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 Vol , 2,1. 
 
/ 
 
 PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRACY 
 
 IN 
 
 RELIGION; 
 
 REJOINDER OF "CLERICUS" TO "SCRUTATOR." 
 
 c2,lLf mT„"rJ° ""*'""• "• "■'"''■ ""^"' ""Si" to r„l, i„ fc h^m of 
 
 ' Most of all in man that ministers, 
 And serves the altar,' 
 
 Dr* rTrnes** '^ *° ^^ convinced that Chrktians are not of necessity fools."- 
 
 SCHENECTADY : 
 
 RIGGS, PRINTER— STATE-STREET. 
 
 1848. 
 
REJOINDER OF "CLERICUS." 
 
 In one of our cities, not a hundred miles distant, 
 during a prayer meeting, an individual rose to edify 
 his brethren by a short exhortation. He prefaced 
 his exhortation with the following capital remark: 
 " I belong to the progressive democracy in religion'' In 
 accordance with the same spirit, when the Synod of 
 Albany first took up the subject of Dancing, an indi- 
 vidual threw out the idea — an idea, too, that seemed 
 to have great weight with the zealous — that it was 
 high time the Synod had taken stringent action 
 against this evil ; for the reason, that it would make 
 Presbyterianism disiinctive in its character. We sup- 
 pose, from his apparent willingness to make dancing 
 a term of church membership, like " Scrutator" — that 
 able champion of the Progressives — and from several 
 speeches on the occasion, all zealously tending to the 
 same point, he was fully convinced that the best way 
 to make Presbyterianism distinctive (not extinctive, 
 reader,) would be for the denomination to go over, 
 in a bod}', to the Progressive Democracy in Religion. 
 This would satisfy the world that Christians are not 
 "fools," as Dr. Barnes says, " oinecessiti/T Doubtless 
 our hero of the prayer-meeting would deliver an- 
 
other speech on the occasion, m perfect harmony 
 with the movement, and would extend to them a 
 most cordial fellowship. We wish we knew that fel- 
 low. We want to thank him for that capital intro- 
 duction to his speech. Had he designed to burlesque 
 a certain class of modern religionists, he hit it exact- 
 ly. Nothing could be more to the point. Religion 
 has its progressive democracy as well as the state. 
 Men who seize a single idea, and vow to it eternal 
 allegiance, with all the ardor and devotion of the 
 redoubtable hero of Cervantes. Valiant knights they 
 are, too. No obstacle daunts their courage. No 
 draw-back checks their progress. They will encoun- 
 ter a threshing-machine with a valor as unflinching 
 as that which instigated the celebrated knight in his 
 attack on the windmill ; and, though the conflict 
 leaves the threshing-machine victorious and its anta- 
 gonists with mangled limbs as well as bloody noses, 
 yet they pause only for a moment, to cry out, persecu- 
 tion " for righteousness' sake ;" when, recovering, as 
 if by magic, they renew the struggle with a like valor 
 and with like success. Our age abounds in examples. 
 Among the great and growing evils, on which these 
 men exercise their valor, is that most awful of all 
 awful iniquities that ever cursed the earth — an evil, 
 which, to judge of the importance they attach to it, is 
 likely to }>ring in its train, wars, pestilences, and fa- 
 mines, and other dire calamities, like the merchant's 
 goods, too numerous to mention : we mean the evil of 
 occasionally dancing for amusement. Compared with 
 this, heathenism, with all its degradation, its cruelty 
 
and its crimes, is as nothing. Pause, ye missionary 
 heralds ! Hold, ye philanthropists, who are printing 
 Bibles and tracts, and laboring to dispel the intellec- 
 tual and moral darkness that broods over the world, 
 hold, we say, till these valiant knights have prostrat- 
 ed this deadly foe ! Behold the spectacle ! Niagara 
 foaming with rage and calling in a voice of thunder 
 on the upper lakes to pour down their waters to 
 drown a rat ! While the tiger and elephant are 
 loose, these men are arousing all creation to bring 
 their clubs and cudgels to kill a mouse. Is there 
 a minister or a layman who, hearing this cry, hesi- 
 tates to obey the summons ? Tremble, ye culprits ! 
 Don't you hear their response ? " Meroz" is cursed ! 
 for he " comes not up to the help of the Lord against 
 the mighty." 
 
 Not long since, the writer of this felt himself called 
 upon by the state of the times, to publish an argu- 
 ment against the increasing tendency, in ecclesiasti- 
 cal bodies, to push their legislation to extremes; and 
 also to awaken the attention of Christians to the 
 " more excellent way" of reforming the world, than 
 of making every new fantasy, respecting matters 
 non-essential, a term of church-membership : viz. by 
 concentrating their energies on the direct further- 
 ance of the Gospel. We addressed our communi- 
 cation to the Synod of Albany. Perhaps the public 
 may get the impression, from our omission to discri- 
 minate, that all of the Synod, except us, were in favor 
 of that kind of legislation. Far otherwise. A large 
 number of that body agree with us in the main posi- 
 
6 
 
 tlons we have taken. To onr Letter .several replies 
 have appeared. One hi the columns of the Specta- 
 tor, a professedly religious paper in Albany. It 
 amounted to nothing. It was mere random declam- 
 ation. AVe were not at all surprised, when we saw 
 in the columns of the same paper which contained 
 this, pious froth, an urgent call, by the editor, on his 
 patrons, to make a general rally and procure for him 
 additional subscribers. This battery, thought we, 
 will soon silence itself Its subscribers cannot be 
 sufhciently fond of noise, to pay their money a great 
 w^hile for powder merely to shoot wads. 
 
 Another individual has written an answer and 
 published it. It is directed to Clericus. This is also 
 a gem. When we first read it we were terribly 
 frightened. At the least noise we instinctively start- 
 ed, supposing the sheriff was approaching w^th a 
 writ, " de haeretico comburendo." For the moment, we 
 were laboring under the illusion that we were living 
 in times anterior to the toleration act. Recollec- 
 tion of the nineteenth century, however, soon re- 
 turned, when we recovered our senses, and breathed 
 more freety. To save " Scrutator" the mortification 
 of being passed by in silence, we will notice his 
 leading arguments. 
 
 First, let the reader understand our own. What 
 was our position ? Was it to favor balls or worldli- 
 ness? Not at all. It was simply this : Church cowls 
 have no rujht to male damiwj a term of church mcmber- 
 ahij). In defending this position, we verily thought 
 we were doim^ the church a service. AVe were do- 
 
fending the rights of the private members of the 
 church from an iimoarrantahle assumption of authority 
 over them, on the part of their superiors. Every 
 layman is seriously interested in resisting every such 
 encroachment. There is a pinciiih involved, which 
 vitally affects his individual interests. Because, if 
 church courts take it into their heads to force the 
 conscience of a layman in regard to one thing, not in 
 itself wrong, they may in a thousand other things- 
 Where is the limit to this power ? Where will they 
 stop ? Bear in mind, reader, that this and this only, 
 is the issue which " Clericus" has raised. Now, how 
 are we answered ? We will represent it in the form 
 of a dialogue. 
 
 Clericus. Church courts have no right to make 
 dancing a term of church-membership, because Christ 
 does not, and there is no passage of Scripture which 
 explicitly condemns it. 
 
 Scrutator. You had no right to write that letter 
 to the Synod of Albany. 
 
 Clericus. Nor have church courts a right to make 
 dancing a term of church-membership, on the ground 
 that it is inexpedient. Dr. Barnes and others say, that 
 the doctrine of expediency, as exhibited by Paul, 
 where he says, " If meat make my brother to offend, 
 I will eat no flesh while the world standeth," &c., 
 applies likewise to dancing, and, therefore, condemns 
 it. Well, if that passage be applicable to dancing, 
 so also is the following, written by the Apostle on 
 the same subject, and designed to elucidate the same 
 principle : " Let not him that eateth despise him that 
 
cateth not ; and let not him that eateth not, judge 
 him that eateth ; for God hath received him." Or, 
 to change a word, " Let mt him thai dmiceth not, judge 
 1dm tlmt daiiccth ; for God hath received him" Church 
 courts, therefore, have no right to make dancing a 
 term of communion. 
 
 Scrutator. Ah ! we smell the rat. You are not 
 only worldly yourself, but you are an advocate of 
 worldliness. 
 
 Clericiis. We deem it best for church courts, as 
 well as individuals, " not to be wise above tvJmt is 
 written'^ 
 
 Scrutator. Ah ! we now not only smell the rat, 
 but we distinctly see it. Monstrous ! It is as big as 
 an elephant ! Clericus is the most worldly man in 
 existence ! He is but "little better than one of the 
 wicked." 
 
 Clericus. Dr. Barnes himself, in his commentary 
 on the passage I have quoted before, as an offset to 
 his, says, (a circumstance he seems to have forgotten 
 when he wrote his sermon on Dancing,) that this pas- 
 sage teaches distinctly, that we have no light to force 
 the conscience of our brethren in regard to matters 
 " non-essential." He says, " If he cannot see that 
 the Bible requires a particular cut to his coat," no 
 power on earth has a right to attempt to make him 
 see it ; that to do so is an unathorized meddling 
 with " other men's matters" — a thing expressly con- 
 demned by the Apostle Peter ; that such an exercise 
 of power is " lording it over God's heritage ;" that 
 this principle of the Apostle lies at the very founda- 
 
9 
 
 tion of true charity, and that, if men had only acted 
 on this principle, it would have saved many, if not 
 all, church contentions. Dr. Hodge says, in relation 
 to this passage, that " If God has not made a thing a 
 term of communion, iuc have no right to do so." 
 
 Scrutator. We will leave you to settle your con- 
 troversy with Dr. Barnes, and the other Doctors, as 
 best you can. 
 
 Clericus. The American Tract Society have pub- 
 lished a tract which pretends to bring forward three 
 passages of Scripture, which explicitly condemn danc- 
 ing. The first of these j)assages has not the remotest 
 allusion to dancing. The second. Dr. Barnes says, 
 has no design whatever to teach that dancing is 
 wrong. The third speaks of the fact that the daugh- 
 ter of Herodias danced before Herod, but no more 
 condemns dancing, than the passage, in the Parable 
 of the Prodigal Son, which says, when the son return- 
 ed, they had " music and dancing," approves of it. 
 
 Scrutator. Did Jesus Christ and the Apostles 
 dance ? 
 
 Clenciis. Church courts, therefore, have no right 
 to make dancing a term of communion. 
 
 Scrutator. You are opposed to every good reform. 
 
 Clericus. We have another difficulty. If church 
 courts do this, they virtually give up to Rome, prin- 
 ciples, which, if carried out, would authorize all her 
 extravagances. They do this in three respects. — 
 1st. They add unauthorized supplements to the word 
 of God. They engraft upon it a doctrine which it 
 does not teach. Now, is it not one of our great com- 
 
10 
 
 plaints against Rome, that .she makes '' void the law 
 by her traditions ?" 2d. They usurp an unauthor- 
 ized power over the human conscience. They have 
 no right to force the conscience of their brethren in 
 regard to things in themselves lawful or indiflerent. 
 Do we not complain bitterly of Eome for thus tyran- 
 nizing over the human conscience ? 3d. They make, 
 as we have been showino; all alou":, unauthorized 
 tests of church-membership. This is another of our 
 great complaints against Rome. This question, there- 
 fore, of making dancing, and every other little 
 thing, a term of communion, involves the very hinge 
 on which hangs our controversy with Rome. We 
 cannot consistently reproach her for carrying out a 
 prmciple we adopt and practise ourselves. 
 
 Scrutator. Tetzel went through Germany j^eddling 
 indulgences. 
 
 Clejicus. We have still another difficulty. If 
 Church courts make dancing a term of communion, 
 it will open the door for making additional tests, 
 when urged by that class of men commonly known 
 as men of " one-idea." If Church courts do it in this 
 case, consistency would require them to do it in 
 others. Why not ? The same arguments, by which 
 they justify this, would apph', with equal force, to a 
 thousand other things — such as fashionable parties, 
 using tobacco, or tea and coffee, and extravagance in 
 dress — moderate drinking of wine, holding of slaves 
 &c. When urged by these "one idea" religionists to 
 carry out their principles, how <^;ni tlicy, in nil con- 
 sistency, refuse ? 
 
11 
 
 fSerntator. What venom against serious truth ! 
 Perhaps the public, on the ground that no man mak- 
 ing the least pretension to common sense, Avould 
 make such replies, may suspect that this is burlesque. 
 If they will take our letter to the Synod and " Scru- 
 tator's" reply, and compare the two, they will find 
 t/us is indeed a true representation of the real state of 
 the controversy. Yet " Scrutator," with a character- 
 istic self-contempt, says he does not pretend that he 
 has said all that might be said against dancing. Dr. 
 Barnes said well, " That the world is yet to be con- 
 vinced that christians are not of necessity fools" — 
 only he might have added that the same is to be 
 done in regard to ministers. We promise the public, 
 that before we get through, we will do what little we 
 can towards so desirable a result. 
 
 " Scrutator" is here ready to say, " You have omit- 
 ted in your dialogue some of the strongest imnts of 
 my reply 1" We acknowledge it, " Scrutator." We 
 omitted them there on purpose to make them mat- 
 ters of special consideration afterwards. Now we 
 will bring forward your strong points. ■ Here they are, 
 verhatim, from your reply ; the strongest we can find. 
 "Moreover it is expected that the grossly profane 
 will scoff at serious things ; but it was not to have 
 been expected of a minister of Christ." Again: — 
 " Sir, are you indeed a clergyman ? Or have you 
 only assumed the title for effect ? Is it possible that 
 such venom against serious truth can find a lodge- 
 ment in a clergyman's heart ?" Again : " Are you a 
 pastor ? — will the promulgation of such opinions 
 
12 
 
 raise you in the estimation of tlie pious portion of 
 your flock? Will tliey secure the confidence and 
 esteem of the thoughtless and irreligious ? Are you 
 unsettled ? and do you wish to secure a field of la- 
 bor and usefulness ? Will the letter which you have 
 written to the Synod of Albany be likely to intro- 
 duce you into those vacancies where they wish to 
 secure the labors of a pious, self-denying, faithful, 
 uncompromising minister ? Oh, sir, I am sorry that 
 you have written that letter, for your own sake. 
 That you may be led to see things more correctly, is 
 the sincere prayer, of yours, truly. Scrutator." 
 
 So " Scrutator" — alias, little Da^id, (for in his reply 
 he modestly compares himself to David cutting off the 
 head of Goliath, i. e., the head of Clericus, with Go- 
 liath's own sword,) after thus turning up the whites of 
 his eyes and ejecting this pious bile, betakes himself to 
 prayer. He prays for our conversion. This reminds us 
 of an occurrence that took place in a western village, 
 and under our own observation. Elder Knapp, at the 
 time, was under full sail with one of his protracted 
 meetings. A prayer-meeting was hold one evening 
 in the week by the young people. A most worthy and 
 excellent elderly lady, who had for many years taken 
 a great interest in the young people, was wont, occa- 
 sionally, to attend this meeting. She had been much 
 esteemed by the young people in the days of their 
 calmness, and, as a token of their resj^cct and af- 
 fection, when they spoke of her, they would prefix 
 the appellation, " mother," to her real name ; which, 
 for the .sake of convenience, we will call Quitman. 
 
At this time the yoimg people had become nearly 
 crazed with Knapp's extravagances. So much so, 
 that they introduced into their accustomed meeting, 
 the practice of having the " sisters" participate, vo- 
 cally, with the " brethren" in prayer. On one of 
 these occasions, just at the height of their fanaticism, 
 when the " sisters" were quite officious in doing their 
 share of the praying, and the " brethren" equally 
 conspicuous in groaning, Mother Quitman happened 
 to be present. Immediately after the meeting was 
 dismissed, before they left the room, Mother Quit- 
 man ventured to remonstrate with them for the 
 gross irregularity she had witnessed. Whereupon 
 the leader of the meeting, Avho was one of the young 
 progressive democrats in religion, exclaimed, " Bre- 
 thren and sisters, let us iwaij for Mother Quitman." 
 Instantly all were do^vai upon their knees, and 
 Heaven was violently importuned to forgive this 
 transgressing mother in Israel, for the awful sin of 
 opposing the work of God. And were they not 
 right ? Was it not plain, as the noon da}' sun, that 
 Mother Quitman was opposed to 'prayer ? Did she 
 not, on this occasion, attempt to quench the S2nrit of 
 prayer ? Will any one dare to justify her conduct ? 
 If so, we tell him that the majonty of these humble, 
 self-denying, self-abasing, and self-dif&dent brethren 
 and sisters, were against her. Indeed, the most pro- 
 minent actors in Knapp's protracted meeting were 
 horrified at Mother Quitman's presumption. What 
 greatly aggravates her ci^se is, that though she was 
 not a minister, yet, she was a minister's wife. Can it 
 
14 
 
 he possible? What ! a minister's wife oppose prayer? 
 Who doubts 7ioi(f that these young people wore ?'i(jf/it 
 in interceding — most earnestly interceding — for this 
 wicked woman ? Will any one have the hardihood to 
 dispute this ? We say, they were. There, answer us, 
 if you can. And so w^as " Scrutator" right in praying 
 for " Clericus." And, that his prayer " availcih mvch," 
 is evident from the subdued tone with w^hich Cleri- 
 cus conducts his rejoinder. 
 
 We thank " Scrutator" for his prayer. Would that 
 we could return the compliment. But alas! "the 
 prayer of the wicked is an abomination." No gift 
 have we with which to return this extraordinary fa- 
 vor. All the return that w^e can make, w^e now offer 
 in the way of advice. First: before he w^rites again, 
 we advise " Scrutator" to study his grammar. When 
 he gets to the verbs, let him learn the difterence be- 
 tween the w^ords " s-e-t" and " s-i-t," and sundry other 
 words ; and also glance his eye slightly over the ar- 
 ticle of prosody. Next we advise him to transmit 
 his publication to Barnum, the celebrated curiosity- 
 monger. It is a rarity. Nothing like it has appeared 
 since the days of the Commonwealth. " Scrutator,'' 
 however, has not shown quite so much taste in the 
 selection of a title for his pamphlet, as the Puritans 
 of those times did for like productions. They were 
 accustomed to select titles like the following: " Cnims 
 of Comfort for the Chickens of the Church." " Scru- 
 tator" might remedy this defect by a second edition 
 — binding up with it Barques' Sermon, and the Tract 
 of the American Tract Society on dancing; and 
 
15 
 
 then adopt the foregoing title, with a slight variation, 
 which we will suggest : for example, '" Dumplings of 
 Comfort for Pious Ranters." On the reverse of this 
 book, he would do well to have a picture of himself; 
 alias, David just in the act of cutting off Goliath's 
 head with his own sword. 
 
 There are three thino-s with which mortal man 
 
 o 
 
 ought never to argue. A hurricane, a brawling wo- 
 man, and a f^xnatic. With a hurricane, for the reason 
 that logic has no aptitude for a contest with wind. 
 With a brawling w^oman, for the reason that the 
 essence of the victory consists in having the last 
 word. With a fanatic, for the two reasons already 
 given for avoiding a contest with the hurricane and 
 the woman. This is the only apology we offer the 
 public for dealing as we do with " Scrutator." 
 
 But, it is alleged that we have abused the Ameri- 
 can Tract Society, and ridiculed a tract which they 
 have published. We acknowledge the likeness we 
 drew, was sufficiently ugly and revolting. But we 
 protest, the fault was not in the artist. He who has 
 an ugly face, should not complain if the artist does 
 not make him appear the perfection of beauty. 
 What did we ? We showed the utter fallacy, not to 
 say 7ionseiise, of the author's arguments. Then we 
 noticed the impiety of a most ridiculous story, where 
 an " Aged Pastor" is made to say, that God damned a 
 young lady at the very instant she made up her 
 mind to go to a ball. We have nothing to take 
 back. It was a gross blunder in the American Tract 
 Society to publish such a tract. They deserve the 
 
16 
 
 rebuke. A more nonsensical string of arguments is 
 seldom to be met Avitli on any subject, than is con- 
 tained in that tract. Then to give their sanction to 
 such a story ! What was the object of this story ? 
 Why to i)rovc that God has done in his providence, 
 what He has not done in his word, i. e. explicitly 
 condemned dancing. What shall we say, too, of the 
 blasphemous presumption of the " Aged Pastor," in 
 attempting to wield the arm of the Almighty, for 
 the purpose of making Him work a miracle to satisfy 
 the contracted views of a mere mortal on the subject 
 of dancing ? What shall we say of his assuming to 
 speak so confidently of God's secret dispensations? 
 When the " Aijred Pastor" wrote that marvellous de- 
 claration, he must have just returned from his pulpit, 
 where he had been preaching from the text, " The 
 secret tliino:s belono- unto the Lord our God : but 
 those things which are revealed, belong unto us." 
 What fanaticism was ever yet broached that has not 
 claimed public credence on the ground that God had 
 ratified it, by some extraordinary demonstrations of 
 his providence ! When the catarrhal influenza pre- 
 vailed in France, in the fifteenth century, the priests 
 taught the people that it was a judgment from God 
 for singing an obscene song. When the person was 
 attacked, they said, " He must have sung the song." 
 (We seem to see " Scrutator," as he reads this, bright- 
 ening up his eyes, from the reflection, that he has us 
 completely on the hip, inasmuch as he can noio give 
 the world "confirmation strong as proof of Holy 
 Writ," that "■' Clcricus ' is not only in favor of danc- 
 
17 
 
 ing, but also of singing obscene songs.) The Roman- 
 ists have fabricated thousands of absurd stories about 
 God's inflicting miraculous judgments on Protestants 
 for opposing the Holy Mother Church. And British 
 Christians reciprocate their charity by insinuating 
 that God has afflicted Ireland with a famine, because 
 they are Catholics. Singular, that, though Ireland 
 has been in the same religious condition for many 
 centuries, yet the Almighty has just happened to 
 think Ireland is* inhabited by Catholics ; and has just 
 awakened to the importance of punishing them for 
 their religion ; particularly while heathen nations 
 are so muck better off, in point of religion, than they. 
 (" Scrutator !" do you hear that ? Is it not clear 
 as mud that " Clericus" is a Catholic in disguise ? 
 Away with such a fellow from the earth !) That 
 
 great and most charitable revival preacher, 
 
 (Pay attention, " Scrutator ;" evidence is forth- 
 coming that " Clericus" is likewise opposed to re- 
 vivals,) — that great and most charitable revival 
 preacher. Rev. Charles G. Finney, once said, in 
 a public sermon, that God had laid Nettleton 
 aside, because he had ceased to attend protracted 
 meetings. That is, God wrought a miracle to pun- 
 ish Mr. Nettleton and convince the world that 
 Mr. Finney was the chosen Gideon of the age, 
 raised up expressly to lead on the "fearless little 
 flock" of kindred spirits, whom alone it is the " Fa- 
 ther's good pleasure to give the kingdom," to battle 
 and to victory. When contemplating that man — 
 Mr. Nettleton — we were prone to indulge the hope 
 
 c 
 
18 
 
 that he went to heaven! But how can that be, 
 when, towards the very close of his life, he " went 
 not with" the " Progressive Democracy in religion ?" 
 What ! a man go to heaven who opposed revivals — 
 and — and — shall we say it ? even Mr. Finney ? No, it 
 is out of the question. His case is as plain as that 
 of the young lady, whom, according to the " Aged 
 Pastor," God condemned to hell for making up her 
 mind to go to a ball. Nay, plainer. Because the 
 "Pastor" being an "aged" man, may 'have fabricated 
 that story in his dotage ; but Mr. Finney was at mid- 
 age — in the full muturity of his powers, and had un- 
 doubted evidence of the fact he relates. However, 
 the story of the " Aged Pastor" has the sanction of 
 the American Tract Society; and that surely will 
 make it of cqtial weight with the story of Mr. Finney. 
 A reliarious " Progressive" was once hindered from 
 fulfilling an appointment to preach, on account of a 
 violent thunder storm that suddenly came up just 
 as he came near the place. In consequence his feet 
 were turned in another direction. This he after- 
 wards spoke of as a wonderful interposition of Provi- 
 dence. He was so overwhelmed with a sense of his 
 own littleness that he really supposed the Almighty 
 got up this terrible uproar of the elements expressly 
 to give him a Junt that he should not go to that place 
 and preach.^ In the name of good sense, when will 
 this fanaticism cease ? When the world are made 
 infidels Ijy it ? Yet it is fostered and encouraged by 
 
 * See Rev. Sidney Smith on Special Providences, or Edinburgh 
 Review. 
 
19 
 
 a Society formed expressly to put down infidelity 1 
 A Society, too, that is wonderfully particular in her- 
 alding through the land, what it calls the impositions 
 of Romanism, because they tell big stories about 
 God's working miracles through the relics of saints. 
 " Scrutator," alias little '' David," comes up, hurls 
 his sling at our poor temples, because we did not give 
 implicit credence to the story of the Aged Pastor, and, 
 then, having prostrated " Goliath," he siezes his gigan-i 
 tic sword and cuts off the Giant's head. This latter act 
 was because " Goliath" committed the '■' unpardonable 
 sin" in reproving the American Tract Society for 
 giving its high sanction to the custom of telling such 
 marvellous stories. But it is not the first offence of 
 the kind that this Society has committed. If it were, 
 it might be overlooked. Other instances of the kind 
 are on record. One will suffice. In Tract No. 221, 
 of the bound volumes of the Society, put forth to aid 
 the cause of Temperance, may be found the follow- 
 ing story about an old lady, who, in consequence of 
 a long habit of drinking alcohol, at last got on fire 
 by spontaneous combustion, and burned up, clothes 
 and all, in spite of all efforts of the servants and 
 neighbors to extinguish the flames. After stating 
 that there were ten cases of the kind, the author of 
 this tract says, — '' It would be unnecessary to relate 
 the whole, but I will state one of them, and from tJiis 
 an idea can be formed of the rest. It is the case of 
 a woman eighty years of age, exceedingly meagre, 
 who had drunk nothing hit ardent spirits for ^cars. 
 [Quite probable.] She was sitting in her elboAv chair, 
 
20 
 
 while her waiting maid went out of the room for a 
 few moments. On her return, seeing her mistress on 
 fire, she immediately gave the alarm ; and some peo- 
 ple coming to her assistance, one of them endeavor- 
 ed to extinguish the flames with his hands, but they 
 adhered to them as if they had heeii dij)j)ed in hrandt/ or oil 
 on fire. Water was brought and thrown on the body 
 in abundance, yet the fire appeared more violent — 
 [every body knows that water makes fire burn more 
 violently,] — and ?^as not extinguished till the ivlwle body 
 had been consumed. The lady was in the same place 
 in which she sat every day, there was no extraordi- 
 nary fire, and she had not fallen." 
 
 We will start a query here. It is whether the old 
 woman's shoes were burned up with her clothes. We 
 can imao;ine how alcohol mio;ht saturate her stock- 
 ings, and thereby make them combustible ; but that 
 it should penetrate her shoes and make them also 
 combustible ; shoes that, it is probable, she had not 
 worn more than a year, though she had drunk nothing 
 but akoJwlfor many years ; we say, that the shoes also 
 should burn up, is to us a great miracle. We can 
 conceive how a large quantity of clothes and a hu- 
 man body with all its flesh and bones, and teeth, too, 
 especially the teeth, could be saturated with alcohol 
 and burn up ; but we cannot get it through our hair 
 how the shoes should share the same fate. Surely, 
 though the smoke and stench must have been slightly 
 offensive, being in the same room, yet, if the people 
 stood there all the time, some of them might have 
 snatched the slioes as a brand from the burning. Her 
 
21 
 
 dress and stockings were consumed as well as the 
 body. But, as no mention is made of the shoes be- 
 ing rescued from the conflagration, we have a right 
 to infer that they too vanished with the rest ; and 
 this is our greatest wonder. We deem this a matter 
 of vast wiportance — one that will seriously affect all 
 future strides of old Mr. Temperance Reform. We 
 doubt whether the old gentleman can walk much 
 further, without having this or a similar pair of shoes 
 to put on. He Avill surely bruise his feet if he stirs 
 another step without them. In more points than 
 one, therefore, is the temperance cause dependent on 
 this wonderful story for its prosperity. In the next 
 edition of that tract we hope this matter about the 
 shoes will be cleared up. If not, we shall have an 
 ^ Inquirer''' put out on this all-important subject. We 
 shall select the ^' Inquirer," because it is its peculiar 
 province to take subjects of like importance and give 
 them a most thorough, learned and labored discussion. 
 Already has this able publication, whose editors, 
 with unparallelled disinterestedness, are seeking, as 
 they say, nothing but truth, already has it made and 
 published to the world, gratis, a discovery — second 
 only to that of Morse's Telegraph — a discovery which 
 is likely to startle the nations, viz : that, though the 
 great majority of mankind, of all ages, have thought 
 otherwise, yet there r^«//y is a radical difference be- 
 tween twedle-dum and twedle-dee. Let the " Inqui- 
 rer," then, take hold of this mighty subject — and, if 
 it cannot find the old woman's shoes, we hope it will 
 call a council of chemists and physicians, and have 
 
22 
 
 the ashes of this marvellous conflagration analyzed 
 and see if there are not some remains of the leather. 
 But, if, after investigation, it finds that the ashes 
 were thrown out into the fields, (of course there was 
 no funeral, for the " ivhole hodi/ tvas consumed^') we 
 hope that the ideMiccd spot where the ashes fell may 
 be searched out, and it be ascertained whether ve- 
 getation has grown there from that day to this. 
 We know, beforehand, from reason, that vegetation 
 ougM not to grow on such a spot. And should Dr. 
 Hun contradict us, we pledge our word that we 
 could fill a dozen numbers of the " Inquirer" Avith 
 letters from eminent physicians throughout the coun- 
 try, that will say. Dr. Hun knows nothing ahoid it. 
 Now, the " Inquirer" need have no delicacy in taking 
 hold of this through fear of interfering with the 
 operations of the American Tract Society. When 
 the result is ascertained, it may be issued in a new 
 Tract ; and thus the Society and the " Inquirer" 
 might both pull together Then, if both will publish 
 the result simultaneously, we predict there will be 
 such a rush of the people to sign the pledge as never 
 has before been known — such as no previous array 
 of astounding facts has ever caused. 
 
 But to be serious. We allude to these things, "not 
 because we love Caesar less, but Kome more." From 
 our very heart we say it, we love the American 
 Tract Society. No institution of the age is, in our 
 judgment, better adapted to do good. But let it not 
 encourage these fanatical extravagancies. Let it 
 keep within its proper sphere and leave the "isms'' of 
 
23 
 
 the day to themselves. If men of " one-idea" have 
 a little spare money, and offer it for a premium tract, 
 let them publish the tracts at their own expense, and 
 on their own responsibility. The Society will have 
 enough to do to preach the Gospel. Besides, it will 
 save itself a world of trouble. We have it from a 
 source entitled to credit, that since the Society pub- 
 lished the Tract on Dancing, its officers have receiv- 
 ed letters from Abolitionists from all parts of the 
 country, requesting them to publish Tracts on Slave- 
 ry ; and, urging, as a reason, that the Society had 
 published a Tract on Dancing. In this the Aboli- 
 tionists were right. Surely slavery is a greater evil 
 than dancing. Now, the Society ought to take a po- 
 sition where it can he consistent. If it does not, it 
 will get into trouble, of which it has no conception. 
 A portion, at least, of the religious community will 
 not go beyond the line where " Forbearance ceases 
 to be a virtue." 
 
 But, " Scrutator" makes another allegation. " Cleri- 
 cus" is opposed to the reforms of the day. This 
 allegation is based upon the following language of 
 our Letter : 
 
 " Indeed the whole policy of special organizations, 
 *' and special enactments against special evils is, in our 
 " humble judgment, incorrect. Providence, no doubt, 
 *• has wise reasons in permitting the experiments of 
 " the present age to be tried. He may thereby de- 
 " monstrate to the world by our experiments, and to 
 " succeeding ages, that his 07vn plan of reforming men 
 " which strikes at the heart, the source of all these 
 
24 
 
 " evils, is the best. So thought Paul, and his col- 
 " leagues. ' God forbid that I should glory,' says he, 
 " * save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.' Nor 
 " did he. Imagine, for a moment, the Apostle turning 
 " aside from his grand mission, and sending word to 
 "■ Corinth, or to Ephesus, that on a certain day he 
 ^' would be there and lecture on Anti-Slavery, or Tem- 
 ^'' perance, or on Dancing, or on any other particular 
 ^ evil, after which he would organize a society ! What 
 " can be more ludicrous ! And is the nature of your 
 " mission. Reverend Sirs, different from his ? Ought 
 " you to turn aside and concentrate your energies on 
 " particular vices ? No, not if you would adhere to 
 " apostolic example. If the same labor and zeal, 
 " and time and money, which have been spent 
 " in the 19th century in this way, had been devoted 
 " to the direct furtherance of the Gospel, there would 
 " have been, at this day, a far more wide-spread and 
 " substantial reformation in all these particular re- 
 " spects than there is now, and many more souls 
 " saved — to say nothing of tjie church contentions 
 " and distractions these proceedings have caused. 
 " This, we take it, is God's way of reforming the 
 " world." 
 
 " Clericus" is of the opinion, Mr. " Scrutator," that 
 you, and many other good men, are not taking 
 the most appropriate measures for reforming the 
 world. Special enactments against special evils, and 
 special organizations to put down special evils, are 
 too slender reliances on which to base our depend- 
 ance for subjugating this revolted world to the do- 
 
25 
 
 minion of Christ. It strikes us, Sir, that the Great 
 Founder of our religion knew, fully as well as you 
 and other reformers, what organization was best to 
 effect this object, when He constituted the church. 
 Had He deemed it better to adopt these reforming 
 machines, on which you so much rely, we think He 
 would have left directions for the Apostles and 
 others to ply them exclusively, and leave the church 
 to take care of herself But He thought otherwise. 
 Accordingly, when He commissioned His disciples, 
 He did not say, " Go ye into all the world and form 
 Temperance and Anti-Slavery Societies, and deliver 
 lectures on these subjects ;" but, " Go ye into all the 
 world and preach the Gospel to every creature, bap- 
 tizing them, &c.," i. e. inducting them into the church 
 by the proper ceremony of initiation. These patent 
 reforming machines, Sir, require too many hands 
 and too much expense, to work them. Then, after 
 all, the work they do is usually of little worth. Both 
 the warp and the woof are of miserable material, 
 and miserably put together. It wears but a little 
 while. Notwithstanding; all the efforts of reforming; 
 tinkers to make these machines work better, they 
 are every day getting worse, and more unmanage- 
 able. In the language of Foster, the celebrated es- 
 sayist — " The nature of man still ' casts ominous 
 conjecture on the whole success.' While that is cor- 
 rupt, it will pervert even the very schemes and 
 operations by which the world should be improved, 
 though their first principles were pure as heaven ; 
 and. revolutions, great discoveries, augmented sci- 
 
 D 
 
26 
 
 ence, and new forms of polity, will become in effect 
 the sublime mechanics of depravity. Hitherto the fatal 
 cause of all these evils, the corruption of the human 
 heart, has sported with the weakness, or seduced the 
 strength, of all human contrivances to subdue them. 
 Nor do I perceive any signs as yet that we are com- 
 mencing a better era, in which the means that have 
 failed before, or the expedients of a new and more 
 fortunate invention shall become irresistible, like 
 the sword of Michael, in our hands. All the spe- 
 culations and schemes of the sanguine projectors 
 of all ages, have left the world still a prey to infi- 
 nite legions of vices and miseries, an immortal 
 band, which has 'trampled in scorn on the monu- 
 ments and dust of self-idolizing men, zvho dreamed, each 
 in his day, that they ivere horn to chase these evils aid of the 
 worW [We hope none of our great reformers of the 
 present day will make a i^ersonal application of this. 
 We presume Mr. Foster meant nothing iyerso)ml\ 
 " Their work is before them ; the scene of moral dis- 
 order presents to them the plagues which they are 
 to stop, the mountain which they are to remove, the 
 torrent which they are to divert, the desert which 
 they are to clothe in verdure and bloom. Let them 
 make their experiment, and add each his page to 
 the gloomy records in which expenence contemns the 
 folly of imaginationr Yes, we say, with Mr. Foster, 
 " Let them try their experiments." They are in full 
 chase, striving to catch and bring back the evils that 
 have escaped from Pandora's box. We do not ex- 
 pect they will overtake them. No matter how fast 
 
:^7 
 
 they go, nor how far, these evils, like a shadow or 
 a beckoning ghost, will keep between them and 
 their pursuers the same illusive distance. Just near 
 enough to make them reach out after them, and just 
 far enough oif to be as effectually beyond their 
 grasp, as if oceans rolled between. Thus will they 
 run over hills and dales, and over states and conti- 
 nents, deaf to the voice of Calvary, calling them 
 back to their abandoned, yet plighted, service. Thus 
 will they run, ever grasping at the receding object, 
 till, at last, they sink in the ocean of squandered 
 existence, to be utterly forgotten, or, remembered 
 only as the victims of a delusion. But, thank Heaven, 
 though we expect these evils will ever elude the grasp 
 of self-sent mortals, one resource yet remains. Hope 
 is still in the box. Our hope is in God, and in God's 
 plan. Turning from these schemes of men, we will put 
 our trust in the omnipotence of God, exerted through 
 the church, the instrumentality He has instituted for 
 working out the moral renovation of earth. Across 
 the river which separates our race from the land of 
 the Millennium, God has erected a bridge sufficiently 
 ample in its structure and dimensions for all to pass 
 over. We do not deem it best to build any others 
 hy the side of it ; especially if they are to be support- 
 ed by a single " idea," and covered with planks of pa- 
 per pledges, as is the case with the Temperance and 
 Anti-Slavery bridges. In other words, the Christian 
 religion, brought to bear on mankind through the 
 church, is the great instrumentality designed by 
 Christ for reforming the world ; and, if its professors 
 
confine themselves to the great work of spreading 
 the Crospel, they will be more in their appropriate 
 sphere than by turning aside, unhidden, by Him to 
 Whom they have sworn allegiance, and bending 
 their energies to the advancement of a " single idea." 
 Here, allow us to remark, that, at this sentiment, we 
 expect " Scrutator," and his allies, will shudder with 
 instinctive horror. Because we have had the bold- 
 ness to think the great hridgc is sufficient, we expect 
 these logical antagonists will put out another publi- 
 cation, to prove that we are at heart opposed to 
 having ang bridge at all Connected with this, will be 
 a long dissertation to show the importance of bridges 
 — the dangers to which people will be exposed, in 
 attempting to cross rivers without them ; and, then, 
 will come the legitimate inference ; what a wretch 
 must he be, who will stand up in the 19th century, 
 directly facing the " march of mind," and have the 
 hardihood to oppose these benevolent conveniences ? 
 In vain will we reply, that we utter this sentiment, 
 not because we are ambitious to brave the " march of 
 mind," and fall a martyr in opposition to its progress; 
 but, because we wish to give it a proper direction ; 
 because we wish it to pass over to the land of the 
 Millennium on the great thorough-fare Christ has 
 provided, without turning aside to erect others near 
 it, from the slender materials of its own invention. 
 Very well. Gentlemen, peddle out your declamation 
 as long as you choose. You will have the unani- 
 mous applause of the stockholders and directors in 
 these new concerns. But, as for us, while it is our 
 
29 
 
 province to direct travellers the safest way to cross 
 the stream, we shall jDoiiit them to the old and well- 
 tried iDridge ; and, should it be our lot, in after life, 
 to be stationed on any of the distant by-ways that 
 lead to this bridge, whenever interrogated by anx- 
 ious passengers, we shall say, in the language of 
 Inspiration, " See and ask for the old paths, where is 
 the good imy, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest 
 unto your souls." No, it will not do. Christians 
 may better employ themselves than by abandoning 
 their covenant connexion, and enlisting in this reli- 
 ofious romance. Between Himself and all the mem- 
 
 o 
 
 bers of his church, Jesus Christ has solemnized a 
 marriage tie ; and, when they so far forget their 
 vows and their duties, as to seize a subordinate idea, 
 and make it imramoimt to the advancement of His 
 kingdom, they wantonly sever a connexion, and di- 
 vorce principles which He designed should be eter- 
 nal ; and that, too, while the voice of Inspiration, 
 with all its mighty sanctions, is sounding in their 
 ears, " What God hath joined together, let no man 
 put asunder." 
 
 3d. These extraneous associations cannot reach 
 the cause of all these evils. In morals and relisrion, 
 as well as mechanics, it is an invariable rule, that 
 the same causes, " caeteris paribus," produce the same 
 effects. No schemes, therefore, that are, in their own 
 nature, unadapted to remove the cause of any given 
 effects, can possibly succeed in removing those ef- 
 fects. All the evils which afflict mankind are the 
 effects of one great cause ; that is, as Foster says, 
 
30 
 
 " the depravUi/ of the human heart." Take the Tem- 
 perance organization, as an illustration. Where, 
 in that, are to be found those elements of power 
 adapted to reach this mighty cause ? In vain you 
 search for them. Through this institution you aim 
 only at externals. You strive to destroj'- only exterior 
 acts ! Where do you attempt to reach the heart — 
 the fountain of all these evils ? You are attempting 
 to dry up the Mississippi by dipping out its waters 
 with buckets, while you leave its fountains untouch- 
 ed ; and even your buckets are bottomless. When 
 will the stream be dry ? Not so long as the foun- 
 tain continues to pour forth its accustomed supply. 
 And this will never cease, till the Omnipotence of 
 God reaches it through the church and hy the Gospel. 
 What little success you have had, has been, in many 
 instances, virtually the success of defeat. You have 
 reformed men from the cup, but thousands have be- 
 taken themselves to opium, or to gluttony, or some 
 other species of intemperance. They only change 
 their mode of being intemperate. Still the question 
 returns. Why do you not reach the cause of these 
 evils ? For the reason, that your institution is not 
 adapted to the object. Your best resource is moral 
 suasion. But this is inadequate. It is notorious 
 that it often fails when connected with the high 
 sanctions of religion, to effect much. How much 
 more will it prove unavailable, when dissevered from 
 all these tremendous sanctions, as is the case with all 
 secular reforms ? Besides, you, who arc so fond of 
 statistics, tell us hovi much you owe to the Gospel for 
 
31 
 
 what little success you have ? Deduct from it that 
 portion for which you are indebted to the direct and 
 incidental influences of the Gospel, and how much, 
 that is of any worth, will remain? Your remaining spe- 
 cimens will be like the skeletons " of dry bones" seen 
 by the prophet — withered, dried, and dead. Do 
 your best, you cannot string them with nerves, and 
 muscles, and clothe them with flesh — much less, put 
 within them the breath of life. You ma}^ stand and 
 plead and argue before them till doom's day, yet you 
 will effect nothing. Your declamation, like the in- 
 cantations of an eastern conjurer, over the dried and 
 antiquated body of a mummy, will never bring them 
 to life ; and, like the conjurer with his incantations, 
 you are wasting time and energies for nought, that 
 might be better employed. But you will say, " Is it 
 not notorious, that, while we were declaiming, thou- 
 sands have been clothed with the habiliments of flesh, 
 and walked forth as living evidences of our power T 
 So, too, while you were declaiming, rain fell and ve- 
 getation grew, but that does not prove there was any 
 necessary connexion between your declamation and 
 the falling of the rain, or the growth of vegetation. 
 That i/ou should not discern the difference, or that 
 you should claim all the credit for yourselves, is not 
 to be wondered at. God still carries on His grand pur- 
 poses through the church and hy the Gospel, tvhatever 
 you may do ; nor will He cease " breathing life," into 
 these skeletons, because ignorant mortals may think 
 it is the effect of their oimi power, and claim the glory 
 for themselves. If, then, the Gospel imparts to your 
 
boasted success all its real virtue, why not act the 
 part of wisdom and adhere to that organization, with 
 which God has deposited the Gospel, and through 
 whose institutions He works for the " pulling down 
 of strong holds ?" 
 
 But this is not all. You have in this extraneous 
 organization, no elements of stability/ and pcrmanenci/. 
 Look at the history of this movement. Nothing but 
 one continued succession of advances and relapses. 
 Society, wielded by it, swings to and fro, like the tide. 
 When at the close of some powerful appeals from 
 your declaimers, the tide has receded, your custom 
 has been to shout " victory," and run down on the 
 shore to the water's edge, and there, with great pa- 
 rade, erect your embankments of paper pledges to 
 prevent its return. But it has as invariably return- 
 ed as it has gone out, and sometimes, as if to show 
 its contempt for these paper embankments, it has 
 not only swept them away, but has overflowed the 
 surrounding country with tenfold more destruction 
 than before. Look at your experiments mth your 
 license laws, for an example. So will it ever be. 
 We have an ample store of facts in our possession to 
 verify this. View this matter, then, in any aspect 
 you choose, and you will find that experience does, 
 indeed, " cast ominous Conjecture on the whole suc- 
 cess." If you aim only at partial success, your re- 
 ward is infinitely disproportionate to your labor. 
 If, with the experience you have already had, you 
 expect complete success — if you expect to make eight 
 hundred millions of human beings sign the pledge of 
 
33 
 
 total abstinence and keep it, Mr. Barnes need not 
 say of you, that you are " fools of necessity," but of 
 choice. No, j^our scheme is utterly impracticable. 
 You cannot permanently advance your " one idea," 
 so long as it is weighed down with so many unwiel- 
 dy incumbrances. It is too much like an ant, tugging 
 the livelong day at a burthen it cannot lift ; or, if by 
 extraordinary assiduity, it gets the burthen a little 
 farther up, it is only rewarded for its folly by tum- 
 bling down again, burthen and all, to the bottom of 
 its artificial hill. But as the ant, untaught by expe- 
 rience, renews the enterprise with like success, so 
 will you. 
 
 4th. These associations foster a spirit of exclusive 
 benevolence ; if, indeed, that can be benevolence which 
 is exclusive. Their adherents freely parade their do- 
 nations to advance their hobby, but have little or 
 nothing for the spread of the Gospel. Practically 
 their motto is, millions for our favorite idea, but not 
 a cent to spread the Gospel. 
 
 5th. If these men will devote the same zeal, and 
 time, and energies, and money, to the direct further- 
 ance of the Gospel, they would do really more to- 
 wards their professed object than they do now. You 
 can never push a single, isolated " idea" ahead of the 
 Gospel, and keep it there. All true reform is sym- 
 metrical. God's way of reforming the world is not 
 to carry one thing forward at a time, and then re- 
 turn and take another. His mode is not to make 
 the world temperance men first, and then come back, 
 
 E 
 
34 
 
 and go to work to make them Sabbath-keepers ; and 
 then, when that is done, return again, and take hold 
 of something else. His plan is to take all along to- 
 gether. This is the only safe way. Mere abstinence 
 from alcohol, while men indulge in a thousand other 
 things just as bad, is but little moral advantage to 
 the world, and is a small reward for the labor and 
 expense bestowed in bringing it about. If salvation 
 from mere temporal misery is your object, then bend 
 your efforts to the furtherance of the Gospel, and 
 that, in its benign workings, will save mankind from 
 a greater amount of even temporal misery — for it will 
 reform multitudes not only from their cups but from 
 all other vices. Then, it has the infinite advantage 
 over your scheme, of making its saving virtue felt 
 beyond the grave. Aim, therefore, to make men 
 Christians, and you will gain, not only your favorite 
 object, but every thing else that is worth gaining. 
 
 6th. Men who become warmly enlisted in these en- 
 terprizes, are prone to substitute their good w^orks, 
 in these respects, for their duties to the church. Be- 
 coming absorbed in a single thing, leads them to 
 neglect those private and public ordinances, design- 
 ed for their individual sanctification. They have no 
 time or heart except for the one thing. In this they 
 do a twofold injury: an injury to themselves — an 
 injury to religion. An injury to themselves, because 
 they are neglecting their own dearest interests. An 
 injury to religion, because they withhold from the 
 church those services which she has a right, from 
 their covenant vows, to expect. 
 
35 
 
 7th. These associations, by confining the mind to 
 a . single " idea," make their members self-righteous, 
 uncharitable and dictatorial. Do you hesitate to fa- 
 vor this or that move in the Temperance Reform ? 
 You are a drunkard — not only " a gluttonous ii|an 
 and a wine-bibber and a friend of publicans and sin- 
 ners," but worse. You are behind the age. You 
 oppose every good reform. Do you hesitate to fall 
 in with a new phase of the Abolition movement ? 
 You are a " manstealer." So with respect to other 
 movements of a similar character. Call to mind the 
 dictatorial tone and manner of the reformed drunk- 
 ards. With what impudent, not to say impious dog- 
 matism, did they attempt to mark out a course for 
 the clergy ? He who had the presumption to ques- 
 tion their right to dictate, or to refuse them his pul- 
 pit, must at once be assailed with a virulence as ma- 
 licious as it was unrelenting. Yet they were thrust 
 forward and encouraged in this bitter proscription, 
 by whom ? by your respectable and cJmrch-going refor- 
 mers. What cared they for the sacredness of their 
 religion or of the pulpit ? All must be degraded to 
 suit this grand stride in the "march of mind." In- 
 stead of attending, as they ought, to their religious 
 duties, these newly tamed lions must be led about, to 
 roar and rage, in the proportion of twice against the 
 ministry to once against " King Alcohol." Whenever 
 a blasphemous wretch took it into his head to get 
 out of the ditch, wash, put on a clean shirt and 
 dub himself a Reformed Drunkard, the minister of 
 God must be thrust aside and his pulpit given up, 
 
36 
 
 that this new proselyte may detail a minute account 
 of his revellings and debaucheries, and " glory in his 
 shame," before whom ? Before the chaste wives and 
 daughters of these very men — men whose religious 
 sensibilities are so exceedingly nice and refined, that 
 they would not, for the world, allow their daughter 
 to read a novel. Would that this were all. They 
 likewise assume to dictate to the church, what she 
 shall believe and what she shall do. Not satisfied 
 to lay hold of the ark of God as it is in the high- 
 way, they follow it to the tabernacle ; rend aside the 
 curtains with their uncircumcised hands, and press 
 their heaven daring intrusion even to the most holy 
 place. They attempt to introduce syrup as a substi- 
 tute for wine, as an emblem of the Saviour's blood ; 
 and if the appointed officers of God's house, do not 
 see fit to connive at the sacrilege, they, too, must 
 be persecuted and hunted down by the same fell 
 spirit of profanation. This is no fancy sketch. It is 
 a picture of facts. To their shame be it spoken, 
 many of the churches have yielded, and become sub- 
 servient. When the Synod of Albany, during a 
 regular meeting, as is the custom, threw itself on the 
 hospitality of one of its churches, though its pastor, 
 if not its session, could not but have known, that 
 such a step would be offensive to many, this session 
 were allowed, without the least intimation of what 
 was to be done, to offer this syrup at the commun- 
 ion service, to the Synod, as an emblem of their 
 Redeemer's blood. [" Scrutator," do you know any 
 thing of this ?] This same session have taken it upon 
 
37 
 
 them to rebuke, in their official capacity, the Gene- 
 ral Assembly for their action on Slavery, and to pub- 
 lish that rebuke to the world. In the same spirit, it 
 is said, that the pastor and the session have taken 
 incipient measures for dissolving their connexion 
 with the Presbyterian church, because, forsooth, the 
 General Assembly will not consent to the idea that 
 the opinions of said pastor and session are infallible 
 on the subject of Slavery. Happily, however, if ru- 
 mor be true, this pastor and session have been over- 
 ruled by a vote, for their honor be it spoken, of the 
 congregation. Before us lies the printed form of an 
 invitation to communion, adopted by another church, 
 in an adjoining county. We will give it to the 
 reader. 
 
 Form of Invitation to the Communion. — All persons 
 present, members of Evangelical churches in good 
 and regular standing, except such as use, manufac- 
 ture or trafic in intoxicating liquors as a beverage, and 
 also such as hold their fellow-men in slavery, or jus- 
 tify slavery or advocate its continued existence, are 
 cordially invited to sit down with us at the table of 
 our common Lord and Redeemer. 
 
 This very church, with the spirit of the true " Pro- 
 gressive Democracy in religion," have also taken the 
 ground, that it is unlawful for its members to Jceep a 
 secret, and will neither commune with nor tolerate a 
 fellow-christian, who is an Odd Fellow. However, 
 we do not know that they are very blameworthy, 
 when learned Synods and Presbyteries are so ready 
 to adopt a mode of legislation, which, either expli- 
 citly, or in effecty makes dancing, and various other 
 
38 
 
 tilings of a similar nature, terms of chnrch member- 
 ship. So long as this is the case, we have little hope 
 that the spirit of dictation on the part of these ex- 
 traneous organizations, and the consequent troubles 
 they are, in this way, causing throughout the land, 
 will come to an end. 
 
 8th. These associations, by these proceedings, pro- 
 duce a most unhappy impression on the irreligious. 
 Nothing brings religion into disrepute so much as 
 the false issues these associations are constantly rais- 
 ing. When a single question of this kind is made 
 the all-in-all of religion, men lose their respect for its 
 professors, and, by consequence, for the thing itself. 
 Many become infidels. 
 
 9th. They impose on the public by fallacious sta- 
 tistics, and build on these statistics an equallj" falla- 
 cious philosophy. When jail and prison statistics 
 were first gathered on the subject of Temperance, 
 they fell on the world like the " Awful Disclosures 
 of Maria Monk." Men were astounded. Much of 
 this statistical information was well calculated to de- 
 ceive. When an ardent lecturer, who was eager to 
 magnify his single " idea" as much as possible, visited 
 a jail or prison, he was ready to put down every 
 culprit, Avho, in the course of his life, had drunk a 
 glass of liquor, as having been brought there b}^ in- 
 temperance. All the crime, and evil, and misery, 
 according to these estimates, were the result of in- 
 temperance. 
 
 Finally, they are diverting the mind of Chris- 
 tians from their great and appropriate business 
 
39 
 
 ness — the spread of the Gospel. Not only is this the 
 effect of associations already formed, as we think 
 Ave have sufficiently shown, but there has arisen a 
 sort of mania for society making. When it will ex- 
 haust itself, and the religious public will come to 
 their senses on this subject, we cannot tell. One 
 thing we know, these things are exceedingly inju- 
 rious to religion.^ Entertaining these views of the 
 
 * We cut an article from the Presbyterian, taken originally from 
 the Boston Recorder, which humorously exposes the false philoso- 
 phy of the age, built on these false statistics ; and, also, the mania 
 for society making. As it will, doubtless, be a treat to the reader, 
 we transcribe it entire — title and all : — 
 
 Unguinianism. — Is it not astonishing, that in this age of reforma- 
 tions, the Christian world has continued to sleep over this important 
 subject — the excessive paring of nails ? Once a week is certainly 
 sufficient, for all reasonable purposes. Why, then, should we 
 suffer that immense waste of time and talent, caused by doino- it 
 twice a week ? Suppose that the operation is performed in one 
 minute — which is certainly a moderate estimate. The world is 
 supposed to contain 8(t0,000,000 inhabitants. By paring nails 
 twice a week, therefore, instead of once, 800,000,000 minutes are 
 lost to the human race every week. The minutes are equal to 
 13,333,333 hours, or 555,555 days, or 1520 years, every week, or 
 79,040 years of human life annually. Or rather, allowing men to 
 labour only twelve hours a day instead of twenty-four, it is equal 
 to the entire labour of 158,080 men. Allowing their time to be 
 worth $100 a year each, the annual pecuniary loss amounts to 
 $15,808,000. This sum would endow 105 colleges annually, with 
 funds of $150,000 each. It would give a salary of $500 each to 
 31,616 ministers. It would build 5,269 meeting houses annually 
 at $3,000 each. ^ 
 
 But the pecuniary loss is not the most affecting consideration. 
 Only think of the entire working hours of 150,080 men, squan- 
 dered in the unnecessary paring of finger nails ! So much useful 
 human activity blotted from existence ! So much opportunity for 
 mental and moral improvement, annihilated ! So many human be- 
 ings, so far as useful existence is concerned, murdered in every 
 generation ! Or, rather, every individual of the human race, robbed 
 of his share of 158,080 years of life ! O ! the apathy of mankind, 
 in view of this universal murder ! And we have all, by our silent 
 acquiescence, if in no other way, consented to it, and thus made 
 ourselves partakers of the guilt. What meetings have we held-— 
 
40 
 
 whole policy of extraneous organizations, we think 
 we shall err on the mfe side, by steadily adhering to 
 God's plan of reforming the world. \Ye are not 
 captious. We speak forth the words of " truth and 
 soberness." Here we close our plea for the Church, 
 as the great imtrument of reform ; and will only add, 
 " may our right hand forget its cunning, and our 
 tongue cleave to the roof of our mouth, if," in this 
 respect, " we prefer not Jerusalem above our chief 
 
 joy." 
 
 Akin to these extraneous associations, and as a 
 part of the same policy, are the special enactments of 
 ecclesiastical bodies against special evils. This is no 
 more the Gospel policy — or the policy instituted by 
 Christ and the Apostles, than the former. What do 
 these men mean by such legislation ? Do they in- 
 tend thereby to siipyly the deficiences of the word of 
 God ? Or, if, as they tell us, and as the New School 
 Assembly have told the world on the subject of 
 dancing, the Bible is 'phin and explicit on these points, 
 
 what agents have we sent forth — what presses have we established 
 — what notes of remonstrance have we in any way sent forth, 
 against this devourer of human life ? The pulpit is dumb, the press 
 is muzzled, and universal silence proclaims our condemnation, as 
 a pro-too-much-nail-cutting people. Where, O where is the Lu- 
 ther, whose iron trumpet-note shall break this sleep of ages ? — 
 
 Where is the Howard, whose "circumnavigation of charity" 
 
 and so on, as long as you please. 
 
 If any one questions the fact, that men pare their nails twice a 
 week, instead of once, as they ought, he may be put down by the 
 following plain answers. 1. It is notorious that they do. 2. He 
 who denies it is wholly uninformed on this subject. 3. He is alto- 
 gether behind the spirit of the age. 4. He is an enemy to the 
 unguinian reformation. 5. He pares his own nails too much. 6. 
 All the other arguments which are fashionable on such occasions. 
 
41 
 
 do they intend to confer on that Word, by their 
 ecclesiastical enactments, additional sanctity ? Do 
 they impart to it additional unction ? If it be so, 
 why not have the next General Assembly (shall it 
 be after a season of special prayer?) solemnly add 
 their collective sanction to the Ten Commandments, 
 or the Sermon on the Mount, or Paul's Epistle to 
 the Romans ? Would not the Decalogue, ever after, 
 assail the conscience with a mightier energy? — 
 Would not the Beatitudes acquire additional virtue ? 
 AV^ould not Paul's exposition of the doctrine of Justi- 
 fication, be like the bursting out of the full orbed 
 sun at midnight ? Were he to rise to life again, just 
 after such an enactment had passed the Assembly, 
 would not his ardent soul swell with gratitude for 
 this timely aid ? And Moses, too, were he to stand 
 by the side of the Apostle, on the occasion, would 
 he not receive the Decalogue on account of this ad- 
 ditional sanctity, thus conferred upon it, with a pro- 
 founder awe, than he did amid the smoke, and flames, 
 and thunderings of Sinai ? But they intend to drive 
 these evils out of the world by their ecclesiastical 
 " resolves." Foolish Apostles ! How were you de- 
 luded in supposing this wicked world was to be sub- 
 jugated to our Lord and His Christ, by that " Word" 
 which you called '' mighty through God to the pull- 
 ing down of the strong holds ?" What treasures of 
 time and labor have you squandered through this 
 vain delusion ! Had you only been favored with a 
 discovery of the improvement of modern times, and 
 devoted yourselves to the cdl-cffickd method of assem- 
 
 F 
 
42 
 
 bling in your ecclesiastical capacity, and passing 
 " resolves" against this and that evil, we, of the pre- 
 sent day, would have been basking amid the full 
 blaze of the Millenium. Happily, however, our 
 modern Presb3^teries and Synods will soon recover 
 what you have lost. They will now go to work 
 with an unconquerable determination to kill Intem- 
 perance, Slavery, Dancing, Worldliness, and other 
 evils, by their all-potent '•' resolves." Glorious era ! 
 Another grand stride in the '' march of mind !" By 
 all means, let these learned Synods be immediately 
 convened, that they may make up a few hundred bun- 
 dles of these "resolves," to send to the heathen. Only 
 arm the missionarj' mth a few of them, and he will 
 have no more use for that paltry Bible, on which 
 heretofore he has so much relied. 
 
 Some fourteen years ago, Sir, your Synod passed 
 resolutions encouraging the formation of Seventh 
 Commandment Societies, and expressly recommend- 
 ed McDowell and his Journal to the confidence of 
 the Christian public. What did you ? You threw 
 a ball of yarn against a mountain of granite. And 
 you might have continued to throw till doom's day, 
 yet you never would have made an impression. But 
 what is the criterion by which you determine the 
 necessity of such legislation ? By the magnitude of 
 the evils contemplated ? Then instead of encourag- 
 ing Seventh Commandment Societies simply, why 
 did you not begin at the beginning ? Why did you 
 not pass an enactment favoring the formation of a 
 First Commandment Society ? Then a Second, then 
 
43 
 
 a Third, and so on, till you had gone through the 
 Decalogue ? till you had stirred up the churches to 
 form ten distinct societies, corresponding to the Ten 
 Commandments ? More still. On the same princi- 
 ple why did you not favor further organizations 
 against the " Species^' as well as the " Genus ?" Had 
 you taken the Shorter Catechism, and singled out 
 the particular vices mentioned in the various an- 
 swers given to the question. What does this or that 
 commandment teach ? had you selected these vices 
 as fit objects for special organizations, you would 
 have made a far more logical use of these questions 
 and answers, than you did in your miserable replica- 
 tion to our arguments. Yes, carry out the principle. 
 Keep on till you get up as many organizations as 
 there are evils in the world. Then, where are you ? 
 Just where the church was at the oiUsef. That was 
 organized against all these vices, and this is what you 
 have done, with one rniportant difierence ; the church 
 possesses within herself the elements of power amphf 
 adequate to the accomplishment of the object. But 
 these elements do not belong to either one of your 
 particular organizations nor to all comhincd. Were 
 we to adopt the principle, the Synod thus sanctioned 
 by its legislation, we would immediately set about 
 the project of dividing up the church into sub-com- 
 mittees, each having for its object the extermination 
 of some particular evil. [Here, by the by, is another 
 difficulty connected with special organizations ; that 
 the principle, carried out, leads to a manifest absurd- 
 ity.] With our present views, however, instead of 
 
44 
 
 forming these sub-committees, we prefer remaining 
 in '•' committee of the whole ;" and also prefer that 
 learned ecclesiastics devote the time, spent in putting 
 forth these special enactments, to the better employ- 
 ment of preaching the Gospel. Still, if they think 
 they can break and scatter the rock to fragments by 
 hurling at it their balls of yarn, we repeat, ^*' Let 
 them try their experiments." One would suppose 
 a little reflection would teach them the folly of such 
 measures. At all events, that they would learn this 
 from histort/, if not from reflection. The entire expe- 
 rience of the Church, through all ages, demonstrates 
 the utter inutility of all such special enactments. 
 
 Take the matter of Dancing, for an example. The 
 kirks of Scotland have repeatedly attempted to sup- 
 press it. But all to no eflect. It is notorious that 
 the Scotch have kept up the custom of dancing from 
 time immemorial, and the more the kirks legislate 
 the less they accomplish. Human nature will not 
 bear it. Here, by the by, is ^fact that does not fall 
 in with the theory of " Scrutator," and his allies, on 
 this subject. Dancing has not had so demoralizing 
 an effect on the Scotch as they argue it must have. 
 Where is there a church on earth more celebrated 
 for its adherence to the doctrines of the Gospel than 
 the Scotch church ? Where is there a people that 
 have deteriorated less than they in point of morals ? 
 However, we refer to this fact not to justify dancing 
 by American Christians. We still tliink. that, in ex- 
 isting circumstances, it is better for all Christians to 
 abstain. But it is an evidence that no ecclesiastical 
 
45 
 
 legislation can reach the evil. We might compile 
 volumes of historical examples to the same point. 
 Whenever the Church has tried this kind of legisla- 
 tion, she has either barely failed, or else increased 
 the evil. It never does any good. One enactment 
 against Dancing, enforced through the Sessions, by 
 way of discipline, will cause ten dancing parties, 
 where there was one before. You can only suppress 
 the evil by elevating the tone of piety through the 
 Gospel. Do this, and you will have nothing to fear. 
 What we wish you to understand is, that, even if 
 these evils are as bad as }'ou say, yet, 3^ou are not 
 taking the method to get rid of them. You have 
 taken hold of the vn-ong end of the lever. Now, if 
 you will just cease this waste of energies — if you will 
 just step over to the other side of the fulcrum, and 
 take hold of the long end of the lever, you will lift 
 these obstacles out of the way with far greater ease. 
 Do this, and you will not run the hazard of breaking 
 your backs, by an excessive strain, without accom- 
 plishing your object. 
 
 In saying what we have, our sole ol^ject has 
 been to follow out the maxim of the Rev. Albert 
 Barnes, quoted on our title page, i. e. " to convince 
 the world," as far as in us lies, " that christians are 
 not of necessity /(9(?/-5." Our position in regard to the, 
 so called, reforms of the da}^, will, of course, be mis- 
 represented. " Fools" Avill stigmatize us as the advo- 
 cate of Dancing, of drunkenness, and the opponent 
 of every good reform. But we know perfectly with 
 whom we have to deal, and have counted the cod of 
 
4B 
 
 the undertaking. We think we shall be able to meet 
 every item of the expense, and honor every draft, 
 though it be payable at mgU. On the score of per- 
 sonal piety, we concede the palm to " Scrutator" — 
 " et id omne genus." For we frankly confess we have 
 no religion to load of To the public we say, we love 
 every yoocl reform, but from our very soul we abomi- 
 imte fanaticism. If we mud choose we prefer that our 
 house may rot down by gradual decay, than to have 
 it torn up and scattered over the fields by a whirl- 
 wind. For the present, we shall remain in a state of 
 " masterly inactivity," and see what we shall see ; — 
 simply commending, in conclusion, to " Scrutator" and 
 his allies, the following from the pen of the great and 
 good Pascal ; one, of whom the Avorld are constrained 
 to say — " Few men have ever dwelt on this ideal of 
 moral perfection [i. e. Christ] or sought to realize its 
 image in themselves, Avith more ardor than he." He 
 says : 
 
 '• You go so fixr as to say, ' that I have turned sa- 
 " cred tilings into ridicule' What ! are the fancies of 
 " your authors to pass for articles of faith ? And may 
 " not the fantastic and unchristian decisions of some 
 " oi goiir ivritcrs, be laughed at, without incurring the 
 " charge of making a jest of religion ? Are }^ou not 
 " seriously apprehensive, that, while censuring me 
 " for ridiculing your extravagancies, you will furnish 
 " me with a new subject of mockerj^, namely, that 
 " veri/ censure itself? tliat-I shall retort it upon your- 
 " selves, by showing that I have ridiculed nothing 
 " in your writings but what was reall// ridiculous ? — 
 
^'•' There is a loonderful dijfereme between laughing at reli- 
 " gion, and laughing at ilmsc ivho profane it hg their ex- 
 " travagani opinions. There are two things sufficiently 
 " obvious in the truths of religion, a divine beauty 
 " which renders them lovely, and a holy majesty, 
 " which makes them venerable ; and there are two 
 " observable peculiarities in errors — an impietg, tvhich 
 " renders them koyrihle, and an impertinence which makes 
 " them ridiculous. Having sufficiently explained this 
 *"' point, I shall do no more than quote the admirable 
 " language of Tertullian, which justifies my whole 
 " procedure. ' There are many things which deserve 
 " to be derided and jeered in this manner, lest they 
 " should acquire any kind of importance by a serious 
 ^' attack. Nothing is more worthy of laughter than 
 " vanity, and it belongs to truth to laugh, because 
 " she is gay, and to sport with her enemies, because 
 " she is certain of victory' Charity sometimes obliges 
 " us to ridicule the errors of men, that they may be 
 " induced to laugh at them themselves^ 
 Thus endeth the second lesson from 
 
 CLERICUS. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 Another of the "ten cases," (including that of the "Old Lady") 
 to whicli the author of the Tract on the Evils of Intemperance 
 referred, and the truthfulness of which is vouched for by the Ame- 
 rican Tract Society, has just come to our knowledge. It is the 
 case of a young man, twenty-five years of age, and is related as 
 follows : " He was found in a blacksmith's shop, just across the 
 way from where he had been. The owner, all of a sudden, dis- 
 covered an extensive light in his sliop, as though tlie whole buildivg 
 was ill a jiame. He ran with tlie greatest precipitancy, and, on 
 flinging open the door, discovered a man standing erect in the 
 midst of a widely extended silver coloured blaze, bearing, as he 
 described it, exactly the appearance of the wick of a burning can- 
 dle, in the midst of its own flame. He seized him by the shoulder 
 and jerked him to the door ; upon which the flame was instantly 
 extinguished," &c. — with the usual disastrous termination. This 
 case, it appears, was a Utile different from that of the " Old Lady." 
 Water, poured on in " abundance" had no effect in her case, except 
 to make the fire " more violent" but the "young man" was instantly 
 ^^ jerked out of the flame" by the strong arm of the blacksmith. — 
 There are other internal evidences of the truthfulness oC this story, 
 equally as conclusive as those in the story of the "Aged Pastor," or 
 of that relating to the " Old Lady." We serve up this story sim- 
 ply as another " Dumpling of Comfort" for " Scrutator." He will 
 doubtless relish this even more than he did the one furnished him 
 by the "Aged Pastor," for this is yet hot — the blacksmith has just 
 "jerked it out of the flame." Down with it, "Scrutator;" but 
 beware of " spontaneous combustion." "Oh! Sir, we would be 
 sorry" to have you burn up "for your otcn sake.'' 
 
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