A seventh feature of the American pulpit is directness. tinguishes our preaching so generally that it were hard to sa of the evangelical denominations has most of it. Everyw shall find it the preacher's object, first of all, to be perfectl stood, and then to preach to the heart and conscience, as w the understanding. In doing this great plainness of speech and care taken to avoid every thing by which the barbed d be arrested before it reaches the heart at which it is aimed.

An eighth characteristic of American preaching is its faith I know not how often I have been asked in Europe whether isters are not intimidated by the rich and influential in their gations who may dislike the truth. The question has not surprised me, for I had never dreamed that the courage of e cal ministers in preaching the Gospel could be doubted. pendence of our ministers upon their flocks for their salari not to affect in the least their faithfulness in preaching "rep toward God," and "faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 tion between pastor and people is certainly more intimate and and calls for more mutual forbearance, than where the law m former wholly independent of the latter. But the very k tenderness of feeling, and respect which it creates, are only ad motives to render a good minister faithful to the souls of the whom he maintains such an interesting relation, and who sh so many proofs of affection. Most certainly facts do not esta superior faithfulness of ministers who are independent of the taken as a body. On the contrary, this very independen leads to indolence, neglect, and, sometimes, even to insolenc ties which it ill becomes a minister of Christ to display, an are utterly inconsistent with the Gospel. And it may s affirmed that, with us, the great, majority of men who ha considerable proficiency in this science, especially in its more popular and aspects. And thus do our public men, our professional men, all, in a word, passed through college (and they are the men, with few exceptions, that m ence the public mind), become acquainted with the principles that guide t tions of the human mind. There is not a country in the world, not even Scotland itself, where metaphysics have so much influence upon preaching a England; indeed, they have sometimes had too much influence. We ha the United States great professors who occupy themselves with nothing b ophy, and who have rivaled Kant, Hegel, and Schelling, in the nature of t ulations; nor is it likely that we ever shall have such. The nature of of Saxon mind hardly admits of the thing. Besides, we have too much public too much to engross our attention to allow us to prosecute extensively u speculations. Nevertheless, we have a few men, such as Mr. Ralph W. Em Boston, who equal Mr. Carlyle himself in admiration of the German transc ists, and have, probably, come quite as near to understanding them.

brought up under evangelical preaching, but who have not yet been converted, would rather have a faithful than an unfaithful pastor. They know that religion, though they profess it not, is of vast importance, and they know well the difference between him that preaches "smooth things," and him that faithfully declares the "counsel of the Lord." Not only does their conscience approve of the former rather than the latter, but they feel that there is far more prospect of their salvation under the ministry of the one than of the other. Besides, other things being equal, a man who preaches faithfully "Christ crucified," is sure to prove, in the end, a more attractive preacher than he who does not. For what theme can be compared with that of the love of God toward sinners of mankind, and the gift of His Son to redeem them from destruction? Therefore, if a man wishes to be esteemed and supported by his people, let him be faithful; that is, in the sense in which Paul was faithful, who was, also, neither rash nor unfeeling, but, on the contrary, prudent and mild, and strove to commend himself, "in love," to all to whom he preached the " unsearchable riches of the Gospel."

The ninth characteristic of American preaching is, that it is eminently practical. Not only are the unconverted urged to “acquaint themselves with God, and be at peace, that thereby good may come to them," and believers exhorted to "6 grow in grace, and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ," but the latter are also urged, from the moment of their conversion, to commence living for God, and for the salvation of men. The doctrine has of late years been more and more preached, that every Christian, whatever his sphere in life, is under obligation to live for the salvation of others; and that by his conversation, by his holy example, as well as by personal sacrifices, he should do all that he can to promote this salvation far and near. Blessed be God, this style of preaching is not without effect. It is, under God's blessing, the cause of the annually increasing efforts made by Christians of this land, for the building up of Christ's kingdom, both at home and abroad.

A tenth characteristic of American preaching, and the last that we shall name, is, that it speaks much of the work of the Spirit. I know of no one idea that has been so dominant in the American Churches for the last hundred years as that of the importance of the office and work of the Holy Spirit. The need in which the world lies of the operations of this holy Agent, the indispensableness of His co-operation with the preaching of the Gospel, and the use of all other means to effect the salvation of men, together with the gracious promise of this great ascension gift of the crucified and exalted Saviour, are

themes on which the ministry of the evangelical Churches in An often dwells, and not in vain.

We come now to the consideration of the question of Reviv Religion in America: a subject of the greatest importance, a the same time, attended with no ordinary difficulties in the mir some. I would therefore earnestly call the attention of such indeed, of all who may read this volume, to the chapter that fo Though long, it will well reward them for any attention they bestow upon it. I know not where the whole subject has be well presented in any language, and can not but hope that, with blessing, it will prove eminently useful. The distinguished frien professor to whom I am indebted for it, and of whom I have s] in the Introduction, is, probably, better qualified by his position by his experience, to write such an article than any other man i United States. God grant that the day may speedily arrive whe dispensation of the Spirit will be better understood and apprec in all parts of Christendom than it is at present; and whe abundant gift of this blessed Agent will fill the Churches with and life, and holiness. No where, as it seems to me, is the Holy honored as He ought to be, and must be, before the world w converted. This is true of even the best portions of the Prote Churches; while as to some of the rest, as well as the Roman olics in mass, it would seem as if they had not yet "heard wh there be any Holy Spirit."

CHAPTER VII.

REVIVALS OF RELIGION.

EXTRAORDINARY seasons of religious interest, denominated Re of Religion, have existed in the American Churches from a very period of their history. The cause of this peculiarity in the di sation of Divine grace may be traced, in part, to the peculiar ch ter and circumstances of the first settlers of the country. They English Puritans, who had suffered the severest persecution for principles in their native land, and who fled into the wilderness joy those principles unmolested, and to carry them out in thei

extent.

The leading point in controversy between our fathers and the glish government was freedom of worship; the right to have Gospel preached among them, in its most searching application t

conscience and the heart, "without human mixture or impositions." To secure this privilege, they willingly "endured the loss of all things," and it was therefore natural that they should prize it highly. Accordingly, the attachment of the first settlers of New England to the ordinance of public worship, and especially the reliance they placed on "the preaching of the word" as the chief instrument, under God, for the conversion of their children and dependants, were among the most striking traits in their character. Strict as they were, even to sternness, in family discipline; literally as they obeyed the injunction, "Thou shalt teach these things diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest in the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up," they still felt that it is the Truth pre-eminently, as dispensed in "the great congregation," under the combined influence of awakened sympathy and awe of the Divine presence, which is made by the Holy Spirit "the power of God unto salvation." This feeling modified all their habits and institutions as a people. It made them settle in villages around their places of worship, and not, like their Southern neighbors, upon scattered plantations; it led them to support two religious teachers for each of their infant churches; it founded colleges for the preparation of a ministry adequate to these high duties; it established week-day lectures, on which those who lived in the outer settlements, at the distance of six or eight miles, felt it a privilege and a duty regularly to attend; it pervaded, in short, all the arrangements of society, and gave a prominence to preaching, a disposition to multiply religious meetings, and a reliance upon this mode of urging truth upon the conscience, greater, perhaps, than has ever existed among any other people.

Another trait in the character of the first settlers of New England, in common with their brethren at home, was a strong faith and expectation of special answers to prayer. The English Puritans never regarded prayer as a mere means of grace, but (what it truly is) as a means of moving God, of inducing Him to grant what He could not otherwise be expected to bestow. Nor did they stop here. They did not expect merely the blessing of God in general on the requests they made, but direct and specific answers, according to their need, in every pressing emergency. This strong faith in the efficacy of prayer the first settlers of New England carried with them when they fled into the wilderness. It was their support and consolation under all the trials of famine, pestilence, and savage warfare. They felt that special and extraordinary answers were often vouchsafed them when they cried to God; that there were periods in their history when His arm was made bare for their deliverance, in a manner scarcely less

remarkable than if He had interposed by direct miracle; and sult was, that the spirit of the early New England Christi emphatically a spirit of prayer; which led them to the th grace, with the highest confidence of being heard, on every of especial interest to themselves, their families, and the Chu To see the connection of these two traits of character spirit of revivals, we have only to consider the influence the naturally exert at one of the most interesting crises which happen to a minister and his church-I mean the commence increased thoughtfulness among the unconverted part of the gation. Such seasons exist, at times, in every place where the is faithfully preached. Some alarming providence, some calamity which weakens for a time the fascination of worldly some impressive sermon, some instances of sudden conversi strike upon the consciences of considerable numbers at on awaken that latent sense of guilt and danger, which it is ble for the most thoughtless wholly to suppress. At such a how has many a pastor felt, both in Europe and America, th could then enjoy the hearty co-operation and fervent prayer whole body of his church; if he could draw the impenitent him in more frequent meetings, and hold their minds fixed steady and prolonged contemplation of Divine truth, while th was shut out from view, and the seriousness of one might sp contact till it reached the hearts of many; how has he felt, the blessing of God, this interest in religion might extend thr the whole congregation; might rise to deep anxiety and pung viction; that the Holy Spirit might be present to renew the of many; and that more might be done for the salvation of ple in a few weeks or months, than, under ordinary circumsta as many years! And what would this be, if his desires were r but a revival of religion, an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, as of the prayers and efforts of the people of God! Now In say how entirely the early settlers of New England were pr by the traits of character described above, to enter at once very course of action. Prayer and preaching were the living ple of their institutions; special prayer upon special emergenci the confident expectation of direct and specific answers; pro the most plain and pungent, enforcing those peculiar doctr grace which humble man and exalt God, and which have in ev been made "powerful to the pulling down of strongholds." Th much, also, in the state of their infant settlements to favor the result. They were a world within themselves, cut off by th tance and poverty from most of the alluring objects which s