"Church in Manchester." The second is-Mr. Dorman's curious and most suggestive answers, when asked about the doctrine of election, "I don't know, I am studying the Bible to find out;" and when asked if he believed the Assembly's Catechism, in the main, “I don't know-I don't know much about the Catechism." If it were not for the terrible wickedness of such proceedings, one might scoff at their preposterous folly.

Here then is the present resting place of the inherent doctrinal tendency of American Congregationalism. The van of the host at least takes breath here. How long that tendency, which has made shipwreck of the noblest standards of faith, will repose at the point herein demonstrated to be its actual posture, is not for us to determine. All along its pathway it has projected before, and scattered on every side of its progress, heresies more odious than any it tolerated within itself as endurable. But what it is not only tolerating, but propagating, nourishing and defending at the present period, seems absolutely incompatible with Christianity, whether it be considered as a doctrine, a power, or a life. A ministry, such as has been created with perfect knowledge of what it was, by two numerous Councils in the heart of Connecticut, within the past year, is the product of a system of doctrine, less coherent, and no more evangelical, than that of Arius, or of Pelagius, or of Sabellus, or of Socinus, which the universal Church of God has rejected as impious. Consider what is the sum of the heresies proved in these two cases, so widely affiliated, so openly displayed:

1. The Word of God, the only infallible rule of all religious belief, and all religious duty, is robbed of its infinite light, its infinite power, and its infinite authority.

2. The revealed nature of God, upon which, and the mode thereof, not only the reality but the possibility of salvation for sinners depends; is ignorantly denied, or wickedly disregarded.

3. The very nature of sin and of holiness is thoroughly perverted; and while God is degraded in a manner at which Deism would blush, man is exalted in a manner incompatible with the idea of his being either a creature or a sinner, either dependent or depraved.

4. The person, the work, and the glory of the Lord Jesus

Christ are stripped of all, whereon any one can predicate that He is the only Mediator between God and men-and as such the only Redeemer of God's elect, or that God ever had any elect at all.

5. The future state of retribution is subverted-the relation of this life to the life to come is abolished-the relevancy between grace and glory, redemption and salvation, faith and righteousness, holiness and blessedness is utterly confounded.

In what degree this dreadful condition of things is diffused amongst the whole body of Congregational Churches and ministers, we cannot say; nor do we suppose any means exist, whereby, under such a system of church order as theirs, the fact could be clearly ascertained, or any effectual remedy applied.— The fundamental evil lies in the very nature, and by consequence the organic tendency, of Congregationalism itself; so that to "lose hold upon the conservative and the thoughtful, and fall into the hands of the rash and the radical" is not only its ever impending peril, but is also its ever working tendency. How long and how completely the grace of God might hold this tendency in check, and make a body of Congregational Churches and ministers a mighty power for good on earth, can no more be conjectured than it could be, at what moment of declension the proportion of the unsound would be greater than that of the sound. That there are many Congregational Churches and ministers at the present time, eminent in all Christian graces, and worthy of the confidence and love of all the churches, no one will dispute. Nevertheless, no one doubts, we suppose, except the unsound portion of the Congregational ministers and churches, that there has been a widespread and woful declension in the Congregational body. To what extent this eating plague has polluted and defiled the portion. still accepted as orthodox, must necessarily be a question of great doubt, as well as constant solicitude to all true followers of Christ -as long as this portion allows itself to be mixed and confounded with the mass of heresies and disorders, which seems to strengthen and fester around them. Touching the actual state of things, considered generally and from the point of view of the public discussion on the Hartford ordination, the following testimony from the closing letter of that discussion, written by the Rev. T. S. Childs of Hartford, (the Presbyterian minister who first called

the public attention to the facts connected with Mr. Parker's ordination there,) accords, we think, with the general impression of orthodox persons, out of New England, concerning the actual state of doctrinal truth in Congregationalism at large; and goes far to discharge those who speak or write on such subjects, from the necessity of apologizing either for general statements, or great plainness of speech:

"The fact is, the worst aspect of this whole case is not yet before the public; and with the exception of one point, it is not an uncommon case. I had heard the public examination of a member of this same Council, who was himself all unsettled as to a state of eternal punishment for any. Another member had declared on his examination, that there were parts of the Bible which were not inspired-had denied the Scripture doctrine of original sin-and asserted that man had natural ability to repent and believe independent of Christ and the Holy Spirit; and still another has recently said, while preaching in a Universalist pulpit, that "he hoped the day would come-and that day was not far distant-when all Christian denominations would overcome their prejudices, and be willing to listen to the preaching of any Christian minister without sacrificing their own ideas upon religious matters;" a sentiment, which if it meant any thing, distinctly recognized the Christian character and equal standing of Universalism. I have it also from a responsible source, that a member of this Council has publicly, in his pulpit, given thanks to God that there were such denominations as the Universalist and Unitarian, to modify the views others have of God. It stands uncontradicted that five of the students of Andover, last year, lapsed into Universalism. In these cases

we have representatives from three of the Theological Schools of New England, viz.: Bangor, New Haven, and Andover. These are the fearful facts. As a New England man, I have no pleasure, but profound grief in stating them. How such good men as Dr. Spring, can look upon them with indifference-how, in view of the awful issues involved and their own near judgment, they can ever appear as the defenders of those who hold any such views, is to me amazing.-(pp.43-4.)

There are, probably, about forty ministers of the Gospel connected with the Presbyterian Church (O. S.), and perhaps half that number of congregations, scattered over New England.This is the actual result left to Presbyterianism in that important field of Christian effort-after nearly two centuries have passed

since Presbyterianism was planted on this continent. It is a result, in every respect shameful to the Presbyterian Church; and all the more, that in order to bring it to pass, she had to neglect important interests she had in New England at a comparatively early period; she had to omit, habitually, for successive generations to spread her faith and order in that region; and on the general outbreak with Congregationalism during the New School controversy, she had to turn her back upon the most urgent opportunity to perform there a great work of evangelization, demanded not only by the glory of Christ, but also both by her own safety and self-respect. In proportion as Presbyterianism came short of her duty in efforts to plant and sustain her institutions in New England, Congregationalism became urgent in her endeavors, first to subvert Presbyterianism by means of organic union with it; and, when that had wrought evil till it was no longer endurable, then by ceaseless rivalry and opposition alike in every great mart of population on this continent, and in every new and growing settlement of the North and North-west, and in every general enterprise of benevolence concerning which it was possible for a central society to be organized. Even in the work of foreign missions, this instinctive sense of aversion to Presbyterianism may be traced clearly, just in proportion as the results have been distinct. Nor is it easy to understand how all this should fail to occur, under the organic and ever-working tendency of Congregationalism which we have traced. It seems to us that no alternative is left to Presbyterianism, but to lay out her strength in spreading the pure gospel through New England. No more imperative obligation, in our own judgment, has rested on her for many years past. And while we are fully aware of the derision with which such a suggestion has been all along met, by those who the most needed such efforts to reclaim them to the simplicity of Christ, we are as fully persuaded that abundant success would ultimately crown the work. Already, every other evangelical denomination-and nearly every form of pestilent heresy besides has taken root there. It is in the most vague sense that New England can any longer be called Congregational; nor can it much longer be called Congregational at all, in any sense that our fathers recognized. Good men who

are identified with the soundest type of Congregationalism now existing there, may not see things in so dark an aspect; and may even resent such ideas as we have advanced. But, probably no conviction is more deeply or universally settled in all thoughtful minds out of New England, than that it is a great necessity of our times, both Christian and national, to curb and rectify the existing spirit of Congregationalism. Nor is there, probably, one such person, who is not thoroughly convinced that if this had been done long ago, our condition, both national and Christian, would have been, to-day, widely different from what it is. Nor will it be a light task for the faithful historian of these sad times, clearly to determine, whether the Congregational tendency to heresy and fanaticism, or the Presbyterian tendency against both, was the most steadfast. That there are causes, profound in their nature and powerful in their operation, from which these opposite tendencies arise, must necessarily be as certain as that such tendencies exist. At present, we have contented ourselves with tracing the doctrinal history of those opposite tendencies though, possibly, thoughtful readers may find somewhat suggestive of the true causes, if they will reflect upon effects so striking, so constant, and so opposite, during so many and such eventful years.

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