Massachusetts Spy and Worcester Advertiser, 1823-12-17

STACKHOUSE'S COMPLETE BODY OF DIVINITY. .BY JOHN CLARKE, (Bridgeton, West New Jersey,) FOR PUBLISHING BY SUBSCRIPTION, Stackhouse's Complete Body of 'Speculative and Practical Divinity. address to the PUBLIC. The work now offered to the public is one with which the literary world in England and America have long been familiar. It is so well known, so generally admired, so univer universally - sally universally sought, and so highly appreciated, that no particular recommendation in its favour has been accepted, preferring rather to de depend - pend depend on its established fame and intrinsic merits for success than to attach to our pros prospectus - pectus prospectus the best written eulogium which the brightest genius in our country could produce. STACKHOUSE, as an ingenious compiler, as a man of learning and research, and as a pro profound - found profound Theologian, ranked in his own day among those who gained the highest literary eminence - the lapse of tune has contributed exceedingly to increase his well earned celeb celebrity. - rity. celebrity. The Body or Divinity which is now pro proposed - posed proposed to be republished, was originally com compiled - piled compiled for the Episcopal Church of England. It first emanated from the Press in the early part partof - of partof the eighteenth century. Since then, it has stood its ground and sustained a reputation beyond which cotemporary writers never did, and subsequent writers never have been able to pass. Several editions of it have been cir circulated - culated circulated in Great Britain, but it has never yet been published iu the United States. Various compilations of systematic Theology, have been repeatedly committed to the American Press, each of which has been adapted to the standard of faith of the respective denomina denominations - tions denominations for whom it was published. This work is professedly written on the Armenian Scheme; but notwithstanding this, its high character has caused it to be an object of anxious inqui inquiry - ry inquiry by every class of Christians. It has here heretofore - tofore heretofore been in the hands of few in the United States except divines, and for these it has gen generally - erally generally been imported by order, and at great expense. The reason why it has never been re-printed in the United States is obvious.. In matters of faith, monopolies have been sought with no less avidity, (perhaps not improperly,) than in the mart of the merchant; and those denominations of Christians whose pretensions have not been supported by a widely extend extended - ed extended and numerous fraternity have been com compelled - pelled compelled to coalesce, and reciprocate favours in the Book-market, in order to obtain from the publishers ol books throughout our country, that kind of spiritual nutriment which would ehable them to grow up in the faith aud opin opinions - ions opinions which they delighted to cherish as the foundation of their future hopes. - Where this advantage was not. presented, the student in divinity wan compelled to wade through Tomes of ancient authors in the dead languages to satisfy his enquiries, or to collect those systems of opinions which are laid down by theologi theologians - as - ans - as theologians - as founded on, or deducted from the sa sacred - cred sacred records - from an endless variety of writ writers, - ers, writers, many of whose 'sentiments they viewed both as absurd and inconsistent. The .design of the publisher in offering an edition of Stackhouse's Body of Speculative and Practical Divinity to the public, is two twofold';. - fold';. twofold';. namely, for their good and his own. While he wishes to supply a demand for it which seems now to be particularly called.for, ne.is dcrirous to obtain a subscription which will dafray the expense, and compensate him for bis labour. More than this is not expect expected - any - ed - any expected - any other reason than this would not be the truth, and he hopes that the public will appreciate his candour in this avowal. He believes the work eminently calculated to do good. Truth, and whatever tends to eluci elucidate - date elucidate and confirm it, are in the present age, ob objects - jects objects of research and inquiry In this all the leading doctrines of tha Holy Scrip Scriptures - tures Scriptures are amply discused and explained. To the pious layman it will supercede the neces necessity - sity necessity of a great variety of works on divinity which he maybe desirous to possess, but which he may not have the means to procure. By purchasing this work, true economy may be consulted, as the necessity of procuring many fugitive works , which obtrude themselves on tho public, will be obviated. There are a number of respectable and pious classes of Christians and Christian ministers throughout our country, who will doubtless avail them selves of the opportunity now offered to obtain it upon reasonable terms by encouraging an American edition. Of the Author's style he will only say, that it is plain, but nervous, bold and eloquent. - The work in general evinces the profound scholar and the pious Christian - but he does not wish to incur the charge of exaggerated commendation ; such an imputation, be presumes, will not bo offer-

her and friendly recommendation to get my head shaved, and betake myself to some place of safe custody with as little delay as may be. In the arrogance of my supposed wisdom, I should myself, only a few weeks ago, have probably adopted one of these courses towards any other similar delinquent, which will secure me from any splenetic feeling, however boisterous may be the mirth, or bitter the irony, with which I-may be twitted and taunted for the following narration. - l have no sinister purposes to answer,, no particular creed to advo advocate, - cate, advocate, no theory to establish; and writing with the pe.rfect conviction of truth, and the full possession of my faculties, I am determined not to suppress what I con conscientiously - scientiously conscientiously believe to be facts, merely because they may militate against receiv received - ed received opinions, or happen to be inconsistent with the ordinary course of human ex experience. - perience. experience. * * * It may not be unimportant to remark, that so far from my being subject to the blue devils and vapours with which hy hypochondriacs - pochondriacs hypochondriacs and invalids are haunted, I possess that happy physical organiza organization, - tion, organization, which ensures almost uninterrupt uninterrupted - ed uninterrupted health of body and mind, and which, in the elasticity and buoyancy of my spir spirit, - it, spirit, renders the sensation of mere, exist existence - ence existence an enjoyment. Though 1 reside in the country, winter bas for me no gloom, nature bas prepared herself for its rigors; they are customary, and eve every - ry every thing seems to harmonize with theii infliction; but for the same reason that the solitude of a town is desolating and oppressive, while the loneliness of the Country is soothing and grateful, I do feel the sadness of perpetual fogs and rains in July, although they excite no melancholy feeling at the season of their natural occurrence. To see one's favor favorite - ite favorite flowers laying down their heads to die; one's plantation strewed with leaves not shaken off in the fulnessof age, but beaten to earth in the bloom of youth : here a noble tree laid prostrate ; and there a valuable field of corn lodged in the swampy soil (which were familiar objects in July last) is sufficient to ex excite - cite excite melancholy associations in the most cheerful temperament. Confcssingthat mine was not altogether proof against their influence, and leaving to the cavil caviller - ler caviller and the sceptic the full benefit of this admission, I proceed to a simple state statement - ment statement of the fact which bas elicited these preliminary observations. Actuated by the dulness of the scene to which 1 have alluded, I bail written to my friend, Mr. George Staples, of Exe Exeter, - ter, Exeter, requesting him to walk over some day and dine with me, as 1 well knew his presence was an instant an'idote to men mental - tal mental depression, not so much from the pos possession - session possession of any wit or humor, as from his unaffected kindness and amiability, the exuberance of his animal spirits, the in inexhaustible - exhaustible inexhaustible fund of his laughter, which was perpetually waiting for the smallest excuse to burst out of his heart, and the thecontagion - contagion thecontagion of bis hilarity, which had an instant faculty of communicating itself to others. On the day following the trans transmission - mission transmission of this letter, as 1 was sitting in an alcove to indulge my afternoon med meditation, - itation, meditation, 1 found myself disturbed by what !- imagined to be the ticking of my ic icpeaXer; - peaXer; icpeaXer; but, recollecting that I bad left it jin the bouse, I discovered the noise proceeded from that little insect of inau inauspicious - spicious inauspicious augury, the death watch. Des Despising - pising Despising the puenie superstitions connect connected - ed connected with this pulsation, 1 gave it no fur further - ther further notice and proceeded towards the house, when as 1 passed an umbrageous plantation,! was startled by a loud wail wailingshriek, - ingshriek, wailingshriek, and presently a screech owl flew oilt immediately before me. It was the first time one of those ill-omened birds bad ever crossed my path ; 1 com combined - bined combined if with the memento mori I had just heard, although 1 blushed at my own weakness in thinking them worthy of as association; - sociation; association; and, as I walked forward, 1 encountered my servant, .who put a let letter - ter letter into my hand, which I observed to be besealed - sealed besealed with black wax. It was from the clerk of my poor friend, informing me that he had been that morning struck by an apopletic nt which had occasioned his almost instantaneous death ! The reader may spare the sneer that is flickering upon his features; I draw no inference whatever from, the omens that preceded this intelligence ; 1 am willing to con consider - sider consider them as curious coincidences, total totally - ly totally unconnected with the startling appar apparition - ition apparition which shortly afterwards assailed me.

Reaching the house in this frame of thought, I closed the library window shutters as I passed, and entering the room by a glass door, seated myself in a chair that fronted the garuen. Scarce Scarcely - ly Scarcely a minute had elapsed, when I was thrilled by the strange wayful howl of my favorite spaniel, who had followed me into Ilie apartment, and came trem trembling - bling trembling and crouching to my feet, occasion occasionally - ally occasionally turning his eyes to the back of the chamber, and again instantly reverting them with every demonstration of ter terror - ror terror and agony. Mine instinctively took the same direction, when, notwithstand notwithstanding - ing notwithstanding the dimness of the light, I plainly and indisputably recognized the apparition of my friend sitting motionless in the great arm chair ! ! It is easy to be cour courageous - ageous courageous in theory, not difficult to be bold in practice, when the mind has lime to collect its energies ; but taken ns I was by surprise, 1 confess, that astonishment and terror so far mastered all my facul faculties, - ties, faculties, that, without daring to cast a single glance towards the vision, I walked rap rapidly - idly rapidly back into the garden, followed by the dog, who still testified the same agi agitation - tation agitation and alarm. Here I had leisure to recover from my first perturbation; and as my thoughts rallied. 1 endeavored to persuade myself that 1 had been deluded by some con conjuration - juration conjuration of the mind, or some spectral deception of the visual organ. But in either case how account for the terror of the dog? He could neither be influ influenced - enced influenced by superstition, nor could his un unerring - erring unerring sight betray him into groundless alarm, yet it was incontestible that we had both been appalled by the same ob object. - ject. object. Soon recovering my natural forti fortitude - tude fortitude of spirit, Iresolved, whatever might be the consequences, to return and ad address - dress address the apparition. 1 even began to fear it might have vanished ; for Glan Glanville, - ville, Glanville, who has written largely on gliosis, expressly says, " That it is a very hard and painful thing for them to force their thin and tedrous bodies into a visible con consistence - sistence consistence ; that their bodies must needs, be exceedingly compressed, and that therefore they must be in haste to be de delivered - livered delivered from their unnatural pressure." I returned therefore with some rapidity towards the library ; and although the dog stood immoveably still at seme dis distance, - tance, distance, in spite of my solicitations, and . kept earnestly gazipg upon tne, as if in inapprehension - apprehension inapprehension of an approaching catas-. trupbe, [ proceeded onward, and turned back the shutters which 1 had closed, determined not to be imposed upon by any dubiousness of the light. Thus for fortified - tified fortified against deception, 1 re-entered the room with a firm step, and there in the full glare of day did 1 again clearly and vividly behold the identical apparition, sitting in the same posture as before, and having its eyes closed ! ! My heart somewhat failed me under this sensible confirmation of the vision, but, summoning all my courage, I walk walked - ed walked up to the chair, exclaiming with a desperate energy - " In the name of heaven and of ail its angels, what dost thou seek here!" - when the figure slow slowly - ly slowly rising up, opening its eyes, and stretch stretching - ing stretching out its arms, replied - " A leg of mutton and caper sauce, with a bottle of prime old port, for such is the dinner you promised me." "Good God!" 1 ejaculated, " what can this mean ? Are you not really dead ?" "No more than you are," replied the figure. " Some open mouthed fool told my clerk that I was, and he instantly wrote to tell you of it; but it was my namesake, George Staples, of Castle street, not me, nor e even - ven even one of my relations, so let us have dinner as soon as you please, for I am as hungry as a hunter." The promised dinner being soon upon the table, iny friend informed me, in the intervals of his ever ready laughter, that as soon as he had undeceived his clerk, he walked over to Star Cross to do me the same favor; that he had fil filler - ler filler asleep in the armchair, while wail wailing - ing wailing my return from the grounds; and as to the dog, he reminded me that he had severely punished him al his last visit for killing a chicken, which explained his terror, and his crouching to me for protection, when he recognized his chas chastiser. - tiser. chastiser.

dato, who was the principal negotiator in the treaty of Carlowitz, was after afterwards - wards afterwards apointed Hospodar of Moldavia and Wallachia, and such was the pru prudence - dence prudence with which he conducted, that from that time the offices of Hospodar and Drogoman became established in certain Ihmilies, who took care to pre prepare - pare prepare their children to discharge them with success, by giving them an Euro European - pean European education. This elevation of a small number of families was not attend attended - ed attended by any amelioration of the condition oi the other Greeks. They foiMid a new aristocracy with all the vices of the old aristocracy of Europe. They were avaricious and rapacions, and to increase their wealth, they devoted themselves to trade and banking. The rest of the nation in process of time were stimulated by the example of their activity and industry. Within the last fifty years some of these families, and other Greeks, from (neir rxnmjHe, hvre employed their fortunes io founding schools and colleges at Scios, at Cydo Cydonia, - nia, Cydonia, at Janina, and many other places, in disseminating the means of instruction, and in sending their sons to foreign countries for education. The French revolution contributed to give a favorable spring to their mercan mercantile - tile mercantile marine. The scarcity of grain in 1793, brought the Greek flag to Mar Marseilles. - seilles. Marseilles. The vessels of. Hydra and Spezzie, brought grain thither for sale from various quarters. Their navigation rapidly increased, and frequented all Ilie ports of the Mediterranean. The spring to their navigation was soon.felt by their soil. Agriculture revived in the plain of Elis, Messenia, Arcadia and Argos, and the villages flourished. Bonnparte's coutinental system came in aid of their increasing activity, and en encouraged - couraged encouraged (heir In the mean time they were improving not only in a practical knowledge of affairs, but in theoretical knowledge, through the in influence - fluence influence of the schools, and imbibing a love of liberty with the hope of regain regaining - ing regaining it. \

©fie anU Sciences. Charcoal. - A writer in the London Medical Repository, has published sev several - eral several statements, illustrative of the effects of Charcoal, in cases of obstinate consti constipation. - pation. constipation. In many instances, in his prac practice, - tice, practice, where the most powerful calhar calharticks - ticks calharticks bad failed of giving relief, be says that Charcoal, though tardy in its opera operation, - tion, operation, has produced the desired effect. Relief, he says, does not generally fol follow, - low, follow, short of from six io twenty-four hours ; but is sure to succeed, if the coal is faithfully administered. " In relation to the dose of this medi cine, (says the writer) the rule which 1 have pursued is, to give it as freely and as frequently as the stomach will allow. The quantity required'is considerable. It has a happy influence in lulling the irritability of the stomach, when nothing else which I have used, would controui the nausea and vomiting of the patient; thus fulfilling the double intention of al alleviating - leviating alleviating a very distressing symptom, and then removing the disease itself. 1 i usually - give from one to three table spoonsful cf the charcoal every half hour or hour; whenever the stomach becomesovercharged with the medicine, the excess is thrown off, and the stom stomach - ach stomach is again quiet. I give it in lime wa water, - ter, water, milk, or water alone, the vehicle having appeared to me unimportant." Receipt for Aniseed Cordial. - Beat to together - gether together one fourth of an ounce oil of anise and two pounds of brown sugar: stir the mixture into one gallon of New- England rum and one of water : to this add the white of two eggs, and a table spbonful of white sand.

From the New-York American. An interesting but care-worn rhend rhendicant, - icant, rhendicant, in vacant mood and mind, entered the store of a wealthy merchant in this city, and as he paced along,his eyes rest rested - ed rested upon an unususal quantity of silver and gold coin, which the clerks were busied in counting. His heart sunk with within - in within him as he felt tbe chill ot November, which reminded him of the poverty of his lot and tbe misery of his family, and turning away in- despair, he ejaculated to himself, " how happy some of that money would make me!" 'f What is that you say, my friend ?" interrogated the merchant. The confused mendi mendicant - cant mendicant begged to be excused : - he was not conscious of any thing at the mo moment; - ment; moment; at any rate, his'thought was not meant for his ear. But the kind heart hearted - ed hearted merchant would not take denial, and the poor man repeated what before had involuntarily broken from his lips. "And how much my dear fellow, would it take to make you happy 7 " " 0,1 dont know ! the winter is coming apace, and I have no wood ; my wife and children are but poorly clad, for I have been sick. Our wants are limited, however and fifteen deliars would dissipate tbe gloom of winter." "John count this man 15 dollars." The ingenuous heart can /edlike the grateful stranger, tbe noble nobleness - ness nobleness of such bounty, and exult for hu human - man human nature, that meek eyed charity should find such a kindred abode. At evening the clerk inquired, what entry he should make of the money ?" O say by making a man happy, 515," answered the no less eccentric, than humane merchant.

TIIE ELEPHANT. Mr. Johnson relates, in his Sketches of Field Sports in India, the following sin singular - gular singular story of an Elephant. An ele elephant, - phant, elephant, belonging to Mr. Beddam, used every day to pass over a small bridge leading from his master's house into the town of Gyab. He one day refused to go over it. and it was wit h great difficul difficulty, - ty, difficulty, by-goring him most cruelly with the hunkuss, that the mahout could get him to venture on the bridge, the strength of which he first tried with his trunk, showing cleaily that he suspected it was not sufficiently strong. At Inst, he went on; but before he could get over, the bridge gave way, and himself and the driver were precipitated into the ditch, which killed the driver, and con considerably - siderably considerably injured the elephant. It is reasonable to suppose, (continues Mr. J.) that the animal mud have perceived the feeble slate of the bridge when he had last passed over it. It is a well know fact, that elephants will seldom, if ever, go over strange bridges, without first frying with their trunks if they be sufficiently strong to bear their weight ; nor will they ever go into a boat with out doing the same. New Anecdote. - A tin pedlar called upon a spindle-shanked old gentleman, in small clothes and tight silk stockings and enquired, " Do you want any.tin ware?" It was dog days, and the. flic' had taken a peculiar liking to the old

DEATH. The most sensible motive to abate the passions is death. The tomb is tbe best course of morality; study avarice in the. coffin of the miser; this is the man who accumulates heaps, riches up upon - on upon riches - -see a few boards inclose him, and a few square inches of earth con contain - tain contain him Study ambition in the grave of the enterprising man ; see his noble designs, his extensive projects, his boundless expedients, are all shattered and sunk in this fatal gulf of human pro projects - jects projects I Approach the tomb of the proud man, and (here investigate, pride ; see the mouth that pronounced lofty expres expression, - sion, expression, condemned to eternal silence ; the piercing eyes that convulsed tbe world with fear, covered with a midnight gloom ; the formidable arm, that dis distributed - tributed distributed the destinies of mankind, with without - out without motion or life ! Go to the tomb of the nobleman, and there study quality ; behold his magnificent titles, his royal ancestors, his flattering inscriptions, his learned genealogies, all are gone, or going to be lost with himself in the same dust! - study voluptuousness at the grave of the voluptuous; see his sen senses - ses senses are destroyed, his organs broken to pieces, his bones scattered at the grave's mouth, and the whole temple of sensu sensual - al sensual pleasures subverted from its founda foundation. - tion. foundation.