Alexandria daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1803-1808, 1803-10-10
FROM THE PORT FOLIO.
TIE LA1 PREACHER.
(" TIE fashion of this world passeth away"

q TIE fashion of this world passeth away"
AS I am only Lay Preacher, it must
not be expected that should always exl1l-
bit that accuracy Of sermonlzing, which
characteristics the settled Pastor. But hav-
ing observed, in the course OF long and
regular attendance of public worship, that
divines are in the habit Of dividing their
matter, and of adjourning, sometimes, the
morning exhortation till alter dinner, |
thoughtit expedient when | selected the
fruitful theme Of last weeks meditation, to
reserve part of its topics tilln For dur
ing the process of critically examining my
subiectin all lights, / found that fashion re-
gulated speculation no less than practice,
and that opinions as well as dresses, had
their tines and seasons. AS we are told by
profound reasoner, that as there is but one
sun in the natural, SO there can be, but one
truth in the intellectual world; an abstract
metaphysician in his cell, would suppose,
that, by this time, one truth was discovered,
and, hence, necessarily, induced uniformity
of thinking. But this is mere revcrle OF
anovice in the history of man. In theolo-
CIV, in the healing art, in politics, in the
fine arts, and in mere polite literature, in
whatever interests, in whatever amuses our
species, perpetual vicissitudes occur, and
what's supposed to be settledby one party,
at one time, is unhingedby different theo-
ries at another.
In the infancy ofthe colony at Plymouth,
and at the erection Of the Saybrook plat
form, our emigrant forefathers rejected
with loathing, the fat luxury of Luther,
and starved themselves on the mean fare Of
Calvin. They were doubtful evenof scrip
toral truth, if it had issued from the Cla-
rendon PRESS and would rot read the SER
mon on the mount to ed6cation, unless I'M
printed in Bible at Geneva. Wizards
body of divinity was their lawrand testimo-
nv, and reprobate was that sinner, who
would adventure to read and practise a
more gentle and generous system. But
such heavy and clanklng letters ofthe mind
were tooirksomet 80 be long worn patiently
by fretful sceptics, and infant catholicism,
ain It's cradle, at length ventured innovations.
Good works were sometimes associated
with implicit faith, and the piety of our pri-
mitive Christians was not always horror
struck at the union. In process of time
the reign Of rigor declined, and now it may
be said the high prerogative ofsuperstition
has become as nugatory as kingy power in
France. For a new dictator in divinity,
zoho kpe7v not Calvin, arose, and Chauncy
considering birthstone as a Scottish or an
old 7uifs' S fa6Ee, proclaimed salvation to all
men, and insisted that proaigate should
not be eternally smged for his sins. Hume
and Bolingbroke, with elegance and elabo-
ration, but with the darkest sophistry, and
Boulanger, an audacious Frenchman, in
his Christianity Unveiled, have presump-
tuously attempted to sap the Christians
fortress, and now to represent the son of
Maryas q mere man, and now as an impos-
ter. These writings have induced fimsy
opinions, called from their nature, deistical,
to predominant, and their professors, far
from consulting the editions, either of En-
gland or Geneva, will inspect no bible
Perhaps the accurate reader will pronounce
my enumerationslncom unless / no.
tice that secondsdItion Of Tom Thumbs foHo,
called the Age of Reason But as this,