philosophical mind, fine taste, and eloquent parts, | compromise with the world; and provided, that who shall have been redeemed from these errors, those who respected the outward means of religion, and who shall present the truth, with pious earnest- but who gave no evidence of its renewing power, ness, to the understanding, by the aid of the ima- should be admitted to membership. It prevented gination and affections, to expel this sophistical spi- secession; but it spread worldliness and death over rit from its last hold among the literary and the the whole church. polite of society.

Of its general feebleness, two little incidents may assist you to a confirmed opinion. When this system was in its power and progress, it managed to get the Massachusetts Bible Society under its control. The consequence was, that the orthodox quietly retired, and formed a society for themselves. The original society, in the hands of the Unitarians, actually disposed, last year, of twenty-one Bibles!

The Unitarian Association, which has in trust the general propagation of their system, by preaching, the distribution of tracts, &c. &c., raises annually about 17,000 dollars! "Rich, but inefficient."

If I were giving a historical sketch of the period, it would gratify me to show how minor causes contributed, with this primary cause, to the bad consummation. But is not this sufficient to satisfy you, that the church had treacherously prepared herself for almost any corruption, and perhaps for none so fully as for Unitarianism? It would leave them in their worldliness, while it would not shock their morality; it would preserve to them the form of religion, while it would not trouble them with its power; it would flatter their reason; applaud their virtue; be satisfied with their compliances; explain away their difficulties; and leave them at ease in their possessions and pleasures!

These statements may well be considered to contain a most beneficial lesson for the churches; and surely, at the present time, it is a lesson that cannot be neglected! Let who will seek the benefits of a State establishment; but let all who would have a wise regard to the interests of true piety, and the nature of the kingdom of heaven, decline them with settled and calm determination.*

LETTER XXXIV.

Having given the facts of this case, let us look into its philosophy. Many have found it extremely difficult to account for this defection; and some have appealed to it as a practical argument against the principles of Independency. After giving the best attention to the case, I am disposed to refer it chiefly to two causes. First, the increasing wealth and consequent worldliness of the people inclined them to it. Their fathers were truly pious; but the children, though brought up strictly, were coming under the influence of worldly prosperity, and were mostly strangers to the regenerating power of religion. MY DEAR FRIEND-I must now, with brevity, make They had a dislike to the strict and mortifying some final references, under the head of Denominaclaims of a regenerated ministry, and yet they tions. The Baptist is a large and thriving commucould not persuade themselves to abandon those nity. It reckons to have 3,397 clergy; 5,345 forms of religion in which they had been rigidly churches; 325,461 communicants; and this, exclueducated. They sought a medium between infi-sive of the Freewill Baptists, the Seventh-day Bapdelity and vital religion. Unitarianism offered one, tists, and the Six Principle Baptists. Its great and it succeeded. The worldly, if they have any, strength lies in the West and South; and the nummust have a worldly religion. ber of its members is greatly swelled by the large accessions made from the slaves; while that of the ministers is increased by the easy terms on which the ministry may be entered. Indeed, in many parts, the line of separation between what is clerical and what is laical is faint indeed. Ignorance is the patron of ignorance; the people have been there, as they were extensively here, jealous of a learned and well trained ministry; and antinomianism, which favors ignorance, and is favored by it, has infected a considerable portion of the body. They want exceedingly an enlightened ministry, and they were beginning to awake to this necessity. They want also a sound exhibition of the whole truth, lest, in relaxing from antinomian opinion, where it has prevailed, they should fall back into the opposite extreme. Mainly this body is sound; and has continued sound, while others, have been corrupted; but it has never passed the ordeal of state patronage and endowment. It has contributed most honorably its share in overtaking the wants of an empire, which has been advancing with a giant's pace and power.

In the next place, it is most certain, that this evil arose principally from having made Congregationalism an established and State religion. What the Puritans did, they did most piously indeed, but not wisely. They were suffering for conscience' sake; yet they did not understand the rights of conscience, nor the genius of the New Testament.The lust of power is so deeply rooted in the hearts of men, that these, perhaps, are among the last claims of our holy religion to be comprehended and exemplified. They resolved on the establishment of that religion for which they suffered all things, to the exclusion of every other form of faith and discipline. It was made "The Standing Order; it was illustrated by creeds and confessions; and it was protected by Test and Corporation Acts, with penal sanctions. It was thus, in their judgment, placed above the reach of accident, and the corruption of time. This, however, was poor short-sightedness. The very means they had devised for its support were the means that humbled it to the dust. It was provided, that none should dedicate their children by baptism, or hold civil offices in the The Methodists are quite as numerous, and are State, except they were in church membership. more efficient. They show a less amount of minisBut, in course of time, many were exceedingly de- ters, but a much larger one of communicants: the one sirous of claiming the religious privilege for their being 2,223, and the other 619,771. Like the Bapchildren, and of seeking the civil distinction for tists, they have a large proportion of slaves in their themselves, who were not at all prepared for fellow-communion; and, like them, they are beginning to ship with a spiritual body. This induced many to adopt a hypocritical profession; while it inclined others, as they derived confidence from numbers, to complain and resist. The Standing Order, already deteriorated by the action of its own safeguards, found itself in a critical state; and, rather than lose its influence, it proposed the memorable Half-way Covenant. This was, in fact, a sinful

take decided measures to secure an educated ministry. They are, in fact, exceedingly like their kindred body in our own country, both in their vir

*Of course, these remarks are not meant, in any case, to affect a question of property. I merely seek to express a serious conviction as to the religious efficacy of two systems,

tues and failings. There is a considerable measure | nions, are often slow to do so. There are, however, of ignorance and extravagance in that as there is in this; and they are certainly quite as sectarian. They have their own papers, their own books, their own tracts, their own psalmody, and, I believe I may say, are about to have their own version of the Bible. They depend here, as every where, rather on their method than the talent of their ministry, or the peculiarities of their faith; and this method has wonderful compactness and adaptation to its ends. They are a hive of bees, in which each one has his place, and each one his work to do; and where each, by the movement of all, is constrained to fulfil it; and thus the whole duty of the busy and happy community is completed. The perfect order and unity which reigns at home, prevents the loss of energy by domestic bickerings; and allows them to seek and cull their treasures from the wild and waste world around them. Whatever may have been their failings, they have done more, both in America and Canada, than any other body of Christians, to carry the means of instruction and worship to the most neglected and scattered portions of these regions, and have been most successful in their efforts of Christian philanthropy.

right. Leigh Richmond, in his last illness, said to a friend and pastor of a dissenting church, "I esteem you as a minister of Christ, and you regard me as such, and yet I cannot preach for you, and you cannot preach for me. My brother, there must be something wrong in this!"

You, will have observed, that the terms, church, clergy, and bishop, though limited with us to one community, are used promiscuously in the churches of America. The Presbyterian church gives officially the style of bishops to her pastors; all ordained ministers are the clergy. Frequently you see a noble edifice, with its tall tower and spire, and from the power of association, you are ready to pronounce it Episcopal. No, it is a Baptist church. And though, in New England, there is some partiality to the old designation of meeting-house, the said meeting-house has all the large and lofty attributes of the church.

I was much interested in what I saw of the Dutch Reformed Church here; the more so, perhaps, as I brought with me my recollections of Holland. Alas! for that ancient stronghold of truth, godliness, and Protestantism. This Church has 197 churches, and 165 pastors; they are well trained, orthodox, and godly men. I had much pleasure in making the acquaintance of those who are settled in New-York. Their congregations are of good size, and composed of persons of sincere piety and much steadiness of character; a steadiness, perhaps, a little inclining to immobility and formal profession. They have only to commit themselves to the great religious efforts of the day, in co-operation with their brethren, to retain an honorable place amongst "the living in Jerusalem." Should the movement put them a little in contact with some things they may deem extravagant, they need not fear them, their temptation is not that way; and their presence will contribute to allay all real evil.

leges, and in sustaining priests and emissaries. Every thing is done to captivate, and to liberalize, in appearance, a system essentially despotic. The sagacity of the effort is discovered, in avoiding to attack and shock the prejudices of the adult, that they may direct the education of the young. They look to the future; and they really have great advantages in doing so. They send out teachers excellently qualified; superior, certainly, to the run of native teachers. Some value the European modes of education as the more excellent; others value them as the mark of fashion: the demand for instruction too, is always beyond the supply, so that they find little difficulty in obtaining the charge of Protestant children. This, in my judgment, is the point of policy which should be especially regarded with jealousy; but the actual alarm has arisen from the disclosure of a correspondence which avows designs on the West, beyond what I have here set down. It is a curious affair, and is one other evidence, if evidence were needed, that Popery and Jesuitism are one.

There is, however, no possible cause for alarm, though there undoubtedly is for diligence. Romanism has increased positively, but not relatively. It has not advanced in proportion to the other denominations, nor in proportion to the population. Baltimore, the stronghold of Popery, was once almost wholly Catholic; it is now greatly outnumbered by Protestant sects. The Romanists do not number, as attendants, more than 550,000 persons; and the influx of Catholics from Germany and Ireland may answer for that amount. Of course, every liberal and Christian mind, would desire, that those of that faith, settling in these States, should be provided with the means of worship in agreement with their conscientious opinions; and had this been the intention of the efforts, they had been only landable.

Nothing can be stronger evidence against the suc They are, I believe, wealthy; and have resources cess of Romanism, than its actual position associatin their people. There are two services, especially, ed with the extraneous assistance afforded to it. which they may render to the churches, and which With hundreds of thousands of dollars to back it, they should consider intrusted to them by Divine it has fallen short in the race with the other denoProvidence. The German settlers in Pennsylva- minations; while they have wanted the unity of nia require to be resuscitated, by decided missionary action which sustained it, and were thrown entirely exertions. The sympathy which the Germans on their native inward resources. Popery cannot would have with their church, and the authority flourish in this land, except every thing proper to it they would have over them, seems to mark this as a should first die out-liberty, conscience, independfield of most important labor, for which they are re-ence, and prejudice. It is not indigenous-it is an markably prepared, and which labor would be emi- exotic; and though fostered by fond hands, and pronently blessed. Delegations of the wisest and most tected by strong ones, it will languish, fade, and pious of their body, to the father land, might contri- fall. It is a monstrous expectation; despondency bute most happily to revive the churches in Hol-alone could have suggested it. But the Pope must land, in their cold and torpid state, and restore them hope for no second life in this new world. It may to a true belief in their own faith, and a true prac- be true, that he is immutable; happily he is not imtice of their own professions. mortal.

Much has been said on the influence and spread of Romanism in this country; and, at the time of our visit, great alarm was entertained on the subject. I must supply you with the means of judg

ment.

It should really seem that the Pope, in the fear of expulsion from Europe, is anxious to find a reversion in this new world. The crowned heads of the continent, having the same enmity to free political institutions, which his Holiness has to free religious institutions, willingly unite in the attempt to enthral this people. They have heard of the necessities of the West; they have the foresight to see that the West will become the heart of the country, and ultimately determine the character of the whole; and they have resolved to establish themselves there. Large, yea, princely grants have been made from the Leopold Society, and other sources, chiefly, though by no means exclusively, in favor of this portion of the empire that is to be. These sums are expended in erecting showy churches and col

Yet the occasion calls for diligence, and a diligence directed with sagacity as to means and distant results, equal to that of the adversary. If all were to sleep, while the enemy sowed his tares, there might indeed be a most rueful harvest. But here again the Romanists have made a bad choice. These people are the most wakeful of any known. They will certainly, when they see the evil, do their duty; the only fear is lest they should give the adversary some advantage by over doing it. Let them feel that they have to deal with a cautious foe, and treat him cautiously. They must not be content with a manful onset, such as they have lately made, and expect to demolish at a blow. Let them remember that they have to do with a foe, who rests his cause on time and perseverance; whose hand seeks to undermine rather than to storm; who can smile at a defeat if it put his opponent off his guard; and who, like the tiger-cat, can spring on his prey, when he seems to be moving away. It is manifest that success is to be expected

against such a foe, not by an occasional triumph, | to see whether the interests of religion really suffer but by a careful observation of his devices, and a by this non-interference. calm indomitable steadiness in resisting them.

You will, perhaps, be disappointed if I dismiss this subject without a reference to the state of Infidelity in this country. You are ready to think it assumes a more determined and evil aspect than MY DEAR FRIEND-I have now to speak of the Rewith us. But let me ask, can any thing be worse ligious Economy of the churches. We have nothan our Feet-street exhibitions and tracts? I will ticed the leading differences between the Episcopal admit, however, that, though not worse, there is a church here and in the mother land, already. The more general expression of it where it really exists. agreement between the Presbyterian and Methodist The people here are altogether under less restraint; bodies, in the two countries, is so complete as to and you get the honest opinion quickly. If people make discrimination needless. My allusions will, profess religion they do it sincerely, and you know therefore, mostly be to the Congregational churches, it at once, and without shame or reserve; and, for when points of discipline are spoken of; while the the same reason, if they reject religion, you are ad-statements on property and support will apply to vised of it promptly, and without fear.

maxim must be-That display is not worship. I lous places. I have seen nearly two hundred peram persuaded the Congregational body suffers much, sons, half the adults of a little town, following the in comparison with others, from the want of this. remains of a child to the grave. The house is Their music, when well executed, may be attract-thrown open; and those who cannot find admission, ive, but it is not edifying: it may suit heterodoxy, remain about the door till the movement begins, and help it; but it is not a suitable medium for when they fall in silently and without trouble. warm affections and universal praise. It is also a strange departure from the practices of their fathers. The Puritans and Presbyterians are renowned for a common delight in this exercise of worship; and many a hill-side rung with the solemn melody of their united praise.

No service, I believe, is ever performed in the burial-ground. This takes place in the dwelling of the deceased. It consists of exhortation and prayer; and sometimes these exercises are renewed on the return of the mourners and friends from the ground.

Another evil that needs correction, and that, I think, is in course of correction, is, the reading of sermons. This practice obtains considerably in other denominations; it is universal, or nearly so, in the Congregational. It is thought, I believe, that the people have a prejudice in favor of it; but I have, from my own experience, no reason to think so. Meantime, it is undoubtedly prejudicial to the interests of the people, and also of the pastors. It is no argument for this method, that good has been done by it, and that some few may give to it great efficiency. It must rest on its general merits; and, tried on this principle, no one can hesitate in say-congregation; and he may marry the parties at any ing, whether, other things being equal, the read speech or the spoken speech is the most interesting and impressive. They feel this in their revivals; for then it is mostly laid aside; and one may hope that the frequent recurrence of the more interesting seasons, will superinduce on the rising ministry habits of more spontaneous utterance.

If there is a feeling any where in its favor, it arises from the impression that the read sermon will be marked with more correctness and careful study. I have not been unobservant on this subject; and I do not think so. He who is always writing is not the best composer. The pastor who tasks himself to write out at length not less than two sermons a week, must find nearly all his spare time occupied in a mere mechanical exercise. He can have no leisure to store his mind by good reading, or to digest his reading by sustained meditation. He cannot wait for his second thoughts; nor give his subject, however important, time to penetrate, and to make his mind and affections, for the period, part of itself. He has two sermons to write by Sabbath morning; if he does not make haste he will not get them done. This influence, kept up, forms a habit of loose thinking and common-place utterance. The pastor finds himself committed to a species of manual drudgery, to which there is no end; and the mind wearies and sleeps upon it.What has been wearisome in the composition, is not likely to change its character in the delivery; and the preacher and the hearer slumber over it together.

This subject deserves further attention than I am authorized in bestowing on it in this connection. None can so mistake these passing remarks, as to suppose that they are meant to justify indolence, or the want of careful and anxious preparation. I would have the pastor write less, that he may study more; that he may present to his people better thoughts, with richer utterance and with greater power.

Marriage is regarded by the Government only as a civil contract, while its admitted importance may claim for it some religious service. It is valid, however, without any religious act, if the parties wish to avoid it. The provisions of the different States are various. Generally, it is provided that the agent shall be the ordained minister, or the jus tice of peace. In the State of New-York it requires no publicity; but the parties authorized to marry may do so on the instant. Usually public notifica tion is considered expedient; and still the method varies. In some cases the pastor publishes it to the convenient time after this is done; but the prevaling practice requires that notice should be given by the minister to the parish clerk, who is a civil offcer, and who is responsible for the publication. It may be made on the church, or court-house door, or otherwise. A fortnight after this notice, the minister is at liberty to marry. He is responsible for making a correct return to the clerk of the mar riages he celebrates, quarterly or otherwise. The law provides a fee of not less than a dollar for the minister, and few content themselves with this smal acknowledgment. This plan has been the mos extensively used, and for the longest time; and, after very careful inquiry, I do not find that it is open to the least objection. Some of the States have thought that it asks for more safeguard than is needful; but none have thought it wanting in security. The legal profession allow that it works well.

So much for the civil portion of the subject. The religious exercises are simple and appropriate; and none but those who repudiate all religion, I believe, disregard them. The service is usually performed at the home of the contracting parties, and in the bosom of their families and immediate friends, and is, on this account, made much more interesting and less painful to all concerned. It is more fre quently observed in the evening than at any other time of the day. The minister comes at an appoint ed hour; and the order of service rests with cir cumstances and his discretion. It consists of exhortation and prayer. Sometimes an address is given in explanation; then prayer is offered; then the consent of the parties is taken, and hands are joined; and, after this, short exhortation and prayer are renewed. At other times the exhortation is given; hands are joined, and prayer is then offered. The minister chosen for the service is he who is best known and loved by the parties; and, performed under such circumstances, it is both affecting and solemn.

The mystic ring is no necessary part of the ceremony; and it is frequently not used. The conse quence is, that the married lady cannot be distin guished by this sign. I believe in no country is the marriage vow heid more sacred than in this.

The administration of the positive ordinances has, I believe, been adequately illustrated in the Narrative. Let me preserve your attention for some passing notice of the services of marriage and burial, as observed here. In burials, the custom has been to give public notice of the party deceased, The government of the churches will lead us to and to invite the friends at large, who may desire regard them in their separate, and their associated to show a mark of respect, to attend. This invi- capacity. The principles which regulate the partation, from the inconveniences arising on the ex- ticular church, whether Baptist, Presbyterian, or isting mode, has been made select in the larger Congregational, have a strong resemblance. The towns. It is still, however, open to all in less popu-officers also are similar, although they have differ