{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_30323/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_30323","id":"gutenberg_30323","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/30323","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Encyclopedias/Dictionaries/Reference","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Christian biography","Religions","Sects"],"text":"The Book of Religions\n\n                              Comprising The\n\n                 Views, Creeds, Sentiments, or Opinions,\n\n                                Of All The\n\n                  Principal Religious Sects In The World\n\n                             Particularly Of\n\n                       All Christian Denominations\n\n                                    In\n\n                            Europe and America\n\n                            To Which Are Added\n\n                     Church and Missionary Statistics\n\n                              Together With\n\n                          Biographical Sketches\n\n                             By John Hayward\n\n                    Author of \u201cNew England Gazetteer\u201d\n\n                                 Boston:\n\n                        Albert Colby And Company.\n\n                          20 Washington Street.\n\n                                   1860\n\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS\n\n\nPreface.\nIndex.\nLutherans, Or, The Evangelical Lutheran Church.\nCalvinists.\nHopkinsians.\nArians.\nSocinians.\nHumanitarians.\nSectarians.\nChurch Government.\nPresbyterians.\nCumberland Presbyterians.\nEpiscopalians.\n   Historical Notice Of The Church In The United States.\n   Articles Of Religion.\nCambridge And Saybrook Platforms.\nMoravians, Or United Brethren.\nTunkers.\nMennonites, Or Harmless Christians.\nDisciples Of Christ; Sometimes Called Campbellites, or Reformers.\nFriends, or Quakers.\nShakers, Or The United Society Of Believers.\nReformation.\nReformed Churches.\n   Reformed Dutch Church.\n   Reformed German Church.\nRestorationists.\nUniversalists.\nRoman Catholics.\nBereans.\nMaterialists.\nArminians.\nMethodists, Or The Methodist Episcopal Church.\nMethodists, Or The Methodist Protestant Church.\nProtestants.\nSabellians.\nSandemanians.\nAntinomians.\nPelagians.\nPre-Adamites.\nPredestinarians.\nOrthodox Creeds.\nAndover Orthodox Creed.\nNew Haven Orthodox Creed.\nSwedenborgians, Or, The New Jerusalem Church.\nFighting Quakers.\nHarmonists.\nDorrelites.\nOsgoodites.\nRogerenes.\nWhippers.\nWilkinsonians.\nAquarians.\nBaxterians.\nMiller\u2019s Views on the Second Coming of Christ.\nCome-Outers.\nJumpers.\nBaptists.\nAnabaptists.\nFree-Will Baptists.\nSeventh-Day Baptists, Or Sabbatarians,\nSix-Principle Baptists.\nQuaker Baptists, Or Keithians.\nPedobaptists.\nAnti-Pedobaptists.\nUnitarians.\nBrownists.\nPuritans.\nBourignonists.\nJews.\nIndian Religions.\nDeists.\nAtheists.\nPantheists.\nMahometans.\nSimonians.\nPagans.\nSatanians.\nAbelians, or Abelonians.\nSupralapsarians.\nDancers.\nEpicureans.\nSkeptics.\nWickliffites.\nDiggers.\nZuinglians.\nSeekers.\nWilhelminians.\nNon-Resistants.\nSouthcotters.\nFamily Of Love.\nHutchinsonians.\nMormonites, Or The Church Of The Latter-Day Saints.\nDaleites.\nEmancipators.\nPerfectionists.\nWaldenses.\nAllenites.\nJohnsonians.\nDonatists.\nSe-Baptists.\nRe-Anointers.\nTao-Se, or Taou-Tsze.\nQuietists.\nKnipperdolings.\nMend\u00e6ans, Mendaites, Mendai Ijahi, Or Disciples Of St. John, That Is, The\nBaptist.\nMuggletonians.\nYezidees, Or Worshippers Of The Devil.\nGreek or Russian Church.\nPrimitive Christians.\nTrinitarians.\nMillenarians.\nWhitefield Calvinistic Methodists.\nNonjurors.\nNonconformists.\nChristian Connection.\nPuseyites.\nFree Communion Baptists.\nTranscendentalists.\nAugsburg Confession Of Faith.\nArmenians.\nPrimitive Methodists.\nNovatians.\nNestorians.\nHigh-Churchmen.\nAncient American Covenant Or Confession Of Faith.\nStatistics Of Churches.\n   Baptists.\n   Free-Will Baptists.\n   Seventh-Day Baptists.\n   Christian Connection.\n   Calvinistic Congregationalists.\n   Disciples Of Christ.\n   Episcopalians.\n   Friends.\n   Jews.\n   Lutherans.\n   Protestant Methodists.\n   Methodists.\n   Presbyterians.\n   Other Presbyterian Communities.\n   Reformed Dutch Church.\n   Roman Catholics.\n   Swedenborgians.\n   Unitarians.\n   Universalists.\nMissionary Statistics.\n   First Protestant Missions.\n   Moravian Missions.\n   London Missionary Society.\n   American Board Of Foreign Missions.\n   Presbyterian Board Of Foreign Missions.\n   English Baptist Missionary Society.\n   American Baptist Board Of Foreign Missions.\n   Free-Will Baptists.\n   Episcopal Missions.\n   Society For Propagating The Gospel Among The Indians And Others.\n   Wesleyan Or English Methodist Missionary Society.\n   Missions Of The Methodist Episcopal Church.\n   Seventh-Day Baptist Missionary Society.\n   French Protestant Missionary Society.\n   Netherlands Missionary Society.\n   Scottish Missionary Society.\n   German Missionary Society.\n   Church Of Scotland Missions.\n   Rhenish Missionary Society.\n   Missions Of The Roman Catholic Church.\n   Jews\u2019 Missionary Society.\n   Indians.\nBiographical Sketches of the Fathers of the Reformation, Founders of\nSects, and of other Distinguished Individuals Mentioned in this Volume.\n   John Wickliffe.\n   Jerome of Prague.\n   John Huss.\n   John \u0152colampadius.\n   Martin Luther.\n   Ulriucus Zuinglius.\n   Martin Bucer.\n   Philip Melancthon.\n   Peter Martyr.\n   Henry Bullinger.\n   John Knox.\n   John Calvin.\n   Jerome Zanchius.\n   Theodore Beza.\n   Leo X.\n   Justin.\n   Arius.\n   Athanasius.\n   Moses Maimonides.\n   John Agricola.\n   Michael Servetus.\n   Simonis Menno.\n   Francis Xavier.\n   Faustus Socinus.\n   Robert Brown.\n   James Arminius.\n   Francis Higginson.\n   Richard Baxter.\n   George Fox.\n   William Penn.\n   Benedict Spinoza.\n   Ann Lee.\n   John Glass.\n   George Keith.\n   Nicholas Louis, Count Zinzendorf.\n   William Courtney.\n   Richard Hooker.\n   Charles Chauncey.\n   Roger Williams.\n   John Clarke.\n   Ann Hutchinson.\n   Michael Molinos.\n   John Wesley.\n   George Whitefield.\n   Selina Huntingdon.\n   Robert Sandeman.\n   Samuel Hopkins.\n   Jonathan Mayhew.\n   Samuel Seabury.\n   Richard Clarke.\n   Joseph Priestly.\n   James Purves.\n   John Jebb.\n   John Gaspar Christian Lavater.\n   John Tillotson.\n   Isaac Newton.\n   Charles V.\n   Francis Bacon.\n   Matthew Hale.\n   Princess Elizabeth.\n   Robert Boyle.\n   John Locke.\n   Joseph Addison.\n   Isaac Watts.\n   Philip Doddridge.\n   John Murray.\n   Elhanan Winchester.\n   Saint Genevieve.\n   Gilbert Burnet.\nTheological Schools.\nFootnotes\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPREFACE.\n\n\nA few years since, the Editor of the following pages published a volume of\n\u201cReligious Creeds and Statistics;\u201d and, as the work, although quite\nlimited, met with general approbation, he has been induced to publish\nanother of the same nature, but on a much larger plan, trusting that it\nwill prove more useful, and more worthy of public favor.\n\nHis design has been, to exhibit to his readers, with the utmost\nimpartiality and perspicuity, and as briefly as their nature will permit,\nthe views, creeds, sentiments, or opinions, of all the religious sects or\ndenominations in the world, so far as utility seemed to require such an\nexhibition; but more especially to give the rise, progress, and\npeculiarities, of all the principal schemes or systems of religion which\nexist in the United States at the present day.\n\nThe work is intended to serve as a manual for those who are desirous of\nacquiring, with as little trouble as possible, a correct knowledge of the\ntenets or systems of religious faith, presented for the consideration of\nmankind;\u2014to enable them, almost at a glance, to compare one creed or\nsystem with another, and each with the holy Scriptures;\u2014to settle the\nminds of those who have formed no definite opinions on religious\nsubjects;\u2014and to lead us all, by contrasting the sacred truths and sublime\nbeauties of Christianity with the absurd notions of pagan idolaters, of\nskeptics, and of infidels, to set a just value on the doctrines of HIM WHO\nSPAKE AS NEVER MAN SPAKE.\n\nTo accomplish this design, the Editor has obtained, from the most\nintelligent and candid among the living defenders of each denomination,\nfull and explicit statements of their religious sentiments\u2014such as they\nbelieve and teach. He is indebted to the friends of some new sects or\nparties in philosophy and religion, for an account of their respective\nviews and opinions. With regard to anterior sects, he has noticed, from\nthe best authorities, as large a number as is thought necessary for the\ncomparison of ancient with modern creeds.\n\nThe Church and Missionary Statistics are believed to be as accurate as can\nbe constructed from materials which annually undergo greater or less\nchanges.\n\nThe Biographical Sketches are derived from the most authentic sources.\nWhile they convey useful knowledge in regard to the fathers and defenders\nof the various systems of religious faith, they may also stimulate our\nreaders to the practice of those Christian virtues and graces which\nadorned the lives of many of them, and render their names immortal.\n\nA few only of the works from which valuable aid has been received, can be\nmentioned:\u2014Mosheim and McLaine\u2019s Ecclesiastical History; Gregory and\nRuter\u2019s Church History; Encyclop\u00e6dia Americana; Brown\u2019s Encyclopedia of\nReligious Knowledge; Adams\u2019s View of Religions, and History of the Jews;\nBenedict\u2019s History of all Religions; Evans\u2019s Sketches; Buck\u2019s and\nHenderson\u2019s Theological Dictionaries; Eliot\u2019s, Allen\u2019s, and Blake\u2019s\nBiographical Dictionaries; Davenport; Watson; Grant\u2019s Nestorians,\nColeman\u2019s Christian Antiquities; Ratio Disciplin\u00e6; Haydn\u2019s Dictionary of\nDates, &c.\n\nTo clergymen and laymen of all denominations, who have assisted the Editor\nin presenting their various views with clearness and fairness; to the\nsecretaries of the several missionary boards; to editors of religious\njournals, and to other persons who have kindly furnished documents for the\nStatistics and Biographical Sketches, he tenders acknowledgments of\nunfeigned gratitude.\n\nWhile the Editor assures the public that the whole has been prepared with\nmuch diligence and care, and with an entire freedom from sectarian zeal or\nparty bias, he cannot but indulge the hope that his \u201cBook of Religions\u201d\nwill prove acceptable and beneficial to the community, as imbodying a\ngreat variety of facts on a subject of deep concern, worthy of the\nexercise of our highest faculties, and requiring our most charitable\nconclusions.\n\n\n\n\n\nINDEX.\n\n\nAbelians, or Abelonians, 243\n\nAddison, Joseph, 417\n\nAgricola, John, 370\n\nAllenites, 280\n\nAmerican Missions, 336\n\nAnabaptists, 190\n\nAncient American Covenant, 308\n\nAndover Orthodox Creed, 138\n\nAntinomians, 128\n\nAnti-Pedobaptists, 196\n\nApostles\u2019 Creed, 102\n\nAquarians, 168\n\nArians, 18\n\nArius, 368\n\nArmenians, 303\n\nArminians, 115\n\nArminius, James, 373\n\nAssembly\u2019s Catechism, 141\n\nAthanasian Creed, 102\n\nAthanasius, 368\n\nAtheists, 217\n\nAugsburg Confession, 302\n\nBacon, Francis, 407\n\nBaptists, 182, 311, 340\n  Quaker, 193\n\nBaptist Missions, English, 339\n\nBaxter, Richard, 376\n\nBaxterians, 169\n\nBereans, 109\n\nBeza, Theodore, 366\n\nBible Chronology, 175\n\nBiographical Sketches, 350\n\nBishops, Episcopal, 314\n\nBourignonists, 201\n\nBoyle, Robert, 412\n\nBrown, Robert, 373\n\nBrownists, 200\n\nBucer, Martin, 360\n\nBullinger, Henry, 363\n\nBurnet, Gilbert, 429\n\nCalvin, John, 365\n\nCalvinists, 11, 313\n\nCambridge Platform, 48\n\nCampbellites, 58\n\nCharles V., 405\n\nChauncey, Charles, 385\n\nChristian Connection, 295, 313\n\nChristianity, Progress of, 432\n\nChronology, Bible, 175\n\nChurch Government, 20\n\nChurch Statistics, 311\n\nClarke, John, 387\n\nClarke, Richard, 399\n\nCome-Outers, 177\n\nCongregationalists, 20, 313\n\nCourtney, William, 384\n\nCreed, Andover, 138\n  Apostles\u2019, 102\n  Athanasian, 102\n  Augsburg, 302\n  New Haven, 142\n  Nicene, 105\n  Orthodox, 132\n\nCumberland Presbyterians, 25\n\nDaleites, 272\n\nDancers, 244\n\nDeists, 215\n\nDiggers, 246\n\nDisciples of Christ, 58, 314\n\nDisciples of St John, 284\n\nDissenters. See _Puritans_.\n\nDoddridge, Philip, 420\n\nDonatists, 281\n\nDorrelites, 164\n\nDutch Reformed Church, 88\n\nElizabeth, Princess, 411\n\nEmancipators, 272\n\nEnglish Baptist Missions, 339\n\n\u2014\u2014 Methodist Missions, 343\n\nEpicureans, 244\n\nEpiscopalians, 26, 314, 341\n\nEssenes, 202\n\nFamily of Love, 259\n\nFighting Quakers, 162\n\nFox, George, 377\n\nFree Communion Baptists, 300\n\nFree-Will Baptists, 190, 312, 341\n\nFrench Missions, 346\n\nFriends, or Quakers, 64, 319\n\nGenevieve, 162, 428\n\nGerman Missions, 346\n\nGerman Reformed Church, 90\n\nGlass, John, 383\n\nGlassites, 126\n\nGovernment, Church, 20\n\nGreek Church, 288\n\nHale, Matthew, 408\n\nHarmless Christians, 57\n\nHarmonists, 163\n\nHicksites, 74, 319\n\nHigh Churchmen, 308\n\nHigginson, Francis, 310, 374\n\nHooker, Richard, 385\n\nHopkins, Samuel, 397\n\nHopkinsians, 13\n\nHumanitarians, 19\n\nHuntingdon, Lady Selina, 395\n\nHuss, John, 354\n\nHutchinson, Ann, 389\n\nHutchinsonians, 259\n\nIndependents, 20\n\nIndian Missions, 342\n  Religions, 210\n  Statistics, 347\n\nJebb, John, 401\n\nJerome of Prague, 352\n\nJews, 202, 319, 347\n\nJohnsonians, 280\n\nJumpers, 181\n\nJustin Martyr, 368\n\nKeith, George, 383\n\nKeithians, 193\n\nKnipperdolings, 283\n\nKnox, John, 363\n\nLatter-Day Saints, 260\n\nLavater, John G. C., 402\n\nLee, Ann, 381\n\nLeo X., 367\n\nLocke, John 415\n\nLondon Missionary Society, 335\n\nLuther, Martin, 355\n\nLutherans, 9, 320\n\nMahometans, 220\n\nMaimonides, Moses, 203, 370\n\nMartyr, Peter, 362\n\nMaterialists, 112\n\nMayhew, Jonathan, 398\n\nMend\u00e6ans, 284\n\nMelancthon, Philip, 361\n\nMennonites, 57\n\nMenno, Simonis, 372\n\nMethodists, Episcopal, 117, 321\n  Protestant, 123, 321\n  Methodists, Primitive, 305\n  Methodists\u2019 Missions, 344\n  Views of Perfection, 274\n\nMiller\u2019s Views on the Second Coming of Christ, 170\n\nMillenarians, 292\n\nMissionary Statistics, 333\n\nMissions, American Foreign, 336\n\nMissions, Indian, 342\n\nMolinos, Michael, 389\n\nMoravians, 49, 333\n\nMormonites, 260\n\nMuggletonians, 284\n\nMurray, John, 423\n\nN.\n\nNecessarians. See _Materialists_.\n\nNestorians, 306\n\nNetherland Missions, 346\n\nNew Haven Orthodox Creed, 142\n\nNew Jerusalem Church, 150\n\nNewton, Isaac, 403\n\nNicene Creed, 105\n\nNonconformists, 294\n\nNonjurors, 294\n\nNon-Resistants, 247\n\nNovatians, 305\n\nOberlin Views of Sanctification, 278\n\n\u0152colampadius, John, 355\n\nOrthodox Creeds, 132\n\nOsgoodites, 166\n\nPantheists, 219\n\nPagans, 234\n\nPedobaptists, 193\n\nPelagians, 130\n\nPenn, William, 378\n\nPerfectionists, 274\n\nPharisees, 202\n\nPopes of Rome, 326\n\nPre-Adamites, 131\n\nPredestinarians, 132\n\nPresbyterians, 22, 322\n  Cumberland, 25\n\nPresbyterian Missions, 338\n\nPriestley, Joseph, 400\n\nPrimitive Christians, 290\n  Methodists, 305\n\nPrincess Elizabeth, 411\n\nProgress of Christianity, 432\n\nProtestants, 125\n\nProtestant Methodists, 123, 321\n  Missions, 333\n\nPuritans, 200\n\nPurves, James, 401\n\nPuseyites, 299\n\nQuakers, or Friends, 64\n\nQuaker Baptists, 193\n\nQuietists, 283\n\nRanters. See _Seekers_.\n\nRe-Anointers, 282\n\nReformation, 85\n\nReformed Churches, 88\n\nReformed Dutch Church, 88, 324\n  German Church, 90\n\nRhenish Missions, 347\n\nRestorationists, 91\n\nRogerenes, 166\n\nRoman Catholics, 102, 324, 347\n\nRussian Church, 288\n\nSabbatarians, 191\n\nSabellians, 125\n\nSadducees, 202\n\nSanctification, Views on, 278\n\nSandemanians, 126\n\nSandeman, Robert, 396\n\nSatanians, 243\n\nSaybrook Platform, 48\n\nSeabury, Samuel, 33, 398\n\nSchools, Theological, 432\n\nScottish Missions, 346, 347\n\nSe-Baptists, 281\n\nSectarians, 20\n\nSeekers, 247\n\nServetus, Michael, 371\n\nSeventh-Day Baptists, 191, 312, 345\n\nShakers, 75\n\nSimonians, 233\n\nSix-Principle Baptists, 192\n\nSkeptics, 245\n\nSocinius, Faustus, 372\n\nSocinians, 19\n\nSouthcotters, 255\n\nSpinoza, Benedict, 380\n\nStatistics of Churches, 311\n  of Missions, 333\n\nSuccession of Bishops, 315\n\nSupralapsarians, 243\n\nSwedenborg, 150\n\nSwedenborgians, 150, 330\n\nTao-Se, 282\n\nTaylor\u2019s (Dr.) Views, 142\n\nTheological Schools, 432\n\nTillotson, John, 402\n\nTranscendentalists, 301\n\nTrinitarians, 290\n\nTunkers, or Tumblers, 55\n\nUnitarians, 196, 331\n\nUnited Brethren, 49\n\nUnited Society of Believers, 75\n\nUniversalists, 95, 331\n\nWaldenses, 279\n\nWater-Drinkers, 168\n\nWatts, Isaac, 418\n\nWesley, John, 390\n\nWesleyan Missions, 343\n\nWestminster Catechism, 141\n\nWhippers, 167\n\nWhitefield, George, 393\n\nWhitefield Methodists, 293\n\nWickliffe, John, 350\n\nWickliffites, 245\n\nWilhelminians, 247\n\nWilkinsonians, 167\n\nWilliams, Roger, 386\n\nWinchester, Elhanan, 425\n\nWorshippers of the Devil, 285\n\nXavier, Francis, 161, 372\n\nYezidees, or Worshippers of the Devil, 285\n\nZanchius, Jerome, 366\n\nZinzendorf, Count, 383\n\nZuinglius, Ulricus, 359\n\nZuinglians, 246\n\n\n\n\n\nLUTHERANS, OR, THE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH.\n\n\nThis denomination adheres to the opinions of Martin Luther, the celebrated\nreformer.\n\nThe Lutherans, of all Protestants, are those who differ least from the\nRomish church, as they affirm that the body and blood of Christ are\nmaterially present in the sacrament of the Lord\u2019s supper, though in an\nincomprehensible manner: this they term _consubstantiation_. They likewise\nrepresent some rites and institutions, as the use of images in churches,\nthe vestments of the clergy, the private confession of sins, the use of\nwafers in the administration of the Lord\u2019s supper, the form of exorcism in\nthe celebration of baptism, and other ceremonies of the like nature, as\ntolerable, and some of them useful. The Lutherans maintain, with regard to\nthe divine decrees, that they respect the salvation or misery of men in\nconsequence of a previous knowledge of their sentiments and characters,\nand not as founded on the mere will of God. See _Augsburg Confession of\nFaith_.\n\nTowards the close of the last century, the Lutherans began to entertain a\ngreater liberality of sentiment than they had before adopted, though in\nmany places they persevered longer in despotic principles than other\nProtestant churches. Their public teachers now enjoy an unbounded liberty\nof dissenting from the decisions of those symbols of creeds which were\nonce deemed almost infallible rules of faith and practice, and of\ndeclaring their dissent in the manner they judge most expedient.\n\nThe capital articles which Luther maintained are as follow:\u2014\n\n1. That the holy Scriptures are the only source whence we are to draw our\nreligious sentiments, whether they relate to faith or practice. (See 2\nTim. 3:15-17. Prov. 1:9. Isa. 8:20. Luke 1:4. John 5:39; 20:31. 1 Cor 4:6,\n&c.)\n\n2. That justification is the effect of faith, exclusive of good works, and\nthat faith ought to produce good works, purely in obedience to God, and\nnot in order to our justification. (See Gal. 2:21.)\n\n3. That no man is able to make satisfaction for his sins. (See Luke\n17:10.)\n\nIn consequence of these leading articles, Luther rejected tradition,\npurgatory, penance, auricular confession, masses, invocation of saints,\nmonastic vows, and other doctrines of the church of Rome.\n\nThe external affairs of the Lutheran church are directed by three\njudicatories, viz., a vestry of the congregation, a district or special\nconference, and a general synod. The synod is composed of ministers, and\nan equal number of laymen, chosen as deputies by the vestries of their\nrespective congregations. From this synod there is no appeal.\n\nThe ministerium is composed of ministers only, and regulates the internal\nor spiritual concerns of the church, such as examining, licensing, and\nordaining ministers, judging in controversies about doctrine, &c. The\nsynod and ministerium meet annually.\n\nConfession and absolution, in a very simple form, are practised by the\nAmerican Lutherans; also confirmation, by which baptismal vows are\nratified, and the subjects become communicants. Their liturgies are simple\nand impressive, and the clergy are permitted to use extempore prayer. See\n_Statistics of Churches_.\n\n\n\n\n\nCALVINISTS.\n\n\nThis denomination of Christians, of the Congregational order, are chiefly\ndescendants of the English Puritans, who founded most of the early\nsettlements in New England. They derive their name from John Calvin, an\neminent reformer.\n\nThe Calvinists are divided into three parties,\u2014_High_, _Strict_, and\n_Moderate_. The _High_ Calvinists favor the Hopkinsian system. The\n_Moderate_ Calvinists embrace the leading features of Calvin\u2019s doctrine,\nbut object to some parts, particularly to his views of the doctrines of\npredestination, and the extent of the design of Christ\u2019s death. While they\nhold to the election of grace, they do not believe that God has reprobated\nany of his creatures. They believe that the atonement is, in its nature,\ngeneral, but in its application, particular; and that free salvation is to\nbe preached to sinners indiscriminately. The doctrines of the _Strict_\nCalvinists are those of Calvin himself, as established at the synod of\nDort, A. D. 1618, and are as follow, viz.:\u2014\n\n1. They maintain that God hath chosen a certain number of the fallen race\nof Adam in Christ, before the foundation of the world, unto eternal glory,\naccording to his immutable purpose, and of his free grace and love,\nwithout the least foresight of faith, good works, or any conditions\nperformed by the creature; and that the rest of mankind he was pleased to\npass by, and ordain to dishonor and wrath, for their sins, to the praise\nof his vindictive justice. (See Prov. 16:4. Rom. 9: from ver. 11 to end of\nchap.; 8:30. Eph. 1:4. Acts 13:48.)\n\n2. They maintain that, though the death of Christ be a most perfect\nsacrifice, and satisfaction for sins, of infinite value, abundantly\nsufficient to expiate the sins of the whole world,\u2014and though, on this\nground, the gospel is to be preached to all mankind indiscriminately, yet\nit was the will of God that Christ, by the blood of the cross, should\nefficaciously redeem all those, and those only, who were from eternity\nelected to salvation, and given to him by the Father. (See Ps. 33:11. John\n6:37; 10:11; 17:9.)\n\n3. They maintain that mankind are totally depraved, in consequence of the\nfall of the first man, who being their public head, his sin involved the\ncorruption of all his posterity, and which corruption extends over the\nwhole soul, and renders it unable to turn to God, or to do any thing truly\ngood, and exposes it to his righteous displeasure, both in this world and\nthat which is to come. (See Gen. 8:21. Ps. 14:2, 3. Rom. 3:10, 11, 12,\n&c.; 4:14; 5:19. Gal. 3:10. 2 Cor. 3:6, 7.)\n\n4. They maintain that all whom God hath predestinated unto life, he is\npleased, in his appointed time, effectually to call, by his word and\nSpirit, out of that state of sin and death, in which they are by nature,\nto grace and salvation by Jesus Christ. (See Eph. 1:19; 2:1, 5. Phil.\n2:13. Rom. 3:27. I Cor. 1:31, Titus 3:5.)\n\n5. Lastly, they maintain that those whom God has effectually called, and\nsanctified by his Spirit, shall never finally fall from a state of grace.\nThey admit that true believers may fall partially, and would fall totally\nand finally, but for the mercy and faithfulness of God, who keepeth the\nfeet of his saints; also, that he who bestoweth the grace of perseverance,\nbestoweth it by means of reading and hearing the word, meditation,\nexhortations, threatenings, and promises; but that none of these things\nimply the possibility of a believer\u2019s falling from a state of\njustification. (See Isa. 53:4, 5, 6; 54:10. Jer. 32:38, 40. Rom. 8:38, 39.\nJohn 4:14; 6:39; 10:28; 11:26. James 1:17. 1 Pet. 2:25.) See _Orthodox\nCreeds_, and _Hopkinsians_.\n\n\n\n\n\nHOPKINSIANS.\n\n\nThis denomination of Christians derives its name from Samuel Hopkins, D.\nD., formerly pastor of the first Congregational church in Newport, R. I.\n\nThe following is a summary of the distinguishing tenets of the\nHopkinsians, together with a few of the reasons they bring forward in\nsupport of their sentiments:\u2014\n\n\n    \u201c1. That all true virtue, or real holiness, consists in\n    disinterested benevolence. The object of benevolence is universal\n    being, including God and all intelligent creatures. It wishes and\n    seeks the good of every individual, so far as is consistent with\n    the greatest good of the whole, which is comprised in the glory of\n    God and the perfection and happiness of his kingdom. The law of\n    God is the standard of all moral rectitude or holiness. This is\n    reduced into love to God, and our neighbor as ourselves; and\n    universal good-will comprehends all the love to God, our neighbor,\n    and ourselves, required in the divine law, and, therefore, must be\n    the whole of holy obedience. Let any serious person think what are\n    the particular branches of true piety; when he has viewed each one\n    by itself, he will find that disinterested friendly affection is\n    its distinguishing characteristic. For instance, all the holiness\n    in pious fear, which distinguishes it from the fear of the wicked,\n    consists in love. Again, holy gratitude is nothing but good-will\n    to God and our neighbor,\u2014in which we ourselves are included,\u2014and\n    correspondent affection, excited by a view of the good-will and\n    kindness of God. Universal good-will also implies the whole of the\n    duty we owe to our neighbor; for justice, truth, and faithfulness,\n    are comprised in universal benevolence; so are temperance and\n    chastity. For an undue indulgence of our appetites and passions is\n    contrary to benevolence, as tending to hurt ourselves or others,\n    and so, opposite to the general good, and the divine command, in\n    which all the crime of such indulgence consists. In short, all\n    virtue is nothing but benevolence acted out in its proper nature\n    and perfection; or love to God and our neighbor, made perfect in\n    all its genuine exercises and expressions.\n\n    \u201c2. That all sin consists in selfishness. By this is meant an\n    interested, selfish affection, by which a person sets himself up\n    as supreme, and the only object of regard; and nothing is good or\n    lovely in his view, unless suited to promote his own private\n    interest. This self-love is, in its whole nature, and every degree\n    of it, enmity against God; it is not subject to the law of God,\n    and is the only affection that can oppose it. It is the foundation\n    of all spiritual blindness, and, therefore, the source of all the\n    open idolatry in the heathen world, and false religion under the\n    light of the gospel: all this is agreeable to that self-love which\n    opposes God\u2019s true character. Under the influence of this\n    principle, men depart from truth, it being itself the greatest\n    practical lie in nature, as it sets up that which is comparatively\n    nothing above universal existence. Self-love is the source of all\n    profaneness and impiety in the world, and of all pride and\n    ambition among men, which is nothing but selfishness, acted out in\n    this particular way. This is the foundation of all covetousness\n    and sensuality, as it blinds people\u2019s eyes, contracts their\n    hearts, and sinks them down, so that they look upon earthly\n    enjoyments as the greatest good. This is the source of all\n    falsehood, injustice, and oppression, as it excites mankind by\n    undue methods to invade the property of others. Self-love produces\n    all the violent passions\u2014envy, wrath, clamor, and evil speaking;\n    and every thing contrary to the divine law is briefly comprehended\n    in this fruitful source of all iniquity\u2014self-love.\n\n    \u201c3. That there are no promises of regenerating grace made to the\n    doings of the unregenerate. For, as far as men act from self-love,\n    they act from a bad end; for those who have no true love to God,\n    really do no duty when they attend on the externals of religion.\n    And as the unregenerate act from a selfish principle, they do\n    nothing which is commanded; their impenitent doings are wholly\n    opposed to repentance and conversion, therefore not implied in the\n    command to repent, &c.: so far from this, they are altogether\n    disobedient to the command. Hence it appears that there are no\n    promises of salvation to the doings of the unregenerate.\n\n    \u201c4. That the impotency of sinners, with respect to believing in\n    Christ, is not natural, but moral; for it is a plain dictate of\n    common sense, that natural impossibility excludes all blame. But\n    an unwilling mind is universally considered as a crime, and not as\n    an excuse, and is the very thing wherein our wickedness consists.\n    That the impotence of the sinner is owing to a disaffection of\n    heart, is evident from the promises of the gospel. When any object\n    of good is proposed and promised to us upon asking, it clearly\n    evinces that there can be no impotence in us, with respect to\n    obtaining it, besides the disapprobation of the will; and that\n    inability which consists in disinclination, never renders any\n    thing improperly the subject of precept or command.\n\n    \u201c5. That, in order to faith in Christ, a sinner must approve, in\n    his heart, of the divine conduct, even though God should cast him\n    off forever; which, however, never implies love of misery, nor\n    hatred of happiness. For if the law is good, death is due to those\n    who have broken it. The Judge of all the earth cannot but do\n    right. It would bring everlasting reproach upon his government to\n    spare us, considered merely as in ourselves. When this is felt in\n    our hearts, and not till then, we shall be prepared to look to the\n    free grace of God, through the redemption which is in Christ, and\n    to exercise faith in his blood, \u2018who is set forth to be a\n    propitiation to declare God\u2019s righteousness, that he might be\n    just, and yet be the justifier of him who believeth in Jesus.\u2019\n\n    \u201c6. That the infinitely wise and holy God has exerted his\n    omnipotent power in such a manner as he purposed should be\n    followed with the existence and entrance of moral evil into the\n    system. For it must be admitted on all hands, that God has a\n    perfect knowledge, foresight, and view of all possible existences\n    and events. If that system and scene of operation, in which moral\n    evil should never have existed, were actually preferred in the\n    divine mind, certainly the Deity is infinitely disappointed in the\n    issue of his own operations. Nothing can be more dishonorable to\n    God than to imagine that the system which is actually formed by\n    the divine hand, and which was made for his pleasure and glory, is\n    yet not the fruit of wise contrivance and design.\n\n    \u201c7. That the introduction of sin is, upon the whole, for the\n    general good. For the wisdom and power of the Deity are displayed\n    in carrying on designs of the greatest good; and the existence of\n    moral evil has, undoubtedly, occasioned a more full, perfect, and\n    glorious discovery of the infinite perfections of the divine\n    nature, than could otherwise have been made to the view of\n    creatures. If the extensive manifestations of the pure and holy\n    nature of God, and his infinite aversion to sin, and all his\n    inherent perfections, in their genuine fruits and effects, is\n    either itself the greatest good, or necessarily contains it, it\n    must necessarily follow that the introduction of sin is for the\n    greatest good.\n\n    \u201c8. That repentance is before faith in Christ. By this is not\n    intended, that repentance is before a speculative belief of the\n    being and perfections of God, and of the person and character of\n    Christ; but only that true repentance is previous to a saving\n    faith in Christ, in which the believer is united to Christ, and\n    entitled to the benefits of his mediation and atonement. That\n    repentance is before faith in this sense, appears from several\n    considerations. 1. As repentance and faith respect different\n    objects, so they are distinct exercises of the heart; and\n    therefore one not only may, but must, be prior to the other. 2.\n    There may be genuine repentance of sin without faith in Christ,\n    but there cannot be true faith in Christ without repentance of\n    sin; and since repentance is necessary in order to faith in\n    Christ, it must necessarily be prior to faith in Christ. 3. John\n    the Baptist, Christ, and his apostles, taught that repentance is\n    before faith. John cried, \u2018Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at\n    hand;\u2019 intimating that true repentance was necessary in order to\n    embrace the gospel of the kingdom. Christ commanded, \u2018Repent ye,\n    and believe the gospel.\u2019 And Paul preached \u2018repentance toward God,\n    and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.\u2019\n\n    \u201c9. That, though men became sinners by Adam, according to a divine\n    constitution, yet they have, and are accountable for, no sins but\n    personal; for, 1. Adam\u2019s act, in eating the forbidden fruit, was\n    not the act of his posterity; therefore they did not sin at the\n    same time he did. 2. The sinfulness of that act could not be\n    _transferred_ to them afterwards, because the sinfulness of an act\n    can no more be transferred from one person to another than an act\n    itself. 3. Therefore Adam\u2019s act, in eating the forbidden fruit,\n    was not the _cause_ but only the _occasion_, of his posterity\u2019s\n    being sinners. God was pleased to make a constitution, that, if\n    Adam remained holy through his state of trial, his posterity\n    should, in consequence, be holy also; but if he sinned, his\n    posterity should, in consequence, be sinners likewise. Adam\n    sinned, and now God brings his posterity into the world sinners.\n    _By_ Adam\u2019s sin we are become sinners, not _for_ it; his sin being\n    only the _occasion_, not the _cause_, of our committing sins.\n\n    \u201c10. That, though believers are justified _through_ Christ\u2019s\n    righteousness, yet his righteousness is not _transferred_ to them.\n    For, 1. Personal righteousness can no more be transferred from one\n    person to another, than personal sin. 2. If Christ\u2019s personal\n    righteousness were transferred to believers, they would be as\n    perfectly holy as Christ, and so stand in no need of forgiveness.\n    3. But believers are not conscious of having Christ\u2019s personal\n    righteousness, but feel and bewail much indwelling sin and\n    corruption. 4. The Scripture represents believers as receiving\n    only the _benefits_ of Christ\u2019s righteousness in justification, or\n    their being pardoned and accepted for Christ\u2019s righteousness\u2019\n    sake; and this is the proper Scripture notion of imputation.\n    Jonathan\u2019s righteousness was imputed to Mephibosheth when David\n    showed kindness to him for his father Jonathan\u2019s sake.\u201d\n\n\nThe Hopkinsians warmly contend for the doctrine of the divine decrees,\nthat of particular election, total depravity, the special influences of\nthe Spirit of God in regeneration, justification by faith alone, the final\nperseverance of the saints, and the consistency between entire freedom and\nabsolute dependence, and, therefore, claim it as their just due, since the\nworld will make distinctions, to be called HOPKINSIAN CALVINISTS.\n\nThe statistics of this denomination are included with those of the\n_Calvinists_, near the close of this volume.\n\n\n\n\n\nARIANS.\n\n\nThe followers of Arius, a presbyter of the church of Alexandria, about A.\nD. 315, who held that the Son of God was totally and essentially distinct\nfrom the Father; that he was the first and noblest of those beings whom\nGod had created, the instrument by whose subordinate operation he formed\nthe universe, and, therefore, inferior to the Father, both in nature and\ndignity; also, that the Holy Ghost was not God, but created by the power\nof the Son. The Arians owned that the Son was the Word, but denied that\nWord to have been eternal. They held that Christ had nothing of man in him\nbut the flesh, to which the Word was joined, which was the same as the\nsoul in us.\n\nIn modern times, the term _Arian_ is indiscriminately applied to those who\nconsider Jesus simply subordinate to the Father. Some of them believe\nChrist to have been the creator of the world; but they all maintain that\nhe existed previously to his incarnation, though, in his pre\u00ebxistent\nstate, they assign him different degrees of dignity.\n\n(See Matt. 4:10; 19:17; 27:46. Mark 5:7; 13:32 John 4:23; 14:28; 20:17.\nActs 4:24. 1 Cor. 1:4; 11:3; 15:24. Eph. 1:17; 4:6. Phil. 1:3, 4, &c.)\n\n\n\n\n\nSOCINIANS.\n\n\nA sect so called from Faustus Socinus, who died in Poland, in 1604. There\nwere two who bore the name of Socinus,\u2014uncle and nephew,\u2014and both\ndisseminated the same doctrine; but it is the nephew who is generally\nconsidered as the founder of this sect. They maintain that Jesus Christ\nwas a mere man, who had no existence before he was conceived by the Virgin\nMary; that the Holy Ghost is no distinct person; but that the Father is\ntruly and properly God. They own that the name of God is given, in the\nholy Scriptures, to Jesus Christ, but contend that it is only a deputed\ntitle, which, however, invests him with a great authority over all created\nbeings. They deny the doctrines of satisfaction and imputed righteousness,\nand say that Christ only preached the truth to mankind, set before them,\nin himself, an example of heroic virtue, and sealed his doctrines with his\nblood. Original sin, and absolute predestination, they esteem scholastic\nchimeras. Some of them likewise maintain the sleep of the soul, which,\nthey say, becomes insensible at death, and is raised again, with the body,\nat the resurrection, when the good shall be established in the possession\nof eternal felicity, while the wicked shall be consigned to a fire that\nwill not torment them eternally, but for a certain duration, proportioned\nto their demerits. (See Acts 2:22; 17:31. 1 Tim. 2:5.)\n\n\n\n\n\nHUMANITARIANS.\n\n\nThe Humanitarians believe in the simple humanity of Christ, or that he was\nnothing more than a mere man, born according to the usual course of\nnature, and who lived and died according to the ordinary circumstances of\nmankind.\n\n\n\n\n\nSECTARIANS.\n\n\nThis term is used among Christians to denote those who form separate\ncommunions, and do not associate with one another in religious worship and\nceremonies. Thus we call Papists, Lutherans, Calvinists, different sects,\nnot so much on account of their differences in opinion, as because they\nhave established to themselves different fraternities, to which, in what\nregards public worship, they confine themselves; the several denominations\nabove mentioned having no intercommunity with one another in sacred\nmatters. High, Strict, and Moderate Calvinists, High Church and Low\nChurch, we call only parties, because they have not formed separate\ncommunions. Great and known differences in opinion, when followed by no\nexternal breach in the society, are not considered constituting distinct\nsects, though their differences in opinion may give rise to mutual\naversion.\n\nThe Jewish, Christian, Mahometan, and Pagan world is divided into an\nalmost innumerable variety of sects, each claiming to themselves the title\nof orthodox, and each charging their opponents with heresy.\n\nWhere perfect religious liberty prevails, as in the United States, and\nwhere emigrants from all quarters of the globe resort in great numbers, it\nis not surprising that most of the Christian sects in foreign countries,\nwith some of native origin, should be found in this part of the American\ncontinent.\n\n\n\n\n\nCHURCH GOVERNMENT.\n\n\nThere are three modes of church government, viz., the _Episcopalian_, from\nthe Latin word _episcopus_, signifying _bishop_; the _Presbyterian_, from\nthe Greek word _presbuteros_, signifying _senior_, _elder_, or\n_presbyter_; and the Congregational or Independent mode. Under one of\nthese forms, or by a mixture of their several peculiarities, every church\nin the Christian world is governed. The Episcopal form is the most\nextensive, as it embraces the Catholic, Greek, English, Methodist, and\nMoravian churches.\n\nEpiscopalians have three orders in the ministry, viz., bishops, priests,\nand deacons; they all have liturgies, longer or shorter, which they either\nstatedly or occasionally use. All Episcopalians believe in the existence\nand the necessity of an apostolic succession of bishops, by whom alone\nregular and valid ordinations can be performed.\n\nThe Presbyterians believe that the authority of their ministers to preach\nthe gospel and to administer the sacraments is derived from the Holy\nGhost, by the imposition of the hands of the presbytery. They affirm,\nhowever, that there is no order in the church, as established by Christ\nand his apostles, superior to that of presbyters; that all ministers,\nbeing ambassadors of Christ, are equal by their commission; that\n_presbyter_ and _bishop_, though different words, are of the same import;\nand that prelacy was gradually established upon the primitive practice of\nmaking the _moderator_, or speaker of the presbytery, a permanent officer.\n\nThe Congregationalists, or Independents, are so called from their\nmaintaining that each congregation of Christians, which meets in one house\nfor public worship, is a complete church, has sufficient power to act and\nperform every thing relating to religious government within itself, and is\nin no respect subject or accountable to other churches.\n\nIndependents, or Congregationalists, generally ordain their ministers by a\ncouncil of ministers called for the purpose: but still they hold that the\nessence of ordination lies in the voluntary choice and call of the people,\nand that public ordination is no other than a declaration of that call.\n\n\n\n\n\nPRESBYTERIANS.\n\n\nThe first settlers of New England were driven away from Old England, in\npursuit of religious liberty. They were required to conform to the\nestablished Protestant Episcopal church, in all her articles of belief,\nand modes of worship and discipline: their consciences forbade such\nconformity: their ministers were displaced: their property was tithed for\nthe support of an ecclesiastical prelacy, which they renounced; and the\nonly relief which they could find, was in abandoning their country for the\nnew world.\n\nMost of the first settlers of New England were Congregationalists; and\nestablished the government of individuals by the male communicating\nmembers of the churches to which they belonged, and of congregations by\nsister congregations, met by representation in ecclesiastical councils. A\npart of the ministers and people of Connecticut, at a very early period of\nher history, were Presbyterians in their principles of church government.\nBeing intermixed, however, with Congregational brethren, instead of\nestablishing presbyteries in due form, they united with their\nfellow-Christians in adopting, in 1708, the Saybrook Platform, according\nto which the churches and pastors are consociated, so as virtually to be\nunder Presbyterian government, under another name.\n\nThe first Presbyterian churches duly organized in the United States, were\nthe first Presbyterian church in Philadelphia, and the church at Snow\nHill, in Maryland.\n\nThe first presbytery in the United States was formed about 1794, by the\nvoluntary association of several ministers, who had received Presbyterian\norders in Europe, and who agreed to govern themselves agreeably to the\nWestminster Confession of Faith, Form of Government, Book of Discipline,\nand Directory for Worship. (See _Andover Orthodox Creed_.)\n\nThe reason why the Presbyterians first settled in Pennsylvania, Maryland,\nand New Jersey, was undoubtedly this\u2014that in these places they found\ntoleration, and equal religious rights, while the Episcopacy was\nestablished by law in Virginia, Congregationalism in New England, and the\nReformed Dutch church, with Episcopacy, in New York.\n\nThe doctrines of the Presbyterian church are Calvinistic; and the only\nfundamental principle which distinguishes it from other Protestant\nchurches is this\u2014that God has authorized the government of his church by\npresbyters, or elders, who are chosen by the people, and ordained to\noffice by predecessors in office, in virtue of the commission which Christ\ngave his apostles as ministers in the kingdom of God; and that, among all\npresbyters, there is an official parity, whatever disparity may exist in\ntheir talents or official employments.\n\nAll the different congregations, under the care of the general assembly,\nare considered as the one Presbyterian church in the United States,\nmeeting, for the sake of convenience and edification, in their several\nplaces of worship. Each particular congregation of baptized people,\nassociated for godly living, and the worship of Almighty God, may become a\nPresbyterian church, by electing one or more elders, agreeably to the form\nprescribed in the book styled the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church,\nand having them ordained and installed as their session.\n\nThey judge that to presbyteries the Lord Jesus has committed the spiritual\ngovernment of each particular congregation, and not to the whole body of\nthe communicants; and on this point they are distinguished from\nIndependents and Congregationalists. If all were governors, they should\nnot be able to distinguish the overseers or bishops from all the male and\nfemale communicants; nor could they apply the command, \u201cObey them that\nhave the rule over you, and submit yourselves; for they watch for your\nsouls, as they that must give account.\u201d (Heb. 13:17.) If all are rulers in\nthe church who are communicants, they are at a loss for the meaning of the\nexhortation, \u201cWe beseech you, brethren, to know them that labor among you,\n_and are over you in the __ Lord_, and admonish you; and to esteem them\nvery highly in love for their work\u2019s sake.\u201d\n\nIf an aggrieved brother should tell the story of his wrongs to each\nindividual communicant, he would not thereby tell it to the church\njudicially, so that cognizance could be taken of the affair. It is to the\nchurch, acting by her proper organs, and to her overseers, met as a\njudicatory, that he must bring his charge, if he would have discipline\nexercised in such a way as God empowered his church to exercise it.\n\nThe general assembly is the highest judicatory in the Presbyterian church,\nand is constituted by an equal number of teaching and ruling elders,\nelected by each presbytery annually, and specially commissioned to\ndeliberate, vote, and determine, in all matters which may come before that\nbody. Each presbytery may send one bishop and one ruling elder to the\nassembly: each presbytery, having more than twelve ministers, may send two\nministers and two ruling elders, and so, in the same proportion, for every\ntwelve ministerial members.\n\nEvery Presbyterian church elects its own pastor; but, to secure the whole\nchurch against insufficient, erroneous, or immoral men, it is provided\nthat no church shall prosecute any call, without first obtaining leave\nfrom the presbytery under whose care that church may be; and that no\nlicentiate, or bishop, shall receive any call, but through the hands of\nhis own presbytery.\n\nAny member of the Presbyterian church may be the subject of its\ndiscipline; and every member, if he judges himself injured by any portion\nof the church, may, by appeal, or complaint, carry his cause up from the\nchurch session to the presbytery, from the presbytery to the synod, and\nfrom the synod to the general assembly, so as to obtain the decision of\nthe whole church, met by representation in this high judicatory.\n\nEvangelical ministers of the gospel, of all denominations, are permitted,\non the invitation of a pastor, or of the session of a vacant church, to\npreach in their pulpits; and any person known properly, or made known to a\npastor or session, as a communicant in good, regular standing, in any\ntruly Christian denomination of people, is, in most of their churches,\naffectionately invited to occasional communion. They wish to have\nChristian fellowship with all the redeemed of the Lord, who have been\nrenewed by his Spirit; but, in ecclesiastical government and discipline,\nthey ask and expect the co\u00f6peration of none but Presbyterians. See\n_Statistics_.\n\n\n\n\n\nCUMBERLAND PRESBYTERIANS.\n\n\nIn the year 1800, a very great revival of religion took place within the\nbounds of the synod of Kentucky, in consequence of which, a greater number\nof new congregations were formed than it was possible to supply with\nregularly-educated ministers. To remedy this evil, it was resolved to\nlicense men to preach who were apt to teach, and sound in the faith,\nthough they had not gone through any course of classical study. This took\nplace at the Transylvania presbyter; but, as many of its members were\ndissatisfied with the proposed innovation, an appeal was made to the\nsynod, which appointed a commission to examine into the circumstances of\nthe case, the result of whose report was, a prohibition of the labors of\nuneducated ministers, which led the opposite party to form themselves into\nan independent presbytery, which took its name from the district of\nCumberland, in which it was constituted.\n\nAs to the doctrinal views, they occupy a kind of middle ground between\nCalvinists and Arminians. They reject the doctrine of eternal reprobation,\nand hold the universality of redemption, and that the Spirit of God\noperates on the world, or as co\u00ebxtensively as Christ has made the\natonement, in such a manner as to leave all men inexcusable.\n\nThe Cumberland Presbyterians have about 550 churches and ministers, and\nabout 70,000 members. They have a college at Cumberland, Ky.\n\n\n\n\n\nEPISCOPALIANS.\n\n\nThat form of Church polity, in which the ministry is divided into the\nthree orders of Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, each having powers and\nduties, distinct from the others, the Bishops being superior to the\nPriests and Deacons, and the immediate source of all their authority, is\ncalled EPISCOPACY, and those who adhere to this polity, are called\nEPISCOPALIANS.\n\nIt is believed, by Episcopalians, that the Savior, when upon earth,\nestablished a Church, or Society, of which He was the Ruler and Head, and\nwith which He promised to be, till the end of the world. They believe,\nthat, during the forty days in which He remained upon earth, after His\nresurrection, \u201cspeaking\u201d to His disciples \u201cof the things pertaining to the\nkingdom of God,\u201d He gave them such directions for the government and\nmanagement of this Society, or Church, as were necessary; which\ndirections, they implicitly followed: and that, from their subsequent\npractice, these directions of the Savior, whatever they may have been, are\nto be ascertained.\n\n\u201cThat it was the design of our blessed Redeemer to continue a ministry in\nthe Church, after His ascension, is a truth, for which we ask no better\nproof, than that furnished by the narratives of the Evangelists, and the\npractice of the Apostles. If, then, a ministry, divinely authorized, was\nto exist, it is equally evident, that it would assume some definite form.\nIt would consist, either of a single grade of office, in which every\nperson ordained would have an equal share in its functions and\nprerogatives; or, of two, three, or more grades, distinguished from each\nother by degrees of authority and peculiarities of duty.\u201d There must,\nalso, exist, _somewhere_, the power of transmitting the ministry, by\nordination. Among those, who suppose there is but one grade of office,\nthis power is lodged in every minister. By Episcopalians, the power is\nconfined to the highest order of the ministry,\u2014the Bishops. It is evident,\nthat the Savior could not have established both these different modes; and\ntherefore both cannot possibly be correct. \u201cTo suppose, that He, who is\nthe Fountain of all wisdom, could have been the Author of such inevitable\ndisorder,\u2014a kind of disorder which must ever keep the axe at the root of\nthat _unity_ for which He prayed,\u2014is not only an absurdity, but an opinion\nequally repudiated by all parties.\u201d \u201cIt is manifest,\u201d therefore, \u201cthat\nwhatever may prove itself to be THE form of ministry, established and\nauthorized by Jesus Christ, every other must be altogether void of such\nauthority, and based simply on human appointment.\u201d\n\nThat this Church, or Society, might endure, it must be provided with a\nwell-arranged organization, or form of government, and consist of officers\nand members. No society can exist, without this; and the powers and duties\nof the officers should be well defined, and so adjusted, as to promote, in\nthe best manner, the permanent good of the society. That this Society\nmight endure forever, some provision must be made for the renewal of its\nofficers, so that, when any were taken away, by death, their places might\nbe supplied with suitable successors. That the Savior made all necessary\nprovision for these purposes, there can be no doubt; and that the\norganization which He directed His Apostles to establish, was Episcopal,\nis easily susceptible of proof.\n\nThroughout the Bible, different orders in the ministry are recognized or\nreferred to. Under the Jewish dispensation, (which, be it remembered, was\nestablished by God Himself,) there were the three orders of High Priest,\nPriests, and Levites. When the Savior was upon earth, He was the visible\nhead of the Church,\u2014the \u201cBishop and Shepherd of our souls,\u201d\u2014and the\nApostles and seventy Disciples were the other two orders. After his\nascension, the Apostles became the visible heads of the Church, the lower\norders being Bishops, (called also Priests or Presbyters, and Elders,) and\nDeacons. When the Apostles were called hence, their successors did not\nassume the name or title of Apostle, but took that of Bishop, which\nthenceforth was applied exclusively to the highest order of the ministry,\nthe other two orders being the Presbyters (Priests or Elders) and Deacons.\nThus it has continued to the present day.\n\nIt is worthy of remark, that \u201cearly writers have been careful to record\nthe ecclesiastical genealogy or succession of the Bishops, in several of\nthe principal Churches. Thus, we have catalogues of the Bishops of\nJerusalem, Antioch, Rome, &c.; though it does not appear that the\nPresbyters and Deacons of those Churches were honored with any similar\nnotice.\u201d In like manner, catalogues of temporal Rulers are preserved, when\nthe names of officers subordinate to them are suffered to pass into\noblivion. It is easy to trace back the line of Bishops, by name, from our\nown day, up to the Apostles themselves.\n\nThere is no ancient writer on ecclesiastical matters, who does not speak\nof the division of the ministry into different and distinct Orders, and of\ncertain individuals as Bishops of particular Churches; or who mentions, as\nexisting at the same time, and in the same Churches, any other persons by\nthe same name of Bishops.\n\nBut, it is to be observed, that it is not only necessary that a Church\nshould preserve the true Order in the Ministry, but also that it retain\nthe true faith. For a true faith and true Order are both necessary to\nconstitute a Church. All the heretical sects of the ancient Church had the\nApostolic Ministry; but, when they departed from the true faith, they were\nexcluded from the communion of the Church. \u201cThe Arians, the Donatists, the\nNovatians, &c. &c., were all Episcopal in their Ministry, and in this\nrespect differed in nothing from the Orthodox Catholic Church. Their grand\nerror lay in the want of that union of Order _and_ Faith, which are\nessential to the being of a Church.\u201d\n\nAn external commission, conveyed by Episcopal consecration or ordination,\nis considered necessary to constitute a lawful ministry; and it is\ntherefore declared, by the Church, that \u201cno man shall be accounted or\ntaken to be a lawful Bishop, Priest, or Deacon, in this Church, or\nsuffered to execute any of said functions,\u201d unless he has \u201chad Episcopal\nconsecration or ordination;\u201d and the power of ordaining, or setting apart\nto the ministry, and of laying on hands upon others, is vested in the\nBishops.\n\nThe _ministry_ is of Divine appointment, and consists of three orders,\nonly,\u2014Bishop, Priest, and Deacon. The _government_ is of human regulation,\nand may be modified as circumstances require. Other officers may be\nappointed, and the manner in which ministers are invested with their\njurisdiction may be varied. To use the language of the Episcopal Church in\nthe United States, in the Preface to her Book of Common Prayer, \u201cIt is a\nmost invaluable part of that blessed liberty, wherewith Christ hath made\nus free, that, in His worship, different forms and usages may, without\noffence, be allowed, provided the substance of the faith be kept entire;\nand that, in every Church, what cannot be clearly determined to belong to\nDoctrine, must be referred to Discipline; and therefore, by common consent\nand authority, may be altered, abridged, enlarged, amended, or otherwise\ndisposed of, as may seem most convenient for the edification of the\npeople, \u2018according to the various exigencies of times and occasions.\u2019 ...\nThe particular Forms of Divine Worship, and the Rites and Ceremonies\nappointed to be used therein, being things in their own nature indifferent\nand alterable, and so acknowledged, it is but reasonable, that, upon\nweighty and important considerations, according to the various exigencies\nof times and occasions, such changes and alterations should be made\ntherein, as to those, who are in places of authority should, from time to\ntime, seem either necessary or expedient.\u201d\n\nIn the Church of England, there are Archbishops, Deans, and various other\nofficers and titles of office; but these are of local authority, and do\nnot interfere with the three Divinely-appointed orders. To use the\nlanguage of Hooker, \u201cI may securely, therefore, conclude, that there are,\nat this day, in the Church of England, no other than the same degrees of\necclesiastical orders, namely, Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, which had\ntheir beginning from Christ and His blessed Apostles themselves. As for\nDeans, Prebendaries, Parsons, Vicars, Curates, Archdeacons, and such like\nnames, being not found in the Scriptures, we have been thereby, through\nsome men\u2019s errors, thought to allow ecclesiastical degrees not known nor\never heard of in the better ages of former times. All these are in truth\nbut titles of office,\u201d admitted \u201cas the state of the Church doth need,\ndegrees of order still remaining the same as they were from the\nbeginning.\u201d\n\nTwo hundred years ago, Hooker gave the following challenge, which has\nnever yet been accepted:\u2014\u201cWe require you to find but one Church upon the\nface of the whole earth that hath not been ordered by Episcopal regiment\nsince the time that the blessed Apostles were here conversant.\u201d And\nthough, says Bishop Doane, departures from it, since the time of which he\nspoke, have been but too frequent and too great, \u201cEpiscopal regiment\u201d is\nstill maintained as Christ\u2019s ordinance, for the perpetuation and\ngovernment of his Church, and is received as such by eleven twelfths of\nthe whole Christian world. For a period of fifteen hundred years after the\nApostolic age, ordination by Presbyters was totally unknown, except in a\nfew crooked cases, where the attempt was made, and followed by instant\ncondemnation from the Church, and the declaration that they were utterly\nnull and void. There was no ministry in existence, before the era of the\nReformation, but that which had come down direct from the Apostles, that\nis, the Episcopal. This is admitted by nearly all the opponents of\nEpiscopacy.\n\nThe Episcopal Church in the United States, agrees with that of England, in\ndoctrine, discipline, and worship, with some few unessential variations.\nTheir Ritual, or Form of Worship, is the same, except that some few parts\nhave been omitted for the sake of shortening the service, or for other\nreasons. Changes became necessary in the prayers for Rulers, in\nconsequence of the independence of the United States.\n\nThe different Episcopal parishes in each of the United States, (except in\nsome of the newly-settled parts of the Country, where two or more States\nare united for this purpose,) are connected by a Constitution, which\nprovides for a convention of the clergy and lay delegates from each parish\nin the State or Diocese. This Convention is held annually, and regulates\nthe local concerns of its own Diocese, the Bishop of which, is the\nPresident of the Convention. The Conventions of the different Dioceses\nelect Deputies to a General Convention, which is held once in three years.\nEach Diocese may elect four Clergymen and four Laymen, as delegates, who,\nwhen assembled in General Convention, form what is called the \u201cHouse of\nClerical and Lay Deputies,\u201d each Order from a Diocese having one vote, and\nthe concurrence of both being necessary to every act of the Convention.\nThe Bishops form a separate House, with a right to originate measures for\nthe concurrence of the House of Clerical and Lay Deputies, each House\nhaving a negative upon the other, as in the Congress of the United States.\nThe whole Church is governed by Canons, framed by the General Convention.\nThese Canons regulate the mode of elections of Bishops, declare the age\nand qualifications necessary for obtaining the orders of Deacon or Priest,\nthe studies to be previously pursued, the examinations which each\ncandidate is to undergo, and all other matters of permanent legislation.\nDeacon\u2019s orders cannot be conferred on any person under the age of\ntwenty-one, nor those of Priest before that of twenty-four. A Bishop must\nbe at least thirty years of age. Prejudices have prevailed against the\nEpiscopal Church, and probably still exist in the minds of some persons,\nfrom an impression, that Episcopacy is not congenial with a republican\nform of government, and the civil institutions of our Country. But, that\nthis is an erroneous opinion, will be evident, to any one who will\ncarefully and impartially examine the subject. It will he seen, from what\nhas been stated above, that its Constitution is founded on the\nrepresentative principle, and is strikingly analogous to the form of\ngovernment of the United States. \u201cIn the _permanent_ official stations of\nthe Bishops and Clergy in her legislative bodies, our own Church,\u201d says\nBishop Hobart, \u201cresembles all other religious communities, whose clergy\nalso are permanent legislators. But, in some respects, she is more\nconformed than they are to the organization of our civil governments. Of\nthese, it is a characteristic, that legislative power is divided between\ntwo branches. And it is a peculiar character of our own Church, that her\nlegislative power is thus divided. Again, a single responsible Executive\ncharacterizes our civil constitutions. The same feature marks our own\nChurch, in the single Episcopal Executive in each Diocese, chosen, in the\nfirst instance, by the Clergy and representatives of the Laity. Nor are\nthese the only points in which the Bishop of our Church may feel pleasure\nin asserting the free and republican constitution of our government; for,\nin our ecclesiastical judicatories, the representatives of the laity\npossess strict coordinate authority,\u2014the power of voting as a separate\nbody, and of annulling, by a majority of votes, the acts of the Bishops\nand Clergy.\u201d\n\nThe doctrines of the Episcopal Church are contained in the Thirty-nine\nArticles of Religion, subjoined to this notice. See Book of Homilies, the\nCanons of the Church, Archbishop Potter\u2019s Discourse on Church Government,\nHooker\u2019s Ecclesiastical Polity, Daubeny\u2019s Guide to the Church, Burton\u2019s\nEarly English Church, the Church Dictionaries of Rev. Dr Hook and Rev. Mr.\nStaunton, Bishop Onderdonk\u2019s Episcopacy Examined and Reexamined, and other\nsimilar works.\n\n\n\n\nHistorical Notice Of The Church In The United States.\n\n\nThough the greater proportion of the early emigrants to this Country were\nopposed to the form of religious worship established in the Mother\nCountry, some of them were devoted adherents of that establishment, and\nEpiscopal churches existed, of course, in several of the Colonies, at an\nearly period, although, from the opposition made to them by the other\nemigrants, and from other causes, the number was not so considerable as\nmight have been expected under different circumstances. At the\ncommencement of the Revolutionary War, there were not more than eighty\nparochial clergymen North and East of Maryland; and these, with the\nexception of those in the towns of Boston and Newport, and the cities of\nNew York and Philadelphia, derived the principal part of their support\nfrom England, through the \u201cSociety for the Propagation of the Gospel in\nForeign Parts,\u201d an old and venerable Institution, yet in existence, and\nstill zealously engaged in spreading the Gospel to the utmost parts of the\nearth. In Maryland and Virginia, the members of the Church were much more\nnumerous, than in the other parts of the Country, and the clergy were\nsupported by a legal establishment.\n\nThe distance of this from the Mother Country, and the consequent\nseparation of the members of the Church from their parent stock, which\nrendered them dependent for the ministry upon emigrations from England, or\nobliged them to send candidates to that Country, for Holy Orders, operated\nas a serious obstacle to the increase of the Church here. All the clergy\nof this Country were attached to the diocese of the Bishop of London, who\nthus became the only bond of union between them; but his authority could\nnot be effectually exerted, at such a distance, in those cases where it\nwas most needed; and, for these and other reasons, several efforts were\nmade by the clergy to obtain an American Episcopate. But the jealousy with\nwhich such a measure was regarded by other denominations, and the great\nopposition with which it consequently met, prevented the accomplishment of\nthe design. When, however, the tie, which had thus bound the members of\nthe Church together in one communion, had been severed, by the\nindependence of the United States, it was necessary that some new bond of\nunion should be adopted; and renewed efforts were made to procure an\nEpiscopate.\n\nThe clergy of the Church in Connecticut, at a meeting held in March, 1783,\nelected the Rev. Samuel Seabury, D. D., their Bishop, and sent him to\nEngland, with an application to the Archbishop of Canterbury for his\nconsecration to that holy office. The English Bishops were unable to\nconsecrate him, till an Act of Parliament, authorizing them so to do,\ncould be passed; and he then made application to the Bishops of the Church\nin Scotland, who readily assented to the request, and he was consecrated\nby them, in Aberdeen, on the 14th of November, 1784. The Prelates, who\nwere thus the instruments of first communicating the Episcopate to this\nCountry, were, the Right Reverend Robert Kilgour, D. D., Bishop of\nAberdeen, the Right Reverend Arthur Petrie, D. D., Bishop of Ross and\nMoray, and the Right Reverend John Skinner, D. D., Coadjutor Bishop of\nAberdeen. Bishop Seabury returned to this Country, immediately after his\nconsecration, and commenced his Episcopal duties without delay.\n\nA few clergymen of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, having held a\nmeeting at Brunswick, N. J., on the 13th and 14th of May, 1784, for the\npurpose of consulting in what way to renew a Society for the support of\nwidows and children of deceased clergymen, determined to procure a larger\nmeeting on the 5th of the ensuing October, not only for the purpose of\ncompleting the object for which they had then assembled, but also to\nconfer and agree on some general principles of a union of the Church\nthroughout the States. At this latter meeting, a plan of ecclesiastical\nunion was agreed upon, with great unanimity; and a recommendation to the\nseveral States, to send delegates to a general meeting, at Philadelphia,\nin September, 1785, was adopted.\n\nAt the meeting, in Philadelphia, in September and October, 1785, there\nwere present, deputies from seven of the thirteen States. This Convention\nframed an Ecclesiastical Constitution, recommended sundry alterations in\nthe Book of Common Prayer, to adapt it to the local circumstances of the\nCountry, now severed from the parent State, and also took some measures\ntowards procuring the Episcopate from England. An Address was forwarded to\nthe English Bishops, through his Excellency John Adams, then Minister to\nEngland, and afterwards President of the United States who zealously used\nhis influence to promote the views of the Convention.\n\nAnother Convention was held in Philadelphia, in June, 1786, at which, a\nLetter was read, from the Archbishops and Bishops of England, in answer to\nthe Address forwarded from the preceding Convention; and another Address\nto the same Right Reverend Prelates, was adopted, to accompany the\nEcclesiastical Constitution now finally agreed upon. This Convention then\nadjourned, to meet again whenever answers should be received from England.\nThe next meeting was held at Wilmington, in Delaware, in October, 1786, at\nwhich, Letters from the English Prelates were read, and also an Act of\nParliament, authorizing the consecration of Bishops for foreign places.\nSundry further amendments and modifications of the Ecclesiastical\nConstitution, and Book of Common Prayer, were agreed upon, another Address\nto the English Prelates was adopted, and testimonials signed for three\nclergymen, who had been elected Bishops by their respective Dioceses. Two\nof these clergymen proceeded to England, in the course of the next month;\nand, after some further delays, all difficulties were finally removed, and\nthe Rev. William White, D. D., of Philadelphia, and the Rev. Samuel\nProvoost, D. D., of New York, having been elected to the Bishoprics of\nPennsylvania and New York, were consecrated to their high and holy office,\non the fourth of February, A. D. 1787, in the chapel of the Archiepiscopal\npalace at Lambeth, by the Most Reverend John Moore, D. D., Archbishop of\nCanterbury, assisted by the Most Reverend William Markham, D. D.,\nArchbishop of York, the Right Reverend Charles Moss, D. D., Bishop of Bath\nand Wells, and the Right Reverend Charles Hinchliff, D. D., Bishop of\nPeterborough. The newly-consecrated Bishops returned to America, April 7,\n1787, and soon after, began the exercise of their Episcopal functions in\ntheir respective dioceses.\n\nOf these three original Bishops of the Church, Bishop Seabury discharged\nhis Episcopal duties between nine and ten years, and died, February 25,\n1796. Bishop White continued to be as a patriarch of the Church for many\nyears, his life having been prolonged to the age of 88, and the discharge\nof his Episcopal functions having continued forty-nine years. He died,\nJuly 17, 1836. Bishop Provoost died, September 6, 1815, in the\ntwenty-ninth year of his Episcopate.\n\nThe first triennial Convention of the Church was held in July and August,\n1789, and the sessions of this body continue to be regularly held every\nthree years. Rev. James Madison, D. D., was consecrated Bishop of\nVirginia, by the Archbishop of Canterbury, September 19, 1790, and died\nMarch 6, 1812. Rev. Thomas John Claggett, D. D., of Maryland, was the\nfirst Bishop consecrated in the United States, having been elevated to\nthat holy Order by the Right Reverend Bishops Provoost, Seabury, White,\nand Madison, in New York, September 17, 1792; since which time,\nthirty-three Bishops have been consecrated, making the whole number,\nthirty-eight, of whom twenty are now living. For the succession of\nBishops, from the first establishment of the Church, to the present day,\nsee _Statistics_.\n\nThe last General Convention was held in New York, in October, 1841, at\nwhich time, there were present, twenty-one Bishops, and 79 clerical and 57\nlay members. The Bishops reported the consecration of 93 churches, the\nordination of 355 clergymen, and the confirmation of 14,767 persons, in\nthe years 1838 to 1841. The whole number of clergymen, at the present\ntime, (1842,) is 1114. Other facts of interest, in relation to the Church\nin this Country, will be found among the Statistics of this volume; and\nfor more full information, the reader is referred to \u201cSwords\u2019s Pocket\nAlmanack, Churchman\u2019s Register, and Ecclesiastical Calendar,\u201d a valuable\nlittle manual, published annually, and to the \u201cChurchman\u2019s Almanack,\u201d also\npublished annually; and for historical notices, reference may be made to\nBishop White\u2019s \u201cMemoirs of the Protestant Episcopal Church,\u201d Journals of\nthe General, and State Conventions, Hawks\u2019s Ecclesiastical History of\ndifferent States, and other similar works.\n\n\n\n\nArticles Of Religion.\n\n\n    _As established by the Bishops, the Clergy, and Laity of the\n    Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, in\n    Convention, on the twelfth Day of September, in the Year of our\n    Lord, one thousand eight hundred and one._\n\n\n\u201cARTICLE I. _Of Faith in the Holy Trinity._\u2014There is but one living and\ntrue God, everlasting, without body, parts, or passions; of infinite\npower, wisdom, and goodness; the Maker and Preserver of all things, both\nvisible and invisible. And in unity of this Godhead there be three\npersons, of one substance, power, and eternity; the Father, the Son, and\nthe Holy Ghost.\n\n\u201cART. II. _Of the Word, or Son of God, which was made very Man._\u2014The Son,\nwhich is the Word of the Father, begotten from everlasting of the Father,\nthe very and eternal God, of one substance with the Father, took man\u2019s\nnature in the womb of the blessed Virgin, of her substance: so that two\nwhole and perfect natures, that is to say, the Godhead and Manhood, were\njoined together in one person, never to be divided; whereof is one Christ,\nvery God, and very Man; who truly suffered, was crucified, dead, and\nburied, to reconcile His Father to us, and to be a sacrifice, not only for\noriginal guilt, but also for actual sins of men.\n\n\u201cART. III. _Of the going down of Christ into Hell._\u2014As Christ died for us,\nand was buried, so also is it to be believed, that He went down into hell.\n\n\u201cART. IV. _Of the Resurrection of Christ._\u2014Christ did truly rise again\nfrom death, and took again His body, with flesh, bones, and all things\nappertaining to the perfection of man\u2019s nature, wherewith He ascended into\nheaven, and there sitteth, until He return to judge all men at the last\nday.\n\n\u201cART. V. _Of the Holy Ghost._\u2014The Holy Ghost, proceeding from the Father\nand the Son, is of one substance, majesty, and glory, with the Father and\nthe Son, very and eternal God.\n\n\u201cART. VI. _Of the Sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures for __\nSalvation._\u2014Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation;\nso that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not\nto be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the\nfaith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation. In the name of\nthe Holy Scripture we do understand those Canonical Books of the Old and\nNew Testament, of whose authority was never any doubt in the Church.\n\n\u201c_Of the Names and Number of the Canonical Books._\u2014Genesis, Exodus,\nLeviticus, Numeri, Deuteronomium, Joshue, Judges, Ruth, The First Book of\nSamuel, The Second Book of Samuel, The First Book of Kings, The Second\nBook of Kings, The First Book of Chronicles, The Second Book of\nChronicles, The First Book of Esdras, The Second Book of Esdras, The Book\nof Hester, The Book of Job, The Psalms, The Proverbs, Ecclesiastes or\nPreacher, Cantica or Songs of Solomon, Four Prophets the greater, Twelve\nProphets the less.\n\n\u201cAnd the other Books (as Hierome saith) the Church doth read for example\nof life, and instruction of manners, but yet doth it not apply them to\nestablish any doctrine; such are these following:\n\n\u201cThe Third Book of Esdras, The Fourth Book of Esdras, The Book of Tobias,\nThe Book of Judith, The Rest of the Book of Hester, The Book of Wisdom,\nJesus the Son of Sirach, Baruch the Prophet, The Song of the Three\nChildren, The Story of Susanna, Of Bel and the Dragon, The Prayer of\nManasses, The First Book of Maccabees, The Second Book of Maccabees.\n\n\u201cAll the Books of the New Testament, as they are commonly received, we do\nreceive, and account them Canonical.\n\n\u201cART. VII. _Of the Old Testament._\u2014The Old Testament is not contrary to\nthe New; for both in the Old and New Testament, everlasting life is\noffered to mankind by Christ, who is the only Mediator between God and\nman, being both God and Man. Wherefore they are not to be heard, which\nfeign, that the old fathers did look only for transitory promises Although\nthe law given from God by Moses, as touching ceremonies and rites, do not\nbind Christian men, nor the civil precepts thereof ought of necessity to\nbe received in any commonwealth; yet, notwithstanding, no Christian man\nwhatsoever is free from the obedience of the commandments which are called\nMoral.\n\n\u201cART. VIII. _Of the Creeds._\u2014The Nicene Creed, and that which is commonly\ncalled the Apostles\u2019 Creed, ought thoroughly to be received and believed;\nfor they may be proved by most certain warrants of Holy Scripture.\n\n\u201cART. IX. _Of Original or Birth-Sin._\u2014Original sin standeth not in the\nfollowing of Adam, (as the Pelagians do vainly talk,) but it is the fault\nand corruption of the nature of every man, that naturally is engendered of\nthe offspring of Adam, whereby man is very far gone from original\nrighteousness, and is, of his own nature, inclined to evil, so that the\nflesh lusteth always contrary to the Spirit; and therefore, in every\nperson born into this world, it deserveth God\u2019s wrath and damnation. And\nthis infection of nature doth remain, yea, in them that are regenerated;\nwhereby the lust of the flesh, called in Greek, _Phronema sarkos_, which\nsome do expound the wisdom, some sensuality, some the affection, some the\ndesire, of the flesh, is not subject to the law of God. And although there\nis no condemnation for them that believe and are baptized, yet the Apostle\ndoth confess, that concupiscence and lust hath of itself the nature of\nsin.\n\n\u201cART. X. _Of Free Will._\u2014The condition of man, after the fall of Adam, is\nsuch, that he cannot turn and prepare himself, by his own natural strength\nand good works, to faith, and calling upon God; wherefore we have no power\nto do good works pleasant and acceptable to God, without the grace of God\nby Christ preventing us, that we may have a good will, and working with\nus, when we have that good will.\n\n\u201cART. XI. _Of the Justification of Man._\u2014We are accounted righteous before\nGod, only for the merit of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by faith, and\nnot for our own works or deservings. Wherefore, that we are justified by\nfaith only, is a most wholesome doctrine, and very full of comfort, as\nmore largely is expressed in the Homily of Justification.\n\n\u201cART. XII. _Of Good Works._\u2014Albeit that good works, which are the fruits\nof faith, and follow after justification, cannot put away our sins, and\nendure the severity of God\u2019s judgment; yet are they pleasing and\nacceptable to God in Christ, and do spring out, necessarily, of a true and\nlively faith, insomuch that by them a lively faith may be as evidently\nknown, as a tree discerned by the fruit.\n\n\u201cART. XIII. _Of Works before Justification._\u2014Works done before the grace\nof Christ, and the inspiration of his Spirit, are not pleasant to God,\nforasmuch as they spring not of faith in Jesus Christ, neither do they\nmake men meet to receive grace, or (as the school authors say) deserve\ngrace of congruity; yea, rather, for that they are not done as God hath\nwilled and commanded them to be done, we doubt not but they have the\nnature of sin.\n\n\u201cART. XIV. _Of Works of Supererogation._\u2014Voluntary works, besides over and\nabove God\u2019s commandments, which they call works of supererogation, cannot\nbe taught without arrogancy and impiety; for by them men do declare, that\nthey do not only render unto God as much as they are bound to do, but that\nthey do more for His sake than of bounden duty is required; whereas Christ\nsaith plainly, When ye have done all that are commanded to you, say, We\nare unprofitable servants.\n\n\u201cART. XV. _Of Christ alone without Sin._\u2014Christ, in the truth of our\nnature, was made like unto us in all things, sin only except, from which\nHe was clearly void, both in His flesh and in His spirit. He came to be a\nLamb without spot, who, by sacrifice of Himself once made, should take\naway the sins of the world; and sin (as Saint John saith) was not in Him.\nBut all we the rest (although baptized and born again in Christ) yet\noffend in many things; and if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,\nand the truth is not in us.\n\n\u201cART. XVI. _Of Sin after Baptism._\u2014Not every deadly sin willingly\ncommitted after baptism, is sin against the Holy Ghost, and unpardonable.\nWherefore the grant of repentance is not to be denied to such as fall into\nsin after baptism. After we have received the Holy Ghost, we may depart\nfrom grace given, and fall into sin, and by the grace of God (we may)\narise again, and amend our lives. And therefore they are to be condemned,\nwhich say, they can no more sin as long as they live here, or deny the\nplace of forgiveness to such as truly repent.\n\n\u201cART. XVII. _Of Predestination and Election._\u2014Predestination to life is\nthe everlasting purpose of God, whereby (before the foundations of the\nworld were laid) He hath constantly decreed, by His counsel, secret to us,\nto deliver from curse and damnation those whom He hath chosen in Christ\nout of mankind, and to bring them by Christ to everlasting salvation, as\nvessels made to honor. Wherefore they, which be endued with so excellent a\nbenefit of God, be called according to God\u2019s purpose by His Spirit working\nin due season: they, through grace, obey the calling: they be justified\nfreely: they be made sons of God by adoption: they be made like the image\nof His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, they walk religiously in good\nworks; and at length, by God\u2019s mercy, they attain to everlasting felicity.\n\n\u201cAs the godly consideration of predestination, and our election in Christ,\nis full of sweet, pleasant, and unspeakable comfort to godly persons, and\nsuch as feel in themselves the working of the Spirit of Christ, mortifying\nthe works of the flesh and their earthly members, and drawing up their\nmind to high and heavenly things, as well because it doth greatly\nestablish and confirm their faith of eternal salvation, to be enjoyed\nthrough Christ, as because it doth fervently kindle their love towards\nGod; so, for curious and carnal persons, lacking the Spirit of Christ, to\nhave continually before their eyes the sentence of God\u2019s predestination,\nis a most dangerous downfall, whereby the devil doth thrust them either\ninto desperation, or into wretchlessness of most unclean living, no less\nperilous than desperation.\n\n\u201cFurthermore, we must receive God\u2019s promises in such wise as they be\ngenerally set forth to us in Holy Scripture and, in our doings, that will\nof God is to be followed, which we have expressly declared unto us in the\nWord of God.\n\n\u201cART. XVIII. _Of obtaining eternal Salvation only by the Name of\nChrist._\u2014They also are to be had accursed, that presume to say, That every\nman shall be saved by the law or sect which he professeth, so that he be\ndiligent to frame his life according to that law, and the light of nature.\nFor Holy Scripture doth set out unto us only the Name of Jesus Christ,\nwhereby men must be saved.\n\n\u201cART. XIX. _Of the Church._\u2014The visible Church of Christ is a congregation\nof faithful men, in the which the pure Word of God is preached, and the\nsacraments be duly ministered according to Christ\u2019s ordinance, in all\nthose things that of necessity are requisite to the same.\n\n\u201cAs the Church of Hierusalem, Alexandria, and Antioch, have erred, so also\nthe Church of Rome hath erred, not only in their living and manner of\nceremonies, but also in matters of faith.\n\n\u201cART. XX. _Of the Authority of the Church._\u2014The Church hath power to\ndecree rites or ceremonies, and authority in controversies of faith; and\nyet it is not lawful for the Church to ordain any thing that is contrary\nto God\u2019s Word written; neither may it so expound one place of Scripture,\nthat it be repugnant to another. Wherefore, although the Church be a\nwitness and a keeper of Holy Writ, yet, as it ought not to decree any\nthing against the same, so besides the same ought it not to enforce any\nthing to be believed for necessity of salvation.\n\n\u201cART. XXI. _Of the Authority of General Councils._(1)\n\n\u201cART. XXII. _Of Purgatory._\u2014The Romish doctrine concerning purgatory,\npardons, worshipping, and adoration, as well of images as of reliques, and\nalso invocation of saints, is a fond thing vainly invented, and grounded\nupon no warranty of Scripture, but rather repugnant to the Word of God.\n\n\u201cART. XXIII. _Of Ministering in the Congregation._\u2014It is not lawful for\nany man to take upon him the office of public preaching, or ministering\nthe sacraments in the Congregation, before he be lawfully called, and sent\nto execute the same. And those we ought to judge lawfully called and sent,\nwhich be chosen and called to this work by men who have public authority\ngiven unto them in the Congregation, to call and send ministers into the\nLord\u2019s vineyard.\n\n\u201cART. XXIV. _Of Speaking in the Congregation in such a Tongue as the\nPeople understandeth._\u2014It is a thing plainly repugnant to the Word of God,\nand the custom of the primitive Church, to have public prayer in the\nChurch, or to minister the sacraments, in a tongue not understanded of the\npeople.\n\n\u201cART. XXV. _Of the Sacraments._\u2014Sacraments ordained of Christ, be not only\nbadges or tokens of Christian men\u2019s profession; but rather they be certain\nsure witnesses, and effectual signs of grace, and God\u2019s good will toward\nus, by the which He doth work invisibly in us, and doth not only quicken,\nbut also strengthen and confirm our faith in Him.\n\n\u201cThere are two Sacraments ordained of Christ our Lord in the Gospel, that\nis to say, Baptism, and the Supper of the Lord.\n\n\u201cThose five commonly called sacraments, that is to say, Confirmation,\nPenance, Orders, Matrimony, and Extreme Unction, are not to be counted for\nSacraments of the Gospel, being such as have grown, partly of the corrupt\nfallowing of the Apostles, partly are states of life allowed by the\nScriptures; but yet have not like nature of Sacraments with Baptism and\nthe Lord\u2019s Supper, for that they have not any visible sign or ceremony\nordained of God.\n\n\u201cThe Sacraments were not ordained of Christ to be gazed upon, or to be\ncarried about, but that we should duly use them. And in such only as\nworthily receive the same, they have a wholesome effect or operation; but\nthey that receive them unworthily purchase to themselves damnation, as\nSaint Paul saith.\n\n\u201cART. XXVI. _Of the Unworthiness of the Ministers, which hinders not the\nEffect of the Sacraments._\u2014Although in the visible Church, the evil be\never mingled with the good, and sometime the evil have chief authority in\nthe ministration of the Word and Sacraments; yet, forasmuch as they do not\nthe same in their own name, but in Christ\u2019s, and do minister by his\ncommission and authority, we may use their ministry, both in hearing the\nWord of God, and in receiving the Sacraments. Neither is the effect of\nChrist\u2019s ordinance taken away by their wickedness, nor the grace of God\u2019s\ngifts diminished from such as, by faith, and rightly, do receive the\nSacraments ministered unto them, which be effectual, because of Christ\u2019s\ninstitution and promise, although they be ministered by evil men.\n\n\u201cNevertheless, it appertaineth to the discipline of the Church, that\ninquiry be made of evil ministers, and that they be accused by those that\nhave knowledge of their offences; and finally, being found guilty, by just\njudgment, be deposed.\n\n\u201cART. XXVII. _Of Baptism._\u2014Baptism is not only a sign of profession, and\nmark of difference, whereby Christian men are discerned from others that\nbe not christened; but it is also a sign of regeneration, or new birth,\nwhereby, as by an instrument, they that receive Baptism rightly are\ngrafted into the Church: the promises of the forgiveness of sin, and of\nour adoption to be the sons of God by the Holy Ghost, are visibly signed\nand sealed: faith is confirmed, and grace increased by virtue of prayer\nunto God. The Baptism of young children is in any wise to be retained in\nthe Church, as most agreeable with the institution of Christ.\n\n\u201cART. XXVIII. _Of the Lord\u2019s Supper._\u2014The Supper of the Lord is not only a\nsign of the love that Christians ought to have among themselves one to\nanother; but rather it is a Sacrament of our redemption by Christ\u2019s death:\ninsomuch that, to such as rightly, worthily, and with faith, receive the\nsame, the Bread which we break is a partaking of the body of Christ; and\nlikewise the Cup of Blessing is a partaking of the blood of Christ.\n\n\u201cTransubstantiation (or the change of the substance of bread and wine) in\nthe Supper of the Lord, cannot be proved by Holy Writ; but it is repugnant\nto the plain words of Scripture, overthrowing the nature of a sacrament,\nand hath given occasion to many superstitions.\n\n\u201cThe body of Christ is given, taken, and eaten in the Supper, only after a\nheavenly and spiritual manner. And the mean, whereby the body of Christ is\nreceived and eaten in the Supper, is faith.\n\n\u201cThe Sacrament of the Lord\u2019s Supper was not by Christ\u2019s ordinance\nreserved, carried about, lifted up, or worshipped.\n\n\u201cART. XXIX. _Of the Wicked, which eat not of the Body of Christ in the Use\nof the Lord\u2019s Supper._\u2014The wicked, and such as be void of a lively faith,\nalthough they do carnally and visibly press with their teeth (as Saint\nAugustine saith) the Sacrament of the body and blood of Christ; yet in\nnowise are they partakers of Christ; but rather, to their condemnation, do\neat and drink the sign or sacrament of so great a thing.\n\n\u201cART. XXX. _Of Both Kinds._\u2014The Cup of the Lord is not to be denied to the\nlay people; for both the parts of the Lord\u2019s Sacrament, by Christ\u2019s\nordinance and commandment, ought to be ministered to all Christian men\nalike.\n\n\u201cART. XXXI. _Of the one Oblation of Christ finished upon the Cross._\u2014The\noffering of Christ once made, is that perfect redemption, propitiation,\nand satisfaction for all the sins of the whole world, both original and\nactual; and there is none other satisfaction for sin, but that alone.\nWherefore the sacrifice of masses, in the which it was commonly said, that\nthe Priest did offer Christ for the quick and the dead, to have remission\nof pain or guilt, were blasphemous fables, and dangerous deceits.\n\n\u201cART. XXXII. _Of the Marriage of Priests._\u2014Bishops, Priests, and Deacons,\nare not commanded by God\u2019s law either to vow the estate of single life, or\nto abstain from marriage: therefore it is lawful for them, as for all\nother Christian men, to marry at their own discretion, as they shall judge\nthe same to serve better to godliness.\n\n\u201cART. XXXIII. _Of excommunicate Persons, how they are to be avoided._\u2014That\nperson which, by open denunciation of the Church, is rightly cut off from\nthe unity of the Church, and excommunicated, ought to be taken, of the\nwhole multitude of the faithful, as a heathen and publican, until he be\nopenly reconciled by penance, and received into the Church by a judge that\nhath authority thereunto.\n\n\u201cART. XXXIV. _Of the Traditions of the Church._\u2014It is not necessary that\ntraditions and ceremonies be in all places one, or utterly like; for at\nall times they have been divers, and may be changed according to the\ndiversity of countries, times, and men\u2019s manners, so that nothing be\nordained against God\u2019s Word. Whosoever, through his private judgment,\nwillingly and purposely doth openly break the traditions and ceremonies of\nthe Church, which be not repugnant to the Word of God, and be ordained and\napproved by common authority, ought to be rebuked openly, (that other may\nfear to do the like,) as he that offendeth against the common order of the\nChurch, and hurteth the authority of the magistrate, and woundeth the\nconsciences of the weak brethren.\n\n\u201cEvery particular or national Church hath authority to ordain, change, and\nabolish ceremonies or rites of the Church, ordained only by man\u2019s\nauthority, so that all things be done to edifying.\n\n\u201cART. XXXV. _Of Homilies._\u2014The second Book of Homilies, the several titles\nwhereof we have joined, under this article, doth contain a godly and\nwholesome doctrine, and necessary for these times, as doth the former Book\nof Homilies, which were set forth in the time of Edward the Sixth; and\ntherefore we judge them to be read in Churches by the Ministers,\ndiligently and distinctly, that they may be understanded of the people.\n\n\u201c_Of the Names of the Homilies._\u20141. Of the right Use of the Church. 2.\nAgainst Peril of Idolatry. 3. Of repairing and keeping clean of Churches.\n4. Of Good Works; first of Fasting. 5. Against Gluttony and Drunkenness.\n6. Against Excess of Apparel. 7. Of Prayer. 8. Of the Place and Time of\nPrayer. 9. That Common Prayers and Sacraments ought to be ministered in a\nknown Tongue. 10. Of the reverent Estimation of God\u2019s Word. 11. Of\nAlms-doing. 12. Of the Nativity of Christ. 13. Of the Passion of Christ.\n14. Of the Resurrection of Christ. 15. Of the worthy receiving of the\nSacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ. 16. Of the Gifts of the Holy\nGhost. 17. For the Rogation-Days. 18. Of the State of Matrimony. 19. Of\nRepentance. 20. Against Idleness. 21. Against Rebellion.\n\n\u201c[This article is received in this Church, so far as it declares the Books\nof Homilies to be an explication of Christian doctrine, and instructive in\npiety and morals. But all references to the constitution and laws of\nEngland are considered as inapplicable to the circumstances of this\nChurch, which also suspends the order for the reading of said Homilies in\nChurches, until a revision of them may be conveniently made, for the\nclearing of them, as well from obsolete words and phrases, as from the\nlocal references.]\n\n\u201cART. XXXVI. _Of Consecration of Bishops and Ministers._\u2014The Book of\nConsecration of Bishops, and Ordering of Priests and Deacons, as set forth\nby the General Convention of this Church, in 1792, doth contain all things\nnecessary to such consecration and ordering; neither hath it any thing\nthat, of itself, is superstitious and ungodly: and, therefore, whosoever\nare consecrated or ordered according to said form, we decree all such to\nbe rightly, orderly, and lawfully, consecrated and ordered.\n\n\u201cART. XXXVII. _Of the Power of the Civil Magistrates._\u2014The power of the\ncivil magistrate extendeth to all men, as well clergy as laity, in all\nthings temporal; but hath no authority in things purely spiritual. And we\nhold it to be the duty of all men, who are professors of the Gospel, to\npay respectful obedience to the civil authority, regularly and\nlegitimately constituted.\n\n\u201cART. XXXVIII. _Of Christian Men\u2019s Goods which are not common._\u2014The riches\nand goods of Christians are not common, as touching the right, title, and\npossession, of the same, as certain Anabaptists do falsely boast.\nNotwithstanding, every man ought, of such things as he possesseth,\nliberally to give alms to the poor, according to his ability.\n\n\u201cART. XXXIX. _Of a Christian Man\u2019s Oath._\u2014As we confess that vain, and\nrash swearing is forbidden Christian men by our Lord Jesus Christ, and\nJames his Apostle; so we judge that Christian religion doth not prohibit,\nbut that a man may swear when the magistrate requireth, in a cause of\nfaith and charity, so it be done according to the prophet\u2019s teaching, in\njustice, judgment, and truth.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n\nCAMBRIDGE AND SAYBROOK PLATFORMS.\n\n\nThe Cambridge Platform of church government, and the Confession of Faith\nof the New England churches, adopted in 1680; the Saybrook Platform,\nadopted in 1708; and the Heads of Agreement, assented to by the\nPresbyterians and Congregationalists in England in 1690,\u2014form a volume,\nand cannot, therefore, be inserted in this work.\n\nThe form of church government, however, embraced in those Platforms, is\nessentially the same as that now in use by the Orthodox Congregationalists\nat the present day, and the Confession of Faith the same in substance to\nthat we term the \u201cAndover Orthodox Creed.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n\nMORAVIANS, OR UNITED BRETHREN.\n\n\nA name given to the followers of Nicholas Lewis, count of Zinzendorf, who,\nin the year 1721, settled at Bartholdorf, in Upper Lusatia. There he made\nproselytes of two or three Moravian families, and, having engaged them to\nleave their country, received them at Bartholdorf, in Germany. They were\ndirected to build a house in a wood, about half a league from that\nvillage, where, in 1722, this people held their first meeting.\n\nThis society increased so fast, that, in a few years, they had an\norphan-house and other public buildings. An adjacent hill, called the\nHuth-Berg, gave the colonists occasion to call this dwelling-place\nHerrnhut, which may be interpreted _the guard_ or _protection of the\nLord_. Hence this society are sometimes called _Herrnhuters_.\n\nThe Moravians avoid discussions respecting the speculative truths of\nreligion, and insist upon individual experience of the practical\nefficiency of the gospel in producing a real change of sentiment and\nconduct, as the only essentials in religion. They consider the\nmanifestation of God in Christ as intended to be the most beneficial\nrevelation of the Deity to the human race; and, in consequence, they make\nthe life, merits, acts, words, sufferings, and death, of the Savior the\nprincipal theme of their doctrine, while they carefully avoid entering\ninto any theoretical disquisitions on the mysterious essence of the\nGodhead, simply adhering to the words of Scripture. Admitting the sacred\nScriptures as the only source of divine revelation, they nevertheless\nbelieve that the Spirit of God continues to lead those who believe in\nChrist into all further truth, not by revealing new doctrines, but by\nteaching those who sincerely desire to learn, daily, better to understand\nand apply the truths which the Scriptures contain. They believe that, to\nlive agreeably to the gospel, it is essential to aim, in all things, to\nfulfil the will of God. Even in their temporal concerns, they endeavor to\nascertain the will of God. They do not, indeed, expect some miraculous\nmanifestation of his will, but only endeavor to test the purity of their\npurposes by the light of the divine word. Nothing of consequence is done\nby them, as a society, until such an examination has taken place; and, in\ncases of difficulty, the question is decided by lot, to avoid the undue\npreponderance of influential men, and in the humble hope that God will\nguide them right by its decision, where their limited understanding fails\nthem. In former times, the marriages of the members of the society were,\nin some respects, regarded as a concern of the society, as it was part of\ntheir social agreement that none should take place without the approval of\nthe elders; and the elders\u2019 consent or refusal was usually determined by\nlot. But this custom was at length abandoned; and nothing is now requisite\nto obtain the consent of the elders, but propriety of conduct in the\nparties. They consider none of their peculiar regulations essential, but\nall liable to be altered or abandoned, whenever it is found necessary, in\norder better to attain their great object\u2014the promotion of piety.\n\nWhat characterizes the Moravians most, and holds them up to the attention\nof others, is their missionary zeal. In this they are superior to any\nother body of people in the world. \u201cTheir missionaries,\u201d as one observes,\n\u201care all of them volunteers; for it is an inviolable maxim with them to\n_persuade_ no man to engage in missions. They are all of one mind as to\nthe doctrines they teach, and seldom make an attempt where there are not\nhalf a dozen of them in the mission. Their zeal is calm, steady,\npersevering. They would reform the world, but are careful how they quarrel\nwith it. They carry their point by address, and the insinuations of\nmodesty and mildness, which commend them to all men, and give offence to\nnone. The habits of silence, quietness, and decent reserve, mark their\ncharacter.\u201d\n\nThe following is a sketch of the mode of life of the Moravians, or United\nBrethren, where they form separate communities, which, however, is not\nalways the case; for, in many instances, societies belonging to the Unity\nare situated in larger and smaller cities and towns, intermingled with the\nrest of the inhabitants, in which cases their peculiar regulations are, of\ncourse, out of the question. In their separate communities, they do not\nallow the permanent residence of any persons as householders who are not\nmembers in full communion, and who have not signed the written instrument\nof brotherly agreement, upon which their constitution and discipline rest;\nbut they freely admit of the temporary residence among them of such other\npersons as are willing to conform to their external regulations. According\nto these, all kinds of amusements considered dangerous to strict morality\nare forbidden, as balls, dancing, plays, gambling of any kind, and all\npromiscuous assemblies of youth of both sexes. These, however, are not\ndebarred from forming, under proper advice and parental superintendence,\nthat acquaintance which their future matrimonial connections may require.\nIn the communities on the European continent, whither, to this day,\nnumbers of young persons of both sexes resort, in order to become members\nof the society from motives of piety and a desire to prepare themselves to\nbecome missionaries among the heathen, and where, moreover, the\ndifficulties of supporting a family greatly limit the number of marriages,\na stricter attention to this point becomes necessary. On this account, the\nunmarried men and boys, not belonging to the families of the community,\nreside together, under the care of an elder of their own class, in a\nbuilding called the _single brethren\u2019s house_, where usually divers trades\nand manufactures are carried on, for the benefit of the house or of the\ncommunity, and which, at the same time, furnishes a cheap and convenient\nplace for the board and lodging of those who are employed as journeymen,\napprentices, or otherwise, in the families constituting the community.\nParticular daily opportunities of edification are there afforded them; and\nsuch a house is the place of resort where the young men and boys of the\nfamilies spend their leisure time, it being a general rule, that every\nmember of the society shall devote himself to some useful occupation. A\nsimilar house, under the guidance of a female superintendent, and under\nsimilar regulations, is called the _single sisters\u2019 house_, and is the\ncommon dwelling-place of all unmarried females, not members of any family,\nor not employed as servants in the families of the community. Even these\nregard the sisters\u2019 house as their principal place of association at\nleisure hours. Industrious habits are here inculcated in the same way. In\nthe communities of the United Brethren in America, the facilities of\nsupporting families, and the consequent early marriages, have superseded\nthe necessity of single brethren\u2019s houses; but they all have sisters\u2019\nhouses of the above description, which afford a comfortable asylum to aged\nunmarried females, while they furnish an opportunity of attending to the\nfurther education and improvement of the female youth after they have left\nschool. In the larger communities, similar houses afford the same\nadvantages to such widows as desire to live retired, and are called\n_widows\u2019 houses_. The individuals residing in these establishments pay a\nsmall rent, by which, and by the sums paid for their board, the expenses\nof these houses are defrayed, assisted occasionally by the profits on the\nsale of ornamental needle-work, &c., on which some of the inmates subsist.\nThe aged and needy are supported by the same means. Each division of sex\nand station just alluded to, viz., widows, single men and youths, single\nwomen and girls past the age of childhood, is placed under the special\nguidance of elders of their own description, whose province it is to\nassist them with good advice and admonition, and to attend, as much as may\nbe, to the spiritual and temporal welfare of each individual. The children\nof each sex are under the immediate care of the superintendent of the\nsingle choirs, as these divisions are termed. Their instruction in\nreligion, and in all the necessary branches of human knowledge, in good\nschools, carried on separately for each sex, is under the special\nsuperintendence of the stated minister of each community, and of the board\nof elders. Similar special elders are charged to attend to the spiritual\nwelfare of the married people. All these elders, of both sexes, together\nwith the stated minister, to whom the preaching of the gospel is chiefly\ncommitted, (although all other elders who may be qualified participate\ntherein,) and with the persons to whom the economical concerns of the\ncommunity are intrusted, form together the board of elders, in which rests\nthe government of the community, with the concurrence of the committee\nelected by the inhabitants for all temporal concerns. This committee\nsuperintends the observance of all regulations, has charge of the police,\nand decides differences between individuals. Matters of a general nature\nare submitted to a meeting of the whole community, consisting either of\nall male members of age, or of an intermediate body elected by them.\nPublic meetings are held every evening in the week. Some of these are\ndevoted to the reading of the Scriptures, others to the communication of\naccounts from the missionary stations, and others to the singing of hymns\nor selected verses. On Sunday mornings, the church litany is publicly\nread, and sermons are delivered to the congregation, which, in many\nplaces, is the case likewise in the afternoon. In the evening, discourses\nare delivered, in which the texts for that day are explained and brought\nhome to the particular circumstances of the community. Besides these\nregular means of edification, the festival days of the Christian church,\nsuch as Easter, Pentecost, Christmas, &c., are commemorated in a special\nmanner, as well as some days of peculiar interest in the history of the\nsociety. A solemn church music constitutes a prominent feature of their\nmeans of edification, music in general being a favorite employment of the\nleisure of many. On particular occasions, and before the congregation\nmeets to partake of the Lord\u2019s supper, they assemble expressly to listen\nto instrumental and vocal music, interspersed with hymns, in which the\nwhole congregation joins, while they partake together of a cup of coffee,\ntea, or chocolate, and light cakes, in token of fellowship and brotherly\nunion. This solemnity is called a _love-feast_, and is in imitation of the\ncustom of the agap\u00e6 in the primitive Christian churches. The Lord\u2019s supper\nis celebrated at stated intervals, generally by all communicant members\ntogether, under very solemn but simple rites.\n\nEaster morning is devoted to a solemnity of a peculiar kind. At sunrise,\nthe congregation assembles in the graveyard; a service, accompanied by\nmusic, is celebrated, expressive of the joyful hopes of immortality and\nresurrection, and a solemn commemoration is made of all who have, in the\ncourse of the last year, departed this life from among them, and \u201cgone\nhome to the Lord\u201d\u2014an expression they often use to designate death.\n\nConsidering the termination of the present life no evil, but the entrance\nupon an eternal state of bliss to the sincere disciples of Christ, they\ndesire to divest this event of all its terrors. The decease of every\nindividual is announced to the community by solemn music from a band of\ninstruments. Outward appearances of mourning are discountenanced. The\nwhole congregation follows the bier to the graveyard, (which is commonly\nlaid out as a garden,) accompanied by a band, playing the tunes of\nwell-known verses, which express the hopes of eternal life and\nresurrection; and the corpse is deposited in the simple grave during the\nfuneral service. The preservation of the purity of the community is\nintrusted to the board of elders and its different members, who are to\ngive instruction and admonition to those under their care, and make a\ndiscreet use of the established church discipline. In cases of immoral\nconduct, or flagrant disregard of the regulations of the society, this\ndiscipline is resorted to. If expostulations are not successful, offenders\nare for a time restrained from participating in the holy communion, or\ncalled before the committee. For pertinacious bad conduct, or flagrant\nexcesses, the culpable individual is dismissed from the society. The\necclesiastical church officers, generally speaking, are the\nbishops,\u2014through whom the regular succession of ordination, transmitted to\nthe United Brethren through the ancient church of the Bohemian and\nMoravian Brethren, is preserved, and who alone are authorized to ordain\nministers, but possess no authority in the government of the church,\nexcept such as they derive from some other office, being, most frequently,\nthe presidents of some board of elders,\u2014the civil seniors,\u2014to whom, in\nsubordination to the board of elders of the Unity, belongs the management\nof the external relations of the society,\u2014the presbyters, or ordained\nstated ministers of the communities, and the deacons. The degree of deacon\nis the first bestowed upon young ministers and missionaries, by which they\nare authorized to administer the sacraments. Females, although elders\namong their own sex, are never ordained; nor have they a vote in the\ndeliberations of the board of elders, which they attend for the sake of\ninformation only.\n\nThe Moravians that first visited the United States, settled at Savannah,\nGa., in 1735.\n\n\n\n\n\nTUNKERS.\n\n\nA denomination of Seventh-Day Baptists, which took its rise in the year\n1724. It was founded by a German, who, weary of the world, retired to an\nagreeable solitude, within sixty miles of Philadelphia, for the more free\nexercise of religious contemplation. Curiosity attracted followers, and\nhis simple and engaging manners made them proselytes. They soon settled a\nlittle colony, called Ephrata, in allusion to the Hebrews, who used to\nsing psalms on the border of the River Euphrates. This denomination seem\nto have obtained their name from their baptizing their new converts by\nplunging. They are also called _Tumblers_, from the manner in which they\nperform baptism, which is by putting the person, while kneeling, head\nfirst under water, so as to resemble the motion of the body in the action\nof tumbling. They use the trine immersion, with laying on the hands and\nprayer, even when the person baptized is in the water. Their habit seems\nto be peculiar to themselves, consisting of a long tunic or coat, reaching\ndown to their heels, with a sash or girdle round the waist, and a cap or\nhood hanging from the shoulders. They do not shave the head or beard.\n\nThe men and women have separate habitations and distinct governments. For\nthese purposes, they erected two large wooden buildings, one of which is\noccupied by the brethren, the other by the sisters, of the society; and in\neach of them there is a banqueting-room, and an apartment for public\nworship; for the brethren and sisters do not meet together even at their\ndevotions.\n\nThey used to live chiefly upon roots and other vegetables, the rules of\ntheir society not allowing them flesh, except upon particular occasions,\nwhen they hold what they call a love-feast; at which time, the brethren\nand sisters dine together in a large apartment, and eat mutton, but no\nother meat. In each of their little cells they have a bench fixed, to\nserve the purpose of a bed, and a small block of wood for a pillow. They\nallow of marriages, but consider celibacy as a virtue.\n\nThe principal tenet of the Tunkers appears to be this\u2014that future\nhappiness is only to be obtained by penance and outward mortifications in\nthis life, and that, as Jesus Christ, by his meritorious sufferings,\nbecame the Redeemer of mankind in general, so each individual of the human\nrace, by a life of abstinence and restraint, may work out his own\nsalvation. Nay, they go so far as to admit of works of supererogation, and\ndeclare that a man may do much more than he is in justice or equity\nobliged to do, and that his superabundant works may, therefore, be applied\nto the salvation of others.\n\nThis denomination deny the eternity of future punishments, and believe\nthat the dead have the gospel preached to them by our Savior, and that the\nsouls of the just are employed to preach the gospel to those who have had\nno revelation in this life. They suppose the Jewish Sabbath, sabbatical\nyear, and year of jubilee, are typical of certain periods after the\ngeneral judgment, in which the souls of those who are not then admitted\ninto happiness are purified from their corruption. If any, within those\nsmaller periods, are so far humbled as to acknowledge the perfections of\nGod, and to own Christ as their only Savior, they are received to\nfelicity; while those who continue obstinate are reserved in torments,\nuntil the grand period, typified by the jubilee, arrives, in which all\nshall be made happy in the endless fruition of the Deity.\n\nThey also deny the imputation of Adam\u2019s sin to his posterity. They\ndisclaim violence, even in cases of self-defence, and suffer themselves to\nbe defrauded, or wronged, rather than go to law.\n\nTheir church government and discipline are the same with other Baptists;\nexcept that every brother is allowed to speak in the congregation; and\ntheir best speaker is usually ordained to be the minister. They have\ndeacons and deaconesses from among their ancient widows and exhorters, who\nare all licensed to use their gifts statedly.\n\nThe Tunkers are not so rigid in their dress and manner of life as\nformerly; still they retain the faith of their fathers, and lead lives of\ngreat industry, frugality, and purity.\n\n\n\n\n\nMENNONITES, OR HARMLESS CHRISTIANS.\n\n\nThe Mennonites derive their name from Menno Simons, an illustrious\nreformer. This people came to the United States from Holland, and first\nsettled in Pennsylvania, where a large body of them now reside.\n\nIt is a universal maxim of this denomination, that practical piety is the\nessence of religion, and that the surest mark of the true church is the\nsanctity of its members. They all unite in pleading for toleration in\nreligion, and debar none from their assemblies who lead pious lives, and\nown the Scriptures for the word of God. They teach that infants are not\nthe proper subjects of baptism; that ministers of the gospel ought to\nreceive no salary; and that it is not lawful to swear, or wage war, upon\nany occasion. They also maintain that the terms _person_ and _Trinity_ are\nnot to be used in speaking of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.\n\nThe Mennonites meet privately, and every one in the assembly has the\nliberty to speak, to expound the Scriptures, to pray, and sing.\n\nThe Mennonites do not baptize by immersion, though they administer the\nordinance to none but adult persons. Their common method is this: The\nperson who is to be baptized, kneels; the minister holds his hands over\nhim, into which the deacon pours water, and through which it runs on the\ncrown of the kneeling person\u2019s head; after which follow imposition of\nhands and prayer.\n\nMr. Van Beuning, the Dutch ambassador, speaking of these _Harmless\nChristians_, as they choose to call themselves, says, \u201cThe Mennonites are\ngood people, and the most commodious to a state of any in the world;\npartly, because they do not aspire to places of dignity; partly, because\nthey edify the community by the simplicity of their manners, and\napplication to arts and industry; and partly, because we fear no rebellion\nfrom a sect who make it an article of their faith never to bear arms.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n\nDISCIPLES OF CHRIST; SOMETIMES CALLED CAMPBELLITES, OR REFORMERS.\n\n\nThe rise of this society, if we only look back to the drawing of the lines\nof demarkation between it and other professors, is of recent origin. About\nthe commencement of the present century, the Bible alone, without any\nhuman addition in the form of creeds or confessions of faith, began to be\npreached by many distinguished ministers of different denominations, both\nin Europe and America.\n\nWith various success, and with many of the opinions of the various sects\nimperceptibly carried with them from the denominations to which they once\nbelonged, did the advocates of the Bible cause plead for the union of\nChristians of every name, on the broad basis of the apostles\u2019 teaching.\nBut it was not until the year 1823, that a restoration of the _original\ngospel_ and _order of things_ began to be advocated in a periodical,\nedited by Alexander Campbell, of Bethany, Virginia, entitled \u201cThe\nChristian Baptist.\u201d\n\nHe and his father, Thomas Campbell, renounced the Presbyterian system, and\nwere immersed, in the year 1812. They, and the congregations which they\nhad formed, united with the Redstone Baptist association, protesting\nagainst all human creeds as bonds of union, and professing subjection to\nthe Bible alone. This union took place in the year 1813. But, in pressing\nupon the attention of that society and the public the all-sufficiency of\nthe _sacred_ Scriptures for every thing necessary to the perfection of\nChristian character,\u2014whether in the private or social relations of life,\nin the church, or in the world,\u2014they began to be opposed by a strong\ncreed-party in that association. After some ten years debating and\ncontending for the Bible alone, and the apostles\u2019 doctrine, Alexander\nCampbell, and the church to which he belonged, united with the Mahoning\nassociation, in the Western Reserve of Ohio; that association being more\nfavorable to his views of reform.\n\nIn his debates on the subject and action of baptism with Mr. Walker, a\nseceding minister, in the year 1820, and with Mr. M\u2019Calla, a Presbyterian\nminister of Kentucky, in the year 1823, his views of reformation began to\nbe developed, and were very generally received by the Baptist society, as\nfar as these works were read.\n\nBut in his \u201cChristian Baptist,\u201d which began July 4, 1823 his views of the\nneed of reformation were more fully exposed, and, as these gained ground\nby the pleading of various ministers of the Baptist denomination, a party\nin opposition began to exert itself, and to oppose the spread of what they\nwere pleased to call heterodoxy. But not till after great numbers began to\nact upon these principles, was there any attempt towards separation. After\nthe Mahoning association appointed Mr. Walter Scott an evangelist, in the\nyear 1827, and when great numbers began to be immersed into Christ, under\nhis labors, and new churches began to be erected by him and other laborers\nin the field, did the Baptist associations begin to declare non-fellowship\nwith the brethren of the reformation. Thus by constraint, not of choice,\nthey were obliged to form societies out of those communities that split,\nupon the ground of adherence to the apostles\u2019 doctrine. The distinguishing\ncharacteristics of their views and practices are the following:\u2014\n\nThey regard all the sects and parties of the Christian world as having, in\ngreater or less degrees, departed from the simplicity of faith and manners\nof the first Christians, and as forming what the apostle Paul calls \u201cthe\napostasy.\u201d This defection they attribute to the great varieties of\nspeculation and metaphysical dogmatism of the countless creeds,\nformularies, liturgies, and books of discipline, adopted and inculcated as\nbonds of union and platforms of communion in all the parties which have\nsprung from the Lutheran reformation. The effect of these synodical\ncovenants, conventional articles of belief, and rules of ecclesiastical\npolity, has been the introduction of a new nomenclature,\u2014a human\nvocabulary of religious words, phrases, and technicalities, which has\ndisplaced the style of the living oracles, and affixed to the sacred\ndiction ideas wholly unknown to the apostles of Christ.\n\nTo remedy and obviate these aberrations, they propose to ascertain from\nthe holy Scriptures, according to the commonly-received and\nwell-established rules of interpretation, the ideas attached to the\nleading terms and sentences found in the holy Scriptures, and then to use\nthe words of the Holy Spirit in the apostolic acceptation of them.\n\nBy thus expressing the ideas communicated by the Holy Spirit, in the terms\nand phrases learned from the apostles, and by avoiding the artificial and\ntechnical language of scholastic theology, they propose to restore a pure\nspeech to the household of faith; and, by accustoming the family of God to\nuse the language and dialect of the heavenly Father, they expect to\npromote the sanctification of one another through the truth, and to\nterminate those discords and debates which have always originated from the\nwords which man\u2019s wisdom teaches, and from a reverential regard and esteem\nfor the style of the great masters of polemic divinity; believing that\nspeaking the same things in the same style, is the only certain way to\nthinking the same things.\n\nThey make a very marked difference between faith and opinion; between the\ntestimony of God and the reasonings of men; the words of the Spirit and\nhuman inferences. Faith in the testimony of God, and obedience to the\ncommandments of Jesus, are their bond of union, and not an agreement in\nany abstract views or opinions upon what is written or spoken by divine\nauthority. Hence all the speculations, questions, debates of words, and\nabstract reasonings, found in human creeds, have no place in their\nreligious fellowship. Regarding Calvinism and Arminianism, Trinitarianism\nand Unitarianism, and all the opposing theories of religious sectaries, as\n_extremes_ begotten by each other, they cautiously avoid them, as\nequidistant from the simplicity and practical tendency of the promises and\nprecepts, of the doctrine and facts, of the exhortations and precedents,\nof the Christian institution.\n\nThey look for unity of spirit and the bonds of peace in the practical\nacknowledgment of one faith, one Lord, one immersion, one hope, one body,\none Spirit, one God and Father of all; not in unity of opinions, nor in\nunity of forms, ceremonies, or modes of worship.\n\nThe holy Scriptures of both Testaments they regard as containing\nrevelations from God, and as all necessary to make the man of God perfect,\nand accomplished for every good word and work; the New Testament, or the\nliving oracles of Jesus Christ, they understand as containing the\nChristian religion; the testimonies of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, they\nview as illustrating and proving the great proposition on which our\nreligion rests, viz., _that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, the\nonly-begotten and well-beloved Son of God, and the only Savior of the\nworld_; the Acts of the Apostles as a divinely-authorized narrative of the\nbeginning and progress of the reign or kingdom of Jesus Christ, recording\nthe full development of _the gospel_ by the Holy Spirit sent down from\nheaven, and the procedure of the apostles in setting up the church of\nChrist on earth; the Epistles as carrying out and applying the doctrine of\nthe apostles to the practice of individuals and congregations, and as\ndeveloping the tendencies of the gospel in the behavior of its professors;\nand all as forming a complete standard of Christian faith and morals,\nadapted to the interval between the ascension of Christ and his return\nwith the kingdom which he has received from God; the Apocalypse, or\nRevelation of Jesus Christ to John, in Patmos, as a figurative and\nprospective view of all the fortunes of Christianity, from its date to the\nreturn of the Savior.\n\nEvery one who sincerely believes the testimony which God gave of Jesus of\nNazareth, saying, \u201c_This is my Son, the beloved, in whom I delight_,\u201d or,\nin other words, believes what the evangelists and apostles have testified\nconcerning him, from his conception to his coronation in heaven as Lord of\nall, and who is willing to obey him in every thing, they regard as a\nproper subject of immersion, and no one else. They consider immersion into\nthe name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, after a public, sincere, and\nintelligent confession of the faith in Jesus, as necessary to admission to\nthe privileges of the kingdom of the Messiah, and as a solemn pledge, on\nthe part of Heaven, of the actual remission of all past sins, and of\nadoption into the family of God.\n\nThe Holy Spirit is promised only to those who believe and obey the Savior.\nNo one is taught to expect the reception of that heavenly Monitor and\nComforter, as a resident in his heart, till he obeys the gospel.\n\nThus, while they proclaim faith and repentance, or faith and a change of\nheart, as preparatory to immersion, remission, and the Holy Spirit, they\nsay to all penitents, or all those who believe and repent of their sins,\nas Peter said to the first audience addressed after the Holy Spirit was\nbestowed, after the glorification of Jesus, \u201cBe immersed, every one of\nyou, in the name of the Lord Jesus, for the remission of sins, and you\nshall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.\u201d They teach sinners that God\ncommands _all men_, every where, to reform, or to turn to God; that the\nHoly Spirit strives with them, so to do, by the apostles and prophets;\nthat God beseeches them to be reconciled, through Jesus Christ; and that\nit is the duty of all men to believe the gospel, and turn to God.\n\nThe immersed believers are congregated into societies, according to their\npropinquity to each other, and taught to meet every first day of the week,\nin honor and commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus, and to break the\nloaf, which commemorates the death of the Son of God, to read and hear the\nliving oracles, to teach and admonish one another, to unite in all prayer\nand praise, to contribute to the necessities of saints, and to perfect\nholiness in the fear of the Lord.\n\nEvery congregation chooses its own overseers and deacons, who preside over\nand administer the affairs of the congregations; and every church, either\nfrom itself, or in co\u00f6peration with others, sends out, as opportunity\noffers, one or more evangelists, or proclaimers of the word, to preach the\nword, and to immerse those who believe, to gather congregations, and to\nextend the knowledge of salvation where it is necessary, as far as their\nmeans allow. But every church regards these evangelists as its servants;\nand, therefore, they have no control over any congregation, each\ncongregation being subject to its own choice of presidents or elders, whom\nthey have appointed. Perseverance in all the work of faith, labor of love,\nand patience of hope, is inculcated, by all the disciples, as essential to\nadmission into the heavenly kingdom.\n\nSuch are the prominent outlines of the faith and practices of those who\nwish to be known as the Disciples of Christ; but no society among them\nwould agree to make the preceding items either a confession of faith or a\nstandard of practice, but, for the information of those who wish an\nacquaintance with them, are willing to give, at any time, a reason for\ntheir faith, hope, and practice.\n\n\n\n\n\nFRIENDS, OR QUAKERS.\n\n\nThis class of Christians arose in England about the middle of the 17th\ncentury. They were at first called _Seekers_, from their seeking the\ntruth; and afterwards _Quakers_, for directing their enemies to tremble at\nthe word of the Lord. They prefer the more endearing appellation of\nFRIENDS, which has been transmitted to them by their predecessors.\n\nGeorge Fox was the first who publicly advocated their principles in\nEngland, and the celebrated William Penn in America.\n\nThe following is a SUMMARY of the doctrines and discipline of the society\nof Friends, published in London in 1800, and sanctioned by the orthodox\nsociety of Friends in this country.\n\nDOCTRINE.\u2014\u201cWe agree, with other professors of the Christian name, in the\nbelief of one eternal God, the Creator and Preserver of the universe, and\nin Jesus Christ, his Son, the Messiah, and Mediator of the new covenant.\n\n\u201cWhen we speak of the gracious display of the love of God to mankind, in\nthe miraculous conception, birth, life, miracles, death, resurrection, and\nascension, of our Savior, we prefer the use of such terms as we find in\nScripture; and, contented with that knowledge which Divine Wisdom hath\nseen meet to reveal, we attempt not to explain those mysteries which\nremain under the veil; nevertheless, we acknowledge and assert the\ndivinity of Christ, who is the wisdom and power of God unto salvation.\n\n\u201cTo Christ, alone, we give the title of the Word of God, and not to the\nScriptures; although we highly esteem these sacred writings, in\nsubordination to the Spirit, from which they were given forth; and we\nhold, with the apostle Paul, that they are able to make wise unto\nsalvation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus.\n\n\u201cWe reverence those most excellent precepts which are recorded, in\nScripture, to have been delivered by our great Lord; and we firmly believe\nthat they are practicable, and binding on every Christian, and that, in\nthe life to come, every man will be rewarded according to his works. And,\nfurther, it is our belief that, in order to enable mankind to put in\npractice these sacred precepts, many of which are contradictory to the\nunregenerate will of man, every man, coming into the world, is endued with\na measure of the light, grace, or good spirit, of Christ, by which, as it\nis attended to, he is enabled to distinguish good from evil, and to\ncorrect the disorderly passions and corrupt propensities of his nature,\nwhich mere reason is altogether insufficient to overcome. For all that\nbelongs to man is fallible, and within the reach of temptation; but this\ndivine grace, which comes by Him who hath overcome the world, is, to those\nwho humbly and sincerely seek it, an all-sufficient and present help in\ntime of need. By this, the snares of the enemy are detected, his\nallurements avoided, and deliverance is experienced, through faith in its\neffectual operation; whereby the soul is translated out of the kingdom of\ndarkness, and from under the power of Satan, into the marvellous light and\nkingdom of the Son of God.\n\n\u201cBeing thus persuaded that man, without the Spirit of Christ inwardly\nrevealed, can do nothing to the glory of God, or to effect his own\nsalvation, we think this influence especially necessary to the performance\nof the highest act of which the human mind is capable,\u2014even the worship of\nthe Father of lights and of spirits, in spirit and in truth; therefore we\nconsider as obstruction to pure worship, all forms which divert the\nattention of the mind from the secret influence of this unction from the\nHoly One. Yet, although true worship is not confined to time and place, we\nthink it incumbent on Christians to meet often together, in testimony of\ntheir dependence on the heavenly Father, and for a renewal of their\nspiritual strength: nevertheless, in the performance of worship, we dare\nnot depend, for our acceptance with him, on a formal repetition of the\nwords and experiences of others; but we believe it to be our duty to lay\naside the activity of the imagination, and to wait in silence, to have a\ntrue sight of our condition bestowed upon us; believing even a single\nsight, arising from such a sense of our infirmities, and of the need we\nhave of divine help, to be more acceptable to God than any performances,\nhowever specious, which originate in the will of man.\n\n\u201cFrom what has been said respecting worship, it follows that the ministry\nwe approve must have its origin from the same source; for that which is\nneedful for man\u2019s own direction, and for his acceptance with God, must be\neminently so to enable him to be helpful to others. Accordingly, we\nbelieve that the renewed assistance of the light and power of Christ is\nindispensably necessary for all true ministry, and that this holy\ninfluence is not at our command, or to be procured by study, but is the\nfree gift of God to chosen and devoted servants. Hence arises our\ntestimony against preaching for hire, in contradiction to Christ\u2019s\npositive command, \u2018Freely ye have received, freely give;\u2019 and hence our\nconscientious refusal to support such ministry by tithes or other means.\n\n\u201cAs we dare not encourage any ministry but that which we believe to spring\nfrom the influence of the Holy Spirit, so neither dare we attempt to\nrestrain this influence to persons of any condition in life, or to the\nmale sex alone; but, as male and female are one in Christ, we allow such\nof the female sex as we believe to be endued with a right qualification\nfor the ministry, to exercise their gifts for the general edification of\nthe church; and this liberty we esteem a peculiar mark of the gospel\ndispensation, as foretold by the prophet Joel, and noticed by the apostle\nPeter.\n\n\u201cThere are two ceremonies in use among most professors of the Christian\nname\u2014water baptism, and what is termed the Lord\u2019s supper. The first of\nthese is generally esteemed the essential means of initiation into the\nchurch of Christ, and the latter of maintaining communion with him. But,\nas we have been convinced that nothing short of his redeeming power,\ninwardly revealed, can set the soul free from the thraldom of sin, by this\npower alone we believe salvation to be effected. We hold that, as there is\none Lord, and one faith, so his baptism is one, in nature and operation;\nthat nothing short of it can make us living members of his mystical body;\nand that the baptism with water, administered by his forerunner John,\nbelonged, as the latter confessed, to an inferior and decreasing\ndispensation.\n\n\u201cWith respect to the other rite, we believe that communion between Christ\nand his church is not maintained by that, nor any other external\nperformance, but only by a real participation of his divine nature,\nthrough faith; that this is the supper alluded to in Revelation, \u2018Behold,\nI stand at the door and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the\ndoor, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me;\u2019 and\nthat, where the substance is attained, it is unnecessary to attend to the\nshadow, which doth not confer grace, and concerning which, opinions so\ndifferent, and animosities so violent, have arisen.\n\n\u201cNow, as we thus believe that the grace of God, which comes by Jesus\nChrist, is alone sufficient for salvation, we can neither admit that it is\nconferred on a few only, whilst others are left without it, nor, thus\nasserting its universality, can we limit its operation to a partial\ncleansing of the soul from sin, even in this life. We entertain worthier\nnotions, both of the power and goodness of our heavenly Father, and\nbelieve that he doth vouchsafe to assist the obedient to experience a\ntotal surrender of the natural will to the guidance of his pure, unerring\nSpirit, through whose renewed assistance they are enabled to bring forth\nfruits unto holiness, and to stand perfect in their present rank.\n\n\u201cThere are not many of our tenets more generally known than our testimony\nagainst oaths, and against war. With respect to the former of these, we\nabide literally by Christ\u2019s positive injunction, delivered in his Sermon\non the Mount, \u2018Swear not at all.\u2019 From the same sacred collection of the\nmost excellent precepts of moral and religious duty, from the example of\nour Lord himself, and from the correspondent convictions of his Spirit in\nour hearts, we are confirmed in the belief that wars and fightings are, in\ntheir origin and effects, utterly repugnant to the gospel, which still\nbreathes peace and good-will to men. We also are clearly of the judgment,\nthat, if the benevolence of the gospel were generally prevalent in the\nminds of men, it would effectually prevent them from oppressing, much more\nenslaving, their brethren, (of whatever color or complexion,) for whom, as\nfor themselves, Christ died; and would even influence their conduct in\ntheir treatment of the brute creation, which would no longer groan, the\nvictims of their avarice, or of their false ideas of pleasure.\n\n\u201cSome of our tenets have, in former times, as hath been shown, subjected\nour friends to much suffering from government, though to the salutary\npurposes of government our principles are a security. They inculcate\nsubmission to the laws in all cases wherein conscience is not violated.\nBut we hold that, as Christ\u2019s kingdom is not of this world, it is not the\nbusiness of the civil magistrate to interfere in matters of religion, but\nto maintain the external peace and good order of the community. We,\ntherefore, think persecution, even in the smallest degree, unwarrantable.\nWe are careful in requiring our members not to be concerned in illicit\ntrade, nor in any manner to defraud the revenue.\n\n\u201cIt is well known that the society, from its first appearance, has disused\nthose names of the months and days, which having been given in honor of\nthe heroes or false gods of the heathen, originated in their flattery or\nsuperstition; and the custom of speaking to a single person in the plural\nnumber, as having arisen also from motives of adulation. Compliments,\nsuperfluity of apparel, and furniture, outward shows of rejoicing and\nmourning, and the observation of days and times, we esteem to be\nincompatible with the simplicity and sincerity of a Christian life; and\npublic diversions, gaming, and other vain amusements of the world, we\ncannot but condemn. They are a waste of that time which is given us for\nnobler purposes, and divert the attention of the mind from the sober\nduties of life, and from the reproofs of instruction, by which we are\nguided to an everlasting inheritance.\n\n\u201cTo conclude: Although we have exhibited the several tenets which\ndistinguish our religious society, as objects of our belief, yet we are\nsensible that a true and living faith is not produced in the mind of man\nby his own effort, but is the free gift of God in Christ Jesus, nourished\nand increased by the progressive operation of his Spirit in our hearts,\nand our proportionate obedience. Therefore, although, for the preservation\nof the testimonies given us to bear, and for the peace and good order of\nthe society, we deem it necessary that those who are admitted into\nmembership with us should be previously convinced of those doctrines which\nwe esteem essential, yet we require no formal subscription to any\narticles, either as a condition of membership, or a qualification for the\nservice of the church. We prefer the judging of men by their fruits, and\ndepending on the aid of Him, who, by his prophet, hath promised to be \u2018a\nspirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment.\u2019 Without this there is\na danger of receiving numbers into outward communion, without any addition\nto that spiritual sheepfold, whereof our blessed Lord declared himself to\nbe both the door and the shepherd; that is, such as know his voice, and\nfollow him in the paths of obedience. (See Heb. 12:24. 1 Cor. 1:24. John\n1:1. 2 Pet. 1:21. 2 Tim. 3:15. Matt. 16:27. John 1:9-16, 33. 1 John 2:20,\n27. Heb. 10:25. Rom 8:26. Jer. 23:30-32. Matt 10:8. Joel 2:28, 29. Acts\n2:16, 17. Eph. 4:5. John 3:30. 2 Pet. 1:4. Rev. 3:20. Matt. 5:48. Eph.\n4:13. Col. 4:12. Matt. 5:34, 39, 44, &c.; 26:52, 53. Luke 22:51. John\n18:11. Eph. 2:8. John 7:17. Isa. 28:6. John 10:7, 11.)\n\n\u201cDISCIPLINE.\u2014The purposes which our discipline hath chiefly in view, are,\nthe relief of the poor; the maintenance of good order; the support of the\ntestimonies which we believe it is our duty to bear to the world; and the\nhelp and recovery of such as are overtaken in faults.\n\n\u201cIn the practice of discipline, we think it indispensable that the order\nrecommended by Christ himself be invariably observed. \u2018If thy brother\nshall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and\nhim alone; if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother; but if he\nwill not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth\nof two or three witnesses, every word may be established; and if he shall\nneglect to hear them, tell it unto the church.\u2019\n\n\u201cTo effect the salutary purposes of discipline, meetings were appointed,\nat an early period of the society, which, from the times of their being\nheld, were called _quarterly meetings_. It was afterward found expedient\nto divide the districts of those meetings, and to meet more frequently;\nfrom whence arose _monthly meetings_, subordinate to those held quarterly.\nAt length, in 1669, a _yearly meeting_ was established, to superintend,\nassist, and provide rules for the whole; previously to which, _general\nmeetings_ had been occasionally held.\n\n\u201cA monthly meeting is usually composed of several particular\ncongregations, situated within a convenient distance from each other. Its\nbusiness is to provide for the subsistence of the poor, and for the\neducation of their offspring; to judge of the sincerity and fitness of\npersons appearing to be convinced of the religious principles of the\nsociety, and desiring to be admitted into membership; to excite due\nattention to the discharge of religious and moral duty; and to deal with\ndisorderly members. Monthly meetings also grant to such of their members\nas remove into other monthly meetings, certificates of their membership\nand conduct, without which they cannot gain membership in such meetings.\nEach monthly meeting is required to appoint certain persons, under the\nname of _overseers_, who are to take care that the rules of our discipline\nbe put in practice, and, when any case of complaint, or disorderly\nconduct, comes to their knowledge, to see that private admonition,\nagreeably to the gospel rule before mentioned, be given, previously to its\nbeing laid before the monthly meeting.\n\n\u201cWhen a case is introduced, it is usual for a small committee to be\nappointed to visit the offender, to endeavor to convince him of his error,\nand to induce him to forsake and condemn it. If they succeed, the person\nis by minute declared to have made satisfaction for the offence; if not,\nhe is disowned as a member of the society.\n\n\u201cIn disputes between individuals, it has long been the decided judgment of\nthe society, that its members should not sue each other at law. It\ntherefore enjoins all to end their differences by speedy and impartial\narbitration, agreeably to rules laid down. If any refuse to adopt this\nmode, or, having adopted it, to submit to the award, it is the direction\nof the yearly meeting that such be disowned.\n\n\u201cTo monthly meetings, also, belongs the allowing of marriages; for our\nsociety hath always scrupled to acknowledge the exclusive authority of the\npriests in the solemnization of marriage. Those who intend to marry appear\ntogether, and propose their intention to the monthly meeting, and, if not\nattended by their parents and guardians, produce a written certificate of\ntheir consent, signed in the presence of witnesses. The meeting then\nappoints a committee to inquire whether they be clear of other engagements\nrespecting marriage; and if, at a subsequent meeting, to which the parties\nalso come and declare the continuance of their intention, no objections be\nreported, they have the meeting\u2019s consent to solemnize their intended\nmarriage. This is done in a public meeting for worship, toward the close\nwhereof the parties stand up, and solemnly take each other for husband and\nwife. A certificate of the proceedings is then publicly read, and signed\nby the parties, and afterward by the relations and others as witnesses. Of\nsuch marriage the monthly meeting keeps a record, as also of the births\nand burials of its members. A certificate of the date, of the name of the\ninfant, and of its parents, signed by those present at the birth, is the\nsubject of one of these last-mentioned records, and an order for the\ninterment, countersigned by the grave-maker, of the other. The naming of\nchildren is without ceremony. Burials are also conducted in a simple\nmanner. The body, followed by the relations and friends, is sometimes,\npreviously to interment, carried to a meeting; and at the grave a pause is\ngenerally made; on both which occasions it frequently falls out, that one\nor more friends present have somewhat to express for the edification of\nthose who attend; but no religious rite is considered as an essential part\nof burial.\n\n\u201cSeveral monthly meetings compose a quarterly meeting. At the quarterly\nmeeting are produced written answers from the monthly meetings, to certain\nqueries respecting the conduct of their members, and the meetings\u2019 care\nover them. The accounts thus received are digested into one, which is sent\nalso in the form of answers to queries, by representatives, to the yearly\nmeeting. Appeals from the judgment of monthly meetings are brought to the\nquarterly meetings, whose business also it is to assist in any difficult\ncase, or where remissness appears in the care of the monthly meetings over\nthe individuals who compose them.\n\n\u201cThe yearly meeting has the general superintendence of the society in the\ncountry in which it is established; and therefore, as the accounts which\nit receives discover the state of inferior meetings, as particular\nexigencies require, or as the meeting is impressed with a sense of duty,\nit gives forth its advice, makes such regulations as appear to be\nrequisite, or excites to the observance of those already made, and\nsometimes appoints committees to visit those quarterly meetings which\nappear to be in need of immediate advice. Appeals from the judgment of\nquarterly meetings are here finally determined; and a brotherly\ncorrespondence, by epistles, is maintained with other yearly meetings.\n\n\u201cIn this place it is proper to add that, as we believe women may be\nrightly called to the work of the ministry, we also think that to them\nbelongs a share in the support of our Christian discipline, and that some\nparts of it, wherein their own sex is concerned, devolve on them with\npeculiar propriety; accordingly, they have monthly, quarterly, and yearly\nmeetings of their own sex, held at the same time and in the same place\nwith those of the men, but separately, and without the power of making\nrules; and it may be remarked that, during the persecutions, which, in the\nlast century, occasioned the imprisonment of so many of the men, the care\nof the poor often fell on the women, and was by them satisfactorily\nadministered.\n\n\u201cIn order that those who are in the situation of ministers may have the\ntender sympathy and counsel of those of either sex, who, by their\nexperience in the work of religion, are qualified for that service, the\nmonthly meetings are advised to select such, under the denomination of\n_elders_. These, and ministers approved by their monthly meetings, have\nmeetings peculiar to themselves, called _meetings of ministers and\nelders_, in which they have an opportunity of exciting each other to a\ndischarge of their several duties, and of extending advice to those who\nmay appear to be weak, without any needless exposure. Such meetings are\ngenerally held in the compass of each monthly, quarterly, and yearly\nmeeting. They are conducted by rules prescribed by the yearly meeting, and\nhave no authority to make any alteration or addition to them. The members\nof them unite with their brethren in the meetings for discipline, and are\nequally accountable to the latter for their conduct.\n\n\u201cThus have we given a view of the foundation and establishment of our\ndiscipline; by which it will be seen that it is not, as hath been\nfrequently insinuated, merely the work of modern times, but was the early\ncare and concern of our pious predecessors. We cannot better close this\nshort sketch of it, than by observing that, if the exercise of discipline\nshould in some instances appear to press hard upon those, who, neglecting\nthe monitions of divine counsel in their hearts, are also unwilling to be\naccountable to their brethren, yet, if that great, leading, and\nindispensable rule, enjoined by our Lord, be observed by those who\nundertake to be active in it,\u2014\u2018Whatsoever ye would that men should do to\nyou, do ye even so to them,\u2019\u2014it will prevent the censure of the church\nfrom falling on any thing but that which really obstructs the progress of\ntruth. Discipline will then promote, in an eminent degree, that love of\nour neighbor which is the mark of discipleship, and without which a\nprofession of love to God, and to his cause, is a vain pretence. \u2018He,\u2019\nsaid the beloved disciple, \u2018that loveth not his brother, whom he hath\nseen, how can he love God, whom he hath not seen? And this commandment\nhave we from him, that he who loveth God, love his brother also.\u2019 \u201d\n\n                  -------------------------------------\n\nThe Friends are divided in sentiment; there are, in fact, two sects,\ndenominated _Orthodox_ and _Hicksites_.\n\nSome opinion of Elias Hicks\u2019s sentiments, in regard to the Trinity, may be\nformed by an extract from one of his publications, (Sermons, vol. iv. pp.\n288, 289.)\n\n\u201cHe that laid down his life, and suffered his body to be crucified by the\nJews, without the gates of Jerusalem, is Christ, the only Son of the most\nhigh God. But that the _outward person which suffered_ was properly the\nSon of God, we utterly deny. Flesh and blood cannot enter into heaven. By\nthe analogy of reason, spirit cannot beget a material body, because the\nthing begotten must be of the same nature with its father. Spirit cannot\nbeget any thing but spirit: it cannot beget flesh and blood. \u2018_A body hast\nthou prepared me_,\u2019 said the Son: _then the Son was not the body_, though\nthe body was the Son\u2019s.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n\nSHAKERS, OR THE UNITED SOCIETY OF BELIEVERS.\n\n\nThe editor gives an account of the religious tenets, &c., of this society,\nin the precise words of his worthy friends and correspondents at Enfield,\nN. H.:\u2014\n\n\n    \u201cRespected Friend,\n\n    \u201cHaving received your circular, requesting information concerning\n    our society, we freely notice it, and are most willing to give you\n    any information respecting us.\n\n    \u201cIt appears your request extends sufficiently far to embrace an\n    exposition of our moral and religious tenets, our faith,\n    principles, and manner of life, our secular concerns, &c.\n\n    \u201cWe have seen several historical sketches of our society by\n    different writers; but it is very rare to find one free from\n    misrepresentations of some kind, which must be owing either to\n    ignorance or prejudice. Therefore, in our communications, we may\n    be somewhat particular on some points; in any of which, if there\n    be any thing found agreeable to your desires, you are welcome to\n    it; and, as it is presumed your publication is intended for\n    information, among other truths, we hope to see something relative\n    to us, different from most of the descriptions of former writers.\n\n    \u201cIn obtaining information of one society, you get a general\n    understanding of all; for we are of one heart and one mind. Our\n    faith is one, our practice is one.\n\n    \u201cWe are acknowledged and distinguished as a peculiar people,\n    singular from all others; which peculiarity arises wholly from\n    these two principles\u2014our faith and manner of life, which comprise\n    our motives in separating from the course and practice of the\n    world, the manner in which our property is held, &c. &c.\n\n    \u201cIt is a fact acknowledged by all professed Christians, that there\n    are two creations, an old and a new; or, which is the same thing,\n    two kingdoms, the kingdom of this world, and the kingdom of\n    Christ. It is also a truth as frankly granted, that these two\n    creations, or kingdoms, are headed, the one by the first Adam,\n    denominated the _old man_, and the other by the second Adam,\n    Christ Jesus, denominated the _new man_\u2014two different personages,\n    possessing very different spirits, and executing very different\n    works. As positive as the preceding declarations are, that there\n    exist two distinct creations, and which are headed by two distinct\n    characters, so positive are the following:\u2014that the subjects of\n    each kingdom bear a strong resemblance to their respective king,\n    and plainly represent the particular kingdom they inhabit; for,\n    \u2018As we have borne the image of the earthly, we shall also bear the\n    image of the heavenly.\u2019 (1 Cor. 15:49.)\n\n    \u201cAlso that no person can have demands upon, and privileges in,\n    these two men and creations at one and the same time. We must\n    either hold to the old, and have nothing to do with the new, or we\n    must come out and forsake the old, and come into the new. We must\n    either put off the old man, Adam, and his works, which are well\n    known to be multiplying and supporting of an earthly kingdom,\n    which is the kingdom of this world, or we must put on the new man,\n    Christ Jesus, and his works, which are well known to be a life\n    without spot, chaste, virgin, and unstained by indulgences in any\n    of those things which a beloved worthy said constitutes the world.\n    (1 John 2:15, 16.) To these principles of faith we are strict, and\n    may be called rigid, adherents; equally tenacious in the practical\n    part of the new man, and in the same degree pointed against the\n    old.\n\n    \u201cThe second part of this subject of singularity in us consists in\n    the manner in which we hold our property, which, perhaps, is well\n    known to be in common, after the order of the primitive church in\n    the days of the apostles, in which state we have lived rising\n    forty years, \u2018of one heart and one soul;\u2019 not any of us saying\n    that \u2018aught of the things which he possessed was his own,\u2019 (Acts\n    4:32;) \u2018buying as though we possessed not,\u2019 (1 Cor. 7:30;) and\n    \u2018having nothing, and yet possessing all things.\u2019 (2 Cor. 6:10.) In\n    consequence thereof, we are retired from the world, as not of that\n    kingdom; \u2018My kingdom is not of this world,\u2019 &c., (John 18:36;) by\n    which we enjoy a closer communion with our God, and by which we\n    follow the instruction of the Spirit, which saith, \u2018Come ye out\n    from among them, and be ye separate,\u2019 &c. (2 Cor. 6:17.)\n\n    \u201cOur society contains three distinct families, comprising 233\n    souls; 103 males, and 130 females. The number of persons over 70\n    is 18; between 60 and 70, 21; between 21 and 60, 125; under 21,\n    63. The oldest person is 88. Deaths since the gathering of the\n    society, in 1792, 85.\n\n    \u201cOur village is situated in the N. W. corner of the town, on the\n    western shore of _Mascomy Pond_, a pleasant sheet of water, of\n    nearly five miles in length, and half a mile average width. Our\n    village and home are pleasant to us, and are said to be so by\n    travellers. It is about ten miles S. E. from Dartmouth College,\n    forty N. W. from Concord, and one hundred from Boston.\n\n    \u201cIn all the families there are nearly thirty buildings, unadorned,\n    except with neatness, simplicity, and convenience, besides many\n    out-buildings. Among the buildings are one house of public\n    worship, one convenient school-house, three dwelling-houses, one\n    for each family, sufficiently large to accommodate us as places\n    for cooking, eating, sleeping, and retirement from labor, and\n    shops for the different branches of work. Our privilege for mills\n    is very small; consequently our machinery cannot be extensive. Yet\n    the little water that is running in small brooks, which can be\n    conveniently collected into artificial ponds, is improved, by\n    their emptying from one to another, and by the interspersion of\n    mills upon their discharging streams. We have three saw-mills, two\n    grist-mills, and some other machinery.\n\n    \u201cAs strangers, who many times wish to call, are frequently much\n    straitened and embarrassed by not knowing where to call, or what\n    to say, we should be pleased to have it particularly noticed, that\n    we have one building designated from the rest by the sign,\n    \u2018Trustees\u2019 Office,\u2019 over the door, where strangers are received,\n    where our commercial business is transacted, and where civil\n    people wishing for information may freely obtain it, or be\n    directed where it can be obtained.\n\n    \u201cIn our occupation we are agriculturists and mechanics. The\n    products of the garden may be said to be as important as any;\n    which are principally seeds, herbs, &c., from which this section\n    of the country is chiefly supplied. Our manufactures are wooden\n    ware, such as tubs, pails, half-bushel and other measures, boxes,\n    &c.; also, whips, corn-brooms, leather, and various other\n    articles.\n\n    \u201cWe keep from 1200 to 1500 sheep, mostly Saxon and Merino, which\n    afford wool for our own wear, and is likewise a source of small\n    trade with us. We keep about eighty cows, which supply us with\n    milk for a dairy, for our own consumption only.\n\n    \u201cThe education of our youth and children has been a subject of\n    much conversation among many people. It has been reported, that\n    the children which we frequently take in and bring up with us, are\n    kept in ignorance, having no opportunity of improving their minds\n    by a literary education. But the weight of this censure is\n    gradually growing less, by the contrary proof to the hundreds of\n    visitors who flock into our school, and who are not at all sparing\n    of their high encomiums upon it. It is conducted partially on the\n    Lancasterian system, and is said to surpass any of the common\n    schools about us. Our school-room is furnished with books and\n    apparatus of a superior kind, which, we presume, is not equalled\n    by any school in the country, save the one among our people at\n    Canterbury, which, perhaps, is not in any respect inferior.\n\n    \u201cIn this society are two physicians. Each family has its\n    respective elders or ministers; among these and other individuals\n    of the society, are public speakers, whom you would denominate the\n    clergy.\n\n    \u201cYou see, from what we have here written, that we have taken up\n    many subjects, and several of them explicitly treated upon,\n    although short; from which, together with the pamphlet\n    accompanying this letter, we conclude you may be able to get\n    considerable of an understanding, and which you are at liberty to\n    call at your pleasure. But it is sincerely to be hoped, if you\n    publish any thing concerning us, you will be careful to preserve\n    the true ideas of our communications.\u201d\n\n\nFrom the pamphlet above mentioned we make the following extracts:\u2014\n\n\n    \u201cFaith And Principles Of The Society.\n\n    \u201c1. A life of _innocence_ and _purity_, according to the example\n    of Jesus Christ and his first true followers; implying entire\n    abstinence from all sensual and carnal gratifications.\n\n    \u201c2. LOVE.\u2014\u2018By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if\n    ye have love one to another. Love is the fulfilling of the law.\u2019\n    This is our bond of union.\n\n    \u201c3. PEACE.\u2014\u2018Follow peace with all men,\u2019 is a divine precept; hence\n    our abstinence from war and bloodshed, from all acts of violence\n    towards our fellow-men, from all the party contentions and\n    politics of the world, and from all the pursuits of pride and\n    worldly ambition. \u2018My kingdom (said Christ) is not of this world.\u2019\n\n    \u201c4. JUSTICE.\u2014\u2018Render to every man his due. Owe no man any thing,\n    but to love one another.\u2019 We are to be just and honest in all our\n    dealings with mankind, to discharge all just dues, duties, and\n    equitable claims, as seasonably and effectually as possible.\n\n    \u201c5. HOLINESS.\u2014\u2018Without which no man shall see the Lord.\u2019 Which\n    signifies to be _consecrated_, or set apart from a common to a\n    sacred use. Hence arise all our doctrines and practical rules of\n    dedicating our persons, services, and property, to social and\n    sacred uses, having adopted the example of the first gospel\n    church, in establishing and supporting one _consecrated_ and\n    _united_ interest by the voluntary choice of every member, as a\n    sacred privilege, and not by any undue constraint or persuasion.\n\n    \u201c6. GOODNESS.\u2014Do good to all men, as far as opportunity and\n    ability may serve, by administering acts of charity and kindness,\n    and promoting light and truth among mankind. \u2018Whatsoever ye would\n    that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.\u2019\n\n    \u201c7. TRUTH.\u2014This principle is opposed to falsehood, lying, deceit,\n    and hypocrisy, and implies fidelity, reality, good, earnest\n    sincerity, and punctuality in keeping vows and promises. These\n    principles are the genuine basis of our institution, planted by\n    its first founders, exhibited in all our public writings,\n    justified by Scripture and fair reason, and practically commended\n    as a system of morality and religion, adapted to the best interest\n    and happiness of man, both here and hereafter.\n\n    \u201cManner Of Admitting Members.\n\n    \u201c1. All persons who unite with this society, in any degree, must\n    do it freely and voluntarily, according to their own faith and\n    unbiased judgment.\n\n    \u201c2. In the testimony of the society, both public and private, no\n    flattery nor any undue influence is used, but the most plain and\n    explicit statements of its faith and principles are laid before\n    the inquirer, so that the whole ground may be comprehended, as far\n    as possible, by every candidate for admission.\n\n    \u201c3. No considerations of property are ever made use of, by this\n    society, to induce any person to join it, nor to prevent any one\n    from leaving it; because it is our faith, that no act of devotion,\n    or service, that does not flow from the free and voluntary\n    emotions of the heart, can be acceptable to God, as an act of true\n    religion.\n\n    \u201c4. No believing husband, or wife, is allowed, by the principles\n    of this society, to separate from an unbelieving partner, except\n    by mutual agreement, unless the conduct of the unbeliever be such\n    as to warrant a separation by the laws of God and man. Nor can any\n    husband, or wife, who has otherwise abandoned his or her partner,\n    be received into communion with the society.\n\n    \u201c5. Any person becoming a member, must rectify all his wrongs,\n    and, as fast and as far as it is in his power, discharge all just\n    and legal claims, whether of creditors or filial heirs. Nor can\n    any person, not conforming to this rule, long remain in union with\n    the society. But the society is not responsible for the debts of\n    any individual, except by agreement because such responsibility\n    would involve a principle ruinous to the institution.\n\n    \u201c6. No difference is to be made in the distribution of parental\n    estate among the heirs, whether they belong to the society or not;\n    but an equal partition must be made, as far as may be practicable,\n    and consistent with reason and justice.\n\n    \u201c7. If an unbelieving wife separate from a believing husband, by\n    agreement, the husband must give her a just and reasonable share\n    of the property; and if they have children who have arrived to\n    years of understanding sufficient to judge for themselves, and who\n    choose to go with their mother, they are not to be disinherited on\n    that account. Though the character of this institution has been\n    much censured on this ground, yet we boldly assert that the rule\n    above stated has never, to our knowledge, been violated by this\n    society.\n\n    \u201c8. Industry, temperance, and frugality, are prominent features of\n    this institution. No member who is able to labor, can be permitted\n    to live idly upon the labors of others. All are required to be\n    employed in some manual occupation, according to their several\n    abilities, when not engaged in other necessary duties.\u201d\n\n                  -------------------------------------\n\n    \u201cThe rules of government in the society are adapted to the\n    different orders of which it is composed. In all (as far as\n    respects adults) it is spiritual; its powers and authorities\n    growing out of the _mutual faith, love, and confidence_, of all\n    the members, and harmoniously concurring in the general form and\n    manner of government established by the first founders of the\n    society.\n\n    \u201cThe leading authority of the society is vested in a ministry,\n    generally consisting of four persons, including both sexes. These,\n    together with the elders and trustees, constitute the general\n    government of the society in all its branches, and, being\n    supported by the general union and approbation of the members, are\n    invested with power to appoint their successors and other\n    subordinate officers, as occasion may require; to counsel, advise,\n    and direct, in all matters, whether of a spiritual or temporal\n    nature; to superintend the concerns of the several families, and\n    establish all needful orders, rules, and regulations, for the\n    direction and protection of the several branches of the society;\n    but no rule can be made, nor any member assume a lead, contrary to\n    the original faith and known principles of the society. And\n    nothing which respects the government, order, and general\n    arrangement, of the society is considered as fully established\n    until it has received the general approbation of the society, or\n    of that branch thereof which it more immediately concerns.\n\n    \u201cThis community is divided into several different branches,\n    commonly called _families_. This division is generally made for\n    the sake of convenience, and is often rendered necessary on\n    account of local situation and occurrent circumstances; but the\n    proper division and arrangement of the community, without respect\n    to local situation, are into three classes, or progressive degrees\n    of order.\n\n    \u201cThose children taken into the society are treated with care and\n    tenderness, receive a good school education, and, according to\n    their genius, are trained to industry and virtuous habits,\n    restrained from vice, and, at a suitable age, led into the\n    knowledge of the sacred Scriptures, and practically taught the\n    divine precepts contained in them, particularly those of Jesus\n    Christ and the apostles.\n\n    \u201cDuring a period of more than forty years, since the permanent\n    establishment of this society at New Lebanon and Watervliet, there\n    never has been a legal claim entered by any person for the\n    recovery of property brought into the society but all claims of\n    that nature, if any have existed, have been amicably settled, to\n    the satisfaction of the parties concerned. Complaints and legal\n    prosecutions have not, hitherto, come from persons who brought\n    property into the institution, but from those who came destitute\n    of property, and who, generally speaking, have been no benefit to\n    the society in any way, but, on the contrary, after having enjoyed\n    its hospitality, and brought no small share of trouble upon the\n    people, have had the assurance to lay claim to wages which they\n    never earned, or property to which they never had any just or\n    legal claim.\n\n    \u201cNo person can be received into this order until he shall have\n    settled all just and legal claims, both of creditors and filial\n    heirs; so that whatever property he may possess, may be justly and\n    truly his own. Minors cannot be admitted as covenant members of\n    this order; yet they may be received under its immediate care and\n    protection. And when they shall have arrived at lawful age, if\n    they should choose to continue in the society, and sign the\n    covenant of the order, and support its principles, they are then\n    admitted to all the privileges of members. The members of this\n    order are all equally entitled to the benefits and privileges\n    thereof, without any difference made on account of what any one\n    may have contributed to the interest of the society. All are\n    equally entitled to their support and maintenance, and to every\n    necessary comfort, whether in health, sickness, or old age, so\n    long as they continue to maintain the principles, and conform to\n    the orders, rules, and regulations, of the institution. They,\n    therefore, give their property and services for the most valuable\n    of all temporal considerations\u2014an ample security, during life, for\n    every needful support, if they continue faithful to their contract\n    and covenant, the nature of which they clearly understand before\n    they enter into it.\n\n    \u201cWe believe it will be generally granted that the history of the\n    world does not furnish a single instance of any religious\n    institution which has stood fifty years without a visible\n    declension of the principles of the institution, in the general\n    purity and integrity of its members. This has been generally\n    acknowledged by the devotees of such institutions and facts have\n    fully verified it. But we would appeal to the candid judgment of\n    those who have known this institution from the beginning, and have\n    had a fair opportunity of observing the progress of its\n    improvement, whether they have, in reality, found any declension,\n    either in the external order and regulations of the society, or in\n    the purity and integrity of its members, in the general practice\n    of the moral and Christian duties; and whether they have not, on\n    the contrary, discovered a visible and manifest increase in all\n    these respects. And hence they may judge for themselves, whether\n    the moral character of the society, and its progressive\n    improvement, can be ascribed to any other cause than the blessing,\n    protection, and government, of Divine Power and Wisdom.\u201d\n\n\nThis denomination is also styled the _millennial church_. Although\ncelibacy is enjoined by the Shakers upon their members, yet their numbers\nrather increase, by converts from the world.\n\nThere are fifteen societies of Shakers in the United States, located in\nthe following places:\u2014Alfred, New Gloucester, and Poland, Me.; Canterbury\nand Enfield, N. H.; Shirley, Harvard, Tyringham, and Hancock, Mass.;\nEnfield, Conn.; Watervliet and New Lebanon, N. Y.; Union Village and\nWatervliet, Ohio; Pleasant Hill and South Union, Ky. The number of Shakers\nin the United States is about 6000.\n\nThis sect of Christians arose at Manchester, in England; and ANN LEE has\nthe credit of being its founder. They derive their name from their manner\nof worship, which is performed by singing, dancing, and clapping their\nhands in regular time, to a novel, but rather pleasant kind of music. This\nsect was persecuted in England, and came to America in 1774. They first\nsettled in Watervliet, near Albany, N. Y. They have, or think they have,\nrevelations from Heaven, or gifts from the Holy Spirit, which direct them\nin the choice of their leaders, and in other important concerns. Their\ndress and manners are similar to those of the society of Friends; hence\nthey are often called _Shaking Quakers_. They display great skill and\nscience in agriculture, horticulture, and the mechanic arts; and their\nhonesty, industry, hospitality, and neatness, are proverbial. These people\nchoose their locations with great taste and judgment. A _Shaker village_\nalways presents a scene of beauty.\n\nWe close this article with an extract from a speech of the Hon. John\nBreathitt, late governor of Kentucky.\n\n\u201cMuch has been urged against Shakerism, much has been said against their\ncovenant; but, I repeat it, _that_ individual who is prepared to sign the\nchurch covenant, stands in an enviable situation: his situation is,\nindeed, an enviable one, who, devoted to God, is prepared to say of his\nproperty, \u2018Here it is, little or much; take it, and leave me unmolested to\ncommune with my God. Indeed, I dedicate myself to what? not to a fanatical\ntenet; O, no! to a subject far beyond; to the worship of Almighty God, the\ngreat Creator and Governor of the universe. Under the influence of his\nlove, I give my all: only let me worship according to my faith, and in a\nmanner I believe acceptable to my God!\u2019\n\n\u201cI say again, the world cannot produce a parallel to the situation which\nsuch a man exhibits\u2014resigned to the will of Heaven, free from all the\nfeelings of earthly desire, and pursuing, quietly, the peaceful tenor of\nhis way.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n\nREFORMATION.\n\n\nThis term is used, by way of eminence, to denote that great change which\ntook place in the Christian world, under the ministry of Luther, Calvin,\nZuinglius, Melancthon, and others, who successfully opposed some of the\ndoctrines, and many of the practices, of the Roman church. It commenced at\nWittemberg, in Saxony, in 1517, and greatly weakened the Papal authority.\n\nIt was from causes seemingly fortuitous, and from a source very\ninconsiderable, that all the mighty effects of the reformation flowed. Leo\nX., when raised to the Papal throne, in 1513, found the revenues of the\nchurch exhausted by the vast projects of his two ambitious predecessors.\nHis own temper, naturally liberal and enterprising, rendered him incapable\nof severe and patient economy; and his schemes for aggrandizing the family\nof Medicis, his love of splendor, and his munificence in rewarding men of\ngenius, involved him daily in new expenses, in order to provide a fund for\nwhich, he tried every device that the fertile invention of priests had\nfallen upon, to drain the credulous multitude of their wealth. Among\nothers, he had recourse to a sale of indulgences.\n\nThe Romish church believe that pious persons may do works of\nsupererogation, that is to say, more good works than are necessary for\ntheir own salvation. All such works, according to their doctrine, are\ndeposited, together with the infinite merits of Jesus Christ, in one\ninexhaustible treasury. The keys of this were committed to St. Peter, and\nto his successors the popes, who may open it at pleasure, and, by\ntransferring a portion of this superabundant merit to any particular\nperson for a sum of money, may convey to him either pardon for his own\nsins, or a release for any one, for whom he feels an interest, from the\npains of purgatory. Such indulgences were offered as a recompense for\nthose who engaged in the wars of the crusades against the Infidels. Since\nthose times, the power of granting indulgences has been greatly abused in\nthe church of Rome. Pope Leo X., finding that the sale of indulgences was\nlikely to be lucrative, granted to Albert, elector of Mentz and archbishop\nof Magdeburg, the benefit of the indulgences of Saxony, and the\nneighboring parts, and farmed out those of other countries to the highest\nbidders; who, to make the best of their bargain, procured the ablest\npreachers to cry up the value of the commodity. The form of these\nindulgences was as follows.\u2014\u201cMay our Lord Jesus Christ have mercy upon\nthee, and absolve thee by the merits of his most holy passion. And I, by\nhis authority, that of his blessed apostles, Peter and Paul and of the\nmost holy pope, granted and committed to me in these parts, do absolve\nthee, first, from all ecclesiastical censures, in whatever manner they may\nhave been incurred; then from all thy sins, transgressions, and excesses,\nhow enormous soever they may be; even from such as are reserved for the\ncognizance of the holy see, and as far as the keys of the holy church\nextend. I remit to you all punishment which you deserve in purgatory on\ntheir account; and I restore you to the holy sacraments of the church, to\nthe unity of the faithful, and to that innocence and purity which you\npossessed at baptism; so that, when you die, the gates of punishment shall\nbe shut, and the gates of the paradise of delight shall be opened; and if\nyou shall not die at present, this grace shall remain in full force when\nyou are at the point of death. In the name of the Father, Son, and the\nHoly Ghost.\u201d\n\nAccording to a book, called the \u201cTax of the Sacred Roman Chancery,\u201d in\nwhich are the exact sums to be levied for the pardon of each particular\nsin, some of the fees are thus stated:\u2014For simony, 10_s._ 6_d._; for\nsacrilege, 10_s._ 6_d._; for taking a false oath, 9_s._; for robbing,\n12_s._; for burning a neighbor\u2019s house, 12_s._; for defiling a virgin,\n9_s._; for murdering a layman, 7_s._ 6_d._; for keeping a concubine,\n10_s._ 6_d._; for laying violent hands on a clergyman, 10_s._ 6_d._\n\nThe terms in which the retailers of these abominable licenses described\ntheir advantages to the purchasers, and the arguments with which they\nurged the necessity of obtaining them, were so extravagant that they\nappear almost incredible. \u201cIf any man,\u201d said they, \u201cpurchase letters of\nindulgence, his soul may rest secure with respect to its salvation. The\nsouls confined in purgatory, for whose redemption indulgences are\npurchased, as soon as the money is paid, instantly escape from that place\nof torment, and ascend into heaven.\u201d They said that the efficacy of\nindulgences was so great, that the most heinous sins would be remitted and\nexpiated by them, and the person be freed both from punishment and guilt:\nthis was the unspeakable gift of God, in order to reconcile man to\nhimself; the cross erected by the preachers of indulgences was equally\nefficacious with the cross of Christ. \u201cLo,\u201d said they, \u201cthe heavens are\nopen; if you enter not now, when will you enter? For twelve pence you may\nredeem the soul of your father out of purgatory; and are you so ungrateful\nthat you will not rescue the soul of your parent from torment? If you had\nbut one coat, you ought to strip yourself of that instantly, and sell it,\nin order to purchase such benefit,\u201d &c.\n\nIt was against these preachers of licentiousness, and their diabolical\nconduct, that Luther began first to declaim.\n\n\n\n\n\nREFORMED CHURCHES.\n\n\nThe Reformed churches comprehend the whole Protestant churches in Europe\nand America, whether Lutheran, Calvinistic, Independent, Quaker, Baptist,\nor any other denomination who dissent from the church of Rome. The term\n_Reformed_ is now, however, more particularly employed to distinguish the\nCalvinists from the Lutherans.\n\nThe Reformed churches in America are the two following:\u2014\n\n\n\n\nReformed Dutch Church.\n\n\nThis is the oldest body of Presbyterians in America: it descended\nimmediately from the church of Holland; and, for about a century from its\ncommencement in this country, it hung in colonial dependence on the\nClassis of Amsterdam, and the Synod of North Holland, and was unable to\nordain a minister, or perform any ecclesiastical function of the kind,\nwithout a reference to the parent country and mother church.\n\nThe origin of this church will lead us back to the earliest history of the\ncity and state of New York; for they were first settled by this people,\nand by them a foundation was laid for the first churches of this\npersuasion, the most distinguished of which were planted at New York,\n(then called New Amsterdam,) Flatbush, Esopus, and Albany. The church at\nNew York was probably the oldest, and was founded at, or before, the year\n1639; this is the earliest period to which its records conduct us. The\nfirst minister was the Rev. Evarardus Bogardus. But when he came from\nHolland, does not appear. Next to him were two ministers by the name of\nMegapolensis, John and Samuel.\n\nThe first place of worship built by the Dutch in the colony of New\nNetherlands, as it was then called, was erected in the fort at New York,\nin the year 1642. The second, it is believed, was a chapel built by\nGovernor Stuyvesant, in what is now called the Bowery. In succession,\nchurches of this denomination arose on Long Island, in Schenectady, on\nStaten Island, and in a number of towns on the Hudson River, and several,\nit is believed, in New Jersey. But the churches of New York, Albany, and\nEsopus, were the most important, and the ministers of these churches\nclaimed and enjoyed a kind of episcopal dignity over the surrounding\nchurches.\n\nThe Dutch church was the established religion of the colony, until it\nsurrendered to the British in 1664; after which its circumstances were\nmaterially changed. Not long after the colony passed into the hands of the\nBritish, an act was passed, which went to establish the Episcopal church\nas the predominant party; and for almost a century after, the Dutch and\nEnglish Presbyterians, and all others in the colony, were forced to\ncontribute to the support of that church.\n\nThe first judicatory higher than a consistory, among this people, was a\nC\u0153tus, formed in 1747. The object and powers of this assembly were merely\nthose of advice and fraternal intercourse. It could not ordain ministers,\nnor judicially decide in ecclesiastical disputes, without the consent of\nthe Classis of Amsterdam.\n\nThe first regular Classis among the Dutch was formed in 1757. But the\nformation of this Classis involved this infant church in the most unhappy\ncollisions, which sometimes threatened its very existence. These disputes\ncontinued for many years, by which two parties were raised in the church,\none of which was for, and the other against, an ecclesiastical\nsubordination to the judicatories of the mother church and country. These\ndisputes, in which eminent men on both sides were concerned, besides\ndisturbing their own peace and enjoyment, produced unfavorable impressions\ntowards them among their brethren at home.\n\nIn 1766, John H. Livingston, D. D., then a young man, went from New York\nto Holland, to prosecute his studies in the Dutch universities. By his\nrepresentations, a favorable disposition was produced towards the American\nchurch in that country; and, on his return, in full convention of both\nparties, an amicable adjustment of their differences was made and a\nfriendly correspondence was opened with the church in Holland, which was\ncontinued until the revolution of the country under Bonaparte.\n\nThe Dutch church suffered much in the loss of its members, and in other\nrespects, by persisting to maintain its service in the Dutch language\nafter it had gone greatly into disuse. The solicitation for English\npreaching was long resisted, and Dr. Laidlie, a native of Scotland, was\nthe first minister in the Dutch church in North America, who was expressly\ncalled to officiate in the English language.\n\n\n\n\nReformed German Church.\n\n\nAs the Dutch Reformed church in this country is an exact counterpart of\nthe church of Holland, so the German Reformed is of the Reformed or\nCalvinistic church of Germany. The people of this persuasion were among\nthe early settlers of Pennsylvania: here their churches were first formed;\nbut they are now to be found in nearly all the states south and west of\nthe one above named. The German Reformed churches in this country remained\nin a scattered and neglected state until 1746, when the Rev. Michael\nSchlatter, who was sent from Europe for the purpose, collected them\ntogether, and put their concerns in a more prosperous train. They have\nsince increased to a numerous body, and are assuming an important stand\namong the American Presbyterians.\n\nThis denomination is scattered over the Middle, Western, and Southern\nStates, but is most numerous in the states of Ohio and Pennsylvania. The\npopulation of this church in the United States is estimated at 300,000;\n180 ministers, 600 congregations, and 30,000 communicants.\n\n\n\n\n\nRESTORATIONISTS.\n\n\nThe Restorationists are those who believe that all men will ultimately\nbecome holy and happy. They maintain that God created only to bless, and\nthat, in pursuance of that purpose, he sent his Son to \u201cbe for salvation\nto the ends of the earth;\u201d that Christ\u2019s kingdom is moral in its nature,\nand extends to moral beings in every state or mode of existence; that the\nprobation of man is not confined to the present life, but extends through\nthe mediatorial reign; and that, as Christ died for all, so, before he\nshall have delivered up the kingdom to the Father, all shall be brought to\na participation of the knowledge and enjoyment of that truth which maketh\nfree from the bondage of sin and death. They believe in a general\nresurrection and judgment, when those who have improved their probation in\nthis life will be raised to more perfect felicity, and those who have\nmisimproved their opportunities on earth will come forward to shame and\ncondemnation, which will continue till they become truly penitent; that\npunishment itself is a mediatorial work, a discipline, perfectly\nconsistent with mercy; that it is a means, employed by Christ to humble\nand subdue the stubborn will, and prepare the mind to receive a\nmanifestation of the goodness of God, which leadeth the sinner to true\nrepentance. (See Gen. 12:3; 22:18. Gal. 3:8. Isa. 45:22, 23. Phil. 2:10,\n11. Rev. 5:13. 1 Tim. 2:1-6. Col. 1:20. Eph. 1:7-11. Rom. 5:12-21; 8:20,\n21. 1 Cor. 15:24-28.)\n\nThey contend that this doctrine is not only sustained by particular texts,\nbut grows necessarily out of some of the first principles of divine\nrevelation. They maintain that it is immediately connected with the\nperfections of the Deity; that God, being infinitely benevolent, must have\ndesired the happiness of all his offspring; that his infinite wisdom would\nenable him to form a perfect plan, and his almighty power will secure its\naccomplishment. They contend that the mission of Christ is abortive on any\nother plan, and that nothing short of the \u201crestitution of all things\u201d can\nsatisfy the ardent desires of every pious soul. On this system alone can\nthey reconcile the attributes of justice and mercy, and secure to the\nAlmighty a character worthy of our imitation.\n\nThey insist that the words rendered _everlasting_, _eternal_, and\n_forever_, which are, in a few instances, applied to the misery of the\nwicked, do not prove that misery to be endless, because these terms are\nloose in their signification, and are frequently used in a limited sense;\nthat the original terms, being often used in the plural number, clearly\ndemonstrate that the period, though indefinite, is limited in its very\nnature. They maintain that the meaning of the term must always be sought\nin the subject to which it is applied, and that there is nothing in the\nnature of punishment which will justify an endless sense. They believe\nthat the doctrine of the restoration is the most consonant to the\nperfections of the Deity, the most worthy of the character of Christ, and\nthe only doctrine which will accord with pious and devout feelings, or\nharmonize with the Scriptures. They teach their followers that ardent love\nto God, active benevolence to man, and personal meekness and purity, are\nthe natural results of these views.\n\nThough the Restorationists, as a separate sect, have arisen within a few\nyears, their sentiments are by no means new. Clemens Alexandrinus, Origen,\nDidymus of Alexandria, Gregory Nyssen, and several others, among the\nChristian fathers of the first four centuries, it is said, believed and\nadvocated the restoration of all fallen intelligences. A branch of the\nGerman Baptists, before the reformation, held this doctrine, and\npropagated it in Germany. Since the reformation, this doctrine has had\nnumerous advocates; and some of them have been among the brightest\nornaments of the church. Among the Europeans, we may mention the names of\nJeremy White, of Trinity College, Dr. Burnet, Dr. Cheyne, Chevalier\nRamsay, Dr. Hartley, Bishop Newton, Mr. Stonehouse, Mr. Petitpierre, Dr.\nCogan, Mr. Lindsey, Dr. Priestley, Dr. Jebb, Mr. Relly, Mr. Kenrick, Mr.\nBelsham, Dr. Southworth, Smith, and many others. In fact, the restoration\nis the commonly-received doctrine among the English Unitarians at the\npresent day. In Germany, a country which, for several centuries, has taken\nthe lead in all theological reforms, the Orthodox have espoused this\ndoctrine. The restoration was introduced into America about the middle of\nthe eighteenth century, though it was not propagated much till about 1775\nor 1780, when John Murray and Elhanan Winchester became public advocates\nof this doctrine, and by their untiring labors extended it in every\ndirection. From that time to the present, many men have been found, in all\nparts of our country, who have rejoiced in this belief. This doctrine\nfound able advocates in the learned Dr. Chauncy, of Boston, Dr. Rush, of\nPhiladelphia, and Dr. Smith, of New York: Mr. Foster, of New Hampshire,\nmay also be mentioned as an advocate of the restoration.\n\nMost of the writers whose names are given above, did not belong to a sect\nwhich took the distinctive name of Restorationists. They were found in the\nranks of the various sects into which the Christian world has been\ndivided. And those who formed a distinct sect were more frequently\ndenominated Universalists than Restorationists. In 1785, a convention was\norganized at Oxford, Massachusetts, under the auspices of Messrs.\nWinchester and Murray. And as all who had embraced universal salvation\nbelieved that the effects of sin and the means of grace extended into a\nfuture life, the terms _Restorationist_ and _Universalist_ were then used\nas synonymous; and those who formed that convention adopted the latter as\ntheir distinctive name.\n\nDuring the first twenty-five years, the members of the Universalist\nconvention were believers in a future retribution. But, about the year\n1818, Hosea Ballou, now of Boston, advanced the doctrine that all\nretribution is confined to this world. That sentiment, at first, was\nfounded upon the old Gnostic notion that all sin originates in the flesh,\nand that death frees the soul from all impurity. Subsequently, some of the\nadvocates for the no-future punishment scheme adopted the doctrine of\nmaterialism, and hence maintained that the soul was mortal; that the whole\nman died a temporal death, and that the resurrection was the grand event\nwhich would introduce all men into heavenly felicity.\n\nThose who have since taken to themselves the name of Restorationists,\nviewed these innovations as corruptions of the gospel, and raised their\nvoices against them. But a majority of the convention having espoused\nthose sentiments, no reformation could be effected. The Restorationists,\nbelieving these errors to be increasing, and finding in the connection\nwhat appeared to them to be a want of engagedness in the cause of true\npiety, and in some instances an open opposition to the organization of\nchurches, and finding that a spirit of levity and bitterness characterized\nthe public labors of their brethren, and that practices were springing up\ntotally repugnant to the principles of Congregationalism, resolved to obey\nthe apostolic injunction, by coming out from among them, and forming an\nindependent association. Accordingly a convention, consisting of Rev. Paul\nDean, Rev. David Pickering, Rev. Charles Hudson, Rev. Adin Ballou, Rev.\nLyman Maynard, Rev. Nathaniel Wright, Rev. Philemon R. Russell, and Rev.\nSeth Chandler, and several laymen, met at Mendon, Massachusetts, August\n17, 1831, and formed themselves into a distinct sect, and took the name of\n_Universal Restorationists_.\n\nThe Restorationists are Congregationalists on the subject of church\ngovernment.\n\nThe difference between the Restorationists and Universalists relates\nprincipally to the subject of a future retribution. The Universalists\nbelieve that a full and perfect retribution takes place in this world,\nthat our conduct here cannot affect our future condition, and that the\nmoment man exists after death, he will be as pure and as happy as the\nangels. From these views the Restorationists dissent. They maintain that a\njust retribution does not take place in time; that the conscience of the\nsinner becomes callous, and does not increase in the severity of its\nreprovings with the increase of guilt; that men are invited to act with\nreference to a future life; that, if all are made perfectly happy at the\ncommencement of the next state of existence, they are not rewarded\naccording to their deeds; that, if death introduces them into heaven, they\nare saved by death, and not by Christ; and if they are made happy by being\nraised from the dead, they are saved by physical, and not by moral means,\nand made happy without their agency or consent; that such a sentiment\nweakens the motives to virtue, and gives force to the temptations of vice;\nthat it is unreasonable in itself, and opposed to many passages of\nScripture. (See Acts 24:25; 17:30, 31. Heb. 9:27, 28. Matt. 11:23, 24. 2\nPet. 2:9. 2 Cor. 5:8-11. John 5:28, 29. Matt. 10:28. Luke 12:4, 5;\n16:19-31. 1 Pet. 3:18-20.)\n\n\n\n\n\nUNIVERSALISTS.\n\n\nThe grand distinguishing characteristic of this class of Christians is\ntheir belief in the final holiness and happiness of the whole human\nfamily. Some of them believe that all punishment for sin is endured in the\npresent state of existence, while others believe it extends into the\nfuture life; but all agree that it is administered in a spirit of\nkindness, is intended for the good of those who experience it, and that it\nwill finally terminate, and be succeeded by a state of perfect and endless\nholiness and happiness.\n\n\n\n\nDoctrine.\n\n\nThe following is the \u201cProfession of Belief,\u201d adopted by the General\nConvention of Universalists in the United States, at the session holden in\n1803. It has never been altered, and it is perfectly satisfactory to the\ndenomination.\n\n\n    \u201cART. I. We believe that the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New\n    Testaments contain a revelation of the character of God, and of\n    the duty, interest, and final destination, of mankind.\n\n    \u201cART. II. We believe that there is one God, whose nature is love;\n    revealed in one Lord Jesus Christ, by one Holy Spirit of grace,\n    who will finally restore the whole family of mankind to holiness\n    and happiness.\n\n    \u201cART. III. We believe that holiness and true happiness are\n    inseparably connected, and that believers ought to be careful to\n    maintain order, and practise good works; for these things are good\n    and profitable unto men.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nHistory.\n\n\nUniversalists claim that the salvation of all men was taught by Jesus\nChrist and his apostles. It was also taught and defended by several of the\nmost eminent Christian fathers; such as Clemens Alexandrinus, Origen, &c.\nIn the third and fourth centuries, this doctrine prevailed extensively,\nand, for aught which appears to the contrary, was then accounted orthodox.\nIt was at length condemned, however, by the fifth general council, A. D.\n553; after which, we find few traces of it through the dark ages, so\ncalled.\n\nIt revived at the period of the reformation, and since that time has found\nmany able and fearless advocates;\u2014in Switzerland, Petitpierre and Lavater;\nin Germany, Seigvolk, Everhard, Steinbart, and Semler; in Scotland,\nPurves, Douglass, and T. S. Smith; in England, Coppin, Jeremy White, Dr.\nH. More, Dr. T. Burnet, Whiston, Hartley, Bishop Newton, Stonehouse,\nBarbauld, Lindsey, Priestley, Belsham, Carpenter, Relly, Vidler, Scarlett,\nand many others.\n\nAt the present day, Universalism prevails more extensively than elsewhere\nin England, Germany, and the United States.\n\nIn England, the Unitarian divines, generally, believe in the final\nsalvation of all men. Dr. Lant Carpenter says, \u201cMost of us, however,\nbelieve that a period will come to each individual, when punishment shall\nhave done its work\u2014when the awful sufferings with which the gospel\nthreatens the impenitent and disobedient, will have humbled the stubborn,\npurified the polluted, and eradicated malignity, impiety, hypocrisy, and\nevery evil disposition; that a period will come (which it may be the\nunspeakable bliss of those who enter the joy of their Lord to accelerate,\nwhich, at least, it will be their delight to anticipate,) when he who\n\u2018must reign till he hath put _all enemies_ under his feet,\u2019 \u2018shall have\nput down all rule, and all authority, and power.\u2019 \u2018The LAST ENEMY, death,\nshall be DESTROYED.\u2019 \u2018Every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is\nLord, to the glory of God the Father,\u2019 \u2018who wills that all men should be\nsaved, and come to the knowledge of the truth,\u2019\u2014that truth which\nsanctifies the heart,\u2014that knowledge which is life eternal,\u2014and God shall\nbe ALL IN ALL.\u201d\n\nIn Germany, nearly every theologian is a believer in the final salvation\nof all men. Speaking of Professor Tholuck, Professor Sears says, \u201cThe most\npainful disclosures remain yet to be made. This distinguished and\nexcellent man, in common with the _great majority of the Evangelical\ndivines_ of Germany, though he professes to have serious doubts, and is\ncautious in avowing the sentiment, believes that all men and fallen\nspirits will finally be saved.\u201d Mr. Dwight, in his recent publication,\nsays, \u201cThe doctrine of the eternity of future punishments is almost\nuniversally rejected. I have seen but one person in Germany who believed\nit, and but one other whose mind was wavering on this subject.\u201d\nUniversalism may, therefore, be considered the prevailing religion in\nGermany.\n\nIn the United States, Universalism was little known until about the middle\nof the last century; and afterwards it found but few advocates during\nseveral years. Dr. George de Benneville, of Germantown, Penn., Rev.\nRichard Clarke, of Charleston, S. C., and Jonathan Mayhew, D. D., of\nBoston, were, perhaps, the only individuals who publicly preached the\ndoctrine before the arrival of Rev. John Murray, in 1770. Mr. Murray\nlabored almost alone until 1780, when Rev. Elhanan Winchester, a popular\nBaptist preacher, embraced Universalism, though on different principles.\nAbout ten years afterwards, Rev. Hosea Ballou embraced the same doctrine,\nbut on principles different from those advocated by Mr. Murray or Mr.\nWinchester. To the efforts of these three men is to be attributed much of\nthe success which attended the denomination in its infancy. Although they\ndiffered widely from each other in their views of punishment, yet they\nlabored together in harmony and love, for the advancement of the cause\nwhich was dear to all their hearts. The seed which they sowed has since\nproduced an abundant harvest.\n\nThe ministry of the Universalist denomination in the United States,\nhitherto, has been provided for, not so much by the means of schools, as\nby the unaided, but irresistible influence of the gospel of Christ. This\nhas furnished the denomination with its most successful preachers. It has\nturned them from other sects and doctrines, and brought them out from\nforests and fields, and from secular pursuits of almost every kind, and\ndriven them, with inadequate literary preparation, to the work of\ndisseminating the truth. This state of things has been unavoidable, and\nthe effect of it is visible. It has made the ministry of the Universalist\ndenomination very different from that of any other sect in the country;\nstudious of the Scriptures, confident in the truth of their distinguishing\ndoctrine, zealous, firm, industrious; depending more on the truths\ncommunicated for their success, than on the manner in which they are\nstated. It has had the effect, also, to give the ministry a polemic\ncharacter\u2014the natural result of unwavering faith in the doctrine believed,\nand of an introduction into the desk without scholastic training. But the\nattention of the denomination, in various parts of the country, has of\nlate been turned to the education of the ministry; and conventions and\nassociations have adopted resolves requiring candidates to pass\nexaminations in certain branches of literature. The same motives have\ngoverned many in their effort to establish literary and theological\ninstitutions. The desire to have the ministry respectable for literary\nacquirements, is universal.\n\nA few years since, a small number separated from the denomination, and\nadopted the appellation of _Restorationists_. To prevent misapprehension,\nit may be repeated, that, although a few have thus seceded, yet a\ndifference of opinion in regard to the duration of punishment has not\ndisturbed the harmony of the denomination generally, nor is it regarded as\nsufficient cause for breach of fellowship, or alienation of heart and\naffection.\n\nThe Universalists quote the following texts of Scripture, among others, in\nsupport of their sentiments:\u2014Gen. 22:18. Ps. 22:27; 86:9. Isa. 25:6, 7, 8;\n45:23, 24. Jer. 31:33, 34. Lam. 3:31-33. John 12:32. Acts 3:31. Rom. 5:18,\n21; 8:33, 39; 11:25-36. 1 Cor. 15:22-28, and 51-57. 2 Cor. 5:18, 19. Gal.\n3:8. Eph. 1:9, 10. Phil. 2:9-11. Col. 1:19, 29. 1 Tim. 2:1-6. Heb. 8:10,\n11. Rev. 5:13; 21:3, 4.\n\n                  -------------------------------------\n\nWe copy the following from the _Trumpet and Universalist Magazine_ of June\n4, 1836. It is by the Rev. HOSEA BALLOU, of Boston, in answer to the\nquestion, \u201cWho are Universalists?\u201d\n\n\u201cThere seems to be an evident propriety in calling all who believe in the\nfinal holiness and happiness of all mankind, _Universalists_. There\nappears no good reason why those who believe in a limited punishment, in\nthe future state, should have a less or a greater claim to be called\nUniversalists, than those who entertain a hope that all sin and misery end\nwhen the functions of life cease in the mortal body. As they both agree in\nthe belief that God is the Savior of all men, if this belief entitle one\nto the name of Universalist, of course it gives the other the same title.\nThe Rev. John Murray was called a Universalist, and he called himself by\nthis name, although he admitted there might be suffering hereafter, in\nconsequence of blindness or unbelief. It is true, he did not allow that\nthe sinner was punished for sin, either here or in the future world, in\nhis own person, because he maintained that the whole penalty of the divine\nlaw, for the sin of the whole world, was suffered by the Lord Jesus, as\nthe head of every man. He allowed, notwithstanding, that the natural\nconsequences of sin would inevitably follow transgression, as we see is\nthe case by every day\u2019s observation. So, likewise, was the Rev. Elhanan\nWinchester called a Universalist, and he called himself so, although his\nviews respecting a state of retribution, and the sufferings to which the\nwicked in the world to come will be subjected, were widely different from\nthose entertained by Mr. Murray. Mr. Winchester believed in a place of\nmaterial fire and brimstone, where the wicked would endure a torment as\nintense as has been represented by those Christians who believe in endless\nmisery. But, as he believed that all these sufferings will end, though\nthey might continue for many thousand years, and that those miserable\nwretches will at last be subdued and reconciled to the divine government,\nand be happy, he was denominated a Universalist.\n\n\u201cThe Rev. Dr. Huntington is ranked a Universalist, equally with those who\nhave been named; but he believed in no punishment hereafter, being\nCalvinistic in his views of the demerit of sin, and of the atonement made\nby Christ.\n\n\u201cFrom the commencement of the denomination of Univeralists in this\ncountry, there has been a difference of opinion respecting the doctrine of\nrewards and punishments, among both the clergy and the laity belonging to\nthe connection. But this difference was not considered, in those times, a\ngood reason for a distinction of either name, denomination, or fellowship.\nAll united in the cheering hope that, in the fulness of the dispensation\nof times, sin will be finished, transgression ended, and all moral\nintelligences reconciled to God, in true holiness and everlasting\nhappiness. A view so grand and glorious, so full of comfort, of joy, and\nof peace, and so triumphant, was sufficiently powerful to draw together\nall who enjoyed it, and to hold them together as a denomination distinct\nfrom all those who hold the unmerciful doctrine of endless punishment.\n\n\u201cWhen the General Convention of the New England States, professing the\ndoctrine of universal salvation, appointed a committee to draft articles\nof faith and a constitution, by which it might be known and distinguished\nfrom other religious sects, care was taken to appoint on that committee\nbrethren whose views differed respecting the subject of a future state of\nrewards and punishments. The worthy and fondly-remembered brother Walter\nFerriss, who penned that instrument, was a believer in future rewards and\npunishments; but he so wrote that confession of faith as to comprehend the\nfull belief of universal salvation, without making any distinction between\nthe belief of future punishment, or no future punishment. And it is well\nremembered that this circumstance was, at the time of accepting the report\nof the committee, viewed as one of its excellences.\n\n\u201cIt seems improper to give so much weight to different opinions, which\ndiffer not in principle, but in circumstances only, as to constitute them\nwalls of separation and disfellowship. If one believe that all misery ends\nwith this mortal state, and another believe that it may continue twenty\nyears after, and then come to an end, is there any real difference as to\nprinciple? All believe that our heavenly Father holds all times and\nseasons, and all events, in his own power, and that he worketh all things\nafter the counsel of his own will. And, moreover, all believe that God\nwill have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the\ntruth. This constitutes us all Universalists, and calls on us to keep the\nunity of the spirit, and to walk in the bonds of peace.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n\nROMAN CATHOLICS.\n\n\nThe following Creeds and Rule of Faith contain the fundamental principles\nof the Latin or Roman church.\n\nApostles\u2019 Creed.\n\n\n    \u201cI believe in God the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and\n    earth; and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was\n    conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered\n    under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he\n    descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he\n    ascended into heaven, sitteth at the right hand of God the Father\n    almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the living and the\n    dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy Catholic church; the\n    communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of\n    the body; and life everlasting. AMEN.\u201d\n\n\nIt is doubtful who composed the above Creed. It was not in common use in\nthe church until the end of the fifth century. See _King\u2019s History of the\nApostles\u2019 Creed_.\n\nThe Symbol, Or Creed Of St. Athanasius.\n\n\n    \u201cWhosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that\n    he hold the Catholic faith;\n\n    \u201cWhich faith except every one do keep entire and inviolate,\n    without doubt he shall perish everlastingly.\n\n    \u201cNow, the Catholic faith is this\u2014that we worship one God in\n    Trinity, and Trinity in Unity.\n\n    \u201cNeither confounding the persons, nor dividing the substance.\n\n    \u201cFor one is the person of the Father, another of the Son, another\n    of the Holy Ghost.\n\n    \u201cBut the Godhead of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy\n    Ghost, is all one, the glory equal, the majesty co-eternal.\n\n    \u201cSuch as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy\n    Ghost.\n\n    \u201cThe Father is uncreated, the Son is uncreated, and the Holy Ghost\n    uncreated.\n\n    \u201cThe Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, and the\n    Holy Ghost incomprehensible.\n\n    \u201cThe Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Ghost eternal.\n\n    \u201cAnd yet they are not three Eternals, but one Eternal.\n\n    \u201cAs also they are not three Uncreated, nor three\n    Incomprehensibles; but one Uncreated, and one Incomprehensible.\n\n    \u201cIn like manner, the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, and the\n    Holy Ghost almighty.\n\n    \u201cAnd yet they are not three Almighties, but one Almighty.\n\n    \u201cSo the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God.\n\n    \u201cAnd yet they are not three Gods, but one God.\n\n    \u201cSo likewise the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, and the Holy\n    Ghost is Lord.\n\n    \u201cAnd yet they are not three Lords, but one Lord,\n\n    \u201cFor, as we are compelled by the Christian truth to acknowledge\n    every person by himself to be God and Lord,\n\n    \u201cSo we are forbidden by the Catholic religion to say there are\n    three Gods or three Lords.\n\n    \u201cThe Father is made of no one, neither created nor begotten.\n\n    \u201cThe Son is from the Father alone, not made, nor created, but\n    begotten.\n\n    \u201cThe Holy Ghost is from the Father and the Son, not made, nor\n    created, nor begotten, but proceeding.\n\n    \u201cSo there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three\n    Sons; one Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts.\n\n    \u201cAnd in this Trinity there is nothing before or after, nothing\n    greater or less; but the whole three Persons are co-eternal to one\n    another, and co\u00ebqual.\n\n    \u201cSo that in all things, as has been already said above, the Unity\n    is to be worshipped in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity.\n\n    \u201cHe, therefore, that will be saved, must thus think of the\n    Trinity.\n\n    \u201cFurthermore, it is necessary to everlasting salvation, that he\n    also believe rightly the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.\n\n    \u201cNow, the right faith is, that we believe and confess that our\n    Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is both God and Man.\n\n    \u201cHe is God of the substance of his Father, begotten before the\n    world; and he is Man of the substance of his mother, born in the\n    world.\n\n    \u201cPerfect God and perfect Man; of a rational soul, and human flesh\n    subsisting.\n\n    \u201cEqual to the Father according to his Godhead, and less than the\n    Father according to his Manhood.\n\n    \u201cWho, although he be both God and Man, yet he is not two, but one\n    Christ.\n\n    \u201cOne, not by the conversion of the Godhead into flesh, but by the\n    taking of the Manhood unto God.\n\n    \u201cOne altogether, not by confusion of substance, but by unity of\n    person.\n\n    \u201cFor as the rational soul and the flesh is one man, so God and Man\n    is one Christ.\n\n    \u201cWho suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, rose again\n    the third day from the dead.\n\n    \u201cHe ascended into heaven: he sitteth at the right hand of God the\n    Father almighty; thence he shall come to judge the living and\n    dead.\n\n    \u201cAt whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies, and\n    shall give an account of their own works.\n\n    \u201cAnd they that have done good shall go into life everlasting, and\n    they that have done evil into everlasting fire.\n\n    \u201cThis is the Catholic faith, which except a man believe faithfully\n    and steadfastly, he cannot be saved.\n\n    \u201cGlory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As\n    it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, one God, world\n    without end. AMEN.\u201d\n\n\nThis Creed is said to have been drawn up in the fourth century. \u201cIt\nobtained in France about A. D. 850, and was received in Spain and Germany\nabout one hundred and eighty years later. We have clear proofs of its\nbeing sung alternately in the English churches in the tenth century. It\nwas in common use in some parts of Italy in 960, and was received at Rome\nabout A. D. 1014.\u201d This Creed is retained by the church of England, but\nthe Protestant Episcopal churches in the United States have rejected it.\n\nThe Nicene Creed.\n\n\u201cCredo in unum Deum, Patrem omnipotentem, Factorem c\u0153li et terr\u00e6,\nvisibilium omnium et invisibilium. Et in unum Dominum Jesum Christum,\nFilium Dei unigenitum. Et ex Patre natum, ante omnia s\u00e6cula. Deum de Deo,\nLumen de Lumine, Deum verum de Deo vero, genitum, non factum;\nconsubstantialem Patri, per quem omnia facta sunt. Qui propter nos\nhomines, et propter nostram salutem, descendit de c\u0153lis. Et incarnatus est\nde Spiritu Sancto ex Maria Virgine; ET HOMO FACTUS EST: crucifixus etiam\npro nobis sub Pontio Pilato, passus, et sepultus est. Et resurrexit tertia\ndie, secundum Scripturas. Et ascendit in c\u0153lum, sedet ad dexteram Patris.\nEt iterum venturus est cum gloria judicare vivos et mortuos: cujus regni\nnon erit finis. Et in Spiritum Sanctum, Dominum et Vivificantem; qui ex\nPatre Filioque procedit. Qui cum Patre et Filio simul adoratur et\nconglorificatur; qui locutus est per Prophetas. Et unam Sanctam,\nCatholicam, et Apostolicam Ecclesiam. Confiteor unum Baptisma, in\nremissionem peccatorum. Et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum. Et vitam\nventuri s\u00e6culi. Amen.\u201d\n\n\n    Translation.\n\n    \u201cI believe in one God, the Father almighty, Maker of heaven and\n    earth, of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus\n    Christ, the only-begotten Son of God. And born of the Father,\n    before all ages. God of God, Light of Light, true God of true God,\n    begotten, not made; consubstantial to the Father, by whom all\n    things were made. Who for us men, and for our salvation, came down\n    from heaven. And was incarnated by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin\n    Mary; AND HE WAS MADE MAN: was crucified also under Pontius\n    Pilate; he suffered, and was buried. And the third day he rose\n    again, according to the Scriptures. And he ascended into heaven.\n    Sits at the right hand of the Father. And he is to come again with\n    glory to judge the living and the dead; of whose kingdom there\n    shall be no end. And in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of\n    Life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who, together with\n    the Father and the Son, is adored and glorified; who spoke by the\n    Prophets. And One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolical Church. I\n    confess one Baptism, for the remission of sins. And I look for the\n    resurrection of the dead; and the life of the world to come.\n    Amen.\u201d\n\n\nThis Creed was adopted at Constantinople, A. D. 381. It is used in the\nProtestant Episcopal churches in England, and occasionally in those of the\nUnited States.\n\nThe foregoing Creeds are copied from Catholic books.\n\n                  -------------------------------------\n\nThe Catholics, both in Europe and America, acknowledge the following Rule\nis \u201call that, and only that, belongs to Catholic belief, which is revealed\nin the word of God, and which is proposed by the Catholic church to all\nits members to be believed with divine faith.\u201d\n\n\u201cGuided by this certain criterion,\u201d they say, \u201cwe profess to believe,\n\n1. \u201cThat Christ has established a church upon earth, and that this church\nis that which holds communion with the see of Rome, being one, holy,\nCatholic, and apostolical.\n\n2. \u201cThat we are obliged to hear this church; and, therefore, that she is\ninfallible, by the guidance of Almighty God, in her decisions regarding\nfaith.\n\n3. \u201cThat St. Peter, by divine commission, was appointed the head of this\nchurch, under Christ, its Founder; and that the pope, or bishop of Rome,\nas successor to St. Peter, has always been, and is, at present, by divine\nright, head of this church.\n\n4. \u201cThat the canon of the Old and New Testament, as proposed to us by this\nchurch, is the word of God; as also such traditions, belonging to faith\nand morals, which, being originally delivered by Christ to his apostles,\nhave been preserved by constant succession.\n\n5. \u201cThat honor and veneration are due to the angels of God and his saints;\nthat they offer up prayers to God for us; that it is good and profitable\nto have recourse to their intercession; and that the relics, or earthly\nremains, of God\u2019s particular servants, are to be held in respect.\n\n6. \u201cThat no sins ever were, or can be, remitted, unless by the mercy of\nGod, through Jesus Christ; and, therefore, that man\u2019s justification is the\nwork of divine grace.\n\n7. \u201cThat the good works which we do, receive their whole value from the\ngrace of God; and that, by such works, we not only comply with the\nprecepts of the divine law, but that we thereby likewise merit eternal\nlife.\n\n8. \u201cThat, by works done in the spirit of penance, we can make satisfaction\nto God for the temporal punishment which often remains due, after our\nsins, by the divine goodness, have been forgiven us.\n\n9. \u201cThat Christ has left to his church a power of granting indulgences,\nthat is, a relaxation from such temporal chastisement only, as remains due\nafter the divine pardon of sin; and that the use of such indulgences is\nprofitable to sinners.\n\n10. \u201cThat there is a purgatory, or middle state; and that the souls of\nimperfect Christians, therein detained, are helped by the prayers of the\nfaithful.\n\n11. \u201cThat there are seven sacraments, all instituted by Christ\u2014baptism,\nconfirmation, eucharist, penance, extreme unction, holy order, matrimony.\n\n12. \u201cThat, in the most holy sacrament of the eucharist, there is truly,\nreally, and substantially, the body and blood, together with the soul and\ndivinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ.\n\n13. \u201cThat, in this sacrament, there is, by the omnipotence of God, a\nconversion, or change, of the whole substance of the bread into the body\nof Christ, and of the whole substance of the wine into his blood, which\nchange we call TRANSUBSTANTIATION.\n\n14. \u201cThat, under either kind, Christ is received whole and entire.\n\n15. \u201cThat, in the mass, or sacrifice of the altar, is offered to God a\ntrue, proper, and propitiatory, sacrifice for the living and the dead.\n\n16. \u201cThat, in the sacrament of penance, the sins we fall into after\nbaptism are, by the divine mercy, forgiven us.\n\n\u201cThese are the great points of Catholic belief, by which we are\ndistinguished from other Christian societies; and these, only, are the\nreal and essential tenets of our religion. We admit, also, the other grand\narticles of revealed and natural religion, which the gospel and the light\nof reason have manifested to us. To these we submit, as men and as\nChristians, and to the former as obedient children of the Catholic\nchurch.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n\nBEREANS.\n\n\nThe Bereans are a sect of Protestant dissenters from the church of\nScotland, who take their title from, and profess to follow the example of,\nthe ancient Bereans, in building their system of faith and practice upon\nthe Scriptures alone, without regard to any human authority whatever. The\nBereans first assembled, as a separate society of Christians, in the city\nof Edinburgh, in the autumn of 1773. Mr. Barclay, a Scotch clergyman, was\nthe founder of this sect.\n\nThe Bereans agree with the great majority of Christians respecting the\ndoctrine of the Trinity, which they hold as a fundamental article; and\nthey also agree, in a great measure, with the professed principles of our\nOrthodox churches, respecting predestination and election, though they\nallege that these doctrines are not consistently taught. But they differ\nfrom the majority of all sects of Christians in various other important\nparticulars, such as,\u2014\n\n1. Respecting our knowledge of the Deity. Upon this subject, they say the\nmajority of professed Christians stumble at the very threshold of\nrevelation; and, by admitting the doctrine of natural religion, natural\nconscience, natural notices, &c., not founded upon revelation, or derived\nfrom it by tradition, they give up the cause of Christianity at once to\nthe infidels, who may justly argue, as Mr. Paine, in fact, does, in his\n\u201cAge of Reason,\u201d that there is no occasion for any revelation or word of\nGod, if man can discover his nature and perfections from his works alone.\nBut this, the Bereans argue, is beyond the natural powers of human reason;\nand, therefore, our knowledge of God is from revelation alone; and,\nwithout revelation, man would never have entertained an idea of his\nexistence.\n\n2. With regard to faith in Christ, and assurance of salvation through his\nmerits, they differ from almost all other sects whatsoever. These they\nreckon inseparable, or rather the same, because (they say) \u201cGod hath\nexpressly declared, He that believeth shall be saved; and, therefore, it\nis not only absurd, but impious, and, in a manner, calling God a liar, for\na man to say, \u2018I believe the gospel, but have doubts, nevertheless, of my\nown salvation.\u2019 \u201d With regard to the various distinctions and definitions\nthat have been given of different kinds of faith, they argue that there is\nnothing incomprehensible or obscure in the meaning of this word, as used\nin Scripture; but that, as faith, when applied to human testimony,\nsignifies neither more nor less than the mere simple belief of that\ntestimony as true, upon the authority of the testifier, so, when applied\nto the testimony of God, it signifies precisely \u201cthe belief of his\ntestimony, and resting upon his veracity alone, without any kind of\ncollateral support from concurrence of any other evidence or testimony\nwhatever.\u201d And they insist that, as this faith is the gift of God alone,\nso the person to whom it is given is as conscious of possessing it, as the\nbeing to whom God gives life is of being alive; and, therefore, he\nentertains no doubts, either of his faith, or his consequent salvation\nthrough the merits of Christ, who died and rose again for that purpose. In\na word, they argue that the gospel would not be what it is held forth to\nbe,\u2014glad tidings of great joy,\u2014if it did not bring full personal assurance\nof eternal salvation to the believer; which assurance, they insist, is the\npresent infallible privilege and portion of every individual believer of\nthe gospel.\n\n3. Consistently with the above definition of faith, they say that the sin\nagainst the Holy Ghost, which has alarmed and puzzled so many in all ages,\nis nothing else but unbelief; and that the expression, \u201cit shall not be\nforgiven, neither in this world nor that which is to come,\u201d means only\nthat a person dying in infidelity would not be forgiven, neither under the\nformer dispensation by Moses, (the then present dispensation, kingdom, or\ngovernment, of God,) nor under the gospel dispensation, which, in respect\nof the Mosaic, was a kind of future world, or kingdom to come.\n\n4. The Bereans interpret a great part of the Old Testament prophecies,\nand, in particular, the whole of the Psalms, excepting such as are merely\nhistorical or laudatory, to be typical or prophetical of Jesus Christ, his\nsufferings, atonement, mediation, and kingdom; and they esteem it a gross\nperversion of these psalms and prophecies, to apply them to the\nexperiences of private Christians. In proof of this, they not only urge\nthe words of the apostle, that no prophecy is of any private\ninterpretation, but they insist that the whole of the quotations from the\nancient prophecies in the New Testament, and particularly those from the\nPsalms, are expressly applied to Christ. In this opinion, many other\nclasses of Protestants agree with them.\n\n5. Of the absolute, all-superintending sovereignty of the Almighty, the\nBereans entertain the highest idea, as well as of the uninterrupted\nexertion thereof over all his works, in heaven, earth, and hell, however\nunsearchable by his creatures. A God without election, they argue, or\nchoice in all his works, is a God without existence, a mere idol, a\nnonentity. And to deny God\u2019s election, purpose, and express will, in all\nhis works, is to make him inferior to ourselves.\n\nThe Bereans consider infant baptism as a divine ordinance, instituted in\nthe room of circumcision, and think it absurd to suppose that infants,\nwho, all agree, are admissible to the kingdom of God in heaven, should,\nnevertheless, be incapable of being admitted into his visible church on\nearth.\n\nThey commemorate the Lord\u2019s supper generally once a month; but, as the\nwords of the institution fix no particular period, they sometimes\ncelebrate it oftener, and sometimes at more distant periods, as it may\nsuit their general convenience. They meet every Lord\u2019s day, for the\npurpose of preaching, praying, and exhorting to love and good works. With\nregard to admission and exclusion of members, their method is very simple:\nwhen any person, after hearing the Berean doctrines, professes his belief\nand assurance of the truths of the gospel, and desires to be admitted into\ntheir communion, he is cheerfully received, upon his profession, whatever\nmay have been his former manner of life. But, if such a one should\nafterwards draw back from his good profession or practice, they first\nadmonish him, and, if that has no effect, they leave him to himself. They\ndo not think that they have any power to deliver a backsliding brother to\nSatan; that text, and other similar passages, such as, \u201cWhatsoever ye\nshall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,\u201d &c., they consider as\nrestricted to the apostles, and to the inspired testimony alone, and not\nto be extended to any church on earth, or any number of churches, or of\nChristians, whether decided by a majority of votes, or by unanimous\nvoices. Neither do they think themselves authorized, as a Christian\nchurch, to inquire into each other\u2019s political opinions, any more than to\nexamine into each other\u2019s notions of philosophy.\n\nThey both recommend and practise, as a Christian duty, submission to\nlawful authority; but they do not think that a man, by becoming a\nChristian, or joining their society, is under any obligation, by the rules\nof the gospel, to renounce his right of private judgment upon matters of\npublic or private importance. Upon all such subjects, they allow each\nother to think and act as each may see it his duty; and they require\nnothing more of the members, than a uniform and steady profession of the\napostolic faith, and a suitable walk and conversation. (See Acts 17:11.\nRom. 10:9.)\n\nThe Berean doctrines have found converts in various parts of Europe and\nAmerica.\n\n\n\n\n\nMATERIALISTS.\n\n\nMaterialists are those who maintain that the soul of man is material, or\nthat the principle of perception and thought is not a substance distinct\nfrom the body, but the result of corporeal organization. There are others\ncalled by this name who have maintained that there is nothing but matter\nin the universe.\n\nThe followers of the late Dr. Priestley are considered as Materialists, or\nphilosophical Necessarians. According to the doctor\u2019s writings, he\nbelieved,\u2014\n\n1. That man is no more than what we now see of him; his being commenced at\nthe time of his conception, or perhaps at an earlier period. The corporeal\nand mental faculties, inhering in the same substance, grow, ripen, and\ndecay together; and whenever the system is dissolved, it continues in a\nstate of dissolution, till it shall please that Almighty Being who called\nit into existence, to restore it to life again. For if the mental\nprinciple were, in its own nature, immaterial and immortal, all its\npeculiar faculties would be so too; whereas we see that every faculty of\nthe mind, without exception, is liable to be impaired, and even to become\nwholly extinct, before death. Since, therefore, all the faculties of the\nmind, separately taken, appear to be mortal, the substance or principle,\nin which they exist, must be pronounced mortal too. Thus we might conclude\nthat the body was mortal, from observing that all the separate senses and\nlimbs were liable to decay and perish.\n\nThis system gives a real value to the doctrine of the resurrection from\nthe dead, which is peculiar to revelation; on which alone the sacred\nwriters build all our hope of future life; and it explains the uniform\nlanguage of the Scriptures, which speak of one day of judgment for all\nmankind, and represent all the rewards of virtue, and all the punishments\nof vice, as taking place at that awful day, and not before. In the\nScriptures, the heathen are represented as without hope, and all mankind\nas perishing at death, if there be no resurrection of the dead.\n\nThe apostle Paul asserts, in 1 Cor. 15:16, that \u201cif the dead rise not,\nthen is not Christ risen; and if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain,\nye are yet in your sins: then they also who are fallen asleep in Christ\nare perished.\u201d And again, verse 32, \u201cIf the dead rise not, let us eat and\ndrink, for to-morrow we die.\u201d In the whole discourse, he does not even\nmention the doctrine of happiness or misery without the body.\n\nIf we search the Scriptures for passages expressive of the state of man at\ndeath, we shall find such declarations as expressly exclude any trace of\nsense, thought, or enjoyment. (See Ps. 6:5. Job 14:7, &c.)\n\n2. That there is some fixed law of nature respecting the will, as well as\nthe other powers of the mind, and every thing else in the constitution of\nnature; and consequently that it is never determined without some real or\napparent cause foreign to itself, i. e., without some motive of choice; or\nthat motives influence us in some definite and invariable manner, so that\nevery volition, or choice, is constantly regulated and determined by what\nprecedes it; and this constant determination of mind, according to the\nmotives presented to it, is what is meant by its _necessary\ndetermination_. This being admitted to be fact, there will be a necessary\nconnection between all things past, present, and to come, in the way of\nproper cause and effect, as much in the intellectual as in the natural\nworld; so that, according to the established laws of nature, no event\ncould have been otherwise than it _has been_, or _is to be_, and therefore\nall things past, present, and to come, are precisely what the Author of\nNature really intended them to be, and has made provision for.\n\nTo establish this conclusion, nothing is necessary but that throughout all\nnature the same consequences should invariably result from the same\ncircumstances. For if this be admitted, it will necessarily follow that,\nat the commencement of any system, since the several parts of it, and\ntheir respective situations, were appointed by the Deity, the first change\nwould take place according to a certain rule established by himself, the\nresult of which would be a new situation; after which the same laws\ncontaining another change would succeed, according to the same rules, and\nso on forever; every new situation invariably leading to another, and\nevery event, from the commencement to the termination of the system, being\nstrictly connected, so that, unless the fundamental laws of the system\nwere changed, it would be impossible that any event should have been\notherwise than it was. In all these cases, the circumstances preceding any\nchange are called the causes of that change; and, since a determinate\nevent, or effect, constantly follows certain circumstances, or causes, the\nconnection between cause and effect is concluded to be invariable, and\ntherefore necessary.\n\nIt is universally acknowledged that there can be no effect without an\nadequate cause. This is even the foundation on which the only proper\nargument for the being of a God rests. And the Necessarian asserts that\nif, in any given state of mind, with respect both to dispositions and\nmotives, two different determinations, or volitions, be possible, it can\nbe on no other principle, than that one of them should come under the\ndescription of an effect without a cause; just as if the beam of a balance\nmight incline either way, though loaded with equal weights. And if any\nthing whatever\u2014even a thought in the mind of man\u2014could arise without an\nadequate cause, any thing else\u2014the mind itself, or the whole\nuniverse\u2014might likewise exist without an adequate cause.\n\nThis scheme of philosophical necessity implies a chain of causes and\neffects established by infinite wisdom, and terminating in the greatest\ngood of the whole universe; evils of all kinds, natural and moral, being\nadmitted, as far as they contribute to that end, or are in the nature of\nthings inseparable from it. Vice is productive, not of good, but of evil,\nto us, both here and hereafter, though good may result from it to the\nwhole system; and, according to the fixed laws of nature, our present and\nfuture happiness necessarily depends on our cultivating good dispositions.\n\n\n\n\n\nARMINIANS.\n\n\nThose persons who follow the doctrines of Arminius, who was pastor at\nAmsterdam, and afterwards professor of divinity at Leyden. Arminius had\nbeen educated in the opinions of Calvin; but, thinking the doctrine of\nthat great man, with regard to free will, predestination, and grace, too\nsevere, he began to express his doubts concerning them in the year 1591,\nand, upon further inquiry, adopted the sentiments of those whose religious\nsystem extends the love of the Supreme Being and the merits of Jesus\nChrist to all mankind.\n\nThe distinguishing tenets of the Arminians may be comprised in the five\nfollowing articles relative to predestination, universal redemption, the\ncorruption of man, conversion, and perseverance, viz.:\u2014\n\n\n    \u201c1. That God determined to bestow pardon and present salvation on\n    all who repent and believe in Christ, and final salvation on all\n    who persevere to the end, and to inflict everlasting punishment on\n    those who should continue in their unbelief, and resist his divine\n    succors; so that election was conditional, and reprobation, in\n    like manner, the result of foreseen infidelity and persevering\n    wickedness, (See Ezek. 18:30-32. Acts 17:24-30. Matt. 23:37. Rom.\n    2:4, 5; 5:18. 1 Tim. 11:1-4. 2 Pet. 1:10; 3:9.)\n\n    \u201c2. That Jesus Christ, by his sufferings and death, made an\n    atonement for the sins of all mankind in general, and of every\n    individual in particular; that, however, none but those who\n    believe in him can be partakers of divine benefits. (See John 2:2;\n    3:16, 17. Heb. 2:9. Isa. 50:19, 20. 1 Cor. 8:11.)\n\n    \u201c3. That true faith cannot proceed from the exercise of our\n    natural faculties and powers, nor from the force and operation of\n    free will; since man, in consequence of his natural corruption, is\n    incapable either of thinking or doing any good thing; and that,\n    therefore, it is necessary, in order to his conversion and\n    salvation, that he be regenerated and renewed by the operation of\n    the Holy Ghost, which is the gift of God through Jesus Christ.\n\n    \u201c4. That this divine grace, or energy, of the Holy Ghost, begins\n    and perfects every thing that can be called good in man, and,\n    consequently, all good works are to be attributed to God alone;\n    that, nevertheless, this grace is offered to all, and does not\n    force men to act against their inclinations, but may be resisted,\n    and rendered ineffectual, by the perverse will of the impenitent\n    sinner. Some modern Arminians interpret this and the last article\n    with a greater latitude. (See Isa. 1:16. Deut. 10:16. Eph. 4:22.)\n\n    \u201c5. That God gives to the truly faithful, who are regenerated by\n    his grace, the means of preserving themselves in this state.\u201d\n\n\nThe first Armenians, indeed, had some doubt with respect to the closing\npart of the latter article; but their followers uniformly maintain, \u201cthat\nthe regenerate may lose true, justifying faith, fall from a state of\ngrace, and die in their sins.\u201d (See Heb. 6:4-6. 2 Pet. 2:20, 21. Luke\n21:35. 2 Pet. 3:17.)\n\n\n\n\n\nMETHODISTS, OR THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH.\n\n\nThis denomination arose in England, in 1729, and derived their name from\nthe exact regularity of their lives. In 1741, they divided into two\nparties, under George Whitefield and John Wesley. The former adopted the\nsentiments of Calvin, and the latter those of Arminius. The Arminian class\ncompose the great body of Methodists in this country and in Great Britain.\nBoth of those men were eminently distinguished for the variety and extent\nof their labors.\n\nThe following are the articles of religion, as published in the \u201cDoctrines\nand Discipline of the Methodist Episcopal Church:\u201d\u2014\n\n\n    \u201c1. There is but one living and true God, everlasting, without\n    body or parts, of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness; the Maker\n    and Preserver of all things, visible and invisible. And in unity\n    of this Godhead, there are three persons, of one substance, power\n    and eternity\u2014the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.\n\n    \u201c2. The Son, who is the Word of the Father, the very and eternal\n    God, of one substance with the Father, took man\u2019s nature in the\n    womb of the blessed Virgin; so that two whole and perfect natures,\n    that is to say, the Godhead and manhood, were joined together in\n    one person, never to be divided, whereof is one Christ, very God\n    and very man, who truly suffered, was crucified, dead, and buried,\n    to reconcile his Father to us, and to be a sacrifice, not only for\n    original guilt, but also for the actual sins of men.\n\n    \u201c3. Christ did truly rise again from the dead, and took again his\n    body, with all things appertaining to the perfection of man\u2019s\n    nature, wherewith he ascended into heaven, and there sitteth,\n    until he return to judge all men at the last day.\n\n    \u201c4. The Holy Ghost, proceeding from the Father and the Son, is of\n    one substance, majesty, and glory, with the Father and the Son,\n    very and eternal God.\n\n    \u201c5. The holy Scriptures contain all things necessary to salvation;\n    so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby,\n    is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an\n    article of faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to\n    salvation. By the name of the holy Scriptures, we do understand\n    those canonical books of the Old and New Testament, of whose\n    authority was never any doubt in the church. [Here follow the\n    names of the canonical books of the Scriptures.]\n\n    \u201c6. The Old Testament is not contrary to the New; for, both in the\n    Old and New Testament, everlasting life is offered to mankind by\n    Christ, who is the only Mediator between God and man, being both\n    God and man. Wherefore they are not to be heard, who feign that\n    the old fathers did look only for transitory promises. Although\n    the law given from God by Moses, as touching ceremonies and rites,\n    doth not bind Christians, nor ought the civil precepts thereof of\n    necessity to be received in any commonwealth, yet,\n    notwithstanding, no Christian whatsoever is free from the\n    obedience of the commandments which are called moral.\n\n    \u201c7. Original sin standeth not in the following of Adam, (as the\n    Pelagians do vainly talk,) but it is the corruption of the nature\n    of every man, that naturally is engendered of the offspring of\n    Adam, whereby man is very far gone from original righteousness,\n    and of his own nature inclined to evil, and that continually.\n\n    \u201c8. The condition of man, after the fall of Adam, is such, that he\n    cannot turn and prepare himself, by his own natural strength and\n    works, to faith, and calling upon God; wherefore we have no power\n    to do good works, pleasant and acceptable to God, without the\n    grace of God by Christ preventing us, that we may have a good\n    will, and working with us when we have that good will.\n\n    \u201c9. We are accounted righteous before God, only for the merit of\n    our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by faith, and not for our own\n    works or deservings. Wherefore, that we are justified by faith\n    only, is a most wholesome doctrine, and very full of comfort.\n\n    \u201c10. Although good works, which are the fruits of faith, and\n    follow after justification, cannot put away our sins, and endure\n    the severity of God\u2019s judgments, yet are they pleasing and\n    acceptable to God in Christ, and spring out of a true and lively\n    faith, insomuch that by them a lively faith may be as evidently\n    known, as a tree is discerned by its fruit.\n\n    \u201c11. Voluntary works, being over and above God\u2019s commandments,\n    which are called works of supererogation, cannot be taught without\n    arrogancy and impiety. For by them men do declare that they do not\n    only render unto God as much as they are bound to do, but they do\n    more for his sake than of bounden duty is required; whereas Christ\n    saith plainly, \u2018When ye have done all that is commanded you, say,\n    We are unprofitable servants.\u2019\n\n    \u201c12. Not every sin willingly committed after justification, is the\n    sin against the Holy Ghost, and unpardonable. Wherefore, the grant\n    of repentance is not to be denied to such as fall into sin after\n    justification; after we have received the Holy Ghost, we may\n    depart from grace given, and fall into sin, and, by the grace of\n    God, rise again, and amend our lives. And, therefore, they are to\n    be condemned who say they can no more sin as long as they live\n    here, or deny the place of forgiveness to such as truly repent.\n\n    \u201c13. The visible church of Christ is a congregation of faithful\n    men, in which the pure word of God is preached, and the sacraments\n    duly administered according to Christ\u2019s ordinance, in all those\n    things that of necessity are requisite to the same.\n\n    \u201c14. The Romish doctrine concerning purgatory, pardon, worshipping\n    and adoration as well of images as of relics, and also invocation\n    of saints, is a fond thing, vainly invented, and grounded upon no\n    warrant of Scripture, but repugnant to the word of God.\n\n    \u201c15. It is a thing plainly repugnant to the word of God, and the\n    custom of the primitive church, to have public prayer in the\n    church, or to minister the sacraments, in a tongue not understood\n    by the people.\n\n    \u201c16. Sacraments ordained of Christ are not only badges or tokens\n    of Christian men\u2019s profession, but rather they are certain signs\n    of grace, and God\u2019s good-will towards us, by the which he doth\n    work invisibly in us, and doth not only quicken, but also\n    strengthen and confirm, our faith in him.\n\n    \u201cThere are two sacraments ordained of Christ our Lord to the\n    gospel; that is to say, baptism and the supper of the Lord.\n\n    \u201cThose five commonly called _sacraments_\u2014that is to say,\n    confirmation, penance, orders, matrimony, and extreme unction\u2014are\n    not to be counted for sacraments of the gospel, being such as have\n    partly grown out of the _corrupt_ following of the apostles, and\n    partly are states of life allowed in the Scriptures, but yet have\n    not the like nature of baptism and the Lord\u2019s supper, because they\n    have not any visible sign or ceremony ordained of God.\n\n    \u201cThe sacraments were not ordained of Christ to be gazed upon, or\n    to be carried about, but that we should duly use them. And in such\n    only as worthily receive the same, they have a wholesome effect or\n    operation; but they that receive them unworthily, purchase to\n    themselves condemnation, as St. Paul saith. (1 Cor. 11:29.)\n\n    \u201c17. Baptism is not only a sign of profession, and mark of\n    difference, whereby Christians are distinguished from others that\n    are not baptized, but it is also a sign of regeneration, or the\n    new birth. The baptism of young children is to be retained in the\n    church.\n\n    \u201c18. The supper of the Lord is not only a sign of the love that\n    Christians ought to have among themselves one to another, but\n    rather is a sacrament of our redemption by Christ\u2019s death;\n    insomuch that to such as rightly, worthily, and with faith,\n    receive the same, the bread which we break is a partaking of the\n    body of Christ, and likewise the cup of blessing is a partaking of\n    the blood of Christ.\n\n    \u201cTransubstantiation, or the change of the substance of bread and\n    wine in the supper of our Lord, cannot be proved by Holy Writ, but\n    is repugnant to the plain words of Scripture, overthroweth the\n    nature of a sacrament, and hath given occasion to many\n    superstitions.\n\n    \u201cThe body of Christ is given, taken, and eaten, in the supper,\n    only after a heavenly and scriptural manner. And the means whereby\n    the body of Christ is received and eaten in the supper, is faith.\n\n    \u201cThe sacrament of the Lord\u2019s supper was not by Christ\u2019s ordinance\n    reserved, carried about, lifted up, or worshipped.\n\n    \u201c19. The cup of the Lord is not to be denied to the lay people;\n    for both the parts of the Lord\u2019s supper, by Christ\u2019s ordinance and\n    commandment, ought to be administered to all Christians alike.\n\n    \u201c20. The offering of Christ, once made, is that perfect\n    redemption, propitiation, and satisfaction, for all the sins of\n    the whole world, both original and actual; and there is none other\n    satisfaction for sin but that alone. Wherefore the sacrifice of\n    masses, in the which it is commonly said that the priest doth\n    offer Christ for the quick and the dead, to have remission of pain\n    or guilt, is a blasphemous fable and dangerous deceit.\n\n    \u201c21. The ministers of Christ were not commanded by God\u2019s law\n    either to vow the estate of single life, or to abstract from\n    marriage; therefore it is lawful for them, as for all other\n    Christians, to marry at their own discretion, as they shall judge\n    the same to serve best to godliness.\n\n    \u201c22. It is not necessary that rites and ceremonies should in all\n    places be the same, or exactly alike; for they have been always\n    different, and may be changed according to the diversity of\n    countries, times, and men\u2019s manners, so that nothing be ordained\n    against God\u2019s word. Whosoever, through his private judgment,\n    willingly and purposely doth openly break the rites and ceremonies\n    of the church to which he belongs, which are not repugnant to the\n    word of God, and are ordained and approved by common authority,\n    ought to be rebuked openly, that others may fear to do the like,\n    as one that offendeth against the common order of the church, and\n    woundeth the consciences of weak brethren.\n\n    \u201cEvery particular church may ordain, change, and abolish, rites\n    and ceremonies, so that all things may be done to edification.\n\n    \u201c23. The president, the congress, the general assemblies, the\n    governors, and the councils of state, _as the delegates of the\n    people_, are the rulers of the United States of America according\n    to the division of power made to them by the Constitution of the\n    United States, and by the constitutions of their respective\n    states. And the said states are a sovereign and independent\n    nation, and ought not to be subject to any foreign\n    jurisdiction.(2)\n\n    \u201c24. The riches and goods of Christians are not common, as\n    touching the right, title, and possession, of the same, as some do\n    falsely boast. Notwithstanding every man ought, of such things as\n    he possesseth, liberally to give alms to the poor, according to\n    his ability.\n\n    \u201c25. As we confess that vain and rash swearing is forbidden\n    Christian men by our Lord Jesus Christ and James his apostle, so\n    we judge that the Christian religion doth not prohibit but that a\n    man may swear when the magistrate requireth, in a cause of faith\n    and charity, so it be done according to the prophet\u2019s teaching, in\n    justice, judgment, and truth.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n\nMETHODISTS, OR THE METHODIST PROTESTANT CHURCH.\n\n\nThe Protestant Methodists adhere to the Wesleyan Methodist doctrines, but\ndiscard certain parts of the discipline, particularly those concerning\nepiscopacy and the manner of constituting the general conference. They\nseceded from the _Methodist Episcopal Church_ in 1830, and formed a\nconstitution and discipline of their own.\n\nThe following preamble and articles precede the constitution:\u2014\n\n\n    \u201cWe, the representatives of the associated Methodist churches, in\n    general convention assembled, acknowledging the Lord Jesus Christ\n    as the only HEAD of the church, and the word of God as the\n    sufficient rule of faith and practice, in all things pertaining to\n    godliness, and being fully persuaded that the representative form\n    of church government is the most scriptural, best suited to our\n    condition, and most congenial with our views and feelings as\n    fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and\n    whereas, a written constitution, establishing the form of\n    government, and securing to the ministers and members of the\n    church their rights and privileges, is the best safeguard of\n    Christian liberty. We, therefore, trusting in the protection of\n    Almighty God, and acting in the name and by the authority of our\n    constituents, do ordain and establish, and agree to be governed\n    by, the following elementary principles and constitution:\u2014\n\n    \u201c1. A Christian church is a society of believers in Jesus Christ,\n    and is a divine institution.\n\n    \u201c2. Christ is the only Head of the church, and the word of God the\n    only rule of faith and conduct.\n\n    \u201c3. No person who loves the Lord Jesus Christ, and obeys the\n    gospel of God our Savior, ought to be deprived of church\n    membership.\n\n    \u201c4. Every man has an inalienable right to private judgment in\n    matters of religion, and an equal right to express his opinion in\n    any way which will not violate the laws of God, or the rights of\n    his fellow-men.\n\n    \u201c5. Church trials should be conducted on gospel principles only;\n    and no minister or member should be excommunicated except for\n    immorality, the propagation of unchristian doctrines, or for the\n    neglect of duties enjoined by the word of God.\n\n    \u201c6. The pastoral or ministerial office and duties are of divine\n    appointment, and all elders in the church of God are equal; but\n    ministers are forbidden to be lords over God\u2019s heritage, or to\n    have dominion over the faith of the saints.\n\n    \u201c7. The church has a right to form and enforce such rules and\n    regulations only as are in accordance with the holy Scriptures,\n    and may be necessary or have a tendency to carry into effect the\n    great system of practical Christianity.\n\n    \u201c8. Whatever power may be necessary to the formation of rules and\n    regulations, is inherent in the ministers and members of the\n    church; but so much of that power may be delegated, from time to\n    time, upon a plan of representation, as they may judge necessary\n    and proper.\n\n    \u201c9. It is the duty of all ministers and members of the church, to\n    maintain godliness, and to oppose all moral evil.\n\n    \u201c10. It is obligatory on ministers of the gospel to be faithful in\n    the discharge of their pastoral and ministerial duties, and it is\n    also obligatory on the members to esteem ministers highly for\n    their works\u2019 sake, and to render them a righteous compensation for\n    their labors.\n\n    \u201c11. The church ought to secure to all her official bodies the\n    necessary authority for the purposes of good government; but she\n    has no right to create any distinct or independent sovereignties.\u201d\n\n\nWe omit the constitution, as the preceding elementary principles\nsufficiently develop the peculiarities of this denomination.\n\n\n\n\n\nPROTESTANTS.\n\n\nA name first given, in Germany, to those who adhered to the doctrine of\nLuther; because, in 1529, they protested against a decree of the emperor\nCharles V., and the diet of Spires, declaring that they appealed to a\ngeneral council. The same name has also been given to the Calvinists, and\nis now become a common denomination for all sects which differ from the\nchurch of Rome.\n\n\n\n\n\nSABELLIANS.\n\n\nA sect, in the third century, that embraced the opinions of Sabellius, a\nphilosopher of Egypt, who openly taught that there is but one person in\nthe Godhead.\n\nThe Sabellians maintained that the Word and the Holy Spirit are only\nvirtues, emanations, or functions of the Deity, and held that he who is in\nheaven is the Father of all things; that he descended into the Virgin,\nbecame a child, and was born of her as a Son; and that, having\naccomplished the mystery of our salvation, he diffused himself on the\napostles in tongues of fire, and was then denominated the _Holy Ghost_.\nThis they explained by resembling God to the sun; the illuminated virtue\nor quality of which was the Word, and its warming virtue the Holy Spirit.\nThe Word, they taught, was darted, like a divine ray, to accomplish the\nwork of redemption; and that, being re-ascended to heaven, the influences\nof the Father were communicated after a like manner to the apostles.\n\n\n\n\n\nSANDEMANIANS.\n\n\nSo called from Mr. Robert Sandeman, a Scotchman, who published his\nsentiments in 1757. He afterwards came to America, and established\nsocieties at Boston, and other places in New England, and in Nova Scotia.\n\nThis sect arose in Scotland about the year 1728, where it is distinguished\nat the present day by the name of _Glassites_, after its founder, Mr. John\nGlass, a minister of the established church.\n\nThe Sandemanians consider that faith is neither more nor less than a\nsimple assent to the divine testimony concerning Jesus Christ, delivered\nfor the offences of men, and raised again for their justification, as\nrecorded in the New Testament, They also maintain that the word _faith_,\nor belief, is constantly used by the apostles to signify what is denoted\nby it in common discourse, viz., a persuasion of the truth of any\nproposition, and that there is no difference between believing any common\ntestimony and believing the apostolic testimony, except that which results\nfrom the testimony itself, and the divine authority on which it rests.\n\nThey differ from other Christians in their weekly administration of the\nLord\u2019s supper; their love-feasts, of which every member is not only\nallowed, but required, to partake, and which consist of their dining\ntogether at each other\u2019s houses in the interval between the morning and\nafternoon service; their kiss of charity, used on this occasion, at the\nadmission of a new member, and at other times, when they deem it necessary\nand proper; their weekly collection, before the Lord\u2019s supper, for the\nsupport of the poor, and defraying other expenses; mutual exhortation;\nabstinence from blood and things strangled; washing each other\u2019s feet,\nwhen, as a deed of mercy, it might be an expression of love, the precept\nconcerning which, as well as other precepts, they understand literally;\ncommunity of goods, so far as that every one is to consider all that he\nhas in his possession and power liable to the calls of the poor and the\nchurch; and the unlawfulness of laying up treasures upon earth, by setting\nthem apart for any distant, future, or uncertain use. They allow of public\nand private diversions, so far as they are not connected with\ncircumstances really sinful; but, apprehending a lot to be sacred,\ndisapprove of lotteries, playing at cards, dice, &c.\n\nThey maintain a plurality of elders, pastors, or bishops, in each church,\nand the necessity of the presence of two elders in every act of\ndiscipline, and at the administration of the Lord\u2019s supper.\n\nIn the choice of these elders, want of learning and engagement in trade\nare no sufficient objections, if qualified according to the instructions\ngiven to Timothy and Titus; but second marriages disqualify for the\noffice; and they are ordained by prayer and fasting, imposition of hands,\nand giving the right hand of fellowship.\n\nIn their discipline they are strict and severe, and think themselves\nobliged to separate from communion and worship of all such religious\nsocieties as appear to them not to profess the simple truth for their only\nground of hope, and who do not walk in obedience to it. (See John 13:14,\n15; 16:13. Acts 6:7. Rom. 3:27; 4:4, 5; 16:16. 1 Cor. 16:20. 2 Cor. 4:13.\n1 Pet. 1:22.)\n\n\n\n\n\nANTINOMIANS.\n\n\nAs we elsewhere give the sentiments of the ancient _Bereans_, _Pelagians_,\nand _Sabellians_, it is proper to notice those of Agricola, an eminent\ndoctor in the Lutheran church, who flourished about the middle of the\nsixteenth century. The word _Antinomian_ is derived from two Greek words,\nsignifying _against law_.\n\nIt will be observed that the above names are used to denote sentiments or\nopinions, rather than sects or denominations.\n\nThe principal doctrines of the Antinomians, together with a short specimen\nof the arguments made use of in their defence, are comprehended in the\nfollowing summary:\u2014\n\n\n    \u201c1. That the law ought not to be proposed to the people as a rule\n    of manners, nor used in the church as a means of instruction; and\n    that the gospel alone is to be inculcated and explained, both in\n    the churches and in the schools of learning.\n\n    \u201cFor the Scriptures declare that Christ is not the lawgiver; as it\n    is said, \u2018The law was given by Moses; but grace and truth came by\n    Jesus Christ.\u2019 Therefore the ministers of the _gospel_ ought not\n    to teach the _law_. Christians are not ruled by the law, but by\n    the spirit of regeneration; according as it is said, \u2018Ye are not\n    under the law, but under grace.\u2019 Therefore the law ought not to be\n    taught in the church of Christ.\n\n    \u201c2. That the justification of sinners is an immanent and eternal\n    act of God, not only preceding all acts of sin, but the existence\n    of the sinner himself.\n\n    \u201cFor nothing new can arise in God; on which account, he calls\n    things that are not, as though they were; and the apostle saith,\n    \u2018Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly\n    places, in Christ Jesus, before the foundation of the world.\u2019\n    Besides, Christ was set up from everlasting, not only as the Head\n    of the church, but as the surety of his people; by virtue of which\n    engagement, the Father decreed never to impute unto them their\n    sins. (See 2 Cor. 5: 19.)\n\n    \u201c3. That justification by faith is no more than a manifestation to\n    us of what was done before we had a being.\n\n    \u201cFor it is thus expressed, in Heb. 11:1: \u2018Now, faith is the\n    substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.\u2019\n    We are justified only by Christ; but by faith we perceive it, and\n    by faith rejoice in it, as we apprehend it to be our own.\n\n    \u201c4. That men ought not to doubt of their faith, nor question\n    whether they believe in Christ.\n\n    \u201cFor we are commanded to \u2018draw near in full assurance of faith.\u2019\n    (Heb. 10:22.) \u2018He that believeth on the Son of God, hath the\n    witness in himself,\u2019 (2 John 5:10;) i. e., he has as much evidence\n    as can be desired.\n\n    \u201c5. That God sees no sin in believers; and they are not bound to\n    confess sin, mourn for it, or pray that it may be forgiven.\n\n    \u201cFor God has declared, (Heb. 10:17,) \u2018Their sins and iniquities I\n    will remember no more.\u2019 And in Jer. 50:20, \u2018In those days, and in\n    that time, saith the Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought\n    for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they\n    shall not be found; for I will pardon them whom I reserve.\u2019\n\n    \u201c6. That God is not angry with the elect, nor doth he punish them\n    for their sins.\n\n    \u201cFor Christ has made ample satisfaction for their sins. See Isaiah\n    53:5, \u2018He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for\n    our iniquities,\u2019 &c. And to inflict punishment once upon the\n    surety, and again upon the believer, is contrary to the justice of\n    God, as well as derogatory to the satisfaction of Christ.\n\n    \u201c7. That by God\u2019s laying our iniquities upon Christ, he became as\n    completely sinful as we, and we as completely righteous as Christ.\n\n    \u201cFor Christ represents our persons to the Father; and we represent\n    the person of Christ to him. The loveliness of Christ is\n    transferred to us. On the other hand, all that is hateful in our\n    nature is put upon Christ, who was forsaken by the father for a\n    time. See 2 Cor. 5:21, \u2018He was made sin for us, who knew no sin;\n    that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.\u2019\n\n    \u201c8. That believers need not fear either their own sins or the sins\n    of others, since neither can do them any injury.\n\n    \u201cSee Rom. 8:33, 34, \u2018Who shall lay any thing to the charge of\n    God\u2019s elect?\u2019 &c. The apostle does not say that they never\n    transgress, but triumphs in the thought that no curse can be\n    executed against them.\n\n    \u201c9. That the new covenant is not made properly with us, but with\n    Christ for us; and that this covenant is all of it a promise,\n    having no conditions for us to perform; for faith, repentance, and\n    obedience, are not conditions on our part, but Christ\u2019s; and he\n    repented, believed, and obeyed for us.\n\n    \u201cFor the covenant is so expressed, that the performance lies upon\n    the Deity himself. \u2018For this is the covenant that I will make with\n    the house of Israel, after those days, saith the Lord; I will put\n    my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts; and I\n    will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people.\u2019 Heb.\n    8:10.\n\n    \u201c10. That sanctification is not a proper evidence of\n    justification.\n\n    \u201cFor those who endeavor to evidence their justification by their\n    sanctification, are looking to their own attainments, and not to\n    Christ\u2019s righteousness, for hopes of salvation.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n\nPELAGIANS.\n\n\nA denomination which arose in the fifth century, so called from Pelagius,\na monk, who looked upon the doctrines which were commonly received,\nconcerning the original corruption of human nature, and the necessity of\ndivine grace to enlighten the understanding and purify the heart, as\nprejudicial to the progress of holiness and virtue, and tending to\nestablish mankind in a presumptuous and fatal security. He maintained the\nfollowing doctrines:\u2014\n\n\n    \u201c1. That the sins of our first parents were imputed to them only,\n    and not to their posterity; and that we derive no corruption from\n    their fall, but are born as pure and unspotted as Adam came out of\n    the forming hand of his Creator.\n\n    \u201c2. That mankind, therefore, are capable of repentance and\n    amendment, and of arriving to the highest degrees of piety and\n    virtue, by the use of their natural faculties and powers. That,\n    indeed, external grace is necessary to excite their endeavors, but\n    that they have no need of the internal succors of the divine\n    Spirit.\n\n    \u201c3. That Adam was, by nature, mortal, and, whether he had sinned\n    or not, would certainly have died.\n\n    \u201c4. That the grace of God is given in proportion to our merits.\n\n    \u201c5. That mankind may arrive at a state of perfection in this life.\n\n    \u201c6. That the law qualified men for the kingdom of heaven, and was\n    founded upon equal promises with the gospel.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n\nPRE-ADAMITES.\n\n\nThis denomination began about the middle of the sixteenth century. Their\nprincipal tenet is _that there must have been men before Adam_. One proof\nof this they bring from Rom. 5:12, 13, 14. The apostle says, \u201c_Sin was in\nthe world till the law_;\u201d meaning the law given to Adam. But sin, it is\nevident, was not imputed, though it might have been committed, till the\ntime of the pretended first man. \u201c_For sin is not imputed when there is no\nlaw._\u201d\n\nThe election of the Jews, they say, is a consequence of the same system.\nIt began at Adam, who is called their father or founder. God is also their\nFather, having espoused the Judaical church. The Gentiles are only adopted\nchildren, as being Pre-Adamites. Men (or Gentiles) are said to be made by\nthe word of God. (Gen. 1:26, 27.) Adam, the founder of the Jewish nation,\nwhose history alone Moses wrote, is introduced in the second chapter, as\nthe workmanship of God\u2019s own hands, and as created apart from other men.\n\nThey argue thus:\u2014Cain, having killed his brother Abel, was afraid of being\nkilled himself. By whom? He married\u2014yet Adam had then no daughter. What\nwife could he get? He built a town\u2014what architects, masons, carpenters,\nand workmen, did he employ? The answer to all these questions is in one\nword\u2014Pre-Adamites.\n\nThis reasoning is opposed by sundry texts of Scripture, (See Gen. 1:26;\n2:7; 3:20. Mark 10:6. I Cor. 15:45, 47.)\n\n\n\n\n\nPREDESTINARIANS.\n\n\nAre those who believe that God, for his own glory, hath foreordained\nwhatsoever comes to pass. (See Matt. 25:34. Rom. 8:29, 30. Eph. 1:3, 6,\n11. 2 Tim. 1:9. 2 Thess. 11:13. 1 Pet. 1:1, 2. John 6:37; 17:2-24. Rev.\n13:8; 17:8. Dan. 4:35. 1 Thess. 5:19. Matt. 11:26. Exod. 4:21. Prov. 16:4.\nActs 13:48.)\n\n\n\n\n\nORTHODOX CREEDS.\n\n\nOrthodoxy literally signifies _correct opinions_. The word is generally\nused to denote those who are attached to the Trinitarian scheme of\nChristian doctrine.\n\nThe following article is found in the \u201cSpirit of the Pilgrims,\u201d vol. v.\nNo. 1, and is supposed to have been written by the late Rev. BENJAMIN B.\nWISNER, D. D., pastor of the Old South church, Boston.\n\nThe following summary contains the more material parts of the Orthodox\nfaith. Those who embrace this system believe,\u2014\n\n\n    \u201cThat, since the fall of Adam, men are, in their natural state,\n    altogether destitute of true holiness, and entirely depraved.\n\n    \u201cThat men, though thus depraved, are justly required to love God\n    with all the heart, and justly punishable for disobedience; or, in\n    other words, they are complete moral agents, proper subjects of\n    moral government, and truly accountable to God for their actions.\n\n    \u201cThat in the unspeakable wisdom and love of God was disclosed a\n    plan of redemption for sinful men.\n\n    \u201cThat, in the development of this plan, God saw fit to reveal so\n    much concerning the nature and the mode of the divine existence,\n    as that he is manifested to his creatures as the Father, the Son,\n    and the Holy Ghost; and that these three, each partaking of all\n    the attributes of the Deity, and being entitled to receive divine\n    worship and adoration, are the one living and true God.\n\n    \u201cThat the Son of God, laying aside the glory which he had with the\n    Father from everlasting, came down from heaven, took upon himself\n    man\u2019s nature, and by his humiliation, sufferings, and death, made\n    an atonement for the sins of the world.\n\n    \u201cThat, in consequence of this atonement, the offer of pardon and\n    eternal life was freely made to all; so that those who truly\n    repent of sin, and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, will be\n    saved.\n\n    \u201cThat men are naturally so averse to God and holiness, that, if\n    left to themselves, they reject the offers of salvation, and\n    neither repent of sin nor truly believe in a Savior.\n\n    \u201cThat God, being moved with infinite love and compassion, sends\n    forth the Holy Spirit, according to his sovereign pleasure, by\n    whose beneficent energy an innumerable multitude of the human\n    family are renewed, sanctified, and prepared for heaven; while\n    others are suffered to pursue the course which they have freely\n    chosen, and in which they obstinately persevere till the day of\n    salvation is past.\n\n    \u201cThat God, in his providential dispensations, in the bestowment of\n    his saving mercy, and in his universal government, exhibits his\n    adorable perfections, in such a manner as will call forth the\n    admiration and love of all holy beings forever.\n\n    \u201cThat believers are justified by faith, through the efficacy of\n    the atonement, so that all claims of human merit, and all grounds\n    of boasting, are forever excluded.\n\n    \u201cThat the law of God is perpetually binding upon all moral beings,\n    and upon believers not less than other men, as a rule of life; and\n    that no repentance is genuine unless it bring forth fruits meet\n    for repentance, and no faith is saving unless it produce good\n    works.\n\n    \u201cThat those who have been renewed by the Spirit will be preserved\n    by the power of God, and advanced in holiness unto final\n    salvation. And,\n\n    \u201cThat Christ, as the great King of the universe, the Lord and\n    Proprietor of created beings, will judge the world at the last\n    day, when the righteous will be received to life eternal, and the\n    wicked will be consigned to endless punishment.\u201d\n\n                  -------------------------------------\n\n    \u201cSince the reformation from Popery, those who profess to admit\n    these doctrines, and others necessarily connected with them, and\n    forming a part of the same system, have been denominated Orthodox,\n    while to those who openly reject them, or any considerable part of\n    them, this appellation has been denied.\n\n    \u201cIt is not to be inferred, however, that the Orthodox have been,\n    or are, entirely _unanimous_ on the subject of religion. In\n    matters comparatively unessential, and in their modes of stating,\n    explaining, and establishing essential truths, there has always\n    been more or less a diversity. Thus persons may disagree as to the\n    form of church government, or as to the mode of administering\n    ordinances, and yet have an equal claim to be entitled Orthodox.\n    Or persons may disagree in their interpretation of particular\n    passages of Scripture, and as to the manner in which these bear on\n    the doctrines of religion, without forfeiting their title to the\n    some honorable appellation. For instance, one person may regard a\n    particular passage as proof conclusive of the divinity of Christ,\n    while another may be in doubt respecting it, or may apply it\n    differently, and yet both be firm believers in the divinity of\n    Christ. Many passages which the old writers quoted as proof-texts,\n    have, in the progress of critical science, been differently\n    interpreted; and yet the evidence in support of the Orthodox\n    system, so far from being weakened in this way, has been\n    constantly gaining strength.\n\n    \u201cAgain: persons may disagree, to a certain extent, at least, in\n    their statements and explanations of the most essential doctrines,\n    and yet be properly and equally Orthodox. In illustration of this\n    remark, several examples will be given.\n\n    \u201cAll Orthodox Christians believe in the full inspiration of the\n    sacred Scriptures; or that the holy men, through whose\n    instrumentality the world originally received these Scriptures,\n    spake and wrote \u2018as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.\u2019 They\n    believe in this as a _fact_ of the utmost importance. But there\n    have been various modes of stating, explaining, and illustrating\n    this fact. Some, for instance, have spoken of two or three kinds\n    of inspiration; others have insisted that there can be but one\n    kind; while others have thought it better to state the subject in\n    general terms, without attempting very minutely to define or\n    explain them.\n\n    \u201cAll Orthodox Christians believe in the doctrine of the Trinity,\n    or that the one God exists in a threefold distinction, commonly\n    called persons,\u2014the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. They\n    believe this as a revealed fact, and as an essential part of the\n    Christian doctrine. But how differently has this fact been stated\n    by different individuals! What different explanations have been\n    put upon it! While not a few have preferred to leave the\n    subject\u2014as God seems to have left it\u2014altogether unexplained.\n\n    \u201cAll Orthodox Christians believe in the universality of God\u2019s\n    eternal purposes, in the certainty of their execution, and that\n    they are so executed as not to obstruct or impair the free agency\n    of man. But respecting the _manner_ of God\u2019s executing his\n    purposes,\u2014whether by the instrumentality of motives, or by a\n    direct efficiency,\u2014persons having equal claims to the appellation\n    of Orthodox, have not been agreed.\n\n    \u201cAll the Orthodox believe in the natural and entire depravity of\n    man; or that, in consequence of the sin of his first progenitors,\n    and previous to regeneration, every thing within him, going to\n    constitute moral character, is sinful. But how many theories have\n    been framed to account for the connection of our sin with that of\n    Adam! And how many explanations have been put upon the doctrine of\n    entire depravity! Some have made this depravity to extend to all\n    the powers of the soul; others have restricted it to our voluntary\n    exercises and actions; while others have confined it chiefly to a\n    moral taste, disposition, or instinct, which is regarded as back\n    of our voluntary exercises, and the source of them.\n\n    \u201cAll the Orthodox believe in the doctrine of atonement; but all do\n    not state or explain this important doctrine after the same\n    manner. Some suppose the atonement of Christ to consist wholly in\n    his obedience, others wholly in his sufferings, and others in both\n    his obedience and sufferings. Some hold that Christ suffered the\n    penalty of the law for sinners, and others that he only opened a\n    way in which, on condition of repentance, this penalty may be\n    remitted. Some think the atonement made only for the elect, while\n    others regard it as the propitiation for the sins of the whole\n    world.\n\n    \u201cThe doctrine of instantaneous regeneration by the special\n    operations of the Holy Spirit, is believed by all who have any\n    claim to be called Orthodox. But this doctrine, like the others\n    mentioned, is variously stated and explained. Some consider man as\n    entirely active in regeneration, others as entirely passive, and\n    others as not entirely the one or the other. Some believe there is\n    a holy principle implanted in regeneration, which ever afterwards\n    remains in the heart of the subject, while others believe the\n    change to consist in the commencement of holy exercises, which may\n    be subsequently interrupted, though not finally lost. As to the\n    manner in which the Spirit operates in regeneration, there is also\n    a difference of opinion; some holding that he changes the heart by\n    a direct efficiency, and others that this is done by the more\n    powerful presentation and impression of motives.\n\n    \u201cAnother doctrine of the Orthodox system is, that of justification\n    by faith in Christ. But this, also, has been differently stated\n    and explained. Some think the believer justified by Christ\u2019s\n    righteousness, others by the influence of his sufferings and\n    death, and others by the joint efficacy of both his obedience and\n    sufferings. Some believe justification to be the same as\n    forgiveness, while others regard it as implying, not only\n    forgiveness, but also a title to eternal life.\n\n    \u201cIt is evident, from the examples here given, that, although\n    Orthodoxy denotes a general system of important doctrines or facts\n    on the subject of religion, it is not to be inferred, either by\n    friends or foes, that Orthodox Christians are tied up to precisely\n    the same views of subjects, or that there exists no diversity of\n    sentiment among them. There is, and always has been, a diversity\n    of sentiment, in regard not only to modes and forms, but to the\n    statement, proofs, and explanations, of the most important\n    doctrines. Some of them, to be sure, are little more than verbal;\n    but others are _real_, are fitted to excite interest, and are\n    entitled to very serious consideration. Still, as they are all\n    held in avowed consistency with that great series of facts which\n    go to constitute the Orthodox system, they should not be regarded\n    as placing their advocates beyond the proper limits of Orthodoxy.\n    They constitute a wide field of important discussion, over which\n    those who agree in holding the Head,\u2014in holding the great\n    doctrines of redemption by the blood of Christ, and of\n    sanctification by the Holy Spirit,\u2014may freely and fraternally\n    traverse. Modes and forms, the interpretation of passages, and\n    explanations of particular doctrines, (so long as essential\n    doctrines are not discarded,) may be discussed without the\n    interruption of brotherly affection, and without the imputation\n    and reproach of heresy. One person may hold that all Scripture is\n    given by the inspiration of _suggestion_; and another that, while\n    some parts are the fruit of immediate suggestion, others may more\n    properly be attributed to the inspiration of _superintendence_;\n    and neither should charge the other with denying the inspiration\n    of the Scriptures, or with being a heretic, or an infidel. One\n    person may insist that the passage in 1 John 5:7, is authentic\n    Scripture, and strong proof of the doctrine of the Trinity; and\n    another may doubt this, or deny it altogether; and neither should\n    be charged with intentionally corrupting the Scriptures, or with\n    being a Unitarian. One person may hold that God executes his\n    immutable and eternal decrees by a direct efficiency, and another\n    that he does it by the intervention of motives, and yet one be no\n    more an Arminian than the other.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n\nANDOVER ORTHODOX CREED.\n\n\nEvery person appointed or elected a professor in the Theological\nInstitution at Andover, in the state of Massachusetts, shall, on the day\nof his inauguration into office, publicly make and subscribe the following\nCREED and DECLARATION:\u2014\n\n\n    Creed.\n\n    \u201cI believe that there is one, and but one, living and true GOD;\n    that the word of GOD, contained in the Scriptures of the Old and\n    New Testament, is the only perfect rule of faith and practice;\n    that, agreeably to those Scriptures, GOD is a Spirit, infinite,\n    eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness,\n    justice, goodness, and truth; that in the Godhead are three\n    Persons, the FATHER, the SON, and the HOLY GHOST; and that those\n    THREE are ONE GOD, the same in substance, equal in power and\n    glory; that God created man, after his own image, in knowledge,\n    righteousness, and holiness; that the glory of GOD is man\u2019s chief\n    end, and the enjoyment of GOD his supreme happiness; that this\n    enjoyment is derived solely from conformity of heart to the moral\n    character and will of GOD; that ADAM, the federal head and\n    representative of the human race, was placed in a state of\n    probation, and that, in consequence of his disobedience, all his\n    descendants were constituted sinners; that, by nature, every man\n    is personally depraved, destitute of holiness, unlike and opposed\n    to GOD; and that, previously to the renewing agency of the DIVINE\n    SPIRIT, all his moral actions are adverse to the character and\n    glory of GOD; that, being morally incapable of recovering the\n    image of his CREATOR, which was lost in ADAM, every man is justly\n    exposed to eternal damnation; so that, except a man be born again,\n    he cannot see the kingdom of GOD; that GOD, of his mere good\n    pleasure, from all eternity, elected some to everlasting life, and\n    that he entered into a covenant of grace, to deliver them out of\n    this state of sin and misery by a REDEEMER; that the only REDEEMER\n    of the elect is the eternal SON of GOD, who, for this purpose,\n    became man, and continues to be GOD and man, in two distinct\n    natures, and one person, forever; that CHRIST, as our Redeemer,\n    executeth the office of a Prophet, Priest, and King; that,\n    agreeably to the covenant of redemption, the SON of GOD, and he\n    alone, by his sufferings and death, has made atonement for the\n    sins of all men; that repentance, faith, and holiness, are the\n    personal requisites in the gospel scheme of salvation; that the\n    righteousness of CHRIST is the only ground of a sinner\u2019s\n    justification; that this righteousness is received through faith;\n    and that this faith is the gift of GOD; so that our salvation is\n    wholly of grace; that no means whatever can change the heart of a\n    sinner, and make it holy; that regeneration and sanctification are\n    effects of the creating and renewing agency of the HOLY SPIRIT,\n    and that supreme love to GOD constitutes the essential difference\n    between saints and sinners; that, by convincing us of our sin and\n    misery, enlightening our minds, working faith in us, and renewing\n    our wills, the HOLY SPIRIT makes us partakers of the benefits of\n    redemption; and that the ordinary means by which these benefits\n    are communicated to us, are the word, sacraments, and prayer; that\n    repentance unto life, faith to feed upon CHRIST, love to GOD, and\n    new obedience, are the appropriate qualifications for the Lord\u2019s\n    supper; and that a Christian church ought to admit no person to\n    its holy communion, before he exhibit credible evidence of his\n    godly sincerity; that perseverance in holiness is the only method\n    of making our calling and election sure, and that the final\n    perseverance of saints, though it is the effect of the special\n    operation of GOD on their hearts, necessarily implies their own\n    watchful diligence; that they who are effectually called, do, in\n    this life, partake of justification, adoption, and sanctification,\n    and the several benefits which do either accompany or flow from\n    them; that the souls of believers are, at their death, made\n    perfect in holiness, and do immediately pass into glory; that\n    their bodies, being still united to CHRIST, will, at the\n    resurrection, be raised up to glory, and that the saints will be\n    made perfectly blessed in the full enjoyment of GOD, to all\n    eternity: but that the wicked will awake to shame and everlasting\n    contempt, and, with devils, be plunged into the lake that burneth\n    with fire and brimstone forever and ever. I moreover believe that\n    GOD, according to the counsel of his own will, and for his own\n    glory, hath foreordained whatsoever comes to pass, and that all\n    beings, actions, and events, both in the natural and moral world,\n    are under his providential direction; that GOD\u2019S decrees perfectly\n    consist with human liberty, GOD\u2019S universal agency with the agency\n    of man, and man\u2019s dependence with his accountability; that man has\n    understanding and corporeal strength to do all that GOD requires\n    of him; so that nothing but the sinner\u2019s aversion to holiness\n    prevents his salvation; that it is the prerogative of GOD to bring\n    good out of evil, and that he will cause the wrath and rage of\n    wicked men and devils to praise him; and that all the evil which\n    has existed, and will forever exist, in the moral system, will\n    eventually be made to promote a most important purpose, under the\n    wise and perfect administration of that ALMIGHTY BEING, who will\n    cause all things to work for his own glory, and thus fulfil all\n    his pleasure.\u201d\n\n    Declaration.\n\n    \u201cAnd, furthermore, I do solemnly promise that I will open and\n    explain the Scriptures to my pupils with integrity and\n    faithfulness; that I will maintain and inculcate the Christian\n    faith, as expressed in the creed, by me now repeated, together\n    with all the other doctrines and duties of our holy religion, so\n    far as may appertain to my office, according to the best light GOD\n    shall give me, and in opposition, not only to Atheists and\n    Infidels, but to Jews, Papists, Mahometans, Arians, Pelagians,\n    Antinomians, Arminians, Socinians, Sabellians, Unitarians, and\n    Universalists, and to all heresies and errors, ancient and modern,\n    which may be opposed to the gospel of CHRIST, or hazardous to the\n    souls of men; that, by my instruction, counsel, and example, I\n    will endeavor to promote true piety and godliness; that I will\n    consult the good of this INSTITUTION, and the peace of the\n    churches of our Lord Jesus Christ on all occasions; and that I\n    will religiously conform to the constitution and laws of this\n    SEMINARY, and to the statutes of this foundation.\u201d\n\n\nThe foregoing creed is considered a summary of what is commonly called the\nASSEMBLY\u2019S CATECHISM.\n\nThe _Westminster Assembly_ met in London, in the reign of Charles I, A. D.\n1643. It was a synod of learned divines, assembled by order of parliament,\nfor the purpose of settling the government, liturgy, and doctrine, of the\nchurch of England.\n\n\n\n\n\nNEW HAVEN ORTHODOX CREED.\n\n\nConsiderable anxiety existed, a few years since, in regard to the\nOrthodoxy of the Rev. Dr. TAYLOR, professor of divinity at Yale College,\nat New Haven, in the state of Connecticut. The following letter from Dr.\nTAYLOR to the Rev. Dr. HAWES, of Hartford, contains a full exposition of\nthe religious views of that distinguished theologian:\u2014\n\n\n    YALE COLLEGE, _Feb. 1, 1832._\n\n    \u201cDear Brother:\n\n    \u201cI thank you for yours of the 23d ult., in which you express your\n    approbation of my preaching during the protracted meetings at\n    Hartford. This expression of fraternal confidence is grateful to\n    me, not because I ever supposed that we differed in our views of\n    the great doctrines of the gospel, but because, for some reason or\n    other, an impression has been made, to some extent, _that I am\n    unsound in the faith_. This impression, I feel bound to say, in my\n    own view, is wholly groundless and unauthorized. You think,\n    however, that \u2018I owe it to myself, to the institution with which I\n    am connected, and to the Christian community, to make a frank and\n    full statement of my views of some of the leading doctrines of the\n    gospel, and that this cannot fail to relieve the minds of many,\n    who are now suspicious of my Orthodoxy.\u2019\n\n    \u201cHere I must be permitted to say, that the repeated and full\n    statements of my opinions, which I have already made to the\n    public, would seem to be sufficient to prevent or remove such\n    suspicions. The course you propose, however, may furnish\n    information to some who would desire it before they form an\n    opinion, as well as the means of correcting the misrepresentations\n    of others. I therefore readily comply with your request, and\n    submit to your disposal the following statement of my belief on\n    some of the leading doctrines of the gospel. I believe,\u2014\n\n    \u201c1. That there are three persons in one God,\u2014the Father, the Son,\n    and the Holy Ghost.\n\n    \u201c2. That the eternal purposes of God extend to all actual events,\n    sin not excepted; or that God foreordains whatsoever comes to\n    pass, and so executes these purposes, as to leave the free moral\n    agency of man unimpaired.\n\n    \u201c3. That all mankind, in consequence of the fall of Adam, are born\n    destitute of holiness, and are by nature totally depraved; in\n    other words, that all men, from the commencement of moral agency,\n    do, without the interposition of divine grace, sin, and only sin,\n    in all their moral conduct.\n\n    \u201c4. That an atonement for sin has been made for all mankind by the\n    Lord Jesus Christ; that this atonement was necessary to magnify\n    the law, and to vindicate and unfold the justice of God in the\n    pardon of sin; and that the sinner who believes in the Lord Jesus\n    Christ is freely justified on the ground of his atoning sacrifice,\n    and on that ground alone.\n\n    \u201c5. That the change in regeneration is a _moral_ change,\n    consisting in a new, holy disposition, or governing purpose of the\n    heart, as a permanent principle of action; in which change, the\n    sinner transfers the _supreme_ affection of his heart from all\n    inferior objects to the living God, chooses him as the portion of\n    his soul, and his service and glory as his supreme good, and thus,\n    in respect to moral character, becomes a _new man_.\n\n    \u201c6. That this moral change is never produced in the human heart by\n    _moral suasion_, i. e., by the mere influence of truth and\n    motives, as the Pelagians affirm, but is produced by the influence\n    of the Holy Spirit, operating on the mind through the truth, and\n    in perfect consistency with the nature of moral action, and laws\n    of moral agency.\n\n    \u201c7. That all men (in the words of the article of your church) may\n    accept of the offers of salvation freely made to them in the\n    gospel, but that no one will do this, except he be drawn by the\n    Father.\n\n    \u201c8. That the necessity of the influence of the Holy Spirit in\n    regeneration results solely from the voluntary perverseness of the\n    sinner\u2019s heart, or disinclination to serve God, which, while it\n    leaves him a complete moral agent, and without excuse for\n    neglecting his duty, suspends his actual salvation on the\n    sovereign will of God.\n\n    \u201c9. That the renewing grace of God is _special_, in distinction\n    from that which is common, and is resisted by the sinful mind,\n    inasmuch as it is that which is designed to secure, and does\n    infallibly secure, the conversion of the sinner.\n\n    \u201c10. That all who are renewed by the Holy Spirit are elected or\n    chosen of God from eternity, that they should be holy, not on\n    account of foreseen faith, or good works, but according to the\n    good pleasure of his will.\n\n    \u201c11. That all who are renewed by the Holy Spirit, will, through\n    his continual influence, persevere in holiness to the end, and\n    obtain eternal life.\n\n    \u201cSuch is my faith in respect to some of the lending doctrines of\n    the gospel. These doctrines I preach; these I teach in the\n    theological department of this Seminary; these I have repeatedly\n    published to the world. With what truth or justice any regard me\n    as a \u2018teacher of theology, introducing heresy into our churches,\u2019\n    the candid can judge.\n\n    \u201cBut it may be asked, whether, after all, there are not some\n    points on which I differ from my brethren generally, or, at least,\n    from some of them. I answer,\u2014It would be strange if any two man\n    should be found to agree exactly in all the minute matters of\n    religious opinion. With respect, however, to what is properly\n    considered the Orthodox or Calvinistic SYSTEM of doctrines, as\n    including the great FACTS of Christianity, and as opposed to, and\n    distinguished from, the Unitarian, Pelagian, and Arminian\n    _systems_, I suppose there is between the Orthodox ministry and\n    myself an entire agreement. In respect to comparatively minor\n    points, and philosophical theories, and modes of defending the\n    Calvinistic system of doctrines, there has always been, as you are\n    aware, a diversity of opinion, with freedom of discussion, among\n    the Calvinists in this country, especially in New England, but\n    which has never impaired their fellowship or mutual confidence. To\n    these topics of difference, greater or less importance has been\n    attached by different individuals. In respect to some of these,\n    (and, in respect to them, I suppose myself to agree with a large\n    majority of our Calvinistic clergy,) I will now briefly but\n    frankly state what I do _not_, and what I do, believe.\n\n    \u201cI do _not_ believe that the posterity of Adam are, in the proper\n    sense of the language, guilty of his sin; or that the ill desert\n    of that sin is truly theirs; or that they are punished for that\n    sin. But I do believe that, by the wise and holy constitution of\n    God, all mankind, in consequence of Adam\u2019s sin, become sinners by\n    their own act.\n\n    \u201cI do _not_ believe that the nature of the human mind, which God\n    creates, is itself sinful; or that God punishes men for the nature\n    which he creates; or that sin pertains to any thing in the mind\n    which precedes all conscious mental exercise or action, and which\n    is neither a matter of consciousness nor of knowledge. But I do\n    believe that sin, universally, is no other than selfishness, or a\n    _preference_ of one\u2019s self to all others,\u2014of some inferior good to\n    God; that this free, voluntary preference is a permanent principle\n    of action in all the unconverted; and that this is sin, and all\n    that in the Scriptures is meant by sin. I also believe that such\n    is the _nature_ of the human mind, that it becomes the occasion of\n    universal sin in men in all the appropriate circumstances of their\n    existence, and that, therefore, they are truly and properly said\n    to be sinners _by nature_.\n\n    \u201cI do _not_ believe that sin can be proved to be the necessary\n    means of the greatest good, and that, as such, God prefers it, on\n    the whole, to holiness in its stead; or that a God of sincerity\n    and truth punishes his creatures for doing that which he, on the\n    whole, prefers they should do, and which, as the means of good, is\n    the best thing they can do. But I do believe that holiness, as the\n    means of good, may be better than sin; that it may be true that\n    God, all things considered, prefers holiness to sin in all\n    instances in which the latter takes place, and, therefore,\n    sincerely desires that all men should come to repentance, though,\n    for wise and good reasons, he _permits_, or does not prevent, the\n    existence of sin. I do _not_ believe that it can be proved that an\n    omnipotent God would be _unable_ to secure more good by means of\n    the perfect and universal obedience of his creatures, if they\n    would render it, than by means of their sin. But I do believe that\n    it may involve a dishonorable limitation of his power to suppose\n    that he could not do it.(3)\n\n    \u201cI do _not_ believe that the grace of God can be truly said to be\n    _irresistible_, in the primary, proper import of this term. But I\n    do believe that, in all cases, it _may be_ resisted by man as a\n    free moral agent, and that, when it becomes effectual to\n    conversion, as it infallibly does in the case of all the elect, it\n    is _unresisted_.\n\n    \u201cI do _not_ believe that the grace of God is necessary, as\n    Arminians and some others maintain, to render man an accountable\n    agent, and responsible for rejecting the offers of eternal life.\n    But I do believe that man would be such an agent, and thus\n    responsible, were no such grace afforded, and that otherwise\n    \u2018grace would be no more grace.\u2019\n\n    \u201cI do _not_ believe that it is necessary that the sinner, in using\n    the means of regeneration, should commit sin in order to become\n    holy. But I do believe that, as a moral agent, he is qualified so\n    to use these means, i. e., the truth of God when present to his\n    mind, as to become holy at once; that he is authorized to believe\n    that, through the grace of the Holy Spirit, this _may be_ done;\n    and that, except in so doing, he cannot be truly and properly said\n    to _use_ the means of regeneration.\n\n    \u201cI do _not_ believe that we are authorized to assure the sinner,\n    as Arminians do, and some others also, that the Holy Spirit is\n    always ready to convert him. But I do believe that we are\n    authorized to assure any sinner that it _may be true_ that the\n    Holy Spirit is now ready to convert him; \u2018that God PERADVENTURE\n    will now give him repentance;\u2019 and that thus, in view of the\n    possible intervention of divine influence, we remove what would\n    otherwise be a ground of fatal discouragement to the sinner, when\n    we exhort him to immediate repentance.\n\n    \u201cI have dwelt the more on some of these particulars, because much\n    pains has been taken, by some individuals, to make the impression\n    that I have departed from the true faith respecting the influences\n    of the Holy Spirit, even denying his influences altogether. So far\n    is this from the fact, that, as you well know, no one attaches\n    higher importance to this doctrine than I do, preaches it more\n    decisively, or appreciates more highly its practical relations and\n    bearings. In my own view, the power of the gospel on the mind of\n    the sinner very much consists in the two great facts of his\n    complete moral agency as the basis of his obligation, of his\n    guilt, and of his duty;\u2014and of his dependence on the sovereign\n    grace of God, resulting from his voluntary perverseness in sin.\n    Without the latter, we could, in my opinion, neither show the\n    Christian what thanks he owes his Deliverer from sin, nor awaken\n    the sinner to flee from the wrath to come. This doctrine seems to\n    be indispensable to destroy the presumptuous reliance of the\n    sinner on future repentance, as it shows him how fearfully he\n    provokes an offended God to withhold the grace on which all\n    depends. At the same time, one thing is indubitably certain, viz.,\n    that God never revealed the doctrine of the sinner\u2019s dependence on\n    his Spirit, to present the sinner from doing his duty at once. God\n    does not call sinners to instant compliance with the terms of\n    life, and then assure them that such compliance is utterly out of\n    the question, and to be wholly despaired of. The opposite\n    impression, however, is not uncommon; and it is an error not less\n    fatal to immediate repentance, than the fond hope of repenting\n    hereafter. Both are to be destroyed; and he who does not preach\n    the gospel in that manner which tends to destroy both, preaches it\n    but imperfectly.\n\n    \u201cIn the earlier revivals of this country, great prominence was\n    given, in the preaching, to the doctrine of dependence, in the\n    forms of regeneration, election, &c. This was what was to be\n    expected from the Calvinistic preachers of the time, in view of\n    the prevalence of Arminianism. In the more recent revivals,\n    however, a similar prominence seems to be given to moral agency,\n    in the forms of present obligation to duty, its present\n    practicability, &c. The preaching, thus distinguished in its more\n    prominent characteristics, has been undeniably owned and blessed\n    by the Spirit of God, although we are very apt to believe that\n    what is true of one kind of preaching at one time, must be true of\n    it at another. Now, I believe that both the doctrines of\n    dependence and moral accountability must be _admitted by the\n    public mind_, to secure upon that mind the full power of the\n    gospel. I also believe that greater or less _prominence_ should be\n    given to the one or the other of these doctrines, according to the\n    prevailing state of public opinion. When, at the earlier periods\n    alluded to, the doctrine of dependence was dwelt on chiefly, (I do\n    not suppose exclusively,) the public mind believed enough\u2014I might\n    say too much\u2014concerning the free moral agency of man, and had not\n    so well learned as since to pervert the doctrine of dependence to\n    justify the waiting attitude of a passive recipient. And, then,\n    both doctrines told with power on the mind and the conscience,\n    and, through God, were attended with great and happy results. But\n    the prominence given to the doctrine of dependence, in preaching,\n    was continued, until, if I mistake not, it so engrossed the public\n    attention, and so obscured or weakened the doctrine of\n    responsibility, that many fell into the opposite error of quietly\n    waiting for God\u2019s interposition. Hence, when this prevailing error\n    is again corrected by a more prominent exhibition of man\u2019s\n    responsibility, in the form of immediate obligation, &c., the\n    power of both doctrines is again combined on the public mind, and\n    we see the same or even greater results in revivals of religion.\n    Nor would it be strange if the latter kind of preaching should, in\n    its turn, prevail so exclusively and so long, that the practical\n    influence of the doctrine of dependence should be greatly\n    impaired, to be followed with another dearth of revivals and a\n    quiet reliance of sinful men on their own self-sufficiency. On\n    this subject, I have often, in view of the tendency of the human\n    mind to vacillate from one extreme to the other, expressed my\n    apprehensions. In some of my brethren, whom I love and respect, I\n    see what I esteem a _disproportioned_ estimate of the importance\n    of preaching dependence; in others, whom I equally respect, I see\n    what I regard as a _disproportioned_ estimate of the importance of\n    preaching moral responsibility. In regard to myself, I can say\n    that I have aimed, in this respect, rightly to divide the word of\n    truth, and that those discourses in which I have best succeeded in\n    bringing the two doctrines to bear, in their combined force, on\n    the mind, have been more blessed to the awakening and conversion\n    of sinners, than almost any others which I preach. When both\n    doctrines are wisely and truly presented, the sinner has no\n    resting-place. Ho cannot well avoid a sense of guilt while\n    proposing to remain in his sins, for he sees that he is a free\n    moral agent, under all the responsibilities of such an agent to\n    immediate duty. He cannot well presume on his resolution of future\n    repentance, for he sees that sovereign, injured grace may at once\n    abandon him to hopeless sin. He is thus shut up to the faith,\u2014to\n    the immediate performance of his duty. In accordance with these\n    views, I aim, in my instructions to those who are preparing for\n    the ministry, to inculcate the importance of a consistent,\n    well-proportioned exhibition of the two great doctrines of the\n    sinner\u2019s dependence and responsibility, that, in this respect,\n    they may hold the minds of their hearers under the full influence\n    of that gospel which is the power of God to salvation.\n\n    \u201cI have thus stated, more minutely, perhaps, than you anticipated,\n    my views and opinions. I could wish that they might be\n    satisfactory to all our Orthodox brethren. I have no doubt that\n    they will be to very many, and to some who have been alarmed by\n    groundless rumors concerning my unsoundness in the faith. With\n    respect to what I have called _leading doctrines_, I regard these\n    as among the cardinal truths of the Christian system. They are\n    truths to which I attach the highest importance, and in which my\n    faith is more and more confirmed, the more I examine the word of\n    God. To _some_ of those of which I have spoken as _comparatively\n    minor points_, I attach a high importance in their practical\n    bearings and doctrinal connections. They are points, however, in\n    regard to which there is more or less diversity of opinion among\n    the Orthodox; and, as it is not my intention nor my practice to\n    denounce others as heretics, merely because they differ from me in\n    these matters, so I should be pleased with the reciprocation of\n    the like catholicism on their part.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n\nSWEDENBORGIANS, OR, THE NEW JERUSALEM CHURCH.\n\n\nEmanuel Swedenborg, the father of this sect, was the son of a bishop of\nWest Gothnia, in the kingdom of Sweden, whose name was Swedberg, a man of\nconsiderable learning and celebrity in his time. The son was born at\nStockholm, January 29, 1688, and died in London, 1772. He enjoyed early\nthe advantages of a liberal education, and, being naturally endowed with\nuncommon talents for the acquirement of learning, his progress in the\nsciences was rapid and extensive, and he soon distinguished himself by\nseveral publications in the Latin language, which gave proof of equal\ngenius and erudition. It may reasonably be supposed that, under the care\nof his pious and reverend father, our author\u2019s religious instruction was\nnot neglected. This, indeed, appears plain from the general tenor of his\nlife and writings, which are marked with strong and lively characters of a\nmind deeply impressed with a sense of the divine Being, and of all the\nrelative duties thence resulting. He was ennobled in the year 1719, by\nQueen Ulrica Eleonora, and named Swedenborg, from which time he took his\nseat with the nobles of the equestrian order, in the triennial assembly of\nthe states.\n\nBaron Swedenborg had many eccentricities; but perhaps the most remarkable\ncircumstance respecting him was his asserting that, during the\nuninterrupted period of twenty-seven years, he enjoyed open intercourse\nwith the world of departed spirits, and during that time was instructed in\nthe internal sense of the sacred Scriptures, hitherto undiscovered.\n\n_Articles of Faith, Of the New Church, signified by the New Jerusalem in\nthe Revelation._\n\n\u201c1. That JEHOVAH GOD, the Creator and Preserver of heaven and earth, is\nLove Itself and Wisdom Itself, or Good Itself and Truth Itself: That he is\nOne both in Essence and in Person, in whom, nevertheless, is the Divine\nTrinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, which are the Essential Divinity,\nthe Divine Humanity, and the Divine Proceeding, answering to the soul, the\nbody, and the operative energy, in man: And that the Lord and Savior Jesus\nChrist is that GOD.\n\n\u201c2. That JEHOVAH GOD himself descended from heaven, as Divine Truth, which\nis the Word, and took upon him Human Nature for the purpose of removing\nfrom man the powers of hell, and restoring to order all things in the\nspiritual world, and all things in the church: That he removed from man\nthe powers of hell, by combats against and victories over them; in which\nconsisted the great work of Redemption: That by the same acts, which were\nhis temptations, the last of which was the passion of the cross, he\nunited, in his Humanity, Divine Truth to Divine Good, or Divine Wisdom to\nDivine Love, and so returned into his Divinity in which he was from\neternity, together with, and in, his Glorified Humanity; whence he forever\nkeeps the infernal powers in subjection to himself: And that all who\nbelieve in him, with the understanding, from the heart, and live\naccordingly, will be saved.\n\n\u201c3. That the Sacred Scripture, or Word of GOD, is Divine Truth itself;\ncontaining a Spiritual Sense heretofore unknown, whence it is divinely\ninspired, and holy in every syllable; as well as a Literal Sense, which is\nthe basis of its Spiritual Sense, and in which Divine Truth is in its\nfulness, its sanctity, and its power; thus that it is accommodated to the\napprehension both of angels and men: That the spiritual and natural senses\nare united, by correspondences, like soul and body, every natural\nexpression and image answering to, and including, a spiritual and divine\nidea: And thus that the Word is the medium of communication with heaven,\nand of conjunction with the Lord.\n\n\u201c4. That the government of the Lord\u2019s Divine Love and Wisdom is the Divine\nProvidence; which is universal, exercised according to certain fixed laws\nof Order, and extending to the minutest particulars of the life of all\nmen, both of the good and of the evil: That in all its operations it has\nrespect to what is infinite and eternal, and makes no account of things\ntransitory, but as they are subservient to eternal ends; thus that it\nmainly consists, with man, in the connection of things temporal with\nthings eternal; for that the continual aim of the Lord, by his Divine\nProvidence, is to join man to himself and himself to man, that he may be\nable to give him the felicities of eternal life: And that the laws of\npermission are also laws of the Divine Providence; since evil cannot be\nprevented without destroying the nature of man as an accountable agent;\nand because, also, it cannot be removed unless it be known, and cannot be\nknown unless it appear. Thus that no evil is permitted but to prevent a\ngreater; and all is overruled, by the Lord\u2019s Divine Providence, for the\ngreatest possible good.\n\n\u201c5. That man is not life, but is only a recipient of life from the Lord,\nwho, as he is Love Itself and Wisdom Itself, is also Life Itself; which\nlife is communicated by influx to all in the spiritual world, whether\nbelonging to heaven or to hell, and to all in the natural world; but is\nreceived differently by every one, according to his quality and consequent\nstate of reception.\n\n\u201c6. That man, during his abode in the world, is, as to his spirit, in the\nmidst between heaven and hell, acted upon by influences from both, and\nthus is kept in a state of spiritual equilibrium between good and evil; in\nconsequence of which he enjoys free will, or freedom of choice, in\nspiritual things as well as in natural, and possesses the capacity of\neither turning himself to the Lord and his kingdom, or turning himself\naway from the Lord, and connecting himself with the kingdom of darkness:\nAnd that, unless man had such freedom of choice, the Word would be of no\nuse, the church would be a mere name, man would possess nothing by virtue\nof which he could be conjoined to the Lord, and the cause of evil would be\nchargeable on GOD himself.\n\n\u201c7. That man at this day is born into evil of all kinds, or with\ntendencies towards it: That, therefore, in order to his entering the\nkingdom of heaven, he must be regenerated, or created anew; which great\nwork is effected in a progressive manner, by the Lord alone, by charity\nand faith as mediums, during man\u2019s co\u00f6peration: That, as all men are\nredeemed, all are capable of being regenerated, and, consequently saved,\nevery one according to his state: And that the regenerate man is in\ncommunion with the angels of heaven, and the unregenerate with the spirits\nof hell: But that no one is condemned for hereditary evil, any further\nthan as he makes it his own by actual life; whence all who die in infancy\nare saved, special means being provided by the Lord in the other life for\nthat purpose.\n\n\u201c8. That Repentance is the first beginning of the Church in man; and that\nit consists in a man\u2019s examining himself, both in regard to his deeds and\nhis intentions, in knowing and acknowledging his sins, confessing them\nbefore the Lord, supplicating him for aid, and beginning a new life: That,\nto this end, all evils, whether of affection, of thought, or of life, are\nto be abhorred and shunned as sins against GOD, and because they proceed\nfrom infernal spirits, who in the aggregate are called the Devil and\nSatan; and that good affections, good thoughts, and good actions, are to\nbe cherished and performed, because they are of GOD and from GOD: That\nthese things are to be done by man as of himself; nevertheless, under the\nacknowledgment and belief, that it is from the Lord, operating in him and\nby him: That so far as man shuns evils as sins, so far they are removed,\nremitted, or forgiven; so far also he does good, not from himself, but\nfrom the Lord; and in the same degree he loves truth, has faith, and is a\nspiritual man: And that the Decalogue teaches what evils are sins.\n\n\u201c9. That Charity, Faith, and Good Works, are unitedly necessary to man\u2019s\nsalvation; since charity, without faith, is not spiritual, but natural;\nand faith, without charity, is not living, but dead; and both charity and\nfaith, without good works, are merely mental and perishable things,\nbecause without use or fixedness: And that nothing of faith, of charity,\nor of good works, is of man; but that all is of the Lord, and all the\nmerit is his alone.\n\n\u201c10. That Baptism and the Holy Supper are sacraments of divine\ninstitution, and are to be permanently observed; Baptism being an external\nmedium of introduction into the Church, and a sign representative of man\u2019s\npurification and regeneration; and the Holy Supper being an external\nmedium to those who receive it worthily, of introduction, as to spirit,\ninto heaven, and of conjunction with the Lord; of which also it is a sign\nand seal.\n\n\u201c11. That, immediately after death, which is only a putting off of the\nmaterial body, never to be resumed, man rises again in a spiritual or\nsubstantial body, in which he continues to live to eternity; in heaven, if\nhis ruling affections, and hence his life, have been good; and in hell, if\nhis ruling affections, and thence his life, have been evil.\n\n\u201c12. That Now is the time of the Second Advent of the Lord which is a\nComing, not in Person, but in the power and glory of his Holy Word: That\nit is attended, like his first Coming, with the restoration to order of\nall things in the spiritual world, where the wonderful divine operation,\ncommonly expected under the name of the Last Judgment, has in consequence\nbeen performed; and with the preparing of the way for a New Church on the\nearth,\u2014the first Christian Church having spiritually come to its end or\nconsummation, through evils of life and errors of doctrine, as foretold by\nthe Lord in the Gospels: And that this New or Second Christian Church,\nwhich will be the Crown of all Churches, and will stand forever, is what\nwas representatively seen by John, when he beheld the holy city, New\nJerusalem, descending from GOD out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned\nfor her husband.\u201d\n\n                  -------------------------------------\n\nThe leading theological works of Swedenborg are, the _Heavenly Arcana_, in\ntwelve octavo volumes, giving an explanation of the books of Genesis and\nExodus, being a key to what he calls the internal or spiritual sense of\nthe sacred Scriptures. The next in importance is the _Apocalypse\nExplained_, in six octavo volumes, containing a full explanation of that\nbook.\n\nFrom his last work, _The True Christian Religion_, we make the following\nextracts, to show some of his peculiar views and style of writing:\u2014\n\n\u201cConcerning the Spiritual World.\n\n\u201cThe spiritual world has been treated of in a particular work concerning\nHEAVEN AND HELL, in which many things of that world are described; and,\nbecause every man, after death, comes into that world, the state of men\nthere is also described. Who does not know, or may not know, that man\nlives after death? both because he is born a man, created an image of God,\nand because the Lord teaches it in his word. But what life he is to live,\nhas been hitherto unknown. It has been believed that then he would be a\nsoul, of which they entertained no other idea than as of ether, or air;\nthus that it is breath, or spirit, such as man breathes out of his mouth\nwhen he dies, in which, nevertheless, his vitality resides; but that it is\nwithout sight, such as is of the eye, without hearing, such as is of the\near, and without speech, such as is of the mouth; when yet, man, after\ndeath, is equally a man, and such a man, that he does not know but that he\nis still in the former world. He walks, runs, and sits, as in the former\nworld; he lies down, sleeps, and wakes up, as in the former world; he eats\nand drinks, as in the former world; he enjoys conjugial delight, as in the\nformer world; in a word, he is a man as to all and every particular;\nwhence it is manifest, that death is not an extinction, but a\ncontinuation, of life, and that it is only a transition.\n\n\u201cThat man is equally a man after death, although he does not then appear\nto the eyes of the material body, may be evident from the angels seen by\nAbraham, Hagar, Gideon, Daniel, and some of the prophets,\u2014from the angels\nseen in the Lord\u2019s sepulchre, and afterwards, many times, by John,\nconcerning whom in the Revelation,\u2014and especially from the Lord himself,\nwho showed that he was a man by the touch and by eating, and yet he became\ninvisible to their eyes. Who can be so delirious, as not to acknowledge\nthat, although he was invisible, he was still equally a man? The reason\nwhy they saw him was, because then the eyes of their spirit were opened;\nand, when these are opened, the things which are in the spiritual world\nappear as clearly as those which are in the natural world. The difference\nbetween a man in the natural world and a man in the spiritual world is,\nthat the latter is clothed with a substantial body, but the former with a\nmaterial body, in which, inwardly, is his substantial body; and a\nsubstantial man sees a substantial man as clearly as a material man sees a\nmaterial man; but a substantial man cannot see a material man, nor a\nmaterial man a substantial man, on account of the difference between\nmaterial and substantial, which is such as may be described, but not in a\nfew words.\n\n\u201cFrom the things seen for so many years, I can relate the following: That\nthere are lands in the spiritual world, as well as in the natural world,\nand that there are also plains, and valleys, and mountains, and hills, and\nlikewise fountains and rivers; that there are paradises, gardens, groves,\nand woods; that there are cities, and in them palaces and houses; and also\nthat there are writings and books; that there are employments and\ntradings; and that there are gold, silver, and precious stones; in a word,\nthat there are all things whatsoever that are in the natural world; but\nthose in heaven are immensely more perfect. But the difference is, that\nall things that are seen in the spiritual world are created in a moment by\nthe Lord, as houses, paradises, food, and other things; and that they are\ncreated for correspondence with the interiors of the angels and spirits,\nwhich are their affections and thoughts thence; but that all things that\nare seen in the natural world exist and grow from seed.\n\n\u201cSince it is so, and I have daily spoken there with the nations and people\nof this world,\u2014thus not only with those who are in Europe, but also with\nthose who are in Asia and in Africa, thus with those who are of various\nreligions,\u2014I shall add, as a conclusion to this work, a short description\nof the state of some of them. It is to be observed, that the state of\nevery nation and people in general, as well as of each individual in\nparticular, in the spiritual world, is according to the acknowledgment of\nGod, and the worship of him; and that all who in heart acknowledge a God,\nand, after this time, those who acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ to be\nGod, the Redeemer and Savior, are in heaven; and that those who do not\nacknowledge him are under heaven, and are there instructed; and that those\nwho receive are raised up into heaven, and that those who do not receive\nare cast down into hell.\u201d\n\nSwedenborg says, \u201cThe Dutch are easily distinguished from others in the\nspiritual world, because they appear in garments like those which they\nwore in the natural world; with the distinction, that those appear in\nfiner ones, who have received faith and spiritual life. The reason why\nthey are clothed in the like garments is, because they remain constantly\nin the principles of their religion; and all in the spiritual world are\nclothed according to them; wherefore, those there who are in divine\ntruths, have white garments, and of fine linen.\n\n\u201cThe cities in which the Dutch live are guarded in a singular manner: all\nthe streets in them are covered with roofs, and there are gates in the\nstreets, so that they may not be seen from the rocks and hills round\nabout: this is done on account of their inherent prudence in concealing\ntheir designs, and not divulging their intentions; for such things, in the\nspiritual world, are drawn forth by inspection. When any one comes for the\npurpose of exploring their state, and is about to go out, he is led to the\ngates of the streets, which are shut, and thus is led back, and led to\nothers, and this even to the highest degree of vexation, and then he is\nlet out; this is done that he may not return. Wives, who affect dominion\nover their husbands, live at one side of the city, and do not meet their\nhusbands, except when they are invited, which is done in a civil manner;\nand then they also lead them to houses, where consorts live without\nexercising dominion over each other, and show them how clean and elegant\ntheir houses are, and what enjoyment of life they have, and that they have\nthese things from mutual and conjugal love. Those wives who attend to\nthese things, and are affected by them, cease to exercise dominion, and\nlive together with their husbands; and then they have a habitation\nassigned to them nearer to the middle, and are called angels: the reason\nis, because truly conjugal love is heavenly love, which is without\ndominion.\n\n\u201cWith respect to the English nation, the best of them are in the centre of\nall Christians, because they have interior intellectual light. This does\nnot appear to any one in the natural world, but it appears conspicuously\nin the spiritual world. This light they derive from the liberty of\nspeaking and writing, and thereby of thinking. With others, who are not in\nsuch liberty, that light, not having any outlet, is obstructed. That\nlight, indeed, is not active of itself, but it is made active by others,\nespecially by men of reputation and authority. As soon as any thing is\nsaid by them, that light shines forth.\n\n\u201cFor this reason, they have moderators appointed over them in the\nspiritual world; and priests are given to them, of high reputation and\neminent talents, in whose opinions, from this their natural disposition,\nthey acquiesce.\n\n\u201cThere are two great cities, like London, into which most of the English\ncome after death: it has been given me to see the former city, and also to\nwalk over it. The middle of that city is where the merchants meet in\nLondon, which is called the Exchange: there the moderators dwell. Above\nthat middle is the east, below it is the west, on the right side is the\nsouth, on the left side is the north. In the eastern quarter, those dwell\nwho have pre\u00ebminently led a life of charity: there are magnificent\npalaces. In the southern quarter the wise dwell, with whom there are many\nsplendid things. In the northern quarter, those dwell who have\npre\u00ebminently loved the liberty of speaking and writing. In the western\nquarter, those dwell who boast of justification by faith atone. On the\nright there, in this quarter, is the entrance into this city, and also a\nway out of it: those who live ill are sent out there. The ministers who\nare in the west, and teach that faith alone, dare not enter the city\nthrough the great streets, but through narrow alleys; since no other\ninhabitants are tolerated in the city itself, than those who are in the\nfaith of charity. I have heard them complaining of the preachers from the\nwest, that they compose their sermons with such art and eloquence, and\nintroduce into them the strange doctrine of justification by faith, that\nthey do not know whether good ought to be done or not. They preach faith\nas intrinsic good, and separate this from the good of charity, which they\ncall meritorious, and thus not acceptable to God. But, when those who\ndwell in the eastern and southern quarters of the city hear such sermons,\nthey go out of the temples; and the preachers afterwards are deprived of\nthe priestly office.\u201d\n\n\u201cConcerning the Popish Saints in the Spiritual World.\n\n\u201cIt is known that man has innate or hereditary evil from parents; but it\nis known to few in what that dwells, in its fulness: it dwells in the love\nof possessing the goods of all others, and in the love of ruling; for this\nlatter love is such, that, as far as the reins are given to it, so far it\nbursts forth, until it burns with the desire of ruling over all, and, at\nlength, wishes to be invoked and worshipped as a god. This love is the\nserpent, which deceived Eve and Adam; for it said to the woman, _God doth\nknow, in the day that ye eat of the fruit of that tree, your eyes will be\nopened,_ AND THEN YE WILL BE AS GOD. (Gen. iii. 4, 5.) As far, therefore,\nas man, without restraint, rushes into this love, so far he averts himself\nfrom God, and turns to himself, and becomes a worshipper of himself; and\nthen he can invoke God with a warm mouth from the love of self, but with a\ncold heart from contempt of God. And then, also, the divine things of the\nchurch may serve for means; but, because the end is dominion, the means\nare regarded no more than as they are subservient to it. Such a person, if\nhe is exalted to the highest honors, is, in his own imagination, like\nAtlas bearing the terraqueous globe upon his shoulders, and like Ph\u0153bus,\nwith his horses, carrying the sun around the world.\n\n\u201cSince man hereditarily is such, therefore all who, by papal bulls, have\nbeen made saints, in the spiritual world are removed from the eyes of\nothers, and concealed, and all intercourse with their worshippers is taken\naway from them; the reason is, lest that most pernicious root of evil\nshould be excited in them, and they should be brought into such fantastic\ndeliriums as there are with demons. Into such deliriums those come, who,\nwhile they live in the world, zealously aspire to be made saints after\ndeath, that they may be invoked.\n\n\u201cMany of the Roman Catholic persuasion, especially the monks, when they\ncome into the spiritual world, inquire for the saints, particularly the\nsaint of their order; but they do not find them, at which they wonder; but\nafterwards they are instructed that they are mixed together, either with\nthose who are in heaven, or with those who are in the earth below; and\nthat, in either case, they know nothing of the worship and invocation of\nthemselves, and that those who do know, and wish to be invoked, fall into\ndeliriums, and talk foolishly. The worship of saints is such an\nabomination in heaven, that, if they only hear it, they are filled with\nhorror; since, as far as worship is ascribed to any man, so far it is\nwithheld from the Lord; for thus, he alone is not worshipped; and, if the\nLord alone is not worshipped, a discrimination is made, which destroys\ncommunion, and the happiness of life flowing from it. That I might know\nwhat the Roman Catholic saints are, in order that I might make it known,\nas many as a hundred were brought forth from the earth below, who knew of\ntheir canonization. They ascended behind my back, and only a few before my\nface; and I spoke with one of them, who, they said, was Xavier. He, while\nhe talked with me, was like a fool; yet he could tell, that, in his place,\nwhere he was shut up with others, he was not a fool, but that he becomes a\nfool as often as he thinks that he is a saint, and wishes to be invoked. A\nlike murmur I heard from those who were behind my back. It is otherwise\nwith the saints, so called, in heaven: these know nothing at all of what\nis done on earth; nor is it given them to speak with any of the Roman\nCatholic persuasion, who are in that superstition, lest any idea of that\nthing should enter into them.\n\n\u201cFrom this their state, every one may conclude that invocations of them\nare only mockeries; and, moreover, I can assert, that they do not hear\ntheir invocations on earth, any more than their images do at the sides of\nthe streets, nor any more than the walls of the temple, nor any more than\nthe birds that build their nests in towers. It is said by their servants\non earth, that the saints reign in heaven, together with the Lord Jesus\nChrist; but this is a figment and a falsehood; for they no more reign with\nthe Lord, than a hostler with a king, a porter with a grandee, or a\nfootman with a primate; for John the Baptist said, concerning the Lord,\n_that he was not worthy to unloose the latchet of his shoe_, (Mark 1:7.\nJohn 1:27.) What, then, are those who are such?\n\n\u201cThere appears, sometimes, to the people of Paris, who are in the\nspiritual world, in a society, a certain woman of a common stature, in\nshining raiment, and of a face, as it were, holy; and she says that she is\nGENEVIEVE; but, when any begin to adore her, then her face is immediately\nchanged, and also her raiment, and she becomes like an ordinary woman, and\nreproves them for wishing to adore a woman, who, among her companions, is\nin no higher estimation than as a maid-servant, wondering that the men of\nthe world should be captivated by such trifles.\n\n\u201cTo the above, I shall add this, which is most worthy of attention. Once,\nMARY, THE MOTHER OF THE LORD, passed by, and was seen overhead in white\nraiment; and then, stopping a while, she said that she was the mother of\nthe Lord, and that he was indeed born of her; but that he, being made God,\nput off all the human from her, and that, therefore, she now adores him as\nher God; and that she is unwilling that any one should acknowledge him for\nher son, since in him all is divine.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n\nFIGHTING QUAKERS.\n\n\nThe term _Fighting_ or _Wet_ Quaker is applied to those who retain the\nQuaker faith, but adopt the manners and costume, of other denominations.\nThe celebrated Nathaniel Greene was one of this character, as were many of\nthe people of Rhode Island, where religious liberty first erected its\nstandard in America.\n\n\u201cWhen the British army had possession of Philadelphia, a committee of\nthree of the leading men of the society of Friends had permission to go to\nthe head-quarters of General Washington, relative to some matters of\ninconvenience of some of their brethren, within Washington\u2019s command. The\ngeneral listened to them with his usual courtesy and wisdom, but could not\ndetermine the business till the next day. In the mean time, he told them\nhe would put them under the protection of an officer of their own society,\nand thereupon sent for General Nathaniel Greene; and when he arrived, in\nfull uniform, he introduced \u2018the Friends\u2019 to each other. After a little\nsilence, Friend James Pemberton turned slowly to General Greene, and said,\n\u2018Dost thou profess to be one of our persuasion?\u2019 \u2018O, yes,\u2019 said the\ngeneral; \u2018I was so educated.\u2019 The committee looked at each other, and upon\nthe general\u2019s sword, when one of them said, \u2018May I ask General Greene what\npart of our land thou wast born and brought up in?\u2019 \u2018O, yes, yes,\u2019 replied\nGreene; \u2018I\u2019m from RHODE ISLAND.\u2019 \u2018Oho,\u2019 rejoined more than one of them,\n\u2018yes, yes, a RHODE ISLAND QUAKER! Yes, Friend Greene, we are satisfied\nwith thy explanation, and will accept of thy kind offer.\u2019 Greene betrayed\na momentary flush of disconcertion, at which, it was said, Washington\u2019s\ncountenance half smiled at the _Rhode Island Quaker_!\u201d\n\n\n\n\n\nHARMONISTS.\n\n\nMr. George Rapp and other emigrants arrived from Germany, and settled in\nthe interior of Pennsylvania, about the year 1805. They formed an economy\non the primitive plan of having \u201call things in common.\u201d They appear to\nhave prospered. In 1814 they sold their property in Pennsylvania and\nremoved to Indiana, to form a new establishment, on an improved plan. They\nprofess the Protestant religion, but admit of universal toleration. They\ncultivate the learned languages and professions, and maintain strict\nmorals, with a due observation of the Sabbath. They keep watch by turns at\nnight; and, after crying the hour, add, \u201cA day is past, and a step made\nnearer our end. Our time runs away, and the joys of heaven are our\nreward.\u201d (See Acts 4:32.)\n\n\n\n\n\nDORRELITES.\n\n\nA sectary, by the name of Dorrel, appeared in Leyden, Mass., about fifty\nyears ago, and made some proselytes. The following are some of his leading\nsentiments:\u2014Jesus Christ is, as to substance, a spirit, and is God. He\ntook a body, died, and never rose from the dead. None of the human race\nwill ever rise from their graves. The resurrection, spoken of in\nScripture, is only one from sin to spiritual life, which consists in\nperfect obedience to God. Written revelation is a type of the substance of\nthe true revelation, which God makes to those whom he raises from\nspiritual death. The substance is God revealed in the soul. Those who have\nit are perfect, are incapable of sinning, and have nothing to do with the\nBible. The eternal life, purchased by Christ, was an eternal succession of\nnatural generation. Heaven is light, and hell is darkness. God has no\nwrath. There is no opposition between God and the devil, who have equal\npower in their respective worlds of light and darkness. Those who are\nraised are free from all civil laws; are not bound by the marriage\ncovenant; and the perfect have a right to promiscuous intercourse. Neither\nprayer nor any other worship is necessary. There is no law but that of\nnature. There is no future judgment, nor any knowledge in the future\nstate, of what is done in this world. God has no forethought, no knowledge\nof what passes in the dark world, which is hell, nor any knowledge of what\nhas taken place, or will take place, in this world. Neither God nor the\ndevil has any power to control man. There are two kinds of perfection\u2014that\nof the head, and that of the members. The leader is perfect as the head;\nbut none of his followers can be so, in this sense, so long as the leader\ncontinues. All covenants which God has heretofore entered into with man,\nare at an end, and a new covenant made with the leader, (Dorrel,) in which\nhe has all power to direct, and all the blessings of which must be looked\nfor through him. Neither Moses nor Christ wrought any miracles. I (says\nDorrel) stand the same as Jesus Christ in all respects. My disciples stand\nin the same relation to me, as the disciples of Christ did to him. I am to\nbe worshipped in the same manner as Christ was to be worshipped, as God\nunited to human flesh. This sect was broken up in the following manner:\u2014\n\nOne of Dorrel\u2019s lectures was attended by Captain Ezekiel Foster, of\nLeyden, a man of good sense, of a strong, muscular frame, and a\ncountenance which bespoke authority. When Dorrel came to the declaration\nof his extraordinary powers, he had no sooner uttered the words, \u201cNo arm\ncan hurt my flesh,\u201d than Foster rose, indignant at the imposture he was\npractising on his deluded followers, and knocked down Dorrel with his\nfist. Dorrel, in great trepidation, and almost senseless, attempted to\nrise, when he received a second blow, at which he cried for mercy. Foster\nengaged to forbear, on condition that he would renounce his doctrines, but\ncontinued beating him. Soon a short parley ensued, when Dorrel consented,\nand did renounce his doctrines in the hearing of all his astonished\nfollowers. He further told them, that his object was to see what fools he\ncould make of mankind. His followers, ashamed and chagrined at being made\nthe dupes of such an unprincipled fellow, departed in peace to their\nhomes. Dorrel promised his assailant, upon the penalty of his life never\nto attempt any similar imposition upon the people.\n\n\n\n\n\nOSGOODITES.\n\n\nThese people profess to believe in one God, who is fully acquainted with\nall his own works; but they believe there are some things done by wicked\nagents, of which God has no knowledge. They reject the idea of Christ\u2019s\ndivinity, and of any thing special in regeneration. They pretend to\nmiraculous gifts, such as healing the sick, and praying down the judgments\nof God upon those who oppose them. They deny any thing peculiarly sacred\nin the Christian Sabbath, although they generally meet on that day for\nreligious worship, but without much regard to order. They reject the\nordinances of baptism and the Lord\u2019s supper. They are opposed to Bible\nsocieties, and other moral and religious institutions of the day,\nparticularly to temperance societies.\n\nThis sect arose about the year 1812, in the county of Merrimack, N. H.\nwhere a few societies exist. Jacob Osgood is their leader.\n\n\n\n\n\nROGERENES.\n\n\nThis is a sect calling themselves Seventh-Day Baptists, that arose in New\nEngland about the year 1674. John and James Rogers were their leaders.\nThey were peculiar in their language, dress, and manners; they employed no\nphysician, nor used any medicine: they paid no regard to the Christian\nSabbath, and disturbed and abused those that did. It is said that a few of\nthis people still remain. See the _Battle-Axe_, a work published by them a\nfew years ago, at their printing establishment, at Groton, Conn.\n\n\n\n\n\nWHIPPERS.\n\n\nThis denomination sprang up in Italy, in the thirteenth century, and was\nthence propagated through almost all the countries of Europe. The society\nthat embraced this new discipline, ran in multitudes, composed of persons\nof both sexes, and all ranks and ages, through the public streets, with\nwhips in their hands, lashing their naked bodies with the most astonishing\nseverity, with a view to obtain the divine mercy for themselves and\nothers, by their voluntary mortification and penance. This sect made their\nappearance anew in the fourteenth century, and taught, among other things,\nthat flagellation was of equal virtue with baptism and other sacraments;\nthat the forgiveness of all sins was to be obtained by it from God,\nwithout the merit of Jesus Christ; that the old law of Christ was soon to\nbe abolished, and that a new law, enjoining the baptism of blood, to be\nadministered by whipping, was to be substituted in its place.\n\nA new denomination of Whippers arose in the fifteenth century, who\nrejected the sacraments and every branch of external worship, and placed\ntheir only hopes of salvation in _faith_ and _flagellation_.\n\n\n\n\n\nWILKINSONIANS.\n\n\nThe followers of Jemima Wilkinson, who was born in Cumberland, R. I. In\n1776, she asserted that she was taken sick, and actually died, and that\nher soul went to heaven. Soon after, her body was reanimated with the\nspirit and power of Christ, upon which she set up as a public teacher, and\ndeclared she had an immediate revelation for all she delivered, and was\narrived to a state of absolute perfection. It is also said she pretended\nto foretell future events, to discern the secrets of the heart, and to\nhave the power of healing diseases; and if any person who had made\napplication to her was not healed, she attributed it to his want of faith.\nShe asserted that those who refused to believe these exalted things\nconcerning her, will be in the state of the unbelieving Jews, who rejected\nthe counsel of God against themselves; and she told her hearers that was\nthe eleventh hour, and the last call of mercy that ever should be granted\nthem; for she heard an inquiry in heaven, saying, \u201cWho will go and preach\nto a dying world?\u201d or words to that import; and she said she answered,\n\u201cHere am I\u2014send me;\u201d and that she left the realms of light and glory, and\nthe company of the heavenly host, who are continually praising and\nworshipping God, in order to descend upon earth, and pass through many\nsufferings and trials for the happiness of mankind. She assumed the title\nof the _universal friend of mankind_.\n\nJemima made some converts in Rhode Island and New York, and died in 1819.\nShe is said to have been a very beautiful, but artful woman.\n\n\n\n\n\nAQUARIANS.\n\n\nWATER-DRINKERS, a branch of the _Encratites_, a sect in the second\ncentury, who abstained from marriage, wine, and animal food; who carried\ntheir aversion to wine so far, that they substituted water in the holy\ncommunion, though some refused it only in their _morning_ ceremonies. It\nis well known that the ancient Christians mingled water with their wine\nfor sacred use, partly, perhaps, for economy, and partly from sobriety;\nbut Cyprian gives a mystical reason\u2014because the wine and water represent\nChrist and his people united.\n\n\n\n\n\nBAXTERIANS.\n\n\nThe Baxterian strikes into a middle path between Arminianism and\nCalvinism, and thus endeavors to unite both schemes. With the Calvinist,\nhe professes to believe that a certain number, determined upon in the\ndivine councils, will be infallibly saved; and with the Arminian, he joins\nin rejecting the doctrine of reprobation, as absurd and impious;\u2014admits\nthat Christ, in a certain sense, died for all, and supposes that such a\nportion of grace is allotted to _every_ man, as renders it his own fault\nif he does not attain to eternal life.\n\nThis conciliatory system was espoused by the famous Nonconformist, Richard\nBaxter, who was celebrated for the acuteness of his controversial talents,\nand the utility of his practical writings.\n\nAmong Baxterians are ranked both Watts and Doddridge. Dr. Doddridge,\nindeed, has this striking remark\u2014\u201cThat a Being who is said not to tempt\nany one, and even swears that he desires not the death of a sinner, should\n_irresistibly_ determine millions to the commission of every sinful action\nof their lives, and then, with all the pomp and pageantry of a universal\njudgment, condemn them to eternal misery, on account of these actions,\nthat hereby he may promote the happiness of others who are, or shall be,\nirresistibly determined to virtue, in the like manner, is of all\nincredible things to me the most incredible!\u201d\n\nIn the scale of religious sentiment, Baxterianism seems to be, with\nrespect to the subject of divine favor, what Arianism is with respect to\nthe person of Christ. It appears to have been considered by some pious\npersons as a safe middle way between two extremes.\n\n\n\n\n\nMILLER\u2019S VIEWS ON THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST.\n\n\nThe following letter from Rev. WILLIAM MILLER to Rev. JOSHUA V. HIMES\ncontains a synopsis of Mr. Miller\u2019s views on this interesting subject:\u2014\n\n\u201cRev. J. V. Himes:\n\n\u201cMy dear brother: You have requested a synopsis of my views of the\nChristian faith. The following sketch will give you some idea of the\nreligious opinions I have formed, by a careful study of the word of God:\u2014\n\n\u201cI believe all men, coming to years of discretion, do and will disobey\nGod; and this is, in some measure, owing to corrupted nature by the sin of\nour parent. I believe God will not condemn us for any pollution in our\nfather; but the soul that sinneth shall die. All pollution of which we may\nbe partakers from the sins of our ancestors, in which we could have no\nagency, can and will be washed away in the blood and sacrifice of Jesus\nChrist, without our agency. But all sins committed by us as rational,\nintelligent agents, can only be cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ,\nthrough our repentance and faith. I believe in the salvation of all men\nwho receive the grace of God by repentance and faith in the mediation of\nJesus Christ. I believe in the condemnation of all men who reject the\ngospel and mediation of Christ, and thereby lose the efficacy of the blood\nand righteousness of our Redeemer, as proffered to us in the gospel. I\nbelieve in practical godliness, as commanded us in the Scriptures, (which\nare our only rule of faith and practice,) and that they only will be\nentitled to heaven and future blessedness, who obey and keep the\ncommandments of God, as given us in the Bible, which is the word of God. I\nbelieve in God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is a Spirit,\nomnipresent, omniscient, having all power, Creator, Preserver, and\nself-existent. As being holy, just, and beneficent, I believe in Jesus\nChrist, the Son of God, having a body in fashion and form like man, divine\nin his nature, human in his person, godlike in his character and power. He\nis a Savior for sinners, a Priest to God, a Mediator between God and man,\nand King in Zion. He will be all to his people, God with us forever. The\nspirit of the Most High is in him, the power of the Most High is given\nhim, the people of the Most High are purchased by him, the glory of the\nMost High shall be with him, and the kingdom of the Most High is his on\nearth.\n\n\u201cI believe the Bible is the revealed will of God to man, and all therein\nis necessary to be understood by Christians in the several ages and\ncircumstances to which they may refer;\u2014for instance, what may be\nunderstood to-day, might not have been necessary to have been understood a\nthousand years ago; for its object is to reveal things new and old, that\nthe man of God may be thoroughly furnished for, and perfected in, every\ngood word and work, for the age in which he lives. I believe it is\nrevealed in the best possible manner for all people, in every age and\nunder every circumstance, to understand, and that it is to be understood\nas literal as it can be and make good sense; and that in every case where\nthe language is figurative, we must let the Bible explain its own figures.\nWe are in no case allowed to speculate on the Scriptures, and suppose\nthings which are not clearly expressed, nor reject things which are\nplainly taught. I believe all of the prophecies are revealed to try our\nfaith, and to give us hope, without which we could have no reasonable\nhope. I believe that the Scriptures do reveal unto us, in plain language,\nthat Jesus Christ will appear again on this earth; that he will come in\nthe glory of God, in the clouds of heaven, with all his saints and angels;\nthat he will raise the dead bodies of all his saints who have slept,\nchange the bodies of all that are alive on the earth that are his, and\nboth these living and raised saints will be caught up to meet the Lord in\nthe air. There the saints will be judged and presented to the Father,\nwithout spot or wrinkle. Then the gospel kingdom will be given up to God\nthe Father. Then will the Father give the bride to the Son Jesus Christ;\nand when the marriage takes place, the church will become the \u2018New\nJerusalem,\u2019 the \u2018beloved city.\u2019 And while this is being done in the air,\nthe earth will be cleansed by fire, the elements will melt with fervent\nheat, the works of men will be destroyed, the bodies of the wicked will be\nburned to ashes, the devil and all evil spirits, with the souls and\nspirits of those who have rejected the gospel, will be banished from the\nearth, shut up in the pit or place prepared for the devil and his angels,\nand will not be permitted to visit the earth again until a thousand years.\nThis is the first resurrection, and first judgment. Then Christ and his\npeople will come down from the heavens, or middle air, and live with his\nsaints on the new earth in a new heaven, or dispensation, forever, even\nforever and ever. This will be the restitution of the right owners to the\nearth.\n\n\u201cThen will the promise of God to his Son be accomplished\u2014\u2018I will give him\nthe heathen for his inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for his\npossession.\u2019 Then \u2018the whole earth shall be full of his glory.\u2019 And then\nwill the holy people take possession of their joint heirship with Christ,\nand his promise be verified, \u2018The meek shall inherit the earth,\u2019 and the\nkingdom of God will have come, and \u2018his will done in earth as in heaven.\u2019\nAfter a thousand years shall have passed away, the saints will all be\ngathered and encamped in the beloved city. The sea, death, and hell, will\ngive up their dead, which will rise up on the breadths of the earth, out\nof the city, a great company like the sand of the sea-shore. The devil\nwill be let loose, to go out and deceive this wicked host. He will tell\nthem of a battle against the saints, the beloved city; he will gather them\nin the battle around the camp of the saints. But there is no battle; the\ndevil has deceived them. The saints will judge them; the justice of God\nwill drive them from the earth into the lake of fire and brimstone, where\nthey will be tormented day and night, forever and ever. \u2018This is the\nsecond death.\u2019 After the second resurrection, second judgment, the\nrighteous will then possess the earth forever.\n\n\u201cI understand that the judgment day will be a thousand years long. The\nrighteous are raised and judged in the commencement of that day, the\nwicked in the end of that day. I believe that the saints will be raised\nand judged about the year 1843, according to Moses\u2019 prophecy, Lev. ch. 26;\nEzek. ch. 39; Daniel, ch. 2, 7, 8-12; Hos. 5:1-3; Rev., the whole book;\nand many other prophets have spoken of these things. Time will soon tell\nif I am right, and soon he that is righteous will be righteous still, and\nhe that is filthy will be filthy still. I do most solemnly entreat mankind\nto make their peace with God, to be ready for these things. \u2019The end of\nall things is at hand.\u2019 I do ask my brethren in the gospel ministry to\nconsider well what they say before they oppose these things. Say not in\nyour hearts, \u2018My Lord delayeth his coming.\u2019 Let all do as they would wish\nthey had if it does come, and none will say they have not done right if it\ndoes not come. I believe it will come; but if it should not come, then I\nwill wait and look until it does come. Yet I must pray, \u2018Come, Lord Jesus,\ncome quickly.\u2019\n\n\u201cThis is a synopsis of my views. I give it as a matter of faith. I know of\nno scripture to contradict any view given in the above sketch. Men\u2019s\ntheories may oppose. The ancients believed in a temporal and personal\nreign of Christ on earth. The moderns believe in a temporal, spiritual\nreign as a millennium. Both views are wrong; both are too gross and\ncarnal. I believe in a glorious, immortal, and personal reign of Jesus\nChrist, with all his people, on the purified earth forever. I believe the\nmillennium is between the two resurrections and two judgments, the\nrighteous and the wicked, the just and the unjust. I hope the dear friends\nof Christ will lay by all prejudice, and look at and examine these three\nviews by the only rule and standard, the BIBLE.\n\n\u201cWilliam Miller.\u201d\n\nA Bible Chronology, From Adam To Christ.\n\nBy William Miller.\n\nNo.   Names of            Age.   A. M.   B. C.   Reference.\n      Patriarchs,\n      &c.\n      Creation,                      1    4157   Gen. i., ii.\n 2.   Adam                 130     130    4027   Gen. v. 3.\n 3.   Enos                  90     325    3832   Gen. v. 6.\n 4.   Cainan                70     395    3762   Gen. v. 9.\n 5.   Mahalaleel            65     460    3697   Gen. v. 15.\n 6.   Jared                162     622    3535   Gen. v. 18.\n 7.   Enoch                 65     687    3470   Gen. v. 21.\n 8.   Methuselah           187     874    3283   Gen. v. 25.\n 9.   Lamech               182    1056    3101   Gen. v. 28.\n10.   Noah                 600    1656    2501   Gen. vii. 6.\n      The Flood              1    1657    2500   Gen. viii. 13.\n11.   Shem                   2    1659    2498   Gen. xi. 10.\n12.   Arphaxad              35    1694    2463   Gen. xi. 12.\n13.   Salah                 30    1724    2433   Gen. xi. 14.\n14.   Heber                 34    1758    2399   Gen. xi. 16.\n15.   Peleg                 30    1788    2369   Gen. xi. 18.\n16.   Reu                   32    1820    2337   Gen. xi. 20.\n17.   Serug                 30    1850    2307   Gen. xi. 22.\n18.   Nahor                 29    1879    2278   Gen. xi. 24.\n19.   Terah\u2019s life      205(4)    2084    2073   Gen. xi. 32.\n20.   Exode, &c.        430(5)    2514    1643   Exod. xii. 40, 41.\n21.   Wilderness            40    2554    1603   Josh. v. 6; xiv. 7.\n22.   Joshua             25(6)    2579    1578   Josh. xxiv. 29.\n 1.   Elders and            18    2597    1560   See Josephus.\n      Anarchy,(7)\n 2.   Under Cushan           8    2605    1552   Judges iii. 8.\n 3.   Othniel               40    2645    1512   Judges iii.  11.\n 4.   Eglon                 18    2663    1494   Judges iii. 14.\n 5.   Ehud                  80    2743    1414   Judges iii. 30.\n 6.   Jabin                 20    2763    1394   Judges  iv. 3.\n 7.   Barak                 40    2803    1354   Judges v. 31.\n 8.   Midianites             7    2810    1347   Judges vi. 1.\n 9.   Gideon                40    2850    1307   Judges viii. 28.\n10.   Abimelech              3    2853    1304   Judges ix. 22.\n11.   Tola                  23    2876    1281   Judges x. 2.\n12.   Jair                  22    2898    1259   Judges x. 3.\n13.   Philistines           18    2916    1241   Judges x. 8.\n14.   Jephthah               6    2922    1235   Judges xii. 7.\n15.   Ibzan                  7    2929    1228   Judges xii. 9.\n16.   Elon                  10    2939    1218   Judges xii. 11.\n17.   Abdon                  8    2947    1210   Judges xii. 14.\n18.   Philistines           40    2987    1170   Judges xiii. 1.\n19.   Eli                40(8)    3027    1130   1 Sam. iv. 18.\n20.   Samuel,            24(9)    3051    1106   1 Sam. vii.  2-17.\n      prophet\n 1.   Saul, King            40    3091    1066   Acts xiii. 21.\n 2.   David                 40    3131    1026   2 Sam. v. 4.\n 3.   Solomon               40    3171     986   1 Kings xi. 42.\n 4.   Rehoboam              17    3188     969   2 Chron. xii. 13.\n 5.   Abijam                 3    3191     966   1 Kings xv. 2.\n 6.   Asa                   41    3232     925   1 Kings xv. 10.\n 7.   Jehoshaphat           25    3257     900   1 Kings xxii. 42.\n 8.   Jehoram                5    3262     895   2 Kings viii. 17.\n 9.   Ahaziah                1    3263     894   2 Kings viii. 26.\n10.   Athaliah,              6    3269     888   2 Kings xi. 3, 4.\n      his mother\n11.   Joash                 40    3309     818   2 Kings xii. 1.\n12.   Amaziah               29    3338     819   2 Kings xiv. 2.\n      Interregnum(10)       11    3349     808   2 Kings xv. 1, 2.\n13.   Azariah               52    3401     756   2 Kings xv. 2.\n14.   Jotham                16    3417     740   2 Kings xv. 33.\n15.   Ahaz                  16    3433     724   2 Kings xvi. 2.\n16.   Hezekiah              29    3462     695   2 Kings xviii. 2.\n17.   Manasseh              55    3517     640   2 Kings xxi. 1.\n18.   Amon                   2    3519     638   2 Kings xxi. 19.\n19.   Josiah                31    3550     607   2 Kings xxii. 1.\n20.   Jehoahaz                    3550     607   2 Kings xxiii. 31.\n21.   Jehoiakim             11    3561     596   2 Kings xxiii. 36.\n      The 70 years of       70    3631     526   2 Chron. xxxvi.\n      Captivity began                            5-10.\n      Cyrus                  6    3637     520   Rollin i.  p. 354.\n      Cambyses               7    3644     513   Rollin i.  p. 366.\n      Darius                36    3680     477   Rollin ii. p. 9.\n      Hystaspes\n      Xerxes                13    3693     464   Rollin ii. p. 9.\n      Artaxerxes             7    3700     457   Ezra vii. 10-13.\n      Longimanus\n      Birth of             457    4157\n      Christ(11)\n      Add present         1840    5997\n      year, 1840\n      To 1843                3    6000\n\nMr. Miller adduces the following texts of Scripture in support of his\nsentiments:\u2014Rev. 22:20. Ps. 130:6. 1 Thess. 3:13. Ps. 50:4. Rev. 11:15.\nIsa. 2:19-21. John 5:28. 1 Thess. 4:17. 2 Thess. 1:5-7. 1 Cor. 15:52. Rev\n5:9. Dan. 7:9-14. Rev. 14:14-16. Matt. 26:64. Isa. 27:13. Matt. 24:29.\nRev. 20:11. Isa. 66:15, 16. Mal. 4:1. Isa. 5:24. Rev. 19:18. Ezek.\n39:17-20. Dan. 2 35, 44. Isa. 17:13. Rev. 13:1-7; 20:10. Isa. 24:20, 23. 2\nPet. 3:13. Rev. 19:8; 21:2. Heb. 4:9-11; 6:2, 3. Isa. 35:10; 65:17. Rev.\n20:6; 20:9. Zech. 8:5. Rev. 3:12; 5:10, 20:2, 3, 7; 21:1; 20:8, 9, 13.\nRom. 7:5. 1 Pet. 4:6. Ps. 59:6-14. Jer. 4:12. Rev. 21:12, 27. Zech.\n14:9-11. 1 Cor. 6:2. Rev. 20:9, 14, 15. Mal. 4:2. Isa. 4:3-5. Hos. 13:14.\nRom. 8:17. Rev. 21:23; 22:5. Jer. 31:12-14. Eph. 1:10. Tit. 2:13. Rev.\n4:11. Eph. 6:13. Heb. 10:36, 37.\n\n\n    The believers in Mr. Miller\u2019s theory are numerous, and converts to\n    his doctrines are increasing.\n\n    Mr. Miller was born at Hampton, N. Y., Feb. 15, 1782. He is a\n    farmer, of common school education, and possesses strong\n    intellectual and colloquial powers. He is a man of unexceptionable\n    character, is a member of the Baptist church, in good standing,\n    and has a license to preach the gospel. For the last fifteen\n    years, he has almost exclusively devoted himself to investigating\n    Scripture prophecies, and in promulgating his peculiar views of\n    them to the world.\n\n\nThe Rev J. V. Himes and Rev. J. Litch, No. 14 Devonshire Street, Boston,\npublish the _Signs of the Times_, a weekly paper, devoted to Miller\u2019s\nviews. They also publish Miller\u2019s works, and a variety of other books,\nembracing similar sentiments.\n\n\n\n\n\nCOME-OUTERS.\n\n\nThis is a term which has been applied to a considerable number of persons\nin various parts of the Northern States, principally in New England, who\nhave recently _come out_ of the various religious denominations with which\nthey were connected;\u2014hence the name. They have not themselves assumed any\ndistinctive name, not regarding themselves as a sect, as they have not\nformed, and do not contemplate forming, any religious organization. They\nhave no creed, believing that every one should be left free to hold such\n_opinions_ on religious subjects as he pleases, without being held\naccountable for the same to any human authority. Hence, as might be\nexpected, they hold a diversity of opinions on many points of belief upon\nwhich agreement is considered essential by the generality of professing\nChristians. Amongst other subjects upon which they differ is that of the\nauthority of the Scriptures of the Old and the New Testaments, some among\nthem holding the prevailing belief of their divine inspiration, whilst\nothers regard them as mere human compositions, and subject them to the\nsame rules of criticism as they do any other book, attaching to them no\nauthority any further than they find evidence of their truth. They believe\nthe commonly-received opinion of the plenary inspiration of the writers of\nthose books to be unfounded, not claimed by the writers themselves, and\ntherefore _unscriptural_, as well as unreasonable. Whilst, then, they\nbelieve the authors of the Gospels to have been fallible men, liable to\nerr both in relation to matters of fact and opinion, they believe they\nfind in their writings abundant evidence of their honesty. Therefore they\nconsider their testimony satisfactory as regards the main facts there\nstated of the life of Jesus Christ, at least so far, that there can be no\ndifficulty in deducing therefrom the great principles of the religion\nwhich he taught. They _all_ believe him to have been a divinely-inspired\nteacher, and his religion, therefore, to be a revelation of eternal truth.\nThey regard him as the only authorized expositor of his own religion, and\nbelieve that to apply in practice its principles as promulgated by him,\nand as exemplified in his life, is all that is essential to constitute a\nChristian, according to his testimony, (Matt. 7:24,)\u2014\u201c_Whosoever heareth\nthese sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man\nwhich built his house upon a rock,_\u201d &c. Hence they believe that to make\nit essential to Christianity to assent to all the opinions expressed by\ncertain men, good men though they were, who wrote either before or after\nhis time, involves a denial of the words of Christ. They believe that,\naccording to his teachings, true religion consists in purity of heart,\nholiness of life, and not in opinions; that _Christianity, as it existed\nin the mind of Christ, is a life rather than a belief_.\n\nThis class of persons agree in the opinion that _he only is a Christian\nwho has the spirit of Christ_; that all such as these are members of his\nchurch, and that it is composed of none others; therefore that membership\nin the Christian church is not, and cannot, in the nature of things, be\ndetermined by any human authority. Hence they deem all attempts to render\nthe church identical with any outward organizations as utterly futile, not\nwarranted by Christ himself, and incompatible with its spiritual\ncharacter. Having no organized society, they have no stations of authority\nor superiority, which they believe to be inconsistent with the Christian\nidea, (Matt. 23:8,)\u2014\u201cBut be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master,\neven Christ; and all ye are brethren.\u201d (Matt. 20:25, 26,)\u2014\u201cYe know that\nthe princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are\ngreat exercise authority upon them. _But it shall not be so among you._\u201d\n\nAs might be inferred from the foregoing, they discard all outward\nordinances as having no place in a spiritual religion the design of which\nis to purify the heart, and the extent of whose influence is to be\nestimated, by its legitimate effects in producing a life of practical\nrighteousness, and not by any mere arbitrary sign, which cannot be\nregarded as a certain indication of the degree of spiritual life, and must\nconsequently be inefficient and unnecessary.\n\nTheir views of worship correspond, as they believe, with the spiritual\nnature of the religion they profess. They believe that true Christian\nworship is independent of time and place; that it has no connection with\nforms, and ceremonies, and external arrangements, any further than these\nare the exponents of a divine life; that it spontaneously arises from the\npure in heart at all times and in all places: in short, they regard the\nterms _Christian worship_ and _Christian obedience_ as synonymous,\nbelieving that he gives the highest and only conclusive evidence of\nworshipping the Creator, who exhibits in his life the most perfect\nobedience to his will. These views they consider in perfect harmony with\nthe teachings of Jesus, particularly in his memorable conversation with\nthe woman of Samaria.\n\nThey also agree in the belief that the religion of Christ asserts the\nequality of all men before God; that it confers upon no man, or class of\nmen, a monopoly of Heaven\u2019s favors; neither does it give to a portion of\nhis children any means of knowing his will not common to the race. They\nbelieve the laws of the soul are so plain that they may be easily\ncomprehended by all who sincerely seek to know them, without the\nintervention of any human teacher or expounder. Hence they regard no\nteaching as authoritative but that of the Spirit of God, and reject all\npriesthoods but the universal priesthood which Christianity establishes.\nThey believe that every one whose soul is imbued with a knowledge of the\ntruth is qualified to be its minister, and it becomes his duty and his\npleasure, by his every word and action, to preach it to the world. It\nfollows, then, that, as Christ prepares and appoints his own ministers,\nand as they receive their commissions only from him, they are accountable\nto him alone for their exercise, and not to any human authority\nwhatsoever. They therefore reject all human ordinations, appointments, or\ncontrol, or any designation by man of an order of men to preach the\ngospel, as invasions of his rightful prerogative.\n\nAmongst the prevailing sins, against which they feel bound to bear\ntestimony, are slavery and war; and it is alleged as the main reason why\nmany of them have disconnected themselves from the professedly Christian\ndenominations to which they belonged, that those bodies gave their\nsanction to those anti-Christian practices. They believe slaveholding to\nbe sinful under all circumstances, and that, therefore, it should be\nimmediately abandoned. They believe, not only that national wars are\nforbidden by Christianity, but that the taking of human life for any\npurpose, by governments or individuals, is incompatible with its spirit. A\nlarge proportion of them, also, consider all resort to punishment, as a\npenalty for crime, equally inconsistent with the law of love. Hence they\ndeem it their duty to withhold their voluntary sanction or support from\nhuman governments, and all institutions which claim the right to exercise\npowers which they thus regard as unlawful.\n\nIn various places, these persons hold meetings on the first day of the\nweek, which are conducted consistently with their views of Christian\nfreedom and equality. It is understood that the object of thus meeting\ntogether, is to promote their spiritual welfare. For this purpose, they\nencourage a free interchange of sentiment on religious subjects, without\nany restraint or formality. They have no prescribed exercises, but every\none is left free to utter his thoughts as he may feel inclined; and even\nthose who differ from them in opinion are not only at liberty, but are\ninvited, to give expression to their thoughts. They believe this to be the\nonly mode of holding religious meetings consistent with the genius of\ntheir religion, and for an example of like gatherings they refer to those\nof the primitive Christians. They meet on the _first day of the week_, not\nbecause they believe it incumbent to devote that portion of time more than\nany other to objects regarded as peculiarly religious,\u2014for they regard all\ndays as equally holy, and equally devoted to the service of the Lord,\u2014but\nmerely because they have become habituated to abstain from their ordinary\noccupations on that day, and it is, therefore, the most convenient time\nfor them to assemble.\n\nThe practical acknowledgment of the moral equality of the sexes is another\ndistinguishing characteristic of these people. They regard woman as\nequally qualified to hold any station in society from which she is not\nexcluded by her physical disability; and that she alone must decide for\nherself what position she shall occupy, or what duties in the community\nshe shall perform; the control of woman never, as they conceive, having\nbeen delegated to man by the Creator. Therefore they consider her equal in\nall mental and intellectual pursuits. And when they associate together for\nreligious and benevolent objects, they exercise the various duties\npertaining to them indiscriminately.\n\nThe number of persons who hold a similarity of opinions on these subjects\ncannot be known. It is, at present, comparatively small, but rapidly\nincreasing.\n\n\n\n\n\nJUMPERS.\n\n\nPersons so called from the practice of jumping during the time allotted\nfor religious worship. This singular practice began, it is said, in the\nwestern part of Wales, about the year 1760. It was soon after defended by\nMr. William Williams, (the Welsh poet, as he is sometimes called,) in a\npamphlet, which was patronized by the abettors of jumping in religious\nassemblies. Several of the more zealous itinerant preachers encouraged the\npeople to cry out, \u201c_Goganiant_,\u201d (the Welsh word for _glory_,) \u201cAmen,\u201d\n&c. &c., to put themselves in violent agitations, and, finally, to jump\nuntil they were quite exhausted, so as often to be obliged to fall down on\nthe floor, or the field, where this kind of worship was held.\n\n\n\n\n\nBAPTISTS.\n\n\nThis denomination of Christians holds that a personal profession of faith\nand an immersion in water are essential to baptism. There are several\nbodies of Baptists in the United States, which will be found under their\ndifferent names. The _Regular_ or _Associated Baptists_ are, in sentiment,\nmoderate Calvinists, and form the most numerous body of Baptists in this\ncountry.\n\nThe Baptists being Independent, or Congregational, in their form of church\ngovernment, their ecclesiastical assemblies disclaim all right to\ninterfere with the concerns of individual churches. Their public meetings,\nby delegation from different churches, are held for the purpose of mutual\nadvice and improvement, but not for the general government of the whole\nbody.\n\nThe following Declaration of Faith, with the Church Covenant, was recently\npublished by the Baptist Convention of New Hampshire, and is believed to\nexpress, with little variation, the general sentiments of the Regular or\nAssociated Baptists:\u2014\n\n\n    \u201cI. OF THE SCRIPTURES.\u2014We believe the Holy Bible was written by\n    men divinely inspired, and is a perfect treasure of heavenly\n    instruction; that it has God for its Author, salvation for its\n    end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter; that\n    it reveals the principles by which God will judge us, and\n    therefore is, and shall remain to the end of the world, the true\n    centre of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all\n    human conduct, creeds, and opinions, should be tried.\n\n    \u201cII. OF THE TRUE GOD.\u2014That there is one, and only one, true and\n    living God, whose name is JEHOVAH, the Maker and Supreme Ruler of\n    heaven and earth; inexpressibly glorious in holiness; worthy of\n    all possible honor, confidence, and love; revealed under the\n    personal and relative distinctions of the Father, the Son, and the\n    Holy Ghost equal in every divine perfection, and executing\n    distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption.\n\n    \u201cIII. OF THE FALL OF MAN.\u2014That man was created in a state of\n    holiness, under the law of his Maker, but by voluntary\n    transgression fell from that holy and happy state; in consequence\n    of which all mankind are now sinners, not by constraint, but\n    choice; being by nature utterly void of that holiness required by\n    the law of God, wholly given to the gratification of the world, of\n    Satan, and of their own sinful passions, and therefore under just\n    condemnation to eternal ruin, without defence or excuse.\n\n    \u201cIV. OF THE WAY OF SALVATION.\u2014That the salvation of sinners is\n    wholly of grace, through the mediatorial offices of the Son of\n    God, who took upon him our nature, yet without sin; honored the\n    law by his personal obedience, and made atonement for our sins by\n    his death; being risen from the dead, he is now enthroned in\n    heaven; and uniting in his wonderful person the tenderest\n    sympathies with divine perfections, is every way qualified to be a\n    suitable, a compassionate, and an all-sufficient Savior.\n\n    \u201cV. OF JUSTIFICATION.\u2014That the great gospel blessing which Christ,\n    of his fulness, bestows on such as believe in him, is\n    justification; that justification consists in the pardon of sin\n    and the promise of eternal life, on principles of righteousness;\n    that it is bestowed, not in consideration of any works of\n    righteousness which we have done, but solely through his own\n    redemption and righteousness; that it brings us into a state of\n    most blessed peace and favor with God, and secures every other\n    blessing needful for time and eternity.\n\n    \u201cVI. OF THE FREENESS OF SALVATION.\u2014That the blessings of salvation\n    are made free to all by the gospel; that it is the immediate duty\n    of all to accept them by a cordial and obedient faith; and that\n    nothing prevents the salvation of the greatest sinner on earth,\n    except his own voluntary refusal to submit to the Lord Jesus\n    Christ; which refusal will subject him to an aggravated\n    condemnation.\n\n    \u201cVII. OF GRACE IN REGENERATION.\u2014That, in order to be saved, we\n    must be regenerated, or born again; that regeneration consists in\n    giving a holy disposition to the mind, and is effected in a manner\n    above our comprehension or calculation, by the power of the Holy\n    Spirit, so as to secure our voluntary obedience to the gospel; and\n    that its proper evidence is found in the holy fruit which we bring\n    forth to the glory of God.\n\n    \u201cVIII. OF GOD\u2019S PURPOSE OF GRACE.\u2014That election is the gracious\n    purpose of God, according to which he regenerates, sanctifies, and\n    saves sinners; that, being perfectly consistent with the free\n    agency of man, it comprehends all the means in connection with the\n    end; that it is a most glorious display of God\u2019s sovereign\n    goodness, being infinitely wise, holy, and unchangeable; that it\n    utterly excludes boasting, and promotes humility, prayer, praise,\n    trust in God, and active imitation of his free mercy; that it\n    encourages the use of means in the highest degree; that it is\n    ascertained by its effects in all who believe the gospel; is the\n    foundation of Christian assurance; and that to ascertain it with\n    regard to ourselves, demands and deserves our utmost diligence.\n\n    \u201cIX. OF THE PERSEVERANCE OF SAINTS.\u2014That such only are real\n    believers as endure unto the end; that their persevering\n    attachment to Christ is the grand mark which distinguishes them\n    from superficial professors; that a special Providence watches\n    over their welfare; and they are kept by the power of God through\n    faith unto salvation.\n\n    \u201cX. HARMONY OF THE LAW AND GOSPEL.\u2014That the law of God is the\n    eternal and unchangeable rule of his moral government; that it is\n    holy, just, and good; and that the inability which the Scriptures\n    ascribe to fallen men to fulfil its precepts, arises entirely from\n    their love of sin; to deliver them from which, and to restore\n    them, through a Mediator, to unfeigned obedience to the holy law,\n    is one great end of the gospel, and of the means of grace\n    connected with the establishment of the visible church.\n\n    \u201cXI. OF A GOSPEL CHURCH.\u2014That a visible church of Christ is a\n    congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the\n    faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the ordinances of\n    Christ; governed by his laws; and exercising the gifts, rights,\n    and privileges, invested in them by his word; that its only proper\n    officers are bishops, or pastors, and deacons, whose\n    qualifications, claims, and duties, are defined in the Epistles to\n    Timothy and Titus.\n\n    \u201cXII. OF BAPTISM AND THE LORD\u2019S SUPPER.\u2014That Christian baptism is\n    the immersion of a believer in water, in the name of the Father,\n    Son, and Spirit; to show forth, in a solemn and beautiful emblem,\n    our faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior, with its\n    purifying power; that it is prerequisite to the privileges of a\n    church relation, and, to the Lord\u2019s supper, in which the members\n    of the church, by the use of bread and wine, are to commemorate\n    together the dying love of Christ,\u2014preceded always by solemn\n    self-examination.\n\n    \u201cXIII. OF THE CHRISTIAN SABBATH.\u2014That the first day of the week is\n    the Lord\u2019s day, or Christian Sabbath, and is to be kept sacred to\n    religious purposes, by abstaining from all secular labor and\n    recreations; by the devout observance of all the means of grace,\n    both private and public; and by preparation for that rest which\n    remaineth for the people of God.\n\n    \u201cXIV. OF CIVIL GOVERNMENT.\u2014That civil government is of divine\n    appointment, for the interests of good order of human society; and\n    that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored,\n    and obeyed, except in things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus\n    Christ, who is the only Lord of the conscience, and the Prince of\n    the kings of the earth.\n\n    \u201cXV. OF THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE WICKED.\u2014That there is a radical and\n    essential difference between the righteous and the wicked; that\n    such only as through faith are justified in the name of the Lord\n    Jesus, and sanctified by the Spirit of our God, are truly\n    righteous in his esteem; while all such as continue in impenitence\n    and unbelief are in his sight wicked, and under the curse; and\n    this distinction holds among men both in and after death.\n\n    \u201cXVI. OF THE WORLD TO COME.\u2014That the end of this world is\n    approaching; that, at the last day, Christ will descend from\n    heaven, and raise the dead from the grave to final retribution;\n    that a solemn separation will then take place; that the wicked\n    will be adjudged to endless punishment, and the righteous to\n    endless joy; and that this judgment will fix forever the final\n    state of men, in heaven or hell, on principles of righteousness.\n\n    \u201cCHURCH COVENANT.\u2014having been, as we trust, brought by divine\n    grace to embrace the Lord Jesus Christ, and to give up ourselves\n    wholly to him, we do now solemnly and joyfully covenant with each\n    other, TO WALK TOGETHER IN HIM WITH BROTHERLY LOVE, to his glory\n    as our common Lord. We do, therefore, in his strength engage,\n\n    \u201cThat we will exercise a mutual care, as members one of another,\n    to promote the growth of the whole body in Christian knowledge,\n    holiness, and comfort; to the end that we may stand perfect and\n    complete in all the will of God.\n\n    \u201cThat, to promote and secure this object, we will uphold the\n    public worship of God and the ordinances of his house, and hold\n    constant communion with each other therein; that we will\n    cheerfully contribute of our property for the support of the poor,\n    and for the maintenance of a faithful ministry of the gospel among\n    us.\n\n    \u201cThat we will not omit closet and family religion at home, nor\n    allow ourselves in the too common neglect of the great duty of\n    religiously training up our children, and those under our care,\n    with a view to the service of Christ and the enjoyment of heaven.\n\n    \u201cThat we will walk circumspectly in the world, that we may win\n    their souls; remembering that God hath not given us the spirit of\n    fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind, that we are\n    the light of the world and the salt of the earth, and that a city\n    set on a hill cannot be hid.\n\n    \u201cThat we will frequently exhort, and, if occasion shall require,\n    admonish, one another, according to Matthew 18th, in the spirit of\n    meekness; considering ourselves, lest we also be tempted; and\n    that, as in baptism, we have been buried with Christ, and raised\n    again, so there is on us a special obligation henceforth, to walk\n    in newness of life.\n\n    \u201cAnd may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead our\n    Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of\n    the everlasting covenant, make us perfect in every good work to do\n    his will; working in us that which is well pleasing in his sight,\n    through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory forever and ever. AMEN.\u201d\n\n    (See Matt. 3:5, 6, 11, 13-16; 20:22, 23; 21:25; 28:19. Mark 1:4,\n    5, 8, 9, 10; 11:30; 16:15, 16. Luke 3:3, 7, 12, 16, 21; 7:29, 30;\n    12:50; 20:4. John 1:28, 31, 33; 3:22, 23; 4:1, 2. Acts 1:5,2 2;\n    2:38, 41; 8: 12, 13, 36-39; 9:18; 10:37, 47, 48; 13:24; 16:15, 33;\n    18:8, 25; 19:4, 5; 22:16. Rom. 6:3, 4. 1 Cor. 1: 13-17; 10:2;\n    12:13; 15:29. Gal. 3:27. Eph. 4:5. Col. 2:12. Heb. 6:2. 1 Pet.\n    3:31.)\n\n                  -------------------------------------\n\n    \u201cThis denomination claims an immediate descent from the apostles,\n    and asserts that the constitution of their churches is from the\n    authority of Jesus Christ himself, and his immediate successors.\n    Many others, indeed, deduce their origin as a sect from much later\n    times, and affirm that they first sprang up in Germany in the\n    sixteenth century. This denomination of Christians is\n    distinguished from others by their opinions respecting the mode\n    and subjects of baptism. Instead of administering the ordinance by\n    sprinkling or pouring water, they maintain that it ought to be\n    administered only by immersion: such, they insist, is the meaning\n    of the Greek word _baptizo_, to wash or dip, so that a command to\n    baptize is a command to immerse. They also defend their practice\n    from the phrase _buried with him in baptism_, from the first\n    administrators\u2019 repairing to rivers, and the practice of the\n    primitive church, after the apostles.\n\n    \u201cWith regard to the _subjects_ of baptism, this denomination\n    alleges that it ought not to be administered to children or\n    infants at all, nor to adults in general; but to those only who\n    profess repentance for sin and faith in Christ. Our Savior\u2019s\n    commission to his apostles, by which Christian baptism was\n    instituted, is to _go and teach all nations, baptizing them_, &c.,\n    that is, not to baptize all they meet with, but first to examine\n    and instruct them, and whoever will receive instruction, to\n    baptize in the _name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the\n    Holy Ghost_. This construction of the passage is confirmed by\n    another passage\u2014\u2018_Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel\n    to every creature; he that believeth, and is baptized, shall be\n    saved._\u2019 To such persons, and to such only, this denomination\n    says, baptism was administered by the apostles and the immediate\n    disciples of Christ; for those who were baptized in primitive\n    times are described as repenting of their sins, and believing in\n    Christ. (See Acts 2:38, 8:37, and other passages of Scripture.)\n\n    \u201cThey further insist that all positive institutions depend\n    entirely upon the will and declaration of the institutor; and\n    that, therefore, reasoning by analogy from previous abrogated\n    rites is to be rejected, and the express commands of Christ\n    respecting the mode and subjects of baptism ought to be our only\n    rule.\n\n    \u201cThey observe that the meaning of the word _baptizo_ signifies\n    immersion or dipping only; that John baptized in Jordan; that he\n    chose a place where there was _much_ water; that Jesus came up\n    _out of_ the water; that Philip and the eunuch went down both\n    _into_ the water; that the terms _washing_, _purifying_, _burying\n    in baptism_, so often mentioned in Scripture, allude to this mode;\n    that immersion _only_ was the practice of the apostles and the\n    first Christians; and that it was only laid aside from the love of\n    novelty, and the coldness of our climate. These positions, they\n    think, are so clear from Scripture, and the history of the church,\n    that they stand in need of but little argument to support them.\u201d\n\n\nThere are some interesting facts connected with the history of the\nBaptists in America. In 1631, the Rev. Roger Williams, who had been a\nclergyman of the church of England, but, disliking its formalities,\nseceded, and ranged himself with the Nonconformists, fled to America from\nthe persecutions which then raged in England. The great principles of\ncivil and religious liberty were not then understood in the western world,\nand, as Mr. Williams was a man of intrepid firmness in advocating those\nprinciples, we are not surprised at the excitement and opposition which\nhis doctrines awakened. He settled first in Salem, New England, the\nmagistracy of which condemned his opinions, and subsequently sentenced him\nto banishment. Under that cruel act of legislation, he was driven from his\nfamily, in the midst of winter, to seek for refuge among the wild Indians.\nAfter great sufferings, having conciliated the Indians, he commenced the\nformation of a colony, to which he gave the name of _Providence_, situate\nin Rhode Island, a name which it still bears.\n\nThus he became the founder of a new order of things. Several of his\nfriends afterwards joined him, and in that infant settlement he sustained\nthe twofold character of minister and lawgiver. He formed a constitution\non the broad principle of civil and religious liberty, and thus became the\nfirst ruler that recognized equal rights. Nearly a century and a half\nafter that, when the Americans achieved their independence, thirteen of\nthe states united in forming a government for themselves, and adopted that\nprinciple; thus America became, what the little colony of Providence had\nbeen before, a refuge for the persecuted for conscience sake. It has been\nwell observed that the millions in both hemispheres who are now rejoicing\nin the triumph of liberal principles, should unite in erecting a monument\nto perpetuate the memory of ROGER WILLIAMS, the first governor who held\nliberty of conscience, as well as of person, to be the birthright of man.\n\nIn the year 1639, Mr. Williams formed the _first_ Baptist church in\nAmerica, at Providence. Throughout succeeding years, few changes,\ncomparatively, were experienced in the movements of the Baptist\ndenomination on this vast continent. Baptist churches multiplied\nexceedingly, until they assumed a leading attitude among the religious\ncommunities of America. They have amply provided for an efficient and\nlearned ministry, and the extraordinary revivals with which they have been\nfrequently favored, invest them with a moral strength and glory which\ncannot be contemplated but with astonishment and admiration.\n\n\n\n\n\nANABAPTISTS.\n\n\nThose who maintain that baptism ought always to be performed by immersion.\nThe word is compounded of _ana_ \u201cnew,\u201d and _baptistes_, \u201ca Baptist,\u201d\nsignifying that those who have been baptized in their infancy, ought to be\nbaptized _anew_. It is a word which has been indiscriminately applied to\nChristians of very different principles and practices. The English and\nDutch Baptists do not consider the word as at all applicable to their\nsect, because those persons whom they baptize they consider as never\nhaving been baptized before, although they have undergone what they term\nthe ceremony of sprinkling in their infancy.\n\n\n\n\n\nFREE-WILL BAPTISTS.\n\n\nThe first church gathered, of this order, was in New Durham, N. H., in the\nyear 1780, principally by the instrumentality of Elder Benjamin Randall,\nwho then resided in that town. Soon after, several branches were collected\nwhich united with this church; and several preachers, of different\npersuasions, were brought to see the beauties of a _free salvation_, and\nunited as fellow-laborers with Elder Randall.\n\nThey believe that, by the death of Christ, salvation was provided for all\nmen; that, through faith in Christ, and sanctification of the\nSpirit,\u2014though by nature entirely sinners,\u2014all men may, if they improve\nevery means of grace in their power, become new creatures in this life,\nand, after death, enjoy eternal happiness; that all who, having actually\nsinned, die in an unrenewed state, will suffer eternal misery.\n\nRespecting the divine attributes of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, they\nin substance agree with other Orthodox Christians. They hold the holy\nScriptures to be their only rule of religious faith and practice, to the\nexclusion of all written creeds, covenants, rules of discipline, or\narticles of organization. They consider that elders and deacons are the\nofficers of the church designed in the Scriptures, and maintain that\npiety, and a call to the work, are the essential qualifications of a\nminister, without regard to literary attainments.\n\n\n\n\n\nSEVENTH-DAY BAPTISTS, OR SABBATARIANS,\n\n\nAre those who keep the seventh day of the week as the Sabbath. They are to\nbe found principally, if not wholly, among the Baptists. They object to\nthe reasons which are generally alleged for keeping the first day, and\nassert that the change from the seventh to the first was effected by\nConstantine, on his conversion to Christianity, A. D. 321. The three\nfollowing propositions contain a summary of their principles as to this\narticle of the Sabbath, by which they stand distinguished:\u2014\n\n1. That God hath required the seventh or last day of every week to be\nobserved by mankind, universally, for the weekly Sabbath.\n\n2. That this command of God is perpetually binding on man till time shall\nbe no more.\n\n3. That this sacred rest of the seventh-day Sabbath is not by divine\nauthority changed from the seventh and last to the first day of the week,\nand that the Scripture doth nowhere require the observation of any other\nday of the week for the weekly Sabbath, but the seventh day only. They\nhold, in common with other Christians, the distinguishing doctrines of\nChristianity.\n\n\n\n\n\nSIX-PRINCIPLE BAPTISTS.\n\n\nThis appellation is given to those who hold the imposition of hands,\nsubsequent to baptism, and generally on the admission of candidates into\nthe church, as an indispensable prerequisite for church membership and\ncommunion. They support their peculiar principle chiefly from Heb. 6:1,\n2\u2014\u201cTherefore, leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go\non unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from\ndead works, and faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptism, and of\nlaying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal\njudgment,\u201d As these two verses contain six distinct propositions, one of\nwhich is the laying on of hands, these brethren have, from thence,\nacquired the name of _Six-Principle Baptists_, to distinguish them from\nothers, whom they sometimes call _Five-Principle Baptists_. They have\nfourteen churches in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.\n\n\n\n\n\nQUAKER BAPTISTS, OR KEITHIANS.\n\n\nA party from the society of Friends, in Pennsylvania, separated in the\nyear 1691. It was headed by the famous GEORGE KEITH. They practised\nbaptism, and received the Lord\u2019s supper, but retained the language, dress,\nand manners, of the Friends, or Quakers.\n\n\n\n\n\nPEDOBAPTISTS.\n\n\nAre those who practise the baptism of children, without regard to personal\nfaith.\n\nPedobaptists, in common with all others, claim for their practice an\napostolical origin; and, although they differ much in theological\nopinions, in forms of church government, and modes of worship, yet they\nall adopt substantially the same mode of reasoning in their defence of\npedobaptism. They say that the church, under both the old and new\ndispensations, has ever been the same, although under a different form;\nthat infants, as well as parents, were admitted into the church under the\nearlier dispensations, the rite of circumcision being the sign of their\nintroduction, into it; and that the Christian dispensation (as the Savior\ncame not to destroy, but to fulfil, the law and the prophets) did not\nannul or abridge any of the privileges of the church that were possessed\nunder the dispensations of former times. But as the right of children, who\nare bound to their parents by the strongest natural tie, to be solemnly\nand visibly dedicated to God, and to come within the pale and under the\nwatch of the church, is a blessing and a privilege, we are entitled to ask\nfor the passages in the New Testament which require its abandonment. We\ntake it for granted, that children are to be publicly dedicated to God,\nnow, as in former times, unless some positive directions can be shown to\nthe contrary. It appearing, therefore, that children may be dedicated to\nGod, by their parents, in some public and visible way, and there remaining\nno outward ceremony, under the Christian dispensation, suitable to that\npurpose, but baptism, we infer that baptism is designed to take the place\nof circumcision, and that children may be baptized. And these views are\nthought to be encouraged by the affectionate saying of Christ, \u201cSuffer\nlittle children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the\nkingdom of God.\u201d (Mark 10:14.)\n\nA second argument in favor of infant baptism is derived from the repeated\naccounts, in the Acts, of the baptism of whole families. The families\nreferred to are those of Lydia, a seller of purple in the city of\nThyatira, of the jailer, in the same city, and of Cornelius, the\ncenturion, of C\u00e6sarea. Instances of this kind are not to be considered as\nconclusively proving the Scripture authority of infant baptism of\nthemselves; but they form a presumptive argument, in its favor, of great\nweight.\n\nAnd, further, it may be shown, from ecclesiastical history, that the\nbaptism of infants was practised in the time of the primitive Christians.\nThis being the fact, the conclusion seems to follow irresistibly, that\nthey received the practice from the apostles, and that it was, therefore,\nknown and recognized by the Savior himself; and, if it were known and\nrecognized by him, or even introduced, subsequently and solely, by those\nhe commissioned, it must be received, in either case, as the will of\nChrist, and as a law of the Christian dispensation.\n\nAgain, they say that the particular mode of baptism can not be determined\nfrom the meaning of the word _baptizo_, which may mean either to immerse\nor to lave, according to the particular connection in which it is found.\n(See Mark 7:4. Heb. 9:10.)\n\nNone of the accounts of baptism, which are given in the New Testament,\nnecessarily imply that it was performed by immersion. It is true the\nSavior and the eunuch, when they were baptized, went up out of, or rather\n_from_, the water, but the inference that they went _under_ the water,\nwhich is sometimes drawn from these expressions, does not appear to be\nsufficiently warranted.\n\nThe circumstances attending the baptism of the jailer and his family are\nof such a nature as to render the opinion of its being performed by\nimmersion improbable. The baptism was evidently performed at midnight, and\nwithin the limits of the prison,\u2014a time and a situation evidently implying\nsome other mode than plunging. Similar views will hold in respect to the\nbaptism of the three thousand at the season of Pentecost.\n\nAs, therefore, there are no passages of Scripture which positively require\nimmersion, but various scriptural considerations against it, besides its\nbeing always inconvenient, and not unfrequently impracticable, the\nPedobaptists have ever thought it fit and requisite, as a general rule, to\npractise baptism by sprinkling or laving.\n\nThe Greek church, in all its branches,\u2014whether in the frozen regions of\nSiberia, or in the torrid zone,\u2014practise trine immersion. All Pedobaptists\nrequire of adults, who seek for baptism, a personal profession of their\nfaith, and so far agree with the Baptists. They also, with the Baptists,\nallow immersion to be valid baptism; but, in opposition to them, the\nBaptists deny that any other mode of administering this rite is valid.\n(See Exod. 14:22. Isa. 44:3. Matt. 3:11; 19:13. Mark 7:4. Acts 2:39; 19:2,\n5. Rom. 4:11; 11:17. 1 Cor. 7:14; 10:2. Eph. chap. 2. Heb. 9:10, 13, 14.)\n\nThe term _Pedobaptist_ is derived from two Greek words\u2014_pais_, a child,\nand _baptismos_, baptism. This mode of baptism is practised by nearly the\nwhole Christian world, except the Baptists and Friends.\n\n\n\n\n\nANTI-PEDOBAPTISTS.\n\n\nA name given to those who object to the baptism of infants. The word is\nderived from the Greek words signifying _against_, _a child_, and _I\nbaptize_.\n\n\n\n\n\nUNITARIANS.\n\n\nThose Christians who are usually designated by this name in the United\nStates, and who are also called _Liberal Christians_, are mostly\nCongregationalists, and are found principally in New England.\n\nThey acknowledge no other rule of faith and practice than the holy\nScriptures, which they consider it the duty of every man to search for\nhimself, prayerfully, and with the best exercise of his understanding.\nThey reject all creeds of human device, as generally unjust to the truth\nof God and the mind of man, tending to produce exclusiveness, bigotry, and\ndivisions, and at best of doubtful value. They regard, however, with favor\nthe earliest creed on record, commonly called the Apostles\u2019, as\napproaching nearest to the simplicity of the gospel, and as imbodying the\ngrand points of the Christian faith.\n\nThey adopt the words of St. Paul, (1 Cor. 8:6,) \u201c_To us there is but one\nGod, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus\nChrist, by whom are all things, and we by him._\u201d They make great account\nof the doctrine of God\u2019s paternal character and government, and\ncontinually set it forward as the richest source of consolation, and the\nmost powerful motive to repentance and improvement.\n\nReceiving and trusting in Christ as their Lord, Teacher, Mediator,\nIntercessor, Savior, they hold in less esteem than many other sects, nice\ntheological questions and speculations concerning his precise rank, and\nthe nature of his relation to God. They feel that by honoring him as _the\nSon of God_, they honor him as he desired to be honored; and that by\nobeying and imitating him, they in the best manner show their love.\n\nThey believe that the Holy Ghost is not a distinct person in the Godhead,\nbut that _power of God_, that _divine influence_, by which Christianity\nwas established through miraculous aids, and by which its spirit is still\nshed abroad in the hearts of men.\n\nThey advocate the most perfect toleration. They regard CHARITY as the\ncrowning Christian grace,\u2014the end of the commandment of God. They consider\na pure and lofty morality as not only inseparable from true religion, but\nthe most acceptable service that man can render to his Maker, and the only\nindubitable evidence of a believing heart.\n\nThey believe that sin is its own punishment, and virtue its own rewarder;\nthat the moral consequences of a man\u2019s good or evil conduct go with him\ninto the future life, to afford him remorse or satisfaction; that God will\nbe influenced in all his dealings with the soul by mercy and justice,\npunishing no more severely than the sinner deserves, and always for a\nbenevolent end. Indeed, the greater part of the denomination are\nRestorationists.\n\nUnitarians consider that, besides the Bible, all the Ante-Nicene\nfathers\u2014that is, all Christian writers for three centuries after the birth\nof Christ\u2014give testimony in their favor, against the modern popular\ndoctrine of the Trinity. As for _antiquity_, it is their belief that it is\nreally on their side.\n\nIn the _First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians_, which was written\ntowards the close of the first century,\u2014and the evidence for the\ngenuineness of which is stronger than for that of any other of the\nproductions attributed to the apostolical fathers,\u2014the supremacy of the\nFather is asserted or implied throughout, and Jesus is spoken of in terms\nmostly borrowed from the Scriptures. He is once called the \u201csceptre of the\nmajesty of God;\u201d and this highly-figurative expression is the most exalted\napplied to him in the whole Epistle.\n\nJustin Martyr, the most distinguished of the ancient fathers of the\nchurch, who flourished in the former part of the second century, and whose\nwritings (with the exception of those attributed to the _apostolic_\nfathers) are the earliest Christian records next to the New Testament,\nexpressly says, \u201cWe worship God, the Maker of the universe, offering up to\nhim prayers and thanks. But, assigning to Jesus, who came to teach us\nthese things, and for this end was born, the \u2018_second place_\u2019 after God,\nwe not without reason honor him.\u201d\n\nThe germ and origin of the doctrine of the Trinity, the Unitarians find in\nthe speculations of those Christianized philosophers of the second\ncentury, whose minds were strongly tinctured with the Platonic philosophy,\ncombined with the _emanation system_, as taught at Alexandria, and held by\nPhilo. From this time they trace the gradual formation of the doctrine\nthrough successive ages down to Athanasius and Augustine; the former of\nwhom, A. D. 362, was the first to insist upon the equality of the Holy\nGhost with the Father and the Son; and the latter, about half a century\nafterwards, was the first to insist upon their numerical unity.\n\nIn all ages of the church, there have been many learned and pious men who\nhave rejected the Trinity as unscriptural and irrational. The first\nattempt, at the council of Nice, to establish and make universal the\nTrinitarian creed, caused disturbances and dissensions in the church,\nwhich continued for ages, and produced results the most deplorable to\nevery benevolent mind which exalts _charity_ over faith.\n\nSoon after the reformation, the Unitarian faith was avowed by Martin\nCellarius, who was then finishing his studies at Wittenberg, where Luther\nwas professor. In 1546, the Unitarian opinions made a considerable\nmovement in Italy, and several persons of learning and eminence were put\nto death. In 1553, Michael Servetus was burned for this heresy, at Geneva.\nThe elder Socinus made his escape from this persecution, and spread his\nviews throughout several countries of Europe, more particularly in Poland,\nwhere a large part of the Reformed clergy embraced them, and were\nseparated, in 1565, from the communion of the Calvinists and Lutherans.\n\nIn England, the number of Unitarians was considerable, according to\nStrype, as early as 1548; and in 1550, he represents the Unitarian\ndoctrine as spreading so fast that the leading Churchmen were alarmed, and\n\u201cthought it necessary to suppress its expression by rigid measures.\u201d These\n\u201crigid measures,\u201d such as imprisonment and burning, were successful for a\ntime. But afterwards, the \u201cheresy\u201d gained new and able supporters, such as\nBiddle, Firmin, Dr. S. Clarke, Dr. Lardner, Whiston, Emlyn, Sir Isaac\nNewton, &c., and has been spreading to this day.\n\nIn the north of Ireland, the Unitarians compose several presbyteries.\nThere are also congregations of Unitarians in Dublin, and in other\nsouthern cities of the kingdom.\n\nIn Scotland, there are chapels of this character in Edinburgh, Glasgow,\nand other principal places.\n\nIn the United States, Unitarian opinions were not prevalent till towards\nthe close of the last century. Since that time, however, they have\nadvanced rapidly, and have been embraced by some of the wisest and best\nmen in the land.\n\nOf late years, the Congregational Unitarians have generally abstained from\ncontroversy, in the United States. They have, however, published and\ncirculated extensively a large number of tracts, of a doctrinal and\npractical character. They have at the present time assumed a _positive_\ncondition, gained a strong and permanent hold amongst the Christian sects,\nand are manifesting new signs of vitality and usefulness.\n\nThe following proof-texts are some of those upon which the Unitarians rest\ntheir belief in the inferiority of the Son to the Father:\u2014John 8:17, 18.\nJohn 17:3. Acts 10:38 1 Tim. 2:5. 1 John 4:14. Rom. 8:34 1 Cor. 11:3. John\n10:29. John 14:28. Matt. 19:17. John 17:21. John 20:17. 1 Cor. 8:5, 6.\nJohn 10:25; 7:16, 17, 8:28; 5:19, 20; 8:49, 50. Matt. 20:23. John 6:38,\n57; 5:30. Mark 13:32. Luke 6:12. John 11:41, 42. Matt. 27:46. Acts\n2:22-24. Phil. 2:11. Col. 1:15. Rev. 3:14. Heb. 3:3. Matt. 12:18. Luke\n2:52.\n\n\n\n\n\nBROWNISTS.\n\n\nA denomination which sprung up in England towards the close of the\nsixteenth century. They derive their name from their leader, Robert Brown.\n\nThis denomination did not differ in point of doctrine from the church of\nEngland, or from the other Puritans; but they apprehended, according to\nScripture, that every church ought to be confined within the limits of a\nsingle congregation, and that the government should be democratical. They\nmaintained the discipline of the church of England to be Popish and\nantichristian, and all her ordinances and sacraments invalid. Hence they\nforbade their people to join with them in prayer, in hearing the word, or\nin any part of public worship. They not only renounced communion with the\nchurch of England, but with all other churches, except such as were of the\nsame model.\n\n\n\n\n\nPURITANS.\n\n\nThis name was given to a party which appeared in England in the year 1565,\nwho opposed the liturgy and ceremonies of the church of England.\n\nThey acquired this denomination from their professed design to establish a\npurer form of worship and discipline.\n\nThose who were first styled _Puritans_ were Presbyterians, but the term\nwas afterwards applied to others who differed from the church of England.\n\nThose who separated from the church of England were also styled\n_Dissenters_.\n\n\n\n\n\nBOURIGNONISTS.\n\n\nThe followers of Antoinette Bourignon, a lady in France, who pretended to\nparticular inspirations. She was born at Lisle, in 1616. At her birth, she\nwas so deformed that it was debated some days in the family whether it was\nnot proper to stifle her as a monster; but, her deformity diminishing, she\nwas spared, and afterwards obtained such a degree of beauty, that she had\nher admirers. From her childhood to her old age she had an extraordinary\nturn of mind. She set up for a reformer, and published a great number of\nbooks, filled with very singular notions; the most remarkable of which are\nentitled \u201cThe Light of the World,\u201d and \u201cThe Testimony of Truth.\u201d In her\nconfession of faith, she professes her belief in the Scriptures, the\ndivinity and atonement of Christ. She believed, also, that man is\nperfectly free to resist or receive divine grace; that God is ever\nunchangeable love towards all his creatures, and does not inflict any\narbitrary punishment, but that the evils they suffer are the natural\nconsequence of sin; that religion consists not in outward forms of\nworship, nor systems of faith, but in an entire resignation to the will of\nGod. She held many extravagant notions, among which, it is said, she\nasserted that Adam, before the fall, possessed the principles of both\nsexes, that, in an ecstasy, God represented Adam to her mind in his\noriginal state, as also the beauty of the first world, and how he had\ndrawn from it the chaos; and that every thing was bright, transparent, and\ndarted forth life and ineffable glory, with a number of other wild ideas.\nShe dressed like a hermit, and travelled through France, Holland, England,\nand Scotland. She died at Franeker, in the province of Frise, October 30,\n1680.\n\n\n\n\n\nJEWS.\n\n\nA complete system of the religious doctrines of the Jews is contained in\nthe five books of Moses, their great lawgiver, who was raised up to\ndeliver them from their bondage in Egypt, and to conduct them to the\npossession of Canaan, the promised land.\n\nThe principal sects among the Jews, in the time of our Savior, were the\nPharisees, who placed religion in external ceremony; the Sadducees, who\nwere remarkable for their incredulity; and the Essenes, who were\ndistinguished by an austere sanctity.\n\nThe Pharisees and Sadducees are frequently mentioned in the New Testament;\nand an acquaintance with their principles and practices serves to\nillustrate many passages in the sacred history. At present, the Jews have\ntwo sects\u2014the Caraites, who admit no rule of religion but the law of\nMoses; and the Rabbinists, who add to the laws the tradition of the\nTalmud, a collection of the doctrines and morality of the Jews. The\nexpectation of a Messiah is the distinguishing feature of their religious\nsystem. The word _Messiah_ signifies one anointed, or installed into an\noffice by an unction.\n\nChristians believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, in whom all the\nJewish prophecies are accomplished. The Jews, infatuated with the idea of\na temporal Messiah, who is to subdue the world, still wait for his\nappearance.\n\nThe most remarkable periods in the history of the Jews are the call of\nAbraham, the giving of the law by Moses, their establishment in Canaan\nunder Joshua, the building of the temple by Solomon, the division of the\ntribes, their captivity in Babylon, their return under Zerubbabel and the\ndestruction of their city and temple by Titus, afterwards emperor, A. D.\n70.\n\nMaimonides, an illustrious rabbi, drew up for the Jews, in the eleventh\ncentury, a confession of faith, which all Jews admit. It is as follows:\u2014\n\n\n    \u201c1. I believe, with a true and perfect faith, that God is the\n    Creator, whose name be blessed, Governor, and Maker, of all\n    creatures, and that he hath wrought all things, worketh and shall\n    work forever.\n\n    \u201c2. I believe, with a perfect faith, that the Creator, whose name\n    be blessed, is _one_, and that such a unity as in him can be found\n    in none other, and that he alone hath been our God, is, and\n    forever shall be.\n\n    \u201c3. I believe, with a perfect faith, that the Creator, whose name\n    be blessed, is not corporeal, nor to be comprehended with any\n    bodily property, and that there is no bodily essence that can be\n    likened unto him.\n\n    \u201c4. I believe, with a perfect faith, the Creator, whose name be\n    blessed, to be the first and the last, that nothing was before\n    him, and that he shall abide the last forever.\n\n    \u201c5. I believe, with a perfect faith, that the Creator, whose name\n    be blessed, is to be worshipped, and none else.\n\n    \u201c6. I believe, with a perfect faith, that all the words of the\n    prophets are true.\n\n    \u201c7. I believe, with a perfect faith, the prophecies of Moses, our\n    master,\u2014 may he rest in peace;\u2014that he was the father and chief of\n    all wise men that lived before him, or ever shall live after him.\n\n    \u201c8. I believe, with a perfect faith, that all the law which at\n    this day is found in our hands, was delivered by God himself to\n    our master, Moses. God\u2019s peace be with him.\n\n    \u201c9. I believe, with a perfect faith, that the same law is never to\n    be changed, nor another to be given us of God, whose name be\n    blessed.\n\n    \u201c10. I believe, with a perfect faith, that God, whose name be\n    blessed, understandeth all the works and thoughts of men, as it is\n    written in the prophets. He fashioneth their hearts alike; he\n    understandeth all their works.\n\n    \u201c11. I believe, with a perfect faith, that God will recompense\n    good to them that keep his commandments, and will punish them who\n    transgress them.\n\n    \u201c12. I believe, with a perfect faith, that the Messiah is yet to\n    come; and, although he retard his coming, yet I will wait for him\n    till he come.\n\n    \u201c13. I believe, with a perfect faith, that the dead shall be\n    restored to life, when it shall seem fit unto God the Creator,\n    whose name be blessed, and memory celebrated, world without end.\n    AMEN.\u201d\n\n\nThis people constitute one of the most singular and interesting portions\nof mankind. For about three thousand years, they have existed as a\ndistinct nation; and, what is remarkable, by far the greatest part of this\ntime they have been in bondage and captivity.\n\nThe calling of Abraham, the father and founder of this nation; the\nlegislation of Moses; the priesthood of Aaron: the Egyptian bondage; the\nconquest of Canaan, and the history of the Jews to the coming of the\nMessiah; their cruel and injurious treatment of this august and innocent\npersonage,\u2014are facts which the Scriptures disclose, and with which, it is\npresumed, every reader is well acquainted.\n\nFor about eighteen hundred years, this wonderful people have maintained\ntheir peculiarities of religion, language, and domestic habits, among\nPagans, Mahometans, and Christians, and have suffered a continued series\nof reproaches, privations, and miseries, which have excited the admiration\nand astonishment of all who have reflected on their condition.\n\nThe siege and destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, the Roman general, was\none of the most awful and distressing scenes that mortals ever witnessed;\nand the details, as given by Josephus, are enough to make humanity\nshudder. During the siege, which lasted nearly five months, upwards of\neleven hundred thousand Jews perished. John and Simon, the two generals of\nthe Hebrews, who were accounted the ringleaders of the rebellious nation,\nwith seven hundred of the most beautiful and vigorous of the Jewish youth,\nwere reserved to attend the victor\u2019s triumphal chariot. The number taken\ncaptive, during this fatal contest, amounted to ninety-seven thousand;\nmany of whom were sent into Syria, and the other provinces, to be exposed\nin public theatres, to fight like gladiators, or to be devoured by wild\nbeasts. The number of those destroyed in the whole war, of which the\ntaking of the holy city was the bloody and tremendous consummation, is\ncomputed to have been one million, four hundred and sixty thousand.\n\nIn addition to the terrors of the Roman sword, this devoted nation was\nexposed to famine, pestilence, and the implacable fury of contending\nparties among themselves, which all conspired together to make the siege\nof Jerusalem surpass, in horror, every account of any other siege in the\nrecords of the world.\n\nA small portion, indeed, of this wretched, ruined nation were permitted to\nremain, and establish themselves in Judea, who, by degrees, reorganized a\nregular system of government, which became the centre of Jewish\noperations, not only for those in Judea, but for such as were dispersed in\nother nations. But the yoke of foreign masters was so grievous and\nburdensome, that they were continually restless and impatient; and, in\nconsequence of a general revolt under the emperor Adrian, in 134, they\nwere a second time slaughtered in multitudes, and were driven to madness\nand despair. Bither, the place of their greatest strength, was compelled\nto surrender, and Barchochba, their leader, who pretended to be the\nMessiah, was slain, and five hundred and eighty thousand fell by the sword\nin battle, besides vast numbers who perished by famine, sickness, fire,\nand other calamities.\n\nKings have enacted the severest laws against them, and employed the hand\nof executioners to ruin them. The seditious multitudes, by murders and\nmassacres, have committed outrages against them, if possible, still more\nviolent and tragical. Besides their common share in the sufferings of\nsociety, they have undergone a series of horrid and unutterable\ncalamities, which no other description of men has ever experienced in any\nage, or in any country. Princes and people, Pagans, Mahometans, and\nChristians, disagreeing in so many things, have united in the design of\nexterminating this fugitive and wretched race, but have not succeeded.\nThey have been banished, at different times, from France, Germany, Spain,\nBohemia, Hungary, and England; and from some of these kingdoms they have\nbeen banished and recalled many times in succession.\n\nThe Romans and Spaniards have probably done more than any other nations to\noppress and destroy this people; and the inquisition has doomed multitudes\nof them to torture and death.\n\nAt different times, they were accused of poisoning wells, rivers, and\nreservoirs of water, and, before any proof of these strange and malicious\ncharges was produced, the populace in many parts of Germany, Italy, and\nFrance, have fallen upon them with merciless and murderous severity. At\none time, the German emperor found it necessary to issue an edict for\ntheir banishment, to save them from the rage of his exasperated and\nunrestrained subjects.\n\nAs the Jews have generally been the _bankers_ and _brokers_ of the people\namong whom they have resided, and have made a show of much wealth, this\nhas tempted their avaricious adversaries to impose upon them enormous\ntaxes and ruinous fines.\n\nMuley Archy, a prince of one of the Barbary states, by seizing the\nproperty of a rich Jew, was enabled to dispossess his brother of the\nthrone of Morocco.\n\nThe English parliament of Northumberland, in 1188, for the support of a\nprojected war, assessed the Jews with 60,000 pounds, while only 70,000\nwere assessed upon the Christians; which proves either that the Jews were\nimmensely rich, or that the parliament was extremely tyrannical.\n\nThe English king John was unmercifully severe upon this afflicted people.\nIn 1210, regardless of the costly freedom he had sold them, he subjected\nthem all, as a body, to a fine of 60,000 marks. The ransom required by\nthis same unfeeling king, of a rich Jew of Bristol, was 10,000 marks of\nsilver; and on his refusing to pay this ruinous fine, he ordered one of\nhis teeth to be extracted every day; to which the unhappy man submitted\nseven days, and on the eighth day he agreed to satisfy the king\u2019s\nrapacity. Isaac of Norwich was, not long after, compelled to pay a similar\nfine. But the king, not satisfied with these vast sums extorted from these\ninjured Israelites, in the end confiscated all their property, and\nexpelled them from the kingdom.\n\nAbout the beginning of the 16th century, the Jews in Persia were subjected\nto a tax of two millions of gold. Long would be the catalogue of injuries\nof this kind, which this outcast and hated nation has sustained. Numerous\nare the cases in which those who have become deeply in debt to them for\nborrowed money, have procured their banishment, and the confiscation of\ntheir property, as the readiest way to cancel their demands; and, as they\nhave ever been addicted to usurious practices, they have, by this means,\nfurnished plausible pretexts to their foes to fleece and destroy them.\n\nThe fraternal disposition of this people led them to seek the society of\neach other; and, notwithstanding the wideness of their dispersion, in\nprocess of time, they, by uniting under different leaders, formed two\ncommunities of considerable extent, known by the name of the eastern and\nwestern Jews. The western Jews inhabited Egypt, Judea, Italy, and other\nparts of the Roman empire; the eastern Jews settled in Babylon, Chaldea,\nPersia, &c. The head of the western division was known by the name of the\npatriarch, while he who presided over the eastern Jews, was called the\nprince of the captivity. The office of patriarch was abolished, by\nimperial laws, about 429, from which time the western Jews were solely\nunder the rule of the chiefs of their synagogues, whom they called\nprimates. But the princes of the captivity had a longer and more splendid\nsway. They resided at Babylon, or Bagdad, and exercised an extensive\nauthority over their brethren, as far down as the 12th century. About this\nperiod, a Jewish historian asserts that he found, at Bagdad, the prince of\nthe captivity, lineally descended from David, and permitted, by the\ncaliph, to exercise the rights of sovereignty over the Jews from Syria to\nIndostan.\n\nThe existence of a succession of these imaginary potentates, from the\ndestruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, the Jews have ever been strenuous\nin maintaining, partly to aggrandize their nation, and partly to deprive\nChristians of the benefit of an argument furnished by the prophecy of\nJacob, concerning the termination of the Jewish polity and independence,\nsoon after the coming of the Messiah.\n\nNotwithstanding the world, in general, has shown a spirit of hostility and\ncontempt for the remnant of Israel, yet they have found a few, in every\nage, who, either from motives of policy or justice, have treated them with\nkindness and respect. The first Mahometan caliphs, a number of the Roman\npontiffs, and some of the Asiatic and European sovereigns, have shown them\nfriendship and protection. Don Solomon, a learned and illustrious Jew of\nPortugal, in the 12th century, was raised to the highest military command\nin that kingdom. Casimir the Great, of Poland, in the 14th century,\nreceived the Jews as refugees into his kingdom, and granted them extensive\nprivileges; and from that time to the present, they have been more\nnumerous in that country than in any other in Europe.\n\nFor many centuries, this persecuted race found a favorite asylum in\nHolland, and, by their dexterity and success in commerce, became very\naffluent.\n\nCromwell, seeing the benefit which the Netherlands had derived from this\nmoney-making and money-lending community, was very desirous to recall them\nto England, from which they had been exiled about three hundred and fifty\nyears. The celebrated Manasses Ben Israel had many interviews with the\nProtector; and so high were the expectations of the Israelites, from the\nclemency and authority of this illustrious statesman, that they began to\nlook up to him as the promised Messiah. And, although Cromwell\u2019s friendly\nproposals, as to their recall, were overruled by the bigoted and\nintolerant policy of the times, yet, from that period, they have found\nfavor and protection in England, and have been much more numerous and\nprosperous there than formerly.\n\nIn France and the United States, the Jews are admitted to equal rights\nwith all other citizens, which cannot be said of any other nations in\nChristendom. In the United States, they have acquired this freedom, of\ncourse, with all other citizens of this free country. In France, they were\nadmitted to it by Bonaparte; and afterwards, in 1807, by his directions,\nthey convened a Grand Sanhedrim, consisting, according to ancient custom,\nof 70 members, exclusive of the president. The number and distinction of\nthe spectators of this Sanhedrim greatly added to the solemnity of the\nscene. This venerable assembly passed and agreed to various articles\nrespecting the Mosaic worship, and their civil and ecclesiastical\nconcerns.\n\nThe extreme aversion of the Jews to every thing which bears the Christian\nname, and their obstinate attachment to their ancient religion, have, in\nformer years, discouraged all attempts to convert them to the Christian\nfaith. And not only has their conversion been neglected, but for many\ncenturies they have been persecuted, plundered, and destroyed, by those\nwho have called themselves Christians; they have not been permitted to\nenter their churches as worshippers, nor their dwellings as guests, nor\nreside in their territories, where Pagans and Mahometans have found an\nunmolested abode. While we, then, blame the blindness and incredulity of\nthe descendants of Abraham, let us lament the folly and unkindness of the\nprofessed disciples of the mild and compassionate Redeemer. But a\ndifferent spirit is now prevailing in many parts of Christendom, and a new\nera, as to the tribes of Israel, seems about to burst upon the world.\nSocieties are formed in Europe and America for their benefit, and a\ndisposition is said to be increasing, among the Jews, favorable to that\nMessiah and that religion which they have so long hated and rejected.\n\nThe history of this people certainly forms a striking evidence of the\ntruth of divine revelation. They are a living and perpetual miracle,\ncontinuing to subsist as a distinct and peculiar race for upwards of three\nthousand years, intermixed among almost all the nations of the world,\nflowing forward in a full and continued stream, like the waters of the\nRhone, without mixing with the waves of the expansive lake through which\nthe passage lies to the ocean of eternity.\n\n\n\n\n\nINDIAN RELIGIONS.\n\n\n    \u201cLo, the poor Indian! whose untutored mind\n    Sees God in clouds, or hears him in the wind;\n    His soul proud science never taught to stray\n    Far as the solar walk, or milky way;\n    Yet simple nature to his hope has given,\n    Behind the cloud-topped hill, an humbler heaven\u2014\n    Some safer world in depth of woods embraced,\n    Some happier island in the watery waste,\n    Where slaves once more their native land behold,\n    No fiends torment, no Christians thirst for gold.\n    To be, contents his natural desire;\n    He asks no angel\u2019s wing, no seraph\u2019s fire;\n    But thinks, admitted to that equal sky,\n    His faithful dog will bear him company.\u201d\u2014POPE.\n\n\nThe natives of CANADA have an idea of the Supreme Being; and they all, in\ngeneral, agree in looking upon him as the First Spirit, and the Governor\nand the Creator of the world. It is said that almost all the nations of\nthe Algonquin language give this Sovereign Being the appellation of the\nGreat Hare. Some, again, call him Michabou, and others Atahocan. Most of\nthem hold the opinion that he was born upon the waters, together with his\nwhole court, entirely composed of four-footed animals, like himself; that\nhe formed the earth of a grain of sand, which he took from the bottom of\nthe ocean; and that he created man of the bodies of the dead animals.\nThere are, likewise, some who mention a god of the waters, who opposed the\ndesigns of the Great Hare, or, at least, refused to be assisting to him.\nThis god is, according to some, the Great Tiger. They have a third, called\nMatcomek, whom they invoke in the winter season.\n\nThe Agreskoui of the Hurons, and the Agreskouse of the Iroquois, is, in\nthe opinion of these nations, the Sovereign Being, and the god of war.\nThese Indians do not give the same original to mankind with the\nAlgonquins; they do not ascend so high as the first creation. According to\nthem, there were, in the beginning, six men in the world; and, if you ask\nthem who placed them there, they answer you, they do not know.\n\nThe gods of the Indians have bodies, and live much in the same manner as\nthemselves, but without any of those inconveniences to which they are\nsubject. The word _spirit_, among them, signifies only a being of a more\nexcellent nature than others.\n\nAccording to the Iroquois, in the third generation there came a deluge, in\nwhich not a soul was saved; so that, in order to repeople the earth, it\nwas necessary to change beasts into men.\n\nBeside the First Being, or the Great Spirit, they hold an infinite number\nof genii, or inferior spirits, both good and evil, who have each their\npeculiar form of worship.\n\nThey ascribe to these beings a kind of immensity and omnipresence, and\nconstantly invoke them as the guardians of mankind. But they never address\nthemselves to the evil genii, except to beg of them to do them no hurt.\n\nThey believe in the immortality of the soul, and say that the region of\ntheir everlasting abode lies so far westward, that the souls are several\nmonths in arriving at it, and have vast difficulties to surmount. The\nhappiness which they hope to enjoy is not believed to be the recompense of\nvirtue only; but to have been a good hunter, brave in war, &c., are the\nmerits which entitle them to this paradise, which they, and the other\nAmerican natives, figure as a delightful country, blessed with perpetual\nspring, whose forests abound with game, whose rivers swarm with fish,\nwhere famine is never felt, and uninterrupted plenty shall be enjoyed\nwithout labor or toil.\n\nThe natives of NEW ENGLAND believed not only a plurality of gods, who made\nand governed the several nations of the world, but they made deities of\nevery thing they imagined to be great, powerful, beneficial, or hurtful to\nmankind. Yet they conceived an Almighty Being, who dwells in the\nsouth-west regions of the heavens, to be superior to all the rest. This\nAlmighty Being they called Kichtan, who at first, according to their\ntradition, made a man and woman out of a stone, but, upon some dislike,\ndestroyed them again; and then made another couple out of a tree, from\nwhom descended all the nations of the earth; but how they came to be\nscattered and dispersed into countries so remote from one another, they\ncannot tell. They believed their Supreme God to be a good being, and paid\na sort of acknowledgment to him for plenty, victory, and other benefits.\n\nBut there is another power, which they called _Hobamocko_, (the devil,) of\nwhom they stood in greater awe, and worshipped merely from a principle of\nfear.\n\nThe immortality of the soul was universally believed among them. When good\nmen die, they said, their souls go to Kichtan, where they meet their\nfriends, and enjoy all manner of pleasures; when wicked men die, they go\nto Kichtan also, but are commanded to walk away, and wander about in\nrestless discontent and darkness forever.\n\nAfter the coming of the white people, the Indians in NEW JERSEY, who once\nheld a plurality of deities, supposed there were only three, because they\nsaw people of three kinds of complexion, viz., English, negroes, and\nthemselves.\n\nIt was a notion generally prevailing among them, that the same God who\nmade them did not make us, but that they were created after the white\npeople; and it is probable they supposed their God gained some special\nskill by seeing the white people made, and so made them better; for it is\ncertain they considered themselves and their methods of living, which they\nsaid their God expressly prescribed for them, vastly preferable to the\nwhite people and their methods.\n\nWith regard to a future state of existence, many of them imagined that the\nChichung, i. e., the shadow, or what survives the body, will, at death, go\nsouthward, to some unknown, but curious place,\u2014will enjoy some kind of\nhappiness, such as hunting, feasting, dancing, or the like; and what they\nsuppose will contribute much to their happiness in the next state, is,\nthat they shall never be weary of these entertainments.\n\nThose who have any notion about rewards and sufferings in a future state,\nseem to imagine that most will be happy, and that in the delightful\nfields, chasing the game, or reposing themselves with their families; but\nthe poor, frozen sinners cannot stir one step towards that sunny region.\nNevertheless, their misery has an end; it is longer or shorter, according\nto the degree of their guilt; and, after its expiation, they are permitted\nto become inhabitants of the Indian paradise.\n\nThe Indians of VIRGINIA gave the names of _Okee_, _Quioccos_, or _Kiwasa_,\nto the idol which they worshipped. These names might possibly be so many\nepithets, which they varied according to the several functions they\nascribed to this deity, or the different notions they might form to\nthemselves of it in their religious exercises and common discourses.\nMoreover, they were of opinion that this idol is not one sole being, but\nthat there were many more of the same nature, besides the tutelary gods.\nThey gave the general name of Quioccos to all these genii, or beings, so\nthat the name of Kiwasa might be particularly applied to the idol in\nquestion.\n\nThese savages consecrated chapels and oratories to this deity, in which\nthe idol was often represented under a variety of shapes. They even kept\nsome of these in the most retired parts of their houses, to whom they\ncommunicated their affairs, and consulted them upon occasion. In this\ncase, they made use of them in the quality of tutelary gods, from whom\nthey supposed they received blessings on their families.\n\nThe sacerdotal vestment of their priests was like a woman\u2019s petticoat\nplaited, which they put about their necks, and tied over the right\nshoulder; but they always kept one arm out, to use it as occasion\nrequired. This cloak was made round at bottom, and descended no lower than\nthe middle of the thigh; it was made of soft, well-dressed skins, with the\nhair outwards.\n\nThese priests shaved their heads close, the crown excepted, where they\nleft only a little tuft, that reached from the top of the forehead to the\nnape of the neck, and even on the top of the forehead. They here left a\nborder of hair, which, whether it was owing to nature, or the stiffness\ncontracted by the fat and colors with which they daubed themselves,\nbristled up, and came forward like the corner of a square cap.\n\nThe natives of Virginia had a great veneration for their priests; and the\nlatter endeavored to procure it, by daubing themselves all over in a very\nfrightful manner, dressing themselves in a very odd habit, and tricking up\ntheir hair after a very whimsical manner. Every thing they said was\nconsidered as an oracle, and made a strong impression on the minds of the\npeople; they often withdrew from society, and lived in woods or in huts,\nfar removed from any habitation. They were difficult of access, and did\nnot give themselves any trouble about provisions, because care was always\ntaken to set food for them near their habitations. They were always\naddressed in cases of great necessity. They also acted in the quality of\nphysicians, because of the great knowledge they were supposed to have of\nnature. In fine, peace or war was determined by their voice; nor was any\nthing of importance undertaken without first consulting them.\n\nThey had not any stated times nor fixed days, on which they celebrated\ntheir festivals, but they regulated them only by the different seasons of\nthe year; as, for instance, they celebrated one day at the arrival of\ntheir wild birds, another upon the return of the hunting season, and for\nthe maturity of their fruits; but the greatest festival of all was at\nharvest time. They then spent several days in diverting themselves, and\nenjoyed most of their amusements, such as martial dances and heroic songs.\n\nAfter their return from war, or escaping some danger, they lighted fires,\nand made merry about them, each having his gourd-bottle, or his little\nbell, in his hand. Men, women, and children, often danced in a confused\nmanner about these fires. Their devotions, in general, consisted only of\nacclamations of joy, mixed with dances and songs, except in seasons of\nsorrow and affliction, when they were changed into howlings. The priests\npresided at this solemnity, dressed in their sacerdotal ornaments, part of\nwhich were the gourd-bottle, the petticoat above mentioned, and the\nserpents\u2019 or weasels\u2019 skins, the tails of which were dexterously tied upon\ntheir heads like a tiara, or triple crown. These priests began the song,\nand always opened the religious exercise, to which they often added\nincantations, part of the mysteries of which were comprehended in the\nsongs. The noise, the gestures, the wry faces, in a word, every thing,\ncontributed to render these incantations terrible.\n\n\n\n\n\nDEISTS.\n\n\nThe Deists believe in a God, but reject a written revelation from him.\nThey are extravagant in their encomiums on natural religion, though they\ndiffer much respecting its nature, extent, obligation, and importance. Dr.\nClarke, in his treatise on Deism, divides them into four classes,\naccording to the number of articles comprised in their creed.\n\nThe first are such as pretend to believe the existence of in eternal,\ninfinite, independent, intelligent Being, and who, to avoid the name of\nEpicurean Atheists, teach also that this Supreme Being made the world;\nthough, at the same time, they agree with the Epicureans in this\u2014that they\nfancy God does not at all concern himself in the government of the world,\nnor has any regard to, or care of, what is done therein.\n\nThe second sort of Deists are those who believe not only the being, but\nalso the providence, of God, with respect to the _natural_ world, but who,\nnot allowing any difference between moral good and evil, deny that God\ntakes any notice of the morally good or evil actions of men; these things\ndepending, as they imagine, on the arbitrary constitution of human laws.\n\nA third sort of Deists there are, who, having right apprehensions\nconcerning the natural attributes of God and his all-governing providence,\nand some notion of his moral perfections also, yet, being prejudiced\nagainst the notion of the immortality of the soul, believe that men perish\nentirely at death, and that one generation shall perpetually succeed\nanother, without any further restoration or renovation of things.\n\nA fourth and last sort of Deist are such as believe the existence of a\nSupreme Being, together with his providence in the government of the\nworld; also all the obligations of natural religion, but so far only as\nthese things are discoverable by the light of nature alone, without\nbelieving any divine revelation.\n\nThese, the learned author observes, are the only true Deists; but, as\ntheir principles would naturally lead them to embrace the Christian\nrevelation, he concludes there is now no consistent scheme of Deism in the\nworld. Dr. Clarke then adds, \u201cThe heathen philosophers\u2014those few of them\nwho taught and lived up to the obligations of natural religion\u2014had,\nindeed, a consistent scheme of Deism, as far as it went. But the case is\nnot so now; the same scheme is not any longer consistent with its own\nprinciples; it does not now lead men to embrace revelation, as it then\ntaught them to hope for it. Deists in our days, who reject revelation when\noffered to them, are not such men as Socrates and Cicero were; but, under\npretence of Deism, it is plain they are generally ridiculers of all that\nis truly excellent in natural religion itself. Their trivial and vain\ncavils; their mocking and ridiculing without and before examination; their\ndirecting the whole stress of objections against particular customs, or\nparticular and perhaps uncertain opinions or explications of opinions,\nwithout at all considering the main body of religion; their loose, vain,\nand frothy discourses; and, above all, their vicious and immoral\nlives,\u2014show, plainly and undeniably, that they are not real Deists, but\nmere Atheists, and, consequently, not capable to judge of the truth of\nChristianity.\u201d\n\nDr. Paley observes, \u201cOf what a revelation discloses to mankind, one, and\nonly one, question can be properly asked.\u2014Was it of importance to mankind\nto know or to be better assured of? In this question, when we turn our\nthoughts to the great Christian doctrine of a resurrection from the dead\nand a future judgment, no doubt can be possibly entertained. He who gives\nme riches or honors does nothing; he who even gives me health, does little\nin comparison with that which lays before me just grounds for expecting a\nrestoration to life, and a day of account and retribution, which thing\nChristianity hath done for millions.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n\nATHEISTS.\n\n\nThe Atheists are those who deny the existence of God; this is called\n_speculative_ Atheism. Professing to believe in God, and yet acting\ncontrary to this belief, is called _practical_ Atheism. Absurd and\nirrational as Atheism is, it has had its votaries and martyrs. In the\nseventeenth century, Spinosa was its noted defender. Lucilio Venini, a\nnative of Naples also publicly taught Atheism in France; and, being\nconvicted of it at Toulouse, was condemned and executed in 1619. It has\nbeen questioned, however, whether any man ever seriously adopted such a\nprinciple.\n\nArchbishop Tillotson says, \u201cI appeal to any man of reason, whether any\nthing can be more unreasonable than obstinately to impute an effect to\nchance, which carries in the very face of it all the arguments and\ncharacters of a wise design and contrivance. Was ever any considerable\nwork in which there were required a great variety of parts, and a regular\nand orderly disposition of those parts, done by chance? Will chance fit\nmeans to ends, and that in ten thousand instances, and not fail in any\none? How often might a man, after he had jumbled a set of letters in a\nbag, fling them out upon the ground, before they would fall into an exact\npoem! yea, or so much as make a good discourse in prose! And may not a\nlittle book be as easily made by chance as the great volume of the world?\nHow long might a man be in sprinkling colors upon canvass with a careless\nhand, before they would happen to make the exact picture of a man! And is\na man easier made by chance than his picture? How long might twenty\nthousand blind men, who should be sent out from several remote parts of\nEngland, wander up and down before they would all meet upon Salisbury\nPlain, and fall into rank and file in the exact order of an army! And yet\nthis is much more easy to be imagined than how the innumerable blind parts\nof matter should rendezvous themselves into a world. A man that sees Henry\nthe Seventh\u2019s chapel at Westminster, might with as good reason maintain\n(yea, with much better, considering the vast difference betwixt that\nlittle structure and the huge fabric of the world) that it was never\ncontrived or built, by any means, but that the stones did by chance grow\ninto those curious figures into which they seem to have been cut and\ngraven; and that, upon a time, (as tales usually begin,) the materials of\nthat building\u2014the stone, mortar, timber, iron, lead, and glass\u2014happily met\ntogether, and very fortunately ranged themselves into that delicate order\nin which we see them now, so close compacted, that it must be a very great\nchance that parts them again. What would the world think of a man that\nshould advance such an opinion as this, and write a book for it? If they\nwould do him right, they ought to look upon him as mad; but yet with a\nlittle more reason than any man can have to say that the world was made by\nchance, or that the first men grew up out of the earth as plants do now.\nFor can any thing be more ridiculous, and against all reason, than to\nascribe the production of men to the first fruitfulness of the earth,\nwithout so much as one instance and experiment, in any age or history, to\ncountenance so monstrous a supposition? The thing is, at first sight, so\ngross and palpable, that no discourse about it can make it more apparent.\nAnd yet these shameful beggars of principles give this precarious account\nof the original of things; assume to themselves to be the men of reason,\nthe great wits of the world, the only cautious and wary persons, that hate\nto be imposed upon, that must have convincing evidence for every thing,\nand can admit of nothing without a clear demonstration of it.\u201d\n\nLord Bacon remarks, that \u201cA _little_ philosophy inclineth a man\u2019s mind to\nAtheism, but depth in philosophy bringeth men\u2019s minds about to religion;\nfor, while the mind of man looketh upon second causes scattered, it may\nrest in them, and go no farther; but when it beholdeth _the chain_ of them\nconfederated and linked together, it must needs fly to Providence and\nDeity.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n\nPANTHEISTS.\n\n\nAbner Kneeland\u2019s \u201cPhilosophical Creed,\u201d as he terms it, is probably a good\ndefinition of the views of those who consider the universe as an immense\nanimal,\n\n\n    \u201cWhose body nature is, and God the soul.\u201d\n\n\nMr. Kneeland says, \u201cI believe in the existence of a universe of suns and\nplanets, among which there is one sun belonging to our planetary system,\nand that other suns, being more remote, are called stars; but that they\nare indeed suns to other planetary systems. I believe that the whole\nuniverse is NATURE, and that the word NATURE embraces the whole universe,\nand that God and Nature, so far as we can attach any rational idea to\neither, are perfectly synonymous terms. Hence I am not an Atheist, but a\nPANTHEIST; that is, instead of believing there is no God, I believe that,\nin the abstract, all is God; and that all power that is, is in God, and\nthat there is no power except that which proceeds from God. I believe that\nthere can be no will or intelligence where there is no sense, and no sense\nwhere there are no organs of sense; and hence sense, will, and\nintelligence, is the effect, and not the cause, of organization. I believe\nin all that logically results from those premises, whether good, bad, or\nindifferent. Hence I believe that God is all in all; and that it is in God\nwe live, move, and have our being; and that the whole duty of man consists\nin living as long as he can, and in promoting as much happiness as he can\nwhile he lives.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n\nMAHOMETANS.\n\n\nMahometanism is a scheme of religion formed and propagated by _Mahomet_,\nwho was born at Mecca, A. D. 569, and died at Medina, in 632.\n\nHis system is a compound of Paganism, Judaism, and Christianity; and the\nKoran, which is their Bible, is held in great reverence. It is replete\nwith absurd representations, and is supposed to have been written by a\nJew. The most eloquent passage is allowed to be the following, where God\nis introduced, bidding the waters of the deluge to cease:\u2014\u201cEarth, swallow\nup the waters; heaven, draw up those thou hast poured out; immediately the\nwaters retreated, the command of God was obeyed, the ark rested on the\nmountains, and these words were heard\u2014\u2018Woe to the wicked!\u2019 \u201d\n\nThis religion is still professed and adhered to by the Turks and Persians,\nand by several nations in Asia and Africa. The best statistical writers\nestimate the number of Mahometans in the world at about one hundred and\nforty millions.\n\nMahomet descended from an honorable tribe, and from the noblest family of\nthat tribe; yet his original lot was poverty. By his good conduct, he\nobtained the hand of a widow of wealth and respectability, and was soon\nraised to an equality with the richest people in Mecca.\n\nSoon after his marriage, he formed the scheme of establishing a new\nreligion, or, as he expressed it, of replanting the only true and ancient\none professed by Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and all the prophets,\nby destroying the gross idolatry into which most of his countrymen had\nfallen, and weeding out the corruptions and superstitions which the later\nJews and Christians had, as he thought, introduced into their religion,\nand reducing it to its original purity, which consisted chiefly in the\nworship of one God.\n\nThe Mahometans divide their religion into two general parts, faith and\npractice, of which the first is divided into six distinct branches\u2014belief\nin God, in his angels, in his Scriptures, in his prophets, in the\nresurrection and final judgment, and in God\u2019s absolute decrees. The points\nrelating to practice are, prayer, with washings, alms, fasting, pilgrimage\nto Mecca, and circumcision.\n\nThey believe that both Mahomet and those among his followers who are\nreckoned orthodox, had, and continue to have, just and true notions of\nGod, and that his attributes appear so plain from the Koran itself, and\nall the Mahometan divines, that it would be loss of time to refute those\nwho suppose the God of Mahomet to be different from the true God, and only\na fictitious deity, or idol of his own creation.\n\nThey believe that the existence of angels, and their purity, are\nabsolutely required to be believed in the Koran; and he is reckoned an\ninfidel who denies there are such beings, or hates any of them, or asserts\nany distinction of sexes among them. They believe them to have pure and\nsubtile bodies, created of fire; that they neither eat, drink, nor\npropagate their species; that they have various forms and offices, some\nadoring God in different postures, others singing praises to him, or\ninterceding for mankind. They hold that some of them are employed in\nwriting down the actions of men, others in carrying the throne of God, and\nother services.\n\nAs to the Scriptures, the Mahometans are taught by the Koran, that God, in\ndivers ages of the world, gave revelations of his will in writing to\nseveral prophets, the whole and every one of which it is absolutely\nnecessary for a good Moslem to believe. The number of these sacred books\nwere, according to them, one hundred and four; of which ten were given to\nAdam, fifty to Seth, thirty to Edris or Enoch, ten to Abraham, and the\nother four, being the Pentateuch, the Psalms, the Gospel, and the Koran,\nwere successively delivered to Moses, David, Jesus, and Mahomet; which\nlast being the seal of the prophets, those revelations are now closed, and\nno more are to be expected. All these divine books, except the four last,\nthey agree now to be entirely lost, and their contents unknown, though the\nSabians have several books which they attribute to some of the\nantediluvian prophets. And of those four, the Pentateuch, Psalms, and\nGospel, they say, have undergone so many alterations and corruptions,\nthat, though there may possibly be some part of the true word of God\ntherein, yet no credit is to be given to the present copies in the hands\nof the Jews and Christians.\n\nThey believe that the number of the prophets which have been from time to\ntime sent by God into the world, amounts to no less than 224,000,\naccording to one Mahometan tradition; or to 124,000, according to another;\namong whom 313 were apostles, sent with special commissions to reclaim\nmankind from infidelity and superstition; and six of them brought new laws\nor dispensations, which successively abrogated the preceding: these were\nAdam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Mahomet. All the prophets in\ngeneral the Mahometans believe to have been freed from great sins and\nerrors of consequence, and professors of one and the same religion, that\nis, Islamism, notwithstanding the different laws and institutions which\nthey observed. They allow of degrees among them, and hold some of them to\nbe more excellent and honorable than others. The first place they give to\nthe revealers and establishes of new dispensations, and the next to the\napostles.\n\nThey believe in a general resurrection and a future judgment.\n\nThe time of the resurrection the Mahometans allow to be a perfect secret\nto all but God alone; the angel Gabriel himself acknowledging his\nignorance in this point, when Mahomet asked him about it. However, they\nsay the approach of that day may be known from certain signs which are to\nprecede it.\n\nAfter the examination is past, and every one\u2019s work weighed in a just\nbalance, they say that mutual retaliation will follow, according to which\nevery creature will take vengeance one of another, or have satisfaction\nmade them for the injuries which they have suffered. And, since there will\nthen be no other way of returning like for like, the manner of giving this\nsatisfaction will be by taking away a proportional part of the good works\nof him who offered the injury, and adding it to those of him who suffered\nit; which being done, if the angels (by whose ministry this is to be\nperformed) say, \u201c_Lord we have given to every one his due, and there\nremaineth of this person\u2019s good works so much as equalleth the weight of\nan ant,_\u201d God will, of his mercy, cause it to be doubled unto him, that he\nmay be admitted into paradise; but if, on the contrary, his good works be\nexhausted, and there remain evil works only, and there be any who have not\nyet received satisfaction from him, God will order that an equal weight of\ntheir sins be added unto his, that he may be punished for them in their\nstead, and he will be sent to hell laden with both. This will be the\nmethod of God\u2019s dealing with mankind. As to brutes, after they shall have\nlikewise taken vengeance of one another, he will command them to be\nchanged into dust; wicked men being reserved to more grievous punishment,\nso that they shall cry out, on hearing this sentence passed on the brutes,\n\u201c_Would to God that we were dust also!_\u201d\n\nThe trials being over, and the assembly dissolved, the Manometans hold\nthat those who are to be admitted into paradise will take the right hand\nway, and those who are destined into hell-fire will take the left; but\nboth of them must first pass the bridge called in Arabic _al Sirat_,\nwhich, they say, is laid over the midst of hell, and described to be finer\nthan a hair, and sharper than the edge of a sword; so that it seems very\ndifficult to conceive how any one shall be able to stand upon it; for\nwhich reason most of the sect of the Motazalites reject it as a fable;\nthough the orthodox think it a sufficient proof of the truth of this\narticle, that it was seriously affirmed by him who never asserted a\nfalsehood, meaning their prophet, who, to add to the difficulty of the\npassage, has likewise declared that this bridge is beset on each side with\nbriers and hooked thorns, which will, however, be no impediment to the\ngood; for they shall pass with wonderful ease and swiftness, like\nlightning, or the wind, Mahomet, and his Moslems leading the way; whereas\nthe wicked, what with the slipperiness and extreme narrowness of the path,\nthe entangling of the thorns, and the extinction of the light which\ndirected the former to paradise, will soon miss their footing, and fall\ndown headlong into hell, which is gaping beneath them.\n\nAs to the punishment of the wicked, the Mahometans are taught that hell is\ndivided into seven stories or apartments, one below another, designed for\nthe reception of as many distinct classes of the damned.\n\nThe first, which they call _Jehenan_, they say, will be the receptacle of\nthose who acknowledged one God, that is, the wicked Mahometans; who, after\nhaving been punished according to their demerits, will at length be\nreleased; the second, named _Ladha_, they assign to the Jews; the third,\nnamed _al Hotama_, to the Christians; the fourth, named _al Sair_, to the\nSabians; the fifth; named _Sakar_, to the Magians; the sixth, named _al\nJahin_, to the idolaters; and the seventh, which is the lowest and worst\nof all, and is called _al Howyat_, to the hypocrites, or those who\noutwardly professed some religion, but in their hearts were of none. Over\neach of these apartments they believe there will be set a guard of angels,\nnineteen in number; to whom the damned will confess the just judgment of\nGod, and beg them to intercede with him for some alleviation of their\npain, or that they may be delivered by being annihilated.\n\nMahomet has, in his Koran and traditions, been very exact in describing\nthe various torments of hell, which, according to him, the wicked will\nsuffer, both from intense heat and excessive cold. The degrees of these\npains will also vary in proportion to the crimes of the sufferer, and the\napartment he is condemned to; and he who is punished the most lightly of\nall will be shod with shoes of fire, the fervor of which will cause his\nskull to boil like a caldron. The condition of these unhappy wretches, as\nthe same prophet teaches, cannot be properly called either _life_ or\n_death_; and their misery will be greatly increased by their despair of\nbeing ever delivered from that place, since, according to that frequent\nexpression in the Koran, _they must remain therein forever_. It must be\nremarked, however, that the infidels alone will be liable to eternity of\ndamnation; for the Moslems, or those who have embraced the true religion,\nand have been guilty of heinous sins, will be delivered thence after they\nshall have expiated their crimes by their sufferings. The time which these\nbelievers shall be detained there, according to a tradition handed down\nfrom their prophet, will not be less than nine hundred years, nor more\nthan seven thousand. And, as to the manner of their delivery, they say\nthat they shall be distinguished by the marks of prostration on those\nparts of their bodies with which they used to touch the ground in prayer,\nand over which the fire will therefore have no power; and that, being\nknown by this characteristic, they will be released by the mercy of God,\nat the intercession of Mahomet and the blessed whereupon those who shall\nhave been dead will be restored to life, as has been said; and those whose\nbodies shall have contracted any sootiness or filth, from the flames and\nsmoke of hell, will be immersed in one of the rivers of paradise, called\nthe _River of Life_, which will wash them whiter than pearls.\n\nThe righteous, as the Mahometans are taught to believe, having surmounted\nthe difficulties, and passed the sharp bridge above mentioned, before they\nenter paradise, will be refreshed by drinking at the _Pond_ of their\nprophet, who describes it to be an exact square, of a month\u2019s journey in\ncompass; its water, which is supplied by two pipes from al Cawthay, one of\nthe rivers of paradise, being whiter than milk or silver, and more\nodoriferous than musk, with as many cups set round it as there are stars\nin the firmament; of which water whoever drinks will thirst no more\nforever. This is the first taste which the blessed will have of their\nfuture and now near-approaching felicity.\n\nThough paradise be so very frequently mentioned in the Koran, yet it is a\ndispute among the Mahometans, whether it be already created, or to be\ncreated hereafter; the Motazalites and some other sectaries asserting that\nthere is not at present any such place in nature, and that the paradise\nwhich the righteous will inhabit in the next life will be different from\nthat from which Adam was expelled. However, the orthodox profess the\ncontrary, maintaining that it was created even before the world, and\ndescribe it from their prophet\u2019s traditions in the following manner:\u2014\n\nThey say it is situated in the seventh heaven, and next under the throne\nof God; and, to express the amenity of the place, tell us that the earth\nof it is of the finest wheat-flour, or of the purest mask, or, as others\nwill have it, of saffron; that its stones are pearls and jacinths, the\nwalls of its building enriched with gold and silver, and that the trunks\nof all its trees are of gold; among which the most remarkable is the tree\ncalled _tuba_, or the tree of happiness. Concerning this tree, they fable\nthat it stands in the palace of Mahomet though a branch of it will reach\nto the house of every true believer; that it will be laden with\npomegranates, grapes, dates, and other fruits of surprising bigness, and\nof tastes unknown to mortals; so that, if a man desire to eat of any\nparticular kind of fruit, it will immediately be presented him; or, if he\nchoose flesh, birds ready dressed will be set before him, according to his\nwish. They add that the boughs of this tree will spontaneously bend down\nto the hand of the person who would gather of its fruits, and that it will\nsupply the blessed not only with food, but also with silken garments, and\nbeasts to ride on ready saddled and bridled, and adorned with rich\ntrappings, which will burst forth from its fruits; and that this tree is\nso large, that a person mounted on the fleetest horse, would not be able\nto gallop from one end of its shade to the other in one hundred years.\n\nAs plenty of water is one of the greatest additions to the pleasantness of\nany place, the Koran often speaks of the rivers of paradise as a principal\nornament thereof: some of these rivers, they say, flow with water, some\nwith milk, some with wine, and others with honey; all taking their rise\nfrom the root of the tree tuba.\n\nBut all these glories will be eclipsed by the resplendent and ravishing\ngirls of paradise, called, from their large black eyes, _Hur al oyun_, the\nenjoyment of whose company will be a principal felicity of the faithful.\nThese, they say, are created, not of clay, as mortal women are, but of\npure musk; being, as their prophet often affirms in his Koran, free from\nall natural impurities, of the strictest modesty, and secluded from public\nview in pavilions of hollow pearls, so large that, as some traditions have\nit, one of them will be no less than sixty miles square.\n\nThe name which the Mahometans usually give to this happy mansion is _al\nJannat_, or \u201cthe Garden;\u201d and sometimes they call it the \u201cGarden of\nParadise,\u201d the \u201cGarden of Eden,\u201d the \u201cGarden of Abode,\u201d the \u201cGarden of\nPleasure,\u201d and the like; by which several appellations some understand so\nmany different gardens, or at least places of different degrees of\nfelicity, (for they reckon no less than one hundred such in all,) the very\nmeanest whereof will afford its inhabitants so many pleasures and\ndelights, that one would conclude they must even sink under them, had not\nMahomet declared that, in order to qualify the blessed for a full\nenjoyment of them, God will give to every one the abilities of one hundred\nmen.\n\nThe orthodox doctrine is, that whatever hath or shall come to pass in this\nworld, whether it be good or whether it be bad, proceedeth entirely from\nthe divine will, and is irrevocably fixed and recorded from all eternity\nin the preserved table; God having secretly predetermined not only the\nadverse and prosperous fortune of every person in this world, in the most\nminute particulars, but also his faith or infidelity, his obedience or\ndisobedience, and consequently his everlasting happiness or misery after\ndeath; which fate or predestination it is not possible by any foresight or\nwisdom to avoid.\n\nThe pilgrimage to Mecca is so necessary a point of practice, that,\naccording to a tradition of Mahomet, he who dies without performing it,\nmay as well die a Jew or a Christian; and the same is expressly commanded\nin the Koran.\n\nWhat is principally reverenced in Mecca, and gives sanctity to the whole,\nis a square stone building, called the _Caaba_. Before the time of\nMahomet, this temple was a place of worship for the idolatrous Arabs, and\nis said to have contained no less than three hundred and sixty different\nimages, equalling in number the days of the Arabian year. They were all\ndestroyed by Mahomet, who sanctified the Caaba, and appointed it to be the\nchief place of worship for all true believers. The Mussulmen pay so great\na veneration to it, that they believe a single sight of its sacred walls,\nwithout any particular act of devotion, is as meritorious in the sight of\nGod as the most careful discharge of one\u2019s duty, for the space of a whole\nyear, in any other temple.\n\nThe Mahometans have an established priesthood and a numerous body of\nclergymen: their spiritual head, in Turkey, whose power is not inferior to\nthe Roman Pontiff, or the Grecian Patriarch, is denominated the _Mufti_,\nand is regarded as the oracle of sanctity and wisdom. Their houses of\nworship are denominated mosques, many of which are very magnificent, and\nvery richly endowed. The revenues of some of the royal mosques are said to\namount to the enormous sum of 60,000 pounds sterling. In the city of Fez,\nthe capital of the emperor of Morocco, there are near one thousand\nmosques, fifty of which are built in a most magnificent style, supported\nby marble pillars. The circumference of the grand mosque is near a mile\nand a half, in which near a thousand lamps are lighted every night. The\nMahometan priests, who perform the rites of their public worship, are\ncalled _Imams_; and they have a set of ministers called _Sheiks_, who\npreach every _Friday_, the Mahometan Sabbath, much in the manner of\nChristian preachers. They seldom touch upon points of controversy in their\ndiscourses, but preach upon moral duties, upon the dogmas and ceremonies\nof their religion, and declaim against vice, luxury, and corruption of\nmanners.\n\nThe rapid success which attended the propagation of this new religion was\nowing to causes that are plain and evident, and must remove, or rather\nprevent, our surprise, when they are attentively considered. The terror of\nMahomet\u2019s arms, and the repeated victories which were gained by him and\nhis successors, were, no doubt, the irresistible arguments that persuaded\nsuch multitudes to embrace his religion, and submit to his dominion.\nBesides, his law was artfully and marvellously adapted to the corrupt\nnature of man, and, in a most particular manner, to the manners and\nopinions of the Eastern nations, and the vices to which they were\nnaturally addicted; for the articles of faith which it proposed were few\nin number, and extremely simple; and the duties it required were neither\nmany nor difficult, nor such as were incompatible with the empire of\nappetites and passions. It is to be observed, further, that the gross\nignorance under which the Arabians, Syrians, Persians, and the greatest\npart, of the Eastern nations, labored at this time, rendered many an easy\nprey to the artifice and eloquence of this bold adventurer. To these\ncauses of the progress of Mahometanism we may add the bitter dissensions\nand cruel animosities that reigned among the Christian sects\u2014dissensions\nthat filled a great part of the East with carnage, assassinations, and\nsuch detestable enormities as rendered the very name of Christianity\nodious to many. Other causes of the sudden progress of that religion will\nnaturally occur to such as consider attentively its spirit and genius, and\nthe state of the world at this time.\n\nTo show the subtlety of Mahomet\u2019s mind, and the extreme ignorance of his\nfollowers, we give the story of that impostor\u2019s night journey from Mecca\nto Jerusalem, and from thence to heaven.\n\nThe story, as related in the Koran, and believed by the Mahometans, is\nthis: \u201cAt night, as he lay in his bed, with his best beloved wife Ayesha,\nhe heard a knocking at his door; upon which, arising, he found there the\nangel Gabriel, with seventy pair of wings, expanded from his sides, whiter\nthan snow, and clearer than crystal, and the beast Alborak standing by\nhim; which, they say, is the beast on which the prophets used to ride,\nwhen they were carried from one place to another, upon the execution of\nany divine command. Mahomet describes it to be a beast as white as milk,\nand of a mixed nature, between an ass and a mule, and also of a size\nbetween both; but of such extraordinary swiftness as to equal even\nlightning itself.\n\n\u201cAs soon as Mahomet appeared at the door, the angel Gabriel kindly\nembraced him, saluted him in the name of God, and told him that he was\nsent to bring him unto God, into heaven, where he should see strange\nmysteries, which were not lawful to be seen by any other man. He prayed\nhim, then, to get upon Alborak; but the beast, having lain idle and\nunemployed from the time of Christ to Mahomet, was grown so mettlesome and\nskittish, that he would not stand still for Mahomet to mount him, till at\nlength he was forced to bribe him to it by promising him a place in\nparadise. When he was firmly seated on him, the angel Gabriel led the way,\nwith the bridle of the beast in his hand, and carried the prophet from\nMecca to Jerusalem in the twinkling of an eye. On his coming thither, all\nthe departed prophets and saints appeared at the gate of the temple to\nsalute him, and, thence attending him into the chief oratory, desired him\nto pray for them, and then withdrew. After this, Mahomet went out of the\ntemple with the angel Gabriel, and found a ladder of light, ready fixed\nfor them, which they immediately ascended, leaving Alborak tied to a rock\ntill their return.\n\n\u201cOn their arrival at the first heaven, the angel knocked at the gate; and,\ninforming the porter who he was, and that he had brought Mahomet, the\nfriend of God, he was immediately admitted. This first heaven, he tells\nus, was all of pure silver; from whence he saw the stars hanging from it\nby chains of gold, each as big as Mount Noho, near Mecca, in Arabia. On\nhis entrance, he met a decrepit old man, who, it seems, was our first\nfather, Adam; and, as he advanced, he saw a multitude of angels in all\nmanner of shapes\u2014in the shape of birds, beasts, and men. We must not\nforget to observe that Adam had the piety immediately to embrace the\nprophet, giving God thanks for so great a son, and then recommended\nhimself to his prayers. From this first heaven he tells us that he\nascended into the second, which was at the distance of five hundred years\u2019\njourney above it, and this he makes to be the distance of every one of the\nseven heavens, each above the other. Here the gates being opened to him as\nbefore, at his entrance he met Noah, who, rejoicing much at the sight of\nhim, recommended himself to his prayers. This heaven was all of pure gold,\nand there were twice as many angels in it as in the former; for he tells\nus that the number of angels in every heaven increased as he advanced.\nFrom this second heaven he ascended into the third, which was made of\nprecious stones, where he met Abraham, who also recommended himself to his\nprayers; Joseph, the son of Jacob, did the same in the fourth heaven,\nwhich was all of emerald; Moses in the fifth, which was all of adamant;\nand John the Baptist in the sixth, which was all of carbuncle; whence he\nascended into the seventh, which was of divine light; and here he found\nJesus Christ. However, it is observed that here he alters his style; for\nhe does not say that Jesus Christ recommended himself to his prayers, but\nthat he recommended himself to the prayers of Jesus Christ.\n\n\u201cThe angel Gabriel, having brought him thus far, told him that he was not\npermitted to attend him any farther, and therefore directed him to ascend\nthe rest of the way to the throne of God by himself. This he performed\nwith great difficulty, passing through rough and dangerous places, till he\ncame where he heard a voice saying unto him, \u2018O Mahomet, salute thy\nCreator;\u2019 whence ascending higher, he came into a place where he saw a\nvast expansion of light, so exceedingly bright, that his eyes could not\nbear it. This, it seems, was the habitation of the Almighty, where his\nthrone was placed; on the right side of which, he says, God\u2019s name and his\nown were written in these Arabic words: \u2018La ellah ellallah Mahomet reful\nollah;\u2019 that is, \u2018THERE IS NO GOD BUT GOD, AND MAHOMET IS HIS PROPHET,\u2019\nwhich is at this day the creed of the Mahometans. Being approached to the\ndivine presence, he tells us that God entered into a familiar converse\nwith him, revealed to him many hidden mysteries, made him understand the\nwhole of his law, gave him many things in charge concerning his\ninstructing men in the knowledge of it, and, in conclusion, bestowed on\nhim several privileges above the rest of mankind. He then returned, and\nfound the angel Gabriel waiting for him in the place where he left him.\nThe angel led him back along the seven heavens, through which he had\nbrought him, and set him again upon the beast Alborak, which stood tied to\nthe rock near Jerusalem. Then he conducted him back to Mecca, in the same\nmanner as he brought him thence; and all this within the space of the\ntenth part of one night.\u201d\n\n                  -------------------------------------\n\nDr. Joseph White thus concludes one of his discourses on Mahometanism:\n\u201cWhat raises Christ and his religion far above all the fictions of\nMahomet, is that awful alternative of hopes and fears, that looking-for of\njudgment, which our Christian faith sets before us. At that day, when\ntime, the great arbiter of truth and falsehood, shall bring to pass the\naccomplishment of the ages, and the Son of God shall make his enemies his\nfootstool,\u2014then shall the deluded followers of the great Impostor,\ndisappointed of the expected intercession of their prophet, stand\ntrembling and dismayed at the approach of the glorified Messiah. Then\nshall they say, \u2018Yonder cometh in the clouds that Jesus whose religion we\nlabored to destroy; whose temples we profaned; whose servants and\nfollowers we cruelly oppressed! Behold, he cometh, but no longer the\nhumble son of Mary; no longer a mere mortal prophet, the equal of Abraham,\nand of Moses, as that deceiver taught us, but the everlasting Son of the\neverlasting Father; the Judge of mankind; the Sovereign of angels; the\nLord of all things, both in earth and in heaven!\u2019 \u201d\n\n\n\n\n\nSIMONIANS.\n\n\nAn infidel sect, organized in France, some years since, whose fundamental\nprinciple is, that religion is to perfect the social condition of man;\ntherefore Christianity is no longer suitable for society, because it\nseparates the Christian from other men, and leads him to live for another\nworld. The world requires a religion that shall be of this world, and,\nconsequently, a God of this world. They reject whatever they suppose to\nhave been derived from the philosophy of the East; they consider the Deity\nneither as spirit nor matter, but as including the whole universe, and are\nthus plainly Pantheists; and they regard evil as nothing more than an\nindication of the progress which mankind are doomed make, in order to be\nfreed from it; in itself, they maintain it is nothing. Its members are\nprincipally of the higher ranks, and display, not without success, the\ngreatest activity in spreading the venom of their infidel principles. They\noccupy, in Paris, the largest and most handsomely fitted halls, where they\nmeet in great numbers.\n\nWhat is very curious in the history of the Simonians is, that they were,\nat first, merely philosophers, and not at all the founders of a religion.\nThey spoke of science and industry, but not of religious doctrines. All at\nonce, however, it seemed to occur to them to teach a religion. Then their\nschool became a church, and their association a sect. It is evident that,\nwith them, religion was not originally the end of their institution, but\nhas been employed by them as the means of collecting a greater number of\nhearers.\n\n\n\n\n\nPAGANS.\n\n\nA general term, applied to heathen idolaters, who worship false gods, and\nare not acquainted either with the doctrines of the Old Testament or the\nChristian dispensation. The worship of the Grand Lama is of the most\nextensive and splendid character among the Pagan idolaters. This extends\nall over Thibet and Mongolia, is almost universal in Bucharia and several\nprovinces of Tartary; it has followers in Cashmere, and is the predominant\nreligion of China.\n\nThe Grand Lama is a name given to the sovereign pontiff, or high priest,\nof the Thibetian Tartars, who resides at Patoli, a vast palace on a\nmountain, near the banks of Burhampooter, about seven miles from Lahassa.\nThe foot of this mountain is inhabited by twenty thousand Lamas, or\npriests, who have their separate apartments round about the mountain, and,\naccording to their respective quality, are placed nearer or at a greater\ndistance from the sovereign pontiff. He is not only the sovereign pontiff,\nthe vicegerent of the Deity on earth, but the more remote Tartars are said\nto absolutely regard him as the Deity himself, and call him _God, the\neverlasting Father of heaven_. They believe him to be immortal, and\nendowed with all knowledge and virtue. Every year they come up, from\ndifferent parts, to worship, and make rich offerings at his shrine. Even\nthe emperor of China, who is a Manchou Tartar, does not fail in\nacknowledgments to him, in his religious capacity, and actually\nentertains, at a great expense, in the palace of Pekin, an inferior Lama,\ndeputed as his nuncio from Thibet. The Grand Lama, it has been said, is\nnever to be seen but in a secret place of his palace, amidst a great\nnumber of lamps, sitting cross-legged upon a cushion, and decked all over\nwith gold and precious stones; where, at a distance, the people prostrate\nthemselves before him, it being not lawful for any so much as to kiss his\nfeet. He returns not the least sign of respect, nor ever speaks, even to\nthe greatest princes, but only lays his hand upon their heads; and they\nare fully persuaded they receive from thence a full forgiveness of all\ntheir sins.\n\nThe magnificence and number of the ancient heathen temples almost exceed\ncalculation or belief. At one time, there were no less than 424 temples in\nthe city of Rome, The temple of Diana, at Ephesus, was accounted one of\nthe seven wonders of the world. It was 425 feet in length, 220 in breadth,\nand was adorned with 100 columns 60 feet high; and, as each column is said\nto have contained 150 tons of marble,\u2014as the stupendous edifice, outside\nand in, was adorned with gold, and a profusion of ornaments,\u2014how immense\nmust have been the whole expense of its erection!\n\nAt the present day, many of the pagan nations go to immense expense in the\nsupport of their religious worship. It is stated, in the Indo-Chinese\nGleaner, a paper published by the missionaries in China, that there are,\nin that empire, 1056 temples dedicated to Confucius, where above 60,000\nanimals are annually offered. The followers of Confucius form one of the\nsmallest of the three leading sects among the Chinese.\n\nMr. Ward, a distinguished missionary, was present at the worship of the\ngoddess Doorga, at Calcutta, in 1806. After describing the greatness of\nthe assembly, the profusion of the offerings, and the many strange\npeculiarities of the worship, he observes, \u201cThe whole produced on my mind\nsensations of the greatest honor. The dress of the singers, their indecent\ngestures, the abominable nature of the songs, the horrid din of their\nmiserable drum, the lateness of the hour, the darkness of the place, with\nthe reflection that I was standing in an idol temple, and that this\nimmense multitude of rational and immortal creatures, capable of superior\njoys, were, in the very act of worship, perpetrating a crime of high\ntreason against the God of heaven, while they themselves believed they\nwere performing an act of merit,\u2014excited ideas and feelings in my mind\nwhich time can never obliterate.\u201d\n\nThe vast empire of China, misnamed the _Celestial Empire_, is given up to\nthe vilest idolatry. Idols are encountered at every step, not merely in\nthe temples, but in the houses, and even in the vessels, where a part of\nthe forecastle is consecrated to them, as the most honorable place. The\nidol is dressed and adorned with a splendor proportioned to the wealth of\nthe captain of the vessel, and daily receives an offering, composed of\nflesh and fruits, together with the smoke of perfumes. Besides this\nregular service, the captain makes a solemn sacrifice to his wooden deity,\non all important occasions; as, for instance, in passing from one river\ninto another, or in time of tempest, or when the sails flap idly in a\ncalm. The Chinese have likewise a practice of deifying their dead\nancestors, and of prostrating themselves before the monumental tablets\nwhich are erected to their memory. Yet they appear to have no real\nveneration for any of their idols; nor do they hesitate to profane the\ntemples, by smoking their pipes, and taking refreshments, and even by\ngambling, within the consecrated precincts. The priests are shameless\nimpostors. They practise the mountebank sciences of astrology, divination,\nnecromancy, and animal magnetism, and keep for sale a liquid, which, they\npretend, will confer immortality on those who drink it.\n\nTortures of various kinds, burning, and burying alive, are considered\nreligious duties among the pagans.\n\nThe festival of Juggernaut is annually held on the sea-coast of Orissa,\nwhere there is a celebrated temple, and an idol of the god. The idol is a\ncarved block of wood, with a frightful visage, painted black, and a\ndistended mouth of a bloody color. He is dressed in gorgeous apparel, and\nhis appellation is one of the numerous names of Vishnu, the preserving\npower of the universe, according to the theology of the Bramins. On\nfestival days, the throne of the idol is placed upon a stupendous movable\ntower, about sixty feet in height, resting on wheels, which indent the\nground deeply, as they turn slowly under the ponderous machine. He is\naccompanied by two other idols, his brother Balaram, and his sister\nShubudra, of a white and yellow color, each on a separate tower, and\nsitting on thrones of nearly an equal height. Attached to the principal\ntower are six ropes, of the length and size of a ship\u2019s cable, by which\nthe people draw it along. The priests and attendants are stationed around\nthe throne, on the car, and occasionally address the worshippers in\nlibidinous songs and gestures. Both the walls of the temple and sides of\nthe car are covered with the most indecent emblems, in large and durable\nsculpture. Obscenity and blood are the characteristics of the idol\u2019s\nworship. As the tower moves along, devotees, throwing themselves under the\nwheels, are crushed to death; and such acts are hailed with the\nacclamations of the multitude, as the most acceptable sacrifices. A body\nof prostitutes are maintained in the temple, for the use of the\nworshippers; and various other systematic indecencies, which will not\nadmit of description, form a part of the service. A number of sacred bulls\nare kept in the place, which are generally fed with vegetables from the\nhands of the pilgrims, but, from the scarcity of the vegetation, are\ncommonly seen walking about, and eating the fresh ordure of the\nworshipping crowds. In the temple, also, is preserved a bone of Krishna,\nwhich is considered as a most venerable and precious relic, and which few\npersons are allowed to see.\n\nThe following is an account of the burning of a Gentoo woman, on the\nfuneral pile of her deceased husband:\u2014\u201cWe found,\u201d says M. Stavorinus, \u201cthe\nbody of the deceased lying upon a couch, covered with a piece of white\ncotton, and strewed with betel leaves. The woman, who was to be the\nvictim, sat upon the couch, with her face turned to that of the deceased.\nShe was richly adorned, and held a little green branch in her right hand,\nwith which she drove away the flies from the body. She seemed like one\nburied in the most profound meditation, yet betrayed no signs of fear.\nMany of her relations attended upon her, who, at stated intervals, struck\nup various kinds of music.\n\n\u201cThe pile was made by driving green bamboo stakes into the earth, between\nwhich was first laid fire-wood, very dry and combustible; upon this was\nput a quantity of dry straw, or reeds, besmeared with grease: this was\ndone alternately, till the pile was five feet in height; and the whole was\nthen strewed with rosin, finely powdered. A white cotton sheet, which had\nbeen washed in the Ganges, was then spread over the pile, and the whole\nwas ready for the reception of the victim.\n\n\u201cThe widow was now admonished, by a priest, that it was time to begin the\nrites. She was then surrounded by women, who offered her betel, and\nbesought her to supplicate favors for them when she joined her husband in\nthe presence of Ram, or their highest god, and, above all, that she would\nsalute their deceased friends whom she might meet in the celestial\nmansions.\n\n\u201cIn the mean time, the body of the husband was taken and washed in the\nriver. The woman was also led to the Ganges for ablution, where she\ndivested herself of all her ornaments. Her head was covered with a piece\nof silk, and a cloth was tied round her body, in which the priests put\nsome parched rice.\n\n\u201cShe then took a farewell of her friends, and was conducted by two of her\nfemale relations to the pile. When she came to it, she scattered flowers\nand parched rice upon the spectators, and put some into the mouth of the\ncorpse. Two priests next led her three times round it, while she threw\nrice among the bystanders, who gathered it up with great eagerness. The\nlast time she went round, she placed a little earthen burning lamp to each\nof the four corners of the pile, then laid herself down on the right side,\nnext to the body, which she embraced with both her arms; a piece of white\ncotton was spread over them both; they were bound together with two easy\nbandages, and a quantity of fire-wood, straw, and rosin, was laid upon\nthem. In the last place, her nearest relations, to whom, on the banks of\nthe river, she had given her nose-jewels, came with a burning torch, and\nset the straw on fire, and in a moment the whole was in a flame. The noise\nof the drums, and the shouts of the spectators, were such that the shrieks\nof the unfortunate woman, if she uttered any, could not have been heard.\u201d\n\nInstances are related of women eighty years of age, or upwards, perishing\nin this manner. One case is mentioned, by Mr. Ward, of a Bramin who had\nmarried upwards of a hundred wives, thirty-seven of whom were burnt with\nhim. The pile was kept burning for _three days_, and when one or more of\nthem arrived, they threw themselves into the _blazing fire_.\n\nThe Pagans worship an immense variety of idols, both animate and\ninanimate, and very frequently make to themselves gods of objects that are\ncontemptible even among brutes. In Hindoo, the _monkey_ is a celebrated\ngod. A few years since, the rajah of Nudeeya expended $50,000 in\ncelebrating the marriage of a pair of those mischievous creatures, with\nall the parade and solemnity of a Hindoo wedding.\n\nA Bramin of superior understanding gave Mr. Ward the following _confession\nof faith_, as the present belief of the philosophical Hindoos, concerning\nthe nature of God, viz.:\u2014\u201cGod is invisible, independent, ever-living,\nglorious, uncorrupt, all-wise, the ever-blessed, the almighty; his\nperfections are indescribable and past finding out; he rules over all,\nsupports all, destroys all, and remains after the destruction of all;\nthere is none like him; he is silence; he is free from passion, from\nbirth, &c., and from increase and decrease, from fatigue, the need of\nrefreshment, &c. He possesses the power of infinite diminution and\nlightness, and is the soul of all.\n\n\u201cHe created, and then entered into, all things, in which he exists in two\nways, untouched by matter, and receiving the fruits of practice. He now\nassumes visible forms for the sake of engaging the minds of mankind. The\ndifferent gods are parts of God, though his essence remains undiminished,\nas rays of light leave the sun his undiminished splendor. He created the\ngods to perform those things in the government of the world, of which man\nwas incapable. Some gods are parts of other gods, and there are deities of\nstill inferior powers. If it be asked why God himself does not govern the\nworld, the answer is, that it might subject him to exposure, and he\nchooses to be concealed: he therefore governs by the gods, who are\nemanations from the one God, possessing a portion of his power: he who\nworships the gods as the one God, substantially worships God. The gods are\nhelpful to men in all human affairs, but they are not friendly to those\nwho seek final absorption, being jealous lest, instead of attaining\nabsorption, they should become gods, and rival them.\n\n\u201cReligious ceremonies procure a fund of merit to the performer, which\nraises him in every future birth, and at length advances him to heaven,\nwhere he enjoys happiness for a limited period, or carries him towards\nfinal absorption. A person may sink to earth again by crimes committed in\nheaven. The joys of heaven arise only from the gratification of the\nsenses. A person raised to heaven is considered as a god.\n\n\u201cWhen the following lines of Pope were read to a learned Bramin, he\nstarted from his seat, begged a copy of them, and declared the author must\nhave been a Hindoo:\u2014\n\n\n    \u201cAll are but parts of one stupendous whole,\n    Whose body Nature is, and God the soul; ...\n    Warms in the sun, refreshes in the breeze,\n    Glows in the stars, and blossoms in the trees,\n    Lives through all life, extends through all extent,\n    Spreads undivided, operates unspent.\u201d\n\n\n\u201cSuch are the best views of the best of men among the Hindoos. Such a\nmixture of truth and error, of sense and folly, do they believe and\nteach.\u201d\n\nAccording to the best accounts that can be obtained from missionaries and\nothers, the number of Pagans, in different countries, exceeds half the\npopulation of the globe.\n\nConsiderable attempts have been made, of late years, for the enlightening\nof the heathen; and there is every reason to believe good has been done.\nFrom the aspect of Scripture prophecy, we are led to expect that the\nkingdoms of the heathen at large shall be brought to the light of the\ngospel. (Matt. 24:14, Isa. 60, Ps. 22:28, 29; 2:7, 8.) It has been much\ndisputed whether it be possible that the heathen should be saved without\nthe knowledge of the gospel; some have absolutely denied it, upon the\nauthority of those texts which universally require faith in Christ; but to\nthis it is answered, that those texts regard only such to whom the gospel\ncomes, and are capable of understanding the contents of it. \u201cThe truth,\u201d\nsays Dr. Doddridge, \u201cseems to be this\u2014that none of the heathen will be\ncondemned for not believing the gospel, but they are liable to\ncondemnation for the breach of God\u2019s natural law: nevertheless, if there\nbe any of them in whom there is a prevailing love to the Divine Being,\nthere seems reason to believe that, for the _sake_ of Christ, though to\nthem unknown, they may be accepted by God; and so much the rather, as the\nancient Jews, and even the apostles, during the time of our Savior\u2019s abode\non earth, seem to have had but little notion of those doctrines, which\nthose who deny the salvability of the heathen are most apt to imagine.\u201d\n(Rom. 2:10-22, Acts 10:34, 35. Matt. 8:11, 12.) Grove, Watts, Saurin, and\nthe immortal Newton, favor the same opinion; the latter of whom thus\nobserves: \u201cIf we suppose a heathen brought to a sense of his misery; to a\nconviction that he cannot be happy without the favor of the great Lord of\nthe world; to a feeling of guilt, and desire of mercy; and that, though he\nhas no explicit knowledge of a Savior, he directs the cry of his heart to\nthe unknown Supreme, to have mercy upon him,\u2014who will prove that such\nviews and desires can arise in the heart of a sinner, without the energy\nof that Spirit which Jesus is exalted to bestow? Who will take upon him to\nsay that his blood has not sufficient efficacy to redeem to God a sinner\nwho is thus disposed, though he have never heard of his name? Or who has a\nwarrant to affirm that the supposition I have made is in the nature of\nthings impossible to be realized?\u201d\n\n\u201cThat there exist beings, one or many, powerful above the human race, is a\nproposition,\u201d says Lord Kaimes, \u201cuniversally admitted as true in all ages\nand among all nations. I boldly call it _universal_, notwithstanding what\nis reported of some gross savages; for reports that contradict what is\nacknowledged to be general among men, require able vouchers. Among many\nsavage tribes there are no words but for objects of external sense: is it\nsurprising that such people are incapable of expressing their religious\nperceptions, or any perception of internal sense? The conviction that men\nhave of superior powers, in every country where there are words to express\nit, is so well vouched, that, in fair reasoning, it ought to be taken for\ngranted among the few tribes where language is deficient.\u201d The same\ningenious author shows, with great strength of reasoning, that the\noperations of nature and the government of this world, which to us loudly\nproclaim the existence of a Deity, are not sufficient to account for the\nuniversal belief of superior beings among savage tribes. He is, therefore,\nof opinion that this universality of conviction can spring only from the\nimage of Deity stamped upon the mind of every human being, the ignorant\nequally with the learned. This, he thinks, may be termed the _sense of\nDeity_.\n\n\n\n\n\nSATANIANS.\n\n\nA branch of the Messalians, who appeared about the year 390. It is said,\namong other things, that they believed the devil to be extremely powerful,\nand that it was much wiser to respect and adore than to curse him.\n\n\n\n\n\nABELIANS, OR ABELONIANS.\n\n\nA sect which arose in the diocese of Hippo, in Africa, in the fifth\ncentury. They regulated marriage after the example of Abel, who, they\npretended, was married, but lived in a state of continence: they therefore\nallowed each man to marry one woman, but enjoined them to live in the same\nstate. To keep up the sect, when a man and woman entered into this\nsociety, they adopted a boy and a girl, who were to inherit their goods,\nand to marry upon the same terms of not having children, but of adopting\ntwo of different sexes.\n\n\n\n\n\nSUPRALAPSARIANS.\n\n\nPersons who hold that God, without any regard to the good or evil works of\nmen, has resolved, by an eternal decree, _supra lapsum_, antecedently to\nany knowledge of the fall of Adam, and independently of it, to save some\nand reject others; or, in other words, that God intended to glorify his\njustice in the condemnation of some, as well as his mercy in the salvation\nof others, and, for that purpose, decreed that Adam should necessarily\nfall.\n\n\n\n\n\nDANCERS.\n\n\nA sect which sprung up, about 1373, in Flanders, and places about. It was\ntheir custom all of a sudden to fall a-dancing, and, holding each other\u2019s\nhands, to continue thereat, till, being suffocated with the extraordinary\nviolence, they fell down breathless together. During these intervals of\nvehement agitation, they pretended to be favored with wonderful visions.\nLike the Whippers, they roved from place to place, begging their victuals,\nholding their secret assemblies, and treating the priesthood and worship\nof the church with the utmost contempt.\n\n\n\n\n\nEPICUREANS.\n\n\nThe disciples of Epicurus, who flourished about A. M. 3700. This sect\nmaintained that the world was formed not by God, nor with any design, but\nby the fortuitous concourse of atoms. They denied that God governs the\nworld, or in the least condescends to interfere with creatures below; they\ndenied the immortality of the soul, and the existence of angels; they\nmaintained that happiness consisted in pleasure; but some of them placed\nthis pleasure in the tranquillity and joy of the mind, arising from the\npractice of moral virtue, and which is thought by some to have been the\ntrue principle of Epicurus: others understood him in the gross sense, and\nplaced all their happiness in corporeal pleasure. When Paul was at Athens,\nhe had conferences with the Epicurean philosophers. (Acts 17:18) The word\n_Epicurean_ is used, at present, for an indolent, effeminate, and\nvoluptuous person, who only consults his private and particular pleasure.\n\n\n\n\n\nSKEPTICS.\n\n\nThe word _Skeptic_ properly signifies considerative and inquisitive, or\none who is always weighing reasons on one side or the other, without ever\ndeciding between them. The word is applied to an ancient sect of\nphilosophers founded by Pyrrho, who denied the real existence of all\nqualities in bodies, except those which are essential to primary atoms,\nand referred every thing else to the perceptions of the mind produced by\nexternal objects; in other words, to appearance and opinion. In modern\ntimes, the word has been applied to Deists, or those who doubt of the\ntruth and authenticity of the sacred Scriptures.\n\n\n\n\n\nWICKLIFFITES.\n\n\nThe followers of the famous John Wickliffe, called \u201cthe first reformer,\u201d\nwho was born in Yorkshire, in the year 1324. He attacked the jurisdiction\nof the pope and the bishops. He was for this twice summoned to a council\nat Lambeth, to give an account of his doctrines, but, being countenanced\nby the duke of Lancaster, was both times dismissed without condemnation.\nWickliffe, therefore, continued to spread his new principles, as usual,\nadding to them doctrines still more alarming; by which he drew after him a\ngreat number of disciples. Upon this, William Courtney, archbishop of\nCanterbury, called another council in 1382, which condemned 24\npropositions of Wickliffe and his disciples, and obtained a declaration of\nRichard II. against all who should preach them; but while these\nproceedings were agitating, Wickliffe died at Lutterworth, leaving many\nworks behind him for the establishment of his doctrines. He was buried in\nhis own church, at Lutterworth, in Leicestershire, where his bones were\nsuffered to rest in peace till the year 1428, when, by an order from the\npope, they were taken up and burnt. Wickliffe was doubtless a very\nextraordinary man, considering the times in which he lived. He discovered\nthe absurdities and impositions of the church of Rome, and had the honesty\nand resolution to promulgate his opinions, which a little more support\nwould probably have enabled him to establish: they were evidently the\nfoundation of the subsequent reformation.\n\n\n\n\n\nDIGGERS.\n\n\nA denomination which sprung up in Germany, in the fifteenth century; so\ncalled because they dug their assemblies under ground, in caves and\nforests. They derided the church, its ministers, and sacraments.\n\n\n\n\n\nZUINGLIANS.\n\n\nA branch of the Reformers, so called from Zuinglius, a noted divine of\nSwitzerland. His chief difference from Luther was concerning the\neucharist. He maintained that the bread and wine were only\n_significations_ of the body and blood of Jesus Christ, whereas Luther\nbelieved in _consubstantiation_.\n\n\n\n\n\nSEEKERS.\n\n\nA denomination which arose in the year 1645. They derived their name from\ntheir maintaining that the true church ministry, Scripture, and\nordinances, were lost, for which they were seeking. They taught that the\nScriptures were uncertain; that present miracles were necessary to faith;\nthat our ministry is without authority; and that our worship and\nordinances are unnecessary or vain.\n\n\n\n\n\nWILHELMINIANS.\n\n\nA denomination in the 13th century, so called from Wilhelmina, a Bohemian\nwoman, who resided in the territory of Milan. She persuaded a large number\nthat the Holy Ghost was become incarnate in her person, for the salvation\nof a great part of mankind. According to her doctrines, none were saved by\nthe blood of Jesus but true and pious Christians, while the Jews,\nSaracens, and unworthy Christians, were to obtain salvation through the\nHoly Spirit which dwelt in her, and that, in consequence thereof, all\nwhich happened in Christ during his appearance upon earth in the human\nnature, was to be exactly renewed in her person, or rather in that of the\nHoly Ghost, which was united to her.\n\n\n\n\n\nNON-RESISTANTS.\n\n\nThis is a name assumed by those who believe in the inviolability of human\nlife, and whose motto is, RESIST NOT EVIL,\u2014that is, by the use of carnal\nweapons or brute force. They cannot properly be called a religious sect,\nin the common acceptation of that term, and they repudiate the title; for\nthey differ very widely among themselves in their religious speculations,\nand have no forms, ordinances, creed, church, or community. Some of them\nbelong to almost every religious persuasion, while others refuse to be\nconnected with any denomination, and to be called by any sectarian name.\nLike the friends of negro emancipation, or of total abstinence from all\nintoxicating substances, their eyes are fastened upon a common object, and\ntheir hearts united together by a common principle; and whatever calls for\nthe violation of that principle, or for the sacrifice of that object, they\nfeel in duty bound to reject.\n\nIn the autumn of 1838, an association was formed in Boston, called the\n\u201cNEW ENGLAND NON-RESISTANCE SOCIETY,\u201d the principles of which are\ncomprehensively imbodied in the second article of its constitution, as\nfollows:\u2014\n\n\u201cThe members of this society agree in opinion that no man, or body of men,\nhowever constituted, or by whatever name called, have the right to take\nthe life of man as a penalty for transgression; that no one, who professes\nto have the Spirit of Christ, can consistently sue a man at law for\nredress of injuries, or thrust any evil-doer into prison, or fill any\noffice in which he would come under obligation to execute penal\nenactments, or take any part in the military service, or acknowledge\nallegiance to any human government, or justify any man in fighting in\ndefence of property, liberty, life, or religion; that he cannot engage in\nor countenance any plot or effort to revolutionize, or change, by physical\nviolence, any government, however corrupt or oppressive; that he will obey\n\u2018the powers that be,\u2019 except in those cases in which they bid him violate\nhis conscience\u2014and then, rather than to resist, he will meekly submit to\nthe penalty of disobedience; and that, while he will cheerfully endure all\nthings for Christ\u2019s sake, without cherishing even the desire to inflict\ninjury upon his persecutors, yet he will be bold and uncompromising for\nGod, in bearing his testimony against sin, in high places and in low\nplaces, until righteousness and peace shall reign in all the earth, and\nthere shall be none to molest or make afraid.\u201d\n\nOn the same occasion, a DECLARATION OF SENTIMENTS was adopted, in which\nthe views of Non-Resistants are set forth in the following positive and\nargumentative form:\u2014\n\n\u201cWe cannot acknowledge allegiance to any human government; neither can we\noppose any such government by a resort to physical force. We recognize but\none KING and LAWGIVER, one JUDGE and RULER of mankind. We are bound by the\nlaws of a kingdom which is not of this world; the subjects of which are\nforbidden to fight; in which MERCY and TRUTH are met together, and\nRIGHTEOUSNESS and PEACE have kissed each other; which has no state lines,\nno national partitions, no geographical boundaries; in which there is no\ndistinction of rank, or division of caste, or inequality of sex; the\nofficers of which are PEACE, its exactors RIGHTEOUSNESS, its walls\nSALVATION, and its gates PRAISE; and which is destined to break in pieces\nand consume all other kingdoms.\n\n\u201cOur country is the world, our countrymen are all mankind. We love the\nland of our nativity only as we love all other lands. The interests,\nrights, liberties of American citizens, are no more dear to us than are\nthose of the whole human race. Hence we can allow no appeal to patriotism,\nto revenge any national insult or injury. The PRINCE OF PEACE, under whose\nstainless banner we rally, came not to destroy, but to save, even the\nworst of enemies. He has left us an example, that we should follow his\nsteps. GOD COMMENDETH HIS LOVE TOWARD US, IN THAT, WHILE WE WERE YET\nSINNERS, CHRIST DIED FOR US.\n\n\u201cWe conceive that, if a nation has no right to defend itself against\nforeign enemies, or to punish its invaders, no individual possesses that\nright in his own case. The unit cannot be of greater importance than the\naggregate. If one man may take life, to obtain or defend his rights, the\nsame license must necessarily be granted to communities, states, and\nnations. If _he_ may use a dagger or a pistol, _they_ may employ cannon,\nbomb-shells, land and naval forces. The means of self-preservation must be\nin proportion to the magnitude of interests at stake, and the number of\nlives exposed to destruction. But if a rapacious and bloodthirsty\nsoldiery, thronging these shores from abroad, with intent to commit rapine\nand destroy life, may not be resisted by the people or magistracy, then\nought no resistance to be offered to domestic troublers of the public\npeace, or of private security. No obligations can rest upon Americans to\nregard foreigners as more sacred in their persons than themselves, or to\ngive them a monopoly of wrong-doing with impunity.\n\n\u201cThe dogma, that all the governments of the world are approvingly ordained\nof God, and that THE POWERS THAT BE, in the United States, in Russia, in\nTurkey, are in accordance with his will, is not less absurd than impious.\nIt makes the impartial Author of human freedom and equality unequal and\ntyrannical. It cannot be affirmed that THE POWERS THAT BE, in any nation,\nare actuated by the spirit, or guided by the example, of Christ, in the\ntreatment of enemies; therefore they cannot be agreeable to the will of\nGod; and, therefore, their overthrow, by a spiritual regeneration of their\nsubjects, is inevitable.\n\n\u201cWe register our testimony, not only against all wars, whether offensive\nor defensive, but all preparations for war; against every naval ship,\nevery arsenal, every fortification; against the militia system and a\nstanding army; against all military chieftains and soldiers; against all\nmonuments commemorative of victory over a foreign foe, all trophies won in\nbattle, all celebrations in honor of military or naval exploits; against\nall appropriations for the defence of a nation by force and arms, on the\npart of any legislative body; against every edict of government requiring\nof its subjects military service. Hence we deem it unlawful to bear arms,\nor to hold a military office.\n\n\u201cAs every human government is upheld by physical strength, and its laws\nare enforced virtually at the point of the bayonet, we cannot hold any\noffice which imposes upon its incumbent the obligation to compel men to do\nright, on pain of imprisonment or death. We therefore voluntarily exclude\nourselves from every legislative and judicial body, and repudiate all\nhuman politics, worldly honors, and stations of authority. If _we_ cannot\noccupy a seat in the legislature, or on the bench, neither can we elect\n_others_ to act as our substitutes in any such capacity.\n\n\u201cIt follows that we cannot sue any man at law, to compel him by force to\nrestore any thing which he may have wrongfully taken from us or others;\nbut, if he has seized our coat, we shall surrender up our cloak rather\nthan subject him to punishment.\n\n\u201cWe believe that the penal code of the old covenant, AN EYE FOR AN EYE,\nAND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH, has been abrogated by JESUS CHRIST; and that,\nunder the new covenant, the forgiveness, instead of the punishment, of\nenemies has been enjoined upon all his disciples, in all cases whatsoever.\nTo extort money from enemies, or set them upon a pillory, or cast them\ninto prison or hang them upon a gallows, is obviously not to forgive, but\nto take retribution. VENGEANCE IS MINE\u2014I WILL REPAY, SAITH THE LORD.\n\n\u201cThe history of mankind is crowded with evidences proving that physical\nco\u00ebrcion is not adapted to moral regeneration; that the sinful\ndispositions of man can be subdued only by love; that evil can be\nexterminated from the earth only by goodness; that it is not safe to rely\nupon an arm of flesh, upon man, whose breath is in his nostrils, to\npreserve us from harm; that there is great security in being gentle,\nharmless, long-suffering, and abundant in mercy; that it is only the meek\nwho shall inherit the earth, for the violent, who resort to the sword, are\ndestined to perish with the sword. Hence, as a measure of sound policy,\u2014of\nsafety to property, life, and liberty,\u2014of public quietude and private\nenjoyment,\u2014as well as on the ground of allegiance to HIM who is KING OF\nKINGS and LORD OF LORDS,\u2014we cordially adopt the non-resistance principle;\nbeing confident that it provides for all possible consequences, will\ninsure all things needful to us, is armed with omnipotent power, and must\nultimately triumph over every assailing force.\n\n\u201cWe advocate no Jacobinical doctrines. The spirit of Jacobinism is the\nspirit of retaliation, violence, and murder. It neither fears God nor\nregards man. _We_ would be filled with the Spirit of CHRIST. If we abide\nby our principles, it is impossible for us to be disorderly, or plot\ntreason, or participate in any evil work: we shall submit to every\nordinance of man, FOR THE LORD\u2019S SAKE; obey all the requirements of\ngovernment, except such as we deem contrary to the commands of the gospel;\nand in no case resist the operation of law, except by meekly submitting to\nthe penalty of disobedience.\n\n\u201cBut while we shall adhere to the doctrine of non-resistance and passive\nsubmission to enemies, we purpose, in a moral and spiritual sense, to\nspeak and act boldly in the cause of GOD; to assail iniquity in high\nplaces and in low places; to apply our principles to all existing civil,\npolitical, legal, and ecclesiastical institutions; and to hasten the time\nwhen the kingdoms of this world will have become the kingdoms of our LORD\nand of his CHRIST, and he shall reign forever.\n\n\u201cIt appears to us a self-evident truth, that whatever the gospel is\ndesigned to destroy at any period of the world, being contrary to it,\nought now to be abandoned. If, then, the time is predicted, when swords\nshall be beaten into ploughshares, and spears into pruning-hooks, and men\nshall not learn the art of war any more, it follows that all who\nmanufacture, sell, or wield those deadly weapons, do thus array themselves\nagainst the peaceful dominion of the SON OF GOD on earth.\u201d\n\nHaving thus frankly stated their principles and purposes, they proceed to\nspecify the measures they propose to adopt, in carrying their object into\neffect, as follows:\u2014\n\n\u201cWe expect to prevail through THE FOOLISHNESS OF PREACHING, striving to\ncommend ourselves unto every man\u2019s conscience, in the sight of GOD. From\nthe press, we shall promulgate our sentiments as widely as practicable. We\nshall endeavor to secure the co\u00f6peration of all persons, of whatever name\nor sect. The triumphant progress of the cause of TEMPERANCE and of\nABOLITION in our land, through the instrumentality of benevolent and\nvoluntary associations, encourages us to combine our own means and efforts\nfor the promotion of a still greater cause. Hence we shall employ\nlecturers, circulate tracts and publications, form societies, and petition\nour state and national governments, in relation to the subject of\nUNIVERSAL PEACE. It will be our leading object to devise ways and means\nfor effecting a radical change in the views, feelings and practices of\nsociety, respecting the sinfulness of war and the treatment of enemies.\n\n\u201cIn entering upon the great work before us, we are not unmindful that, in\nits prosecution, we may be called to test our sincerity, even as in a\nfiery ordeal. It may subject us to insult, outrage, suffering, yea, even\ndeath itself. We anticipate no small amount of misconception,\nmisrepresentation, calumny. Tumults may arise against us. The ungodly and\nviolent, the proud and Pharisaical, the ambitious and tyrannical,\nprincipalities and powers, and spiritual wickedness in high places, may\ncombine to crush us. So they treated the MESSIAH, whose example we are\nhumbly striving to imitate. If we suffer with him, we know that we shall\nreign with him. We shall not be afraid of their terror, neither be\ntroubled. Our confidence is in the LORD ALMIGHTY, not in man.\n\n\u201cHaving withdrawn from human protection, what can sustain us but that\nfaith which overcomes the world? We shall not think it strange concerning\nthe fiery trial which is to try us, as though some strange thing had\nhappened unto us, but rejoice, inasmuch as we are partakers of CHRIST\u2019S\nsufferings. Wherefore we commit the keeping of our souls to GOD, in\nwell-doing, as unto a faithful Creator. FOR EVERY ONE THAT FORSAKES\nHOUSES, OR BRETHREN, OR SISTERS, OR FATHER, OR MOTHER, OR WIFE, OR\nCHILDREN, OR LANDS FOR CHRIST\u2019S SAKE, SHALL RECEIVE A HUNDRED FOLD, AND\nSHALL INHERIT EVERLASTING LIFE.\u201d\n\nFor entertaining these sentiments, they say that they \u201chave been\nstigmatized as no human government men,\u201d and ranked among disorganizers\nand anarchists. But they believe that the gospel requires men to suppress\nevery angry emotion, to forgive every injury, to revenge none; and they\nask, \u201cShall we forgive as individuals, and retaliate as communities? Shall\nwe turn the other cheek as individuals, and plunge a dagger into the heart\nof our enemy as nations? We might as well be sober as individuals, and\ndrunk as nations. We might as well be merciful as individuals, and rob as\npatriots.\u201d They believe that the forgiveness of enemies, whether foreign\nor domestic, is the essence, the chief virtue, the soul of the gospel;\nthat we should preach our Savior\u2019s peace, even if it brings us to our\nSavior\u2019s cross; that Christians should not punish, either to amend those\nwho trespass against them, or to comfort themselves; for they do not amend\nothers by fines and imprisonments, nor do they need any better comfort\nthan that of their Savior, who, on the cross, not only prayed, but\napologized for his murderers; that, if the gospel is right in prescribing\npardon, the law is wrong in inflicting punishment; that, if a Christian\nreigns, he reigns by love, not by force; that he cannot smile with frowns,\nforgive with punishment, love with hatred, bless with the sword, do good\nwith evil, be humble with pride, love God and serve Mammon; that moral\npower would govern men altogether cheaper and better than physical; that\nthe destruction of every kingdom that has heretofore existed, proves that\nmen will not, cannot be governed by physical force; that the refusal of\nour Savior to govern, when he had the power of miracles, was his greatest\nmiracle; and that his obedience, forgiveness, sufferings, and death,\nestablished the constitution of a government, in which peace on earth and\ngood-will to men will be maintained by the God of peace, the Prince of\npeace, and the Spirit of peace. They believe that, when Jesus referred his\nhearers to the law of retaliation, which law constituted the great\nfundamental principle in the Jewish civil government, and when, in express\nterms, he repealed that law, he laid the axe at the root of that\ngovernment, and virtually repealed or abrogated the whole of it; for of\nwhat force can any civil government be, which cannot enforce its laws by\ninflicting evil upon its violators? When Jesus took from the Jewish civil\nruler the right to inflict punishment, he declared the only civil\ngovernment, which God had ever instituted, and recognized as of any\nrightful authority, to be null and void forever. They think it will be\nadmitted, by all who receive the plain declarations of Scripture as truth,\nthat no man, as an individual, has the right to render evil for evil, or\nto enforce even his lawful claims, by his fist, the club, or the sword.\nBut if a man has no such right as an individual, he has none as a member\nof a family, or as the inhabitant of a town, county, state, or nation;\nhence he cannot delegate any such right to others, called legislators,\nmagistrates, judges, sheriffs, &c. If no man has the right to retaliate\nwith the fist, or club, or sword, it is equally and immutably true that he\nhas no right to render evil for evil, by using laws, or magistrates, or\njudges, or sheriffs, as the clubs, or swords, or the instruments of such\nretaliation. When men \u201cresist evil,\u201d either by the use of the club, or of\nhuman law, the principle upon which they act is the same in both cases;\nthe only difference is in the instruments employed.\n\n\n\n\n\nSOUTHCOTTERS.\n\n\nDr. Evans gives the following account of the religious views and opinions\nof Joanna Southcott, who made considerable noise in England, towards the\nclose of the last century:\u2014\n\n\u201cThe mission of this prophetess commenced in the year 1792, and the number\nof people who have joined with her from that period to the present time,\nas believing her to be divinely inspired, was considerable. It was\nasserted that she was the instrument, under the direction of Christ, to\nannounce the establishment of his kingdom on earth, as a fulfilment of all\nthe promises in the Scriptures, and of that prayer which he himself gave\nto his followers; and more particularly of the promise made to the woman\nin the fall, through which the human race is to be redeemed from all the\neffects of it in the end. We are taught by the communication of the Spirit\nof truth to her, that the seven days of the creation were types of the two\nperiods in which the reign of Satan and of Christ are to be proved and\ncontrasted. Satan was conditionally to have his reign tried for six\nthousand years, shadowed by the six days in which the Lord worked, as his\nSpirit has striven with man while under the powers of darkness; but\nSatan\u2019s reign is to be shortened, for the sake of the elect, as declared\nin the gospel; and Satan is to have a further trial at the expiration of\nthe thousand years, for a time equal to the number of the days shortened.\nAt the close of the seven thousand years, the judgment is to take place,\nand the whole human race will collectively bring forward the testimony of\nthe evil they suffered under the reign of Satan, and of the good they\nenjoyed under the spiritual reign of Christ. These two testimonies will be\nevidence, before the whole creation of God, that the pride of Satan was\nthe cause of his rebellion in heaven, and that he was the root of evil\nupon earth; and, consequently, when those two great proofs have been\nbrought forward, that part of the human race that has fallen under his\npower, to be tormented by being in the society of Satan and his angels,\nwill revolt from him in that great day, will mourn that they have been\ndeluded, will repent, and the Savior of all will hold out his hand to them\nin mercy, and will then prepare a new earth for them to work\nrighteousness, and prepare them ultimately to join his saints, who have\nfought the good fight in this world, while under the reign of Satan.\n\n\u201cThe mission of Joanna is to be accomplished by a perfect obedience to the\nSpirit that directs her, and so to be made to claim the promise of\n\u2018bruising the head of the serpent;\u2019 and which promise was made to the\nwoman on her casting the blame upon Satan, whom she unwittingly obeyed,\nand thus man became dead to the knowledge of the good; and so he blamed\nhis Creator for giving him the woman, who was pronounced his helpmate for\ngood. To fulfil the attribute of justice, Christ took upon himself that\nblame, and assumed his humanity, to suffer on the cross for it, that he\nmight justly bring the cross upon Satan, and rid him from the earth, and\nthen complete the creation of man, so as to be after his own image. It is\ndeclared that \u2018the seed of the woman\u2019 are those who in faith shall join\nwith her in claiming the promise made in the fall; and they are to\nsubscribe with their hands unto the Lord that they do thus join with her,\npraying for the destruction of the powers of darkness, and for the\nestablishment of the kingdom of Christ. Those who thus come forward in\nthis spiritual war, are to have the seal of the Lord\u2019s protection; and if\nthey remain faithful soldiers, death and hell shall not have power over\nthem; and these are to make up the sealed number of one hundred and\nforty-four thousand, to stand with the Lamb on Mount Sion. The fall of\nSatan\u2019s kingdom will be a second deluge over the earth; so that, from his\nhaving brought the human race under his power, a great part of them will\nfall with him; for the Lord will pluck out of his kingdom all that offend\nand do wickedly. The voice which announces the coming of the Messiah is\naccompanied with judgments, and the nations must be shaken and brought low\nbefore they will lay these things to heart. When all these things are\naccomplished, then the desire of nations will come in glory, so that\n\u2018every eye shall see him,\u2019 and he will give his kingdom to his saints.\n\n\u201cIt is represented that in the Bible is recorded every event by which the\nDeity will work the ultimate happiness of the human race, but that the\ngreat plan is, for the most part, represented by types and shadows, and\notherwise so wrapped up in mysteries, as to be inscrutable to human\nwisdom. As the Lord pronounced that man should become dead to knowledge if\nhe ate the forbidden fruit, so the Lord must prove his words true. He\ntherefore selected a peculiar people as depositaries of the records of\nthat knowledge; and he appeared among them, and they proved themselves\ndead to every knowledge of him, by crucifying him. He will, in like\nmanner, put the wild olive to the same test; and the result will be, that\nhe will be now crucified in the spirit.\n\n\u201cThe mission of Joanna began in 1792, at which time she had prophecies\ngiven her, showing how the whole was to be accomplished. Among other\nthings, the Lord said he should visit the surrounding nations with various\ncalamities for fifteen years, as a warning to _this_ land; and that then\nhe should bring about events here which should more clearly manifest the\ntruth of her mission, by judgment and otherwise; so that this should be\nthe happy nation to be the first redeemed from its troubles, and be the\ninstrument for awakening the rest of the world to a sense of what is\ncoming upon all, and for destroying _the Beast_, and those who worship his\nimage.\n\n\u201cJoanna Southcott died of a protracted illness. It Was given out that she\nwas to be the mother of a _Second Shiloh_. Presents were accordingly made\nher for the _Babe_, especially a superb cradle, with a Hebrew inscription\nin poetry. But she expired, and no child appeared on the occasion. A stone\nplaced over her remains in the New Burial-ground, Mary-le-bone, has this\nmystic inscription:\u2014\n\n\n    In Memory Of\n    Joanna Southcott.\n    Who departed this life December 27th, 1814,\n    Aged 60 years.\n\n    While, through all thy wondrous days,\n    Heaven and earth enraptured gaze,\u2014\n    While vain sages think they know\n    Secrets thou alone canst show,\u2014\n    Time alone will tell what hour\n    Thou\u2019lt appear in greater power.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n\nFAMILY OF LOVE.\n\n\nA sect that arose in Holland, in the sixteenth century, founded by Henry\nNicholas, a Westphalian. He maintained that he had a commission from\nHeaven to teach men that the essence of religion consisted in the feelings\nof divine love; that all other theological tenets, whether they related to\nobjects of faith or modes of worship, were of no sort of moment, and,\nconsequently, that it was a matter of the most perfect indifference what\nopinions Christians entertained concerning the divine nature, provided\ntheir hearts burned with the pure and sacred flame of piety and love.\n\n\n\n\n\nHUTCHINSONIANS.\n\n\nHutchinsonians, the followers of John Hutchinson, born in Yorkshire, 1674,\nand who, in the early part of his life, served the duke of Somerset in the\ncapacity of steward. The Hebrew Scriptures, he says, comprise a perfect\nsystem of natural philosophy, theology, and religion. In opposition to Dr.\nWoodward\u2019s \u201cNatural History of the Earth,\u201d Mr. Hutchinson, in 1724,\npublished the first part of his curious book, called \u201cMoses\u2019 Principia.\u201d\nIts second part was presented to the public in 1727, which contains, as he\napprehends, the principles of the Scripture philosophy, which are a plenum\nand the air. So high an opinion did he entertain of the Hebrew language,\nthat he thought the Almighty must have employed it to communicate every\nspecies of knowledge, and that, accordingly, every species of knowledge is\nto be found in the Old Testament. Of his mode of philosophizing, the\nfollowing specimen is brought forward to the reader\u2019s attention:\u2014\u201cThe air,\nhe supposes, exists in three conditions,\u2014fire, light, and spirit;\u2014the two\nlatter are the finer and grosser parts of the air in motion; from the\nearth to the sun, the air is finer and finer, till it becomes pure light\nnear the confines of the sun, and fire in the orb of the sun, or solar\nfocus. From the earth towards the circumference of this system, in which\nhe includes the fixed stars, the air becomes grosser and grosser, till it\nbecomes stagnant, in which condition it is at the utmost verge of this\nsystem, from whence, in his opinion, the expression of _outer darkness_,\nand _blackness of darkness_, used in the New Testament, seems to be\ntaken.\u201d\n\nThe followers of Mr. Hutchinson are numerous, and among others the Rev.\nMr. Romaine, Lord Duncan Forbes, of Culloden, and the late amiable Dr.\nHorne, bishop of Norwich.\n\n\n\n\n\nMORMONITES, OR THE CHURCH OF THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS.\n\n\nIn a little work entitled _Religious Creeds and Statistics_, published in\n1836, we gave some account of the origin and faith of the Mormonites, or\n_Latter-Day Saints_, as they prefer being called. Since that time, we have\nreceived an additional stock of the publications of this people, and are\nnow enabled to tell their story in their own words.\n\nIn a letter dated Nauvoo, Illinois, March 1, 1842, Prophet Joseph Smith\nsays:\u2014\n\n\n    \u201cOn the evening of the 21st of September, A. D. 1823, while I was\n    praying unto God, and endeavoring to exercise faith in the\n    precious promises of Scripture, on a sudden a light like that of\n    day, only of a far purer and more glorious appearance and\n    brightness, burst into the room; indeed, the first sight was as\n    though the house was filled with consuming fire; the appearance\n    produced a shock that affected the whole body In a moment, a\n    personage stood before me surrounded with a glory yet greater than\n    that with which I was already surrounded. This messenger\n    proclaimed himself to be an angel of God, sent to bring the joyful\n    tidings, that the covenant which God made with ancient Israel was\n    at hand to be fulfilled; that the preparatory work for the second\n    coming of the Messiah was speedily to commence; that the time was\n    at hand for the gospel, in all its fulness, to be preached, in\n    power, unto all nations, that a people might be prepared for the\n    millennial reign.\n\n    \u201cI was informed that I was chosen to be an instrument in the hands\n    of God to bring about some of his purposes in this glorious\n    dispensation.\n\n    \u201cI was also informed concerning the aboriginal inhabitants of this\n    country, and shown who they were, and from whence they came; a\n    brief sketch of their origin, progress, civilization, laws,\n    governments, of their righteousness and iniquity, and the\n    blessings of God being finally withdrawn from them as a people,\n    was made known unto me. I was also told where there were deposited\n    some plates, on which was engraven an abridgment of the records of\n    the ancient prophets that had existed on this continent. The angel\n    appeared to me three times the same night, and unfolded the same\n    things. After having received many visits from the angels of God,\n    unfolding the majesty and glory of the events that should\n    transpire in the last days, on the morning of the 22d of\n    September, A. D 1827, the angel of the Lord delivered the records\n    into my hands.\n\n    \u201cThese records were engraven on plates which had the appearance of\n    gold; each plate was six inches wide and eight inches long, and\n    not quite so thick as common tin. They were filled with\n    engravings, in Egyptian characters, and bound together in a\n    volume, as the leaves of a book, with three rings running through\n    the whole. The volume was something near six inches in thickness,\n    a part of which was sealed. The characters on the unsealed part\n    were small, and beautifully engraved. The whole book exhibited\n    many marks of antiquity in its construction, and much skill in the\n    art of engraving. With the records was found a curious instrument,\n    which the ancients called \u2018Urim and Thummim,\u2019 which consisted of\n    two transparent stones set in the rim of a bow fastened to a\n    breastplate.\n\n    \u201cThrough the medium of the Urim and Thummim I translated the\n    record, by the gift and power of God.\n\n    \u201cIn this important and interesting book the history of ancient\n    America is unfolded, from its first settlement by a colony that\n    came from the tower of Babel, at the confusion of languages, to\n    the beginning of the fifth century of the Christian era. We are\n    informed by these records that America, in ancient times, has been\n    inhabited by two distinct races of people. The first were called\n    Jaredites, and came directly from the tower of Babel. The second\n    race came directly from the city of Jerusalem, about six hundred\n    years before Christ. They were principally Israelites, of the\n    descendants of Joseph. The Jaredites were destroyed about the time\n    that the Israelites came from Jerusalem, who succeeded them in the\n    inheritance of the country. The principal nation of the second\n    race fell in battle towards the close of the fourth century. The\n    remnant are the Indians that now inhabit this country. This book\n    also tells us that our Savior made his appearance upon this\n    continent after his resurrection, that he planted the gospel here\n    in all its fulness, and richness, and power, and blessing; that\n    they had apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, and evangelists;\n    the same order, the same priesthood, the same ordinances, gifts,\n    powers, and blessing, as were enjoyed on the eastern continent;\n    that the people were cut off in consequence of their\n    transgressions; that the last of their prophets who existed among\n    them was commanded to write an abridgment of their prophecies,\n    history, &c., and to hide it up in the earth, and that it should\n    come forth, and be united with the Bible, for the accomplishment\n    of the purposes of God in the last days. For a more particular\n    account, I would refer to the Book of Mormon, which can be\n    purchased at Nauvoo, or from any of our travelling elders.\n\n    \u201cAs soon as the news of this discovery was made known, false\n    reports, misrepresentation, and slander flew, as on the wings of\n    the wind, in every direction; the house was frequently beset by\n    mobs and evil-designing persons; several times I was shot at, and\n    very narrowly escaped, and every device was made use of to get the\n    plates away from me; but the power and blessing of God attended\n    me, and several began to believe my testimony.\n\n    \u201cOn the 6th of April, 1830, the \u2018Church of Jesus Christ of\n    Latter-Day Saints\u2019 was first organized in the town of Manchester,\n    Ontario county, state of New York. Some few were called and\n    ordained by the spirit of revelation and prophecy, and began to\n    preach as the Spirit gave them utterance; and though weak, yet\n    were they strengthened by the power of God, and many were brought\n    to repentance, were immersed in the water, and were filled with\n    the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. They saw visions and\n    prophesied: devils were cast out, and the sick healed by the\n    laying on of hands. From that time, the work rolled forth with\n    astonishing rapidity, and churches were soon formed in the states\n    of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri.\n    In the last-named state, a considerable settlement was formed in\n    Jackson county; numbers joined the church, and we were increasing\n    rapidly; we made large purchases of land, our farms teemed with\n    plenty, and peace and happiness were enjoyed in our domestic\n    circle and throughout our neighborhood; but we could not associate\n    with our neighbors, who were many of them of the basest of men.\u201d\n\n\nAfter giving an account of their removal from Jackson to Clay, and from\nClay to Caldwell and Davies counties, Missouri, with a relation of their\npersecutions and consequent distresses, the prophet proceeds:\u2014\n\n\n    \u201cWe arrived in the state of Illinois in 1839, where we found a\n    hospitable people and a friendly home; a people who were willing\n    to be governed by the principles of law and humanity. We have\n    commenced to build a city, called \u2018Nauvoo,\u2019 in Hancock county. We\n    number from six to eight thousand here, besides vast numbers in\n    the county around, and in almost every county of the state. We\n    have a city charter granted us, and a charter for a legion, the\n    troops of which now number fifteen hundred. We have also a charter\n    for a university, for an agricultural and manufacturing society,\n    have our own laws and administrators, and possess all the\n    privileges that other free and enlightened citizens enjoy.\n\n    \u201cPersecution has not stopped the progress of truth, but has only\n    added fuel to the flame; it has spread with increasing rapidity.\n    Proud of the cause which they have espoused, and conscious of\n    their innocence, and of the truth of their system, amidst calumny\n    and reproach have the elders of this church gone forth, and\n    planted the gospel in almost every state in the Union; it has\n    penetrated our cities, it has spread over our villages, and has\n    caused thousands of our intelligent, noble, and patriotic citizens\n    to obey its divine mandates, and be governed by its sacred truths.\n    It has also spread into England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. In\n    the year 1839, where a few of our missionaries were sent, over\n    five thousand joined the standard of truth. There are numbers now\n    joining in every land.\n\n    \u201cOur missionaries are going forth to different nations; and in\n    Germany, Palestine, New Holland, the East Indies, and other\n    places, the standard of truth has been erected. No unhallowed hand\n    can stop the work from progressing. Persecutions may rage, mobs\n    may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the\n    truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it\n    has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every\n    country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall\n    be accomplished, and the great Jehovah shall say, \u2018The work is\n    done!\u2019\n\n\n\u201cWe believe in God, the eternal Father, and in his Son Jesus Christ, and\nin the Holy Ghost.\n\n\u201cWe believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for\nAdam\u2019s transgression.\n\n\u201cWe believe that, through the atonement of Christ, all mankind may be\nsaved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel.\n\n\u201cWe believe that these ordinances are, 1. faith in the Lord Jesus Christ;\n2. repentance; 3. baptism, by immersion, for the remission of sins; 4.\nlaying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.\n\n\u201cWe believe that a man must be called of God by \u2018prophecy, and by laying\non of hands,\u2019 by those who are in authority to preach the gospel, and\nadminister in the ordinances thereof.\n\n\u201cWe believe in the same organization that existed in the primitive church,\nviz., apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, &c.\n\n\u201cWe believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions,\nhealing, interpretation of tongues, &c.\n\n\u201cWe believe the Bible to be the word of God, as far as it is translated\ncorrectly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.\n\n\u201cWe believe all that God has revealed, all that he does now reveal, and we\nbelieve that he will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining\nto the kingdom of God.\n\n\u201cWe believe in the literal gathering of Israel, and in the restoration of\nthe ten tribes; that Zion will be built upon this continent; that Christ\nwill reign personally upon the earth; and that the earth will be renewed\nand receive its paradisaic glory.\n\n\u201cWe claim the privilege of worshipping Almighty God according to the\ndictates of our conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them\nworship how, where, or what, they may.\n\n\u201cWe believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and\nmagistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.\n\n\u201cWe believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent virtuous, and in\ndoing good to _all men_. Indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition\nof Paul,\u2014we \u2019believe all things, we hope all things;\u2019\u2014we have endured many\nthings, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is any thing\nvirtuous, lovely, or of good report, or praiseworthy, we seek after these\nthings.\u201d\n\n                  -------------------------------------\n\nFrom the _Gospel Reflector_, a volume edited by B. Winchester, presiding\nelder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Philadelphia, we\nextract the following.\n\n\n    \u201cHistory Of The Ancients Of America, And Also Of The Book Of\n    Mormon.\n\n    \u201cSix hundred years B. C, according to the Book of Mormon, Lehi,\n    who was a righteous man, was forewarned of the destruction of\n    Jerusalem and the Babylonish captivity, who was commanded by the\n    Lord, took his family and fled into the wilderness. He pitched his\n    tent in the wilderness, near the Red Sea, and sent back his sons\n    to Jerusalem, who persuaded one Ishmael and his family to\n    accompany them to their father Lehi. The Lord promised to lead\n    them to a choice land above all lands; therefore they set out on\n    their journey for this land. After a long and tedious journey,\n    they came to the great waters, or the ocean. Nephi, the son of\n    Lehi, who was also a prophet, and their pilot, or leader, in the\n    wilderness, was commanded and instructed to build a ship\n    sufficiently large to transport them over the sea. This work was\n    accomplished in eight years from the time they left Jerusalem.\n    They set sail, and in a proper time they landed, as we infer from\n    their record, somewhere on the western coast of South America.\n    They immediately commenced tilling the earth, and erecting\n    mansions for dwelling-places.\n\n    \u201cLehi had six sons, Laman, Lemuel, Nephi, Sam, Jacob, and Joseph.\n    Laman, Lemuel, and the sons of Ishmael, rebelled against God, and\n    would not keep his commandments; for this they were cursed. Their\n    posterity, in process of time, became a powerful nation, but\n    extremely wicked; and their chief occupations were hunting,\n    plundering, and roving about from place to place. In the Book of\n    Mormon, they are called Lamanites. The other sons of Lehi were\n    obedient to the commands of God. Their posterity, also, in the\n    course of time, became a great nation, and were called Nephites.\n    To them God committed his divine oracles, (the holy priesthood,)\n    and they had prophets and inspired men among them. They also kept\n    a record of their prophecies and revelations, and the proceedings\n    of their nation. When they left Jerusalem, they brought with them\n    the law of Moses, and the writings of the former prophets, down to\n    the days of Jeremiah. This accounts for the quotations from Isaiah\n    and others, which are found in the Book of Mormon.\n\n    \u201cThe Nephites tilled the land, built cities, and erected temples\n    for places of worship; but the Lamanites lived a more indolent\n    life, although, in some instances, they built cities. The Nephites\n    were at times faithful to God; at other times they were\n    indifferent, and would not be faithful. They frequently had long\n    and tedious wars with the Lamanites, and were often driven before\n    them. They were constantly emigrating to the north. At length they\n    commenced settlements in the region of country not far from the\n    Isthmus of Darien; and, while in those parts, they advanced\n    further in science and arts than at any time previous, and built\n    more spacious cities and buildings than they did before.\n\n    \u201cSix hundred and thirty odd years from the time Lehi left\n    Jerusalem, Christ, after his resurrection, appeared unto many of\n    the Nephites, and established his church, chose disciples, and\n    sent them throughout the land to preach his gospel, thus\n    fulfilling the saying, \u2018Other sheep I have, which are not of this\n    fold; them I must go and bring also.\u2019\n\n    \u201cIndividuals of the Lamanites, at times, were obedient to the\n    faith. The Nephites, after Christ\u2019s appearance, were faithful for\n    many years; but, in the third or fourth century, iniquity began to\n    abound, and their love began to wax cold. Some dissented, and\n    raised up churches for the sake of gain; and thus they were\n    troubled with the spirit of pride and haughtiness. God commanded\n    Mormon, who lived in the fourth century, to preach repentance to\n    them, and foretell their destruction if they would not repent. The\n    Lord, foreseeing that they would not repent, commanded Mormon to\n    collect the writings of his forefathers,\u2014their revelations and\n    prophecies, &c.,\u2014and make an abridgment of them, and engrave them\n    upon new plates, (their manner of keeping records was to engrave\n    them on metallic plates.) But in consequence of their wars, and\n    their flight to the north, to escape the Lamanites, he did not\n    live to finish this work; and, when the final destruction of the\n    Nephites drew near, he gave the records to his son Moroni, who\n    lived to see their final extermination, or destruction, by the\n    hands of the Lamanites, and they, with his father, left to moulder\n    on the plain.\n\n    \u201cThus a powerful nation, whose fathers were the favorites of\n    Heaven, were cut off, and their names have faded into oblivion!\n\n    \u201cThe Indians of America are the descendants of the Lamanites, and,\n    according to predictions that are in the Book of Mormon, they will\n    yet lay down their weapons of war, and be converted unto the Lord.\n\n    \u201cMoroni finished compiling and abridging the records of his\n    fathers, which he engraved upon new plates, for that purpose, to\n    use his own words, as follows:\u2014\u2018And now, behold, we have written\n    this record, according to our knowledge, in the characters which\n    are called among us _the reformed Egyptian_; being handed down and\n    altered by us, according to our manner of speech. And, if our\n    plates had been sufficiently large, we should have written in\n    Hebrew; but the Hebrew hath been altered by us also; and, if we\n    could have written in Hebrew, behold, ye would have had no\n    imperfection in our record. But the Lord knoweth the things which\n    we have written, and also that none other people knoweth our\n    language; therefore he hath prepared means for the interpretation\n    thereof.\u2019\n\n    \u201cHe also engraved on them an account, called the \u2018Book of Ether\u2019\n    of a people who left the old world, and came to this continent at\n    the time the language was confounded at Babel, which was a partial\n    fulfilment of the saying, \u2018So the Lord scattered them abroad from\n    thence upon the face of all the earth.\u2019 (Gen. 11:8.)\n\n    \u201cMoroni was then commanded to deposit this record in the earth,\n    together with the _Urim and Thummim_, or, as the Nephites would\n    have said, _Interpreters_, which were instruments to assist in the\n    work of the translation, with a promise from the Lord that it\n    should be brought to light by means of a Gentile nation that\n    should possess the land, and be published to the world, and go\n    forth to the Lamanites, and be one of the instruments in the hands\n    of God for their conversion. It remained safe in the place where\n    it was deposited, till it was brought to light by the\n    administration of angels, and translated by the gift and power of\n    God.\u201d\n\n\nThe Mormon Bible contains five hundred and eighty-eight duodecimo pages,\nand purports to have been written at different times, and by the different\nauthors, whose names the parts respectively bear. The following are the\nnames of the different books, in the order in which they occur:\u2014\n\n\n    1. First Book of Nephi.\n\n    2. Second Book of Nephi.\n\n    3. Book of Jacob, brother of Nephi.\n\n    4. Book of Enos, son of Jacob.\n\n    5. Book of Jarom, son of Enos.\n\n    6. Book of Omni, son of Jarom.\n\n    7. Words of Mormon.\n\n    8. Book of Mosiah.\n\n    9. Book of Alma.\n\n    10. Book of Helaman.\n\n    11. Book of Nephi, son of Nephi, son of Helaman.\n\n    12. Book of Nephi, son of Nephi, one of the disciples of Christ.\n\n    13. Book of Mormon.\n\n    14. Book of Ether.\n\n    15. Book of Moroni.\n\n\nTwo new books have recently been published,\u2014the Prophecies of Enoch, in\nthe _Morning and Evening Star_, and the Book of Abraham, in the _Times and\nSeasons_.\n\nThe Mormons seem to think that revelations from Heaven and miracles\nwrought, are as necessary now, and as important to the salvation of the\npresent generation, as they were to any generation in any preceding age or\nperiod.\n\nIn a volume entitled \u201cDoctrine and Covenants,\u201d are a great number of\nrevelations, purporting to be from Jesus Christ to Smith and his\ncoadjutors. The following extracts from a revelation given on the 22d and\n23d of September, 1832, convey, it is believed, a fair specimen of the\nwhole. We copy _verbatim_.\n\n\n    \u201cVerily, verily, I say unto you, It is expedient that every man\n    who goes forth to proclaim mine everlasting gospel, that, inasmuch\n    as they have families, and receive moneys by gift, that they\n    should send it unto them, or make use of it for their benefit, as\n    the Lord shall direct them; for thus it seemeth me good. And let\n    all those who have not families, who receive moneys, send it up\n    unto the bishop in Zion, or unto the bishop in Ohio, that it may\n    be consecrated for the bringing forth of the revelations, and the\n    printing thereof, and for establishing Zion.\n\n    \u201cAnd if any man shall give unto any of you a coat, or a suit, take\n    the old and cast it unto the poor, and go your way rejoicing. And\n    if any man among you be strong in the Spirit, let him take with\n    him he that is weak, that he may be edified in all meekness, that\n    he may become strong also.\n\n    \u201cAnd the bishop, also, should travel round about and among all the\n    churches, searching after the poor, to administer to their wants\n    by humbling the rich and the proud; he should, also, employ an\n    agent to take charge and to do his secular business, as he shall\n    direct; nevertheless, let the bishop go unto the city of New York,\n    and also to the city of Albany, and also to the city of Boston,\n    and warn the people of those cities with the sound of the gospel,\n    with a loud voice, of the desolation and utter abolishment which\n    awaits them if they do reject these things; for if they do reject\n    these things, the hour of their judgment is nigh, and their house\n    shall be left unto them desolate. Let him trust in me, and he\n    shall not be confounded, and a hair of his head shall not fall to\n    the ground unnoticed.\n\n    \u201cAnd verily I say unto you, the rest of my servants, Go ye forth,\n    as your circumstances shall permit, in your several callings, unto\n    the great and notable cities and villages, reproving the world, in\n    righteousness, of all their unrighteous and ungodly deeds, setting\n    forth clearly and understandingly the desolation of abomination in\n    the last days; for with you, saith the Lord Almighty, I will rend\n    their kingdoms; I will not only shake the earth, but the starry\n    heavens shall tremble; for I the Lord have put forth my hand to\n    exert the powers of heaven: ye cannot see it now; yet a little\n    while and ye shall see it, and know that I am, and that I will\n    come and reign with my people. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning\n    and the end. Amen.\u201d\n\n\nJoseph Smith is the son of a farmer, and was born in Sharon, Vermont, 23d\nDecember, 1805. His father removed to the state of New York about the year\n1815, and resided in Palmyra, and afterwards in Manchester.\n\nSmith has many enemies, and his doctrines are warmly opposed; still, it\nmust be acknowledged that, by his talents, or the magic influence his\nscheme of religion has on the minds of men, or by a union of both, he has\nacquired an imposing station in the world. He is styled _Prophet and High\nPriest of Jesus Christ, President of the Council of the Church of the\nLatter-Day Saints,_ and _Lieutenant-General of the Nauvoo Legion_. He\nsends his elders, bishops, priests, and teachers, by scores, into all\nlands, and more than _seventy-five thousand people_ bow, with willing\nsubjection, to his mandates.\n\n                  -------------------------------------\n\nNauvoo, Illinois, formerly Commerce, is situated on the east side of the\nMississippi River, at the head of Des Moines Rapids, about two hundred and\nten miles (by the river) above St. Louis, thirteen hundred and fifty miles\nabove New Orleans, and about three hundred miles below Dubuque, in Iowa.\nIt comprises two miles square of fertile land. The city of Nauvoo, which\nwas incorporated in 1841, is delightfully located, on rising ground, near\nthe bank of the river. It contains many handsome buildings of brick and\nstone, among which are the Nauvoo House, a large stone building for the\naccommodation of travellers, and the Mormon Temple, likewise of stone,\nmeasuring on the ground one hundred by one hundred and twenty feet,\nexclusive of the wings of the building. This place has one of the best\nlandings on the river, and its trade is considerable. The number of\ninhabitants, at the present time, is about eight thousand, chiefly\nMormons. _Nauvoo_ is said to signify, THE CITY OF GOD.\n\n\n\n\n\nDALEITES.\n\n\nThe followers of David Dale, a very industrious manufacturer, a most\nbenevolent Christian, and the humble pastor of an Independent congregation\nat Glasgow. At first, he formed a connection with the _Glassites_, in many\nof whose opinions he concurred, but was disgusted by their narrow and\nworldly spirit: he therefore separated from them, chiefly on the ground of\npreferring practical to speculative religion, and Christian charity to\nseverity of church discipline. As he grew rich by industry, he devoted all\nhis property to doing good, and ranks high among the philanthropists of\nhis age. He was founder of the celebrated institution of New Lanark, now\nunder Mr. Robert Owen, his son-in-law. The Daleites now form the second\nclass of Independents in Scotland.\n\n\n\n\n\nEMANCIPATORS.\n\n\nThis body of Christians was formed in Kentucky, in 1805, by the\nassociation of a number of ministers and churches of the Baptist\ndenomination. They differ in no respect from the regular Baptists, except\nin the decided stand they have taken against slavery, in every branch of\nit, both in principle and practice, as being a sinful and abominable\nsystem, fraught with peculiar evils and miseries, which every good man\nought to abandon and bear his testimony against. Their desires and\nendeavors are, to effect, as soon as it can be done, and in the most\nprudent and advantageous manner, both to the slaves and to their owners,\nthe general and complete emancipation of this numerous race of enslaved,\nignorant, and degraded beings, who are now, by the laws and customs of the\nland, exposed to hereditary and perpetual bondage. (See Exod. 3:7, 9;\n10:3; 6:2; 21:2, 16. Levit. 19:18. Deut. 15:12, 18; 23:15; 24:7. Job 6:14;\n29:11. Ps. 12:5; 103:6. Prov. 16:8; 22:16. Eccl. 4:1; 5:8. Isa. 1:16;\n33:15; 58:6. Jer. 5:26; 21:12; 22:13; 34:10, 11, 17; 50:33, 34. Ezek.\n18:5, 9; 22:29; 27:13. Dan. 4:27. Joel 3:3, 6. Mal. 2:10. Matt. 5:7; 7:12.\nLuke 4:18; 6:36. Rom. 12:9. 1 Cor. 7:23. Gal. 5:13. Col. 4:1. 1 Tim. 1:10.\nHeb. 13:3. James 2:13; 5:4. 2 Pet. 2:2. 1 John 4:20. Rev. 18:11, 13.)\n\nThe Emancipators say to Christians of all denominations in the United\nStates, in the words of an eloquent philanthropist, \u201cBanish from your land\nthe remains of slavery. Be consistent with your congressional declaration\nof rights. Remember, there never was, nor will be, a period when justice\nshould not be done. Do what is just, and leave the event with God. Justice\nis the pillar that upholds the whole fabric of human society, and mercy is\nthe genial ray which cheers and warms the habitations of men. The\nperfection of our social character consists in properly tempering the two\nwith one another; in holding that middle course which admits of our being\njust without being rigid, and allows us to be generous without being\nunjust. May all the citizens of America be found in the performance of\nsuch social duties as will secure them peace and happiness in this world,\nand in the world to come life everlasting!\u201d\n\n\n\n\n\nPERFECTIONISTS.\n\n\nA modern sect in New England, who believe that every individual action is\neither wholly sinful or wholly righteous, and that every being in the\nuniverse, at any given time, is either entirely holy or entirely wicked.\nConsequently, they unblushingly maintain that they themselves are free\nfrom sin. In support of this doctrine, they say that Christ dwells in and\ncontrols believers, and thus secures their perfect holiness; that the body\nof Christ, which is the church, is nourished and guided by the life and\nwisdom of its Head. Hence they condemn the greatest portion of the\nreligion in the world named Christianity, as the work of Antichrist. \u201cAll\nthe essential features of Judaism,\u201d they say, \u201cand of its successor,\nPopery, may be distinctly traced in nearly every form of Protestantism;\nand although we rejoice in the blessings which the reformation has given\nus, we regard it as rightly named the _reformation_, it being an\nimprovement of Antichrist, not a restoration of Christianity.\u201d This last\nopinion, which has some foundation in truth, has been long held, variously\nmodified, in different parts of the Christian world.\n\nAn unsuccessful attempt was made to propagate the views of this sect\nthrough the medium of a paper published at New Haven, Conn., entitled the\n_Perfectionist_.\n\nMethodists\u2019 Views Of Perfection.\n\n\u201cThe highest perfection which man can attain, while the soul dwells in the\nbody, does not exclude ignorance, and error, and a thousand other\ninfirmities. Now, from wrong judgments, wrong words and actions will often\nnecessarily flow; and in some cases, wrong affections, also, may spring\nfrom the same source. I may judge wrong of you; I may think more or less\nhighly of you than I ought to think; and this mistake in my judgment may\nnot only occasion something wrong in my behavior, but it may have a still\ndeeper effect; it may occasion something wrong in my affection. From a\nwrong apprehension, I may love and esteem you either more or less than I\nought. Nor can I be freed from a liableness to such a mistake while I\nremain in a corruptible body. A thousand infirmities, in consequence of\nthis, will attend my spirit, till it returns to God, who gave it; and, in\nnumberless instances, it comes short of doing the will of God, as Adam did\nin paradise. Hence the best of men may say from the heart,\n\n\n    \u201cEvery moment, Lord, I need\n      The merit of thy death,\u201d\n\n\nfor innumerable violations of the Adamic, as well as the angelic law. It\nis well, therefore, for us, that we are not now under these, but under the\nlaw of love. \u201cLove is [now] the fulfilling of the law,\u201d which is given to\nfallen man. This is now, with respect to us, \u201cthe perfect law.\u201d But even\nagainst this, through the present weakness of our understanding, we are\ncontinually liable to transgress. Therefore every man living needs the\nblood of atonement; or he could not stand before God.\n\n\u201cWhat is, then, the perfection of which man is capable while he dwells in\na corruptible body? It is the complying with that kind command, \u2018My son,\ngive me thy heart.\u2019 It is the \u2018loving the Lord his God with all his heart,\nand with all his soul, and with all his mind.\u2019 This is the sum of\nChristian perfection: it is all comprised in that one word, _love_. The\nfirst branch of it is the love of God; and, as he that loves God loves his\nbrother also, it is inseparably connected with the second, \u2018Thou shalt\nlove thy neighbor as thyself;\u2019 thou shalt love every man as thy own soul,\nas Christ loved us. \u2018On these two commandments hang all the law and the\nprophets:\u2019 these contain the whole of Christian perfection.\n\n\u201cAnother view of this is given us in those words of the great apostle,\n\u2018Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.\u2019 For, although\nthis immediately and directly refers to the humility of our Lord, yet it\nmay be taken in a far more extensive sense, so as to include the whole\ndisposition of his mind, all his affections, all his tempers, both toward\nGod and man. Now, it is certain that, as there was no evil affection in\nhim, so no good affection or temper was wanting; so that \u2018whatsoever\nthings are holy, whatsoever things are lovely,\u2019 are all included in \u2018the\nmind that was in Christ Jesus.\u2019\n\n\u201cSt. Paul, when writing to the Galatians, places perfection in yet another\nview. It is the one undivided _fruit of the Spirit_, which he describes\nthus: \u2018The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering,\ngentleness, goodness, fidelity, [so the word should be translated here,]\nmeekness, temperance.\u2019 What a glorious constellation of grace is here!\nNow, suppose all these things to be knit together in one, to be united\ntogether in the soul of a believer,\u2014this is Christian perfection.\n\nHow To Be Sought.\n\n\u201c\u2019But what is that faith whereby we are sanctified, saved from sin, and\nperfected in love?\u2019 It is a divine evidence and conviction, first, that\nGod hath promised it in the holy Scripture. Till we are thoroughly\nsatisfied of this, there is no moving one step farther. And one would\nimagine there needed not one word more to satisfy a reasonable man of this\nthan the ancient promise, \u2018Then will I circumcise thy heart, and the heart\nof thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy\nsoul, and with all thy mind.\u2019 How clearly does this express the being\nperfected in love!\u2014how strongly imply the being saved from all sin! For as\nlong as love takes up the whole heart, what room is there for sin therein?\n\n\u201cIt is a divine evidence and conviction, secondly, that what God hath\npromised he is able to perform. Admitting, therefore, that \u2018with men it is\nimpossible\u2019 \u2018to bring a clean thing out of an unclean,\u2019 to purify the\nheart from all sin, and to fill it with all holiness,\u2014yet this creates no\ndifficulty in the case, seeing \u2018with God all things are possible.\u2019 And\nsurely no one ever imagined it was possible to any power less than that of\nthe Almighty! But if God speaks, it shall be done. God saith, \u2018Let there\nbe light; and there [is] light.\u2019\n\n\u201cIt is, thirdly, a divine evidence and conviction that he is able and\nwilling to do it now. And why not? Is not a moment to him the same as a\nthousand years? He cannot want more time to accomplish whatever is his\nwill. And he cannot want to stay for any more _worthiness_ or _fitness_ in\nthe persons he is pleased to honor. We may, therefore, boldly say, at any\npoint of time, \u2018Now is the day of salvation!\u2019 \u2018To-day, if ye will hear his\nvoice, harden not your hearts.\u2019 \u2018Behold, all things are now ready; come\nunto the marriage.\u2019\n\n\u201cTo this confidence that God is both able and willing to sanctify us now,\nthere needs to be added one thing more\u2014a divine evidence and conviction\nthat he doeth it. In that hour it is done: God says to the inmost soul,\n\u2018According to thy faith be it unto thee.\u2019 Then the soul is pure from every\nspot of sin; it is clean \u2018from all unrighteousness.\u2019 The believer then\nexperiences the deep meaning of those solemn words, \u2018If we walk in the\nlight as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the\nblood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.\u2019\n\n\u201c \u2018But does God work this great work in the soul gradually, or\ninstantaneously?\u2019 Perhaps it may be gradually wrought in some: I mean, in\nthis sense, they do not advert to the particular moment wherein sin ceases\nto be. But it is infinitely desirable, were it the will of God, that it\nshould be done instantaneously; that the Lord should destroy sin \u2018by the\nbreath of his mouth,\u2019 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. And so he\ngenerally does\u2014a plain fact, of which there is evidence enough to satisfy\nany unprejudiced person. _Thou_, therefore, look for it every moment.\u201d\u2014See\n_Wesley\u2019s Sermons_, vols. i. and ii.\n\nOberlin Views Of Sanctification.\n\nIn the fall of 1836, during an interesting revival of religion in Oberlin,\nOhio, the minds of many became deeply interested in the inquiry, \u201cCan we\nlive holy lives? and, if we can, how?\u201d At first, fears were entertained\nthat some would run into the errors of the Perfectionists; but, finally,\nafter much prayer and investigation, they adopted the following views of\nsanctification:\u2014\n\n\n    \u201c1. That entire obedience to the moral law constitutes entire\n    sanctification or holiness.\n\n    \u201c2. That all moral agents are able to render this obedience.\n\n    \u201c3. That because all moral agents are able to render this\n    obedience, they are bound to do so.\n\n    \u201c4. That sufficient grace for the actual attainment of this state\n    is abundantly in the gospel, and that nothing prevents any\n    Christian from making this attainment in this life, but a neglect\n    to avail himself of the proffered grace of Christ.\n\n    \u201c5. That all are bound to aim at and pray for this attainment in\n    this life, and that aiming at this state is indispensable to\n    Christian character.\n\n    \u201c6. That obedience to the moral law, or a state of entire\n    sanctification, is in such a sense attainable, as to make it an\n    object of rational pursuit, with the _expectation of attaining\n    it_.\n\n    \u201c7. That the philosophy of the mind, the commandments of God, the\n    promises and provisions of the gospel, and the attainments of Paul\n    and many others, should be presented, to induce men to aim at a\n    state of entire sanctification, with the expectation of attaining\n    it.\u201d\n\n\nSince these views were embraced at Oberlin, they have been extensively\ncirculated by many books and pamphlets, and a paper, entitled the _Oberlin\nEvangelist_. By many Christians and ministers of different denominations\nthese views have been received; but by others they are opposed.\n\n\n\n\n\nWALDENSES.\n\n\nMany authors of note make the antiquity of this denomination coeval with\nthe apostolic age. The following is an extract from their confession of\nfaith, which is said to have been copied out of certain manuscripts,\nbearing date nearly four hundred years before the time of Luther:\u2014\n\n\n    \u201c1. That the Scriptures teach that there is one God, almighty,\n    all-wise, and all-good, who made all things by his goodness; for\n    he formed Adam in his own image and likeness; but that, by the\n    envy of the devil, sin entered into the world; and that we are\n    sinners in and by Adam.\n\n    \u201c2. That Christ was promised to our fathers, who received the law;\n    that so knowing, by the law, their unrighteousness and\n    insufficiency, they might desire the coming of Christ, to satisfy\n    for their sins, and accomplish the law by himself.\n\n    \u201c3. That Christ was born in the time appointed by God the Father;\n    that is to say, in the time when all iniquity abounded, that he\n    might show us grace and mercy, as being faithful; that Christ is\n    our life, truth, peace, and righteousness, as also our pastor,\n    advocate, and priest, who died for the salvation of all who\n    believe, and is risen for our justification; that there is no\n    mediator and advocate with God the Father, save Jesus Christ;\n    that, after this life, there are only two places, the one for the\n    saved, and the other for the damned; that the feasts, the vigils\n    of saints, the water which they call holy, as also to abstain from\n    flesh on certain days, and the like, but especially the masses,\n    are the inventions of men, and ought to be rejected; that the\n    sacraments are signs of the holy thing, visible forms of the\n    invisible grace; and that it is good for the faithful to use those\n    signs, or visible forms, but that they are not essential to\n    salvation; that there are no other sacraments but baptism and the\n    Lord\u2019s supper; that we ought to honor the secular powers, by\n    subjection, ready obedience, and paying of tribute.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n\nALLENITES.\n\n\nThe disciples of Henry Allen, of Nova Scotia, who began to propagate his\ndoctrines in that country about the year 1778, and died in 1783, during\nwhich interval he made many proselytes, and at his death left a\nconsiderable party behind him, though now much declined. He published\nseveral treatises and sermons, in which he declares that the souls of all\nthe human race are emanations, or rather parts, of the one great Spirit;\nthat they were all present in Eden, and were actually in the first\ntransgression. He supposes that our first parents, in innocency, were pure\nspirits, and that the material world was not then made; but that, in\nconsequence of the fall, that mankind might not sink into utter\ndestruction, this world was produced, and men clothed with material\nbodies; and that all the human race will, in their turn, be invested with\nsuch bodies, and in them enjoy a state of probation for immortal\nhappiness.\n\n\n\n\n\nJOHNSONIANS.\n\n\nThe followers of Mr. John Johnson, many years Baptist minister at\nLiverpool, in the last century, of whose followers there are still several\ncongregations in different parts of England. He denied that faith was a\nduty, or even action of the soul, and defined it \u201can active principle\u201d\nconferred by grace; and denied also the duty of ministers to exhort the\nunconverted, or preach any _moral duties_ whatever.\n\nThough Mr. Johnson entertained high Supralapsarian notions on the divine\ndecrees, he admitted the universality of the death of Christ. On the\ndoctrine of the Trinity, his followers are said to have embraced the\nindwelling scheme, with Calvinistic views of justification and the\natonement.\n\n\n\n\n\nDONATISTS.\n\n\nA denomination which arose in the fourth century. They derived their name\nfrom Donatus, bishop of Numidia. They maintained that their community was\nalone to be considered as the true church, and avoided all communication\nwith other churches, from an apprehension of contracting their impurity\nand corruption. Hence they pronounced the sacred rites and institutions\nvoid of all virtue and efficacy among those Christians who were not\nprecisely of their sentiments, and not only rebaptized those who came over\nto their party from other churches, but, with respect to those who had\nbeen ordained ministers of the gospel, they either deprived them of their\noffice, or obliged them to be ordained the second time.\n\n\n\n\n\nSE-BAPTISTS.\n\n\nA sect of small note, which was formed in England about the beginning of\nthe seventeenth century, by one John Smith, who maintained that it was\nlawful for every one to baptize himself. There is at this day an\ninconsiderable sect in Russia who are known by this name, and who perform\nthe rite upon themselves, from an idea that no one is left on earth\nsufficiently holy to administer it aright.\n\n\n\n\n\nRE-ANOINTERS.\n\n\nA sect in Russia, which sprang up about the year 1770. They do not\nrebaptize those who join them from the Greek church, but insist on the\nnecessity of their having the mystery of the chrism or unction again\nadministered to them. They are very numerous in Moscow.\n\n\n\n\n\nTAO-SE, OR TAOU-TSZE.\n\n\nThe name of a famous sect among the Chinese, who owe their rise to\n_Laou-tsze Lao Kian_, or _Laokium_, a philosopher, who lived, if we may\ncredit his disciples, about five hundred years before Christ. He professed\nto restore the religion of _Tao_, (_Taou_,) or Reason. Some of his\nwritings are still extant, and are full of maxims and sentiments of virtue\nand morality. Among others, this sentence is often repeated in them:\n\u201c_Tao_ hath produced one, one hath produced two, two have produced three,\nand three have produced all things.\u201d\n\nThe morality of this philosopher and his disciples is not unlike that of\nthe Epicureans, consisting in a tranquillity of mind, free from all\nvehement desires and passions. But as this tranquillity would be disturbed\nby thoughts of death, they boast of a liquor that has the power of\nrendering them immortal. They are addicted to chemistry, alchemy, and\nmagic, and are persuaded that, by the assistance of demons, whom they\ninvoke, they can obtain all that they desire. The hope of avoiding death\nprevailed upon a great number of mandarins to study this diabolical art,\nand certain credulous and superstitious emperors brought it greatly into\nvogue.\n\nThe doctrine of this sect, concerning the formation of the world,\naccording to Dr. Milne, much resembles that of the Epicureans. If they do\nnot maintain the eternity of matter, on the other hand, they do not deny\nit; but, in analogy with the favorite science of alchemy, they represent\nthe first pair as drawn out of the boiling mouth of an \u201cimmense crucible,\u201d\nby a celestial being. The Platonic notion of an _anima mundi_, or soul of\nthe world, is very common; and hence it is that the heavens are considered\nthe body of this imaginary being, the wind its breath, the lights of\nheaven as proceeding from its eyes, the watery fluids as its spittle and\ntears.\n\n\n\n\n\nQUIETISTS.\n\n\nThe disciples of Michael de Molinos, a Spanish priest, who flourished in\nthe seventeenth century, and wrote a book called \u201cThe Spiritual Guide.\u201d\nThey argue thus:\u2014\u201cThe apostle tells us, that \u2018the Spirit makes\nintercession for,\u2019 or _in_ \u2018us.\u2019 Now, if the Spirit pray in us, we must\nresign ourselves to his impulses, by remaining in a state of absolute\nrest, or quietude, till we attain the perfection of the unitive life\u201d\u2014a\nlife of union with, and, as it should seem, of absorption in, the Deity.\n\n\n\n\n\nKNIPPERDOLINGS.\n\n\nA denomination in the sixteenth century, so called from Bertrand\nKnipperdoling, who taught that the righteous, before the day of judgment,\nshall have a monarchy on earth, and the wicked be destroyed; that men are\nnot justified by their faith in Christ Jesus; that there is no original\nsin; that infants ought not to be baptized, and immersion is the only mode\nof baptism; that every one has authority to preach, and administer the\nsacraments; that men are not obliged to pay respect to magistrates; that\nall things ought to be in common; and that it is lawful to marry many\nwives.\n\n\n\n\n\nMEND\u00c6ANS, MENDAITES, MENDAI IJAHI, OR DISCIPLES OF ST. JOHN, THAT IS, THE\nBAPTIST.\n\n\nFrom twenty to twenty-five thousand families of this sect still remain,\nchiefly in the neighborhood of Bassora, a city between Arabia and Persia,\non the extremity of the desert of Irac. They are sometimes called\n_Christians of St. John_\u2014a name which they probably received from the\nTurks, and to which they contentedly submit for the sake of the toleration\nit affords them; but they are better known in ecclesiastical history as\n_Hemero_ (or every day) _Baptists_, from their frequent washings.\n\n\n\n\n\nMUGGLETONIANS.\n\n\nThe followers of Ludovic Muggleton, a journeyman tailor, who, with his\ncompanion Reeves, set up for great prophets, in the time of Cromwell. They\npretended to absolve or condemn whom they pleased, and gave out that they\nwere the two last witnesses spoken of in the Revelation, who were to\nappear previous to the final destruction of the world. They affirmed that\nthere was no devil at all without the body of man or woman; that the devil\nis man\u2019s spirit of unclean reason and cursed imagination; that the\nministry in this world, whether prophetical or ministerial, is all a lie,\nand abomination to the Lord; with a variety of other vain and inconsistent\ntenets.\n\nMuggleton died in 1697, and on his gravestone is this inscription:\u2014\n\n\n    \u201cWhilst mausoleums and large inscriptions give\n    Might, splendor, and, past death, make potents live,\n    It is enough briefly to write thy name:\n    Succeeding times by that will read thy fame;\n    Thy deeds, thy acts, around the world resound;\n    No foreign soil where Muggleton\u2019s not found.\u201d\n\n\nThe raven plume of oblivion hath long ago waved over this prophet\u2019s grave.\n\n\n\n\n\nYEZIDEES, OR WORSHIPPERS OF THE DEVIL.\n\n\nFrom a very interesting work recently published by Asahel Grant, M. D., a\nmedical missionary to the Nestorians, we copy the following account:\u2014\n\n\u201cThe passage of the Tigris transferred me from Mesopotamia into Assyria,\nand I stood upon the ruins of Nineveh, \u2018that great city,\u2019 where the\nprophet Jonah proclaimed the dread message of Jehovah to so many repenting\nthousands whose deep humiliation averted for a time the impending ruin.\nBut when her proud monarchs had scourged idolatrous Israel and carried the\nten tribes into captivity, and raised their hands against Judah and the\nholy city, the inspired strains of the eloquent Nahum, clothed in terrible\nsublimity as they were, met their full accomplishment in the utter\ndesolation of one of the largest cities on which the sun ever shone.\n\u2018Nineveh is laid waste! who will bemoan her? She is empty, and void, and\nwaste; her nobles dwell in the dust; her people are scattered upon the\nmountains, and no man gathereth them.\u2019\n\n\u201cWhere her gorgeous palaces once resounded to the strains of music and the\nshouts of revelry, a few black tents of the wandering Arab and T\u00fbrkom\u00e2n\nare now scattered among the shapeless mounds of earth and rubbish,\u2014the\nruins of the city,\u2014as if in mockery of her departed glory; while their\ntenants were engaged in the fitting employment of weaving \u2018sackcloth of\nhair,\u2019 as if for the mourning attire of the world\u2019s great emporium, whose\n\u2018merchants\u2019 were multiplied above the stars of heaven. The largest mound,\nfrom which very ancient relics and inscriptions are dug, is now crowned\nwith the Moslem village of Neby Y\u00fbnas, or the prophet Jonah, where his\nremains are said to be interred, and over which has been reared, as his\nmausoleum, a temple of Isl\u00e2m.\n\n\u201cSoon after leaving the ruins of Nineveh, we came in sight of two villages\nof the Yezidees, the reputed worshippers of the devil. Large and luxuriant\nolive-groves, with their rich green foliage, and fruit just ripening in\nthe autumnal sun, imparted such a cheerful aspect to the scene as soon\ndispelled whatever of pensive melancholy had gathered around me, while\ntreading upon the dust of departed greatness. Several white sepulchres of\nYezidee sheiks attracted attention as I approached the villages. They were\nin the form of fluted cones or pyramids, standing upon quadrangular bases,\nand rising to the height of some twenty feet or more. We became the guests\nof one of the chief Yezidees of Baa-sheka, whose dwelling, like others in\nthe place, was a rude stone structure, with a flat terrace roof. Coarse\nfelt carpets were spread for our seats in the open court, and a formal\nwelcome was given us; but it was evidently not a very cordial one. My\nTurkish cavass understood the reason, and at once removed it. Our host had\nmistaken me for a Mahometan towards whom the Yezidees cherish a settled\naversion. As soon as I was introduced to him as a Christian, and he had\nsatisfied himself that this was my true character, his whole deportment\nwas changed. He at once gave me a new and cordial welcome, and set about\nsupplying our wants with new alacrity. He seemed to feel that he had\nexchanged a Moslem foe for a Christian friend, and I became quite\nsatisfied of the truth of what I had often heard,\u2014that the Yezidees are\nfriendly towards the professors of Christianity.\n\n\u201cThey are said to cherish a high regard for the Christian religion, of\nwhich clearly they have some corrupt remains. They practise the rite of\nbaptism, make the sign of the cross, so emblematical of Christianity in\nthe East, put off their shoes, and kiss the threshold when they enter a\nChristian church; and it is said that they often speak of wine as the\nblood of Christ, hold the cup with both hands, after the sacramental\nmanner of the East, when drinking it, and, if a drop chance to fall on the\nground, they gather it up with religious care.\n\n\u201cThey believe in one supreme God, and, in some sense at least, in Christ\nas a Savior. They have also a remnant of Sabianism, or the religion of the\nancient fire-worshippers. They bow in adoration before the rising sun, and\nkiss his first rays when they strike on a wall or other object near them;\nand they will not blow out a candle with their breath, or spit in the\nfire, lest they should defile that sacred element.\n\n\u201cCircumcision and the passover, or a sacrificial festival allied to the\npassover in time and circumstance, seem also to identify them with the\nJews; and, altogether, they certainly present a most singular chapter in\nthe history of man.\n\n\u201cThat they are really the worshippers of the devil can only be true, if at\nall, in a modified sense, though it is true that they pay him so much\ndeference as to refuse to speak of him disrespectfully, (perhaps for fear\nof his vengeance;) and, instead of pronouncing his name, they call him the\n\u2018lord of the evening,\u2019 or \u2018prince of darkness;\u2019 also, Sheik Maazen, or\nExalted Chief. Some of them say that Satan was a fallen angel, with whom\nGod was angry; but he will at some future day be restored to favor, and\nthere is no reason why they should treat him with disrespect.\n\n\u201cThe Christians of Mesopotamia report that the Yezidees make votive\nofferings to the devil, by throwing money and jewels into a certain deep\npit in the mountains of Sinjar, where a large portion of them reside; and\nit is said that when that district, which has long been independent, was\nsubjugated by the Turks, the pacha compelled the Yezidee priest to\ndisclose the place, and then plundered it of a large treasure, the\nofferings of centuries. The Yezidees here call themselves Daseni, probably\nfrom the ancient name of the district, Dasen, which was a Christian\nbishopric in early times. Their chief place of concourse, the religious\ntemple of the Yezidees, is said to have once been a Christian church or\nconvent. The late Mr. Rich speaks of the Yezidees as \u2018lively, brave,\nhospitable, and good-humored,\u2019 and adds that, \u2018under the British\ngovernment, much might be made of them.\u2019\n\n\u201cThe precise number of the Yezidees it is difficult to estimate, so little\nis known of them; but it is probable that we must reckon them by tens of\nthousands, instead of the larger computations which have been made by some\ntravellers, who have received their information merely from report. Still\nthey are sufficiently numerous to form an important object of attention to\nthe Christian church; and I trust, as we learn more about them, sympathy,\nprayer, and effort, will be enlisted in their behalf. It will be a scene\nof no ordinary interest when the voice of prayer and praise to God shall\nascend from hearts now devoted to the service of the prince of darkness,\n\u2018the worshippers of the devil\u2019! May that day be hastened on!\u201d\n\n\n\n\n\nGREEK OR RUSSIAN CHURCH.\n\n\nThe Greek church separated from the Latin or Romish church about A. D.\n1054. It is under the jurisdiction of the patriarchs or bishops of\nConstantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem. The Greek or Russian\nchurch is very extensive. Its jurisdiction embraces more territory than\nthat of the Roman see. The population of this church is estimated at about\nforty millions.\n\nThe following are some of the chief tenets held by the Greek or Russian\nchurch:\u2014They disown the authority of the pope, and deny that the church of\nRome is the true catholic church. They do not baptize their children till\nthey are three, four, five, six, ten, nay, sometimes eighteen years of\nage: baptism is performed by trine immersion. They insist that the\nsacrament of the Lord\u2019s supper ought to be administered in both kinds, and\nthey give the sacrament to children immediately after baptism. They grant\nno indulgences, nor do they lay any claim to the character of\ninfallibility, like the church of Rome. They deny that there is any such\nplace as purgatory; notwithstanding, they pray for the dead, that God\nwould have mercy on them at the general judgment. They practise the\ninvocation of saints; though, they say, they do not invoke them as\ndeities, but as intercessors with God. They exclude confirmation, extreme\nunction, and matrimony out of the seven sacraments. They deny auricular\nconfession to be a divine precept, and say it is only a positive\ninjunction of the church. They pay no religious homage to the eucharist.\nThey administer the communion in both kinds to the laity, both in sickness\nand in health, though they have never applied themselves to their\nconfessors, because they are persuaded that a lively faith is all which is\nrequisite for the worthy receiving of the Lord\u2019s supper. They maintain\nthat the Holy Ghost proceeds only from the Father, and not from the Son.\nThey believe in predestination. They admit of no images in relief or\nembossed work, but use paintings and sculptures in copper or silver. They\napprove of the marriage of priests, provided they enter into that state\nbefore their admission into holy orders. They condemn all fourth\nmarriages. They observe a number of holy days, and keep four fasts in the\nyear more solemn than the rest, of which the fast in Lent, before Easter,\nis the chief. They believe the doctrine of consubstantiation, or the union\nof the body of Christ with the sacramental bread.\n\nThe Russians adhere to the doctrine and ceremonies of the Greek church,\nthough they are now independent of the patriarch of Constantinople. The\nchurch service is contained in twenty-four volumes, folio, in the\nSclavonian language, which is not well understood by the common people.\n\n\n\n\n\nPRIMITIVE CHRISTIANS.\n\n\nA new sect, professing to be an association of Christians to promote the\nrevival and spread of primitive Christianity, has recently sprung up at\nBradford, in England. Its originators, or founders, are a Mr. Barker and a\nMr. Trother, who have recently been expelled from the ministry of the New\nConnection of Methodists, by the annual assembly or conference of the\nmembers of that body, for some difference of opinion on doctrinal points\nbetween them and the conference.\n\n\n\n\n\nTRINITARIANS.\n\n\nBy this term we are to understand those who believe that there are three\ndistinct, persons in the Godhead, the FATHER, SON, and HOLY SPIRIT, the\nsame in substance, equal in power and dignity, and that these _three_ are\n_one_. Hence it is said they believe in a _triune_ God. (See Deut. 6:4. 2\nKings 19:15. Ps. 19:1; 83:18; 139:7. Isa. 6:3, 9; 9:6; 11:3; 14:5, 23, 25.\nJer. 17:10; 23:6. Ezek. 8:1, 3. Matt. 3:16, 17; 9:6; 18:20; 23:19. Luke\n1:76; 24:25. John 1:1; 2:1; 5:19, 23; 10:30; 16:10, 15. Acts 5:4; 28:23,\n25. Rom. 1:5; 9:5; 14:12, 19. 1 Cor. 2:10; 8:6. 2 Cor. 13:14. Phil. 2:5,\n6, 7, &c.; 3:21. Heb. 1:3, 6, 10, 11, 12; 9:14; 13:8. 1 John 5:7, 20. Rev.\n1:4, 5, 6, 8; 3:14; 5:13, &c.) The Unitarians believe that there is but\none person in the Godhead, and that this person is the Father; and they\ninsist that the Trinitarian distinction of persons is contradictory and\nabsurd.\n\nThe _unity_ of God is a doctrine which both parties consider the\nfoundation of all true religion.\n\nAlthough the doctrine of the Trinity is ostensibly the main subject of\ndispute between Trinitarians and Unitarians, yet it is in reality\nrespecting the character of Christ. Those who believe in his proper deity\nvery easily dispose of all the other difficulties in the Trinitarian\nsystem; while anti-Trinitarians find more fault with this doctrine than\nany other in the Trinitarian creed; and the grand obstacle to their\nreception of the Trinitarian faith is removed, when they can admit that\nJesus Christ is God, as well as man; so that the burden of labor, on both\nsides, is either to prove or disprove the proper deity of the Son of God.\n\nIn proof of this doctrine, the Trinitarians urge many declarations of the\nScripture, which, in their opinion, admit of no consistent explanation\nupon the Unitarian scheme; they there find that offices are assigned to\nChrist, and to the Holy Spirit, which none but God can perform;\nparticularly the creation of the world, and the grand decisions of the day\nof judgment. As they read the Scriptures, the attributes of _omnipotence_,\n_omniscience_, _omnipresence_, _unchangeableness_, and _eternity_, are\nascribed to Jesus Christ; and they infer that a being to whom all these\nperfections are ascribed must be truly God, co\u00ebqual and co\u00ebternal with the\nFather.\n\nThe Unitarians, on the other hand, contend that some of these passages are\ninterpolations, and that the others are either mistranslated or\nmisunderstood. The passage in John, in particular, respecting the _three_\nthat bear record, &c., has been set aside by such high authority, that\nthey consider it unfair to introduce it in the controversy.\n\n                  -------------------------------------\n\nThe excellent and learned Stillingfleet, in the preface to his Vindication\nof the Doctrine of the Trinity, says, \u201cSince both sides yield that the\nmatter they dispute about is above their reach, the wisest course they can\ntake is, to assert and defend _what is revealed_, and not to be\n_peremptory_ and quarrelsome about that which is acknowledged to be above\nour comprehension; I mean as to the _manner_ how the _three persons_\npartake of the _divine nature_.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n\nMILLENARIANS.\n\n\nThe Millenarians are those who believe that Christ will reign personally\non earth for a thousand years; and their name, taken from the Latin\n_mille_, a thousand, has a direct allusion to the duration of the\nspiritual empire.\n\nThe doctrine of the millennium, or a future paradisaical state of the\nearth, it is said, is not of Christian, but of Jewish origin. The\ntradition is attributed to Elijah, which fixes the duration of the world,\nin its present imperfect condition, to six thousand years, and announces\nthe approach of a Sabbath of a thousand years of universal peace and\nplenty, to be ushered in by the glorious advent of the Messiah. This idea\nmay be traced in the Epistle of Barnabas, and in the opinions of Papias,\nwho knew of no written testimony in its behalf. It was adopted by the\nauthor of the Revelation, by Justin Martyr, by Iren\u00e6us, and by a long\nsuccession of the fathers. As the theory is animating and consolatory,\nwhen it is divested of cabalistic numbers and allegorical decorations, it\nwill no doubt always retain a number of adherents.\n\nHowever the Millenarians may differ among themselves respecting the nature\nof this great event, it is agreed, on all hands, that such a revolution\nwill be effected in the latter days, by which vice and its attendant\nmisery shall be banished from the earth; thus completely forgetting all\nthose dissensions and animosities by which the religious world hath been\nagitated, and terminating the grand drama of Providence with universal\nfelicity. We are not unmindful of the prophetic language of Isaiah,\n(49:22, 23,) together with a sublime passage from the book of the\nRevelation, (11:15,) with which the canon of Scripture concludes\u2014\u201cThus\nsaith the Lord God, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and\nset up my standard to the people. And kings shall be thy nursing fathers,\nand their queens thy nursing mothers, [they shall become good themselves,\nand be the protectors of religion and liberty,] and thou shalt know that I\nam the Lord, for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me. And the\nseventh angel sounded, and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The\nkingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his\nChrist, and he shall reign forever and ever.\u201d (See Matt 13:29, 30; 27:32.\nLuke 17:29, 30. Acts 3:21. Heb. 1:12. Phil. 3:9, 11. 2 Pet. 3:13. Rev.\n20:1-6, and chaps. 21, 22. Apoc. chap. 21. Ezek. chap. 36.)\n\n\n\n\n\nWHITEFIELD CALVINISTIC METHODISTS.\n\n\nThe _Tabernacle_ or _Lady Huntingdon Connection_, formed by Whitefield, is\nso called from the name given to several places of worship, in London,\nBristol, &c. In some of the chapels in this Connection, the service of the\nchurch of England is read; in others, the worship is conducted much in the\nsame way as among the Congregationalists; while, in all, the system of\nsupply is more or less kept up, consisting in the employment, for a month\nor six weeks, of ministers from different parts of the country, who either\ntake the whole duty, or assist the resident minister. Some of the\ncongregations consist of several thousand hearers; and, by the blessing of\nGod on the rousing and faithful sermons which are usually delivered to\nthem, very extensive good is effected in the way of conversion. Most of\nthe ministers now employed as supplies in this Connection are of the\nCongregational order, to which, of late years, there appears to be a\ngradual approximation; and it is not improbable that ere long both bodies\nwill coalesce. The number of chapels belonging to this body, at the\npresent time, is about sixty, in all of which the liturgy of the church of\nEngland is read, and most of her forms scrupulously kept up. The\nministers, who used formerly to supply at different chapels in the course\nof the year, are now become more stationary, and have assumed more of the\npastoral character. They have a respectable college at Cheshunt, in\nHertfordshire.\n\nThe Calvinistic Methodists in Wales are very numerous.\u2014See _Biographical\nSketches_ of Whitefield, Wesley, and Lady Huntingdon.\n\n\n\n\n\nNONJURORS.\n\n\nThose who refused to take the oaths to government, and who were, in\nconsequence, under certain incapacities, and liable to certain severe\npenalties. The members of the Episcopal church of Scotland have long been\ndenominated Nonjurors; but perhaps they are now called so improperly, as\nthe ground of their difference from the established church is more on\naccount of ecclesiastical than political principles.\n\n\n\n\n\nNONCONFORMISTS.\n\n\nThose who refuse to join the established church. Nonconformists in England\nmay be considered of three sorts:\u20141. Such as absent themselves from divine\nworship in the established church through total irreligion, and attend the\nservice of no other persuasion.\u20142. Such as absent themselves on the plea\nof conscience; as, Presbyterians, Independents, Baptists, &c.\u20143. Internal\nNonconformists, or unprincipled clergymen, who applaud and propagate\ndoctrines quite inconsistent with several of those articles they promised\non oath to defend. The word is generally used in reference to those\nministers who were ejected from their livings by the Act of Uniformity, in\n1662. The number of these was about two thousand. However some affect to\ntreat these men with indifference, and suppose that their consciences were\nmore tender than they need be, it must be remembered that they were men of\nas extensive learning, great abilities, and pious conduct, as ever\nappeared.\n\n\n\n\n\nCHRISTIAN CONNECTION.\n\n\nThis denomination, among themselves, are generally called simply\n_Christians_. This they do merely to denote their character as the\nfollowers of Christ; but, when applied to them collectively, it\nnecessarily becomes the name of a denomination. They are sometimes, by\ntheir opposers, called _Christ-ians_; but this pronunciation of the word\nthey universally reject as very improper.\n\nThe Christians began to associate and to form a distinct people about the\nbeginning of the nineteenth century, so that they may be said to have\nexisted but about forty years. They seem to have sprung up almost\nsimultaneously in different and remote parts of the country, without any\ninterchange of sentiments, concert of action, or even knowledge of each\nother\u2019s views or movements, till after a public stand had been taken in\nseveral parts of the country.\n\nThe first branch arose in Virginia and North Carolina, and consisted of\nseceders from the Methodists. At first, there were about one thousand\ncommunicants.\n\nThe northern branch of this denomination sprung up in New England. It\ncommenced by the formation of several new churches, under the\nadministration of a few ministers who had separated themselves from the\nBaptists, who were soon joined by several other ministers, and nearly\nwhole churches, from the same denomination.\n\nThe western branch arose in Kentucky, and was composed of seceders from\nthe Presbyterians. Some of their ministers were men of strong and\nwell-cultivated minds, who urged forward the reform they had undertaken,\ntill they have spread over most of the Western States.\n\nIn all these different sections, their leading purpose, at first, appears\nto have been, not so much to establish any peculiar or distinctive\ndoctrine, as to assert for individuals and churches more liberty and\nindependence in relation to matters of faith and practice; to shake off\nthe authority of human creeds, and the shackles of prescribed modes and\nforms; to make the Bible their only guide, claiming for every man the\nright to judge for himself what is its doctrine, and what are its\nrequirements; and in practice to follow more strictly the simplicity of\nthe apostles and primitive Christians.\n\nThis class of believers recognize no individual as a leader or founder,\nand no man claims this high eminence, although several persons were\ninstrumental in giving rise and progress to the society. They point all to\nChrist as the Leader and Founder, and professedly labor to bring all to\nthe first principles of original, apostolic Christianity.\n\nSeceding, as the first ministers did, from different denominations, they\nnecessarily brought with them some of the peculiarities of faith and usage\nin which they had been educated. But the two prominent sentiments that led\nthem out, both kept them together, by rendering them tolerant toward each\nother, and gradually brought them to be very similar both in faith and\npractice. These two sentiments were, that the Scriptures _only_ should be\nconsulted as a rule of faith and duty, and that all Christians should\nenjoy universal toleration. Hence scarcely any churches have written\ncreeds, although nearly all record their principles of action. Very few\nare Trinitarians, though nearly all believe in the pre\u00ebxistence and proper\nSonship of Christ. Perhaps not any believe in or practise sprinkling, but\nalmost all practise immersion; from which circumstance many, though very\nimproperly, call them Christian Baptists.\n\nPerfect uniformity does not exist among all the members of this community,\nalthough the approximation to it is far greater than many have supposed it\never could be without a written creed. But there are several important\npoints in which they generally agree fully; and these are regarded as\nsufficient to secure Christian character, Christian fellowship, and\nconcert of action. Some of these points are the following:\u2014That the\nScriptures, including the Old and New Testament, were given by inspiration\nof God, and are sufficient to teach what men should believe, and what they\nshould practise. That every man has a right to study the Scriptures, and\nto exercise his own judgment with regard to their true import and meaning.\nThat there is one God, perfect and infinite. That Jesus Christ is the Son\nof God in the highest possible sense, and that salvation is found in him\nalone. That all men have sinned and come short of the glory of God,\ntherefore are polluted and guilty. That no transgressor can find pardon\nbut by repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. That the Holy Spirit reproves\nall sinners, and comforts all Christians. That whoever has sinned has also\na way of salvation set before him. That pardon and eternal salvation are\nfound alone through regeneration. That none are proper subjects of church\nmembership, or the ordinances except the regenerated. That God calls men\nto the ministry, and no others are his true ministers. That perseverance\nto the end is the only condition on our part that can secure our eternal\nhappiness. That revivals of religion are of the first importance, and\nshould be labored for continually. That every believer should be immersed,\nand become a public member of some visible church. That every church\nshould continue to observe the Lord\u2019s supper. That there will be a\nresurrection of the dead, both of the just and of the unjust; and that, at\nthe day of judgment, the righteous and the wicked will be separated, and\npass, the righteous into everlasting life, and the wicked into eternal\ndamnation.\n\nOn all the above points, there is but very little difference of opinion or\npractice throughout the whole body.\n\nCandidates for baptism and church membership are required to give the\nreason of their hope, by a relation of their Christian experience; and\npersons coming from other churches are expected to furnish satisfactory\ntestimonials of their Christian character.\n\nTheir communions are always open and free for all Christians of every\ndenomination; but no unconverted or immoral person is invited to the\nLord\u2019s table.\n\nEach church is so far independent as to have a right to transact all its\ninternal affairs without foreign interference. Every church makes choice\nof its own minister, agrees on its own principles of action, and\nadministers its own discipline, as they understand the New Testament; but\nthe imposition of hands is invariably administered by ordained ministers.\n\nThe connection between the several churches, and between the ministers, is\nkept up by means of associations called _conferences_, each of which is\ngenerally composed of the ministers and churches within a certain\ndistrict. These hold annual sessions, at which the ministers meet in\nperson, and the churches by delegates. The churches and ministers are\ngenerally thus associated; but, if any choose not to do so, the fraternal\nbonds are not thereby impaired.\n\nVery few of their ministers are thoroughly educated men; but they are\ngenerally well acquainted with the Bible, and many of them good\nsermonizers and powerful preachers. All the important means by which pure\nChristianity may be advanced are fast gaining favor both in the ministry\nand the churches.\n\nWithin the last few years, there has been a very rapid spread, and great\nincrease; while all has been settling upon a firm and consistent basis.\nWhile many are engaged calling sinners to repentance, the churches are set\nin order, and thus mightily the word of God grows and prevails.\n\n\n\n\n\nPUSEYITES.\n\n\nThis school of theology, which has become famous both in England and\nabroad, had its origin at Oxford, about A. D. 1838. Some distinguished\nmembers of the university thought that the church of England was in an\nalarming position, and that irreligious principles and false doctrines had\nbeen admitted into the measures of the government of the country on a\nlarge scale. To check the progress of these supposed errors and\nmischievous practices, they published a series of \u201cTracts for the Times,\u201d\non such subjects as the _constitution of the church; the authority of its\nministers; refutations of the errors of Romanism, and how to oppose it_,\n&c. &c.\n\nThe Puseyites strenuously assert the _apostolical succession_; in other\nwords, that the clergy derive their power from the apostles, through\n_episcopal_ ordination.\n\nIn regard to _church polity_, they maintain that the church is an empire\nand government of its own,\u2014a government appointed by God,\u2014and that its\nlaws, as they are to be found in the Book of Common Prayer, ought to be\nimplicitly obeyed. They deprecate the neglect of the _daily service_, the\ndesecration of festivals, and the scanty administration of the eucharist.\n\nWith respect to _sacraments_, the Puseyites hold that they are not\nsubjects of discussion, or for speculation; but \u201chigh, mysterious, awful\nChristian privileges\u2014to be _felt_, reverenced, embraced, realized, acted.\u201d\n\nWith respect to _church authority_, they hold that human tradition has no\nplace in revelation; that no individuals, since the apostles, can be\nregarded as expositors of the will of Christ; that the _unanimous witness_\nof Christendom, as to the teaching of the apostles, is the only and the\nfully-sufficient guaranty of the whole revealed faith, and that we do\npossess historically such a guaranty in the remains of the primitive\nchurch.\n\nThe Puseyites inculcate the necessity of dispensing religious truth with\ncaution and reverence, not throwing it promiscuously before minds ill\nsuited to receive it.\n\nA characteristic feature of the Oxford school of theology, is its\nopposition to what is called the \u201cpopular religionism of the day.\u201d The\nmasters of the school grieve that men are sent from the seat of their\neducation with the belief that they are to _think_, not _read_; _judge_,\nrather than _learn_; and look to their own minds for truth, rather than to\nsome permanent external standard.\n\nAt the head of this school are Dr. Pusey, Regius professor of Hebrew, and\ncanon of Christ Church, Rev. J. Keble, professor of poetry, Rev. J. H.\nNewman, Rev. J. Williams, and Rev. W. Sewall, professor of moral\nphilosophy.\n\n\n\n\n\nFREE COMMUNION BAPTISTS.\n\n\nThis denomination of Christians dissent from the regular Baptists on the\npoint that immersion is a prerequisite to the privileges of a church\nrelation, and permit Christians of all denominations, in regular church\nstanding, to partake with them at the Lord\u2019s table.\n\nThe Rev. Robert Hall, of England, one of the most learned and eloquent\nBaptist ministers of the age, was an unflinching opposer of the practice\nof \u201cclose communion,\u201d which he denounced as \u201cunchristian and unnatural.\u201d\nIn a tract written in defence of his views on this subject, he remarks,\n\u201cIt is too much to expect an enlightened public will be eager to enroll\nthemselves among the members of a sect which displays much of the\nintolerance of Popery, without any portion of its splendor, and\nprescribes, as the pledge of conversion, the renunciation of the whole\nChristian world.\u201d\n\nIn reference to the mode of baptism, Mr. Hall says, \u201cI would not myself\nbaptize in any other way than by immersion, because I look upon immersion\nas the ancient mode; that it best represents the meaning of the original\nterm employed, and the substantial import of this institution; and because\nI should think it right to guard against the spirit of innovation, which,\nin positive rites, is always dangerous and progressive; _but I should not\nthink myself authorized to rebaptize any one who has been sprinkled in\nadult age_.\u201d\n\nThis class of Baptists are found chiefly in the western and northern parts\nof the state of New York. They number between forty and fifty churches and\nministers.\n\n\n\n\n\nTRANSCENDENTALISTS.\n\n\nTRANSCENDENT and TRANSCENDENTAL are technical terms in philosophy.\nAccording to their etymology, (from _transcendere_,) they signify that\nwhich goes beyond a certain limit; in philosophy, that which goes beyond,\nor transcends, the circle of experience, or of what is perceptible by the\nsenses. Properly speaking, all philosophy is in this sense transcendental,\nbecause all philosophical investigations rise above the sensual, even if\nthey start from that which is perceptible by the senses. But philosophical\ninquiries are to be distinguished according as they proceed from\nexperience, or from principles and ideas not derived from that source. The\nlatter sort are called, in a narrower sense, _pure_, or _transcendental_.\nThe school of Kant makes a still further distinction: it gives the name of\n_transcendental_ to that which does not, indeed, originate from\nexperience, but yet is connected with it, because it contains the grounds\nof the possibility of experience; but the term _transcendent_ it applies\nto that which cannot be connected with experience, but transcends the\nlimit of possible experience and of philosophizing.\n\nAs applied in this country, especially when used as a term of reproach,\nTranscendentalism would designate a system which builds on feeling, rather\nthan on reason, and relies more on the imagination than on the judgment.\nIn the main, however, the Transcendentalists are persons who hold that man\nhas the power to perceive intuitively truths which transcend the reach of\nthe senses; but they divide, some taking the unction of Sentimentalism,\nand others of Mysticism.\n\n\n\n\n\nAUGSBURG CONFESSION OF FAITH.\n\n\nThe first Protestant Confession was that presented, in 1530, to the diet\nof Augsburg, by the suggestion and under the direction of John, elector of\nSaxony. This wise and prudent prince, with the view of having the\nprincipal grounds on which the Protestants had separated from the Romish\ncommunion distinctly submitted to that assembly, intrusted the duty of\npreparing a summary of them to the divines of Wittemberg. Nor was that\ntask a difficult one; for the Reformed doctrines had already been digested\ninto seventeen articles, which had been proposed at the conferences both\nat Sultzbach and Smalcald, as the confession of faith to be adopted by the\nProtestant confederates. These, accordingly, were delivered to the elector\nby Luther, and served as the basis of the celebrated Augsburg Confession,\nwritten \u201cby the elegant and accurate pen of Melancthon\u201d\u2014a work which has\nbeen admired by many even of its enemies, for its perspicuity, piety, and\nerudition. It contains twenty-eight chapters, the leading topics of which\nare, the true and essential divinity of Christ; his substitution and\nvicarious sacrifice; original sin; human inability; the necessity,\nfreedom, and efficacy of divine grace; consubstantiation; and particularly\njustification by faith, to establish the truth and importance of which was\none of its chief objects. The last seven articles condemn and confute the\nPopish tenets of communion in one kind, clerical celibacy, private masses,\nauricular confession, legendary traditions, monastic vows, and the\nexorbitant power of the church. This Confession is silent on the doctrine\nof predestination. This is the universal standard of orthodox doctrine\namong those who profess to be Lutherans, in which no authoritative\nalteration has ever been made.\n\n\n\n\n\nARMENIANS.\n\n\nThe chief point of separation between the Armenians on the one side, and\nthe Greeks and the Papists on the other, is, that, while the latter\nbelieve in two natures and one person of Christ, the former believe that\nthe humanity and divinity of Christ were so united as to form but _one\nnature_; and hence they are called _Monophysites_, signifying _single\nnature_.\n\nAnother point on which they are charged with heresy by the Papists is,\nthat they adhere to the notion that the Spirit proceeds from the Father\nonly; and in this the Greeks join them, though the Papists say that he\nproceeds from the Father and the Son. In other respects, the Greeks and\nArmenians have very nearly the same religious opinions, though they differ\nsomewhat in their forms and modes of worship. For instance, the Greeks\nmake the sign of the cross with three fingers, in token of their belief in\nthe doctrine of the Trinity, while the Armenians use two fingers, and the\nJacobites, one.\n\nThe Armenians hold to seven sacraments, like the Latins although baptism,\nconfirmation, and extreme unction, are all performed at the same time; and\nthe forms of prayer for confirmation and extreme unction are perfectly\nintermingled, which leads one to suppose that, in fact, the latter\nsacrament does not exist among them, except in name, and that this they\nhave borrowed from the Papists.\n\nInfants are baptized both by triple immersion and pouring water three\ntimes upon the head; the former being done, as their books assert, in\nreference to Christ\u2019s having been three days in the grave, and probably\nsuggested by the phrase _buried with him in baptism_.\n\nThe latter ceremony they derive from the tradition that, when Christ was\nbaptized, he stood in the midst of Jordan, and John poured water from his\nhand three times upon his head. In all their pictures of this scene, such\nis the representation of the mode of our Savior\u2019s baptism. Converted Jews,\nor Mahometans, though adults, are baptized in the same manner.\n\nThe Armenians acknowledge sprinkling as a lawful mode of baptism; for they\nreceive from other churches those that have merely been sprinkled, without\nrebaptizing them.\n\nThey believe firmly in transubstantiation, and worship the consecrated\nelements as God.\n\nUnleavened bread is used in the sacrament, and the broken pieces of bread\nare dipped in undiluted wine, and thus given to the people.\n\nThe latter, however, do not handle it, but receive it into their mouths\nfrom the hands of the priest. They suppose it has in itself a sanctifying\nand saving power. The Greeks, in this sacrament, use leavened bread, and\nwine mixed with water.\n\nThe Armenians discard the Popish doctrine of purgatory but yet, most\ninconsistently, they pray for the dead.\n\nThey hold to confession of sins to the priests, who impose penances and\ngrant absolution, though without money, and they give no indulgences.\n\nThey pray through the mediation of the virgin Mary, and other saints. The\nbelief that Mary was always a virgin, is a point of very high importance\nwith them; and they consider the thought of her having given birth to\nchildren after the birth of Christ, as in the highest degree derogatory to\nher character, and impious.\n\nThey regard baptism and regeneration as the same thing and have no\nconception of any spiritual change; and they know little of any other\nterms of salvation than penance, the Lord\u2019s supper, fasting, and good\nworks in general.\n\nThe Armenians are strictly Trinitarians in their views, holding firmly to\nthe supreme divinity of Christ, and the doctrine of atonement for sin;\nthough their views on the latter subject, as well as in regard to faith\nand repentance, are somewhat obscure. They say that Christ died to atone\nfor original sin, and that actual sin is to be washed away by\npenances,\u2014which, in their view, is repentance. Penances are prescribed by\nthe priests, and sometimes consist in an offering of money to the church,\na pilgrimage, or more commonly in repeating certain prayers, or reading\nthe whole book of Psalms a specified number of times. Faith in Christ\nseems to mean but little more than believing in the mystery of\ntransubstantiation.\u2014See _Coleman\u2019s Christian Antiquities_.\n\n\n\n\n\nPRIMITIVE METHODISTS.\n\n\nThis sect forms a party in England, which seceded from the Wesleyans in\n1817. They differ from the Wesleyans chiefly in church government, by\nadmitting lay representation. They are said to increase rapidly. Their\npresent number is about seventy thousand.\n\n\n\n\n\nNOVATIANS.\n\n\nAn heretical sect in the early church, which derives its name from\nNovatian, an heresiarch of the third century, who was ordained a priest of\nthe church of Rome, and afterwards got himself clandestinely consecrated\nbishop of Rome, by three weak men, upon whom he had imposed, and one of\nwhom afterwards did penance for his concern in the business. He was never\nacknowledged bishop of Rome, but was condemned and excommunicated. He\nstill, however taught his doctrine, and became the head of the party that\nbore his name. He denied, in opposition to the opinion of the church, that\nthose who had been guilty of idolatry could be again received by the\nchurch.\n\n\n\n\n\nNESTORIANS.\n\n\nThe branch of the Christian church known by this name is so called from\nNestorius, a patriarch of Constantinople, who was born in Germanica, a\ncity of Syria, in the latter part of the fourth century. He was educated\nand baptized at Antioch, and, soon after his baptism, withdrew to a\nmonastery in the vicinity of that city. His great reputation for\neloquence, and the regularity of his life, induced the emperor Theodosius\nto select him for the see of Constantinople; and he was consecrated bishop\nof that church A. D. 429. He became a violent persecutor of heretics; but,\nbecause he favored the doctrine of his friend Anastasius, that \u201cthe virgin\nMary cannot with propriety be called the mother of God,\u201d he was\nanathematized by Cyril, bishop of Alexandria, who, in his turn, was\nanathematized by Nestorius. In the council of Ephesus, A. D. 431, (the\nthird General Council of the church,) at which Cyril presided, and at\nwhich Nestorius was not present, he was judged and condemned without being\nheard, and deprived of his see. He then retired to his monastery, in\nAntioch, and was afterwards banished to Petra, in Arabia, and thence to\nOasis, in Egypt, where he died, about A. D. 435 or 439.\n\nThe decision of the council of Ephesus caused many difficulties in the\nchurch; and the friends of Nestorius carried his doctrines through all the\nOriental provinces, and established numerous congregations, professing an\ninvincible opposition to the decrees of the Ephesian council. Nestorianism\nspread rapidly over the East, and was embraced by a large number of the\noriental bishops. Barsumas, bishop of Nisibis, labored with great zeal and\nactivity to procure for the Nestorians a solid and permanent footing in\nPersia; and his success was so remarkable that his fame extended\nthroughout the East. He established a school at Nisibis, which became very\nfamous, and from which issued those Nestorian doctors who, in that and the\nfollowing centuries, spread abroad their tenets through Egypt, Syria,\nArabia, India, Tartary, and China.\n\nThe Nestorian church is Episcopal in its government, like all the other\nOriental churches. Its doctrines, also, are, in general, the same with\nthose of those churches, and they receive and repeat, in their public\nworship, the Nicene creed. Their _distinguishing_ doctrines appear to be,\ntheir believing that Mary was not the mother of Jesus Christ, _as God_,\nbut only _as man_, and that there are, consequently, _two persons_, as\nwell as _two natures_, in the Son of God. This notion was looked upon in\nthe earlier ages of the church as a most momentous error; but it has in\nlater times been considered more as an error of words than of doctrine;\nand that the error of Nestorius was in the words he employed to express\nhis meaning, rather than in the doctrine itself. While the Nestorians\nbelieve that Christ had _two natures_ and _two persons_, they say \u201cthat\nthese natures and persons are so closely and intimately united that they\nhave but one _aspect_.\u201d \u201cNow, the word _barsopa_, by which they express\nthis _aspect_, is precisely of the same signification with the Greek word\n\u03c0\u03c1\u03bf\u03c3\u03c9\u03c0\u03bf\u03bd, which signifies _a person_; and hence it is evident that they\nattached to the word _aspect_ the same idea that we attach to the word\n_person_, and that they understood, by the word _person_, precisely what\nwe understand by the term _nature_.\u201d\n\nThe Nestorians, of all the Christian churches of the East, have been the\nmost careful and successful in avoiding a multitude of superstitious\nopinions and practices, which have infected the Romish and many Eastern\nchurches.\n\nOur readers are referred to an interesting volume recently published by\nAsahel Grant, M. D., in which is contained strong evidence that the\nNestorians and the \u201cLost Tribes\u201d are one people.\n\n\n\n\n\nHIGH-CHURCHMEN.\n\n\nA term first given to the Nonjurors, who refused to acknowledge William\nIII. as their lawful king, and who had very proud notions of church power;\nbut it is now commonly used in a more extensive signification, and is\napplied to all those who, though far from being Nonjurors, yet form high\nconceptions of the authority and jurisdiction of the church.\n\n\n\n\n\nANCIENT AMERICAN COVENANT OR CONFESSION OF FAITH.\n\n\n_Copy of the first Covenant, or Confession of Faith, of the First Church\nin Salem, Massachusetts._\n\nThe first ordination to the pastoral office, and the first complete\norganization and erection of a Protestant church, in North America, took\nplace in that town, in the year 1629.\n\n\n    The First Covenant, Or Confession Of Faith, Of The First Church In\n    Salem.\n\n    \u201cWe covenant with our Lord, and one with another, and we do bind\n    ourselves, in the presence of God, to walk together in all his\n    ways, according as he is pleased to reveal himself unto us in his\n    blessed word of truth; and do explicitly, in the name and fear of\n    God, profess and protest to walk as followeth, through the power\n    and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ:\u2014\n\n    \u201cWe avouch the Lord to be our God, and ourselves to be his people,\n    in the truth and simplicity of our spirits.\n\n    \u201cWe give ourselves to the Lord Jesus Christ, and the word of his\n    grace, for the teaching, ruling, and sanctifying of us in matters\n    of worship and conversation, resolving to cleave unto him alone\n    for life and glory, and to reject all contrary ways, canons, and\n    constitutions of men, in his worship.\n\n    \u201cWe promise to walk with our brethren, with all watchfulness and\n    tenderness, avoiding jealousies and suspicions, backbitings,\n    censurings, provokings, secret risings of spirit against them;\n    but, in all offences, to follow the rule of our Lord Jesus, and to\n    bear and forbear, give and forgive, as he hath taught us.\n\n    \u201cIn public or private, we will willingly do nothing to the offence\n    of the church, but will be willing to take advice for ourselves\n    and ours, as occasion shall be presented.\n\n    \u201cWe will not, in the congregation, be forward, either to show our\n    own gifts and parts in speaking or scrupling, or there discover\n    the weakness or failings of our brethren; but attend an orderly\n    call thereunto, knowing how much the Lord may be dishonored, and\n    his gospel, and the profession of it, slighted by our distempers\n    and weaknesses in public.\n\n    \u201cWe bind ourselves to study the advancement of the gospel in all\n    truth and peace, both in regard to those that are within or\n    without; no way slighting our sister churches, but using their\n    counsel, as need shall be; not laying a stumbling-block before\n    any, no, not the Indians, whose good we desire to promote; and so\n    to converse, as we may avoid the very appearance of evil.\n\n    \u201cWe do hereby promise to carry ourselves in all lawful obedience\n    to those that are over us, in church or commonwealth, knowing how\n    well pleasing it will be to the Lord, that they should have\n    encouragement in their places, by our not grieving their spirits\n    through our irregularities.\n\n    \u201cWe resolve to approve ourselves to the Lord in our particular\n    callings, shunning idleness, as the bane of any state; nor will we\n    deal hardly or oppressingly with any, wherein we are the Lord\u2019s\n    stewards.\n\n    \u201cPromising, also, unto our best ability, to teach our children and\n    servants the knowledge of God, and of his will, that they may\n    serve him also; and all this, not by any strength of our own, but\n    by the Lord Christ, whose blood we desire may sprinkle this our\n    covenant, made in his name\u201d\n\n\n\u201cThe above is a covenant,\u201d says a learned divine, \u201cto which all good\nChristians, of every denomination, to the end of time, will be able to\nsubscribe their names,\u2014written in a style of touching simplicity, which\nhas seldom been equalled, and containing sentiments which are felt to be\neloquent by every amiable and pious heart,\u2014and should form the bond to\nunite the whole church on earth, as they will unite the church of the\nredeemed in heaven. This Covenant might well be adopted by all\nCongregational and Protestant churches; and it will forever constitute the\nglory, perpetuate the fame, and render precious the memory, of FRANCIS\nHIGGINSON, the first minister of Salem.\u201d(12)\n\n\n\n\n\nSTATISTICS OF CHURCHES.\n\n\n\n\nBaptists.\n\n\nThe following table, from the Baptist Register of 1842, exhibits the\nstatistics of the Regular or Associated Baptists in a perspicuous light:\u2014\n\nChurches, Ministers, &c.\n\nStates.             Churches.   Ministers.   Baptized.   Members.\nMaine                     261          181        2249      26490\nNew Hampshire             104           77        1042       9557\nVermont                   134           94         784      10950\nMassachusetts             209          179        2355      25092\nRhode Island               32           25         348       5196\nConnecticut                98           92         559      11266\nNew York                  814          697        7533      82200\nNew Jersey(13)             55           53         961       6716\nPennsylvania              252          181        2370      20983\nDelaware                    9            8                    326\nMaryland                   27           18         661       1710\nVirginia                  477          238        3086      57390\nNorth Carolina            448          193        1543      26169\nSouth Carolina            367          192        1434      34092\nGeorgia                   651          276        1043      44022\nAlabama                   503          250         908      25084\nMississippi               150           64         615       6050\nLouisiana(14)              15            9                    288\nArkansas                   43           21         105        798\nTennessee                 666          444         938      30879\nKentucky                  627          300        5842      47325\nOhio                      502          284        3594      22333\nIndiana                   437          229        1794      18198\nIllinois                  351          250        1227      11408\nMissouri                  282          161         817      11010\nMichigan                  130           82         668       6276\nIowa                       14            9          10        382\nWisconsin                  15            9          58        385\nBritish Provinces         225          125        4414      37127\nTotal                    7898         4741       46958     573702\n\nPUBLICATIONS.\u2014QUARTERLY: _Christian Review_, Boston, Mass.\u2014MONTHLY:\n_Missionary Magazine_, Boston, Mass.; _Sabbath School Treasury_, Boston,\nMass.; _Mother\u2019s Monthly Journal_, Utica, N. Y.; _Sabbath School Gleaner_,\nPhiladelphia, Pa.; _Baptist Memorial_, N. Y.; _Michigan Christian Herald_,\nDetroit, Mich.\u2014SEMI-MONTHLY: _The Register_, Montreal, Ca.; _Baptist\nLibrary_, Lexington, N. Y.\u2014WEEKLY: _Zion\u2019s Advocate_, Portland, Me.; _N.\nH. Baptist Register_, Concord, N. H.; _Vermont Telegraph_, Brandon, Vt.;\n_Vermont Baptist Journal_, Middlebury, Vt.; _Christian Watchman_, Boston,\nMass.; _Christian Reflector_, Boston, Mass.; _Christian Secretary_,\nHartford, Ct.; _N. Y. Baptist Register_, Utica, N. Y.; _Baptist Advocate_,\nNew York, N. Y.; _Baptist Record_, Philadelphia, Pa.; _Religious Herald_,\nRichmond, Va.; _The Truth_, Morristown, Pa.; _Christian Index_, Penfield,\nGa.; _Banner and Pioneer_, Louisville, Ky.; _Cross and Journal_, Columbus,\nOhio; _Christian Messenger_, Halifax, N. S.\n\n\n\n\nFree-Will Baptists.\n\n\nThis denomination of Baptists have in their connection nine hundred and\neighty-one churches, six hundred and forty-seven ordained ministers, one\nhundred and seventy-two licensed preachers, forty-seven thousand two\nhundred and seventeen communicants, eighty-seven quarterly and fourteen\nyearly meetings. Of this number of members, thirty-five thousand two\nhundred and eighty-seven reside in New England and New York. They are most\nnumerous in Maine and New Hampshire.\n\nPUBLICATIONS, &c.\u2014There are two periodicals published by this denomination\nat Dover, N. H.: the _Morning Star_, a weekly paper, and the _Sabbath\nSchool Repository_, published monthly; also the _Christian Soldier_,\nProvidence, R. I., once in two weeks.\n\nThe Free-Will Baptists have several benevolent institutions in Maine, and\nflourishing seminaries of learning at Parsonsfield, Me., Strafford, N. H.,\nSmithfield, R. I., and at Clinton and Varysburgh, N. Y.\n\nThese people do not believe in the doctrine of election and reprobation,\nas taught by Calvin, and invite to the Lord\u2019s table all evangelical\nChristians in good standing in their churches.\n\n\n\n\nSeventh-Day Baptists.\n\n\nThis people have in the United States about forty-eight churches,\nthirty-four elders, twenty licentiates, and five thousand communicants.\nThey reside principally in Rhode Island and New York; but have a few\nchurches in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, &c. They are divided into three\nassociations, and meet by delegation annually in general conference. Their\ngovernment, however, is Independent. They have a general _Missionary\nSociety_, a _Society for the Promotion of Christianity among the Jews_, a\n_Tract_ and an _Education Society_. Their principal institution of\nlearning is at DE RUYTER, N. Y., and is in a flourishing state, having\nseveral teachers, and about two hundred scholars. They are close\ncommunionists.\n\n\n\n\nChristian Connection.\n\n\nThis denomination of Christians are found in almost every state in the\nUnion, and in Canada. In 1841, there were in America forty-one\nconferences, five hundred and ninety-one churches, five hundred and\nninety-three ordained preachers, one hundred and eighty-nine unordained\npreachers, and about thirty thousand church members.\n\nPUBLICATIONS.\u2014This connection has three religious periodicals, viz. The\n_Christian Palladium_, Union Mills, N. Y.; _Christian Journal_, Exeter, N.\nH.; and the _Christian Messenger_, Jacksonville, Illinois.\n\n\n\n\nCalvinistic Congregationalists.\n\n\nSo late as the year 1700, eighty years after the landing of the Pilgrims,\nthere were, in all the New England States then settled, but one Episcopal\nchurch, no Methodist church, and, with the exception of Rhode Island, not\nmore than half a dozen Baptist churches. At that time, however, there were\none hundred and twenty Congregational churches, composed of emigrants from\nEurope and their descendants, and thirty others composed of converted\nIndians. The great mass of the descendants of the early settlers of New\nEngland are Congregationalists, maintaining, substantially, the same views\nof church order and religious faith which their venerated ancestry\nsacrificed home, and country, and life, to maintain and perpetuate.\n\nThe present number of Congregational churches in New England is about\nfifteen hundred; and in the Middle and Western States there are about\nfourteen hundred and fifty; although the mode of church government adopted\nby some of them is, in some degree, modified by the \u201cPlan of Union\u201d with\nPresbyterians. These churches contain, as nearly as can be ascertained,\nabout one hundred and ninety-four thousand communicants.\n\nRecently, symptoms of dissatisfaction with the \u201cPlan of Union\u201d have\nextensively developed themselves, particularly in New York, Ohio,\nMissouri, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa; and the probability now is, that\na pure Congregational mode of church government will soon be generally\nadopted by the descendants of New-England Congregationalists, who are\nscattered over the great West.\n\nThese Congregational churches are more particularly denominated _Orthodox_\nthan any other churches in the United States, and adhere to the doctrines\nof Calvin or Hopkins.\n\nPUBLICATIONS.\u2014The Orthodox Congregationalists publish a great number of\nperiodicals, the principal of which are the _Boston Recorder_, the _New\nEngland Puritan_, Boston, Mass.; the _Christian Mirror_, Portland, Me.;\nthe _Congregational Journal_, Concord, N. H.; the _Vermont Chronicle_,\nWindsor, Vt.; the _Congregational Observer_, Hartford, Ct.; and several in\nthe Western States, which are sustained partly by Congregationalists and\npartly by Presbyterians.\n\n\n\n\nDisciples Of Christ.\n\n\nThe largest number of this denomination is found in the region of country\naround where its doctrines were first propagated. There are, however,\nsocieties of this class of Christians in other parts of the country, some\nadopting, and others rejecting, its views on baptism. The total number in\nthe United States is about one hundred and fifty thousand.\n\nPUBLICATIONS. The Disciples of Christ publish a periodical, the\n_Millennial Harbinger_, at Bethany, Va., (edited by CAMPBELL, the founder\nof the sect,) and another, the _Evangelist_, at Carthage, Ohio.\n\n\n\n\nEpiscopalians.\n\n\nWe have already given, in the historical account of the Episcopal Church,\nin this Country, a few brief notices of its condition; and we now present\nthe following additional statistics.\n\nList Of Bishops.\n\nIt being the essential principle of Episcopacy, that legitimate church\nauthority is not originated by voluntary associations of men, but is of\nDivine origin, derived from Christ, and transmitted through an unbroken\nsuccession of Bishops, who trace their appointment to Him, we here give a\nlist of the names of persons who constitute such succession.\n\nORDER OF EPISCOPAL SUCCESSION.\nA. D.\n\n      JESUS CHRIST.\n      44. St. Peter and St. Paul at Rome.\n      66. Linus.\n      81. Anacletus.\n      91. Clement.\n      102. Euarestus.\n      111. Alexander.\n      121. Sixtus I.\n      130. Telesphorus.\n      141. Hyginus.\n      144. Pius.\n      159. Anicetus.\n      168. Soter.\n      176. Eleutherius.\n      193. Victor.\n      201. Zephyrinus.\n      218. Callistus.\n      224. Urbanus.\n      232. Pontianus.\n      238. Anterus.\n      238. Fabianus.\n      252. Cornelius.\n      254. Lucius.\n      255. Stephanus.\n      258. Sixtus II.\n      265. Dionysius.\n      270. Felix I.\n      275. Eutychianus\n      283. Caius.\n      296. Marcellinus.\n      304. Marcellus.\n      309. Eusebius.\n      311. Miltiades.\n      314. Sylvester.\n      336. Marcus.\n      337. Julius.\n      352. Liberius.\n      356. Felix II.\n      366. Damasus.\n      385. Siricius.\n      398. Anastasius I.\n      402. Innocent.\n      417. Zosimus.\n      419. Boniface I.\n      423. Celestine.\n      434. Sixtus III.\n      443. Leo (the Great.)\n      464. Hilary.\n      468. Simplicius.\n      483. Felix III.\n      492. Gelasius.\n      496. Anastasius II.\n      498. Symmachus\n      514. Hormisdas.\n      524. John I.\n      526. Felix IV.\n      530. Boniface II.\n      532. John II.\n      535. Agapetus.\n      537. Silverius.\n      540. Virgilius.\n      555. Pelagius I.\n      560. John III.\n      574. Benedictus.\n      578. Pelagius II.\n      596. Gregory (the Great.)\n      596. Augustine, Missionary Bishop to England.\n      611. Laurentius.\n      619. Melitus.\n      624. Justus.\n      628. Honorius.\n      656. Adeodatus.\n      668. Theodore.\n      692. Brithwald.\n      731. Tatwyn, or Cadwyn.\n      735. Egbright.\n      736. Nothelmus.\n      742. Cuthbert.\n      759. Bregwin.\n      762. Lambert.\n      793. Atheland.\n      806. Wulfred.\n      830. Theologild.\n      830. Syred.\n      831. Ceolnoth.\n      871. Athelredus.\n      889. Plegmund.\n      915. Athelme.\n      924. Wolfhelme.\n      934. Odo Severus.\n      957. Elfin.\n      958. Brithelme.\n      959. Dunstan.\n      988. Ethelgarus.\n      989. Siricius.\n      994. Alfricus.\n      1006. \u00c6lfeagus.\n      1013. Livingus, or Elstan.\n      1020. Agelnoth.\n      1038. Eadsius, or Eadsinus.\n      1050. Robert Gemiticensis.\n      1052. Stigand.\n      1070. Lanfranc.\n      1093. Anselme.\n      1114. Rodolph, or Raphe.\n      1122. William Corbel, or Corbois.\n      1138. Theobald.\n      1162. Thomas a Becket.\n      1173. Richard.\n      1184. Baldwin.\n      1191. Reginald Fitz Joceline.\n      1193. Hubert Walter.\n      1207. Stephen Langton.\n      1229. Richard Weatherhead.\n      1235. Edmund.\n      1244. Boniface III.\n      1272. Robert Kilwarby.\n      1278. John Peckam.\n      1294. Robert Winchelsey.\n      1313. Walter Raynolds.\n      1327. Simon Mepham.\n      1333. John Stratford.\n      1349. Thomas Bradwardin.\n      1349. Simon Islippe.\n      1366. Simon Langham.\n      1368. William Wittlesey.\n      1375. Simon Sudbury.\n      1381. William Courtney.\n      1396. Thomas Arundel.\n      1414. Henry Chichley.\n      1443. John Stafford.\n      1452. John Kemp.\n      1454. Thomas Bourchier.\n      1486. John Morton.\n      1501. Henry Deane.\n      1504. William Warham.\n      1521. John Longland.\n      1533. THOMAS CRANMER.(15)\n      1536. Robert Parfew.\n      1537. John Hodgskins.\n      1559. Matthew Parker.\n      1559. Edmund Grindal.\n      1577. John Whitgift.\n      1597. Richard Bancroft.\n      1609. George Abbott.\n      1617. George Monteigne\n      1621. William Laud.\n      1634. Matthew Wren.\n      1660. Gilbert Sheldon.\n      1674. Henry Compton.\n      1677. William Sancroft.\n      1685. Jonathan Trelawney.\n      1715. John Potter.\n      1737. Thomas Herring.\n      1749. Frederick Cornwallis.\n      1775. John Moore.\n      1793. Charles Manners Sutton.\n      1813. William Howley, (_now living._)\n      1775. John Moore.\n      1787. WILLIAM WHITE.\n      1811. Alexander V. Griswold.\n\nLIST OF BISHOPS OF THE CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES.\n\nThose with an asterisk (*) are deceased.\n\n      *1784. Samuel Seabury, D. D., Connecticut, died, 1796.\n      *1787. William White, D. D., Pennsylvania, died, 1836.\n      *1787. Samuel Provoost, D. D., New York, died, 1815.\n      *1790. James Madison, D. D., Virginia, died, 1812.\n      *1792. Thomas John Claggett, D. D., Maryland, died, 1816.\n      *1795. Robert Smith, D. D., South Carolina, died, 1801.\n      *1797. Edward Bass, D. D., Massachusetts, died, 1803.\n      *1797. Abraham Jarvis, D. D., Connecticut, died, 1813.\n      *1801. Benjamin Moore, D. D., New York, died, 1816.\n      *1804. Samuel Parker, D. D., Massachusetts, died, 1804.\n      *1811. John Henry Hobart, D. D., New York, died, 1830.\n      1811. Alexander Viets Griswold, D. D., Massachusetts.\n      *1812. Theodore Dehon, D. D., South Carolina, died, 1817.\n      *1814. Richard Channing Moore, D. D., Virginia, died, 1841.\n      *1814. James Kemp, D. D., Maryland, died, 1827.\n      *1815. John Croes, D. D., Now Jersey, died, 1832.\n      *1818. Nathaniel Bowen, D. D., South Carolina, died, 1839.\n      1819. Philander Chase, D. D., Illinois.\n      1819. Thomas Church Brownell, D. D., LL. D., Connecticut.\n      *1823. John Stark Ravenscroft, D. D., North Carolina, died, 1830.\n      1827. Henry Ustick Onderdonk, D. D., Pennsylvania.\n      1829. William Meade, D. D., Virginia.\n      *1830. William Murray Stone, D. D., Maryland, died, 1838.\n      1830. Benjamin Tredwell Onderdonk, D. D., New York.\n      1831. Levi Silliman Ives, D. D., LL. D., North Carolina.\n      1832. John Henry Hopkins, D. D., Vermont.\n      1832. Benjamin Bosworth Smith, D. D., Kentucky.\n      1832. Charles Pettit McIlvaine, D. D., Ohio.\n      1832. George Washington Doane, D. D., LL. D., New Jersey.\n      1834. James Hervey Otey, D. D., Tennessee.\n      1835. Jackson Kemper, D. D., Missionary Bishop, for Wisconsin Iowa,\n      and the Indian territory North of Lat. 36-1/2\u00b0.\n      1836. Samuel Allen McCoskry, D. D., Michigan.\n      1838. Leonidas Polk, D. D., Louisiana.\n      1839. William Heathcote De Lancey, D. D., Western New York.\n      1840. Christopher Edwards Gadsden, D. D., South Carolina.\n      1840. William Rollinson Whittingham, D. D., Maryland.\n      1841. Stephen Elliott, jun., D. D., Georgia.\n      1841. Alfred Lee, D. D., Delaware.\n\nThe following table contains the statistics of this church in the United\nStates:\u2014\n\nStates.               Dioceses.   Bishops.   Clergy.\nMaine                         1                    7\nNew Hampshire                 1                   10\nVermont                       1          1        24\nMassachusetts                 1          1        49\nRhode Island                  1                   20\nConnecticut                   1          1        92\nNew York                      1          1       196\nWestern New York              1          1       101\nNew Jersey                    1          1        42\nPennsylvania                  1          1       107\nDelaware                      1          1        10\nMaryland                      1          1        81\nVirginia                      1          1        94\nNorth Carolina                1          1        30\nSouth Carolina                1          1        47\nGeorgia                       1          1        16\nLouisiana, Alabama            1          1        18\nMississippi,                  1          1        23\nTennessee, Arkansas\nKentucky                      1          1        21\nOhio                          1          1        58\nIllinois                      1          1         9\nMichigan                      1          1        19\nIndiana, Missouri,            1          1        44\nIowa, Wisconsin\nFlorida                       1                    4\nTotals                       30         20      1114\n\nThe Dioceses of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, are\nunder the charge of the same Bishop. Indiana and Missouri are under the\ncharge of the Missionary Bishop for Wisconsin, Iowa, and the Indian\nterritory North of Lat. 36-1/2\u00b0. Alabama is under the charge of the Bishop\nof Louisiana. Mississippi and Arkansas are under the charge of the Bishop\nof Tennessee.\n\nIn the British American Provinces and Islands, there are six dioceses,\ncontaining six Bishops, and 454 other clergymen.\n\nThere are numerous local Societies for religious purposes, in every\nDiocese.\n\nPERIODICAL PUBLICATIONS.\u2014WEEKLY: The _Churchman_, New York; _Gospel\nMessenger_, Utica; _Gospel Messenger and Southern Episcopal Register_,\nCharleston, S. C.; _Episcopal Recorder_, Philadelphia; _Southern\nChurchman_, Alexandria, D. C.; _Christian Witness_, Boston; _Western\nEpiscopal Observer_, Cincinnati, Ohio; _Banner of the Cross_,\nPhiladelphia; _Practical Christian and Church Chronicle_, New Haven,\nCt.\u2014MONTHLY: _Journal of Christian Education_, New York; _Children\u2019s\nMagazine_, New York; _Spirit of Missions_, New York; _Church Record_,\nFlushing, N. Y.\n\n\n\n\nFriends.\n\n\nThe Friends are found in most of the states in the Union, and some in the\nBritish Provinces. They are most numerous in Pennsylvania, a state first\nsettled by them, under their worthy head and father, in this country,\nWILLIAM PENN, in 1682.\n\nIn England and Ireland, they number about fifty thousand; and in America,\nabout two hundred thousand, and are divided into four hundred and fifty\ncongregations. About half are Orthodox, and the other half Hicksites, or\nfollowers of ELIAS HICKS, who died at Jericho, N. Y. in 1830, aged 76.\n\n\n\n\nJews.\n\n\nThe number of Jews in the United States is estimated at about four\nthousand. They have synagogues in Newport, R. I., the cities of New York,\nPhiladelphia, Charleston, S. C., and in other parts of the country. Their\nmode of worship is exceedingly interesting. With regard to the number of\nthis people in the world, Blackwood\u2019s Magazine says:\u2014\n\n\u201cThe statistics of the Jewish population are among the most singular\ncircumstances of this most singular of all people. Under all their\ncalamities and dispersions, they seem to have remained at nearly the same\namount as in the days of David and Solomon\u2014never much more in prosperity,\nnever much less after ages of suffering. Nothing like this has occurred in\nthe history of any other race; Europe in general having doubled its\npopulation within the last hundred years, and England nearly tripled hers\nwithin the last half century; the proportion of America being still more\nrapid, and the world crowding in a constantly-increasing ratio. Yet the\nJews seem to stand still in this vast and general movement. The population\nof Judea, in its most palmy days, probably did not exceed, if it reached,\nfour millions. The numbers who entered Palestine from the wilderness, were\nevidently not much more than three; and their census, according to the\nGerman statists, who are generally considered to be exact, is now nearly\nthe same as that of the people under Moses\u2014about three millions.\u201d\n\nOn the above, Judge Noah, of New York, a learned Jew, remarks:\u2014\n\n\u201cWe apprehend there is some error in the above statistics, and that the\nnumber of Jews throughout the world may be estimated at nearer six\nmillions than three. There are more than a million in Poland and Russia;\nin all Asia, there are full two millions; half a million in Austria; in\nthe Barbary States and Africa, a million; in all Europe, two millions and\na half. We do not think, during the most splendid periods of Jewish\nhistory, that they ever exceeded four millions; but then their colonies\nand countries held tributary in Europe and Asia, amounted to many millions\nmore. For example, at one period all Spain paid tribute to King Solomon;\nand all Spain and Portugal, at this day, are descendants of the Jews and\nMoors; and there are many thousands of Jews, in both those countries, now\nadhering in secret to the ancient faith of their fathers, while outwardly\nprofessing the Catholic religion. All the familiar Spanish and Portuguese\nnames\u2014Lopez, Mendez, Carvalho, Fonseca, Rodrigues, Peirara, Azavedo,\nMontefiores, &c. &c.\u2014are of Jewish origin. Their numbers, therefore, will\nnever be accurately known until the restoration, when thousands who, from\nconvenience and pride, and some from apprehension, conceal their religion,\nwill be most eager to avow it when their nation takes rank among the\ngovernments of the earth.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nLutherans.\n\n\nThe government of the Lutherans is somewhat singular. Where it is\nestablished by law, the supreme head of the state is also supreme head of\nthe church. They have bishops, but no diocesan episcopacy, except in\nDenmark and Sweden. These are called _superintendents_ in Germany, and\n_presidents_ in the United States. There is but _one_ archbishop, and he\nis the primate of Sweden.\n\nThey have in the United States about one thousand churches, four hundred\nministers, seventy thousand communing members, and about one hundred and\nforty thousand which do not commune.\n\nEDUCATION, &c.\u2014They have a college, located at Gettysburg, Pa., and\nseveral academies in different parts of the country; also four theological\nseminaries, located at Gettysburg, Pa.; Columbus, Ohio; Lexington, S. C.;\nHartwich, N. Y., a fifth is contemplated in Indiana. Their different\neducation societies support about eighty beneficiaries, preparing for the\nministry, at an expense of one hundred dollars each, annually. The\n_Lutheran Observer_ is published weekly, at Baltimore.\n\nThe Lutherans are one of the most numerous sects of Christians in the\nworld. The whole number in Europe is estimated at twenty-seven millions,\nembracing seventeen reigning sovereigns. This estimate, of course,\nincludes the Moravians.\n\n\n\n\nProtestant Methodists.\n\n\nThis infant church is rapidly increasing, especially in the middle States.\nIts population in the United States exceeds one hundred and fifty\nthousand.\n\nThis class of Christians have twenty-one annual conferences in as many\nstates; nearly four hundred travelling, and a large number of unstationed\nministers. They have a general conference, which meets once in four years,\nconsisting of two delegates from every thousand communicants, one a\nminister, the other a layman: this is their legislative body. The number\nof communicants is about sixty-five thousand.\n\nPUBLICATIONS. The Protestant Methodists support four religious papers:\u2014the\n_Olive Branch_, Boston, Mass.; the _New York Luminary_, New York, the\n_Methodist Protestant_, Baltimore, Md., and the _Western Recorder_,\nZanesville, Ohio.\n\n\n\n\nMethodists.\n\n\nThe population of all denominations of Methodists in the United States\nexceeds three millions.\n\nPUBLICATIONS.\u2014The _Christian Advocate and Journal_, New York city; _Zion\u2019s\nHerald and Wesleyan Journal_, Boston, Mass.; _Northern Advocate_, Auburn,\nN. Y.; _Christian Repository_, Philadelphia, Pa.; _Richmond Christian\nAdvocate_, Richmond, Va.; _Southern Christian Advocate_, Charleston, S.\nC.; _South-Western Christian Advocate_, Nashville, Tenn.; _Pittsburg\nChristian Advocate_, Pittsburg, Pa.; _Western Christian Advocate_, and the\n_Christian Apologist_, a German paper, Cincinnati, Ohio.\n\nThere is also published by this denomination, the _Methodist Quarterly\nReview_, New York city; _Ladies\u2019 Repository_, (monthly,) Cincinnati, Ohio;\n_Guide to Christian Perfection_, (monthly,) Boston, Mass., _Sunday School\nAdvocate_, (semi-monthly,) New York city; _Sabbath School Messenger_,\n(semi-monthly,) Boston, Mass. The Methodists have ten colleges, and thirty\nacademies.\n\nIn the Methodist church in Canada, are two weekly newspapers viz.,\n_Christian Guardian_, Toronto, U. C.; _The Wesleyan_, Montreal, L. C.\n\nFrom the \u201cMinutes of the Annual Conferences of the Methodist Episcopal\nChurch, for the Year 1840,\u201d we copy the following table:\u2014\n\nConferences, Ministers, &c.\n\nConferences.   Whites.   Colored.   Indians.   Total Com.   Trav. Prs.\nTroy            24,488         78                  24,566          144\nNew England     22,319        235                  22,554          157\nNew             20,084                             20,084          151\nHampshire\nPittsburg       35,276        474                  35,750          136\nMaine           22,359                             22,359          145\nBlack River     15,908         27                  15,935           96\nErie            17,860         50                  17,910          107\nOneida          22,909         65                  22,974          142\nMichigan        11,308         12         87       11,407           74\nRock River       6,519         21         45        6,585           75\nGenesee         27,931         50                  27,981          162\nNorth Ohio      23,594         91        213       23,898           95\nOhio            53,621        662                  54,283          168\nIllinois        24,607         80                  24,687          103\nMissouri        12,386      1,224        382       13,992           66\nKentucky        30,679      6,321                  37,000          114\nTennessee       21,675      4,405                  26,080           95\nIndiana         52,208        407                  52,615          156\nMemphis         12,497      1,995                  14,492           69\nArkansas         4,228        725      1,524        6,479           41\nHolston         25,902      2,420                  28,322           68\nMississippi      8,433      4,178         67       12,678           81\nNorth           15,983      4,480                  20,463           61\nCarolina\nTexas            1,623        230                   1,853           19\nAlabama         19,491      5,821                  25,312           87\nSouth           26,945     30,481                  57,426          102\nCarolina\nVirginia        21,841      3,086                  24,927           94\nGeorgia         28,868      9,989                  38,857          127\nBaltimore       42,789     13,904                  56,693          182\nPhiladelphia    35,094      8,778                  43,872          128\nNew Jersey      22,733        542                  23,275          108\nNew York        36,284        405                  36,689          215\nLiberia                       922                     922           19\nMission\nTotal, 1840    748,442    102,158      2,318      852,918        3,587\nTotal, 1842    796,495    107,251      2,617      906,363        3,846\n\n\n\n\nPresbyterians.\n\n\nThe Protestant faith was introduced into Scotland about 1527; and about\n1592 Andrew Melville effected the introduction of the Presbyterian form of\nchurch polity. This form, through much persecution, and even bloodshed,\nhas been maintained ever since. Its creed is Calvinistic. This church has\nnearly a thousand ministers, and about one million five hundred thousand\nchurch members. It is the established religion of Scotland, sustained by\nlaw. There are also several bodies of dissenting Presbyterians in\nScotland.\n\n                  -------------------------------------\n\nPresbyterianism was first introduced into England by those Christians who\nreturned from Frankfort, after the death of Queen Mary. For a time, it\nflourished, but at length lapsed into Socinianism. There are, however, a\nfew churches in England still pure, which are in fellowship with the\nScotch Presbyterians.\n\n                  -------------------------------------\n\nThis denomination began its organized existence in America about the year\n1700, and is the offspring of the church of Scotland. Its first ministers\nwere Rev. Francis McKemie, and the Rev. John Hampton, who labored in\nVirginia.\n\nThe first church of this order was organized in Philadelphia, 1703, the\nfirst presbytery, 1704, and the first synod in 1716. Since that time, they\nhave steadily increased, and their number in 1840 was ninety-six\npresbyteries, twelve hundred and thirty-two ministers, eighteen hundred\nand twenty-three churches, and one hundred and fifty-two thousand four\nhundred and fifty-one communicants.\n\nThe Presbyterians are found chiefly in the Middle, Western, and Southern\nStates. The number of people attached to this form of church government in\nthe United States, is supposed to exceed two millions.\n\nEDUCATION.\u2014Within the bounds of the church there are thirteen theological\nseminaries, three of which are under the care of the General Assembly.\nThey have a board of education, which has about four hundred young men in\ntraining for the ministry.\n\nThe Calvinistic publications announce their sentiments.\n\n                  -------------------------------------\n\nIn 1837, a division arose in the Presbyterian church, into Old and New\nSchools, in consequence of variant views of doctrine and discipline. The\nfriends of the New School were exscinded, or cut off, from the old church,\nbut still claim to be the General Assembly of the Presbyterian church.\nUnfortunately, the difficulty is not settled; we cannot, therefore, give\nthe strength of the parties.\n\n\n\n\nOther Presbyterian Communities.\n\n\nThe Associate Presbyterians have about one hundred ministers, one hundred\nand ninety congregations, and twenty thousand communicants. They are\nprincipally found south and west of the Hudson River.\n\nThe Reformed Presbyterians, or Covenanters, are located principally in\nOhio. They have about thirty ministers, fifty congregations, and four\nthousand communicants.\n\nThe Associate Reformed have about one hundred and twenty-five ministers,\nmore than two hundred congregations, and about fifteen thousand\ncommunicants. They are located principally in Pennsylvania.\n\n\n\n\nReformed Dutch Church.\n\n\nThis church comprises one general synod, and two particular synods; one at\nNew York, and another at Albany. The two synods comprise eighteen classes,\nabout two hundred ministers, two hundred churches, twenty-seven thousand\ncommunicants, and a population of about one hundred and thirty thousand.\nThis denomination of Christians is found almost entirely in the first\nsettlements in the states of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.\n\nThe _Christian Intelligencer_, published at New York, advocates the\nprinciples of this church.\n\n\n\n\nRoman Catholics.\n\n\nThis denomination is spread over every section of the United States and\nthe British Provinces. They form, it is stated, more than three fourths of\nthe population of the Canadas. They are also found in large numbers in the\nProvinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. In this Union, they are most\nnumerous in the Middle States; but in consequence of the great influx of\nthis people into North America, and their frequent change of location, it\nis utterly impossible to state their numbers, in each state, with any\ndegree of accuracy. Their number in the United States is variously stated\nfrom five hundred thousand to one million five hundred thousand. Their\nnumber, probably, is not less than eight hundred thousand, nor more than\none million two hundred thousand. The population of Canada, in 1840, was\nat least one million.\n\n                  -------------------------------------\n\nThe first Roman Catholics that came to this country were from England,\nunder Lord Baltimore, a Catholic nobleman, in 1634. They settled the state\nof Maryland; and, much to their honor, while some of the Protestant\nprovinces were persecuting all those who differed from them on religious\nsubjects, the Catholic Marylanders protected all sects that were moral and\ncivil in their deportment.\n\nWe copy from the \u201cMetropolitan Catholic Almanac and Laity\u2019s Directory for\n1841\u201d the following statistical table:\u2014\n\nSTATISTICS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES\n\nDiocese.       Churches   Clergymen   Clergymen   Eccl.   Clerical\n               and        in the      otherwise   Inst.   Students.\n               Chapels.   Ministry.   employed.\nBaltimore            68          38          31       4          52\nRichmond              7           6           1       0           0\nPhiladelphia         91          57           2       1          22\nNew York             64          65           1       1          14\nBoston               30          31           0       0           0\nDetroit              25          17           1       0           0\nCincinnati           38          34           2       1\nVincennes            27          25           5       1           9\nDu Buque              5           8           0       0           0\nSt Louis             56          50          23       2          30\nBardstown            40          26          25       1\nNashville             1           6           0       1           2\nNew Orleans          38          39          11       1           9\nNatchez               1           2\nMobile                7          12           7\nCharleston           14          20           0       4           6\nTotal               512         436         109      17         144\n\nDiocese.       Literary     Young Men   Female      Female    Pupils in\n               Inst. for    in          Religious   Academ.   Female\n               young Men.   College.    Inst.                 Academ.\nBaltimore               5         633           5         9         530\nRichmond                0           0           0         3         100\nPhiladelphia            2          60           0         1          30\nNew York                1                       0         2         120\nBoston                  1          60           1         1\nDetroit                 1                       1         1\nCincinnati              1                       2         2          70\nVincennes               1          50           1         1          50\nDu Buque                1                       0         1\nSt Louis                3         320          10        10         640\nBardstown               3         300           3        10         528\nNashville               1                       0         0           0\nNew Orleans             1         100           4         4         526\nNatchez                                                   0           0\nMobile                  2          70           2         2          60\nCharleston              1                       2         2         128\nTotal                  24        1593          31        49        2782\n\nThe sacred college of cardinals has fifty-seven members. The total number\nis seventy.\n\nThere are twelve patriarchs in the Christian world. The archbishops and\nbishops amount to six hundred and seventy-one. The vicars apostolic in\ndifferent countries are fifty-seven in number, besides whom there are\nthirty-eight coadjutor-bishops, making the grand total of the Catholic\nepiscopacy amount to seven hundred and sixty-six bishops.\n\nCATHOLIC PERIODICALS.\u2014The _United States Catholic Miscellany_, published\nweekly in Charleston, S. C.; the _Catholic Telegraph_, published weekly in\nCincinnati, Ohio; the _Catholic Herald_, published weekly in Philadelphia;\nthe _Catholic Advocate_, published weekly in Bardstown, Ky.; _Der\nWahrheit\u2019s Freund_, (German paper,) published weekly in Cincinnati, Ohio;\nthe _New York Catholic Register_, published weekly in the city of New\nYork; _Ordo divini Officii recitandi_, _Miss\u00e6que celebrand\u00e6, juxta\nRubricas Breviarii ac Missalis Romani_, published annually in Baltimore;\nthe _Young Catholic\u2019s Magazine_, enlarged series, published on the first\nof each month, in New York.\n\n                  -------------------------------------\n\nAt the time of the reformation, 1517, papal power, or the power of the\npope of Rome, had acquired so great a spiritual dominion over the minds\nand consciences of men, that all Europe submitted to it with implicit\nobedience. At the present day, the Roman Catholic religion prevails, more\nor less, in every country in Christendom. Its population is stated to\nexceed eighty millions. It is the established religion of Austria, France,\nPortugal, and Spain, and of thirteen other states in Europe.\n\nPopes of Rome.(16) A. D.\n\n      33. St. Peter, martyred.\n      66. St. Linus, martyred.\n      67. St. Clement, abdicated.\n      77. St. Cletus, martyred.\n      83. St. Anaclitus.\n      96. St. Evaristus, coadjutor to the former, martyred.\n      108. St. Alexander I., martyred.\n      117. St. Sixtus I., martyred.\n      127. Telesphorus, martyred.\n      138. Hygenus, martyred. The first called _pope_.\n      142. Pius I., martyred.\n      150. Anicetus, martyred.\n      162. Soter.\n      171. Eleutherius, martyred.\n      185. Victor I., martyred.\n      197. Zephyrinus, martyred.\n      217. Calixtus I., martyred.\n      222. Urban I., martyred.\n      230. Pontianus, martyred.\n      235. Anterus, martyred.\n      236. Fabian, martyred.\n      236. Novatianus, antipope.\n      250. Cornelius, beheaded.\n      252. Lucius I., martyred.\n      254. Stephen I., martyred.\n      257. Sixtus II., coadjutor to the former, martyred.\n      259. Dionysius.\n      269. Felix I.\n      274. Eutychianus.\n      283. Caius.\n      295. Marcellinus, martyred.\n      304. Marcellus I., martyred.\n      310. Eusebius, martyred.\n      310. Melchiades, coadjutor to the former.\n      314. Sylvester.\n      336. Marcus.\n      337. Julius I.\n      352. Liberius, banished.\n      356. Felix II., antipope.\n      358. Liberius, again, abdicated.\n      358. Felix became legal pope but was killed by Liberius.\n      359. Liberius, again.\n      366. Damasius.\n      385. Siricius.\n      399. Anastasius.\n      401. Innocent I.\n      417. Zosimus.\n      418. Boniface I.\n      422. Celestinus I.\n      432. Sixtus III.\n      440. Leo I., the Great.\n      461. Hilary.\n      468. Simplicius.\n      483.  Felix III.\n      492.  Gelasius.\n      496.  Anastasius II.\n      498.  Symmachus.\n      514.  Hormisdas.\n      523.  John I., died in prison at Ravenna.\n      526.  Felix IV.\n      530.  Boniface II.\n      533.  John II.\n      535.  Agapetus.\n      536.  Sylvester; he was made prisoner by the antipope Vigilius, who\n      enjoyed the papacy.\n      538.  Vigilius, banished, and restored.\n      555.  Pelagius I.\n      560.  John III.\n      574.  Benedict I.\n      578.  Pelagius II.\n      590.  Gregory the Great.\n      604.  Sabiamus.\n      606.  Boniface III.\n      608.  Boniface IV.\n      615.  Deusdedit.\n      618.  Boniface V.\n      624.  Honorius I.\n      640.  Severinus.\n      640.  John IV.\n      642.  Theodorus.\n      649.  Martin I., starved to death.\n      654,  Eugenius I.\n      657.  Vitalianus.\n      672.  Adeodatus.\n      676.  Donus.\n      679.  Agatho.\n      682.  Leo II.\n      684.  Benedict II.\n      685.  John V.\n      686.  Conon.\n      686.  Theodore and Pascan, antipopes.\n      687.  Sergius.\n      701.  John VI.\n      705.  John VII.\n      708.  Sisinnius.\n      708.  Constantine.\n      715.  Gregory II.\n      731.  Gregory III.\n      741.  Zacharias.\n      752.  Stephen II., governed only four days.\n      752.  Stephen III.\n      757.  Paul I.\n      768.  Stephen IV.\n      792.  Adrian I.\n      795.  Leo III.\n      816.  Stephen V.\n      817.  Paschal I.\n      824.  Eugenius II.\n      827.  Valentinus.\n      828.  Gregory IV.\n      844.  Sergius II.\n      847.  Leo IV.\n      855.  Benedict III.\n      858.  Nicholas I.\n      867.  Adrian II.\n      872.  John VIII.\n      882.  Martin II.\n      883.  Adrian III.\n      885.  Stephen VI.\n      891.  Formosus.\n      896.  Boniface VI.\n      897.  Romanus, antipope.\n      897.  Stephen VII.\n      898.  Theodorus II., governed twenty-two days.\n      898.  John IX.\n      900.  Benedict IV.\n      904.  Leo V., killed by Christiphilus.\n      905.  Sergius III.\n      913.  Anastasius III.\n      914.  Laudo.\n      915.  John X., was stifled.\n      928. Leo VI.\n      929. Stephen VIII.\n      931. John XI.\n      936. Leo VII.\n      939. Stephen IX.\n      943. Martin III.\n      946. Agapetus II.\n      956. John XII.\n      963. Leo VIII., turned out.\n      964. Benedict V., banished.\n      964. Leo VIII.\n      965. Benedict V., again.\n      965. John XIII.\n      972. Benedict VI.\n      974. Domus.\n      975. Benedict VII.\n      975. Boniface VII.\n      984. John XIV.\n      985. John XV., died before consecration.\n      986. John XVI.\n      996. Gregory V.\n      999. Silvester II.\n      1003. John XVI.\n      1004. John XVII.\n      1009. Sergius VI.\n      1012. Benedict VIII.\n      1024. John XVIII.\n      1033. Benedict IX., deposed.\n      1045. Gregory VI.\n      1046. Clement II.\n      1047. Benedict IX., again, abdicated.\n      1048. Damasius II.\n      1049. Leo IX.\n      1055. Victor II.\n      1057. Stephen X.\n      1058. Nicholas II.\n      1061. Alexander II.\n      1073. Gregory VII.\n      1086. Victor III., poisoned\n      1088. Urban II.\n      1099. Paschal II.\n      1118. Gelasius II.\n      1119. Calixtus II.\n      1124. Honorius II.\n      1130. Innocent II.\n      1143. C\u00e6lestine II.\n      1144. Lucius II.\n      1145. Eugenius III.\n      1153. Anastasius IV., a short time.\n      1154. Adrian IV., choked by a fly as he was drinking.\n      1159. Alexander III.\n      1181. Lucius III.\n      1185. Urban III.\n      1187. Gregory VIII.\n      1187. Clement III.\n      1191. C\u00e6lestine III.\n      1198. Innocent III.\n      1216. Honorius III.\n      1227. Gregory IX.\n      1241. C\u00e6lestine IV.\n      1243. Innocent IV.\n      1254. Alexander IV.\n      1261. Urban IV.\n      1265. Clement IV.\n      1271. Gregory X.\n      1276. Innocent V.\n      1276. Adrian V.\n      1276. Vicedominus, died the next day.\n      1276. John XIX., killed by the fall of his chamber at Viterbium.\n      1277. Nicholas III.\n      1281. Martin IV.\n      1285. Honorius IV.\n      1288. Nicholas IV.\n      1294. C\u00e6lestine V.\n      1294. Boniface VIII.\n      1303. Benedict XI.\n      1305. Clement V.\n      1316. John XX.\n      1334. Benedict XII.\n      1342. Clement VI.\n      1352. Innocent VI.\n      1362. Urban V.\n      1370. Gregory XI.\n      1378. Urban VI.\n      1389. Boniface IX.\n      1404. Innocent VII.\n      1406. Gregory XII., deposed.\n      1409. Alexander V.\n      1410. John XXI.\n      1417. Martin V.\n      1431. Eugenius IV.\n      1455. Calixtus III.\n      1458. Pius II.\n      1464. Paul II.\n      1476. Sixtus IV.\n      1484. Innocent VIII.\n      1492. Alexander VI.\n      1503. Pius III.\n      1503. Julius II.\n      1513. Leo X.\n      1522. Adrian VI.\n      1523. Clement VII.\n      1534. Paul III.\n      1550. Julius III.\n      1555. Marcellus II.\n      1555. Paul IV.\n      1559. Pius IV.\n      1566. Pius V.\n      1572. Gregory XIII.\n      1585. Sixtus V.\n      1590. Urban VII.\n      1590. Gregory XIV.\n      1591. Innocent IX.\n      1592. Clement VIII.\n      1605. Leo XI.\n      1605. Paul V.\n      1621. Gregory XV.\n      1623. Urban VIII.\n      1644. Innocent X.\n      1655. Alexander VII.\n      1667. Clement IX.\n      1670. Clement X.\n      1676. Innocent XI.\n      1689. Alexander VIII.\n      1691. Innocent XII.\n      1700. Clement XI.\n      1721. Innocent XIII.\n      1724. Benedict XIII.\n      1730. Clement XII.\n      1740. Benedict XIV.\n      1758. Clement XIII.\n      1769. Clement XIV., poisoned.\n      1775. Pius VI., February 14.\n      1800. Cardinal Chiaramonte. elected at Venice, as Pius VII., March\n      13.\n      1823. Annibal della Genga, Leo XII., Sept. 28.\n      1831. Cardinal Mauro Capellari, as Gregory XVI., Feb. 2.\n\nThe title of _pope_ was originally given to all bishops. It was first\nadopted by Hygenus, A. D. 138; and Pope Boniface III. procured Phocas,\nemperor of the East, to confine it to the prelates of Rome, 606. By the\nconnivance of Phocas, also, the pope\u2019s supremacy over the Christian church\nwas established. The custom of kissing the pope\u2019s toe was introduced in\n708. The first sovereign act of the popes of Rome was by Adrian I., who\ncaused money to be coined with his name, 780. Servius II. was the first\npope who changed his name, on his election, in 844. The first pope who\nkept an army was Leo IX., 1054. Gregory VII. obliged Henry IV., emperor of\nGermany, to stand three days, in the depth of winter, barefooted, at his\ncastle gate, to implore his pardon 1077. The pope\u2019s authority was firmly\nfixed in England 1079. Appeals from English tribunals to the pope were\nintroduced 1154. Henry II. of England held the stirrup for Pope Alexander\nIII. to mount his horse, 1161, and also for Becket, 1170. \u201cWhen Louis,\nking of France, and Henry II. of England, met Pope Alexander III. at the\ncastle of Torci, on the Loire, they both dismounted to receive him, and,\nholding each of them one of the reins of his bridle, walked on foot by his\nside, and conducted him in that submissive manner into the castle.\u201d Pope\nAdrian IV. was the only Englishman that ever obtained the tiara. His\narrogance was such, that he obliged Frederick I. to prostrate himself\nbefore him, kiss his foot, hold his stirrup, and lead the white palfrey on\nwhich he rode. Celestine III. kicked the emperor Henry VI.\u2019s crown off his\nhead while kneeling, to show his prerogative of making and unmaking kings,\n1191. The pope collected the tenths of the whole kingdom of England, 1226.\nAppeals to Rome from England were abolished 1533. The words \u201cLord Pope\u201d\nwere struck out of all English books 1541. The papal authority declined\nabout 1600. Kissing the pope\u2019s toe, and other ceremonies, were abolished\nby Clement XIV., 1773. The pope became destitute of all political\ninfluence in Europe, 1787. Pius VI. was burnt in effigy at Paris, 1791. He\nmade submission to the French republic, 1796, was expelled from Rome, and\ndeposed, February 22, 1798, and died at Valence, August 19, 1799. Pius\nVII. was elected in exile, March 13, 1800; he crowned Napoleon, December\n2, 1804; was dethroned May 13, 1809; remained a prisoner at Fontainebleau\ntill Napoleon\u2019s overthrow; and was restored May 24, 1814.\n\n\n\n\nSwedenborgians.\n\n\nBelievers in the doctrines of Swedenborg are found in all the states in\nthe Union. In Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York,\nPennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and Ohio, are eight ordaining ministers,\nten priests and teaching ministers, fifteen licentiates, and between\nthirty and forty societies. There are between two and three hundred towns\nor places in the United States where the doctrines of the New Jerusalem\nchurch are received by some portion of the people.\n\nThe number of Swedenborgians in the United States is about five thousand.\nThe societies of this class of Christians in England are more numerous\nthan in the United States. In Sweden they are quite numerous.\n\nPERIODICALS.\u2014The _New Jerusalem Magazine_ is issued monthly at Boston,\nMass.; the _Precursor_ is issued monthly at Cincinnati, Ohio; the _New\nChurchman_ is issued quarterly at Philadelphia.\n\n\n\n\nUnitarians.\n\n\nOf this denomination, there are about three hundred churches and\ncongregations in the United States, and near that number of ministers. In\nthe city of Boston it is one of the most numerous and influential classes\nof Christians, having eighteen societies, most of which are large and\nflourishing. In the Middle, Southern, and Western States their\ncongregations are fewer, but gradually multiplying.\n\nPERIODICALS.\u2014The _Christian Examiner_, the _Monthly Miscellany_, and the\n_Christian Register_, are published in Boston, Mass.\n\n                  -------------------------------------\n\nA favorite project of Christian philanthropy with the Unitarians has been\nthe \u201cministry to the poor\u201d in large cities and towns. They have\nestablished such an institution in Boston, New York, Cincinnati,\nLouisville, Providence, and elsewhere. In Boston, three large and\ncommodious chapels have been erected, and three ministers constantly\nemployed, by the aid of funds obtained from individual donors and annual\nsubscriptions from associations in the several churches of the\ndenomination.\n\n\n\n\nUniversalists.\n\n\nThere are, in the United States and Territories, one United States\nConvention, one United States Universalist Historical Society, twelve\nState Conventions, fifty-nine Associations, eight hundred and seventy-five\nsocieties, five hundred and fifty meeting-houses, and five hundred and\nforty preachers. Besides these, there are twenty-one periodicals published\nby the order, and twenty new books have been published within the year,\nbesides reprints. There are also five schools in the patronage of the\ndenomination. There is an Educational Association in Maine, a Sunday\nSchool Association in Massachusetts, a Publishing Association in\nPennsylvania, a public library of fifteen hundred volumes in Ohio, and two\nBook Associations in Indiana and Illinois.\n\nBy adding the numbers of societies, etc., in the British Provinces, to\nthose in the United States, there are, at present, the grand total of one\nGeneral Convention, twelve State Conventions, fifty-five Associations,\neight hundred and ninety-five societies, five hundred and fifty-six\nmeeting-houses, and five hundred and forty-six preachers.\n\n                  -------------------------------------\n\nPERIODICALS.\u2014_Gospel Banner and Christian Pilot_, Augusta, Me.; EASTERN\nROSE-BUD, Portland, Me.; _Universalist and Family Visitor_,\nContoocookville, N. H.; _Universalist Watchman_, Montpelier, Vt.; _Trumpet\nand Universalist Magazine_, Boston, Mass.; _Christian Freeman and Family\nVisitor_, Boston, Mass.; _Universalist and Ladies Repository_, Boston,\nMass.; _Light of Zion, and Sabbath School Contributor_, Boston, Mass.;\n_Star and Palladium_, Lowell, Mass.; _Gospel Messenger_, Providence, R.\nI.; _Universalist_, Middletown, Ct.; _New York Christian Messenger_, New\nYork city; _Universalist Union_, New York city; _Evangelical Magazine and\nGospel Advocate_, Utica, N. Y.; _Western Luminary_, Rochester, N. Y.; _The\nNazarene_, Philadelphia, Pa.; _Christian Warrior_, Richmond, Va.;\n_Southern Universalist_, Columbus, Ga.; _Star in the West_, Cincinnati,\nOhio; _Christian Teacher_, Lafayette, Ind.; _Better Covenant_, Rockford,\nIll.\n\n\n\n\n\nMISSIONARY STATISTICS.\n\n\nWe have been much assisted in our missionary statistics by the kindness of\nthe secretaries of the several Missionary Boards, and by permission of the\nproprietor, Mr. F. Rand, for the use of his valuable Missionary Chart,\nprepared with great care, in 1840, by the Reverend Messrs. Jefferson\nHascall and Daniel Wise.\n\nThose of the Congregationalists, Baptists, Methodists, and Episcopalians,\nare brought down to 1841, and are quite accurate; but the efforts of some\nof the other denominations in this great and glorious cause are not fully\nstated, as some of the items have not been reported.\n\n\n\n\nFirst Protestant Missions.\n\n\nThe first Protestant mission on record was undertaken in 1559, by Michael,\nwho was sent into Lapland by Gustavus Vasa, king of Sweden.\n\nJohn Eliot commenced the first mission to the Indians at _Nonantum_, now\nNewton, Massachusetts, in 1646. This mission gave rise to a society in\nEngland for the propagation of the gospel in New England, and to the\nformation of several other missionary stations; so that, in 1696, there\nwere thirty Indian churches in New England.\n\nIn 1705, Messrs. Ziegenbalg and Plutcho, under the auspices of Frederick\nIV., king of Denmark, commenced a mission at Tranquebar, in South\nHindoostan, which was very successful. Its fruits continue to the present\ntime.\n\nIn 1728, a mission was begun by Schultze, at Madras, under the patronage\nof the Christian Knowledge Society. In the following thirty-three years,\nfourteen hundred and seventy converts united with the church.\n\n\n\n\nMoravian Missions.\n\n\nThe Moravians trace their origin to the ninth century, when the king of\nMoravia united with the Greek church.\n\nWEST INDIAN MISSION.\u2014The Moravians commenced their mission on the Island\nof St. Thomas in 1732. Its commencement was occasioned by a conversation\nbetween a negro, named Anthony, and some servants of Count Zinzendorf. The\nnegro said he had a sister at St. Thomas, who was deeply anxious to be\ninstructed about religion. This remark was repeated to one of \u201cthe\n_brethren_,\u201d named Leonard Dober. He determined to visit St. Thomas,\n\u201ceven,\u201d as he said, \u201cif he were obliged to sell himself for a slave to\neffect his purpose.\u201d Dober went; and though, for a time, little good was\neffected, yet, in 1736, the Lord poured out his spirit, and many of the\nslaves were awakened. There are now two stations on this island.\n\nIn 1734, they began their mission on the Island of St. Croix. It was soon\nabandoned, but was re\u00ebstablished in 1740. In 1754, missions were commenced\non the Islands of St. Jan and Jamaica; in 1756, at Antigua; in 1765, at\nBarbadoes; in 1777, at St. Christopher\u2019s; and at Tobago in 1790.\n\nGREENLAND MISSION.\u2014This was commenced in 1733, at New Herrnhut, or\nLusatia, by Matthew and Christian Stach, when the congregation of the\nbrethren at home amounted to but six hundred members. They persevered\nthrough cold, hunger, and discouragement, though for five years they had\nno conversions. Greenland is _now_ a Christian country.\n\nNORTH AMERICAN INDIAN MISSIONS.\u2014These were begun in Georgia, 1735, among\nthe Creeks, at the instigation of Count Zinzendorf. It was followed by\nnumerous other stations, many of which have since become extinct.\n\nSOUTH AMERICAN MISSIONS.\u2014Surinam, a Dutch settlement in Guiana, was the\nscene of their first operations here, about 1735 or 1738. They began on\nthe invitation of a planter. Several other settlements were attempted, but\nwere subsequently abandoned, for various causes. In 1767, they commenced a\nprosperous station at Paramaribo.\n\nLABRADOR MISSIONS.\u2014Supposing that a natural affinity subsisted between\nthis people and the Greenlanders, the brethren commenced their labors here\nin 1752. This attempt failed; but, in 1770, a settlement was effected at\nNain, by the agency of Messrs. Haven, Drachart, and Jensen.\n\nSOUTH AFRICAN MISSION.\u2014George Schmidt was the father of this mission. He\ncommenced it in 1737; but it was afterwards abandoned for about fifty\nyears, until, in 1792, a permanent settlement was effected at Gnadenthal,\none hundred and thirty-five miles east of Cape Town.\n\nNOTE.\u2014The brethren have also had missions, at different periods, in\nAsiatic Russia, Egypt, Persia, Lapland, Guinea, Algiers, Ceylon and the\nNicobar Islands; all of which, for various causes, have been abandoned.\n\nSummary.\n\nIn the year 1840, the Moravians had, in the afore-mentioned places and in\nSouth Africa, forty-seven stations and out-stations, one hundred and\nninety-seven missionaries and assistants, seventeen thousand seven hundred\nand three communicants, and fifty-seven thousand two hundred and\nfifty-five souls under their care.\n\n\n\n\nLondon Missionary Society.\n\n\nThe extensive and splendid missions of this board originated with the Rev.\nDavid Bogue, while on a visit to London. From his suggestions, the society\nwas formed, in 1795, by several ministers of various denominations.\n\nSOUTH SEA ISLANDS.\u2014The society commenced their labors among these isles by\nsending out thirty-six missionaries, in 1796, who arrived safely, and\ncommenced their duties at Otaheite, Tongataboo, and St. Christina, in\nMarch, 1797. Subsequently, they spread their influence over nearly all the\nislands of the Pacific Ocean. These missions have been eminently\nsuccessful.\n\nNEW SOUTH WALES.\u2014This mission was begun by the labors of Mr. Threlkeld, in\n1826, in Bahtabee, on Lake Macquaire.\n\nSOUTH AFRICAN MISSIONS.\u2014The success of the missions in the islands of the\nPacific and South Seas, turned their attention to this dark land. Dr.\nVanderkemp, who was their first laborer, began his labors on the River\nKeis Kamma, in Caffraria, in 1799. In 1801, he removed to Graff Reinet,\nand preached to the Hottentots in that vicinity. These missions afterwards\nspread very widely among the Caffres and Hottentots.\n\nEAST INDIAN MISSIONS.\u2014The society\u2019s missions in this most interesting\nquarter of the globe were commenced at Calcutta and Chinsura, by the Rev.\nMr. Forsyth, in 1798. Subsequently, their stations spread over Northern\nand Peninsular India, India beyond the Ganges, into China, Siam, and some\nof the Asiatic Isles.\n\nGUIANA AND WEST INDIES.\u2014At the request of a pious Dutch planter, Mr. Wray\nwas sent to Demerara, in Guiana, in 1807. This was the beginning of the\nsociety\u2019s operations in South America.\n\nOTHER MISSIONS.\u2014Beside these, are the European and Mediterranean islands\nmissions, which, though of recent date, are promising in their aspects.\n\nEDUCATION.\u2014This society has several presses distributed over the vast\nfield occupied by their agents, by means of which millions of pages are\nannually scattered among the people. They publish tracts parts of the\nScriptures, &c. &c. They have also upwards of four hundred native\nassistants, which are not mentioned in the following summary.\n\nSummary.\n\nFrom the best accounts we can obtain, this society had, in 1840, in Asia,\nthe South Sea Islands, Africa, Guiana, and in Europe, about five hundred\nand fifty missionary stations and out-stations, one hundred and sixty-four\nmissionaries, five thousand communicants, and about twenty-five thousand\nscholars.\n\n\n\n\nAmerican Board Of Foreign Missions.\n\n\nMISSIONS IN ASIA.\u2014The news of the success of English missionary\nenterprise, seconded by the zeal and influence of S. J. Mills, originated\nthe germ of the invaluable labors of this board, which was organized in\n1810. Their first missions were in Asia. Bombay was the scene of their\nfirst labors, in the year 1813, and Messrs. Nott, Newell, and Hall, their\nfirst missionaries. From Bombay they extended their influence to Ceylon,\nin 1816; to China, and South-eastern Asia, and to Siam, in 1830.\n\nMEDITERRANEAN MISSIONS.\u2014These missions were begun by sending out Messrs.\nParsons and Fisk on a voyage of research. The first station occupied was\nBeyroot, in Syria, in 1823. To this, stations at Malta, in Greece, at\nConstantinople, &c., have been added.\n\nMISSIONS AT THE SANDWICH ISLANDS.\u2014A special providence marked the\ncommencement of these missions. Two boys, named Obookiah and Hopu, were,\nat their own request, brought to America. This gave rise to a train of\ninteresting circumstances, which led to the commencement of the mission,\nin 1820, by Messrs. Bingham, Thurston, and others. Vast success has\nattended this mission, especially of late.\n\nNORTH AMERICAN INDIAN MISSIONS.\u2014These were commenced in 1816, among the\nCherokees, by the Rev. C. Kingsbury. The Choctaws, the Chickasaws, the\nOsages, and other tribes, have since shared the labors of the board. The\nlate unhappy removal of the Cherokee nation has done much towards the\nprostration of missionary success among that interesting but\ndeeply-injured tribe.\n\nMISSIONS IN AFRICA.\u2014The efforts of the board in this quarter of the globe\nare of recent date. Only seven years have elapsed since their\ncommencement. Some native towns on the western coast, and a numerous\naboriginal tribe called the Zulus, on the south-east shore, are the chief\nobjects of their labors at present. This field is considered very\npromising, and it is confidently believed that its occupation will be one\neffectual aid in the great work of regenerating that darkened, enslaved,\nand degraded continent.\n\nIn 1841, this board had missions to the Zulus in South Africa, the Grebos\nin West Africa, to Greece, to Turkey, Syria, the Nestorians of Persia, the\nIndependent Nestorians, the Persian Mahometans, to the Mahrattas in\nWestern India, to Madras and Madura in Southern India, to Ceylon, Siam,\nChina Singapore, Borneo, and to the Sandwich Islands.\n\nThey have missions to the Cherokee Indians, the Choctaws, Pawnees, to the\nOregon Indians, the Sioux, Ojibwas, Stockbridge Indians, New York Indians,\nand to the Abenaquis.\n\nSummary Of Foreign Missions.\n\nThe number of missions in this department is seventeen; of stations,\nsixty-one; of ordained missionaries, one hundred and eleven, five of whom\nare also physicians; of physicians, seven; of teachers, eight; of secular\nsuperintendents, two; of printers, eleven; of bookbinders, one; of female\nhelpers, married and unmarried, one hundred and thirty-nine;\u2014making a\ntotal of laborers beyond sea from this country of two hundred and eighty.\nTo these add four native preachers, and one hundred and thirty-five other\nnative helpers, and the number of laborers who are employed and supported\nby the board in the missions beyond sea, is four hundred and nineteen.\n\nSummary Of Indian Missions.\n\nAmong the Indian nations, there are twenty-five stations; twenty-five\nmissionaries, two of whom are physicians; two other physicians, five\nteachers; ten other male, and fifty-nine female, assistant missionaries;\nthree native preachers; and three other native assistants;\u2014total, one\nhundred and seven.\n\nGeneral Summary.\n\nThe number of the missions in 1841 was twenty-six; stations, eighty-five;\nand ordained missionaries, one hundred and thirty-six, ten of whom were\nphysicians. There were nine physicians not preachers, thirteen teachers,\ntwelve printers and bookbinders, and twelve other male and one hundred and\nninety-eight female assistant missionaries. The whole number of laborers\nfrom this country was three hundred and eighty-one, or sixteen more than\nwere reported in 1840. To these we must add seven native preachers, and\none hundred and thirty-eight native helpers, which made the whole number\nfive hundred and twenty-six, thirty-nine more than in 1840. Nine ordained\nmissionaries, three male and seventeen female assistant missionaries, have\nbeen sent forth during the year.\n\nThe number of mission churches was fifty-nine, containing nineteen\nthousand eight hundred and forty-two members, of whom four thousand three\nhundred and fifty were received the year before.\n\nThere were fifteen printing establishments, twenty-nine presses, five\ntype-founderies, and fifty founts of type in the native languages. The\nprinting for the year was about fifty million pages; the amount of\nprinting from the beginning is about two hundred and ninety million pages.\nTwenty-four thousand copies of the _Missionary Herald_ are now published\nmonthly, and sixty-five thousand copies of the _Day-spring_, a monthly\npaper, are also issued.\n\nSeven of the thirty-four boarding-schools have received the name of\nseminaries, and these contain four hundred and ninety-nine boys; the other\ntwenty-seven contain two hundred and fifty three boys and three hundred\nand seventy-eight girls;\u2014making a total of boarding scholars of one\nthousand one hundred and thirty. The number of free schools was four\nhundred and ninety, containing about twenty-three thousand pupils.\n\nThe receipts have been two hundred and thirty-five thousand one hundred\nand eighty-nine dollars, and the expenditures two hundred and sixty eight\nthousand, nine hundred and fifteen dollars.\n\n\n\n\nPresbyterian Board Of Foreign Missions.\n\n\nUntil within a few years, this body of Christians united with the American\nboard in their operations among the heathen. A distinct society, under the\nname of the _Western Foreign Missionary Society_, was formed in 1831, by\nthe synod of Pittsburg, which was merged into the present board in 1837.\n\nThree of the missions of the board were begun by this society, namely, the\nWestern Africa, the Hindoostan, and Iowa and Sac missions.\n\nThis board is intending to re\u00ebnforce its missions, and to occupy several\nnew stations, as soon as the requisite arrangements can be made. Its main\nefforts will be directed towards Hindoostan, where it has now two presses\nin active co\u00f6peration with its missionaries. This denomination of\nChristians have the following missions:\u2014Iowa and Sac Indians; Chippewa and\nOttawa Indians; Texas; Western Africa, _Kroos_; Chinese, _Singapore_;\nSiam; Northern India, _Lodiana_, Allahabad, Furrukhabad.\n\nSummary.\n\nThis church has now under her care in the foreign field, fifty-seven\nlaborers sent from her own bosom, twenty-three of whom are ministers of\nthe gospel; besides eight native assistants, some of them men of learning,\nall of them hopefully pious, and in different stages of preparation and\ntrial for the missionary work among their own benighted people. Through\nthe mission stations occupied by these brethren, the church is brought in\ndirect contact with five different heathen nations, containing two thirds\nof the whole human race. Annual expenditure about sixty-five thousand\ndollars.\n\nThe Presbyterian Domestic Board of Missions employs or aids two hundred\nand sixty missionaries and agents, who have under their charge about\ntwenty thousand communicants, and twenty thousand Sabbath school scholars.\nAnnual disbursements about thirty-five thousand dollars.\n\n\n\n\nEnglish Baptist Missionary Society.\n\n\nEAST INDIES.\u2014A mission was commenced at Serampore in 1793. The English\nBaptists were just awakening to a sense of their responsibility for the\nconversion of the world, when Dr. Thomas arrived in London, to solicit\nmissionary aid for Hindoostan. The society took him under their patronage,\nand sent him back in company with Dr. Cary. After laboring successfully in\nvarious places, in 1800 Dr. Cary removed to Serampore, which thenceforward\nbecame a central station.\n\nWEST INDIAN MISSIONS.\u2014In 1814, a mulatto preacher, named Baker, requested\nthis society to send a missionary to Jamaica. In compliance with this\nrequest, Mr. I. Rowe was sent out, who, after laboring with pleasing\nsuccess, died; and, in 1815, the society sent out Mr. Compere and\nassistants, who established a mission in Kingston. This was the origin of\nthe Baptist missions in the West Indies.\n\nSOUTH AMERICAN MISSION.\u2014On a representation to the society, that much good\nmight be done among the negro population and the Indians in and around\nHonduras, in the Bay of Mexico, the society, in 1822, sent out Mr. J.\nBourne, who succeeded in establishing a church and congregation.\n\nSOUTH AFRICAN MISSION.\u2014In 1831, Rev. W. Davies was sent to Graham\u2019s Town,\nat the urgent solicitation of some Baptists, resident at that place.\n\nSummary.\n\nThis society have, in Asia, the Asiatic Islands, West Indies, South\nAmerica, and South Africa, one hundred and twenty-nine stations and\nout-stations, one hundred and thirty-four missionaries and assistants,\ntwenty-two thousand four hundred and eighty-eight communicants, and\nseventeen thousand seven hundred and thirty-five scholars. This statement\ndoes not contain the full amount of their labors to the present year.\n\n\n\n\nAmerican Baptist Board Of Foreign Missions.\n\n\nMISSIONS IN ASIA.\u2014Rev. A. Judson may be said to be the father of Baptist\nmissions in this country, and, indeed, of the missionary labors of this\nsociety. It was his conversion to the principles of the Baptists, while a\nmissionary of the American board in India, that roused them to action. He\ncommenced his labors under discouraging circumstances, at Rangoon, in the\nBurman empire, 1813. Since then, the operations of this board have become\nvery extensive, embracing immense portions of the Burman empire, Siam, &c.\nAsia is their principal mission field, and they have laid sure foundations\nfor the evangelization of many parts of that benighted clime.\n\nINDIAN MISSIONS.\u2014An impression, made, no doubt, by divine influence, of\nthe importance of missions to this people, led, in 1817, to the\nappointment of J. M. Peck and J. E. Welch to be missionaries to the North\nAmerican Indians. J. M. Peck commenced their first Indian mission among\nthe Cherokees in 1818. Many tribes are now embraced by the labors of the\nboard, and although the progress of truth has been slow among the \u201cred\nmen,\u201d yet the board have cause to rejoice over their Indian missions.\n\nAFRICAN MISSION.\u2014This mission was commenced by the offer of L. Cary and C.\nTeage, colored men, to become the messengers of the churches in this work.\nThey commenced their duties, in 1821, at Liberia, where the board\ncontinues its efforts for the redemption of Africa, with some success,\nchiefly among the Bassas.\n\nEUROPEAN MISSIONS.\u2014These missions were commenced in 1832. Professor Chase\nwas sent to explore the kingdom of France, and the Rev. J. C. Rostan\ncommenced a course of evangelical demonstrations at Paris; since which,\nGermany and Greece have shared the attention of the board. These are\nmissions of the first importance.\n\nGeneral Summary.\n\nThis board have missions as follow:\u2014In North America, to the Ojibwas, near\nLake Superior; the Ottawas, in Michigan; Oneidas, in New York; Otoes, near\nthe junction of Missouri and Platte Rivers; Shawanoes, including the\nDelawares, Putawatomies, and Western Ottawas, in the Indian Territory;\nCherokees, Creeks, and Choctaws, in the Indian Territory. In Europe, they\nhave missions to France, Germany, Denmark, and Greece;\u2014to the Bassas, in\nWest Africa;\u2014in Asia, to Burmah and the Karens; to Siam and China,\nArracan, Asam, and to the Teloogoos.\n\nThe number of Indian missions is eight; stations and out-stations,\nsixteen; missionaries and assistant missionaries, twenty-eight; native\nassistants, ten; churches, sixteen; baptisms reported the last year, two\nhundred and seventy-one; present number of church members, one thousand\nthree hundred and twenty-four; schools, seven; scholars, one hundred and\nninety-two.\n\nThe number of European missions is three; stations and out-stations,\ntwenty; missionaries and assistant missionaries, seven; native preachers\nand assistants, twenty-three; churches, twenty-seven; baptisms the past\nyear, one hundred and eighty-seven; church members, five hundred and\nfifty-eight.\n\nIn the mission to West Africa there are two stations, five missionaries\nand assistant missionaries, one native assistant, two churches of\ntwenty-five members, and two schools containing eighty-five scholars.\n\nThe number of the Asiatic missions is eight, stations and out-stations,\nsixty-two; missionaries and assistant missionaries, fifty-nine; native\nassistants, seventy-seven; churches, thirty-two; baptisms the past year,\nthree hundred and seventeen; church members, one thousand eight hundred\nand two; schools, thirty-five, scholars, five hundred and sixty.\n\nGrand total, twenty missions, one hundred stations and out-stations,\nninety-nine missionaries and assistant missionaries, one hundred and\neleven native preachers and assistants, seventy-seven churches, seven\nhundred and eighty baptisms the past year, more than three thousand seven\nhundred members of mission churches, forty-four schools, and eight hundred\nand seventy-seven scholars.\n\nThe annual expenditure of the board is about eighty thousand dollars.\n\n\n\n\nFree-Will Baptists.\n\n\nThis flourishing class of Christians have not, until recently, directed\ntheir efforts to a foreign field. They now occupy one station in Orissa,\nwhere they have two missionaries with their ladies. Two other missionaries\nare about being located, for which purpose funds are now provided.\n\n\n\n\nEpiscopal Missions.\n\n\nThe Church of England has been actively engaged in missionary operations\nsince the year 1698, when the \u201cSociety for Promoting Christian Knowledge\u201d\nwas formed. In 1701, the \u201cSociety for the Propagation of the Gospel in\nForeign Parts\u201d was instituted. The \u201cChurch Missionary Society\u201d was\nestablished in 1800. These societies are still in active and vigorous\noperation. They have missions in every quarter of the globe, and their\nannual expenditures, for the propagation of the Gospel, amount to about\none million three hundred and seventeen thousand three hundred and\nfifty-six dollars.\n\nThe Episcopal Church in the United States established a _Domestic and\nForeign Missionary Society_ in 1820; and the General Convention of 1835\nresolved, That the Church itself was the missionary society and that every\nmember of the Church, by baptism, was, of course, bound to support her\nmissions. The missionary field was declared to be THE WORLD, _domestic\nmissions_ being those established within the territory of the United\nStates, and _foreign missions_ those without that territory. At each\ntriennial meeting of the General Convention, a Board of Missions,\nconsisting of about one hundred members, is selected from the different\ndioceses. This Board has the general supervision of all the missionary\noperations of the Church; and meets annually, or oftener, if necessary.\n\nThere are two standing committees of this Board,\u2014the _Committee for\nDomestic Missions_ and the _Committee for Foreign Missions_, to whom,\nduring the recess of the Board, the care and management of the missions is\nconfided. This Society now has under its charge one hundred and forty-five\ndomestic, and twelve foreign stations, employing eighty-five domestic and\neleven foreign missionaries, and also eighteen teachers and assistants in\nthe foreign stations.\n\nThe expenditures of this Board, for the year 1841, were sixty-one thousand\nfive hundred and eighty-six dollars and thirty-seven cents. This Society\nhas missionary stations in Athens, Crete, Constantinople, China, (Maca,)\nCape Palmas and other stations in Western Africa, and in Texas.\n\n\n\n\nSociety For Propagating The Gospel Among The Indians And Others.\n\n\nThis society derived its origin among the Puritans, in England, in 1648.\nThe charter under which it now acts was granted by the legislature of\nMassachusetts, in 1687. Its list of past and present members in 1840,\ncomprised one hundred and twenty-five names of the most eminent divines,\njurists, and laymen in Massachusetts, in which state the operations of the\nsociety are chiefly confined. The funds of this society, in 1840, amounted\nto thirty-six thousand three hundred and eighty-seven dollars, the income\nof which is annually expended for the \u201cpropagation of the gospel\u201d among\nthe needy and destitute.\n\nIn conformity with the spirit and design of this ancient and venerable\nsociety, all measures in any degree of a party or sectarian character, are\nscrupulously avoided.\n\n\n\n\nWesleyan Or English Methodist Missionary Society.\n\n\nScarcely had Mr. Wesley raised the standard of Methodism in England,\nbefore he turned his attention to the wants of other lands. America\npresenting a vast field for missionary labor, he sent over Richard\nBoardman and Joseph Pilmore, in 1769. These were the first Methodist\nmissionaries. From their labors the Methodist Episcopal church in the\nUnited States gradually came into being. Dr. Coke was pre\u00ebminently useful\nin establishing missions in various places This society was organized in\n1817.\n\nWEST INDIES.\u2014A peculiar providence marked the commencement of this\nmission. Dr. Coke, with three preachers, was proceeding to Nova Scotia, in\nSeptember, 1786, but was driven, by stress of weather, to Antigua. Finding\na number of serious persons there, he preached Jesus to them, and by his\nlabors laid the foundation for extensive missions.\n\nBRITISH NORTH AMERICA.\u2014About 1779, several Methodist emigrants were the\nmeans of awakening many souls. Among these was Mr. Black, who, after\nlaboring for some time with zeal and success, was appointed the\nsuperintendent of the mission in British North America. This mission\nembraces Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Canada, Newfoundland, and Honduras.\n\nMISSIONS IN ASIA.\u2014The plan of establishing missions in Asia originated\nwith Dr. Coke; and, in 1813, he sailed, with Messrs. Harvard, Clough,\nAult, Erskine, Squance, and Lynch, for Ceylon. Unfortunately, he died on\nthe passage. The brethren, after many trials, reached Ceylon, and\ncommenced their labors at Jaffna, Batticaloa, and Matura. From Ceylon, the\nsociety directed its attention to continental India, where their labors\nhave become very extensive.\n\nMISSIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA.\u2014These missions were begun in 1816, by Rev.\nBarnabas Shaw, among the Namaquas, a tribe of Hottentots. These missions\nhave subsequently spread over large portions of this benighted land.\n\nMISSIONS IN THE SOUTH SEAS.\u2014These missions include the Friendly Isles, New\nZealand, New South Wales, &c. They were commenced at the latter place, in\n1815, by Mr. Leigh, who began his duties and labors at Sydney, with\nfavorable auspices and good success.\n\nMISSIONS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN.\u2014These were commenced in Gibraltar, in 1804,\nby Mr. McMullen, who died a few days after beginning his labors. The\nmission was then suspended until 1808, when Mr. William Griffith was\nappointed to its charge. Besides this mission, the Methodists have\nstations at Malta, Alexandria, and Zanto.\n\nMISSIONS IN EUROPE.\u2014These missions embrace the labors of the society in\nSweden, France, Germany, Ireland, and the Norman and Shetland Isles.\nNotwithstanding many obstacles, arising from intolerance, ignorance, or\nsuperstition, the good work progresses at these missions.\n\nSummary.\n\nIn 1840, this society had, in the West Indies, fifty missionary stations;\nin British North America, eighty-four stations; in Asia, twenty-two,; in\nthe South Seas, twenty-five; in Africa, thirty-one; and in Europe,\nforty-two stations. In all these countries the society had two hundred and\nfifty-four stations, six hundred and twenty-three missionaries and\nteachers, seventy-two thousand seven hundred and twenty-four communicants,\nand fifty-six thousand five hundred and twenty-two scholars.\n\n\n\n\nMissions Of The Methodist Episcopal Church.\n\n\nI. FOREIGN MISSIONS.\n\n1. _The Liberia Mission_ was commenced in 1833, by the Rev. M. B. Cox,\nwho, in a few short months after, was called to his eternal reward. His\ndying language was, \u201cThough a thousand fall, Africa must not be given up.\u201d\nFive other missionaries have fallen in the same field. The Liberia mission\nnow includes an annual conference of seventeen preachers, all colored,\nexcept the superintendent and the two brethren recently sent out. It has a\nmembership of nearly one thousand, of whom one hundred and fifty are\n_natives_. There are thirteen day schools, in which from five hundred to\nsix hundred children are instructed, (of whom about forty are natives,\npreparing for future usefulness,) fourteen churches, eight mission-houses,\nthree school-houses, one academy, (a stone building,) and one\nprinting-office. Total of missionaries, male and female, twenty-four.\n\n2. _The Oregon Mission._\u2014This mission was commenced by Rev. Messrs. Jason\nand Daniel Lee, and now numbers twenty-one missionaries, including\npreachers, teachers, physicians, farmers, mechanics, &c. The greater part\nof these were sent out in 1840, making, with their wives and children,\nabout fifty souls\u2014the largest missionary expedition going, at one time,\nfrom this country. They are now laying the foundations of their future\nwork.\n\n3. _The Texas Mission_ was commenced by Rev. Dr. Ruter, assisted by two\nyoung preachers, who accompanied him to that country in 1837. An annual\nconference was established in this mission field in 1840, which now\nincludes three regular presiding elders\u2019 districts, and eighteen stations\nand circuits. It numbers twenty-three travelling preachers, thirty-six\nlocal preachers, (i. e., lay preachers, who support themselves, and preach\nas they have opportunity) and two thousand seven hundred and ninety-five\nmembers. There is a college at Rutersville.\n\nII. DOMESTIC MISSIONS.\n\n1. _German Missions._\u2014The first German mission was established in\nCincinnati, in 1835, by Rev. William Nast. There are now seventeen German\nmissions, containing about one thousand members, in the states of Ohio,\nPennsylvania, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, and New York. A\nGerman paper is published at Cincinnati, called _The Christian Apologist_,\nhaving eleven hundred subscribers.\n\n2. _Indian Missions._\u2014There are eighteen missions, and one manual labor\nschool, among the Indians located within the bounds of Rock River,\nMichigan, Holston, Missouri, Mississippi, and Arkansas conferences. These\nnow include two thousand six hundred and seventeen native church members.\n\n3. _Missions among the Slaves._\u2014There are forty-seven of these missions in\nsuccessful operation, including twelve thousand three hundred and\nninety-three in church fellowship.\n\n4. _Missions in Destitute Portions of the Country._\u2014There are one hundred\nand eight domestic missions of this kind, which embrace twenty-three\nthousand nine hundred and fifty-eight church members.\n\nAggregate.\n\nForeign missions\u2014sixty-three missionaries, four thousand three hundred and\nseventeen church members.\u2014Domestic missions\u2014one hundred and seventy-eight\nmissionaries, forty-one thousand church members.\u2014Total\u2014two hundred and\nforty-one missionaries, forty-five thousand three hundred and seventeen\nchurch members.\n\nThe whole amount of missionary money collected for the year ending April\n20, 1842, is one hundred and five thousand two hundred and eighty-one\ndollars; expended, one hundred and forty-nine thousand and sixty-five\ndollars.\n\n\n\n\nSeventh-Day Baptist Missionary Society.\n\n\nThe operations of this society are confined to the occasional assistance\nof destitute churches at home. It employs six agents and missionaries. Its\nreceipts for 1838 were one hundred and eighty-six dollars.\n\nThe Seventh-Day Baptists have also a _Society for the Promotion of\nChristianity among the_ JEWS, at home and abroad. It was organized in\n1838.\n\n\n\n\nFrench Protestant Missionary Society.\n\n\nThis society was formed in 1822, at the house of S. V. S. Wilder Esq., an\nAmerican merchant, then residing in Paris. It has a seminary for the\npreparation of students. In 1829, it sent out three missionaries to their\nfirst field of labor, among the French emigrants of South Africa, and\namong the surrounding tribes. It had, in 1839, in South Africa, seven\nstations, twelve missionaries, about one hundred converts, and five\nhundred scholars.\n\n\n\n\nNetherlands Missionary Society.\n\n\nThe principal labors of this society are expended in Dutch India and in\nSiam. In Dutch India they have eighteen missionaries, at thirteen\nstations. Of the success of this society, little is known in this country.\n\n\n\n\nScottish Missionary Society.\n\n\nThis society was established, in 1796, by the members of the Episcopal\nchurch in Edinburgh. It has had missions in Tartary, Asia, and the West\nIndies. Some of them are still sustained.\n\n\n\n\nGerman Missionary Society.\n\n\nThis society was preceded in its formation by the Missionary Seminary at\nB\u00e2sle, in 1816. In 1821, the Missionary Society was formed by the various\npastors and churches of the surrounding country, under the encouragement\nof Dr. Steinkopff. The scene of their first labors was among the German\ncolonies in Asiatic Russia, in 1822, when seven missionaries were sent to\nprepare the way of the Lord in that important field. Others followed, and\ntheir mission was beginning to promise great results, when, in 1837, by a\n_ukase_ from the emperor of the Russias, they were required to abandon\ntheir work.\n\nIn 1828, they commenced a mission at Liberia. Death became their opponent\nhere, and seven of their missionaries died through the sickliness of the\nclimate. Two missionaries are still laboring in that field.\n\nThey have seven missionaries in Hindoostan, who occupy two\nstations,\u2014Mangalore and Dharwar. They expect to establish another,\nshortly, at Hoobly, for which five missionaries have been sent out. There\nare several schools, and one seminary, connected with these stations.\n\n\n\n\nChurch Of Scotland Missions.\n\n\nThese missions appear to be of recent date. Most of their labor is\nexpended on Asia.\n\nCalcutta, Bombay, Poonah, and Madras, are their principal stations. Their\nmissionaries devote a large portion of their efforts to the promotion of\neducation.\n\n\n\n\nRhenish Missionary Society.\n\n\nThe successes of the London Missionary Society inspired the pious\ninhabitants of the valley of the Rhine with an ardent wish to imitate\ntheir zeal. Under this impulse, a society was formed, in 1828, at Barmen,\non the Rhine, by a union of the previously-formed societies of Barmen,\nElberfield, Cologne, and Wesel.\n\nMessrs. Gottlieb, Leipold, Zahn and Wurmb, were among their earliest\nmissionaries. Wurmb was formerly a soldier. He fought in the battle of\nLeipsic as lieutenant, and obtained two medals of honor. He next studied\nmedicine, and gained a diploma; and when he became a subject of religious\ninfluence, he laid all his honors and learning at the foot of the cross.\nHe began his labors at Wupperthal, in South Africa, in which country are\nseveral missionaries, and four stations.\n\n\n\n\nMissions Of The Roman Catholic Church.\n\n\nWe regret that it is not in our power to record the missionary efforts of\nthe Roman Catholics. Suffice it to say that their missions extend to all\ncountries, and that they are ardent in their zeal, indefatigable in their\nlabors, and unsparing in their expenditures, in the propagation of the\ndoctrines of this ancient church.\n\n\n\n\nJews\u2019 Missionary Society.\n\n\nThis association was formed in England, in 1808. It is patronized chiefly\nby ministers and members of the established church. It has forty-nine\nmissionaries and agents, who occupy twenty-three stations in Asia and\nEurope. Of these missionaries, twenty-four are Jewish converts. Its\nreceipts in 1839 were upwards of eighty thousand dollars. Three or four\nthousand Jews have been converted, by this and other instrumentalities,\nwithin a few years.\n\nIn England, there is an institution for the purpose of receiving Jewish\nconverts, and teaching them a trade. A considerable number have enjoyed\nits privileges.\n\n\n\n\nIndians.\n\n\nAs great efforts are making, by almost all classes of Christians to spread\nthe benign influence of the gospel among the red men on our borders, it\nmay not be amiss to state their locations, numbers, &c. &c.\n\n                  -------------------------------------\n\nMr. McCoy, in his valuable \u201cAnnual Register of Indian Affairs,\u201d published\nat Shawanoe, in the Indian Territory, makes many important statements\nrespecting this highly-interesting people.\n\nHe says that the number of Indians north of Mexico may be fairly estimated\nat one million eight hundred thousand. He estimates the population of the\ntribes east and west of the Mississippi as follows:\u2014\n\nTribes East Of Mississippi River.\n\nIndians in New England and New York       4,715\nIndians from New York, at Green Bay         725\nWyandots, in Ohio and Michigan              623\nMiamies                                   1,200\nWinnebagoes                               4,591\nChippewas                                 6,793\nOttawas and Chippewas of Lake Michigan    5,300\nChippewas, Ottawas, and Putawatomies      8,000\nPutawatomies                              1,400\nMenominees                                4,200\nCreeks                                   23,668\nCherokees                                10,000\nChickasaws                                5,429\nChoctaws                                  3,500\nSeminoles                                 2,420\nAppalachicolas                              340\nTotal                                    81,904\n\nTribes West Of Mississippi River.\n\nSioux                                                27,500\nIowas                                                 1,200\nSauks of Missouri                                       500\nSauks and Foxes                                       6,400\nAssinaboines                                          8,000\nCrees                                                 3,000\nCamanches                                             7,000\nCrows                                                 4,500\nArrepahas, Kiawas, &c.                                1,400\nCaddoes                                                 800\nSnake and other tribes within the Rocky Mountains    20,000\nGros-ventres                                          3,000\nArrekaras                                             3,000\nCheyennes                                             2,000\nMinatarees                                            1,500\nMandans                                               1,500\nBlack Feet                                           30,000\nTribes west of Rocky Mountains                       80,000\nTotal                                               201,300\n\nThe above tribes, although within the territory of the United States, are\nnot within what is commonly called the Indian Territory.\n\nMr. McCoy states the names and numbers of the indigenous and emigrant\ntribes within the Indian Territory, so called, as follow:\u2014\n\nIndigenous Tribes.\n\nOsage                 5,510\nKauzau, or Kansas     1,684\nOtoe and Missouria    1,600\nOmaha                 1,400\nPawnee               10,000\nPuncah                  800\nQuapau                  450\nTotal                21,444\n\nEmigrant Tribes.\n\nChoctaw                         15,000\nCherokee                         4,000\nCreek                            3,600\nSeneca and Shawanoo of Neosho      462\nWea                                225\nPiankasha                          119\nPeoria and Kaskaskias              135\nOttawa                              81\nShawanoe of Kauzau River           764\nDelaware                           856\nKickapoo                           603\nPutawatomie                        444\nEmigrant                        26,289\nIndigenous                      21,444\nTotal                           47,733\n\nAmong the population of the emigrant tribes are included thirteen hundred\nand fifty negro slaves.\n\nMr. McCoy estimates that, of the one million eight hundred thousand\nIndians in North America, about seventy thousand may be classed with\ncivilized man, having in greater or less degrees advanced towards\ncivilization.\n\n                  -------------------------------------\n\nBy the Indian Territory is meant the country within the following limits,\nviz.: Beginning on Red River, on the Mexican boundary, and as far west of\nthe state of Arkansas as the country is habitable; thence down Red River,\neastwardly, along the Mexican boundary to Arkansas; thence northwardly,\nalong the line of Arkansas, to the state of Missouri; thence north, along\nits western line, to Missouri River; thence up Missouri River to Puncah\nRiver; thence westerly as far as the country is habitable; thence\nsouthwardly to the place of beginning.\n\n\n\n\n\nBIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF THE FATHERS OF THE REFORMATION, FOUNDERS OF\nSECTS, AND OF OTHER DISTINGUISHED INDIVIDUALS MENTIONED IN THIS VOLUME.\n\n\n\n\nJohn Wickliffe.\n\n\nA celebrated doctor, professor of divinity at Oxford, and deservedly\nconsidered as the forerunner of Luther in the reformation. He was born at\nWickliffe, in Yorkshire, about 1324, and educated at Queen\u2019s College, and\nafterwards at Merton, and in 1361 raised to the mastership of Baliol\nCollege. In 1365, he was made, by the scholars, head of Canterbury Hall,\njust founded at Oxford by Archbishop Islip; but his elevation was opposed\nby the monks, and Langham, the next primate; and the pope, to whom the\ndispute was referred, displaced him and his secular associates. Thus\ndisgraced by violence, he retired to his living at Lutterworth, in\nLeicestershire, meditating revenge against the authors of his unjust\nprivation. In the works of Marsilius of Padua, and other bold writers, he\nfound ample room to indulge his opposition; and, well aware of the\npopularity of attacking a foreign power, which overawed the throne, and\nsubmitted the industry and the revenues of the kingdom to its own\navaricious views, he loudly inveighed against the errors and the\nencroachments of the Romish church. His writings alarmed the clergy, and a\ncouncil was assembled at Lambeth, by Archbishop Sudbury, 1377, and\nWickliffe summoned to give an account of his doctrines. He appeared before\nit, accompanied by the duke of Lancaster, then in power; and he made so\nable a defence, that he was dismissed without condemnation. His acquittal,\nhowever, displeased the pope, Gregory XI., who directed his emissaries to\nseize the offending heretic, or, if he were protected by the great and\npowerful of the kingdom, to cite him to Rome, to answer in person before\nthe sovereign pontiff. In consequence of this, a second council assembled\nat Lambeth, and the nineteen propositions, which the pope had declared\nheretical, were so ably vindicated by the eloquence of the undaunted\nreformer, that his judges, afraid of offending the nobles, or of exciting\na commotion among the people, who loudly supported the cause of their\nchampion, permitted him to depart in safety, and enjoined on him silence\nin matters of religion and of controversy. Undismayed by the power of his\nenemies, Wickliffe continued to preach his doctrines, which were now more\nuniversally spread; and a third council, therefore, assembled, under\nCourtnay, the primate, 1382, and twenty-four propositions of the reformer\nwere condemned as heretical, and fourteen as erroneous. The severity of\nthe church was, at the suggestion of the pope, and the concurrence of the\nweak Richard II., directed with effect against the supporters of the new\nheresy; but, while some of his followers suffered punishment for their\nadherence to his principles, Wickliffe unhappily died at Lutterworth,\n1384, at a time when nothing was wanting to emancipate the English nation\nfrom the tyranny of Rome, but the boldness, perseverance, and eloquence,\nof a popular leader. Of the several works which he wrote, his Trialogus is\nalmost the only one which has been printed. The noble struggle which\nWickliffe had made against the gigantic power of Rome was almost forgotten\nafter his death, till Martin Luther arose to follow his steps, and to\nestablish his doctrines on a foundation which will last till Christianity\nis no more. The memory of Wickliffe was branded with ignominy by the\nimpotent Papists, and by the order of the council of Constance, whose\ncruelties towards John Huss and Jerome of Prague are so well known, the\nillustrious reformer was declared to have died an obstinate heretic; and\nhis bones were therefore dug up from holy ground, and contemptuously\nburnt.\n\n\n\n\nJerome of Prague.\n\n\nThe celebrated lay reformer was born at Prague, about the year 1370. Very\nlittle is extant relative to the early part of his life; but he was very\neager in the pursuit of knowledge, and spent his youth in the universities\nof Prague, Paris, Heidelberg, Cologne, and Oxford. At the latter\nuniversity, he became acquainted with the works of Wickliffe, translated\nthem into his native language, professed himself, on his return to Prague,\nto be an open favorer of him, and attached himself to the Reformed in\nBohemia, over whom Huss presided. Before the council of Constance, Jerome\nwas cited on the 17th of April, 1415, when Huss was confined at that\nplace. On his arrival, he found that he could not render any assistance to\nHuss, and therefore thought it prudent to retire; and, on behalf of Huss,\nhe wrote to the emperor. At Kirsaw, Jerome was seized by an officer of the\nduke of Sulzbach, who immediately wrote to the council concerning him, and\nthey directed him to send his prisoner to Constance. On his arrival at\nthat place, he was immediately brought before the council, accused of his\nattachment to Protestant principles, and was remanded from the assembly\ninto a dungeon. As he was there sitting, ruminating on his approaching\nfate, he heard a voice calling out in these words:\u2014\u201cFear not, Jerome, to\ndie in the cause of that truth which, during thy life, thou hast\ndefended.\u201d It was the voice of Madderwitz, who had contributed to the\ncomfort of Huss; but, in consequence of it, Jerome was conveyed to a\nstrong tower, and exposed to torture and want.\n\nThis suffering brought on him a dangerous illness, and attempts were then\nmade to induce him to retract his principles; but he remained immovable.\nUnhappily, however, for his subsequent peace of mind, he was at length\ninduced to retract, and acknowledged the errors of Wickliffe and Huss,\nassented to the condemnation of the latter, and declared himself a firm\nbeliever in the church of Rome. But the conscience of Jerome would not\nallow him to suffer that retraction to remain; and he accordingly\nrecanted, and demanded a second trial.\n\nAccordingly, in the month of May, 1416, Jerome was again called before the\ncouncil, and charged with his adherence to the errors of Wickliffe, his\nhaving had a picture of him in his chamber, his denial of\ntransubstantiation, with other matters of a similar description. On these\narticles he answered with equal spirit. Through the whole oration he\nmanifested an amazing strength of memory. His voice was sweet, distinct,\nand full. Firm and intrepid, he stood before the council; collected in\nhimself, and not only despising, but seeming even desirous of death.\n\nHis speech did not, however, excite pity; and he was delivered over to the\ncivil power for martyrdom. When surrounded by blazing fagots, he cried\nout, \u201cO Lord God, have mercy upon me!\u201d and a little afterwards, \u201cThou\nknowest how I have loved thy truth.\u201d With cheerful countenance he met his\nfate; and, observing the executioner about to set fire to the wood behind\nhis back, he cried out, \u201cBring thy torch hither: perform thy office before\nmy face. Had I feared death, I might have avoided it.\u201d As the wood began\nto blaze, he sang a hymn, which the violence of the flames did not\ninterrupt.\n\nJerome was, unquestionably, an excellent man. His Christianity must have\nbeen sincere, thus to have supported him; and the uniform tenor of his\nvirtuous life corroborated the truth of that opinion. His temper was mild\nand affable, and the relations of life he supported with great piety and\nbenevolence. He was a light set upon a hill; and though for a few moments\nit was obscured and darkened, yet it again burst forth, and continued to\nshine with splendor and advantage.\n\n\n\n\nJohn Huss.\n\n\nA famous divine and martyr, born in Bohemia, 1376, and educated at Prague,\nwhere he took his degrees, and entered into the ministry. The writings of\nWickliffe converted him from the superstitions of Rome, and, with eloquent\nzeal, he began to preach against the power and influence of the pope. His\nefforts proved successful; the Papal authority began to be slighted in\nBohemia; but the archbishop of Prague issued two mandates against the\nheresies of Wickliffe, and the labors of Huss and his followers; and this\nexertion of power was soon seconded by a bull from Rome, for the\nsuppression of all tenets offensive to the holy see. Huss exclaimed\nagainst these proceedings, and, though summoned to Rome to answer for his\nconduct, he, supported by the favor of Wenceslaus, king of Bohemia,\ndisregarded the pope\u2019s authority, and was excommunicated; and, soon after,\nhis friends and adherents were included in the same interdict. After\ncausing, by his opposition to the Papal decrees, various tumults in Prague\nand Bohemia, Huss was prevailed upon to appear at the council of\nConstance, to give an account of his doctrines. The emperor Sigismund\ngranted him his protection, and insured security to his person; but when,\nsoon after, he reached Constance, 1414, he was seized as a heretic, and\nimprisoned, and, after a confinement of severe hardships for six months,\nhe was condemned without a hearing; and, when he refused to recant his\nerrors, he was tumultuously sentenced to be burnt. The emperor indeed\ncomplained of the contempt shown to his authority, and of the perfidy used\ntowards the delinquent, but all in vain. Huss was inhumanly dragged to\nexecution; he was stripped of his sacerdotal habit, deprived of his\ndegrees, and, with a paper crown on his head, with pictures of devils\nround, and the inscription of \u201cHeresiarch,\u201d he was burned alive, July,\n1415. He endured his torments with uncommon fortitude and truly Christian\nresignation. His ashes were collected, and then sprinkled in the Rhine.\n\n\n\n\nJohn \u0152colampadius.\n\n\nAn eminent German reformer, born, in 1482, at Weinsberg in Franconia. He\nwas converted to the Protestant faith by reading the works of Luther;\nbecame professor of theology at Basle; embraced the opinions of Zuinglius\nrespecting the sacrament; contributed much to the progress of\necclesiastical reform, and died in 1531.\n\n\u0152colampadius was of a meek and quiet disposition; in the undertaking of\nany business he was very circumspect; nor was there any thing more\npleasing to him, than to spend his time in reading and commenting. His\npublications are numerous, consisting chiefly of annotations on the holy\nScriptures.\n\n\n\n\nMartin Luther.\n\n\nThe celebrated reformer was born at Isleben, in Saxony, 10th November,\n1483. His parents wished him to devote himself to the labors of the bar,\nbut an extraordinary accident diverted his purpose. As he walked one day\nin the fields with a fellow-student, he was struck down by lightning, and\nhis companion killed by his side; and this had such effect upon his mind\nthat, without consulting his friends, he retired from the world, into the\norder of the Augustines. In this seclusion he found by accident a Latin\nBible, which he never before had seen, and in perusing it he was\nastonished at the little knowledge of Scripture and of Christianity which\nthe clergy then imparted to the people. From the convent of Erfurt he was\nremoved to Wittemberg University; and here he read lectures on philosophy,\nfor three years, to numerous and applauding audiences. The completion of\nSt. Peter\u2019s Church at Rome at this time required extraordinary sums, and\nthe pope, Leo X., to fill his coffers with greater facility, published\ngeneral indulgences for the forgiveness of sins to such as would\ncontribute to the pious work. The Dominicans were intrusted with the\nselling of these indulgences in Germany, and in paying their money the\ngood friar Tetzel informed the superstitious people that they might\nrelease themselves not only from past, but also future sins. This pious\nimposition did not escape the discerning eye of Luther; he published, in\n1517, a thesis, containing ninety-five propositions on indulgences, and\nchallenged opposition. Tetzel was not silent on the occasion; but while\nhe, with the voice of authority, called his opponent a damnable heretic,\nand whilst he burnt the thesis with all possible ignominy, Luther asserted\nboldly the inefficacy of indulgences, and regarded penitence and works of\nmercy and charity alone capable of forming a reconciliation with Heaven.\nThough attacked by numbers, Luther had the satisfaction to see his\nsentiments embraced with eagerness by the body of the people; and, when\nsummoned by the pope to appear at Rome to answer for his conduct, he had\nthe firmness to refuse, though he, at the same time, in the most\nsubmissive manner, exculpated himself, and deprecated the resentment of\nthe supreme pontiff. Maximilian, the emperor, was anxious to support the\ncause of Rome; but Luther happily found a protector and friend in the\nelector of Saxony, and, upon an assurance of personal safety, he did not\nrefuse to appear at Augsburg before the Papal legate, Cajetan. The\nconference ended by the refusal of Luther to submit implicitly to the\npleasure of the Papal see. The pope, however, finding that violence could\nnot destroy the obstinacy of Luther, had recourse to milder means, and his\nagent Miltitius was employed to visit the reformer, to argue with him, and\nto offer terms of reconciliation. Luther was struck with the civilities\nand the temper of the Papal missionary; but, instead of making submission,\nhe was roused to greater opposition by the exhortations of the Bohemians,\nand the able support of Melancthon, Carolostadius, and other learned men.\nIn 1519, he was engaged in a personal controversy at Leipsic with Eccius,\ndivinity professor at Ingolstadt; but it tended only to sow greater enmity\nand deeper variance between the disputants. The same year, his book\nagainst indulgences was censured by the divines of Louvaine and Cologne;\nbut Luther disregarded their opinions, and appealed for protection to the\nnew emperor, Charles V. Though he had written, at the suggestion of\nMiltitius, a letter to the pope, not indeed of submission, but rather of\nexculpation, in language bold and energetic, he was in 1520 formally\ncondemned by a bull from Rome, which, after enumerating forty-one of his\nheretical opinions, denounces against him the vengeance of the church, and\nexcommunication, if within sixty days he did not make a due submission.\nThis violent conduct Luther answered by \u201cThe Captivity of Babylon,\u201d a book\nin which he inveighed bitterly against the abuses of Rome; and then,\ncalling the students of Wittemberg together, he flung into the fire the\noffensive decree, which he called the _execrable bull of Antichrist_. In\n1521, he was summoned to appear before the emperor at the diet of Worms,\nwith a promise of protection; and, though his friends dissuaded him, and\ntold him that, as his opponents had burned his writings, so they would\ntreat him after the manner of Huss, he declared, with fearless voice, \u201cIf\nI knew there were as many devils at Worms as tiles on the houses, I would\ngo.\u201d At Worms he was required by Eccius to retract his opinions; but he\ndeclared that, except what he advanced could be proved contrary to\nScripture, he neither could nor would recant. His obstinacy proved\noffensive to the emperor; but, as he had promised him his protection, he\npermitted him to depart. Charles, nevertheless, published his edict\nagainst him and his adherents, and placed him under the ban of the empire.\nLuther, however, remained secure under the protection of the elector, who\nhad thus effected his deliverance, and in the castle of Wittemberg, which\nhe denominated his _hermitage_ and his _Palmos_, he held a secret\ncorrespondence with his friends, or composed books in defence of his\nopinions. At the end of ten months, when the emperor was departed for\nFlanders, he again appeared publicly at Wittemberg, and had the\nsatisfaction to find that, instead of being checked, his doctrines had\ngained ground, and were universally embraced through Germany. In 1522, he\npublished, in conjunction with Melancthon, a Latin translation of the New\nTestament; and the work was read with avidity by the German nation. In\n1524, he had to contend with Erasmus, a man who had apparently adopted his\nsentiments, though he had not the manliness to acknowledge them; and he\nnow found in him an able antagonist enlisted in defence of the pope. In\n1524, Luther threw aside the monastic habit; and the next year he married\nCatherine de Bore, a nun who had escaped from a convent; and though he was\nridiculed by his enemies, and censured for taking a young wife, he\ndefended his conduct by scriptural texts, and again set at nought the\nauthority of Rome and the cavils of her advocates. In 1525, the emperor\ncalled a diet at Spires, in consequence of the war with the Turks, as well\nas the troubled state of Germany in consequence of religious disputes; and\nin the sitting of the next year he proposed that the edict of Worms should\nbe duly enforced, the Catholic religion supported, and heretics punished.\nThe new doctrines, though thus openly attacked by the head of the empire,\nwere ably defended by the electors of Saxony and Brandenburg, the\nlandgrave of Hesse, the prince of Anhalt, and others; and in another diet,\nheld again at Spires, these dissentient princes protested against the\nmeasures of the empire, and were consequently called _Protestants_. In the\nmidst of the confusion of Germany, a confession of faith was drawn up by\nMelancthon, the mildest and most moderate of Luther\u2019s followers, and, as\nit was presented to the emperor at Augsburg, it has been called the\n_Augsburg Confession_. Thus the opposition raised against the mighty\nempire of spiritual Rome by an obscure monk, was supported by intelligent\nprinces and powerful nations, and Luther, now regarded as the champion of\nthe faith through Germany, had nothing to apprehend from his persecutors,\nbut had only to labor earnestly to confirm what had been so happily\nestablished. His German translation of the Bible appeared in 1535, and was\nreceived with grateful raptures by the Germans. He died at Isleben, 18th\nFebruary, 1546, aged 63. This illustrious man, engaged, as Atterbury has\nobserved, against the united forces of the Papal world, stood the shock\nwith bravery and success. He was a man of high endowments of mind, and\ngreat virtues. He had a vast understanding, which raised him to a pitch of\nlearning unknown in the age in which he lived. His works, collected after\nhis death, appeared at Wittemberg, in seven volumes, folio.\n\n\n\n\nUlriucus Zuinglius.\n\n\nA zealous reformer, born at Wildehausen, in Switzerland, 1487. He studied\nthe learned languages at B\u00e2sle and Berne, and applied himself to\nphilosophy at Vienna, and took his degree of doctor of divinity, at B\u00e2sle,\n1505. For ten years he acquired popularity as public preacher at Glaris,\nand in 1516 he was invited to Zurich to undertake the office of minister.\nThe tenets of Luther, which were now propagated in Germany, encouraged the\nSwiss preacher to oppose the sale of indulgences, and to regard them as\nimpositions from the court of Rome upon the superstitious credulity of the\npeople. Undaunted in the publication of his opinions, he continued to\nincrease the number of his adherents, and in 1523 he assembled the senate\nand the clergy of Zurich, and presented before them in sixty-seven\npropositions the minute articles of his faith. Though opposed by the\nbishop of Constance, his doctrines were adopted by the full senate, and he\nwas exhorted to preach the word of God, whilst all pastors were forbidden\nto teach any thing but what could be proved by the gospel. Another synod\nstill more powerfully favored the cause of Zuinglius and of truth; images\nand relics were removed from churches, processions were forbidden, and the\ngreater part of the outward worship and ceremonies of the church of Rome\nwas abolished. While, however, successful in the establishment of his\ndoctrines in the canton of Zurich, Zuinglius met with violent opposition\nin the other members of the Swiss confederacy, and, after the fruitless\nconferences of Baden between \u0152colampadius on the part of Zurich, and of\nEckius on the part of the Catholics, both sides had recourse to arms. In\none of the first encounters, the great champion of the reformation was\nslain, 11th October, 1531. As a leader, Zuinglius displayed great\nfirmness, deep learning, and astonishing presence of mind. Though he\nopposed the doctrines of the Romish church, he greatly differed from the\nGerman reformer, and each, unhappily, paid little respect to the opinions\nof the other. His followers continued to increase; and in bearing his name\nthey maintained doctrines on original sin, and on grace, which were\nrejected by the other seceders from the jurisdiction of Rome. According to\nZuinglius, salvation was extended not only to infants, who died before\nbaptism, but to heathens of a virtuous and moral life. Some alterations\nwere afterwards introduced by Calvin, by Beza, and others; but whilst the\nproselytes to these new opinions acquired the name of _Calvinists_ in\nFrance, and in other parts of Europe, the Zuinglians, who firmly adhered\nto the tenets of their founder, assumed the appellation of\n_Sacramentarians_. The works of Zuinglius, as a controversialist, were\nrespectable, chiefly written in German, and were comprehended in four\nvolumes, folio.\n\n\n\n\nMartin Bucer.\n\n\nA Dominican, born in Alsace, in 1491, who early embraced the tenets of\nLuther. He afterwards inclined more to the opinions of Zuinglius, and, in\nhis zeal for the reformation, attempted in vain to reconcile these two\npowerful leaders. For twenty years, his eloquence was exerted at Strasburg\nto establish the Protestant cause; but the turbulence of the times, and\nhis opposition to the views of the Catholics at Augsburg, rendered him\nunpopular, so that he received with pleasure the invitations of Cranmer to\nsettle in England. He was received with gratitude by the nation. Edward\nVI. treated him with great kindness, and he was appointed theological\nprofessor at Cambridge, in 1549, where he died two years after. Five years\nafter, the persecutions of Mary were extended to his remains, which were\nignominiously burned; but the insult was repaired by the good sense of\nElizabeth. In learning, judgment, and moderation, Bucer was inferior to\nnone of the great reformers, and, with Melancthon, he may be considered as\nthe best calculated to restore and maintain unanimity among contending\nchurches and opposite sects. His writings, in Latin and German, were very\nnumerous, and all on theological subjects.\n\n\n\n\nPhilip Melancthon.\n\n\nA celebrated reformer, born 16th February, 1497, at Bretten, in the\nPalatinate of the Rhine. His father\u2019s name was Schwartserdt, which\nsignifies _black earth_; but the word was changed, according to the\naffectation of the times, by his friend Reuchlin, into Melancthon, which,\nin Greek, expresses the same meaning. He studied at Bretten, Pfortsheim,\nand Heidelberg, and with such success that, at thirteen, he wrote a comedy\nof some merit. He left Heidelberg in 1512, because he was refused a degree\non account of his youth, and then passed to Tubingen, where he resided for\nsix years, and gave public lectures on Virgil, Terence, and other\nclassics. In 1518, by the recommendation of his friend Reuchlin, he was\nappointed, by the elector of Saxony, Greek professor at Wittemberg; and\nhere began that intimacy with Luther, which contributed so much to the\nprogress of the reformation. He was, in 1527, appointed by his patron, the\nduke, to visit the churches of the electorate, and afterwards he was\nemployed in the arduous labors of preparing those articles of faith which\nhave received the name of the Augsburg Confession, because presented to\nthe emperor at the diet of that city. In the disputes which he maintained\nin those days of controversial enmity, he displayed great candor and\nmildness, which his friend Luther attributed more to a spirit of timidity,\nthan to the meekness of the Christian character. His moderation, as well\nas his learning, was so universally acknowledged, that he received a\nliberal invitation from Francis I. to come to France, to settle the\ndisputes of the Protestants; but through the interference of the duke of\nSaxony, the offer was declined, as likewise a similar invitation from the\nking of England. He was engaged in the various conferences which took\nplace on religious subjects at Frankfort, Reinspurg, Worms, Spires, and\nRatisbon, and every where evinced the deepest learning, the most peaceable\ntemper, and the strongest moderation. The character of the times, and not\ninclination, rendered him a controversialist, and his answer to his mother\ndisplayed the great and the good man. When asked by the aged woman, who\nrepeated before him her prayers in a simple but pious manner, what she\nmust believe in this great confusion of creeds; he replied, \u201cGo on,\nmother, to believe and pray as you have done, and never trouble yourself\nabout controversies.\u201d He died at Wittemberg, 19th April, 1560, and was\nburied by the side of his friend Luther, in the church of the castle.\nAmong the reasons which, on his death-bed, he assigned for considering\ndissolution as happiness, he said that it delivered him from theological\npersecutions. His works were very numerous, and, as they were written in\nthe midst of controversy and ecclesiastical avocations, they were not\nalways so correct in language, as they proved useful in advancing the\nreformation. A chronological catalogue of these was published in 1582, and\nthey appeared altogether in four volumes, folio, at Wittemberg, 1601.\n\n\n\n\nPeter Martyr.\n\n\nA celebrated reformer and theologian, whose real name was Vermigli, was\nborn, in 1500, at Florence. He was originally an Augustine monk, and\nbecame an eminent preacher, and prior of St. Fridian\u2019s, at Lucca. Having,\nhowever, embraced the Protestant doctrines, he found it necessary to quit\nhis native country. After having been for some time professor of divinity\nat Strasburg, he was invited to England, and appointed professor of\ntheology at Oxford. He left England on the accession of Mary, and died in\n1561, theological professor at Zurich. He wrote several works, of great\nerudition, among which are Commentaries upon parts of the Scriptures. His\npersonal character is said to have been extremely amiable.\n\n\n\n\nHenry Bullinger.\n\n\nOne of the early reformers, born in the canton of Zurich at Baumgarten, in\n1504. The works of Melancthon converted him to Protestantism, and he\nbecame closely connected with Zuinglius, to whom he succeeded as pastor of\nZurich. He was one of the authors of the Helvetic Confession, and assisted\nCalvin in drawing up the formulary of 1549. Bullinger was a moderate and\nconscientious man; and it is much to his honor that, on the ground of its\nbeing inconsistent with Christianity for any one to hire himself out to\nslaughter those who had never injured him, he successfully opposed a\ntreaty for supplying France with a body of Swiss mercenaries. He died in\n1575. His printed works form ten folio volumes.\n\n\n\n\nJohn Knox.\n\n\nThe great champion of the Scottish reformation was born, in 1505, at\nGifford, in East Lothian, and was educated at Haddington and St. Andrews.\nAfter he was created master of arts, he taught philosophy, most probably\nas a regent in one of the colleges of the university. His class became\ncelebrated, and he was considered as equalling, if not excelling, his\nmaster in the subtilties of the dialectic art. About the same time,\nalthough he had no interest but what was procured by his own merit, he was\nadvanced to clerical orders, and ordained a priest before he reached the\nage fixed by the canons of the church. At this time, the fathers of the\nChristian church, Jerome and Augustine, attracted his particular\nattention. By the writings of the former, he was led to the Scriptures as\nthe only pure fountain of divine truth, and instructed in the utility of\nstudying them in the original languages. In the works of the latter he\nfound religious sentiments very opposite to those taught in the Romish\nchurch, who, while she retained his name as a saint in her calendar, had\nbanished his doctrine as heretical from her pulpits. From this time he\nrenounced the study of scholastic theology; and, although not yet\ncompletely emancipated from superstition, his mind was fitted for\nimproving the means which Providence had given for leading him to a fuller\nand more comprehensive view of the system of evangelical religion. It was\nabout the year 1535, when this favorable change commenced; but it does not\nappear that he professed himself a Protestant before the year 1542. He was\nconverted from the Romish faith by Wishart, and became a zealous preacher\nof the new doctrines. Having been compelled to take shelter in the castle\nof St. Andrews, he fell into the hands of the French in July, 1547, and\nwas carried with the garrison to France, where he remained a captive on\nboard of the galleys till 1549. Subsequent to his liberation, he was for a\nshort time chaplain to Edward VI., after which he visited Geneva and\nFrankfort, and, in 1555, returned to his native country. After having for\ntwelve months labored actively and successfully to strengthen the\nProtestant cause in Scotland, he revisited Geneva, where he remained till\n1559. During his residence in Geneva, he published his \u201cFirst Blast of the\nTrumpet against the monstrous Government of Women\u201d\u2014a treatise which was\nlevelled against Mary of England, but which gave serious offence to\nElizabeth. From April, 1559, when he once more and finally set foot on\nScottish earth, till his decease, which took place November 24, 1572, the\nreformed church was triumphant, and he was one of its most prominent,\nadmired, and honored leaders.\n\nWhen his body was laid in the grave, the regent of Scotland emphatically\npronounced his eulogium, in the well-known words, \u201cThere lies he who never\nfeared the face of man.\u201d\n\nKnox has been styled the intrepid reformer; and that character he\nunquestionably deserves. In personal intrepidity and popular eloquence he\nresembled Luther. His doctrinal sentiments were those of Calvin; and, like\nZuinglius, he felt an attachment to the principles of religious liberty.\nHe effected much in the great work of the reformation; but his manners\nwere so severe, and his temper so acrid, that whilst he may be equally\nrespected with Luther and Melancthon, he is not equally beloved. Knox was,\nhowever, known and beloved by the principal persons among the reformed in\nFrance, Switzerland, and Germany; and the affectionate veneration in which\nhis memory was held in Scotland after his death, evinced that the\ninfluence he possessed among his countrymen, during his life, was not\nconstrained, but founded on the high opinion which they entertained.\nBanatyne has thus drawn his character, and it is unquestionably entitled\nto consideration:\u2014\u201cIn this manner,\u201d says he, \u201cdeparted this man of God;\nthe light of Scotland, the comfort of the church within the same, the\nmirror of godliness, and pattern and example to all true ministers, in\npurity of life, soundness of doctrine, and boldness in reproving of\nwickedness; one that cared not for the favor of men, how great soever they\nwere.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nJohn Calvin.\n\n\nA celebrated reformer, born at Noyon, in Picardy, 10th July, 1509. His\nfamily name was _Cauvin_, which he Latinized into _Calvinus_. He was first\nintended for the church, and, subsequently, for the profession of civil\nlaw. Having embraced the principles of Protestantism, he was under the\nnecessity of quitting France; and he settled at B\u00e2sle, where he published\nhis celebrated \u201cInstitutions of the Christian Religion.\u201d After having\nvisited Italy, he was returning by the way of Geneva, in 1536, when Farel\nand other reformers induced him to take up his abode in that city. He was\nchosen one of the ministers of the gospel, and professor of divinity. A\ndispute with the city authorities soon compelled him to leave Geneva, and\nhe withdrew to Strasburg; whence he was recalled in 1541. From the time of\nhis recall, he possessed almost absolute power at Geneva; and he exerted\nhimself vigorously in establishing the Presbyterian form of church\ngovernment. The reformer, who so loudly exclaimed against the tyranny of\nRome, directed the whole torrent of his persecution against Servetus, a\nphysician, who had in an ambiguous style written upon the Trinity; and his\nvengeance was not appeased till the unfortunate heretic had expired in the\nflames. He died May 26, 1564; and, though he had long enjoyed a high\nreputation and exercised an unbounded authority, he left only three\nhundred crowns to his heirs, including his library, the books of which\nsold afterwards at a great price. The works of Calvin were printed in\ntwelve volumes, folio, Geneva, and in nine, Amsterdam, in 1667.\n\n\n\n\nJerome Zanchius.\n\n\nA native of Alzano, who entered in the congregation of the Lateran canons.\nHe embraced the tenets of the Protestants by the conversation of Peter\nMartyr, who was of the same establishment; and, afraid of persecution, he\nretired, 1553, to Strasburg, where he taught divinity and the philosophy\nof Aristotle. He quitted Strasburg, in 1563, for Chiavene, and, in 1568,\nremoved to Heidelberg, where he was appointed professor of theology, and\nwhere he died 19th November, 1590, aged eighty-four. He was author of\n\u201cCommentaries on St. Paul\u2019s Epistles,\u201d and other works, published together\nat Geneva, in eight volumes, folio, 1613. In his character he was a man of\nmoderation, learned, benevolent, and pious.\n\n\n\n\nTheodore Beza.\n\n\none of the most eminent of the reformers, was born at Vezelai, in the\nNivernois, in 1519, and was originally a Catholic, and intended for the\nlaw. At the age of twenty, he gained an unenviable reputation by the\ncomposition of Latin poetry which was at once elegant and licentious, and\nwhich, some years afterwards, he published under the title of \u201cJuvenile\nPoems.\u201d Though not in orders, he possessed benefices of considerable\nvalue. These, however, he abandoned in 1548, and retired to Geneva, where\nhe publicly abjured Popery. To this he was induced by his having\nmeditated, during illness, upon the doctrines which he had heard from his\nProtestant tutor, Melchior Wolmar; and perhaps also, in some measure, by\nhis attachment to a lady, whom he carried with him to Geneva, and married.\nHe now accepted the Greek professorship at Lausanne, which he held for ten\nyears. It was while he was thus occupied that he produced his tragedy of\n\u201cAbraham\u2019s Sacrifice,\u201d his version of the New Testament, and his hateful\ndefence of the right of the magistrate to punish heretics. In 1559, he\nremoved to Geneva, and became the colleague of Calvin, through whom he was\nappointed rector of the academy, and theological professor. Two years\nafter this, he took a prominent part in the conference at Poissy, and was\npresent at the battle of Dreux. He returned to Geneva in 1563, succeeded\nCalvin in his offices and influence, and was thenceforward considered as\nthe head of the Calvinistic church. After an exceedingly active life, he\ndied on the 13th of October, 1605.\n\n\n\n\nLeo X.\n\n\nPope JOHN DE MEDICI, the son of the illustrious Lorenzo, was born in 1475,\nat Florence, and was nominated a cardinal in his thirteenth year. In 1505,\nhe was made governor of Perugia; was intrusted with the command of the\nPapal army in 1511; and was made prisoner, in the following year, at the\nbattle of Ravenna. He attained the Papal crown in 1513, on the death of\nJulius II. He died in 1521. Leo was one of the most munificent patrons of\nlearning and of the arts; but he was prodigal, and on some occasions\ngrossly violated the principles of justice. To his shameless sale of\nindulgences, to raise money to complete St. Peter\u2019s Church at Rome, and\nother extravagances, the world is indebted for the reformation of the\nchurch by Luther and others.\n\n\n\n\nJustin.\n\n\nSurnamed the MARTYR, one of the fathers of the church, was born at\nNeapolis, anciently Sichem, in Palestine, and was a philosopher of the\nPlatonic school. He is believed to have preached the gospel in Italy, Asia\nMinor, and Egypt. He was beheaded at Rome, in 165. Of his works, the\nprincipal are two Apologies for the Christians.\n\n\n\n\nArius.\n\n\nFounder of the sect of the Arians, was an African by birth. Disappointment\nmade him a sectary. He propagated the opinion that the Word was not a\ndivine person; and the heresy, though condemned by various councils,\ngained followers, and excited schisms in the Roman empire. The Nicene\ncreed was drawn up to combat his errors. He was a violent enemy of\nAthanasius. He died at Alexandria, 386.\n\n\n\n\nAthanasius.\n\n\nThe celebrated patriarch of Alexandria was born in that city about 296. At\nthe council of Nice, though then but a deacon of Alexandria, his\nreputation for skill in controversy gained him an honorable place in the\ncouncil, and with signal ability he exposed the sophistry of those who\npleaded on the side of Arius. Six months after, he was appointed the\nsuccessor of Alexander. Notwithstanding the influence of the emperor, who\nhad recalled Arius from banishment, and, upon a plausible confession of\nhis faith, in which he affected to be Orthodox in his sentiments, directed\nthat he should be received by the Alexandrian church, Athanasius refused\nto admit him to communion, and exposed his prevarication. The Arians upon\nthis exerted themselves to raise tumults at Alexandria, and to injure the\ncharacter of Athanasius with the emperor, who was prevailed upon by\nfalsehoods to pronounce against him a sentence of banishment. In the\nbeginning of the reign of Constantius, he was recalled to his happy\npeople, but was again disturbed and deposed through the influence of the\nArians. Accusations were also sent against him and other bishops from the\neast to the west; but they were acquitted by Pope Julius in full council.\nAthanasius was restored a second time to his see, upon the death of the\nArian bishop, who had been placed in it. Arianism, however, being in favor\nat court, he was condemned by a council convened at Arles, and by another\nat Milan, and was a third time obliged to fly into the deserts. His\nenemies pursued him even here, and set a price upon his head. In this\nsituation, Athanasius composed writings full of eloquence to strengthen\nthe faith of believers, and expose the falsehood of his enemies. He\nreturned with the other bishops whom Julian the Apostate recalled from\nbanishment, and, in A. D. 362, held a council at Alexandria, where the\nbelief of a consubstantial Trinity was openly professed. Many now were\nrecovered from Arianism, and brought to subscribe the Nicene creed. But\nhis peace was again interrupted by the complaints of the heathen, whose\ntemples the zeal of Athanasius kept always empty. He was again obliged to\nfly to save his life. The accession of Jovian brought him back. During the\nreign of Jovian, also, Athanasius held another council, which declared its\nadherence to the Nicene faith; and with the exception of a short\nretirement under Valens, he was permitted to sit down in quiet and govern\nhis affectionate church of Alexandria, until his death, in 373. Of the\nforty-six years of his official life, he spent twenty in banishment.\n\nAthanasius (says the Encyclopedia Americana) is one of the greatest men of\nwhom the church can boast. His deep mind, his noble heart, his invincible\ncourage, his living faith, his unbounded benevolence, sincere humility,\nlofty eloquence, and strictly virtuous life, gained the honor and love of\nall. In all his writings, his style is distinguished for clearness and\nmoderation.\n\n\n\n\nMoses Maimonides.\n\n\nMoses son of Maimon, commonly called Moses Egypticus, because physician to\nthe sultan of Egypt, was a Jewish rabbi, born at Cordova, in Spain, 1131.\nHe opened a school in Egypt, and as his skill, not only in languages, but\nin all branches of science and of philosophy, was very great, his\ninstructions were attended by numerous and respectable pupils. Thus\neminently distinguished as a scholar, as a physician, and also as a\ndivine, so as to be called inferior only to the legislator Moses, he\nbeheld with indifference, and even contempt, the fables and traditions of\nhis countrymen, and applied all the powers of learning, and the vast\nresources of his mind, in the cause of truth, virtue, and philosophy. Some\nof his works were written in Arabic, but are extant now in Hebrew only.\nThe most famous of these are his Commentaries on the Misna; Jad, a\ncomplete pandect of the Jewish law; More Nevochim, a valuable work,\nexplaining the difficult passages, phrases, parables, and allegories, in\nScripture, and several other works. This great and learned man died in\nEgypt at the age of seventy, and was buried with his nation in the land of\nUpper Galilee. His death was mourned for three whole days by Jews and\nEgyptians, and the year in which he died, in respect of his great virtues\nand learning, was called Lamentum Lamentabile.\n\n\n\n\nJohn Agricola.\n\n\nA German divine, born at Isleb. He was the friend and the disciple of\nLuther, but afterwards violently opposed him, and became the head of the\nAntinomians, a sect which regarded faith as the whole of the duties of\nman. He was also engaged in a dispute with Melancthon; but, with the most\nlaudable motives, he endeavored to effect a reconciliation between the\nCatholics and Protestants. He died at Berlin, 1566, aged seventy-four.\n\n\n\n\nMichael Servetus.\n\n\nA native of Villanuova, in Arragon, son of a notary. He studied the law at\nToulouse, but afterwards applied to medicine at Paris, and took there his\ndoctor\u2019s degree. The boldness and pertinacity of his opinions created him\nenemies, and he left the capital to settle at Lyons, but afterwards he\nretired to Charlieu. On the invitation of the archbishop of Vienne, in\nDauphiny, he was prevailed upon to fix his residence there, and he might\nhave lived in peace and respected, had he been satisfied to seek celebrity\nin medical pursuits alone. Eager to publish his Arian opinions on\nreligion, he sent three questions to Calvin on the Divinity of Christ, on\nRegeneration, and on the Necessity of Baptism, and, when answered with\ncivility, he reflected on the sentiments of his correspondent with\narrogant harshness. This produced a quarrel, and ended in the most\nimplacable hatred, so that Calvin, bent on revenge, obtained, by secret\nmeans, copies of a work in which his antagonist was engaged, and caused\nhim to be accused before the archbishop as a dangerous man. Servetus\nescaped from prison; but, on his way to Italy, he had the imprudence to\npass in disguise through Geneva, where he was recognized by Calvin, and\nimmediately seized by the magistrate as an impious heretic. Forty\nheretical errors were proved against him by his accusers; but Servetus\nrefused to renounce them, and the magistrates, at last yielding to the\nloud representations of the ministers of B\u00e2sle, Berne, and Zurich, and\nespecially of Calvin, who demanded the punishment of a profane heretic,\nordered the unhappy man to be burnt. On the 27th October, 1553, the\nwretched Servetus was conducted to the stake, and, as the wind prevented\nthe flames from fully reaching his body, two long hours elapsed before he\nwas freed from his miseries. This cruel treatment deservedly called down\nthe general odium on the head of Calvin, who ably defended his conduct and\nthat of the magistrates. Servetus published various works against the\nTrinity, which were burnt in disgrace at Geneva, and other places.\n\n\n\n\nSimonis Menno.\n\n\nAn ecclesiastic of Friesland, embraced the tenets of the Anabaptists, and,\nafter being again baptized by Ubbo Philippi, became a powerful leader of\nhis sect. He denied that Jesus Christ received a human shape from his\nmother, the virgin Mary; and while he maintained the necessity of again\nbaptizing adults, he inveighed against the custom of infant baptism, which\nhe regarded as Popish innovation. His eloquence and his learning were so\nmuch admired, that he gained a great number of followers in Westphalia,\nGuelderland, Holland, and Brabant; but, though a price was set on his\nhead, he had the good fortune to escape his persecutors. He was, in his\nopinions, more moderate than the rest of the Anabaptists. His followers\nare still to be found in the Low Countries, under the name of\n_Mennonites_, divided into two distinct sects. He died at Oldeslo, between\nLubec and Hamburg, 1565. His works were published at Amsterdam, 1681.\n\n\n\n\nFrancis Xavier.\n\n\nDenominated the _Apostle of the Indies_, was born, in 1506, at the castle\nof Xavier, in Navarre; studied at Paris; became one of the first and most\nzealous disciples of Ignatius Loyola; was sent to the East by John III. of\nPortugal, to propagate the gospel; performed his mission in Hindoostan,\nthe Moluccas, and Japan; and was on the point of landing in China, when he\ndied, 1552.\n\n\n\n\nFaustus Socinus.\n\n\nHe who from whom the Socinians derive their name, was born, in 1539, at\nSienna, and was for a considerable period in the service of the grand duke\nof Tuscany; after which he went to study theology, at B\u00e2sle. The result of\nhis studies was the adoption of those anti-Trinitarian doctrines, which\nhis uncle Lelio Socinus is believed also to have professed. Faustus\nsettled in Poland, gained many followers, endured much persecution, and\ndied in 1604.\n\n\n\n\nRobert Brown.\n\n\nEducated at Cambridge, and was a man of good parts and some learning. He\nbegan to inveigh openly against the ceremonies of the church, at Norwich,\nin 1580; but, being much opposed by the bishops, he, with his\ncongregation, left England, and settled at Middleburgh, in Zealand, where\nthey obtained leave to worship God in their own way, and form a church\naccording to their own model. They soon, however, began to differ among\nthemselves, so that Brown, growing weary of his office, returned to\nEngland in 1589, renounced his principles of separation, and was preferred\nto the rectory of a church in Northamptonshire. He died in prison in 1630.\nThe revolt of Brown was attended with the dissolution of the church at\nMiddleburgh; but the seeds of Brownism which he had sown in England were\nso far from being destroyed, that Sir Walter Raleigh, in a speech in 1592,\ncomputes no less than twenty thousand of this sect.\n\n\n\n\nJames Arminius.\n\n\nA native of Oude-water, in Holland, 1560, founder of the sect of the\nArminians. As he lost his father early, he was supported at the university\nof Utrecht, and of Marpurg, by the liberality of his friends; but when he\nreturned home, in the midst of the ravages caused by the Spanish arms,\ninstead of being received by his mother, he found that she, as well as her\ndaughters, and all her family, had been sacrificed to the wantonness of\nthe ferocious enemy. His distress was for a while inconsolable; but the\nthirst after distinction called him to the newly-founded university of\nLeyden, where his industry acquired him the protection of the magistrates\nof Amsterdam, at whose expense he travelled to Geneva and Italy, to hear\nthe lectures of Theodore Beza and James Zabarella. On his return to\nHolland, he was ordained minister of Amsterdam, 1588. As professor of\ndivinity at Leyden, to which office he was called 1603, he distinguished\nhimself by three valuable orations on the object of theology, on the\nauthor and end of it, and on the certainty of it; and he afterwards\nexplained the prophet Jonah. In his public and private life, Arminius has\nbeen admired for his moderation; and though many gross insinuations have\nbeen thrown against him, yet his memory has been fully vindicated by the\nablest pens, and he seemed entitled to the motto which he assumed,\u2014_A good\nconscience is a paradise._ A life of perpetual labor and vexation of mind\nat last brought on a sickness of which he died, October 19, 1619. His\nwritings were all on controversial and theological subjects, and were\npublished in one volume, quarto, Frankfort, 1661.\n\n\n\n\nFrancis Higginson.\n\n\nFirst minister of Salem, Massachusetts, after receiving his education at\nEmanuel College, in Cambridge, became the minister of a church at\nLeicester, in England. While his popular talents filled his church with\nattentive hearers, such was the divine blessing upon his labors, that a\ndeep attention to religious subjects was excited among his people.\nBecoming at length a conscientious Nonconformist to the rites of the\nEnglish church, some of which he thought not only were unsupported by\nScripture, but corrupted the purity of Christian worship and discipline,\nhe was excluded from the parish church, and became obnoxious to the High\nCommission Court. One day two messengers came to his house, and with loud\nknocks cried out, \u201cWhere is Mr. Higginson? We must speak with Mr.\nHigginson!\u201d His wife ran to his chamber, and entreated him to conceal\nhimself; but he replied, that he should acquiesce in the will of God. He\nwent down, and, as the messengers entered the hall, they presented him\nwith some papers, saying, in a rough manner, \u201cSir, we came from London,\nand our business is to convey you to London, as you may see by those\npapers.\u201d \u201cI thought so,\u201d exclaimed Mrs. Higginson, weeping; but a woman\u2019s\ntears could have but little effect upon hard-hearted pursuivants. Mr.\nHigginson opened the packet to read the form of his arrest, but, instead\nof an order from Bishop Laud for his seizure, he found a copy of the\ncharter of Massachusetts, and letters from the governor and company,\ninviting him to embark with them for New England. The sudden transition of\nfeeling from despondence to joy, may be better imagined than described.\n\nHaving sought advice and implored the divine direction, he resolved to\naccept the invitation. In his farewell sermon, preached before a vast\nassembly, he declared his persuasion, that England would be chastised by\nwar, and that Leicester would have more than an ordinary share of\nsufferings. It was not long before his prediction was verified. It is not\nmeant that he claimed the power of foretelling future events, but he could\nreason with considerable accuracy from cause to effect, knowing that\niniquity is generally followed by its punishment; and he lived in an age\nwhen it was usual for ministers to speak with more confidence, and\nauthority, and efficacy, than at present. He sailed from Gravesend, April\n25, 1629, accompanied by Mr. Skelton, whose principles accorded with his\nown. When he came to the Land\u2019s End, he called his children and the other\npassengers on deck to take the last view of their native country; and he\nnow exclaimed, \u201cFarewell, England! farewell, the church of God in England,\nand all the Christian friends there! We do not go to America as\nseparatists from the church of England, though we cannot but separate from\nits corruptions.\u201d He then concluded with a fervent prayer for the king,\nchurch, and state, in England. He arrived at Cape Ann, June 27, 1629, and,\nhaving spent the next day there, which was Sunday, on the 29th he entered\nthe harbor of Salem. July the 20th was observed as a day of fasting by the\nappointment of Governor Endicott, and the church then made choice of Mr.\nHigginson to be their teacher, and Mr. Skelton their pastor.\n\nThus auspicious was the commencement of the settlement of Naumkeag, or\nSalem; but the scene was soon changed. During the first winter, about one\nhundred persons died, and Mr. Higginson was soon seized with a hectic,\nwhich terminated his days in August, 1630, aged forty-two. In his last\nsickness, he was reminded of his benevolent exertions in the service of\nthe Lord Jesus Christ. To consoling suggestions of this kind he replied,\n\u201cI have been an unprofitable servant, and all my desire is to win Christ,\nand be found in him, not having my own righteousness.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nRichard Baxter.\n\n\nA Nonconformist, born at Rowton, Shropshire, 12th November, 1615. He\ncompensated for the deficiencies of a neglected education by unusual\napplication, and was appointed master of Dudley free-school by the\ninterest of Mr. Richard Foley, of Stourbridge, and soon after admitted\ninto orders by the bishop of Winchester. His scruples were raised by the\noath which was proposed by the convention at that time sitting, and he was\namong the number of those who showed their dislike to an unqualified\nsubmission \u201cto archbishops, bishops, et cetera,\u201d as they knew not what the\n_et cetera_ comprehended. In 1640, he was invited to be minister at\nKidderminster; but the civil war, which broke out soon after, exposed him\nto persecution, as he espoused the cause of the parliament. He retired to\nCoventry, and continued his ministerial labors till the success of the\nrepublicans recalled him to his favorite flock at Kidderminster. The\nusurpation of Cromwell gave him great offence, and he even presumed to\nargue in private with the tyrant on the nature and illegality of his\npower; but in the only sermon which he preached before him, he wisely\nconfined his subject to the dissensions which existed in the kingdom on\nreligious matters. He was in London after Cromwell\u2019s death, and preached\nbefore parliament the day before the king\u2019s return was voted, and likewise\nbefore the lord mayor for Monk\u2019s successes. Charles II. made him one of\nhis chaplains, and Chancellor Clarendon offered him the bishopric of\nHereford, which he declined. He was, however, soon involved in the general\npersecution of the Nonconformists. His paraphrase on the New Testament\ndrew upon him, in 1685, the vengeance of Jeffreys, and he was condemned to\nbe imprisoned for two years, from which punishment, six months after, he\nwas discharged by the interference of Lord Powis with King James. He died\nDecember 8th, 1691, and was interred in Christ Church.\n\n\n\n\nGeorge Fox.\n\n\nThe founder of the society of Friends, or Quakers, was born, in 1624, at\nDrayton, in Leicestershire, and was the son of a weaver, a pious and\nvirtuous man, who gave him a religious education. Being apprenticed to a\ngrazier, he was employed in keeping sheep\u2014an occupation, the silence and\nsolitude of which were well calculated to nurse his naturally enthusiastic\nfeelings. When he was about nineteen, he believed himself to have received\na divine command to forsake all, renounce society, and dedicate his\nexistence to the service of religion. For five years, he accordingly led a\nwandering life, fasting, praying, and living secluded; but it was not till\nabout 1648 that he began to preach his doctrines. Manchester was the place\nwhere he first promulgated them. Thenceforth he pursued his career with\nuntirable zeal and activity, in spite of frequent imprisonment and brutal\nusage. It was at Derby that his followers were first denominated\n_Quakers_, either from their tremulous mode of speaking, or from their\ncalling on their hearers to \u201ctremble at the name of the Lord.\u201d The labors\nof Fox were crowned with considerable success; and, in 1669, he extended\nthe sphere of them to America, where he spent two years. He also twice\nvisited the continent. He died in 1690. His writings were collected in\nthree volumes, folio. Whatever may be thought of the tenets of Fox there\ncan be no doubt that he was sincere in them, and that he was a man of\nstrict temperance, humility, moderation, and piety.\n\n\n\n\nWilliam Penn.\n\n\nThe founder of Pennsylvania, born in London, 1644, From a private school\nat Chigwell, Essex, he entered, in 1660, as a gentleman commoner at Christ\nChurch, Oxford; but, as he withdrew from the national forms of worship\nwith other students, who, like himself, had listened to the preaching of\nThomas Loe, a Quaker of eminence, who was fined for Non-conformity, and,\nthe next year, as he pertinaciously adhered to his opinions, he was\nexpelled from the college. His father sent him to France, and, on his\nreturn, he entered at Lincoln\u2019s Inn, as a law student. In 1666, he was\nsent to manage an estate in Ireland, and, during his residence there, he\nrenewed his acquaintance with Loe, and showed such partiality to the\nQuakers, that he was, in those days of persecution, taken up at a meeting\nat Cork, and imprisoned by the mayor, who at last restored him to liberty\nat the request of Lord Orrery. His return to England produced a violent\naltercation with his father, who wished him to abandon those singular\nhabits so offensive to decorum and established forms; and, when he refused\nto appear uncovered before him and before the king, he a second time\ndismissed him from his protection and favor. In 1668, he first appeared as\na preacher and as an author among the Quakers; and, in consequence of some\ncontroversial dispute, he was sent to the Tower, where he remained in\nconfinement for seven months. The passing of the conventicle act soon\nafter again sent him to prison in Newgate, from which he was released by\nthe interest of his father, who about this time was reconciled to him, and\nleft him, on his decease some time after, a valuable estate of about\nfifteen hundred pounds per annum. In 1672, he married Gulielma Maria\nSpringett, a lady of principles similar to his own, and then fixed his\nresidence at Rickmansworth, where he employed himself zealously in\npromoting the cause of the Friends by his preaching, as well as by his\nwritings. In 1677, he went, with George Fox and Robert Barclay, to the\ncontinent on a religious excursion; and, after visiting Amsterdam and the\nother chief towns of Holland, they proceeded to the court of Princess\nElizabeth, the granddaughter of James I., at Herwerden or Herford, where\nthey were received with great kindness and hospitality. Soon after his\nreturn to England, Charles II. granted him, in consideration of the\nservices of his father, and for a debt due to him from the crown, a\nprovince of North America, then called New Netherlands, but now making the\nstate of Pennsylvania. In consequence of this acquisition, he invited,\nunder the royal patent, settlers from all parts of the kingdom, and drew\nup, in twenty-four articles, the fundamental constitution of his new\nprovince, in which he held out a greater degree of religious liberty than\nhad at that time appeared in the Christian world. A colony of people,\nchiefly of his persuasion, soon flocked to share his fortunes; the lands\nof the country were cleared and improved, and a town was built, which, on\nthe principle of brotherly love, received the name of _Philadelphia_. In\n1682, Penn visited the province, and confirmed that good understanding\nwhich he had recommended with the natives; and, after two years\u2019\nresidence, and with the satisfaction of witnessing and promoting the\nprosperity of the colonists, he returned to England. Soon after, Charles\ndied, and the acquaintance which Penn had with the new monarch was\nhonorably used to protect the people of his persuasion. At the revolution\nhowever, he was suspected of treasonable correspondence with the exiled\nprince, and therefore exposed to molestation and persecution. In 1694, he\nlost his wife; but, though severely afflicted by the event, he in about\ntwo years married again, and afterwards employed himself in travelling in\nIreland, and over England, in disseminating, as a preacher, the doctrines\nof his sect. He visited, in 1699, his province with his wife and family,\nand returned to England in 1701. The suspicion with which he had been\nregarded under William\u2019s government, ceased at the accession of Queen\nAnne, and the unyielding advocate of Quakerism was permitted to live with\ngreater freedom, and to fear persecution less. In 1710, he removed to\nRushcomb, near Twyford, Berks, where he spent the rest of his life. Three\nrepeated attacks of an apoplexy at last came to weaken his faculties and\nhis constitution, and, after nearly losing all recollection of his former\nfriends and associates, he expired, 30th July, 1718, and was buried at\nJordan, near Beaconsfield, Bucks. The character of Penn is truly amiable,\nbenevolent, and humane; his labors were exerted for the good of mankind,\nand, with the strictest consistency of moral conduct and religious\nopinion, he endured persecution and malice with resignation; and, guided\nby the approbation of a pure conscience, he showed himself indefatigable\nin the fulfilling of what he considered as the law of God, and the clear\ndemonstration of the truth of the gospel. The long prosperity of\nPennsylvania, and of his favorite city, Philadelphia, furnishes the best\nevidence of his wisdom as a legislator.\n\n\n\n\nBenedict Spinoza.\n\n\nAn atheistical writer, son of a Portuguese Jew, born at Amsterdam, 1638.\nHe studied medicine and theology; but his religion was so loose, and his\ninquiries for the reason of every thing which he was to believe, became so\noffensive to the rabbies, that he was thrust out of the synagogue. In\nconsequence of this, he became a Christian, and was baptized; but his\nconversion was insincere, and though, during his life, he did not openly\nprofess himself an atheist, his posthumous works plainly proved him such.\nHe died, of a consumption, at the Hague, February, 1677, aged forty-five.\nHe is the founder of a regular system of atheism, and by his hypothesis he\nwished to establish that there is but one substance in nature, which is\nendowed with infinite attributes, with extension and thought; that all\nspirits are modifications of that substance; and that God, the necessary\nand most perfect being, is the cause of all things that exist, but does\nnot differ from them. These monstrous doctrines, though not new, were thus\nbuilt into a regular system by this extraordinary man, who is said in\nother respects to have been of a good moral character in private life,\nbenevolent, friendly, and charitable. His conduct was marked by no\nlicentiousness or irregularity; but he retired from the tumults of\nAmsterdam to a more peaceful residence at the Hague, where curiosity led\nprinces, philosophers, and learned men, to see and to converse with this\nbold assertor of atheism.\n\n\n\n\nAnn Lee.\n\n\nBorn in the town of Manchester, in England, in 1736. Her father, John Lee,\nthough not in affluent circumstances, was an honest and industrious man.\nHer mother was esteemed as a very pious woman. As was common with the\nlaboring classes of people in England at that period, their children,\ninstead of being sent to school, were brought up to work from early\nchildhood. By this means, Ann, though quite illiterate, acquired a habit\nof industry, and was early distinguished for her activity, faithfulness,\nneatness, and good economy in her temporal employments.\n\nFrom early childhood she was the subject of religious impressions and\ndivine manifestations. These continued, in a greater or less degree, as\nshe advanced in years; so that, at times, she was strongly impressed with\na sense of the great depravity of human nature, and of the lost state of\nmankind by reason of sin. But losing her mother at an early age, and\nfinding no person to assist her in the pursuit of a life of holiness, and\nbeing urged by the solicitations of her relations and friends, she was\nmarried to Abraham Stanley, by whom she had four children, who all died in\ninfancy. But the convictions of her youth often returned upon her with\ngreat force, which at length brought her under excessive tribulation of\nsoul. In this situation, she sought earnestly for deliverance from the\nbondage of sin.\n\nWhile under these exercises of mind, she became acquainted with a society\nof people associated under the ministration of James Wardly, who, with\nJane, his wife, had been greatly favored with divine manifestations\nconcerning the second appearing of Christ, which they foresaw was near at\nhand. Ann readily embraced their testimony, and united herself to the\nsociety in the month of September, 1758.\n\nIn this society, Ann found that strength and protection against the\npowerful influences of evil, which, for the time being, were answerable to\nher faith; and, by her faithful obedience, she by degrees attained to the\nfull knowledge and experience in spiritual things which they had found.\nBut as she still found in herself the remains of the propensities of\nfallen nature, she could not rest satisfied short of full salvation; she\ntherefore sought earnestly, day and night, in the most fervent prayers and\ncries to God, to find complete deliverance from a sinful nature, and to\nknow more perfectly the way of full redemption and final salvation.\n\nAfter passing through many scenes of tribulation and suffering, she\nreceived a full answer to her prayers and desires to God. She then came\nforward, and, with extraordinary power and energy of spirit, testified\nthat she had received, through the Spirit of Christ, a full revelation of\nthe fallen nature of man, and of the only means of redemption, which were\ncomprised in his precepts and living example while on earth. The\nastonishing power of God which accompanied her testimony of this\nrevelation to the society, was too awakening and convincing to leave a\ndoubt on the minds of the society of its divine authority. When,\ntherefore, Ann had thus manifested to the society the revelation of light\nwhich she had received, she was received and acknowledged as their leader\nand spiritual _Mother in Christ_. This was the only name of distinction by\nwhich she was known in the society. The term _Elect Lady_ was given to her\nby her enemies. Ann, with a number of her followers, visited America in\n1774, and formed the first society of Shakers in this country, at\nWatervliet, N. Y., where she died in 1784.\n\n\n\n\nJohn Glass.\n\n\nScotch divine, born at Dundee, 1698, and educated at Aberdeen. Upon his\npublication of a pamphlet on the inconsistency of a civil establishment\nwith Christianity, he was deposed from his church, near Dundee, and then\nbecame the founder of a new sect, called the _Glassites_ in Scotland, and\n_Sandemanians_ in England. As the discipline of his sect was very\nrigorous, few embraced his tenets, and the name is scarce known now.\n\n\n\n\nGeorge Keith.\n\n\nA Quaker, born at Aberdeen, and was well educated. He came, in 1682, to\nEast Jersey, where he was surveyor-general. In 1689, he taught a school in\nPhiladelphia. After various exertions, writing and travelling for the\npropagation of the sentiments of his sect, he at first seceded, and at\nlength entirely deserted the society. In England, he became an\nEpiscopalian, and was consecrated as an Episcopal missionary, and in that\ncapacity officiated for a short time in New York and Boston. Returning to\nEngland in 1706, he was a rector at Edburton, in Sussex, where he died.\nHis publications were numerous, but almost exclusively controversial.\n\n\n\n\nNicholas Louis, Count Zinzendorf.\n\n\nThe patron of the sect of the Moravians, was born at Dresden, in May,\n1700. He studied at Halle and Utrecht. About the year 1721, he purchased\nthe lordship of Bertholdsdorf, in Lusatia. Some poor Christians, the\nfollowers of John Huss, obtained leave, in 1722, to settle on his estate.\nThey soon made converts. Such was the origin of the village of Herrnhut.\nTheir noble patron soon after joined them.\n\nFrom this period Count Zinzendorf devoted himself to the business of\ninstructing his fellow-men by his writings and by preaching. He travelled\nthrough Germany, and in Denmark became acquainted with the Danish missions\nin the East Indies and Greenland. About 1732, he engaged earnestly in the\npromotion of missions by his Moravian brethren, whose numbers at Herrnhut\nwere then about five hundred. So successful were these missions, that in a\nfew years four thousand negroes were baptized in the West Indies, and the\nconverts in Greenland amounted to seven hundred and eighty-four.\n\nIn 1737, he visited London, and, in 1741, came to America, and preached at\nGermantown and Bethlehem. February 11, 1742, he ordained at Oly, in\nPennsylvania, the missionaries Rauch and Buettner, and Rauch baptized\nthree Indians from Shekomeco, east of the Hudson, \u201cthe firstlings of the\nIndians.\u201d He soon, with his daughter, Benigna, and several brethren and\nsisters, visited various tribes of Indians. At Shekomeco he established\nthe first Indian Moravian congregation in North America. In 1743, he\nreturned to Europe. He died at Herrnhut, in 1760, and his coffin was\ncarried to the grave by thirty-two preachers and missionaries, whom he had\nreared, and some of whom had toiled in Holland, England, Ireland, North\nAmerica, and Greenland. What monarch was ever honored by a funeral like\nthis?\n\n\n\n\nWilliam Courtney.\n\n\nArchbishop of Canterbury, the fourth son of Hugh Courtney, earl of\nDevonshire, by Margaret, granddaughter of Edward I. He was educated at\nOxford, and, though possessed of abilities, owed his elevation in the\nchurch to the consequence of his family. When twenty-eight, he was made\nbishop of Hereford, and afterwards translated to London, where he summoned\nbefore him the great Wickliffe, in St. Paul\u2019s Cathedral, 1377. The bold\nreformer was on this occasion attended by his friends John of Gaunt and\nLord Percy, who, in supporting his tenets, treated the prelate with such\nasperity, that a tumult was excited among the citizens of London. Courtney\nwas made chancellor, 1381, and afterwards raised to the see of Canterbury.\nHe was a violent persecutor of the Wickliffites, and condemned their\ntenets in a synod. He died at Maidstone, 1396, aged 55.\n\n\n\n\nRichard Hooker.\n\n\nAn eminent divine of the church of England, was born in 1553, at\nHeavitree, near Exeter, and, under the patronage of Bishop Jewel, was\neducated at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, where he was distinguished for\nhis piety and exemplary conduct. An unhappy marriage, which he contracted\nbefore he was thirty, with a scold who had neither beauty, money, nor\nmanners, lost him his college fellowship, and was a fertile source of\nannoyance to him. In 1585, he was made master of the Temple; but, weary of\ndisputes with the afternoon lecturer,\u2014a violent Presbyterian,\u2014and longing\nfor rural retirement, he relinquished this preferment, and obtained the\nrectory of Bishop\u2019s Bourne, in Kent, at which he resided till his decease,\nin 1600. His great work is the treatise on \u201cEcclesiastical Polity;\u201d of\nwhich Pope Clement VIII. said, \u201cThere are in it such seeds of eternity as\nwill continue till the last fire shall devour all learning.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nCharles Chauncey.\n\n\nSecond president of Harvard College, born in England, in 1589. He received\nhis grammar education at Westminster, and took the degree of M. D. at the\nuniversity of Cambridge. He emigrated to New England in 1638, and, after\nserving for a number of years in the ministry at Scituate, was appointed,\nin 1654, president of Harvard College. In this office he remained till his\ndeath, in 1671, performing all its duties with industrious fidelity. He\nwas eminent as a physician, and was of opinion that there ought to be no\ndistinction between physic and divinity.\n\n\n\n\nRoger Williams.\n\n\nThe founder of the Providence Plantations, born in Wales, in 1599, and was\neducated at Oxford. Being a dissenter, he came to America, in the hope of\nenjoying in freedom his religious opinions. He arrived at Hull, February\n5, 1631, and was established at Salem, Massachusetts, as colleague with\nMr. Skelton. His peculiar notions soon subjected him to the severest\ncensure. He maintained that the magistrates were bound to grant toleration\nto all sects of Christians, and in his actions and words avowed the\nliberality of his principles. After the death of Mr. Skelton, he was sole\nminister of Salem. Continuing to avow his opinions, which were considered\nnot only heretical, but seditious, he was summoned before the General\nCourt, to answer to numerous charges. He, however, refused to retract any\nof his opinions, and was accordingly banished, 1635. He first repaired to\nSeekonk: but, being informed that that territory was within the\njurisdiction of Plymouth, he proceeded to Mooshausic, where, with others,\nin 1636, he began a plantation. The land was honestly purchased of the\nIndians; and the town, in acknowledgment of the kindness of Heaven, was\ncalled Providence. Mr. Williams\u2019s benevolence was not confined to his\ncivilized brethren; he learned the language of the Indians, travelled\namong them, won the entire confidence of their chiefs, and was often the\nmeans of saving from injury the colony that had driven him from its\nprotection. In 1643, he was sent to England, as agent for both\nsettlements, and in September, 1644, returned with a patent for the\nterritory, with permission for the inhabitants to institute a government\nfor themselves. In 1651, he was again sent to England, in the capacity of\nagent, and returned in 1654, when he was chosen president of the\ngovernment. Benedict Arnold succeeded him in 1657. He died in April, 1683,\naged eighty-four. Mr. Williams was consistent in his religious doctrines,\nand set a bright example of that toleration which he demanded from others.\nHis mind was strong and well cultivated; and he read the Scriptures in the\noriginals. After his banishment from Massachusetts, he maintained a\ncorrespondence with some of its principal men, and ever entertained for\nthem the highest affection and respect. In his writings, he evinces his\npower at argument. In 1672, he held a public dispute with the most eminent\nQuaker preachers, of which he has published an account. He also published\na \u201cKey to the Indian Language,\u201d octavo, 1643; an answer to Mr. Cotton\u2019s\nletters, concerning the power of the magistrate in matters of religion,\nwith other letters and discourses.\n\n\n\n\nJohn Clarke.\n\n\nA distinguished Baptist minister, and one of the first founders of Rhode\nIsland, was a physician in London, before he came to this country. Soon\nafter the first settlement of Massachusetts, he was driven from that\ncolony with a number of others; and March 7, 1638, they formed themselves\ninto a body politic, and purchased Aquetneck of the Indian sachems,\ncalling it the Isle of Rhodes, or Rhode Island. The settlement commenced\nat Pocasset, or Portsmouth. The Indian deed is dated March 24, 1638. Mr.\nClarke was soon employed as a preacher; and, in 1644, he formed a church\nat Newport, and became its pastor. This was the second Baptist church\nwhich was established in America.\n\nIn 1649, he was an assistant and treasurer of Rhode Island colony. In\n1651, he went to visit one of his brethren at Lynn, near Boston, and he\npreached on Sunday, July 20; but, before he had completed the services of\nthe forenoon, he was seized, with his friends, by an officer of the\ngovernment. In the afternoon, he was compelled to attend the parish\nmeeting, at the close of which he spoke a few words. He was tried before\nthe Court of Assistants, and fined twenty pounds; in case of failure in\nthe payment of which sum he was to be whipped. In passing the sentence,\nJudge Endicott observed, \u201cYou secretly insinuate things into those who are\nweak, which you cannot maintain before our ministers; you may try and\ndispute with them.\u201d Mr. Clarke accordingly wrote from prison, proposing a\ndispute upon the principles which he professed. He represented his\nprinciples to be, that Jesus Christ had the sole right of prescribing any\nlaws respecting the worship of God which it was necessary to obey; that\nbaptism, or dipping in water, was an ordinance to be administered only to\nthose who gave some evidence of repentance towards God and faith in Jesus\nChrist; that such visible believers only constituted the church; that each\nof them had a right to speak in the congregation, according as the Lord\nhad given him talents, either to make inquiries for his own instruction,\nor to prophesy for the edification of others, and that at all times and in\nall places they ought to reprove folly and open their lips to justify\nwisdom; and that no servant of Jesus Christ had any authority to restrain\nany fellow-servant in his worship, where injury was not offered to others.\nNo dispute, however, occurred, and Mr. Clarke, his friends paying his fine\nwithout his consent, was soon released from prison, and directed to leave\nthe colony. His companion Obadiah Holmes shared a severer fate; for, on\ndeclining to pay his fine of thirty pounds, which his friends offered to\ndo for him, he was publicly whipped in Boston.\n\nMr. Clarke died at Newport, April 20, 1676, aged about 66 years, resigning\nhis soul to his merciful Redeemer, through faith in whose name he enjoyed\nthe hope of a resurrection to eternal life.\n\nHis life was so pure, that he was never accused of any vice, to leave a\nblot on his memory. His noble sentiments respecting religious toleration\ndid not, indeed, accord with the sentiments of the age in which he lived,\nand exposed him to trouble; but at the present time they are almost\nuniversally embraced. His exertions to promote the civil prosperity of\nRhode Island must endear his name to those who are now enjoying the fruits\nof his labors. He possessed the singular honor of contributing much\ntowards establishing the first government upon the earth, which gave equal\nliberty, civil and religious, to all men living under it.\n\n\n\n\nAnn Hutchinson.\n\n\nA woman who occasioned much difficulty in New England, soon after its\nfirst settlement, came from Lincolnshire to Boston, 1635, and was the wife\nof one of the representatives of Boston. The members of Mr. Cotton\u2019s\nchurch used to meet every week to repeat his sermons, and discourse on\ndoctrines. She set up meetings for women, and soon had a numerous\naudience. After repeating the sermons of Mr. Cotton, she added reflections\nof her own; she advocated her own sentiments, and warped the discourses of\nher minister to coincide with them. She soon threw the whole colony into a\nflame. The progress of her sentiments occasioned the synod of 1637, the\nfirst synod in America. This convention of ministers condemned eighty-two\nerroneous opinions, then propagated in the country. Mrs. Hutchinson, after\nthis sentence of her opinions, was herself called before the court in\nNovember of the same year, and, being convicted of traducing the\nministers, and advancing errors, was banished the colony. She went with\nher husband to Rhode Island. In the year 1642, after her husband\u2019s death,\nshe removed into the Dutch country beyond New Haven; and the next year,\nshe, her son Francis, and most of her family of sixteen persons, were\nkilled by the Indians.\n\n\n\n\nMichael Molinos.\n\n\nFounder of the ancient sect of Quietists, was a Spaniard, of a rich and\nhonorable family. He entered into priest\u2019s orders young, but would accept\nno preferment in the church. He possessed great talents, and was ardently\npious, without any of the austerities of the Romish religious orders. He\nwent to Rome, where, in 1675, he published his \u201cSpiritual Guide,\u201d which\ngave him universal reputation. The Jesuits and Dominicans, envious at his\nsuccess, charged him with heresy, and at last succeeded in getting him\ncondemned by the Inquisition. He died of torment in their dungeons, a few\nyears after.\n\n\n\n\nJohn Wesley.\n\n\nThe great founder of Methodism was born at Epworth, in England, in 1703.\nIn 1714, he was placed at the Charter House; and two years after he was\nelected to Christ Church, Oxford. In 1725, he was ordained deacon, and the\nnext year became fellow and tutor of Lincoln College.\n\nWesley\u2019s character, says his biographer, is itself a study. He equalled\nLuther in energy and courage, and Melancthon in learning and prudence. All\nthe excellences of both the Wittemberg reformers were combined, if not\ntranscended, in his individual character.\n\nHe possessed, in an eminent degree, the power of comprehending at once the\ngeneral outlines and the details of plans, the aggregate and the\nintegrants. It is this power which forms the philosophical genius in\nscience; it is indispensable to the successful commander and the great\nstatesman. It is illustrated in the whole economical system of Methodism\u2014a\nsystem which, while it fixes itself to the smallest localities with the\nutmost detail and tenacity, is sufficiently general in its provisions to\nreach the ends of the world, and still maintain its unity of spirit and\ndiscipline.\n\nNo man knew better than Wesley the importance of small things. His whole\nfinancial system was based on weekly penny collections. It was a rule of\nhis preachers never to omit a single preaching appointment, except when\nthe \u201crisk of limb or life\u201d required. He was the first to apply extensively\nthe plan of tract distribution. He wrote, printed, and scattered over the\nkingdom, placards on almost every topic of morals and religion. In\naddition to the usual means of grace, he introduced the band meeting, the\nclass meeting, the prayer meeting, the love feast, and the watch night.\nNot content with his itinerant laborers, he called into use the less\navailable powers of his people by establishing the new departments of\nlocal preachers, exhorters, and leaders. It was, in fine, by gathering\ntogether fragments, by combining minuti\u00e6, that he formed that stupendous\nsystem of spiritual means which is rapidly evangelizing the world.\n\nIt was not only in the theoretical construction of plans that he excelled;\nhe was, if possible, still more distinguished by practical energy. The\nvariety and number of his labors would be absolutely incredible with less\nauthentic evidence than that which corroborates them. He was perpetually\ntravelling and preaching, studying and writing, translating and abridging,\nsuperintending his societies, and applying his great plans. He travelled\nusually _five thousand_ miles a year, preaching twice and thrice a day,\ncommencing at five o\u2019clock in the morning. In the midst of all this\ntravelling and preaching, he carried with him the meditative and studious\nhabits of the philosopher. No department of human inquiry was omitted by\nhim. \u201cHistory, poetry, and philosophy,\u201d said he, \u201cI read on horseback.\u201d\n\nLike Luther, he knew the importance of the press; he kept it teeming with\nhis publications. His itinerant preachers were good agents for their\ncirculation. \u201cCarry them with you through every round,\u201d he would say;\n\u201cexert yourselves in this; be not ashamed, be not weary, leave no stone\nunturned.\u201d His works, including abridgments and translations, amounted to\nabout two hundred volumes. These comprise treatises on almost every\nsubject of divinity, poetry, music, history,\u2014natural, moral, metaphysical,\nand political philosophy. He wrote, as he preached, _ad populum_; and his\nworks have given to his people, especially in Great Britain, an elevated\ntone of intelligence as well as of piety. He may, indeed, be considered\nthe leader in those exertions which are now being made for the popular\ndiffusion of knowledge.\n\nDiffering from the usual character of men who are given to various\nexertions and many plans, he was accurate and profound. He was an adept in\nclassical literature and the use of the classical tongues; his writings\nare adorned with their finest passages. He was familiar with a number of\nmodern languages; his own style is one of the best examples of strength\nand perspicuity among English writers. He was ready on every subject of\nlearning and general literature. As a logician, he was considered by his\nenemies, as well as his friends, to be unrivalled.\n\nHe was but little addicted to those exhilarations and contrarieties of\nframe which characterize imaginative minds. His temperament was warm, but\nnot fiery. His intellect never appears inflamed, but was a glowing, serene\nradiance. His immense labors were accomplished, not by the impulses of\nrestless enthusiasm, but by the cool calculations of his plans, and the\nsteady self-possession with which he pursued them. \u201cThough always in\nhaste,\u201d he said, \u201cI am never in a hurry.\u201d He was as economical with his\ntime as a miser could be with his gold; rising at four o\u2019clock in the\nmorning, and allotting to every hour its appropriate work. \u201cLeisure and I\nhave taken leave of each other,\u201d said he. And yet such was the happy\narrangement of his employments, that, amidst a multiplicity that would\ndistract an ordinary man, he declares that \u201cthere are few persons who\nspend so many hours secluded from all company as myself.\u201d \u201cThe wonder of\nhis character,\u201d said Robert Hall, \u201cis the self-control by which he\npreserved himself calm, while he kept all in excitement around him. He was\nthe last man to be infected by fanaticism. His writings abound in\nstatements of preternatural circumstances; but it must be remembered that\nhis faults in these respects were those of his age, while his virtues were\npeculiarly his own.\u201d\n\nThough of a feeble constitution, the regularity of his habits, sustained\nthrough a life of great exertions and vicissitudes, produced a vigor and\nequanimity which are seldom the accompaniments of a laborious mind or of a\ndistracted life. \u201cI do not remember,\u201d he says, \u201cto have felt lowness of\nspirits one quarter of an hour since I was born.\u201d \u201cTen thousand cares are\nno more weight to my mind than ten thousand hairs are to my head.\u201d \u201cI have\nnever lost a night\u2019s sleep in my life.\u201d \u201cHis face was remarkably fine, his\ncomplexion fresh to the last week of his life, and his eye quick, keen,\nand active.\u201d He ceased not his labors till death. After the eightieth year\nof his age, he visited Holland twice. At the end of his eighty-second, he\nsays, \u201cI am never tired (such is the goodness of God) either with writing,\npreaching, or travelling.\u201d He preached under trees which he had planted\nhimself, at Kingswood. He outlived most of his first disciples and\npreachers, and stood up, mighty in intellect and labors, among the second\nand third generations of his people. In his later years persecution had\nsubsided; he was every where received as a patriarch, and sometimes\nexcited, by his arrival in towns and cities, an interest \u201csuch as the\npresence of the king himself would produce.\u201d He attracted the largest\nassemblies, perhaps, which were ever congregated for religious\ninstruction, being estimated sometimes at more than _thirty thousand_!\nGreat intellectually, morally, and physically, he at length died, in the\neighty-eighth year of his age and sixty-fifth of his ministry,\nunquestionably one of the most extraordinary men of any age.\n\nNearly one hundred and forty thousand members, upward of five hundred\nitinerant, and more than one thousand local preachers, were connected with\nhim when he died.\n\n\n\n\nGeorge Whitefield.\n\n\nOne of the founders of the sect of the Methodists, born at Gloucester,\nwhere his mother kept the Bell inn, 1714. From the Crypt school of his\nnative town, he entered as servitor at Pembroke College, Oxford, and was\nordained at the proper age by Benson, bishop of Gloucester. Enthusiasm and\nthe love of singularity now influenced his conduct, and in his eagerness\nto obtain popularity, he preached not only in prisons, but in the open\nfields, and by a strong persuasive eloquence, multitudes regarded him as a\nman of superior sanctity. In 1738, he went to America, to increase the\nnumber of his converts; but, after laboring for some time as the friend\nand the associate of the Wesleys, he at last was engaged with them in a\nserious dispute, which produced a separation. While he zealously asserted\nthe doctrine of absolute election and final perseverance, agreeably to the\nnotions of Calvin, his opponents regarded his opinion as unsupported by\nScripture, and therefore inadmissible; and in consequence of this arose\nthe two sects of the Calvinistic and the Arminian Methodists. Secure in\nthe good opinion of a great number of adherents, and in the patronage of\nLady Huntingdon, to whom he was chaplain, he continued his labors, and\nbuilt two Tabernacles in the city and in Tottenham Court Road for the\ncommodious reception of his followers. He died at Newburyport,\nMassachusetts, while on a visit to his churches in America, and had the\nsatisfaction to know that his adherents were numerous on both continents.\n\nAt Newburyport, the Hon. WILLIAM BARTLETT has erected an elegant marble\nmonument, on which is the following inscription:\u2014\n\n\n    \u201cThis Cenotaph is erected, with affectionate veneration, to the\n    memory of the Rev. GEORGE WHITEFIELD, born at Gloucester, England,\n    December 16, 1714; educated at Oxford University; ordained 1736.\n    In a ministry of thirty-four years, he crossed the Atlantic\n    thirteen times, and preached more than eighteen thousand sermons.\n    As a soldier of the cross, humble, devoted, ardent, he put on the\n    whole armor of God; preferring the honor of Christ to his own\n    interest, repose, reputation, and life. As a Christian orator, his\n    deep piety, disinterested zeal, and vivid imagination, gave\n    unexampled energy to his look, utterance, and action. Bold,\n    fervent, pungent, and popular in his eloquence, no other\n    uninspired man ever preached to so large assemblies, or enforced\n    the simple truths of the gospel by motives so persuasive and\n    awful, and with an influence so powerful on the hearts of his\n    hearers. He died of asthma, September 30, 1770, suddenly\n    exchanging his life of unparalleled labors for his eternal rest.\u201d\n\n\nDuring Mr. Whitefield\u2019s visit to Philadelphia, he preached often in the\nevening from the gallery of the court-house in Market Street. So loud was\nhis voice at that time, that it was distinctly heard on the Jersey shore,\nand so distinct was his speech, that every word he said was understood at\nMarket Street wharf, a distance of upwards of four hundred feet from the\ncourt-house. All the intermediate space was crowded with his hearers. Mr.\nWhitefield was truly remarkable for his uncommon eloquence and fervent\nzeal. His eloquence was indeed very great, and of the truest kind. He was\nutterly devoid of all affectation; the importance of his subject, and the\nregard due to his hearers, engrossed all his concern. Every accent of his\nvoice spoke to the ear, every feature of his face, every motion of his\nhands, and every gesture, spoke to the eye; so that the most dissipated\nand thoughtless found their attention arrested, and the dullest and most\nignorant could not but understand. He appeared to be devoid of the spirit\nof sectarianism; his only object seemed to be to \u201cpreach Christ and him\ncrucified.\u201d\n\nThe following anecdote respecting his manner of preaching will serve to\nillustrate this part of his character. One day, while preaching from the\nbalcony of the court-house, in Philadelphia, he cried out, \u201cFather\nAbraham, who have you got in heaven; any _Episcopalians_?\u201d \u201cNo!\u201d \u201cAny\n_Presbyterians_?\u201d \u201cNo!\u201d \u201cAny _Baptists_?\u201d \u201cNo!\u201d \u201cHave you any _Methodists_\nthere?\u201d \u201cNo!\u201d \u201cHave you any _Independents_ or _Seceders_?\u201d \u201cNo! No!\u201d \u201cWhy,\nwho have you, then?\u201d \u201cWe don\u2019t know those names here; all that are here\nare _Christians_\u2014believers in Christ\u2014men who have overcome by the blood of\nthe Lamb, and the word of his testimony!\u201d \u201cO, is this the case? then God\nhelp me\u2014God help us all\u2014to forget party names, and to become Christians in\ndeed and in truth.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nSelina Huntingdon.\n\n\nCountess, second daughter of Washington, earl Ferrers, born 1707, and\nmarried Lord Huntingdon, by whom she had four sons and three daughters.\nFrom habits of gayety and scenes of dissipation, she became all at once,\nafter a serious illness, grave, reserved, and melancholy. Her thoughts\nwere wholly absorbed by religion, and she employed the ample resources\nwhich she possessed in disseminating her principles by the popular arts of\nWhitefield, Romaine, and others. Not only her house in Park Street was\nthrown open for the frequent assembling of these pious reformers, but\nchapels were built in various parts of the kingdom, and a college erected\nin Wales for the education of young persons in the future labors of the\nministry. After many acts of extensive charity, and with the best\nintentions, this enthusiastic lady died in 1791.\n\n\n\n\nRobert Sandeman.\n\n\nThe founder of the sect called _Sandemanians_, born at Perth, in Scotland,\nabout the year 1718, and was educated at St. Andrews. Instead of entering\ninto the church, for which he was intended, he became a linen\nmanufacturer, and afterwards turned preacher. He came to America in\nOctober, 1764, and from Boston he went to Danbury, Connecticut. In that\ntown he gathered a church the following year. He afterwards established\nseveral societies in New England. Individuals are still found who adhere\nto his peculiarities, and are known by the name of his sect. He wrote an\nanswer to Hervey\u2019s \u201cTheron and Aspasio,\u201d said to be a work of talent, but\nexhibiting great asperity.\n\nThe following is copied from the monument of Mr. Sandeman, in the\nburying-ground at Danbury:\u2014\n\n\n    \u201cHere lies, until the resurrection, the body of ROBERT SANDEMAN, a\n    native of Perth, North Britain, who, in the face of continual\n    opposition from all sorts of men, long boldly contended for the\n    ancient faith, that the bare word of Jesus Christ, without a deed\n    or thought on the part of man, is sufficient to present the chief\n    of sinners spotless before God. To declare this blessed truth, as\n    testified in the holy Scriptures, he left his country, he left his\n    friends, and, after much patient suffering, finished his labors at\n    Danbury, April 2, 1771, \u00c6. 53 years.\n\n    Deigned Christ to come so nigh to us,\n      As not to count it shame\n    To call us brethren, should we blush\n      At aught that bears his name?\n    Nay, let us boast in his reproach,\n      And glory in his cross;\n    When he appears, one smile from him\n      Would far o\u2019erpay our loss.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nSamuel Hopkins.\n\n\nAn American divine, who, in his sermons and tracts, has made several\nadditions to the sentiments first advanced by the celebrated Jonathan\nEdwards, late president of New Jersey College. Dr. Hopkins was born at\nWaterbury, in Connecticut, 1721, and graduated at Yale College, in 1741.\nSoon after, he engaged in theological studies, at Northampton,\nMassachusetts, under the superintendence of Jonathan Edwards, and, in\n1743, was ordained at Housatonic, now Great Barrington, Massachusetts,\nwhere he continued till he removed to Newport, Rhode Island, in\nconsequence of the diminution of his congregation, and his want of\nsupport. When he had resided some time in this place, the people became\ndissatisfied with his sentiments, and resolved, at a meeting, to intimate\nto him their disinclination to his continuance among them. On the ensuing\nSabbath, he preached his farewell discourse, which was so interesting and\nimpressive that they besought him to remain, which he did till his death,\nin 1803. He was a pious and zealous man, of considerable talents, and\nalmost incredible powers of application. He is said to have been sometimes\nengaged during eighteen hours in his studies. His doctrinal views are\ncontained in his \u201cSystem of Divinity,\u201d published in a second edition at\nBoston, in 1811, in two volumes, octavo.\n\n\n\n\nJonathan Mayhew.\n\n\nA divine of Boston, was born in Martha\u2019s Vineyard, in 1720 and educated at\nHarvard College. In 1747, he was ordained pastor of the West Church, in\nBoston, and continued in this station the remainder of his life. He\npossessed a mind of great acuteness and energy, and in his principles was\na determined republican. He had no little influence in producing the\nAmerican revolution. His sermons and controversial tracts obtained for him\na high reputation; and many of them were republished several times in\nEngland. He died in 1766.\n\n\n\n\nSamuel Seabury.\n\n\nFirst bishop of the Protestant Episcopal church in the United States, was\nborn in 1728, and graduated at Yale College in 1751. After finishing his\nclassical education, he went to Scotland with the view of studying\nmedicine; but soon, having turned his attention to theology, he altered\nhis purpose and took orders in London, 1753. Returning to America, he\nofficiated, first at Brunswick, New Jersey, then at Jamaica, Long Island,\nnext at West Chester, New York, and lastly at New London, Connecticut,\nwhere he remained, as rector of the parish in that city, during the\nremainder of his life. As much as he was esteemed by his parishioners, his\ninfluence was extended among his brethren throughout the state.\nConsequently, when the Episcopal church was organized in that diocese, he\nwas elected bishop. He went immediately to England, in order to obtain\nconsecration; but, meeting with some unexpected obstacles, he repaired to\nScotland. Here he was able to accomplish the object of his mission. He was\nconsecrated at Aberdeen, November 14, 1784. As soon as he was able to\nreach home, he resumed his duties as parish minister at New London, in\nconnection with his episcopal functions for the diocese. Bishop Seabury\nhad a vigorous and well-cultivated mind, and acquired a reputation\ncorresponding with his high station. Three volumes of his sermons have\nbeen published.\n\nThe following is the inscription on Bishop Seabury\u2019s monument at New\nLondon, Connecticut:\u2014\n\n\n    \u201cHere lyeth the body of SAMUEL SEABURY, D. D., Bishop of\n    Connecticut and Rhode Island, who departed from this transitory\n    scene February 25th, Anno Domini 1796, in the 68th year of his\n    age, and the 12th of his episcopal consecration.\n\n    \u201cIngenious without pride, learned without pedantry, good without\n    severity, he was duly qualified to discharge the duties of the\n    Christian and the Bishop. In the pulpit he enforced religion; in\n    his conduct he exemplified it. The poor he assisted with his\n    charity; the ignorant he blessed with his instruction. The friend\n    of men, he ever designed their good; the enemy of vice, he ever\n    opposed it. Christian, dost thou aspire to happiness? Seabury has\n    shown the way that leads to it.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nRichard Clarke.\n\n\nA clergyman of the Episcopal church, who maintained for many years a high\nreputation in South Carolina. He was a native of England, and soon after\nhis arrival in Charleston was appointed rector of St. Philip\u2019s Church in\nthat city. Here he was greatly admired as a popular preacher, and highly\nrespected as an exemplary, amiable, benevolent, and liberal man. He\nreturned to England in 1759, and was soon afterwards appointed a stated\npreacher in one of the principal churches in London. In this station, his\neloquence and piety attracted a large share of public attention. His\npublications, chiefly on theological subjects, were numerous, amounting to\nsix or seven octavo volumes. He lived to a late period in the eighteenth\ncentury, universally beloved and respected.\n\n\n\n\nJoseph Priestly.\n\n\nAn English philosopher and dissenting divine, born at Fieldheald,\nYorkshire, 1733. He was educated at Daventry, under Dr. Ashworth, for the\nministry among the dissenters, and at the proper age he took care of a\ncongregation at Needham Market, Suffolk, and afterwards at Nantwich,\nCheshire. He became, in 1761, professor of belles lettres in the\nWarrington Academy, and after seven years\u2019 residence there he removed to\nLeeds, and two years after accepted the office of librarian and\nphilosophical companion to the earl of Shelburne. In this retreat, the\nphilosopher devoted himself laboriously to metaphysical and theological\nstudies, and published various works; and when, at last, he separated from\nhis noble patron, he retired with an annual pension of one hundred and\nfifty pounds, to settle at Birmingham, as pastor to a Unitarian\ncongregation, in 1780. While here usefully employed in advancing the cause\nof philosophy, and too often engaged in theological disputes, he became\nthe victim of popular fury; and the conduct of some of his neighbors in\ncelebrating the anniversary of the French revolution, in 1791, with more\nintemperance than became Englishmen and loyal subjects, excited a dreadful\nriot. Not only the meeting-houses were destroyed on this melancholy\noccasion, but, among others, Dr. Priestley\u2019s house, library, manuscripts,\nand philosophical apparatus, were totally consumed; and, though he\nrecovered a compensation by suing the county, he quitted this scene of\nprejudice and unpopularity. After residing some time at London and\nHackney, where he preached to the congregation over which his friend Price\nonce presided, he determined to quit his native country, and seek a more\npeaceful retreat in America, where some of his family were already\nsettled. He left England in 1794, and fixed his residence at\nNorthumberland, in Pennsylvania, where he died in 1804. His writings were\nvery numerous, and he long attracted the public notice, not only by\ndiscoveries in philosophy, but by the boldness of his theological\nopinions. Had he confined his studies merely to philosophical pursuits,\nhis name would have descended to posterity with greater lustre; but he who\nattempts innovations in government and religion, for singularity, and to\nexcite popular prejudices, must be little entitled to the applauses of the\nworld.\n\n\n\n\nJames Purves.\n\n\nA learned Arian preacher, born at a little village of Berwickshire, in\n1734. His father was only a keeper of cattle, and intended James for the\nsame profession. He, meanwhile, having obtained the loan of some books on\nmathematics, made himself master of geometry and trigonometry, and\nafterwards taught these sciences, with other branches of mathematics, and\nassisted some public authors in compiling mathematical works, which have\nbeen well received. He joined a party of the ancient Cameronians, and in\n1769, at one of their general meetings, was called to be a pastor among\nthem. To qualify himself for this office, he studied the Greek and Hebrew\nlanguages, and compiled a Hebrew grammar, which is still in manuscript.\nThese acquisitions led him into the study of the Arian controversy, when\nfinally he adopted the opinions of Arius, and afterwards became preacher\nto a small Arian congregation in Edinburgh, where he also kept a school\nand a book-shop, for many years before he died.\n\n\n\n\nJohn Jebb.\n\n\nBishop of Limerick, born September 27, 1775, and died December 9, 1833,\naged 58. He was educated at the university of Dublin, where he gained a\nhigh reputation as a scholar. He was greatly esteemed as a man of a most\namiable and gentle spirit; had the reputation of an accomplished orator\nand a learned and able theologian; and as a clergyman and a bishop he was\ntruly exemplary. His original publications are not numerous, but are of\nhigh merit.\n\n\n\n\nJohn Gaspar Christian Lavater.\n\n\nA celebrated writer, born at Zurich, 1741. He was pastor of the church of\nSt Peter\u2019s at Zurich, and as a minister he acquired great reputation both\nby his eloquent discourses and his exemplary life. He was wounded by a\nFrench soldier when Zurich was taken by storm under Massena in 1799, and\ndied there in consequence of it, 12th January, 1801. He acquired deserved\ncelebrity as a physiognomist, and his writings on the subject, possessing\ngreat merit, ingenious remarks, and truly original ideas, have been\ntranslated into all the languages of Europe. His Christian piety was of\nthe highest order.\n\n\n\n\nJohn Tillotson.\n\n\nAn eminent prelate, was born in 1630, at Sowerby, in Yorkshire, and was\neducated at Clare Hall, Cambridge. In 1691, after fruitless attempts to\navoid the honor, he accepted, with unfeigned reluctance, the see of\nCanterbury, which was become vacant by the deprivation of Sancroft. This\npromotion, however, he did not long survive, as his decease took place in\n1694.\n\nIn his domestic relations, friendships, and the whole commerce of\nbusiness, he was easy and humble, frank and open, tender-hearted and\nbountiful, to such an extent, that, while he was in a private station, he\nlaid aside two tenths of his income for charitable uses. He despised\nwealth but as it furnished him for charity, in which he was judicious as\nwell as liberal. His affability and candor, as well as abilities in his\nprofession, made him frequently consulted in points relating both to\npractice and opinion. His love for the real philosophy of nature, and his\nconviction that the study of it is the most solid support of religion,\ninduced him, not many years after the establishment of the Royal Society,\nto desire to be admitted into that assembly of the greatest men of the\nage; into which he was accordingly elected on the 25th of January, 1672.\nHis kindness towards the dissenters was attended with the consequence\nintended by him, of reconciling many of them to the communion of the\nestablished church, and almost all of them to a greater esteem of it than\nthey had before entertained.\n\nHe died poor, the copy-right of his Posthumous Sermons (which, however,\nsold for two thousand five hundred guineas) being all that his family\ninherited. His works form three folio volumes.\n\n\n\n\nIsaac Newton.\n\n\nA most celebrated English philosopher and mathematician, and one of the\ngreatest geniuses that ever appeared in the world, descended from an\nancient family in Lincolnshire, where he was born in the year 1642. His\npowers of mind were wonderfully comprehensive and penetrating. Fontenelle\nsays of him, \u201cthat in learning mathematics, he did not study Euclid, who\nseemed to him too plain and simple, and unworthy of taking up his time. He\nunderstood him almost before he read him: a cast of his eye on the\ncontents of the theorems of that great mathematician, seemed to be\nsufficient to make him master of them.\u201d Several of his works mark a\nprofundity of thought and reflection that has astonished the most learned\nmen. He was highly esteemed by the university of Cambridge, and was twice\nchosen to represent that place in parliament. He was also greatly favored\nby Queen Anne, and by George I. The princess of Wales, afterwards queen\nconsort of England, who had a turn for philosophical inquiries, used\nfrequently to propose questions to him. This princess had a great regard\nfor him, and often declared that she thought herself happy to live at the\nsame time as he did, and to have the pleasure and advantage of his\nconversation.\n\nThis eminent philosopher was remarkable for being of a very meek\ndisposition and a great lover of peace. He would rather have chosen to\nremain in obscurity, than to have the serenity of his days disturbed by\nthose storms and disputes, which genius and learning often draw upon those\nwho are eminent for them. We find him reflecting on the controversy\nrespecting his optic lectures (in which he had been almost unavoidably\nengaged) in the following terms:\u2014\u201cI blamed my own imprudence, for parting\nwith so real a blessing as my quiet, to run after a shadow.\u201d\n\nThe amiable quality of modesty stands very conspicuous in the character of\nthis great man\u2019s mind and manners. He never spoke, either of himself or\nothers, in such a manner as to give the most malicious censurers the least\noccasion even to suspect him of vanity. He was candid and affable; and he\ndid not assume any airs of superiority over those with whom he associated.\nHe never thought either his merit or his reputation sufficient to excuse\nhim from any of the common offices of social life. Though he was firmly\nattached to the church of England, he was averse to the persecution of the\nNonconformists. He judged of men by their conduct; and the true\nschismatics, in his opinion, were the vicious and the wicked. This\nliberality of sentiment did not spring from the want of religion; for he\nwas thoroughly persuaded of the truth of revelation; and amidst the great\nvariety of books which he had constantly before him, that which he loved\nthe best, and studied with the greatest application, was the Bible. He\nwas, indeed, a truly pious man; and his discoveries concerning the frame\nand system of the universe, were applied by him to demonstrate the being\nof a God, and to illustrate his power and wisdom. He also wrote an\nexcellent discourse, to prove that the remarkable prophecy of Daniel\u2019s\nweeks was an express prediction of the coming of the Messiah, and that it\nwas fulfilled in Jesus Christ.\n\nThe testimony of the pious and learned Dr. Doddridge to the most\ninteresting part of this great man\u2019s character, cannot be omitted on the\npresent occasion. \u201cAccording to the best information,\u201d says he, \u201cwhether\npublic or private, I could ever obtain, his firm faith in the divine\nrevelation discovered itself in the most genuine fruits of substantial\nvirtue and piety, and consequently gives us the justest reason to conclude\nthat he is now rejoicing in the happy effects of it, infinitely more than\nin all the applause which his philosophical works have procured him,\nthough they have commanded a fame lasting as the world.\u201d\n\nHe departed this life in the eighty-fifth year of his age, and, in his\nprinciples and conduct through life, has left a strong and comfortable\nevidence that the highest intellectual powers harmonize with religion and\nvirtue, and that there is nothing in Christianity but what will abide the\nscrutiny of the soundest and most enlarged understanding.\n\nHow great and satisfactory a confirmation is it to the sincere, humble\nChristian, and what an insurmountable barrier does it present to the\ninfidel, to perceive, in the list of Christian believers, the exalted and\nvenerable name of Newton! a man who must be acknowledged to be an ornament\nof human nature, when we consider the wide compass of his abilities, the\ngreat extent of his learning and knowledge, and the piety, integrity, and\nbeneficence, of his life. This eminent character firmly adhered to the\nbelief of Christianity, after the most diligent and exact researches into\nthe life of its Founder, the authenticity of its records, the completion\nof its prophecies, the sublimity of its doctrines, the purity of its\nprecepts, and the arguments of its adversaries.\n\n\n\n\nCharles V.\n\n\nEmperor of Germany, king of Spain, and lord of the Netherlands, born at\nGhent, in the year 1500.\n\nHe is said to have fought sixty battles, in most of which he was\nvictorious, to have obtained six triumphs, conquered four kingdoms, and to\nhave added eight principalities to his dominions\u2014an almost unparalleled\ninstance of worldly prosperity and the greatness of human glory.\n\nBut all these fruits of his ambition, and all the honors which attended\nhim, could not yield true and solid satisfaction. Reflecting on the evils\nand miseries which he had occasioned, and convinced of the emptiness of\nearthly magnificence, he became disgusted with the splendor that\nsurrounded him, and thought it his duty to withdraw from it, and spend the\nrest of his days in religious retirement. Accordingly, he voluntarily\nresigned all his dominions to his brother and son; and, after taking an\naffectionate and last farewell of the latter, and a numerous retinue of\nprinces and nobility who respectfully attended him, he repaired to his\nchosen retreat, which was situated in Spain, in a vale of no great extent,\nwatered by a small brook, and surrounded with rising grounds covered with\nlofty trees.\n\nA deep sense of his frail condition and great imperfections appears to\nhave impressed his mind in this extraordinary resolution, and through the\nremainder of his life. As soon as he landed in Spain, he fell prostrate on\nthe ground, and considering himself now as dead to the world, he kissed\nthe earth, and said, \u201cNaked came I out of my mother\u2019s womb, and naked I\nnow return to thee, thou common mother of mankind!\u201d\n\nIn this humble retreat, he spent his time in religious exercises and\ninnocent employments, and buried here, in solitude and silence, his\ngrandeur and his ambition, together with all those vast projects, which,\nfor near half a century, had alarmed and agitated Europe, and filled every\nkingdom in it, by turns, with the terror of his arms, and the dread of\nbeing subjected to his power. Far from taking any part in the political\ntransactions of the world, he restrained his curiosity even from any\ninquiry concerning them, and seemed to view the busy scene he had\nabandoned with an elevation and indifference of mind which arose from his\nthorough experience of its vanity, as well as from the pleasing reflection\nof having disengaged himself from its cares and temptations.\n\nHere he enjoyed more complete contentment than all his grandeur had ever\nyielded him; as a full proof of which he has left this short but\ncomprehensive testimony:\u2014\u201cI have tasted more satisfaction in my solitude,\nin one day, than in all the triumphs of my former reign. The sincere\nstudy, profession, and practice, of the Christian religion have in them\nsuch joys and sweetness as are seldom found in courts and grandeur.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nFrancis Bacon.\n\n\nBaron of Verulam, viscount St. Albans, and lord high chancellor of\nEngland, born in the year 1561. He was one of the most remarkable men of\nwhom any age or country can boast; and his writings furnish incontestable\nproofs that his knowledge, wisdom, and benevolence, were very\nextraordinary. Lord Bacon died in 1626.\n\nThat this illustrious character was deeply influenced by a truly humble\nand religious spirit, is manifest from the following prayer, which was\nfound amongst his papers, in his own hand-writing:\u2014\n\n\n    \u201cMost gracious Lord God, my merciful Father; my creator, my\n    Redeemer, my Comforter! thou soundest and searchest the depths and\n    secrets of all hearts; thou acknowledgest the upright; thou\n    judgest the hypocrite; vanity and crooked ways cannot be hid from\n    thee.\n\n    \u201cRemember, O Lord, how thy servant has walked before thee;\n    remember what I have first sought, and what has been principal in\n    my intentions. I have loved thy assemblies; I have mourned for the\n    divisions of thy church; I have delighted in the brightness of thy\n    sanctuary; I have ever prayed unto thee, that the vine which thy\n    right hand hath planted in this nation, might have the former and\n    the latter rain, and that it might stretch its branches to the\n    seas and to the floods. The state and bread of the poor and\n    oppressed have been precious in my eyes; I have hated all cruelty\n    and hardness of heart; I have, though a despised weed, endeavored\n    to procure the good of all men. If any have been my enemies, I\n    thought not of them, neither has the sun gone down upon my\n    displeasure; but I have been as a dove, free from superfluity of\n    maliciousness. Thy creatures have been my books, but thy\n    Scriptures much more so. I have sought thee in the courts, the\n    fields, and the gardens; but I have found thee in thy temples.\n\n    \u201cO Lord, my strength! I have, from my youth, met with thee in all\n    my ways; in thy fatherly compassions, in thy merciful\n    chastisements, and in thy most visible providences. As thy favors\n    have increased upon me, so have thy corrections; as my worldly\n    blessings were exalted, so secret darts from thee have pierced me;\n    and when I have ascended before men, I have descended in\n    humiliation before thee. And now, when I have been thinking most\n    of peace and honor, thy hand is heavy upon me, and has humbled me\n    according to thy former loving-kindness, keeping me still in thy\n    fatherly school, not as a bastard, but as a child. Just are thy\n    judgments upon me for my sins, which are more in number than the\n    sands of the sea, but which have no proportion to thy mercies.\n    Besides my innumerable sins, I confess before thee, that I am a\n    debtor to thee for the gracious talent of thy gifts and graces;\n    which I have neither put into a napkin nor placed, as I ought,\n    with exchangers, where it might have made best profit; but I have\n    misspent it in things for which I was least fit: so I may truly\n    say, my soul hath been a stranger in the course of my pilgrimage.\n    Be merciful unto me, O Lord, for my Savior\u2019s sake, and receive me\n    into thy bosom, or guide me into thy ways.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nMatthew Hale.\n\n\nLord chief justice of England, born in Gloucestershire, in the year 1609,\nand, by the care of a wise and religious father, had great attention paid\nto his education.\n\nIn his youth, he was fond of company, and fell into many levities and\nextravagances. But this propensity and conduct were corrected by a\ncircumstance that made a considerable impression on his mind during the\nrest of his life. Being one day in company with other young men, one of\nthe party, through excess of wine, fell down, apparently dead, at their\nfeet. Young Hale was so affected on this occasion, that he immediately\nretired to another room, and, shutting the door, fell on his knees, and\nprayed earnestly to God that his friend might be restored to life, and\nthat he himself might be pardoned for having given countenance to so much\nexcess. At the same time, he made a solemn vow that he would never again\nkeep company in that manner, nor \u201cdrink a health\u201d while he lived. His\nfriend recovered, and Hale religiously observed his vow. After this event,\nthere was an entire change in his disposition; he forsook all dissipated\ncompany, and was careful to divide his time between the duties of religion\nand the studies of his profession.\n\nHe became remarkable for his solid and grave deportment, his inflexible\nregard to justice, and a religious tenderness of spirit, which appear to\nhave accompanied him through life. His retired meditations on religious\nsubjects manifest a pious and humble frame of mind, and a solemnity well\nadapted to excite kindred emotions in the breast of the reader.\n\n\u201cTrue religion,\u201d says he, \u201cteaches the soul a high veneration for Almighty\nGod, a sincere and upright walking, as in the presence of the invisible,\nall-seeing God. It makes a man truly love, honor, and obey him, and\ntherefore careful to know what his will is. It renders the heart highly\nthankful to him, as his Creator, Redeemer, and Benefactor. It makes a man\nentirely depend on him, seek him for guidance, direction, and protection,\nand submit to his will with patience and resignation of soul. It gives the\nlaw, not only to his words and actions, but to his very thoughts and\npurposes; so that he dares not entertain any which are unbecoming the\npresence of that God by whom all our thoughts are legible. It crushes all\npride and haughtiness, both in a man\u2019s heart and carriage, and gives him\nan humble state of mind before God and men. It regulates the passions, and\nbrings them into due moderation. It gives a man a right estimate of this\npresent world, and sets his heart and hopes above it; so that he never\nloves it more than it deserves. It makes the wealth and the glory of this\nworld,\u2014high places and great preferments,\u2014of but little consequence to\nhim; so that he is neither covetous, nor ambitious, nor over-solicitous,\nconcerning the advantages of them. It makes him value the love of God and\nthe peace of his own conscience above all the wealth and honor in the\nworld, and to be very diligent in preserving them. He performs all his\nduties to God with sincerity and humility; and, whilst he lives on earth,\nhis conversation, his hope, his treasures, are in heaven; and he endeavors\nto walk suitably to such a hope.\u201d\n\n\u201cThey who truly fear God, have a secret guidance from a higher wisdom than\nwhat is barely human, namely, the Spirit of truth and goodness; which does\nreally, though secretly, prevent and direct them. Any man that sincerely\nand truly fears Almighty God, and calls and relies upon him for his\ndirection, has it as really as a son has the counsel and direction of his\nfather; and though the voice be not audible, nor discernible by sense, yet\nit is equally as real as if a man heard a voice, saying, \u2018This is the way;\nwalk in it.\u2019 \u201d\n\n\u201cThough this secret direction of Almighty God is principally seen in\nmatters relating to the good of the soul, yet, even in the concerns of\nthis life, a good man fearing God, and begging his direction, will very\noften, if not at all times, find it. I can call my own experience to\nwitness, that even in the temporal affairs of my whole life, I have never\nbeen disappointed of the best direction, when I have, in humility and\nsincerity, implored it.\n\n\u201cThe observance of the secret admonition of this Spirit of God in the\nheart, is an effectual means to cleanse and sanctify us; and the more it\nis attended to, the more it will be conversant with our souls, for our\ninstruction. In the midst of difficulties, it will be our counsellor; in\nthe midst of temptations, it will be our strength, and grace sufficient\nfor us; in the midst of troubles, it will be our light and our comforter.\u201d\n\nChief Justice Hale died on the twenty-fifth of December, 1676.\n\n\n\n\nPrincess Elizabeth.\n\n\nPrincess of the Rhine, born in the year 1620. She was the eldest daughter\nof Frederick V., elector palatine and king of Bohemia, by Anne, daughter\nof James I., king of England. This excellent princess possessed only a\nsmall territory; but she governed it with great judgment and attention to\nthe happiness of her subjects. She made it a rule to hear, one day in the\nweek, all such causes as were brought before her. On these occasions, her\nwisdom, justice, and moderation, were very conspicuous. She frequently\nremitted forfeitures, in cases where the parties were poor, or in any\nrespect worthy of favor. It was remarkable that she often introduced\nreligious considerations as motives to persuade the contending parties to\nharmony and peace. She was greatly beloved and respected by her subjects,\nand also by many persons of learning and virtue not resident in her\ndominions; for she patronized men of this character, whatever might be\ntheir country or religious profession.\n\nIn the year 1677, the famous William Penn paid her a visit, and was\ntreated by her with great respect. The following account of her is taken\nfrom his works:\u2014\n\n\n    \u201cThe meekness and humility of the princess appeared to me\n    extraordinary: she did not consider the quality, but the merit, of\n    the people she entertained. Did she hear of a retired man, seeking\n    after the knowledge of a better world, she was sure to set him\n    down in the catalogue of her charity, if he wanted it. I have\n    casually seen, I believe, fifty tokens of her benevolence, sealed\n    and directed to the several poor subjects of her bounty, whose\n    distance prevented them from being personally known to her. Thus,\n    though she kept no sumptuous table in her own court, she spread\n    the tables of the poor in their solitary cells; breaking bread to\n    virtuous pilgrims, according to their wants and her ability.\n\n    \u201cShe was abstemious in her living, and in apparel void of all vain\n    ornaments. I must needs say, that her mind had a noble prospect:\n    her eye was to a better and more lasting inheritance, than can be\n    found below. This made her not overrate the honors of her station,\n    or the learning of the schools, of which she was an excellent\n    judge. Being once at Hamburgh, a religious person, whom she went\n    to see for religion\u2019s sake, remarked to her, that \u2018it was too\n    great an honor for him, that a visitant of her quality, who was\n    allied to so many great kings and princes of this world, should\n    come under his roof:\u2019 to whom she humbly replied, \u2018If they were\n    religious, as well as great, it would be an honor indeed; but if\n    you knew what that greatness was, as well as I do, you would value\n    it less.\u2019\n\n    \u201cAfter a religious meeting which we had in her chamber, she was\n    much affected, and said, \u2018It is a hard thing to be faithful to\n    what one knows. O, the way is strait! I am afraid I am not weighty\n    enough in my spirit to walk in it.\u2019\n\n    \u201cShe once withdrew, on purpose to give her servants, who were\n    religiously disposed, the liberty of discoursing with us that they\n    might the more freely put what questions of conscience they\n    desired to be satisfied in. Sometimes she suffered both them and\n    the poorest persons of her town to sit by her in her own chamber,\n    where we had two meetings. I cannot forget her last words, when I\n    took my leave of her:\u2014\u2018Let me desire you to remember me, though I\n    live at so great a distance, and you should never see me more. I\n    thank you for this good time. Be assured that, though my condition\n    subjects me to divers temptations, yet my soul has strong desires\n    after the best things.\u2019\n\n    \u201cShe lived till the age of sixty years, and then departed at her\n    house in Herwerden, in the year 1680, as much lamented as she had\n    been beloved by her people. To her real worth I do, with a\n    religious gratitude, dedicate this memorial.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nRobert Boyle.\n\n\nAn eminent philosopher, and a truly good man, was the son of Richard, earl\nof Cork, and was born at Lismore, in Ireland, in the year 1627. At Eton\nSchool, where he was educated, he soon discovered a force of understanding\nwhich promised great things, and a disposition to improve it to the\nutmost. During his education, and before he was ten years old, he was much\nafflicted with an ague, which considerably depressed his spirits; and, to\ndivert his attention, he was persuaded to read Amadis de Gaul, and other\nromantic books. But this kind of reading, he says in his memoirs, produced\nsuch restlessness in him, that he was obliged to apply himself to\nmathematical studies, in order to fix and settle the volatility of his\nfancy. He died in the sixty-fifth year of his age.\n\nHe was a man of great learning, and his stock of knowledge was immense.\nThe celebrated Dr. Boerhaave has passed the following eulogium upon\nhim:\u2014\u201cBoyle was the ornament of his age and country. Which of his writings\nshall I commend? All of them. To him we owe the secrets of fire, air,\nwater, animals, vegetables, fossils; so that from his works may be deduced\nthe whole system of natural knowledge.\u201d\n\nHe was treated with particular kindness and respect by Charles II., as\nwell as by the two great ministers Southampton and Clarendon. By the\nlatter he was solicited to enter into orders; for his distinguished\nlearning and unblemished reputation induced Lord Clarendon to think that\nso very respectable a personage would do great honor to the clergy. Boyle\nconsidered the proposal with due attention. He reflected that, in his\npresent situation of life, whatever he wrote with respect to religion,\nwould have greater weight, as coming from a layman; for he well knew that\nthe irreligious fortified themselves against all that the clergy could\noffer, by supposing and saying that it was their trade, and that they were\npaid for it. He considered, likewise, that, in point of fortune and\ncharacter, he needed no accessions; and, indeed, his desire for these was\nalways very limited. But Bishop Burnet, to whom Boyle had communicated\nmemorandums concerning his life, tells us that what had the greatest\nweight in determining his judgment, was, \u201cthe not feeling within himself\nany motion or tendency of mind which he could safely esteem a call from\nthe Holy Spirit, and so not venturing to take holy orders, lest he should\nbe found to have lied unto it.\u201d\n\nBishop Burnet, who was Boyle\u2019s particular friend, and who, during an\nacquaintance of twenty-nine years, had spent many happy hours in\nconversation with him, gives a full account of his genuine piety and\nvirtue, and of his zeal for the Christian religion. \u201cThis zeal,\u201d he says,\n\u201cwas unmixed with narrow notions, or a bigoted heat in favor of a\nparticular sect; it was that spirit which is the ornament of a true\nChristian.\u201d Burnet mentions, as a proof of this, his noble foundation for\nlectures in defence of the gospel, against infidels of all sorts; the\neffects of which have been very conspicuous, in the many volumes of\nexcellent discourses, which have been published in consequence of that\nlaudable and pious design.\n\nThe great object of his philosophical pursuits was to promote the cause of\nreligion, and to discountenance atheism and infidelity. His intimate\nfriend Bishop Burnet makes the following observations on this point:\u2014\u201cIt\nappeared to those who conversed with him on his inquiries into nature,\nthat his main design (on which as he had his own eye constantly fixed, so\nhe took care to put others often in mind of it) was to raise in himself\nand others more exalted sentiments of the greatness and glory, the wisdom\nand goodness, of God. This design was so deeply impressed on his mind,\nthat he concludes the article of his will, which relates to the Royal\nSociety, in these words:\u2014\u2018I wish them a happy success in their attempts to\ndiscover the true nature of the works of God; and I pray that they, and\nall searchers into physical truths, may cordially refer their attainments\nto the glory of the great Author of nature, and to the comfort of\nmankind.\u2019 \u201d\n\nOn another occasion, the same person speaks of him thus\u2014\u201cHe had the most\nprofound veneration for the great God of heaven and earth that I ever\nobserved in any man. The very name of God was never mentioned by him\nwithout a pause and observable stop in his discourse.\u201d So brightly did the\nexample of this great and good man shine, through his whole course, that\nBishop Burnet, on reviewing it, in a moment of pious exultation thus\nexpressed himself:\u2014\u201cI might challenge the whole tribe of libertines to\ncome and view the usefulness, as well as the excellence, of the Christian\nreligion, in a life that was entirely dedicated to it.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nJohn Locke.\n\n\nA very celebrated philosopher, and one of the greatest men that England\never produced, born in the year 1632. He was well educated; and, applying\nhimself with vigor to his studies, his mind became enlarged, and stored\nwith much useful knowledge. He went abroad as secretary to the English\nambassador at several of the German courts, and afterwards had the offer\nof being made envoy at the court of the emperor, or of any other that he\nchose; but he declined the proposal, on account of the infirm state of his\nhealth. He was a commissioner of trade and plantations, in which station\nhe very honorably distinguished himself. Notwithstanding his public\nemployments, he found leisure to write much for the benefit of mankind.\nHis \u201cEssay on Human Understanding,\u201d his \u201cDiscourses on Government,\u201d and\nhis \u201cLetters on Toleration,\u201d are justly held in the highest esteem.\n\nThis enlightened man and profound reasoner was most firmly attached to the\nChristian religion. His zeal to promote it appeared, first, in his middle\nage, by publishing a discourse to demonstrate the reasonableness of\nbelieving Jesus to be the promised Messiah; and, afterwards, in the latter\npart of his life, by a Commentary on several of the Epistles of the\napostle Paul. The sacred Scriptures are every where mentioned by him with\nthe greatest reverence; and he exhorts Christians \u201cto betake themselves in\nearnest to the study of the way to salvation, in those holy writings,\nwherein God has revealed it from heaven, and proposed it to the world;\nseeking our religion where we are sure it is in truth to be found,\ncomparing spiritual things with spiritual.\u201d\n\nIn a letter written the year before his death, to one who asked this\nquestion, \u201cWhat is the shortest and surest way for a young man to attain\nthe true knowledge of the Christian religion?\u201d he says, \u201cLet him study the\nholy Scriptures, especially the New Testament: therein are contained the\nwords of eternal life. It has God for its author; salvation for its end;\nand truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter.\u201d This advice was\nconformable to his own practice. \u201cFor fourteen or fifteen years, he\napplied himself in an especial manner to the study of the Scriptures, and\nemployed the last years of his life hardly in any thing else. He was never\nweary of admiring the great views of that sacred book, and the just\nrelation of all its parts: he every day made discoveries in it that gave\nhim fresh cause of admiration.\u201d\n\nThe consolation which he derived from divine revelation is forcibly\nexpressed in these words:\u2014\u201cI gratefully receive and rejoice in the light\nof revelation, which has set me at rest in many things, the manner whereof\nmy poor reason can by no means make out to me.\u201d\n\nAfter he had diligently employed a great part of his life in a variety of\noccupations, he chose a pleasing retirement for the remainder of his days.\nThis leisure appears to have been productive of solid improvement, by\nenabling him to look calmly over the scenes of past life; to form a proper\nestimate of its enjoyments, and to dedicate himself more fully to the\ncause of piety and virtue.\n\nAbout two months before his death, in 1704, he wrote a letter to his\nfriend Anthony Collins, and left this direction upon it:\u2014\u201cTo be delivered\nto him after my decease.\u201d It concludes with the following remarkable\nwords:\u2014\n\n\n    \u201cMay you live long and happy, in the enjoyment of health, freedom,\n    content, and all those blessings which Providence has bestowed on\n    you, and to which your virtue entitles you. You loved me living,\n    and will preserve my memory when I am dead. All the use to be made\n    of it is, that this life is a scene of vanity, which soon passes\n    away, and affords no solid satisfaction, but in the consciousness\n    of doing well, and in the hopes of another life. This is what I\n    can say upon experience; and what you will find to be true, when\n    you come to make up the account. Adieu!\u201d\n\n\n\n\nJoseph Addison.\n\n\nA celebrated English writer, born at Milston, in Wiltshire, in the year\n1672. About the age of fifteen, he was entered at Queen\u2019s College, Oxford,\nwhere, by his fine parts and great application, he made a surprising\nproficiency in classical learning. Before he left the university, he was\nwarmly solicited to enter into orders; and he once resolved to do so; but\nhis great modesty, and an uncommonly delicate sense of the importance of\nthe sacred function, made him afterwards alter his resolution. He was\nhighly respected by many of the greatest and the most learned of his\ncontemporaries. He travelled into Italy, where he made many useful\nobservations, and prepared materials for some of his literary works. On\nhis return to England, he was chosen one of the lords commissioners for\ntrade. In 1709, he was appointed secretary to the lord lieutenant of\nIreland, and, in 1717, was advanced to the high office of secretary of\nstate. He died in 1729.\n\nHis writings have been of great use to the world, and his \u201cEvidences of\nthe Christian Religion\u201d not the least so. Dr. Johnson, in delineating his\ncharacter as a writer, gives the following amiable picture of him:\u2014\u201cHe\nemployed wit on the side of virtue and religion. He not only made the\nproper use of wit himself, but taught it to others; and, from his time, it\nhas been generally subservient to the cause of reason and truth. He has\ndissipated the prejudice that had long connected cheerfulness with vice,\nand easiness of manners with laxity of principles. He has restored virtue\nto its dignity, and taught innocence not to be ashamed. This is an\nelevation of literary character above all Greek, above all Roman fame. As\na teacher of wisdom, he may be confidently followed. His religion has\nnothing in it enthusiastic or superstitious; he appears neither weakly\ncredulous nor wantonly skeptical; his morality is neither dangerously lax\nnor impracticably rigid. All the enchantment of fancy, and all the cogency\nof argument, are employed to recommend to the reader his real interest\u2014the\ncare of pleasing the Author of his being.\u201d\n\nOf his integrity in discharging the duties of his office, there is a\nstriking proof recorded. When he was secretary in Ireland, he had\nmaterially promoted the interest of an individual, who offered him, in\nreturn, a bank note of three hundred pounds, and a diamond ring of the\nsame value. These he strenuously refused to accept, and wrote to the\nperson as follows:\u2014\u201cAnd now, sir, believe me, when I assure you I never\ndid, nor ever will, on any pretence whatsoever, take more than the stated\nand customary fees of my office. I might keep the contrary practice\nconcealed from the world, were I capable of it, but I could not from\nmyself; and I hope I shall always fear the reproaches of my own heart more\nthan those of all mankind.\u201d\n\nA mind conscious of its own uprightness, and humbly trusting in the\ngoodness of God, has the best ground to look forward with complacency\ntowards another life. The following lines of Addison are sweetly\nexpressive of the peace and pleasure which he enjoyed in contemplating his\nfuture existence:\u2014\u201cThe prospect of a future state is the secret comfort\nand refreshment of my soul. It is that which makes nature look cheerful\nabout me; it doubles all my pleasures, and supports me under all my\nafflictions. I can look at disappointments and misfortunes, pain and\nsickness, death itself, with indifference, so long as I keep in view the\npleasures of eternity, and the state of being in which there will be no\nfears nor apprehensions, pains nor sorrows.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nIsaac Watts.\n\n\nA learned and eminent dissenting minister, born at Southampton, in the\nyear 1674, of parents who were distinguished by their piety and virtue. He\ndied in 1748. He possessed an uncommon genius, of which he gave early\nproofs. He received a very liberal education, which was rendered highly\nbeneficial to him by his own unwearied efforts to improve himself. After\nthe most serious deliberation, he determined to devote his life to the\nministry, of the importance of which office he had a deep and awful sense.\nHe labored very diligently to promote the instruction and happiness of the\npeople under his care, to whom, by his Christian conduct and amiable\ndisposition, he greatly endeared himself.\n\nSoon after he had undertaken the pastoral office, his health sustained a\nsevere shock by a painful and dangerous illness, from which he recovered\nvery slowly. But, in the year 1712, he was afflicted with a violent fever,\nthat entirely broke his constitution, and left such weakness upon his\nnerves, as continued with him, in some measure, to his dying day. For four\nyears he was wholly prevented from discharging the public offices of his\nstation. Though this long interval of sickness was, no doubt, very trying\nto his active mind, yet it proved ultimately a blessing to him; for it\ndrew upon him the particular notice of Sir Thomas Abney, a very pious and\nworthy man, who, from motives of friendship, invited him into his family,\nin which he continued to the end of his life, and, for the long space of\nthirty-six years, was treated with uniform kindness, attention, and\nrespect.\n\nThis excellent man was, by his natural temper, quick of resentment; but,\nby his established and habitual practice, he was gentle, modest, and\ninoffensive. His tenderness appeared in his attention to children and to\nthe poor. To the poor, while he lived in the family of his friend, he\nallowed the third part of his annual revenue; and for children, he\ncondescended to lay aside the scholar, the philosopher, and the wit, to\nwrite little poems of devotion, and systems of instruction, adapted to\ntheir wants and capacities, from the dawn of reason, through its\ngradations of advance in the morning of life. Few men have left behind\nthem such purity of character, or such monuments of laborious piety. He\nhas provided instruction for all ages, from those who are lisping their\nfirst lessons, to the enlightened readers of Malebranche and Locke. His\n\u201cImprovement of the Mind\u201d is a work in the highest degree useful and\npleasing. Whatever he took in hand was, by his incessant solicitude for\nsouls, converted to theology. As piety predominated in his mind, it is\ndiffused over his works. Under his direction, it may be truly said that\nphilosophy is subservient to evangelical instruction: it is difficult to\nread a page without learning, or at least wishing to be better.\n\nThe virtue of this good man eminently appeared in the happy state of his\nmind under great pains and weakness of body, and in the improvement which\nhe derived from them. Of those seasons of affliction, he says, with a\ntruly elevated mind and thankful heart, \u201cI am not afraid to let the world\nknow that, amidst the sinkings of life and nature, Christianity and the\ngospel were my support. Amidst all the violence of my distemper, and the\ntiresome months of it, I thank God I never lost sight of reason or\nreligion, though sometimes I had much difficulty to preserve the machine\nof animal nature in such order as regularly to exercise either the man or\nthe Christian.\u201d\n\nThe sweet peace of conscience he enjoyed under these trying circumstances,\nand the rational and Christian foundation of his hope and trust in the\ndivine goodness, are beautifully and justly expressed by him, in the\nfollowing lines:\u2014\n\n\n    \u201cYet, gracious God, amid these storms of nature,\n    Thine eyes behold a sweet and sacred calm\n    Reign through the realms of conscience; all within\n    Lies peaceful, all composed. \u2019Tis wondrous grace\n    Keeps off thy terrors from this humble bosom;\n    Though stained with sins and follies, yet serene\n    In penitential peace and cheerful hope,\n    Sprinkled and guarded with atoning blood,\n    Thy vital smiles, amidst this desolation,\n    Like heavenly sunbeams hid behind the clouds,\n    Break out in happy moments, with bright radiance\n    Cleaving the gloom; the fair, celestial light,\n    Softens and gilds the horrors of the storm,\n    And richest cordials to the heart conveys.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nPhilip Doddridge.\n\n\nBorn in London, in the year 1702. His parents, who were persons of great\nworth, brought him up in an early knowledge of religion; but he had the\nmisfortune to lose them before he was fourteen years old. This\ncircumstance excited in his mind very serious reflections, which, however,\nwere not wholly of a gloomy nature; for he expressed a devout, and even a\ncheerful trust in the protection of the God of mercies, the universal\nParent of mankind.\n\nHe diligently improved his time, and was anxious to be daily advancing in\nknowledge, piety, virtue, and usefulness. He possessed strong powers of\nmind, and, by unwearied application, acquired a large fund of sound and\nelegant learning. His publications, which are chiefly on religious\nsubjects, have been eminently useful to the world. By his literary\nacquisitions, his amiable disposition, and his desire to imbue the young\nmind with knowledge and virtue, he was qualified, in a peculiar manner, to\nbecome the instructor of youth; and for many years he superintended a very\nrespectable academy. As the pastor of a congregation, he manifested a\nsincere and zealous regard for the happiness of the people under his care,\nby whom he was greatly honored and beloved.\n\nHe possessed many virtues; but the prime and leading feature of his soul\nwas devotion. He was very solicitous to preserve and cultivate an habitual\nsense of the Supreme Being, to maintain and increase the ardor of religion\nin his heart, and to prepare himself, by devout exercises, for the\nimportant labors of his station. Nor was it to his secret retirements that\nhis piety was limited; it was manifested in every part of the day, and\nappeared in his usual intercourse with men. In the little vacancies of\ntime which occur to the busiest of mankind, he was frequently lifting up\nhis soul to God. When he lectured on philosophy, history, anatomy, or\nother subjects not immediately theological, he would endeavor to graft\nsome religious instructions upon them, that he might raise the minds of\nhis pupils to devotion, as well as to knowledge; and, in his visits to his\npeople, the Christian friend and minister were united.\n\nThe piety of Dr. Doddridge was accompanied with the warmest benevolence to\nhis fellow-creatures. No one could more strongly feel that the love of God\nwas to be united with love to man. Nor was this a principle that rested in\nkind wishes and pathetic feelings for the happiness of others, but it was\nmanifested in the most active exertions for their welfare. No scheme of\ndoing good was ever suggested to him into which he did not enter with\nardor. But the generosity of his mind was most displayed when any plans of\npropagating religion, and of spreading the gospel among those who were\nstrangers to it, were proposed. In every thing of this kind he was always\nready to take the lead, and was ardent in endeavoring to inspire his\nfriends with the same spirit.\n\nHe was of a weak and delicate bodily constitution; and a severe cold which\nhe caught about the forty-eighth year of his age, brought on a consumption\nof the lungs. The nearer he approached to his dissolution, the more\nplainly was observed his continual improvement in a spiritual and heavenly\ntemper. Indeed, he seemed to have risen above the world, and to be daily\nbreathing after immortality. This disposition of his mind was ardently\nexpressed in several of his letters, and is manifest from his will, which\nwas made at this time, and is prefaced in the following language:\u2014\u201cWhereas\nit is customary, on these occasions, to begin with commending the soul\ninto the hands of God, through Christ, I do it; not in mere form, but with\nsincerity and joy; esteeming it my greatest happiness, that I am taught\nand encouraged to do it, by that glorious gospel, which, having most\nassuredly believed, I have spent my life in preaching to others; and which\nI esteem an infinitely greater treasure than all my little worldly store,\nor possessions ten thousand times greater than mine.\u201d\n\nA short time before his death, he had been induced to try the mild air of\nthe south; but change of climate did not produce the desired effect, and\nDr. Doddridge continued gradually to weaken, till death put a period to\nhis afflictions. In his last hours, he preserved the same calmness, vigor,\nand joy of mind, which he had felt and expressed through the whole of his\nillness. The only pain he had in the thought of dying, was the fear of\nthat grief and distress which his wife would suffer from his removal. To\nhis children, his congregation, and his friends in general, he desired to\nbe remembered in the most affectionate manner; nor did he, in the\neffusions of his pious benevolence, forget the family where he lodged, or\nhis own servant. Many devout sentiments and aspirations were uttered by\nhim; but the heart of his wife was too much affected with his approaching\nchange to be able to recollect them distinctly. Though he died in a\nforeign land, and, in a certain sense, among strangers, his decease was\nembalmed with many tears. His age was 49 years.\n\n\n\n\nJohn Murray.\n\n\nA distinguished preacher of Universalism in the United States, born in\nAlton, county of Hampshire, England, on the 10th of December, 1741.\n\nWhen he had attained his eleventh year, the family removed to Ireland, in\nthe vicinity of Cork. While here, he was converted to Methodism, and\ngained the attention of John Wesley, by whom he was appointed a\nclass-leader. He was very earnest and devout in his religious exercises,\nand was regarded by his brethren as a valuable accession to their church.\nAbout this time his father died, and he shortly after left Ireland for\nEngland. He took up his residence in London, and was gradually led into\ngay society. The secret monitor, however, frequently reproached him, and\nfinally brought him back again to the services of the sanctuary, and\nquickened the flame of religious devotion. At this time his prejudices\nagainst Universalism were very strong; his soul \u201ckindled with indignation\u201d\nagainst them. But, shortly after his marriage to a very amiable young lady\nof London, he was induced to visit Mr. Relly\u2019s chapel, the preacher of\nuniversal salvation; and, notwithstanding he had been so filled with wrath\nagainst Mr. Relly, that, as he subsequently said, he thought it would have\nbeen doing both God and man service to kill him, yet he was moved to\ntenderness by his preaching and subsequently became an attendant on his\nministry. Rich were the consolations enjoyed by him and his amiable wife\nin their new faith. But great sorrows awaited him; she sickened and died;\nand the death-scene is described by himself, in his autobiography, with\nthrilling effect. He would gladly have accompanied her to the\nspirit-world. He was now alone; he felt himself a solitary being; he had\nno taste for the joys of life; his mind dwelt only on death and eternity;\nhe was unfitted for society; and in this state of mind, Providence seems\nto have directed his thoughts to America. He resolved to embark; and, in\nthe month of September, 1770, he landed upon the shores of New Jersey.\nHere he became at once acquainted with a philanthropic landholder, by the\nname of Thomas Potter, who, in the belief that God would send him a\npreacher, had erected a meeting-house, and who insisted that Murray was\nthe man whom God had sent. In this house Murray commenced his labors as a\npreacher; and from this time, he is to be contemplated as the public\nadvocate of Universalism, on the system of Relly. He soon visited the city\nof New York, and various other cities and towns in the Middle States,\npreaching the gospel whithersoever he went. His first visit to Boston was\nmade in October, 1773, and his second in September, 1774. It was during\nthis second visit that he was stoned in the pulpit of Rev. Mr. Croswell,\nin School Street. About this time he visited Gloucester, Massachusetts,\nwhich was afterwards his residence for many years. In 1775, he was\nappointed by General Washington chaplain to the Rhode Island troops, in\nthe army then lying around Boston. He soon, however, returned to his\ncharge in Gloucester, where he remained, making frequent visits to\ndifferent parts of the United States, until October, 1793, when he was\nordained pastor of the First Universalist Society in Boston, which had\npurchased the house of worship formerly occupied by the society of Dr.\nSamuel Mather. His labors were not confined to this society, however; in\none respect he was a minister at large; he continued his itinerant habits,\nmore or less, until October, 1809, when he was stricken with the palsy. He\nlived nearly six years after this affliction, and expired on the third day\nof September, 1815. He was buried in the Granary burying-ground, where his\nremains were suffered to lie unhonored until 1837, when they were removed\nto Mount Auburn, and a monument was erected to his memory. The monument is\na beautiful fluted column, surmounted by an urn. It is encircled by a\nbelt, or tablet, on which two inscriptions are placed; on one side\u2014\n\n\n    \u201cJOHN MURRAY, Preacher of the Gospel; born in Alton, England,\n    December 10, 1741; died in Boston, September 3, 1815; re\u00ebntombed\n    beneath this stone, June 8, 1837.\u201d\n\n\nOn the opposite side\u2014\n\n\n    \u201cErected at the recommendation of the United States General\n    Convention of Universalists.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nElhanan Winchester.\n\n\nA distinguished advocate of Universalism, born in Brookline,\nMassachusetts, September 30, 1751. In his nineteenth year, he was\nconverted, under the preaching of the Baptists; and it was by his labors\nthat the present Baptist society in Newton was originally gathered. In the\nautumn of 1774, he made a journey to the Southern States. Early in 1778,\nhe first saw Siegvolk\u2019s \u201cEverlasting Gospel,\u201d a work which originally\nappeared in Holland, but which had been translated and published by the\nMennonites of Pennsylvania. It made a very deep impression upon his mind.\nIn 1779, he came back to New England, his convictions of the truth of\nUniversalism increasing upon him daily. He set out on his return to South\nCarolina in the autumn of 1780, and arrived at Philadelphia on the 7th of\nOctober. Here he intended to remain but a few days; but God evidently had\na great work for him to do in this place. Even his enemies acknowledged\nthat his \u201cmanner of preaching was popular, his address very fascinating,\nand his appearance dignified and commanding.\u201d The Baptist church in that\ncity invited him to tarry and preach to them, and he at length consented.\nAbout this time he read \u201cStonehouse on Universal Restitution,\u201d which\nserved to confirm him greatly in his belief of that doctrine.\nNotwithstanding his great popularity, a discontent began to show itself in\ncertain members of the church. He foresaw that a storm was rising, and he\ndetermined to prepare for it; not (to use his words) \u201cby denying what I\nhad said, but by more fully examining, and determining for myself, whether\nthe sentiment was according to Scripture, or not. If I found it was not, I\nwas determined to retract; but if it was, to hold it fast, let the\nconsequences be what they might.\u201d Such was his truly Christian resolution.\nHe avowed his belief in the final happiness of all men.\n\nA majority of the church were in his favor; but, being a man of remarkably\npeaceful disposition, he did not urge them to press their claims to the\nmeeting-house; but they retired to the hall of the university, where they\nheld their meetings for about four years, until they purchased a place for\nthemselves. During the rest of his life, he is to be viewed as the public\nadvocate of universal restitution. There were several eminent men who\nadhered to him, and among others, Dr. Redman, and the celebrated Dr.\nBenjamin Rush, who remained his correspondent when he was in Europe. Added\nto all his other troubles, his domestic afflictions were very great. At\nthe age of thirty-two, he had buried four wives. The fifth was a desperate\nfury, who gave him great trouble as long as he lived. After preaching\nabout six years in Philadelphia, he was seized with an irresistible\nimpulse to visit England. No persuasions could divert him from the\npurpose; and in September, 1787, he arrived, almost penniless, and a total\nstranger, in the great metropolis of the British empire. He preached in\ndifferent parts of London, and, by his fervid eloquence and earnest\ndefence of the restoration, he soon gathered a congregation, who took for\nhim the chapel in Parliament Court, in which he held his meetings until\nhis departure for America. He spent six years and a half in this country,\nlaboring assiduously to bring men to the knowledge of the truth; and a\ndeep and wide impression was made by his labors. In consequence of the ill\ntreatment he experienced from his wife, he was obliged to leave her; and\nhe quitted England privately, and came home, filling the friends whom he\nhad left behind with amazement, being ignorant at first what had befallen\nhim. He arrived in Boston in July, 1794. Various were the speculations in\nthis country in regard to his return. But he commenced at once his labors\nas a preacher, travelling in several of the states,\u2014visited his former\nfriends in Philadelphia, where he was joined by his wife, who had come\nhome to America, and whom he freely forgave. It became evident, about this\ntime, that his health was greatly impaired; and an increasing asthma\nforetold a fatal termination. He came to Hartford, Connecticut, in\nOctober, 1796, and raised a congregation, to which he preached until he\ncould preach no more. In April, 1797, he delivered a sermon, under a\nstrong presentiment that it was his last, from St. Paul\u2019s farewell address\nto the elders of the Ephesian church. He never entered the desk again. He\ncontemplated his death with serenity and joy. On the morning of his\ndecease, he commenced singing the hymn with several of his\nfriends,\u2014\u201cFarewell, my friends in Christ below,\u201d but his voice soon\nfaltered, and the torpor of death fell on him. His friends became\ndisconcerted, and ceased to sing; but he revived a little, and encouraged\nthem to go on, joining in the first line of each verse, until his voice\nwas actually \u201clost in death.\u201d This was on the 18th of April, 1797, in the\n47th year of his age. His funeral sermon was preached by Rev. Dr. Strong,\nof Hartford, who bore a frank testimony to Mr. Winchester\u2019s excellent\ncharacter, and his final constancy in the doctrine he had preached.\n\nThe following is the inscription on the stone erected to his memory:\u2014\n\n\n    \u201cThe General Convention of the Universal Churches, in Memory of\n    their dear departed Brother, the REV. ELHANAN WINCHESTER, erected\n    this Monumental Stone.\n\n    He died April 18th, 1797, aged 46 years.\n\n    Twas thine to preach, with animated zeal,\n      The glories of the resurrection morn,\n    When sin, death, hell, the power of Christ shall feel,\n      And light, life, immortality, be born.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nSaint Genevieve.\n\n\nBorn at Nanterre, about five miles from Paris, in the year 423, about the\ntime of Pharamond, the first king of France. St. Germain, bishop of\nAuxerre, observing in her, when yet very young, a particular disposition\nto sanctity, advised her to take a vow of perpetual virginity, which she\naccordingly did in the presence of the bishop of Paris. After the death of\nher parents, she went to Paris. The city was about to be deserted, when\nAttila, with his Huns, broke into France; but Genevieve assured the\ninhabitants of complete security, if they would seek it by fervent\nprayers. Attila took his course from Champaigne to Orleans, returned\nthence into Champaigne, without touching Paris, and was defeated in 451.\nBy this event, Genevieve\u2019s reputation was established. In a time of\nfamine, she went along the River Seine, from city to city, and soon\nreturned with twelve large vessels loaded with grain, which she\ndistributed gratuitously among the sufferers. This increased her\nauthority, and she was highly honored by Merov\u00e6us and Chilperic. Nothing,\nhowever, contributed more to her reputation for sanctity, than the\ncircumstance, that, from her fifteenth to her fiftieth year, she ate\nnothing but barley-bread, except that she took some beans every two or\nthree weeks, and, after her fiftieth year, some fish and milk. In 460, she\nbuilt a church over the graves of St. Dionysius Rusticus and Eleutherius,\nnear the village of Chasteville, where Dagobert afterwards founded the\nabbey of St. Denys. She died in 499 or 501, and her body was placed in the\nsubterraneous chapel which St. Denys had consecrated to the apostles Paul\nand Peter. Clovis, by her request, built a church over it, which was\nafterwards called by her name, as was also the abbey that was founded\nthere. Another church, consecrated to this saint, was built adjoining to\nthe church of Notre Dame. Her relics are preserved in the former. The\nchurch celebrates the third of January, the day on which she died, in\nhonor of her.\n\n\n\n\nGilbert Burnet.\n\n\nBishop of Salisbury, was born at Edinburgh, in the year 1643. He was\ncarefully educated by his father; and, having a strong constitution and a\nprodigious memory, he applied himself closely to study, and acquired a\ngreat portion of learning and knowledge, which he seemed to have ready for\nall occasions. He travelled through France, Italy, and Holland, where he\nformed connections with many of the greatest persons of his time, by whom\nhe was much respected for his talents and virtues. At Amsterdam, he became\nacquainted with the leading men of the different persuasions tolerated in\nthe United Provinces\u2014Calvinists, Arminians, Lutherans, Anabaptists,\nBrownists, Roman Catholics, and Unitarians; amongst each of which, he used\nfrequently to declare, he met with men of such unfeigned piety and virtue,\nthat he became strongly fixed in a principle of universal charity, and an\ninvincible abhorrence of all severities on account of religious opinions.\n\nThe following sentiments, which he solemnly uttered towards the conclusion\nof his days, are very expressive of the nature and power of true religion,\nand of its influence upon his own mind:\u2014\n\n\u201cI recommend,\u201d he observes, \u201cto all sorts of men, in the most serious\nmanner, the study and practice of religion, as that which is the most\nimportant of all things, and which is both the light of the world, and the\nsalt of the earth.\n\n\u201cNothing so opens our faculties, and composes and directs the whole man,\nas an inward sense of God; of his authority over us; of the laws he has\nset us; of his eye ever upon us; of his hearing our prayers, assisting our\nendeavors, watching over our concerns; of his being to judge, and reward\nor punish, us in another state, according to what we have done in this.\nNothing will give us such a detestation of sin, and such a sense of the\ngoodness of God, and of our obligations to holiness, as a right\nunderstanding and firm belief of the Christian religion.\n\n\u201cBy living according to the rules of religion, a man becomes the wisest,\nthe best, and the happiest creature that he is capable of being. Honest\nindustry, the employing of time well, a constant sobriety, an undefiled\npurity and chastity, with continued serenity, are the best preservatives,\ntoo, of life and health; so that, take a man as an individual, religion is\nhis guard, his perfection, his beauty, and his glory. This will make him a\nlight in the world, shining brightly, and enlightening many round about\nhim.\n\n\u201cThus religion, if truly received and sincerely adhered to, would prove\nthe greatest of all blessings to a nation. But by religion I understand\nsomething more than receiving particular doctrines, though ever so true,\nor professing them, and engaging to support them, even with zeal and\neagerness. What signify the best doctrines, if men do not live suitably to\nthem; if they have not a due influence upon their thoughts and their\nlives? Men of bad lives, with sound opinions, are self-condemned, and lie\nunder a highly-aggravated guilt.\n\n\u201cBy religion I do not mean an outward compliance with forms and customs,\nin going to church, to prayers, to sermons, and to sacraments, with an\nexternal show of devotion; or, which is more, with some inward forced good\nthoughts, in which many satisfy themselves, while these have no visible\neffect on their lives, nor any inward force to control and rectify their\nappetites, passions, and secret designs. These customary performances, how\ngood and useful soever when understood and rightly directed, are of little\nvalue when men rest on them, and think, because they do them, they have\nacquitted themselves of their duty, though they still continue proud,\ncovetous, full of deceit, envy, and malice. Even secret prayers, the most\neffectual means, are designed for a higher end; which is, to possess our\nminds with such a constant and present sense of divine truths, as may make\nthese live in us, and govern us, and draw down such assistance, as to\nexalt and sanctify our natures.\n\n\u201cSo that, by religion, I mean such a sense of divine truth as enters into\na man, and becomes the spring of a new nature within him; reforming his\nthoughts and designs; purifying his heart; sanctifying and governing his\nwhole deportment, his words as well as his actions; convincing him that it\nis not enough not to be scandalously vicious, or to be innocent in his\nconversation, but that he must be entirely, uniformly, and constantly,\npure and virtuous, animated with zeal to be still better and better, more\neminently good and exemplary.\n\n\u201cThis is true religion, which is the perfection of human nature, and the\njoy and delight of every one that feels it active and strong within him.\nIt is true, this is not arrived at all at once, and it will have an\nunhappy alloy, hanging long even about a good man; but, as those ill\nmixtures are the perpetual grief of his soul, so that it is his chief care\nto watch over and to mortify them, he will be in a continual progress,\nstill gaining ground upon himself; and as he attains to a degree of\npurity, he will find a noble flame of life and joy growing up in him. Of\nthis I write with a greater concern and emotion, because I have felt it to\nbe the true, and, indeed, the only joy which runs through a man\u2019s heart\nand life. It is this which has been, for many years, my greatest support.\nI rejoice daily in it. I feel from it the earnest of that supreme joy\nwhich I want and long for; and I am sure there is nothing else which can\nafford any true and complete happiness.\u201d\n\nThis eminent scholar, Christian, and divine, departed this life on the\nseventeenth of March, 1714.\n\n\n\n\n\nTHEOLOGICAL SCHOOLS.\n\n\nName.          Place.         Denom.     Open.   Prof.   Stud.   Total.\nBangor         Bangor,        Cong.       1816       3      43      139\nTheol.         Me.\nSeminary\nNew Hampt.     N.             Baptist     1828       2      36       75\nTheo. Inst.    Hampt.,\n               N. H.\nGilmanton      Gilmanton      Cong.       1835       3      26       21\nTheol. Sem.    do.\nTheological    Andover,       Cong.       1808       5     142      785\nSeminary.      Mass.\nDivinity       Cambridge,     Cong.       1816       2      27      191\nSch. Harv.     do.            Unit.\nUniv.\nTheological    Newton,        Baptist     1825       3      33      137\nInstitution    do.\nTheol. Dep.    N. Haven,      Cong.       1822       3      61      245\nYale College   Ct.\nTheol. Inst.   E.             Cong.       1834       3      29       37\nof Conn.       Windsor,\n               do.\nTheol. Inst.   New York,      Prot.       1817       5      74      186\nEpis. Church   N. Y.          Epis.\nNew York       do. do.        Presbyt.    1836       4     129\nTheol. Sem.\nTheol. Sem.    Auburn,        Presbyt.    1821       4      71      344\nof Auburn      do.\nHamilton       Hamilton,      Baptist     1820       4      27      124\nLit. and Th.   do.\nInst.\nHartwick       Hartwick,      Lutheran    1816       2       3\nSeminary       do.\nTheol. Sem.    Newburgh,      Ass.        1836       3      11\nAs. Ref. Ch.   do.            Ref. Ch.\nTh. Sem.       N. Br\u2019wick     Dutch       1784       3      36      179\nDutch Ref.     N. J.          Ref.\nCh.\nTheol. Sem.    Princeton,     Presbyt.    1812       5     113      714\nPr. Ch. U.     do.\nS.\nSem. Luth.     Gettysburg,    Evang.      1826       3      26      130\nCh. U.         Pa.            L.\nStates\nGerman         York, do.      G. Ref.     1825       2      20\nReformed                      Ch.\nWest. Theol.   Alleghany      Presbyt.    1828       2      31      175\nSeminary       T. do.\nTheological    Canonsburg,    Asso.                  2      22       47\nSchool         do.            Ch.\nTheological    Pittsburg,     Asso.       1828       1      19\nSeminary       do.            Ref.\nMercersburg    Mercersburg,\nTheol. Sem.    do.\nEpis. Theol.   Fairfax Co.,   Prot.       1822       4      43      126\nSchool of      Va.            Epis.\nVa.\nUnion Theol.   Pr. Ed. Co.,   Presbyt.    1824       3      20      175\nSeminary       do.\nVirginia       Richmond,      Baptist     1832       3      67\nBaptist        do.\nSeminary\nSouthern       Columbia, S.   Presbyt.    1831       3      18       62\nTheol.         C.\nSeminary\nTheological    Lexington,     Lutheran    1835       2      10       20\nSeminary       do.\nFurman         High Hills,    Baptist                2      30       30\nTheol.         do.\nSeminary\nLit. and       Eaton, Ga.     Baptist     1834              10\nTheol.\nSeminary\nSouth-West.    Maryville,     Presbyt.    1821       2      24       90\nTheol. Sem.    Ten.\nLane           Cincinnati,    Presbyt.    1829       3      61       43\nSeminary       Ohio.\nTheol. Dep,    Gambier, do.   Prot.       1828       3      10\nKen. College                  Epis.\nTheol. Dep.    Hudson, do.    Presbyt.               3      14        6\nWes. Res.\nCol.\nTheological    Columbus,      Lutheran\nSchool         do.\nGranville      Granville,     Baptist     1832       2       8\nTheol. Dep.    do.\nOberlin        Oberlin, do.   Presbyt.    1834       4      58\nTheol. Dep.\nIndiana        S. Hanover,    Presbyt.               2      10\nTheol.         In.\nSeminary\nAlton Theol.   Upper Alton,   Baptist     1835\nSeminary       Il.\nCarlinville    Carlinville,   Presbyt.    1838\nTheol. Sem.    do.\nTheol. Dep.    N. Palmyra,    Presbyt.               1\nMarion Col.    Mo.\n\nFor a notice of the Roman Catholic seminaries, see page 325.\n\nProgress Of Christianity.\n\nM. LAFFON DE LADEBAT, of France, computes the number of Christians, in\neach century, since the Christian era, as follows:\u2014\n\n1st century       500,000\n2d              2,000,000\n3d              5,000,000\n4th            10,000,000\n5th            15,000,000\n6th            30,000,000\n7th            25,000,000\n8th            30,000,000\n9th            40,000,000\n10th           50,000,000\n11th           60,000,000\n12th           70,000,000\n13th           75,000,000\n14th           80,000,000\n15th          100,000,000\n16th          125,000,000\n17th          155,000,000\n18th          200,000,000\n\nSince the commencement of the nineteenth century, the number of Christians\nhas increased, with great rapidity, in all parts of the world.\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFOOTNOTES\n\n\n    1 The 21st of the former Articles is omitted, because it is partly of\n      a local and civil nature, and is provided for, as to the remaining\n      parts of it, in other Articles.\n\n    2 \u201cAs far as it respects civil affairs, we believe it the duty of\n      Christians, and especially all Christian ministers, to be subject to\n      the supreme authority of the country where they may reside, and to\n      use all laudable means to enjoin obedience to the powers that be;\n      and therefore it is expected that all our preachers and people, who\n      may be under the British or any other government, will behave\n      themselves as peaceable and orderly subjects.\u201d\n\n    3 \u201cThe question is, not whether God, all things considered, has\n      purposed the existence of sin rather than to prevent it; but for\n      what _reason_ has he purposed it? Some affirm this _reason_ to be,\n      _that sin is the necessary means of the greatest good_. Now, what I\n      claim, and all that I claim, is, that _no one can prove this to be\n      the reason_ why God has purposed the existence of sin, and that some\n      other may be _the true reason_, without affirming what the true\n      reason is.\u201d\n\n    4 The Exode did not begin until Terah\u2019s death; then Abraham left\n      Haran, and the Exode began, as is clearly proved by Acts 7:4.\n\n    5 Exode in Egypt from Abraham to wilderness state.\n\n    6 Joshua was a young man when he came out of Egypt, (Exod. 33:11;)\n      could not have been more than 45 years old then; 85 when he entered\n      Canaan, and 110 when he died, leaves 25 years.\n\n    7 Judges begin. See Judges 2:7-15.\n\n    8 This ends the Judges,\u2014448 years. Acts 13:20; also, chap. 8.\n\n    9 Samuel could not have been more than 38 when Eli died. Then, Israel\n      was lamenting the loss of the ark more than 20 years. Samuel judged\n      Israel some years after, and became old, and his sons judged Israel.\n      He must have been 62 or 63 when Saul was made king.\n\n   10 See 2 Kings, chapters 14 and 15.\n\n   11 See Ferguson\u2019s Astronomy; also, Prideaux\u2019s Connection.\n\n   12 See BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.\n\n   13 17 churches, 16 ministers, and 2236 members, in this state, are\n      included in the New York Association.\n\n   14 9 churches, 7 ministers, and 526 members, in this state, are\n      included in the Mississippi Association.\n\n   15 Archbishop Cranmer was the first in this succession, at and after\n      the Reformation; and Bishop White was the connecting link between\n      the English and American successions.\n\n   16 The reader will perceive some difference in the dates, and also in\n      the spelling between this list and the list of Bishops, p. 315. This\n      difference arises from the following of different authorities in the\n      chronology and spelling by the compilers of the two lists. It will\n      be seen that they agree in the order of succession, with one or two\n      exceptions. The fourth and fifth names in _this_ list are generally\n      considered as the same individual, and the best authorities place\n      him before Clement. The other apparent differences in the succession\n      are caused by the inserting in _this_ list of the names of all who\n      were in the see of Rome at any time; while in the other, those who\n      were not lawful bishops of Rome are omitted.","title":"The Book of Religions: Comprising the Views, Creeds, Sentiments, or Opinions, of All the Principal Religious Sects in the World, Particularly of All Christian Denominations in Europe and America, to Which are Added Church and Missionary Statistics, Together With Biographical Sketches","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":142152}