AN


EOMMEMORATIVE OF
AMERICANAINDEPENDENCIJEJ

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BEFORE 'IX.‘1"IIE.‘.

 

  CITYAOF NEW»-Y0RK..

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¥"’A.‘3'1‘OR. OF 'I‘I<'liE PRESP-'Y'P.ER.I'X.‘N CIIURCH IN VA.NDEWA'1'ER*-S'.X‘..

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PUBI4I8IIED BY’ R.EQ,UES'l‘ OF‘ TIII-3 DELEGATES COMPOSING T1’;-Hi}
FIILEMENQS COMMI'.I"I‘EE OF ARRANGEMENTS» .

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PRINTED BY E. CONRAD,
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1824.

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FInE1vmr~':°s HALL, July 7, 1824.

Act a meeting of the Delegates composing the Firemen’s
Comrnittee of Arrangements, for celebrating the 48th Anni?
versary ofm.An1Ea1cAN INDEPEMJENCE-——-—it was unanimously
‘‘ Rrzsornvnn, That the thanks of the Fire Department be
“ presented to the Rev. Dr. Hooren CUMMING, for the very
5‘ able and eloquent ORATION delivered by him, before the
‘“ Firemen of the city of_ New»-York, in the Bowery Church,
“ on the 5th inst. and that a copy of the same be respectfully
-“ requested for publication.”

Extract from the Minutes,

N IEL GRAY, Secretary.

-~€*®I--an

I41$1’EN.ARD*STH.EET, .Tuly8, 1822-1.

NIEL GRAY‘, Esq. Secretary ofi the Delegates composing;
the FIaI«:MmN’s Committee of Arrangements, for celebrat—
ing the 48th Annivereary of AMERICAN Imnernnnmron :

Drmrt Sin,

I rremn under obligations to the “ Fran: Dzirnrrarmnrwr,”
for the complimentary style of their Communication tlirouglrx

you. Enclosed you have the 0RATION- Although prepared

in great haste, and amidst a variety of pressing avocations, it

is committed to the same candour with which it was received,

by the most important and respectable Association in our City.
With the highest consideration,

' Your Obedient Servant,

HOOPER. CUMMING~g r

essaanen.
~———<><":;>——--

Ansrtelons Moan! which witnessed the noblest
declaration that ever issued from the lips of patriotism.
Auspicious morn l which gilded the manly brows, and
dilated the benevolent bosoms, and strung the sturdy
nerves of Jefferson, and Adams, and Franklin, and
Sherrnan, and Livingston. Auspicious morn! which

heard three millions of freeman exclaim, “ The sword

of the Lord and of VVashington.'” Oh! it is good to

be here. I congratulate you. I rejoice with you. I

can Without misgivings, call you brethren.

The day that commemorates the birth of a nation, is
altogetherinteresting. The philanthropist regards it
With infinitely grateful emotions 2 the patriot’s bosom
expands with joy: the christian’s heart ascends to hea-

ven, amid the incense of ten thousand praises.

In tracing the causes which originated the formation

of a people into a systematic]; government, and exalted

them to the dignity of a great repuhlicki, contempla-~ V

tions are awakened of paramount importance. Here.

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We behold the developement of principles which will
influence the welfare of unborn millions, which will
have a lasting and decisive operation upon all the di-
versified relations of man, and for ages will improve or

debase his moral character.

On the present joyous occasion, it were needless for-
mally to recapitulate the great events which establish-4

ed our independence, and gave us an exalted station

,amongst the governments of the earth. You have

from your infancy delighted to dwell upon their history.

You have often listened to the War—Worn veteran, who

in tears of grateful memory, recounted the alternate

triumphs and defeats of those memorable times which

tested, with severe scrutiny, the sincerity of patriotism.

You heard him with exultation. Every incident was i

cherished by you : for it was the story of your birth--

right. “ Here,” would he say, “ our little army of

heroes advanced! The proud legions of oppression

before us! All that sensibility made dear, to urge us----
the altars of our devotion---the fire-side of our children

----the sepulchres of our fathers, had been invaded

, and insulted by unprincipled bands of foreign soldiery.

In front of these sacred pledges, We planted our stand-

ardt- Ourmotto was short and simple: but itvvas

r .full'of energy. It was the motto of our hearts : and

_Lnsx:a'.rr or DEATH, waved in sight of t our foemenc--— l

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They felt its meaning. They la:-:arne<:l with fearful con-
viction the appalling lessomthat the shrine of Liberty
was defended by a courage, that was nurturedtby'
principle, and sustained by conscience. We tatlglat
them, that the thur.-clers of their cannon, and “ all the
dread pomp and circumstance of war”, sent no terrours
to the heart of an‘ honest soldier. He fo't.xght not for
the lZ)lOOCl—Sl.'aifl€Cl laurel. The mercenary rewards of
the hi1'eling imparted no vigour to his bravery. It was
home, and Wife, and children, and cou11t1“y,tl1atnarw:cl
his arm. It was liberty of tl1oti1gl1t and action----the
noble privilege of governing ourselves, for vvl.1ich We
contoritlecl. The struggle was long and arduous: but
it was successfhl. Yes! llonomcl be the memory of
that band oliworthiesl This clay with all its blessings:
the ehjoyments arising from a well-organized gov£:rn-
ment 2 the inestimabla rights of conscience : the:-icertailt:
results of indostryancl er1to1*prize-—-—-seotxred by the ad»
mihistratiorz ofiourtovrnlaws, cllallexago our Wa1*111arst
gratitude, andwill forever embalm, with the riclnest

praises, the names of those who bled for their country.”

You have heard all this! and your pulse beatinur1i~
son with every throb and fibre of his haartl But,
when he pointed you to the Hero of his story} wlzoipi,
with the native eloquence of a soul that clisclainecl tihio

arts and ornaments of fancy, he presented to you the

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nameof ‘WAsI~IINk}ToN, and all his virtues, how did his
relation brighten in interest, and your attention. fasten
With eager enthusiasm on all the proud recollections

which that name awakened;

In traversing the Woods and wilds of America, our
great Captain studied the severe and wholesome les-
sons which dan_g;ei*s and privations furnish. Here, he
learned the rudiments ofhis future greatness. Hard-
ships, adversities, vicissitudes, the perils ofsavage war-
fare had chastened and poised his mighty mind. Its
«powers had been tasked. He had tried, and he knew
their strength. VVhen our liberties were endangered-—~
when the ambitious ministry of Britain threatened to
extinguish the last spark of freedom, and forever colo-
nize our privileges?-—when our Fathers rose, and inthe
strength of the God of battles, fixed their purpose with

unalterable firmness--—when they determined that the

‘chain should be broken, and the oppressor over-

thrown-----Where, where was then the master spirit
that could “' ride on the whirlwind and direct the
storm ”--—-«the master spirit that could lead on, and con-
summate this glorious resolve---—-the master spirit that
could animate the friends and intimidate and annihilate

the fees of freedom E’

WASHINGTON appeared ! He had been tutored and
ripened by the good Providence of'God, for the very

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object which new summoned him at the head of our ar-

mies. He saw with a prophetick vision, what Atneriw

rcamight become, if her sons were virtuous, resolute,

brave, and persevering. And with an enthusiasm reg-
ulated by singular prudence, he directed all the ener-
gies of his enlightened and capacious mind, through a
long career of action, to attain the golden prize which

futurity held in prospect for his country.

There is an era in the history of our struggles, which
will never lose its interest, While memory retains her
power, or integrity her influence. Our finances were em-i
barrassed. The sources of revenue which our scatter-
ed settlements, and our restricted and hazardous com-,~
merce yielded, were inadequte to meet the increasing
claims which beset an already exhausted = treasury.
Our troops were deprived of their hard earned wages.
The spirit o‘l'revoltanddisafl’ection spread itself through-
out certain sections of the army. Discord raised her
pestilential crest, and there were not wanting‘ talent and
influence tovvelcome her approacli-«-to fan the flame
,t,l1at had‘ been kindled around the altar of freedom, and
was fast making its Wastieful Way to her very pillars.
Washington, the idolof the soldier----wiliosei sword was
law---whose sentiments were sacred-—-y--Whtose persua-
sien vvasiresistless--—--stood then the sentinel of our lixopes...
But Liberty did not tremble. Hadylhe who passed the

Rubicon been there, our history might have been the

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degraded story of Wrongs and bondage. But, the Fan
ther of his country never paused. To tamper was to
imbibe contagion: to breathe in the air of mutiny,
was to inhale its poison. With a righteous indignation
of spirit, he rebuked the foul fiends who had dared to
whisper infidelity. He calmed the passions which in--
sidious arts had ruffled to mislead. He opened to View
the devouring gulph which was eager to destroy in its
vortex, all that seven long years of toil and suffering
had secured. The demon fled from our ranks. Or-
der returned. a Our honest but misguided defenders
saw their danger, and shrunk with horrour from the
imagination ofitsconsequences. And we live, my coun-
trymen, to admire his unconquered virtues, and to re-

joice this happy day, that under heaven, WASHINGTON
presided o'er our fortunes.

Long may his name live in the best affections of a people,
to whose happiness, his first and last days were consecrated.
May his counsels be engraven on the posts of our doors: and
may every heart emulate his worth! Let mausolea rise in
every city, town, and village to his honour. And let New»-
York, first in wealth, commercial enterprise, prospective
prosperity, intelligence and patriotism, in her park, or some
other appropriate square, erect a monumental statue of
such dimensions and such materials, that combining beauty

with stability, “ longum perduretin cevum.’?_ A

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C‘onq2reror:,3f' time, he has triumphed over mortality: Le.-
gaze of heaven; he lies returned with the tidings of his mis--

sion: Fat/zer qfizis people, he has ascended to repose in the.

bosom of the fatherof the spirits of all flesh. Solemn, “ as.

it were a. pause in nature,” was his transit to eternity;

thronged by the shades of heroes, his approach tothe oon-

fines of bliss; paeaned by the song of angels, his journey

beyond the stars.

Born to direct the destiny of empires, his character was
as nmjeetlelr, as the events to which it was ettaohecl, were
illustrious. In the tlelineetiontof its features, the vivid pen--
oil of genius oennot brighten ti. trait, nor the blighting breath
of calurnnyr obscure. Irlie princziples were the result   of

orgenioipl'1ilosophy;” his success of moral justice. Hie in-e

  togrity assumed the port of command; his intelligenoe’,.i the

eepeot of inspiration.

 to merzyirnpregnable, he obtained Without amhi~

 tion;   popularity “to all r inoonetant, he enjoyed without

jealousy. Thettionet was his, i from admiration: other,
from gratitude. The former embellished, but could notre-=
tvard; the latter fojllovved, but could never lead‘ him.  'I‘he
robust vigour of hie virtue, like» the undamled: eyeof the
eaglegr Was inaeeessible  humane weakness  rmd the .unes~t
piring ternperarnent of f his   pa.eeione,i like the regeneretvt
ed ashee of the pl1enix,~l i gave  irlife to‘ the greateess i:;
2

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could not extinguish. In the imperial dignity of his person,

was exhibited the august stature of his mind ;

"‘ See what a grace was seated on his brow,

An eye like Mars, the front of ove himself,
i A combination, and a form indeed,

Where every God did seem to set his seal,

To give the world assurance of a man !”

Wheii his country became free, he was no longer a
General. Sublime spectacle! more elevating to the pride
of virtue, than the sovereignty of the globe united to the
sceptre of ages! Enthroned in the hearts of his country-
men, the gorgeous pageantry of prerogative was unworthy

the majesty of his dominion. That effulgence of military

” character, which, in ancient states, has blasted the rights of

the people, whose renown it had brightened, was not here

permitted, by the hero, from whom it emanated, to shine
with so destructive a lustre. Its beams, though intensely
resplendent, did not wither the young blossoms of our inde—
pendence; and liberty like the burrzing bus/z, flourished,

unconsumed by the glory which surrounclecl it.

Fellow citizens! Ihave dwelt the longer on his character,

becausse I have been taught from my cradle to revere him,

and the maturityof reflection, and the authenticity of his»

tory, andtfhe soberness of rgialities, havegconfirmed and ren-

dered, indelible the first impressions.

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Y es! and I revere also, the character of his distinguished,
gallant, and disinterested coadjutor, whom we hopeshortly
to welcome to our shores. I would rather shake hands
with La Fayette, than with any man on earth. He was
my father’s fellow soldier and my father’s friend: they stood

and fought side by side, at Brandywine, and Germantown,

at Trenton, Princeton, Monmouth, Yorktown. The only

surviving General officer of our revolutionary army, he de-- ‘

serves to be hailed among us, in the patrioticlc, emphatick,
and elegant language of our worthy Recorder, as “the guest
of the nation.” And he will be so received. N ew-York will
not be outdone by any city in the union. Every vault and
every arch will echo and re-—echo with his praises. Every
sanctuary will send up petitions for the protraction of his
nsefnl life, and the happiness of his soul. Every domicile,
great or humble, will be ready to welcome his entrance, and
esteem itself most highly honoured. Every infant will be
taught to pronounce his name. Every patriot will delight
to do him homage. And it will be seen to the confusion of
the haughty Bourboris; and the deep mortification of every
branch and fibre of the zmlzoly alliance, that Republicans
are grateful. A A

We hope, that he means to spend among us, I all his re-,~
maining days. And when he shall descend into the sepal-
chre, the-sitghsrrof cotemporary grffittitude will attend the sub»
lime spirit to its paternal abode 5, and the prayers emanr

cipated posterity willascend in glowing remembrance of
their illustrious benefactor! “The lanrels, that droop, as
they shadow his tomb, with monumental glory, will be cul-
tivated by the tears of ages; and embalmed in the heart of
an admiring world, the temple erected to his niemory, will
he more glorious than the pymmicis, and as eternal as his

own innperishable virtues.”

I cannot without injustice to my own feelings, as a man,
as a christian, as the warxn friend of my country, ‘pass ‘on-
ward, without some notice, of another distinguished, and I‘
may add, with peculiar emphasis, devoted patriot. He is
poor,» but without spot. If in the councils of the nation, he

ever erred, it was unintentionally. VVhen our country was

hleeding at everytporew-«its funds exhaustedw-—its bravest

spirits desponding, l16lIll1T'QClLlCe(il, into the Connrnissaries de-

partment, a system of economy, _Which saved us. Weltl

inighthe exclaim “hundreds and thousands have passed

through these hands, but not a cent has ever stuck to them.

My laboursihave ministered to my necessities.” I speak
not asa politician, but as a philanthropist-r-—not as a federal-»
ist, nor a democrat, but as an American : not as the partizan
of the secretary of the treasury, or the secretary of state, or
the secretary at war, or the speakers of c the “house, of ,repre~

sentatives, or even the hero of Orleans; a  am for them all.

A Let the people select. And they will select., ~And:no clan»-

ger will follow, let their choice ‘fall; on whomsoever it may.

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Their intelligencewill keep the president, always on ‘the
alert, and in the path of duty. N o despotism will sap the
foundation of their liberties. N owar will be declared with-.
out their consent. Their purse will not be picked. The
march of internal improvements will not be arrested.
Thanh God! I am a freeman, and therefore can speak boldly.
Myself, grossly traduced, I will advocate the innocent.
My life on it, no man deserves better of his country----my
life on it, no man will receive a warmer embrace from La

Fayette, than the venerable Timothy Pickering.

Assembled to celebrate this eventful epoch . in American
history, we should by no means withhold our humble tribute
of gratitude and praise to the gracious author of all our mer-
cies. His providence guided our arms. Wlien amidst
difficulties and dangers, a superior foe-wsuperior in numbers
and the munitions of war: but not superiorin courage and
devoted patriotism, threatened desolation to our cities and
villages : when our reduced, and retreating, and discouraged
forces almost despaired---In that dark hour, when the heart
of the virtuouspatriotsunlc Within him, and in agony trem-
bled o’er his hopes----I-Ie who rules in the armies of heaven
was on our side. c He encouraged the desponding Warriour.
He infused new wisdomintoour cabinet. I-Ie overruledthe
events of the appalling crisis. He blessed us with victory,

and peace, and freedom. V

( {H5 )

And every returhing year of our national existence
through each section of this vast continent, furnishes abund~
ant causes forgratitudeand joy. Loudly as foreign politi~
cians may have declaimed against a republican govern»
ment; forcibly as they fnayhave endeavoured to pourtray
the weakness and the anarchy which will flow from its
forms: it yet, , for~“forty-eight‘t years, has it withstood the shocks
of time: and at this favoured hour, it presents in all its di~
versifiedoperations, the spectacle of at free, a prosperous,
and an united people. VVhilst the governments of the old
world have been shaken, and crushed, and overturned,
America, republican America, stands firm like the rock by
yonder ocean: and the oollisionsvvhicli have agitated its
citizens, have been only the convulsions of the waters that
died llarmltess at its base. x It is now more firmly secure
than ever, by “the safest of all palladiunis--Z/Le /warts‘ of the
people. Thisis a “bulwark, my countrymen, vvhichlpovver
cannot claim: which the wealth of worlds cannot purchase.
America owns it. Survey the interesting scene. Fruitful
fields! Powerful citiesli Flourishing villages! Domestic

Tranquility! I Universal harmony! Friend can now meet

friend, without abitter feeling. The prejudice of the heart

is removed. a The jaundice of the eye is cured. N o ban of
prescription now excludesfrozn the social circle. No invi-
diolrs line of demarkation is run along through the relations
of society, which, with a strange magickt hand, Iiad the

awful power to divide the strongest cords of naturle,‘i, te:

c 45 )
poisons tll8»\C€I‘.y imilk of human kindness, and array a
brother in arms. M.y countrymen rny countrymen! let us

here dig the grave, and bury forever in its bosom, all .divi~

sions and auirnosities, .which' have onlyweakened. our

government and distressed ourselves.

Distinguished by ...such inestimable blessings as those
which signalise our lot, our duties become solemnly res-
ponsible- Obligations reach every individual, however
humb-le his station, or limited hisinfluence. The legacy
which our fathers secured by their labours anclfortitude,
and sealed with their blood, is now’ confided to the care of
us their children. We rule ourselves. This is the essence
of republican government, and the plainest man among
you perceives in the very statement, that the rulers must
be virtuous, or the lavvscan neither be just nor good. A Vice
is the reproach of any people: butiittisthe certain ruinrof
a free people. V Oh, tnyqcountrytnenl improve “your iprivi-
leges! They exalt your tothe heavens It I conjure you, be-
Ware that they come not’. down in wrath! Let each mem»
ber of this greattfattnily feel, that in atsense, and in a strong
sense too, the welfare of the whole isentrusted to himself.
The tenant of thehurnblest cottagecan be useful. * Inithe
steady pursuit of industrious xhabits--~in repressing within
his spheretheinroads cf...vice—-+4-in adorning his lowly shed
with piety and virtue, he may, andoften does exert an in-

fluence far, far .more.” happy i‘ in itself, r?mo1*e;ihonourable to

l l 55 it)
God, and more salutaryto . man, than the proud sons of
.'p0‘We1‘iBV31‘, could attain. a; Let the merchant, the husband-
rnan, the mechanic, the manufacturer, the bone, of all our

strength, the true source of ; national prosperity, be urged

by the consideration of their vast importance, to active

perseverance in the cultivation of the arts of peace. Your
country’s best hopes rest on you.- When your hand slack-
ens, hervigour sleeps. If a single Wanders-rfrorn among
your «industrious ranks strays into the wayward paths of dis-
sipationl and indolence, one pillar of her pride is pgone.--—
And for your encouragement, neverforget, that true, honour
is substantial, and thathonest industry receives her praise.
In the estimation of human merit, he deserves most, who
fulfils the duties of his station with most fidelity :, and no
matter Where that station may be, on the scale of an use-
ful gradationl, “ Act grvvell 1 your part; there all the honour
lies.” J Whilst you continue virtuous and ttrfaithrfula, nothing
will disturb our security. Time will only strengthen the
foundations, of government. All the venom of the unholy
alliance cannot Lpoison us. All the power of legitimacy,
falsely so called, (for there is no legitimacy but that which
originates in the people,) all, the povver of self-styled legitis-l

;ma.cyL cannot crush us. America, still republican, still

i intelligent, still united, will be the land of the brave, and

tllf->;,«l*10m£% of the free.’ But if that melancholy, day should

revermnarrive, when the busy hum of your manufacturing

establishments shall cease S: when the cheering   l sourxclsrruf

t (.  T)
the anvil andathe sledge, the hammer and the nail, the distaff
and the wheel, the shuttle and the loom, the axe, the hoe, and
the plough, shall be heard no more, then farewell liberty!

for her strength and her nutrirnent will have fiedforever.

May I be permitted to add, without incurring the charge
of too much gallantry, that to Columbia’s fair daughters,
much of publick usefulness and honour is fairly to be traced.
The wise and good’ of all generations have regard_ed the
tender sex as the last refuge of Virtue. Where izvoman is
degraded, man is atsavage. The tfirst gleam of light that
pervaded the darkness of the middle ages, was announced
by the homage paid to female Worth: and _as civilization
has advanced, it has always been more highly appreciated.
At-the fireside of female watohfulness, many a blessing to
these United States is fostered. If that love of truth and
righteousness----that ardent benevolence and expansive gym»
pathy, from which alone, the cause of humanitycan hope
for support, are to be found on earth, in purity and slim»-
plicity, it is in the bosom of the amiable, accomplished,
and intelligent female. Retiring and unobtrusive, her in-

zfluence, in point of numbers, is not perhaps extensive:

but within the sphere of its operation, it is powerful, and t

it is decisive, To her it belongs to unfold the powersof

the infantile mind--—to instill the earliest precepts of virtue-e~,-~ ,

to impress the earliest feelings , of humanity-5-——to form at
once the understanding, the imagination, : and the ghearto
3

(it i8 )

A_1‘O1'II_‘ldl2ll6 dornestick board and altar ar-e inculcated the
first great principles which give impetus to the future cha-
racter; Here are elicited the first scintillations of those
luminaries of science, which shoot their rays into the re-»
motest time. And here too, man finds a solace for his cares,

and a resting place for his wearied bosom.

“ Dornestick happiness! thou only bliss
Of Paradise, that has survived the fall!
Thou art the nurse of l virtue I In thine arms,
She smiles, appearing as in truth she is,

Heaven-born, and destined to the skies again i”

When I behold a pious mother inculcating“ on the sacred
pledges of her affection, the lessons of wisdom and virtue;
directing the new born ideas of her children; and fixing
upon the pliant mind the irnpress of truth; tempering he-
roick fortitude withthe gentleness of compassion, and manly
vigour of intellect with the tenderest affections of the heart,
Irejoice in this happy spectacle as the best safeguard of
my country’s prosperity. A

Firemen of the city of“New-York‘! It is an honour to
address you. You are, Without a solitary exception, the
rnost u’sefula_nd important class of our citizens! our Wives
andchildrernour property, ourselves, our insurance coal»
panics, our banking institutions, and all our commercial

interests in all their bearings and relations, ‘depend, under

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God, on you for protection and preservation;  ‘You are be»
nevolent. The vvidovv’s furr-owed brow is smoothed, and
the orphanis tears are wiped away by the hand of your be-
zneficence. You cultivate among yourselves the spirit of
brotherly love. Always act in harmony. And every man
in this community, whose" opinion is worth regarding, will
view you, and treat you as possessed of the highest res

pectability. You are exempted, it is true, inconsequence
of your signal usefulness in other respects, from sitting on

a jury, and from enrolling yourselves on the catalogue of

the militia. Yet by your personal influence, you may pro»

tect the purity of the laws. And I doubt not, for a mo»
rncnt, should a hostile invader pollute our soil, you would
cast away your privilege, fall into the ranks and spillyour
blood. Yes! and I will add, without arrogance or osten-
t-ation, that I am ready with a bible in one hand, anda
sword in other, to be your chaplain.  Bible! yes, my
countrymen! I canrecomrnend nothing to be compared
with it. Its influence will be as lasting as time. Genera-~
tions yet unknown, shall feel and venerate its power in all
the freshness of youthful vigour. Opposition to its free
course only sends deeper and deeper its expansive and out»
stretching root-s, until they will grasp the globe We inhabit;
and when it reels, this beauteous fabrick of things will fall

avithl -it, into the peaceful bosom‘ of J eternity.

(J,  lg

,,,T,{‘1;e_A1ynighty,has ideereed.«iti : and more rational would

he the sioklyiefforts of infatiuated man stojrule the boisterous ;

ocean, lashedpby impending storms, than to resist the im»

mortal reign of "his truth.  Deism and Socinianism have

already done their utmost. Hume has pierced the sacred l

Word by the imalignant exercise of i a genius, acute in

thought, and pointed in reasoning. Gibbon, with insidi»,

ous art, has levelled, his keenest satire at its peculiarities.

Voltaireflancl Paine, Bolingbroke and Sllaftsrbury, have at »

suceessiverperiods exhausted their venom, in lampooning i

the oracles of our faith.“ Yet, like its author,the Bible has

‘never tastecliof corruption, but has burst the bands of op-

prression, and arisen with new splendour from its attempted

I humiliation. Like some huge, towering rock of theoeean,

the Waves of opposition have for centuries broke against it,

but it still remains at friendly beacon to the wary, and a._

Wellwknovvn land markrin his rvoyage to an eternal haven.»

Butwho is Hume? Andiwho is the baptized infidel, Uni-t.

tarian, .i,mp1*eperl,y.sndenominated, of modern days? Can
heeonipare with Newton? Nevpvton, who made the idevi-;

eusflomet hi,spost—horse, and travelled through its excenwa

, trioiipirqrbit up to-nature’s God, Can sophistry outweigh the s

testirneny of him who. lreard the rrnorning -stars shout" the
praises,>ef the hand“ that ‘arrayed i them" 5' Can e~ he at oompiare

with Locke, with Baeon,who, abandoni«ng~vthe delusions of

tmefaphysicks, investigated man as they found him; and

  through the wonderful combination of hismysterious facul-«

ties, traiced,-out themeehanism of an all-Wise hand? Carr
Hume,or Priestley, or a host of talents ‘equally splendid, A
overcome the pointed evidence of experience: experience,
which exhibits to us, the pillow of death, bereft of its thorns,
the freezing horrors of thegrave, and the sawfultuncertaintiesi
of an untried hereafter, met with icomposure---nay, em-l-r

braced with ecstacy?

‘The Bible has ivvithstoocl not only the iron tooth of time,
but all the physical and all the intellectual strength of man;
It has been assailed bylweapons which would have de»:
stroyed any other book: and yet it~survives.i Thearsenals
of learning have been employed to arm herifortthe contestr
and in search of means to prosecuteit with success, recourseii
has been had, not only to remote ages, and distant lands,
buteven to the bowels of the earth, and the. region of the
stars. It has been ridiculed more bitterly, r-misrepresented?
more grossly, opposed more raneorously, andlaurnt more
frequently than any other book, and perhaps, than all other
books combined: yet, it is so far from sinking under the
efforts of itsfoes, that the probability, nay, the certainty of
its surviving, until thefinal ‘consummation of all things, is
now established. The rain has descended :‘ The floods“
have poured forth: The storm, has beatruponit : ibutittfalls

not; for it is founded on a rock._ ,, Like the burning bush, it

  has everbeen; in the flames-—--yet, itis still, unoonsumed:,,a

(22)

proof, strong as its own holy writ, that he ivho dwelt in the

bush, the great God out; Saviour, preserves the Bible.

Press it then closely, and yet more warmly to your hearts.
It will deliver you from the fury of the devouring element
which is eternal, after you havepreserved others from that

which is temporal.

Permit me to add, that I mourn. sincerely with you, over
the recent loss which you have sustained, by the death of
one of your most amiable and wo.1~thy.associates."‘ You are
called today to sing of judgment as well as mercy. We.
sympathize with the afflicted widow. Our heartsrbleed for
theorphan children. And oh! is it inappropriate in a mi-
nisterof Jesus Christ, affectionately to exhort you, to be
admonished by this premature and sudden departure, to
rlieep your ..7ar.9nps m’-zmned and burning, your Zoins gm‘, and to

he. always read;/for the coming of the S072 Qflllcm .9

Flntnow CITIZENS!
i Our circumstances are most auspicious. The late War

has made us eminently one people. Discrepancies of p opin~

ion on various points, will from the very conformation of the

5”‘ Mr. James Quick, one of the Committee of Arrangements,

i who wasin perfect ‘health on the last Saturday of June, and a
   reorpse sort the following Monday. i

<  as 2

human intellect, exist. Yet, on all great national topiclrs,
on all that is vital, on all that is indentified with true repub-
licanism, and rea lliberty, we are amalgamated, The gene»
rous, and hospitable, and frank, and eloquentson of Erin----
the honest, and reflecting, and brave Caledonian—-—-the unso-
phisticated Welchmanw-the lineal descendants of the faith-
ful martyred I-Iuguenots——-——-the hardy and vigorous Germanw-
the intrepid Hollander, distinguished for his patient perse-
verance, his personal integrity, his admirable adherence to
the unadulterated truths ofrevelation---these, these, blended
with the sons of the pilgrims, the adventurers of Oglethorpe,
the followers of Raleigh, the pacifick disciples of Penn, and
the Swedes of Jersey, together constitute a body of sound
thinking, and a column of patriotism, that, I trust, will never
be destroyed, until the miglity angel planting one foot on

the earth, and the other on the ocean, shall lift his hand to

lieaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, the? A

time shall be no more.

“ Mid the thunders of war, and the fury offiame
‘Rose Columbia’s eagle in glory aspiring!
And long shall he soar in the regions of flame, i
Till earth is in ruins, and ocean retiring!
Indpendent and free
Our motto shall be,
And death to the the who saps Libertgfls tree,’
F or ne’er shall the lion of Europe regain

The empire lee Zest o’er the land and the main?"