although in a few places the villagers had constructed small plank and timber bridges for the accommodation of the missionaries.

As an illustration of the estimation in which the missionaries are now held, it may not be deemed uninteresting to mention a circumstance connected with one of these little bridges, which afforded me much amusement at the time. The Chief of a village, a few miles from Paihia, had constructed a bridge of the kind I have mentioned, to facilitate the visits of the Paihia missionaries to his tribe; and Mr. Clark, on passing that way in the morning, found a palisade, or railing, run right across the bridge, so as completely to stop up the way. The natives sometimes do this to exact a sort of toll, demanding from native travellers a piece of tobacco, or such like trifling consideration, for the privilege of thoroughfare. As this is becoming quite a burthen to the poor natives belonging to the mission settlements, and is regarded as an innovation, the missionaries, though not themselves required to pay the toll, very properly set their faces against it; and Mr. Clark accordingly expressed his surprise and regret that a railing of the sort should have been fixed up there for this purpose.

He was himself treated civilly enough on this occasion, and an opening was made to allow him to pass; but on returning that way in the evening, Mr. Clark said he would make the chief ashamed of himself by avoiding his village in our route; a sort of silent reproof, which, although I said nothing about it at the time, I very much suspected would be entirely lost upon that independent minded savage. We observed the palisade still there as we passed the village taking another road to the right, from which we commanded a fine view of the place. There was about the village more cultivation than I had previously seen, in patches

of no great extent, but conveying an idea of settledness and comfort; and the maize, or Indian corn, and potatoes looked particularly thriving.

The New Zealanders are a remarkably shrewd, inquisitive, and intelligent people, and the reason of our thus passing round their village was not long undiscovered by them. On my subsequent visit to Paihia I was informed that the Chief alluded to, ashamed of what he had done, and fearing lest he should offend the missionaries, had pulled down his palisade, and once more thrown open his bridge to the public; affording by his conduct a striking contrast to the feelings with which the missionaries were once regarded by the New Zealanders, and one which may be fairly adduced in proof of their altered sentiments towards them.

We were fortunate in our weather, and after a pleasant ride of about three hours we reached our destination; and I received a most friendly welcome to the settlement from Messrs. Davis and Hamlin, catechists of this station, who met me at tea at Mr. and Mrs. Clark's, where I found, in every respect, a most comfortable home.

Waimate lies nearly west of Paihia, about fourteen miles distant, and about ten miles from the settlement of Keri Keri. It was first formed as a mission settlement early in the year 1831, and whatever might at that time have been thought of the propriety of the selection, there seems at present to be but one opinion on the subject. It is entirely removed from the influence of the shipping, and in its vicinity are numerous villages, containing, collectively, a population probably as extensive as the whole of the other three