religious varieties, should be studied by all. And when he becomes queer and crotchety, and departs from the pure doctrines and precepts of Christianity, we must look well after him, or he will play sad pranks, and do us mischief.

The writer, during his progress through life up to the present, has seen amongst men much to admire, much to revere, esteem, and love-much to be grateful for. Men under the direct influence of the Christian religion, are sons of God. But when they decline from benevolence to selfishness; when they go from truth to error; when they leave sound reasoning for sophistry; when they make void the laws of God by foolish traditions, or the whimsical fancies of fanaticism; when they call this thing sinful, and that thing sinful, which the Bible contemplates as a matter of pure indifference, and in some cases a real virtue, they then become, if not sons of Belial, yet very troublesome and injurious persons. Antipathies, though sometimes very natural and proper, are in some instances very ridiculous and mischievous. The strabism of Alderman Growler renders his fictitious seriousness very oppressive to his neighbour. He looks at men and things in a light of his own. He has a very great antipathy to facetiousness, and calls it eccentricity; meaning by that appellation levity or buffoonery, or something wicked. And his very tender conscience prompts him to repudiate every gospel minister who is so awfully presumptuous as to make anybody laugh. Like a turkey cock who gobbles and

attacks a little boy with a red jacket, or a wild bull with an antipathy to a field gate, he makes a run at the offensive object, and mischief is the result. From this bastard piety-a degradation to the human intellect, and a nuisance to all wise and good men-have some of us grievously suffered "in mind, body, and estate," for very many years. We intend to do more than defend ourselves against it. It shall be attacked as an enemy in disguise.

Balthazer Gracian, a celebrated Spanish author, reports an action of Peter, Count of Savoy, which we think will illustrate the expediency of a man defending himself while he duly respects the rights of others. "This Count," says he, "who was a Sovereign Prince, presenting himself before Otho, Emperor of Germany, to receive investiture from him of his dominions, came dressed after a fantastical manner. His right side was all clothed with embroidery, enriched with precious stones; and his left all clad in armour. The Emperor, demanding the reason of this whimsical habit, he answered, 'I am thus dressed to show your Imperial Majesty that as on one hand I am disposed to pay homage to you, so on the other I am ready to defend myself against all such as shall in the least offer to deprive me of my right.'

"Ah, well," says the Reverend Christopher Comfortable, (accustomed as a "dear blessed man" to the enjoyment of good livings, and therefore unable to understand the pressure of difficulty)—" It might be well for Peter Count of Savoy to buckle on his armour,

religious varieties, should be studied by all. And when he becomes queer and crotchety, and departs from the pure doctrines and precepts of Christianity, we must look well after him, or he will play sad pranks, and do us mischief.

The writer, during his progress through life up to the present, has seen amongst men much to admire, much to revere, esteem, and love-much to be grateful for. Men under the direct influence of the Christian religion, are sons of God. But when they decline from benevolence to selfishness; when they go from truth to error; when they leave sound reasoning for sophistry; when they make void the laws of God by foolish traditions, or the whimsical fancies of fanaticism; when they call this thing sinful, and that thing sinful, which the Bible contemplates as a matter of pure indifference, and in some cases a real virtue, they then become, if not sons of Belial, yet very troublesome and injurious persons. Antipathies, though sometimes very natural and proper, are in some instances very ridiculous and mischievous. The strabism of Alderman Growler renders his fictitious seriousness very oppressive to his neighbour. He looks at men and things in a light of his own. He has a very great antipathy to facetiousness, and calls it eccentricity; meaning by that appellation levity or buffoonery, or something wicked. And his very tender conscience prompts him to repudiate every gospel minister who is so awfully presumptuous as to make anybody laugh. Like a turkey cock who gobbles and

attacks a little boy with a red jacket, or a wild bull with an antipathy to a field gate, he makes a run at the offensive object, and mischief is the result. From this bastard piety-a degradation to the human intellect, and a nuisance to all wise and good men—have some of us grievously suffered "in mind, body, and estate," for very many years. We intend to do more than defend ourselves against it. It shall be attacked as an enemy in disguise.

Balthazer Gracian, a celebrated Spanish author, reports an action of Peter, Count of Savoy, which we think will illustrate the expediency of a man defending himself while he duly respects the rights of others. "This Count," says he, "who was a Sovereign Prince, presenting himself before Otho, Emperor of Germany, to receive investiture from him of his dominions, came dressed after a fantastical manner. His right side was all clothed with embroidery, enriched with precious stones; and his left all clad in armour. The Emperor, demanding the reason of this whimsical habit, he answered, 'I am thus dressed to show your Imperial Majesty that as on one hand I am disposed to pay homage to you, so on the other I am ready to defend myself against all such as shall in the least offer to deprive me of my right.'

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'Ah, well," says the Reverend Christopher Comfortable, (accustomed as a "dear blessed man" to the enjoyment of good livings, and therefore unable to understand the pressure of difficulty)—“ It might be well for Peter Count of Savoy to buckle on his armour,

religious varieties, should be studied by all. And when he becomes queer and crotchety, and departs from the pure doctrines and precepts of Christianity, we must look well after him, or he will play sad pranks, and do us mischief.

The writer, during his progress through life up to the present, has seen amongst men much to admire, much to revere, esteem, and love-much to be grateful for. Men under the direct influence of the Christian religion, are sons of God. But when they decline from benevolence to selfishness; when they go from truth to error; when they leave sound reasoning for sophistry; when they make void the laws of God by foolish traditions, or the whimsical fancies of fanaticism; when they call this thing sinful, and that thing sinful, which the Bible contemplates as a matter of pure indifference, and in some cases a real virtue, they then become, if not sons of Belial, yet very troublesome and injurious persons. Antipathies, though sometimes very natural and proper, are in some instances very ridiculous and mischievous. The strabism of Alderman Growler renders his fictitious seriousness very oppressive to his neighbour. He looks at men and things in a light of his own. He has a very great antipathy to facetiousness, and calls it eccentricity; meaning by that appellation levity or buffoonery, or something wicked. And his very tender conscience prompts him to repudiate every gospel minister who is so awfully presumptuous as to make anybody laugh. Like a turkey cock who gobbles and