likely to apostatize as he that is immersed for any other purpose, I care not what it be. This I bave proved by observation-I was going to say, by experience too. And to this chiefly is to be attributed the superior attainments in righteousness, peace, joy, and a holy spirit of the first converts, compared with the moderns. It is not the withholding of God's Spirit, but it is our immuring our selves in the cells of anchorites, our burying ourselves under the traditions of the fathers, our explaining away the testimony of God, and our substituting the meteors of a moonless night for the radiance of the risen day, which has given such a pale and ghastly hue, such a wan and livid aspect to the christians of the new schools, of the modern brands, of the new mints of modern orthodoxy. May the Lord deliver us from the ghosts and spectres of an untoward gener

ation!

EDITOR.

HEAR THE PRIESTLY HIERARCHS!

THE intolerant zeal with which some of the most aspiring sectaries urge governmental inteference in behalf of the cessation of Sunday mails, has convinced me that political designs are at the bottom of the prayers of many of the petitioners. The leaders evince a spirit of resentment against those who do not coincide with their schemes-who do not sustain their pretensions, which illy comports with that zeal for holiness which they profess in favor of the Sabbath. That denouncing, persecuting, menacing spirit of haughty sectarianism exhibited in the following anathema, is more to be feared should it gain the ascendant than an invading army. Terrible will be the doom of these United States should they ever come under the ecclesiastical government of such christians as the Rev. Ezra Styles Ely and his brother the Rev. Wm. L. M'Calla. The rattling of stages on the Sabbath would be perfect melody compared with the music of the organs of a dominant priesthood. "Timeo Danaos ac dona ferentes," which I translate thus-I fear the priests even when offering gifts.

I am a cordial friend to the sanctification of the Lord's day in a christian manner, but to sanctify it by law at the solicitation of the priesthood, would be, at best, a solemn mockery-and a precedent of fatal omen to the civil as well as the religious liberties of this happiest of lands.

Why do not the clergy convert the people to Jesus Christ? and then the sanctification of the Lord's day will follow as a matter of course. Do they ask congress to do by the law what they cannot do by the gospel? They are dishonoring their own calling, and publishing their own incompetency and inability to the nation. When I see a christian binding himself in a vow to live temperately, and see a christian preacher praying congress to make the people go to church and observe the Sabbath, I cannot but say, O tempora! O mores!-What a satire upon the profession!

As the following piece from the Saturday Evening Post explains itself, and speaks for itself, I shall lay it before my readers without note or comment.-Ed. C, B,

From the Saturday Evening Post. Mr. Editor,-I herewith send you some extracts, copied from "The Philadelphian," a religious paper, published by the Reverend Ezra Stiles Ely. It purports to be the proceedings of a meeting of citizens in the Northern Liberties opposed to stopping the mail on Sunday. It is written, as you will perceive, in true billingsgate slang; and is a graceless attempt to slander a respectable portion of the community, who happen to differ in sentiment from the author.

This attempt to caricature the expression of public opinion on a question deeply affecting its interest, ought to be reprobated by every member of the community. The Reverend D. D. who had the effrontery to publish them, richly deserves, and I hope will receive, the public abhorrence. Such a man as Dr. Ely, who pretends to scruples of conscience on the use of the Sabbath, need no longer attempt to impose the purity of his motives upon a discerning public. It is matter of congratulation that he is powerless, and that the American people are not indebted to his bounty for the liberty of breathing.

After premising the place of meeting, which he calls "Punch hall, Grog street, sign of the Devil," &c. he introduces the following resolutions as having passed, viz:

"Resolved, That the thanks of this meeting be rendered to his Satanic Excellency, the president of darkness, for the industry and subtlety with which he has pursued his plans of deception, and for his success in effecting the ruin of the souls and the bodies of men, by opposing the doctrines of the gospel of Christ, Bible, Missionary, Tract, and Temperance Societies, and the efforts of all the good citizens of the United States, who would have the mail stopped, and the post offices closed on the Sabbath day, and by promoting irreligion, irreverence for the Bible and the Sabbath, contempt for the ministers of the gospel, and drunkenness, adulteries, diseases, poverty, blasphemies, perjuries, thefts, robberies, deaths, and murders."

The next resolution is an attempt to bite, or at least to show his fangs surcharged with venom, but perfectly harmless. The third resolution is directed against Senator Johnson, whom he abuses for the report of 1829, and is a ridiculous attempt at ridicule. The fourth resolution is, in part, a hypocritical lamentation on the part of mail stoppers, for the loss of the emoluments of office under the pretence of conscience. The remainder is in these words.

"Also, that, in the mean time, we send forth our agents into every part of the continent, to raise the hue and cry about the union of Church and State, and to employ every little hobbler of verse, who can make two lines jingle; every bar-room and rum orator; and every scurrilous editor, and as many poets. orators, and editors, of a better character as they can, to repeat the calumny."

The fifth resolution is as follows:

"Resolved moreover,―That we use our influence, as soon as prac ticable, to require of every member of congress, and of every member of the judiciary, and executive departments of the United

States government, a similar oath, to violate the Sabbath. Then shall we have effectually forced out Sabbath keepers from all the departments of honor and profit in the government of the United States, and shall have all to ourselves! Thanks then to our stars, we shall have the union of Bael Zebub and State!"

The sixth resolution is a compliment to the mail stoppers, but by some unaccountable mistake placed to the account of their opponents.

The seventh resolution is a direct compliment to M'Calla and Ely, written, no doubt, by the latter, for their superior virtue and talents above all other men-mere saints in the Sabbath school calendar.

The eight resolution presents a form of recantation for the Reverend Ezra Stiles Ely, of so filthy, vulgar, and blasphemous a character, as no man but the Reverend Doctor could ever have devised. I blush for the pen that wrote it: I would blush also for the writer, but that I know him to be shameless. This resolution ends with the following-"So help me, Devil!"

The ninth resolution is in these words:

"Resolved furthermore,―That if said E. S. Ely, D. D. should refuse publicly to sign this reasonable recantation, he be reported as intent on the union of Church and State; be denounced as such in the legislative halls of his country; written down as such in every Universalist, and Infidel Magazine, and Newspaper, and every other abusive periodical in the nation; and finally, that he be enrolled in Madam Royal's Black Book, and if there be nothing in this world blacker, O! that there could be a hell for him in the next!"

The tenth resolution enjoins secrecy upon the meeting, and the imposition of an oath. The conclusion of the proceedings is thus characterized:

"Accordingly, all were sworn; some on Thomas Paine's Age of Reason; others on the lids of Theophilus Gate's Reformer; and the rest on Madam Royal's Black Book. The meeting dissolved in order, with the exception of a little cursing, swearing, and huzzaing; and all that were sufficiently sober retired."

Such, Mr. Editor, are the extracts I have made from the libellous paper published by Ezra Styles Ely, who calls himself the Reverend D. D. but certainly more like a Demoniac than a divine! That such an outrageous attack upon society should be permitted, is lamentable indeed; but still more so when we consider that "The Philadelphian" passes for a religious paper, and its Editor claims to be a Minister of the gospel of Christ-a more infamous libel upon the character of the one, and the duties of the other, I never remember to have seen. Where and how the Reverend Doctor obtained his commission as an instructer of others, I know not; but am certain he has great occasion to be instructed in common decency, honesty, and those characteristics of the gentlemen of which he appears to be totally destitute at present.

Excuse me, Mr. Editor, for introducing into your columns the filth of the Philadelphian, and which its sapient and honest editor would fain pass off upon his readers for religious instruction.

BRIMSTONE.

THE SPIRIT OF SECTARIANISM.

THE following circumstance is related in a recent English periodical, which very clearly developes the spirit of sectarian

ism:

A young female teacher a few Sundays ago, was hearing her class in a Sunday School repeat a hymn in which occurred the following lines:

"Well might the Sun in darkness hide,

And shut his glories in;

When God, the mighty Maker, died

For man the creature's sin."

The teacher asked her class if they thought God died. One child said, "No! it was the Son of God who died!" Another child answered, "It is put so in the book to make it come in rhyme." The question put by the teacher to the class, found its way to the young curate, who is a high Calvinist, and she was removed from the school. Gospel Luminary.

WHAT NEXT?

IT will be remembered by many, that the promoters of the present Sabbath question now pending with Congress, have been charged by a committee in New York of the following pious fraud: That of the 6236 signers' names affixed to the memorial sent to Congress at its last cossion from New York city, only 9013 are to be found in the city directory. This charge has been denied by some individuals, who have published that upwards of 1200 names on the memorial, have been found in the directory in addition to those admitted to be there by the committee who make the charge. The committee in reply state, that no evidence has been produced which proves that their charge is not substantially correct. And further, that if it be admitted that 1200 additional names are to be found in the directory of 1829, in addition to those acknowledged by them, still 2000 names, or about one-third of the whole number affixed to the memorial, are by dint acknowledgment not to be found in the city directory. The committee state that the memorial was taken into at least one Sunday School, and signed by scholars, and specified the school which they allude to.

In addition to the above, the committee give a certificate signed by Thomas Holden, merchant tailor, corner of William-street and Exchange-place, the substance of which is this: A brother of Arthur Tappan, accompanied by another man, called at the store of said Holden, and requested him to sign the petition to have Sunday mails stopped. To repeated urgings, Holden declined signing the petition, stating that he wished to remain neuter on the question. Tappan replied to him, Those that are not for us are against us; and if you do not sign the petition, I shall report you to my brother and his connexions, and you shall have no more of our custom." Such conduct scarcely needs a comment.

[Ibid.]

Extract of a letter to the Editor of the Christian Baptist-dated ESSEX, April 1, 1830,

Dear Brother Campbell,

YOUR much esteemed favor I received with a joyful heart. To hear my dear son has constitutionally entered the kingdom of Messiah, tears of joy silently fell from our eyes. He is (except two) the only son I know of a Baptist preacher now living in the lower counties, that has bowed his neck to the government of Messiah. His brother, when he read your letter, appeared dumb for a while. I do hope, as he has been instructed from his infancy in the Scriptures, he will make them the man of his counsel, that he may prove a Barnabas to the children of God. Those who know him and have heard of it, begin to make large calculations for him-that when he comes into this section of country again, he will be able to advocate the cause of his Master with courage and fidelity.

I am now more convinced than ever that the manner in which the gospel is taught is destroying the human family. I doubt very much, if my son had continued with me, whether he would have been able to overcome the errors and customs of this day, or discovered the mist cast upon the gospel by the populars. Possibly many of the teachers may laugh at your having immersed him upon a profession of faith in the Messiah. They have greater cause to weep to see their sons, (often while they are in the pulpit sermonizing,) laughing or talking out of doors, or strolling back and forwards to a spring to become intoxicated with ardent spirits. This is no fiction. Many a good man has causo to wccp and lamont the truth of it. It is true the Temperance Society has put a check upon the excessive manner of using ardent spirits; yet infidelity seems to reign as much among the sons of preachers as among any others, if not more so. One of the best men I ever knew was a strong predestinarian, or Calvinistic preacher, who had only one son and a grandson. They both lived with him to the day of his death; neither of whom now pays any regard to the christian religion, and are seldom seen at a place of worship. Their doctrine is, "If I am to be saved, I shall be savedIf I am to be damned, I shall be damned; therefore it is useless for me to do any thing. If I cannot believe without the operations of the Holy Spirit upon my heart, I cannot believe? If God will not give me his Holy Spirit to produce faith, I cannot help it-I cannot believe." Thus, sir, except an excitement can be raised so as to enlist the passions of men, they stand idle all the day. This I have no hesitation in saying, is in a great measure produced by the manner of sermonizing to this generation from a text, and sometimes from a word.

I am pleased to find some of them ashamed of this doctrine. I wrote a letter making some remarks upon Christianos, under the signature of Thomas, in the Religious Herald of the 26th March. The Editor said he could not subscribe to what I said; but makes a cane of me to crack the pates of a good many of our brethren. He asks the questions, "Does he mean to represent Christianos and those that think with him, as supposing that men cannot when they will or wish to believe-that the testimony of God is incredible