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Importance of leading the young in the right way.

"It is possible that the forgoing recital may lead some persons to the conclusion, that the Episcopal worship is attended with difficulty; and that considerable time is required to obtain that knowledge, which is necessary to a participation in it. My own reflections on this subject have resulted in the following conclusions:

"1. It is hardly possible for any one, who has not been placed in similar circumstances, to form a just estimate of the difficulty of bringing the mind to an impartial examination of a subject, about which, it has been twenty years nurturing false notions. The mind instinctively turns away from such an investigation; and cannot without painful effort be brought impartially to the test of truth. It is only by little and little that the work can be accomplished.

"2. If the foregoing inference be just, we see how vastly important it is, before making a decision in so solemn a matter, as a profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, that we carefully and candidly examine into the peculiarities of the different religious communities, and look well to the law and the testimony.'

"3. It also shows most evidently the high responsibility of parents and guardians, and the importance of leading children along, from their earliest years, in the way in which they should go, so that when they grow old, there may be no need of their having to enter upon new paths. I cannot here refrain from adding, that I was surprised to notice how much more easily my children of eight, ten, and twelve years became familiar with the Episcopal worship than myself. And from the first, it made an impression upon them, that I trust will never be effaced. What I have noticed of its influence upon their minds, has often recalled to memory what I have felt, and what many others have expressed of the influence upon the mind through life, from being taught in childhood, to repeat daily the Lord's Prayer. Now if this prayer, which is very comprehensive in its terms, (quite too much so to convey very definite ideas to the mind of a child,) exerts such an influence upon the character, is it not most obvious, that the liturgy of the Episcopal Church, being impressed upon the mind in early life, must impart an influence that, in most instances, would be visible in the character through life? If not, why are christians of every denomination, in

The writer of the second letter.

the sabbath school, and in the family, with untiring effort, inculcating upon the youthful mind, those principles, which accord with their views of religious truth?

"In making the foregoing brief sketch, I trust that I have not been influenced by a desire to depreciate the principles and feelings of my christian brethern of any denomination. I have endeavored to show that my mind has been changed, on this important subject, not from caprice, but by a deliberate and rational inquiry after truth. And I hope I have complied with the spirit of the apostolic injunction-'Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.' "Yours, &c."

The writer of the next communication is a clergyman, who as his own narrative states, was reared in the bosom of another church, whose ministry he also subsequently entered. That he acted conscientiously in leaving the church of his fathers, and casting in his lot among us, no one, who is personally acquainted with him will doubt. The letter itself will show that his mind is capable of taking a wide and comprehensive range over the fields of human investigation. He has given the highest evidence of his love for Christ and immortal souls, by breaking loose from all attachments that bound him to the Atlantic shores, going to the far West, and submitting to every kind of toil, sacrifice, and self-denial, to make known the unsearchable riches of Christ to those who were perishing for lack of knowledge:

"My Dear Sir:

Most gladly do I embrace an opportunity to address you agreeable to your request, on the subject of the government and usages of the Protestant Episcopal Church, to which I belong, whose piety I revere, and whose forms of holy devotion I admire and love. Once I was connected with a denomination of christians, whose rules of discipline were, in many respects, different from those of the Episcopal Church. I have no disposition to declaim against them. With them there is much ardent zeal and devoted piety. With them my serious attention was first engaged on the momentous subject of religion. With them I experienced the first joys and

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Church government.

consolations of the blessed hope of everlasting life, which I now cherish. Should these lines ever meet the view of any who differ from me, I beg them to divest themselves of prejudice, and to contemplate, in the spirit of christian candor, the reasons which effected a change in my sentiments relative to the government of the church. Although this subject is of minor importance when compared with the great doctrine of salvation, still nothing should be deemed beneath our notice, which affects the beauty and health of the church, which is the body of Christ, and the reward of his toils and death.

"It is but a brief statement that I can make of the reasons which compelled me to connect myself with the Protestant Episcopal Church, to which I now belong, and in whose sacred ministry I am now laboring; and should they contribute any thing towards influencing the advocates of parties to think more, and to contend less, I shall feel myself amply compensated for the labour I am now performing.

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'I was educated as a congregationalist—I studied theology three years at Andover as a Congregationalist-I commenced the work of the ministry as a Congregationalist. I felt an entire confidence that the system of church government, to which I was accustomed, was right. Consequently it never once entered my mind, during my whole course of ten years study, that I ought to investigate the subject. Here I cannot but express the belief and the regret, that such is the fact in regard to hundreds of young men in similar circumstances. Soon after I had entered on the work of the ministry, I was called to officiate in a parish, that was much disturbed by party dissensions. Much effort was made and many means employed for the restoration of peace and harmony, but without effect. The most, that the counsellors employed could do, was to recommend conciliatory measures. The contending parties felt themselves at full liberty to reject the proposed measures, and, in the last resort, to be their own judges of their grievances. As I extended my acquaintance with the religious community, I found, to my surprise and regret, that similiar evils existed to a great extent in many parishes of the same denomination. The system of government which they had adopted, appeared to me, on viewing its practical results, to be extremely inefficient, and unprovided with proper defence against the introduction of error and party strife

Grades in the ministry.

and divisions. Under these circumstances, as the question for the first time suggested itself to my mind,' did Christ leave his church thus destitute of an efficient system of government?' it appeared to me just to infer, from the benevolence of his nature, and the solicitude of his feelings for the peace and prosperity of the church he had loved and redeemed with his own blood, that he must have provided for its effectual and salutary government. I now began to enquire for the first time in my life, 'what are the facts relative to this subject?' It was obviously a question, that should be decided, not by the opinions of any class of men, but simply by an appeal to facts. I now directed my attention to the bible-to history,— and to the writings of the fathers of the primitive church.

"It appeared to me, that whatever correct instruction on this subject can be derived from the bible, is decidedly in favor of that system of government, which has been adopted by the Protestant Episcopal Church in this country. As the christian church is a modification of the ancient Jewish church the three orders of the ministry of the Jewish church appeared to afford some intimation of the divine mind in regard to the ministry of the christian church. While Christ was on earth, such seemed to me obviously to have been the arrangement in regard to the ministry. After his ascension to Heaven, it appeared obvious, that his apostles were advanced to the first rank in the ministry, the seventy disciples to the second, and the deacons to the third. It moreover appeared to me obvious from scripture, that others were in the first age advanced to the apostolic office, and that they possessed, in some respects, a superiority over other ministers. Such appeared to have been the fact in regard to Timothy at Ephesus, and Titus in Crete.

"From history it appeared to me as obvious as any fact can appear from authentic history, that the government of the church was Episcopal from the beginning. This was particularly evident from the epistles and writings of Ignatius, Clement, and Polycarp, who lived in the age of the apostles, and were conversant with them. I observed, to my great surprise, that Ignatius, within the short compass of eighteen or twenty octavo pages, mentions the three distinct orders of the ministry, as we now receive them, no less than twentyseven times. This same fact appeared to be rendered still

The fathers of the Primitive Church.

more evident from the writings of Irenæus, Tertullian, and others, who lived in the second century. It appeared to be corroborated by the testimony of Cyprian, Firmitian, Cornelius, and many others in the third century. It seemed to be most unequivocally confirmed by the testimony of Eusebius, Jerome, Sozomen, and a host of other unimpeachable wit nesses, who lived in the fourth and succeeding centuries. To my great astonishment I could not find that an individual among the fathers of the primitive church had written any thing calculated to influence an impartial mind to the adoption of a different conclusion. It appeared to me that the effort of some recent writers to set aside the testimony of the ancient fathers, or to force it into the support and defence of modern sects, was altogether unworthy of honest men. I found to my great suprise, that Calvin, Grotius, and several others, who are among the most learned of the Presbyterian writers, have conceded the fact, that Episcopacy was the form of church government universally adopted from the age of the apostles down to the time of the reformation in the fifteenth century.

"The great question which now remained for me to decide, was, whether the circumstances of society in modern times, which are in many respects different from those of society in primitive times, may not justify a departure from primitive usages in the government of the church? or, in other words, whether some other form of church government may not now be more expedient than that of Episcopacy? In regard to this question, I reflected, that human nature is the same in every age, and that consequently, if the church of Christ, as established by himself and his apostles, was adapted to the circumstances and wants of men eighteen hundred years ago, it must be adapted in like manner to the circumstances and wants of men now, and in every age. I found that schism was most severely rebuked by the divinely inspired apostles, as a grevious sin, and as leading to disastrous results. I could not, therefore, as an honest man and consistent christian, do otherwise than to connect myself with a church, that from my childhood I had been accustomed to regard with feelings of much indifference.

"In all this course of investigation, I had no one to advise with. I had never in my life attended the worship of the

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