ON THE DESECRATION OF THE LORD'S DAY.

To the Editor of the Christian Observer.

You have frequently invited the attention of your readers to the prevailing desecration of the Lord's day, a subject which must cause in the mind of every true Christian deep regret.

But we must not only mourn over the sins of our land: we must endeavour to correct them; and, as has been emphatically said, "work for God." Now, there are many ways in which we may individually endeavour to do so, in regard to the religious observance of the Lord's day; and one of these ways is, that every one who feels it to be his duty and his privilege to keep it holy, should make it a rule (unless in cases of absolute necessity or of charity) not to dispatch any letters or parcels which require to be received at the post-office or coach-office, or to travel, or to be delivered, or to cause a temptation to be opened or read on the Lord's day. This rule, if strictly attended to, would require considerable forethought and occasional acts of self-denial: but shall we offer to the Lord a sacrifice which costs us nothing?

Many Christians who would not write letters on Sunday, frequently send them on that day, or send them so as to be delivered on that day. In so doing, where there is no urgent case of necessity or charity, do they not, to a certain degree," partake in other men's sins ?" If the line of conduct which I have recommended, were followed generally by religious persons, I cannot but hope that some effect might ultimately be produced in diminishing the number of public conveyances employed on the Sunday; and if not, the lesson and example would still be valuable: or, supposing that it failed of making any public impression, still it is a duty and a satisfaction to the mind of the Christian to bear his testimony for the cause of God and truth, through good report or through evil report, whether men will hear, or whether they will forbear.

S. E. A.

ANTI-SLAVERY REMINISCENCES.

For the Christian Observer.

It is one of the most mendacious of the many mendacious proceedings of the West-India" interest," to represent the abolition of slavery as quite a new question; a matter suddenly taken up; and which requires much time and patience for its consideration; the very origin of which is of no earlier date than Mr. Canning's parliamentary resolutions of 1823. Not a few worthy persons, ensnared by this artifice, join the slavery party in deprecating precipitation they cannot go through the details and make up their minds in a day. But are they aware that this contest between humanity and cupidity, justice and injustice, God and mammon, has been going on for a century and a half, or more; and that, in particular, during the latter half of the last century, many persons in public and private life, authors, statesmen, and divines, urged the prompt and complete abolition of this accursed system as did the present venerable prelate of Salisbury, distinctly, avowedly, and fearlessly, in his admirable work on the subject, published as long back as the year 1788.

I inclose, from the "General Evening Post" of June 13, 1772, an interesting letter on the subject, with a translation of another letter from a liberated slave to his benefactor. The translation bears the date of 1743,

and thus shews the sentiments of his benefactor, and others like-minded, nearly a century ago. And yet to this hour, even a Society for the Propagation of the Gospel deliberately retains human beings in slavery, and the individual who draws up its Reports affects to view the whole matter as quite a new question, to which the Society is beginning very gravely to turn its attention. Will not God visit for these things? will he not be avenged on a church or a society that countenances such atrocities? The following is the letter :

"To the Editor of the General Evening Post.

"Sir,-As the great cause depending between Mr. Stuart, and Somerset the Negro, is at present one of the principal topics of general conversation, by inserting the following you will afford a seasonable and rational entertainment * to your readers.-I am, yours, &c.

"Extract of a letter from a person in Maryland, to his friend in Philadelphia. I am so happy as to think as you do, with regard to trading in man, or keeping him a slave. The custom is wicked and iniquitous, neither consistent with reason nor the laws of God or man. Poor unhappy slaves, particularly those forced from their places of nativity, are most certainly deplorable objects of commiseration. I never bought more than two during twenty years' residence here. One proved to be the son of an African prince; he was a most comely youth: having observed his uncommon good parts, I sent him to school, and used him like a free man during his stay with me. The directors of the African Company having inquired and offered a reward for him, I by a public act presented the poor creature with his freedom, gave him an order for the reward aforesaid, and sent him to London; from whence the following year he remitted me the same sum he cost me, and sundry rich goods to the amount of three hundred pounds and upwards, and therewith a letter in his own native language, translated by Dr. Desaguillier, of Cambridge.

The next I purchased was an unhappy lad, kidnapped from his free parents at the taking of Guadaloupe. During his stay with me he decayed or pined so much, and expressed so sensible a sorrow of cruel separation from his aged parents, relations, and countrymen, that actuated by the unerring good Providence which directs us in all our good deeds, I likewise set this poor creature free, and sent him to his native place. Providence again would not excuse my being further rewarded, for performing this my duty as a Christian. The truly honest father, from the produce of his plantations, has made me presents to the amount of fifty pounds sterling, with direction to draw upon him for the full cost of the poor youth, which I never intend doing, being more than paid by presents.

I write this to convince you that the inhabitants of Africa are not such senseless brutish creatures as thoughtless authors represent them to be: they undoubtedly are capable of receiving instruction, and far out-do

The moral apathy of the press or the public, probably induced either the correspondent or the editor to bring forward the matter under the guise of "entertainment. The French have a theatrical piece called "The Death of Captain Cook, et ses agremens;" Blackwood might very legitimately relate the devastation of chapels, and the cruelty and all but murder of missionaries, under the head of Facetiæ or Noctes Ambrosianæ ; and John Bull, or the Standard, might place the same blessed events among deaths and marriages, or ecclesiastical preferments; but no person can believe, that the communicator of the following letter to the Evening Post had not far more than "entertainment" in view. He was evidently one of those who, even at that early period, mourned over the atrocities of colonial slavery; and he must have doubly mourned, that the distaste of the editor or the public prevented his bringing forward the question, except indirectly, when his very soul was probably bursting with grief. The same cause of complaint exists to this moment, in the case of almost all the well-bribed daily newspapers of our metropolis.

Christians in many commendable virtues. Poor creatures! their greatest unhappiness is being acquainted with Christians.'

"The following is the letter from the Negro Prince, written some time after he arrived at London, to his master in Maryland. Translated by Dr. Desaguillier, of Cambridge, 1743 :

:

From the great city, 3d moon after my release.-O my kind merciful master, my good White brother, too good, a very good son of a good woman, and of a very good old man, created good old people by the Great Spirit, who made my country, thy poor (I should say heretofore poor) most grateful Black prisoner, now rendered rich by thy goodness and mercy, is now most dead, most drunk, most mad with joy! Why is he so because he is going to his good warm country, to his good old mother, to his good old father, to his little sister and his brother. In my good warm country all things are good, except the White people who live there, and come in flying houses to take away poor Black prisoners from their mothers, their fathers, their sisters and brothers, to kill them with hunger and filth, in the cellars of their flying houses, wherein if they do not die fast enough, and poor prisoners talk for bread and water, and want to feel the wind, and to see the Great Spirit, to complain to him, to tell him all, or to see the trees of his good warm country once more for the last time, the king of the White people [probably the writer meant the captain] orders the officer called Jack to kill many of the Black prisoners with whips, with ropes, knives, axes, and salt. The governor of thy flying house has been to shew that which is to carry me and him to my good warm country: I am glad, very glad indeed! He goes there with wine. Should he be sick, (and White people seldom escape being so there,) because of thee, my kind merciful master, and good White brother, and because he has been good to me, and is a very good White man too, I will nurse him myself, my mother, my father, my little sister, and my brother, shall be his brother, his mother, his father, and his sister too he shall have one large heap of elephants' teeth and gold, for thee, my kind merciful master, and kind brother, and one for himself also (but smaller). He at present is my father; I eat at his house, and lie there too upon the bed thou presented me with. His wife is my mother, and kindly nurses me, being very sick of the sea and fire made of black stones. I have received a great quantity of gold, besides what thou did present me with by means of thy hand-writing, to the people who are to send me to my country, some part whereof I have given to the governor of thy swimming house, to be sent to thee. Had I a houseful I should send the whole with equal pleasure: however, thou shalt see hereafter that Black people are not beasts, and do know how to be grateful. After thou, my kind merciful master and good White brother, left me in thy swimming house, we, thy White people, and we thy grateful Black prisoners, were by the Great Spirit, who was angry with us, sent by the wind into an immense great river, where we had like to have been drowned, and where we could see neither sun nor moon for six days and nights. I was dying during one whole moon: the governor was my father, and gave me those good things thou presented me with on my bed: he lodged me in the little room thy carpenter built for me. Thou gave me more clothes than I could carry, yet I was very cold; nothing availed with poor Black prisoner, till at last having the Great Spirit to send me safe to thy house on shore, I thought I was carried there, [this appears to have been a dream,] where thou my good White brother did use me with wonted goodness, spake to the Great Spirit, and to his Son, that I might keep so during the voyage and afterwards, which they have done for thy sake: they will always do me good because of thee, my good White brother; therefore, my kind merciful master, do not forget thy poor Black prisoner. When thou dost speak to

the Great Spirit and to his Son, I do know he will hear thee: I shall never be sick more, for which I shall be thankful. Pray speak for my good old mother, my good father, my little sister, and my brother; I wish they may be healthy, to many, very many moons, as many as the hairs on thy head. I love them all much, yet I think not so much as I do thee; I could die in my country for thee, could I do thee any kindness. Indeed the Great Spirit well knows I mean no lie, shall always speak to Him for thy good, believe me my good White brother, thy poor Black prisoner is not a liar. Dgiagola, Son of Dgiagola, Prince of Foat, Africa.” I pity the man or woman, (but I blot out the word woman, for it were unjust and libellous to retain it,) who can read these extracts without intense feelings of mingled shame, grief, admiration, and indignation. I offer no comment on them; for they need none. I will only add, that Christians have tried many other means for the extinction of slavery; but have they sufficiently tried prayer? Is the accomplishment of this great work of justice and mercy one of their constant and most fervent petitions at the Throne of Grace? and is it ever remembered when they say, "Thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven?"

AN EARLY ABOLITIONIST.

REMARKS ON MATT. xvi. 18.

To the Editor of the Christian Observer.

THE authorised public translation of Matt. xvi. 18 is, " I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter (жεроs), and upon this rock (7ε7рa) will I build my church." But why because his name is Peter should the church be built upon this rock, whatever this rock is? Had the English given the specific translation of the word πετроç, a moveable, unstable, or baseless stone, as distinct from Terpa, a solid rock, the difficulty would be much relieved namely, "Flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I also tell thee that thou art" or "because thou art" (an unstable) stone, therefore upon this" (immoveable) "rock will I build my church;" that is, upon the revelation from the Father, the only rock upon which it can be founded.

According to Campbell's note on St. John i. 43, Tɛrрa is always used in the New Testament and in the Septuagint for a rock, εтрос never; and Leigh says, TεTроç always signifies a stone, never a rock; and the exception quoted by Parkhurst from Longinus, in giving Leigh's opinion, so far from being an exception, appears to me a confirmation; for it relates to a fragment detached from the rock, and thrown up from Mount Etna. Granville Sharp agrees with Leigh, and appeals to the Lexicons in proof of the accuracy of his rendering.

By a stone, I understand that which is unstable and has no foundation -a fragment; and if Jesus used the word knoac in both instances, and that in the corrupt Hebrew of the time had the signification both of πετρος and πετρα, I can see no reason why the Evangelist made the distinction, unless he meant to mark the specific difference. I may add, might not the name ETроs (an unstable stone) be given to St. Peter on account of his foreseen instability in his denial of Christ, and in his conduct as reproved by St. Paul (Gal. ii. 12). And in this very conversation (verse 23), Jesus addresses St. Peter (or at least Satan tempting him), as he elsewhere does the devil (Luke iv. 8), "Get thee behind me, Satan;" and I think he would hardly address, as Satan, that rock on which he would build his church, and say, Get thee behind me."

JOSEPH JOHN.

A LITTLE BOOK A GREAT EVIL.

To the Editor of the Christian Observer.

66

We seem in the present day to have adopted too implicitly the sage maxim of antiquity, that a great book is a great evil," and also to be in danger of drawing from it too hasty an inference in favour of books of contracted dimensions. May I venture to bring forward some serious charges which appear to me to lie against little books." My remarks, though they may be applied generally, I wish to confine to the class of little books designated "Religious Tracts." May not the distribution of these works be carried to a greater extent than is consistent with the good of the receivers or of the distributors? I am quite willing to acknowledge that well-written tracts, in the hands of the judicious, are often distributed with very great advantage amongst persons who have little ability or inclination to read long treatises, and are most appropriate presents in a variety of cases from a minister, or from others, who are in the habit of visiting or conversing with the poor. But what I desire to enter a caution against, is the practice which prevails of dealing out a great variety of tracts; and these too dressed up in the attractive form of narratives, abounding in rather romantic incidents, and in religious sentimentality. To me this practice appears likely to cause more prejudice than service to real religion. Amongst other evils, it may not improbably create a diseased taste in the readers, an importunate craving for variety and excitement, a love for tales, and for what is called light reading, and a dislike to such works of sacred religious instruction as require patient study and reflection.

But it is not only for the readers of these "little books," that I have apprehensions, but for the distributors too. Every tract that we give away, we ought to read ourselves in the first instance; and if we distribute a great variety, how large a demand is thus created upon our time! I know that if the time thus spent be really employed in a way most conducive to the service of God, and to the good of others and of our own souls, we have nothing to regret; but some doubts occur to me on this point. All tracts that we purchase are not alike fitted for distribution; many are mere trash; yet some portions of the worst must be read, in order to ascertain their want of merit; and the time thus occupied must be set to the account of loss. And with respect to those tracts which, on examination, we find to be useful and instructive, they are not so much so to ourselves as to some poor neighbour; for the subject has no reference to our own case and circumstances. In the consciousness of this, we read without close consideration, and without applying what we read to ourselves. And this mode of reading, if often repeated, makes us desultory, careless, trifling, superficial; and a habit is formed, hurtful both to the memory and reasoning powers, and to the heart. And if we now turn to some work which has required patient research, deep learning, and profound and long-continued reflection to compose, we are impatient of the application of thought which is needful to learn and digest this treasure, and we throw the " great book" aside in disgust and despair. I say this not lightly, but from some painful experience, as well as from observation; and many of your readers, I do not doubt, are able to confirm my testimony by their own. For the reasons I have mentioned, I come to the conclusion, that " little book is oftentimes a great evil."

a

A TRACT DISTRIBUTOR.