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led, as it were by the hand, into the reformed church, in which I have the happiness to be, in the manner I am going to relate to you.

Having, as I have already said, found peace and joy in the word of God, which I had received in my heart, I very soon felt the desire and necessity of knowing Christians according to the Gospel. I was very certain that there must be some, because the Saviour has promised that the powers of hell shall never prevail against his church. But not finding them in the Romish church, which offered only a Christianity, traditional, degenerate and corrupt, as much in doctrine as in worship, my difficulty was extreme, to discover Christians such as I desired.

For the first time in my life, I inquired if these might not be the Protestants. But at first I repelled this thought. The prejudices of my childhood prevented my indulging it. In places, which are inhabited only by Catholics, and where the religious principles and the worship of reformed Christians are but little known, the word Protestant is, with many, synonymous with heretic, excommunicated person, impious, and condemned. The people are generally imbued with these prejudices, which some men seek only too much to spread abroad and maintain. Being myself under their influence, I could not at first admit the thoughts that they were the true Christians that I sought.

Nevertheless, the thought soon returned to me; and recalling this declaration of St. Paul, "All that will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution," It may be, said I, that the Protestants are calumniated precisely because their religion is more conformed to the Gospel. Many other passages of Scripture came into my mind, and led me to think my supposition was well founded. I resolved to neglect nothing to remove my doubts with regard to it.

There being no Protestants in our city, nor in the neighborhood, whom I could examine or consult, I wrote to the only person whom I knew to belong to that communion. Though I had not the honor of knowing her, or of being known to her, I took the liberty of requesting her to inform me when her pastor would come to visit her, expressing the desire which I had of consulting him, on a very important subject. Either this person did not understand my letter, or from some other reason, she answered me in a manner very civil, but which did not satisfy me on the point which most interested me.

I waited patiently, for some time, and applied myself to reading and meditating upon the divine word, now become as food necessary to my soul. In all my prayers, I entreated the Lord that he would deign to make known to me the faithful Christians who composed his church, and to join me to their communion. The feeling of the signal mercies which I had already received, did not permit me to doubt that my divine benefactor would grant me also what I asked, if it was necessary, and in the most proper time. This confidence rendered me tranquil; but it did not prevent my desiring to know the religious character of the Protestants.

One day, this desire became stronger than ever, and degenerated into actual impatience. I thought I was unfortunate in being alone, unconnected, not having any one with whom I could converse on my dearest interests. I believe that I would have gone a hundred leagues to find any one who believed or thought as I did. It was in a moment of sadness and ennui, and when I was ready to finish my daily labor, and go home to supper, that the thought occurred to me of consulting my wife, and I had a presentiment that I should through her discover what I wanted to know. She is, you know, from Libos; and in this city and its environs I recollected I had heard that there were Protestants.

After we had taken our repast, and were seated by the fire, each at a corner of the hearth, I began to interrogate her, while she was spinning, and this is nearly word for word the conversation which passed between us.

Tell me, Annette, said I, have you ever heard, that there are a good many Protestants at Libos and in the environs ?

Yes, Bayssiere, there are, said she. They are very numerous, but a good deal scattered throughout the country.

Do you know any of them personally? have you spoken to them? have you been at their houses?

Certainly; I know many families. I know Mr. so and so, (I suppress the names;) I have worked and eaten at their houses, and have often seen them. You can, then, tell me what sort of people they are, what is their character, and how they conduct.

Oh! yes. I can assure you they are the most honest people in the world, es

timable men, who make themselves beloved and respected. I have never heard anything but good of those I know, and their conduct has always appeared to me irreproachable.

I continued to interrogate your mother on the manner in which the Protestants educated their children, and behaved towards their domestics, towards strangers, and the poor. I inquired if domestic peace reigned in their houses, and how the fathers and mothers, the brothers and sisters conducted towards each other. All her answers tended to convince me that the Protestants lived under the influence of the word of God; and at each trait which she mentioned, without suspecting the value which I attached to it, I said to myself, Well! evangelical morality!

When I had exhausted this subject, I interrogated her on another. How do the Protestants pass the Sundays and holydays? said I. Distant as they are from each other, and from their church, they cannot meet together to pray to God; do they live without worship?

No, certainly, they do not live without public worship. Distant as they are from each other, and from their minister, they indeed cannot assemble every Sunday; but they have a church in the country, where they meet together several times in the year. I believe it is even every month, and they pray at their own houses the other days.

Ah! have they a church at Libos?

Yes, a league from Libos, in a place called Lustrac, on the border of Lot.

I should be very curious, said I, to know how they conduct their worship, or what they do when they are in church.

I can tell you then, said your mother, for I have been present at one of their meetings.

Indeed, you have been present! tell me then what you know of it.

I will then first tell you, that their church is neither large, nor fine. It is without altar, without chapel, without images, without any ornament. It does not in anything resemble our churches. There are four walls decently whitewashed. At the end is a pulpit like that from which our priests deliver their sermons. Before the pulpit is a table, and around it an enclosure formed of benches, where they told me that the chief persons sit. The rest of the church is furnished with other benches, placed in order, on which the people seat themselves as they come in. I observed that the greater part, before sitting down, leaned upon the back of the bench before them, and appeared to be engaged in prayer.

And when they were assembled, what did they do? for the religious ceremonies of the Protestants are what I most desire to know.

Indeed, I did not perceive anything remarkable in their ceremonies; I do not even think they have any. Their worship was as simple, as their church appeared to me. When the congregation were assembled, one of the elders mounted the pulpit, and prayed with a loud voice, and in French. Then, having said that he was going to read the word of God, and requested them to hear him with attention, he read for some time from a great book, which they told me was the Holy Bible. He then took another book, and said he was going to read the commands of God. Then every body rose, and listened in profound silence. After he had finished reading, he descended from the pulpit, and the minister entered it.

Well, what did the minister do?

It is impossible for me to relate the whole. I should need a good memory to retain all he said. I remember this, that he began by inviting the assembly to to confess their sins to God, that he made good prayers, and preached a sermon to which I listened with pleasure; but which I have forgotten. I remember, besides, that during the long time the minister spoke, there was no noise nor motion in the church, and that it seemed as if every body had the same feelings. This struck me.

In this description, though imperfect, of the reformed worship, I thought I, recognized the simplicity which characterized the worship of the first Christians; and when your mother had finished speaking, I said to myself, This is the religion of the Acts!

(To be concluded in our next)

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By Christian denominations I mean, those who admit the inspiration of the Bible, and its fundamental doctrines, and afford credible evidence of piety. Churches, composed of persons of this description, bearing different names, are extended, and are extending, through our land. Within the city, and in the country, they exist, in the same local limits; and are continually, by their activity, exerting a beneficial influence. These considerations render it important that the rights of each denomination should be understood, both by itself and by other denominations. For, as in a civil respect, the States constitute a nation, and yet each State possesses its own independent rights; in like manner, though the churches of our Lord Jesus Christ are one body, they are many members, possessing their own independent rights.

1. Every Christian denomination has a perfect right to avail itself of its own resources, numbers, wealth and enterprise.

All these are providential advantages, placed in the hands of the pious, by our merciful Creator, as constituting the talents which they are to occupy till he come. Those who have ten talents, in these respects, have nothing to boast of, possessing nothing but what they have received; and those who possess hut five, or two, or one, have no cause for murmuring or envy. It is God who has made the distribution; and has he not a right to do what he will with his own? Shall our eye be evil, because he is good?

In some districts of the United States, the Congregationalists have had the ascendency; and in others, the Presbyterians; and in others, the Baptists; while in one State, the Friends led the way; and in some places, the Methodists; and in others, the MAY, 1828.

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Episcopalians. There are, in the different denominations, various degrees of talent, wealth, and zeal. Some have peculiar facilities for acquiring influence with one class of the community, and some, with another class. To all this variety of relative advantage, each denomination is entitled, upon principles of religious liberty, as really as men are entitled to their various civil rights. And, on the same principles, each denomination has a right to avail itself of its peculiar advantages, provided it does not encroach upon the rights of others. Especially is each denomination, in the exercise of its rights, at perfect liberty to state its views and arguments on all those points in which it differs from other denominations, and to illustrate and defend them, in conversation, and from the pulpit, and from the press. The exercise of this right is regarded, sometimes, as an indecorum, and as an attack upon other denominations. But if it be limited to direct, candid statement and argument, without asperity, or any invidious language, it is not an attack upon any denomination. It is giving a reason for our own faith, and contending for it earnestly, as we are required to do; and is one of the ways employed by Providence, to invigorate sanctified intellect, and elicit truth. No one has any cause to complain that the Episcopalian attempts to establish the superiority of bishops to presbyters; nor that the Presbyterian attempts to establish ministerial parity. The Baptist gives no just cause of offence in publishing his peculiar views on baptism and church order; nor the Congregationalist, in publishing in opposition to those views. All may conduct their discussions in such a manner as to make them an offence; but all may conduct them without any such provocation, in the regular exercise of their own rights of edification and self-defence. Much causeless offence is taken in such cases from not understanding each other's rights, or from an unwillingness that they should be enjoyed impartially by all. One limitation only is required in the exercise of these adventitious rights. They are to be confined to the use of intellectual and moral power, wholly exclusive of all legislative and political influence. If one denomination, availing itself of any adventitious influence, should attempt to augment its own power, and cripple the power of other sects, by legislation, this would be an injustice not to be endured; because, however Christians may seek their prosperity by legislation when they are all of one way, as the fathers of New England did, yet, when other denominations have arisen, and multiplied, no such legislative favoritism can be allowed. As all contribute according to their property, to support the civil government, they have a right to expect from it, exact and equal justice.

2. Each denomination has a right to promote, directly and earnestly, its own prosperity.

It has a right to train up children with a designed reference to

their continuance in the way of their fathers; and to provide and multiply such a ministry as it approves; and to make such charitable disposition of the time, talents and property, of its members, as they approve, and as is likely to give their denomination weight and influence in society.

All men are bound to promote earnestly the religion of Jesus Christ, in some form. But when, in the exercise of religious liberty, men are fully persuaded in the same mind and judgment, then they have a right to direct their combined energies to the promotion of religion in that particular way which is most pleasing and edifying to them. This is not selfishness. One denomination has no claim on another for aid, more than one farmer has claims on another for his time and money. They have separated from others, and united among themselves, from motives of choice and conscience; and they are at liberty to seek, directly and earnestly, the prosperity of their own denomination.

There is, I am aware, a feeling in many, that ministers, and others who exert themselves for the prosperity of their own sect, are narrow-minded and selfish. It may just as well be said that the farmer is narrow-minded and selfish, who exerts himself to bring his own farm into a productive state. Christians may exert themselves selfishly for their particular denomination; but they may also exert themselves, with equal earnestness, benevolently. The division of labor is the life of secular prosperity; and God, in his providence, avails himself. of the same principle in permitting the existence of different denominations. There is but one limitation to the exercise of this right which, at the present, occurs to us. One denomination has no right to intermeddle with those, who, in any proper sense, may be regarded as belonging to another denomination. The laborer is worthy of his hire. We may not dispossess a man in civil society of the fruit of his labor for our own emolument. And, in religious associations, each has a perfect right to the fruit of its own labor; and, though every man has a natural right to withdraw from his denomination, no other denomination has a right to entice him to do it, in any other manner than by letting its light shine, in its own proper sphere.

It would be wrong for two churches of the same denomination to endeavor by stealth to supplant each other. It would create an insecurity which would destroy all confidence, and a collision of interests which would destroy all friendship; and, as men are constituted, it would produce provocation which would end in wrath, and strife, and evil speaking, inconsistent with Christian fellowship, and injurious to the general interests of Christ's kingdom. For the same reason, it is wrong for different denominations of Christians, to endeavor to supplant each other by stealth. The entire population in a Christian land, which is unconnected.

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