of which our departed friend was one. It is pleasing to see their rapid progress in literary attainments, and liberality of sentiment; but are they making equal progress in religious attainments? A sad degree of torpor and spiritual deadness seems, alas! to pervade all grades of religious professors in India. Oh! may the contemplation of the character now brought to notice have the effect of leading many to see what may be attained, and of determining them from this time forward, to "follow the Lord fully," that after shining brightly during their day and generation, they may at last set in peace, to rise again in glory on the morning of the resurrection. Amen.

V.-Essay on various Points of Christian Morals, connected with cases of Marriage, Separation, Divorce, Polygamy, &c., with a special reference to the cases that are now occurring among Converts from Heathenism, in India. Part II.

[Continued from vol. iii. p. 552.]

In order to avoid disconnecting the several points relating to marriage, treated by the Apostle in the 7th chapter of his 1st Epistle to the Corinthians, we were under the necessity of passing over another subject included between the 17th and 24th verses, and there introduced in a parenthesis as a matter branching out of the momentous questions respecting marriage. He had stated in v. 7, "Every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that." This remark he applies directly to the point he was then treating, namely, the expedience or inexpedience of marrying, especially in those early days of the suffering Church; and thence it is that he asserts the power of abstinence from marriage to be the result of natural temperament or acquired discipline, and in both cases the gift of God, i. e. the consequence either of the natural constitution given in the formation of each individual body, or the effect of peculiar grace received and exercised for special purposes, as of apostolical service in the Church, or other eminent advantage. "Every man hath his proper, i. e. peculiar gift," or qualification: as the degree of intellect, the powers of understanding, the aptitude for art and science, the various tastes and inclinations of men are assigned by the wisdom of the Creator for the good of the whole society of mankind; so also their several instincts and appetites differ both in kind and degree, with the same benevolent view of general advantage. It would be a force upon the nature of some to marry; equally so on that of others to abstain from marriage: the gift of continency, where not possessed from natural temperament or acquired by religious discipline for special purposes, is not within the reach of men. It is impossible indeed for those who have never earnestly endeavoured to control their passions, to govern appetite, to check the rovings of thought and imagination, to abstain from the incitements of natural instincts, to discipline the sight, to curb the will, to inform the judgment, and, by the exercises of devotion, the pursuits of industry, the abandonment of sloth, indolence, intemperance in eating and drinking, to rouse the higher powers, and give employment to the better faculties of the soul and of the heart;-it is impossible, I say, for such as have never seriously made an effort to do all this, to imagine how much may be done, and how effectually, to keep the heart and

the life alike pure, in the sight of God and man. Where circumstances, the want of means or opportunity, a state of public trouble or persecution, the calls of duty, the obligations of religion, or other sufficient reason renders it difficult or inexpedient to form a matrimonial connexion, such persons, therefore, will not readily perceive how much it is in their own power to reconcile themselves to the necessary self-denial. In such cases every real Christian is called upon "to keep himself pure" from "the corruptions that are in the world through lust, "to have his vessel in sanctification," "to mortify his members that are in the earth, adultery, fornication, evil concupiscense or desire," and many others-"to cleanse himself from all filthiness of flesh and spirit," and so " to perfect holiness in the fear of God." Yet great as is the efficacy of a due discipline and careful piety, it is equally the wisdom and duty of all not to expose themselves, if possible to be avoided, to the influence of any temptation adapted to their state, natural character, and temper, but under the most imperative call of duty or propriety. It is better, for instance, "to marry than to burn;" all unnatural attempts, as by the obligation of premature vows or forced abstinence, to compel one's self or others to a denial of natural instinct, to which neither temper, habit nor situation dispose or encourage men, is absurd, impious and sinful. They cannot but fail, and plunge the individuals themselves into greater snares and deeper sin, as well as infest the world and the church with false notions of imaginary perfection in violating the laws of nature, which would as certainly entail the more notorious scandal in the result. Hence, the Apostle numbers "the forbidding to marry" to any, and "commanding to abstain from marriage," to such as are not called by God or nature to self-denial, among those "damnable here. sies and doctrines of devils," which he so severely condemns. The difficulty here, as is in all things else, is to take the happy medium, between an unna tural and uncommanded restraint, and an indolent, wanton, capricious, unreasonable self-indulgence, that takes fancy for argument, and inclination for duty, without the wish or the effort to think, reflect and pray, or to give due weight to the duties of prudence, the calls of higher duty, or the claims of justice, piety and charity. Let none, man or woman, think themselves excused from all calm consideration and becoming self-control, on the one hand; nor on the other, expose themselves to temptation by vainly attempting to subdue nature. Control, guide, and regulate it, they may and ought; but violently to coerce it is as wrong as it will be unsuccessful, as the history of multitudes of individuals, nay, of the Christian Church at large, especially under the dominion of the Papacy, too fatally must testify.

This wise injunction of the Apostle on the delicate and difficult subject of marriage, naturally led him to remark the duty to a Christian in all cases of subjecting himself to the will of God, and the claims of relative duty; ever to sacrifice inclination to the calls of Providence, the sugges tions of prudence, and the benefit of society. v. 17. "But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches." This general principle he branches out, as we shall now observe, by applying it 1, to the cases of Jew and Gentile; 2, to the conditions of freedom and slavery*.

The Jews in our Lord's time had so left the simplicity and purity of Scripture for the false philosophy of human wisdom, and the corruptions of vain traditions, that among other most erroneous and dangerous notions they asserted, that when a Heathen embraced the Jew. ish religion, he by that act dissolved all his former relations, and so dis

These questions, branching out as they do, from the principal intention of this Essay, are too important to be passed over, and ask therefore for the indulgence of the reader, if they appear less directly to the point in hand.

D

We

turbed all the obligations of natural sentiment and civil duty. have already seen how St. Paul met this false opinion in the case of married heathens, when one of them became Christian; whose clear duty he declares to be, not to abandon the yet heathen wife or husband, nor to consider him or herself released from all the obligations of the marriage, save by the act of the other party, the unbeliever, in putting away or divorcing the believing person, or at least by utter and final abandonment and refusal to fulfil the duties of the marriage contract. There were early what were termed Judaizing teachers in the Christian Church, i. e. persons who either from ignorant prejudice, party spirit, or the rivalry of unholy ambition, taught the necessity of heathen converts to Christianity holding themselves bound still to all the rites and services of Judaism likewise. Circumcision, which was the ordinance of admission into the Jewish Church, but was superseded by baptism in the Christian, they declared to be still binding, and required all to submit to it as a condition of salvation. No doubt they were not slow to add too many of the worst of those corrupt practices and erroneous doctrines with which the Jewish doctors were at this time infected. To meet this fundamental error, the Apostle declares explicitly, that the Gospel not only did not interfere with any of the civil relations of men in general, or dissolve any one of the previous obligations existing in society, whether Heathen or Jewish, insisting rather on the positive command to Christians, "faithfully and affectionately to discharge all their relative duties as before with even much greater strictness and on more exalted motives, but that Christianity was a system of faith and virtue, intended for and adapted to all mankind, and therefore accommodating its few simple rites and ceremonials to all climates, nations, and times; asserting in vv. 18, 19. "Is any man called being circumcised, let him not become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision, let him not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision (in itself) is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God, (which every external rite symbolizes.) On this first application of his principle before stated then, we have it here positively declared that Christianity is no wise connected with the distinctions of Jew or Gentile: That all nations and all previous religious observances of men stand precisely on the same equal ground: That the Jew has no advantage now above the Gentile. The circumcised and uncircumcised in Christ have the same advantages, and to their believing the same facilities. So any situation of life is equally friendly to the salvation of the soul, if a man be faithful to the grace he has received. "Let not the circumcised Jew then, who believes, despise the uncircumcised believer from among the heathen, nor this latter be jealous of the former, or superstitiously attempt to possess himself of his supposed superior advantages." In v. 18, the Apostle refers probably to an attempt on the part of the Jews to obliterate the evidence of the Mosaic sign in their flesh by surgical operation. In the 1st of Maccabees (1-13) some apostate Jews are mentioned as conspiring in the days of the terrible persecutor Antiochus Epiphanes, to cast off every vestige of Judaism, who "made themselves uncircumcised, and forsook the holy covenant, and joined themselves to the heathen, and were sold, i. e. sold themselves, to do mischief." So too in other times, many false Jews destitute of all faith and virtue, in order that they might not be recognized in heathen countries, in the public battles or otherwise, strove to disguise the mark of the divine covenant that was upon them, to avoid persecution, contempt or ridicule, or to procure the greater favour and acceptance. Possibly too, some Jewish converts, in the first days of Christianity, might, in their uninformed zeal against Judaism, have wished and endeavoured to abolish the distinguishing sign of the Mosaic ordinances; so prone is mankind to run ever

into extremes, and to attach overdue importance to the externals of religion! The Apostle shews the impropriety of all these excesses of a blind and superstitious jealousy, as condemnable in that light as in the case of the apostate rebels already mentioned. Infidelity and superstition very often lead to precisely similar courses, and have frequently given birth to the same errors of opinion and practice. May all true Christians keep equally remote from both!

The ground of the condemnation thus passed upon these and similar mistakes, is given in v. 19, "Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping," &c. The end of all true religion is to lead men to the knowledge, love and obedience of Almighty God, and the observance of all his wise and holy injunctions; so Solomon closes his remarks on human folly and vanity: "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter; fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole of man." His entire duty, interest, safety and happiness are here involved alike in the same condition of a just subjection to his great Creator, Preserver and Saviour. Christian faith is the principle in the mind, heart and conscience of a man, that teaches, and impels him to moral obedience; and so far as it fails to induce him to that, it is either defective, unconfirmed or altogether erroneous. "Faith without works is dead;" it is a body without a soul, incapable of any spiritual sense, feeling or activity, and so useless to every good, religious and holy purpose. Without true religion of heart and conduct, circumcision, baptism, or any other external observance is utterly worthless and insignificant; with it, is only so far either useful or proper, as it is either commanded by the common Lord, or conducive to spiritual purposes of edification. They are all but outward signs of inward grace, and derive their whole virtue and utility from this latter, being the approved symbols to express it, the ordinances to remind us of it, and the means for its reception. They are absurd when set by themselves, and the impiety of doing so is as great as the proud presumption that would set them aside, when divinely commanded to be used with faith, prayer, and reverence. As no man may dare to reverse the institution of Christ, "Go unto all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature; he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, he that believeth not shall be condemned;" so none may venture to hold to the letter of the ordinance, and yet neglect its inward purpose and design, without incurring the aggravated guilt and certain danger of presumptuous sin. Hence the apostle concludes in v. 20, "Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called." Let him attend to the only real design of Christianity, to the simplicity of faith, the purity of affection, the holiness of behaviour, to which the gospel calls all alike. The past is no longer to be taken into consideration, but as it may excite a holy shame, a penitent contrition for sins committed, a devout gratitude for mercy received, deliverance obtained, and a steady purpose of future improvement. Let Jews and Gentiles meet together on equal grounds of a common piety; for "there is one faith, one Lord, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." Let not the Jew corrupt the simplicity of Christian doctrine, or disturb the minds of converts from heathenism by doubtful questions and uncommanded impositions of Mosaic burdens, nor these latter require the former to obliterate a divinely appointed sign of the first covenant but both strive rather to serve the same gracious God, "not in the oldness of the letter, but in newness of spirit," for "neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision, but a new creature," a regenerated heart and renovated life," faith which worketh by love," "the keeping of the commandments of God.” “Now to them that walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and on the Israel of God;" may their only rivalry be that of love, their sole emulation be to glorify the common Lord, their single provocation be "unto love and good works."

2. The second application of the Apostle's rule is, as we have said, to slavery and freedom. ii. 21-24.

Slavery, like polygamy and war, is one of those great evils which Almighty God in his wisdom has seen it proper to leave to be destroyed, not by immediate precipitate injunction, to which the corruption of man would certainly not attend; rather, were Christianity clogged with such an injunction, it would have been almost universally rejected ;-but by the slow though sure effect of divine grace. They are to be done away, not by violent effort, but by silent influence, that like the still small voice of conscience, which effects without noisy interference that which the angry storm of rude and harsh reproof would never accomplish, is destined gradually to enlighten, moralize and humanize mankind, and to put a universal, perpetual end to all violence, cruelty, sensuality and selfishness; to raise all mankind in intellect, heart and condition, and to spread righteousness, charity and comfort over the whole face of this fair earth. Meanwhile there is to be no sudden disruption of the bonds of society, no precipitate excitement of indiscreet injurious zeal, no unjust violation of property nor invasion of vested rights. God's own method of emancipating the slave and humanizing the master is by making both free indeed, the sons of God, brethren of the same heavenly Father. Legislators may indeed and ought,wisely and temperately, and humanely, to devise every mode of co-operation with the evident designs of heavenly wisdom and benevolence. Churches should contribute to the extension of knowledge on the grand schemes of Providence and the genuine tendency of unadulterated christianity. Individuals in their stations, should employ every power of reason, eloquence and influence, to inform the public mind, and raise the tone of public feeling; but all with the patient soberness of truth and wisdom, the just consideration of temperate prudence, the constant impartiality of earnest piety. Still, while every implement is employed, and all proper means put into requisition, to aid the cause of humanity and goodness, let the relations of civil society never be severed or forgotten. The free and the bond, the master and the slave, have each their obligations still, and from those duties no Christian can be for one moment absolved. "Art thou called being a servant? care not for it but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather." Let it not occasion im patience, insubordination, or disobedience" to your master after the flesh," for "to these," says the Apostle, "Servants, (i. e. dovλoi slaves,) be ye in subjection, shewing all good fidelity, obeying in singleness of your heart, not with eye service as men-pleasers, but as the servants of God, doing the will of God from the heart. "For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant." You have obtained a better freedom than any earthly emanci pation-freedom from ignorance, guilt, sin, and condemnation. You have become the free and willing servants of God and Jesus Christ. Satisfied with that great inestimable boon, and with the exalted privileges of Christians, with the pardon of sin, the favor of God, the love of Christ, the hope of hea ven, the gifts and presence of the Holy Spirit, the comforts of grace, the aids of prayer, and all the other blessings vouchsafed to every true Christian of whatever state, condition, or rank, without distinction, seek not hastily or restlessly to be relieved from the inferior and subordinate condition, in which the call of God found you, for that is your providential place and station; "care not for it," i. e. be not vexed and harassed with perpetual wishes and struggles to be freed from your actual position; you may serve God in it, and by shewing all Christian submission, humility, and fidelity, adorn the doctrine of God your Saviour, and honor your Great Master and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. A contrary conduct would discredit your holy profession, irritate opposition, and throw obstacles in the way, not only of your own speedy emancipation, but of the general reception of the gospel among