Public Leger, Volume 2, Number 76, Richmond, Wayne County, 17 September 1825 — Page 4

ON ETERNITY Br Dr. Gibbous What i Eternity ? Can aught Paint itt duration to the thought ? Tell every beam the sun emitt, When in eublimest noon he sits ; fell every light-winged mote that strays Within its ample round of rays; Tell all the leaves, and all the buds. That crown the gardens and the woods; Tell all the spires of grass the tueads Produce, when spring propitious leads The new-born year; tell all the drop9 Tho night upon their bended tops Sheds in soft silence to display Their beauties with the rising day; Tell all the sands the ocean leaves, Tell all its rhanges, all it wave?; Or tell, with more laborious pains, Thf drops its mighty mass contains, Be this astonishir g account Augment) d with the full amount Of all the drops fierlouds have diet!, Wher'rr their water fleeces spread, Thr all Time's protracted tour, From Adam to the present hour: Still short the um , now can it vie W ith the more numerous years that lie Embosomed in Eternity. Was there a belt that could contain In iti vast orl tUe earth and main, With ficurc wa it clut red o'er, Wi ihout one en her i: the score, Ar.d could vciir t.ib'rms thought asMffi. The total of the crowded line, How scant the amount ? Th attempt how vain, To rt- trh dur atio'tN (miles chain ' F-rnhfti amui year has run, LVf'-'U'ided a;e i r.t het-un. At'i n !, ( r:i ia. h ith awediine, For ti t t'Tr,;f is thiue ! a " - '. . , .. A REM AKK A liLF. INSTANCE Of Divine interposition in time of crt.it di:!icultv : as related by stei ni G relet, a Treacher of the Society i f Friend. A native of Sweden, who has since re sided in the southof France, and with whom Stephen Grelet became acquainted, some years past, had occasion to go from one port to another in the Baltic eoa, jn busiand when he came to the place from which he expected to sail, the vessel was g ne. He by inquiry found a fish boat, which was going that same way, in which he embarked, and after getting out-tosea, tiie men obsrrv ing that he hail several trui ks or chests with him, concluded he

muU be rich kand iherefore would throw i him overboard' This he heard them X- j prcs Jitnorg themselves, w hich gave him ! threat uneasiness, being alone among uch j a set ot men, without npprehcndii g anv way to escape from them: However, he1 took occasion to open one of ins trunks, in j which were book; they seeing these, said !

one to the other, "it is not worth while to throw him overboard," (fer they did not Want books): then asking him il lie was a priest, "he (not ki owing u hat better means to report t lor safet .) answered he was;" - i ...

- -x y , ru ii.-ru, ill lit r.lllf j they would have a sot mon m-xt dav, being,! a-, they called it, Sunday. All this -till' inc r ased the anxiety and distress of his ! mind, helicvir.g him- H t be as incapable I of Mich a:, undertaking a- it was possible j for any man to be: fr he knew little about j the scripture-, neither did he believe in them, nor in any divine inspiration or rev-! clath.n unto man w hatevcr. j rJ litis going forward, they at length came to a small island of rocks in the sea, per- j haps a quarter of a mile in circumference,!

where were number of similar men. Bv this time he found that he had gotten among a company of pirates, who had chosen this little sequestered spot in the sea to depo site their treasure. He was taken to a cave and introduced to an old woman, they telling her that they "had gotten a priest and were going to have a sermon the next day."' She said she was glad of it, for shehad not heard the word of God in a great while. His condition now appeared desperate indeed, for preach he must and

knew nothing about preaching. If he re-' tued to preach, or undertook and did not ph a-e them, death he expected would be I hi poition. In this deplorable situation!

lie

without any way appearing to address the people. At length these words came before him: Verily there is a reward for the Righteous: Verily there is a God that judgeth in the Eartlw' He arose and delivered to them from little to more, until his understanding became opened, and his heart enlarged in a wonderful manner to himself, to treat on subjects suiting their conditions ; such as the excellent reward of the righteous, judgments awaititig the wicked, universality of the love of God to the child en of men, the necessity of repentance and amendment of life which had such a powerful effect on the minds of those poor wicked wretches, that they were exceedingly broken into tenderness and tears; arid he no less astonished at the unbounded goodness of an Almighty Creator, in thus interfering to save his natural and spiritual life. Well might he exclaim "that it was the Lord's doings and marvellous in his cycs:v under an awful sense thereof his heart became tilled with thankful acknowledgements, which was beyond the power of

I language to convey.

What a marvellous change was thus suddenly brought about by divine interposition! lie, who a little before dishelieyed in an intercourse or rommui ie itnui between God Almighty and the soul of man, became an humble believer in, and a happy partaker of its blessed effects on the human mind ; and they who so lately meditated his death, now were tilled with love and good will towards each other, and particularly to him, m uiifesting affectionate kindness and willingness to render him all the service in their power; and next day fitted out one of their vessels, and carried him where he wished to go, Erom that time he became, and continues to be, an entire changed man, from sentiments of infidelity, to a sincere believer of the power and efficacy of the principle of truth, as it is in Jesus Christ the saviour of the world.

.....v. v.. -nument a .

uie index 01 its character should lrf

t"1"""-" "uij national costi,

i :-kuwio. na

w hirv

.should lin solemn :m(l

as would secure to the sacerdotal SUc

ici, nidi ictu-iuuic Wlucll s ,, 'f I it r . . J u

to

The emblems of worship, propc 0 u red and arranged, and approved O pU maioritv of the tmfinr. rv.:..i , c' W ;

majority of the nation.

' K 1 1 w I f tv... '

coi re:-pond with it in other r.,. to

. l -nurtc u

llt1, a,-.v 0' woulrf,

them? Are the professors of " 7 '.crt

England to be, and would ?.

A C ""' III fl" roiantrv. firoffrntin i; tv. " luis

consumed to ncrHilmn f. .i:r . v'

g . ,vt mUt.n .

it be believed, that thus qualiLj the leading sects of Ibis coum-.. J a.'

pel the sanction of govcrnmo.a ;4 l'Id re'

'15

Whether this circular is the work of some religious order, or of the emissaries of the holy alliance, and whether the attempt to introduce religious tracts into our common schools on the authority of government was intended to pave the way for a union of church and tate; and also howfar the petitions for closing the canal locks, and stopping the stages and steam-boats on the Sabbath, were intended to bring the legislature under the influence of the clergy, and familiarize the people to 'legislation in matters of religion, by this insidious circular the reader may judge as well as we. We here place it before the public; we have discharged our duty, it belongs to our brother editors, and to the people to discharge theirs. CIRCULAR. "The present aspect of the times furnishes to an attentive observer, a clear

presentiment of the approaching -tate ot j SCcts in our country, is lender

the religious world. Who would have be- i solidation. in the nrincmio ,1.. coa

! lieved, even twenty years since, that Pres- i forms of worship, so desirable tV

bytenans, i.piscopahans, JJaptists, metno

dists, ecc. would have joined to deli! at this dav. on the best nlan for nn

J 1 I I I A A-A., fWIl.U. ILT 1 IlI'M- ;t,tT-,. 4-

ting Christian knowledge, and of forming niay be further realized, in serum Bible, Missionary and Tract Societies. j Congress an appropriation of a portion ?

UA spirit ol hrotherlv love and concord I the public lands, to a limited, vctnift'

is more and more ruling and reigning in cient number of the clergy, and for a

tne nearis oi our counirymen. i neoiogi- ueuneu course oi (uucation.)

ral bemmarirs, Ijihie, missionary and j; "I it not well to provide uards and.

i iai u irui ?, nnM . eii " mu ' curiues, in time, arau.

incie.iMi, iidieiiuumvu ieu eAi imi u , and r0,v UlSIOtlS Which may Clidui.oer f.'i-

'".s""i uiirn?t.uns nn.uij, social state : hen wars trou'.lrs

4 From what has been said, w

rr.,iv

irvillv rAiirliidn 1. .. i

tiou among the most respectable T6

t:ti

Metho-j lrUL. christian, and which may evcntih? iberate bring a conventional arrangemrrt a. i ropoga-! slttlld form. (These at.tirinat"'

From the C:ys:a N. Y. Patriot. rt'lUOl CtlU tTl.AR LAW AI) Rtl .IfitO.N CIIUKCH AMI STATE. The following curi us rircul.tr we received through the Post-Office from Alba

ny. Although this communication was in- j tended to be secretly circulated among;

?uch only as "have similai views," and the circulation of it has been limited,' yet, as we have a copy in our possession, and av we have been calculated upon by respected friends in other parts of the stUe, to

come cut in this case in lavor ot cml and J religious liberty, we deem it our nt'TV to j publish it, that the whole body of the peo-1 pie may be aware of a secret and most : foul conspiracy, to raise up a religious oli- j garchy, and gradually to advance a state i

j of things, which must essentially change ; the nature and principles, of our g ven.-,

metd. As the editor of a political newspaper,' we have never interfered in religi t mat-;

ters, w hiUt religion kept within it proper; ; t i i .. . ..i i i . . .t . a ;

ik"uiiu.; ino e joeoe cMiiseie n.u c

j win never so mieneic, irom mue oi friendship or hostility, to this or thtt religioiH sect or denomination, nor in any case j except when we conceive that some grand j principle of public liberty is put in jeopar- ' d hy those who labor to aggrandize them

selves and their order, at the expe isc of every thing dear to American citizens. But when circumstances require, regardless of personal consequences to ourselves, we shall breast the shock of infuriate zeal, strip the hypocrite of his assumed garb.

and sound a tocsin of alarm, which will; rouse to action the bleeping energies of j

the people. We see pretences indirectly set up, sim

il ar to those advanced by the French gov-;

crnment and the Spanish clergy, previous' ! to the invasion of Spain for the overthrow j j of the constitutional government. Isv tel-i ! ling us of the hurtful influence of disaffect-' j ed clergymen during the late war, and of;

the blessed effects "when wars and trou

bles come," of having "the moral and religious influence of so respectable an order as a faithful and united ecclesiastical body,"

exerted in preaching the doctrines of pas

pas-eu me night not having power to ; sivc obedienee t, th,. nv,r,,m,M thnt n.

Slav -r settle hi nur d upon any thing ton them, we are yiven negatively and indi-1 oter the people; and to call upon God j rectly, but pretty clearly to understand

wnom ne nel.eveci to he inaccessible, was that urdess church ami state are

altogether vain, and he could not, with all the powerb of his mind, devise anv way whereby he might be saved. When morning came he arose and walked to and fro, still shut up in daik distress, striving with all his might and ability to collec t something, but could not devise even one single sentence. When the time appointed for the meet

ing to begin came, he returned to the cave, ! w here he found them assembled, and a seat ! and table, with a Bible .on it provided tor !

him, and setting down, they all sat, he be

connected :

and the clergy provided for bv govern

ment, their "influence" will be directed in conjunction with the bayonets of the Uoh I All- . . J -I

finance, to ruin our lair country and overthrow our liberties, and bring upon us all the evils of Spanish poverty, slavery, and religious bigotry. The writer intimates plainly enough,

that we are to have a kind of inquisition' with the new order of things, by telling usj those whom the national establishment may accuse of "infidelity" are to be "borne!

down and overpowered" by "numerical

1 : . . J ,i . . . r i i j- i .... . J

jieveu, uunng me space oi nan an nour in , lorce," and that it will be the ''business of profound silence; and even then the t xer- government" to produce ui nuimity and cise and anguish of his soul was as great as j concord both iu our civil and religious inaumau uaturc was capable of enduring, ijstitutious.

keneil v hristian Z"al arc! research every where, under a well founded prospect, that increased blessings will tlow from the multiplication of all and particularly the latter, by the establishment of a N ational Tract Society at New -York, under the united care ai d superintendence of the most distinguished clergy of various denominations. , "I I is by these means, we see so many of our first men becoming converts more ai d more to the Christian faith, and devoted to the interest of Bible, Missionary and Tract Societies. At the seat of general Government we see Congress electing Chaplains in rotation, to oiler up prayers for the success of their deliberations. Wliile we witness suc h concert among the higher orders of society, as to religious w orship, with a favorable disposition to the distribution of religious tracts, properlv c omposed, we have good right to cone hide, it will issue ina wise NATION ALCBKKl), and that the most pious and enlightened men in our country will see the impropriety of sending out Missionaries and Divines to preach the woid of life, with discordant and conflicting views. "This pious unanimity and zeal will be apt to produce its own temporal reward. See the want of it in the late war, when the; influence of main disafl'ected clergymen was powerfulh and successfully exerted toparalxze the energy and operations of goven ment. They we re not then

dhm ed to feed and enjoy the benefits which

. i i it i .

iheir rohgious labors might comer upon

their country . "By enlisting moral and religious, and consequently numerical force in the cause of Religion, all the opposition of infidelity will be borne down and overpowered. Until those collisions and conflicts of opinion, growing out of the same christian ! lief, shall be annihilated or greatly abated, our country in times of distress and danger may be divided and distracted by religious feuds and quarrels. The business of government, ought, as much as possible, and may be practicable to produce unanimity and concord, both in our civil and religious institutions. "As sure as the force of circumstances produces order and system in the world, and as sure as there is a tendency and gravitation in natural and physical bodies towards each other, so sure, in the moral and

religious world, will the lesser bodies or sects be attached to the largest. Among refractory and apostate spirits, opposition

may be expected, but it will be made to yield to the power and influence of evangelical truth. "A reference to the state of Christianity in England, furnishes an ample solution to this position. A great majority of the people there are reconciled to the established order, and unite in giving their support to the state. I do not say this because I am

an Episcopalian, for I am not; but to force the necessity of unanimity in the prevailing religion c f the state; or to make it National in its form, tendency and operation; since that may be considered orthodox, which has the most adherents, who are made so by birth, education, or accident; as each sect pretends from scripture to derive proof of its system. It is the force of circumstance s we have been speaking of, which has produce d the Established Re ligion of England the choice of its people,

which is necessary to its peace the

(f

is it nothing to know the moral and nl,

j gtous influence of so respectable an ord-r, lasafaithlul and ecclesiastical bodv be exerted, where its inUn.4 and duty dietate, in explaining and in ideating thcdij. ties, ia conciliating the feelings, and ui.;I ting the energies of the country -tnair sta common enemy? And what in such as event, can tend so much to strengthen ti,e i arms of Government, and draw them tj j each other, as to compensate the U.burs f r jligiotis servants faithfully devoted to ir, (views? In the sunshine when no perpKi.. j ties asail us, we are not to calc ulate ij;h;( ;au unchangeable state of thir g. T;,c j progress of events which are fa?t trar firing and developing themselves. iur-' the best comment on the writei's view;. They are plainly disclosed in dechri: the object of this circular to be the g; ro d amalgamation of all religious sects r;.&

; parties.

7?

Tkuk LiriFRTV. The true value of liberty can only be conceived b niir.ds tl;.t are free. Slaves remain indolently ctntf ited in captivity. Men, who have been 1 tossed upon the troubled ocean of liiV. r.:ii have learned, by severe experience, to entertain just notions of the world and it concerns, to examine every object vifliurlouded and impartial eves, to wnlk tree: in the strict and thorny paths ol villi:-, and to find their happiness in the re tlttt.u')

of an honest mind, alone are frlk.

Courtship and Mahriace The rlea-

j ai. tost pai t of man's i(. ir- that width -:-

ses in court si ip. L e, desire, I ej c. i. ; all the pleasing emotions of the sold i in the pursuit. An artful man i-in.f l ! 1 lv to SUCCeed than f he im re l.. r J :

j lover hath ten thousand griefs, impel lii c:: I ces, and resentments, which m der rr-in J unamiahle, and often ridit ub us. : 'the persons choose for themselves. t;-

thoughts turn upon the person. The t.r would provide tor the convei in ce el l i i the others are preparing for a pc rpctii d feast. An agreeable woman is prelcrai Ic to a perfect beauty. Good nature, and evenness of temper, will give you aura? companion for life; virtue and good sCt an agreeable friend; love and corstaney, a good wife or husband. Of all disparity that in humor makes the mest ur.happ.V marriages, yet scarce enters c-ur thcmghl in contradicting them. Before nvirria we cannot he too inquisitive and disctn:' u in the faults of the person loved, ner nlh it too dimsighted and superficial. Mannia enlarges the scene of our happine ss or n - ery. A marriage of love is pleasant ; ol interest easy ; and where both meet, lw'IT) only to those who tread the p.itbs of together in a constant, uniform ccursc virtue.

tnd

security of its government, and strength of the nation. "What a beneficial jefluetice would it

The Covenanters, in the time of ibe civ

il wars were passionately addicted to p:'"" singing. When the great Mntrsc was ,;J

ken prisoner, his chaplain. Itiihvit. ' 1 egant historian of his exploits, smu'i'U same fate, and was condemned to thcs.i i punishment with his patron. Bcii'T ( ,!" red on the scaffold to name what ,?al,n '' wished to be sung, previous to his exit lion, he pitched upon the 1 ll)th, consi" of twenty four parts. He made ; Pj choice; for before two-thirds of the P'1. was sung, a pardon arrived. Any Vi ' plasm would in all probability have hirru