prevents much vice; is a fecurity to good morals, and the hand-maid of religion.

Let us beware of avarice in ourselves, and guard all under our care, whether children, apprentices or others, from evil company-from luxury, pride and extravagance as far as in our power. What fills our gaols, but laziness, folly, an averfion from work, extravagance, prodigality and drunken bargains? The truly unfortunate, the frugal and industrious, who arise not above their business, and yet by adverse providences are carried to those apartments of calamity, are very few. What causes the maffy chains to clank in our gloomy dungeons, but horrid dishonesty?—I forbear the pursuit of the rifing awful idea. Where can I find a pause in this exuberant theme?—I must break off, though to finish the subject is impoffible. Indulge me to leave it in the fententious counsel of the Prophet. And Oh! that it might be indelibly written as with the point of a diamond upon each of your hearts! Do juftly, love mercy, and walk bumbly with God.

May this counsel form our character, and evidence our hopes of glory. Amen.

SER

SERMON XXVII*.

THE REWARD OF INIQUITY.

BY

UZAL OGDEN, M. A.

Rector of Trinity Church, in Newark, New-Jersey.

N this folemn occafion, I fully expected, and hoped,

that my reverend and very worthy brother, the minifter of this church, would, from this place, have addreffed you; his neceffary abfence, however, from town, almost the whole of this week, and other circumstances, prevented him from the discharge of that facred service, which has devolved on me. Though, through my absence alfo from this place, but a few hours have elapfed fince I was requested thus to appear before you, a fenfe of duty would not fuffer me to decline the requeft, even under the difadvantages which attend fo fud

den

Delivered at Newark, in the new Prefbyterian Church, May 6. 1791, at the execution of WILLIAM JONES, for the murder of SaMUEL SHOTWELL.

den a notice to discharge fo important an office. It is not the applause of men I covet; and while I folicit the candour of this large and refpectable audience, I affure them that I fhall not attempt to deliver an elaborate discourfe; but beg leave to lay before them a few serious facts and obfervations, which may have a tendency to cause the prefent folemnity to have its defired effect.

The words of facred writ which occur to me as pertinent to this occafion, you will find in the ninth chapter of the book of Genefis at the 6th verfe. Whofo fheddeth man's blood, by man fball his blood be shed.

Without any further obfervations, I fhall,
I. Confider the nature of murder.
II. Attend to fome of its causes.

III. Notice the punishment due to murder.
IV. Regard the ends of this punishment.

First, I am to attend to the nature of murder.

It is a crime, it may be obferved, which, with us, nothing can excufe. If a man is injured in his property, reputation or person, the law of this land of freedom and good government, will afford him redress.

Murder is expressly forbidden by the laws of God

and man.

The Almighty, in great mercy, hath guarded the lives of men, the works of his hands, by the most pofitive injunctions. In Exodus xx. 13. we thus read, Thou shalt not kill; and our Saviour fanctions this divine authority by repeating it, Matt. xix. 18. Thou shalt do no murder; thou shalt not commit adultery, &c. The man, fays God, who fhall murder his brother shall be punished. At the band of every man's brother will I require the life of man. And, to name no more places, from the great number which might be cited, in the words of our text,

God, very particularly, forbids this crime under the pain of death: Whofo sheddeth man's blood, by man fball bis blood be bed. It is worthy of remark, that still further to prevent the perpetration of this fin, under the Mofaic difpenfation, even the beast that killed a man was to be put to death; and of thofe animals which it was lawful for men to eat, they were prohibited to eat the blood, because it was the life of them.

Murder, fuffer it further to be observed, is an offence of great magnitude against both God and man; it bids defiance to all authority, human and divine. In the words following the text, a reafon is given why this crime should not be committed; for, in the image of God made be man. Man is not only the creature of God, but the only being on earth upon which he inftamped his heavenly image. To deftroy this image from the earth, is to take from it every thing that is godly. This must be an heinous offence: It is a manifeft oppofition to the will of heaven; and though God fays, I have made man for my glory, the murderer, by his conduct, declares, (with regard to one individual at least), man shall not exift: God fhall not be glorified by him! Against society or the state, the offence is great. A state is compofed of individuals; and unjustly to take away the life of an individual, is a fort of treafon against the community at large; it is an attack on the commonwealth, and it deprives the state, for ever, of a fellow-citizen; of all his time, talents and usefulness, and, therefore, in some degree, leffens its power and respectability. Against a family, the evil is often more fenfibly felt, and cannot be compenfated. Who, but God, can restore to the aged father and mother, the son of their love? or to the affectionate wife, the companion of her bofom? or to the helplefs children, their father, their counsellor and support?

With refpect to the party murdered, how enormous is the crime! It robs him of the most valuable thing on earth, life; precipitates him, prepared or unprepared, into the world of spirits; for ever fixes the state of his foul, and to him the moft ferious confequence may be, death eternal!

Under this head, I fhall only further notice, that fuch is the crime of murder, that human nature revolts at the very idea of it; that, in the Divine efteem. it may be committed in thought as well as by deed; and that, even by the laws of our land, it may be perpetrated, when fome may flatter themselves, though their murderous deed fhall be proved, yet, by the law, they cannot be convicted. It is a circumftance that merits attention, (as appeared on the trial of the unhappy culprit present), that perfonal, pofitive teftimony of one or more witnesses is not neceffary to ground the charge of murder. If such evidence was neceffary, as was justly remarked by one of the counsel in behalf of the State, whofe life would be fafe? for murder is generally committed in fecrecy.Circumstances alone, when clear and strong, are fufficient to convict of this offence; particularly, as the honourable court obferved, fhould a perfon be found to have fuddenly expired in a room, and, at that initant should a man iffue from thence with a sword reeking with blood, this circumftance would be fufficient to affix on him the charge of murder. I mention this to apprize the ignorant and vicious of a fnare they may fall into, while infenfible of danger!

As the crime of murder is thus of great magnitude, and fo abhorrent to God and man, it may not be uneful, as I purposed,

To attend to fome of the caufes of this fin.