trates, have pulled down our chapels. There, the best men in England-Wilberforce, Clarkson, Buxton, Sharpe, and others have been branded with infamy, and held up to execration. The principle has been openly avowed, of exterminating liberty of conscience :-but I turn from the disgusting picture, and ask, How shall the mother-country promote the happiness of her colonies?

Law, liberty, and religion form a sacred trio," upon all the glory they are a defence:" but the governors of our colonies are chiefly military men; the persons by whom they are surrounded, influenced, directed, are slave-holders, hence often bitter enemies to missionaries; who are represented as seditious, disaffecting the slaves, enemies to government, innovators, hypocrites, ignorant enthusiasts, prompters of rebellion, incendiaries, selfish mercenaries, pickpockets, deceivers, &c. &c. &c. They are traduced, where they have no opportunity of clearing their character. The stiletto is used in the dark-they are wounded by invisible arrows; all the evils growing out of the slave system have been laid to their charge. Are the slaves idle? going to the meeting has made them so. Are they dishonest? 'tis to give to the missionaries. Are they sulky under oppression? the missionaries have made them disaffected. Are they impatient of their chains? the amis du noir have been stirring them up. St. Domingo is the alarum: how often have I heard, as a reason for not allowing religious instruction, "We shall have a second St. Domingo affair." Slaveholders are fearful of the moral influence of missions, from other causes they are ashamed to avow. Are the slaves averse to prostitution? the detestable preachers have made them so by their cant. If they go to meeting after dark, it is to concoct rebellion observe, they may dance, fiddle, and revel till the morning, there is no harm done.

Our colonies are the brightest jewels in the British crown, our slave islands the greatest curse. Thank God, however, the monster is now expiring and how shall we turn the curse to a blessing? Let schools be encouraged through all the islands, raise the negro population to the rank of men,-remove the middle wall of degradation let the white inhabitants feel sympathy for their black brethren. The British nation has nobly taken them by the hand, let the colonists imitate the magnanimous example. Let them now have the worship of God: if there be not clergy enow, let more missionaries be sent,-let

the experiment be tried whether the blacks have a capacity for further improvement, slavery has made them what they are. Let us try what education will do,-what religion,-what gentleness will effect. We have tried the brand, -the chain, the whip let us now change hands. They are grateful, (I ever found them so,) let us call it into operation by kindness, that cultivation, like a golden chain, may bind them to us for ever. They love England and Englishmen, although by tyranny we have enslaved, degraded, and oppressed them,-let us now enfranchise, exalt, and bless them. Have our rulers, our merchants, our planters, our colonial assemblies, ever tried the experiment of religion? No, Pharaoh's conduct to Israel has been their model, "Ye are idle, ye are idle ;" and heavier tasks have been imposed. Let the planter be neither a tempter nor a tyrant: let him invite the missionaries into his house, let him shew the example of humanity,-of temperance, -of piety let him encourage schools, chapels, and evangelical instruction let him go among his negroes, and bless them, like Boaz. The whip is abolished, let the Bible and the teacher have fair play; so shall the beauties of tropical scenery be tenfold more lovely, when every negro can worship God "under his own vine, and fig-tree, none daring to make him afraid."

When piety becomes the surety, there

will be no fear of black insurrection: The gospel will do that which no laws and no tyranny could have effected. The planters will see the eyes of their black labourers beaming with gratitude and pleasure: orlisten at their cottage doors to the voice of prayer and praise, instead of the murmurs of rebellion and revenge. The orange grove will echo the negro's evening hymn, and the fragrant zephyr, breathing though the bloom of the pomegranate and the annana, will catch the whisper of his morning devotion. Skies for ever blue, and groves green throughout the year, will be more bright and verdant, when liberty, truth, innocence, and peace dwell under them. Perhaps there will come a time when, by mutual consent, the whites shall leave them masters of their own congenial climate, the torrid zone; when even negro pastors shall feed their flocks in all the verdant isles of the west; and the curse, (if political,) resting on the black children of Ham, shall be repealed; their bonds of servitude taken away throughout the globe, and England rejoice in having granted jubilee and salvation to nearly a million of slaves.

In my next I shall consider the state of our other colonies: praying meanwhile, "that the ends of the earth, and the islands of the sea, may all behold the salvation of God."

J. MARSDEN.

INFLUENCE OF KNOWLEDGE ON PIETY AND MORALS.

THERE are persons-and they form a body fearfully numerous - who are enthusiastically devoted to literature, but manifest a stupid insensibility to, or a supercilious contempt for, the claims and importance of religion. There is another class, perhaps equally numerous, who are sincerely pious, but wholly unconscious of the value of learning of any description, quite ignorant that it is a powerful auxiliary to piety, and that its attainment, so far as they possess the means, is to be ranked among religious duties this duty they of course wholly neglect, to their great spiritual injury, but without the least misgiving or remorse.

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To each of these characters we purpose separately to direct our observations. We shall endeavour to convince both, that they are guilty of a practical error, criminal and dangerous in the highest degree.

Between sound learning and virtue there is so vital an affinity, that they are mutually necessary to each other's well-being, and cannot be separated without injury to both. When virtue is combined with considerable ignorance, it labours under the greatest of all natural disadvantages, and cannot exhibit its proper beauty and grandeur; and without some degree of intelligence, it cannot even exist. On the other hand, virtue is the glory and reward of learning: the latter may indeed exist without the former; but it then wants the only thing that can guide it to practical utility: it would exist only as a dangerous maniac, with the power to do unspeakable mischief, and without the inclination to do good. Learning in combination with piety partakes of its very nature, and of course of all its sanctity and value; separate from it, it is at best worthless, but if united with depravity, it is capable of being applied to the most destructive purposes.

That education is most favourable in its influence on the general morals of mankind, every attentive observer of society has borne witness and indeed the facts which bear on the case are so common and striking, that it is impossible for any one to arrive at an opposite conclusion. The history of criminal convictions supplies abundant con2D. SERIES, No. 39.—vol. IV.

confirmation of the truth of this doctrine. It is well known that nearly all criminals are wholly destitute of education and if ignorance thus obviously leads to crime, knowledge must lead from it. And, accordingly, it rarely happens, that the more detestable crimes and vices are committed by well-informed persons, much less by those who possess any considerable measure of learning. Darkness and concealment are the proper element of vice, but the clearest intellectual light is most congenial to virtue.

To instruct a person in his duties, is necessary to enable him to perform them, and is obviously the first and most effectual means towards inducing him to do so. For though the passions, when corrupt, and exposed to dangerous incitements, will sometimes go astray in the clearest light; yet, in the absence of such light, they may be expected to diverge both more readily and more widely from the path of virtue: for in that case they may be equally depraved, and they are blind as well as vicious. A clear knowledge of the obligations and advantages of virtue, and of the mischief of vice, will, in numberless cases, be a sufficient counteraction to criminal inclinations, and in many others it will break their violence, and give to crime a less offensive character.

It is to be observed also, that learning opens sources of pleasure wholly innocent themselves, and very much tending to render a man independent of those gross gratifications by which the worst passions are cherished. The business of cultivating the mind tends to supersede not only corrupting pleasures, but corrupting company also, by rendering retirement necessary, or leading him to seek the company of the intelligent, who are commonly respectable in point of morals. The very exertion necessary to the attainment of learning is naturally favourable to the production of habits of industry, consideration, and selfcontrol, which enter as elements into almost every virtue.

But education, when rightly conducted, is favourable to general morals, principally by its tendency to promote piety. Some discussion will, however, be necessary on this point. The nature and extent of that influence which education and knowledge exercise on piety, involves a question of somewhat difficult solution; since all the facts which bear on this point are not perfectly harmonious in their evidence. Established principles, supported by the great mass of examples, would lead to the decided belief, that education must be pow183.-VOL. XVI.

Q

erfully and most desirably influential on piety; but, on the other hand, we have many examples of learning, not only exerting no such influence, but entirely separate from, and even arrayed against, religion. Notwithstanding, however, these unconsenting instances,-which we hope satisfactorily to account for, -we shall assume the naturally favourable influence of knowledge on piety.

The observation with which it appears necessary to commence is, that in our consideration of knowledge, as it affects piety and morals, we refer chiefly to the knowledge of moral truth; to an acquaintance with God as the moral governor of the world, and to a knowledge of ourselves in our relations to God and our fellow-creatures; together with the dispositions and duties arising out of these relations. At the same time, it is to be observed, that physical science in general, although available chiefly to secular purposes, and studied with secular views, has a powerful bearing on religion, by the illustrations it affords of the divine character: while history is subservient to the same purpose, as it displays the providence of God, and the character of man.

It must also be understood, that science, or knowledge, is in itself neither morally good nor evil, and only becomes the one or the other, as it unites with a good or an evil disposition.

Its proper character, morally considered, is that of a means; but even as such, it is not necessarily conducive to virtue, and is only made so when applied by the special influence of the Holy Spirit. Such is the deplorable degeneracy of the human soul, that it is truly represented as dead in trespasses and sins, and even this very striking representation fails to express the extent of our moral wretchedness. For the soul is not merely dead, or destitute of any proper feeling on religious subjects, but it is actuated by feelings of bitter hostility against God and his laws. Now, to remove this spiritual apathy, to overcome this inbred and malignant enmity, is a work far surpassing any natural means: it can only be effected by the special energy of the Divine Spirit. Nevertheless, in most cases, this divine power is communicated by outward means. Faith cometh by hearing the word of God. Faith, in other words, is built upon that knowledge of divine truth, which can only be obtained by hearing or reading the word of God. As a means, then, to the attainment of holiness, knowledge can be shewn to possess a commanding and indispensable importance.

Virtue, or moral rectitude, among Christians, is that state of the affections in which God is supremely loved and desired, as the highest good, and every other object in proportion to its relative importance, or its influence on our happiness.

Now, however distinct this may be from knowledge, it cannot exist without it. The understanding is the basis of all right affections: for until God be known to be a good Being, he cannot be loved at all; and unless he be known to be the best of beings, he cannot be supremely loved. Nor can the affections and desires towards other objects be correctly regulated without a knowledge of their relative and comparative importance. So that, with whatever propriety the affections may be called the springs of action, it is plain they could have no power at all, at least no useful power, without knowledge. Or, if we choose to consider the affections as the sole source of moral power, yet intelligence is necessary to give it a proper direction.

Equally important is the bearing of knowledge on practical piety and virtue, which implies such a regulation of the conduct as accords with the revealed will of God, and is calculated, in the most effectual manner, to promote our highest happiness, and that of our fellow-creatures. And here the rule of duty must first of all be known, before any efforts can be made to conform to it; the proper course must be ascertained, before any of the agents or stimulants of motion can be safely set to work. And the province of knowledge is not merely to guide, but also to impel all that is valuable in motives is, in a certain measure, due to it. The authority of God, and the present and eternal consequences of obedience or disobedience, cannot possibly possess the force of motives, unless they are known, nor can they become very strongly influential, unless they are very clearly apprehended.

Conscience, which implies the power of discriminating between right and wrong, together with the recognition of a cognizant and retributive Deity, has clearly its seat in the intellectual faculty. In children it is observable, that conscience, or the moral faculty, unfolds itself exactly in proportion as the intellect opens; and though, in the absence of moral culture, conscience may not keep pace with intellect, yet no kind of training can place it in advance.

When we address people who are wholly ignorant on the subject of personal religion, our first business is, to supply them with the principles of religious knowledge. We must apply ourselves to their understand

ings, recollecting that persuasion is useless if not preceded by instruction. They must be taught that there is a just and holy God, whose creatures they are, and against whom they have grievously sinned; that they are in a state of guilt, misery, and danger. The gospel must be explained to them as a glorious scheme for the recovery of man from the present dominion and future consequences of sin; its promises and privileges must be unfolded to them, together with the rules or laws which it gives for the regulation of our conduct. And to aim at any thing like persuasion or excitement, before suitable instruction is imparted, is worse than useless. It is very possible to rouse the passions of the ignorant, even on religious subjects, and blind zeal, headstrong and misleading in all cases, is often unusually violent and mischievous in mat. ters over which conscience claims authority. Now, if knowledge be thus necessary to the existence of piety, it must be equally necessary or conducive to its subsequent improvement. If it constitute the capacity of religion, the expansion of the latter cannot take place without a suitable enlarge. ment of the former. If, in other words, it is the foundation of virtue, the stronger and broader it is, the more lofty a superstructure may be erected upon it. "True religion," observes one, "is founded in sentiment. Nothing can be more dangerous than the opinion which some hold, that it is of little or no consequence what a man believe, if his life be light. But it would be very difficult to prove how the life can be right, if there be no fixed principle in the mind, or those principles erroneous: for, whatever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. When a man is uninfluenced by principle, and acts without thought, according to the motives which for the moment are presented to his mind, his conduct must be variable and undecided. As all sciences have their axioms, or first principles, from which all their various branches and parts are deduced, so it is scarcely to be supposed that religion is so vague and uncertain a thing, as to be any thing or nothing, just as the prejudices and humours, the customs and habits, of men would make it." "A genuine revival of religion," observes another writer, "is characterized by a due proportion of reflection and feeling. It cannot indeed be decided what amount of scriptural knowledge is necessary to conversion in any given case, nor can the fact be questioned that men, under certain circumstances, may be renewed, where their knowledge is very limited; nevertheless, it is certain that reli

gious reflection precedes religious feeling, in the order of nature. Before men can feel remorse, much more contrition, for their sins, they must have held strongly to their minds, the fact that they are sinners. They must have reflected upon what it is to be a sinner; on the character of God, not only as a Father, but as a lawgiver ; on the reasonableness of their obligations to him, and on the guilt of violating those obligations. Before they can exercise faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, they must have reflected on the character of Christ, on the fulness of the atonement, and on the freeness and sincerity of the gospel offer. The Holy Spirit employs the truth, not only in the work of sanctification, but even in the work of conversion; and the truth can never find its way to the heart, except through the understanding. If, then, the great truths of God's word are steadily held up before the mind, as subjects of reflection, and if the feeling which is manifested by sinners, whether of anxiety and distress, or peace and joy, be the effect of such reflection; there is good reason to believe that God's Spirit is really at work; and that that which claims to be a revival is really one. But if, in such a scene, the mind is kept in a great degree passive, if there be a great deal of feeling with very little thought; burning heat, with only dim and doubtful light; if the sensibilities of the soul be wrought into a storm, none can tell how or why, then, rely on it, it is not a work which God owns; or, if there are some true conversions, far the greater number may be expected to prove spurious."

But if it were doubtful whether the cultivation of the mind ought to be regarded as a direct means of grace, yet as a general duty, its performance or omission must exercise an influence on personal piety similar to that of the neglect or discharge of other unquestioned duties. And if it can be shewn, that this is a duty of paramount importance, and imposing upon us obligations peculiarly binding, it necessarily follows, that its connexion with religion must be peculiarly intimate and important.

If a farmer, through mere sloth, should neglect the cultivation of his land, and the management of his cattle, &c. and by this means deprive himself, and those dependent upon him, of that respectability, and of those comforts and means of general usefulness which a more prosperous condition would have conferred, every one would be ready to charge such a man with a most criminal dereliction of duty, and to believe, that, with the guilt of such remissness upon him, he could not be eminently pious, if,

or

indeed, he could be pious at all. For, it would be recollected that no man can be holy without the special influence of the Divine Spirit, and that the Spirit will not take up his residence and carry on his work in the heart of one who is thus guilty of gross and unceasing unfaithfulness, and by whom he is grieved from day to day. But the mind itself is an estate of incomparable value, and susceptible of infinitely greater improvement than any farm business whatever. And from the improvement of the mind, also, arises the power of benefiting our species in the most important and extensive manner. All those talents, the exertion of which most deeply and widely affect the real welfare of our fellowcreatures, depend on education. These considerations, then, most clearly evince the work of cultivating the understanding to the utmost of our power, as a duty yielding to none in the weight of its claims. That a man can wilfully neglect this duty, and yet be truly pious, is not very easy to believe; that such a person should attain any considerable growth in grace, is impossible; he is guilty of burying the noblest talent that God has given him, because the foundation of almost every other; by this means he grieves the Holy Spirit, without whose unceasing help he can do nothing.

On this subject we are particularly anxious to arrest the attention of the religious part of our readers. Every one may have observed, among the lower classes in the religious world, a very prevalent ignorance or disregard of the value of mental culture, as it affects piety. Few of them appear to have any conception that it is a direct means of grace, and many are not even aware that it is a duty at all.

Hence, in the absence of the strong and steady impulse arising from principle and conviction, such characters are compelled incessantly to hunt after excitement: whatever is novel, rousing, and impassioned, delights them; noise and bustle is their element; nor can they listen patiently to the most instructive discourse, if it happens to be delivered in a calm and sober manner. That the religious course of such professors should be marked with irregularity and too frequent scandals, is quite to be expected. As rationally might flame be expected to support itself without combustible, vegetation to thrive upon a rock, or a pyramid to stand upon its point, as eminent attainments in piety to co-exist with gross and wilful ignorance.

The important connexion of religious knowledge with religious experience and religious practice, and the duty of seeking

the former as a grand means of improvement in the latter, we should be glad to hear more frequently insisted upon from the pulpit.

So far as our observations have extended, the subject appears to be there very much lost sight of. Rarely is the business of self-education avowedly placed under the jurisdiction of conscience, and, as such, enforced with the frequency and seriousness of a religious duty. Other parts of human conduct, immeasurably less important, are constantly thus placed. The whole duty of man, from the highest act of devotion, down to matters of mere expediency and prudential import, are regularly brought forward in the pulpit; while the great business of cultivating the intellect, a business which most deeply affects our own condition and that of others, both in the present and future world, is usually left to be supported by secular motives only. We are often reminded of the awful character we sustain, as stewards of the manifold gifts of God; and that it is required of stewards, that a man be found faithful; we are told that property, power, character, &c. are talents highly improvable, capable of most beneficial application, and laying upon us a very solemn responsibility; but we seldom hear this doctrine in its application to mental culture. Numbers do not know, because they have never been told, that their understanding is a talent, for the improvement of which they are accountable to God. However, though we have strong suspicion that the defect in question is too general, yet we do not mean our remarks to stand for general censures, but only to apply to the ministration that we are in the habit of attending.

To young converts-more especially if they are young in years as well as gracethe work of self-education, in its bearing on personal religion and general usefulness, should be warmly and specifically recommended. They should be strongly reminded, that their intellectual powers, and the faculty of acquiring knowledge, are the noblest of those talents, hy the due improvement and exercise of which, they may most effectually glorify God, and serve their fellow-creatures; while useful knowledge, both in its acquirement, possession, and exercise, is conducive, in a high degree, to personal religion, as it secures them from the temptation of wasting their hours of relaxation in sloth, or of resorting to idle company or conversation.

To induce such characters to regard the acquisition of useful knowledge, and of religious knowledge, especially as an import