which are spurious. A genuine revival is a deep seriousness and a great tenderness of conscience, quickly extending over a congregation, a college, or an entire neighbourhood. It sometimes originates in no perceptible cause, but is more frequently the result of faithful, solemn, and direct preaching. Multitudes flock to the house of worship, and listen with the deepest silence, and often with tears, to the instructions of their minister. Many commence a religious life, and persevere in a steady and consistent course of action. Such revivals have occurred at Kenyon College, and in many Episcopal parishes; and much real benefit has been the result. The spurious revival has, however, of late almost supplanted the genuine revival. A number of preachers assemble, and continue their ministrations for many days in succession, with the avowed object of getting up an excitement. A fever is produced in the public mind, which is mistaken for religious fervour. Women pray and exhort in public, persons under excitement are called forward to the "anxious benches" to make confession, the ordinary business of life is suspended, and a vain, irreverent, showy religion is encouraged. The language of harsh denunciation is directed against all who disapprove of these irregularities; reason is outraged, common sense shocked, and the Holy Spirit blasphemed. Ultimately the evil recoils

upon the preachers. Many sink under the labour which is necessary to continue the excitement, and suffer the penalty of their imprudence in disease and premature dissolution. Sometimes in endeavouring to make a convert, the unwise preacher makes a madman. Mr. Colton relates, that on one occasion in New York, a preacher having delivered a most exciting sermon, quitted the pulpit and came down among the congregation accompanied by a secretary furnished with a book and pen. Among other persons the preacher approached an interesting girl of fourteen, and having taken her name, asked the question: "Are you for God or the Devil?" Being overcome, her head depressed, and her eyes filled with tears, she made no reply. "Put her down then in the Devil's book", said the preacher to his secretary. From that moment the poor girl was a maniac. Such revivals as these, happily, have never existed among Episcopalians, who are consequently stigmatized as dull, cold, and formal.

American revivals, in general, are partly to be ascribed to the equality of the people, and their habit of acting and thinking in masses. Hence, an excitement of any kind is propagated with wonderful facility. It may be well to state, in connection with this, that religious mania is said to be the prevailing form of insanity in the United States.

The enormous eccentricities of some sects have tended greatly to bring religion into contempt, and to strengthen the hands of infidels. Still there is much true piety pervading the heterogeneous multitude, and among the Methodists, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, and Baptists, are many shining examples of excellence. Their Bible, missionary, and tract societies, with other institutions, afford an indubitable evidence of their activity and zeal. Yet it cannot be forgotten, that these divisions are a prodigious evil in practice; while in principle they are utterly at variance with the Christian system. Many wise men are aware of this, and have proposed various plans for Christian Union. But, after all, the most reasonable course for these sects would be to return to that pure Protestant Church from which they have generally seceded. Here the clergyman is free from vexatious lay dictation, and the layman from arbitrary ecclesiastical control. Here is a system under which the ministry is conformed to the primitive model, and the mode of government to the existing civil organization. Here is a form of worship, Scriptural in doctrine and orderly in arrangement, yet sufficiently diversified to meet that appetite for variety which is natural to man. Here is a form of Church polity, which, with almost the strength of Romanism possesses none of its tyranny. Here is a religious com

munity which embraces the real piety of the Dissenters, while it rejects their eccentricities. Here is a Church which discourages enthusiasm, while it excites and cherishes heartfelt devotion: a Church which stands before the public under constitutional regulations, intelligible to all: a Church which is obviously calculated to secure popular rights, to remove just grounds of complaint, to inspire confidence, and to command respect.

CHAPTER XIX.

EXTRANEOUS INFLUENCES ON THE CHURCH.

Influence of the State.-Of the Church of England.—Of the Dissenters.-Disposition to compromise.-High and Low Church. -Effects of the Dissenting influence.-Irregularities.—Uniform front of the Church.

THE Church being composed of individuals, necessarily derives its character in a great measure from the circumstances in which those individuals are placed. Hence, in America, where circumstances in many respects are different from those in England, it cannot be expected that the daughter Church should resemble her mother in every feature and lineament. Mr. Reed, in his generally valuable work on the American Churches, among other mistakes on the subject of Episcopacy, has said that American Episcopalians are disposed “to