Mention is made of the Book of the wars of the Lord, Num. xxi., 14. The Book of Jasher, Joshua, x., 13, and 2 Sam. i., 18. The Book of Nathan, the prophet, and the Book of Gad, the seer, 1 Chron. xxix., 29. The prophecy of Ahijah and visions of Iddo, 2 Chron. ix., 29. The Book of Shemaiah, 2 Chron. xii., 13. The Book of John, 2 Chron. xx., 34. The Books which Paul left at Troas, 2 Tim iv., 13. His Epistle to Laodicea, Col. iv., 16. The prophecy of Enoch, Jude 14.

It is common for the rising generation to exert themselves to destroy the habits, modes of faith, and fine-spun systems of those who have gone before them. In this strife, what the young call improvement, the old call apostacy. The young conclude that the old are biased by tradition. The old judge the young are after new-fangled notions. The young see superannuacy in the old. The old discern the want of experience and sober reflection in the young.

Faith has a strong back--hope a silver tongue—charity a soft handhumility a bending knee—contrition a tender heart—zeal a nimble footpatience a placid countenance. Joy has sparkling eyes, and prayer uplift

ed hands.

When a prisoner is tried for his life, the court feel an awful responsibility to God, their country and the criminal. It is happy for the court and for the criminal, that neither judge nor juror, in his official capacity, has anything to do with the soul, conscience, heaven or hell. There are but few crimes, if any, that should be punished with death. Penal laws should be few. If laws are not fraught with humanity and goodness, as well as justice and severity, they will be abhorred, but never revered. Hence, in countries where penal laws are abundant and cruel, crimes are the most frequent, and vice the most predominant.

Human eyes are not strong enough to read much in the upper book of the eternal purposes of God, but sufficient to read in the lower book of the duty of man. Servants should not pry into the designs of their masters, which they cannot understand, but obey their commands, which are made plain.

He who minds his own business, and is not a busy-body in other men's matters, bids fair to draw a pension for his labor.

Tell your children what you believe, and why you believe; but be sure to instruct them how to believe: viz., to hear dispassionately both sides of the question, not biased by the greatness or goodness of others, regarding neither frowns nor flatteries, promotion nor disgrace, but yield to a preponderance of rational evidence.

The bird of Galbus is possessed of that singular property, that, when a man, infected with the yellow jaundice, looks upon it, the bird immediately dies and the man recovers. So the death of Christ gives eternal life to those who look unto him.

"He can't be wrong whose heart is in the right."

Are these words of the poet true? The heart of King Asa was perfect all his days; yet he acted foolishly—was wroth with the prophet who reproved him—put him into prison, and oppressed some of the people in a rage. Was he not wrong in all this? Do not error, laws and usages of the most pernicious tendency, often proceed from good men, in which they think they are doing God service? Let history and observation answer the question.

"All their works they do to be seen of men." A rich man of my acquaintance gave a bell-clock to the town where he lived; afterwards he was solicited to bestow a favor for another purpose. "No," said the man, "when I bestow my gifts, I love to hear them ding, ding." Let those who subscribe large sums for Bible, missionary and education societies, ask themselves whether they would do as much if there was no register and publication of their donations, to ding, ding the sound abroad?

Some men are so lavish in their conversation about religion, and so urgent to others, while inattentive to the spirit and practice of the gospel themselves, that fears arise whether their liberality will not leave them in poverty. Let not this, however, stop the mouths and check the exertions of those who are spiritual and sincere. "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditations of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, our gracious Redeemer.

In civil life, some men calculate well, but fail in their enterprises for want of corresponding labor. So in the ministerial department, some ministers form sublime ideas of the character and work of a preacher, but neglect the life and labor which they eulogize; while others labor abundantly, but, for want of prudent calculation, lose the reward.

A man who has not many inherent ideas, and but a few borrowed ones, having but a small vocabulary of words, will never excel as an orator. His orations will be vox et praterea nihil, a voice and nothing else. Honest humility, however, in homely dress, is more to be ad. mired than licentiousness, adorned with all the figures of rhetoric.

All the aid that conscience asks of government, is to be let alone. Time and experience have found that the only way to prevent religious oppres sion, is to exclude religious opinions from the civil code.

OATHS.*

A man, by the influence of education and tradition, may be so strongly persuaded that the dogmas and system which he has embraced are certainly true, as to seek no further for evidence of their truth, but only for arguments to support them. He has been taught what to believe, but not how to believe. He who honestly seeks for truth, must candidly hear both sides of the question, without any prepossession to turn the scale, and form his result on a preponderance of evidence: remembering, at the same time, that he may be imposed upon by the items of evidence given, or by the weakness of his mind in his conclusions.

Keeping this in mind, I shall make some inquiry on the nature of oaths. The great Jehovah is represented as often swearing; and, because he could swear by no greater, he swore by himself. The oath runs, as I live, saith the LORD," or, "by myself have I sworn." Many of the promises and threatenings of the Almighty have conditions expressed or understood in them; and, when they are not fulfilled, it is said that God repents. But, whenever he swears by his own eternal existence, no conditions change his course, the thing will certainly be accomplished.

The Lord Jesus, in substance, swore many times. The double asseveration, "Verily, verily," is found twenty-five times in John's gospel, which is very little inferior to an oath.

In the Mosaic institutions, oaths were imposed on the people to "end all strife," as the last resort to obtain the truth. Sometimes they cleared themselves by their oaths, and sometimes they cleared or condemned others. If they swore falsely against any man, and their testimony tended to minor punishment or death, and the testimony was proved to be false, the punishment which the witnesses sought to have inflicted on the defendant was to recoil on their own heads, whether it was fine, stripes or death. In the United States it is generally believed that the laws given by Moses were not binding on any nation but the Israelites. No other nation has ever adopted them. That kings are born with a divine right to rule, is not believed among us. Our government is formed on another principle. Our institutions recognise the sovereignty of the people. That all power is vested in them, and by them given to all the

* Published in 1830.

agents, who are accountable servants. If this is correct, it follows that no chief magistrate, legislative body, or judicial board, have, or can possess any power, which is not found in small constituent parts among the units that compose the whole body; for how can the creature possess more power than the Creator? The result is, that if one individual has the power to impose an oath on another, in a small moiety, then, by adding all the little grains together, officers can be created to coerce by oath. But where is the individual who possesses the power or right to compel his neighbor to tell what he does not choose to reveal, by a threat of the vengeance of God if he diminishes or adds to the truth?

I am ignorant of the art of Masonry. It is, however, confidently affirmed by some, and denied by none, that oaths are taken by the members, in taking their degrees; but who administers these oaths? who has a right to do it? If they make those selemn declarations, which some say they do, to keep the secret, and afterwards reveal it, they are very presumptuous in their protestations at first, or very perfidious in divulging it afterwards. But, let their oaths be ever so solemn, and the tortures which they invoke upon themselves ever so horrid, in case they falter, the whole amounts to nothing before a court of justicethe laws of state take no cognizance of it. The testimony of a ma sonic perjurer (if so he may be called) is received as freely, and believed as fully, as the testimony of any man; and the reason assigned is, "that their oaths proceeded from a self-created power."

Now, I ask what power there is in a republican government, or, indeed, in any human government, that the people have not created? But how can they establish a power without materials? The germ must first exist in the individuals. In this respect, what plea has civil gov. ernment over the masonic institution?

Are oaths advantageous? Do they tend to bring truth to light? do courts and jurors place more confidence in the testimony of a witness, when under oath, than they would if he was not under oath? He who does not reverence the truth, how can he reverence the God of truth? If the testimony of a witness is proved false, let him be punished for his falsehood. What more is now inflicted on perjurers?

A great part of the conversation of men is but idle friz, which passes for nothing; but, when they are called upon to give testimony in a case where the life, liberty or property of a fellow citizen is at stake, it becomes another thing. Truth generally carries an internal evidence with it, while falsehood, in its course, defeats itself. If neither of these appear in the testimony, would the solemnity of an oath produce them?

The first account given in the time of Abraham, of an oath taken by his steward, bespeaks the existence and caution of oaths before that time;

but, whether they originated among the Pagans, out of reverence to their gods, or whether Jehovah first taught his worshippers the use of them, I cannot ascertain. They certainly have been in use from Abraham until the present time, which proves neither the advantage nor disadvantage of them. Does a man, by his oath, say, "I now speak in the presence of God?" He is always in the presence of God. Does he say, "I expect to give an account of what I now say before God in the day of judgment?" This is as true of every idle word he speaks. By his words he will be justified or condemned. Does he believe that the Almighty will punish him in hell if he tells what is not true? What more is this than all liars will receive when they have their part in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone.

The subject is too profound for my talents, research and leisure. If some good friend will give an elucidation of the origin of oaths—what they express—what bonds they put upon the witness that he is not always under—where a republic get the power to institute and enjoin them—whether every purpose of government and private life could not be answered as well without them, he shall receive my hearty thanks.