strengthen their position in these democratic days. They must take to themselves more distinctly the sanction of a right divine. They must maintain a sense of this sanction by a distant and imposing air, perhaps by a clerical habit-at all events, by attaching to their decisions a more solemn importance, as pronounced by the organs through whom God declares his will to man. Their presence in a meeting of laymen, is to be a matter of high consideration; and they are never to forget certainly they are never to suffer their people to forget-their dignity as a distinct and holy order in the house of God. By thus asserting to themselves their appropriate place, they will not only secure their lawful influence, but will throw around their office and themselves, a mysterious charm, and awful fascination. To feel thus towards a religious teacher, it is argued, is necessary and agreeable

to man.

This we think to be a mistake. Clerical pretension does not of itself strike men agreeably. It may be admitted by the ignorant. It may be enforced by the compulsion of law. But it asserts its surest and most potent charm, when it bribes the conscience by a false peace, or indulges sinful desire with an easy atonement. The New England people are not so ignorant, as to be imposed on by clerical grimace. They do not endure a priesthood by law. We desire not, and certainly should not dare to bribe them by softening the truth of God, or indulging their desires after a lax religion. In the Romish church, the priest is a very great man, and the people love to have him so, and for a very good reason. So long as he will give absolution for a few pence, and for the same sum, whisper in the ear of the dying, Depart, Christian soul-so long it is not only very easy, but very delightful, to believe that he can open

and shut the doors of heaven. The homage to the priest is but a transformed idolatry of the man's own lusts his attachment to the church, a love of a church that gives a religious license to sin. Let the priest preach a clean heart and justification by faith alone, and his reverence and occupation would both be gone. Or if the conscience owned the truth of the gospel, it would disown the lie of the priest. The readiness with which the Episcopalian gains the ear of some people, and makes such excellent churchmen of the gay and thoughtless, is easily and truly explained, when the argument is known to be, not a musty and learned discourse of the Fathers, but the pithy maxim, that" Episcopacy is the only religion fit for a gentleman." This traces its origin to Charles II. It is not remembered that he uttered any other religious saying, except this, that "God would not damn a man for a little pleasure." But for a Congregational minister to set up high church pretensions, is certain to raise the cry of priestcraft. It will not go down, unless he takes off the edge of his pretensions by a little extra gentility, or an easy way in the application of his ser

mon.

That tendencies exist towards disorder and disorganization, we do not deny. We admit that in some portions of New England, the pas toral office does not receive its just consideration. We also admit, that often there is an unreasonable demand for ministerial labor, and an excessive fondness for excitement. The minister is sometimes blamed for want of success, where the fault is not with himself. We know also, that moral and political agitations, have here and there engendered a fanaticism which is somewhat hard to be reasoned with. All this we admit. But the question is not, what are the facts, but what is to be done with them? We an

swer, the people can be made to see that these are evils, and great evils. They can by logic, patience, and love, be made to see, that the pastor must receive a certain deference and respect, in order to the highest success, and perhaps as a condition of any success in his min. istry-that excitement is not religion, while yet religion can not but enkindle zeal-that narrow and divisive tests in the church, are at war with the fundamental principle of a Christian society, which must tolerate and forbear with minor dif ferences of feeling and of judgment. This must be done in love, not in wrath, in patient meekness, not with irritated contempt, by one in earnest sympathy with the popular mind, not by a man who loftily despises the people and their works. The work may be difficult, but it can be done. If it can not be done for the sake of one's office, it may be done for Christ and his church. A man must go to it, with the same sturdy and determined enthusi. enthusi⚫ asm, with which Richard Baxter went into Cromwell's army and ar gued with the fanatic soldiers, and plainly, but patiently, talked them' down. In such a course, a minister may expect to do much good, and as a consequence, strengthen him self and his order. If he pursue the opposite course, he may indeed enwrap himself with the dignity of an imposing state, and make his people stare at his mysterious pretensions, and he may enjoy the ideal comfort of contending for a principle; but he will cut himself off from the substantial comfort of enjoying their warmest yet respect ful sympathy, and of turning that sympathy to the highest and holiest uses. Perhaps he may gather about his ears, a very hail-storm of domestic wrath, and have nothing left but the privilege of sighing for the good old times.

We desire therefore that the ministry of New England, should have

faith in the people, and instead of complaining, that the people can not govern themselves, should more confidently rejoice in the many advantages which the popular system ensures. Let none of them sigh after the efficiency of a session or a presbytery, that they may execute sooner, their own wise measures. Nor let them indulge a pusillani. mous longing for the grateful quiet which is said to be diffused from the Episcopal throne; but let them set themselves with the utmost dili. gence, to make the fullest proof of the superior excellence of our own primitive and apostolic way.

This leads us to remark, that, although our system is the most popular in its principles, it has often failed in a measure, of developing all its capabilities in this respect, and has not entrenched itself as it might, within the popular sym. pathies. pathies. The temptations to be careless in respect to this result, are not inconsiderable. Ours are the original churches of New Eng. land, and seem to hold the soil by right of prior occupation. We hold the sympathies of the most intelligent and wealthy of the people. Our system was transmitted to us by men of whom the world was not worthy. It is not surprising that we put excessive confidence in these advantages. We may trust too much to the impulse which has been given us in the past, and think it will of itself carry us forward, in spite of the open assaults of avowed enemies, and of the insinuating arts of proselyting dissenters.

Our ministers, too, are scholars and students. They are metaphysicians of course. Such men are sometimes satisfied, if they see the truth themselves, without sufficiently inquiring whether they lead others to see it. They are as familiar with the abstractions of systematic theol. ogy as with household words, and may suppose that to others such ab. stractions are as full of interest and

of meaning as to them. They delight in the smooth and easy calm ness of philosophical disquisition, and forget that their hearers require the energy of popular argumentation. They are pleased and convinced by a clear and lucid essay, and do not remember that the hearts of their hearers are waiting to bound at the stirring notes of earnest and warm appeal.

Our system of doctrine has its peculiar truths. Rightly preached, they are eminently "the power of God unto salvation." They may be so preached, that those who hear, both the learned and the unlettered, if they understand them as present ed, can not but pervert them to their own destruction. They may be presented as if the object were not to commend the gospel to the conscience, but to offend the conscience by dogmas abhorrent to its primal instincts.

There are weak and ignorant and excitable men in all our churches. Parties sometimes arise, and wax fierce and violent. It is not uncommon for the stronger faction to sacrifice to its obstinate self-will, the interest of the church, by driving off an excited minority, whom a little forbearance and concession might have saved. In such a strife, the church and society acquires an inheritance of odium, which a generation can not outlive. These things have been done at the instance of a minister, who knew the right so well, that he would drive it into his people.

There are portions of New England in which the clergy are enter prising, harmonious, and devoted to their work. As pastors and preachers, they labor with considerate energy and a just appreciation of the wants of their people. They are true Congregationalists, and rejoice in all the popular features of their system. Thus, while they sympathize with the people, they can reprove them with plainness and ef

fect. They are in the midst of difficulties and excitements and proselyting efforts; but their churches prosper, and acquire a more prepon. derating influence. If there are parts of New England where this is not true of the Congregational interest, it is but fair to ask, whether the ministry are enterprising,-laboring with discretion and heart and hope, and bringing out, truly and fairly, the power of the gospel and of our popular system.

If there is any one duty to which the New England clergy are sum moned by the exigency of the times, that duty is, to study to be of the people. We contend not that they should flatter the easy vanity of the multitude, or excite their sectarian or malignant feelings, but we do contend that they should aim to secure for their preaching, themselves, and their own system of church order, the honest and hearty sympathy of the public. They should know no arts but manly arts. Yet they may and should make their ministry to be a ministration of the gospel to the wants of living men as they find them, and cause it to speak to their consciences, their social sympathies, and their republican feelings. The gospel should be presented just as it lies in the pages of the Bible, not as a system of lifeless abstractions, nor as a bristling phalanx of metaphys. ical dogmas, but as real and living truth. The aim of the preacher should be, so to present the gospel, that it shall be understood, so to present it, that it can not but be understood. He should press it on the intellect with the force of resistless demonstration. He should make it to flash through the soul, as lightning illuminates an evening cloud. His intense and earnest desire should be, so to speak as to affect his hearers, and he should not be satisfied in any way until this object is secured. His pastoral ministrations should not be doled out with a reluctant hand; still less should they

effort, the improvement of the man ner and forms of public worship. While spiritual worship should be the great thing thought of, it should take its most graceful and appropriate external forms, and wear them with ease and dignity. To this end, we do not require any change in our system, but only more richness, comprehensiveness and variety in public prayers, and the training of our congregations to the observance of any proprieties which they may have slighted. Much depends upon the manner of the pastor in conduct ing the services of the house of God. Religious affectation we abhor. But there is demeanor in the pulpit which not only accords with, but is demanded by the sacredness of the place. To be so much at ease in it as to be above its solemnities, or to affect an air of nonchalance, deserves banishment from its enclosure by an outraged community.

To add to the interest of our devotional services, some have proposed the reading of the Scriptures in alternate verses by the pastor and the congregation. We dislike the proposal. We greatly prefer the spirited reading of appropriate selections by the pastor. It seems far better suited to the object for which the Scriptures are publicly read, and is better adapted to secure the attention of the people.

It has also been proposed, and the attempt has been made, to introduce into our churches a kind of chanting, not borrowed, we believe, from Popish or Episcopal churches, but simpler and more suited to the nature and character of evangelical worship. To this we make no objection. Indeed this is the way in which the Psalms, as given by Divine inspiration, were originally sung in the temple. The Psalms in the Hebrew, as David and Asaph composed them, are not metrical; and it has seemed to us that those Divine songs are more appropriate to be sung in an exact translation accord

ing to the original structure of the parallelisms, than they can be in any metrical version. Let Christian hymns be added, and metrical versions of the Psalms, to any required extent; but let us also retain these ancient songs in the style and form in which they were first uttered from hearts inspired of God. But the antiphonal way of chanting or reciting from the choir and the pulpit, we would let alone. It is not appropri ate with us. It has no meaning. It is a theatrical exhibition for mere impression, and not a natural ex. pression of the devotions of the congregation. It was against all that sort of church music, that the reformers protested and contended. Every such incongruous practice may attract by its novelty for a time, but, as it is not in keeping with the general style of our ser vice, had better be let alone.

It deserves also to be asked, whether, a stronger social feeling may not be cultivated in our socie. ties, and an intenser warmth of kindly feeling called into life. Our New England manners are proverbially cold. Many of our reli gious societies, from being the oldest and in most cases the strongest, are far from being enterprising, es pecially when compared with those of the more recent sects. From their age also, they sometimes have an accumulated inheritance of old prejudices, that result from divisions of wealth and family, as well as from ecclesiastical and political strife. There is also sometimes a bigoted prejudice against every thing which is not in the good old way. From these circumstances, advantage is taken against us, to detach individuals and families, whom a little attention might have retained. But this need not be so. We can do to retain such persons, what others do to detach them from us, as far as it is right or desirable that we should; and thus we may not only increase the strength of our com