Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1842-06-11

lage Amanue nsls.
owe man any thing.
From a sermon on this text, by the Rev. John
r. Brooke, Rector Of Christ thnfch, Cincinnati,
we select the following passages:
"Tbe debts forbidden be the text, are all those
which in themselves violate the law OF love, or
directly tend 10 such violation.
MANY debts Of this general description may
classify after tho following manner, wv: DCbfs
of miN(M disioneay-debt3o Of araricious specu'a-
tion-debts Of ran1y debts Of imPrndence Let
Us ainplfy each Of these divisions. And IN dong
&C, wo shall, Of course, be compelled TO leave much
sp,ce TO DO filled by own reflections.
]. Debts of rilful dishonesty. BY such we
mean pecuniary obligations entered INTO with NJ
settled intention 10 discharge them, or without
the probable means Of satisfying them. 10 con-
tract n debt with no serious intention OF paying
it, is plain intrac ton of the commandment lhou
shall: not steal'--and the man who does 80, de-
serves 10 be placed on footing Of moral honesty
with the common foIon Nor IS it much less dis
honest to incur a debt without the probable means
Of meeting II.
g Debts of arariciuos speculation, By spocu
Iaton " mean any bargain or contract IN which
the chances, human speaking, arc against success,
or even where the probabilities are nearly balanc
ed To procure the endorse Of neghbor
10 engage in such venture, or even risk our
own means in 1T, when we are IN debt, so as TO
leopard the interest of credtors-is wrong. 1t
Is a violation of tho law of love. 1t is not doing
unto others as he would they should do unto him.
For to hazard the property of another, III a spec
ulation, without his full knowledge md consent,
IS rs contrary 10 SOUND priuCfPio - ""t'ta to
10 take his funds to gaming table, and there risk
them for own avarIclous gam. or all such
specua ton is but a species OF gaming: 1t produ~
ces and fosters tho same restless, uneasy, insaI~
n,e sprit--a spirit which in no wise be har~
monized with tho temperate benevolent spirit Of
the Gospei 1t is admitted that IN all active com
mcrce there must be more or less OF RISK aud
consequent loss Of time. But there IS ta:r line
of demarkation between vir,uous commerce and
vicious speculation, or between IddtcIous invest
ments and hazardous experiments.
3, Debts of ranity. By which, we mean debts
con,rac ted or maintained for The sake of vain show
or crafty what is called in the Scriptures the
..lust of the eye and the pride OF lie' How tar
opuIent Christians may indulge themselves IN such
things as splendid mansions. elegant furniture and
costly appareI, we do not undertake. tn determine
But whatever may be said OF the use OF such lux
urios by those who have ample means. the use OF
,hom BY persons of limited resources, Is clearly
indiscreet. And when it either compromises or
seriously eudGneers the interest OF creditors, Is
an aggravated tresPass upon the principles OF the
text
4. Debts of imprude,cc By itnprudence we
do not mean that error 10 Judgment to which the
best men are liable, and which cannot be measur
ed bv any moral rule; but error ARISING irom the
want of duo consideration; All
such iuconsideraions IN pecuniary affairs has the
nature of sim But here, under this head, we
shall find many "fauits which so lean to virtues
side';--that il will be difficulty to summon up
courage TO reprove them. For there are many
imprudent debts. proceeding from generosity OF
disposition or an mpulsiye benevoence, which
we find II hard TO condemn. even where II runs
into excess Obligations OF this sort, frequently
occur in mercia communities, where indoFse-
ments or suretyships are common. But whenev.
err by such endorsements. man seriously en-
dangers the interests Of third parties, or even the
welfare OF his own family, he otlends against the
rule of the text. We grant that Endorsements.
sure,yships and loans, fairly rank among Christ
ian charities md that they ought not IN all
10 be Stunned by those who are engaged IN
worldly affairs Nay. such obligations are not
only among the neighhoriy reciprociiies of lite,
but thew are the vehicles of commemorative
trade could not we'll be carried on without them.
But when imprudence is made charioteer, there
IL more danger of driving over the best lnterest &
OF society than Of protecting or promote them.
All MANNER OF TRAvELLING.-A traveller VIII
ting from Illinois. states that IN getting TO his
place OF destination, he experienced all kinds OF
yoahe adi,iveness 10 the first place he took a
steamboat-in the second the rail road-tho third
the mailcoach-the fourth horse back--th fit h
wen, six miles on foot to Terre iIaute-and was