"the Church does admit every body within
her pale. I rejoice that she does so.
It is
meet and right that an institution established
for the express purpose of guiding men on
the road to heaven, should receive into her
arms all those who desire her aid, and who
are willing to seek for the blessing of God in
His appointed way. And I trust that the
day may never come when the door of ad-

principles of the Christian religion; and in the office itself, they are required to renounce the devil and all his works, the vain pomp and glory of the world, with all covetous desires of the same, and the sinful desires of the flesh; to declare their belief in all the Articles of the Christian Faith; and to promise by God's help to keep His holy will and commandments, and to walk in the same all the days of their life. What more could reason-mittance into her will be so hedged up that bly be required of any one who desired to enter the congregation of Christ's flock? Did a holy Deacon of old do more when he told the Ethiopian Eunuch, if thou believest with all thine heart thou may'st'?"

"All this is reasonable," she replied, "yet it is a common objection which is urged against the Church, that she admits every body to her ordinances-that she does not use care enough to keep unworthy members from her communion."

none but a few zealots, who imagine they have received greater spiritual illuminations, can enter it. God has made it the duty of men to connect themselves with His Church: it becomes their right when they profess their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, with a purpose of leading a holy life; and the man who debars them of this privilege, be he clergyman or layman, incurs a fearful responsibility for which he will have to give an account at the last day.

"And pray tell me," I still continued, "where I may find in the New Testament any account of conversions at all corresponding to those which are alleged to take place among dissenters at the present day, and which they insist upon as a sine qua non, if men are to enter the Kingdom of Heaven." She turned at once to an account of the

"That there are unworthy Christians in her communion," I replied, "there can be no doubt. Her divine Founder foretold this in more than one of his parables, likening the Kingdom of God to a net, which gathered of every kind both bad and good; to a field, in which grow tares as well as wheat; but so far from viewing it in the same light as modern sectarians do, He cautioned His follow-conversions on the day of Pentecost, then to ers against rooting out the wheat along with the tares; He rather directed them to let both grow together till the harvest. If the Church contains unworthy members, it is not her fault. She warns them of the solemn vows which rest upon them; she tells them that their repentance must proceed from the heart; that their faith must be not merely a cold outward assent to the Christian doctrines, but an active living principle within; and when, in defiance of all her warnings and instructions, they commit open acts of immorality, she exercises her discipline upon the offenders. One thing, it is true, she dare not do. Unlike some of the sects around her, she does not venture to pry into the hidden man of the heart, and judge of its worthi-ing at all analogous to a modern revival. ness or unworthiness. That she leaves to her Lord and Master, when He shall come to judgment.

the narrative of St. Paul's conversion, then to that of the jailor at Philippi; but, after carefully reading them, they all appeared so different from what she expected, that she laid down the book and confessed her inabili ty to give the desired information. In fact, all these instances had been anticipated in our discussion on Baptism. In each of these several examples (St. Paul alone excepted) the gospel was first preached to men who were before entirely ignorant of it. The Holy Spirit accompanied the preaching with power. Men were convinced of the truth of what they heard, embraced it from the heart, and as a consequence were added to the Christian Church. In all this, there is noth

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When men who have led sinful lives," I further remarked," are led to perceive the error of their ways, they cannot fail to feel a

"With these conditions," I continued, pungent conviction of their awful wickedness

their lives.

in disobeying the just commands of a right- My fears, however, ere long gave place to eous God. And when at length they turn (joy-such joy as the Christian alone can feel, from their evil ways and commence to lead in learning that others also are partakers of a new life, this may with propriety be term- the same faith, the same hopes, the same joys ed a conversion. And this turning point must as himself. I soon found that we were now, of necessity be at some definite period of indeed, members of the same body; and not But to speak of them as Chris-only so, but that our views and feelings entian men before they have been baptised for tirely corresponded, and that our sympathies the remission of sins, is altogether unscriptu- were the same. I earnestly desired to learn the particulars of her history since the time I had met her before, and by what proofs of mind she had at length come to perceive clearly the path of duty and to resolve to walk therein. And I embraced the first opportunity to ask her to relate to me what had happened during the interval, a request which she was quite ready to grant. remainder of this narrative, therefore, I shall give in her own words.

ral."

By such discussions as these, the mist which had beclouded her mind seemed in a manner to be cleared away, and one could plainly see that the false philosophy which, under the name of religion, had thus far maintained its supremacy over her, was beginning to loose its grasp upon her.

Meanwhile the period which she had allotted for her stay in the country had expired; and she felt that her engagements required her return to the city. In the short acquaintance I had had with her I had become deeply interested in her welfare. In parting with her I earnestly hoped that she might be led, in the good providence of God, to a full conviction of her duty, and to His holy keeping I secretly commended her; yet I was not without painful fears that she might yet make shipwreck of the faith.

CHAP. VII.

The Result.

The

On my return to the city," she began, “I went at once to the residence of the friends with whom I had last been. On entering the parlor who should I there meet but the worthy Rector of the parish himself-the very man to whom, three weeks before, I had declared my intention of running away for a while from the influence of the Church.

"And what conclusion have you come to?' was his first exclamation, after an exchange of salutations. Have you succeeded in divesting yourself of all extraneous influence, and thus to make up your mind respecting the true theory of the Church? Has your visit in the country, where the existence of the Church is hardly dreamed of, enabled you to accomplish your object?'

SOME three months elapsed after the de- "What should I tell him? I was obliged to parture of my Methodist friend, and I had inform him of everything which had happened; heard no tidings of her. Yet during this how I had scarcely arrived at the residence time I had not failed to exercise many of my country friends when I had fallen in anxious thoughts respecting her; and when with a Churchman as zealous as himself; I learned that she was again in the neighbor- how he had endeavored to direct my inquiries, hood, and that I should once more meet with and had given me books for my instruction; her, I must confess that though I hoped that how, in short, by going to a place where, like all was right, yet the fear that I might now my native hills in Vermont, I had supposed find in her a bitter enemy to the holy religion the Church had never been heard of, I had which I professed, (for, of all the foes of thrown myself as completely within the truth none are so deadly as those who, hav-sphere of her influence as I was while in the ing been partially brought under her influence, finally reject her,) gave me a secret dread of approaching her.

city.

"The good man heard all this with astonishment; for he himself had scarcely begun

to imagine what an influence the Church hered to the religion of his fathers and he was really exerting in the land where Puri-expected others to do the same. Towards tanism had for two centuries held indisputa- other denominations of professed Christians ble sway; and he would have thought it he entertained kind and charitable feelings: scarcely possible that more than one native he supposed they were doing a good work, of rural districts in New England, where no each in their own way, and that each had like church-going bell had ever been heard, had, claims to be considered as a Christian Church. in spite of all opposing circumstances, been With Churchmen he had always been more brought, through the means of books alone, or less acquainted, and this acquaintance ento become firm adherents to the Catholic abled him to form a very favorable opinion faith, and he exclaimed with unaffected emo- of a system of religion which produced the tion, Do such things happen in the country, fruits of a holy life; but of the principles of the very stronghold of Puritanism? Really the Church he knew nothing, and never supI think the providence of God is hedging up posed it possible that a call could be made your way in a wonderful manner.' upon him to unite himself personally to a

"I felt so too. The Church was constant-people whose mode of worship was so very ly before me, wheresoever I might be. Go different from what he had been accustomed where I might, it did not seem possible for to. me to escape from it, and there seemed no "To relieve the many weary hours which, alternative for me but to meet her demands from day to day, he was obliged to pass, he —either in submitting to her claims or in ut-needed company to draw off his attention in terly defying them. a measure from the bodily ills which beset "Finding that I could have no peace of him; and I found it a pleasure as well as mind unless I settled the matter definitely induty to sit and converse with him. He was some way, I resolved to commence anew and go over the whole ground-to endeavor once more to satisfy myself fully upon the subject. Under the direction of the Rev. Rector, Ilittle remaining strength in that way, he used accordingly commenced a course of reading, for this purpose. It embraced nearly all the points of difference between the Church and Methodism.

not only intelligent, but was really a religious man, and I felt improved by his society.

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He had been fond of reading; and now that it was no longer allowed him to use his

to ask me to read aloud from such books as I happened myself to be perusing. I have told you to what subjects my own attention was especially directed, and I commenced reading to him from books which treated of peculiar principles of the Church.

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That he was for the time being considerably interested in what I read, I could not doubt; yet his mind seemed to be quite differently affected from what my own had been. That erroneous notion of the equal

"In the same family with myself there was living a gentleman, a relation of the fam-the ily. He had lost, some time previously, his companion in life, who had left him an only child. For a long period his own health had been on the decline, and now no one could doubt but that consumption, that insidious disease which destroys so many of the in-claims of all the sects who called themselves habitants of New England. had marked him for its victim. He was himself conscious that his days were numbered; and he had come among his friends whose kind attention and care he knew would be willingly be-In fact he imagined that such books as I was stowed upon him, to render his last days as peaceful and quiet as they could be made.

This gentleman was a member of the Dutch Reformed Church, in which communion he had been brought up. He ad

evangelical, appeared to have gained complate supremacy over him; and though he might listen with apparent interest, I could not perceive that any impression was made.

reading, might do me a great injury, and he remonstrated with me on the subject. He knew what my own religious connections were, and probably did not imagine that I could change them. His advice, therefore,

was that I should let alone the books, leave the world without recalling the advice

They can do you no good,' said he; they will only serve to render you dissatisfied with your own Church.'

I have given you. Upon the great subject of the organization of the Christian Church, I have all my life long lived in ignorance, and consequently in error. I had deemed the subject of no importance. On this bed of sickness, and now shortly to be one of death, God has vouchsafed to enlighten my understanding; and he has accomplished it in part through your means. I, poor sinner that I was, all along resisted the truth, and

·I, however, had become too deeply interested to give up the inquiry. I accordingly continued to read; and as he still wished me to read to him, whenever I was with him, I also contrived to read to him on the same subjects. In this way we went over most of the points of the Church doctrine-those especially which related to the Ministry, pub-ever cautioned you against it as if it was lic worship, and the sacraments-enough to give any one a pretty clear idea of the grounds the Church takes upon these sub-vice I have heretofore given you; and as I jects, and of the arguments by which they were maintained. Yet each time I finished my reading he did not fail to enter his remonstrance. I fear,' he would say, all this will end in no good to you.'

some deadly thing. And now the only atonement I can make, is to retract whatever ad

am sensible that you are in your own mind convinced of the doctrine of one Apostolic Church, and that the Protestant Episcopal Church is that branch of it which has rightful authority in this country, I cannot but advise you, as you value the salvation of your immortal soul, to connect yourself with it.'

"The effect of such an announcement, accompanied with the scene before me, I will not attempt to describe. His child was present, now about to be bereft of an only remaining parent. He recollected that it was unbaptised; and his mind was now fully awake to the importance of that holy sacra

"Weeks passed away, and the sick man began to fail very rapidly. It was now evident to all, that his time was indeed short. He was now unable to hear reading long at a time, and what little he did hear, he wished might be of such a kind as might tend to fit his mind for the solemn hour which was so rapidly approaching. The works selected for his benefit were those of a distinguished divine of the English Church; and certainly nothing could be better fitted for the instruc-ment. More anxious apparently for his offtion of frail and dying man that these were. The sick man fully appreciated their sentiments, and received consolation from them. And yet those writings are imbued with the spirit of the Church; no mind der the influence of the spirit of dissent, could possibly give birth to such thoughts as were there expressed. So true is it that the religion of the Church not only teaches men how to live, but how to die.

spring than himself, he desired, if it were possible, that he might see this little one whom he was to leave behind him, made a member of Christ and an inheritor of the un-kingdom of heaven. The Rector of the Parish was sent for and was soon present. The service for Infant Baptism was gone through with, and, to the inexpressible comfort of the dying man, the child pronounced regenerate and grafted into the body of Christ's Church, the head of the family, his wife, and another lady, acting as sponsors. IIe could now rest contented to leave his child in the hands of a merciful God, whose promises are ever sure, and reposing confidence in that wise institution of the Church which provides for the Christian nurture of

"One morning I was told that he was so much worse that it was hardly probable he would survive many hours, and that he desired to see me. I went immediately to his room. His whole appearance was that of a dying man. He was extremely weak, yet he still possessed strength to talk a little. And you may judge of my surprise when 1her children. tell you the purport of his message to me.

"The strength of the sick man had held

I am going to die,' said he, and I cannot out thus far, but he now seemed nearly ex

Comforter.

hausted. He was able to say but little { more; but his reason was never more perfect, and, in the little that he did say, he expressed his peace of mind in the prospect of his departure from this world, his entire dependance on Christ's merits alone for salvation; and he did not fail to express his thank-camp-meetings, and its thousand other confulness to Almighty God that, even upon the bed of death, he had been made acquanited with the truth as taught in His Holy Church and with perfect consciousness till the last, he, in a short time, ceased to breathe.

With so much care does the Church provide for the spiritual wants of her children, I might well ask myself whether Methodism, with all its efforts to keep up the sense of religion in the minds of its members-its class-meetings, prayer-meetings,

trivances for effect upon men's minds-does anything at all worthy of comparison with this meaning round of services in the Church.

"I remarked before, that we were in the midst of Lent. The family in which I re"I should be unwilling to own that the sided were constant in their attendance at the events which I have described, though they services of the Church during this holy seamade a deep impression upon me, as they son. They regarded it as a duty; but, more could not fail to do upon any one possessed than this, they found in it their highest pleasof the least sensibility, had any influence in ure. They found that in thus frequently determining me as to my future course, ex-uniting with God's people in His holy worcept that I had the additional testimony of ship, they were strengthened with might in one whose opinions upon most subjects I had the inner man; and had new strength impartvalued and that testimony had been ex-ed to them to enable them to resist the pressed at a moment when no selfish ends could temptations of the world, the flesh, and the possibly be alledged for it. The sectarians devil. Nor did it interfere so much as one of the city had the hardihood to put in cir- might suppose with their ordinary business. culation a story to the effect that in a moment For, by making calculation for attendance of deli rium he had declared himself a Church- at Church, and by husbanding the remainder man; but every individual present could of their time, they were enabled to accombear witness to the utter falsehood of such a plish all that they would otherwise have done. And then in regard to the subject of fasting, though they made no ostentatious display of it to the world, and seemed rather to avoid observation, yet incidents were constantly occurring which proved that they were rigorously practising a system of selfdenial for their spiritual benefit, and for the sake of their Lord and Master.

statement.

"It was now that season of the year when the Church in her annual round of services was observing the holy fast of Lent. And here let me pause for a moment and remark that there was never a more beautiful and instructive system devised than that which the Church has adopted in portioning out in due order the several events of the Gospel history. Beginning with foretelling our Saviour's Advent, she then celebrates His Nativity, His Circumcision, and His manifestation to the Gentile world. And after a fast of forty days, in commemoration and in imitation of His fast in the wilderness, the devoted Christian is prepared to profit from the narrative of the solemn events in the last days of our Lord--His Passion, Death, and Burial; and after suitable meditation upon these, the faith of the trusting one will be strengthened in view of His glorious Resurrection and Ascension, and the subsequent gift of the Holy

"I, too, had become deeply interested in the Lenten services; for no religious services had ever had the effect to awaken in my mind so deep impressions as these. Indeed, when I contrasted the means of spiritual edification and improvement which were now offered me, with those which Methodism offered, I could not but feel that I had hitherto shared the fate of the prodigal son in the parable, in having been all my life fed upon husks, when in my father's house there was bread enough and to spare; though, unlike the prodigal, I was not self-banished from home. And when, after the deeply