The Phoenix — Dover [N.H.], 1792-12-26 00:00:00, page 1

The
'*— * 4 —
Vol. 111. Numb. CXXIVJ
Fbr ^PHENIX.
- —No/^ffin+r
WLcfe&%\ ff ih^^f t,aa die f/uru/^ofc ~
(tongue
Out-venoms all the worms of Nile,whofe breath
Rides on the polling winds, and doth belye
All corners of the world, Kings, Queens, & States,
Maids, Matrons, nay the secrets of the grave
This viperous Slander enters."
Mr. Ladd
|T is our peculiar misfortune to live
' in an age, in which calumny and
d^traaion have assumed the empire of
candor & truth ; and altho' it behoves the
Christian to be honest in th© worst of
times, yet from the malignity of heat t,
which some who inculcate thole prin
ciples are poffered of, upright fair and
honest characters are most mercilefily
butchered—the midnight robber, the
Cuk aflaflin in the fight ci conscience
^at? faints,compared to thefe,^he wan
-1 tc 1, attempt to bla£&; vrfrn leaf of
'honeft fame——-,
——'• Good name in rasa or wonun.
Is the immediate jewel of their fr^ls ;
Who &ls my purse fealstrafh/tis something,
Nothing;J
'Twas mine, Qis'his, and has b$ slave to thou
finds;
But he that filches from me fy good name,
Rofc me ofthat, which not. enriches him,
I*
,And treats me poor indeed,.
I been ledfc make the fc/e
--going OTfcrvatfon& from,b< appearance
in voWiag oftheßefrit of an Eccle
fiaQical Convention 2t Pomfret, in the
afe of &r. Dodge. 'Tire m^igoity of
integrity infye p^bdc^jwm mud appear
cvideqfclta„a piety of circuyaftances
%-°' ^ at i&xrtance was it to your
E* 1 " 6 "'^ the result of a num
©%^ C^ o6 ™^ CalviTflfc bights ?
itto *fhe^ the holy >zeal with
I fl,? Mthe r^fyd gentlemen in that
tfte'fyfe' and puni/b the Tmaileft ve-
Dial trOTtgreffion in their sacred order ?
ICr w^s it to (hew the profound know
ledge ofjfee^pmW gentlemen m tri
als of that Nature ? Or was it not ra
ther i^fttify the*uncharitable Pastor
' of tf^cm^rch in ST—. * am d to blast
.ter -rtr-^- I— ,--^— m .^ —.^ ..^
* /,% quou/d <u;ijh to un^five /£/ feutlic w/bfi^
garg to the gentleman bere ahitied to, a/ be uaf n^
the prtfert ewho B eru HT th -pi^t to b re pulyfaj,
Eo^fver be mighf be intmf ^ in the pab/ifatiefy,
DOVE R, (N. H.) Published by ELIPHALET LADD, NEAR THE COURT-HOUSE AT 8/ PER, ANN.
Ililiilrer
the reputation of Mi D. among his
friends in this quarter E^L the world,
A" '%< which vcr? 'bJfo/%es —if the
latter, how far is that eminent divine
from following the precepts of his di
vine master.— But aks ! when passion
and Envy take poffefiLn of the human
breast, reason and rcHg on are thrown
alide.—However, I trul the character
of Mr. D, is too well eUablifhet in the
neighbouring towns to be affected by
the bigotted opinion of the Cormechcut
Clergy, even when aic d by the pious
intentions of a Mr. T — -. £ince I
am upon the Rev. Gentleman I will
just give him from an eminent divine,
a short addrels to those of his 0 rn and
disposition. “ What then, you ran cen
surer ! have you no mansions for your
credit but these from whence you have
extruded the rightful qwners? Are
there no regions for jou to foine in,
that you defeend for it, into the low ca
verns of crimination ? Have you no feat
--but chat of the fc^hh .0 fit down
in ? If honor has mistook his road, or
the Virtues in ch^ir exeefies .have ap
proached too ne^the confines of Vice
are they therefore to be cast down the
precipice ? And shall ^ one Virtue or
good quality, out of tljthou and the
penitent may have kh — fliall not one
of them be (offered to Hand by him."
I (hall now Leave the Rev. Gentleman
to his own meditations upon the lore
going address, and to bis pious cogita
i&us upon the mantle of charity and
proceed to take some notice of the re
sult itfelf, and shew how impartially
the EccleGaftical Jud^s d-^rniined
tlie merits of the caufe—ln doing this,
as l am no ecclesiastic, 1 muff govern
myfelf by common law, reason and com
mon sense.
From the mutilated and confufed
manner in which the result is handed
to the world, we are left entirely in the
da k as to the charges adduced against
Mr. D. but if one may venture a con
je&ure, thole that were deemed the most
enormous, were falfhood, neglecting
study, (pending too much time in a
mufement'and dissipation, using a text
of scripture to filly and carnal purpoles,
a^d being intoxicated.
The Convention, after having fought
Phenix.
0
WEDNESDA Y, December 26, 1792
the divine light, acquit Mr. D. of the
fir? charge —but immediately rekpfing
irvo the obfeurity of aggravated darknefe
declare him cufcbk of a mfregard re
truth in a variety of instances. Strange
inconsistency ! That a man is not guilty
of falfehood, and yet in a variety of in
stances has discovered a disregard to
truth ! —Can a man dikegaid the truth
and not be guilty of r aliehood ? Com
mon Sense must fay no ; but these Rev.
Gentlemen have found out an interme
diate distance between truth and falfe
hood, which has hitherto been un
known to the casuist. Like many o
ther new matters in religion and moral
ity Connecticut has the honor of the
firft difeovery.
From Pomfret by the force of ima
ginaticn we are fas in other farces and
tragedies) immediately removed to
Dedham, and Mr. D. ie charged with
a criminal disregard to piety, and a want
of becoming refpe& to the reputation
of the Rev. Mr, Thatcher. What this
difrefpeß was ? we are again in the
dark, and how it came before their Re'
verences does not appear—or whether
it came properly within their cognizance,
for if the injured party was not com
plainant the determination was certain
ly coram non judice. However it is not
to be doubted but the Rev. Mr. Thatch'
er will be sincerely thankful to^fhe
gentlemen for their kind interference
in his private dilputes. 1
The next heinous charge against
Mr. D. is his negled of study, reading
and miniftoial preparations; in this their
References " are sorry to find there are
so much grounds for the complaint" — 9
how the gentlemen could afeertain what
use Mr. D. made of his closet hours, is
a little furprifing —but it is of very
little importance—as it must be e
vident that Mr. D. has made some coh
fiderable proficiency in study, if the
gentlemen did not belie their own con
sciences, in so highly extolling" The
excellent and amiable talents with which
God has beempkafed to bless him."
Perhaps he may not have studied Dr.
Bellamy and some other of their enthu
siastic writers; but a censure of this
kind comes with a very ill grace from
the Moderator himfelf—and more cf-