Liberty advocate. [volume] (Liberty, Miss.) 1835-1866, 1840-04-23
THE SUBSTANCE OF
A DIS COURSE
The Moral obligation Of Promises,
ON

The Moral Obl1gatlon OF PROMISES,
dsiipsred on Sunday, March LIST, 1910, in the Meth
edist Church at Columbus. Miss.
Having been called on for copy or this dis.
course, have concluded TO furnish it, imperfect
as il is, for publication, not With the expecta-
ton Of producing any thing new, but simply ia
the hope Of exciting attention 10 the subject
embraced in it, am indebted for much Of The
doctrine and arrangement, and even some OF
the language, to Paley's Moral and Political
Philosophy, Wayland's Moral Science, and
Wardlaw's Christian Ethics
S. b. SAWYER.
Text" He that saOeareth to his oson hurt, and
changeth not. PSALM Is, A.
The object Of this Psalm is TO answer two
important questions proposed in the first verse,
which amount in substance to these: Who is
fit for the church militant below, and who is fit
for the church in Heaven? Among other quail
ifications, strict regard to truth, sacred OBJ
servance OF promises, is declared to be essen
tai; and this is the uniform testimony Of the
word Of God. Truth, or yeracity, Tor they are
convertible terms, shas respect TO the past and
present, or tothe future" When we make a
statement concerning what is past or what is
now passing, II 1t possess certain character,
we call II truth; it not, we call it falsehood.-
But the future Is also in some degree in our
power, and we may therefore place ourselves
under an obligation to act in a certain man
ner, Dy declaring our intention thus to act
This we Gull promise. When we make a
promise, we voluntarily place ourselves under
an obligation, and the same law Of veracity
which requires US to speak the truth concern
ing things past or present, binds us to fulfil our
promises. The obligation is precisely the
same, and the consequences involved in trans
gression the law OF yeracity in the one case,
are the same as in the other. 1t is to be feared
this view-ol the subject has not always been
taken Some men do not scrouple to violate
promise, either verbal or written, who would
nevertheless scorn to tell deliberate false
hood. And at Time like the present, when il
is difficult to fulfil engagements, especially Of a
pecunlary nature, there is pecularl danger of
attaching too little Importance TO them. Vice
soon loses its horrors by familiarity, and if our
opinions Of right andwrong are formed under
pressue public and private calamities like
the present. in which almost every individual
is involved, danger, arising from the force Of
example and the power Of temptation, is to be
apprehended. Under these circumstances, it
is well for us to pause, and examine our whole
ground. The subject will be discussed in the
following order: lst, the obligation of prom.
isee; end, the manner in which they are TO be
interpreted; 3rd, in What cases they are not
binding
First-The obligation Of promises "Why
am obliged to keep my word," is question
that lies at the foundation of this subject
Some would answer, because il is right; others,
because il is agreeable TO the fitness Of things !;
or according TO reason and nature; or according
to truth; or conducive TO the public good. All
this is true, as far as il goes II is evident that
God has impressed on our nature love of
truth. which is not entirely forfeited by the fall |;
and also disposition TO believe what we hear,
as is proven by observing the credulity and
simplicity. ofchildren, until repeated deceptons
have made them sceptics. Ii is equally evident
that we are. so constituted that obedience 10 the
law Of veracity is necessary to our happiness
as individuals and as communities Ii is the
foundation Of confidence between man and his
fellow man. "Were we 70 lose our. disposition
TO speak the truth, or to receive as truth what
is related to US, society would be at once broken
up" Every joint in the social fabric would
groan aloud. and TALL apart. The same re-
marks are. applicable TO promises. Let any
one reflect on what would be the consequences,
II all promises we're made to he broken, and all
confidence in them destroyed, and he may
form some idea Of their Importance to the we'll
being Of society. But does this constitute the
moral obligation to keep our word! Does this
weighty obligation rest on the doctrine Of mere
expediency or utility? Is the public good the
bdsiso moral obligationi Such is the teach
ing of some learned Doctors Of Divinity, but
such is not the doctrine of Holy Writ. II we
60 TO the hallowed retreats Of inspiration to
learn morality, we there find the lciH Of God
held up as both the origin and the rule Of NOR
oil obligation. Who are they that shave a
right. to the tree Of life, and may enter in
through the gates into the city"? ''They that
do his commandments "--REv 22, IA. Who
are they that shall "enter into the kingdom oil
Heaven'f "Not every one that saith Lord,
Lord, but he that doth The. nil Of my Father
which is in Heaven. Mari. ~ FL. The
emphatic statement oiscripture is, that "sin is
the lransgression Ofthe law.'-aThis, then, n
says DR.. Wardlaw, sis bible definition Of sin.
or moral evil" The comparison ofthtee other
statements equally brief, will bring out, clearly
apd summariy, the doctrine Of revelation on
this interesting point. Ron 4, l5-.Where
no law is there is nc transgrossion;' ROW 5,