SERMON VIII.

PROVERBS XXVI, 4—5.

ANSWER NOT A FOOL ACCORDING

ALSO BE LIKE HIM.

ΤΟ HIS FOLLY, LEST THOU ANSWER A FOOL ACCORDING TO HIS

FOLLY, LEST HE BE WISE IN HIS OWN CONCEIT.

READER: The prohibition contained in the first verse of our text, needs little explanation. It plainly forbids our encouraging or countenancing, by our words or actions, the follies or reprehensible conduct of the fool in question, as we shall thereby let ourselves down to his mean, pitiful, and contemptible level. The famous character here referred to, is always supposed, of course, to possess an item or so, of common sense; that he is, in a measure, however small, capable of acting agreeably to the dictates of enlightened reason; or the injunction itself, would be without foundation. In our second verse, we are enjoined by the Highest Authority, in one way or another, when we witness the improprieties and follies of fools, to administer salutary and effectual rebuke-making the fool or fools, conscious and ashamed of their conduct showing them, in the most pointed manner, that they deserve the appellation and condemnation of "Bible fools."

We have just said, such rebuke is to be administered in one way or another. The Preacher has left this point, the modus operandi, to the discretion and choice of the Chris

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tian teacher, whose duty it becomes to administer rebuke to such fools. He may adopt a solemn, plain-speeched manner; or, if the subject or subjects of rebuke, have a due degree of intelligence, he may adopt the style of satire, and the most caustic irony. Either of these modes is most clearly evangelical.

These points, then, in relation to the manner of our treatment of fools, being settled and made plain to the understanding of any wayfaring man, woman or child, a moment's reflection suggests to us the idea, that we should here avail ourselves of another declaration of the preacher, while contemplating the exciting and ludicrous, yet humiliating subject of the "folly of fools," which, evidently was designed to go always in company with our text, "To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the heaven. A time to laugh."

Now, it must be universally admitted, that in the illustration of these texts, we are not necessarily compelled to be highly theological, in the technical sense; for all readers are aware, that the celestial steamboats and railroads of our day, have brought us learned and ponderous scientific journals in theology, almost as luminous and valuable as infidelity or loco focoism itself has ever produced! Nor yet do the texts compel us to be exclusively religious; and why should we? We have religious magazines for all kinds of devotion; and all kinds of practice; and of all sizes; and multiplied beyond arithmetical computation for the family-for the mother-for the child-for the youth and, perhaps, for uncles and aunts; though we dare not affirm here, that there is any yet for fathers. And we have but just now received a Bible for the "cottage." Nor, again, do our texts oblige us to occupy your time, reader, with any one class of subjects to be laughed at; there are already at your doors, if not in your possession, sermons enough, and many of them just good enough, fresh from the new school mint, which all, but downright religious

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loco focos, consider as fit only for derision; yet, you will, we humbly trust, arrive at a tolerably correct understanding and comprehension of our texts, should we not give our opinion concerning either of those very lacrymose and medicinal productions. Our sermon will be simply a sermon exactly adapted to produce oral illustrations; as we shall state facts as they appear on record, concerning some of our interests and affections, and habits and passions; with but very little. connected with our duties as rational men, or as being under the least obligation, in these times, to recognize any authority, whatever, as the true standard of either evangelical faith or practice. We shall, however, give a transient glance at Politics, Ethics, Medicine, Literature, Religion, and the diverse humbugs of the times, which one finds in company with them, in every city and town in Christendom. We should, indeed, be inexcusable, did we not do this; our New Haven oracle, and his god-father, the great Dr. Wind-of-Doctrine- the semi-compound of all modernism, and summit of the most stupendous consistancy; being, in himself, independently of all mundane beings, every religious sailor's compass-boxer- the religious Pandora of the last thirty years; who declared, recently, that, sink or swim, survive or perish, he should return from New England, and continue to fight the devil in the west. Yes, these sublime authorities now boast, and have published their boast, that, within the last twenty years; (we use thier words) - "The intellectual character of man is changed;" and they give this gravely; and plead the fact, as a reason why we should all teach and believe according to their wind-of-doctrine system. And here we come full-butt at the secret of our texts, viz: the father of lying oracles, has induced even these educated Puritans, finally to confess the truth, that they themselves are fools; without having undergone, to our knowledge, any of the processes of transubstantiation, or transcendentalism in the popular phrenological and physiological use of those terms; and that all

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around them are fools; and such are the very characters to whom Solomon refers in our text, as being in their very natures, ridiculous; and, therefore, always furnishing us with matter worthy of laughter. You see, then, Christian reader, that we should be inexcusable, were we to attempt to illustrate our texts, by giving any view of the ecclesiastical or civil history of the "Peaquods, or Mohegans, or witches," even of New England; we could not do justice to the lives and characters of their distinguished individuals. We must also omit various and curious topics, in their jurisprudence and legislation; each of which might furnish matter, here and there, and a time, too, to laugh; but these topics, we candidly admit, should be discussed independently of polemics and party politics; and with reference, indeed, to established principles of economical and political science, after the style of our Washingtons, our Franklins, our Adamses, our Edwardses, and our Dwights, and our Masons, whose writings we consider worthy letters ofgold in plates of silver, as long as good sense, literature, good morals, and orthodox religion exist among men.

Pardon this digression. We know our text says, we have "a time to laugh," and, surely, this is a proper occasion to indulge in such a sensation. Why, we were furnished, no longer ago than last winter, by Mr. Secretary Woodbury, in the Odeon, at Boston, according to his reporters, with irrefragable proof, that, "society is to make progress in improvement, hereafter, as it has done heretofore!" The position was advanced by him, and established beyond the possibility of refutation, that the "arts and sciences, [and we suppose, sublime humbugs of professed improvements] will continue to advance, so long as the world shall stand!" He made it clear as light itself, that, "everything here, was once in its infancy; that the world. itself, is only a cradle;" and, as illustrative of these sage. positions, his audience were called upon to "see acorns spring into oaks, and eggs into eagles!" Yes, he furnished

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the extraordinary intelligence, that "the compass, which now directs the noble ship, [except, you know, reader, she stay at home, or be lost,] over every sea, was once a piece of merely magnetised steel, stuck into a straw, and supported in a bowl of water!" And he, at that time, also furnished the intelligence, that the "art of painting, had its beginning upon some uncouth drawings upon a village sign; [somewhere, we suppose, in the State of New Hampshire;] "that sculpture once aspired no higher than to chisel out a weathercock, to be placed on a pole, to show the variableness of the wind!" Verily, that hearer of his, on that occasion, who did not improve such an opportunity to laugh, must have been a fool indeed.

But we have not yet related half the news of that semicomico-lachrymose scene. "The Secretary stood alone," "in shape and gesture proudly eminent;" and informed his audience, that "empires have fallen;" but very happily for those born since their fall, they have arisen again, and actually advanced in improvement; that "while one horse has died, another more beautiful one had arisen ; and though one sheep had gone away, another had come, with a finer fleece upon her back." And just so it is, said the Secretary, (according to his faithful reporters,) there is a gradual improvement in everything! Particularly, during the last eighteen hundred years, the Gospel had been a powerful instrument in civilizing the world. And printing, O! yes, indeed, "printing had been a great means in diffusing light through the gloomy mass of mind!”*

Reader, were not these extraordinary items of intelli

#66 "Yes," replied a gentleman, catching the spirit of his "learned" quondam friend, the Secretary, (that, however, was before he sold himself for a passage in the car of Jackson,) "Yes, sir, you are right, as to the wonderful influence of the press; particularly in Boston, in pouring light into the most gloomy mass of mind.' Such has been its influence here, that all the animals in the Boston menagerie, under the tuition of that old 'typesetting goat' - Buckingham, have, within the last twenty-five years, become scholars; many have become editors!!! And we have heard it said, that three mules' now edit a large weekly paper. very satisfactorily to their readers! You cannot praise the Buckingham menagerie too highly."