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should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day." John vi. 37-40.

We are informed in a preceding part of the chapter just quoted, that the multitude whom Jesus had miraculously fed with five loaves and two small fishes, having missed Jesus, who had crossed the sea of Tiberias during night, went also to the other side in order to find him. The true cause, however, of this anxiety to discover where Jesus was, did not lie concealed from the eye of Omniscience; for we are informed, that Jesus said to them, "Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled," ver. 26. Jesus, therefore, taking occasion from this circumstance, exhorts them to "labour for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life," ver. 27. Seemingly sensible of the propriety of attending to this injunction, the Jews reply, by way of asking information, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?" Thus it seems that they were anxious to labour for everlasting life, but professed their ignorance of the mode of working. "Jesus answered, and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent," ver. 29. The Jews, professing their willingness to believe on Jesus Christ, request such kind of evidence as was afforded in attestation of the mission of Moses. "They said therefore unto him,

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What sign shewest thou then, that we may see and believe thee? what dost thou work? Our fathers [for their conviction of the divine mission of Moses] did eat manna in the desert, as it written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat," ver. 30, 31. To this appeal Jesus replies, " Verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven," ver. 32. Making a transition from supernatural to spiritual bread, Jesus turns their attention from the evidence to the substance of his mission-" But my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world," ver. 32, 33. Our Lord having spoken of himself in this general way, the Jews reply with seeming earnestness, "Lord, evermore give us this bread," ver. 34. Having thus extorted from them a confession of their spiritual need, and an expression of desire to obtain a supply of it, Jesus explicitly declares, "I am the bread of life," ver. 35. Now, the manna in the wilderness, although supernatural, operated on the bodily frame of the Israelites in the same manner as natural or common bread does, and therefore did not prevent them from being regularly subject to the calls of hunger; but Jesus informs his hearers, that the spiritual food of which he had been speaking, was, in its nature, perpetually satisfying :-" He that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst," ver. 35. Our Lord's hearers, however, although thus directed to the means of possessing the spiritual food of which they seemed to be very desirous, had already in a great measure precluded themselves from the probability of enjoying it, by reason of their stupid ignorance and confirmed prejudices. "But I said unto you, that ye also have seen me, and believe not," ver. 36. The discourse here alluded to is found in the preceding chapter. We shall quote from the 36th verse. "But I have greater witness than that of John; for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. Search the Scriptures: for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. I receive not honour from men. But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another come in his own name, him ye will receive. How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour which cometh from God only? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?"

Here we may clearly see the various causes of the unbelief of the Jews-The leading cause was their disbelief in the writings of Moses;-this was the cause of the word of God not abiding in them;-this was the cause of their not having the love of God in them; this was the cause of their not seeking the honour which cometh from God; and this was the cause of their not receiving him whom the Father had sent. To this description, however, there were some exceptions; for a few seem to have been acquainted with the character of the promised Messiah. We read that Philip, on finding Nathanael, said to him, -"We have found him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." chap. i. 45. And that there were persons whose character was directly opposite to that which has just been delineated, is evident from the testimony which Christ bore to the character of Nathanael, and also from Nathanael's own conduct as displayed in his promptitude in inquiring after truth, and his readiness to submit to the force of truth when discovered. "And Nathanael said unto him, (Philip) Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. Jesus saw Nathanael coming unto him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig-tree, I saw thee. Nathanael answered and saith unto him,

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Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel," ver. 46-49. The same remark might be made concerning Peter and Andrew his brother; for in the same chapter it is written-" He (Andrew) findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, (which is, being interpreted, the Christ.) And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, (which is, by interpretation, a stone [or Peter.])" Hence it would appear, that this proof of Christ's omniscience convinced Peter, as the above mentioned proof of his omnipresence convinced Nathanael. It would also seem, that our Lord alluded to the state of Peter's knowledge of the character of the Messiah, and the process of conviction which took place in his mind, when he said, in reply to Peter's confession, that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God, -" Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona (or son of Jona:) for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven," Matth. xvi. 17. That this divine revelation consisted in the enlightening of the understanding of the sincere Jew, who diligently searched the Scriptures of the Old Testament, will appear from the following declaration of Jesus Christ, found in immediate connexion with the passage under review-"It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me," ver. 43. Hence it fol