Newspaper Page Text
Vol. VII.
Marten <oa3ettc
I EDITED AjYD published
BY
HA’S. F. GIMN BISON.
(ON THE BAY)
lss per annum, payable in advance.
T [jBY particular request ]
CIRCULAR. LETTER.
■The Members of the Sunbury Bap
til Association to the Churches which
ftv represent: —Grace be unto you ,
.ft peace from him which is, and which
.ft, and which is to come; and from
ft seven spirits which are before his
ftowry and from Jesus Christ , who is
faithful witness, and the first begot
ft of the dead, and the prince of the
ftg-,9 of the earth.” Rev. 1 Ch. 48c 5
ft)EARLY Beloved Brethren: Ilav
ft another oppoi tuuity afforded us, in
ft good providence of out God, of
ftlressing you on matters concerning
ft common salvation, and the spiritu
al welfare of Chiist’s Church, we
ftukl direct your attention to the ob
ftvance of the Sabbath as being inti-
Bfttelv cohnected therewith. There
Hpo other commandment in the whole
ftthe Decalogue than the one enjoin
ft this duty, that is prefaced with the
ftitionary injunction, Rerriember—
ftich shews us evidently the great im
ftrtance, that the Lord of the •Sabbath
fts been pleased to attach to the pro
ftr observance of this holy,day, and
ft faithful discharge of its appropjiate
ftties.
ft'he Sabbath was instituted, no doubt,
ft our Heavenly Father to accomplish
■veral benevolent and wise purposes;
fttits principal aim is one; and to this
fte all mipor designs, in some wav or
fther, either directly or indirectly, are
Hbservient. The grand design is, that
fte glory of God may be promoted in
ftnrtifying the souls of men, and thus
ftepa ing them (or the holy services
ftd enjoyments of Heaven. Now, by
fteping this great end steadily in view,
ft will see the wisdom of God abun
ftntly*manifested in the institution of
fte Sabbath, and will be much assisted
ft ascertaining tke precise manner, in
Ihich it ought to be kept holy. Ex
ftrience testifies that at best we are apt
ft be too much attached to these ‘low
ftounds of sin and sorrow, notwith
standing all our Sabbath privileges,
Ihich have a natural tendency to ele
ft e our affections from earth to hea
ftn. We may fairly ask then—what
ftiuld have been the condition of the
ftr-ral world, were it not for this bene
ftlent and wise provision? So far a
ftan is capable ofjudging.it would not
ft extravagant to say that there would
ftt have been a saint to be found on
ftnh, but that all mankind would have
ftlten long ere this under the affecting
ftpresentation ofscripture; they would
ftve become, in the strictest sense,
ftrthly, sensual, devilish.
■ Herein then let us adore the wis
ftm and goodness of God, in that,
stowing our frame.and considering
ftr frailties he has claimed one day
ftit of seven as a holy convocation to
ftmself, to remind usof his sovereignty,
ft withdraw our hearts from the world,
std to engage us, as expectants of hea-
anti heirs to an incorruptible inhe-
Htence, in making preparation for the
ftjoyment of a never ending Sabbath
■ bliss in the city of the New Jerusa
ftm.
ft 1 he Christian Sabbath is peculiarly
ftapted to accomplish these purposes.
ft n this day our crucified Lord van
ft'isbed the powers of hell, burst the
laniers ol the tomb, disarmed death of
■is sting, rose triumphant from the
■rave, perfected the redemption of his
■hosen peop'e, and afterwards ascend
|d as a mighty conqueror to the re
lions of eternal and uncieated glory.—
I hesc great achievements of our Al
ftighty Prince and Saviour—what he
las done and suffered—how he has
Rroaned, bled and difed on behalf of fal
len man, we are called upon to con
template on the day of the Christian
pabbath. These are the cheering tiuths
pnd these the bright prospects, which,
In day of the week, more par
ticularly occupy the mind of the hca
ven-botind traveller, warm his affec
tions, and gladden his heart; and which
he is called on not merely to contem
plate hut to realize.
Had the Lord of the Sabbath enjoin
ed on this holy day nothing more than
a were suspension of bodily labour, we
DARIEN llillf GAZETTE.
DARIEN, (Georgia,) £quaian& <£;cact 3jti£tice, TUESDAY, January is, 18^5.
cannot see, we confess, any important
advantage, that could have resulted
from the institution. True, it would
still have been an institution of mercy,
so far as respects the bodies of his crea
tures thus released at seasonable peri
ods from the pressure of continued ex
errihn—but with regard to their souls;
their better, their undying part —thus
disengaged from the cares of life, and
left at liberty for the sinful gratification
of the passions, it is vety questionable,
in our view, whether the institution
would not have been a curse rather than
a blessing. Every consequence of this
kind however, is effectually guarded
against by the duties, which are incum
bent upon us on this holy day, if we
would sanctify it as the Lord has en
joined.
And here we cannot avoid expres
sing our sincere regret, that too many,
even among professing Christians, are
content with an externa] observance of
the Sabbath. They do no manual la
bour perhaps; they attend on public
worship probably, and are decent in
their deportment; but in their houses,
on their way to and from church, and
even at the very doors, or within the
walls of the sanctuary, * they converse
freely about their crons, devise plans
for promoting their worldly interest,
or discuss me claims of the candidates
for the’ next Presidency. That is, with
their bodies they render an unmeaning
service to God, but with the tongue
and heart they obey mammon. They
render Belial sincere obedience, and
mock homage to the Most High.—
What a wrefehed sacrifice this, to pre
sent to the Holy One of Israel! Wnat
miserable infatuation!—to give the bo
dy in appearance merely to the work
of God, but the conversation, the heart,
and the influence to the w ork of Satan!
And this work every individual per
forms, who refuses to do what is assign
ed him by l)is Creator.
It will be admitted that works of re
al necessity or mercy may lawfully be
performed on the Sabbath day. When
such rases occur, however, it becomes
the Christian to see well to it, that the
necessity be real, not hnagina"y, nor
ot his own seeking, nor such as could
have been foreseen, and ought there
fore to have been avoided It will be
of no importance that he deceive others,
or be himself deceived. The guilt of
the violation will be the same; the mis
chievous consequences thereof undi
minished:—and hence it becomes re
ally interest of the Christian to be
very scrupulous how he adhiits the
plea of necessity in opposition to the
positive injunction: “Thou shalt not do
any manner ot work.”
The first and most obvious duty of
the sabbath is a total suspension of bo
dily labour. Masters of families are
bound to the observance of this, not
merely in their own persons, but as
expressly obligated in the 4th Com
mandment to cause it to be observed
by all who are under their influence,
whether children, or servants, or stran
gers, who may for the time compose
part of their family; and even the beasts
of burden are to participate in this ge
neral jubilee. We may rest assured
that the man, who is satisfied with ob
serving this duty himself, whilst he
countenances, or even connives at the
violation of it in his children or ser
vants, will by no means be heheld guilt
less in the presence of a Holy God, but
will be esteemed by infinite Justice as
a sabbath breaker and dealt with ac
cordingly. That man, whoever he
may be, has good cause to apprehend
that his neglect of duty and their vio
lation of it will both be visited upon
him; and that, in this way, he will come
into two-fold condemnation.
Family and closet devotion ought ne
ver to be neglected by the Christian;
but more particularly on the Lord’s
day should he pour out his whole soul
unto God in his farrufy and in secret,
that he, who has the hearts of men in
his hands, would call off his thoughts
this holy day from vanity, and concen
trate all the affections in Heaven.
- Another important duty of the Sab
bath is public worship. This has been
considered a sacred obligation in all
ages of the church. It wa3 scrupu
lously observed by the Jews under the
old Dispensation; and in Gospel Times
it has been sanctioned by the Apostles
of our blessed Lord, and hallowed by
his own sacred example. Even to the
present day it has obtained the univer
sal sanction of the church of Christ—
and we have no doubt but a reference
is had mainly to this duty in the sacred
injunction of the Apostle—‘not to for
sake the assembling of ourselves to
gether, as the manner of some is.’—
Heb. 10, 25.
The guilt of neglecting to attend
public worship on the Sabbath must be
evident from this singly consideration,
viz. that by dying so we manifest a de
cided contempt for the precious blood
of Christ, and say by our actions, that
we consider his offered redemption as
unworthy our regard. And how can
they possibly escape, who so shame
fully neglect this great salvation?
Where the of a minister
the Gospel can seldom or never be ob
tained, much good may yet be done by
Christians meeting together on the Sab
bath to read the word of G and, to sing
his praise, to pray with and exhort each
other. Farther, we would recommend
warmly to the destitute churches with
in our bounds to avail themselves of
labors of pious ministers and holy men
of God by causing at least one sermon
to be read each Lord’s day, selected
from the writings of some orthodox di
vine. The pi esent age-is highly favor
ed with works of this kind calculated
to be extensively useful in this way to
the hungry, starving souls of flying men.
We would mention among many others
Davies’, Kollock’s and the Village ser
mons; the last of which can very easi
ly be obtained, and is perhaps as well
adapted to occa.ions of this kind as any
other.
It will avail us but little, however,
to assemble in the house of God, though
we should attend there with suint-like
gravity, if our thoughts in the mean
time, like the eyes of the fool, are per
mitted to wander through the ends of
the earth. Hence it is peculiarly in
cumbent on us at such times to keep
our hearts with all diligence. And
hence it is that even in the sanctuary,
silting under the droppings of jbe Gos
pel, and presenting a Tair exletior to
the view of our fellow-men, we may
still be heaping up condemnation to
ourselves by indulging in worldly or
vain imaginations and by neglecting to
cultivate right dispositions of heart. If
such then be the guilt of omitting the
exercise of a proper frame of mind,
what shall we say of those, who scarce
ly behave with common decency in the
house of God, who triflle away the lime
in vanity and folly, attd thus contemp
tuously reject the rich treasuies of the
Gospel, which the dmbassador of Christ
offers for their acceptance. Surely it
will be more tolerable for Sodom and
Gomorrah in the day ol judgment than
for them!
We must, with St. John in the Isle
of Patmos, be in the spirit on the Lord’s
day, if we would keep it holy. Other
wise our strictest obserAance of it will
he but decent profanation.
And now, dear Brethren, as we must
draw to a close, let us apply these ob
servations to ourselves. Have we been
unifotmly careful in thus sanctifying
the Sabbath? Or, rather, does not the
spirit convince most of us ol sinful neg
lect in this particular? We can toil
willingly six days of the week for the
uncertain prospect of securing a little
perishable riches: but do we labor with
equal diligence on the seventh to secure
the Heavenly Inheritance? If not, what
can be the cause, but that we prefer
earth to heaven? And can we reasona
bly expect to obtain everlasting happi
ness, if we are so indifferent about it,
as not to esteem it worth our while to
spend even a seventh of our time in its
pursuit? What madness! What stu
pidity! Heaven would not be desirable
on such terms. The duties of the Chris
tian sabbath approach nearer perhaps
than can be imagined to the services
of the redeemed in glory; and how can
we hope to participate in these sacred
enjoyments above, if we have neglected
to cultivate a relish for them here be
low’?
Let us then be more careful for the
future to spend the remnant of our sab
baths in acquiring a meekness for hea
ven. Thus when the sabbath and the
sanctuary shall cease on earth, and
when time shall be no more, our en
larged souls, transported to the happy
climes of heaven, shall bask in the full
beamsofthe Redeemer’s glory through
all eternity. Amen.
CHARLES O. SC RIVEN, Moderator.
HENRY J. RIPLEY, Clerk.
CORRESPONDING LETTER.
The Sunbury Baptist Association to
the Associations with whom thi y cor.
respond , send Christian salutation:
Beloved Brethren —Another op
portunity is now afforded us of addies-;
sing you in our associate capacity. We
rejoice for the Christian affection which
you have manifested towards us by
sending your messengers to unite with
us in our deliheiations, and to encour
age and strengthen our hearts by sym
pathising with us in our joys and sor
rows. “Oh, how good a thing it is,
,and how becoming, for brethren to
dwell together in unity!” Surely no
thing earthly is better calculated to
smooth the asperities of life’s toilsome
road, than for the pilgrim on his way
Zion-ward to meet with his fellow-tra
vellers, and with them take sweet coun
sel respecting that everlasting king
dom, that Land of Delight, on the en
joyment of which we hope shortly to
enter.
Dear Brethren: In reviewing the
dealings of God towards us the past
year, we have much cause for humilia
tion and much for gratitude. To some
churches in our connection the earth
seems to be as iron, and the heavens as
bt •ass. On others again, the Lord has
been pleased most graciously to pour
out the influence of his Holy Spirit.—
Oh that he would shower down this
blessed influence in copious prolusion
upon us ’till every heart should be as
a well w atered gat den; anil that he
would not cease to work mightily a
mong its, ’till all should be made to see
and taste this great salvation.
Truly we can .say that God has been
good to iis since we have met together.
To believers it has been a refreshing
season; and to impenitent sinners we
fondly trust that it w ill be accompanied
with abundant benefit. Harmony and
brotherly love have presided in our
councils. The word preached seems
to have been accompanied with the unc
tion of the Holy Spirit, and to have
been received with diligent attention.
And may we not trust, in confident
anticipation, to the Lord of the harvest,
that the seed, which has thus been sow n
in faith by his servants, will be raised
up by the mighty power of our God
for his own honor and glory.
It causes us sincere grief to be oblig
ed to state, that there are still some
among us opposed to the cause of Mis
sions. Deal Brethren, let us not exer
rise unkindly feelings towards them,
but rathei pray for them. Let us wres
tle with God, that the veil which dark
ens their understandings may he remo
ved; and that, by the enlightening in
fluence of the Holy Spirit, they may
have a spiritual discernment of our
dear Redeemer's farewell injunction—
‘Go ye into all the world, and preach
the Gospel unto every creature.’
Finally, brethren, persevere in the
good cause. If we are permitted the
high honor of being co-woikers with
Christ in the extension of his kingdom,
let none of us lightly esteem this exalt
ed privilege. We will conclude in the
woids of a very eminent advocate for
Missions, and one who was himself ex
tensively engaged in the cause. After
discussing at length the necessity of
Faith in Christ for the justification of
the sinner and his acceptance in the
sight of God, he makes the following
eloquent and unanswerable appeal in
behalf of sending the Gospel to the
Heathen. “How shall they believe in
him of whom they have not heard?—
And how shall they hear without a
preacher? And how shall they preach
except they be sent? These are the
sentimen.s of an inspired apostle. Let
them he ours also; and let our actions
correspond thereto, ’till the happy day
come, when the sun of righteousness
shall have arisen on every benighted
corner of the world. Amen.
CHARLES O. SCRIVEN. Moderator.
HENRY J. RIPLEY, Clerk.
FROM THE NEW -YORK PATRIOT.
COMMON LAW.
Below will be found that part of the
Message of Governor Wilson to the
Legislature of South Carolina which
relates to the common law, and to which
we made allusion last Thursday in our
remarks on that subject. It will be
perceived that his o iservations, distin
guished equally by their perspicuity
and elegance, are entirely in unison
with our own, and that he entertains a
strong sense of the errors and defects
of that shapeless compound which pre
vails as law over most of the United
States. To the reasoning of Governor
Wilson few can refuse their assent —
very few of those, at least, who ate ac
quainted with the absurdities of the
system, and the utter impossibility
of reducing ii to certainty and or
der. Though some entertain a res
pect, not to say a veneration,ior the
common law, we anribdfce it to the
same species of superstition which re
ceived as the emanations of divinity the
Oracles of old; for, lik the wot shippers
of Delphos, they obey with humility
and undoubting faith mandates corning
they know not whence, and uttered by,
they know not w hom!
“It is a source of gr eat gia'ification
to see the opinion gaining strength, that
the rules of common law are suscepti
ble of written forms. It is impossible
to wiite the law of every case that may
occut, and no such Eutopian project
ever eptei ed into the imagination of any
one. But to reduce the chaotic mass
of what is now called the common law
into some tangible form, which the ci
tizens can gr asp and comprehend, is a
desideratum anxiously desired; and dif
ficult as it may be, it is within the pow
er of the human intellect. To this end
I would advise the appointment of three
distinguished Jurists, ailotiug to each
some specific part of the. common law,
to he written and submitted to the
Judges for their approbation, and then
the Legislature; sui h an undei taking
will require time rnd talents, and to ob
tain these, it will be necessary that a li
betal salary should be given to those
employed. The longer this subject
remains a matter of speculation, the
mote diffir ult will be its execution.—
To place before the citizen the law
which is to be his rate of conduct, ra
the’ than ha’ eit buiied beneath the un
fathomable piles of folia, quarto, and
octavo which now entomb it, would
well comport with our wisdom as the
representatives of the people. None
hut professional men ever attempt to
reach the fountain of the common law,
and but very few of these ever arrive
at the same source. The Judges them
selves ate chosen at variance, and in
some cases the bench is equally divid
ed in opinion. To expect the citizen
of plain English education to arrive at
a knowledge of a law which is to be
sought through a thousand books of
black letter and Norman Ft ench, would
he as idle as it is ab&utd to tequire obe
dience to what he does not know.
It is, therefore, matter of no surprise
that one of its rules should be, that an
ignorance of the law should be no ex
cuse for its violation—a rule hot rowed,
I presume, from the Monster Sphinx,
who destroyed every one that was una
ble to give a solution of her riddle.—
I ’ ance, under the genius and energy
ot the great Napoleon, gave a written
code to her citizens. When the monu
ments erected to the memory of thisex
traordinary man shall have r run bled in
to dust whim by hismiiitary achievments
shall be told like tire fabulous a< tions of
Theseus, his fame shall be immortal
ized by the Napoleon code. If a na
tion that has existed for more than two
thousand years, subjer t by turns to the
government of tyrants, the priesthood,
a limited monarchy, and a licentious
populace, with all the various and con
flicting rules arising out of the policy
of each government, be enabled to de
duce symmetry from chaos, light from
darkness, and order from contusion, I
ca t see no reason why a state like ours,
whe;e all are equal, a government in
the possession of every political and ci
vil right, at peace with all the woild,
united in sentiment, opinion, and inter
est, should not succeed in a similar un
dertaking. I am well satisfied the work
can he accomplished, and if it contain
imperfections, as no doubt it must, it
will yet be one of the most acceptable
gifts to the people which can emanate
from your wisdom, aud will endear
youi memory to the la e-.; posterity.—
1 lie federal government have none but
written laws; and although some incon
venience was at first feji, when it was
adjusted that the common law was not
of force in the United States’ Courts,
yet there aie none at the present day
who do not rejoice that such a deci
sion was mad*.; and it would be better
at the present moment that an act should
be passed declaring the common law
not of force, than to continue it longer
as it now exists.
A singular equippage has lately been
seer in the streets of Munich Tis a
calash, drawn by two enormous woh es,
which a merchant found very young,
and has so well tamed that they have
all the docility of hotses. These ani
mals are harnessed esactly like our car
riage hotses and have entirely lost
[their ferocious instinct.
J\’o. 3.