The missionary. (Mt. Zion, Hancock County, Ga.) 1819-182?, November 05, 1821, Image 2

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real change of life and heart, to the troth of which his master bears a pleasing testi mony. He has been received as a scholar into oar Sunday School, and has since re quested to be amitted on trial as a member of Society. When he came to make his request, all present joined in prayer for him that he might be kept from falling, and we wept with joy over him “ who was dead but is alive, who was lost hot is found.” Our excellent Governour lately visited, with and a member of the CouudlPtie Sunday school; and expressed high satisfaction with the improvement of the children. I am happy to say, that about forty of them manifest a work of grace on their minds, and are regularly met once a week, to receive such advices and cautions as their circumstances seem to require. Lond. Meth. Mag. From the (Richmond. Va.) Evangelical and Lit erary Magazine and Miss’ry. Chronicle. Reflections on a Trial for Murder. “ Behold thy fellow culprit trembling there, “ And in bis trial see a type of thine.” I had often heard that there was some thing very solemn and interesting in the form of judicial trial in a capital case, and felt some cut iosity to witness the effect.— Accordingly, understanding the other day, that a man was about to be tried before the Superiour Court of Law for the County, upon a charge of murder, 1 resolved to at tend (he court, and went over to the house at ooce. On entering in, I found the room already thronged with the numerous spec tators, who had been drawn together by the excitement of the occasion. Mak ing my wav through them with some difß cully, I obtained a seat among the lawyers, and other gentlemen within the bar. The Judge was in his chair before me, the Clerk in hi seat below, and the attorney for the Commonwealth at a small table in front of him. The Sheriff was in his box t my left, and his deputy in the other at the opposite side of the room. The Pris oner was in his place in the rear, guarded by the jailor at his side. And here, after a little while, upon a mo tion from the Judge, the Clerk rose, and with a trembling voice, proceeded to ar raign the prisoner, calling upon him to hold up his hand, (a sign of admission that he was the person charged;) and then went on to read the indictment, which was in the usual form, and, as 1 thought, highly sol emn. I was indeed particulatly pleased to notice the recognition it contained of some of the most serious, and affecting truths of our religion. Thus, among other things I observed that it charged the prisoner with having committed the crime, “ not having the fear of God before his eves.” And here 1 saw there was a direct acknowledgement of that great scriptural lesson, that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and that the want of it is (he natural-source of all iniqhity. It was, in fact, in exact unison with the sentiment of the Psalmist, the trans gression rs the wicked saith within my heart , there is no fear of God before their eyes. — But tfap indictment further charged the roan with “ being moved and instigated by the devil.” And here too, I saw was an other solemn truth of reiigioc,ofteD ridicul- i ed indeed, and at the very moment perhaps I when it is verified by the profane. j < The clerk, having now finished reading t the indictment, asked the prisoner what he ( had to say,“ Guilty,” or “ Not Guilty ?” i “ Nol Guilty,” replied the poor culprit t with a voice that belied his words—“ And < bow will you he tried ?” “By God and i my country,” said he, in the form appointed, i whispered to him by the Jailer. By “ the i country,” I understood was meant the jury, < the “ twelve free and legal men” who were i to try the cause. And for the phrase “by i God.” it was evidently a publick & solemn i recognition of the existence and govern- i metitof that awful Being, who is the Judge I of quick and dead, and is supposed to pre- I side unssen in every court of law. It was I also a declaration that all human tribunals t derive their rights to punish offenders es- I pecially in capital cases, not from any im- 1 aginary “ social contract,” hut only from I Him, the sacred source of all judicial pow- s er upon earth. And it was besides, per- f haps, a virtual appeal to the omniscience of I the Searcher of hearts for the truth of the \ prisoner’s plea. It seemed, I thought, to i say, so may God judge me on that day, as i tiiy defence is true on this; and stronglv j doubting his innocence as I did, it fell with ‘ evil omen on my ear. But I was relieved, i at the instant, by the humane and pious < supplication of the clerk, “ God send thee i a good deliverance !” May that God to i whom thou hast appealed, enable thee to establish thy innocence on this trial, that i so thou mayest he acquitted by thy peers, and escape the fearful sentence of the law ? Thus understood, my heart said amen to the prayer. Indeed, I could not sufficient ly admire the tenderness of the law which Lad thus hallowed the principle, “ that ev ery man shall be presumed to be innocent, uniil his guilt is proved.” The Jurors who had been returned by the sheriff, and from the vicinage, were now severally called into court, and, one by one, directed to look upon the prisoner, while the clerk asked him, “Are you wil ling to be tried by that man ?” For it seems be had a right of “ peremptory chal lenge,” as it is called, that is, of refusing his peers, (to the number of twenty at least,) without assigning his reasons, and this is favour of life. The Jurors receiv ed were called to the book, by fours, and the words of their oath as 1 caught them, were, “you shall well and truly try the is sue between the Commonwealth and the prisoner at the,bar, and a true verdict ren der according to the evidence—so he!|> you God.” And here agqin, I was Jed to • reflect upon the importance of religion in *ll the dearest concerns oflife. For what would be the worth of such an oath if there were no God to hear it, or to puniah its in fraction ? But as it is, how great is the vir tue of those little words—“ so help yon God !” And what a sacred security Ho they give to an innocent man, for the safety o his life and liberty ! The whole pannel be ing thus sworn, the clerk informed them that the prisoner was there to answer the charge in the indictment, y hicli he now read to them, that he had pleaded “ not guilty,” and put himself upon his country ; he added some words which I do not dis tinctly retain, concluding with, “ look upon him, gentlemen, and hearken to his cause.” The witnesses for the Commonwealth were now sworn, and examingd by the at torney, then the counsel for the prisoner, and re-examined by the attorney. Then the witnesses for the pris oner were sworn, and questioned by his counsel, then by the attorney, and then by his counsel again. This long and rather tedious proceeding wore out the day—can dles were brought in—and the pieadings began. And here my attention was roused and gratified by the plain and able speech of the good old Prosecutor, who stated the evidence and the law with great force, and clearness, and called for the conviction of of the prisoner, with a mixture of firmness and tenderness that was truly affecting. On the other hand. I admired the fine and eloquent defence of the advocate, who ex erted all the power of his genius, blending fact and fancy, argument and pathos togeth er, to commence and persuade the Jury of his client's innocence, or at least to insinu ate a doubt of his guilt. All this time, 1 marked with interest the countenances of the Jurors, who seemed to hang upon the speaker’s lips, suspended between convic tion and inclination, and anxious, I thought, to catch some good excuse for saving the culprit’s life. I marked too the face of the poor wretch himself, bent with ear nest and eager anxiety upon his counsel, as if he would aid his words by his own un utterable looks; and I remembered, with anew impression, that saying of the Apos tle, And if any man sin, wc have an advocate with the father. Jesus Christ the righteous. But the case was now fiuished. The Judge , said a few words upon the law, referring , the w hole to the Jury—and the Sheriff led | them away to their room. , There was here a short time for reflec tion, whilst we all waited for the verdict, and I was well disposed to improve it. Af ter all that had passed, indeed, 1 could not help-feeling a human concern for the fate of the prisoner, whose life was now hang ing by a hair. Add to this the whole farm of the trial, from that air of religion which it breathed, very naturally inspired devout reflection. I felt myself, as it were, carri ed out from the scene before me ; and my spirit was wrapped away beyond the world. I remembered that the Scriptures spoke of another day, and another trial, in which 1 should have to bear a part myself. A few more suns and moons thought I, and the distinctions of this house will be forgotten, and we shall all stand together, as fellow culprits at the bar of God. Yo., we must all appear at the judgment seat of Christ, and give account of the deeds done in the body. And what have they been ? And when we are called upon to answer the charges of the law against us, what shall be our plea? Can we say, “ not guilty.” when we know that we are to be tried by God and our country ? By God, the Searcher of hearts, in the person of Jesus Christ, and our coun try, the saints in glory—our peers shall we dare to call them ? Alas, there will he no right, no power of challenge here ! And rfhat need of swearing witnesses against us, when our own hearts shall condemn us, and God, who is greater than our hearts , and knoweth all things ? Ah ! there is no doubt about the law, no doubt about the fact; and all the eloquence of angels cannot blanch our cause. Guilty, and self-convicted. At this moment 1 was roused from my reverie by the voice of the Sheriff, calling out to the crowd, “ make way for the jury and they stood before the clerk—there was si lence as in the chamber of death. “ Have you agreed upon your verdict ?” “We have,” said a faltering voice. “ And who shall speak for you ?” The foreman pre sented himself in front before them. “ Gen- tlemen, look upon the prisoner”—all eyes were turned upon the unhappy man, who read his doom in the pale faces ofhis peers ; and I saw that his hope was giving up the ghest. “ How say you,” said the clerk. “ is he guilty of the murder of which he stands indicted, or not guilty ?” “ Guilty,” aid the foreman, with a low voice, draw ing his breath after the word with a deep sigh. “ And so say you all ?” “ All, all.” A murmur of approbation ran through the assembly. “ Sheriff, look to the pris oner,” said the clerk—and the crowd retir ed. For myself I did not feel disposed to mingle with the throng; but rather stole away alone to my home and bed. And here, for some time at least, it was in vain that I woed sleep to my pillow. The vision of the unhappy man, now under sentence of death for his crime, was before my eyes, and (could not chase it away.* Guilty, in deed, as I believed him to be, I felt that still he was a nnn, my fellow-creature, my fellow sinner, perhaps less criminal in the sight of God than myself, (for who can fathom the Jepth of bis own iniquity ?) and the words of his counsel, “ if he is unfit to live he is more unfit to die,” were still trembling in my ears. Again my spirit stole away to the day of judgment. Again imagination placed! me at the bar, and conscience ordered me to hold up my hand, which soon fell with its nwn guilty weight. Called upon to answer for myself, in vain did pride whisper me to i say, “ not guilty”—the words lingered up* i on my lips, and 1 could not utter them. — The law of God in all its purity and spiritu ility was brought home to my apprehen sion, sin revived, and I died with mortal fear. O, how precious appeared to me then the words of holy writ, uno condemnation to them that art in ihrist Jesus, who walk not after theJlesh, butafter the spirit. For Christ is the end of tb law for righteousness to every one that beliteth in him. Yes, in deed, cried I, and mv 1 not add with Paul, (though with a faiute hope) I know in whom l have believed, and .am persuaded that he is able to keep that witch I have committed un to him , until that day. The thought was di vine—l seized the gracious moment to breathe fojgh a praytr for acceptance in my RedeemetUpnd fed into a soft and balmy sleep. From the Bahimore Morning Chronicle. SUPERIORITY OF VITAL CHRISTIAN- There is a sort of plain, simple, unosten tatious grandeur, in the character of the really pious, as much superiour to earthly grandeur as the Heavens are superiour to the earth that we tread. This is no idle parade of wtrds ; it is “a solemn, unques tioned and unquestionable fact. Look at the monarch, and the proudest monarch that Europe qin boast—we observe to be sure much glitter, and spangle, and form, and parade, aid ceremony, sycophantick admiration and idolatry. How has this bfeeo purchased? By toilsome days and sleepless nights—by painful marches in the tented field—by the roar of cannon, the shouts of victory and the groans of defeat ; . by the tears of widows arid orpans, by church yards piled with unhappy victims, by bribery, corruption, by treachery and . deceit, and by atl the artifices, the perpe tration of which lii.ks the name of a man and that of a demon together. After this little fitful possession of power, this mon arch is himself tumbled into the earth to make way for some shewy successor, des tined likewise to strut and fret his hour upon the stage until death snatches the crown from his temples also to place it for a little season oa tie brow of another man. This i9 called royalty, majesty, excellence, and a number of such high sounding titles, all of which, are lost by a fit of the gout, or by the twinges of a tooth ache. It wa9 made a very serious question at the court of Alexander the Great, whether he should be manufactured into a God, before death, or afterwards. Aristotle, who with all his attachment to his pupil, saw the enormous absurdity of this question, gravely contend ed, that no man could with propriety, be made a God on this side of the grave, and gave his vote in the negative. The Chris tian sees at a single glance, the folly of such struggles after power, popularity or opu lence, which fill with such rapture, the minds of those tilled dignitaries, who with all their pomp and splendour, are them selves subjects of the king of terrors. He renounces all allegiance to such a sove reign, and hi hopes commence at the very time when the hopes of earthly kings and conquerors expire. Looking at fame, that strong incentive to glory, that idol of the million, that last infirmity, as it is poeti cally denominated, of noble minds; he adopt 9 the language of Pope. Great Queen, we neither claim The meed of honour, onspire to fame ; But safe in deserts from the applause of men Would die unheard of, 9 we liv’d unseen; O let me still the secret oy partake, To follow virtue, e’en so virtue’s sake. His hopes are of mother cast; embol dened by divine mercy, be looks at the sun and contemplates the time as approaching, when he shall roll a ray less orb through the heavens: he is tdd that his soul shall survive the lustre of hat luminary; he is told this fact, and he believes it, for it is announced by the lips of the maker of both : he is told that by pesitence, and prayer, and supplication, and by a firm reliance in every struggle on the assisting mercies of his Heavenly father, this existence, this birth of the tomb, shall be a life of unspeak able joy, prolonged throughout the countless ages of eternal duration. Are we then as tonished, that the real Christian with such promises from such lips, from lips that can not lie, renouuces and abjures earth with all its blandishments, temptations, glories and seductive vanities; that he feels even impatient at the thought of possessing such glittering baubles aud infantine toys, be cause they thus far relinquish his hold upon Heaven—because they alienate hisaffections that ought to be engrossed by one object alone ; because they lumber him with a load of cares and anxieties, and prevent his freeborn spirit from soaring to its proper sphere ? We ask 19 all this suprising ? No ; The astonishment is that any men calling themselves Christians, and who once in every seven days hear the cheering sounds of gospel salvation, can turn their backs upoti Heaven, and grnvel all their days for power, popularity, fame, •or opulence, in the world that vre inhabit; that even silver locks and tottering limbs and feeble lungs, and decayed vision, abate nothing of bis ar dour. This is an astonishment worthy of being accounted for. THE JEWS. A writer in the Jewish Expositor, who takes up the question whether the conver sion of the Jews will be effected by ordin ary means, or by miraculous interpositions of Providence, inclines to the opinion that both these methods will be employed in bringing about the event. While he con siders the circulation of the Scriptures among them, the preaching of the Gospel, the expression of kindness towards them, &c. Decessary to prepare the way of the Lord, and therefore to be followed up with untiring zeal, yet be seems to be satisfied that extraordinary -operations are to be i looked for, in order to the conversion of | the whole nation, and this opinion is found ed, Ist, on the fact of their extraordinary obstinacy and peculiar bitterness against Christianity ; 2d, on that the deal ings of God with them from the beginning have been extraordinary —their whole his lory presents a continued series of mira cles down to the birth of Christ, and their preservation as a distinct people scattered among the uations of the earth, is a stand ing miracle ; 3d, on various passages of Scripture, (which our readers will consult if they feel an interest on the subject,) Isa. xi. 11, to the end ; Zech. x. 6, to the end ; Ezek. xxxvi. Post. Jlcc. — — AMERICAN EDUCATION SOCIETY. The annual meeting of this important in stitution was held in the hall over the Mas sachusetts Bank, on the 3d Oct. and opened with prayer by the Rev. Dr. Palmer of Charleston, S. C. The Report of the Treasurer was read and accepted. The amount of receipts for the last year was 13,103 97. The officers of the preceding vear were re-chosen, and Rev. Wm. Fay ot .Charlestown, appointed to fill the vacancy j occasioned by the death of the Rev. Dr. Worcester. Rev. B. Emerson resigned hja sent at the Boar<l, and received a vote of thanks from the Society for his laborious and faithful services. Rev. R. S. Storrs, of Braintree, was chosen in his stead. At the close of the meeting about S9OO were subscribed to the funds of the Society —of which 800 are annual subscriptions. As we hope soon to have the Report to publish entire, we shall not at present re mark upon it. Bost. Re c. — Rangoon and Serampore Missions. —A let ter dated Calcutta, Feb. 28, 1821, says— “ Mrs. Judson had arrived at Rangoon, but a captain of a ship from there informs, that Mrs. J’s. health was so bad, that she would probably return to Calcutta. The King of Denmark has sent Drs. Carey, Marsh man and Ward, his royal flag enstamped on gold medals, and given them an estate worth 50 or 60,000 rupees, for the College at Serampore.” South. Evan. Intel. The little Osage Captive. —Mrs. Williams, of Brimfield,Ms. (late Mrs. Carter of Natch ez) has recently received intelligence of the death of Lydia Carter, the little Osage captive,who bore her name, and for whose redemption she formerly paid SIOO. She was not returned to he Osages, but was on her return to the Mission School at Brain erd. She had been much reduced by the fever and ague which brought on a rapid decline ; she died at the house of Mrs. Loveleys, not far from Dwight, one of the Mission stations on the Arkansaw. She is represented as an interesting, intelligent child. She had just begun to feel the val ue of that Chris'ian benevolence that re deemed her from captivity, and to lisp the praises of Him who died to redeem her from the captivity of Satan. How sweet must be the reflections of the lady who paid her ransom, and those who sought her out in the dark wilderness, when they can indulge the hope that they were in this co workers with God, in bringing her to a knowledge of the truth, and saving her soul from everlasting death. Rel. Int. A writer in the Boston Centinel of Sat urday last, says, “ the present deplorable state of Harvard College, in the laxity of discipline both moral and literary,” arises, in a great measure from the folly of parents in supplying their sons with the means of dissipation, which implies their sanction of it. The celebrated Whitefield once preach ing on the folly of avarice in old men, and the dissipation of the young, broke forth in the following masterly strain—“ Ye rake and ye scrape, and ye deny yourselves the comforts of life —and all for what ? To buy your son a coach and six to ride to Hell in.” ANOTHER MISSION FAMILY. Our borough (Wilmington, Del.) was on the 28th ult. cheered with the sight of an other missionary band, who were on their way to the Cherokee Indians, inhabiting a place called the Valley Towns, about 700 miles distant, in West Tennessee. They were composed of a minister ofthe Gospel, Rev. Mr. Roberts, a Baptist, with his fami ly; a schoolmaster and family, together with farmers, mechanicks, &c. to the num ber of 26 in all; the adults were all mem bers of Mr. Roberts’ church, in Chester county, (Penn.) who have forsaken their peaceful homes, and given themselves up, professedly to spend and be spent for the good of souls. This is a much more ration al way of conquering the savage, than send ing large armies to destroy a portion of them, and raise eternal hatred in the minds ofthe survivers towards their conquerors. They were invited by the Presbyterian and Baptist cougregations to remain over night, and hold Divine Service. This they agreed to; and Mr. Roberts preached in the Second Presbyterian church* after which a considerable collection was made, and presented therm They left us on the 29tb ult. accompanied with the prayers aod wishes of many, for their spiritual and temporal prosperity. [Christian Repository. Revival in Vermont. —During the past winter, a few churches in Vermont were blessed with a partial revival of religion; but little was seen to encourage the hope of a more extensive work, until after the meeting of the churches at Middlebnry, in June last, when the pastors and delegates recommended to the churches to observe a fast, with reference to a revival of reli gion; and it is a little remarkable, that those churches which complied with the recommendation have been visited in a wonderful manner—while (hose who neg lected it, have not felt the special influ ences of the Spirit. In many parts of the State this great work is without example in the history of the church, nnd is still pro gressing. In 32 towns the churches have been refreshed by the showers of Divine mercy; and it is supposed that the number of converts already exceed 200 Q. This work excited and put down much violent opposition, especially among tb* advocates of universal salvation; many of whom have been brought to see that they were standing on Blippery places, and are now piously engaged in warning their neigh bours to flee from the wrath to come. In Franklin county, the work was not confin ed to any particular church, but extended to Congrrgationalists, Episcopalians, Bap tists, &,c.— ib. [S. E. Int. THE MISSIONARY. MOUNT ZION, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5. Within a few years past more attention lias been paid to the moral condition of society tban in any former age of the world. The great prin ciples of reformation which are to renovate the earth are in active operation, and some of their blessed results have already been witnessed. Our day is becoming to a very great extent a day of united action. Literature, morality, and religion are respectively and conjointly contributing their influence to increase the intelligence and happi ness of man. An increased attention is paid to* the education of youth—the suppression of those 1 vices which prey upon the vitals of society, has become an object of legislative attention—and those who have felt, in their own personal expe | rience, the renovating power of the Christian j system, are uniting their labours and their prayert I to extend the same blessings to every wandering ’ child of Adam. And these exertions of the wise and good have not been in vain. Literary asso -1 ciations have contributed much to’he progress of intellectual improvement. Moral Societies have ! aided in the suppression of intemperance and oth | er vices, and Missionary Institutions have promot ■ ed the interests of the Redeemer’s kingdom both in Christian and Pagan lands. A still firmer union of piety and virtue, is alone necessary in order to conduct the friends of reformation to more cheer ing and triumphant results. In our own state too many glaring and infamous vices are permitted to go unpunished, and almost unnoticed. With regard to most of the great branches of practical morality the laws of Georgia are unexceptionable ; but too many of those which are enacted against publick vice—which prepare “ a rod for the back of fools”—are per mitted to slumber unmolested in the statute book. Many who deplore this state of things are too tim id to stem the torrent, and find it easier to wink at the violation oflaw, than to incur reproach by opposition to a popular vice. Hence the preva lence of gambling, intemperance and their whole train of attendant mischiefs. We are sorry to add, that publick opinion too often thwarts every attempt to carry the laws into execution. Many glaring infractions of the penal code are left un noticed by onr Grand Juries, and when present ments are made, and in cases too where the of fence is apparent as the meridian sun, and where witnesses might be multiplied as the sands upon the margin of the ocean, no prosecution is ever commenced, and consequently no good is ever effected. This may well be termed the farce of law —a mock of pnbiick justice. Among the numerous evils to be deplored and reprobated, we would direct the eye of our read ers to the multitude of licensed grog shops lyhich are every where poisoning the morals of society. These places are generally the rallying points of the idle and the profligate—the head quarters of a whole cohort of detestable vices. Here drunk enness, gambling, profanity and riot unite their malignant spirits to. form a striking picture of Hell. The very existence of these places of base resort, is a reproach to the character of a Christian com munity. The law never contemplated their tole ration. The license under which they are open ed, was intended for a very different purpose— for the refreshmeet of the way-worn traveller and the accommodation of the publick in their regular and virtuous pursuits. These shops— furnaces of iniquity we might call them—are opened, we say, under the auffiority of a tavern license, but possess not a feature of a publick InnV We might call in vain for refreshment when hun gry, for a bed as a place of repose, or for a bundle of fodder for our horse. The whole establishment consists of a large room consecrated to Bacchus, the deity of the place, a piazza for loungers in 1! e front and a gambling cell in the rear. The com mon area before the door, as furnished by 1! s hand of nature without the super-addition of much art, answers every purpose for athlecticli sports, such as pitching dollars, shooting rifles, gouging, breaking sculls, and biting off ears and noses. The good of society does not demand the existence of these shops—they are in themselves an evil, and the hot-beds of a luxuriant growth of vices. No man ought to be permitted to take out a tavern license who does not keep such a house of accommodation for the publick, as is contempla ted by the law. To grant such a license to a man whose intention is only to retail drunkenness, is sporting with the best interests of society; and whoever acts under such a license, and keeps only a common grog shop, is liable to a prosecu tion for a failure of publick duty. It is high time that something should be done to remedy these evils. Disorderly houses ought to be presented by our Grand Juries—these presentments ought to be followed by prosecutions, and not to be left to die and be forgotten as they generally are. Those who grant licenses ought to feel themselves bound by law ajid in conscience to withhold them in every instance where they have reaon to believe that it is the intention of the applicant to keep a mere tippling shop and gambling cell—and our legislators ought to inquire without delay into the expediency of adopting some additional meas ures in order to secure the morals and happiness of society against the deleterious effects of these - houses of iniquity. The Synod of South Carolina and Georgia , will meet at Washington, Ga. on Wednesday the 7th of November, The Baptist State Convention of South Caroli na will meet at Columbia, on the first Tuesday in December.