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 THE 
 
 OBLIGATIONS 
 
 OF 
 
 THE AME 
 
 LAR 
 
 HIS COUNTRY AND THE WORLD; 
 AN ADDRESS, 
 
 DELIVERED BEFORE THE PHILALETHEAN SOCIETY 
 
 Off 
 
 September 28tjj, 1841. 
 
 BY GILBERT Mc MASTER, D.B. 
 
 MADISON, 1ND. 
 
 ^HINTED BX SIMRALL A*D JOHIS, 
 
 1841 : 
 
soak. 
 
 Phiialethean Hall, Sept. 28th. , 1841. 
 Rcv'd. G. McMaster, D. D. 
 
 Sir — We, the undersigned, have been appointed a Committee 
 by the Philalethean Society, to solicit of you, a copy of your very able address, 
 for publication, delivered before that Society, upon yesterday — its first annual 
 anniversary. In the discharge of this very agreeable duty permit us to add our 
 wishes to those of the other members of the Society, that you will comply with 
 the request,— believing that your address is eminently calculated to encourage 
 and enlighten the mind of Students. 
 
 "With sentiments of the highest regard, 
 
 Yours, &c. 
 JOHN F. TRENCHARD,} 
 SAM'L. G. DAILY, i Committee. 
 
 THOS.C. McCUTCHENO 
 Kev'd. G. McMasteh, D. D, 
 
 Hanover, Sept. 28th., 1841. 
 Gentlemen: — 
 
 For the kind reception of the address delivered on yesterday, before the 
 Phila'ethean Society of Hanover College, you will be pleased to convey to the 
 member'? my grateful acknowledgments. The publication of the address was 
 not contemplated by me; and I am aware that the request of it, for publication, 
 is due to the partial kindness of the 9.QC etj , rather than to the merits of the pro- 
 duction. As soon as it can be prepared for the press, — for it was but partially 
 Written, — a copy shall be forwarded. — Accept, Gentlemen, my best wi-hes for 
 your personal welfare, and for the advancement of theiuterests of your society* 
 
 G. McMASTER, 
 31essrs. Jno. F. TrenchardO 
 
 Sam'l. G. Daily, S- Committee Philalethean Society. 
 Thos. C. McCctcheit, J 
 
, S V ADDRESS. 
 
 
 
 Gentlemen of the Philahthean Society, 
 
 and respected Jludience: 
 
 Mutation characterizes the condition of our world. The 
 age in which our lot is cast contributes its proportion to the pro- 
 gress of that revolution which affects what is sacred as well as 
 what is secular; and which reaches both the sentiments of in- 
 dividuals and the policy of States. These reciprocally act up- 
 on each other. To this revolutionary process our own country 
 is not a stranger. 
 
 That remarkable political and moral phenomenon, — the De- 
 claration of our Independence, — which proclaimed the birth of 
 a nation, destined to make developments and to exemplify prin- 
 ciples of deep interest to man, was one, and a commanding one, 
 of those events that engage attention, awaken thought, and rouse 
 the mind to action. It has been followed by results which con- 
 cern the future and embrace interests not limited by narrow 
 bounds. The principles of that event pertain to man, and to 
 it, civilized man throughout the world has been, and is, turning 
 some of his most earnest thoughts, and profoundest reflections. 
 The principles of representative Democracy, first exemplified 
 upon a large scale, and in a form which promises permanency, 
 by these United States, have shaken the thrones of Kings, extort- 
 ed concessions to oppressed humanity, and have made both the 
 despot and his vassal feel that they are men: — the former that he 
 is dependent, the latter that he has power. The truth has been 
 proclaimed and the example has been given, assuring all, 
 that man is capable of self government. But it is cultivated 
 man, man, guided by intelligence, and influenced by moral prin- 
 ciple, that is capable of this self-rule. This lesson America is 
 called upon to teach the nations. In the science and practice of 
 it her sons must themselves be adepts. In order to this every 
 principle of our nature must be improved, every particular fa- 
 culty in harmony with others, and in well directed action, all 
 must concur. 
 
 
4 [4] 
 
 The localities and resources of these States — this great confe- 
 deracy of Republics, — are peculiarly favorable to such a work. 
 Far removed from the neighborhood and corrupting influence of 
 the consolidated powers of Eastern dynasties, we are called to a 
 course of measures adapted to a new condition of things. The 
 geographical delineations of our country call forth anticipations 
 of no ordinary magnitude. Our vallies, countless in number, 
 are fruitful in all the productions of nature; and our mountains, 
 from the granite and marble quarries of the East, over the Al- 
 leghanies of the middle regions, to the Rocky mountains of the 
 West, are rich in ores; while our rivers, from the St. Lawrence 
 to the Oregon, furnish mediums of transportation for their vari- 
 ous productions, to their appropriate points of destination. The 
 mind is charmed while the eye traces the lines of these delight- 
 ful streams, the Penobscot, the Connecticut, with their beautiful 
 villas and cultivated gardens; the Hudson, with its magnificent 
 scenery, better to the Empire State than a stream of liquid gold; 
 the Delaware, washing the shores of the State that bears its 
 name, and those of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Time 
 would fail, and the occasion does not require, to follow the cur- 
 rent of the Potomac,or the Savannah, with their kindred streams, 
 which beautify and enrich the States of the South; the Susque- 
 hanna, the Alleghany, and their tributaries, which adorn and give 
 wealth to the Keystone State. And of our own beautiful Ohio, 
 studded with its lovely islets, how much might be said, while in 
 its course it refreshes so many great and growing Common- 
 wealths; until it mingles its streams with the waters of that 
 prince of rivers, the majestic Mississippi! The heart expands, 
 while the mind is charmed, in tracing the lines of this mighty 
 Empire, from the Gulph of Mexico on the South to the Lakes, 
 and within their channels — those inland Seas — on the North; and 
 from the Atlantic on the East to the Pacific on the West. 
 
 To whom does this Empire, so extensive, so various in its 
 magnificence, and so rich, belong? The title to it is not lodged 
 in the sceptred hand of the occupant of the palace; nor in that 
 of him who is the tenant of the feudal castle. It belongs to the 
 citizens — the people of the United States; a people who can, as 
 associated, refer to their origin with a distinctness with which 
 
[5] 
 
 none other can; and the individuals, with little trouble, could 
 trace their family lineage to their first settlement of the country, 
 and many of them still farther. Their nobility they find in the 
 antiquity and honor of human nature, their charter is stamped 
 with the seal of heaven; the device engraven upon it is the image 
 of God; and in their escutcheon they are taught to glory in 
 proportion as it appears unsoiled by the spots of sin. Reposing, 
 under a benign Providence, upon himself for his personal ho- 
 nours, the American believes 
 
 Miserum est aliorum incumbere fama. 
 
 And to him who boasts of the feudal origin of his nobility he 
 is inclined tosajr, 
 
 Et tamen ut longe repetas, longeque revolvas 
 No in en, abinfami gentemueducis asylo. 
 
 Upon man and his character, present and prospective, we are 
 prone to speculate. Did we know all the causes and the condi- 
 tion of those causes, now in operation, in forming the character 
 of the men of America, and especially the men of this confe- 
 deracy, we could foresee and foretell the results. In anticipa- 
 ting our future character we must take into account the materi- 
 als that make up the mass of out people, and the peculiarity of 
 circumstances under which their character must be formed. — 
 We derive our origin from every civilized nation of Europe. — 
 Possessing various forms of education, prejudices, and habits, 
 our fathers met upon the shores of the Western Continent. Va- 
 riety of character, novelty of circumstances, extent of country, 
 freedom of institutions, gave a spirit of enterprize, a compre- 
 hension of views, a liberality of thought, and tendency to con- 
 cession in mutual intercourse, to all of which the world had in 
 great measure been a stranger. Traces of these are distinctly 
 seen in our public institutions, and in our social progress. 
 
 Upon that character which is to be formed in our own tier of 
 North Western and South Western States there is no Western 
 man who does not think and feel. That character will be the 
 result of various ingredients in combination; possessing, we 
 hope, what is most excellent in each of the primitive parts. Of 
 it, we have at present before us three principal elements, all of 
 them possessing much that is eligible; and of a fourth, a sprink- 
 
[ 6 ] 
 
 ling may be expected. Of these complex elements our own 
 Commonwealth has its full proportion. From the East we have 
 the legitimate offspring of the Round-heads of the 17th Centu- 
 ry, the Puritans of England, with their various forms of inde- 
 pendent thought, their multifarious inventions, their persever- 
 ing enterprize, carrying in their train the conveniences of an 
 advancing civilization. From the South we have the descend- 
 ants of the Cavaliers of the same period, with their chivalry, 
 pruned of some exceptionable shoots, the old character improv- 
 ed, still holding its place in the Old Dominion, the land of clear 
 heads and noble hearts. From the Middle States, chiefly, we 
 have the Presbyterianism of Geneva, Holland, and the British 
 Isles, with its love of liberty, Senatorial dignity, and high mo- 
 ral bearing. The sprinkling of a fourth ingredient you have in 
 the annual immigrations from abroad. These elements are in 
 the process of combination; and we greatly misapprehend the 
 signs of the times, if, in the regions whose shores are washed 
 by the waters of the Ohio and the Mississippi, there is not about 
 to be formed a character of no common elevation. Dx tended 
 territory, fruitful soil, increasing numbers, ready communica- 
 tion with distant parts, free institutions, resting apon and sustain- 
 ed by the eternal principles of christian morality, with literary 
 establishments open to all, rising in rapid succession on every 
 hand, are ours. What that is requisite to the aggrandizement of 
 a people, has not the Providence of the Supreme Being put in- 
 to our power? Such is our heritage, such, if true to ourselves, 
 are our prospects. Shall, howevci\ through neglect or misman- 
 agement, these delightful regions, so rich in promise, become the 
 theatre of a gloomy superstition? the home of a religion of taw- 
 dry decorations, debasing to the mind, to the heart corrupting, 
 to the man debasing, and to rational freedom ruinous? Or shall 
 these elements of high character fall under the paralyzing influ- 
 ence of a doubting scepticism; or yield to the power of a dark, 
 headless, heartless, and ruthless infidelity? You, young gentle- 
 men, can give the answer to these inquiries. That answer will 
 be emphatically in the negative. But be it remembered, that Di- 
 vine Providence contemplates man not only, nor chiefly, as a 
 physical, but also, and chiefly, as a rational, moral, and active 
 
[7] 
 
 being. Agency is a distinct attribute of our nature, to which 
 Philosophy has not yet assigned a place sufficiently distinct and 
 prominent, without the employment of which we may not ex- 
 pect any important object to be accomplished, or any desirable 
 prospect to be realized. Prepare for the accomplishment of a 
 great event, and engage in effecting it. 
 
 I. An objert of paramount importance is distinctly brought 
 before the mind of every young American, and especially of 
 every educated young American: — the moral and intellectual 
 aggrandizement of his country. The feeling of responsibleness, 
 on this head, should be deep and permanent. To America is 
 committed the cause of both God and Man, under circumstances 
 very peculiar; circumstances to which other nations have hith- 
 erto been strangers. To qualify you, as a portion of the citizens 
 of this Republican Confederacy, to meet, in your place, these 
 responsibilities under which you are laid, a superintending Pro- 
 vidence has guided your steps to these halls, as it has directed 
 others elsewhere. 
 
 Permit me to put you in mind of what you must have alrea- 
 dy observed; that by the constitution of things, intellectual and 
 moral improvement is indicated to be the great business of man. 
 "Without his interference, the seasons in grateful vicissitude roll 
 around the year; the revolution of day and night require not 
 his vigilance; without his care the clouds distil their dews and 
 rains; while he reposes in slumber, nature prepares for his use, 
 her fruits; he has little to do with, and he knows little of his 
 own organization. Irrespective of his direction, the digestive 
 organ discharges its functions, the lungs play, the heart beats, 
 the blood makes its way in the accustomed channels, through 
 every department of the corporeal frame. Why all this compli- 
 cated machinery, so independent of our attention? Is it not to 
 leave man at leisure to cultivate mind and heart. 
 
 1. To effect this, Truth, truth in principle, truth in aims, truth 
 in means, truth in its relations, truth in action, must awaken, in- 
 fluence, and guide you in your exertions. The name assumed 
 by your Society, Philalet/ican, indicates your devotion to that 
 cardinal virtue. Bear in mind, that to the greatness of a people 
 true learning is indispensible. Literature and science, and the 
 
[ 5 ] 
 
 arts, useful and fine, must among us have their homeland in ev- 
 ery dwelling of our land, in due measure their light must be 
 possessed, and their power be felt. In furtherance of this, with 
 no part of your college curriculum can you dispense. Instead 
 of abridgement, the advance of discovery and the condition of 
 the times call for extension. 
 
 2. The developments of physical science will put in requi- 
 sition much of your attention and time. These you will not be 
 reluctant to give. The several departments of this extensive 
 subject are all delightful. The strata of the Earth, a subject, 
 upon a superficial view, apparently without interest, is furnish- 
 ing matter of interesting thought. Geology has already risen 
 up to the dignity of an important science. The fossil remains, 
 found in those strata, and the laws of their formation, shed anew 
 light upon the mysteries of nature, which may greatly subserve 
 the cause of true religion. In conducting us back through the 
 revolutions of which they are the only records, to periods too 
 remote for easy calculation or conception, they impress upon 
 our minds the necessiiy for the opening, sublime declaration of 
 the Bible, — "In the beginning God created the Heavens and the 
 Earth." Matter, however ancient, was not eternal. 
 
 3. As to mathematical science, few, rather none, at this clay, 
 would enrol their names, as its opposers, with the Epicureans 
 and Pyrrhonics of former times, or seek to shield their oppo- 
 sition to it under the venerated name of Socrates. — 
 There is no danger of the well balanced mind of the true scholar 
 being led, with some of its votaries, such as Caramuel, Vos- 
 sius, Bernes, and others, to assert either its necessity or great 
 importance, in the explanation of the mysteries of Metaphysics, 
 Grammar, Theology, and even Poetry; as well as every other 
 department of study. That a competent acquaintance with 
 mathematical studies will prepare the mind for a close investi- 
 gation of various other subjects, none will doubt. How far the 
 application of mathematics to Theology is recommended by the 
 example of Caramuel's demonstration of the inconsistency of 
 Paul's rapture, with the motion of the Earth, we shall not in- 
 quire; and how far the adaptation of mathematics to poetry is il- 
 lustrated by the author of the Loves of the triangles, we leave the 
 
[ M 
 
 admirers of that poem to decide The silly attempt of scepti- 
 cism, sometimes made, to discredit moral truth, because of its 
 defect in mathematical evidence, receives nothing but the smile 
 of contempt from him who knows that each department of 
 knowledge has its own appropriate laws of evidence, whether it 
 be physical, mental, moral, or mathematical. 
 
 4. It is hoped the undervaluing of classical learninghasnotmade 
 its way to our Western regions. Classical study is admirably 
 adapted to form the mind of youth to habits of activity, of ac- 
 curacy, and of reasoning; as well as to give strength and polish 
 to it. The material of thought may pass before the mind, or it 
 may lie dormant within its recesses, unshapen, unknown; and it 
 will be useless, till embodied in words, and clad in the attire of 
 language. The study of a foreign language brings us into con- 
 tact with a nation's mind. It brings mind into communion with 
 mind, upon the subjects of thought, the forms and habits of 
 thought, of the heart's emotions and the soul's susceptibilities. 
 It carries us far beyond the mechanism of mere words. Every 
 language embraces in itself its grammar, and in that grammar is 
 a profound philosophy. Those rules that to the tyro appear so 
 dry, are the results of philosophic investigation, and, in their an- 
 alysis, they conduct back to original principles, which have their 
 source in man's immortal mind, his relations, pursuits, and condi- 
 tion. A nation's history may be traced in its language. Those 
 portions of your academical years, which you employ in classi- 
 cal study, are not lost. To converse with Greek and Roman 
 minds, in their state of highest improvement, is an advantage 
 not lightly to be esteemed. Should any of you, amidst the bu- 
 sy scenes of life, be so far unmindful of those your early com- 
 panions, as to forget their vocabulary; yet in the mental training 
 and its results, which you had in their study, you will have an 
 ample compensation for your labor and your time. These you 
 can never lose. 
 
 5. To the science of morals the thorough student will not be 
 inattentive. As a practical affair, indeed, you have carried with 
 you this subject, from your homes to these halls. The elements 
 of mental and moral science, are to a great extent, possessed by 
 all our youth who have been religiously instructed, in the pfi- 
 
[10] 
 
 mary symbols of the Reformation Churches. But it is desira- 
 ble that the scholar in his mental and moral operations, as well 
 as in his physical, be able to trace them to their source, in the 
 abstract principles by which they are influenced, and, as far as 
 possible, be able to contemplate them in their proper relations; 
 or in systematic order. Intellect and morals, as well as physics, 
 have their settled laws; and to understand the principles and ope- 
 rations of the higher phenomena of nature, is not less desire- 
 able, than an acquaintance with the subordinate. The elevation, 
 however, of intellect without moral culture, may form the De- 
 mon, and augment his capacity for mischief; and the culture of 
 material nature, regardless of intellectual and moral, may add to 
 the accomodations of the animal; but cannot meet the constitu- 
 tion of man, whose home is heaven, and whose family is that of 
 God. It is moral culture that prepares the intellectual and im- 
 mortal being for the companionship of that family. Physical, 
 mental, moral, and religious nature, are all within the Empire of 
 the Creator; they are distinct, yet connected parts of one great 
 whole; the study and knowledge of which no liberal scholar 
 will ever attempt to separate. And upon these subjects, he will 
 guard against a floating, doubtful, and uncertain state of mind, as 
 exceedingly dangerous. A few first principles well settled and 
 applied will, on this subject, protect against the bewilderment of 
 silly doubting. 
 
 The study of moral science is a noble, as it is an important, 
 pursuit. The student ought to trace the principles of the sci- 
 ence to their proper source. Its principles should be well set- 
 tled. In this, as in other departments of human business, a false 
 principle is more dangerous than twenty mere blunders in prac- 
 tice. A reference in application, to the sound principle, will 
 soon make all right, where the practical error has occurred; but 
 the false principle multiplies error at every move. 
 
 Rejecting the broken cistern of Mandeville, that can hold no 
 water, the infidel utility scheme of Hume, the selfish theory of 
 Paley, the fanciful sympathetic hypothesis of Smith, and the 
 more plausible claims put in for conscience, as the foundation of 
 moral distinctions, the sound moralist will trace the law of 
 those distinctions, to the relationship of man and his Creator. — 
 
[n.1 
 
 The science of morals originates from the character of Him who 
 is glorious in holiness. To his moral creation he communicated 
 that character, — that assemblage of attributes, — which it became 
 him to give; and those relations he established between himself 
 and that creation which were suitable to him and them, and fit- 
 ting for them among themselves, and with surrounding nature, 
 under his universal government. Out of those relations, thus 
 established, arises the law by which they are regulated. Ulti- 
 mately we find the law of our moral, nature proceeding from 
 God, along with our being; bearing the signature of his charac- 
 ter, and stamped with the seal of his authority. Hence its obli- 
 gatory force. All on this side of that is mere expediency, — of 
 no higher import than advice, though emphatic advice. 
 
 Thus, in the exercise of reason, guided by that light which is 
 shed upon the subject, we recognize the relations between us and 
 the Supreme Legislator of the Universe; possessed of the mo- 
 ral sense, we feel the obligation of that law which flows from 
 those relations; in the benefits which arise from the observance 
 of this law, we see its utility, and thence some of the motives 
 to obedient action: but neither utility nor the moral sense sus- 
 tain the place of Supreme Lawgiver. The true philosophy of 
 morals connects man with the Creator, elevates him to a happy 
 concurrence with him in action; and to a blessed fellowship with 
 him in enjoyment. Where the law of morals is understood, as 
 thus originating, enlightened devotion will be found its associ- 
 ate. Piety gives vitality, animation, and vigor to sound moral- 
 ity; morality repays its debt, by beautifying piety. Religion 
 recognizes in the actings of reason and discoveries of nature, 
 all that is most excellent. 
 
 As there is no faculty of mind that should be left unimproved, 
 so neither is there any department of literature and science that 
 should not be cultivated. In all these departments, indeed, it 
 would be unreasonable to expect every one to excel. With most 
 of them, however, there may be a passing acquaintance, and with 
 some of them the learned man must feel himself at home. To 
 aid in the requisite labours for such attainments, such institu- 
 tions as this, and other like College Societies, are highly import- 
 ant. If you have not already adopted the measure, may 1 be 
 
[12] 
 
 allowed to recommend the distribution of the whole range of 
 learned inquiry, into its distinct parts; and while you meet upon 
 the ground common to all, let there be a division into classes, to 
 each of which shall be assigned its own peculiar subject of in- 
 vestigation. In your collegiate course, this can be but partially 
 carried into effect; but let your relation to this Society be per- 
 manent; keep up its organization, let its senior members feel 
 their obligation, periodically to bring each his literary or scien- 
 tific tribute to the common treasury of knowledge. Correspond 
 with each other, with kindred institutions, extend the bounda- 
 ries of light, preserve method, be faithful to good arrangements, 
 and much may be done. Remember the Royal Society of Lon- 
 don had its commencement in the study room of Boyle; and how 
 small the beginning of the Philosophical Society of Philadel- 
 phia, under the auspices of Franklin, were, is known to all. 
 
 While this will tend to subserve the interests of learning, it 
 will likewise cultivate the social principles of humanity, and 
 strengthen the bonds of friendship. The recollection of those 
 transactions — of those "Attic days and evenings" will be plea- 
 sant, when the course of years shall have carried you into the re- 
 gions of old age. To feel this very sensibly now, you are too 
 young; but the time is coming when you will appreciate it more. 
 
 6. In these noble engagements, the student must guard against 
 mistaken apprehensions, and the influence of false positions. — 
 Among these we might notice the idea, that low attainments 
 will answer the purpose. Rather always aim high. Listen to 
 the voice that says, — "Look aloft.'' To succeed, the thought 
 must not be indulged, that what goes for genius is indispensable; 
 and guards must be placed with care against the more danger- 
 ous illusion, that genius, without assiduous toil, is sufficient to 
 insure eminence. Newton ascribed that pre-eminence which 
 others awarded to him, but which he assumed not to himself, to 
 patient persevering industry, and not to superior powers. De- 
 cent talent, above, or even upon the level of mediocrity, with 
 assiduity, will attain to high acquisitions. 
 
 Doctrina sed vim promovet insitam, 
 Kectiquc cultus pectora roborant. 
 
 While refusing to yield 1o the paralysing thought, that what 
 
[13] 
 
 is denominated genius, superior genius, is indispensable to the 
 acquisition of literary eminence, and repudiating contentment 
 with superficiality, — for it is here that there is truth in the po- 
 etic adage — 
 
 «'A little learning is a dangerous thing,'' — 
 
 we would not be understood as denying due homage to the su- 
 periority of a strong and well balanced mind, — high powers in 
 harmonious alliance and activity. In recognizing the advanta- 
 ges and claims of such, we are not disposed to concede all that 
 has been demanded for the practical mind;— demanded under 
 the assumption, that such a mind is intuitively qualified, without 
 the toils of study, by some intrinsic superiority, not only to suc- 
 ceed, but to excel. Something like this has sometimes been in- 
 timated as the prerogative of the American mind. This is not 
 the manly, just, and indignant repelling of foreign slander, which 
 once ventured the assertion of the tendency of man to deterio- 
 rate on the Western Continent. 
 
 To our political institutions the people of the nations look 
 with admiration; to our self government with solemn approba- 
 tion; to our onward march, as a great confederacy of Republics, 
 with hope and joy. In these institutions, and their administra- 
 tions, may be traced the developments of our mental character, 
 and for those developments, comparatively, no citizen need 
 blush. Still, let us not be vain; for that would be puerile. Let 
 us not be arrogant; for that would be unbecoming. Our advan- 
 tages are great; our prospects grand; but there is much to be 
 done which we have not touched, and much of importance to 
 be known of which we have not learned the alphabet. Ameri- 
 ica has mind, but it is the mind of man with all its essential infir- 
 mities, — the mind indeed of immortal man, like that of the 
 possessors of our common nature in every land. It is a prac- 
 tical mind; but like mind elsewhere, if advantageously practi- 
 cal, it must be cultivated with assiduous care. It is mind, placed 
 under circumstances, peculiarly favourable to an illustrious and a 
 happy progression 
 
 The times on which we are fallen are propitious. Society is 
 on the advance. On the scale of social, intellectual, and moral 
 improvement, the world never stood so high as at this day. In 
 
[ H ] 
 
 moments of peevishness, the goodgman may be tempted to bring 
 the brighter points of a passage, into contact with the darker 
 spots of that now in progress, and give the preference to the 
 days of other years; or the Anchoret, in his cell, disappointed 
 and irritated by the world, may talk of the superiority of other 
 times. The language, however, of candour is the language of 
 inspiration, — "Say not thou, what is the cause that the 
 former days were better than these? for thou dost not in- 
 quire wisely concerning this." 
 
 Who would^exchange the present for the past? Who would 
 barter the philosophy of language of this day, for the mechan- 
 ism of language of the 16th and 17th Centuries? — the mental 
 philosophy of Locke, Berkeley, Campbell, Reid, Stewart, and 
 Brown, for the Dialectics of Aristotle? — or the demon- 
 strations of Newton and La Place, for all the amusing visions 
 of the astronomy, of ancient times? And in the school of mo- 
 rals who would sit down at the feet of Socrates, Plato, and Tul- 
 ly, in preference to our Wardlaws, Abercrombies, and Waylands? 
 Imperfect as modern compends cf Moral Science confessedly 
 are, they are beyond comparison superior to the productions of 
 the earlier ages. We have not forgotten the just and high claims 
 of classical antiquity, nor those of statuary and painting — but 
 when we have granted all that can be justly demanded, still it 
 will be found, that in whatever contributes to the conveniences, 
 the elegancies, and pleasures of life, our age is greatly ahead of 
 those of our ancestors. The single instance of the application 
 of steam, to so many objects of importance, has, of itself, effect- 
 ed a revolution in the relations, condition, and pursuits of man. 
 The steamer and the rail road with its car, go far toward the an- 
 nihilation of distance, and for the purposes of business they 
 greatly lengthen time. The vision of the Poet of Derwent, lit- 
 tle more than fifty years ago considered as the flight of the Muse, 
 has been more than realized — 
 
 "Soon shall thy arm, unconquered Steam! afar 
 Drag the slow barge, or drive the rapid car." 
 
 By this, remote regions are brought into proximity, and those 
 who would have forever remained strangers, as neighbors, sit 
 by each other's side. The wonderful applications of science to 
 
[15] 
 
 physical objects are obviously intended to be subordinate to mo- 
 ral ends. 
 
 We have not, amidst these objects of interest and high pro- 
 mise, suffered to pass unnoticed the multitude of existing evils, 
 nor are we unapprized of future dangers. A disregard of mo- 
 ral principle and of social obligation walks abroad. Impatience 
 of authority is extensively manifested; for low purposes, igno- 
 rance is flattered; and disorder is encouraged and under the in- 
 sulted and injured name cf rational liberty, licentiousness is ta- 
 ken by the hand. Amongst us will be found in alliance, a lati- 
 tudinarian indifference to truth, and the extreme of a narrow 
 minded bigotry. The name of religion is assumed by atheism, 
 and, the more effectually to recommend itself, the mystic cant of 
 fanaticism is adopted. The Pantheism of Spinoza, and the more an- 
 cient heathen scepticism, is seen within our borders, in the attire 
 of German Transcendentalism. These elements of evil are at 
 work. Their tendency is to disappoint the good man's hopes, 
 to increase, and perpetuate the moral desolations of our world. 
 To counteract them, to raise man, and elevate the social slate 
 above the malign influence of those causes of ruin, solid learn- 
 ing, firmness of character, expansion of mind and heart, and 
 enlightened and liberal activity, are imperatively required. — 
 Repelling the claims of Mammon, and refusing to embellish the 
 temples and to load the altars of that groveling Demon, and in- 
 attentive to the flattering solicitations of a meteor fame, the true 
 scholar, the really learned man, must identify himself with the 
 cause of virtue and human happiness; and leave his reputation 
 to be recorded in the annals of a renovated world. In the work 
 of this renovation there are objects which the scholar only can 
 reach, and ends, high ends, which he only can accomplish. Up- 
 on man, and especially upon the educated man, the world has 
 claims which he must not preaume to protest. 
 
 Society is every where, and in all its departments, convulsed. 
 The frame work is shaking from the plates to the sills, and the 
 foundations themselves are heaving. The materials of a better 
 fabric exist. To put them together will require skill. The ap- 
 prentice, — the young scholar — of to day must be the moral ar- 
 chitect oi* to-morrow. A noble object is before him: the rear- 
 
[16] 
 
 ing of the moral edifice of the world. It need hardly he re- 
 marked, that to effect this he must begin at home. He can reach 
 and touch the interests of the world only through the medium 
 of his own country. This brings us to notice, 
 
 II. What is to be done for our country, that it may reach that 
 elevation, which its resources indicate to be its destiny. 
 
 1. The first thing to be sought is the formation of a sound 
 public sentiment. It must be a sentiment comprehensive in its 
 character, guided by light, influenced by rectitude, high in its 
 aims, honourable in its bearing; and whose proud, — not arro- 
 gant, — brow will cause vice, and meanness, and trick, under its 
 indignant frown, to quail. This will elevate man; make him 
 feel that he is Man, Earth's Lord and Heaven's Heir. Courtesy 
 and kindness must be maintained; but flattery must be laid aside. 
 Ignorance must not be taken for knowledge, nor confusion for 
 order; and vice must not be treated as virtue. Call every thing 
 by its own name. This public sentiment must be planted in the 
 nursery, watered in the school where youth is trained, expand 
 in the state of society at large, and its fruits be found in every 
 department of life. This public sentiment must be taught the 
 value of character, to understand the great principles of moral 
 order, and to feel the weight of responsibility, under those prin- 
 ciples, that attaches to every individual. It will, thus, be the 
 guardian of right, and the protector of the legitimate claims of 
 man, however humble his station, or however unbefriended by 
 those of distinguished name. 
 
 When on great and complicated questions, society is divided 
 in judgment, this public opinion will secure to minorities, from 
 majorities, a just consideration of what is due to them. The 
 common stock of essential, social rights and advantages, is the 
 common property of all. The minority, because a minority, 
 has forfeited its claim to none of these. That a measure has 
 been carried by a majority, is a very imperfect index of its rec- 
 titude; and it is especially so, when, under some momentary 
 combination of circumstances, an excited multitude brings their 
 heterogeneous views and power to concentrate upon en individ- 
 ual person or measure, whether in approval or opposition. In 
 an enlightened and sound public sentiment, in such a case there 
 
[17] 
 
 is safety for the public. It is one of the advantages of associated 
 civilization, that legitimate order throws its protecting shield 
 overall. This eivilization,as it approximates towards completion, 
 will bring the principles of law into contact with the mind and 
 heart of its subject; or rather, in such a state, the dictates of legi- 
 timate authority become incorporated with the nature of its sub 
 ject, and in this condition of the community, every right of every 
 individual is secure. Principle regulates the pursuit of every 
 measure; and by a sound public opinion, as by the rules of the 
 Athenian Areopagus, every attempt to address passioni instead 
 of reason, or to put partial interest in the place of public 
 right, will be repudiated. 
 
 In most nations of the earth there is little or no public opinion. 
 Despotism allows it not. Towards it a feudal Aristocracy looks 
 with no favorable eye. In a Democratic Republic only can it 
 exist, and expand, and be powerful and beneficial. There man 
 rules and man is ruled. The principles of law interwoven with 
 his dispositions and habits, he rules himself. 
 
 Our own country has opened an extensive field upon which 
 to form and happily to exhibit, in operation, this public senti- 
 ment. It is not yet perfected. It is, we hope, in progress. The 
 two great political parties which divide our citizens, perhaps, in 
 numbers, wealth, and character, nearly equal, have, upon this 
 point, much in their power. It will not be said that the men of 
 either party should sacrifice their settled principles,, or convic 
 tions, of political economy. But it is affirmed, that between the 
 parties there should be a distinct and honourable understanding, 
 from which no political consideration shall be permitted to seduce 
 them, that no party measures shall with either be tolerated, the 
 tendency of which is to lower the standard of morals, or to sink 
 the dignity and estimate of human nature. In other words, — let 
 them enter into a bona fide league, that they will banish corrup- 
 tion from their elective canvass. In the matter before us, the 
 Church in America has, upon some important points done much. 
 In our country no clergyman of doubtful morals can be sustained. 
 In other respects a great deal remains to be effected. The Judi- 
 ciary of the United States, and of the particular States, generally, 
 have largely contributed to the formation of a sound public opin- 
 
[IS] 
 
 ion. In this respect the bar, in the course of the last forty years, 
 has not been without salutary effect. It is wished that we could 
 speak, without exception, upon this subject, of the legislative 
 halls of the Union, aud of the States Tuis is to be remedied, what- 
 ever the defect may be, at the ballot box, on the day of election. 
 
 In our extended Confederacy, however, it should not be con- 
 cealed, there is a great mass of population belonging to no party 
 in politics or religion. Without knowledge, destitute of princi- 
 ple, and strangers to character, they are here to-day and yonder 
 to-morrow. They are sufficient in number to give ascendency 
 to the party that may engage them for the day. They consti- 
 tute an undeniablespecies of conservative power. Ere the public 
 sentimentof the country be completely sound, the beams of light 
 must be spread upon this crowd, and the spirit of reform must 
 imbue it. Upon the features of our public opinion, from their po- 
 litical position, intellectually and morally worthless as they are, 
 this multitude casts a shadow, corresponding with their own un- 
 sightly character. Mistake us not; from the polls we would 
 not exclude an individual of this class; from the ballot box wc 
 would not banish one of them; but we would have them made 
 capable of appreciating the value of our rights, and the worth 
 of moral character. We would have them elevated above their 
 present position. They are capable of it, and if those to whom 
 it pertains put to it their bands, it will soon be done. 
 
 2. In the formation of this public sentiment, the general mind 
 must have a distinct impression of the truth of the universality of 
 the moral government ot God. That the Supreme Being has placed 
 man, in every relation of life, and pursuit of time, under respon- 
 sibilities; that his moral law is the ultimate and supreme rule of 
 conduct, and that to Him whose throne is established in the hea- 
 vens, and whose kingdom ruletb over all, each individual shall 
 render an account, must be deeply impresssed upon and habitu- 
 ally felt by the individual and social mind. 
 
 To give lessons to the people at large, upon this subject, is 
 worthy the philosopher, — the son of reason and of wisdom; and 
 especially the advocate of truth. How becoming in the profes- 
 sional gentleman! The professor and practitioner of the heal- 
 ing art has, in this matter, much in his power. The softened 
 
[19] 
 
 heart and the solicitudes of the sick room are favourable to serious- 
 ness. The enlightened Physician is always humane, let him add 
 piety to his humanity. His well-timed remark in favour of reli- 
 gion and an elevated morality, may be followed by impressions 
 deep, salutary, and permanent. The court-room, too, with ad- 
 vantage to the cause of order and justice, may be made a school 
 of morals. Law is always presumed to have its source in the 
 principles of eternal rectitude. Why should the bench hesitate 
 to refer distinctly to this fact? Why not give dignity to the 
 tribunal of justice, by the recognition of its relation to the 
 throne of the Eternal Being? And to the bar a noble opportu- 
 nity is often given, of extending a salutary influence over that 
 portion of the community, that usually throng the court-house. 
 Be assured, courts of Judicature will never reach the high emi- 
 nence of their destiny, till bench, and bar, jury box and the 
 witness' stand, evince their consciousness of being in the pre- 
 sence of the God of justice, the Judge of all the earth, — that he 
 is among them; and till they really feel that each of them, in 
 his respective place, is a minister of God, and that they act for 
 the Lord. The Divinity, by them, carries forward an important 
 department of his moral government among men. Courts, pos- 
 sessing these high attributes of moral character, will rarely have 
 their docket dishonoured with bad or trifling causes; and the wit- 
 ness, who is ready to barter his perjury for its price, will seldom, 
 very seldom, dare to offer himself upon the stand. 
 
 The evidences of this authority ofileaven may, on those occa- 
 sions be traced in the moral constitution of our nature; in the 
 developments of that constitution, as they are expressed in the 
 opinions of our fellow-men, and as they are more formally un- 
 folded in the administrations of the social state. Providential 
 dispensations, not unfrequently, most impressively teach lessons 
 upon this subject. 
 
 Valet ima summis 
 
 Mutare, et insignemattenuat Deus, 
 Obscura promens. 
 
 These are topics upon which the friend of mental science love 
 to expatiate, and in which the moral philosopher is much at home. 
 Without pedantry, when his audience will justify it, the profes- 
 sional gentleman, in the course of his avocations, can bring them 
 
[20] 
 
 forward for practical purposes, in their scientific forms: and 
 when situated otherwise, he can strip them of their technical 
 dress, and make them interesting to all. He can thus contribute 
 to make firm, and beautify the moral fabric of his country. 
 
 3. In forming this public sentiment, and under it giving de- 
 velopment to moral principle, in its appropriate application; 
 false maxims to which currency has been given by the political 
 cant of party demagogues, must be encountered* Among these 
 maxims, uttered in turn by some of all parties, is this somewhat 
 popular one; — "Politics and religion have, and should have, no 
 connexion with each other." As a matter of fact, it is gene- 
 rally true that they have no connexion. That they should have 
 none is the dictate of infidelity. For those who, in the affairs 
 of the Commonwealth, prefer to practice villainy, and who 
 wish to do it without reproach, and if possible without remorse, 
 it is a very convenient aphorism. It is one, however, which the 
 good man who purposes to carry with him his religion, as the 
 great influencing principle of his life, whithersoever he goes, 
 should not entertain, for it is in contravention of all the hallowed 
 tendencies of his heart. To states as well as to individuals, these 
 two principles arc essential in morals; — The universality of 
 the divine government, originating in the rights of God himself, 
 and conducted according to his ua\o plan: and man's responsi- 
 bility, as a moral being, for all his voluntary acts and disposi- 
 tions of soul. But let us not be misunderstood. 
 
 No apology is put forth for those political establishments 
 which, under pretext of favouring religion, give a pre-eminence 
 to one section of the Church of God, compelling all others to be 
 tributary to the favoured party. No defence is meant of those 
 arrangements where the Commonwealth, or a portion in it shall 
 presume to give to the Church her system of religion, or shall 
 interfere in her administrations. No plea is put in for that amal- 
 gamation^ politics and religion, which makes the church apart 
 and parcel of the political government, and the political state a 
 constituent part of the church. Under pretext of regard to re- 
 ligion, no man may be deprived of any right to which he is enti- 
 tled by natural or revealed law. Religion and politics arc clis- 
 tinct, as is the soul and body of man. Churah and Statearedis- 
 
r*i] 
 
 tinct in nature, and may not be confounded, any more than hea- 
 ven and earth. Yet it is not true, that these have no connexion 
 with each other. Soul and body are connected in man: Earth 
 and Heaven are related, in the empire of God; and so are religion 
 and the policy of states; — so are the Church and State them- 
 selves. 
 
 That civil and political liberty, order, and law cannot exist, 
 but as they ore sustained by pure morals, is universally admit- 
 ted. That morality is sustained by religion is an axiomatic po- 
 sition. The morality which is not connected with God cannot 
 long endure, and while it does exist, if exist it can, it will do 
 little. The dictates of reason upon this are clear, and in perfect 
 accordance with those of supernatural revelation. It was the 
 dictate of reason in the Prince of Midian, "Provide out of all 
 the people, able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating 
 covetousness;'' — Ex. IS: 21. In correspondence with this was 
 the dictate of God, by his Prophet; — "Takeyou wise men, and 
 understanding, and known among your tribes"— -Deut. 1: 13. 
 The electors and the candidate for office should both feel the 
 reasonableness and the authority of the affirmation: "He that 
 ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God." — 
 2 Sam. 23: 5. We are no advocates of the ghostly form of 
 rule, of the dark ages, of Europe; nor are we disposed to yield 
 the dearest rights of man, civil, religious, and ecclesiastical, for 
 safe keeping, to the hands of dark and heartless infidelity, seal- 
 ing the lips of the ministry of Christianity on the subject of 
 political morality, under the pretext, that it is an affair of State. 
 Slander, and theft, and murder, are affairs of State. Must the 
 pulpit be silent upon these? 
 
 The maxim to which reference has been made will not bear 
 the test of reason, and it is in opposition to universal matter of 
 fact. What is our own practice? We will not admit the foreign- 
 er to the exercise of the elective franchise, till under the solem- 
 nities of religion he gives his pledge of fidelity to our civil in- 
 stitutions. The most distinguished of our citizens, though 
 chosen by the people, is not admitted to the chair of State, till 
 qualified by a solemn act of devotion, in the presence of Al- 
 mighty God, whom he invokes as a witness of his fidelity, in 
 
[22] 
 
 discharge of the functions of his office. So in the administra- 
 tions of our courts of judicature, — jurors, witnesses, counsel, 
 judges, arc all sworn — The oath is a religious institute, of most 
 solemn import. The witness, too, must he religiously qualified, 
 otherwise his testimony is not admitted. Such is the law in 
 most, if not in all, of our Slates. That religion and the affairs 
 of State have no connection is not true in reason, is not sustained 
 by revelation, and is contradicted in fact, by every civilized 
 people. The only inquiry that is admissible in the case is, 
 What shall be the form and extent of the connexion between 
 them? For ourselves we hesitate not to say, that we place much 
 more dependence upon their connexion in the enlightened m.inds, 
 purified affections, established habits, and virtuous conduct of 
 the citizens, than in the records of the statute book. In the 
 statute book, however, to some extent, it must he found. 
 
 4. In the elevation of his countr} 7 , and in order to this, the 
 formation of the character of its citizens under an enlightened 
 and pure public sentiment, the Christian patriot, as the special 
 means, will rely upon the religion of the Son of God; upon its 
 doctrines, its laws, and its pure, simple, but impressive institutes, 
 as the medium by which its great and commanding principles 
 are to be brought into contact with the public mind. "Sanctify 
 them through the truth, thy word is truth," was the language of 
 the great Intercessor, who is also the Prince of the Kings of the 
 Earth. The religious is the higher portion of our nature. But 
 that portion stands not alone; it is in connexion with every other 
 constituent of our moral constitution. A practical mistake here 
 has been followed by some unhappy results. This mistake is, 
 that Christianity belongs exclusively to the religious sense. — 
 The unhappy result is, that to this sense only, has it been gene- 
 rally addressed. The religion of the Bible, in its adaptations, 
 addresses itself to man in his entire organization. It has been 
 long ago observed by the elder President Edwards, that Christi- 
 anity has not yet come near the accomplishment of its promised 
 effects. No wonder: it has not generally been brought, in the 
 plenitude of its adaptations, to bear upon the whole of man, and 
 the whole of his condition, as a subject of the divine govern- 
 ment, in this world. When the entire Church is prepared to 
 
[23] 
 
 give it this direction, according to its own bearings, soon will the 
 earth be filled with the glory of the Lord. The Religion of 
 the Gospel contemplates, and addresses the whole of man: and 
 treats him as related to the whole moral Empire of the Creator. 
 By this religion objects of the holiest and loftiest character 
 are brought before the mind, and arouse it to action; whilst those 
 of loveliest feature touch the heart with a transforming influ- 
 ence. This religion, adapted to the complex constitution of 
 man, — to his intellectual, moral, religious and social constitution, — 
 in the production of its appropriate effects, brings man into com- 
 panionship with Him who inhabiteth eternity. There he is 
 humble. But he is not mean. Feeling the high attributes- with- 
 in him of his intellectual, moral, and active nature, recognizing 
 his immortality, and knowing the near and heart-engaging rela- 
 tion in which he stands to his Creator — the High and lofty One,, 
 he asserts his dignity, respects himself, and will not dishonor 
 himself nor his God, by wM is low in character. 
 
 It is worthy of remark, that Christianity has carried in its- 
 train literature, science, and the arts; and with its purest forms 
 have been associated the assertion of freedom, and the possession 
 of the highest degrees of rational, civil liberty. In the political 
 as well Evangelical acceptation of the expression, it is true — 
 "If the Son make you free, ye shall be free indeed." The whole 
 spirit of the Gospel goes to assert the rights of man. To the 
 exercise of those rights, its principles give direction; and to 
 their possession stability and permanence. 
 
 To one other feature of this religion permit me to invite your 
 attention. Superstition and every other system of false devo- 
 tion, on the one hand, is found ministering to the depravity of 
 man's fallen nature, and on the other, making war upon some of 
 its constituent parts. Hence the immoral indulgences and un- 
 natural penances of the same system. The religion of the Bible 
 calls for the destruction of no faculty, for the eradication of no 
 affection of the soul. It purifies, directs, improves and exalts, 
 but spares all. It is this religion, imbuing the soul, that gives to 
 man his highest character. It is this that will form and establish 
 the public sentiment of which we have spoken. But I must 
 have done. 
 
[24] 
 
 Young gentlemen, — You are on your way to the eternal state. 
 In the arrangements and administrations of Providence, you are 
 connected with a great Republic; the interests of a pure religion 
 are before you; and in these you are called upon to act a noble, 
 a magnanimous part. The leading moral characteristic of the 
 United States is Christian, their institutions free, their population 
 numerous, their resources boundless. The history of the past 
 is flattering; the promise of the future is encouraging. Great 
 and good men have, in hope, anticipated the future glories of 
 America. To you will its management, with all its extended, 
 and complicated, and sacred interests, be soon committed, Be 
 prepared to act well your part. Without ill will to other lands, — 
 nay — with the generous intention of blessing them, — seek the 
 elevation of your country. Bring your acquisitions as an offer- 
 ing to promote her intellectual, her moral, and her social inter- 
 ests. 
 
 In the forward course of man, be ever ready to join the good 
 in the maintenance of sound principles. Aim high.; be up- 
 right; be honourable; seek the place of eminence in doing 
 good; be firm in virtuous purposes. Disappoint not the hopes 
 of kindred, friends, and country. By your country, act propi- 
 tiously on others. Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever 
 things honourable, whatsoever things just, whatsoever things 
 pure, whatsoever things lovely, whatsoever things of good re- 
 port; if there be any virtue, and if any praise, think on these 
 things. Thus, in an humble, yet confiding reliance upon your 
 Redeemer, and in obedience to his will, seek for glory, immor- 
 tality, and eternal life. 
 
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