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Aspasic and from hence arises your present distress From hence your averseness to receive comFor You are a philosopher, Theron, and have been noondtamed to examine nicely the proportion of obwith than to weigh them in the balance of the Hare vou find all proportion swallowThis overthrows all your conclu

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adding withal, how unreasonable he thought the petition, and how exorbitant the sum. Alexander hears him with patience, but as soon as he had ended his remonstrance, replies, let "the money be instantly paid. I am delighted with this philosopher's way of thinking. He has done me a singular honour; and showed by the largeness of his request, what a high idea he has conceived of my superior wealth, and my royal munificence."

"Thus, my dear Theron, let us honour what the inspired penman styles the marvelous loving kindness of Jehovah. From the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts, let us expect—not barely what corresponds with our low models of generosity-much less what we suppose proportioned to our fancied deserts -but what is suitable to the unknown munificence of his name, and the unbounded benevolence of his heart. When we shall cheerfully and assuredly trust, that Christ Jesus will be made of God to us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: that he who hath given himself for us,* will give us of his Spirit,† and will give unto us eternal life."+

To whom then, should an indigent Christian apply, but to his Patron and Conqueror of the world also?-those whom the Lord and King of all the earth has commanded to "open their hands wide unto the poor."-Ought the liberality of Grecian antiquity or an earthly king, to exceed the liberality of a Christian-or those who are kings and priests unto

* Eph. v. 2.

John, iv. 15.
X

John, x. 28.

God?

Blush, ye modern professors of primitive Christianity! Verily, it will be more tolerable for many of the heathens at the day of judgment, than for you.

Ah, my dear Friends! such instances as the forementioned inconsistency of "contribution," and conduct of plain and humble professing Christians; together with a departure from other principles of religion, manner of life and conversation, hath caused me, not only in private but also in your public assemblies to weep bitterly! yea, if it were possible to shed tears of blood!

Oh! how is the fine gold become dim? yea, as with Israel of old, so now, 66 are become dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the furnace; they are even the dross of silver."—" There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof; like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her many widows in the midst thereof. Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned my holy things; they have put no difference between the holy and profane; neither have they shown difference between the clean and the unclean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them. Her princes in the midst thereof, are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, (the effects of war) and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain. And her prophets have daubed them with untempered mortar, seeing vanities, and divining lies unto them, saying, thus saith the Lord God, when the Lord hath not

spoken. The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy; yea, they have oppressed the stranger, wrongfully." (Ezek. xxii. 18. 25. 30.)*

Verily, the sanctuary must be cleansed, though the righteous One-the witnesses are slain in the purification of it! Let us beware then, lest the Lord gather us in the midst of Jerusalem, "as they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in my anger and in my fury; and I will leave you there, and melt you." (ibid. 20.)

But farther, as touching "the arts and sciences," by which, I believe, are generally understood, natural philosophy, moral philosophy, mechanism, including every art of war, fortification, mathematically demonstrated, architecture, &c. I observe, all speculative truths, or logic, as well as the arts, are of no use, unless reducible to practice; and, being reduced to practice, if they exceed the bounds of usefulness, and moderation, it is a great folly and sin too; and this is notoriously well known. But to say nothing here of those very useful sciences, optics, hydrostatics, navigation, &c. as I cannot think of disgracing them with those generally called science.

* If “ Quakerism Unveiled" does not show the hypocrisy and priestcraft-like conduct of certain of the oppressors of the "poor and needy," and "the stranger" in the land, I think there are sufficient evidences before the public of the propriety of this statement.

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Well did that justly celebrated author of "the Studies of Nature" observe, "No one law of magnetism, of gravity, of attraction, of electricity, of heat, or of cold, governs the world. These pretended general laws are nothing more than particular means. Qur sciences mislead us, by ascribing to nature a false providence. They are not afraid of excluding from the heart of man that sentiment of the divine qualities, which communicates to him so much force; and of accumulating on his mind, the weights and movements which oppress him. We can know that only which she makes us feel; and we can form no judgment of her works, but in the place, and at the time she is pleased to display them. All that we imagine beyond this, present only contradiction, doubt, error, or absurdity.

"In vain do we search in our cradles, for the archives which our tombs deny us;" "in vain do we apply to it the light which illumines us, and seek, in the origin of things, the weight, the times, and the measures which we find in the enjoyment: but the order which produced them has, with relation to God, neither time, weight, nor measure."-" The division of matter and time were made only for circumscribed, feeble, transient man.”*

But those are well known who are bold to assert that "the sciences" (and the fine arts, mechanism,

* P. 28, 29, stud. 1. by M. de St. Pierre, a work well worth the attention and serious perusal of the literary and gay world; for entertainment, as well as instruction; I scarce know any one to equal it of the kind,

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