823 Sh 53 l THE LADY OF THE MANOR, &c. CHAPTER XVIII. Sixth Commandment.-Thou shalt do no Murder. THE lady of the manor, finding herself again surrounded by her young people, asked one of them to repeat the sixth commandment, viz. "Thou shalt do no murder," which was to furnish the subject for conversation during the evening. "I remember the time, and indeed it is not a very distant one," remarked one of the young ladies, “when I should have said, 'Here at least I am guiltless; here at least I am safe: I never committed murder, that is very certain.'" "And would you not venture to assert as much now, my dear Miss Emmeline?" said the lady of the manor, smiling. The young lady shook her head, and replied, "No, no; I have already been brought in guilty in every conversa tion, and now I dare not plead innocence on any occasion." "Until we are made sensible of the spirituality and extent of the law of God, my dear young people," remarked their excellent instructress, 66 we may possibly buoy ourselves up with the idea that we have duly observed some parts of it; but those persons who have enlarged views on this subject cannot possibly deceive themselves in this manner. Hence the importance of studying the law, and regarding it as our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ: for when any individual is convinced that he is condemned on every side by the law, he sees himself compelled to fly for safety to the Gospel. "But, to leave the law in general, and to recur to that particular part of it now chosen for our consideration, let us meditate upon these words, viz. Thou shalt do no murder;' and endeavour thoroughly to comprehend the nature of that thing from which we are here commanded to abstain. "Thou shalt do no murder: that is, Thou shalt not cause or countenance the death of any fellow-creature. The question then is, What is this death which we are forbidden to inflict? "In reply, I remark, that, as man partakes of a twofold nature, so that by which alone he can be wholly destroyed must also be of a two-fold nature. The first death is, therefore, two-fold, namely, temporal and spiritual; besides which there is a second death, that takes place when the first death is completed." The lady then proceeded to describe the several parts and natures of the first and second death, and spoke to this effect "Temporal Death is the separation of the soul from the body. 66 Spiritual Death is the separation of soul and body from God's favour in this life, which is the natural state of all unregenerate persons, who are all destitute of the quickening powers of grace. "Eternal Death (called the second death) consists in the everlasting separation of the whole man from God. "And as the first death is two-fold," continued the lady of the manor, "and is followed by a second death; so also is the first life two-fold, consisting of the natural and spiritual life, and these are succeeded by that which is eternal. Adam, by his disobedience, made his children liable to death in all its forms; and Christ, by his obedience, abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light. (2 Tim. i. 10.) All living creatures on earth are subject to temporal death; all unregenerate persons are under the dominion of spiritual death; and all men who die un renewed will be delivered over to eternal death. Temporal death is the mildest and least to be dreaded of any of these modes of death: and hence the Saviour provides no exemption from this, which is, at most, but a light affliction, enduring only for a moment; but, on the contrary, calls on his children to submit to it with joy and rejoicing, inasmuch as it promotes their entrance into glory. "I have now," continued the lady of the manor, "explained to you, my dear children, the nature of death; and will proceed next to point out the various modes in which that commandment which saith, Thou shalt do no murder,' may be transgressed. "If," proceeded the lady of the manor, "I, through design or negligence, hasten the dissolution of my own body or that of any other human being, I am, in fact, guilty of murder. If I privately desire the death of any one in order to advance what I suppose to be my own interest, I am guilty of murder in thought and before God. For it is written, Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. (1 John iii. 15.) All ambitious and vindictive expressions partake of the nature of murder, and frequently tend to it in a direct way. All wars and fightings, except in actual self-defence, and after all other means have been tried without success to preserve peace, undoubtedly partake of the same character. But inasmuch as wars between nations are commonly beyond the province of females in retired life, I say the less on this part of my subject; only remarking, that it should be the object of every woman on all occasions to promote peace, and to inspire the mind of her husband, brothers, or sons, with the dread of occasioning death in any form. "It is, I trust," continued the lady of the manor, "" almost needless, in the present day, to remark that the practice of duelling is nothing more nor less than a genteel way of committing murder; and I am sorry to add, that I fear there are few duels of which women, if not the occasions, are not the instigators and promoters. It is astonishing how careless even some of the fondest mothers are in the sentiments which they utter before their sons on the subject of duelling, and how they maintain those sentiments of false honour which cherish this practice, so contrary to every principle of that religion generally professed in this country. It is remarkable also, that nearly all female novel writers formerly maintained the necessity of duelling; and even some at the present day are guilty of the same offence against morality. This same cruel and bloodthirsty spirit may also be observed to pervade every page of the ancient writings of the heathen; and it is in this particular that I consider these writings as being more contrary to the spirit of Christianity than in any other circumstance belonging to them. Granting that it were possible to weed the classic writers from such passages as offend a delicate ear on other subjects, I maintain, that it would be as impossible to clear them of their vainglorious and cruel sentiments, as it would be to separate the warp and woof, and yet leave the weaver's work in any other state than that of a mere confused heap of threads and ends. But, as much has been said on a former occasion on the subject of heathen writers in your presence, my dear young people, I shall here be the less diffuse; and proceed to remark, that all historians, without any other exception than those of the sacred records, abet the cause of war, bloodshed, and murder. Not one of these, as far as I can recollect, explains the causes of war to be what they are, viz. the lusts and passions of mankind, or makes the proper distinction between the real hero, who gives up his life in defence of his country, and the conqueror who indulges his lust of victory at the expence of thousands of his fellow-creatures. "It may also be observed," continued the lady, "that the greater number of the admired poets of the present day, like so many bloodhounds, (if the expression may be allowed me,) mingle in the same cry; and in their writings bloodshed and murder of every description are exalted to heaven under the name of glory. This spirit, so contrary to Christianity, mixes itself more or less in most conversations, and is as frequently supported by the smiles of females as by the approbation of the hardier sex." Here the lady of the manor paused, and the young ladies expressed some astonishment, or, rather, something like alarm, at finding themselves, and even the whole world, implicated in one dreadful charge. "My dear young people," returned the lady, "be not |