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Surprise and pleasure.

peculiarities of their communion, they have been constrained to study their own organization thoroughly, and make themselves very familiar with the reason of every thing connected with their church.

It was not wonderful, therefore, that meeting under the circumstances that these strangers did, under the surprise and pleasure of finding themselves all attached to this communion, they should have poured out their hearts very freely on a variety of topics connected with the interests of the Episcopal church.

A sketch of the remarks offered by three of these individuals will give an idea of the lively and animated discussion that took place, and may furnish several valuable hints for reflection.

Christian union.

CHAPTER III.

THE FORCE OF PREJUDICE.

How good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. From the 133d Psalm.

WITH all that may be said in reference to the advantages resulting from the division of the Christian church into sects and denominations, we cannot but think that it is contrary to the will of Christ, and productive of immense evils. It is well known that, in consequence of this division, these various denominations do in fact often look upon each other with suspicion and jealousy, and regard each other as rivals and enemies. It is this which " supplies infidels with their most plausible topics of invective, which hardens the conscience of the irreligious, weakens the hands of the good, impedes the efficacy of prayer, and is probably the principal obstruction to that ample effusion of the Spirit, which is essential to the renovation of the world."*

While we must mourn over this state of things in the Christian church, we still feel bound to subscribe entirely to the remark, "That every attempt to reconcile differences among professing Christians, which involves the relinquishment of truth, or a compromise with important corruption either in doctrine or worship, or giving countenance to what is deemed injurious departure from what Christ has commanded, is, undoubtedly, criminal and mischievous.t

We are, however, inclined to think that much of the

* Robert Hall's Works, vol. i. p. 289.
† Biblical Repertory, vol. viii. p. 15.

The effect of a spirit of bitterness among Christians.

acerbity of feeling, which has hitherto prevailed among evangelical Christians of different denominations, has been owing to their ignorance of each other. The more knowledge that real Christians have of each other, the more they will be drawn towards each other by the attractive power of sympathy and Christian love.

A variety of causes concurred to cast a shade over the Episcopal church, in its first establishment in this country. When I reflect upon the low state of piety in many of its members at that period, the darkened and imperfect views of the gospel which many of its ministers evinced, and the spirit of intolerance which the mother church of England manifested towards the Puritans, I do not wonder that the descendants of the Puritans felt and acted towards the Episcopal church as they did. And yet it is abundantly evident, that the Episcopal church has had heaped on her a prodigious amount of calumny, and that her noblest energies have been crippled by unfounded prejudices, which have girded her around like a beleaguring army, and pursued her with almost a spirit of relentless extermination. Those days of error and misconception -we trust are fast passing away. It would be well if Christians more frequently would reflect upon the evil effects that result from manifesting a spirit of bitterness towards each other, and would adopt the sentiment contained in the lines which Milton represents Adam as addressing to Eve, after their mutual accusations and upbraidings.

"But rise, let us no more contend, nor blame

Each other, blamed enough elsewhere; but strive
In offices of love, how we may lighten

Each other's burden in our share of wo."

And perhaps the discussion that took place on the occasion of the meeting of these travellers, may tend to show the folly and the sin of cherishing feelings of unkindness and opposition towards those whom Christ loves, and with whom we shall dwell together in life everlasting.

Narrative of Miss Truman.

In the course of the conversation referred to at the close of the last chapter, the remark had been dropped that numbers were deterred from frequenting the worshipping assemblies of the Episcopal church, under the mistaken impression that its liturgical services were a frigid mummery of words, or a sort of pantomime, greatly resembling the Romish masses, and utterly destitute of the spirit and warmth of true devotion. This remark called forth a spirited reply from Miss Truman, who, while scarce aware of it, gave a sketch of her own personal history.

It must be borne in mind that Miss Truman, in these remarks, spoke with all the warmth of one who had entered the Episcopal church from a deep conviction that it was her duty to do so; and who, in following what she supposed to be her duty, had to wade through a sea of difficulties, and encounter a host of almost indomitable resist

ances.

Young, ardent, and sanguine in her temperament, her eye kindled with animation, and the words flowed with an uncommon grace and fluency from her lips. The remark just adverted to had touched a sensitive chord in her boAnd she very promptly said,

som.

"Such a view is utterly at war with facts and experience. I might refer to my own case for an ample refutation of such an idea.

"I was born amid the rough hills and cragged mountains of New Hampshire, and drew my natal breath in a district of country where the Episcopal church was never mentioned but with censure and denunciation. My parents were the descendants of Puritans; and they cherished all the bitterness and strong antipathies to the church of England, as the Episcopal church was called, which their ancestors brought with them, when, with wounded spirits and exasperated feeling, they bade an eternal adieu to the land that gave them birth.

"As there was no Episcopal church in my native town, it was but seldom that the distinctive views and peculiari

Injurious impressions on the minds of the young.

ties of this denomination were made the subject of conversation. At times, however, something would occur to introduce the mention of the church of England, and at such times the remarks offered were calculated to give the impression that it was a church utterly destitute of piety; embracing within its communion every species of profligate and abandoned men, and in its worship and doctrines not a whit behind the idolatrous church of Rome.

"Was it to be wondered at, that I, then a child, and hearing these statements from the lips of those I tenderly loved, received them as undoubted truths? And here I cannot but remark, that I do think it most unwarrantable conduct in parents, to speak in terms of censure and condemnation, in the presence of children, of religious communions of which they are totally ignorant. How many young minds have been thus poisoned, perverted, and for ever blinded to the perception of truth! And I might also add, still more reprehensible is the habit, in which some very good people indulge themselves, of ridiculing and mimicking the tone, voice, and singular expressions of weak or fanatical teachers. I cannot but think, that such attempts at ridicule are always injurious to personal piety, and often prejudice young minds against all religion. And ought not parents, and those to whom the care of youth is committed, to remember that there is an awful responsibility in relation to this matter? the eternal Judge himself having thus premonished us, By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

66

But

My parents, I am fully persuaded, acted in this matter under the honest belief, that all, and more than they affirmed of the Episcopal church, was literally true. they should have remembered, that all the knowledge they possessed on this subject was traditionary,-a species of information very much to be distrusted when connected with the excited feelings and passions of men.

"About the time I had attained the sixteenth year of my age, my father concluded to emigrate to the state of New

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