praise ascend unto Him "who dwelleth not in temples made with hands," and who is ever present where contrite and believing hearts are engaged in worshipping Him.

In such scenes, too, it is now common, in almost all parts of the United States for Sabbath-schools to assemble on the Fourth of July, if the weather be good, for the purpose of hearing appropriate addresses, more religious than political; of uniting in prayer for the blessing of God upon the country, and the country's hope, the rising generation; and of praising Him from whom all our privileges, civil and religious, have been received. Temperance meetings on the same occasions are now held in our beautiful forests, and something better is heard than the boastful and unchristian self-adulation, to say nothing of the profaneness and ribaldry, which too often characterized such scenes in the "olden time," when temperance societies and Sunday-schools were unknown.

CHAPTER X.

CONCLUDING REMARKS ON THE CHURCH AND THE PULPIT IN AMERICA.

A STRANGER upon visiting extensively our evangelical churches of all denominations, would be struck, I am sure, with the order that prevails in their public assemblies; and this applies equally to the smaller prayer-meetings to be found in every parish and congregation that possesses any vitality. Foreigners who have never visited the United States, seem impressed with the idea that there is a great deal of disorder and lawlessness in that country, and they infer that there must be no less insubordination in the religious commonwealth than they ascribe to the civil. But both opinions are totally unfounded. It does not follow, because of a few disgraceful disturbances, arising from the opposition made in some places to abolitionists, and the resentment of an exasperated populace against gangs of gamblers in others, that the whole country is a scene of continual commotion. In no part of the world have there been so few dreadful riots, attended with loss of life, as in the United States, during these last sixty years. There are bad men among us, and there are crimes, but, after all, life is quite as safe among us as in any country I have ever visited.

As for the Church, a regard for law and order reigns to a degree not surpassed in any other country. There is no confusion of the respective rights of the ministry and people. The duties of both are

well understood everywhere. Most of the churches, such as Presbyterian and the Episcopalian in all their branches, possess maintain a strong ecclesiastical government, and even the Con gational, however democratic in theory, have a government exercises a hardly less powerful control. Seldom do we hear of order occurring at the little meetings of Christians held for pr and the reading of the Word of God-meetings so numerous, very often conducted by pious laymen. Seldom do pious ch members encroach by word or deed, at meetings of any kind, o proper sphere of those who hold office in the churches. Indee no one point are our churches more perfectly united in opinion with respect to the necessity of maintaining due order and subc ation. The ministry enjoys its full share of influence. No one hears of unauthorized, unlicensed persons being allowed to spe our meetings for public worship. Those leveling doctrines, spreading in other countries-doctrines which would reduce the istry to nothing, and encourage "lay-brethren" to take it upon to preach or teach in the churches-will, I dare affirm, make progress among us. Attempts to introduce something of thi have often been made, but in vain. We have, indeed, our me in which debate is allowed, and there the laity may even tal lead, but these meetings relate to the temporal affairs of the c or the calling of a pastor, not the public worship of God.

Experience has also taught us the necessity of maintaining at meetings held during revivals-occasions on which, in conse of the strong excitement of the most powerful feelings of the heart, there is a special call for watchfulness in this respect. sad mistake to multiply meetings unnecessarily during revival prolong them to unseasonable hours at night, to the exhaus strength, the loss of needed repose, and the unnatural and da irritation of the nervous system. Yet these are the points i the experienced are most liable to err. This is sometimes don the idea that the people would lose their serious impressio the services to be short. But here there is often a temptatio adversary. No revival has ever suffered by a limitation of meetings to a moderate length. The people should be compelled to leave the house, rather than unduly protr meetings.

One of the most important and difficult duties of a min revival is rightly to direct awakened souls. Alas! how even good men found to fail in this. Many, whom I have seem to me to excel in addressing unawakened sinners, an fail when called to give clear, intelligible, and Scriptural dir

those who are awakened. Many, too, fail in judging of the evidences of conversion, and "heal the hurt of the people softly."

But on no point, I am convinced, from what I have seen in America, is there a greater call for the exercise of a sound prudence, than in receiving into the Church persons who entertain the belief that they have "passed from death unto life." While they may possibly be kept back too long, the great error lies on the other side. The new convert naturally desires to join himself to those whom he now considers to be the children of God. He thinks it his duty to do so, and he may be right. But the office-bearers in the Church, whose duty it is to see that none but proper persons be admitted, are no less clearly bound to a careful ascertaining of the fact, that the candidate for membership gives such evidences of piety as, on Scriptural grounds, shall be deemed satisfactory.

I consider hasty admission to our churches the greatest of all evils connected with revivals in some parts of the country, and among some denominations in particular. But this evil is not peculiar to revivals. It is quite as likely to occur when there is no revival. With all possible care it is difficult to keep a church pure. Experience shows the necessity of decided views on this subject, and of firmness in enforcing them. On this point, as well as on all others relating to the discipline and government of the Church, too much care can not be taken to avoid latitudinarian practices. The Church must be kept a living body of believers-a company of persons who have come out from the world, and are determined to adorn the profession which they have made. In their organization and action, order, which is said to be "heaven's first law," must be maintained. In this opinion, I am sure, Christians of all denominations in the United States sincerely and entirely concur.

BOOK VI.

THE EVANGELICAL CHURCHES IN AMER

CHAPTER I.

PRELIMINARY REMARKS IN REFERENCE TO THIS SUBJE

THIS part of our work we propose to devote to a brief the doctrines, organization, and history of each of the ev denominations in the United States; nothing beyond a sketch being consistent with our limits. We shall endeavor, of c confine ourselves as much as possible to what is important, what is less necessary.

We begin with the five most numerous evangelical denon in the United States. These, in the order of their establish this country, are the Episcopalians, the Congregationalists, tists, the Presbyterians, and the Methodists; and in that c shall proceed to notice them. We shall then consider, as 1 possible, the smaller orthodox denominations, such as the Me the Lutherans, the German Reformed, and other German s Reformed Dutch Church, the Cumberland Presbyterians, the ant or Reformed Methodists, the Reformed Presbyterians enanters, the Associate Church, the Associate Reformed, kers, etc.

Numerous as are the evangelical denominations in the Unite yet when grouped in reference to doctrine on the one hand, o government on the other, it is surprising into how small a they may be reduced. In doctrine we have but two great -the Calvinistic and the Arminian schools; the former, with rious peculiarities, comprehending the Presbyterian, usually s the evangelical Baptists, the Episcopalians (though they g consider themselves intermediate between the two), the Co tionalists, the German Reformed, the Dutch Reformed, t

enanters, the Associate and the Associate Reformed Churches; the latter, with its variations, comprehending the Methodists of all branches, the Lutherans, the Cumberland Presbyterians, the United Brethren or Moravians, and some other small bodies.

Considered in reference to their forms of church government, they all arrange themselves in three great families. The Episcopal, comprehending the Protestant Episcopal Church, the Methodist Episcopal, and the Moravians; the Presbyterian, including the Presbyterians, usually so called, the Dutch Reformed, the German Reformed, the Lutherans, the Cumberland Presbyterians, the Protestant Methodists, the Covenanters, the Associate, and the Associate Reformed; the Congregational (or Independent, as it is more commonly called in England), embracing the Congregationalists and the Baptists.

But when viewed in relation to the great doctrines which are universally conceded by Protestants to be fundamental and necessary to salvation, then they all form but one body, recognizing Christ as their common Head. Then they resemble the different parts of a great temple, all constituting but one whole; or the various corps of an army, which, though ranged in various divisions, each having an organization perfect in itself, yet compose but one great host, and are under the command of one Chief.

This suggests the observation that on no one point are all these Churches more completely united, or more firmly established, than on the doctrine of the supremacy of Christ in His Church, and the unlawfulness of any interference with its doctrine, discipline, and government, on the part of the civil magistrate. There is not a single evangelical church in the United States that does not assert and maintain this glorious doctrine of the sovereignty of Christ in His Church, and that from Him alone comes all just and lawful authority in the same. On this point they hold unanimously the great doctrine for which the Church of Scotland has of late years so nobly contended. If the civil power has ever referred for a moment to the doctrine and discipline of the Church, it has only been in courts of justice, and that solely for the purpose of determining which of two parties has a legal title to be considered the church in question.

CHAPTER II.

THE PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH.

THE Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States derives its origin from the Church of England, of which it is not only an offshoot,