argumeut is as plenty and abundant as it is useless. It is not "ad ignorantiam," but ab ignorantia.

I have noticed some articles in which the reformation fell short of that maturity to which it will one day certainly arrive; and have pointed out the obvious progress which has been made in those articles, in various sections of the church, and particularly in our own country. The people, at least of our own country, will not be backward to allow, that, in the great article of religious freedom and toleration, we are far in advance of every nation on earth. Why should it be thought incredible that we have made some progress in the great and exalted work of reformation? Is it less probable that Christ would favour his church in this country than in Europe, where the accumulated crimes of thousands of years swell the materials of national retribution to a vast amount ?-Where national establishments and churches, slumber on the bosom of luxury, and repose in the golden dreams of ambition?

Why should the wrinkles of malice deepen, and the finger of scorn be pointed at the names of Edwards, and Hopkins, and Bellamy, and West, amd Emmons, when they and their fellow labourers have been made instrumental of turning many souls to righteousness; and have been more successful in religious reformations than any men now living on earth? And if that portion of the church has been favoured and honoured with a larger portion of the Holy Spirit than any other, does not this fact bear testimony to their doctrine? To the purity and spirituality, the life and power of their doctrine, can alone be ascribed the success which has attended their labours.

With feelings of regret, which I have no words to express, I am compelled to advert to the systematic, determined, persevering, and diversified efforts of a set of men, who have acquired influence, in this city, to subvert the doctrines, and destroy the influence and reputation of these reformers in the christian church. Their writings are accused of consisting of nothing but "verbiage, tautology, absurdity, arminianism, socinianism, atheism, nonsense," &c.* The reformation which

* See Dr. Samuel S. Smith, in his note on the cover of Ely's Poems.

they effected in doctrine and discipline, though thousands of souls, both on earth and in heaven, will remember it with eternal joy and triumph, is either altogether hissed into opprobrious silence, or loudly spoken of with contempt.

It is nothing to them, that to claim the birth of such a man as Jonathan Edwards, is an honour to a nation; that for vigour of intellect he can fall into no' class beneath that of Newton and Aristotle. As to "verbiage," his writings, and those of many of his brethren, will be read with instruction and pleasure, when the vapid books of those who cast the reflection, written with moon-beams, and dictated by the night-mare, shall have perished in the rubbish, lumber, and rust of libraries.

There are two very cogent reasons why they do not answer the books of these tautologists; one is, because they never read them. This, of all suppositions, is the most charitable, after hearing their statements, so infinitely distant from the truth. Had they read the books they condemn, they must either hold a different language, or give up all pretence to veracity. The other is, that were they to read these books, and in those few instances where they have read them, they cannot answer them. Were they honest and candid, they would say, as Dr. Taylor said, after reading a small tract of Edwards, "I have been writing these thirty years, and this little book confutes it all."

But they have no notion of argument; they do not like that way of defence; it is too metaphysical. Their plan, both of defence and attack, is drawn from two sources; bold assertions, and gross ridicule. Yes, the great gun of the city has been fired so incessantly, charged with this kind of ammunition, that he is suspected by many to be breech-burnt. But he does not shoot bullets, of consequence nobody is killed. And, not only the great gun, for I love to talk figuratively, but field pieces, swivels, blunderbusses, muskets, carbines, pistols-even down to pop-guns, have fired in squadrons and battalions; and some, I believe, as small as the cannon made by an artist of the queen of Sweden, to shoot fleas and bed-bugs with, which is still kept as a curiosity in the Swedish museum. One of this last description it was, that fired off the "Constrast" already mentioned. But, luckily, he did not kill even a bug.

But the weapons of this controversy are not generally levelled at Edwards, Hopkins, &c., but against the teachers in this city, supposed to hold their sentiments. Unwearied efforts are made to dislodge them from their stations, and drive them out of the city. This is done by weakening their influence-representing their sentiments as horrible and dangerous—withdrawing from them the confidence of their hearers-treating them with coldness and contempt-disseminating dark surmises and uncertain rumours among the people, and endeavouring, as was said in another case,

"With ambiguous words to sound or taint integrity."

Besides, great exertions are made to fill all the neighbouring vacancies with ministers of their own stamp, and to prevent one of a different description from obtaining a settlement. In this they are greatly facilitated by a ministerial nursery, not far off, in which abundance of saplings are growing, nearly ready to set; and these they can prune and shape as they please.

But what is the motive of all this? Ah! here I must be cautious, for it is dangerous to inquire into the motives of great men. I have lived long enough to discover that a man's motives are generally as obvious as his conduct. And many men put me in mind of the ostrich, which, when pursued over the tropical sands, will run a while, and then hide his head in the sand, while his hind parts, to speak delicately, are all exposed; and you may come up and take him at pleasure. But these men hide nothing; their motives are perfectly obvious. But we may judge with still greater certainty, by considering who they are.

Some of them are foreigners, from the island of Great Britain; some are Dutch, &c.; and they certainly have their national prejudices to plead their excuse. They are men of considerable learning and talents; and had not this paltry national prejudice covered their minds with a kind of intellectual vellum, highly unfavourable to sharp sight or quick sensation, they would be very clever fellows. But this renders them, on certain occasions, quite numb and rigid. It is perfectly natural for them to spurn the idea of being instructed, or detected of errors, by

66

any thing indigenous to the new hemisphere. They did not come hither to receive, but to give instruction; non ab allis corrigendi, sed alios corrigere."

Some of this description there are from New-England, who were once professed Hopkinsians-stars in the Zodiac

"But, O, how fallen!-how changed!"

Of this number is the Queen of Sweden's little cannon, who, little as he is, is a sharp shooter. He it was, as I before said, that shot off the "Contrast." A disappointment in love, it is commonly reported, made him, at once; an anti-Hopkinsian and a poet. His poems were so lucky in the article of flattery, to certain great men he wished to please, that they effectually did his business for him; and I expect few have read them without feeling a strong propensity to do the same for themselves. There goes a pleasant story with regard to this man. It is said, after his total defection, wishing to convince a certain audience of the enormous errors of the Hopkinsians, he read them, as a specimen, one of his former sermons. I believe few will wonder that his audience should be struck with horror. His poems fully indicate his diappointment, as they abound in the well known

Not grace in Calvin's sense of the word, for neither his poems, Contrast, nor conduct, show much of that. But whether the Hopkinsians have reason to regret the cruelty of his mistress, or the lovers of poetry to rejoice in it, I leave for future consideration.

Perhaps these men will consider it as a matter of joy and exultation, that this city has, from the first, shared little in the great and frequent reformations prevailing to the north and east; nor do they consider, that the comparatively small number of professors of religion found in this city, would be still much smaller if restricted to those whose profession commenced in this city.

Confused, unsettled, and bewildered, like all great cities, with an immense heterogeneous mass of strangers, of no certain character, overwhelmed in business, dazzled with wealth and show, and occupied with every thing more than religion, yet willing to have enough of that to be fashionable here, and

go to heaven hereafter at some very distant day; this city has ever afforded a field of operation and influence for teachers of a complexion like its own; and they have not been wanting in sufficient numbers and activity. And they have prevailed thus far, at the dreadful expense of the eternal welfare of thousands of souls.

Their motive, for I will not shrink from the truth, in excluding the reformers and reformations, the doctrines and principles of New England is not at all of a religious or moral nature. The love of truth, as I said above, does not produce persecution, enmity, pride, ill will, disdain, overreaching, undermining, intrigue. They deceive the people of this city by assuming false and specious motives; and never was deception more exquisite, more profound, or imposition more gross and triumphant. Were they actuated by the love of truth and the fear of error, very different would be their aspect and behaviour. But it is the love of self, and the fear of a rival, that urges them on. It is ambition to acquire and maintain a poor, wretched, shortlived, pitiful, ghostly power and influence over men.

They feel little of the love of truth, or the love of God, or the love of men, in this unhallowed system of opposition and intrigue. The word of God out of the question, were they influenced by human authorities, they might blush for the course they are pursuing. The names of Fuller, and Hall, and Jay, and Ryland, are sufficient to show them, that the sentiments they oppose are not without the support of talents and eloquence beyond the Atlantic, in a comparison with which, I leave them to find a place for themselves, if they can.

It is not the love of truth by which they are led; they therefore know, and have studied well, the chequered part they are to act-the tortuous course they must pursue. They know in what companies to be all meekness, gentleness, condescension, and humility; so that a harmless, credulous soul, will compare one of them to John the beloved disciple, another to Moses the meek lawgiver. They know when and how to burn with devotion; to soar in flights of faith; to appropriate all the promises to themselves; to knock at the gates of heaven with violence, and boldly demand a seat near the filial throne.

Ah!