blood, bedewed the widow's and the orphan's cheek with tears, and filled their peaceful habitations with the voice of lamentation and woe. Thousands lived in clamors and discord, and one seemed destined to be oppressed by another. But the fields of war are still, the noise of battle is hushed, and the voice of lamentation and woe is heard no more! Hark! All is still as the chambers of eternal silence! Where are they? In the shades of death! Kind reader, this is the doom of us all! And so it will soon be said of

you and me ! Let us then be of one mind. Let us live like brethren. Let us not lay the cursed hand of oppression upon one another. Let us do good by visiting the fatherless in their affliction and keeping ourselves unspotted from the world.

We have now considered the fact, that real felicity consists in mental pleasures and gratifications, and that these alone exalt our nature and capacity for happiness above the brute creation, and have directed your attention to virtue and peace, as the only condition in which that happiness can be found. We have brought to view the propriety of being of one heart and mind towards each other in our families, in our religious societies, in the community, and in our national concerns. We have set before you the evils resulting from intemperance, and from private and political slander.

We will now, in the second place, take into consideration the negative and affirmative consequence resulting from them on the morals of the community, so far as the causes leading to intemperance and crime are concerned.

in

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Many discourses have been delivered, during the three past years, on intemperance, pointing out its ruinous effects on the morals of society, while but few discourses have been put into the hands of the public pointing out the causes leading to this destructive vice, and those few have not humble opinion traced it to its true source. Much has also been said about intemperance leading to crime, which in many respects is true.. But all this is not coming to the fountain head,. from whence these turbid streams flow. We will take the liberty to differ on this subject with all that has as yet fallen upon our ear, and independently give our opinion, as to what we conceive to be the original cause from whence these baneful effects spring. We will endeavour to show, that the poorer class of society are driven to intemperance and crime by the conduct of the rich; (those whom the fashion of the world calls respectable and great ;) yes, by the conduct of too many, who are even attempting to reform them.

First, then, we would remark; that man is a creature of want, which is the first cause of all action. Had he no wants, he would never seek

able means.

to supply them, either by honorable or dishonorTo this self-evident proposition, all will, without hesitation, assent. We will now attend to our general character as a nation, for it will be admitted on all hands, that actions speak louder than words. As a nation, we enjoy much liberty; but public opinion, either of a political or religious character, may become so popular as to erect itself into an engine of oppression, and so formidable, that many an honest man dare not dissent, nor independently raise his voice in defence of what he believes to be truth, but will tamely submit himself a slave to the opinions and doctrines of others. This is probably the case with the greater proportion of the American people.

Again, though we profess to value every man by his integrity or moral worth, yet it is a fact, that in conduct we make a man's reputation depend principally on his purse. I yield the point without controversy, that in books, in newspapers, in preaching, and in words, we profess to esteem a man, and rate his standing in society, by his integrity. But what do words and books, and newspapers, and preaching amount to, while mankind in conduct practise right the contrary of all these ostentatious professions? They amount to nothing but hypocrisy, or ridiculous nonsense. Does a man's standing, in these days, depend on his conduct? By no means. Let us introduce an example. Suppose there were two individuals of

equal talents, and both possessed an equal education. Their moral characters are the same. But one of them falls in possession of an immense fortune, while the other is poor indeed. Now will public conduct place them on an equality? No. Will they both move in the same social circle. No. Will they both be treated with the same politeness and attention by their neighbours ? No. Should they propose a public measure for the good of the town, would the one be listened to with the same attention as the other? No. Would he possess so much influence in society? No. Well, what can be assigned as the reason, why this rich man stands so far above the other in the public opinion? Ans. It is because his character is measured by the length of his purse, and the weight of his influence is determined by the weight of his gold.

It is not a thing of rare occurrence, that the rich are thus distinguished from the poor, but it is a fact so notorious that it has long since passed into a proverb. This being the course of conduct which men practise, the impression has therefore become general that reputation, influence, and power depend on wealth. Hence the great inquiry, uppermost in every mind, is, “How shall I get rich, so that I may stand high in the estimation of men, and exert a powerful influence in society, and be numbered among those who move in the higher circles of life?"

SERMON XIV.

MIND NOT HIGH THINGS.

[Concluded.]

EVEN a man, who is in many things unprincipled, if he is at the same time wealthy, takes a station in the higher circles of life, where the poor, but honest man, would not be admitted. This course of conduct is not only practised by what are called men of the world, but by professors of religion of about all denominations, by both preachers and people.

The middling, and the poor class, seeing no encouragement, or even possibility, of rising so as to associate with those, who move in the higher circles of life, by any virtuous course of conduct they may pursue, and sensible that wealth alone possesses the charm to give them virtue and notice in the world, they are thus driven to various dishonorable means to obtain it. Multitudes are driven to the crimes of counterfeiting, theft, and even robbery and piracy. They commence their wretched course, with the intention to abandon it, as soon as a competent fortune is obtained. Other thousands are driven to gambling; and even those, who are called respectable, take every possible advantage in trade and bargaining. Their