The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1827-07-04

The following is an extract from work
recently published, entitled "The Apoca-
lypse of st. John; or prophecy of the rise,
progress and fall of the Church Of Rome,
the Inquisition, the French Revolution, the
Universal War, and the final Triumph OF
Christianity; being new interpretation 81
BY Rev. George Croly.- Greenfield Herald.
"THE MIRACULOUS ORIGIN OF CHRIST
IANITY. No conformity of circumstances
can account for the origin of Christianity
A BEISG, known to the world only as a Jew.
ish peasant, delivered a system of doctrine
which overthrow not merely some feeble
philosophy, or some harsh and unpopular
superstition, but both theory and establish
ment of the state of religion, guarded anC
fought for by the armed strength of the
most powerful government of the greatest
of all empires. Thousands and tens of
thousands owed their daily bread to their
connexion with that religion. Millions on
millions had identified it with all their con-
captions of life, of enjoyment, and of that
obscure view in which the heather saw a
life to come. The noble families owed q
large portion Of their rank and influence to
it. The emperor himself was the high
priest. Old tradition, invigorating into liv-
ing belief, made it the pledge of safety to
the empire-a sacred protector, without
which the glories of Roman dominion were
destined to inevitable ruin. Yet, against
this colossal and naughty erection-the con-
summate work of subtlcty and strength
stood forth a solitary BEING, and at HIS
word the whole pile, the great fortress
that lowered up to heaven, came wall and
gate to the ground. And by what means
had this been done? BY nothing that can
find a parallel in the history of human
impulse. Signal ousterity, enthusiasm,
wealth, military genius, the promise of
splendid success, visionary doctrines, the
displays of sensual paradise, have made
proselytes in barbarous ages, or among the
loose creeds of contending heresies. But
the FOUNDER Of Christianity cast away all
those weapons of our lower nature. He
shrank from no declaration of the most I'M
palatable truth. He told the Jew that his
spiritual pride was q deadly crime. He
declared that the cherished mpurity of the
Gentle was deadly crime. He plucked
up the temporal ambition of his followers
by the roots, and told them, that if they
were to be great, it must be through the
grave. III Tie Iul1 VIEW vi ,
desertion and death, HE pronounced TO the
Jews the extinction of their national eXis-
tence; to the disciples, their lives of per
secution. At the time of HIS death, HIS
name had scarcely passed beyond HIS de-
spised province and when it at length
reached Rome, it was known only IN con-
temptuous connexion with that of crowd
of unfortunate men condemned to the rack
and the fame. Yet, within the life Of man.
HIS religion was constituted the worship Of
emperor and people; HIS doctrines were
acknowledged es respiration, and the civil
lized world bowed down before HIM as the
Gop whom the heaven and the heaven Of
heavens cannot contain. Those wonders
are the mightiest phenomena on which the
spirit of man can gaze the stars of oul
mortal twilight, and worthy of our lofties
admiration, till the gates of the grave shall
be unbarred, and the vision Of glory shall
spread before US without cloud"
FALL OF BEBF--BUT NO REDUCTION II
Price. On Sunday morning last, as
COW was walking near the brink of tn
wall below the Exchange, she either b.
good intent or accident, turned most deX
ferrous somerset into boat about twelve
feet below. Two sailors observing he1
one of them exclaimed, 4" Holloa shlpmate
what passage ~ To which the other oh
served, You may sec she had a short one
l,y the fresh meat on board" - Sdru1l. pap