0 AN ACCOUNT OF THE MOST IMPORTANT AND INTERESTING RELIGIOUS EVENTS, WHICH HAVE TRANSPIRED FROM THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE CIIRISTIAN ERA TO THE PRESENT TIME WITH A SHORT BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF PERSONS DISTIN- GUISHED IN RELIGIOUS HISTORY. C 1822.3 HARVARD COLLEGE LIBRARY FROM 1918 1 ENTERED, according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1833, By Jons W. BARBER, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Connecticut. STEREOTYPED BY L. JOHNSON PHILADELPITA. 1618 54.184 38 PREFACE. “ The course of Religious Events embraces a more mteresting history than all the secular achievements of man, since the Christian era commenced ; and it is believed the cases are rare, where even those who are professedly interested in Religious History are sufficiently acquainted with its various and highly interesting details." The reason for this has been, in many instances, that works on Religious History have generally been voluminous and expensive. To remedy this defect, in some measure, has been one object of this work. It is, it will be perceived, arranged upon a new plan ; the account of each event, or fact, is in some respects insulated ; not being necessarily connected with any other. The object of the compiler was to give the reader a comprehensive view of each subject introdueed. He has generally confined himself to the bare relation of facts as he found them, leaving his readers to draw their own inferences and conclusions. A short biographical sketch is given of persons distinguished in Religious History ; and a chronological table of Religious Events is added: these, with the other part of the work, it is believed, will be found valuable as a book of reference, for facts which have been recorded in Church History. “No apology is necessary for the free use which has been made of the labours of others, for the plan of this book is so essentially different from that of any which has preceded it, that the author has not encroached upon the objects which others have had |