tillery of ridicule bro't into the field of literary conteft, upon any weighty fubject, in the way of argument, where the truth was not. known to be fully established from other evidence, till the fide of the employer became doubtful-till he began to fear his caufe to be defperate-in fhort, till difpairing of gaining his point by juft reafoning, he fled to the ufe of this weapon, as his dernier refort, in hopes of effecting by a witty turn of expreffion what never could be defended and of all thofe future retributions, moral obligations and natural af. fections, which, when properly cherished, are productive of the fweetest enjoyments of life, and without which all the bands of or der must enevitably be deftroyed. But, fhall man, a reasonable creature judge of truth in this hafty manner? Shall he plunge headlong into every kind of vice, brutality and wickedness, if he can find an example in hiftory to keep him in countenance? What are greatness of talents without good-by juft reafoning. It is more trunefs of heart, but an empty found -the fleeting bubble of a day? What confiderate man would glory, to fine in the page of hiftory, like the fingular Voltaire, if like Voltaire he must miserably die, in unutterrable horror, the wretched victim of his own mad philofophy. Shall man, born for eternity, blindly follow, wherever fuch a genius rambles, regardless of the way, and of the difficulties and dangers, to which he is every moment expofing himself? Yet, the very name of the tinfelled Voltaire as the atheistical leader of a fect of infidels, has led many foolish youth to glory in their fhame, and, without examination, to reject the word of God. But, where is the boafted reason of the man, who follows the example of another man, without knowing why he follows him? True philofophy inveftigates; it feeks for truth, wherever it may be found; it builds only on that evidence, which the wreck of matter and the crush of worlds will never shake. Ridicule was never yet its grand bafis. Theman, who laid it down as an axiom, "Ridi-ing it to fray into the flattering cule is the teft of truft," was either ignorant of truth, or ignerant of the human heart. In feveral years obfervation of the conduct of men, I never yet have seen the ar ly an axiom, The use of ridicule, in the way of argument, in reafoning upon an important queftion, not already clearly established by other evidence, is the general teft of a weak and defenceless fide of the question. For ridicule is never ufed, by any fenfible man, in ferious argumentation, in fearch of truth, till all his treasures of evidence are exhaufted. It is the only artillery, which can be used with advantage, in a desperate caufe. The reafon is obvious. For it has a peculiar charm to take the mind off from clofe thinking, and by unexpectedly pleafing it, to make it forget all farther fearch after the real truth. This is the grand reafon, why ridicule has fuch a fudden influence upon mobs, and all the unstable and unthinking part of mankind. Unexpectedly pleafed, they fall in love with the pleafer,and wholly forget the real truth, they are in fearch after. It is for this peculiar tendency, which redicule poffeffes, of unhinging the mind from close thinking, and thus by unexpectedly pleafing, prepar paths of error, that it is fo much ufed in doubtful and defperate caufes. It is for this reafon, that all infidel books are filled with jefting. and buffoonery, in reafening upon the most folemn and interefting ing but a glittering cheat-who ri fubject which ever engaged the at- fes above it, like the immoveable tention of man. Infidels know, rock in the ocean, regardless of the plain arguments-real truth will dafhing of its tempeftuous waves.→→→→ never gain them a fingle profelyte. He knows the real evidence of deThey know they mult firitunhinge monftration is always to be looked the mind, by the charm of ridicule, for, from another fource. The and thus darken the understand man therefore, who poffeffed of a ing, or the truth of the bible, fhi-comprehenfive mind and extensive ning like the fun in the meridian knowledge, appeals to ridicule as, of heaven, will forever refift their the only teft of truth, on the imwicked attempts to harden men in portant fubject of the existence of fin. The villany of infidelity there a God, or of the truth of a divine fore glaringly appears, in the very revelation, is wilfully blind to truth. means which infidels employ to de- He rifes againft all, that by the prave the hearts of men. Ridi- common fenfe of mankind, is calcule-ridicule forever ridicule, in led general, demonstrated truth. converfation, in books, in all com- If his confcience be not feared as panies, contains all the ftrength of with an hot iron, at times, he can. their boafted philofophy. Is ridi- not fail of being ftung, with fuch cule then truly philofophical? Or painful moments of guilt and horis it of the nature of infallible de-ror as that great wit, the Earl of monftration? No: it is far from Rochefter once felt, for recurring being fo. It hath in all ages of to this delufive teft of truth. The the world, when improved in any words are extracted from his meother fenfe, than as an auxiliary to moirs, which contain his very humacknowledged virtue, in bringing ble confeffion, after an hopeful convice to fhame and contempt, been verfion to Christianity; and are as found the froward enemy of true, follows. "One day at an Athephilofophy. What torrents of rid- iftical meeting, at the house of a icule were poured upon the philo-perfon of quality, I undertook fophy of Columbus, in attempting the difcovery of America, from the vulgar, from fplendid courts, and, even, from the thrones of mighty kings! Had Columbus and all fucceeding philofophers yielded to ridicule, as the teft of truth, A. merica to this day, muft have remained a vaft, howling wildernefs, to manage the caufe, and was the principal difputant against God and piety; and for my perform ances, received the applause of the whole company. Upon which my mind was terribly ftruck, and I immediately replied thus to myfelf, Good God! That a man who walks upright, whe fees the has the use of his fenfes and rea the lonely abode of wandering fav-wonderful works of God, and ages. Swayed by this falfe teft of truth, the enlarged mind of New-fon, fhould use them to the defyton must have been cramped, and his fyftem of philofophy, to this day, must have remained unknown to man. So far therefore is ridicule from being the true foundation of real philofophy, that, it is, the philofopher, who only is able to bear it who knows it to be noth ing of his Creator!”—After he became a ferious man he often expreffed, in the tenderest manner, to his friends, his abhorrance of the deceitful arts of ridicule"Wifhing his fon might never be a wit, (as he explained it, one of thofe wretched creatures, who and religion, denying his being * or his providence :) but that he 'might become an honeft man, and of a truly religious character, which only could be the fupport and bleffing of his family." ZEPHO. ⚫ pride themselves in ridiculing God | ces, with which he forefaw. it would be attended. Divines have generally fuppofed that our Saviour's agony was occafioned by fome caufe which he only could difcern and feel; something which lay within and made his foul ex ceeding forrowful. And yet, when they speak of his prayer, they confider it as alluding to fufferings, of which he had no prefThoughts on our Saviour's prayer ent actual feeling; and that he "in the garden. "O my Father, prayed, (tho with fubmiffion to if it be poffible, let this cup pass that it might be removed from him, the Father's fovereign pleasure) from me.' The fame petition. e. prevented; and he never is expreffed alittle differently; as, "That the hour might pafs from FOR THE CONNECTICUT EVAN- bim; and " That the Father would take away this cup." IT have thofe afflictive feelings, which he expected thofe fufferings would occafion. But are there not reafons to believe, that these are not the cup intended? T is well known, that, in the figurative language of fcripture, the term cup, often fignifies 1. We are told that his agony the difpenfations of providence, began foon after he entered the garboth in ways of affliction and mer- den. This feems to intimate that cy. The first is denoted by, the it was caused by fome new imprefcup of trembling; the other by the fion; fomething, of which he cup of falvation, Our divine Lord could have no clear and full profrefers to grievous fufferings, which pect, previous to this time; and he then felt; or had in profpect. therefore, when it actually came Many have fuppofed that the in- upon him, he was, almoft, overdignant and cruel treatment, which come with an amazing horror; he was foon to meet with, from fuch diftrefling confternation feiJudas and the rude company zed upon him, as had a wonderful which would attend him; from effect upon his animal frame, forthe Jewish Sanhedrim, and the cing the blood, in copious meafcommon people; from Pilate, and ures, through the pores of his from the foldiers, who would ex- body. The expreflions are reecute his fentence, filled him with markable, he began to be fore, amathis overbearing diftrefs; and cau- zed and very heavy. The cup, fed his human nature almost to which he prayed might be remofhrink back from his all-important ved, was this diftrefs, or that undertaking. They confider his which occafioned this amazing agagony as arifing from the difmal ony; of this he had, indeed, fome profpect before him, rather than foretafte; which threw him into from any prefent feeling. That fomething of the fame confternaif it were confiftent with that plan tion, and forced from him a similar of redemption, which was early petition, as in John xii. 27. concerted in the divine council, he Now is my foul troubled; and might be faved from death, or what shall I say? Father, fave from thofe aggravating circumftan-me from this hour. He speaks like VOL. II. No. 5. A a one almost at his wits end who knows not which way to turn, or what to fay. But now the hour was come; and an hour of thick darkness fell upon him; which began his fore amazement; and cauTed him to cry out in an agony of diftrefs, my foul is exceeding forrowful; and as he apprehended, even unto death. He had as clear a view of that scene of fufferings which would begin upon the approach of Judas, before, as at that inftant; and often fpake of thofe evil things, which he was to fuffer from the hands of wicked And tis hardly probable that a little nearer view of them fhould, at once, awaken all his painful apprehenfions, and have fuch a fudden and overbearing effect upon him, Another thought is this. That the evil things, which our Saviour met with from his perfecutors (tho very grievous) did, perhaps, not greatly exceed what others have endured with calm fortitude. Some of his difciples have counted it all joy, when they fell into divers temptations; i. e. the moft grievous fufferings, for his name's fake. They had, it is true, the comforting prefence of God, which was denied him, and drew from him a bitter complaint, when on the crofs. But wicked men have endured from the hand of juftice, very heavy punishment, without fuch amazement. The two thieves fuf fered with him the fame kind of death; tho' not with all the fame aggravating circumftances; nor does it appear, that they were fo overborne with the profpect. But in the next place, it is apprehended, that the cup, which occafioned our Saviour's agony, and which he prayed might pafs or be removed from him, was a clear and heart-affecting fenfe of divine wrath for fin; and a clofe con flict with the powers of darkness, Satan was now let loose upon him. This is your hour, fays Chrift, to the multitude, which came to ap prehend him, and the power of darkness. He had, a little before, told his difciples, that the prince of this world cometh; without doubt, to affault him with his fiery darts. And, who can tell, into what agonizing distress that old ferpent, the devil, could throw him, when freed from divine reftraint! But the ftrokes which were laid upon him by the hand of divine juftice, were fill more overbearing. The Father now' affumed the character of fupreme judge, calling for the ford to fmite the man, who was his follow. It pleafed the Lord (now) to bruife him, and to put him to grief; and to lay upon him the iniquity of us all. He was (now) made fin for us; was ftricken, fmitten of God, and afflided. None knows, the power of God's anger. But we are fure that he can imprefs the mind with fuch a fenfe of the evil nature and iH defert of fin, as to fill it with that amazement and forrow, which will drink up all the fpirits. When therefore, our Saviour had this cup of divine wrath put into his hands, of which he could have no clear preconception, he was fore amazed and felt nature finking under it. This bitter agony, which far furpaffed any thing ever experienced; or, that could be endured by a mere man, conftrained him to cry earneftly to the Father, for fome relief: That the cup might foon be removed, or fome strength afforded, which would enable him to drink what ftill remained. This interpretation feems to be confirmed by that in Heb. v. 7. Who, in the days of his fiefb, when he had offered up prayers and fupplications, with frong crying and tears, unto him that was able to fave him from death; and was beard in that he feared. This refers to thatagonizing prayer, which our Saviour put up in the garden, and repeated three times. God heard bim, i. e. granted him his request, in that he feared. But if the thing he feared, and which he prayed might pafs from him, was that cup of affliction, which would be put into his hand by wicked men, it does not appear that he was heard. For all thofe fufferings did come upon him, and in the fame manner in which he expected them. The Evangelift, Luke, tells us in what manner he was heard-chap. xxii. ver. 43. There appeared an angel unto him from heaven, ftrengthening him. He feared, that if this cup of overwhelming forrow was not removed, or if no fpecial affiftance was afforded him, his ftrength would fail; he must fink under the weight of divine wrath, which appeared to him intollerable. But tho the rod of God was not removed, nor his fenfe of divine wrath leffened; yet the strength which he thus received from heaven, afforded him very feafonable fupport, and relieved him from his painful and overbearing apprehenfions of immediate diftrefs. It appears to me highly rational to believe, that the Father's forfaking the fon of his love; (of which he complains, even as his greatest affliction when on the crofs) his withholding all fenfible divine fupport and confolation; and giving him a heart-affecting and over bearing fenfe of his juft wrath for fin, fo engaged his attention, that he hardly thought of the cruel treatment which he fhould foon receive from men. That this was the cup which occafioned his agony, and threw him into a profufe bleeding fweat, fo that his garments appeared as if died red; and into fuch an amazing horror and confternation, that he fcarcely knew what to say.. In this ftate and with reference to the diftrefs, which he then felt, he prayed; and his agony ftill continuing and increafing, prayed more earnefly, for fome relief. That, if it were poffible, i. e. any how confiftent with the defign of his coming into the world, and to that hour, the cup of which he was then drinking might be removed; or, fome fpecial fupport afforded him. If this is a juft view of our Saviour's agony and prayer, it will tend to fhow the ill-nature of infidel cants and reflections, as "That Chrift difcovered lefs fortitude, than many, who, in every age and country, have met with as dreadful trials, and with greater calmness; and that this illy agrees with the pretence, that his fufferings were of great neceflity and efficacy for the falvation of finners. That it intimates his willingness and even defire to give up the cause, in which he was engaged, even tho the confequence fhould be fatal to a world of finners." CHRISTIANUS. A letter from a Chriftian friend ta one who had great anxiety of mind for a time, but who foon became thoughtless. DEAR SIR, lafit time I faw you, your attention was taken up the ftate of your foul. You thought the amufements, which are fo pleafing to young and vain minds very unbecoming candidates for eternity. Senfual pleasures, worldly honors and wealth were of little value in |