The moral state of a New England village.

tians, pervaded the whole community. I could not but feel a desire to know by what causes these delightful results had been effected. A request was made to a gentleman in the place for a brief sketch, detailing the principal facts connected with the establishment and subsequent progress of the Episcopal Church in this place. The request met a response in the following communication, which cannot fail to awaken interest, and carry up the heart in gratitude to God:

"Rev. and Dear Sir,

I

"In compliance with your request, I will undertake to give you some account of the history of our church in this place, and the effects that have resulted from its establishment, suppose that you are aware that the whole ground in this region has long been pre-occupied by other denominations. Till of late, they have known very little in relation to the Episcopal Church, and that little came from those who were opposed to it. The church was represented as holding many dangerous errors in doctrine, and as destitute of all spirituality -furnishing a mere barren form of religion, under the covert of which nominal professors, and those who were not disposed to set religion altogether at defiance, would seek shelter, and thus strive to soothe their conscience while they continued to slumber on quietly and undisturbed in their sins. There had been for many years in our village a Methodist and Baptist church. The service of the church was unknown here. At the time the minister, under whose faithful labors our church was established, first preached here, I believe there was not a single Prayer-book in the village. The state of religion was very low. Public worship was greatly neglected. The most intelligent and influential people in the place habitually spent their Sabbaths in absence from the sanctuary of God. A large portion of the inhabitants regarded Sunday as a holiday, and might be seen at all hours during the sacred day, engaged in visiting, walking the streets or lounging upon the wharves.

"It was under these circumstances that the idea was embraced of attempting to establish an Episcopal Church in this village with the hope of reviving religion. The attempt was looked upon with jealousy and suspicion by the old established congregations. Their meeting-houses were in a decayed and

The change.

dilapidated condition, and no small difficulty was experienced in raising an adequate salary for their ministers. It was supposed that the establishment of an Episcopal Church would weaken these societies still more; and then too, there had been from time to time much jealousy and unkind feeling between the two religious denominations already established. It was supposed that the establishment of a third would increase sectarian bitterness and strife.

"In the face of all these difficulties the banner of the church was set up, and on it was written Christ crucified'— 'Peace and good will to men.' The Lord was our helper, 'What was sown in weakness was raised in power.' That which at first was no bigger than a mustard seed, soon sprang up and became a great tree. The people who used to spend their Sundays on the wharves began to assemble around the herald of the cross. The wealthy and influential inhabitants of the village who had long neglected the courts of the Most High, began to say 'Let us go with them, and build a house unto the Lord.' A house was built-sinners began to inquire the way to Zion with their faces thitherward. From this moment, the moral and religious aspect of our village, began to exhibit signs of a decided improvement. At the consecration of our church, the Bishop in his sermon observed, 'that it had been often remarked, that where the Episcopal Church had been established in any place it had generally proved a blessing to the other religious societies. This was looked upon, at the time, as quite paradoxical: but in this place, it has certainly been realized; and the members of the other societies are now free to acknowledge it. Both the Baptist and Methodist congregations have increased, and are now in a far more prosperous condition than they ever were before. Their church edifices have been repaired, and they find little or no difficulty in raising all needful funds for the payment of their ministers' salaries, and other incidental expenses. They also now find it easy to do more for the religious and benevolent operations of the day, than formerly.

"In the mean time the Episcopal Church has held steadily on her way, pursuing a decided but unobtrusive course, enjoying at each advancing step, new and evident tokens of the approbation and blessing of God. Eight thousand dollars have been expended in erecting and enlarging our present

The letter of a clerical brother.

church edifice. In the congregation there are more than a hundred families. They have become regular and attentive worshippers. And from these families, more than a hundred souls have professed faith in Christ, and been enrolled with 'the sacramental host of God's elect.' And these souls thus gathered into the Redeemer's fold, have been collected principally from among such as were before living in the neglect of public worship, and beyond the circle of the influence of the ministrations of the gospel. And now, harmony and kind christian feeling exist among all denominations. have in a good degree lived down the prejudices that were once cherished against us. And the beneficial influence that has been exerted by our church on the moral and religious state of the town generally, is perceived and acknowledged by all. Yours &c."

We

To corroborate the preceding statements, the following communication is inserted from a clerical brother:

"Rev. and Dear Brother:

"I regret very much that the pressure of other duties, will prevent my giving that attention to your request which it demands. I rejoice truly that you are about to publish a work which will tend, both to remove the unfounded prejudices that exist against the church, and to enlighten the minds of some of our own communion who are too ignorant of the ways of our Zion. 'Be ready always to give an answer to every man who asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you,' is a caution as wise as it is necessary; and may be extended in its application, not only to the evidence of our adoption into the family of Christ, but likewise to the grounds of our attachment to the church of our choice.

"The various works of this class, that hitherto have been attempted, are generally, either too abstract in their character for the great mass of readers, or too sectarian in their feeling, to be productive of real good. A work, therefore, of the kind proposed, breathing, not the spirit of sectarianism, (God forbid!) but a spirit of expansive christian charity towards all who love the Lord Jesus Christ, cannot fail to be

Prospects of the Church.

6

of essential service in promoting the interests of true religion. At the present time especially, such a work is absolutely ne cessary to satisfy the prevailing spirit of inquiry in relation to the church and her institutions. At no former period, in this country, has so bright a day dawned upon our Zion. The manifest increase in the piety and zeal of the members of her communion-the earnest and growing demand for her services in different parts of the land—the numerous additions to her ministry from other denominations-the astonishing and continued increase in the number of her candidates for holy orders—the multiplication and extending influence of her Theological Seminaries and other religious institutions— and last, though not least, the enkindling spirit of missionary enterprise, expanding itself over the broad earth and embracing within its influences every spot where lives a lapsed child of Adam'—all these are signs of the times,' so bright and cheering, that even the doubting may now exclaim-'the time to favor our Zion-yea! the set time is indeed come.' Again; when it is remembered that the church has reached her present state of prosperity, under circumstances the most adverse, it will require but little discernment to perceive in her the elements of perpetuity. The prejudices inseperable from the early political connections of this country with Great Britain-the unpleasant associations arising from the relation in which the mother church stood to the civil government—the reaction that was of necessity produced by the events of the revolution—the lax habits of many of the clergy -the worldly conformity that characterized too many of the remaining disciples of Christ-and the dangerous practice of admitting to confirmation individuals who gave no evitlence of conversion to God; all these are causes which, in times past, have operated to the serious injury of the best interests of the church, and aside from that kind providence which has effectually preserved her through the medium of her peculiar organization, must have resulted in her final destruction.

66

"The careful observer, therefore, will not fail to perceive, in the history of the church, sure indications of her future prosperity. If notwithstanding the obstacles she has encountered, the hand of the Lord has still led her onward, what may we not expect, when the growing spirit of piety

The success of the Church.

and of active and enlightened zeal shall characterize universally both ministers and people?

"It was remarked to me, a short time since, by a brother of the Presbyterian Church—' If Episcopalians had put forth years ago the piety and active efforts that are now manifested by many, yours would have been by far the largest denomination of christians in the country.' This remark is undoubtedly founded in truth. Such is the moral power that the church possesses in her organization; and such her unity of action, that the same degree of piety and zeal which has been manifested by some other denominations, would have carried her far in advance of them all in her resources, num bers, and moral influence.

"It has already been remarked, that we may judge some. thing of what the church might be, from what she is, in spite of the serious obstacles that have retarded her progress. Even under all the prejudices that still exist in places where the church is not known, the attempt to establish her services rarely proves unsuccessful, if the truths of the gospel are plainly and faithfully presented through the medium of her ministry. The writer can cast his eye over a small sphere, where seven Episcopal parishes have been formed within three or four years, in places where the church was hardly known, and where scarcely an individual could be found that was interested in her services. The strong prejudices that existed at the first, soon yeilded to the conviction that they were founded in ignorance of what the church really is. In nearly all these parishes there have been revivals of religion -many souls have been gathered in of such as we trust shall be saved-and their attachment to the church is now as decided and observable as were their former prejudices. The great success which has marked the history of these parishes, is not to be attributed to any superior talent on the part of the clergy who labor in them, but simply to the fact that the cross of Christ has been faithfully preached.

To show how easily the strongest prejudices may be removed when the church becomes truly known, I will mention an instance which has occurred more particularly under my own observation.

In the latter part of the year 1833, the attempt was made to organize an Episcopal parish in the village of L; At