Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1833-10-03
Extract from Sermon Of tho Rev. Prof Everett.


"Nothing in which man is concerned,
is thus individual and private: lie IS
by nature, social being. The
very heather were wiser on this head
81 am man, said they, nothing human
but concerns me-" Me comes not alone
into life, but the sut1erings, the cares,
the labors, and the aid of others ave ne
cessery, Mt every stage of his being
Standing in life, he is not alone, but is
bound by the strongest ties to his parents,
his children, his friends, his neighbors,
the community, and the world. lie is to
govern and be governed, to support and
be supported, to teach and to learn, to
employ and to serve. From this strong
alliance, he could not, if he would dis,
Join himself: and though he quit society,
and retire to the desert, the voice Of du-
ty and OF charity pursues him thither, ,and
commands him, conjurcs him TO return.
And will you say that any thing that be-
longs to such being, is matter of pri--
vate and solitary concern, existing, as is
said by most unholy perversion of holy
terms, between the conscience and God
only. 1t does not so exist only and TILL
You can prove Of any human action, that
no living soul will be the better or the
worse for its performance, that neither
by compuson, by persuasion, by exam
pie, by justification, and by suggestion, no
mortal man will be affected: trlf yoa car
prove of any action or quality Of charac-
ter, that neither the child, who looks on
and follows in the fathers steps: nor the
neighbor, who is prone to do like those
around him; nor the feeble mind, that
catches its hue from adjacent characters:
nor any, in short, who by the mighty hu-
maa sympathy, are in danger of acting
like their fellows, till you can prove of
any human action that 10 none of these
in any degree or shade, any consc-
quence ofgood or evil will accrue: you
cannot prove, that such action is a mat
ter between the conscience and God a
lone. But then religion of all things,
is that IN which l am most concerned, ir
what my neighbor thinks and does; Re,
ligion private personal coacern! What
! a personal concern of nay neighbors n
lone in which l am not involved, wheth
or he SCOTS al the solemn bonds of al
oath; whether ! live among beings o
passions and desires, who think tha
death is nm eternal sleep, and on whes
sellishness the awful name Of God ha
J laid no letters! A thing in which hav
no right to interfere. whether my chi
drcn are subject to hear their Maker
name b!asphemed, and my family ar
b subject, at any moment, when the GOO
less majority Of populace may dictate
to have his altars thrown down, and h
" worship abolished, and his Minlste
" driven out.-What! is every little deta
RS OF business, Of trade, Of manafs ctxe
= and Of common life, a social concern
ID Can i not import remnant Of Mercha
Of dize, without puroh asing the permissi,
: Of the Government, or assert the sms
lest civil right, without resort to the Ia,
10 10 nor injure the humblest member Of d
a: community, without subjectng mys
It. to its vengeance; and have right
Sc renounce or dishonor the Supreme &C
u to scatter the seeds Of an irreligious ,
ample, to pour the poison Of an uncbr
We tian or athcistical life into the veal