surmount this obstacle. But when this demonstrates its own fallacy in unquestionable results, improved dietetics or Perfectionism is brought forward as the last desperate remedy for a desperate case. It is learned that external ordinances are an incubus on the free aspirations of the spirit within. The obligation of the moral law also is found to fetter inward liberty. It is discovered to be a dreadful bondage to be under any law but our own passions and lusts. Thus the most unbridled licentiousness has stalked abroad, with great swelling words of vanity, saying to humble piety, STAND BY FOR I AM HOLIER THAN THOU. Meanwhile, many who have been pronounced converts, and perhaps made foremost in promoting the revival, finding that their conversion is all a delusion, begin to consider all religious experience as a dream of enthusiasm, and all evangelical religion an imposture. In a genuine revival of religion, we have seen those who were fortified against it; because, as they said, "they had been all through with this conversion before, and it was all a farce." Spectators who observe these scenes and their results often imbibe the same sort of scepticism. Many of the more substantial sort of people disgusted with such a course of things, flee for relief to some of those sects, where an orderly formalism takes the place of evangelical piety. Thus infidelity, universalism and formality grow apace. The result is, in many cases, incurable divisions and feuds in churches; in others, their utter disruption and disorganization; in others, their complete apostacy and extinction, or, at best, evanescence into Perfectionism, Unionism, et id genus omne.

Suppose however that these more fearful rocks and quicksands are avoided. Let us consider, for a moment, the case of such as, in the judgment of charity, are real Christians in churches which have been filled with members by these measures. Although their tendency may have been so far counteracted as to prevent fatal delusion in many cases, yet it does not follow that they are harmless even in that event. On the contrary, they do exceedingly mar, distort and debilitate the piety of real Christians. They serve to make them weak in the faith; to give them confused views of that truth by which they are sanctified; to impede their growth in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; to impoverish all that part of religious experience which consists in communion with God, self-searching, mortification of lust, the inward conflict be

tween nature and grace, love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, and all the fruits of the Spirit. They greatly impair the beautiful proportion and symmetry of religious character; inspiring a disproportionate zeal for some things, and a comparative neglect of others equally important. There is often, for example, a most vehement zeal for the conversion of sinners, and the reformation of public morals, while there is little zeal against sin within the zealot himself, little habitual spirituality and heavenliness of mind. This degenerate, lean, starveling sort of religious experience has become exceedingly prevalent of late years, and is matter of universal complaint. There are immense multitudes who do not appear so much no Christians, as weak Christians; babes in knowledge and grace, who retain all the weakness and imbecility of helpless infancy. They are incapable of withstanding the seductions of error and temptation. They are "children tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive." Eph. iv. 14. They have not their "senses exercised to discern both good and evil," and "when for the time, they ought to be teachers, they have need that one teach them again, which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat." Heb. v. 12-14. And what else could be expected? Can a bad tree bring forth good fruits?

In short, what has been styled New Divinity and New Measures, is essentially Arminianism: it produces an Arminian religion: wherever it has prevailed in Calvinistic communions, it has reduced them to, if not below, the level of the surrounding Arminian sects. All that pre-eminence for scriptural knowledge, spiritual discernment, stable, sober and principled piety, which has been the glory of Calvinistic churches; which has made them pioneers in religious enterprise and useful reformations, and bulwarks of truth, liberty, order, purity, intelligence and learning, against the vandal irruptions of rationalistic and prelatic arrogance, fanatic and ignorant zeal, instantly vanishes when this leaven prevails; and THE GLORY IS DEPARTED.

Indeed we believe these innovators took the first hint from the Methodists. Mr. Finney says, p. 253, "We must have exciting, powerful preaching, or the devil will have the people, except what the Methodists can save. It is impossible

that our ministers should continue to do good, unless we have innovations in the style of preaching. Many ministers are finding it out already, that a Methodist preacher, without the advantages of a liberal education, will draw a congregation around him which a Presbyterian minister, with perhaps ten times as much learning, cannot equal, because he has not the earnest manner of the other, and does not pour out fire upon his hearers when he preaches." But it should be borne in mind, that the Methodists rarely go the length of many of the extravagances we have noted. Moreover they are honest and avowed Arminians in their belief. All their ecclesiastical polity is adapted to this system, whereas Presbyterian and Congregational churches, in their whole structure and arrangements, presuppose the truth of Calvinism. Thus, in the reception of church members, they provide for "falling from grace," and can ease themselves of apostates without any protracted and tedious difficulties. So they make provision for a frequent change of ministers; and much more of a like nature. But we believe that no true Christian will ever become an apostate; and we know of no method of getting rid of those who prove to be so, but by toilsome discipline; and therefore the adoption of measures, which are adapted to flood the church with apostates, works clumsily according to our polity. The same is true of an unstable ministry, and of all other peculiarities of this system.

At this point it may not be amiss to make a suggestion in regard to the union of different sects in revival meetings, which has a close connexion with this whole subject. These unions are usually brought about in this wise. Some one of the sects that are accustomed to employ stimulating expedients to work up religious excitements, will commence operations in a community with copious discourses on the beauty, loveliness and excellence of union among different denominations, and especially its necessity in order to the most effective promotion of revivals. And such phrases as brotherly love, harmony, and co-operation among different denominations, are highly captivating to ingenuous Christian minds that have had no experience in such things. On this account the Congregational or Presbyterian minister is often prevailed upon to accede to the proposal, and, in many cases, against his own judgment and choice, through fear that if he refuses, his motives will be misunderstood, and he shall offend against the generation of the upright. The

consequence is, that he thereby seals his lips against uttering any truths which are denied by those with whom he unites, at a crisis when his people are pre-eminently tender and susceptible to instruction. In most cases he cannot rise above Arminianism. Moreover he is obliged practically to endorse the teaching and measures of his confederates, as comprising whatever is essential to the welfare of men's souls. Soon he finds that they are employing crafty devices to proselyte his people to their ranks, and that his own position, so far from enabling him to parry off their attacks, exposes his people to their utmost force. The invariable result, so far as we are informed, is that some of his own people are decoyed away; the breach between sects has been widened rather than healed; he has given erroneous views a very undesirable sanction and currency among his people; and he finds that this result was originally designed by the proposers of the pseudo-union. Repellant bodies increase their repellancy in proportion to the closeness of their contiguity. We knew an exhorter who commenced operations in a place by circulating tracts on the union of sects; as soon as by this pretext he could get some dozen people together, he established a separate worship, according to the principles of his own sect on the Sabbath.

This case we think is a fair illustration of the true nature and design, of the very affectionate proposals for union meetings often made by sectarians.

It deserves to be stated that there is a numerous class in the country who espouse and teach the doctrinal principles which we have discussed, who would repudiate with disgust the foregoing measures, so far as they offend against good taste and the decency and order proper to the house of God. There are some evangelists of this description, of exquisitely fine taste, who attract crowds and kindle an excitement wherever they go. While, in such cases, there is a freedom from whatever is revolting to the natural taste and sensibilities; yet so far as regeneration is explained away into a mere resolution or other act of the creature; so far as conviction of sin by the law is treated as needless; so far as human ability is exalted; so far as, in any way, the anxious are led to suppose that taking a particular position or attitude goes to make them Christians, or are induced to make any public manifestation of themselves, except for the purpose of receiving appropriate instruction; so far as an evangelist is looked upon as endued with the

power of producing a revival where he goes, so that with his aid, it is anticipated as probable, and without it despaired of as impossible; so far as by anecdotes, histrionism, &c., no matter how elegant and polished, he creates a low esteem of pastoral labour and preaching; in due proportion all the fore-mentioned disastrous fruits inevitably ensue, on the principle of cause and effect. To whatever extent it is taught, and the belief is engendered, that man is competent to make himself a child of God, without renovating grace, to the same extent mischievous delusion is propagated, and will produce its appropriate results; however its influence may be narrowed and impeded, and its disastrous effects softened and palliated by the absence of the grosser devices which have been depicted.

A few words as to the manner in which such principles and proceedings are commonly vindicated by their authors and abettors.

Although great evil confessedly attends them, yet it is deemed enough to silence all objections, that they accomplish great good, and are the occasion of many genuine conversions. But this plea renounces the only standard by which all controversies are to be tried, and appeals to results. We say "to the law and the testimony." Moreover, appealing to results, they are non-suited, as the foregoing pages abundantly show. As to those who are truly converted at such times, could not and would not the grace of God bring them into his kingdom, in the due use of his appointed means, and in a manner far more promotive of the prosperity of their souls? Are not great numbers fatally deluded and otherwise injured, and are not all the interests of religion smitten with a withering blight? Is it said that the church can be purged by discipline? Under the purest administration, and the utmost vigilance, some false professors will find their way into the church, and there will be need of an occasional excommunication. But is it not unutterably cruel to beguile men into the church by a system of devices, which can only be defended on the ground that the mischiefs flowing from them, can be counteracted by inflicting on their victims the pains of ecclesiastical decapitation? And is it not ruinous to their souls to use measures expressly designed to produce religious excitement in them, which shall stop short of true conversion? For do not scripture and experience prove that, in such cases, "the last state is worse than the first?" It is one