6th. Allowing my views to be true, and were they universally received, "Mystery, Babylon the great is thrown down and shall be found no more at all," Rev. 18. By her sorceries have all nations been deceived. What, pray has been the foundation of all her sorceries, by which she has deceived the nations? Dr. Beecher shall inform us. In his late sermon, preached before the American Board of Missions, speaking of the Catholic Church, he says"The great merchandise was in the souls of men ; the chief staples, indulgencies to sin; and nothing but holiness of heart and life was absolutely unpardonable." But has not the great merchandise among Protestants also been "in the souls of men?" We respectfully ask the Dr. can he deny, that he is engaged in this kind of merchandise? Is not the great work in which he is engaged-saving souls from endless misery? The radical difference between the Catholics and him is-his trade in the souls of men ends at death; the Catholics carry on the trade after it. The names of "the chief staples" may be altered, but the Dr. never will deny, that "the great merchandise" of both is in the souls of men. Catholics and Protestants are of one mind, that men have immortal souls to be saved from endless misery, and this soul-saving trade, has been carried on very extensively by both in past ages. The Catholics, have pretended to save men's souls after death as well as before it, and Protestants have called them every thing but good for this fraudulent part of the business. But why need the craftsmen of like occupation quarrel about such a trifle. Catholics, it must be owned, have greatly the advantage of Protestants, for their priests can save people's souls after death as well as before it, but Protestant priests can be of no service to people's souls after death. The following letter which I received from the late Dr.

are all their life-time in bondage through fear of death; and some have been driven to derangement and suicide by fearful anticipations of misery beyond it. It is because religious people lay their own creed so little to heart, that so few cases of this kind occur. They flatter themselves that they shall escape. But however well satisfied any man may be, that he is fit to die himself, who of this faith can have a moment's peace, while he sees his wife, children, father, mother, yea, the greater part of peo ple around, all totally unfit for it. But alas! per

sonal doubts and fears often haunt the best of men to the last. To use their own language-" their sun sets in a cloud, and they go to heaven in a mist," leaving but a poor recommendation to others, that their religion supports them in death. But from whence arises all this misery and anxiety? I answer; from having their minds led away from the hope of the resurrection from the dead, the only hope which the Bible presents to man for future existence or happiness. Their minds are directed to a mere hea then notion, and no wonder it should give little solid satisfaction, either in life or at death. In the Bible, the hopes of good men respected their being raised from the dead through the Messiah, who hath destroyed death, and brought life and incorruption to light through the gospel. Here is something solid and permanent for the mind of man to rest on, but the other is a mere phantom. Accordingly, no one in Scripture is ever mentioned, as haunted with the anxieties and fears so common now, that at death the soul might go to hell. And though several cases of suicide and derangement are recorded, not a hint is dropped, that they arose from anticipations of misery after death. God does not say this of Ju das, though many good people are disposed to say it for him.

6th. Allowing my views to be true, and were they universally received, "Mystery, Babylon the great is thrown down and shall be found no more at all," Rev. 18. By her sorceries have all nations been deceived. What, pray has been the foundation of all her sorceries, by which she has deceived the nations? Dr. Beecher shall inform us. In his late sermon, preached before the American Board of Missions, speaking of the Catholic Church, he says"The great merchandise was in the souls of men ; the chief staples, indulgencies to sin; and nothing but holiness of heart and life was absolutely unpardonable." But has not the great merchandise among Protestants also been "in the souls of men?" We respectfully ask the Dr. can he deny, that he is engaged in this kind of merchandise? Is not the great work in which he is engaged-saving souls from endless misery? The radical difference between the Catholics and him is-his trade in the souls of men ends at death; the Catholics carry on the trade after it. The names of "the chief staples" may be altered, but the Dr. never will deny, that "the great merchandise" of both is in the souls of men. Catholics and Protestants are of one mind, that men have immortal souls to be saved from endless misery, and this soul-saving trade, has been carried on very extensively by both in past ages. The Catholics, have pretended to save men's souls after death as well as before it, and Protestants have called them every thing but good for this fraudulent part of the business. But why need the craftsmen of like occupation quarrel about such a trifle. Catholics, it must be owned, have greatly the advantage of Protestants, for their priests can save people's souls after death as well as before it; but Protestant priests can be of no service to people's souls after death. The following letter which I received from the late Dr.

Parish, shows that he had some plan in contemplation to be useful to the dead.

REV. SIR,

Byfield, Sept. 9, 1824.

Though a stranger to you, the name of Balfour has long been familiar to me. You have I hear published a Book, which I much wish to read, and our Booksellers have it not. I have been toiling at the same subject, or a part of it. Taking my hint from Campbell, I have labored to establish the fact that Hades is the invisible state, between death and the resurrection. My labor has been in humble form, no arguing; but simply quoting from something more than a hundred authors, from Iræneus and Tertullian down to Thomas Scott and Timothy Dwight, to show that this has always been the opinion of the greatest Divines. My object being to get a foundation on which to build another doctrine of the Universal Church, gone out of fashion among us,prayers for the dead. I have ransacked Christian antiquity, to prove that this duty, and our notion of Hades have always been considered good divinity. Not having any idea of the quantity of materials I might find, when I commenced the inquiry, I supposed all I could find, and all I could say might be comprised in one short sermon, which would not have so full and glaring proofs, but it might be preached to an orthodox assembly; but though by degrees, I became very brief in my quotations, and very stingy,. as to my own reflections; yet I think my manuscript is equal to three ordinary sermons. Nor dare I preach or print it, for I have no ambition to become the head of a Sect, or to have the honors of a martyr. Our orthodox Magazines would probably be afraid of it, anonymously. But I have forgot my errand, which was to ask whether you would send me

one of your Books, and receive for compensation one of my Bible Gazetteers, for which you may call at Armstrong's Bookstore, No. 50, Cornhill, Boston. Should this proposal meet your approbation, if you can send your Book to a driver of the Newburyport stage, directed to "Col. Jeremiah Colman, for Rev. E. Parish, Newburyport," it will be safe. Your tollkeeper might hand the Book to the driver.

If in your researches you recollect any thing respecting prayer for the dead, more than is found in Bingham's Antiquities, I shall be obliged if you will direct me. I pray you to excuse my freedom, and to believe me, cordially, Rev. Sir,

Your affectionate

ELIJAH PARISH.

How far Dr. Parish's plan was matured we are unable to say. It was expected the manuscript referred to in his letter would have been printed in the volume of his Posthumous Sermons. If report be true, he gave orders to this effect before his death. We regret its suppression, and still hope his family will favor the public with it. We have used some efforts to obtain a reading of the manuscript, but without success. The only reasons we have heard assigned for its not being published, are, it might injure the Dr's memory, and give rise to a controversy while he was not alive to defend what he had written. We are sorry if such reasons deter his family from publishing it, or are under the slightest apprehension that its appearance would sully the worthy character he sustained while he lived. Unless the Dr. prohibited its publication before his decease, the public ought not to be satisfied until it is given to the world, that all may see what were the results which a man of his mind and extensive investigations came to on the subject. Should it be