A damsel kneel'd to offer up her prayer- On her the moon look'd steadfastly; the stars To emblem her he saw. A seraph kneel'd, Seem'd fittest, pleased him best. Sweet was the thought That she was flesh and blood form'd for himself. The plighted partner of his future life. And as they met, embraced, and sat embower'd Spirits of love about them minister'd, 195 JONATHAN DYMOND, 1796-1828. JONATHAN DYMOND, the celebrated author of the "Essays on Morality," was born in Exeter, in 1796. His father, who was a member of the Society of Friends, was a linen-draper of that city, and brought up his son to the same business. Of course, he did not receive what is called a "liberal education;" but he possessed that without which a liberal education is worse than useless; the sound moral and religious principles which were carefully inculcated by his for parents at home, laid the foundation of that high and stern standard of morality which has placed him at the head of English moralists. On leaving school, he found employment in his father's business, in which he afterward became a partner, and in which he continued until the close of his life. He early evinced a disposition for quiet reflection; and in his conversation, for which he had a great talent, he manifested just and enlightened views of the progress of mankind, and that freedom of thought which enabled him to go forth in search of truth, to disregard the opinions of his contemporaries and of those who had gone before him, and to bring his strong intellect and his very sensitive and enlightened conscience, unfettered, to the investigation of the Divine Will in the government of the world. In 1822, he married Anna Wilkey, a Friend, of Plymouth, who survived him nearly twenty-one years: their family consisted of a daughter and a son, the latter of whom died at the age of seven years. In 1823, he published his "Inquiry into the Accordancy of War with the Principles of Christianity," a work composed in the momentary intervals of business, and in his early morning hours-time rescued from sleep by his habit of early rising. This work, from the energy and earnestness of its style, and from its high standard of Christian morals, immediately attracted very great attention, and soon ran through three editions. Of course, it met with censure from those who deem human butchery professionally right; but it was the means of opening the eyes of many to the atrocities of war, and of raising up many supporters to the cause of peace. During the time occupied in publishing the "Inquiry," he was frequently engaged in laying the foundation of his other work-that on which his fame chiefly rests his "Essays on the Principles of Morality." This, he hoped, would prove even more extensively useful than his first work, and he soon devoted himself fully to it a work that was to exhibit the only true and authoritative standard of rectitude, and to estimate, by that standard, the moral character of human actions. He was never of a strong constitution; and early in the spring of 1826 appeared the symptoms of that disease which, in two years, was to send him to his grave. A frequent cough and great weakness of the throat gradually increased upon him, and he was soon compelled to give up conversation altogether, and to express his ideas by writing on a little slate which he carried in his pocket. This continued to be his only means of conversation until the close of his life. As recommended by his friends, he went to London to consult some eminent physicians there; but all to no purpose. continued to make rapid advances, and after trying two or three different situaHis disorder-pulmonary consumption— tions in the country in hopes of benefit, he returned to his native place, where he remained still employed, as his small remaining strength would permit, in preparing for the publication of his "Essays;" and he might be seen surrounded by his papers until a few days before his death, which took place on the 6th of May, 1828. Throughout his lingering illness, he evinced a perfect resignation to the will of God, and a full confidence in his promises, and manifested on his deathbed his deep conviction of that great truth with which he has concluded his "Essays"-that "the true and safe foundation of our hope is in the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." If "that life is long which answers life's great end," few men have lived to a greater age than Jonathan Dymond, though he died at the early age of thirtytwo-for few men have done more good. His "Essays on the Principles of Morality" is undoubtedly the best book upon the subject; and it is worthy of remark that, though learned scholars, profound civilians, celebrated divines, and famous moralists, had all before written upon the same subject, an humble individual of the Society of Friends, bred in no academic halls, should have eclipsed them all. The plain, simple reason is, that he takes the word of God as his infallible standard of rectitude by which to weigh all actions, and that with a clear head and an honest conscience, he follows his principles wherever they lead, knowing that they can never lead wrong. It is amusing as well as instructive to see with what ease he overthrows all the previous standards of rectitude which various men had set up-as utility, expediency, &c.-and establishes the great central truth, that the Will of God is the only infallible standard by which to judge concerning the right or wrong of actions. LOVE THE TEST OF ONE'S CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLES. Love is made the test of the validity of our claims to the Christian character-"By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples." Again-" Love one another. He that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly com 1 A well-merited tribute to his character appeared, some years ago, in "Tait's Magazine," in the following lines, entitled DYMOND'S GRAVE. Standing by Exeter's Cathedral tower, My thoughts went back to that small grassy mound And such a truthful trumpet didst thou sound, prehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law." It is not, therefore, surprising that, after an enumeration in another place of various duties, the same dignified apostle says, "Above all these things, put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness." The inculcation of this benevolence is as frequent in the Christian Scriptures as its practical utility is great. He who will look through the volume will find that no topic is so frequently introduced, no obligation so emphatically enforced, no virtue to which the approbation of God is so specially promised. It is the theme of all the "apostolic exhortations, that with which their morality begins and ends, from which all their details and enumerations set out, and into which they return." "He that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." phatical language cannot be employed. It exalts to the utmost the character of the virtue, and, in effect, promises its possessor the utmost favor and felicity. If, then, of faith, hope, and love, love be the greatest-if it be by the test of love that our pretensions to Christianity are to be tried-if all the relative duties of morality are embraced in one word, and that word is love-it is obviously needful that, in a book like this, the requisitions of benevolence should be habitually regarded in the prosecution of its inquiries. And, accordingly, the reader will sometimes be invited to sacrifice inferior considerations to these requisitions, and to give to the law of love that paramount station in which it has been placed by the authority of God. More em HUMAN, SUBORDINATE TO DIVINE LAW. The authority of civil government is a subordinate authority. If from any cause the magistrate enjoins that which is prohibited by the moral law, the duty of obedience is withdrawn. "All human authority ceases at the point where obedience becomes criminal." The reason is simple: that when the magistrate enjoins what is criminal, he has exceeded his power; "the minister of God" has gone beyond his commission. There is, in our day, no such thing as a moral plenipotentiary. Upon these principles the first teachers of Christianity acted when the rulers" called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus." "Whether," they replied, "it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye." They accordingly "entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught;" and when, subsequently, they were again brought before the council and interrogated, they replied, "We ought to obey God rather than men :" and notwithstanding the renewed command of the council, "daily in the temple and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ." Nor let any one suppose that there is any thing religious in the motives of the apostles which involved a peculiar obligation upon them to refuse obedience; the obligation to conform to religious duty and to moral duty is one. To disobey the civil magistrate is, however, not a light thing. When the Christian conceives that the requisitions of government and of a higher law are conflicting, it is needful that he exercise a strict scrutiny into the principles of his conduct. But if, upon such scrutiny, the contrariety of requisitions appear real, no room is left for doubt respecting his duty, or for hesitation in performing it. With the consideration of consequences he has then no concern: whatever they may be, his path is plain before him. DUELLING. If two boys who disagreed about a game of marbles or a penny tart should therefore walk out by the river side, quietly take off their clothes, and when they had got into the water, each try to keep the other's head down until one of them was drowned, we should doubtless think that these two boys were mad. If, when the survivor returned to his schoolfellows, they patted him on the shoulder, told him he was a spirited fellow, and that if he had not tried the feat in the water, they would never have played at marbles or any other game with him again, we should doubtless think that these boys were infected with a most revolting and disgusting depravity and ferociousness. We should instantly exert ourselves to correct their principles, and should feel assured that nothing could ever induce us to tolerate, much less to encourage, such abandoned depravity. And yet we do both tolerate and encourage such depravity every day. Change the penny tart for some other trifle; instead of boys put men, and instead of a river a pistol, and we encourage it all. We virtually pat the survivor's shoulder, tell him he is a man of honor, and that if he had not shot at his acquaintance, we would never have dined with him again. "Revolting and disgusting depravity" are at once excluded from our vocabulary. We substitute such phrases as "the course which a gentleman is obliged to pursue," "it was necessary to his honor," "one could not have associated with him if he had not fought." We are the schoolboys grown up; and by the absurdity, and more than absurdity, of our phrases and actions, shooting or drowning (it matters not which) becomes the practice of the national school. It is not a trifling question that a man puts to himself when he asks, What is the amount of my contribution to this detestable practice? It is by individual contributions to the public notions respecting it that the practice is kept up. Men do not fire at one |