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rendezvous of thieves, where they arrange their plans of rapine, and the meetingplaces of men who appoint the Lord's-day to settle disputes by fighting. Cockingmatches and dog-fights may also frequently be seen. For the truth of this assertion, I need only mention the meadows in the neighbourhood of Copenhagen-house, and Maiden-lane, Bethnal Green, the fields and plots of ground about Hoxton and the City-road, &c. These unlawful and unholy congregations do not appear to be often interrupted by parochial or police authority.

7. Very many persons, especially of the lower classes, anticipate the Sabbath merely as the day when they are to be released for a while from their labour, and to put on a clean shirt. They pass the time in a weary listlessness, and lamentable vacuity of mind, and wish for the close of a day, only remarkable to them for its dulness; for there are persons who feel a sufficient moral restraint to prevent them from plunging into any decidedly loose habits on the Sunday, but yet have not sufficient sense of christian duties to pass it in a becoming

manner.

8. Every resident in or near town has, of course, observed the acquisition of passengers which the short stages gain on Sunday, especially in the summer, and that the roads leading to all villages, within a moderate distance of London, are lined with equestrians, pedestrians, and wayfarers of every description, who are eagerly emerging from an unwholesome atmosphere to breezes of a purer nature. The river is also covered with pleasure-boats.

9. The indecorous absence of many individuals, of all classes, from places of public worship on various pretences.

The instances thus adduced, of the manner in which the Lord's-day is neglected or profaned, by various grades of society, added to those mentioned in the former essay on the same subject, create an alarming conviction in the mind of a reflecting Christian, that there is a manifest deterioration in the morals of our dense metropolitan population; but we cannot wonder, when crimes, hitherto unknown to humanity, stalk abroad, when the ingenuity of man seems directed to the invention and refinement of wickedness, rather than virtue, and when sin, as well as learning, seems advancing to the acme of perfection, that a due observance of religious duties should retrograde in proportion.

All good inen should join heart and hand in endeavouring to stop the tremendous progress of evil, and this is to be effected 2D. SERIES, NO. 16.-VOL. II.

Let

more by moral than physical means. local clergymen labour unceasingly to instil right principles into the minds of their parishioners, by plain and comprehensive sermons upon the broad and general maxims of religion, rather than by sectarian doctrine or learned dissertations upon the more recondite parts of theology. Let them strive to reach the hearts as well as the heads of their hearers; and, whilst they essay to convince the understanding, let their discourses be calculated to touch the feelings. Let the MORAL education of the rising generation receive more particular attention, and let not worldly vanities be suffered to usurp that place in the youthful mind which ought to be occupied by more sterling and meritorious acquirements. Let the trumpet voice' of warning be upraised on high throughout the land. Shew unto the people of England the manifestations of the power of God; shew them the desolating and terror-marked course of pestilence through kingdoms and empires, until its giant strides have reached our own shores; shew them the political convulsions of nations; shew them the iron hand of oppression triumphant for a time over a prostrate and bleeding, but gallant people, who have fought with the exhilaration of hope, and still fight with the reckless fury of despair, to preserve their birthrights and liberties from the grasp of their colossal antagonist. Shew unto Englishmen their corn destroyed by the flames of incendiarism; point out the progress of rapine and murder in their native land, and the internal turbulence and commotion of the kingdom. Shew them these things, and bid them banish all false philosophy, in tracing them to their proper source; and let them not, in the shortsightedness of worldly wisdom, ascribe to mere abstract or political causes, what, in reality, must emanate from the Great First Cause of all; or apply the theory of chances to the workings of Providence.

In scripture history, read we not numberless instances of the signal effects of Divine displeasure at the wickedness of individuals, of tribes, and of nations? Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead by the hand of the Lord. He also "rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire out of heaven." Egypt was afflicted by plagues, and the chosen people of God were severely punished at various times for their relapses into sin and idolatry. All these, with many others, are allowed to be marks of the justice and vengeance of an offended Deity upon a sinful people; and why do we hesitate to ascribe the calamities of the present period to the same source? "For by

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fire and by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh, and the slain of the Lord shall be many," Isa. lxvi. 16.

It is true, that actual communion with the Almighty is now no longer permitted, nor does he make himself personally or visibly manifest in the affairs of men; but is he one jot less the primary Creator of all things? Is there any the less a ruling Providence? If the great Jehovah no longer displays miraculous and superhuman instances of his power, are the bolts of his vengeance the less unerring? No. He makes man himself the instrument of His judgments upon man, and launches His arrows through the medium of human vices. Vices are their own scourge, and end in their own discomfiture; and the reign of general immorality and impiety is, in itself, its own punishment, from the calamities which, in the prescribed order of causes and effects, it must necessarily heap upon nations and individuals.

Although, in respect to the appalling increase of crime, we have observed that spiritual means are more calculated to arrest its baneful progress than mere temporal ones, yet, in so Herculean a labour as the reformation of the moral state of a whole nation, the clergy absolutely require the active co-operation and assistance of the secular authorities. The haunts of iniquity must be rooted out, and pursued from place to place with unrelenting vigour by the strong arm of the law. Public-houses, the bane of the lower orders, ought to be put under more severe restrictions, and not allowed to open their doors on Sundays at all for the purpose of disseminating intoxicating liquors amongst those weak-minded persons who have not fortitude sufficient to resist their allurements; and if the details of human institutes were, as they ought to be, formed according to the spirit of Divine law, this measure would have been long ago adopted.

Thus far have we diverged from the immediate subject before us, for the purpose of noticing crimes of a blacker dye than that at present occupying our attention, and repeat the assertion, that the declension of Sabbath observances, and religious duties of comparatively minor importance, can scarcely be marvelled at, when sins of such fearful nature lord it supremely over so great a portion of mankind. At the same time we would observe, that, while such a general laxity in the performance of these smaller, as they are termed, Christian 'duties, is prevalent and permitted, such laxity cannot fail of paving the way for the entrance into the human heart of crime far

greater in magnitude. "One crime leads on to another," and few men plunge into the darkest and deepest recesses of iniquity at one leap. The mind must become hardened by degrees, as it grows familiar with the successive strata which line the dark abyss of guilt, until it gradually arrives at a callosity which fits it for the perpetration of those deeds which disgrace our

nature.

With regard, however, to the observance of the Lord's day in particular, I have before mentioned some of the imperfect justifications which have been offered by persons in business for following their avocations, and shall now proceed to lay before the reader the thesis which has been laid down by individuals, in palliation of Sabbath-breaking for objects of pleasure, namely,

That the evident intention of the Almighty, in commanding a respite from labour on the seventh day was, to give his people an opportunity of enjoying all those pleasures from which they have been debarred during the other six by their indispensable occupations!

A single moment's clear and unprejudiced reflection, will shew this purposeserving theory to be at once paltry, ungrounded, short-sighted, and wicked : for, were there no particular and express day set apart for the service of God, the natural consequence must necessarily be a decline, and ultimately a disuse, of religious exercises altogether, as the general duty of a people; the further consequence of which would evidently be anarchy, confusion, confirmed atheism, the total annihilation of every moral and good feeling amongst men, and finally perdition! Thus may the most terrible effects spring from causes, we are too apt to regard as trifling and unimportant; but let us remember, that the moral organization of man is vast, complicated, and wonderful, and its laws are connected by essential, but perhaps invisible links, which render them relative to, and dependent upon, each other, and that the derangement of the minuter parts of the system will endanger the safety of the whole.

To argue, therefore, that the non-observ. ance of the Sabbath can be in any way excused is fallacious, and grounded in a moral error, to which nothing but prejudice, and humanly constituted custom and convenience could render us blind. In fact, that men should even attempt to palliate the breach of a divine law, so express as the present one, the tenor of which is so remarkably explicit, for venal or sensual motives, is a lamentable perversion of the powers of reasoning

with which God has gifted us, and of the best and noblest attributes of humanity.

The desire of enjoyment and recreation, on the day set apart from labour, is reasonable and natural enough, and the only difficulty is, to choose and arrange pleasures which are compatible with moral duty, and yet answer the desired purpose. The good man's inclination at once points out the proper course, and he cheerfully follows it. Does it consist in a formal morning call upon one's acquaintance, or an empty conversation, uninstructive to the head and uninteresting to the heart, where the goodness of God is unthought and unspoken of, where the grand subject of religion is never broached, unless for the purpose of disputation on points of doctrine?—does it consist in feasting and conviviality, or in any sensual gratification ?-does it consist in gambling and vice?-does it consist in yawning through the day in a state of both mental and bodily idleness, without perhaps committing any active sin, but, in neglect of duty, a decidedly passive one?does it consist in framing excuses for absence from church, or, if worship be attended for the sake of preserving appearance, in inattention to the service, and impatiently counting the weary moments, to its conclusion? Or does it consist in pursuing earthly pleasure unremittingly, during the whole Sabbath, with no ultimatum but the temporary enjoyment of the fleeting hours, and with thoughts entirely abstracted from the bountiful Giver of those very blessings of which we are at the time partaking? To all these the reply of the Christian must be an unqualified and decided negative. Man entertains strange, false notions of that too often misnamed thing, pleasure; but can any action be truly so called, of which the effects are painful, or which leaves the sting of remorse and selfreproach behind?

That the Sabbath duty is not fulfilled by either neglect of duty, or commission of sin, there of course needs no argument to prove; but to those persons (and they are not few) who seem to conceive that all required is performed by a mere compliance with outward forms, and a decent abstinence from glaring impropriety, I would address a few brief sentences. Remember, that God will be served in sincerity, and that when christian observances are accorded with reluctance and toil, and when the words uttered by the lips are not prompted by the devout feelings of the heart, they cannot be actuated by the spirit of piety, and are loathsome in his sight. Remember also the words of Solomon,

"He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination," Prov. xxviii. 9. He who attends the temple of his Maker from merely the impulse of habit and custom, or from any worldly motive, commits a greater sin than he who, conscious of his deficiency in religious spirit, abstains from it altogether; for to enter into the sacred place with a corrupt heart, is a mockery and an abomination in the sight of the Lord.

Is it too much to assert, that in the present age, the warm feelings of the heart have in a great measure given place to apathy, and that the glorious enthusiasm of religion, which prompted the "noble army of martyrs" to bleed for the church of Christ, even unto the death, has fled for ever, or degenerated (as in a present instance) into the grossest and wildest fanaticism? Indeed, few, very few, seem now to be possessed by that heart-felt spirit of piety, that devoted and reverent love of God, which inspired the psalmist, when he broke into the sublime and impassioned expression--"Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee," Psa. lxxiii. 23.

There is little doubt that an outcry will be raised by many, against the sentiments expressed in this paper, and the writer will be decried, either as an Utopian dreamer, or as an harsh disciplinarian, who would abridge the comforts of man, especially of the poorer classes. Both charges, however, I at once deny, and I take my ground for the verity of what I advance, on the law of God, and the confirmation of it by Jesus Christ. To all arguments on the inconvenience or difficulty, of adapting the law strictly to the existing manners of society, I reply, that such inconvenience and difficulty, together with these existing manners, are of human origin and human formation; and, as was before observed, no mortal reasons can possibly preponderate the scale against an ordinance of the Eternal One.

The desire of Sunday recreation to those who are closely confined to business, has been allowed to be natural, and, with proper restriction, the gratification may doubtless be considered as lawful. We will suppose a man to be chained to some sedentary, and perhaps unwholesome, employment, with but little intermission during six days. By such a one, Sunday morning is hailed with joy, as bringing him a temporary cessation from work; and, by the advantage of early rising, he gains several hours, which he can employ in wholesome exercise for the body. Let him then attend the public worship of his God, and

offer up thanksgiving for all his terrestrial blessings, prayers for their continuance, and hear the word of the Lord expounded by his ministers. After service, he may again resume his walk, and perhaps take the opportunity of visiting his friends, but let not the subject of his thoughts and words be worldly vanity-let his conversation be adapted to the sacred character of the day; for it is impossible to descant upon the excellent goodness of the Deity, without feeling an elevation of the soul into prayer and thankfulness; and thus we involuntarily render up an acceptable service to Him. The church ought then to be again attended, and the remainder of the evening spent in meditation, self-examination, and the perusal of the Holy Scriptures.

With regard to those persons whose hebdomadal occupation, being laborious, renders them rather inclined to repose than to bodily exertion on the Sabbath, I would suggest that the intervals between divine service might be well employed in the study of the Bible, the perusal of sound theological works, or in profitable and instructive discourse on serious subjects, with their families. If the individual be a father, what occupation can be more delightful than training up his children in the "way of the Lord," and instilling into their tender minds the "knowledge and love of God." That is a Sunday employment at once pleasurable to the paternal heart, and acceptable in the sight of Omnipotence.

I have met with persons so extremely rigid in their ideas of the proper observance of the Sabbath, that they consider it a breach of divine law, even to walk out into the country, and imagine that the whole day should be passed in seclusion from the world, except when in attendance at church or chapel. I cannot however, carry my sentiments so far. Bodily exercise, and the enjoyment of pure air, are necessarily conducive to health, and self-preservation is a moral duty. I humbly conceive, therefore, that when the sincere worship of God is the first and grand object, these blessings may be enjoyed without impiety. The service of the Lord is delight, and not slavery a forced self-restraint is not religion the forced observance of a self-imposed rule, to the injury of health, or perhaps endangering it, cannot be required by a beneficent Creator; besides, whilst walking amidst the beauties of nature, and contemplating the wonderful works of Providence, additional matter for reflection and thankfulness is afforded to the Christian; and whether the outpourings of a grateful

spirit are offered up in a closet or a field, they are equally heard by the Being to whom they are addressed. So far, therefore, from considering close confinement to be the indispensable obligation of the day, I affirm, that when exercise is necessary for the health, it not only is allowable, but actually borders upon a duty. At the same time, we would again deeply impress upon all men, the necessity of forbearance from worldly or immoral pleasures, and insist, that outward forms are mockery when the heart is uninterested. "Rend

your hearts, and not your garments." "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart," God will not despise.

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If you require pleasure and relaxation on the Sabbath of the Lord, be mindful that in no sensual or creature enjoyment is to be found the sublime and exalted consolations of religion. Walk then, I would say, abroad; refresh your wearied and depressed physical powers with the balmy breezes which the Almighty dispenses for your benefit; but give not up yourself to mere human enjoyment. Keep holy the Sabbath day." Meditate upon the infinite goodness and mercy of your Creator-pour forth your soul in mental prayer and thanksgiving to Him who breathed into your nostrils the breath of life, and keep your heart and mind in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ: then will you be gladdened by the approval of conscience, which is the voice of God himself speaking within you; then may you pass through the ordeal of selfexamination unreproached by that terrible monitor, and enjoy the sweet repose produced by a consciousness of having cheerfully and pleasurably fulfilled your duty. London, January 1832.

CONCILIATION, CHRISTIANITY, AND CIVILIZATION IN CEYLON.

IN page 115, &c. of our preceding number, an article was introduced under the above comprehensive title, from which we learn the

judicious methods adopted by Sir Alexander Johnston, to promote these desirable objects, and the friendly manner in which his endeavours were received by the natives. When about to leave Ceylon, on his return to England in 1817, an address was presented to him by the Bramins and other inhabitants, professing the Hindoo religion. To this the following answer was returned; and, from a perusal of its contents, we may perceive in miniature, those liberal and enlightened plans, which,

carried into effect, have been found so conducive to their peace and welfare.

"Gentlemen,

"It affords me pleasure to learn, by the Address which I have received from you, that the measures which I have adopted in the different offices I have held since I have been on this island, have met with your approbation. As I am convinced that it is impossible for any person to administer justice with proper effect, amongst the inhabitants of any country in India, unless he possesses a thorough knowledge of their customs, laws, habits, manners, and religion, I felt it to be an essential part of my duty, from the moment I landed on this island, to endeavour, by all means in my power, to become intimately acquainted, not only with your laws and your customs, but also with every circumstance that was in any way connected with the security and prosperity of your province. The collection of laws and usages to which you allude, contains the most useful and the most interesting information which can be procured respecting the inhabitants of Jaffna. At the first session I held for that province in 1806, a translation into English of this collection was, as you may remember, made by my direction; copies of it were then printed and circulated, both in English and Tamul, on olah, and on paper, for your use, and for the information of all the inferior courts and magistrates; and by my advice, a regulation was passed by government, enacting, that the provisions of this code should be strictly observed in all cases, in which either the rights or the interests of any Hindoo inhabitant of Jaffna might hereafter be concerned. In order to clear up such doubts as had occurred to me relative to the authenticity of some of those laws and usages, I took the opportunity that offered while I was last on the peninsula of India, of visiting all the different provinces from which those laws and usages are supposed to be derived; and I conceive myself peculiarly fortunate in having been able to trace, with the assistance of the Bramins of Ramisserum, Madura, Tanjore, Combeconum, and Mavelliporam, in a satisfactory manner, the origin, not only of the different casts which prevail, but also of the different laws, customs, duties, ranks and privileges, which have been immemorially observed amongst the Hindoo inhabitants of the province of Jaffna.

"Although the right of sitting upon juries was never extended to the Hindoo inhabitants of any other part of India, a long and careful consideration of the manners

and feelings of the Hindoo inhabitants of the province of Jaffna, convinced me that there was nothing in their character which could prevent the Trial by Jury from becoming amongst them what it is amongst all the European inhabitants of Great Britain, the best mode of trial that ever was invented by human wisdom-it is one which is so congenial to the constitution of all human beings, of whatever cast they may be, that the establishment of it, in any country, must inevitably improve the state of civilization, and the moral feelings of the people. I therefore recommended to his Majesty's Government, to extend the right of sitting upon juries to all the Hindoo, as well as to all the other native inhabitants of this island. It is now six years since you have enjoyed that right; and it is from my own experience of your conduct, that I take upon myself to declare, that it is impossible for any class of people to execute the duty of jurymen with more propriety than you do; and it may, perhaps, be flattering to your feelings to know, not only that you are the first Hindoo inhabitants that have ever had the right of sitting upon juries, but also that the admirable manner in which you have discharged the duties of jurymen, affords the strongest proof that can be given how well the native inhabitants of India deserve to be placed, as to that right, upon the very same footing as every European in the country.

"The interest which I have always felt in studying the nature of those laws, customs, and religious principles which prevail in the province of Jaffna, and the facility which the intimate knowledge I possess of your language, has fortunately afforded me in obtaining information upon the subject, have, as you may easily believe, considering the frequent circuits I have gone through that province, made me thoroughly acquainted with the state of your country and the interests of its inhabitants; and I assure you that I shall always consider it to be, not only a pleasure, but my duty, to forward, in every way I can, the views and interests of so deserving and so numerous a body of his Majesty's subjects."

Much about the same time, another address was presented to Sir Alexander Johnston, by all the priests of other institutions, professing the religion of Buddho ; and in the following reply, the same spirit of friendly conciliation, is everywhere apparent.

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