2. Purity. Which bringeth man to God. 5. Obedience. The nearest way to salvation, 7. Understanding. The first of virtues. 9. Subjection. The work of Christ himself, 10. Prayer and fasting. Which unite man with God. 11. Repentance. Than which, there is no law and no commandment higher. 12. Thanksgiving. Pleasing to God and to his angels. He who hath found these twelve friends, they say, is under the guidance of twelve angels, who, at last, will transport his soul to the kingdom of heaven. As examples of their manner of prayer, we subjoin the two following, from among those which they use in their meetings: First. To whom shall I go but unto thee, O Lord; or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend unto heaven, lo, thou art there; if I descend into hell, lo, thou art there; if I take the wings of the morning and fly to the uttermost corners of the sea, there thy hand guides me, and thy right hand shall find me out. To whom shall I go, and where shall I find eternal life, except in thee, my Creator! To whom shall I go, and where shall I obtain comfort, joy, a refuge, and rest to my soul! To whom shall I go, and whither shall I fly from thee, my Lord and my God, for thou alone hast the words of eternal life in thy self? Thou art the fountain of life, and the giver of all good. My soul thirsteth for thee, my heart paṇteth for thee, O God, my life! I will rejoice in thy most holy name, and in my beloved Lord Jesus. Subdue my heart by him, and may he occupy my whole soul! Let nothing be dearer to me in life than thy most Holy Spirit. Let thy words be sweet unto my taste, and sweeter far to my mouth than the honey comb. Let thy favour ever be more desired by me than gold, and more precious than jewels.— Amen. Second. What reason have I to love thee, O Lord! for thou art my life; thou art my salvation, my glory, and praise; thou art my treasure, my eternal riches; thou art my hope and trust; thou art my joy and eternal rest. Shall I rather love vain things, or corrupting or ruinous things, and things that are false, than thee my real life! Thou alone art my life and my salvation; therefore all my hopes and all my desires, and the panting of my soul are towards thee only. I will seek thee, O Lord, with my whole heart, with my whole soul, and with my whole mind. To thee alone, in the depths of my soul, I cry; to thee alone I will pour forth my supplications. I desire to be wholly in thee, and to have thee in me. I know and confess thee in truth, the one true God and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent. In thy light, I shall behold light, and the grace of thy most Holy Spirit.-Amen. 25. The Duhobortsi, who came to St Petersburg in the year 1804, to entreat permission of the Emperor for their brethren to settle at the Moloshnia Vodi, and from whom many of the above particulars were taken, being ready to set out on their return, just on the eve of the festival of the birth of Christ, were entreated to stop and spend the holidays in that city. But they replied: "for us there is no difference of days, for our festivals are within us." When they were also admonished, after receiving their privileges from government, that they should live in their new settlements in peace, and should not attempt to propagate their opinions in that quarter; they replied, “ All that is needful is sown already; now the time of harvest is come, and not the seed-time." * 2. Pomoryans. The original seat of this sect was between the lakes of Oniga and Ladoga, from which tract of country they take their name; but they are now to be found almost in every quarter of the empire. Their first teacher was called Vikulin, who, in the time of Peter the Great, built a monastery near the Oniga, whence he sent out his preachers into the surrounding country, and converted the people to his opinions. They are zealous in opposing the innovations of Nikon, with regard to the church books; and require those who join them to be rebaptized. They believe that Antichrist is already come; reigns in the world unseen, that is, spiritually; and has put an end in the church to every thing that is holy. They also recommend a life of celibacy and solitude. * Most of these interesting particulars concerning the Duhobortsi, I have taken from a manuscript account of them in the Russian language, composed by a gentleman of the first respectability in Petersburg. I also perused this manuscript with a Russian nobleman, who, in 1808, was the civil governor of the province of Cherson, and was well acquainted with the principles and character of the Duhobortsi at Moloshnia Vodi. 3. Theodosians. This is a party which separated from the preceding sect, chiefly on account of their not purifying by prayer what they purchase in the markets of unbelievers, and not writing the superscription upon the cross. Notwithstanding, however, the trifling cause of their dissent from the Pomoryans, the Theodosians are very numerous in all the chief towns of the empire. They are inveterate against the established church, calling it the receptacle of all the here. sies that ever troubled the peace of true believers; and loudly affirming, that the national priests only preach up Antichrist under the name of Jesus, and that the Christian graces of faith, hope, and charity, are now no longer to be found among the members of the church. They perform their divine service according to the old books, and appoint their own spiritual leaders. They have particular basso-relievo images of their own, usually made of brass, by their own shrine-makers, according to the ancient models preserved in the monastery near the Oniga. The leaders of the Theodosians held a council in Moscow, in 1751, at which a number of regulations were adopted, for better preserving their numerous followers in the unity and purity of the old faith. Amongst other things, a strict |