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BY NATHAN S. S. BEMAN, D. D., TROY.

PUNCTUALITY IN THE PAYMENT OF DEBTS. ROM. 13, 8. Owe no man any thing.

THE Bible, so far as it presents a code of morals, inculcates two great classes of practical duties; those which relate to God and those which relate to man. These duties are referred, in the same volume, to their appropriate affections-love to God and love to our fellow beings. To love God and obey him, are convertible terms; or they mutually imply the existence of each other; because love cannot warm the heart and regulate its pulsations, without securing obedience, and obedience can never characterize the life, when it is not secured by the principle of love. The one is the fountain, the other the stream.

The same connection exists between the spirit of true benevolence, or love to our fellow-men, and the discharge of relative duties. To love our fellow beings, is to fulfil the second great command of the law; because real love or benevolence, in its natural and spontaneous flow, must lead to those outward acts which are demanded by the various relations of one human being to another. Love and obedience, in this case, as in the former, will travel hand and hand. He that loves his fellow man, as required by the VOL. XI. NO. 11.

united authority of law and gospel, will treat him, in the different circumstances of human life, with justice and mercy. On the other hand, he that is guilty of injustice or fraud, in any shape, violates the great law of benevolence, and does not love his neighbor as himself. The apostle clearly inculcates this sentiment in the text and context. He is treating of relative duties. "Render, therefore, to all their dues; tribute to whom tribute is due ; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor. Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness, thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law."

The law of love, as here expounded, requires, on the one hand, that we should refrain from all those acts which would work "ill" to our neighbor, and, on the other, that we should perform those acts which result from our mutual relations, and which will promote our neighbor's happi

ness.

The words which I have selected as my text, though they relate to pecuniary or commercial transactions, stand in a very sacred connection. It is this: The law of God, so far as relative duties are concerned, requires us to abstain from every thing that would inflict injury upon our fellow men, and to do those things which will promote their greatest good. Every thing else is a violation of the law of. God, as it respects relative duties. To owe a man any thing, is to violate this law. To pay our debts, is a duty expressly enjoined by the authority of the Bible; to refuse, or even defer to do this, is a sin against God.

"Owe no man any thing, but to love one another." There is one debt we may be always paying, and yet never fully discharge, and that is the debt of love. The claims of this debt, are, from the nature and relations of moral beings, inexhaustible and eternal. All other debts should be punctually discharged.

The subject of the present discussion, is PUNCTUALITY

IN THE PAYMENT OF DEBTS.

The text is not intended to forbid men from entering into pecuniary responsibilities, or using their credit in the way of lawful business; but it enjoins punctuality in meeting contracts, or the payment of debts, as soon as they are due. In the former sense, a man may be in debt, without moral wrong: in the latter, where it is voluntary, he cannot. It may be further remarked, that the command of the text applies with equal force to small demands, as to large. "Owe no man ANY thing"-not even the smallest sum.

1. A regard to a man's own word, ought to secure punctuality in paying debts.

Contracting a debt always implies a promise of payment, and the time when such payment shall be made, is either a matter of stipulation, or must be gathered from circumstances. There is always a promise, either explicit or implied, which pledges a man's word, and that promise is to be interpreted by the same rules which apply to kindred subjects, and is not only binding in law, but is enforced by moral principle. Let the eye be directed, for a moment, to this pledge or promise. You purchase a piece of property of your neighbor, and tell him he shall have his money for it the next week. In the mean time, you have a right to be in your neighbor's debt, for this is a part of the contract. Or rather, strictly speaking, and in the sense of the text, you do not "owe" him till the money is due. The injunction of the text cannot be violated till the time of payment arrives. But then, you are bound by your

own promise to discharge that debt; and you are guilty of a constant violation of your own word, voluntarily pledged, while you neglect to do it. No matter what the fashion is or how many others are equally guilty-here is a breach of promise; and whether the pledge respected a hundred thousand dollars, or a single sixpence, the principle is the same. What various injuries you may have inflicted on your neighbor, is not now the inquiry. One thing, however, is certain; in neglecting to pay that demand, you have violated your word.

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Take another case. You give a note of hand, in which you promise" to pay a certain sum, on a given day. In this case, you are bound, by your own word of promise, to meet the engagement with punctuality. You have no moral right to let that express contract run on, from month to month and from year to year, uncancelled, without the express consent of the other party. It is all in vain to plead the customs of society-the usages of men of business; you have passed your word, and this pledge ought to be deemed sacred as a right arm, and dear as a right eye. "What is written is written," and ought to be fulfilled to the letter. Every jot and tittle ought to be looked upon as clothed with all that is imperative in moral obligation. And the same principle may be applied to cases without number. A promise has gone out, which ought to be kept; a pledge has been given, which ought to be redeemed. You order or consent to take a Newspaper, or a Religious Periodical, and you take it with your eyes open upon the

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terms;" and in the very act of ordering it, or in consenting to take it, you pledge yourself to pay for such publication according to the terms; and while you neglect to do this, you stand convicted, as a moral being, of violating your pledge, and withholding from another his right. I speak not now of the disastrous consequences of such solemn trifling, but I speak of its guilt; and of the amount of that guilt

let every candid man judge for himself. And let him decide as in the presence of God, and in prospect of the final reckoning, when it shall appear that " he who is unjust in the least, is unjust also in much." The plea of inconvenience in making payments at a distance will not excuse neglect. He that fears God and respects the rights of his fellow man, will "do justly," even though it require a sacrifice. He will be generous rather than unjust.

2. The punctual payment of debts, saves much time. In matters of business, the maxim, "Time is money," is of great practical value. It is so to the merchant, the editor, the mechanic, the farmer. Time squandered, and the very prop of life is swept away. In the business transactions of the world, to save time is a golden secret; and every thing that intrenches upon this peculiar treasure, inflicts a pecuniary loss upon the community. And punctuality, or delinquency, in the payment of debts, sustains an intimate relation to this subject. This any eye can see. Much time is lost in collecting debts, especially small debts, which would be saved, and might be devoted to useful business, if men would keep their engagements. And the loss, in this case, falls just where it ought not to fall-upon the creditor, and not upon the debtor-upon the injured, and not upon the offending party. Many debts, and particularly small ones, cost more time, in their collection, than they are worth. A bill of a few dollars, or a few shillings, is presented again and again; "it shall be paid soon," and yet nothing is got but promises. This operation consumes much time, and imposes an unjust and oppressive tax upon the creditor, and that too, in many instances at least, in return for a real favor. Had the clerk, or apprentice, or other agent, employed in collecting small debts, applied himself diligently to business, he could, in many instances, have made more than he has been able to collect. This is enough to ruin almost any man whose bu

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