The Democratic pioneer. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1845-1853, 1849-11-30
From the Portland Pleasure Boat.
Peter's Vision.

Peters VISION.
Some weeks since, l attended meeting
in Saco. The house was full, and among
others l spoke Of gluttony, and the evils
of flesh-eating. ! have since received
letter from that neighborhood, inquirlnG
what do with Peters vision of the sheet
let down from heaven, full of all manner
of creatures, and the command to him tc
slay and eat This passage is hunted up
probably, by some one who wishes scrip
ture testimonyin favor of the fesh-pots
that he may CRAFTY his depravcd appetite
and sin with cart rope without reproof
1t is appealed to in support of war, sla-
very, piracy, murder, adultery, and in
short every crime. Even winc-biblers ap-
peal to it, in support Of the dreadful habit
of taking little dye-stuff 'for the stomach's
seke,' and after it has been taken till the
stomach is liberated by it, and the whole
system ruined, the poor victim in his de-
lirium, calls for little more, for his stom-
ach's sake, and dies quoting scripture that
he thinks gives him favor with God. II
the Bible cannot be better understood and
made better use of than at present, it
would be better to throw it aside, and be
guided by experience and common sense,
especially in the matter Of eating swine's
flesh and the broth Of abomlnabe things
But to the question. Peter was huagry,
waiting for his dinner, and a vision Of a
feast to hungry man would make stron-
ger impression on him than anything else.
So he was sho wn a sheet full of all kinds
of beasts, and was told that they had been
cleansed. 1t does not appear that he was
taught by this vision that God had actually
cleansed all the beasts of the field and
commanded man to eat them, but the Wis
ion was to convince Peter that the Gentiles
who had been regarded as an unclean peo-
pie, had been or were to be cleansed and
admitted to the blessing of the gospel as
well as the Jews. This is the Bible sense
oft. If any one, however, uses the pas
sage in proof of the propriety of eating
flesh, let him at least be consistent and
stick to the text, and wait till the sheet is
let down, not eat the filthy swine that have
been raised here on earth in dirty pens
where all pure air is excluded, and the an
mals are permitted to breathe only poison
ous gasses, and fatten with disease, their
very fat being blubber dropsy. If peo-
pie will stick to the text and eat only the
animals that are cleansed and sent down
from Heaven in sheets, I will not reprove
them; but SO long as they continue to eat
those raised on earth, those too as filthy
rs the swine which would hardly be cleans
ed by a journey through purgatory, l
shall continue to direct attention to such
causes of disease. If God cleansed all the
animal creation and made them fit for food
Why not eat dogs, horses, &c? Why
waste the good meat that he has cleansed.
A litter of good fat pups, or a roast from
he shonlder of fat dog would be much
cheaper than litter of pigs or a roast from
he shoulder of "a hog, and an old worn
,ut horse may be fattened as cheap as
vorn-out OK. Why then waste the good
reatures that God has cleansed. 1t is a
,oor rule that wont work both ways, and
hose who quote Peters vision in favor of
wine eating should be carful to see that
he flesh of horses, dogs, and cats is not
wasted.