to persecute and overthrow the Church. The conduct of these sects with regard to one another, and with regard to our Lord, cannot fail to strike any thinking person, as exactly like that of many of the numberless sects here, who would like to put one another to silence, as the Pharisees rejoiced to hear the Sadducees put down, but are strongly bound together when any injury is to be done to that branch of the Church of Christ here established. But these unbelievers ask a question about the state of the risen dead, referring to the law of Moses, which ordered a man to raise up seed to his brother, with a view to the inheritance of his estate, but chiefly with a view to the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ the Saviour, which was looked forward to with great anxiety by all the families of Israel, wherefore barrenness was so greatly dreaded by the Jewish females. The answer to these unbelievers is wonderful: "Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God." No, brethren, neither they nor others like them condescend to read the Scriptures humbly; and as to the power of God, they sneer at it, and give, like ignorant creatures as they are, all things to chance. Had these men read the Scriptures of the Old Testament, they must have seen that in many places the resurrection of the dead is distinctly mentioned, not to say anything of the passages, in which God calls himself the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (See Isaiah xxvi. 19. Job xix. 23—27. Daniel xii. 2. Psalm lxiii. 24.) "The fool hath said in his heart that there is no God." All unbelief is folly, the worst of folly, and it never comes into the way of light, but it is sure to be proved to be so. The belief in a god whose protection and power has relation only to this life, at the end of which those he has protected and cherished are to die for ever, is as stupid and unreasonable as it is a profane belief; but such was the belief of these people, the Sadducees, whom, however, our Saviour refers to the Scriptures, whether they like them or not. Now here you will remark that, however men take the liberty to make light of God's Word, the same shall judge them at the last day. "Have ye not read the Scriptures," will grate hard upon the consciences of

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those who despised them, when they see the poor and humble Bible readers enter into the joy of their Lord. They may have laughed at the resurrection of the dead, and have taken their fill of the cup of death joyously, after the joy of this world, but bitterly will they mourn when they find that God is not the God of the dead, but of the living saints; of them, who like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, believed the promises, and walked in living or holy working faith upon earth, and found all their hopes made good to them in the happiness and glory of heaven, where they enjoy the purity and chastity of angels, free from those passions that made marriage necessary and honourable here. I make no remark upon our Lord's answer to the lawyer, having written upon a like passage in the seventh chapter, and I pass to that triumphant silencing of the impudent Pharisees, related at the end of this portion of Scripture. Our Lord, as in the question about John the Baptist, turns their own weapons upon them. asks them a question that they cannot answer, though they ought to have answered it, pious, godly, and well read in the Scriptures as they pretended to be. They were not able to answer Him a word; they could not tell Him how Christ was both David's son and· David's Lord; that He was born after the flesh, of David's family, and yet perfect God, and therefore David's Lord; neither could they see that they were the enemies of the truth, whom God was to put under the feet of Christ, because they would not ask for the Spirit to help them to understand that which David wrote by the same Spirit, even by the Holy Ghost, but rather preferred their own traditions, and the malicious pleasure of trying to vex Him who, in spite of them and others like them, sitteth on the right hand of God a king for ever, while unbelievers lie crushed at his feet by the power of his truth. It was time to leave off putting such questions to our Lord. I would to God that men would employ themselves now in asking questions of their own hearts as to belief and practice, and in a diligent and humble study of God's word. There would then be an end of foolish unbelief. Jesus would be

gladly resorted to as the friend of sinners, as the wisdom of the wise, the true happiness of immortal souls. A LAYMAN.

THE INFLUENCE OF DESPONDENCY OF MIND IN
PRODUCING CARELESS HABITS.

We have often observed, with feelings of distress, that
a low-spirited and desponding view of worldly affairs
often leads to a reckless and careless manner of life.
This evil is so exceedingly common among those called
the poor, that no one who has been much with them, to
converse with them intimately and know them well, can
have failed to notice it. For myself, I am well per-
suaded, that a great deal of that careless neglect of
religion, and the means of it, which prevails among
them, either arises from this cause, or is justified by this
plea to the minds of the persons themselves.
It may
seem very strange, that the trials and troubles which we
know God always sends for the sole purpose of proving
us, "to do us good at our latter end," should ever be
made an excuse for forsaking Him more and more. But
nevertheless it is so: this is the lamentable fact in many,
many instances, and a grievous fact it is. The life of
many persons, we need not tell our readers, is peculiarly
full of trials and vexations. I do not say that the rich
are any of them free from heavy and severe trials them-
selves; they have plenty of them; but still the troubles of
the poor are of a more manifest character, more depressing
sometimes to the mind, and more constantly trying to the
temper. Many of them who try to keep an even temper,
are severely tried every day, and sometimes every hour
of the day. The necessity for constant work, the want
of some things necessary even for their work, the ill
success of much they may do, and the ill behaviour of
neighbours and relations, who are generally on terms of
great freedom with each other, and have less scruple
than the rich in saying cruel things, and doing unkind
actions to one another, are all great trials to those of
warm temper. And to all, the occasional want of neces-
sary things, the fear of future ills, the suffering of a
weak state of health, will often bring on very low feelings

of despondency and distress. Of these feelings the great tempter of souls will take his advantage.

He

will tell them, in the secret of their minds, with one of those deceitful whispers which he so frequently pours [ in, either that God does not love them, otherwise He would not leave them so miserable; or else he persuades them that they are too wretched to have any urgent duty pressed upon them; that God would not be so harsh as to put any more burdens on those who are already so heavily laden with worldly troubles; that they need not fear, their troubles will be the excuse for their want of thought for religious duties; that they could not be expected to suffer so much, and at the same time to do a great deal in the way of religion. This false reasoning is very readily received, because it is pleasant, and affords an excuse for doing as they like. They never think of its folly and untruth; it pleases for the moment, and indulges them in present idleness, and in the luxury of repining, since it suits so well the humour they are in; no examination is made into its nature; it is received on trust, and thus its utter wickedness and madness escapes being discovered. No one would ever dare to express in words such feelings and thoughts as these; but many things pass current in thought which never could be uttered without shame; and this is one.-Let it readily be admitted that the feeling of despondency is a very grievous and severe affliction in itself. Often it arises in part from the state of the bodily health, and can scarcely be overcome by those who labour to resist it. In these it is a very heavy burden, and ought to be felt for by all who are free from it themselves. We may, and ought to, sympathize with the sufferer; but we ought not to justify or excuse the sin which it becomes the temptation to commit. The sin is recklessness and carelessness about every duty towards God, and all concern for the eternal state of the soul. Misery and suffering, however great they may be, ought not to lead us to this. Despondency about earthly affairs should not make eternal things seem of little consequence. It is plain madness to give up, under the heaviest burdens, for that will only increase the present trouble, as well as add to it others which are overwhelmingly

greater and more enduring. But, in reality, it is something more than madness; and we wish that it might be seen in its true character, and that all would examine themselves carefully to find out if they have any lurking leaven of this evil spirit in their hearts. It is, in truth, nothing less than hatred of God, and a kind of spite practised towards the Divine Majesty, when earthly troubles are held to be an excuse for serving and worshipping Him. It is as if men said, "He has afflicted me, and I will not worship Him. He has placed me in a very hard condition, and made my life a burden; and this prevents me from being able to love and serve Him. If he would have me worship and serve Him, let me be free to do so, by having a better lot, and a more comfortable life." Dreadful as these thoughts would be, they are not worse than Satan is capable of suggesting, or of man entertaining. He tempted Eve in paradise with thoughts not more blasphemous than these, and he succeeded, by the use of them, in perverting her from her obedience. He finds many now still more prepared to receive his suggestions, both from the depravity of our hearts, and from the sufferings of our lives. fear there are more cases of " desperation" in the world than is generally believed; for this is the last state of misery and sin into which Satan drives his unhappy victims. Every thing which leads to it, in the least degree, ought most earnestly to be dreaded; and there is something very like the beginnings of it in multitudes of minds. The first and best means of providing against it is to remember that the blessings and the duties of Christ's holy religion are all of them the very best consolations in trouble, provided and prepared for that purpose. God made man, who is "born to trouble, as the sparks fly upwards;" and God has made a cure for that trouble in Him whom He has sent as our Saviour and Friend from heaven. The Gospel of Jesus Christ does not impose fresh burdens upon man; but takes off and lightens those which it finds upon us already too heavy to be borne. It is to give us a light yoke and an easy burden in place of those which are intolerable. It comes as a friend, not as a taskmaster. It brings peace and cheerfulness, not provocation and disturbance; although

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