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in seven for his service, I feel
that should have reason as well
as Scripture on my side, however
modern philosophers, practical un-
believers, and habitual contemners
of the ordinances of God, "might
laugh my theory to scorn. [
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all, the protecting band of Divine indifference" to the observance of Providence, in a most wereiful the Divine appointment of one day! manner; and yet no acknowledge ment is ever made of his daily mercies, although the party encamped on shore every evening. It is doubtful whether amongst the whole crew Bible was to be found. Now would it have derogated from the intrepidity of the adventure to have paid some attention to the Sabbath? What notions must the various tribes of Indians have formed of the religion of the white or red people? Surely if a chaplain cannot conveniently accompany such expeditions, at least some instructions should be given, by the proper authorities, from whatever Christian country they are fitted out, that the commanding officer should pay respect, if not to the various institutions of religion, yet to the Christian Sabbath. Our own country, I admit, is, perhaps, as deeply involved as America in the guilt of neglecting this duty; and were I to attribute the failure of some recent expedition to this neglect of religion, this disregard of an overruling Providence, this utter

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Zaibro996 Edition of 1800, 1

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page 59,

Collect for as Day, called a

Prayer regeneration," Abscisic Index. Dale Conversion,"

"A prayer for the conversion of infidels and heretics, 406. For conversion from sin, 38, 149, See Regeneration." 10 VEF HO Regeneration."

A prayer for regeneration, 59. For the renewal of tour minds, 381. See Conversion,"

Though aware of the erasure of cou the term "regeneration" from the anonymous tract prefixed to all the I could not

To the Editor of the Christian Observer. IN a packet of books, lately received from the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge, was a copy of Robert Nelson's celebrated Companion for the Festivals and Fasts of the Church of England, printed in 1815. On referring to the Index of this work, I was greatly surprised to find the word renovation introduced in no less than two places, in place of the word regeneration and still more so, when I met with it in the body of the work itself, in the mårgin of page 59. On comparing this edition of 1815 with a copy printed in 1800, before the commencement of the present controversy, I discovered the following variations;

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"A prayer for the conversion of in. fidels and heretics, 406. For conversion from sin, 38, 149. See Renovation.” Renovation?moji f "A prayer for renovation, 59, For the renewal of our minds: see Conversion, 381.5

Whether the opinions of Dr. Mant, on the subject of Baptism and Regeneration, be right or wrong, true or false, the impropriety of

Society's Prayer made this dis altering the work of a deceased

suppose, I
covery, that any body of men could
deliberately alter the work of a de
ceased author, and print their own
doctrines under his name: "nd above
all, that they would make such
au alteration during the pendency
of a controversy wherein frequent
appeals are made to authority.

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author, and publishing under his name what he never wrote, will re main the same. Does Dr. Man't wish, that some committee, after his decease, should reprint bis tracts, altering the words renovation and conversion? Are Messrs. Biddulph, Scott, Bugg, and Faber

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desirous that some one may repub-, tinguished as the Pagan Party, in the name of the said party, beg leave to address your Excellency on a subject which we hope will be as pleasing to your Excellency as it is to us.

lish their works, after they shall have been gathered to their fathers, substituting some other term for regeneration? Is any literary member of the present Loudon Board, particularly ambitious to have his own works metamorphosed and mangled after this mauner, and yet reprinted with his name at full length in the title page? Why not then adopt the golden rule of Christianity, and do unto others as we would that others should do unto us? Why does not the present committee publish, their system in their own tracts, either anonymously, or under their own names? Why obtrude on the name of Nelson, what Nelson never wrote, and what, I believe, it cannot be proved he ever thought? Surely, sir, this is not acting towards others as we wish that others would act towards

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We no longer own the name of Pagans. We have abandoned, four idols and our sacrifices, and have fixed our hopes on the blessed Re deemer. In evidence of this assertion, we here tender to your Excellency, solemnly and unequivocally, our abjuration of Paganism and its rites; and take the Christian's, God to be our God, and our only. hope of salvation.

We believe in God the Father— the Creator and Preserver of all things-as omniscient and omnipresent most gracious and most merciful. We believe in Jesus Christ, that he is the Son of God-the. Saviour of the world—the Mediator between God and man-aud that all must believe in him and embrace him, in order to obtain salvation, We believe in God the Holy Ghost, the Sanctifier and Comforter of all. the children of men. We believe in a general resurrection and a future judgment, in which all mankind shall be judged according to their works. We believe the Scriptures to be the word of God, J. N. C. and that in them are contained all things necessary to man's salvation.

Can any of your readers inform me, through the channel of your publication, whether any other tracts of the Society for promoting Christian Knowlege have been altered, like that of Nelson, to serve the purpose and support the authority of the defenders of a particular system *?·

I am, &c. &c.

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We present to your Excellency this abstract of our faith, in order to demonstrate the impropriety of out retaining any longer the name of Pagans. We trust that, through the mercy of God, we have abandoned the character of Pagans:

let us also abandon the name,

We therefore request your Ex Excellency, that in all future transactions with this State, we may be known and distinguished as the second Christian Party of the Oneida Nation of Indians. And we pray that your Excellency will take such means as may be neces proper to sary and

The former editions of Bishop Bradford's Discourse concerning Baptismal and Spiritual Regeneration contained a notice, that it was published by the Society for the settling of men's mind's concerning this controverted subject. In the eighth edition, printed by the Society, in 1815, this notice is known and recognized in future. @mitted, by that name. And in the name

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o cause us

be

of the most Holy Trinity we do here sign ourselves your Excel, lency's most sincere friends.

making his mark: Cornelius Othaesheat, Peter Southecalchos,

Moses

Done in general council at rongontie, John Connes fo

Oneida, this twenty-fifth day of January, 1817. The following Indian Names were subscribed to the above, each one

Schuyler. Jacob Atoni, William Tigarentotasdon, William Toniatishen, William Teboiatat-he, and Peter Tewaserashe.

16

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Histoire des Sectes Religieuses, qui depuis le Commencement du Siècle dernier jusq'u à l'Epoque actuelle, sont nées, se sont modifiets, se sont éteintes dans les quatre Parties du Monde. Par M. GREGOIRE, Ancien Evêque de Blois, Membre de l'Institut, etc. etc. 2 tom.

History of the Religious Sects which, from the Commencement of the last Century to the present Time, have sprung up, have been modified or extinguished, in the four Quarters of the World. By M. Gregoire, formerly Bishop of Blois, &c. 2 vols., Paris. 1814.

THERE is no volume which we take up with more real pain than a history of religious sects. Believing the eternal and infinite importance of the Christian dispensation, and convinced more and more forcibly, convinced more by the experience of every succeeding day, of its blessed effects upon the condition of mankind, we cannot but feel at once disgusted and distressed to see it stripped of its beauty and excellence, by the absurd and impious fancies of weak or designing men who, under the name of its d disciples, have innovated on its doctrines and spirit, and done more towards its subversion than all its avowed enemies in combination.in

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truths of the Gospel, which point out the waywardness and imbecility of man, his proneness to error, the blindness of his understanding, aud the hardness of his heart. Page after page exhibits some new deformity; and the mind sickens and recoils in witnessing the mutilations and morbid affections to which the fair frame of religion is exposed.

Yet, perhaps, the disgust thus excited may be sometimes salutary. It surely will be so, if it check the avidity of the mind for novelty and rashness of speculation, in things beyond the reach of human intellect, and teach us to rest contented with a knowledge of those plain truths which are necessary to our salvation, and which, amidst all the errors and disagreements of the religious world, may still be easily discovered by all who are really in earnest on the subject," and who, convinced of their own ignorance and weakness, are looking up, with a humble and penitential eye, to the Divine EnlightenerTM and Guide.

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To the advanced and steady Christian, a knowledge of the heresies which have infested the world may thus incidentally produce a beneficial, rather than injurious, effect. Ir will, however,' be usually found that persons of this description are far more cau tious of ascertaining how much will bear, sects. We find there, indeed, a than others who have neither the practical commentary upon those discernment to perceive nor the

To a devout mind, therefore, there can be nothing like amuse

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steadiness to overcome, the danger. For a weak and indecisive mind a history of rival sects is likely to be an injurious book; since, without aiding the judgment, it weakens the faith, presenting a sort of patterncard of religions, each vying with the other, and from all which a choice is to be made. To the sceptic it furnishes an argument of which he is glad to avail himself, in order to discountenance what he cannot refute; and to men of the world, in general, it affords a sort of excuse for their supineness in not searching into the things which belong to their eternal peace, It is consoling, however, to remember, amidst all the jarrings of theologians, that "if any man will do the will of God, he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God," whereas, without humility and faith, the intellect of an archangel would be of no avail.

These reflections ought, perhaps, in due critical regularity, to have followed, rather than preceded, our remarks upon the present volumes; but, to say the truth, we were really anxious, both for our own sake and that of our readers, to approach the subject with those practical feelings which it ought to inspire, rather than under the influence of merely literary or religious curiosity.

ments, which succeeded each other; and the intrepidity with which he stood up, in an assembly of ferocious atheists, on the behalf of outraged Christianity, entitle him to no small share of honour, and we willingly embrace the opportunity of recording his claims. As a writer, for M. Gregoire has published various works, he deserves praise principally for the philanthrophy which breathes through them. He is a rash, superficial, and inconclusive reasoner. His ma terials are, for the most part, crude and undigested. His facts often are assumed on very inadequate authority, and prove, therefore, exceedingly incorrect; and the general texture of his productions is loose and flimsy. He is a staunch Roman Catholic, but an avowed and determined enemy to all persecution. So far does he carry this laudable feeling, that he obstinately persists in branding the disabilities of the Irish Catholics as cruel persecution; just as some zealous Protestants among ourselves choose, notwithstanding the clearest evidence to the contrary, to dignify with the same name the party feuds, and the atrocities consequent upon them, which have of late disgraced Nismes and its vicinity. M. Gre goire is even so unreasonably vehement on this subject, as to place the Catholics of Ireland on the same level, as to oppression and civil degradation, with the Negro Slaves in the West Indies.

The author of the work before us, the well-known Abbè Gregoire, has been distinguished for many years as the zealous and persevering friend of the African race. In the Such is our author, who, in the political life of this gentleman, there work before us, exhibits nearly the are some passages which it would same characters, both of mind and be impossible to justify, and which, style, which we have ventured to on the contrary, we should feel our attribute to his former productions. selves unreservedly compelled to He states his object to be a recondemn. But the constancy with view of the eccentricities of the which he has adhered to the cause human mind in matters connected of the oppressed Africans, though with religion, from the commences deserted by his early associates, ment of the last century to the assailed by the unceasing obloquy present time. He has, therefore, and merciless hostility of the West- in the prosecution of his plan, India party in France, a cursory manner, and dis- passed over, i couraged by the frowns of the Con- the sects, which arose at periods sular, Imperial, and royal govern antecedent to the eighteenth cen

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tury, in order to display, with more minuteness, those which come most immediately within his province. The number of religious denominations which he has thought fit to notice is about seventy; all of which he includes in three classes. 1. Those which have no separate assemblies for religious worship; 2. Those which have, but nevertheless continue in the communion of the parent sect; 3. Those which have a particular and separate mode of worship, entirely disconnected with any other denomination.

We need scarcely remark that this division is quite arbitrary, and by no means calculated for a lucid display of the varieties of religious persuasions; but, even imperfect as it is, it is not adhered to in the body of the work, so that every sect is suffered to occupy, at random, the spot on which it chances to fall. In fact, the whole arrange ment, if arrangement it can be called,is illogical and unsatisfactory: the author plunges at once in medias res, beginning his work with the Glassites, the Methodists, &c. and proceeding to the conclusion, without any visible method, through a variety of insulated sects, the species of which he describes without informing us of the genera to which they belong.

The Abbe Gregoire certainly evinces cousiderable research respecting religious sects; but he is frequently betrayed into the puerile fault of making sects of what are no sects, and which, therefore, ought to have had no place in the present collection. Who, for example, would have thought of placing among religious sects Les Mammillaires, or even the Freemasons? Respecting the latter of these, he however informs us, that "England seems to be the only place where this institution partakes of a religious character!" In looking over the pages before us we often find mere slang or cant names gravely taken up as real

appellations; and the reveries of individual madmen, and fanatics of every species, detailed as legitimate characteristics of a religious sect. Many of the denominations de-, scribed have never had any existence as sects, and, in general, the forgotten filth and lumber of ages are heaped together, as in every, work of this kind is more or less necessary and unavoidable, in order to point out the multiplied aberrations of the human mind. Our author has certainly not been sparing in detailing absurdities; and, in fact, the more absurdities he could collect, the better would his purpose be answered; since one principal moral, intended to be enforced throughout the work, is the necessity of a Catholic infallible church, which church he of course assumes to be the Church of Rome. His constant complaint against Protestants is, that" their rule of faith is the Bible, which each person interprets at his pleasure;" thus inferring, that if all men had been members of the Romish Church, the whole mischief of sects would have been avoided;-a proposition either untrue, or true only in the same manner as if he had said, that would men but consent to forego the advantages of culinary fire, we should not so often hear of houses being consumed. He might, however, have recollected, with a view to soften the asperity of his remarks. against Protestantism, that some of the most ridiculous and fanatical sects, which he himself has recorded, have been nourished in the bosom of the Romish Church, to which they exclusively belong. We do not wish to taint our pages, with examples and illustrations: but if our author will but turn to his own volumes; for instance, to the "Society of Victims," of which, he professes to have given " a very exact description;" he will see specimens of such eccentricities and blasphemies as could scarcely have arisen elsewhere than in the mys ticism of Romish theology.

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