made silver shrines for the great goddess Diana. And I judge that there is a striking resemblance in the two reports. And it will be my object in my future remarks, to present before you some of the leading traits of resemblance that there is in the two reports above named. And I consider that the report that Demetrius made to the silver-smiths and the people at Ephesus, as wise, just and true, and partaking as fully of the spirit of patriotism, and philanthropy, and Christianity, as the report that Col. Gibbens sent forth to the world from the Old Common Council Room, in the city of Boston.

Until after the, day of Penticost, the law and the gospel was principally conferred to the Jewish nation. All other nations were sunk in gross idolatry, and instead of their worshiping the only living and true God, that made the heavens and the earth and all things therein, and ruleth and governeth all worlds and beings, and is the only proper object of religious worship in the universe, they worshiped images of their own fancy, that their own hands had made, and sacrificed unto devils. But this they had not the least natural or moral right to do. But the heathen had as good a right to worship graven images and sacrifice unto devils, as the distillers, the importers, the wholesale dealers, the retailers and the dram-sellers now have to traffic in ardent spirits.

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The apostles were commanded by Christ to "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.' The earth was his and the fulness thereof; the world and they that dwell therein. Paul was a chosen vessel to bear the name of Jesus Christ before Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. It was the great object in sending the gospel unto the Gentiles to bring them up from their low degraded state, into the highway of holiness, that God had cast up for all nations to walk in.

No man since the creation of the world ever had the least right to worship any other being but the infinite God. All other Gods are vanity and lies, and they that

make them are like

eth down to them.

unto them, so is every one that bowThe law of the ten commandments

ever has been the moral standard for all human beings. The first command is "Thou shalt not have any other God before me." And no man has ever had the least right to disobey this command. No man since the

world began has ever had any more of a natural or moral right to be intemperate or get drunk, or of being directly or indirectly instrumental of making men so, than he has to disobey the command, "Thou shalt have no other God before me." There is no natural right in either case. As the maker and the worshipper of idols are alike, even so is the dealer in and the' drinker of ardent spirits. Paul in obedience to the divine command, went forth bearing the name or preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel. And he came unto Ephesus and there "spake boldly for the space of three months" in the Jewish synagogue. And after this, he "disputed daily in the school of one Tyrannus. And this he continued for the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Gentiles. And God wrought special miracles by the hand of Paul. So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and evil spirits went out of them." "And many that believed, came and confessed, and shewed their deeds. Many also of them that used curious arts, brought their books together, and burned them before all men; and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. So mightily grew the word of God, and prevailed."

"And the same time arose no small stir about that way. For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, which made silver shrines for Diana, brought no small gain unto the craftsmen. Whom he called together with the workmen of like occupation, and said, sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth. More

over, ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded, and turned away much people, saying, that they are no gods that are inade with hands. So that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at naught; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia, and the world worshippeth. And when they heard these sayings, they were filled with wrath, and cried out, saying, great is Diana of the Ephesians. And the whole city was filled with confusion."

So

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God." And this portion of it that is now before us was written "for our instruction," on whom the end of the world is come. We have now before us the whole ground of the controversy between Paul and Demetrius. It cannot be possible that they were both right or both wrong, or that either of them were half right and half wrong. that one or the other must be altogether in the wrong. Paul had a perfect natural, moral and religious right to go to Ephesus and there preach the everlasting gospel, that aimed a deadly blow at idolatry and the utter destruction of the great goddess Diana. To Paul's preaching Demetrius was fully opposed. In view of all that is now before us, Demetrius must be entirely in the wrong.

It appears evident to my mind, that Demetrius was a man of talents, and property, and influence, and as much entitled to respect among the Ephesians, as Col. Gibbens now is among the Bostonians. For it is evident that Demetrius was a leading man among the silversmiths, who made silver shrines for Diana. Col. Gibbins is a leading man among the opposers of the license law of last April. And I am fully of the opinion that Demetrius was engaged in as good a cause, in opposing Paul and the doctrines that he preached unto the Ephesians, as Col. Gibbens now is in opposing the license law with all his might, and preventing its going into full

operation, and effect its repeal by the next legislature. The legislature had as good a natural and constitutional right to enact the license law, as Paul had a natural, and moral, and religious right to preach the gospel of his divine master to the Ephesians. Nor is there the least evidence to my mind, that Demetrius was not as sincere and as honest-hearted a friend to Christ and his cause, as Col. Gibbens is to the cause of temperance, notwithstanding all his empty and foolish pretentions to friendship for one of the best of causes, even the cause of Christianity. I consider that Col. Gibbens' pretended friendship to the cause. of temperance, is "Like a sounding brass, or a tinkling symbal." "But wilt thou know, O man, that faith without works is dead? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."

Demetrius did not even pretend that he was a sincere friend to Paul and his preaching at Ephesus and other places. But he declared himself opposed to both. In this respect I cannot believe, but what Demetrius stood on much higher and more honorable ground, than that on which Col. Gibbens now stands in relation to the cause of temperance. What would be thought of the man that should pretend to be a "sincere friend," and love another, and embrace him with one hand and arm, and with the other aim a deadly blow at his heart with a dagger. Would he not be considered by every man, at least a great hypocrite. Such friendship would be like Saul's friendship to David when he "sought to smite him to the wall with the javelin." Col. Gibbens may with propriety adopt the language of Saul to David, "Behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly," in opposing the license law when he had no other reason for it than merely because he though this "craft is in danger to be set at naught." "If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him."

Demetrius was under the influence of a sordid, selfish spirit. His mind was blinded by the god of this world.

He had an unjustifiable love of money, "which is the root of all evil.” And he had rather the whole inhabitants of Ephesus, if not of all Asia, should forever remain in their low, degraded, idolatrous state, and at last sink into perdition, than to have his "craft," by which he obtained his "wealth" endangered and "set at naught," and "the temple of the great goddess Diana despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed." "As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man." In my judgment, here is a good mirror in which Col. Gibbens may look, and see not only his own face, but also his own heart.

The statement that Demetrius made to the silversmiths and the people of Ephesus, respecting the doctrines that Paul preached to them, and the effects that it had in Asia and other places, and the probable effects that it would produce there, was strictly true. But this cannot be said in truth, about the Report that hath gone forth from the Old Common Council Room, signed by Col. Gibbens as 66 chairman." For he has said indirectly if not directly, things in that 'Report that there is no more truth in than there was in the two men, sons of Belial," "Saying, Nabath did blaspheme God and the kings.' I am very sorry that Col. Gibbens has not as great a regard for truth as Demetrius had.

دو

Paul says, "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Be not deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind. Nor thieves, nor covetors, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God." •

Here is a catálogue of crimes and no man ever had the least right to commit either of them. Nor has any man ever had any more right of being instrumental of their being committed, than he had to commit them himself.

Most probable Demetrius understood what human nature was as well as most men, He knew that Paul ad