to adopt either, so far as my salvation is concerned, providing I call myself a Trinitarian? Or, indeed, as the Trinity is a mystery which cannot be intelligibly explained, may I not believe all the trinitarian systems, and by that means, be safe at all events?

(2.) What do you mean by three persons, kind Sirs, and only one being? Suppose I tell you, that whilst writing the above question, I saw three persons* pass my window, but there was but one being? Would you not conclude that two of the persons were mere nonentities? Was it a person, instead of a being, that died on the Cross?

(3.) Do you admit, Rev. Sirs, that I shall certainly be

(2d.) Dr. WALLIS held that the three persons were only three modes, or relations which the Deity bears to his creatures.

64

(3d.) Bishop PEARSON says, There can be but one person originally of himself subsisting in that infinite Being, because a plurality of more persons, so subsisting, would necessarily infer a multiplicity of Gods.” The Son possessed the whole Divine nature by participation, etc.

(-4th.) Dr. THOMAS BURNET maintained that the Father is a selfexistent Being, but the Son and the Spirit dependent; but so united that Divine perfections and worship may be ascribed to each.

(5th.) Mr. BAXTER defines the three persons to be, love, wisdom and power, united like motion, light and heat in the sun.

(6th.) Bishop BURGESS gives the following syllogism:-"The Scriptures declare that, there are three omnipresent persons; but there cannot be two omnipresent beings; therefore, the three omnipresent persons can be only one God." But what passage speaks "ot three omnipresent persons, more than of "two omnipresent beings?" None.

(7th.) Bishop GASTRELL says, "The names of God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, must denote a three-fold difference, or distinction, belonging to God, but such as is consistent with the unity of the Divine nature; for each of these includes the whole idea of God and something more." And yet the three Gods, or the Father and something more; the Son and something more; and the Holy Ghost and something more, when added together, make but one God, and no more. Three times "something more," is nothing, according to this mode of reckoning!

(8th.) Dr. SHERLOCK maintains that the three persons in the Trinity, were as distinctly so, as Peter, James, and John were three persons; and adds,-"We must allow each person to be a God" He calls them, "three infinite minds," and yet holds there is only one God!

(9th) Mr. HEEER, in his Bampton Lectures, maintains that the second person in the Trinity was no other than the angel Michal, who conversed with Moses on Mount Sinai; and the third person, the angel Gabriel, who constituted the Jewish Shekinah.

The above are sketches from the various systems of English authors We might add many more, but we forbear. [See Spark's Letters on the Prot. Epis. Church, p. 149.]

*L. F. GALLUP, Dentist, was going by.

saved, if I become a Trinitarian? Because, if that belief does not secure my salvation, I should like to know what else I must believe to be on the safe side. Or, may I not expect to go to heaven, even should I retain some erroneous opinions, and take my seat, perhaps, with "the old, formal professors of Woodstock, who," as Mr. B. on one occasion said, "will have crowns of iron put upon their heads, and be sent away into the far distant twilight of heaven, where Gabriel will need a spy-glass or telescope to see them?"

(4.) Are you satisfied, Rev. Gentlemen, that Unitarians, Universalists, Christians, etc. are worse than murderers? (Mr. B. you know, said that "God murdered his own Son!") I intreat you to be neighborly, and give me definite answers. It may be the means, if your views be correct, of saving me, and thousands more, from eternal hell. Hence, as you profess to consider each soul of infinite value, you will esteem it a privilege to use your endeavors to enlighten the mind of a sincere inquirer. I cannot conceive of but one ground on which you can reject my solicitations. Mr. B. you recollect, in speaking from Zechariah, iv. 6, said that God made use of heretics and sinners, as the staging on which his servants stood, while at work upon his spiritual temple. As was the case among men, when the building was finished, he would tear down the staging and scatter it to the four winds of heaven, or burn it in hell-fire. He said a staging was indispensably necessary, and must be made of good strong materials, and be well nailed together, or it would give way, and let the work men down. Therefore, God would keep the anti-trinitarians nailed together, till the building was complete, and then send them to the regions of hell and damnation. Now, Sirs, you refuse to convert me, I shall suspect that you want me to remain as I am, to keep God's staging together, on which you are running about, from place to place, using putty and the paint brush, on the rough work of late revered leader. If that is the case, and you are fearful that by converting me it would leave a space, through which you would be likely to fall and come down where you were before the revival, I shall expect you will remain silent. But I hope, Rev. Sirs,

if

thas

your

bad examples. Probably you remember how vulgarly he declaimed against Universalists, using words, which, in our streets would be deemed profanity! Whilst on the subject of praying, did he not personify a Universalist, making him say, "O God, I pray," &c. and then exclaim, "But God Almighty says to him, You lie like hell; you don't pray for conversion any more than the devil does"? Do not, I intreat you, Gentlemen, accuse me of insincerity. I repeat with solemnity, that I have no objections to believing the truth.

CONCLUSION.

Many of Mr. B's vulgar comparisons have been omitted, in the foregoing pages, on account of their having already been given to the public from the press. But, as we write for the edification of his friends, in part, it seems as though they ought to have a word or two, on his "ALARM-BELL OF HELL." They regard that old thread-bare fiction, as his loudest proof that "the wages of sin is" ETERNAL "death." The sinner was supposed to be in the Calvinistic hell, where there is a great, (eternal) clock; and having suffered for millions of years, far down in the boiling lava of hell, he is tossed to the top of the waves; and casting his fiery eye-balls upon the clock, he inquires with deep groans, "How much longer must I suffer?" The long pendulum oscillating from pole to pole, makes the clock reply, Eternity! [swinging his arms before the desk,] ETERNITY!! Shrieking, and sinking again in broad and deep damnation, the sinner receives another fraction of his wages for millions of years, and coming to the surface again, screams aloud, "How long? Oh how long?" and the pendulum vibrates slow, and far from one extreme of hell to the other, ticking the awful reply, Eternity! E-T-E-R-N-I-T-Y!! E-T-E-R-N-I-T-Y ! ! ! This silly and jaded-out fiction was spoken and acted in such a manner, as to make it appalling to weak nerves and weaker heads. "Manner is matter" with Mr. Burchard; and had he chaunted the "eternal" ditty of "Jack and Gill," or "this is the house that Jack built,"

in a "solemn manner," it would have answered just as well, and been just as scriptural.

Every clandestine means was employed, during the meeting, to excite the audiences and alarm the public. Names of persons who were unwilling to be subjects for prayers, were written on slips of paper, and read from the desk. Some were laughable.* Stories were circulated that the Universalist society was broken up, and Mr. Streeter, having been refuted by Mr. B., had absconded. A venerable old friend came from Springfield, to ascertain the facts. He found the run-away at home, "bearding the lion in his den," and his Society united and prosperous. One worthy member has joined the Episcopalians; but he is not a Burchardite, and, says, he never was a Universalist.

Considering the duration of the meeting, the mighty efforts made, and the multitudes who assembled, the farce was "a mountain in labor." There are in this,

and the adjoining towns, ten thousand souls. The weather and sleighing were perfect for the whole 26 or 27 days, and people came from the distance of fifty miles or more, in various directions. Whole families of children were brought here, and put under Mr. and Mrs. B's care; and all who could be made to "give up their hearts," were reckoned as converts. Well, instead of thousands, as might have been expected, the braggadocio reported at the close, only about four hundred! But who are they, or where are they to be found? The question cannot be answered.

People were hurried into the churches, children and all, as soon as possible. One of the good women told me, that Mr. B. said they must be taken in before they

*To make it appear that my little sons were under conviction, a request was intended for them; but, owing to the bad writing or roguery in the desk, it was read, "Prayers are requested for Joseph and Henry Shuter;" to which, the holy response was given. But, owing to the mistake in the name, or something else, the prayers missed the mark.

A young "Lothorio" from Walpole, was accosted by Burchard, and having answered several questions readily, was insolently asked for his name. He replied, graciously,-"My name, Sir, is Řantumscoot." A propos. Mr. B. treated a fine young lady from Strafford, with incivility; and, as she says, took hold of her hand and hung on upon it, when she tried to pull it from his grasp, for a long while, occasioning much pain in

got cold, or the devil would catch more than half of them; and she believed he was sincere, or he would not dare to take such awful oaths as she had heard him say over, more than fifty times. Well how many did he huddle into the churches, including little children, youths, and adults? Why one hundred and twenty! Amazing success!! There is a mighty hue-and-cry about Mr. B's converting some men of talents, in sundry places! Well there may be, for, "like angel's visits," they are "few and far between."

No hardness is entertained towards any denomination of people. But I have one threat to announce, viz. that if my foes tell falsehoods about me, I shall consider myself at liberty, to publish truths about them.

Preamble and Resolution.

The following was adopted in open Town Meeting, as expressive of the views of the town, in regard to the person named; and there can be no doubt, notwithstanding all which has been said or written on the subject, that, were all the legal voters to act upon the question, it would be sustained by three-fourths of the votes.

"WHEREAS, a meeting has been held in the North Village in this town, professedly for religious purposes, and continued from day to day, since the 11th day of February last, under the guidance and direction of a Mr. J. Burchard, to which great numbers of the citizens of this and other towns have daily resorted, and whereas said Meetings have been protracted to unseasonable hours at night, tending to injure the health of individuals and the good order of Society; and whereas, unwonted exertions, practices and arts have been used, and are are still using by the said Burchard and his abettors, to induce "every man, woman and child," who can by any means be operated upon by such practice and art, to attend and join said meetings; and whereas, one individual, at least, if not more, has become a maniac, since the commencement of said meeting; in consequence of the feelings induced and begotten in course of attendance upon instructions inculcated in said meetings, and whereas, the said J. Burchard does in said meetings, daily and in almost every speech or discourse he makes, in coarse, unmeasured, and blasphemously profane terms and phrases, denounce eternal vengeance of Heaven upon large classes of our citizens, who entertain religious views of a different character, in some respects from himself;—and whereas bigotry and profanity are evils greatly to be deprecated in every society, putting forth claims to Philanthropy and morality-therefore,

Resolved, That we highly deprecate this state of things-that we recommend to our citizens generally to abstain from further attendance on the meetings of said Burchard---That he may have no fuel left upon which to practice his insidious arts, and no further countenance and