of every religious community, not only to as- judge says that they are not Christians, as they sist its poor members in point of bodily com- deny the divinity of our Redeemer; and yet he fort, but to provide for the instruction of their connives at the toleration enjoyed by the Jews, children. The dignity of man requires, that the avowed enemies of every establishment his word should be equivalent to an oath; which bears the impress of Christianity. He and the Scriptures, in the most positive man- has uniformly opposed their efforts to procure ner, confirm this sentiment. Trade is not in an act of parliament for the solemnization of itself degrading; but honesty, and a punctual their marriages according to their own forms, adherence to engagements, are requisite for its and, in this pertinacity, he is supported by the prosecution, and such branches as may be at- majority of the peers, in defiance of the argutended with the moral detriment of the traderments and influence of his more liberal friend, himself or of others, ought to be carefully avoided by every Christian.

These principles unquestionably exhibit the Quakers in the light of a moral sect; and those A new association has been formed upon the who are well acquainted with them will not same basis. The framers of this society were deny their general claim to that character. at first Universalists, and so far orthodox as to They may also be regarded as a friendly com- be Trinitarians; but a doubt arose in the mind. munity, if not distinguished by politeness of of one of the members, whether the holy Tribehaviour or elegance of manners. Shrewd-nity really existed, and, in the progress of deness and good sense are frequently observed among them, though we cannot affirm that many of them are eminent for learning or eru

lebrated with due splendour. The lady, however, died without enjoying the honour of being a mother. Many of her friends would not believe that she was actually dead, and fondly expected the speedy resuscitation of the spark of life: but, after an anxious suspense of four days, they resigned their hopes, and suffered her to be consigned, like an ordinary mortal, to the grave. Her chaplain then declared, that she had renounced, on her death-bed, the visions of her disordered brain; yet there are still, it is said, many who are not ashamed to own that they yet follow her opinions. It might have been supposed that her recantation would have put an end to the delusion: but, even in enlightened times, the most senseless fanaticism will occasionally take possession of weak heads

be made to break the chains imposed by in- || Providence to propagate a new revelation; and, terested or short-sighted policy upon the sacred in the midst of her spiritual avocations, she derights of conscience.' rived temporal advantage from the sale of sealSome years before this concentration of Uni-ed passports for the admission of the faithful tarian strength, a secession from the establish- into the celestial regions. Near the close of ed church occurred, not perhaps very impor- her life, in the year 1814, she impudently antant, but at least entitled to our notice. Se-nounced herself as the future mother (though veral ministers, who had been in the habit of a virgin) of the Shiloh promised in holy writ. conferring on religious topics, began to ques- Her followers now became still more numerous, tion the propriety of continuing in a state of and by their senseless liberality, presents were external adherence to the church, when they lavished upon the supposed object of divine faentertained what they deemed reasonable ob-vour, that the approaching birth might be cejections to various parts of the ritual and the liturgy, and also disapproved the enforced dependence of the church (according to the present constitution) upon the temporal power. The baptismal service, they said, prescribed a ritual observance in lieu of a divine and spiritual operation: in the service appropriated to the dead, every one was styled a Christian, whereas many who were thus honoured were merely so in external profession; and the Athanasian creed was repugnant to that scriptural declaration which promised salvation to all who believed in Christ. They at length resolved to renounce the general assent which they had given at their ordination to the thirtynine articles, the homilies, and the prayer book, while they readily acquiesced in particular clauses of those branches of our religious sys-and narrow minds. tem; and, being conscientious men, they resigned their ecclesiastical preferments, which they considered as the wages of error, if not of iniquity. They then began to exercise their new ministry in the vicinity of Taunton; but, being considered as Antinomians, they were not so far respected as to be enabled to make great progress in the work of proselytism. They agreed with the Methodists in their opinion of faith, which alone, they thought, could produce a sinner's justification; and, when it was argued against them that they did not sufficiently inculcate the axiom of religious obedience, they alleged that their enforcement of the principle or the theory would lead to the requisite practice. They believed (as far as we can judge from the opinions of some individuals of their number) that Christ existed with God before the creation of the present world, and that he is the proper object of religious worship, the prophet, priest, and king of the church; and they leaned to the doctrine of election, without making it so prominent a part of their system as the rigid Calvinists do. With regard to the Trinity, they held a middle || course between the orthodox clergy and the Unitarians. Some variations have occurred in their opinions since their original secession; but these are of little moment, and are such as might reasonably be expected from sectaries who have not framed a deliberate creed.

Compared with the wild fanaticism of Joanna, the sentiments of Dr. Alexander Tilloch may even seem reasonable. He was a philosophical and scientific man, who differed in some respects from the established church. He and his friends assumed the denomination of Christian Dissenters, declaring, at the same time, that they were slaves to no sect, though it was supposed that they entertained opinions similar to those of the Sandemanians. They professed a determination of directing their conduct by the rules and injunctions of the Scriptures, and went so far in the formation of a sect as to appoint two elders for the administration of their spiritual concerns. The death of the philosopher, in the year 1825, probably dissolved the association; for we do not hear of its continuance.

An attempt to form a religious party at Coventry may here be mentioned, though its features are not so marked as to entitle it to the distinction of a new sect. The members call themselves Samaritans, and we hope that their philanthropy gives them a just claim to the honourable appellation. They resemble the Quakers in the plainness of their apparel, in their allowance of female preachers, and their abstinence from oaths; but they seem to lean more to the doctrines of the Methodists than to those of any other sect.

A zealot named Muloch lately endeavoured The reveries of Joanna Southcott we men- to create a sect, by exclaiming against the cortioned on a former occasion. She continued ruptions of Christianity, and proposing such a her delusions long after the commencement of reform as would, in his opinion, render that re this century, and not only retained her influ-ligion much more efficacious and salutary than ence over her original followers, but drew many more into her train. A seal, bearing the initials of her name, which she pretended to have accidentally found, when she was at work in her master's house, furnished her with a pretence for declaring that she was authorized by

it now is. By drawing the people about him at Oxford, and exhorting them to adopt his opinions and advice, he exposed himself to an attack from the supporters of orthodoxy: but the riot had no serious consequences. In his conduct toward the members of his society, he has

them to an exclusion of their attempts from any other unoccupied place, which might present a prospect of success to their labours.' The leaders of the society at first resolved that none but those who had received episcopal ordination should act on these occasions; but, when it was found difficult to procure a sufficient number of clerical missionaries, catechists were employed in the propagation of the Christian doctrines and the enforcement of salutary precepts. For the promotion of these objects, pecuniary contributions were earnestly, solicited in all parts of the kingdom and of its dependencies; and even the smallest donations were thankfully accepted. During many years the produce was very inconsiderable, the zeal of the nation not being sufficiently awakened: yet the fund of the society continued to increase, and its income has enabled it to establish nine grand missions: these are extended over forty-two stations, comprehending 255 schools, in which about 1,350 adults and 11,500 children are instructed in religion and the elements of literature.* For the use of these pupils and other inhabitants of the country about these stations, the Scriptures have been printed in a great variety of languages, and useful tracts, composed in a familiar style, have been circulated. As a specimen of the effect of these pious labours, the growing civi

shown himself to be more influenced by the || its members and missionaries should not 'bind arbitrary and intemperate spirit of Knox than the conciliatory mildness of Melancthon. Having thus treated of the established church, and also noticed the deliberate secessions from its rules and ordinances, we advert to missionary concerns, in which both the orthodox and the heterodox are disposed to concur. Missions had been occasionally undertaken before the current century; but it is only in our times that the attempts of British subjects with that view have assumed a regular and systematic form. The English, for ages, were very slow in the promotion of missionary labours. They thought more of their immediate concerns than of foreign undertakings, and were content with the secure enjoyment of their religion at home, without troubling themselves about the faith or the piety of the rest of the world. Desul tory attempts, indeed, were occasionally made for the conversion of the slaves in our colonies, and also of the neighbouring savages; and, after the establishment of the Society for the propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, either zealous and adventurous clergymen, or pious and well educated laymen, were regularly employed in that salutary work; yet their operations were conducted on a small scale, and the government did not add its energetic weight to the scheme, but merely suffered it to take its course under that nominal encouragement which it derived from a royal char-lization of the colony of Sierra Leone may be ter. A new ebullition of zeal, however, in this cause, appeared before the close of the last century, and it has so far increased in vigour, as to form one of the marked features of the age in which we live. The first stimulus in our time appears to have been given by a mechanic of the name of Carey, and John Thomas, an equally zealous Christian. The former, being strongly inclined to preach the Gospel, had solicited and obtained the honour of ordination among the Baptists; and, at a meeting of his brethren, he proposed a question relative to the practicability of an effective diffusion of for religious purposes, the subjects of the British emevangelical truth among the pagan communi-pire are now more liberal than they ever were beties. As the other ministers concurred with fore our time. For instance, in the year 1822, they him in the affirmative opinion, he went with contributed a sum nearly amounting to 352,000.-a subscription far exceeding the revenues of some Gerhis family to India, accompanied by his friend, man principalities. The British and Foreign Bible who had already preached to the Hindoos in Society received much more than a fourth part of Bengal. They were afterwards joined by some this sum; the next receipts, in point of magnitude, other missionaries, but were checked in their accrued to the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge; the next, to the Church Missionary Institupious operations by the British government, tion; the London and Wesleyan Missionary Socie and therefore gladly took refuge in the Danish ties obtained the next proportion; the Society for the town of Serampore, where they opened a Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts had a smaller, yet a considerable share; then came the school, and converted some of the natives to Baptist Missionary Institution, and the Society for Christianity. The marquis Wellesley at length the Conversion of the Jews. The five societies allowed them to travel in those provinces which which received the smallest sums were the following: he governed; but this permission, far from be- religious knowledge among the poor, one for the dis -one which was established for the promotion of ing fully granted, was arbitrarily restricted. tribution of the Scriptures among seamen in the The missionaries, however, prosecuted their mercantile service, one for the diffusion of orthodox course without murmuring, and in some meatracts, and Sunday School Society, and the Irish Society of London. This enumeration, though partial sure diminished the number of Pagans. (for the list then published included thirty-one associations,) serves to evince the proportional interest taken by the public in these pious undertakings. Many might think that the Gospel Society deserved the most marked encouragement from the contributors; but we have no right to blame, in this instance, the exercise of private discretion. These associa tions undoubtedly reflect great credit on the country to which we belong; and we trust that the zeal by which they are fostered will not suffer any abate

mentioned with pleasure. Two-thirds of its population consist of negroes, (rescued from the hands of base and infamous dealers in slaves,) the majority of whom, by the care and example of Christian instructors, have been so far civilized as to become quiet and friendly neighbours, industrious artisans and agriculturists, and devout frequenters of places of worship.

Other instances of missionary success may be drawn from many of the inhabited spots in *To this institution, and other schemes calculated

While Mr. Carey and his associates were thus employed, a scheme of conversion was formed, in the year 1800, on a grand and comprehensive plan, by the ministers and friends of the established church, and the institution was denominated the Church Missionary Society to Africa and the East,' with a proviso that the ostensible limitation of the efforts ofment.

receive instruction in reading and writing: but the proposal has been condemned by some prejudiced men of the higher class of society, who pretend that the plebeian learners would thus sooner imbibe ideas of reform and false doctrines of every kind, or, from the pride of learning, would contract ideas too high for the stations which they might eventually fill. In reply to these objections we may remark, that principles of pretended reform may be taught to individuals who cannot read, and whose illiteracy will render them less able to detect the fallacies of the artful teacher; and, in the next place, that the instruction derivable by the poor from this plan, though useful, will not be of so elevated a kind as to inspire them with overweening pride or vanity, or give them a disgust to the meanness of ordinary occupations.

the Pacific Ocean. In the Society Islands, in || tants of this, and every other country, should particular, a great change has taken place. The manners and deportment of the natives are comparatively civilized; their morals are much less depraved, and (says a reverend gentleman) a "system of idolatry has been annihilated, which was reared by treachery and crime, and had for ages, through the terrors which it inspired, kept the population in a state of abject wretchedness." The Scriptures have been translated into that language which, with little variation of dialect, is diffused over many clusters of islands in the wide extent of the Pacific; and, in various places, public meetings are annually holden by the chieftains, to deliberate on the most effectual means of propagating that religion which they consider as a great blessing, communicated to them by the servants of God and the friends of mankind. As the success of these labours, however, appeared to be partial and limited, it was found expedient to quicken, at intervals, the zeal of the public. It was therefore stated, in a late address from the Society for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge, that the great increase of population in those territories to which its operations had been more particularly directed, rendered a considerable augmentation of the number of missionaries and school-masters necessary for the useful prosecution of its career, although these now exceeded 200 in the American colonies alone; that, 'with a view to the formation of a body of native clergy for the service of the colonies, the society had contributed largely to the support of the King's College (at Windsor in Nova Scotia,) by an annual grant and by the endowment of divinity scholarships and exhibitions;' that the directors of its funds had also made frequent grants toward the erection of churches in the infant settlements, and had been greatly instrumental in diffusing the national system of education over every part of the Trans-Atlantic colonies; and that another source of expenditure had been opened by the extended colonization of the southern parts of Africa and the interior of New Holland. Thus religious instruction and elementary learning were happily combined.

The labours of the missionaries in the West Indies were exposed to a serious check by the commotions which arose at Barbadoes in the year 1823. Apprehending that the parliament might be induced to put an end to slavery, and knowing that measures had been taken to repress the shameful tyranny of the planters, the leading men in that island exclaimed against the villanous African Society,' calumniated the characters of Mr. Wilberforce and his friends, and denounced vengeance against the Methodist missionaries, whom they accused of instigating the negroes and mulattoes to disaffection and sedition. The charge was illfounded; yet many persons of reputed respectability encouraged the white rabble of Bridgetown to insult and harass the Methodists and their friends, and demolish their meeting houses. The chief preacher fled in consternation to the island of St. Vincent; those who remained at Barbadoes were not allowed to act as ministers, and no other missionaries were suffered to land. The parliament expressed its indignation at these outrages; but we do not find that any steps were taken for the punishment of the perpetrators. This forbearance excited strong animadversion when contrasted with the cruel treatment of the slaves in Demarara, many of whom, for an unwillingness to work, and for some riotous acts, were sacrificed, under the forms of justice, to the vindictive rage of the planters.

The systematic addition of the duty of the school-master to that of the missionary, arose from the zeal of the Rev. Dr. Bell, who, wishing to render ordinary scholarship more general, introduced a system of elementary education more comprehensive with regard to the number of pupils, and more rapid in its progress, than the ordinary mode of instruction. The supporters of the scheme boasted that 500 boys and girls might be taught to read and write, and to perform the common rules of arithmetic, sooner than fifty in the usual way. The plan chiefly consisted in simultaneous dictation to a large assemblage, and in the em-lous than those of Europe. ployment of a number of instructors gradually selected from the aggregate number of the pupils.

The late appointment of several bishops for the West Indies will, it is hoped, produce, by the influence of their examples and persuasions, a better spirit among the white population, and promote the conversion and enlightenment of the people of colour and the negroes. But it is necessary, for the due accomplishment of these desirable purposes, that the new prelates should be more active and zea

In the United States of North America, the episcopal appointments are still kept up, and the other religious communities and congregaThe scheme has an air of quackery; but it tions are in that regular progress which proves has been practised with such success, in the that the nation is not ungodly, although the national schools of Great Britain, and in vari- laws and government do not ordain or recogous parts of the continent, that there are more nize, as in the European states, the superiority readers and writers than at any former period. of a particular creed or mode of worship. It is now a prevailing wish that all the inhabi-Hence there is no occasion for the grant of

toleration, as that term implies an allowance, || creed can properly be called a sect) has arisen by the ruling power, of such doctrines, cere- in North America; but it is little known, and monies, and practices, as are not exactly con- not very prevalent. Mr. Rees, a Welsh clersonant with the established system. As no gyman, transported himself to America with community predominates over another, all are the benevolent view of propagating Chrisequal in the eye of the law; the Episcopalians tianity in that form which he considered as the and Presbyterians, the Jews and Roman Ca- most pure and genuine, or rather in that way tholics, the Moravians and Quakers, are per- which would leave every one at liberty to folfectly on a level. low his own opinion in points which were not essential, while he acknowledged Christ as his only head. He proposed that the society which should be instituted should be styled the Christian Church, and that no other guide than the New Testament should be allowed to its members; and a secondary part of his scheme was the propagation of the Gospel among the heathen communities. While he laboured to make religious converts, he endeavoured, with equal zeal, to put an end to the existence of slavery in the United States; but he did not, either in this or in his other pursuit, meet with that success which his good intentions deserved.

Among the more recent religious communities beyond the Atlantic, the Shakers seem to have excited the greatest degree of attention. Having mentioned their origin and their doctrines on a former occasion, we now state some particulars respecting their manners and conduct. Even while they disallow marriage, and do not permit a man to touch a woman on any occasion or pretence, they are assembled in families. The males and females occupy different apartments in the same house, and have separate tables, but meet occasionally for society and labour, as well as for religious service. They exercise all the useful arts and manufactures among themselves, without being indebted to persons of other persuasions for the least assistance. As far as they conveniently can, they have every thing in common; and, when new members are admitted, they are required to assign their property to the directors of the society for the general benefit. They profess to follow the advice of the apostle, "Let all things be done decently and in order." In one respect they appear to be disorderly; for, in the midst of their public worship, they sing and dance like maniacs: yet they have "method in their madness." Upon the whole, they form a quiet, inoffensive, and apparently virtuous community.

Another sect (if indeed a religious party in a country which has no established national

Thus we have taken a cursory survey of the state of Christianity, both in the eastern and western hemispheres, and its progress during the first quarter of the present century. Some progress it has unquestionably made, although its increase has not been so great as its zealous friends wished or expected. Its movements, depending on human agency, are necessarily slow; and, if no miracles should intervene, many ages may elapse, before the majority of the pagan nations, of the Jewish tribes, and of the followers of the Arabian pseudo-prophet, shall be numbered among the votaries of that system which we conscientiously follow and earnestly recommend. In the mean time, let Christians preserve their faith unimpaired, and exhibit, to unbelievers, impressive exam ples of piety and virtue.