riches to enter into the Kingdom of God"; and if the situation of such a family is irretrievably fixed, and that by our exertions, the contemplation of it may well bring alarm and sadness and distress upon the last hours of a Christian Parent. And these feelings may well rise to anguish, if he is conscious that his system of accumulation was carried on in defiance of solemn admonitions; and if he is persuaded that the wealth he has amassed--as it were to shut out heaven from the hopes and prospects of his children--if it had been dedicated day by day, as God had prospered him, as a manifestation of his love, and a tribute of his gratitude to his Lord and King, might have been the means of feeding with the bread of life some of the hundreds of millions who lie in darkness, hopelessness, and sin, because the Son of Righteousness has not arisen on them with healing in his wings. Such are the views and feelings which an unbiassed consideration of the words of our Saviour is calculated to produce. Some, however, may be prepared to assert that his words give no encouragement or allowance to any such conclusions; and this assertion they may support by another--that a love of riches was the peculiar failing of the young man, whose conduct suggested the observations of our Saviour. It ought, however, to be remarked that he does not say, How hardly shall this rich man enter into the Kingdom of God!--but in the most general terms,--to "How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the Kingdom of God!"--it may be desirable for those who consider the expression...--"Trust in riches"--used in the parallel passage of St. Mark (10. 24) as mitigating considerably the severity of our Saviour's declaration to view the connection of the several parts of the passage in which the expression is found. 23. "Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples--'How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the Kingdom of God.' 24. And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answered again and saith unto them,--'Children, how hardly shall they that trust in riches enter into the Kingdom of God!' 25. 'It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God.' 26. And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, 'Who then can be saved?'" Our Lord, in the 23rd verse, asserts it to be almost impossible for those who have riches to enter into the Kingdom of God. When he observes the astonishment of his disciples, he explains to them the reason of his passing a judgment so severe, by stating the cause of that difficulty, of which he spoke as amounting almost to an impossibility. It is next to Impossible for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God, because he trusts in his riches. So that the expression is not introduced with a view of making riches appear less dangerous to the possessor, but rather with a view of explaining why they are so dangerous.