The Democratic Pioneer

From the Portland Pleasure Boat
Peter's Vision.

Some weeks since, I attended a meeting in Saco. The house was full, and among others I spoke of gluttony, and the evils of flesh-eating. "I have since received letter from that neighborhood, inquiring what I do with Peter's vision of the sheet let down from heaven, full of all manner of creatures, and the command to him to slay and eat." This passage is hunted up probably, by some one who wishes scripture testimony in favor of the flesh-pots, that he may gratify his depraved appetite, and 'sin with a cart rope,' without reproof. It is appealed to in support of war, slavery, piracy, murder, adultery, and in short every crime. Even wine-bibblers appeal to it, in support of the dreadful habit of taking a little dye-stuff for the stomach's sake,' and after it has been taken till the stomach is ulcerated by it, and the whole system ruined, the poor victim in his delirium, calls for a little more, 'for his stomach's sake,' and dies quoting scripture that he thinks gives him favor with God. If the Bible cannot be better understood and made a better use of than at present, it would be better to throw it aside, and be guided by experience and common sense, especially in the matter of 'eating swine's flesh and the broth of abominable things.' But to the question. Peter was hungry, waiting for his dinner, and a vision of a feast to a hungry man would make a stronger impression on him than anything else. So he was shown a sheet full of all kinds of beasts, and was told that they had been cleansed. It does not appear that he was taught by this vision that God had actually cleansed all the beasts of the field and commanded man to eat them, but the vision was to convince Peter that the Gentiles who had been regarded as an unclean people, had been or were to be cleansed and admitted to the blessing of the gospel as well as the Jews. This is the Bible sense of it. If any one, however, uses the passage in proof of the propriety of eating flesh, let him at least be consistent and stick to the text, and wait till the sheet is let down, not eat the filthy swine that have been raised here on earth in dirty pens where all pure air is excluded, and the animals are permitted to breathe only poisonous gasses, and fatten with disease, their very fat being a blubber dropsy. If people will stick to the text and eat only the animals that are cleansed and sent down from Heaven in sheets, I will not reprove them; but so long as they continue to eat those raised on earth, those too as filthy as the swine which would hardly be cleansed by a journey through purgatory, I shall continue to direct attention to such causes of disease. If God cleansed all the animal creation and made them fit for food why not eat dogs, horses, &c? Why waste the good meat that he has cleansed. A litter of good fat pups, or a roast from the shoulder of a fat dog would be much cheaper than a litter of pigs or a roast from the shoulder of a hog, and an old worn-out horse may be fattened as cheap as a worn-out ox. Why then waste the good creatures that God has cleansed. It is a poor rule that won't work both ways, and those who quote Peter's vision in favor of swine-eating should be careful to see that the flesh of horses, dogs, and cats is not wasted.