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among dissenters, in by gone days, as well among those who dissent from the new school fooleries and blasphemies of the present day, as among the puritans; who can without any hesitation, conform to the popular establishment, and take on their burdens, for merely some small worldly advantage or to please their friends, &c. &c., and thus, most profanely tamper with their consciences, in the sight of both God and men! Some, of high.church party, your Peuseyites, your Onderdonks, and your Doanes, who are considered nearest to the top of the fashion; are coming, every day nearer to the delicious embrace of their old mother, though they have so often themselves said, that she had played the harlot; and hundreds, and thousands, even among protestants, already seem, to have little other objection against her, than that she herself, is not yet far enough departed from the truth. From some aversion they have concieved at the present articles and creeds of their establishment, on account of their admitted likeness to the scriptures, they rave against them; but evidently, from no other principle, but their enmity to the New Testament; which through some unfortunate mistake, they concieve them to resemble. All these noble spirits, however, have still a stout inclination to go to heaven, within the trammels and trappings of a liturgy; and make the most zealous efforts to have as gorgeous and wanton a way, to worship their maker, as they can possibly contrive. Most of the new school perfectionists, from the most philosophical Truairs and Finney, down to the blind authors of their delusions, the Taylors- the Beechers, the Barnes, and the Campbells, one might suppose, have become such refined and sublimated protestants, that they seem to think the Almighty should be worshipped in the Jewish pontificial style; and that the New Testament church should be confined to the old. And perhaps, we shall find them, after some little further consultations, agree to introduce for the gratification of the curious, females as well as males, who occupy their

TO DIVERSE, NOTABLE FOOLS AND ASSES.

"anxious seats," the entertaining right of circumcision. Yes, nothing is more likely, under the fury of the present intellectual intoxication, than that many, among protestants of all denominations, would be found to be asses, of such meanness, as to submit to all this.

If the civil powers, would be so condescending as to make a law for circumcission, and annex emoluments to it, these cidevant bishops, and perfectionists prophets, we verily believe, would do their best, in training asses, to submit to the degradation. But, as the pain connected with such an entertainment, would most likely be more than a counterpart to the pleasure and profit; and as these prophets themselves, could not decently neglect to observe a religious ordinance established by law; it is possible, that this piece of improvement, and perfectionism, may remain unattempted, among the rest of those things, which the people are not yet ripe for.

I shall conclude with observing, that there is scarce a man who may assume the character of a prophet, though as illiterate and ignorant, as Madam Folsom, Joe. Smith or Miller, but will find plenty of asses, among the people, even in this American Republic, to answer his purpose. Though Balaam, and his ass are dead, many ages ago; yet their offspring are still very numerous. But who would think, that any of this character, could be found in these United States, which have become the toast of the nations, for pretentions to intelligence, independence and civil and religious liberty? Yet true it is, that there are diverse, almost innumerable false prophets, religious as well as civil, loco focos, in this enlightened nation; all of whom, have their full complement of asses.

Even here, we find slaves in abundance - here we find hundreds, who through indolence and sloth, are bearing heavy burdens here, we find many who style themselves free-thinkers, under the burden of a guilty consciencehere, you may find the loco focos, of the church, and the

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loco focos of the state, leading their asses, which they have fitted for mounting, whenever they please. And how severely soever, they are at times, treated by their Balaamlike masters, they still, tamely and submissively, turn and say, are not we your asses, upon which you have ridden, ever since we were yours?

If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.

SERMON V.

ROMANS XV-4.

FOR WHATSOEVER THINGS WERE WRITTEN AFORETIME, WERE WRITTEN FOR OUR LEARNING, THAT WE, THROUGH PATIENCE AND COMFORT OF THE SCRIPTURES, MIGHT HAVE HOPE.

CHRISTIAN READER -Nothing can be more evident in the first place, than that the Holy Ghost, through his Apostle, has, here, without reserve or limitation, applied the whole of the doctrinal, historical and prophetical parts of the Old Testament Scriptures, to the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Gospel of his salvation.

And we have selected this text, with a view to bring before the public, certain distinguished charactes in both church and state, whom we did not honor in our dedication, to wit: such as have shown themselves to be followers of Thomas Jefferson and Tom Paine, with respect to both religion and geology. We shall confine our remarks and illustrations, to the history of the antediluvian or primeval state of men, including the history of the deluge, with the view to establish the testimony of Moses, against this ungodly class of men.

The term antediluvian, you know, has been universally employed to denote anything that happened or existed, before the general deluge. But we are compelled to admit,

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in the commencement of our lecture, that the records of the antediluvian world are extremely brief; yet they contain many important and perfectly creditable intimations respecting the religion, the arts, and the policy of the primal race of men. The creation of the world; and of its various inhabitants and productions; the rapid and excessive corruption of the entire human race, till God destroyed them all by a reduction of the earth to a state of primeval chaos, are all recorded in six short chapters, in the fore part of the book of Genesis: and this is the only authentic record of the history of the world, for upwards of sixteen hundred years! But this period was fertile, no doubt, in incidents and inventions, and important to the historian, as exhibiting the gradual development of the human character; together with the origin and increase of those arts which contribute to the comforts and elegancies of life. And it would be highly interesting to show the progress of only the useful and ornamental arts, which we know, with certainty, existed in the antediluvian world; and which, were, in all probability, transmitted to the post-diluvian ages, as the basis of future improvements. It would be no less interesting, to explore the cause of that corruption, which, at last, became so general, and which produced such disastrous consequences! We have the strongest reasons to believe, that a high degree of refinement in luxury, accompanied this universal and awful corruption; as great national depravity has never been seen, when not preceded by refinement, and attended by corruption. Our information, however, with respect to these exciting topics, is extremely limited, and must be taken from the few incidental intimatious furnished by sacred history. These intimations, however, are exceedingly valuable; and, it is to be hoped, a review of them, will lead us to some important and happy results, as to our views respecting the Religion, Arts, Government, and Manners, of the antediluvian world. Each of these particulars, will be made the subject of our

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