thronged with visitors. They stop before me, one is addressed as Master.' This must be some great personage! Perhaps the high priest himself." Some one en quires, "Master, who did sin, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" The Master answers: "Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents; but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day, the night cometh when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." The Rabbi speaks with wisdom, a mysterious power dwells on every word. greater than the high priest is here. Verily, He must be a prophet. "The Light of the world!" The blind man says, "Rabbi! I ask not alms from thee. O! in pity illumine my perpetual night! Light of the world!' In mercy remember me. O let me gaze upon thy brightness!" A The Master, "Jesus of Nazareth "-for that is his name -spat upon the ground, and making clay, anointed the beggar's eyes, and told him, to go wash in the Pool of Siloam. See the blind man rise from his seat to obey the Lord's command? He asks imploringly those around him to lead him to the pool. A kind hearted citizen steps forward as his guide. To the city gate they sped. His faith like a taper flickers-wavers-sometimes well-nigh out; but gathering strength again steadily it burns. His friend and guide leads him through the crowded streets. Others having heard of Christ's command, follow the blind man to see the result of his washing his eyes in the pool; some laugh at the foolish pilgrimage. The blind man, however, perseveres. Faith and hope support him, and spur him on. And he meditates on the command, "Go wash." He believes he shall yet see his beloved city-the temple-"the mountains of his native land," and "the man that made clay and anointed his eyes." As they approach the goal of his desires-his heart beat hard with expectation-eagerly he asks the distance, with rapid steps they walk to the Pool of Siloam. Now in one part of the city there is a great excitement. A Babel-sound rises from the court below-old and young are crowding round the object of attraction. It is the blind young man, who was shouting for joy and embracing friends and enemies. He has just come from the Pool of Siloam-" seeing." There he washed, and his blindness vanished. His soul now rejoices in beholding the new opened porches of light. The neighbours clamour for an explanation of this mystery. "Is not this he who sat and begged?" Some confidently affirm, "It is he!" yet, there are many sceptics among this company. Some far-seeing folks can sce a striking likeness. "He is like him; but he said, I am he." The beggar simply tells his tale. "The man that is called Jesus, made clay and anointed my eyes, and said, Go to the Pool of Siloam; and I went and washed, and I received my sight." What a mingled look of superstition and incredulity. The silence is broken by curiosity, "Where is he? and he said, I know not." The Jewish Sanhedrim decided controversies among the people, in all cases of religion; the people had a great regard for their opinion. "Him that aforetime was blind,” is brought before the tribunal. Many of the Pharisees know him well. The people have been puzzled, they cannot explain the miracle, so they come to hear the wise give their verdict. The senate asks-How were thine eyes opened? The beggar simply tells the startling facts. Ah! ah! say some, "This man is not of God because he keepeth not the Sabbath-day. But Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus answer, "How can a man that is a sinner, do such miracles?" The debate grows warm. How very foolish this solemn assembly looks. They seem puzzled. How to make a dignified retreat seems to be the prevailing thought. The Pharisees have numbers, if not arguments. They evade the query by questioning the beggar. They think his poverty, his helplessness, his ignorance, will make him their prey. How can he bear cross-examination, we'll make him contradict himself. They ask, "What sayest thou of him, that (he) hath opened thine eyes." The young man answered," He is a prophet." 66 The beggar's parents are called and questioned,—they acknowledge him to be their son,-they know he was born blind; but the miracle they dare not speak about. Our son is of age, ask him?" Again the young man is called for. The Pharisees now adopt another course, and say, "Give God the praise, we know that this man (Jesus) is a sinner." If thou hast received thy sight, give the Glory to God. If not acknowledge the fraud, for we know this man to be a sinner. Wearied with the questioning, but unshaken in the truth, the young man still repeats his story, undaunted by the threatening look of the proud Pharisee. He thinks them either blind or deaf-being asked again, he says, "I have told you already; have ye not heard it? Will ye also be his disciples?" W. H. RINDER. SUPPORTING MISSIONS. TO THE EDITOR,-DEAR SIR, THE appeal in your last number, by Mr. Rinder, to the Sunday-schools throughout our Connexion, quite delights me. It is just the thing. I hope all the schools will be up and at it; every thing is favourable for such an effort. Trade is good, provision and clothing are very cheap. Then let all teachers and scholars do something. I know that in this Circuit some action is being taken among some of our schools; but unfortunately it happens to be amongst the smallest of them. I hope the others will be very soon induced to follow. Do, Mr. Editor, use your pen, and try to get our Sunday-schools into a good way, let them remember that, it is said, "There is that giveth, and yet increaseth; and there is that witholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty." SYMPATHY. A SUPERINTENDENT. "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."-Matthew xxv. 40. Mock not another's sorrow, Nor laugh at the distress'd; Thou know'st not what to-morrow May rankle in thy breast: For bright and sunny mornings Grow dark and drear at eve So young and buoyant spirits, By thought, or word, or deed; Cling rather to each other, Whate'er it loves to feed upon," And the wanderer on his way: And O, if thou canst but remove, Can ease the sufferer of a pang, "Twill be a sweet reflection, In the hour when storms are nigh; And like a ray of sunlight, It cheers the weeping one to know, Blest sympathy! the star that guides, Rochdale, 1850. J. H. BIRTH-PLACE OF COLONEL GARDINER. COLONEL JAMES GARDINER was born in the house represented in our engraving, at Carriden, Linlithgowshire, in Scotland, on the 10th of January, 1688. His father was a captain in the army; his uncle was a colonel, and his eldest brother was also a military man. When James Gardiner was only fourteen years old he became a soldier, having a cadet's commission in the Scottish army. Before his conversion he was a very wicked man, as soldiers then generally were, and now are. No truly good man would choose to be a soldier. Those who voluntarily enter the army are mostly persons of dissolute habits. When Colonel Gardiner was only eighteen years old, he was engaged at the battle of Ramillies; and was one of the officers on a "forlorn hope"-that is, of a company employed on a most dangerous enterprise. While endeavouring to drive the French troops from a churchyard, when he was calling to his men, a musket-ball was fired into his mouth; the ball passed through his mouth, and |