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principles and habits, so well calculated to elevate the female character, and to enlarge the sum of human happiness. In a word, our plans of co-operation, for carrying on this holy work, must embrace every class and every age. Let old and young, male and female, rich and poor, unite their exertions; and like the pious Jews of old, say, We will arise and build the walls of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach. Finally, to all our efforts to advance the prosperity of the church, and promote the influence of the religion of Christ, let us join fervent, and united prayer. All Zion's blessings come down from her King and Head. He will be inquired of, by his people, to do for them that which they need and desire. Has not the great Head of the church promised, that if any two of his people shall agree, on earth, as touching any thing which they shall desire, he will grant their request?

What blessings, then, may we not hope will be shed down upon the church, when the thousands of our Israel are found bowing together upon their knees before the throne of grace; and "saying for Zion's sake we will not hold our peace, and for Jerusalem's sake we will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof, as a lamp that burneth,"

[We have received the journal of the thirty-eighth annual convention of the church in Pennsylvania, a summary of which our readers will find under the head of religious intelligence. We think it proper to present to them in a more prominent manner the following extract from the address delivered by the bishop at the opening of the convention, both on account of the importance of the subject, and also the value which must be attached to the sentiments of this venerable father of the church, by every one who pays any deference to the long tried expe

rience of age, or to the sober dictates of wise and prudent piety. We add with pleasure the following resolution, passed unanimously, as we understand, by the convention.

"On motion of Mr. Meredith, Resolved, That this convention feel it to be their duty, the performance of which accords with their sentiments of deep veneration and affection towards their bishop-to record on their minutes their testimony to the distinguished services, which in her councils, as well as in his pastoral and episcopal offices, be has rendered in establishing and maintaining the church in the United States, and especially in this diocese-to the wisdom and moderation which have uniformly characterized his course of conduct, and were particularly display. ed in his address to this convention, in inculcating opinions, and recommending rules of conduct, which cannot fail to advance her prosperity, by maintaining her principles in purity, and at the same time tend to the cultivation of charity and good will with all her Christian brethren."]

"There is a subject on which your bishop wishes to record his opinion, matured by the long experience of his ministry, and acted on by him, as he thinks, to the advantage of the church. It is the conduct becoming us towards those of our fellow Christians who are severed from us by diversity of worship or of discipline; and in some instances, by material contrariety on points of doctrine.

"The conduct to be recommended, is, to treat every denomination, in their character as a body, with respect; and the individuals composing it with de grees of respect, or of esteem, or of affection, in proportion to the ideas entertained of their respective merits; and to avoid all intermixture of administrations in what concerns the faith, or the worship, or the discipline of the church.

"On the conduct to be observed to.

ward every denomination, it is not intended to recommend silence concerning any religious truth, from the mistaken delicacy of avoiding offence to opposing errour; nor to censure the exposing of the errour, if it be done in a Christian spirit, and in accommodation to time and place. To take offence at this, is to manifest the spirit of persecution, under circumstances which have happily disarmed it of power. But when, instead of argument, or in de signed aid of it, there is resort to misrepresentation and abuse; or, when the supposed consequences of an opinion are charged as the admitted sentiments of the maintainer of it; these are weapons as much at the service of errour, as at that of truth; are the oftenest resorted to by the former; and are calculated to act on intelligent and ingenuous minds, as reason of distrust of any cause in which they may be employed.

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It is no small aggravation of the evil, that it tends to retard the time, which we trust will at last be brought about by the providence of God; when, in consequence of friendly communications, arising out of the ordinary intercourses and charities of life, there will be such an approximation of religious societies in whatever can be thought essential to communion, as that they shall with one heart and one mouth glorify God.' For, to those who have attended to the first workings of what has ended in the divisions and subdivisions among Christian people, it must have been evident, at least in the greater number of instances, that with diversity of sentiment, there might have continued the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace,' had it not been for the intrusion of personal injury, or provocation, the effects of passion or of interfering interests, which have sometimes insensibly induced the persuasion of service done to the cause of God, when in fact, human views had a dominant share in determining the conduct. "There has been referred to, in fa

vour of the point sustained, the danger of exciting and increasing unfriend. ly feeling between differing denominations. It is on this principle, although there are other considerations tending to the same effect, that your bishop has resisted all endeavours for an intermixture of administrations, in what concerns the faith, or the worship, or the discipline of the church. In every known instance, in which it has proceeded from the usurpation of authority by individuals, it has been productive of conflicting opinion, and of needless controversy. On some occasions, our institutions have been treated with disrespect, and doctrines unknown in them have been taught, within our walls. There have even been advanced claims of rights, to what was granted as temporary indulgence; and thus our property in religious houses has been rendered insecure: all under the notion of liberality and Christian union. It would be painful to have it supposed, that any reference is here had to the many respectable ministers of other denominations whose characters are in contrariety to the offences stated. Of the intrusion of such men, there is no apprehension entertained at present; and if the door should hereafter be thrown open, the most forward to enter it would be persons of the most moderate pretensions in talent and in acquirement.

"It is confidently believed, that what is now said would not be offensive to the more respectable and prominent persons, whether clerical or lay, in the concerns of other religious socities; who would probably concur in the declaration, that the contrary assumption, when carried into effect, in opposition to the governing authority in any religious denomination, is the intolerance, which, in former ages, pursued its designs by penal laws; but is now reduced to the necessity of making hollow professions of fraternity: the object being the same, with difference only in the means. By any among

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ourselves favouring such designs, for what they may conceive to be a righteous end, it should be considered, that, however commendable the being zealously affected,' there is the qualification of a good thing;' and that there can be no goodness in what is contrary to modesty, and tends to unnecessary controversy and division: for, if the attempted intermixture should be accomplished, there must be the severance of those who would seek the old paths,' not without sensibility to the hindrances opposed to the 'walking in them.' Thus, there would be an increase of division, grow. ing out of what had been professedly undertaken for the healing of it.

"It is difficult to be on the present subject, without giving occasion to the injurious charge of bigoted attachment to our communion: to guard against which, consistently with the acknowledgment of decided preference, it may be expedient to be more particular.

"Our church calls herself Episcopal. She affirms Episcopacy to rest on scriptural institution, and to have subsisted from the beginning. On the varying governments of other societies, she pronounces no judgment. The question is, not whether we think correctly, but whether we are to be tolerated in what we think. If this be determined in the affirmative, we must, to be consistent, interdist all other than an Episcopal ministry, within our bounds.

"Again; our church is decidedly in favour of a form of prayer, believing it to be sanctioned by divine ordainment under the law; by the attendance of our Saviour and of his apostles, on composed forms in the synagogues and in the temple; and by indications of their being in use in the primitive church. We do not judge harshly of the publick prayers of our fellow-Christians; but we allege, that among ourselves, the people are not to be dependant on the occasional feelings, or the discretion, or the degree of cultivation, of an officiating minister. With

such views, it is contrary to what we owe to the edification of the people, were we to give way to the introduction of the latter species of devotion.

"Once more. That our church teaches the doctrines of grace, and holds them to be of paramount impor tance, is obvious to all. Man's utter want of righteousness by nature; his absolute incapacity of merit, whether in the state of nature, or in that of grace; his being under the government of pas sions impelling to sin, any further than as counteracted by principles derived from grace; the agency of the Holy Spirit in this, going before, that he may have a good will, and working with him in the exercise of it; and finally, the meritorious ground of all benefit, in the propitiatory offering of the Redeemer; are not only affirmed in our institutions, but pervade them. We rejoice, so far as any of our fellowChristians consent with us in acknowledging the said essential truths of scripture. But in some publick confessions, we think we find embodied with those truths, dogmas neither revealed in scripture, nor deducible from its contents; and, in some instances, contradicting what our church explicitly teaches. The introducing of such matter among ourselves, is what we cannot countenance: and introduced it would be, under the intermixture here objected to. Of this we have had instances, where an alien agency has been obtruded: and, if it should be countenanced, the consequences would be in the greatest degree injurious.

"If, after all, there should be a leaning in any mind to the plausible plea of liberality, let there be an appeal to the fact, which will bear a strict inves tigation, that every proposal to the pur pose, when explained, amounts to the surendering of one, or of another of our institutions, without conformity to them in any instance.

"Brethren,

"It is fit, that there should be explicitly declared, the motive for the pre

sent expression of opinion. It has been confidently acted on by the deliverer of it, in alliance with esteem for worth, in whatever individual or body of men it was discerned to reside. It cannot be expected, that he will continue much longer to sustain any of his opinions, either by argument, or by example. He hopes, that they who may be expected to survive him, entertain similar views of what the exigences, and even the existence of our church require. But, lest an effort to the contrary should hereafter be made by any, he wishes to oppose to it, and to leave behind him, his premonition; and to attach to it whatever weight, if there should be any, may be thought due to his long experience and observation. Under this impression, he has made it a part of his official address, to appear, for the purpose stated, on your journal. "Although, during the administration of the episcopacy, I have had the encouragement of seeing the growth of the church in this state from very small beginnings, yet it is certain that the sphere of usefulness is extending beyond proportion to our present means of providing for the exercise of the ministry and of administration of the ordinances. This is mentioned, as an excitement to the endeavours of all the active members of our communion, and of my reverend brethren in particular; in which it is my purpose, that, by the grace of God, there shall not be wanting, so long as ability of mind and of body may be continued, the best services of the remainder of my days.

"WILLIAM WHITE."

[Ir is not our design to enter into controversy; but since we have published the letter of P. C. we regard it as an act of justice, to insert the following, in reply.]

To the Editor of the Gospel Advocate.

Charleston, (S. C.) July 3, 1822. THE letter of P. C. having been originally addressed to myself, I readi

ly recognised it in your number for May. I feel it a duty, as his answer has been published, to request that the communication which gave rise to it may be also admitted into your columns. Similar letters were addressed to other members of our church, and answers received, ex. pressive of their approbation of the paper, and requesting that their names might be set down as subscribers. I hope I may add with propriety and without offence, that my own sentiments were perfectly in accordance with theirs, and equally so are those of other respectable members of the Episcopal church, who have read the letter of P. C. While, therefore, I thank him for the pains he took with that elaborate composition, I feel it to be an act of naked justice to declare, that, as I became one of its earliest subscribers, I shall feel myself bound to continue such, whilst I shall be as well satisfied with the editor as I have been up to the twenty-sixth number. Bear with me a few moments longer.

If there be a difference between the essentials and non-essentials of Christianity, we must not class the doctrines of the trinity, of the atonement, and of justification by faith, with the questions respecting orders and forms of worship; we must not rank the evangelical protestant churches with such societies as deny, or have corrupted the doctrines abovementioned: we may not pray for the prosperity and diffusion of these; but may we not ask a blessing on those, as fellow-labourers in the Lord's vineyard! In fine, if the churchman is liberal of his time, his talents, his worldly goods, in the service of his own denomination, may he not, is he not indeed bound, to spare a portion of these earthly blessings, to those who agree with him in "the main doctrines of the bible?" Are we prepared to say, that God will be well pleased, if our all is devoted to our own "compartment of the great fold." My

heart, my conscience, my understand ing, tell me that he will not.

HIERONYMUS.

Letter to P. C.

Charleston, (S. C.) Jan. 19, 1822. DEAR SIR,-Having had the pleasure of corresponding with you, on the interests of the community, within the influence of our society, permit me to avail myself of this introduction, to invite your attention to another subject of deep concern to our state at large, in a religious point of view. Experience has shown, that the Episcopal church in South Carolina cannot support a periodical paper peculiar to itself. But the maintenance of some publication in this state, recurring at short but regular intervals, and devoted to the great common interests of all the protestant sects, who agree in the main doctrines of the bible, is extremely desirable, not to say indispensable. If then we cannot by ourselves uphold a weekly journal, appropriated to our exclusive benefit, shall we not (rather than be destitute of any at home) freely and anxiously unite with those, who hold the same fundamental truths, in the effort to narrow the limits and counteract the influence of the unbeliever, the heretick, and the heathen? We are indeed better guarded than other reformed churches against those who keep not the faith once de. livered to the saints. But this very security from the materials which compose it, keeps us much apart from those who agree with us in the essentials of Christianity, and of course we are less known to the people of other denominations, than it is desirable we should be. An opportunity is now therefore offered, of diffusing a knowledge of the interests and progress of the Episcopal church, without giving offence or ex. citing jealousy. Shall we not, then, gladly embrace it, when at the same time we have the rich satisfaction of knowing that we promote the great cause of genuine religion, of sound

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you will be disposed to favour it. sentiments of the editor, and of some From the knowledge I possess of the of the principal persons concerned in the establishment of the paper, I say with confidence that the communica.

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tions of our clergy on the subjects within the plan of the paper, will be It will not esvery gladly received.

cape your notice, that all questions between those denominations, who bible, are wisely excluded, as it is a agree in the main doctrines of the great object of duty, as well as of interest, to conciliate the good-will and engage the efforts of all such, in the prosperity of the paper. If well supported, it must be eminently serviceable to the cause of Christianity, and will certainly contribute largely to raise the literary character of South Carolina.

I need scarcely add that your subscription will of itself be a service beyond what every person indiscrimi nately could render, and I trust you will fied of the religious and literary merits feel yourself bound, after being satisof the paper, to promote its circulation by recommending it to others.

[THE following well written communication we take from the Churchman's Magazine. As it is very impor tant to the peace and harmony and prosperity of our parishes, that on the side of the clergy there should be diligence and industry, so is it equally important, that on the part of their parishioners there should be a proper consideration of their manifold labours, and a disposition to lighten, rather than to aggravate, their burdens. We trust, therefore, that the perusal of this

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