4 "All this enthusiasm and extravagance may be intended to call together a concourse of people, and multiply as much as poffible the chances of gaining members from amongsi the weak and credulous. I understand that the propriety of fuch proceedings has been taken into confideration at one of their conferences, and that the votes were for their continuance. "A Mr. Bloodgood preached in the forenoon at Reister's town. He had been a dancing master, and certainly the tranfition to his present calling would, in one respect, make him feel quite at home. The preacher at the seminary, who had been an outrider for a Yorkshire house, and then an unfortunate shoe-merchant at Philadelphia, talked of cistereens of running water, and made other grammatical errors in abundance. He was, however, reckoned a fine man, and the ladies called him very pretty. As for the matter, one methodist fermon is a good sample of a thoufand. I am told that it is a principal object with most of the round or itinerant preachers, to get snugly married and fettled on plantations. They are much followed, especially by the women; but I apprehend more from curiofity, and a defire to fee and be seen, than from a view to converfion; indeed fome are honest enough to confess it. It is excusable, when we confider how far afunder the plantations are, the thinnefs of the population, the scarcity of market towns, and in fine, the few opportunities young people have of seeing one another, except at meeting. So that, faying nothing of fpiritual converfion, I have no doubt many a couple is converted from the errors of single life to the wholesome doctrine and practice of matrimony by these periodical affemblies. Camp meetings are frequently held, when the people assemble in crowds, and encamp in tents by families, for three or four nights, having a stock of provifions, &c. with them." Of these camp meetings we have the following curious account in Janfon's Stranger in America. "The Methodists assemble in the summer season in furprizing numbers, in different parts of the United States. These are called camp meetings, and converts will travel to attend them several hundred miles. A place is fixed upon at a convocation of the preachers, at which their bishop * fometimes * It is well known that for many years Mr. Wesley kept up a communion with the Church of England, and exhorted his preachers sometimes presides, and a distant time appointed for these meetings, which also draw together the neighbouring inhabitants for a confiderable distance, from motives of curiosity. They sometimes continue during a fortnight, and this time is paffed in the field, in prayer. They bring with them provisions, tents, or blankets, and support the numerous body of preachers, who continue bawling to the people in turns, day and night. When signs of conversion begin to be manifest, several preachers crowd round the object, exhorting a continuance of the efforts of the spirit, and difplaying in the most frightful images, the horrours which attend fuch as do not come unto them. The figns of regeneration are difplayed in the most extravagant symptoms. I have seen women jumping, striking, and kicking like raving maniacs; while the furrounding believers could not keep them in postares of decency. This continues till the convert is entirely exhausted; but they consider the greater resistance the more the faith, and thus they are admitted into what they term the society. The men under the agony of converfion, find it fufficient to express their contrition by loud groans, with hands clasped and eyes closed." The following is an exact copy of an advertisement of a camp-meeting, taken from a newspaper printed at Trenton, in New Jersey. "CAMP MEETING. "The public is hereby informed, that a camp meeting will be held near Mr. Minard Farley's, in a grove, about a quarter of a mile from New Germantown, in Hunterdon County. To commence on Saturday, the 29th of Sept. and preachers and followers to do the same. But towards the close of life he took upon him to ordain some of his lay teachers, and at the desire of Dr. Coke, he went so far as to appoint (we will not prostitute the word consecrate) the said doctor and one Francis Asbury, to be joint superintendants over the brethren in North America, with power to appoint others of a like description and authority. In other words he presumed, though only a presbyter, to confer a sort of episcopacy upon another presbyter, and also upon a layman, in direct opposition to all Christian order, and to the practice of the church from the beginning; yet this same Coke, who assumes the title of bishop, still pretends to be a son of the Church of England, and the pulpits of some of the city churches have been opened to him, within our knowledge, for the purpose of preaching charity sermons! to to continue three days, under the superintendence of the ministers of the Methodist Church. "As camp-meetings are generally attended by several thousands from far and near, and commonly continue day and night, it will be best for those who may come a diftance, to bring provisions for themselves and horfes, if pofsible; and to tarry on the ground till the meeting ends. "All friendly ministers and praying people are invited to attend the said meeting. Trenton, Thomas Ware, Such is the prevalence, and so extravagant the practice of the Methodists in that land of light and liberty which has been fet forth as an example of Christian order and unity. I am, &c. FOR THE ORTHODOX CHURCHMAN'S MAGAZINE. REFLECTIONS ON THE THIRTIETH OF THE tragedy added on this day, and the remembrance of is directed to be kept up by a folemn religious service in all our churches, ought to be seriously confidered by every Englishman. He may learn from this part of our history the most useful lessons of political and religious caution; and acquire from the experience of his ancestors good rules for the regulation of his own conduct. It should make him jealous of that evil spirit of murmuring against public authority, on account of difficulties which are incident to the very nature of government; and it should restrain him from joining in the clamour of a feditious faction, whose object is the accession of power, while they pretend to be guided by no other principle than a regard for the public good. Above all, it should serve as a warning against against innovations in Church and State, the effects of crude theories and of designing speculations. The history of that calamitous period exhibits a remarkable class of perfons, by whose efforts principally the Church was dernolished, the constitution broken, and a virtuous monarch barbarously murdered. These were the puritans, who, from their rise in the reign of Elizabeth, diftinguished themselves by a pertinacious opposition to all authority, ecclesiastical and civil, under the specious plea of liberty of confcience, and a zealous concern for the pure worship of God. These men were animated by such a factious spirit, and carried their pretenfions to so high a pitch, even in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, that the pious and moderate John Fox could not help remarking of them, " I perceive a certain race of men rising up, who if they increase and gather strength in this kingdom, I am forry to say, what disturbance I foresee must follow from it." The preachers of this description were called by the party the "godly and faithful ministers," while the best names applied to the conforming clergy were those of "Papists in disguise, idle drones, dumb dogs, popelings, massing priefsts, little antichrists, &c." And fo fuccefsful were the puritans in gaining followers, that the councils of the queen were for a time embarrassed, and Pope Pius V. in the first year of his pontificate, being hereby encouraged, issued a bull to "anathematize and confound the hereticks, and fow discord among them; wherein, among other things, he willed and authorized the wife and learned of his ecclesiastics, to labour, endeavour, and contrive all manner of devices to confound the heretics: that thereby they might either be reclaimed to confess their errors, and acknowledge the jurifdiction of the fee of Rome, or that a total infamy be brought upon them and their posterities, by a perpetual difcord and contention among themselves; by which means they might either speedily perish by God's wrath, or continue in eternal difference."* In confequence of this bull many Romish priests became missionaries in England, under the guise of puritanical ministers and zealous preachers of a more perfect reformation. The endeavours of this faction were to overthrow the ecclefiaftical government established by law, and to introduce the republican system of Geneva. This levelling principle * Strype's Annals, vol. i. p. 520. was was not confined to the church, but extended itself to the state, as was roundly affirmed by the two great leaders of the party, Cartwright and Travers, in their "Full and plain Declaration of Ecclefiaftical Discipline." Here it is declared that "Magiftrates must also, as well as the rest, submit themselves, and be obedient unto the just and lawful authority of the officers of the Church; for, seeing they not only rule by authority of Jesus Christ, but in a manner - reprefent his perfon, feeing they rule not as they themselves lift, according to their own will, but only according to his word and commandment; is it not meet, that even Kings and the highest magiftrates should be obedient unto them? for it is meet that all the princes and monarchs of the world should give up their fceptres and crowns unto him, whom God hath made and appointed the heir of his kingdom, and lord of heaven and earth. We might allege out of the hiftories of all times, divers examples of godly princes who fubmitted themselves to the order and government of the Church appointed by God." Befides their diflike in general to the English form of government, fome of the puritans had a particular objection to that of queen Elizabeth, because she was a woman. This opinion came from Geneya, where it was commonly received and preached as agreeable to the word of God. It is therefore not to be wondered at, that this princess should manifest her dislike to a republican form of Church Government imported from a quarter where her civil authority was. condemned as unfcriptural. The first who vaunted the deposing principle, was the famous Scotch reformado, John Knox, in his "Blast against the monstrous regiment and empire of women," wherein he endeavoured to prove that it was altogether unlawful for women to reign, and to the last period of his life Knox continued to hold this opinion. In a letter to Secretary Cecil, this furious divine charges him " in the name of the eternal God to acquaint the queen that if she would confess that the extraordinary difpenfation of God's great mercy made that lawful unto her, which both nature and God's laws did deny unto all other women * befides; then should none in England be more willing to maintain her authority than he; but if, God's wonderous work fet afide, the grounded the juftness of her title upon laws and ordinances of men, then, as he was affured such foolish presumption did offend God's fupreme majesty: fo he great * Knox had a queen for his own sovereign at this very time. ly |