220

Bold Challenges to Infidels.

those, whom he saw it would be most for his own glory or the
Hence, there was no re-
general good, to regenerate and save.
spect of persons with God, in electing some to everlasting life.
But, had he elected those to salvation, whom he knew he could
not save, without injury to the universe, would be not have shown
a partial respect to the persons of those sinners? Shall not God
express more regard for his own glory and the good of his king-
dom, than for the happiness of any one or of any number of sinful,
hell-deserving creatures?

THEOPHILUS.

BOLD CHALLENGE TO INFIDELS.

Rev. Dr. Bennett, of London, while preaching a short time since on the evidences of Christianity, to a large and popular assembly, many of whom were declared infidels, pursued his argument in the following singular manner:

You know

"Yet, after all, we will give you another chance. that Christians believe that Jesus raised the dead more than once; you say he only made the people believe that he did.—Well, why should you not do the same? One make-believe will be set off against another, and you will destroy what you call the great delusion. Now, there are plenty of burial grounds about London, and we may find some one who has been interred three or four days, so that he is fresh in the memory of his friends, and they can tell when they see him again; and we can find some sisters who are still weeping for their deceased brother. Now, gather your witnesses; you need not want spectators. Go to the grave; but stop, go first to the house of the mourners, and take them with you; for they When you are come to the will care most about the business. tomb, lift your voice in bold style, as you know well enough how to do, and say, "Mr. Such-a-one, rise!" and see if you cannot persuade all about you, that they behold him rising. But why do What is the matter with you? You have you look so blank? courage enough to oppose and revile Jesus: why have you none to imitate and rival him? Are you saying to yourselves, "Though we should make all the people fancy they saw the dead man rise, for a burial ground is a fine place for a morbid imagination to play its pranks in; yet this would not be enough; and the mischief is, that we could not make the sisters fancy that their dead brother went home and lived with them afterwards. If we could, we should have a splendid triumph; for then we should be invited to a good dinner, and people would come, not only to see us dine, but for the sake of seeing the man whom we raised from the dead sitting at the table with us, as multitudes came, not merely to see Jesus, but Lazarus also, whom he raised from the dead." Well, I suppose we must

give it all up; for I never shal! persuade you to try this one bold stroke, that would do more execution if it should succeed, than all the petty blows you are now aiming at religion. But till you can venture upon this, you should hold your peace about miracles; and let Christians talk away here, as they please; while you by your silence, tell aloud that you cannot answer them. For much as you hate the word mystery, you must confess that there is some mystery here, that you cannot fathom; how Jesus should satisfy. the people that he worked miracles upon thousands, and you, who are so much cleverer, cannot make the people believe that you can work one! Only recollect that if you cannot meet this one argument, it remains a truth that revealed religion is true."

From the Temperance Advocate.

THR GREAT ERROR IN TEMPERANCE PRINCIPLES.

The great error was, those persons who preached and wrote against intemperance (with very few exceptions,) did not address themselves to the right class of persons: they did not admonish the temperate man not to become a temperate drinker: they did not caution the father against the practice of permitting his son to drink a little strong drink: they did not take the cup from the hand of the mother, that contained the fatal poison which she would administer to her darling:-But they addressed their remonstrances, they levelled their denunciations against confirmed sots, and they fell harmless at their feet, or were returned with― (6 we drink no more than we want, and you do the same!" "Take a little, was, when " TOUCH NOT" should have been the temperate man's motto. Not so, now: we have been admonished by the experience of our predecessors, and have profited by their errors; we have adopted the rule, to "touch not, taste not, handle not" the fatal cup; and this is the only safe and true course for the friends of temperance.

INTELLIGENCE.

RELIGIOUS.

Auxiliary Bible Society of Bristol County, Mass.-This Society, one of the oldest in the country, held its Annual Mectug in Beckley, September 21st, 1831. A sermon was reached by Rev Enoch Sanford, of Raynham; after which the following officers were chosen for the year ensuing:

Hon. James L. Hodges, President.

Rev. Thomas Andros,
Dea. Peter Thacher,

Maj. Eliab B. Dean,

Vice Presidents.

Rev. Enoch Sanford, Recording and Corresponding Secretary. Deacon William Reed, Treasurer.

Rev. Preston Cummings,

Gen Shepard Leach,
Mr. Daniel Brewer,
Hon. Noah Claflin,

Dea. John Reed.

Rev. Otis Thompson, Rev. Preston Cummings, and Dea. William Reed, Bible Committee.

It being found, that the wants of the County are nearly supplied, it was voted to trausmit $100 to the Treasurer of the American Bible Society.

The next Annual Meeting is to be at East Attleborough, on the third Wednesday in September, 1832. 1st Preacher, Rev. Stetson Hayward. 2d Do. Rev. Preston Cummings.

The following is an extract from the 16th Ant. Report of the Trustees, made Sept. 1830.

"But why should this work stop at the boundaries of our own county? The American Bible Society have undertaken to supply as far as practicable, every destitute family in the Union, within two years-more than one of which has already elapsed. Have we no part to take in this great enterprise? Mere resolutions will not accomplish this object; the work must be done, and people must be found to do it. The great region, west of the Alleghanies, where population is annually increasing, by many times the number of the inhabitants of such a county as this, must be supplied with the word of God, and that speedily, or the agents of the Mother of abominations, backed by their tens and hundreds of thousands a year, from foreign states, will soon persuade them, that it is an unsafe book; and soon it will be found, that the bible cannot gain acecss to the majority of these United States, till God shall send another Luther to make an overturn, and another Rogers and Latimer and Cranmer, and hundreds more, to open the eyes of the people, by the flames of the fatal stake

But this great work would not be done, were all the families

in this nation supplied with the bible. The Savior requires, that it be sent to every creature under heaven."

Churches in the valley of the Mississippi.-The relative strength of the Baptist, Presbyterian, and Methodist Churches a the Valley, so far as numbers give strength, may be seen by he following estimate, the two former denominations being taken rom the Baptist Tract Magazine:

Episcopal Church in Ireland.-There are 4 Archbishops; 13 Bishops; Rectors, Vicars, and Perpetual Curates, about 700; Assistant Curates, about 560; members and supporters estimated at 1,000,000.

Efforts of Catholics in France.-There is a powerful effort made to bring over every Protestant that enters the land to the principles of Romanism. A young lady has lately spent some time in France, for the purpose of learning the language, and she has borne her testimony, that twenty-four hours never passed, without an effort being made to convert her to the Church of Rome, and several letters have been written to her with the same view. A gentleman searched two large towns in Italy, and could not discover a Bible, and also several towns in France with no better success; at last, however, on inquiring for a Bible at a Jookseller's shop, they told him, to his delight, that they had one, and immediately handed him a book, entitled "The Mouth of Mary," giving an account of the various manners in which the Virgin Mary should be worshipped, and the advantage derived from serving her.-Protestant.

SECULAR.

The Mayor and Aldermen of the city of Boston have addressed a circular to the selectmen of the seaport towns in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island and Connecticut, asking their aid and co-operation to prevent the introduction of that direful malady, the Cholera Morbus, into the United States.

Colored Slave Holders.-The following statement, from a London paper, presents the subject of slavery in a different light from that in which many have beheld it. But we have numerous colored slave holders in the United States. In every point of character they materially resemble the whites. They are surely of the same "species!" They are rather more inclined to justice, however it would seem.-Gen. of Universal Emancipation.

"On the 15th ultimo, in the debate on West India Negro Slavery, in the British House of Commons, Dr. Lushington stated that the free people of color in the island of Jamaica, possessed

seventy thousand slaves, and had authorized him to consent to a measure for the emancipation of those slaves, if it should be considered necessary."

POSTAGE OF THIS PAPER.

The following is an extract from a letter, dated "Post Office Department, June 8th, 1831."

Fo be considered a newspaper, it is necessary the publication should contain advertisements, and a summary of news, or notice of current events.—If, hereafter, any portion of it should be devoted to the information of the day, it will become proper to consider it a newspaper, and to rate the postage on it as such,

W. T. BARRY."

The following is an extract from letter, dated "Post Office Department, Oflice of Application and Instruction, Sept. 234,

1831."

"It appears from an examination of this No., that the character of the publication in regard to the introduction of the news of the day (in this No. it is in reference to religious matters) is changed from what it appeared to be in the 1st No., which was composed of essays on religious topics without containing any information as to current events. It now becomes a Newspaper, as it gives a portion of the news of the day and contains advertisements;-it should therefore be charged with postage, accordingly:

I am, Gentlemen,

Your obedient servant,

S. R. HOBBIE,

Assistant P. M. General."

The postage of this paper, to any place within the State in which it is printed, is one cent; to any place without that Sta e, not distant more than one hundred miles, one cent-over a hundred miles, one and a half cent.

THEOLOGICAL WORKS

PALEY'S NATURAL THEOLOGY, illustrated by the plates and by a selection from the notes of James l'axton, with additional notes, original and selected -New edition.

WATSON'S THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTES, or a view of the evidences, doctrines, morals and institutions of Christianity, by Richard Watson.Stereotype edition

In addition to the above may be found a very valuable collection of Theological and other Books at CORY & BROWN'S, 13, Market-street.

AN ESSAY ON THE STATE OF INFANTS, by Rev. Alvan Hyde D. D. Price 10 cents. For sale by HUTCHENS & SHFPARD.

WILLIAM MARSHALL & Co No. 12, Market-quare, Providence, R. I. will execute orders of any amount for BOOK AND JOB PRINTING, in a neat manner, with promptness, and on reasonable terms. Providence, March, 1831.