A come?-I have been looking into the promises made in the book of God, concerning the heathen, to see whether a certain period has been stated, in which they will be fulfilled: But I looked in vain. The truth is, that God has not plainly revealed any particular period for their conversion; and he has ever required, and does now require, all Christians to do something for the prosperity of that kingdom, which is not of this world. "While we, my dear friend, pray that Christ's kingdom may come and his will be done on earth, as it is in heaven; while it is the desire of our hearts and our prayer to God for the heathen, that they may be saved, let us hear their cry, "come over and help us." Let no dangers nor hardships discourage us from going into the wilderness; but as the good soldiers of Jesus Christ, let us, if possible, clear ourselves from the blood of those poor Pagans, who are now perishing for want of the bread of life. Terrible are the yells of the Savages when they dart from their ambush on their foe; but infinitely more terrible will be their screams of agony in a future state, to those who suffer them to perish through neglect. "You white people knew the will of the Great Spirit, but you would not come and tell us. You came indeed into our woods and took away our hunting grounds. You taught us to lie, to cheat, and to swear; but you sent none to teach us how we might be happy when we were gathered to our fathers." How severe will be such reproaches! and alas, how justly merited by some who at the present day, bear the Christian name! "In my late tour into Canada, I saw a number of the Algonquin and Iroquois Indians, who ex pressed a strong desire to have the Gospel preached among them. These two tribes are in a degree civilized; and there is a prospect that many of them would embrace the Christian religion, if they had the means of being instructed in its principles. Now, my friend, when there is any, even the least, prospect of diffusing the Gospel among the poor Pagans in our own country, it should excite our fervent prayers for the furtherance of so desirable an object; and induce us to go, and, if possible, be the means of bringing those, who are now perishing for lack of vision, to a knowledge of those divine and heavenly truths, which are calculated to make man wise unto salvation." THOUGHTS ON MATT. v, 937.. Let your communication be yea, yea; nay, nay, for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. Commentators have generally concluded, without hesitancy, that this text was meant to apply only to swearing in common conversation. But there is nothing in our Lord's words, which implies such a restriction; and the reason, which follows, will apply to every kind of oaths. Whatsoever, is more than yea, yea and nay, nay, cometh of evil. There is nothing in our Lord's. words which implies a restriction to conversation. Let your communication be yea, yea, &c. The original word (λόγος) has as indefinite and general an application as the English word communication. It may signify a single word, conversation, a set oration, an epistle, an argument, the reasoning of the mind when not expressed; and it is put for the WORD or Son of GOD Why then should we not understand the prohibition to be general? The reason given by CHRIST against swearing is applicable to all kinds of oaths. Whatsoever is more than a simple, or at most a repeated affirmation, or negation, cometh of evil. We cannot be too deeply impressed with the intrinsic excellence and universal importance of truth. To the upright man no kind of deceit can ever be necessary. Deceit is useful only to favor iniquity. Would you injure your neighbor? Deceit is often necessary to effect the purpose. Have you been guilty of an action of which you have reason to be ashamed, or to dread the consequences? It is probable you will sacrifice truth, rather than be exposed to disgrace or punishment. But are all your designs pure and generous-there can be no need of concealment, much less of falsehood. Falsehood being only an handmaid to vice, and entirely unnecessary to the upright soul, is one of the greatest evils. From this evil all oaths originate. Were it not for this, what occasion could there be for swearing? The most simple declarations would be implicitly believed, and would fully answer the pur poses, which the most solemn asseverations cannot now always effect. Can we suppose that oaths were known, before falsehood had given occasion for them? If simplicity and godly sincerity could now universally prevail in society, the necessity of oaths would be entirely done away. But it is a melancholy fact, that many, from interest, prejudice, and sometimes from wantonness will misrepresent. Would we, therefore, know the certainty in any important case, it is often necessary to remind men of the presence of an omniscient God, and to make them swear by him, and implore his favor only as they speak the truth.* But can a general rule of mor al propriety give way to pruYes, oaths dential motives? have always been permitted by God, when necessary on solemn and important occasions. We find the best men represented in the Scriptures of the Old Testament as swearing, and exacting oaths. St. Paul in his epistles calls God to witness. Our Lord answered to the high priest, when adjured by the living God, (the usual mode of administering an oath among the Jews,) to tell him, whether he was the Christ the son of God. And God himself, willing to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his purpose, confirmed it by an oath. Nor is this the only instance in Scripture of a general rule of moral propriety being relaxed for important purposes. Our Lord, being asked on a certain occasion whether it were lawful "So help me God," i. e. may God help me only as I speak the truth. for a man to put away his wife for every cause, replied "Have ye not read, that He, that made them at the beginning, made them male and female? or, as it would be better rendered, "one male and one female? and said, for this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and cleave to his wife, and they twain shall be one flesh. Wherefore, they are no more twain; but one flesh. What, therefore, God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." The inquirers very naturally ask, "Why then did Moses command to give a writing of divorcement and to put her away?" He saith unto them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, suffered you to put away your wives, but from the beginning it was not so." Here it is evident, that as in the beginning God made only one male and one female, it was the de sign of this constitution, that every man should have his own wife, and every woman her own husband, and that the marriage relation should be indissoluble. Yet this original law of our constitution was for a time dispensed with. Moses suffered the Jews to put away their wives. God permitted the patriarchs and prophets to have more wives than one. It appears, then, that what is in itself originally and absolutely best, was for a time dispensed with, from regard to the weakness of men. Such a dispensation, though permitted by God, came of evil. Christ accordingly restores the origiDal law of nature, which under the spiritual dispensation of the Gospel is to be considered invi olable. Now let us apply these reVOL. V. New Series. marks. bidding divorce, Christ says, "Again ye have heard, that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths. But I say unto you, swear not at all, &c. But let your communication be yea yea, nay nay; for whatsoever is more than these, cometh of evil." Immediately after for As from the hardness of the Jews' hearts it became necessary, that they should have some indulgences with respect to matrimony, inconsistent with the original design of Providence, and the pure state of the Gospel church, so from the prevalence of falsehood in the world, and consequently of distrust, it became necessary, that men should in some important cases be laid under extraordinary and solemn obligations to speak the truth. Hence oaths were permitted, that those, who are not habitually under the influence of religious principles, might, by calling to mind the presence of God, the avenger of perjury, be awed to make a just representation; that others might repose confidence in their testimony; and that so an oath for confirmation might be the end of all strife. The permission of oaths by God no more proves their absolute propriety, or that they would have been proper in a state of innocency, where falsehood and consequently distrust were unknown, than the temporary permission of polygamy and divorce proves them to be agreeable to the original design of God and constitution of nature. The only difference is this. The indulgence with 4 respect to marriage has ceased, being no longer necessary under the clear light of the Gospel. Oaths are still continued as necessary for man in his present imperfect state. But when that which is perfect is come, these will also be done away. The practical inferences from this representation are, persons, whom it would be thought indecent to request even to repeat their yes or no. All may possess such reputations. Then it will never be necessary to take an oath, except on those judicial occasions, when, to avoid the appearance of partiality, the y are uniformly administered. Then it will never be necessary to use any stronger affirmation or negation, than simply yes or no. How desirable is it, that swearing, which originates in evil, which comes from the father of lies, should with all its spurious train be excluded from society. With a sacred regard to truth, let our communication be yes yes, no no. CASSEDRO. 1. That all unnecessary oaths are improper and sinful. Especially must we condemn that profane swearing so often heard in our streets, and sometimes in shops, counting rooms, offices, and parlors. It appears to have no motive but wantonness; and no other tendency than to corrupt men and insult God. 2. We ought always as carefully to speak truth, as if we were under oath. Every false. MEMOIRS OF SALLY HEALY, AND hood is in itself criminal, and is designed either to injure some one, or to bide guilt. This is equally true of evasive misrepresentation, and all insincerity; and these will increase to more ungodliness. 3 Whatever we may think of the propriety of multiplying oaths in courts, and before magistrates, to the degree that they are by law multiplied among us, no person need scruple to swear, when required by legal authority. We are to "obey every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake." When any subject is, like this, left discretionary by God, we must submit our discretion to that of the government under which we live, and obey the powers that be. 4. If we uniformly and conscientiously regard truth, our reputation will be so established, that any kind of asseveration will be unnecessary. There are JOSIAH MOORE. To the Editor of the Panoplist. I send you brief memoirs of two SAMUEL AUSTIN. Worcester, June 8, 1812. SALLY HEALY. This young lady, pleasing in her person and manners, of an intelligent and discriminating mind, and much esteemed by her Christian acquaintance, died June 25, 1810, aged 24. She had severe trials of mind before she obtained a hope that she was a subject of that renovation of heart, without which no person can enter the kingdom of heaven. During the little time that she sustained the name and relation of a disciple of Christ, she was blameless in her walk, and a constant, and apparently devout, attendant upon the public exercises of religious worship. As she became feeble, and the disorder which proved fatal to her advanced, she was subject to great mental depression and despondency. The fol. lowing extract from her diary, under date of March 20th, while it furnishes evidence of her pieity, will shew into what gloominess of mind she was sunk. "Last Sabbath was our communion. For several days before, I felt a distance from God; had no nearness to him in prayer, in reading, or in any duty whatever. There seemed to be a cloud before me; and a great unpreparedness of heart for this holy ordinance. Sabbath morning Iarose early, in hopes to feel more alive in the service of God; but prayer was performed more as a burden than a delight. But I still hoped that, in the course of the service, or in communion time, I should be aroused from my slumbers, and warmed with love and repentance. But I remained, through the whole, spiritually dead, and I was led to make a most diligent and serious inquiry into the true state of my mind, and why it was that I did not experience any true and sensible delight in Christ at his table. I did at first think it might be a temptation of the great ad versary. But it does appear that I have been greatly deceived, and am still in the gall of bit terness, and bond of iniquity. All my present feelings seem to confirm this solemn truth. I have no heart to pray, no delight in reading the word, or in any means of grace, and there is a secret dread felt at the thought of going to the house of God, and joining in his service. For all these things seem to be add ing sin to sin, when the heart is not right with God. For without love we can never please God, or do any thing acceptable in his sight. I have ever felt a want of this love towards God and man, and have prayed more to be made perfect in love than for any thing else. But, alas! What are selfish prayers! They are an abomination in the sight of God, and must be repented of without any delay. My case is very distressing, and alarming. I feel a complaint on my lungs, which I fear will terminate with my life. But, O! how unprepared to die in such a state of hardness and impenitence! I have almost begun several times to tell my mother my unhappy state of mind: but she, kindest, best, most indulgent of parents, shall never be pained by knowing it while it can be concealed. My groans shall disturb no one's peace. They shall be revealed to my pillow alone, and God will dispose of me as in his wisdom he shall see fit. I rest under his care. I awake under his protection, am surrounded with his mercies, and am sustained every moment by him. And, O that I might hereafter record, that my heart is sincerely devoted to him in love!" In a state of depression like this, with some mitigation of the distress of it, she continued even till the day of her decease. No derangement appeared, but her powers of mind were evidently enfeebled as the powers of ami |