Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1803-04-13

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s..,ses AaH ksosv ten"
The rsfult Of my enquiries, take as iel-
~ Fha, never faw, heard, or read
&c anv man, woman or child that was re.
formed, either in whole or IN part, by en-
hraciing the principles of Delim. s
That have known hundreds and
had Of thouiands whohaye beenreform-
8. by embracing chnhianity.
!, That have known industrious, 10
bsr men, wholly imbibing the principles
Is Deilm, almoll infantly became deipe-
rstely wicked, ana in many iniansrs
dangerous members of.ciyil iociesy.
q That I have known iome deieS, and
maay icofFtrs at religion, fpeedily aud
eastfually turned from the mot abandon.
edpraaices, By t6e preaching IF t5s gOl-
t,l TO life Of righteouinefs, which thew
q i,fIf by io5riesy, indufy, charity,
bsotherly kindneis aud uniyerlal philan-
throPy.
(. That | co not recollect ever near
;np but one Delft profefs really 10 believe
IL a future fate Of rewards and puulih-
nients.
s. That never met with man who
profsfed to be real Chrifian, bur what
built his principal hopes upon the reality
ola future fate.
,. Thar cannot, in all the Deilfical
writings, fnd any laws TO prevent wick
ednels or encourage virtue, with rewards
and puni!hments annexed thereto.
S. That in the lcriptures all the crimes
thar man can politely commit are, under
thefeverea penalties, forbid, and every
poHibl. virtue incelcated and encouraged,
by promilss Of sts,nal and exceeding gysaf
ssSr1ydS.
Q. That have known lome Debts, and
read Of many, who, at the apparent point
sfdeath, were feized with the mott horri.
Bile deipair, uttering The moi bitter tehec.
tons sgaina themislves for their total ne
glea Of i6elf datiss commanded in The ggPel
But who ever heard or read of Chrifian
al the hour Of death, defpairing of the
mercy OF God, becaute he had all his lite
time rejected Deifm, and ihunned The com.
pany Of its protectors T? Or even when long
aud fierce daeaies lad fhaken the nervous
iyfem, and raging fevers inaamed the
blood, have they ever been 70 far deranged
as TO with they never had been born, for
no, rejecting the bible, as a wicked and
mifchicyous impo6tion Upon the human
race (?
From the above, then, what reflections
Eua srifc tuiS that Deifm is efentially
bad, and naturally produces wickedneis,
by taking away the only foundation of all
virtue, viz. The Ice and fear of God !?
For what man can either love or fear God
who really believes he intends TO annihi-
late him, body, foul and fpirit, or blend
him with the common MATS of inanimate
matter, or fend him after all his toll and
care, bodily pain and mental forIow, to
segerate IN common gratis ; or be re-anl-
mated, as chance directs, iaio reptiles, In
feels or beGial forms With iuch unman.
ly, dog like faith as this, away fly all
love, regard and fear OF God. Laborious
virtue, by this faith, is transformed into
the extreme of msdnefs vice ard pieafo-
rable wickednefs, into the mott juf ard
rational puEluits Of man--nay, crimes of
every magnitude may be committed with
imPunity I; for man be ust Immortal,
DAD Is not Omaipofeat 10 paa;@ lis deiu-
snssey: therefore, when he has become
obnoxious 10 the laws of man, he may by
the fatal ball, the fufocating cord, or
Pohonous drught, put himielf our Of the
power OF laws, moral or divine, and thus
completely eicape both temporal and G.
tsrnal jufice.
And now, my old Dci9ical friends, /
ak you in the name of your boaaed rea
Ion are theie notions calculated 10 re-
'efm' or 10 corrupt mankind--to create,
OF 10 deitrcy focial order, concord. har-