He will no longer think of urging philosophical objections against the profound truths of holy writ; will be content to follow Boyle, and Edwards, and Horsley, those prodigies of intellect, in a full and implicit belief of whatever the Scriptures teach, and in humble adoration of that Being, who has vouchsafed to reveal himself to sinful man. PHILOMATHETEs. For the Panoplist. ON RELIGIOUS CONFERENCES. By a religious conference I intend a meeting of religious persons, in some degree anxious on the subject of religion, for the purpose of uniting in prayer, of reading the Scriptures, of singing praises to God, and of conversing upon religious subjects. The name of the meeting has reference to the last of these exercises, though it is usual to engage in the three former likewise. Meetings of this kind have existed, in every period of the Church, wherever a sufficient number of persons in a neighborhood have been in any considerable degree awakened to a just sense of religion. And they always will thus exist. It is not within the power of man to prevent them, by ridicule, sophistry, calumny, or violence. When it was death to profess Christianity under the emperor Trajan, even then the faithful met at dead of night, and sung hymns to Christ as God; in other words, they held precisely Such meetings as are now called conferences. During the dark VOL. IX. ages of the Church, the Waldenses and Albigenses met in the same manner at the hazard of their lives. The odious and tyrannical Conventicle and Five Mile Acts were never able effectually to suppress similar meetings in England; England; Acts which, though they have not been rigidly enforced of late, were last year, to the joy of every liberal minded man, blotted from the English statute book. In this country, the scoffs, sneers, calumnies, and misrepresentations of the profane, have been liberally bestowed upon every species of religious conferences. These meetings have also incurred the disapprobation of the formal, of the enemies of vital piety, and of some serious Christians, who have been kept in ignorance on the subject. But this opposition has never been sufficient to put down the pretended evil; nor is there the least reason to apprehend it ever will be. I shall now state a few plain obvious arguments to show, that religious conferences are incalculably useful; that they can never be prevented, where there is much active piety; and that they ought to be esteemed as among the choicest gifts, which Christ has bestowed upon his Church. 1. Man is a social being, and all his more elevated enjoyments are of a social character. This will not be disputed for a moment. Most especially is religion an enjoyment of the social kind. Love is in its very nature social; and every way in which love is brought into action, and manifested to the world, must partake of the social 10 character. The enjoyments of the heavenly state are represented as in the highest degree social. Now the utility of conferences is founded altogether upon this principle. If religion is social in its nature, it is to be enjoyed in every practicable social manner. It is to be cultivated in the great assembly on the Lord's Day; in smaller assemblies of friends and acquaintances; in the family circle; and with the bosom companion. He who undertakes to prevent the enjoy ment of religion in the social circle, whatever he may pretend, actually makes war upon religion. Conferences are eminently and peculiarly social. Different persons express their minds; different persons engage in pray er; the observations of one are often the means of leading others into a new train of thought; attention is kept awake; the fire of the more ardent is communicated to the more lukewarm; the caution of the more prudent is insensibly imparted to the more adventurous. In all these ways good is done. There is a class of men, who represent all religious conversation as hypocritical grimace, as the improper obtrusion of too sacred a subject, as mere disgusting cant. Yet these same persons are loud in praise of social enjoyments, and speak in raptures of those among their friends who are eminent for their social qualities. Are they aware of the dilemma into which they fall? They must either confess, that religion is a thing to be most carefully concealed, as though it were shameful and odious; or that themselves have no taste for it and take no pleasure in it. The latter alternative doubtless is true; for it is a certain fact, that a man, who is not capable of relishing religious conversation, is not capable of enjoying religion at all. And he who would banish religion from conversation, would banish it from the world, if consistent with himself. 2. Religious conferences are the means of increasing religious knowledge with very great rapidity. Of this fact every person must be convinced, who has attended them; especially in a revival of religion. The reason is obvious. Men always gain knowledge on any subject, when, in addition to the public formal means of instruction, they engage in mutually instructing each other. But I shall be asked, if I would advise private Christians to undertake the office of instructing in religion? This question will be answered in the following observations. Interesting conversation always conveys instruction; that is, it either communicates new thoughts, or more deeply impresses truths before known. To urge men, therefore, so-to converse together, as that their conversation may be mutually instructive, is by no means to countenance their assuming the office of public instructors. Let religious persons learn wisdom by the conduct of men in relation to other subjects. It is found by experience, for instance, that children at school never learn so fast, as when employed in instructing their schoolmates. The great secret of the Lancasterian improvement consists in making children teach each other. Stu dents at college never gain knowledge so fast as when their leisure hours are employed in conversing on their studies. Soldiers never learn the art of war so rapidly as when alternately engaged in drilling each other. It is said, that Bonaparte has always encouraged his soldiers not only to instruct each other, but to form and express their opinions, in all the variety of circumstances which a campaign produces, as to the best course of future operations. The advantage which he derives from such a practice is immense; as every soldier feels the value of his own exertions, understands what is intended by each movement, and thus performs his duty with amazing celerity. If "The legate of the skies -arm'd himself in panoply complete Of heav'nly temper, furnishes with arms Bright as his own, and trains, by ev'ry rule Of holy discipline, to glorious war, The sacramental host of God's elect;" We may certainly urge the individuals, who compose this "host," to exercise themselves in the use of those arms with which they are furnished, and to profit by the attainments and experience of each other. They who represent religious conference as an unsuitable and injurious thing, are either ignorant of the most common principles of human nature, or utterly hostile to the progress of religious knowledge. What would be thought of a person at the head of a literary institution, who should thus address his pupils: "Young gentlemen, I, and your other instructors, will take care to instruct you in the studies which you are pursuing. Be careful to say nothing to each other in relation to them, as you may fall into mistakes. Above all, abstain from meddling with those societies, in which your studies are made the subjects of discussion, and each one is expected to take a part. You must not form such societies; and, if you already belong to any, you must abandon them." What would be thought of a general, who should caution his soldiers against encouraging each other to the battle, or perfecting each other in military discipline? Who should tell them that he would take all the care of the campaign upon himself, and that he did not wish to have them stimulate each other to heroic deeds? Would not the soldiers, if they followed this advice, soon be transformed into moving statues, and become as stupid as their commander? How is it, then, that a mutual interchange of thoughts and motives, shouid be forbidden in reference to religion, while it is so exceedingly beneficial in relation to every other branch of knowledge? 3. Men, who are deeply intent upon the subject, make more rapid advances in religious knowledge, than in any other attainment whatever. This is a powerful reason, considering the natural aversion of man to religion, why every facility should be afforded to all who are desirous of obtaining an acquaintance with the Bible, with their own hearts, with their spiritual wants, and with their duties. Among the reasons why religious knowledge is more rapidly gained than any other, I mention the four following: First, religion is a more inter esting subject than any other, to every human being. It is felt to be such, usually, by those who attend religious conferences. Every individual has a personal concern in it; a concern of inconceivable value. His all is at stake; and that all is the unalterable destiny of an immortal being. Secondly, the first principles of religion are simpler and more intelligible than the first principles of any other kind of knowledge. The Bible is a book more universally intelligible to all classes of persons, in every part of the world, than any other book ever published. The instructions which it gives are abundantly various and explicit, in all that concerns the present and future moral character of man. Thirdly, the experience of every man will, if his conscience be truly enlightened, bear witness to the accuracy of the scriptural representations of human wickedness. Every man will see, that the sacred penmen have accurately described his character; and this will powerfully assist him in understanding the scheme of salvation. Fourthly, the history of the world, the history of God's prov. idence in relation to families and individuals, indeed every thing, which we behold around us, confirms the Bible, and assists in acquiring religious knowledge. It will be objected, perhaps, to these statements, that mankind are generally ignorant of religion. The fact is admitted. Men are most wonderfully ignorant on this subject, even in a Christian country. The grand reason of this ignorance is human depravity. Men naturally dislike to retain God in their knowledge. God is not in all their thoughts. But when they are excited to inquire what they shall do to be saved; when they feel their sinfulness and danger; above all, when they are made partakers of a title to the heavenly inheritance, they acquire religious knowledge with amazing rapidity. 4. I argue in favor of conferences, that experience has proved them to be eminently useful, in very many parts of our country. The writer of these remarks has attended meetings of this kind in six different towns, some of them several hundred miles from each other, and in three different New England States, during a period of twelve years past. These meetings have been of all the different kinds, so far as respects the condition and advantages of those who have attended them, which are to be found in our country. Some have been composed of students at college; some, of students with resident graduates; some, of persons eminent in the three learned professions with others; some, of plain farmers in retired country places; some, of persons of particular ages; some, of persons of all ages and both sexes; some, of ministers and people; some, of private Christians and others, without ministers. ters. In no one of these meetings has the writer witnessed a single instance of improper conduct. On the contrary, more delicacy of deportment, more deference to superiors in the Church, more caution in respect to every, thing which might wound the feelings of each other, a more complete abstinence fron any thing which might lead to noise, tumult, or levity, have been observable, than the writer ever witnessed in the same number of other promiscuous meetings, not excepting assemblies for public worship on the Sabbath. And it is worthy of remark, that the learned and the unlearned, the man accustomed to public speaking and the plain farmer, or mechanic, are much nearer on an equality, as to understanding the great truths of the Bible, than would be supposed by one who had never seen the comparison fully made. These meetings have not only been thus orderly, decent, and regular; but they have been greatly instrumental in awakening zeal, in promoting brotherly love, in healing divisions, in uniting churches, in strengthening the hands of ministers, and in converting sinners. Conferences may be abused; they doubtless have been: But what blessing is not obnoxious to abuse? The worship of God on the Sabbath is abused by the indolent, the stupid, the lightminded. Even the Sabbath itself is most shamefully and extensively abused among us, at the present time. The mercy of God, and the love of Christ, are most wickedly abused by countless multitudes. The Bi ble is abused. I am deliberately of opinion, that no blessing has been less abused in this country, so far as my own knowledge extends, than the religious meetings here discussed. 5. Conferences have been approved by the most eminent ministers of the Gospel; those best endowed with talents, learning, and a knowledge of human na ture, as well as most concerned for the glory of God, and most sedulous to promote the welfare of man. Was Baxter, think you, ignorant of the nature and tendency of such meetings? Did any latent mischief in them escape the penetrating mind of Edwards? But I conclude by referring to higher authority. 6. The Scriptures authorize and require just such meetings as we designate by the word conferences. The apostle Paul, writing to the mass of believers, the common Christians, at Rome, says: And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. Rom. xv, 14. Admonish is a word of pretty broad signification, and means, in this place, to instruct, advise, and remind, each other, in reference to the great truths of religion. The apostle not only acknowledges the ability of the brethren to perform this duty; but apologizes for writing to them so fully, and states, that he did it to bring well-known truths to their remembrance, and in consequence of his being commissioned, as the servant of Christ in preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles. Now, if it is the duty of Christians thus to admonish one another, in what way can it be done so effectually as in the meetings above described? Indeed, wherever it has not been done in this manner, it has scarcely been done at all. The same apostle addresses the CoLet the lossians thus: iii, 16. word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another; in psalm® and hymns and spiritual songs, |