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which would thin the human race, and gradually exterminate them from the face of the earth.

Such scenes of plunder, and depredation, have in fact been partially realized in every age and nation of the world, and are still realized, to a certain extent, even in nations which boast of their progress in religion, in civilization, and in science. The annals of the human race contain little more than a number of melancholy records of wholesale robbery, committed by one tribe of human beings upon another. One public robber and desperado has arisen after another, in constant succession, and, at the head of numerous armies, has violated the territories of peaceful industry, demolished the habitations of their unoffending inhabitants, broken down their furniture, and consigned it to the flames; wasted and devoured the fruits of their ground, and plundered them of every thing which could render existence desirable. And the inferior ranks of mankind, stimulated by the same principles which actuate their superiors, have supported a system of peculation, of cheating, of litigation, of injustice and oppression, which, were it left solely to its own native energies, would soon undermine the foundations of the moral world. That such principles and practices have never yet become universal in their operation, is not owing so much to any deficiency in their malignant tendency, as to the overruling providence of the Moral Governor of the world, who has, by his influence, and his physical arrangements, confined the lawless passions of men within certain bounds, beyond which they cannot pass.

Were a principle of honesty and of justice, in regard to property, to pervade the mind of every human being; or, in other words, were the law to which I am now adverting universally recognized, a new scene would open upon the moral world, altogether different from what has hitherto been displayed in the transactions of mankind. The iron rod of oppression would be shivered to atoms, and destroying armies would no longer ravage the habitations of men. The crowds of sharpers, cheats and jockies, that now stalk through the world, with unblushing fronts, to entrap the unwary, would forever disappear from the world; and impartial justice would reign triumphant over every department of society. No malignant purpose would

ever be formed to injure any one in his wealth and property; and all the harassing law-suits and prosecutions, which now distress so many thousands of families, would be swept away. Every loan of money, books, furniture, or utensils, would be returned without injury, and without unnecessary delay; and every debt punctually discharged, according to the nature of the obligation, and at the period at which it was due: Every bargain would be transacted on the principles of immutable justice, and the conditions of every contract faithfully performed: No suspicions of knavery would ever harbour in the breast, nor the least alarm at the possible consequences of any mercantile transaction. Public buildings would be secure from the inroads of the genius of mischief, and gardens and orchards from every wanton depredation. Locks, and bars, and bolts, would no longer be required for securing our substance from the pilferer and the robber; and the iron gratings of a bridewell or a jail, would never again remind us of the dishonesty and the depravity of man. Servants would be universally honest and trust-worthy, and the property of their masters would be regarded as a sacred deposit.

And what a happy change would such a state of society introduce among mankind! What a host of cares, anxieties, suspicions, vexations, and perplexities, would be chased away! and what a world of conveniencies, and of delightful associations would thus be created! Every merchant, by marking the price and the quality of each commodity, might leave his goods open to the inspection of the public, and enjoy himself either in the bosom of his family, or in active services for the good of the community, without the least risk of loss or of depredations; and every purchaser might depend upon procuring the articles he wanted at their just value. Every traveller would prosecute his journey, either by day or by night, without the least apprehension from sharpers or robbers, and without being harassed with the impositions of innkeepers, coachmen, carriers, and porters. Every one's mind would be at perfect ease, in regard to his property, whether he were at home or abroad, in health or in sickness; being firmly persuaded that every trust would be faithfully discharged, and every commercial concern fairly and honourably trans

acted. Selfishness and rapacity would give place to a spirit of justice, equity and benevolence; contentions, jockeyings, and altercations would cease; peace and concord would prevail, and righteousness and truth would shed their benign influence over the whole brotherhood of mankind.

THE NINTH COMMANDMENT.

"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour."

This command, like most of the others, is expressed in a negative form. It is directed against every species of falsehood, and, consequently, must be viewed as inculcating a sacred and universal adherence to truth in all our thoughts, words and actions. In the remarks I may throw out in relation to this precept, I shall consider it chiefly in its positive form, as commanding an inviolable attachment to truth. Truth may be considered in two different points of view-logical truth, which consists in the conformity of a proposition or assertion with the actual state of things; and moral truth, which consists in the agreement of our words and actions with our thoughts. Logical truth belongs to the thing or the fact asserted; moral truth, or what is termed veracity, has a reference to the person who utters it. In both these respects, truth is of immense importance to all intelligent beings.-The importance of truth and veracity will appear from the following considerations.

In the first place, it is the bond of society, and the foundation of all that confidence and intercourse which subsist among rational beings. By far the greater part of all the knowledge we possess, has been derived from the testimony of others. It is from the communication of others, and from a reliance on their veracity, that those who were never beyond the limits of Great Britain, know that there are such cities as Paris, Vienna, Constantinople and Cairo; and that there are such countries as Canada, Nova Scotia, Brazil, Peru, Persia, China, and Hindostan. It is from the same source that we have learned the facts of ancient and modern history, and that there once existed such empires as the Greek and Roman, the Persian, As

syrian and Babylonian. On the same ground, the veracity of others, we confide in all the domestic relations and intercourses of life; and on this ground all the transactions of commercial society, and all the arrangements and operations of government are conducted. On the implied veracity of others, we retire from our employments at certain hours, and sit down to breakfast or dinner; and on the first day of the week, we assemble in a certain place, at an appointed hour, for religious worship. On this ground, the pupil confides in his teacher, for instructionthe child in his parents, for sustenance, clothing and protection, the master in his servant, for the execution of his orders, and the wife in her husband for provision and support. We confide every moment in the faithfulness of the Almighty for the regular returns of day and night, of summer and winter, of seed-time and harvest. Could the veracity of God be impeached or rendered liable to suspicion, we should remain in awful suspense, whether another day would again dawn upon the world, or whether the earth would be shattered to pieces, and its fragments dispersed throughout surrounding worlds, before the sun again appeared in the horizon. A Being possessed of boundless knowledge and omnipotence, without veracity, would be the terror of the whole intelligent universe, and would fill them with universal agitation and alarm.

Again, truth is the foundation of our present comfort, and of our future prospects. On the veracity of those illustrious characters that have gone before us, whose declarations were confirmed by signs and miracles; we depend for the hope of forgiveness and acceptance with God, and for those rich sources of consolation which are calculated to support the mind under the afflictions of mortality, and to cheer and animate us in the prospect of a future world. Our hopes of happiness beyond the grave, of the resurrection of our bodies at the termination of the present plan of providence of the renovation of the physical system of our globe-of a complete restoration to holiness and virtue of a re-union with departed friends-of associating with virtuous beings of a superior order of mingling in a happier world with all those illustrious saints who have gone before us-of contemplating the manifestations of Dety on a more extensive scale; and of enjoying unmix ed

felicity without interruption, and without end; depend upon the testimony of the inspired writers, and the light in which we view the truths or declarations which they have recorded. And, therefore, the man who endeavours to undermine the authority of the sacred records, or to distort or misrepresent their meaning by sophistical reasonings, ought to be viewed as a deceiver, and as an enemy to his species, who wishes to deprive his fellow-men of their most substantial enjoyments, and of their most cheering prospects.

Again, truth and veracity are of the utmost importance in relation to the views we ought to take of the character of God. The moral character of the Deity is delineated in the Scriptures, and we are enabled to contemplate this character, in its true light, in so far as we understand and appreciate the delineations of the sacred writers. But his character is also exhibited in the works of creation and providence. Every physical law of nature, every arrangement in the material system, every movement which exists in the boundless universe; every apparent deviation from the general course of nature, as in the case of earthquakes and volcanoes; every event in the history of nations, every fact in relation to the physical and moral condition of the different tribes of the human race, and every arrangement in reference to the lower ranks of animated beings-embodies in it an exhibition of certain aspects of the divine character; and these aspects, if fairly represented, ought to harmonize with the delineations contained in the sacred records. To ascertain such facts as those to which I now allude, requires, in many instances, the exercise of profound reasoning, and of accurate investigation, and that the mind should be free from the influence of prejudice and of every improper bias, and that the facts, when ascertained, be fairly represented, and accurately recorded; otherwise, nothing but a distorted view of the divine character will be exhibited to the mind. For example, if the earth be represented as among the largest bodies in nature, and as placed at rest in the centre of the universe, and that the sun, moon, and all the other celestial orbs revolve around it every day; and consequently, that the planetary bodies move in orbits which display inextricable confusion-such a representa

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