churches, more especially in New England, in certain parts of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and some other colonies, and its effects were visible long afterward in many places. It is true that fanatical teachers did much mischief in several quarters by associating themselves with the work of God, and introducing their own unwarrantable measures, so as to rob it, in the end, of much of the glorious character that distinguished it at first. Yet it can not be denied that it was a great blessing to the churches. Some important, though painful lessons, were learned, in regard to the economy of the Spirit, which have not been wholly forgotten to this day.

This was the period in which Edwards and Prince, Frelinghuysen, Dickinson, Finley, and the Tennents, labored in the Northern and the Middle States; Davies, and others of kindred spirit, in Virginia; the Wesleys for a while in Georgia; while Whitfield, like the angel symbolized in the Apocalypse as flying through the heavens, having the everlasting Gospel to preach to the nations, traversed colony after colony in his repeated visits to the New World, and was made an instrument of blessing to multitudes.

The fourth and concluding period of the Colonial Era comprehends the twenty-five years from 1750 to 1775, and was one of great public agitation. In the early part of it, the colonies aided England with all their might in another war with France, ending in the conquest of the Canadas, which were secured to the conquerors by the treaty of Paris in 1763. In the latter part of it, men's minds became universally engrossed with the disputes between the colonies and the mother country, and when all prospect of having these brought to an amicable settlement seemed desperate, preparation began to be made for that dreadful alternative-war. Such a state of things could not fail to have an untoward influence on religion. Yet most of those distinguished men whom I have spoken of as laboring in the latter part of the immediately preceding period, were spared to continue their work in the beginning of this. Whitfield renewed from time to time his visits, and the Spirit was not grieved quite away from the churches by the commotions of the people. Still, no such glorious scenes were beheld during this period as had been witnessed in the last; on the contrary, that declension in spiritual life, and spiritual effort, which war ever occasions, was now everywhere visible, even before hostilities had actually commenced.

Such is the very cursory and imperfect review which the limits of this work permit us to take of the religious vicissitudes of the United States during their colonial days. That period of one hundred and sixty-eight years was, comparatively speaking, one of decline, and even deadness, in the greater part of Protestant Europe; indeed, the

latter part may be regarded as having been so universally. Yet, during the same period, I feel very certain that a minute examination of the history of the American Protestant churches would show, that in no other part of Christendom, in proportion to the population, was there a greater amount of true knowledge of the Gospel, and of practical godliness, among both ministers and their flocks. No doubt there were long intervals of coldness, or, rather, of deadness, as to spiritual things, during which both pastors and people became too much engrossed with the "cares of life." But, blessed be God, He did not abandon us forever. Though He visited our transgressions with a rod, and chastised us for our sins, yet He remembered the covenant which He made with our fathers, and the Word of His promise wherein He had caused them to trust. And though our unworthiness and our unprofitableness had been great, He did not cast us away from His sight, but deigned to hear us when we called upon Him in the dark and gloomy hour, and saved us with a great salvation. And this He did because "His mercy endureth forever."

BOOK III.

THE NATIONAL ERA.

CHAPTER I.

EFFECTS OF THE REVOLUTION UPON RELIGION.-CHANGES TO WHICH
IT NECESSARILY GAVE RISE.

FROM the Colonial we now proceed to the National period in the history of the United States.

The first twenty-five years of the national existence of the States were fraught with evil to the cause of religion. First came the war of the Revolution, which literally engrossed all men's minds. The population of the country at its commencement scarcely, if at all, exceeded three millions; and for a people so few and so scattered, divided into thirteen colonies, quite independent, at the outset, of each other, having no national treasury, no central government or power, nothing, in short, to unite them but one common feeling of patriotism, it was a gigantic undertaking. The war was followed by a long period of prostration. Connection with England having been dissolved, the Colonies had to assume the form of States, their governments had to be re-organized, and a general, or federal government, instituted. The infant nation, now severed from the mother country, had to begin an existence of its own, at the cost of years of anxiety and agitation. Dangers threatened it on every side, and scarcely had the General Government been organized, and the States learned to know their places a little in the federal economy, when the French Revolution burst forth like a volcano, and threatened to sweep the United States into its fiery stream. In the end it led them to declare war against France for their national honor, or, rather, for their national existence. That war was happily brought to an end by Napoleon, on his becoming First Consul, and thus was the infant country allowed to enjoy a little longer repose, as far as depended on foreign nations.

Unfavorable to the promotion of religion as were the whole twenty

T

five years from 1775 to 1800, the first eight spent in hostilities with England were pre-eminently so. The effects of war on the churches of all communions were extensively and variously disastrous. To say nothing of the distraction of the mind from the subject of salvation, its more palpable influences were seen and felt everywhere. Young men were called away from the seclusion and protection of the parental roof, and from the vicinity of the oracle of God, to the demoralizing atmosphere of a camp; congregations were sometimes entirely broken up; churches were burned, or converted into barracks or hospitals, by one or other of the belligerent armies, often by both successively; in more than one instance pastors were murdered; the usual ministerial intercourse was interrupted; efforts for the dissemination of the Gospel were, in a great measure, suspended; colleges and other seminaries of learning were closed for want of students and professors; and the public morals in various respects, and in almost all possible ways, deteriorated. Christianity is a religion of peace, and the tempest of war never fails to blast and scatter the leaves of the Tree which was planted for the healing of the nations.

A single passage from a letter, written by a distinguished and most excellent German clergyman,* will give the reader some idea of the state of things during that war. It was written not long after its commencement. The perusal of it can not fail to impress the mind of every Christian with the duty of praying that the peace which now so happily exists between the United States and other nations may evermore continue:

"Throughout the whole country great preparations are making for the war, and almost every person is under arms. The ardor manifested in these melancholy circumstances is indescribable. If a hundred men are required, many more immediately offer, and are dissatisfied when they are not accepted. I know of no similar case in history. Neighborhoods, concerning which it would have been expected that years would be requisite to induce them voluntarily to take up arms, became strongly inclined for war as soon as the battle of Lexington was known. Quakers and Mennonists take part in the military exercises, and in great numbers renounce their former religious principles. The hoarse din of war is hourly heard in our streets. The present disturbances inflict no small injury on religion. Every body is constantly on the alert, anxious, like the ancient Athenians, to hear the news, and, amid the mass of news, the hearts of

The Rev. Dr. Helmuth, formerly pastor in Philadelphia. The letter from which the extract given in the text is taken, is found in the "Hallische Nachrichten," p. 1367-68, and quoted by Professor Schmucker in his "Retrospect of Lutheranism in the United States."

men are, alas! closed against the good Word of God. The Lord is chastising the people, but they do not feel it. Those who appear to be distant from danger are unconcerned; and those whom calamity has overtaken are enraged, and meditating vengeance. In the American army there are many clergymen, who serve both as chaplains and as officers. I myself know two, one of whom is a colonel, and the other a captain. The whole country is in perfect enthusiasm for liberty. The whole population, from New England to Georgia, is of one mind, and determined to risk life and all things in defence of liberty. The few who think differently are not permitted to utter their sentiments. In Philadelphia the English and German students are formed into military companies, wear uniforms, and are exercised like regular troops. Would to God that men would become as zealous and unanimous in asserting their spiritual liberty, as they are in vindicating their political freedom."

It required some time for the churches to recover from the demoralizing effects of a war which had drawn the whole nation into its circle, and lasted eight long years. But the times immediately following the Revolution were, as I have remarked, far from being favorable to the resuscitation of true religion, and to the restoration of the churches, even to the condition, unsatisfactory as it was, in which they had stood previously to the contest. Through God's blessing, however, they not only shared in the returning tranquillity of the country, but from that time to this, with some short periods of interruption, they have steadily grown with its growth and strengthened with its strength.

It is not easy to ascertain what was the exact number of ministers and churches in the United States when these became severed from England, but the following estimate can not be very wide of the truth. The Episcopal clergymen may be reckoned at about two hundred and fifty at most; the churches at about three hundred.* In 1788, the Presbyterians had exactly one hundred and seventy-seven ministers, and four hundred and seventeen congregations. As the Lutherans had eleven ministers in 1748, and forty churches three years after, the former could hardly have exceeded twenty-five, and the latter sixty, at the commencement of the Revolution-judging by the statistics of the directory for worship (Kirchenagende), published in 1786. The German Reformed churches were not more numerous. The Reformed Dutch churches had thirty ministers and eighty-two

*The number of the clergy and churches in the Episcopal Church, given in the text, has been estimated from various historical sketches and documents.

"History of the Presbyterian Church in the United States," by Dr. Hodge, part ii., p. 504.

Dr. Schmucker's "Retrospect of Lutheranism in the United States."