66 So far as his example goes, we are surely warranted to follow. But can we go farther? Most unquestionably we can. He has laid down a principle which we are at liberty to apply. He has shown us that neither our personal health, nor even the welfare of our cattle, is to be neglected for the observance of the sabbath. Moreover, in bis declaration that mercy is preferable to sacrifice, he has told us that the course of conduct which results in the greatest good is the right one. "It is lawful to do well on the sabbath-day". Let us now proceed to apply these observations to ing clause of the sabbath law. Let us, therefore, look briefly into the truth of this matter. viour. He says, "I will have mercy and not sacrifice;" or, as he elsewhere expresses himself, Wherefore, it is lawful to do well on the sabbath- We admit at once that there are many men so day." The cases in which he expounded, both busily employed on the six days, that it is only by word and example, the principle contained in on the sabbath they can enjoy a rural walk or these declarations, were in defending the disciples social intercourse; but it must be remembered who had plucked the ears of corn, in curing the that this is a case of a very different kind from man at the pool of Bethsaida, in healing the wo- one of sickness and hunger. This over-labour rean who had been infirm for eighteen years, insults from the unprincipled exaction of work by restoring health to the dropsical man, and in masters. Competition in all branches of trade has making the withered hand whole. In all these been carried on to an unwarrantable extent; and instances the health of man was involved. The masters have been tempted to disregard the obliobligation to preserve this comes before ali religious gations under which workmen lie, as well as claims; and men's social relations make it bind- others, to provide for their own interests as men ing that they render each other all the aid in their and moral beings, and have enslaved them with power for accomplishing this purpose. Our Sa- all the unfeeling rigour of a Pharaoh. Now, to viour, therefore, did not violate the law of the propose an infringement of the sabbath law as a sabbath, but acted in accordance with precepts cure for this, however well meant, is only seeking which are above, and which modify, that law. to remedy one evil by causing a greater. If the advocates of sabbath trains were as philanthropic had that amount of kindness and earnestness as they would have us believe they are-if they which they allege they have, and of which they seem to claim a monopoly, would they not direct their efforts to destroy such a giant evil as overlabour, that the poor man might not be compelled to leave his home and the house of God on the Lord's day in search of health, but might be enabled to spend that day in the worship of his Creator, in imparting holy instruction to the members of his family, and in reaping a high and pure enjoyment. from contemplating with them the noble destiny awaiting those who know their God? To deprive him of an opportunity for all this, or to seduce him from it by the very strongest temptations, is not philanthropy: it is to furnish him with a poor mess of pottage for the rich banquet which has been taken away: it is to feed the body and starve the soul, while both might and ought to be fed. Were these philanthropists, as they believe themselves to be, animated with a spirit of activity and sincerity, they would unite, and assert the right of the working-man both to his recreation and his sabbath, and claim for him that rest from his ordinary occupations which is needful. Instead of this, they have busied themselves in ridiculing those who are jealous for the sacred day-styling their sincerity Pharisaism, and their earnestness cant. But surely it would be much more rational, as well as Christian, to admit that we may be as sincere as they; and, if we do not see eye to eye, they should remember that vituperation is not argument, and that to irritate is the very worst way to attempt to convince. We cannot help coming to the conclusion, not only that their policy is wrong, and if carried out will inflict incalculable evils on the working-man, but that it appears somewhat selfish, and suggests that their guiding principle is, actual cases. Some have contended, for example, that it is absolutely necessary to run passenger trains on a Sunday for the convenience of travellers and such persons as are busily employed during the six days. It is asserted that the working population of our large towns are employed during so many hours, and are so worn out with their daily toil, that the sabbath is the only day they have for agreeable recreation and amusement; and it is alleged that, to these, Sunday trains are an inestimable boon, as furnishing a cheap and expeditious means of conveyance to places where the beauties of nature may be enjoyed, and health invigorated by the pure air; as also affording opportunity for the enjoyment of social intercourse with relations and friends, and affording facility of transit in cases of emergency. These are the strongest reasons that can be urged in favour of Sunday trains; and, when they are calmly examined, they will be found to be entirely fallacious. Never was there a more specious attempt to obtain money at the expense of the best interests of the working-man. No one can desire more earnestly than we do that he should enjoy all the privileges which are necessary to preserve the health of his body, to cultivate his mind, and enjoy the comforts of social intercourse; but we cannot forget that he demands rest and leisure for turning his thoughts upon his higher interests. This most important matter the advocates of sabbath trains entirely overlook. They proceed on the suppositions that the condition which they propose to ameliorate is a necessary condition, and that the means they suggest are the best for accomplishing this purpose. If the condition was not necessary, it is quite plain that their ameliorative agencies could not come under the except "Quærenda pecunia primum, Virtus post nummos"*. Thus we see that, even granting that railway trains on Sunday do mitigate the evil which is complained of, were railway directors really anxious for the welfare of the working-man, these trains would only be temporary; because efforts would be directed to remove the cause of the evil Get money first, then think of virtue.-HORACE EPIST. L. i. ver, 53. which necessitated an infringement upon the sacred duties of the sabbath. But we are not prepared to admit that Sunday trains are the best means of mitigating the evils of the present labour-system. We grant at once that they afford facilities for intercourse among friends who live at a distance from each other; but it may be questioned whether the evils are not greater than the benefits. That they are we are prepared to show in the sequel. We admit, too, that the overtasked workmen who have been pent up in the midst of our large cities need, and have the right to enjoy the pure air; but surely no man will have the hardihood to tell us that this can only be enjoyed by availing themselves of the Sunday trains? To walk alone beyond the precincts of the city, and be enabled to cherish that calm meditative spirit which becomes the sacred day, while they are invigorating their bodies, is far more beneficial than mingling, as must be done in railway trains, with those whose reverence for the sabbath may not be great, and whose conversation may be inappropriate, not to mention that they are compelled to spend their means, and are brought into innumerable temptations. We cannot, therefore, but regard this modern device of Sunday trains for the benefit of our town-working population as an arrant imposture-a scheme which will ruin instead of raising, which will lower the tone of morality, weaken the influences of religion, and produce no permanent physical good. With regard to cases of emergency they have no bearing on the question. Exceptions cannot be made the basis of rules. Before we are warranted to infringe on the law of the sabbath, or avail ourselves of its excepting clause, we must have certainty and not contingency, on which to proceed. bind each other. We must therefore consider the evils which flow from the practice in dispute; and then we shall be prepared to decide what course is right. Let any man examine the matter candidly for himself-let him be animated by an honest zeal for the cause of religion and true human progress; and we have no doubt he will come to the conclusion that the unbroken sanctity of the sabbath is one of the grand pillars of social weal. Still applying the principles we have laid down, we must condemn, as altogether at variance with the duties of the sabbath, the sale of intoxicating liquors, keeping open public reading-rooms and places of amusement, and keeping cabs on the public stances (i. e. stands) for hire. We pass now to the concluding branch of our subject, which is the consideration of the obstacles which are offered to the due observance of the Lord's-day by the present postal arrangements of government and Sunday trains. Now, one great obstacle, which the arrange ments referred to present to the sanctification of the sabbath, is found in the secularizing influence which they exert. We have already seen that, for the due sanc tification of the sacred day, the ordinance of social worship has been prescribed by God. They who would serve him must assemble themselves together, and offer up the sacrifices of prayer and praise. There is no magical influence exerted by the mere congregating together; but the acceptability of the service, and its power to influence the moral nature of man, depend to a great extent apon the frame of mind in which the worshippers are, and the manner in which they engage in the work. If they are engrossed with the concerns of life, there can be no true worship. Men must be in the Spirit on the Lord's-day; and their thoughts must be directed heavenwards. There may be a form of worship; and with those whose minds are wholly occupied with the things of time worship is a form, and it is animated by no living faith. Their eyes look upwards, but they are filled with no heavenly light; their hearts beat, but it is not with holy devotion. They are dead while they are living. The same line of argument applies to postal communication on Sunday. It is an unquestionable violation of the sabbath; and there are no circumstances which can be justly pleaded as placing it in the category either of necessity or mercy. The question is not, Do some feel inconvenience or annoyance from not obtaining their letters on the Lord's-day as well as other days? but the proper question is, Would the social and commercial To produce the proper frame of mind, discipline prosperity of the country suffer materially, were is necessary. We do not live in the age of miSabbath mails and deliveries to be discontinued?racles; and, if we expect to reap good, we must for individual convenience must give way to the higher consideration of national good. That any injury would be sustained, we have yet to learn. They, who argue that there would, forget that men accommodate themselves to circumstances; or, in other words, regulate their enterprises and pursuits by the laws and customs of their country, which bind not a section of the people, but all. No undue opportunity is given to any man over his neighbour; but all are in this respect on a footing of equality. If there accrues injury, it must be in preventing the development of the capabilities of men-in placing, as it were, a drag on national prosperity. But, in judging of this, we must remember that the interests of man extend beyond the present, and that, while we are seeking to promote his temporal welfare, we may be frustrating his advancement in moral good. There can never be true prosperity when the harmony of the constitution is broken up. Man's interests take care to sow good. The moral feelings, like the intellectual powers, are refined and developed by careful culture. Hence it becomes of the ut most importance that nothing should be per manently instituted which tends in any way to cut off man's opportunity from devoting himself to this work, or which is at variance with pure moral feeling; and more especially since there lurks in man a bias to what is evil. Now the sabbath law was given that man might be enabled to cultivate his higher nature. The circumstance which it commemorated, and the services which it prescribed, all directed the mind upwards to the Maker of all things, reminded man of his destiny, and taught him that to prepare for it, or rather to work it out, was the main object of his being. The battle of social life was to be suspended, the din of labour hushed, and the rude voice of this busy Babel world stilled, that man might enjoy uninterrupted communion with the Great Spirit. But how alien to this is all sabbath traffic! | The quiet of the sacred day is invaded. Those barriers which separate it from all other days are broken down. It ceases to exert that hallowing influence which its holy stillness is calculated to produce. The mind is forced from its abstraction, and compelled to think of worldly matters. The sound of commerce will seduce the most wary; and thus man's efforts at moral and spiritual discipline are thwarted. In the course of time, he ceases to feel pain from the opposition; but it is not because he has surmounted the evil, but because his moral sensibility has been deadened. There is no counteractive consideration as in works of necessity; and the soul, therefore, must suffer the blight. To those who are emphatically men of the world, these considerations will be of little weight; and so will every consideration which is not of a pecuniary character. But to the man who esteems morality above money, and who desires to live not unto himself but unto God, who is anxious not to raise himself upon the ruin of his neighbours, but to help them on in the grand conflict of life, they will appear of the greatest importance. In this age, however, such men are not very numerous; and it is almost impossible to produce conviction, unless the argument bear on wealth, which is more powerful than conscience in affecting the reason. Most men will attach no importance to evils which do not develop themselves in crime or pauperism. But, if the soul is precious, most assuredly the slightest injury to its moral nature is an evil of no light moment, and one which men should beware of treating with levity. but Viewed in this light, Sunday trains are evils of no ordinary magnitude. They destroy what it is not in the power of earthly physicians to restore. The influence may for a while be unseen, but it is not the less real. It is not confined to few, it affects thousands; and the evil extends and progresses. It preys on man's moral nature, and must in the end prove as a canker-worm to all true human advancement. These trains may occasionally benefit in cases of great emergency; but at what a fearful cost are they maintained! No man imbued with a reverence for the truths of Christianity can consistently assert their necessity to provide for cases where casual and limited good is effected at the expense of continued and extensive evil. The present postal arrangements are condemnable in a similar point of view. Omitting for the present any notice of their evil influence upon those by whom the work of assortment, despatch, and delivery is carried on, they, like the Sunday trains, destroy the proper influence of the sabbath by secularizing the day. But there are other attendant evils. The delivery of letters is usually followed by their perusal, which is unquestionably, at least in so far as letters of business are concerned, opposed to the spirit of the sabbath law. Moreover, in those cases in which the recipients of the letters do not read them, the strongest temptation is thrown in their way to violate their convictions. Besides, the reading of letters is almost necessarily followed by the writing of them, the merchant urging the plea of advantage to his business, and the lawyer the necessity of his client's case; and thus the sabbath is de secrated, and man suffers, although he believes that he is actually receiving benefit. Another obstacle to the due sanctification of the sabbath, so far as regards the railway trains, is the strong temptation which they offer to sabbath desecration. The influence of the post-office in this respect we have already mentioned. The force of this will be more clearly seen, if we look for a moment at man's constitution as a moral being. Notwithstanding all the disquisitions which some have made about the dignity of human nature, there is no denying that the taint of sin is on every soul. "The trail of the serpent is over us all." The heart of man is set on evil, and shrinks from the stern self-denial, that high discipline which must be undergone if man would work out his salvation. The desecration of the sabbath, therefore, is by no means at variance with the bias of the human heart; but it is in accordance with its depraved feelings. Now, to set up temptations in these circumstances, is to be guilty of no light sin. Instead of aiding man in his proper work, it is abetting him in his iniquity; it is offering the strongest provocative to err; it is furnishing the means of degrading instead of saving his own soul. And this temptation is strengthened still more when men of influence come forward to defend it, and attempt to show that the system they advocate has its plea both in necessity and mercy. The eyes of men are blinded. "The wish is father to the thought;" and men become convinced the thing is right because they would have it so. They have hundreds of inducements to travel and amuse themselves, while they feel little disposition to engage in the higher and nobler work of religious culture. But the evil is not confined to those who yield to these temptations. On that day on which, above all others, the father should preside in his own family to guide the minds of his children to God, and to unite with them in holy exercises of devotion, he is absent. His own soul experiences no refreshing influence; and the souls of his children have been left with none to feed them. Moreover, his example becomes in the course of time a precedent for their conduct, and they are thus virtually trained to regard as common one of the most sacred institutions. Sunday travelling also acts upon the church, and tends to destroy its efficiency, not only by creating outward obstacles, but by cooling that zeal which every true Christian has for all the ordinances of his Master. Its influence also acts most banefully on the world, serving to confirm the men of it in their unrighteousness; leading them to scoff at the godly as men of narrow and illiberal minds, of cold hearts and morose temperament, who are fitter for the monk's cell than the enjoy ments of social life. These shelter themselves behind the conduct of those who profess to be imbued with the spirit of Christianity, but to be above its forms. They forget to inquire what the Lord saith; but they consider it sufficient to have ascertained what man thinketh, and how the heart feeleth. But there is yet another obstacle; and it arises from the amount of compulsory work which the post-office and railway entail. "It appears," says Dr. King, "from" Bradshaw's Guide,' that eight hundred and fifty trains ran upon the English lines of railway; and, if we suppose ten men to be required for each of these trains, then from eight to nine thousand men are thus employed." But "this representation," says the same writer, "falls far short of the truth. Railways bring innumerable vehicles into requisition on cross-roads and at stations. Steam-carriages, too, have a connection with steam-boats, and, if the former run, the latter will sail. The supply of inns, porters, &c., must be in proportion to the amount of travelling, and a general system of traffic on the Lord's-day appears almost inevitable" (Tracts for the Times, No. 4). But the estimate of Dr. King is far short of the truth. In the first of the sabbath alliance tracts we are told that the English lines employ 47,000 servants, and that when the lines in progress (in 1847) are completed the number will be raised to 127,000. in hand; and that social comfort and spiritual welfare must progress together. If the observations which we have made are correct, then the sabbath is a sacred institution, which it becomes us to guard with care. It is an essential pillar in the Christian church, and is intimately connected with the best interests of man, We must guard it, therefore, with jealousy, if we would be true to our God, our neighbour, and ourselves; we must suffer not the slightest encroachment to be made upon its sanctity. And, if we thus act, we may rely on the promise being fulfilled to us, which was given to Israel of old, "If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day, and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable, and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own plea shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord, and I will sures, nor speaking thine own words, then cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy (Isai. lviii. 13, 14). father; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it" Poetry. HYMNS FOR THE SUNDAYS IN THE YEAR (SUGGESTED In the post-office, the amount of compulsory sabbath desecration is also great. "In England and Wales alone there are 4,250 post-towns and sub-towns; in Scotland, 715; and in Ireland, 750; making a total of 5,715 towns and villages which make up a letter bag on Sunday. Allowing two officers only to each of these places, viz., a post-master and a letter-carrier, and to 800 posttowns a clerk each additional, we arrive at a commercial result of 12,230 persons who are compelled by a government which supports a religious establishment to break the fourth commandment" (Sabbath Alliance Tract, No. 1). "A late statement," says Dr. Croly, "of the post-office establishment in Scotland makes the whole number employed within its offices on the week-days 1,000, of which three-fourths are employed on the sabbath; 700 letter-carriers from house to house, three-fourths of whom are employed on the sab-xii. 9. bath; 500 riders and runners carrying the mails from town to town-all employed on the sabbath day. Thus upwards of 1,700 persons are employed, besides the attendants on the railway mails*". These statements need but little comment. They reveal a state of things which cannot be too deeply deplored. We see that, for what men call their convenience, thousands are deprived of the benefit of the sabbath. It is no answer to this to tell us that they are in many cases allowed to attend on divine service, for their bodies have been fatigued, and their minds wholly unfitted for engaging in religious worship. Sabbath after sabbath they are compelled to submit to the same searing influences; and there is no happy interjection of causes which may counteract these baneful effects, and give an impulse to the development of their higher nature. Will a consideration like this have no weight? Surely it is enough to make the most careless pause and ponder. It should be kept in mind that it is with nations as with individuals, that the open violations of God's laws are followed by their penal consequences. There is no sinning with impunity, whether that be done by the one or the many. The laws of the moral government under which we live are not Lesbian rules which may be bent to suit our caprice. So that we may rest assured that all true prosperity, whether individual or national, must be based on a strict conformity to those laws; that commercial greatness and moral improvement must go hand The "Divine Origin and Obligation of the Sabbath," by Dr. Croly. BY SOME PORTION OF THE SER (For the Church of England Magazine). SUNDAY AFTER ASCENSION-DAY. "For ye are not as yet come to the rest and to the is heritance, which the Lord your God giveth_you."—DEUT AMID the stormy scenes of life How often is the soul distrest! By earthly things too much imprest; She is not come unto her rest. And yet, through all the noise and sin, Arise, for this is not thy rest." A few more nights by dreams distrest, So may I wait the appointed time, Till my last solemn change shall come, "Thou art not come unto thy rest." HUGHES, 12, Ave-Maria Lane, St. Paul's; and to be London: Published for the Proprietors, by JOHN procured, by order, of all Booksellers in Town and Country. PRINTED BY ROGERSON AND TUXFORD, 246, STRAND, LONDON. TREES, SHRUBS, &c. No. XXXIX. ORIENTAL PLANE. (Oriental Plane.) Or the Platanus, or plane-tree, so called from Marúc, "broad," in allusion to its diffusive shade, there are two species which best deserve notice the Platanus orientalis, and the Platanus occidentalis. The latter is of large size, and of considerable beauty, though decidedly inferior to the oriental. It is the kind usually planted in England. No. 946. The oriental plane is a native of Asia Minor and the Levant, and, according to Royle, it stretches eastward as far as Cashmere. It appears to acquire a great age, and was much employed by the ancient Greeks and Romans for avenues and other ornamental purposes, being perhaps the handsomest of hardy deciduous trees. Its timber is fine-grained, and well suited to some kinds of joiners' work; it is, however, brittle. The plane seems to be the armon of scripture, which our translation renders chesnut (Gen. xxx. 37; Ezek. xxxi. 8). This appellation is from a root, signifying "to be stripped;" for the bark |