Surgeon General's Office * V. OBSERVATIONS ON THE INFLUENCE OF RELIGION UPON THE HEALTH AND PHYSICAL WELFARE OF MANKIND. BY AMARIAH BRIGHAM, M. D. -^BOSTON : MARSH, CAPEN&LYON. 1835. \a/M 3855r. Davis states that it is true that such a practice has prevailed in Oneida county. He refers to a pious lady who said " she had used this method (whipping) with all (or some) of her own children, and had brought them ///,"'—(meaning hereby that she had converted them,) __and " that one of them she whipped three times be- 6 62 FLAGELLATION. fore she succeeded in doing it." One other pious lady, stated that she whipped her daughter, then 13 years of age, with a corset board, for this purpose; and that to this course she was urged by another pious woman, who lent her the instrument of flagellation. It should be ad- ded in justice to these pious women, that according to Dr. Davis, their efforts were successful, and the girl, after this treatment, " promised to submit to God." (q) Dr. Davis says further in his letter, that a Reverend clergyman of the Oneida Presbytery—"a man who has been regarded as possessing more than ordinary talents with unquestionable piety and discretion, and whose praise is in all the churches, was asked by a lady, in his presence,—" What do you think, sir, of the practice of whipping children, to induce them to promise to give themselves to God ?" He replied—" I think there is much to be said in favor o( it. We whip our children, to induce them to submit to our authority. They are rendered kind, affectionate and obedient by it. Sub- mission to God, is the same in kind. Both are of a mor- al nature. Why not use the same means in both cases to produce the same effect 7 Solomon says—' foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of correc- tion shall drive it far from him.'" How considerable may have been the influence and effect of such arguments and observations, from clergy- (3) "A missionary at Maopongo having metone of the queens, and find- ing her mind inaccessible to all his instructions, determined to use sharper remedies, and, seizing a whip, began to apply it to her majesty's person. The effect he describes as most auspicious; every successive blow open- ed her eyes more and more to the truth, and she at length declared herself wholly unable to resist such affecting arguments in favor of the Catholic doctrine."—[Narative of Discovery and Adventure in Africa," by Hugh Murray, Esq.] FLAGELLATION. 63 men of "unquestionable piety and discretion," in con- tinuing and extending the very reprehensible practice of whipping children until they "promise to submit to God," I do not know. I am pleased, however, to see from Dr. Davis's account, that some women hesitated about resorting to it. He mentions one woman who, on being urged to adopt this new process of conversion, re- plied that" she must have more light before she could do so.:' (r) This subject gives me occasion again to remark on the extreme importance of guarding against the first in- troduction of any fanatical proceedings. Thus when it is announced as it is now days, that varied and new methods are to be tried to convert men, and that all are to study to devise some new means for this purpose, and when it is considered abundant proof of the utility of such measures that people become excited and profess or really believe that they have been converted by these new means and become regenerate, then extreme cau- tion must be used—then must enlightened reason be consulted, and the plain precepts of Christianity be observ- (r) It would have been curious to know what this woman would have considered "light," sufficient to have induced her to resort to this method. Would it have sufficed, for her to have been assured, that in numerous ca- ses, where it was tried, children, after or during the operation, had promised to " submit to God ?" I fear it would. On this subject, it may not be im- proper to state that flagellation often has very singular effects. The Abbe Boileau, in his " Histoire des Flagellans," says it is not exempt from the charge of producing disorder of manners One effect of flagellation is to increase the sensibility of the skin, and an increased sensibility in some parts of the body, by sympathetic communications may arouse sensibility in an- other part, where it ought to remain dormant. This fact seems to have been known to Jean Henri Meibomius, who wrote a learned work, deflag- rarum usu in re venerea, published in 1648, with this motto— " Delicias pariunt Veneri crudelia flagra; Duro nocet, ilia juvat; jum juvat, ecce nocet. 64 WOUNDING THE BODY ed, or there will be danger of an overwhelming influx of delusion and fanaticism. Of wounding the body by cutting instruments. Wounding or cutting the body, has been often resort- ed to as a religious exercise. This was the custom of the prophets of Baal; as we read—1st Kings, xviii. 28, —" They cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them." It is probable that something like this was practised by the Hebrews, as in Leviticus, xix. 28, it is written—" Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you." Plutarch, in his book " De Superstitione," tells us that the priests of Bellona, when they sacrificed to that god- dess, were wont to besmear the victim with their own blood. The Persian magi, according to Herodotus, used to appease tempests and allay the winds, by making in- cisions in their flesh. They who carried about the Syrian goddess, as Apudius relates, among other mad pranks, were ever now and then cutting and slashing themselves with knives, till the blood gushed out; and even to this day, in Turkey. Persia and in several parts of India, there are certain fanatics, who think they do a very meritorious service, and highly acceptable to the Deity, by cutting and mangling their own flesh. So also certain of the Dervises, under the excitement produced by their religious ceremonies, slash most unmercifully their sides, arms and legs, with swords, cutlasses and other instruments. The custom in this instance, how- ever, seems to have been recently abolished. Commo- dore Porter, in his " Letters from Constantinople," after BY CUTTING INSTRUMENTS. 65 describing the ceremony of circumcision which he wit- nessed there, says he saw at the mosque of the jumping Dervishes,—" around and about the altar, a multitude of instruments of torture, such as whips, scourges of iron, chains, sharp iron spikes, rusty daggers, knives, swords, axes and hatchets, with which they formerly tortured themselves as well as one another, but latterly the Sul- tan has forbidden the practice." This is one of the many improvements effected by that extraordinary man, Sultan Mahmoud. Strabo alludes to the practice of the Etruscian priests tearing their own flesh, and cutting themselves in differ- ent parts of the body, and of walking on fire. Under this head also, I should place the practices of the Hindoos, and particularly those in honor of Shivu, the destroyer. These are falling on iron spikes, piercing the tongue and the sides, swinging by hooks fastened into their flesh, &c. The following picture, from Ward, will suffice. " This god (Shivur) is representel in various ways ; sometimes as a silver colored man, writh five faces ; sometimes with three eyes, and one face. Another im- age of this deity, is the lingu, which is nothing more than a smooth black stone, in the form of a sugar loaf. This is often made of clay, for extemporaneous use. " An abominable festival in honor of this god is cele- brated ; when many Hindoos, assuming the name of sunyasees, inflict on themselves, the greatest cruelties. On the first day of the festival, these sunyasees, cast themselves from a bamboo stage, with three resting pla- ces, the highest about twenty feet from the ground. From this height these persons cast themselves on iron spikes, stuck in bags of straw. These spikes are laid in 66 WOUNDING THE BODY a reclining posture, and when the person falls, they al- most constantly fall down, instead of entering his body. There are instances, however, of persons being killed, and others wounded, but they are very rare. A few years ago, a person at Kideerpooru, near Calcutta, cast himself on a knife used in cleaning fish, which entered his side and caused his death. He threw himself from the stage, twice on the same day, the second time, (which was fatal,) to gratify a woman with whom he lived. In some villages, several of these stages are erected, and as many as two or three hundred people cast themselves on these spikes, in one day, in the presence of great crowds of people. The worshippers of Shivu make a great boast of the power of their god, in preserving his followers in circumstances of such danger. " The next morning early, the work of piercing the tongues and sides commences. In the year 1806, I went to Kaleeghatu, in company with two or three friends, to witness these practices; at which place we arrived about five o'clock in the morning. We over- took numerous companies who were proceeding thither, having with them drums, and other instruments of mu- sic ; also spits, canes, and different articles to pierce their tongues and sides. Some with tinkling rings on their ancles were dancing, and exhibiting indecent gestures as they passed along, while others rent the air with the sounds of their filthy songs. As we entered the village where the temple of this great goddess is situated, the crowds were so great, that we could with difficulty get our vehicles along, and at last were completely blocked up. We then alighted and went amongst the crowd. But who can describe a scene like this ? Here, men of all ages, who intended to have their tongues pierced or BY CUTTING INSTRUMENTS. 67 their sides bored, were buying garlands of flowers to hang around their necks, or to tie round their heads— there, others were carrying offerings to the goddess; above the heads of the crowd were seen nothing but the feathers belonging to the great drums, and the in- struments of torture which each victim was carrying in his hand. These wretched slaves of superstition were distinguished from others by the quantity of oil rubbed on. their bodies, and by streaks and dots of mud all over them. Some of the chief men belonging to each com- pany were covered with ashes, or dressed in a most fan- tastic manner, like the fool among mountebanks. For the sake of low sport, some were dressed as English wo- men, and others had on a hat to excite the crowd to laugh at Europeans. As soon as we could force our way, we proceeded to the temple of Kalee, where the crowd, inflamed to madness, almost trampled upon one another, to obtain a sight of the idol. We went up to the door-way, when a bramhun, who was one of the owners of the idol, addressed one of my companions in broken English :—' Money—money—for black mother!' My friend, not much liking the looks of his black mother, declared he should give her nothing. From this spot, we went into the temple yard, where two or three black- smiths had begun the work of piercing the tongues and boring the sides of these infatuated disciples of Shivu. The first man seemed reluctant to hold out his tongue, but the blacksmith, rubbing it with something like flour, and having a piece of cloth betwixt his fingers, laid firm hold, dragged it out, and placing his lancet under it in the middle, pierced it through and let the fellow go. The next person whose tongue we saw cut, directed the blacksmith to cut it on the contrary side, as it had been 68 WOUNDING THE BODY already cut twice. This man seemed to go through the business of having his tongue slit, with perfect sang froid. The company of natives were entirely unmoved, and the blacksmith, pocketing the trifling fee given by each for whom he did this favor, laughed at the sport. I could not help asking whether they were not punishing these men for lying. After seeing the operation perform- ed on one or two more, we went to another group, where they were boring the sides. The first we saw undergo- ing this operation, was a boy, who might be twelve or thirteen years old, and who had been brought thither by his elder brother to submit to this cruelty. A thread rubbed with clarified butter, was drawn through the skin on each side, with a kind of lancet having an eye like a needle. He did not flinch, but hung by his hands over the shoulders of his brother. I asked a man who had just had his sides bored, why he did this 7 He said he had made a vow to Kalee at a time of dangerous ill- ness, and was now performing this vow. A bye-stander added, it was an act of holiness or merit. Passing from this group, we saw a man dancing backwards and for- wards, with two canes run through his sides, as thick as a man's little finger. In returning to Calcutta, we saw many with things of different thicknesses thrust through their sides and tongues, and several with the pointed handles of shovels, containing fire, sticking in their sides. Into this fire, every now and then, they threw Indian pitch, which for the moment blazed very high. I saw one man whose singular mode of self-torture struck me much. His breast, arms, and other parts of his body, were entirely covered with pins, as thick as nails or pack- ing needles. This is called vanu-phora—(piercing with arrows.) The person had made a vow to Shivu thus to BY CUTTING INSTRUMENTS. 69 pierce his body, praying the god to remove some evil from him. " On the following day, in the afternoon, the ceremo- ny called Churuku, or the swinging by hooks fastened in the back, is performed. The posts are erected in some open place in the town or suburbs. They are generally fifteen, twenty or twenty-five cubits high. In some places a kind of worship is paid at the foot of the tree of Shivu, when two pigeons are let loose, or slain. In other parts, i. e. in the neighborhood of Calcutta, the worship of Shivu is performed at his temple, after which the crowd proceed to the swinging posts, and commence the horrid work of torture, The man who is to swing prostrates himself before the tree, and a person, with his dusty fingers, makes a mark where the hooks are to be put. Another person immediately gives him a smart slap on the back, and pinches up the skin hard with his thumb and fingers, while another thrusts the hook through, taking hold of about an inch of the skin. The other hook is then in like manner put through the skin of the other side of the neck, and the man gets up on his feet. As he is rising, some water is thrown in his face. He then mounts on a man's back, or is elevated in some other way, and the strings which are attached to the hooks in his back are tied to the rope at one end of the horizontal bamboo, and the rope at the other end is held by several men, who, drawing it down, raise up the end on which the man swings, and by their running round with the rope, the machine is turned. In swing- ing, the man describes a circle of about thirty feet diam- eter. Some swing only a few minutes, others half an hour or more. I have heard of men who continued swinging for hours. In the southern parts of Bengal, a 70 WOUNDING THE BODY. piece of cloth is wrapped round the body underneath the hooks, lest the flesh should tear and the wretch fall and be dashed to pieces, but the whole weight of the body rests on the hooks. Some of these persons take the wooden pipe, and smoke while swinging, as though in- sensible of the lea.^t pain. Others take up fruit in their hands, and either eat it or throw7 it among the crowd. I have heard of a person's having a monkey's collar run through his flank, in which state the man and the mon- key whirled round together. On one occasion, in the north of Bengal, a man took a large piece of wood in his mouth, and swung for a considerable time without any cloth round his body to preserve him, should the flesh of his back tear. On some occasions, these sunyasees have hooks run through their thighs as well as backs. About the year 1800, five women swung in this manner, with hooks through their backs and thighs, at Kidur- pooru, near Calcutta. It is not very uncommon for the flesh to tear, and the person to fall; instances are related of such persons perishing on the spot. A few years ago a man fell from the post at Kidurpooru, while whirling round with great rapidity ; and, falling on a poor woman who was selling parched rice, killed her on the spot: the man died the next day. At a village near Bujbuj, some years since, the swing fell and broke a man's leg. The man who was upon it, as soon as he was loosed, ran to another tree, was drawn up, and whirled round again, as though nothing had happened. I have heard of one man's swinging three times in one day on differ- ent trees ; and a bramhun assured me, that he had seen four men swing on one tree, and while swinging, this tree was carried round the field by the crowd." ANCHYLOSIS OF THE JOINTS. 71 Stiffness and Anchylosis of the Joints from Reli- gious Ceremonies. Travellers among the Hindoos, frequently meet with devotees and religious mendicants, who have become stiff in their joints from long continuance in one pos- ture. Some of the Faquirs continue for life in one pos- ture ; some never lie down ; some have always their arms raised above their heads ; and some mangle their bodies with knives and scourges. The town of Tan- grenate, in Hindostan, is frequented by pilgrims, some of them from the distance of 300 leagues, which they travel, not by walking or riding, but by measuring the road with the length of their bodies, in which method of locomotion some of them consume years before they complete their pilgrimage. Mr. Ward saw a young man, who had held up his arm till it had become stiff. This young man and his companion were covered with ashes, and° were without clothing, except the bark of some tree, and a shred of cloth drawn up between the legs. He told Mr. W. that he had held up his arm in this manner, three years. His manner of life was curi- ous, showing in the clearest manner, the extreme power of the religious sentiment, and in a hot climate, where undoubtedly this sentiment is the most powerful. " After rising in the morning," says Mr. Ward, » he repeats the name of some god, using his bead-roll; he then per- forms the ceremonies of worship before some represent- ative of an idol; then bathes, and goes through the ceremonies (sundhya) ordained by the shastra to be per- formed three times a day ; then he prepares the offerings, worships his idol, and again repeats its name for some 72 ANCHYLOSIS OF time. At mid-day he eats ; then returns to the repeti- tion of the name of his god, till the evening sand h} a ; and after this he continues repeating the name of the idol till he falls asleep." Something like this occurred among Christians, in the fifth century. The following details are found in Mosheim, vol. i. p. 410—11. " It is incredible, what rigorous and severe laws the Mystics imposed on themselves, in order to appease God, and deliver the celestial spirit from the bondage of this mortal body. To live among wild beasts, nay in the manner of these beasts; to roam about like mad- men, in desert places, and without garments ; to feed their emaciated bodies with hay and grass ; to shun the converse and even the sight of men ; to stand motion- less in certain places, for many years exposed to the weather ; to shut themselves up in confined cabins, till life ended;—this was accounted piety ; this, the true method of eliciting the [spark of] deity from the secret recesses of the soul. The greater part of these people were influenced, not so much by arguments and assign- able reasons, as by either a natural propensity to melan- choly and austerity, or by the example and opinion of others. For there are diseases of the mind, as well as of the body, which can spread like a pestilence. Yet there were some, who gave systematic precepts for this austere mode of living ; for instance, among the Latins, Julianus Pomerius, in his three books, de vita contem- plativa ; and among the Syrians, many whose names it would be needless to mention. "Among these examples of religious fatuity, none acquired greater veneration and applause, than those who were called Pillar-Saints (Sancti-Columnares,) THE JOINTS. 73 or in Greek, Stylites ; persons of a singular spirit and genius, who stood motionless on the tops of lofty col- umns, during many years, and to the end of fife, to the great astonishment of the ignorant multitude. The author of this institution in the present (fifth) century, was Simeon, of Sisan, a Syrian ; who was first a shep- herd and then a monk ; and who, in order to be nearer heaven, spent thirty-seven years in the most uncomfort- able manner, on the tops of five different pillars of six, twelve, twenty-two, thirty-six, and forty cubits elevation; and in this way, procured for himself immense fame and veneration." A note added to this account from Mosheim, by his translator, Dr. Murdock, is so curious as to entitle it to a place here. " This Simeon, we are told, was born at Sisan, in Syria, about A. D. 390. At the age of 13, while tend- ing his father's sheep, he heard a public exposition of Luke vi. 21, 25 ; (' Blessed are ye that weep now, ) For further curimis particulars relating to the discipline and conduct of the early monks, see Rapport's du Physique et du Moral de L'Homme by Cabanis, vol. 2. Also Zimmerman on Solitude, in four volumes. (x) Those of the Popes which have been taken from the monasteries have in general been the most cruel and despotic. 9 9* FASTING. a kind that can flourish in a republic. Among the good effects of a free government, is, calling into action the talents of each individual, and developing genius of every kind. Hence we read of no monasteries in ancient Greece or Rome, while they flourish under absolute govern- ments. Still, this slight history of Monachism will not be without its use, as it will serve to show how similar are the character and opinions of religious zealots in all ages, and how dangerous it is to follow implicitly their injunctions. Of Fasting. Fasting is a religious custom that has been command- ed, or has prevailed, in nearly all, if not all, the religions of the world. The Egyptians had numerous religious fasts, as did also the Phoenicians, the Assyrians, and Hebrews, (y) According to Herodotus, the Egyptians prepared them- selves, by fasting, for the great festival of Isis. Before being initiated into the mysteries of this celebrated Deity, it was necessary to fast ten days, and to abstain from wine. The Therapeutia, a body of Jewish fanatics, de- scribed in the preceding chapter, were remarkable for their great abstemiousness, and for the length and se- verity of their fasts. They abstained from wine alto- gether, and often fasted three days at a time. The Greeks, borrowing from Egypt many of her sacred rites, also had recourse to fasting. Initiation into the myste- (y) See " Morin, De l'usage du jeune chez les anciens par rapport a la religion." FASTING. 99 ries of Ceres, (z) was preceded by severe fasting, and during the celebration of her festivals, the whole city kept a fast. The Lacedemonians also, had recourse to very severe fasts, as religious duties, and their fasts ex- tended even to the beasts. The Romans were frequent- ly commanded by the oracles to fast, especially during great public calamities. Here al^o the worship of Ceres prevailed, and fasting constituted a part of the ceremony. The Assyrians had very severe fasts, whenever they apprehended any great calamity. Thus when Jonah prophesied against Nineveh, the king of Nineveh " arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nine- veh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing; let them not feed nor drink water." Jonah iii. 6, 7. The aboriginal inhabitants of America had this an- cient custom among them ; and according to Charle- voix, observed severe fasts before going to war, and on other occasions. Devotional fasts for the expiation of sins, it appears, were common among the Israelites ; though the history of the patriarchs, gives no account of their observance of the custom. Individuals among them fasted when visited personally by any extraordinary calamity. Thus David fasted during the sickness of his child. 2 Samuel xii. 21. " The Jews, (says Calmet,) in times of public calam- ity, appointed extraordinary fasts, and made even the (2) Ceres is the same as the Isis of the Egyptians. Her worship, it is said, was first introduced into Greece, by Erectheus. 100 FASTING. children at the breast fast. See Joel ii. 16. They be- gin the observance of their fasts in the evening after sunset, and remain without eating until the same hour the next day, or until the rising of the stars ; on the great day of expiation, when they are more strictly obli- ged to fast, they continue without eating for twenty-four hours. Men are obliged to fast from the age of full thirteen, and women from the age of full eleven years. Children from the age of seven years fast in proportion to their strength. During this fast, they not only abstain from food, but from bathing, perfumes, and ointments ; they go barefoot and are continent. This is the idea which the eastern people have generally of fasting ; it is a total abstinence from pleasures of every kind. Be- sides those fasts, which are common to all Jews, others, which are devotional, are practised by the most zealous and pious. The Pharisee says (Luke xviiii. 12,) 'I fast twice a week,' that is, on Thursday, in memory of Moses' going up mount Sinai on that day ; and on Mon- day in memory of his coming down from thence. It is said that some Pharisees fasted four days in the week ; and in the Greek of Judith, we read, that she fasted every day, except ' the eves of the sabbaths, and the sabbaths; and the eves of the new moons, and the new moons ; and the feasts and solemn days of the house of Israel.'" Fasting has also been observed as a religious duty, to a great extent, by the Bonzes and Talapoins, priests of Fo, in Eastern Asia and China, and also by the Gym- nosophysts or Brachmans of India. But probably the Mahometans have the longest fasts of any religious people. Mahomet enjoined fasting, as a duty of exceedingly great importance ; indeed he FASTING. 101 considers it one of the four fundamental points of reli- gious practice, which are, prayer five times a day, fast- ing, alms-giving, and the pilgrimage to Mecca. Of so great moment did he consider fasting, that he used to say it was the " gate of religion, and the odor of the mouth of him who fasteth, is more grateful to God than that of musk." The strictest of all the Mahometan fasts, is that of the month Ramadan, which is the ninth month of the Turkish or Arabic year. Mahomet told his followers that in this month, God sent the koran down from heaven by the angel Gabriel, who delivered it to him chapter by chapter. In commemoration of this great event, Mahomet instituted this fast, which somewhat resembles the Christian Lent, though it is more rigorous- ly observed. During the whole month, they abstain entirely from meat and drink, every day, from the time they can "plainly distinguish a white thread from a black thread by the day-break," till the end of evening twi- light ; and during all this period they must be constant- ly at the place * of religious worship. The Turks do not even swallow their spittle, while this fasting is con- tinued. No artist or laborer is exempted from the ob- servance of this fast; and those who are sick, or travel- ling, or serving as soldiers in the field, and so circum- stanced that they cannot observe it in the month Rama- dan, are nevertheless obliged to fast another entire month. Mahomet very wisely instituted this fast during the hottest season of the year, a time when abstemiousness is beneficial to health ; and he also disconnected it with revelry and drunkenness. The Mahometan fast is not preceded by that remnant of bacchanalian and pagan 102 FASTING. worship, the Carnival, which is made to introduce the long fast of the Christian church. But I presume that some of those calling themselves the followers of Christ, have been more strict in fasting than those of any other religious faith. It was not, however, until after the death of the apostles, that fasting was considered an important duty, and if I am not much mistaken, the practice of abstemiousness as an essential duty of Christians, was first insisted on by the Gnostics, one of the first sects that disturbed the peace of the church. In the second century, Ammonius Saccas directed his followers to weaken their bodies, which, as he said, were hostile to the liberty of their souls, by means of hunger and thirst; and these views were entertained and advocated by Origen and the Mystics. Montanus soon after taught that fasts ought to be more numerous. But I have more fully described the progress of these notions respecting the importance of abstemiousness and other penances, in the preceding chapter, on the subject of Monachism; and for the present I shall confine my- self to a few of the facts respecting the fasts of the Christian church. The Catholic church, orders many days of fasting and abstinence. The most important is that of the forty days of Lent; a fast intended to prepare Christians for the Easter festival. In the Latin church, Lent formerly lasted but 36 days, which being the tenth part of the year, was thus devoted to God. In the fifth century, four days were added, in imitation of Christ's fasting forty days. Protestants generally consider Lent not to have been established before the second or third century • but the Catholic church maintains that it is of apostolic FASTING. 103 origin, because, say they, as it was found established in the church, and did not originate from a council, it must therefore have descended from the apostles. The civil laws, at one time, were very severe against those who neglected to fast. Charlemagne ordered that all those who transgressed the rule of the church not to eat in Lent, should be put to death ; and in Poland, any one, who violated the rules of abstinence prescribed by the church, had his teeth taken out. Children, when eight years old, were obliged to keep Lent, and also other fasts. Some sects had numerous fasts. The Latin monks formerly had three fasts of forty days each, and the Greeks, four of seven days each, besides Lent. The Armenians had eight fasts in a year; so that, as Char- din observes, the people abstained from food most of the year. On occasion of any calamity, fasts were ordered. Thus the Rogation days were instituted, with processions and fasting, against injurious insects and other calami- ties, by Mamericus, Bishop of Vienna, about the middle of the fifth century, and which are still enjoined to be kept by the Episcopal church. Until the year 1200, one meal a day was eaten during Lent. The eighth council of Toledo, in 653, orders that those who break their fast without necessity, shall eat no meat during the whole year, and shall not par- take of the Lord's Supper at Easter. The council of Narbonne, in 1609, established as a rule, in relation to fasting, that the Bishops should summon together the physicians before Lent, and exhort them not to give cer- tificates readily and without cause, (for by certificates from physicians, liberty to eat meat in Lent could be obtained,) and thus run the risk of ruining themselves 104 FASTING. and those to whom they gave them, by employing Sci- ence against God himself. The Church of England enjoins fixed days for fast- ing and abstinence, among which are the forty days of Lent, and every Friday except Christmas day. Other fasts are occasionally appointed in England, by royal proclamation. The church, however, gives no particu- lar direction concerning fasting, and the ordinance of Parliament, prohibiting meat on fast days, is said to be designed for the encouragement of the fisheries and nav- igation. In many of the United States, and especially in the New England States, there are annual fasts by procla- mation of the Governor; and during the war of 1812-15, there was a national fast ordered by proclamation of the President of the United States. Such are a few facts connected with the history of fasting. We have seen that it has prevailed in all ages, and in all religions, and that it has been carried to a great extent by the followers of Christ. Believing, as I do, that whatever was established and enjoined by our Saviour, is beneficial to mankind, and not injurious to health, it becomes important to ascertain wrhat were his injunctions respecting fasting. It must, I think, strike every one with surprise, who has paid any attention to the fasts of the Christian church, to find that, as Calmet observes, " it does not appeal by his own practice, or by his commands, that our Lord instituted any particular fast;" and the learned Mosheim observes—" no law was enacted by Christ and his Apostles concerning fasts ; but the custom obtained, that most Christians, occasion- ally and privately, joined abstinence from food with their prayers; and especially when engaged in undertakings FASTING. 105 of great importance. How much time a man should spend in this exercise, was left to the private judgment of each individual; nor did a person expose his character at all, if he thought it sufficient for him to observe only the rules of strict temperance. Of any solemn public fasts, except only on the anniversary day of the crucifix- ion of Christ, there is no mention in the most ancient times. Gradually, however, days of fasting were intro- duced ; first by custom, and afterwards by legal sanction. Whether any thing of this nature occurred in the first century, and what days were devoted to fasting, we have not the means of deciding." It is true that Christ himself fasted forty days and nights, but this is more than human nature can sustain. He gave no command for any one else to attempt it, though it is true that in all ages, many have attempted to imitate Christ in this respect, (a) The disciples of John interrogated Jesus, respecting the non-observance of fasts by his own disciples. " Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not 7 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bride-chamber mourn, [fast,] as long as the bridegroom is with them 7 but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast." Matt. ix. 14, 15. His reply cannot be construed in favor of the custom. He alludes to a coming time of sorrow, when nature would withdraw the appetite, and then fasting would occur as the natural result of sorrow. This kind of fast- (a) Dositheus, a Samaritan, fasted so rigorously as to occasion his death He ought, however, to be ranked among the insane. 106 FASTING. ing, the New Testament may commend, but it does not authorise any other. " Defraud not ye one the other, except it be with con- sent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incoiitinency." 1 Cor. vii. 5. This is alluded to, as supporting and authorizing fasting. It can hardly be so considered if we receive the above quotation from the common translation. But late investigations show that the word fasting is an interpolation, (b) In- deed, there is much in the New Testament to show that all ordinances were done away. St. Paul says, (Col. ii.) that Christ has effaced the obligation we were under as respects ordinances ; and that we shall not be judged "in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holy day." Ter- tullian, who flourished in the second century, observes— " the Christian's God has not prescribed any fast, nor forbid him any aliment: that which he has forbidden him are actions that are bad ; that which he has com- manded, are actions that are good." (De Jejune adv. Psych.) St. Basil also observes—" the true Christian fast consists in abstaining from vice—to fast from dis- putes, malignity and injustice." This kind of fast is of perpetual obligation upon the Christian ; but I see no ground, in any of the teachings or practices of Christ, for abstaining from food, unless the appetite is impaired. When Christ had fa&ted forty days, it is said that he became an hungered, and did eat; plainly implying that during the period of fasting, he had not been an hungered. Indeed fasting, as a Christian duty, is hardly reconcilable with the care which Christ (b) See Griesbach. FASTING. 107 had for the bodies of men, as evidenced by his numerous miracles wrought for its welfare, and even a miracle to feed the multitude. But though Christ did not authorize fasting from food, yet his religion is one of strict temperance. While it imposes no observances that may not be kept, alike in every place, and by all mankind, it gives liberty to en- joy the gifts of God ; at the same time discountenancing austerities and penances, and too great sensual indul- gence. Seeing, therefore, that there is not from Christ any in- junction upon us to keep this ordinance, let us inquire into the propriety of it as regarding health. I have no doubt that many persons eat daily, more food than is for their health ; and this is probably more the case with the people of the United States, than with those of any other country, for no other country furnish- es so abundant a supply of nutriment for all its inhabit- ants. I therefore admit that an occasional fast among such a people may be useful, by giving the over-tasked stomach a time of repose. But no general rule can or ought to be given for the observance of a whole commu- nity. Occasional fasting may be beneficial in some ca- ses, and in others, not injurious, but to many persons it may prove very injurious. While in hot climates, abste- miousness and occasional fasts are conducive to health, in cold climates they are dangerous. The inhabitants of cold countries must have frequent supplies of stimu- ulating, nutritious food, in order to enjoy good health and to possess all the powers of the system in full vigor. Warm climates will permit people to live wholly on ve- getables—but cold will not. Thus the Reformers in the north of Germany were the first to rebel against severe 108 FASTING. fasts; and the emperor Maximillian, in 1519, begged Pope Leo X. to divide Lent into three parts, so that the Germans might be induced or enabled to keep it. Perhaps in times of barbarianism, and among a violent and ferocious people, fasting was essential to keep the passions of the people subdued, and the people themselves in subjection. The priests of olden time were also legislators ; and no doubt they were well aware of the effect of low diet and fasting, in rendering men more humble and obe- dient. Other means to effect the same object were also resorted to. Thus at one time it was ordered by the Su- periors of the monasteries, that the monks should be bled six times in a year, in order as it was stated " to repress their vicious tendencies." Certain it is that it had the effect to make them submissive and obsequious, and the faithful were no longer scandalized by the very robust and healthy appearance of these devout persons. From a full consideration of the subject, it appears to me that days of fasting, or abstaining from food, had better be dis- continued. We have seen that they have not the sup- port of sacred authority; and surely no one will insist that Christians are obligated to religiously keep such days, when neither Christ or his apostles have enjoined it. Though, as I have said, occasional fasting, or abstain- ing from one meal, may not be injurious to some people, yet to many it is so, especially to the young, who do not endure fasting so well as the aged. Generally some in- jury arises from interrupting accustomed habits, such as omitting one full meal, especially to laboring men. Un- der great mental or moral excitement, life may be sus- tained for a long time without nourishment, and even FASTING. 109 without sleep, and exposed to cold ; as is evident from the histories of the austerities of-Catharine de Cordue, and other devotees. Women, however, endure fasting better than men. In long days, to take no food through the day, would injure most people ; and would be fatal, of course, in countries where the sun does not set for months, if the Mahometan fast, from sunrise to sunset, should be observed. An annual fast ordered by Govern- ment is truly ridiculous. That the civil power should thus interfere in religious duties, and order what is nevet- but partially complied with, can have no other than an injurious effect. The day appointed for fasting, is usual- ly a day of revelry ; (c) and thus the moral and reli- gious sense of a community is injured, by the people be- coming accustomed to disregard the advice of Govern- ment, and the recommendations of their religious teach- ers. Habitual temperance would be far better than occa- sional or special fasting, and in my opinion more con- formable to Christ's teaching. The simple and proper rule for fasting, appears to me to be—to fast when na- ture, by sorrow or sickness, destroys the appetite, (d) (c) On the day appointed for the last annual fast, in this State, I had oc- casion to go into three adjoining towns, in all of which, I saw crowds amusing themselves by ball playing, and other diversions. (d) I have noticed within a few years, that fasting has been greatly urged by the clergy in this country, as a religious duty, especially by what are called the" new measure clergy." The Rev. W. C. Walton, in his Tract on Special EfTorts to promote the work of God, says—" it is a remark found- ed on experience, that Fasting often contributes much to the efficacy of Prayer," and urges more attention to it. He, however, gives no details of his experience in this respect. a CHAPTER IV. INFLUENCE UPON HEALTH, OF SOME OF THE RITES, SACRAMENTS AND CEREMONIES OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. I do not include in this section, Rites, Sacraments or Ceremonies, prevailing in other religions than the Chris- tian. I wish the work to be of practical utility, and therefore shall confine myself mostly to remarks appli- cable to customs prevalent in the country where it will circulate. Numerous ceremonies have prevailed in the Chris- tian Church, but most if not all of them have given rise to much disputation and controversy, both as to the pro- per manner of celebrating them, and also as to their in- stitution by Christ and his apostles, and their authority for the observance of them. The Roman Catholic and Greek churches agree as to the doctrine of the Sacra- ments, which they say are seven—to wit;—Baptism Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction, Orders and Marriage. The Protestants in general ac- knowledge but two sacraments—Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Luther and Melancthon at first ranked Pen- ance or absolution as a sacrament, but afterwards con- sidered it only as a preparation for the Lord's Supper. The Quakers and some other Christian sects, consider the sacraments as of little importance, and not binding 112 lord's supper. upon Christians. Of these sacraments, the Lord's Sup- per and Baptism have very generally been celebrated in Christian churches, and these two, I propose first to examine. Of the Lord's Supper. As this is celebrated in many places, I suppose there is no objection to it, on account of any injurious effect upon the health, i. e. when the ceremony is short and does not interfere with the usual meals of the day, and when the bread and wine, or whatever else is used, is of good quality and taken in small quantity. But as it is not always so celebrated, it is therefore important to ex- amine the subject a little in detail. In the first place, it appears to me that it will be proper to inquire what has been, and are, the various methods of celebrating this ceremony; secondly, to learn what com- mand or directions for it, are furnished by the Divine author of our religion ; and lastly to show in what re- spect it affects the health. First, then,—what has been the history of this sacra- ment, as it is called 7 According to Ecclesiastical histo- rians, the celebration of the Lord's Supper was at first accompanied by hospitable meetings, called agapa: or love-feasts; every Christian, according to his circum- stances, bringing portions of wane and bread, and other things, as oblations to the Lord: in this, then, there was a resemblance to customs previously existing among the Jews. But in order to have a clear idea of the manner it was celebrated in the earliest times of Christianity, it is necessary to read attentively, the accounts given of it by the earliest fathers. The following full and autheu- lord's supper. 113 tic detail from the first Apology for the Christians of Jus- tin Martyr, enables us to learn how it was celebrated in his time. He lived about 150 years after Christ. " On the day which is called Sunday, all, whether dwelling in the towns or in the villages, hold meetings ; and the memoirs of the apostles, and the writings of the prophets, are read, as much as the time will permit; then, the reader closing, the president, in a speech, ex- horts and excites to an imitation of those excellent exam- ples ; then we all rise, and pour forth united prayers ; and when we close our prayer, as was before said, bread is brought forward, and wine, and water ; and the Pre- sident utters prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people respond, by saying amen; and a distribution and participation of the things blessed, takes place to each one present, and to those absent, it is sent by the Deacons. And those who are prosperous and willing, give what they choose, each according to his own pleasure; and what is collected, is deposited with the President; and he carefully relieves the orphans and widows, and those who from sickness or other causes are needy, and also those in prison, and the strangers that are residing with us, and in short, all that have need of help. We all commonly hold our assemblies on Sunday, because it is the first day, on which God converted the darkness and matter, and framed the world; and Jesus Christ, our Saviour, on the same day, arose from the dead." From this it seems that the Lord's Supper was at first celebrated every Sunday, and it appears to me, was like an ordinary meal among friends, devoted to some com- mon cause in which they all felt much engaged. It is certain that wine was not always used clear, as wine and 114 lord's SUPPER. water are spoken of, and portions of wine and water were sent to the sick, from the table, and I believe also to in- fants in a subsequent age, for very early, this rite was deemed essential to salvation. Some further light is thrown on this subject by the same authority—Justin Martyr, in his account of the manner of receiving new converts into the churches, about the year 150. As the account is important in other respects, and as I may have occasion again to refer to it, I will quote the whole of it. It is contained in his (so called) second Apology. " In what manner we dedicate ourselves to God, af- ter being renewed by Christ, we will now explain ; lest, by omitting this, we should seem to dissemble in our statement. Those who believe and are persuaded, that the things we teach and inculcate are true, and who pos- sess ability thus to live, are directed to pray with fasting, and to ask of God the forgiveness of their former sins ; we also fasting and praying with them. Then we con- duct them to a place where there is water; and they are regenerated [baptized] ; for they receive a washing with water, in the name of the Father of all, the Lord God, and of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit. For Christ said, Except ye be regenerated, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." " This washing is likewise called illumination ; because the minds of those who have learned these things, are en- lightened. And whoever is enlightened, is washed in the name of Jesus Christ, who was crucified under Pon- tius Pilate ; and in the name of the Holy Spirit, who by the prophets, foretold all that relates to Christ." « And after thus washing the convinced and consenting per- son, we conduct him to where the brethren, as we call them, are assembled; and there offer our united suppli- lord's supper. 115 cations, with earnestness, both for ourselves and for the enlightened person, and for all others every where ; that we may conduct ourselves as becomes those who have received the truth, and by our deeds prove ourselves good citizens, and observers of what is commanded us ; so that we may be saved with an eternal salvation. And on ending our prayers, we salute each other with a kiss. Then, there is placed before the President of the breth- ren, bread, and a cup of water and wine; which he taking, offers praise and glory to the Father of all, through the name of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and gives thanks at great length, that such blessings are vouchsaf- ed us ; and when he ends the prayers and the thanksgiv- ing, all the people present respond, amen. Now the word amen, in the Hebrew tongue, signifies so be it. And af- ter the President has given thanks, and all the people have uttered the response, those whom we call Deacons, distribute to every one present, to partake of the bread and the wine and water, over which thanks were given : and to those not present, the Deacons carry it. And this food is called by us the Eucharist; which it is unlawful for any one to partake of, unless he believes the things taught by us to be true, and has been washed with the washing for the remission of sins in regeneration, and lives according to what Christ has taught." Some Christian sects, however, even in this early age, ventured to dispute the propriety of thus celebrating the Lord's Supper. The Tatianists, or the followers of Ta- tian, a learned and distinguished man, a disciple of Jus- tin Martyr, held wine in such abhorrence, that they would not use it even in the Lord's Supper, but used wa- 116 lord's supper. ter instead. They were called Renouncers and Water drinkers, (e) In the third century, more ceremony and longer pray- ers were annexed to the celebration of the Lord's Supper. " Neither those doing penance, nor those not yet baptiz- ed, were allowed to be present at the celebration of this ordinance; which practice, it is well known, was derived from the pagan mysteries. That golden and silver ves- sels were used in it, is testified by Prudentius, among others ; and I see no reason to doubt the fact, in respect to the more opulent christian churches. The time of its administration was different, according to the state and circumstances of the churches. Some deemed the morn- ing, some the afternoon, and some the evening, to be the most suitable time for its celebration. Neither were all agreed, how often this most sacred ordinance should be repeated. But all believed it absolutely necessary to the attainment of salvation; and therefore they universally wished infants to become partakers of it. The sa- cred feast, in some places preceded, and in others follow- ed, the Lord's Supper."—[Mosheim.] In the fourth century, further alterations were made respecting this ceremony. Mosheim says—" That the Lord's Supper was administered twrice or three times a week, (though in some places, only on Sunday,) to all who assembled for the worship of God, appears from in- numerable testimonies. It was also administered at the (e) In this respect, we appear to be living in a circle. Within a short time, the Christian churches in New England and the Northern States, have commenced agitating the question about using wine at the Lord's ta- ble. Many are for renouncing it, and using cider, or wine-must, or merely water. (See the various religious newspapers for 1835, especially the New York Evangelist, and the Connecticut Observer.) lord's supper. 117 sepulchres of the martyrs, and at funerals ; whence arose, afterwards, the musses in honor of the saints, and for the dead. The bread and wine were now every where elevated, before distribution, so that they might be seen by the people, and be viewed with reverence ; and hence arose, not long after, the adoration of the symbols. Neither catechumens, nor penitents, nor those who were supposed to be under the power of evil spirits, were allowed to be present at this sacred ordinance ; nor did the sacred orators, in their public discourses, venture to speak openly and plainly concerning the true nature of it. The origin of this custom was not very honorable, as has been stated before; yet many offer an honorable excuse for it, by saying, that this concealment might awaken eagerness in the catechumens, to penetrate ear- ly into these mysteries." In subsequent times, it was still more changed; and in the eighth century, was considered the most important part of the worship of God, and was protracted to a great length. The destroying of»any part of the great sacri- fice was considered a great sin, and the loss of any por- tion a great calamity. Pope Gregory III. on this sub- ject, decided that—" If any one, through negligence, should destroy the Eucharist, i. e. the sacrifice ; let him do penance one year, or three Quadrigessimas. If he lets it fall on the ground, carelesely, he must sing fif- ty Psalms. Whoever neglects to take care of the sacri- fice, so that worms get into it, or it lose its color, or taste, must do penance twenty or thirty days; and the sacri- fice must be burned in the fire. Whoever turns up the cup at the close of the solemnity of the mass, must do penance forty days. If a drop from the cup should fall on the altar, the minister must suck up the drop, and do Us lord's supper. penance three days ; and the linen cloth, which the drop touched, must be washed three times, over the cup, and the water in which it is washed, be cast into the fire." In the ninth century, originated, according to Protes- tant writers, the doctrine of transubstantiation, which was started by Parrahasius Radbertus, though the Ro- man Catholics maintain it to be as old as the commun- ion itself. It was soon after this time generally receiv- ed, and in 1215, solemnly confirmed, by Pope Innocent III. in the fourth Lateran Council. The creed of the church on this subject is contained in certain canons pronounced in the council of Trent, session 13. The religious reformers in the time of Luther, did not agree among themselves respecting this rite, though they all condemned the opinion of the Romish Church, re- specting it. Luther took the words, " This is my body," &c, in their literal sense, and thought that the body and blood of Jesus Christ were united in a mysterious way, with the bread and wine, so that the communicant re- ceives with and under the bread and wine, the real body and real blood of the Redeemer. Zuinglius, on the oth- er side, understood the words in a figurative sense, and supposed that Jesus Christ meant to say, " the bread and the wine represent my body and my blood," and main- tained, therefore, that the bread and wine were mere signs of the body and the blood of Christ. From this difference of opinion arose a violent dispute between Lu- ther and Zuinglius, which, in later times, has been con- tinued between the Lutheran and Calvinistic divines. The opinion advanced by Calvin, by which a spiritual presence of the body and blood of Christ is supposed in the communion, though it came nearer to the Lutheran doctrine than that of Zuinglius did, yet was essentially lord's supper. 119 different, and, therefore, also met with a strong opposi- tion from the strict adherents of Luther. Melanchthon inclined to the Calvinistic notion, and so did many oth- er Lutheran divines, who were called by the opposite party Philipists and Crypto-Calvinists. The form- ula concordice, or articles of religious peace, suppressed the Crypto-Calvinists in the greatest part of the Luthe- ran church, and established the idea of Luther. In re- cent times, many Lutheran divines have inclined to the Calvinistic doctrine. The Greek church has not adopted the doctrine of transubstantiation in its whole extent; yet her doctrine comes nearer to this dogma than to that of the Reformed church. The Oriental Christians differ also from the Western, in using leavened bread in the Lord's Supper, and in administering it to children. (/) The method of celebrating this ordinance varies very much among the Protestant sects in this country, scarce- ly any two agreeing. Some celebrate it every month or oftener ; some only three or four times a year, or less. Some sects admit the members of other sects to com- mune with them, while others do not. Some receive the bread and wine kneeling, others while sitting. Some connect it with meetings of several days continuance, others with what are called love-feasts, while others make a very short ceremony of it, occupying but a short time, between the forenoon and afternoon service. The Quakers, like the ancient Paulicians, do not consider it as enjoined by Christ, and reject it entirely. Again, Christians are not agreed, respecting the arti- cles to be used. As I have stated, some insist that the bread used should be leavened, others that it should not (/) American Encyclopedia, vol. viii.—art.—Lord's Supper 120 lord's supper. be. Some use bread in considerable quantity, while others, a mere wafer. The Greek and Latin churches had a contest on the question, whether leavened or un- leavened bread should be used in the communion. Bot h churches claimed to have had their customs handed down from the Apostles. A great difference of opinion has also prevailed among Christians respecting the drink to be used. I have al- ready noticed that the Tatians, a very ancient sect, reject- ed wine and used only water ; and quite recently some portion of the churches in this country have proposed a similar change. Their reasons, however, for condemn- ing wine, are different, I presume, from those of the an- cient Tatians. Those that object to wine at present, I believe, are opposed to it, because it is not pure wine, but has alcohol in it; but the Tatians no doubt had, or could easily obtain wine of a similar quality to that used in the time of Christ. To obviate the objection, that the wine of the present day is not pure, or is not similar to that used by Christ, professedly pious people have endeavor- ed to obtain that wrhich is; as the following advertisement will show.— " Pure Wine for Cliurches. The subscribers keep on hand, of their own importa- tion, a supply of Wines, or pure juice of the grape, en- tirely free from all admixture of distilled spirits, or any other ingredient, which they sell at moderate prices for the communion service, as a substitute for the adul- terated wines, in almost universal use. They are made with great care, expressly for the subscribers, and have been procured in the belief that such wines would be preferred for the churches. The evidence they lord's supper. 121 have of their purity is unquestionable, and that they will keep sound for years, has been fully tested. They can be had in pipes, quarter-casks, half-quarter-casks, de- mijohns, and cases of one dozen bottles each, and can be shipped to any part of the United States. All orders will be promptly attended to. Pomeroy & Bull, Water-street, New-York. New-York, Oct. 1834." To this advertisement, which has been extensively circulated in the religious papers of the country, is ap- pended a certificate, signed by several clergymen, and men renowned for piety, stating that they believe the wines of P. & B. are pure and suitable to be used in the communion service. Whether Messrs. P. & B. have met with encouragement in this attempt to remedy what many consider an evil, or whether this "pure juice of the grape," has come into general use, I am unable to say. I believe it has not: for several years previous to this the same gentlemen endeavored by similar means to induce churches to purchase their " Burgundy wine warranted pure," for the communion service ; but they did not succeed to much extent. Some have proposed cider as a substitute, this being the common drink and natural production of this country, as wine was of Palestine. A Reverend clergyman of this town told me that tamarind water was used in some churches, and the New-York Christian Intelligencer of July 4th, 1835, says, " We hear of churches introducing tamarind water, and mo- lasses and water—for the wine cup; and recently we have heard of a church using buttermilk." A late wri- ter in the Connecticut (religious) Observer, who is known ♦Ml 122 lord's supper. to be a highly respectable and venerable clergyman in an adjoining towm, is opposed even to pure wine, cider, &c. &c. He says—" Not a drop of liquor which can produce intoxication, ought the church ever to use in the celebration of the Lord's Supper." The question ap- pears to be deemed by many of the clergy of this coun- try a very important one, and is awakening much dis- cussion. How it will be decided, time only can determine. Let us now, in the second place, inquire what are the instructions of Christ on this subject. It is very evident, from the preceding history, that they were not explicit and precise, or there certainly w7ould not have been such a strange diversity of opinion respecting the manner of celebrating it. Even now7, after eighteen centuries of disputation, the proper and just manner of celebrating it is a matter of dispute in the Christian church, and among members of the same sect. The first account given of it in the scripture is in the New Testament. Nothing is foretold of it in the Old Testament, nor is any thing mentioned of Christ's in- tention to institute it, or of the necessity or use of it. Matthew gives us the following account of it. " Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread, the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover ? Aud he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand ; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples. And the disci- ples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made rea- dy the passover. Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve. And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I ? And he answer- lord's supper. 223 ed and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. The Son of man goeth as it is written of him : but wo unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed ! it had been good for that man if he had not been born. Then Judas, which be- trayed him, answered and said, Master, is it 17 He said unto him, Thou hast said. And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the re- mission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. And when they had sung a hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives." In our common version, this portion of the chapter is headed—" The holy supper instituted,"—but surely no one will say this is correct; for here is certainly no inti- mation, or any command whatever, given to his disci- ples or any one else to continue it. If any thing can be inferred from it, of a practical duty for his disciples, it ap- pears to me it would be to renounce the use of wine in this world as Christ himself then did. St. Mark—xiv. 12—26,—says—" And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou may est eat the passover? And he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him. And whereso- ever he shall go in, say ye to the good man of the house, 124 lord's supper. the Master saith, Where is the guest-chamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples 7 And he will show you a large upper room furnished and prepared : there make ready for us. And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover. And in the evening he cometh with the twelve. And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me. And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it 17 and another said, Is it 17 And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the twelve that dippeth with me in the dish. The Son of man indeed goeth as it is written of him: but wo to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed ! good were it for that man if he had never been born. And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them; and they all drank of it. And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many. Verily I say unto you I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God. And when they had sung a hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives." Here again is no command to continue the practice. The account is similar to that of Matthew ; indeed Cal- met and others, consider the gospel of Mark as but an abridgement of Matthew. St. Luke—xxii. 7, 23,—says: " Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed. And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover that we may eat. And they said unto him, Lord's supper. i25 Where wilt thou that we prepare? AnA he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entering into the cityj there shall a man meet you, having a pitcher of water ; follow him into the house where he entereth in. And ye shall say unto the good man of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guest-chamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples 7 And he shall show you a large upper room furnished : there make ready. And they went, and found as he had said unto them : and they made ready the passover. And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve Apostles with him. And he said unto them, With desire I have de- sired to eat this passover with you before I suffer : For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. And he took the cup and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves : For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you : this do in remembrance of me. Like- wise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you. But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table. And truly the Son of man goeth, as was determined : but wo unto that man by whom he is be- trayed ! And they began to inquire among themselves, which of them it was that should do this thing." Here it will be noticed, that in several particulars, the account differs from that of Matthew or Mark. This may be accounted for, from the fact that Luke was not present, and the same is true of Mark. There is, to be sure a slight command contained in the words—" This 126 lord's supper. do in remembrance of me ;" but this was said of eating the bread, and not of drinking the wine. But of all the Evangelists, we should naturally look to John, for a full and distinct account of this ceremony, said to have been instituted by Christ, and binding upon all his followers ; for John was present at the last sup- per, where he lay on the bosom of Jesus, and for whom our Saviour had a particular friendship. But on exam- ining his gospel, we do not find the subject noticed at all. It may be said that John did not intend to allude to cir- cumstances which are noticed in the other Gospels— that he was aware of the other gospels, and avoided the topics on which they treated. If this were true, it would still appear surprising that he who must have had the most perfect knowledge of the ceremony, did not allude to it. But it is not true, for John does mention things, and those too of apparently trivial importance, which the others have also mentioned. Besides, there is not proof that he had ever seen the gospels of the other Evangelists, of which, undoubtedly, there were very few copies ; and some writers, particularly Sender and Titt- man, say that John's gospel wras written prior to the oth- ers. This may not be correct, though nothing positive is known about it. Thus wre see the gospel affords but very slight ground for asserting that this ceremony was instituted by Christ. Some of the most devout of the Christian sects have not believed that he did so; as, for instance, the Quakers, and some of the most pure of the ancient churches. The Paulicians, who spread through Armenia and other coun- tries in the seventh century, who abhorred the worship of saints and the use of relics and images, pompous cere- monies, and ecclesiastical domination, and who for cen- lord's supper. 127 turies endured a series of the most bloody persecutions from the othodox sovereigns of the church of Rome, dis- pensed with thelites of Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Those early and faithful Christians did not believe that Christ intended they should continue them In fact it is to me very surprising on examining the subject, that this custom has so long prevailed, when there is so very slight authority from Scripture, and none from reason, for its continuance. The following remarks, from the excellent Robert Barclay, appear to me to be irrefutable :— " We find this ceremony only mentioned in scripture in four places, to wit Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and by Paul to the Corinthians. If any would infer any thing from the frequency of the mentioning of it, that will add nothing; for it being a matter of fact, is there- fore mentioned by the evangelists ; and there are other things less memorable, as often, yea, oftener mentioned. Mattheio and Mark give only an account of the mat- ter of fact, without any precept to do so afterwards ; sim- ply declaring, that Jesus at that time did desire them to eat of the bread and drink of the cup ; to which Luke adds these words, This do in remembrance of me. If we consider this action of Christ with his apostles, there will appear nothing singular in it for a foundation to such a strange superstructure as many in their airy imaginations have sought to build upon it; for both Matthew and Mark express it as an act done by him as he was eating. Matthew saith, And as they were eat- ing ; and Mark, And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, eye. Now this act was no singular thing, neither any solemn institution of a gospel ordinance ; because it was a constant custom among the Jews, as Paulus 128 lord's supper. Riccius observes at length in his Celestial Agriculture, that when they did eat the passover, the Master of the family did take bread, and bless it, and breaking it, gave of it to the rest; and likewise taking wine, did the same; so that there can nothing further appear in this, than that Jesus Christ, who fulfilled all righteousness, and also observed the Jewish feasts and customs, used this also among his disciples only, that as in most other things he labored to draw their minds to a further thing, so in the use of this he takes occasion to put them in mind of his death and sufferings, which were shortly to be ; which he did the oftener inculcate unto them, for that they were averse from believing it. And as for that expression of Luke, Do this in remembrance of me, it will amount to no more than this, that being the last time that Christ did eat with his disciples, he desir- ed them, that in their eating and drinking they might have regard to him, and by the remembering of that op- portunity, be the more stirred up to follow him diligent- ly through sufferings and death, &x. But what man of reason, laying aside the prejudice of education, and the influence of tradition, will say, that this account of the matter of fact given by Matthew and Mark, or this expression of Luke, to Do that in remembrance of him, will amount to these consequences, which the gen- erality of Christians have sought to draw from it; as calling it, Augustissimum Eucharistice Sacramen- tum, venerabile altaris Sacr amentum ; the principal seal of the covenant of grace, by which all the bene- fits of Christ's death are sealed in believers; and such like things ?" Having shewn, as it appears to me, that this rite, which has led to great contention and even to the shedding of much blood, derives no support from the in- lord's supper. 129 structions of Christ, I proceed to say that it ought to be abandoned, because it may, and no doubt often does prove injurious to health. As I have said, when the ceremony is short, when but little and good wine and bread is used, and no meals interfered with, it is not per- haps to be objected to on this account. But there is much objection to some persons using any wine, and more es- pecially so, if it be impure. It is poison to some persons. To this objection we might add that it frequently inter- rupts the usual meal, and often confines persons in un- comfortable houses and postures, for a long time, to the injury of those in feeble health, to the very aged and the young. I know it may be said that but a small quantity of wine is drank; and I presume this is the fact gen- erally ; yet I see by published statements, that some clergymen of experience, think that so much is often taken, as to excite the system, and even lead to habits of intoxication. The Connecticut Observer for April 20th, 1835, contains a communication from a dis- tinguished and aged clergyman (g) of a neighboring town, who has many years been pastor of the church where he now officiates, in which he asks—" Is not much of the edification thought to be enjoyed by the di- vine smiles on sacramental services, mere animal feel- ing, excited by that hideous spirit ?"—meaning, the al- coholic spirit contained in the wine. Others tell us, of " the deep, long swallow sometimes witnessed by the officers of the church when the cup is presented," and state that " reformed drunkards have gone directly from the communion table to the tavern." (See New York Evangelist for June 27, 1835.) (g) Dr. Chapin, of Wethersfield. 130 lord's supper. These insinuations and statements are made by ex- perienced clergymen,—men renowned for piety. Per- haps they are not exactly correct; still they may be, and if so, they afford additional and strong reasons for dis- continuing the ceremony entirely. But, let the whole subject be re-examined now ; and instead of contending whether wine or cider, or tamarind water, or wine must, or pure water, or leavened or un- leavened bread should be used, let a careful examina- tion be made whether Christ actually enjoined the cele- bration of this rite at all. If he did positively enjoin it upon his followers by his word and example, then it may be inquired whether they are at liberty to vary from his word and example. And if they have, may they not be permitted so to vary from it, that other arti- cles besides bread and w7ine may "represent the body and blood of Christ ?" If this be conceded, then some objections will be done away, and harmony on this sub- ject be restored to the protestant church in this region. While on this subject, I deem it proper to add my conviction that the continuance of this ceremony, and the dissensions among Christians respecting it, will tend to lessen in the minds of reflecting and inquiring men, their respect for those, who profess to be governed by the Christian dispensation. They see nothing of a moral or instructive nature in this ceremony; but they see it in strange contrast with Christ's teachings, all of which were calculated to make men better. In these, he al- ways kept himself out of sight; but the observance of this rite, seems to be a kind of worship of Christ himself, which, it appears to me, he never enjoined upon all his followers. BAPTISM. 131 Of Baptism. In regard to this ceremony, I propose to pursue the same course of inquiry, that I have done in relation to that of the Lord's Supper ;—first, to learn what the cer- emony has been ; second, what the gospel of Christ en- joins respecting it; and third, to consider its effects upon the health. We learn from Mosheim, that " in the first century, baptism was administered, in convenient places, without the public assemblies ; and by immersing the candidates wholly in water. At first, all who were engaged in pro- pagating Christianity, administered this rite : nor can it be called in question, that whoever persuaded any per- son to embrace Christianity, could baptise his own dis- ciple." In the second century, says the same historian, "ma- ny ceremonies took their rise from the custom of the Egyptians and of almost all the eastern nations, of con- veying instruction by images, actions, and sensible signs and emblems. The Christian doctors, therefore, thought it would be advantageous to the cause of Chris- tianity, to place the truths which are necessary to be known, in order to salvation, as it were, before the eyes of the unreflecting multitude, who with difficulty con- template abstract truths. The new converts were to be taught, that those who are born again, who are initiated by baptism, into the Christian worship, and that they ought to exhibit in their conduct the innocence of little infants: therefore, milk and honey, the common food of infants, was administered to them."' " Twice a year, namely, at Easter and Whitsuntide, (Paschatis et 132 BAPTISM. Pentecostis diebus,) baptism was probably administer- ed by the bishop, or by the Presbyters acting by his command and authority. The candidates for it were immersed wholly in water, with invocation of the sacred Trinity, according to the Saviour's precept, after they had repeated what they called the Creed, (Symbolum,) and had renounced all their sins and transgressions, and especially the devil and his pomp. The baptised were signed with the cross, anointed, commended to God by prayer and imposition of hands, and finally directed to taste some milk and honey." In the third century, " Baptism was publicly admin- istered, twice a year, to candidates who had gone through a long preparation and trial, none being present as spec- tators, but such as had been themselves baptized. The effect of baptism was supposed to be the remission of sins : and the bishop, by the imposition of hands and prayer, it was believed, conferred those gifts of the Holy Spirit which were necessary for living a holy life. None were admitted to the sacred font, until the exorcist had, by a solemn and menacing formula, declared them free from servitude to the prince of darkness and made ser- vants of God. The persons baptized, returned home, decorated with a crown and a white robe ; the first being indicative of their victory over the world and their lusts, the latter, of their acquired innocence." Without tracing more minutely the history of this cer- emony, I will merely say that baptism has prevailed as a religious rite, among all sects, whether Heathen, Jews or Mahometans, and probably originated from the ne- cessity of frequent bathings and ablutions. It was prac- ticed by the Jews before Christ, and every converted hea- then was washed as a symbol of his purification from the BAPTISM. 133 stains of his previous life. Baptism became a Christian ceremony, and, in the time of the apostles, consisted in being dipped into water, and taking a new name. The immersion of the whole body was omitted in case of the sick. After several centuries, the mode of baptism by sprinkling was resorted to in consequence of the incon- venience of immersing the whole body, in the northern climates of Europe. In the early centuries of the Chris- tian church, the delay of baptism after conversion was not uncommon ; but when St. Augustine taught that the " unbaptized were irrevocably damned," all be- came anxious not to delay any longer, and also caused the baptism of children to become general, (h) The Montanists baptize the dead, and the Roman Catholics the bells of churches, even to the present day. The Roman and Greek Catholics consecrate the water previous to baptism, though the Protestants do not; but in some countries they continue the practice of exorcism. In the United States, most religious sects sprinkle, though the Baptists always, and some other sects occa- sionally, immerse. Most sects also baptize infants, and this by the Episcopalians is called " regeneration." II. What are the instructions of Christ on this sub- ject? It appears from Matt. iii. 6, 11, that John baptized with water, but he said Christ would baptize "with the Holy Ghost and with fire." Christ himself was baptiz- (h) The Roman Church, the Jansenists, and some other Christian sects, believe in the damnation of infants not baptised. This belief, no doubt, led to the following grave suggestion of Dr. Fodere in the second volume of his Medicine Legale, 1813, " Quant au bapteme,il mesemble qu 'il sera toujours facile de 1' administrer, apres, avoir percc les membranes, par le moyen d' un seringue a injection." See other instructions on this subject in De la Motte. Trait complet des Accouchemens. 134 BAPTISM. ed, but it appears to have been done in conformity with established usages; for the same reason Timothy was circumcised. Christ himself baptized no one; if he considered this a rite of so much importance, why did he not inculcate it by his example ! True, he com- manded his followers to go forth and preach the gospel, baptizing the converted in the name of the Father, Son. and Holy Ghost. But to me, this command appears to have been given in reference to the name to be given them ;—i. e. induce men to repent and reform, and to embrace the new religious views which he every where insists upon, and to show their devotion to it in the ordi- nary way of that age, by taking a new name, (t) John did not enjoin his disciples to continue his bap- tism, which was with water, but said Christ w7ould come and " baptize with the Holy Ghost and fire." It is of no consequence in this inquiry, what this* baptism with the Holy Ghost and with fire, means; in fact, biblical crit- ics do not agree respecting it; but it is evident it does not mean with water. I scarcely need say to any one who reads the Scrip- tures, that infant baptism is not there enjoined at all; yet, as I have said, it very generally prevails, and by some is considered regeneration, though many who re- sort to it do not admit this. The Jansenists believed it essential to the salvation of infants, and many of the Protestant sects inclined to this opinion. In the third place, I am to consider the effect this ceremony has upon the health. I am aware that in warm countries, or in the warm (i) On this subject, see an account of it, and the refutation of the opin- ion, that it is an institution of Christ, by Robert Barclay, in his « Apolo-v for the Quakers." oJ BAPTISM. 135 weather of temperate climates, frequent ablution is not injurious, but useful, and in such countries, I know that the practice is unobjectionable, as regards health, when resorted to as a religious duty. But in cold climates and in cold weather, it is hazardous, as every one knows. To be immersed in cold water, and to remain in wet clothes, oftenfor a considerable time, certainly must expose people, and particularly females and invalids, to great danger, (j) Sometimes in this country, holes are cut in the ice in rivers, to baptize in winter. Surely such a practice deserves reprehension. Some churches have a large bathing tub, and can warm the water; this course is less objectionable. But the practice of carrying little infants to church in the cold, to be baptized, is still more reprehensible, and in many countries, is the cause of innumerable deaths. M. M. Edwards and Villerme, in 1829, addressed to the Royal Institut de France, a memoir on the.Influence of Temperature on the mortality of Infants, in which they say the facts show, that many more infants die in winter than in warm weather ; and they urge these facts upon the attention of ministers of religion and legislators, as proving that the exposure of infants to the cold in carry- ing them to be baptized, is one great cause of this increas- ed mortality. These facts have been verified by Doct. (j ) A few facts in proof of this have come under our notice. We have known females become sick after being thus immersed in cold water.— They were in good health previously, and took cold at the time, which caused disease of the lungs. One of those to whom we allude, never left the house after the immersion, and death ensued in a few months. We lately noticed an account of a female in the last stages of consumption, be- ing baptized through a hole cut in the ice for that purpose. She died soon after.—>e\v-York Christian Intelligencer, July 11th, 1835. 136 BAPTISM. Trevisan of Italy, whose researches were principally made at Castel Franco and its environs. He also at- tributes much of this increased mortality to the exposure of children at church to be baptized, (k) Having shown that this ceremony w7as neither abso- lutely enjoined or practised by Christ—that no precise rules are given concerning it—that religious sects do not agree as to the manner of administering it, and are kept disunited solely on account of this disagreement—and that it may be injurious to the health, especially of the feeble, and of infants, and in cold climates, I think the practice ought to be abandoned. Some other ceremonies are alluded to in the New Testament, which appear to me to be much more strong- ly enjoined upon the followers of Christ than either of those I have considered, particularly that of washing one another's feet; and I much wonder why it has not been practised, or rather, why those who thought they were at liberty to neglect this, did not feel equally at lib- erty to omit the ceremonies of Baptism, and the Lord's Supper. The reasoning of Robert Barclay on this sub- ject deserves great attention, and appears to me unan- swerable. " But to give a further evidence, how these consequen- ces have not any bottom from the practice of that ceremo- ny, nor from the words following, Do this, fyc, let us consider another of the like nature, as it is at length ex- pressed by John, chap. xiii. 3, 4, 8, 13, 14, 15. Jesus risethfrom supper, and laid aside his garments, and took a towel, and girded himself: after that, he pour- eth water into a basin, and began to wash the disci- (k) " Revue Medicale," 1835. BAPTISM. 137 pies'1 feet; and to wipe them with the towel xeherewith he was girded: Peter said unto him, Thou shalt nev- er wash my feet: Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. So after he had washed their feet,—he said, Know ye what I have done to you ? If I, then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another's feet: for I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. As to which, let it be observed, that John relates this passage to have been done at the same time with the other oibreaking bread; both being done the night of the passover^ after supper. If we regard the narration of this, and the circumstan- ces attending it, it was done with far more solemnity, and prescribed far more punctually and particularly than the former. It is said only, As he toas eating, he took bread ; so that this would seem to be but an occasional business : but here he rose up, he laid by his gar- ments, he girded himself , he poured out the water, he washed their feet, he wiped them with a towel: he did this to all of them; which are circumstances still far more observable than those noted in the other. The former was a practice common among the Jews, used by all masters of families upon that occasion ; but this, as to the manner, and person acting it, to wit, for the master to rise up, and wash the feet of his servants and disciples, w7as more singular and observable. In the breaking of bread, and giving of wine, it is not pleaded by our adversaries, nor yet mentioned in text, that he particularly put them into the hands of all; but break- ing it, and blessing it, gave it the nearest, and so they from hand to hand: but here it is mentioned, that he washed not the feet of one or two, but of many. He 12* 138 BAPTISM. saith not in the former, that if they do not eat of that bread, and drink of that wine, they shall be prejudi- ced by it; but here he saith expressly to Peter, that if he wash him not, he hath no part with him; which being spoken upon Peter's refusing to let him wash his feet, would seem to import no less, than not the continu- ance only, but even the necessity of this ceremony. In the former he saith, as it were passingly, Do this in re- membrance of me ; but here he sitteth down again, he desires them to consider what he hath done, tells them positively, that as he hath done to them, so ought they to do to one a7iother: and yet again he redoubles that pre- cept, by telling them, he has given them an example, that they should do likewise. If we respect the nature of the thing, it hath as much in it as either baptism ox the breaking of bread ; seeing it is an outward element of a cleansing nature, applied to the outward man, by the command and the example of Christ, to signify an inward purifying. I would willingly propose this seri- ously to men, who will be pleased to make use of that reason and understanding that God hath given them^ and not be imposed upon, nor abused by the custom or tradition of others ; Whether this ceremony, if we re- spect either the time that it was appointed in, or the circumstances wherewith it was performed, or the command enjoining the use of it, hath not as much to recommend it for a standing ordinance of the gos- pel, as either water-baptism, or bread and wine, or any other of that kind ?" The command to " salute one another with a kiss," was positive, and often enjoined, yet modern Christians very properly disregard it: though the primitive Chris- tians observed it. See Bishop Lincoln on Tertullian. CHAPTER V. PLACES OF WORSHIP, INCONVENIENCE OF HOUSES, NIGHT MEETINGS, CAMP MEETINGS, PROTRACTED MEETINGS, RINGING OF BELLS. Places of Worship. There is not perhaps any thing more beautiful in the scenery of New England, than the churches and spires that are seen in almost every town. They are general- ly built of wood, painted white, and impress the traveller with favorable ideas of the order and piety of the inhab- itants around. I wish.I could say that these churches are as comfortable for worshippers, as they are beautiful to the observer; but in truth they are not. In general they are poorly built, and badly keep out the cold of winter and the heat of summer. The seats, usually un- supplied with cushions, are very uncomfortable places to remain in, even for two or three hours. Many of these churches are placed upon the tops of hills, where they are exposed to the violence of wind and cold, unprotect- ed by woods or rising ground. They have neither in- side nor outside shutters to the windows, and as they are greatly lighted, the heat of a summer's sun is exceed- ingly oppressive. But this can be better endured than the cold of win- ter. Within a very few years, however, this evil has 140 PLACES OF WORSHIP. been greatly lessened, and many churches have had stoves placed in them, and are partially warmed ; but even now, I presume one quarter of the churches in New England, in the country towns, are destitute of any means of being warmed, and those thus unsupplied are the churches situated in the most bleak and cold places in the country. The suffering from this cause is great, and many fives, 1 have no doubt, have been sacrificed in consequence. In the early part of my life, I attended, for several years, one of the churches in Berkshire county, Massachusetts, in a town containing near 2000 inhabitants, many of whom lived from four to six miles from the church. The winters then wrere very severe, yet the church wTas every sabbath wTell fill- ed ; many of the congregation coming from home as early as nine or ten o'clock in the morning, and remain- ing until nearly night, with but little food, and often not leaving the place of worship until the close of the after- noon services. But though human suffering in such cases is severe, yet far greater is that of the horses, that convey the peo- ple to the church, and kept in the cold all day. It has always appeared to me surprising, that rest for beasts on the sabbath was not thought a more important duty by Christians, than it is ; a subject I shall again allude to. During the extreme cold weather of last winter, on a sabbath when the thermometer was several degrees be- low zero, I visited two of the towns adjoining Hartford ; in one of which I counted forty, and in the other, thirty horses, fastened around the churches, many of them un- protected by sheds or by blankets. I regarded it then as extreme cruelty, and now take the opportunity to say that it deserves severe reprehension, as being unmerciful PLACES OF WORSHIP. 141 and unjustifiable abuse. Some may say, that people are obliged to ride, because the distance is so great; but this is seldom the case. People in this country have unfor- tunately fostered a dislike to walking. No people in the world walk so little as the New Englanders—a matter of regret, as walking is a very useful exercise, beneficial to health. I hope therefore that those who are desirous of doing rightly, will consider this treatment of brutes, and one day in seven, allow them a day of rest, especial- ly when nothing prevents but their own reluctance to walking a few miles. Houses of worship are usually much larger than are necessary, and much of the interi- or is not occupied with seats as it might be. 1 should recommend that more care be taken to build churches well, with thick walls of brick or stone ; the latter is preferable, and being very abundant in most parts of this country, churches can be built of it for a less expense than of brick. The window's should be but few, and so constructed that they can be easily open- ed and shut, and they should have both inside and out- side shutters or blinds. No doors should open from the outside directly into the church, but there should be a large ante-room, and in winter the doors should be well closed. The seats should be cushioned, the floor carpeted, and the house in winter, well warmed. Great care should be used to insure proper ventilation. In fine, more pains should be taken to make houses of worship comfortable, and thus comfort will contribute to a love of devotion, and the church will become a pleasant place of resort, instead of being, as it has often been, as- sociated in the mind with much that is dreary and pain- ful. A good location is necessary, where the house will be 142 CHAPELS. protected from bleak winds ; and all churches should be surrounded with a grove of shade trees. In the country, a number of small warm barns should be built around the churches, to protect the horses. Sheds open in front are not sufficiently warm for this purpose. Public opinion should not permit any man to leave a horse unprotect- ed from the storm and cold, while he attends church. Of Chapels, or Conference Rooms. There are other houses, besides churches, which are of- ten used to worship in, and these are frequently very bad- ly constructed and arranged. They are called chapels, or conference rooms-; sometimes a school-house is used, and often a room under the church serves for this pur- pose. In these places, evening meetings are frequently held, which are often greatly crowded. These rooms being poorly ventilated, the air soon becomes unwhole- some. Instead of being too cold, they are too warm. I have often seen two or three hundred people crowded in- to a school-house of a winter's evening, all complaining of heat, and yet none of them putting on additional cloth- ing when they went out. I have known much sickness caused by this practice, and if such meetings are to be continued, more care should be taken in this respect. All houses of worship should have an ante-room, fitted up to receive extra garments, to be put off and on, when going in or out of the meeting. I deem this subject a very important one in this coun- try. In most parts of New England, are numerous night meetings, both in winter and summer. They are attended by women—indeed, to my observation more women than men—and especially of the younger NIGHT MEETINGS. 143 portion of this sex, attend them. It is this class that are more particularly disposed to consumption and com- plaints of the lungs. I have no doubt a great number of cases of this kind may be traced to the erroneous customs of which I have spoken. Clergymen in this country are very unhealthy; a great many suffer from inflammation about the throat, which in several instances I have known to originate from preaching in over-heated houses, and then going into the cold air. Night Meetings. By night meetings, I mean those wThich are holden for religious purposes, and now frequent in almost every town in the northern States of this Union. This frequency is, however, of modern origin. Forty years since, as I have been informed by aged clergymen, religious meetings in the evening were almost unknown ; but now most of the Calvinistic, Methodist and Baptist churches in New England, and in the Northern and Middle States, have two, three or more meetings in the evening every week, and for aught I know, this practice is prevalent in the Southern and Western States also. What are called Monthly Concerts for prayer, meetings to hear accounts of, or to aid the Bible, Missionary, Tract, Education, Seamen, Colonization, Abolition, and other charitable and religious Societies, are usually held in the evening, and most, if not all, the churches, have every week, one or more conference or prayer meetings in the evening. Whenever there is any topic which is, or can be made, interesting or exciting, as for instance, the subject of slavery, of temperance, the sufferings, real 144 NIGHT MEETINGS. or supposed, of our Indians, or of the Greeks; the church- es are opened in the evening, for itinerant lecturers on these topics, and multitudes flock to hear them. I do not exaggerate when 1 say that more than one half the evenings in the year, the churches in this re- gion, or the conference rooms connected with them, are open and filled with men, women and children. Most ofthese meetings are in small and crowded houses, and generally a majority of the congregation are females. They continue usually about two hours, sometimes, however, much longer. (I) One other fact important to state, is, that many of those who are most regular in their attendance on these meetings at the church where they usually worship, also attend the evening meetings at other churches Thus I have often known instances, of females particularly, attending at their own church one evening, at another the next, and at a third and a fourth church, on other evenings in the same week. This, to be sure, may have been on extraordinary oc- casions ; a negro was to preach, or a very popular clergy- man, or one they had never heard before, or one from a great town, or a great distance, or who had been to Chi- na, or to Africa, or among the Indians, or in prison, or in some way had made himself notable among a portion of the religious community. None will question the facts above stated, for none can have failed of observing them, for several years in this region; and every one will admit that such a course may be greatly injurious to health. Reason and obser- vation will convince any candid person that there is dan- ger in continuing such practices; and still there are no (l) Some have lasted all night, at camp and protracted meetings. NIGHT MEETINGS. 145 facts to show the great importance or the necessity of adopting such a course of conduct. Every one must see, too, that it is encouraging a kind of thea- tre-going spirit, i. e. a love of excitement, incompati- ble with a love of domestic life and patient study and re- search at home. But I have the evidence of my own observation, that it is injurious to health, particularly of females. Some of them who have been frequent attendants on eve- ning meetings, have told me they have themselves noticed that their health had been affected, and a ten- dency to nervous diseases increased by this course. And as I have hinted, the health is greatly en- dangered by going into these meetings which are usual- ly crowded, and when the air is vitiated and hot, and then going directly into the cold, after the meeting, with- out, any additional clothing, as is usually the case. I have known sickness caused by such procedure, and have kno*vn some females thus ruin their health. But there are other objections to these meetings, found- ed on the influence of the night, or night air, upon the human system. It is a fact mentioned by numerous medical writers, (m) that the night aggravates diseases, and that then the tendency to disease is increased. All ca- tarrhal affections, all disorders of the head, and nervous and hysterical diseases are increased at evening, as like- wise the tendency to apoplexy and palsy. It is therefore requisite that those who are at all disposed to such com- plaints, or who may wish to avoid them, should be par- ticularly careful to pass the hours of evening, previous to retiring to sleep, quietly at home. Of two females, both (m) Ramazzini, Huxham, Pringle, Virey, &c. 13 146 NIGHT MEETINGS. equally healthy, one, who remains at home unexcited, would remain well, while the other, by attending eve- ning meetings several times a week, would become neiv- ous, and ultimately such an invalid as to be unfitted for labor, or for the duties of a mother. The cause would be the excitement of the mind in the evening, an ex- citement frequently of a terrific, or at least, not of a pleasurable nature, which operating on the nervous system, would dispose to sleeplessness, or disturbed rest, and ultimately would injure the health. The danger to be apprehended fiom taking cold, by thus frequenting evening meetings, and of laying the foundation of that most formidable of all our diseases, consumption, is so obvious that I need only allude to it. From observation I know that the practice is inju- rious to the health, particularly of females, and all of delicate systems and of nervous temperaments; and believe that parents and guardians should be extremely careful to guard those committed to their care against this danger. No one will pretend that these meetings are enjoined upon Christians by the Bible, and surely reason does not sanction them. No information, or any thing of use, can be obtained at them which might not as well be obtained at home ; except the excitement, which in- stead of being useful, is dangerous. Besides, they have the effect to discourage reading and calm inquiry. I have known people all anxiety to hear a man who had visited China or some other country, give a lecture describing the places he had visited ; yet these persons had never taken pains to inform themselves respecting those countries, by reading any of the full and authentic accounts of them, to be found in numerous books. NIGHT MEETINGS. 147 An occasional meeting in the evening is not very objectionable, and I certainly should not have alluded to the subject, were they not exceedingly frequent. Many of the meetings held in the evening for the transaction of business had better be held during the day. Others had better be relinquished, and the people told by the clergy to stay at home and read for them- selves, on the subject they wish to investigate; and instead of setting apart more evenings for particular religious purposes,—as for instance, one for a Sabbath school concert of prayer, another to pray for the heathen, and others for something else, under the plea that it will have a powerful effect for all Christendom to pray at the same hour, let them reflect that much in this way the numerous festivals and other foolish observances of the Roman Catholic Church originated.(n) Every one knows that attendance on theatres and balls is injurious to health. That hundreds of females lose their lives, from complaints produced by attending them, few will doubt. Though I consider dancing to be a beneficial exercise, and wish it were more general in private houses, yet public balls, continued to a late hour of the night, are in many respects dangerous. Attend- ance on theatres may not be as injurious to the body, but it is usually profitless if not dangerous to the mind. I mean, however, those theatres of this country and England, at which many of the plays performed are often indecent and vulgar, and tend to excite the worst propensities. (n) I do not moan to dauy tha many of the festivals of the Christian Church, before the inventions of f rinting, were serviceable, by affording opportunities for instructing t he populace in religious truth ; though I am aware that many of them were derived from very ancient customs prevail. ing in Egypt, Persia and India., 148 CAMP MEETINGS. But I consider theatres and balls as less injurious to the health of the people of this country than religious night meetings ; because attendance on the former is far less frequent. Probably not more than one female out of two or three hundred attends a ball in a year, or at the most not more than three or four ; and of the same number, not more than four or five go to the theatre more than half a dozen times in a season, and these are confined to the large towns. But throughout the whole community, at least 25, if not 50 out of one hundred females, between the ages of 15 and 50, at- tend religious meetings at least 100 or 150 nights in a year. In conclusion, I consider the great prevalence of night meetings, and the tendency to an increase of them, as dangerous and alarming, and as calling for the repre- hension of all who wish well to their fellow-creatures. I would particularly appeal to the intelligent and in- fluential clergy ; I cannot doubt but they view the subject much as I do, for I have heard that some of them thus express themselves; though they justified their own conduct in having them, by saying there was no other way to keep their congregations together, that other churches had them, and such was the desire of attending, that the people would seek them out. Of Camp Meetings. By Camp meetings, I mean meetings of numerous individuals, out of doors, usually in the woods, for the purpose of devoting themselves for several successive days and nights to prayer, and to attendance on other CAMP MEETINGS. 149 religious exercises. These meetings derive their name from the fact that the people who attend them, camp out, in tents which they erect for the purpose, where they live and lodge during the meeting, which usually continues from five to seven days. Such meetings are of very ancient origin, and have been known among people of various religions. The devotees of Egypt and India have from time immemo- rial been accustomed to assemble in vast multitudes, and pitch their tents, in which they live for several suc- cessive days, devoting themselves te religious exercises. But the Christian sect called Methodists, though they did not, even among Christians, commence camp meetings, have of late resorted to them in this country, far more than any other denomination.(o) I have attended several of the Methodist camp meetings, and have had full accounts of others, and am enabled to say that usually a large concourse of people of both sexes are present,—that some kind of religious service, either praying, singing, or preaching, is attended to most of the time during the day, often far into the night, and sometimes through the night,—and that the accommodations in the tents, especially for females, are bad. A writer in " Zion's Herald, (a religious paper, pub- lished at Boston, under the patronage of the New Eng- land Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church,) says—" It is now (1824,) about twenty three years since the Methodists in this country began to hold camp meetings, and to keep a feast unto the Lord in the wil- (o) The Presbyterians formerly advocated them, then for a while con. demned them, but of late some Presbyterian churches in this country have again resorted to them. 13* 150 CAMP MEETINGS. derness." Since then, these meetings have been very common, the Methodists believing them to be of great utility. To give the reader an accurate idea of these meetings, I will quote a few accounts of them from the Methodist papers and magazines. In Zion's herald for Sept. 15th, 1824, is the following account of one, in a letter to the editor, which was holden in Lyndon, Ver- mont. " Dear Brother, "With pleasure I transmit the following account of the camp meeting which commenced at Lyndon, Vt., 31st of August. The weather appeared the first two days rather unfavorable, " But behind a frowning Prov- idence, He hid a smiling face." In answer to the united prayer of his people, the clouds dispersed, and a smiling sun cheered both earth and sky. It has been doubted whether a clear sky would have been more beneficial, or that the meeting would have been more successful; our brethren were young, and principally unacquainted with the usages of camp meetings:—during the rainy season, they became disciplined in the tents to the im- portant duty of prayer; and the effectual fervent prayer of God's people effected much. We cannot say this was the greatest meeting of the kind ever known ; but we can say it was the best we ever witnessed. We hardly had a poor sermon upon the occasion. I should be happy, had I room, to give you the heads of all the ser- mons. There were a large number of brethren upon the ground—48 tents, and some of them unusually large—perhaps 3000 or 3500 was the greatest number on the ground. " The introductory prayer, offered by Br. J. Lord, in which he consecrated to God the ground, the tents, the CAMP MEETINGS. 151 preachers, and the brethren, and all connected with the encampment, was truly interesting and solemn. Hav- ing been dedicated to God, we gave ourselves unto him and one another, and went about the great business for wrhich we came together. And truly our labor was not in vain in the Lord. The first evening was crowned with six souls under deep awakenings ; but the revival was more powerful the next day and evening ;—we had good reason to believe fifteen were brought into the liberty of the sons of God. The spirit of the Lord in the encampment was like leaven—the grain of mus- tard seed put forth and became a tree. Thursday was to us truly an interesting day: between twenty and thirty gave hopeful evidence of their conversion to God. Friday was to us the day of God. It was ' the last day of the feast;' and ' Jesus stood and cried,'—nor did he in vain—eighty mourning pen- itents came to the altar for prayers : and glory be to God in the highest, there was joy with the angels in the conversion of sinners. We had reason to hope that not far from forty were brought to rejoice in the par- doning love of God. Some of the conversions were remarkably bright, and clear. I witnessed one in par- ticular, a young man about twenty, who apparently was deprived of all his strength, and in this situation, under the greatest anguish of mind, apparently in a moment, in answer to prayer, was made a trophy of vic- torious grace. He was unable to express in words what he felt within ; but with a countenance that beamed with heavenly joy, he cheered the hearts of his friends, till he was able to express what the Lord had done for his soul. In the presence of this convert, infidelity and skepticism disappeared like dew before the burning sun. The work continued during the night, in a most cheer- 152 CAMP MEETINGS. ing and glorious manner. During this encampment, it was not necessary to call the preachers together for council but once; such was the good decorum observed by the brethren and the people at large. It may be proper to notice that in the preacher's meeting, after the choice of a secretary and brethren to assist Br. Fisk in selecting and appointing the preachers to officiate, and the time of the day they should preach, and some other appointments, usual on such occasions, the preachers unanimously agreed to request Br. Fisk to desire the brethren publicly to appoint the prayer-meeting in each other's tents alternately, and that one brother or sister should lead in prayer vocally, and the others follow mentally, except in responding the amen. The good effects of this advice were seen in every part of the encampment, with but few exceptions. The exercise for preaching, the public and tent prayer meetings, could not have been conducted with more decency and order. A breathless silence generally reigned. If in- terrupted, it was by the penitent crying ' God be mer- ciful to me a sinner,' or, with the 3000 on the day of Pentecost, ' men and brethren, what shall we do 7 ' " The faith of God's people was great; they asked and received, and their joy was full. Scores of souls were converted while the brethren were in the exercise of prayer for them. I am with respect, yours &c. T. C. Pierce." In the same paper of June 23d, 1824, is an account of one holden at Westmoreland, New Hampshire. It was commenced on Sunday. Monday was mostly spent in building 15 tents w7hich were dedicated by prayer in the evening. Forty clergymen were present, and about 2500 persons. Nineteen sermons were CAMP MEETINGS. 153 preached during the week of the encampment. The phraseology of the following sentence, added by the writer of the account, were it not for the gravity of the subject, would seem truly ludicrous. He says —" Some will expect a statement of the number of hopeful con- verts. Of this I can only say we probably had a score or two of souls brought to Christ." Some of the published accounts of these meetings are given in far more glowing, mystical and extravagant language ;—like the following, in a letter to the editor of Zion's Herald. "Sir, " The following is a brief account of a camp, hold- en on Penobscot district, in the town of Bucksport, which began on Monday, the 6th of September, 1824. Owing to inclement weather, there were but few collected on the day appointed for our meeting to com- mence. In the evening, Br. Eaton preached from 2 Tim. ii. 3. The Lord was present, and some of the elder brethren observed, that they never saw the com- mencement of a camp meeting attended with more gracious omens. " Tuesday morning, our brethren from various parts were seen preparing their tents, like men of war, with hearts big w7ith expectation. At 10 o'clock, Br. Greely preached, while the Lord refreshed his people. At 2 o'clock, Br. Douglas preached from Isaiah, lxi. 1. The word was attended with divine energy, and children of the light were greatly rejoiced, in hope of the glory of God. The ministers of God appeared to be entering deeply into the good w7ork, and the brethren through the whole circle of tents engaged in solemn prayer to Almighty God; while ' Lord sanctify my soul,' was 154 CAMP MEETINGS. heard from every part of the encampment. At 7 o'clock in the evening, Br. Burgess preached from Eph. i. 18. The word was enforced with energy. The power of God, we believe, was generally realized in our prayer-meetings in the several tents. " Notwithstanding the rain fell quite fast, and made it very inconvenient as to outw7ard things, on Wednes- day morning, the light was saluted with the voice of singing and prayer. At 8 o'clock, Br. Ayer spoke from James v. 17, 18. Before the exercise closed, the power of the Lord was revealed in a glorious manner, and there appeared to be a great moving in the congrega- tion. We had public preaching again at 10 o'clock, and in truth the windows of heaven were opened, and the Lord visited his people by giving them manna to the full. Br. Kellogg preached from Mark, i. 40, 41. Numbers were made sensible of their leprosy, and came forward for prayers. At 2 o'clock, Br. Lull preached from Coll. iii. 2. Great solemnity rested upon every countenance; and convictions appeared to be multi- plying. Thursday, at 8 o'clock, Br. Bray preached from Matt. xxii. 23. A very precious season it was; the people of God were overwhelmed with a sense of God's amazing goodness. At 10 o'clock, Br. Baker preached from Isaiah lii. 11, 12. It was a time of trembling and self-examination. At 2 o'clock, Br. Lovell broke the bread of life, from Prov. i. 24, 25, 26, to a very large congregation. After the close of this exercise, a pray- ing circle was formed, at the request of the preachers, on the left of the preachers, on the left of the stand, to make prayer to Almighty God for sanctifying grace; victory was realized; the work of grace was deepened CAMP MEETINGS. 155 in believer's hearts, while the slain of the Lord strewed the ground. In the evening, Br. Hall preached from Matt. xvii. 4. It was good to be here. ' Salvation flowed like floods of milk and wine.' We doubt whether such shouts of praise were ever witnessed be- fore, on the banks of the Penobscot. Prayers, without intermission, were ascending to God, from some of the tents, during the whole night. "At 8 o'clock on Friday morning the trumpet sounded for the last public exercise at the stand. Br. Hutchinson discoursed from 1 Peter, iv. 7,—and a melting season it was—the tear trembled in almost every eye. The parting scene was truly affecting ; none but those whose hearts burn with the love of David and Jonathan, can realize it; many scores of brethren, with burning hearts and streaming eyes, bid- ding adieu to each other. Some never to meet again on earth—never to meet again till they meet in the par- adise of God. " We think wTe have sufficient authority to state, that rising of twenty souls were savingly converted to God at this meeting. We maan such as were never before converted, and such as have been once converted and had grossly back-slidden. We believe these are only the first fruits of the meeting; the harvest is yet behind, much precious seed lies scattered through the neighboring towns and villages ; which, if warmed by the sun of righteousness, and moistened with the dew of heaven, will bring forth, 'some thirty, some sixty, and some an hundred fold.' Stephen Wardwell, Sec'y of meeting.'''' I have remarked that camp meetings have become nu- merous in this country, especially of late years, and I have 156 CAMP MEETINGS. no doubt that the sect of Methodists has been greatly increased by them. " It cannot be denied," says one,(p) " that camp meetings have generally been owned and blessed of the Lord." The Rev. Thomas Madden, in the American Metho- dist Magazine, July, 1825, says—" In America, perhaps, no single means has been more successfully used for the awakening and conversion of sinners, than camp meet- ings." I quote this remark to show that these meetings had become very popular about 1824-5, and were sup- posed to be adding rapidly to the number of the Meth- odists ; and I am of opinion that they gave rise to very similar meetings of other religious sects, known by the name of " four days meetings," or " protracted meet- ings," which have since become very common among the Presbyterians, Calvinists and Baptists, and which will be noticed in the next section. It appears to me it was evident to all who attend- ed to the subject, that the Methodists were rapidly gaining on the other religious denominations in this country, by these meetings. Other sects, especially those just mentioned, who had heretofore condemned camp meetings, could not consistently resort to them now, and therefore substituted protracted meetings, which commenced about 1826-7, and are similar in all respects but the encamping. Surely I need not say one word to any reflecting and candid person, to convince him that camp meetings are likely to prove injurious to health. Necessarily, there must be great exposure to cold and rain, to sud- den changes of temperature, and to bad air, in crowded (p) Zion's Herald, Aug. 24th, 1824. CAMP MEETINGS. 157 tents. That meals will be irregular and sleep disturbed, is also a necessary result; while great excitement of the mind is expected and desired. On this subject, however, I have positive proof, as I have professionally attend- ed several persons who were made sick, they them- selves were convinced, by attending camp meetings; and I have heard of very many others.(g) Large assemblies of human beings thus crowded together for several days, have always been known to be dangerous to health, and often give rise to alarming epidemics. The Asiatic cholera appeared first, in its most dreadful form, in 1783, at Hud war, on the Ganges, among a vast multitude of devotees who had been assembled several days, on occasion of a religious festival.(r) In warm countries, however, where there are no com- fortable houses of worship, as was the case in Palestine, in the time of the Apostles, meetings for religious pur- poses in the open air might be proper; and if not very large, nor long protracted, and discontinued in the night, might not prove injurious to the health.(s) In a new country, where no churches have been built and preachers are scarce, larger assemblies, and of longer (o) One of the most deplorable cases of insanity I have ever witnessed, appeared to have been caused in a young lady by attending a camp meet- ing. In her case, there was no hereditary tendency, nor had there been any symptoms, previous to her attending the meeting, of this disease that finally ruined her. (r) Bengal Report on the Cholera. (s) Though Whitfield and Wesley are by many supposed to have been the first who preached in the open air, and I believe, they were themselves of this opinion, yet this is a mistake. St. Nicholas of Nolans, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Ignatius, and others, wereccust omed to preach to vast multi- tudes in the open air. St. Nicholas claimed that he was directed to this course by a voice from heaven, saying—" this is not the place I would have thee to go ;—go forth into the field and preach to men!" 14 158 PROTRACTED MEETINGS. continuance might be excusable ; but no reason can be given for their adoption and continuance in this part of the U. States, except that thus crowding together in great numbers, and listening to exciting discourses, affects the mind and agitates the body. Scripture does not sanction them, reason must condemn them, and experience shows them to be dangerous both to body and mind. I hope, therefore, that leading and influential men of the Methodist connexion, will exam- ine the subject carefully, and I have no doubt they will agree with me, that camp meetings ought to be abandon- ed or greatly modified. Of Protracted Meetings. By protracted meetings, I mean religious meetings of several days continuance; sometimes called in this part of the country, four days meetings. As I have said, they are similar in all respects except the camping out, to the camp meetings of the Methodists. When they commenced, I am unable to say. The Rev. Charles G. Finney, (t) says—" They have always been practised in some form or other, ever since there was a church on earth; that the Jewish festivals were nothing else but protracted meetings—the manner was different, but the design was the same." Some, probably, will venture to doubt this statement; it is, however, a matter of very little consequence. I have shown in an- other place, that prolonged religious meetings have been common in different ages of the world, and in different religions. The celebrated quaker, George Fox, men- («) Lectures on Revivals of Religion, p. 242. PROTRACTED MEETINGS. 159 tions in his journal, of attending them in his day. But modern protracted meetings were commenced in this country, I believe about the year 1827. Since then, they have been very numerous, especially in the Cal- vinistic churches, (u) I am of opinion that they have been resorted to for the purpose of producing religious excitement, by more than one half of the Calvinistic and Presbyterian churches in the Northern States of this country. They have not, however, been uniformly of four days continuance, but often much longer, and some have been continued forty days. One in this city was protracted nearly that time. Sometimes the churches in the same city, or in adjoining towns, hold them in succession, and many* individuals, especially the most zealous and most excited, attend all of them. The exercises at these meetings vary in different church- es, even of the same creed ; for it must not be concealed that there is great disagreement in opinion among the Calvinistic clergy, respecting the proper manner of con- ducting these meetings, as well as upon other measures for producing and promoting revivals of religion. Gen- erally they are conducted much as follows :—first, prayer meetings or inquiry meetings, early in the morning,— then preaching, praying and singing in the forenoon,— in the afternoon, another sermon, with prayers and singing,—in the evening, a third sermon, praying, sing- ing, exhortation, and examination of those called "anx- ious," or "awakened." There was one of these meetings holden in this city in 1833, in the Calvinistic Free Church, under the pas- toral care of Rev. W. C. Walton, since deceased. The (w) By Calvinistic, I mean the Congregational Orthodox 160 PROTRACTED MEETINGS. following is extracted from an account given of it by the Rev. Samuel Spring, then pastor of another Calvin- istic church in this city, to a Rev. brother inNew-York, and published in the Albany Journal and Telegraph. "My Dear Brother, " You ask for an l account of the transactions at the Free church in the installation of Mr. Walton.' " Immediately after the installation, a protracted meeting commenced, which has continued to the present time and is still in progress. This is the 23d or 24th day of the meeting. Dr. L. and Mr. N. from your city, were the only preachers for the first week. After Dr. L. left, Mr. N. labored alone till Mr. K. came, and since he returned home. Mr. C. also from New-York, has been preaching. Excepting one service, perhaps two, from Mr. W., when no other preacher of their own school was on the ground, the gentlemen above named have exclusively occupied the pulpit." * The measures, in connection with the preaching have been such as are usually resorted toby ministers of this class at protracted meetings. Such as inviting persons in the congregation to rise, who desired prayers for their conversion ; calling upon those who were impressed to take the ' anxious seat;' classifying and separating the congregation at different times under the names of the covenanting, the anxious, the young converts. &c.; encouraging at the prayer meetings those who had impenitent relatives, to send in notes or prefer verbal requests aloud, for their conversion; and many other equally exceptionable things which I did not witness. 1 attended the meet- ings regularly from their commencement till the close of the second day; when, after the church, and some PROTRACTED MEETINGS. 161 others from the neighboring churches had renewedly pledged themselves to lives of greater devotedness than before, Mr. W. came forward and renewed his vows of ministerial fidelity, and called upon all ministers present, (without having giving them any premonition of his purpose) to concur with him in the act." The Rev. Mr. Spring hereupon left the meeting, which he did not again attend, and says, he " unhesitatingly avows his disapprobation of the whole system as un- scriptural, as unwarrantable machinery, liable to great abuse." " The results, (he observes,) so far as developed, have been contention, bitterness, alienation and lasting disorders I fear in our churches. That some good has been done, perhaps we ought not to question. Many conversions are spoken of as having occurred, say from fifty to one hundred. Many of them are children." Another was held not long after in this city, in the Calvinistic church under the pastoral charge of the Rev. Joel Hawes, D. D. I have seen no minute account of it published, nor do I know what effect it produced. It commenced on the 27th of January, and continued until the second of February; most of the time being occupied in singing, praying, preaching and exhorting. There were three sermons daily, preceded by prayer meetings. The following more full account of one at Buffalo, in the State of New York, will give the reader a good idea of these meetings, as they have been conducted in most places, and where they have been considered mo.-t bene- ficial. It is given by the Rev. T. H. Martin, pastor of the church in which it was holden: 14* 162 PROTRACTED MEETING. " Protracted Meeting. " On Tuesday, the 24th, a Protracted Meeting com- menced. The first day was observed as a day of fasting and prayer. It was a season of much heart searching, and deep humiliation before God, on the part of many of the members of the church. " In the afternoon, the Rev. J. Burchard, who had pre- viously been invited to assist in the meeting, made a short address, eminently calculated to show Christians the weight of their covenant vows, their entire dependence on the influence of the Holy Spirit, and to prepare them to labor successfully in the work of the Loid. " In the evening of the same day, Mr. B. preached his first sermon, to a crowded house, which was evidently accompanied by the Divine Spirit to the awakening of many. At the close of the services, a meeting of inqui- ry was appointed to be held at 10 o'clock the next morning, in the basement story of the church, where several individuals attended, and hopefully surrendered their hearts to the supremacy of Jesus Christ. " With a few exceptions, Mr. Burchard preached in the afternoon and evening, till the close of the meeting, which continued forty-one days. '' The interest continued to increase, and the work to become more and more powerful, until the excitement became general, and extended to every part of the city. The Holy Spirit descended in mighty power, sweeping down the errorist and the infidel, and bringing them to the feet of Jesus, clothed and in their right mind. " From about the 10th to the 21st day of the meeting the anxious room was crowded, and hundreds were found indulging the hope that they had passed from PROTRACTED MEETINGS. 163 death unto life. For several days there were from twen- ty to thirty a day, who professed to submit their hearts to God. About the 21st day of the meeting the w7ork reached its climax, and from that time was less powerful; though there were from ten to fifteen hopeful conver- sions daily, till we were obliged, in consequence of fa- tigue and ill health, to lessen our labors, and draw the meeting to a close. " Owing to the bad state of the roads, there being no sleighing, few attended from the country ; still the meet- ing was well sustained during the entire period ; the house being usually well filled in the afternoon, and crowded in the evening. Frequently the crowd was so great that professing Christians retired to the basement story for prayer, and hundreds were obliged to go away, unable to find seats. " The closing sermon, on the eternal Deity of Christ, was, by request, preached in the first Presbyterian Church, a very large house, to an immense congregation, and the general impression among the friends of truth and revivals, was, that could the meeting have been continued in that house, with the assistance of brother Burchard, the moral aspect of the whole city would have been changed, and hundreds, if not thousands more, been born into the kingdom. " Doctrines. " The doctrines taught, were the doctrines inculcated by such men as Dwight, Davies, Edwards and Bellamy, and the Fathers of the Congregational and Presbyterian Churches. They were what are usually denominated the doctrines of Grace. They were Calvinistic. 164 PROTRACTED MEETINGS. " Measures. " The measures adopted in this meeting were, with one or two exceptions, such as are generally employed in protracted meetings in different sections of the Presbyte- rian church. " In the morning we had several prayer meetings, and a meeting of inquiry. At 2 o'clock, P. M., and also in the evening, there was public preaching. This course was pursued, with few variations, to the close of the meeting. The sermon in the afternoon was addressed to Christians, and in the evening to sinners. After the evening discourse, all who felt willing to submit their hearts to God, and all who wished an interest in the prayers of God's people, were requested to come forward and take the front seats. Usually from one to three hun- dred came forward. After receiving a few words of in- struction, designed to lead them to immediate repentance, they were commended to God in prayer. At the close of the meeting, they were invited to be present the next morning, and to bring as many impenitent sinners with them as they could persuade to come. The meeting of inquiry was the place of our most laborious and success- ful efforts. It was the special object of prayer in all morning prayer meetings. It was emphatically the scene of the Holy Ghost; the place -where hundreds were slain by the law, and made alive in Christ. " Few7, it is believed, entered that room who did not feel that they were in a solemn place. Here the doctrines of salvation, preached from the pulpit, were presented to each individual singly, and urged home to his con- science. Our manner was thus : We came to the anx- ious room from our closets, where we had agonized in PROTRACTED MEETINGS. 165 prayer for the gift of the Holy Spirit, (Luke xi. 1, 13 ;) without which we expected to accomplish nothing. Resting upon the immutability of the divine promise, we went to the sinner with the confident expectation of success. We felt, and endeavored to make him feel, that we were the servants of Jesus Christ—that we came to him with a message from God ; and that as he received or rejected us; (Matt. x. 40,) so he received or rejected Christ. With these views and feelings, we laid our message before him ; and having opened and explained its several parts, we urged him, as a condemned rebel, on the eve of execution, immediately to accept the con- ditions of life—to submit, honestly and unconditionally, his heart to God. " It was thus we labored, from ten, or half past ten, till one o'clock, Avith the inquirers individually, until we had conversed with all, or nearly all, in the room. We then called those forward to the front seats who had promised to submit their hearts to God. They were then ad- dressed collectively ; and the character of God and his claims ; their obligations ; their guilt, the conditions of salvation, and the duty of immediate and unconditional submission, were explained under a great variety of illustrations. These instructions were followed by ear- nest prayer to God that they might not lie to the Holy Ghost, or be left to a deceived heart; but that he would give them that repentance which needeth not to be re- pented of, and seal them the heirs of eternal salvation. " The names of those who professed to have surrender- ed their hearts to God, were taken down, not as proof that we considered them converted, but to aid the pastor in his future visits and instructions. The object in tak- 166 PROTRACTED MEETINGS. ing the names was frequently announced, that it might not be mistaken. " The number of names thus taken during the meeting was, of adults, more than 500, of children over 100 ; (v) making in all, more than 600 who professed to submit their hearts to God ; and solemnly covenanted to take the Bible as the rule of their faith and practice, and to follow Christ all the days of their lives. How many of these will be found among the genuine followers of the Lamb when he makes up his jewels, the Judgment of the great day will disclose. " It may be proper here to state, that, at the commence- ment of public service, an opportunity w7as usually given for Christians, and anxious sinners, and young converts, to ask prayers for themselves and their friends. " As this was a new measure in Buffalo, it excited, at first, some opposition even among Christians ; and was made the subject of much ridicule and blasphemy, among infidels and scoffers. But it was a measure sig- " (y) In the early part of the meeting the children were collected in a large room, procured for the purpose, and subseqently in the basement story of the Presbyterian church, and were committed to the special instruction of Mrs. Burchard ; who, together with a few other ladies, devoted her time al- most exclusively to this department of labor. The result was as above stated ; the hopeful conversion of more than 100 of their number. So far as the knowledge of the writer extends, they appear remarkably well. They are not men and women, neither are they perfect; though this is the standard by which most Christians judge of the piety of children ; a standard by which they would by pro means wish to be tried themselves. Since the close of our meeting, a few of them have held a weekly prayer meeting at the house of the Pastor of the Free Church. Their prayers exhibit a knowledge of the Scriptures, and of their own hearts, and a depth of pious feeling, which few can witness without tears. But had there been no chil- dren converted, principles have been inculcated and an interest awakened upon the subject in this city, by the labors of Mrs. B. which will tell, it is believed, on the salvation of thousands yet unborn.'' PROTRACTED MEETINGS. 167 nally owned and blessed of God. It led Christians to search their hearts; to inquire into the nature and de- gree of their faith in the truth of the promises of God's word. " This inquiry led to the detection of much infidelity in relation to the guilt and wretchedness of their un- converted relatives and friends, and of much practical unbelief in the promises of God and the efficacy of prayer. " The result was, in many cases, deep repentance be- fore God, stronger faith in the truth of his declarations, a more ardent spirit of prayer, and increased efforts for the conversion of the impenitent around them. They were now seen laboring for the salvation of souls like men in earnest. They looked, and talked, and acted, and prayed, as though they believed there was a heaven, and a hell. They no longer staggered at the promises, but, "took God at his word." They first carried their requests to their closets, and then brought them to the sanctuary. They went forth weeping, bearing precious seed, and soon returned again, rejoicing, bringing their sheaves with them. Parents, who in the evening re- quested the prayers of God's people for the conversion of their children, came forward the next day with thanks- giving, that these prayers were answered. Wives and husbands, who requested prayers for their unconverted companions, had the happiness of hearing them, shortly after, ask prayers for themselves, that their faith in Christ might be strengthened. Never have I witnessed so many striking instances of manifest answers to pray- er as in this meeting. One brother in the church brought forward a request, in the early part of the meet- ing, in behalf of seven impenitent friends. And before *0' PROTRACTED MEETINGS. the meeting closed, five of them were found hoping that they had passed from death unto life. A sister in the church had a list of twenty-five individuals whom she presented day and night, and before the clo-e of the meeting twenty-four of them were hopefully converted. " Another member of the church requested prayers for an impenitent friend in Connecticut. He was told to write him immediately, and urge him to attend to the subject of his soul's salvation. He wrote as requested. A few days after the close of our meeting he received an answer ; stating, that his brother was converted to God, and had united with the church since the receipt of his letter. There was no revival in the place. The church was in a cold state, and no other individual was known to have been converted, or even serious. A sister resid- ing in a neighborhood about five miles from the city, in which there was no church, no religious society, no house of worship, no preaching, except occasional, and but a very few professors of religion, requested prayers for that people, that they might be born into the kingdom of Christ. This neighborhood was the subject of spe- cial prayer. At the time, this sister knew of no human instrumentality, by which that neighborhood could be reached. A few days after the close of our meeting, the writer of this narrative was requested to hold a protract- ed meeting there. The meeting was held, and result- ed in the hopeful conversion of about forty souls ; near- ly all the adult population who were not previously pro- fessors. " Other striking examples might be given ; but these are sufficient to show the wavering and the doubtful, that the God of Jacob, and the God of Daniel still hears and answers the prayers of his people. PROTRACTED MEETINGS. 169 " Admissions to the Church. " The latter part of the meeting was chiefly occupied in giving instructions to the converts, and examining them in reference to admission to the church. This occupied several days. They were assembled in the basement story of the church in the afternoon, where, in a famil- iar manner, the doctrines and duties of Christianity, and the whole length and breadth of Christian experience, were discussed and explained, under a great variety of striking illustrations, till the whole was made intelligible to the youngest and most inexperienced. After this they were examined ; and such as gave us good and satis- factory evidence of piety, and felt it their duty and privi- lege to unite with our church, were received. The ordi- nance of the supper was administered on the two suc- ceeding Sabbaths. At the first communion w7e admit- ted ninety-five—forty-two of whom I baptized. At the second, twenty-three; making an aggregate of one hun- dred and eighteen."—.V. Y. Evangelist, Oct. \th, 1834. It appears to me there is not an intelligent and can- did person in this country, but will acknowledge that thus assembling men, women and children, and talking to them, exciting them, and making them anxious and disturbed for days and weeks, on any other subject than religion, would be likely to prove injurious to their health. How then can any one doubt that continued mental ag- ony on the subject of religion, is not as dangerous as similar excitement upon any other subject; or suppose that people are more likely to escape disease, if exposed to its causes when attending religious meetings, than they would be if similarly exposed by attending theatres, balls, or assemblies of any other kind? 15 170 PROTRACTED MEETINGS. No one who has attended the religious meetings un- der consideration, or who has read accounts of them in religious periodicals, will say they are not powerfully exciting, and productive of great mental distress. In- deed this is what the conductors of these meetings seek to produce, and w7hat is published as evidence of their utility, and of the operation of the Holy Spirit. The most careful narrators of the proceedings at these meet- ings, and of the effects which they produce, mention the "unusual excitement," the "great solemnity," the " tears and groans," the " audible sighing and sob- bing,"—" weeping aloud in the sanctuary,"—" trem- bling and turning pale,"—of " despair," &c. And then of " relief from suffering," of " joy and rejoicing," of " glowing and burning w7ith holy love," &x. &c. Those who become excited and agitated, are called " the mourn- ers," " the anxious," " the alarmed," or by other names, significant of their disturbed minds. Other accounts given of these meetings, when conducted by the more zealous, or what are called new measure men, rep- resent them to be exceedingly exciting. These accounts, however, I shall again allude to in another place. But if there were no danger to health, arising from this excitement and anxiety of mind, there surely must be from the bodily labor and fatigue in thus attending church, early in the morning, mest of the day, and late in the evening, days and weeks in succession, exposed to variable weather, a vitiated atmosphere, and sudden and great changes of temperature, by going from heat- ed, crowded rooms, into the open air. It would, indeed. be very remarkable if the health of many was not affect- ed by such conduct. Those who take an active part in the exercises, are PROTRACTED MEETINGS. 171 very often made sick by their unceasing toil and excite- ment. Hence we hear clergymen complain of being "worn out,"—"broke down,"—and "exhausted," by their labors at such times, and during what are called revivals of religion, when meetings are always greatly multiplied. It is a singular, and to many a very myste- rious fact, that most of the Calvinistic clergymen in this country are sickly. This arises, I presume, in part, from their sedentary habits, and also from their gloomy and peculiar religious views ; (w) yet I believe it is of- ten caused by their preaching, praying, declaiming and exhorting most of the time. This, together with their mental anxiety, affects the nervous system, and causes much of the dyspepsia common among them, as I am led to believe by inquiry and reflection. When we con- sider their labor, not only on the sabbath, but during the week, especially in the evening, and their constant ex- ertions at protracted meetings, and at numerous religious and charitable societies, we surely need not wonder that they are unhealthy. Their predecessors in the minis- try were healthy, though they preached twice on the sabbath, and occasionally, though very seldom, in the evening or during the week ; but they knew nothing of protracted meetings and numerous other meetings that now require much labor from clergymen. I have known several cases of severe disease, which I believe originated from attending protracted meetings ; and several cases of insanity, which appeared to have (to) Hufeland, and many other distinguished medical writers, mention that a cheerful and calm state of mind is essential to the enjoyment of good health, or to the attainment of old age. But that the clergy who advocate these protracted meetings, &c, are much of the time, " anxious," " troub- led," " grieved," &c. &c, ihey themselves state. 172 PROTRACTED MEETINGS. the same cause, have fallen under my observation. An examination of the case books of the lunatic establish- ments in New England, will confirm this statement. 1 surely do not intend to say that a great number, or a ma- jority of those who attend a protracted meeting, will be likely to become sick or crazy. Most of those who attend are in good health, and are not easily affected or made sick, even by a course of conduct that is in- jurious to them; just as men will long appear well while using alcoholic drinks, though it ultimately ruins the constitution, (x) The mental excitement of others who are not healthy, and of delicate women and children, may carry them through, and apparently in very good health. In such cases, however, according to medical writers, though the injury received may not be apparent at the time, yet it will tend to develope at a fu- ture time a train of nervous diseases, which will last through life and extend to another generation. So great are the evils which have already arisen, and which are likely to result from these protracted meetings, if long continued in this country, that I believe many of the most intelligent and worthy clergymen of the coun- try wish for their discontinuance ; and a vast majority of the most valued and influential men in the communi- ty exceedingly regret their introduction. (x) Dr, Miller, of Princeton, (see his letter appended to Sprague on revi- vals,) alluding to camp meetings, which, as I have said, are very similar to protracted meetings, observes—" They have always struck me as adapted, in their ordinary form, to produce effects on our intellectual and moral na- ture analogous to those of strong drink on the animal economy; that is, to excite, to warm, and to appear to strengthen for a time ; but only to pave the way for a morbid expenditure of" sensorial power," as we say concern- ing the animalieconomy,„and for consequent debility and disease." These remarks are of course equally applicable to modem protracted meetings. PROTRACTED MEETINGS. 173 I have seen of late, in several newspapers, an account of a town meeting in Woodstock, Vermont, at which, after much discussion, the following preamble and reso- lution was passed by a large majority:— " Preamble and Resolution. " Whereas, a meeting has been held in the North Vil- lage in this town, professedly for religious purposes, and continued from day to day since the eleventh day of Feb- ruary last, under the direction and guidance of Mr. J. Burchard, to which great numbers of the citizens of this and other towns have daily resorted, and whereas said meetings have been protracted to unseasonable hours at night, tending to injure the health, of individuals and the good order of society—and whereas unwonted exertions, practices and arts have been used and are still using by the said Burchard and his abettors to induce "every man, woman and child," who can by any means be op- erated upon by such practice and art, to attend and join said meeting, and whereas one individual at least, if not more, has become a maniac since the commencement of said meeting, in consequence of the feelings induced and begotten in course of attendance upon instructions inculcated in said meeting, and whereas the said J. Burchard does in said meeting daily and in almost eve- ry speech or discourse he makes, in coarse, unmeasured and blasphemously profane terms and phrases, denounce eternal vengeance of heaven upon large classes of our citizens who entertain religious views of a different char- acter in some respects from himself—and whereas bigot- ry and profanity are evils greatly to be deprecated in every society putting forth claims to philanthropy and morality— 15* 174 PROTRACTED MEETINGS. Therefore Resolved, That we highly deprecate this state of things—that we recommend to our citizens gen- erally to abstain from further attendance on the said meeting of said Burchard, that he may have no fuel left upon which to practice his insidious arts, and no further countenance and encouragement from a candid and in- telligent community; and that we seriously recommend to the authority of the town of Woodstock to take some measure to remove the aforesaid nuisance." (A true copy.) Attest, NAHUM HASKELL, 1835. Town Clerk." But if protracted meetings tend to injure the health of adults and dispose them to insanity, how much more in- jurious must they prove to children. I have seen of late, recommendations of protracted meetings, expressly for children, in the State of New-York ; and judging from the progress of religious excitement in that portion of our country for a few years past, there is reason to fear that they will for a while become general, even until their bad effects are plainly and painfully visible. The fol- lowing is an account of one at Bellville, Jefferson county, New-York. It is taken from the New-York Evangel- ist of August 16th, 1834. " Maternal Protracted Meetings. "Bellville, Jeff. Co. Aug. 2d, 1834. " The Maternal Association of Bellville resolved, July 21, that some special effort must be made for the salva- tion of children in Bellville and vicinity. A protracted meeting of mothers and children was proposed and ap- pointed. Mrs. J. Burchard was requested to conduct it. The first day was observed as a day of fasting and pray- PROTRACTED MEETINGS. 175 er, by the mothers. Rev. C. B. Pond opened the morn- ing exercises with fervent prayer for the blessing of God. Rev. J. Burchard, agreeably to request, delivered a dis- course upon the Abrahamic covenant. The duties and responsibilities of Christian parents, rose before the mind, in overwhelming importance through the light of God's word, and mothers felt to exclaim, " Visit not our iniqui- ties and unbelief on our offspring, but for Christ's sake pardon our sins, and receive our children now at our hands." The remaining part of the day was spent by the mothers in the temple of God, before that sacred altar, where many of their little ones had been given to him in baptism, in penitent, believing prayer. The pre- vailing desire was, " Lord search us, sit upon our hearts like a refiner's fire, purify us as silver is purified, and pre- pare us to present ourselves and our children to thee ac- ceptably." The Holy Spirit came into our midst like a rushing wind, entered each heart, and wrought the broken and contrite sacrifice. We felt to bring our all, and lay at the feet of our Saviour, and say—" Thy king- dom come, thy will be done" with us and ours. Never while memory holds its seat, will the members of this Association forget the twenty-third of July, 1834. Let its savor go with us and our children. The blessed priv- ilege of coming to a covenant God—to Him who says, " I will be a God to thee and thy seed after thee"—to Him who has declared his covenant, Isaiah, lix. 21— " As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord ; my Spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from hence- forth and forever.'1 What more can he say to the be- 176 PROTRACTED MEETINGS. lieving mother? We said, It is enough, we take it as ours, our children's, our children's children's, our por- tion " forever." We wept over our cruel unbelief, we renounced it; wTe took hold of that precious covenant anew ; we took hold of that part relating to our children, with the same faith as that relating to ourselves. We remembered, too, that God hates the hypocrite. We presented our children in faith to the blessed Spirit to be prepared by Him to worship in spirit and in truth. We felt in our souls the truth, " Behold I stand at the door and knock, if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him and he with me." " The next morning at ten o'clock, we assembled in the same sacred place, bringing our little ones with us, and with tears of penitence raised them in the arms of faith to a risen Saviour. We felt his presence, and remem- bered his word, " Blessed are they that have not seen me and yet believe." Some appropriate passages of Scripture were then read, and explained to the children, by Mrs. Burchard, during which the ladies lifted up their hearts in silent, believing prayer, that the Holy Spirit would now, while the children were hearing, make his word " quick and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword," even according to his promise. The total depravity of the heart, the justice of a future pun- ishment, the necessity of regeneration, the way of salva- tion through Jesus Christ, the duty of immediate obedi- ence to the commands, " Give me thine heart"—" Re- pent"—" Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth," were simply taught them. The Holy Spirit ev- idently moved upon these little ones and worked in them to will and to do of his good pleasure. PROTRACTED MEETINGS. 177 "The ladies then conversed with them separately ; such as they found convinced of sin, and ready to re- pent, were placed on a seat by themselves. When all were seated, these were addressed particularly. Their lost condition as sinners, their duty to repent of sin, and give themselves and all they love to Christ, to be his forever, were explained and illustrated, in a manner fa- miliar to children. Christ was then presented as the sacrifice for sin, and the righteousness of the believer, and they urged to receive him now as their God and Saviour. It was a moment of intense interest; every little face bespoke the movings of a troubled soul, and every mother felt that God the Holy Ghost was urging his claim upon the heart of her offspring, and when we knelt to ask the regenerating power of the Spirit, it was with groanings that no language can utter. By faith we rolled them over upon the eternal purpose of Jehovah, and believed the word, " Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise." " The meeting continued five days; about thirty chil- dren, from four to fourteen years of age, were hopefully converted by the power of the Holy Spirit through the truth. The children previously hoping, were much blessed, and strengthened. The ladies feel that this ef- fort has been a great blessing to them as mothers and teachers; their views are enlarged; their faith increas- ed ; and they are resolved, in the strength of the Lord, to lead these little Jambs daily to the good Shepherd and believe his word—'He shall gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom.' NANCY M. HOUGHTON, Directress of the M. A. Bellville." 178 PROTRACTED MEETINGS. Those who read the foregoing account, and fail to see the danger to be apprehended from such meetings becoming common, will not be convinced there is any danger, by any arguments I can use ; they must wait until they see it in the natural and obvious results of such meetings ; in the multiplication of diseases of the ner- vous system, in the increase of epilepsy, convulsions, hydrocephalus and insanity, and in a generation of men and women, weak and enfeebled in body and mind. In connexion with this subject, the following account is deserving of particular attention ; and if the state- ments of numerous medical men of great experience and ability, respecting the dangerous effects of long continu- ed anxiety and great excitement of mind in children, are not totally false, then it is a very affecting one. " Fanny S. Harrison.—This little girl was born in Roxbury, Conn. April 27th, 1820, and died Oct. 2d, 1S31. The following notice of her hopeful conver- sion, sickness and death, has been prepared for the ben- efit of our youthful readers, with the hope that it may lead them to " think on the ways," repent, and give their hearts to God. " Fanny was a sober, thoughtful, kind and affectionate child, and always obedient to her parents. She joined the sabbath school very young, she loved it much, and was always found in her place and prepared to recite her lesson, when health and circumstances would permit. During the last months of her life, Iter sabbath school hymn book, next to the Bible, was her chosen and con- stant companion. Often, after reading it, she was seen to press it to her bosom with both her little hands. " She was fond of reading religious books, and it is be- PROTRACTED MEETINGS. 179 lieved always performed the duty of secret prayer. But it is not known that she was ever anxious about her soul until August, 1831. She then attended a protract- ed meeting in an adjoining town, where she became sensible of her wickedness of sinning against God. At the close of the public exercises, on the first day that Fanny attended, those who were anxious were invited to retire to the conference room for special instruction and prayer. Many of all ages accepted the invitation, and she was among them, though a child and a stranger. "Herfather, who is a minister,had been requested to attend and address those who should assemble. As he passed out, he found his little daughter standing at the door of the church weeping, and said to her, " do you wish to go with the anxious ?" She made no reply, but eagerly grasped his hand and led along the way, while her tears told the feelings of her heart. From day to day during the meeting she was found, by her anxious father, near the same stand, ready to go with him to that solemn place. The meeting closed, but she had not sub- mitted her heart to God, and was in great distress. " The next week, (August 23d) a similar meeting com- menced in her native place, which she attended with deep and increasing interest. At the close of the third day, her countenance indicated a change in her feelings, which she cautiously expressed. After this she was cheerful and happy, so much so that her friends had fears that she w7as self-deceived, and would soon become gay and thoughtless. These fears were sometimes ex- pressed to her, but it uniformly grieved her, often to tears, to find her love to the Saviour doubted. One evening in particular, as the family were preparing for a religious meeting, she appeared unusually cheerful, and received 180 PROTRACTED MEETINGS. a gentle caution from her mother. The big tear started in her eye, and she instantly retired to her closet to pour her sorrows into the ear of her heavenly Father. " At this time she took great delight in religious meet- ings, and was usually the first of the family on her way to the sunrise prayer-meetings. " A few weeks after her hopeful conversion, she attended meeting for the last time. The next day she was taken ill, but her friends were not alarmed about her until the next Sabbath, when her disease put on the appearance of fever of the most malignant kind. Strong hopes were still entertained of her recovery, and little was said to her concerning her feelings, until it was found that her rea- son was impaired. This was a moment of painful anx- iety to her friends, who feared that the last opportunity of imparting counsel, and of obtaining further know- ledge of her feelings, w7as past. From this they were in a measure relieved on Thursday morning, Sept. 29th. She had had a distressing night, and as her father sat watching her with intense anxiety, her countenance suddenly assumed its wonted serenity. Her eyes which had long been closed, now beamed with more than usual brightness, and her tongue that had faltered, now said distinctly, " Father, I am happy." What makes you happy, he inquired. " Many things; I love the Lord Jesus Christ." She then, in answer to his questions, gave a distinct account of her previous exercises and hopeful submission to Christ. She said that her distress of mind, in view of her lost, sinful condition, increased until the third day of the protracted meeting, when she went to the anxious room, borne down with a view of her guilt and danger. While there, she tried, and believes she did give up her heart to the Saviour; that he there PROTRACTED MEETINGS. 181 appeared precious to her soul, and her mind was filled with light and joy and peace unknown before. She concluded by saying with emphasis, ' I was happy then, and have been happy ever since.' " She was soon exhausted, and her mind was again clouded until the next morning, when she enjoyed an- other lucid interval. As she was viewing her parents for the last time, with an expression that plainly told the strong affection of her heart for them, her father said, " Fanny, do you love the Lord Jesus Christ better than you love your parents ?" She immediately answered, " I do." " On sabbath evening, October 2d, after a day of pain- ful and laborious breathing, without a struggle she qui- etly fell asleep in Jesus, and, as we trust, entered on an eternal sabbath of rest in heaven."—S. S. Record. As I have said, this account is deserving of attention, and in my opinion should be a warning to parents not to adopt a similar course with their offspring. Here was a sober, thoughtful child, early taught what the parents considered to be religious duties, and instructed in Cal- vinistic doctrines. Evidently, anxiety of mind on reli- gious subjects was encouraged in her case} (y) taken from home to an adjoining town, to a protracted meet- ing, then to«another in her own town, she became anx- ious, wept, and was in great distress; then a change oc- curred in her feelings, and she became cheerful—was (y) Dr. Sprague's instructions to parents on this subject, are, " If they see in their children the least anxiety, (in what is supposed to be a revival,) they are to endeavor by every means to cherish it, and put them on their guard against grieving away the Holy Spirit." (See Lecture 5th on revivals.) This I consider very reprehensible advice, not justified by Scripture nor reason, and very liable to lead parents to much mischievous conduct. 16 182 RINGING OF BELLS. reprimanded for her cheerfulness—took great delight in religious meetings—went from home to sunrise prayer meetings, &x. Then came disease, delirium and death. If I should say that this child's death was caused or much accelerated by the course pursued with her, by her constantly attending religious meetings, and by her religious excitement, I should probably express an opin- ion in which most medical men would concur. Other cases of a similar kind I might quote; but let this suf- fice, and let it be instructive to parents and religious teachers. In conclusion, I beg the intelligent clergy, and the in- fluential men of this country, to look at the foregoing accounts, and to examine the subject carefully, and I have no doubt they will take the same view of it that I do : and I trust they will raise their voices against far- ther encouraging such proceedings. This the good of our common country demands of them. Ringing of Bells. If a person from some country where the Christian re- ligion is unknown, was to visit one of the large towns in New England on the sabbath, he would be likely to think that much of our religion consisted in noise, and that our sabbath was a gala day. In the city of Hart- ford, where the whole population does not exceed ten or eleven thousand persons, and these occupying a space less than a mile square, there are eight bells on different churches, which are ringing a considerable part of the time, or very often on the sabbath. I am induced to no- tice this subject, from personal knowledge of the fact that the sick are very much injured by the noise of the RINGING OF BELLS. 183 bells on the Lord's day. I have no doubt that in some instances it has proved fatal; and I have frequently heard the evil complained of by those in health, as one which much annoyed them. In the country towns, where the population is scatter- ed over a considerable circuit, a bell may be useful, and one or two in a city would not be objectionable; but a larger number serves no good purpose, and only tends to create confusion. Almost every family has a time-piece, and but very few pay attention to the ringing of the bell as a call to meeting. No one will pretend that the ringing of bells on the sabbath is scriptural. In fact, the practice appears to me to be wholly contrary to the spirit of revealed religion. We should infer from scripture that the sabbath ought to be a day of stillness and quiet, and not one of noise, ringing of bells, (fee. If, therefore, there is not absolute necessity for the noise of numerous bells on the sabbath, I know not how it can be justified; and, as it causes much suffering, especially among the sick, I hope it will be, in a considerable degree, abandoned. The Mahometans use no bells, and yet their meetings are very frequent, at least, five times in the course of twenty-four hours. Public notice of their meetings is given by the muzzeims, or criers, from the galleries of the minarets, attached to the mosques. As I have hinted, the general possession of time-pie- ces renders a public notice of stated meetings unnecessa- ry, and when such notice is necessary, some more silent method of giving it might be adopted than by ringing half-a-dozen or more bells. The early settlers of this country had recourse to various methods of giving no- tice of the time of meeting. By the records of towns on 184 RINGING OF BELLS. Connecticut river, I learn that this was done by blowing a horn, or by beating a drum, or by hoisting a flag as a signal, on some elevated place. This last method, ap- pears to me, might answer all the useful purposes that bells now do. But however ridiculous this noise on the sabbath may be, it has, to many, become sacred, and so strong is the feeling on the subject, that I do not expect, very soon, so good and great reform, as a total relinquishment of bells on the Lord's day. But I do hope and trust that soon a less number will be rung, and less frequently, and for a shorter time, in our cities, and thus much unnecessary labor on that day may be avoided, and the Christian sabbath be made a day of comparative stillness, and of quiet for the sick and well, instead of being, as it now is, a day of more noise than any other in the week. CHAPTER VI. OBSERVATIONS ON MODERN REVIVALS OF RELIGION; AND WHAT ARE CALLED THE " SPECIAL" EFFECTS OP THE HOLY SPIRIT ] COMPARISON OF THESE EF- FECTS WITH THE PHENOMENA OF DISEASE, ANIMAL MAGNETISM, AND EXCITEMENTS OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM, &C In commencing this chapter, I feel under great em- barrassment ; an embarrassment arising not merely from the gravity and importance of the subject, but also from the great mass of facts relating to revivals of religion, and which I am desirous so to select, arrange and present to the reader, that correct conclusions may be drawn, and the truth established. It will be impossible for me, (with- out far too greatly extending this work,) to refer but to a small part of these facts. All, therefore, that I shall aim to do, will be to briefly notice the history of revivals, from the time of Wesley and Edwards, until the present day, to compare them with religious excitements in ages past, and also to compare the phenomena they present with those of animal magnetism, and the effects resulting from the influence of the imagination upon the body. I believe I am not insensible of the importance of this sub- ject at the present time, and I hope to treat it with the candor and solemnity due to it, and with a desire pre- 16* 186 REVIVALS. dominating over all others, that the truth may be elicit- ed. This subject is one eminently philosophical, (z) and in many respects deserves the profound attention of in- quiring men. Innumerable clergymen, of unimpeacha- ble veracity, and some of them of considerable learning, assert and publish to the world, that the Holy Spirit of God is specially imparted to mankind for their salva- tion ; that its effects are first upon the consciences of men, convicting them of sin, making them serious and sorrowful, and frequently affecting them so as to cause them to weep and tremble, to cry out in agony, to be convulsed, and to feel differently from w7hat they ever have before; then, secondly, this Holy Spirit operates " on a different department of man's nature," and con- verts him. This is done by the " Holy Spirit renova- ting man's moral nature." " The will has naturally a wrong direction, and in regeneration it is set right, and a change of disposition occurs." [See Sprague and oth- ers on revivals.] These same authorities assure us that this special in- fluence of the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential for man's salvation; that unless it is imparted, no human being can escape indescribable torments in hell forever. They (a) I am not aware, however, that it has been so treated. I have carefully examined the works of Edwards, Sprague and Finney, all stand- ard authorities, on this subject, and regret to say that they are illogical, in- conclusive, and evidence but little research or reflection upon the subject: and I may add, also, that they are so contradictory of each other in impor- tant points, that the reader knows not what to believe. They abound with careless if not erroneous statements, some of which, if believed, would jus- tify the most wild fanaticism the world has ever known. Proof of this will be found in the succeeding pages, and the reader is referred to the works themselves. REVIVALS. 187 also assure us that this influence of the Holy Spirit is not constantly imparted to men, but only occasionally ; and then not to mankind scattered through various countries, but "to the individuals of one country; and not to all the inhabitants of a country, but only to the members of some one religious congregation ; and not to all of them, but only to a few. For instance, there are times when to all ap- pearances, this influence of the Spirit is no where observ- ed ; then it descends as a shower, (I use the phiases of the writers on this subject,) upon one of our large cities, or a town wherein are Episcopalians, Methodists, Bap- tists, Presbyterians, Universalists, Quakers, Jews, and other religious sects ; but it only descends upon one of these sects at a time, and then only upon a few individ- uals, (a) When we consider the immense number of mankind on the globe, and the myriads of human beings who have lived, to whom this spirit has not thus been impart- ed, and notice to how few it is now given, even in coun- tries where we hear most of it, we are lost in a maze of sorrow, wonder and doubt. A feeling of sorrow natural- ly arises at the thought of the unutterable misery of in- numerable millions of beings, created in the image of God himself;—of wonder, how it can be reconciled with the'plans of infinite benevolence,—with the plans of that Omnipotent Being who created for his own good plea- sure these suffering mortals ; and a feeling of doubt, if (a) I am aware that revivals are spoken of almost universally as great and powerful works ; but if these accounts are examined carefully, the con- verts will be found to be but few—very few indeed, compared with the whole number of individuals in one town or congregation. 188 REVIVALS. not of hope, will arise, whether the statements of these men may not be erroneous, (b) I believe the foregoing is a correct statement of the views of those who advocate these revivals of religion, as I have selected it from their writings. I do not mean to say, however, that they state it is only by revivals, that men are to have this spirit imparted to them ; though Dr. Sprague says—" Now it has come to pass in these days in which we live, that far the greater number of those who are turned from darkness to light, so far as we can judge, experience this change during revivals of reli- gion. It is for revivals that the church is continually praying ; and to them that she is looking for accessions both to her numbers and her strength." In these views, those who favor revivals generally concur. Still these (5) There are about 700,000,000 of human beings on the earth ; nil of whom believe in invisible beings superior to men, and entitled to the worshipofmen. In fact, man may well be denominated a religious animal. His disposition to adore and to create a religious worship, is the most distinctive mark of his nature, even more so than reason. Of these 700,000,000, about one half are Polytheists, who believe in sev- eral gods. Upwards of one hundred millions are Mahometans. The re- mainder, excepting four or five millions of Jews, are Christians, or so called because they inhabit countries where the Christian religion is acknow- ledged. Of this number about one hundred and twenty millions are Roman Cath- olics; sixty or seventy millions belong to the Greek Church, while only from forty to fifty millions are Protestants, and these are divided into innu- merable sects. To those who believe that the Protestant is the only pure and acceptable religion, this is really a sad picture. But it may be recollected that truth is of slow progress ; that once all mankind were Polytheists, and that constantly, though slowly, they have sought and (bund knowledge, and have improved in their religious views and worship. Still, when we exam. ine this subject a little further, and reflect how very large a portion of this number of Protestants are not considered genuine Christians by many; and how small the number of (hose who have been affected by what is called the special influence of the Holy Spirit, in the manner described, we must, if we believe that no other can be saved, be filled with indiscribable grief at the deplorable fate and prospects of the inhabitants of this world. REVIVALS. 189 same authorities, while they express the most perfect and undoubting confidence that these revivals are ow- ing to the special influences of the Holy Spirit, assure us that they are not always genuine. The Rev. Archibald Alexander, D. D., Professor of Theology in the Theological Seminary, Princeton, N. J. in a letter appended to Sprague's Lectures on revivals, says—" A revival, or religious excitement, may exist and be very powerful, and affect many minds, when the producing cause is not the Spirit of God, and when the truth of God is not the means of the awakening ;" and adds " that during the time of religious excitement, only a few may be under the saving operations of the Holy Spirit, while many are affected by sympathy or other causes;" but, says he—"no human wisdom is ade- quate to discern between those who are savingly wrought upon, and those who are only the subjects of the com- mon operations of the Holy Spirit." (c) In this uncertainty, others who favor revivals concur, and some, in view of the evils and difficulties attending them, appear almost to lament them. Dr. Alexander, in the letter referred to, says, " It has often occurred to me—and I have heard the same sentiment from some of the most judicious and pious men that I have known— that there must be a state of the church preferable to these temporary excitements, which are too often fol- (c) What does Dr. Alexander mean by the common operations of the Holy Spirit?" Does the New Testament teach us that some feelings, &c. are caused by the common operations of the Spirit, but that these are not to be regarded, as it is only by the uncommon operations of the Spirit, that men are to be saved ? See his letter appended to Sprague on revivals; it will serve to show how confused are the notions which he and his asso- ciates have respecting the operations of the Holy Spirit. 190 REVIVALS. lowed by a deplorable state of declension, and disgrace- ful apathy and inactivity." Mr. Finney, (d) in his first lecture on revivals, ob- serves, " It is very desirable that the church should go on steadily in a course of obedience, without these ex- citements. Such excitements are liable to injure the health. Our nervous system is so strung that any powerful excitement, if long continued, injures our health, and unfits us for duty. If religion is ever to have a pervading influence in the world, it can't be so; this spasmodic religion must be done away. Then it will be uncalled for. Christians will not sleep the greater part of the time, and once in a while wake up, and rub their eyes, and bluster about, and vociferate, a little while, and then go to sleep again. Then there will be no need that ministers should wear themselves out, and kill themselves, by their efforts to roll back the flood of wrorldly influence that sets in upon the church. But as yet, the state of the Christian world is such that to expect to promote religion without excitements is unphilosophical and absurd." (d) "Lectures on Revivals of Religion," 1835. Mr. Finney is very high authority on the subject of revivals. Under his ministry there have probably been more numerous and more extensive religious excitements than under that of any other man now living. Owing to ill health, he has lately relinquished the charge of the Chatham street church, in the city of New York, and accepted a professorship of theology, but he no doubt n>w sways more minds in this country upon the subject of religion than any other one man, or probably any one hundred men. His lectures have a very extensive circulation, and though they contain much that I greatly regret and disprove of, yet they show that he possesses a vigorous mind. They are far more able and consistent than those of Mr. Sprague on the same subject. In fact, if religion is mainly to be promoted by revivals, as Mr. Sprague and the "old measure men" assert, then the course pursued by the " new measure men," of creating and keeping up great excitements, is, as Mr. Finney observes, the only one not" unphilosophical and absurd." REVIVALS. 191 In view of these difficulties, and the statements made by the most ardent friends of revivals, and on other accounts, it seems necessary for those who wish to as- certain the truth respecting modern revivals of religion, to divest themselves of all prejudices respecting them, and to examine anew the whole subject, with great care and faithfulness. But in order to understand it, it re- quires to be stripped of all set phrases, and all ambiguous words. I am here, how7ever, obliged to remark, that the language used by the men who witness these re- vivals, and experience this special influence of the Holy Spirit which is said to cause them, in the narratives they publish to instruct mankind respecting them, is, of all modern writings, the most figurative and extrava- gant, and most confined to set phrases and to unmean- ing, cant terms, or to those of doubtful or double import. Of the correctness of this remark, the reader will be con- vinced by reading the following accounts, which are not unfair specimens of numerous ones with which the religious newspapers and magazines of this country have abounded within a few years. The Rev. B. Cook thus writes to the editor of the Lowell Evangelist, giving an account of a protracted meeting and revival in Rupert, Vt., which account is published and copied into other religious papers: " May 4th, 1833. " A protracted meeting commenced on Wednesday, the 27th of February, with the Baptist church in Rupert, Vt., and continued eight days. At the com- mencement of the meeting, clouds of darkness seemed to obscure the sun of righteousness, so that all the church were not blessed with his refreshing rays. Some of the 192 REVIVALS. members felt that the set time to favor Zion had come, and the voice of Israel's God to them was, ' A rise and shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.' While these put forth the hand of faith to take hold on strength, others were down by the cold streams of Babylon, with their harps unstrung and hung upon the willow7s. " The meeting had continued to the close of the week, and there were none among a number of precious youth who had taken the anxious seat from day to day who could say, ' Draw near all ye that fear the Lord, and I will declare unto you what he has done for my soul.' Under such circumstances, those whose whole souls were in the work, began to think there were some Jo- nahs asleep down in the ship, or a golden wedge in the camp; or at least some obstacles that hindered the chariot wheels of salvation from rumbling in the midst. Therefore, Sabbath afternoon was given up to the church and all such as loved our Lord Jesus Christ, that they might humble themselves in the dust before God, and the inquiry be made, 'Lord, is it I?' and thus remove every thing, if possible, that barred the Holy Spirit from the place. " As the protracted meeting exercise was about to commence, the pastor of the church requested all such as loved Jesus, and desired the descent of the Holy Spirit on the meeting, to come and kneel down with him in the broad aisle, and look up to Heaven for a blessing. The request was granted. At the close of the prayers which wrere offered. Christians weeping, began to confess; backsliders returned to their father's house, with love in their hearts towards the Lord God of Israel.' Thus the tithes and offerings were brought REVIVALS. 193 into the store-house, and when the anxious were called for, the windows of heaven were opened, the Holy Spirit came down, and the cry w7as heard, ' What must we do to be saved ?' Parents called for their children, and children called for their parents, to come and take the anxious seat. Sighs and groans were heard in every part of the house. The penitential tear now burst from the eyes of some as they came to the in- quirer's seat, who had raised up a brazen front against omnipotence, by professing the soul-destroying doctrine of universal salvation. " Thus the clouds of darkness were removed, and the stately goings of our God was manifested in the sanc- tuary ; a cloud of mercy hovered over the place, and streams of salvation poured down, and a number were rejoicing in the merits of a precious Saviour when I left." The Rev. Heman Humphrey, D. D. President of Amherst College. Mass., in a letter appended to Sprague's Lectures on Revivals, states that " God poured out his Spirit for the second time on Amherst College."—" For several wTeeks," he continues, " there was a manifest increase of concern for those : who were ready to perish,' till there came to be mighty wrest- lings with the Angel of the covenant, such as I believe always prevail. The ' noise and shaking among the dry bones' was sudden, and the work was rapid in its progress. The word of God was quick and powerful! In many cases, convictions of sin were extremely pun- gent. In some, they may be said to have been over- whelming. But in most instances they were short When the student became convinced that the wrath of 17 194 REVIVALS. God was justly abiding upon him, he shut himself up with his Bible, and his stricken heart, under the full persuasion that the crisis of his eternal destiny had come. ' Once he was alive without the law,' but now 'the commandment came, sin revived, and the young pharisee, as well as the publican, died.' In a few days, about thirty, and among them several who had been very far from the kingdom, and leaders in the broad way, were raised up, as we trust, and made to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, li was a glorious change, a most delightful spectacle.—' These, where had they been ?' We saw the rock from whence they were hewn, and the hole of the pit from which they were digged. It was the Lord's doing, and it was marvellous in our eyes." Dr. H. had previously published an account of this revival in the Boston Recorder and Telegraph, May, 1827, in which he mentions that the year previous " a little cloud seemed for a few days to be hovering over the seminary, but it soon disappeared." The revival, however, commenced the following year, and he at- tributes it to the " blessing of God upon some special efforts to arouse professors from their slumbers." It was considered powerful, and "twenty students," he says, "are supposed to have experienced relieff in a single week. " But some of the students," he observes, "scarcely heard the thunder or desired to see the cro-s." Such language, on so important a subject, is very greatly to be regretted. The reader of it cannot know what is meant by " clouds of mercy," (e)__" putting (e) In describing a revival at Lee, Mass., the writer says, "The church and people of God in Lee beheld the cloud of mercy, as big as a man's hand, rising and spreading."—[See Connecticut Observer, March 5,1827.1 REVIVALS. 195 forth the hand of faith to take hold on strength"— " chariot wheels of salvation" rumbling in the midst"— " windows of heaven opening," &c He cannot know what actually occurred to twenty or thirty students, (for that was the number affected at Amherst College,) by- being told that " there was sudden noise and shaking among the dry bones," and " mighty wrestlings with the Angel of the covenant," or what was the peculiar moral or physical condition of other students, which prevented them from " seeing the cross," and " hearing the thunder." Far more objectionable language may be found in many of the accounts of revivals published in the re- ligious periodicals of this country within a few years past. It is scarcely credible that writers have any clear ideas upon the subjects they thus treat. If they have, it appears to me that men have a right to expect, if not to demand, of intelligent men, who witness and expe- rience what they attempt to describe, more precise and intelligible, and less figurative statements. It is pre- sumed that those who make use of the extravagant language which we notice in their accounts, do not in- tend to have it understood literally; but from history and observation, we know there is danger that some will so understand it, and be led into gross errors. On this subject, Bishop Lavington remarks, "We know not what effect it may have upon weak, credu- lous and superstitious minds ; especially when improved by future comments, or the help of tradition. It is cer- tain that divers rhetorical flourishes of this sort, and other little superstitions, have gradually swelled into the most false and absurd doctrines, as well as into rank idolatry; and the world is covered with a deluge 196 REVIVALS. of monstrous legendary tales, which were derived from as small a fountain." In the commencement of this inquiry, I wish to be distinctly understood as not questioning the special in- fluence of the Holy Spirit, as mentioned in Scripture. With me there is no question respecting the special agency of the Spirit of God in Paul's conversion, or in the conversion of a multitude on the day of Pentecost, and at other times mentioned in the New Testament. These conversions were evidently miraculous, totally different from those we hear of in modern times, and accompanied by the " gift of tongues," " spirit of prophe- cy," ) tears often at the same time issuing like a flood, and intermingling a loud Aveeping. And some- times they have not been able to forbear crying out with aloud voice, expressing their great admiration." Though this revival he considered a " work of God;" yet he supposes man's agency may promote it, and says —" There is no one thing, that I know of, that God has made such a means of promoting his work amongst us. as the news of others' conversion; in the awakening sinners, and engaging them earnestly to seek the same blessing, and in the quickening of saints." Of this, we have no doubt. But is not this the way that all excite- (p) Wesley's converts often broke forth into laughter, being seized, as he says, "with the spirit of laughter;" and this he attributed to the devil. But who does not know that this is a symptom of nervous disease ? It occurs in hysterics, convulsions, frenzy and insanity, and to those who are said to be bewitched. The History of Witchcraft, says—" Mr. T.'s children after being convulsed, of a sudden commence laughing, which they cannot help." It was common among the "Tremblers des Cevennes," and French prophets. 18* 210 REVIVALS. ments and delusions are kept up? So long as people talk about ghosts, and apparitions, and witches, and re- late occurrences to show the reality of them, so long will people continue to see them, and be affected by them. " To prevent witchcraft, said the celebrated d' Augues- seau, it is only necessary to cease talking of Avitches." So it may be Avith religious feelings and unusual vi- sions. When people are convinced that the Spirit of God has specially come to them, they will have the feelings and see the sights which others are said to have had or seen in that age or country, or Avhich prevail among their sect. Sir Walter Scott, in his Avork on Demonology and Witchcraft after alluding to the prone- ness of the early settlers of NeAV England to believe in supernatural occurrences—a proneness Avhich still lin- gers though in a different foim—says, " the children be- witched in New England, conducted themselves as those supposed to suffer under Avitchcraft Avere accus- tomed to do." So it may be, at a time when the Spirit of God is suppo-ed to be specially present, that people whose religious feelings or fears are excited, will be af- fected, and will conduct as they have been told others did; and this tendency will be increased by talking about these feelings and these experiences. But in order to give the reader a full and correct idea of this "work of God," I will quote one case of conver- sion Avhich Dr. E. has related,—that of a young woman whose name was Abigail Hutchinson. " She was first awakened in the Avinter season, on Monday, by something she heard her brother say of the necessity of being in good earnest in seeking regenera- ting grace, together Avith the news of the conversion of the young woman before mentioned, whose conversion REVIVALS. 211 so generally affected most of the young people here. Th is news Avrought much upon her, and stirred up a spirit of envy in her towards this young Avoman, Avhom she thought very unworthy of being distinguished from oth- ers by such a mercy, but withal it engaged her in a firm resolution to do her utmost to obtain the same blessing ; and, considering with herself what course she should take, she thought that she had not a sufficient know- ledge of the principles of religion to render her capable of conversion; Avhereupon she resolved thoroughly to search the scriptures, and accordingly immediately be- gan at the beginning of the Bible, intending to read it through. She continued thus till Thursday, and then there was a sudden alteration, by a great increase of her concern, in an extraordinary sense of her own sinfulness, particularly the sinfulness of her nature, and Avicked- ness of her heart, Avhich came upon her (as she express- ed it) as a flash of lightning, and struck her into an ex- ceeding terror. Upon which she left off reading the Bi- ble in course, as she had begun, and turned to the New Testament, to see if she could not find some relief there for her distressed soul. " Her great terror, she said, was that she had sinned against God. Her distress greAV more and more for three days, until (as she said) she saw nothing but black- ness of darkness before her, and her very flesh trembled for fear of God's wrath ; she AA7ondered and Avas aston- ished at herself that she had been so concerned for her body, and had applied so often to physicians to heal that, and had neglected her soul. Her sinfulness appeared with a very awful aspect to her, especially in three things, viz. her original sin, and her sin in murmuring at God's providence, in the weakness and afflictions she had been 212 REVIVALS. under, and in want of duty to parents, though others had looked upon her to excel in dutifulness. On Saturday she was so earnestly engaged in reading the Bible, and other books, that she continued in it, searching for some- thing to relieve her, till her eyes Avere so dim that she could not know the letters. Whilst she was thus enga- ged in reading, prayer, and other religious exercises, she thought of those Avoids of Christ, Avherein he warns us not to be as the heathen, that think they shall be heard for their much speaking ; which, she said, led her to see that she had trusted to her own prayers and religious per- formances, and iioav she was put to a nonplus, and kneAV not Avhich Avay to turn herself, or Avhere to seek" relief. " While her mind was in this posture, her heart, she said, seemed to fly to the minister for refuge, hoping that he could give her some relief. She came the same day, to her brother, Avith a countenance of a person in distress, expostulating Avith him, Avhy he had not told her more of her sinfulness, and earnestly inquiring of him, Avhat she should do. She seemed, that day, to feel in herself an enmity against the Bible, which greatly affrighted her. Her sense of her oAvn exceeding sinfulness contin- ued increasing from Thursday till Monday, and she gave this account of it, that it had been an opinion Avhich, till noAV, she had entertained, that she Avas not guilty of Adam's sin, nor any way concerned in it, be- cause she Avas not active in it; but that now she saw she was guilty of that sin, and all over defiled by it, and that the sin which she brought into the world with her was alone sufficient to condemn her. " On the Sabbath day she was so ill that her friends thought it not best that she should go to public worship, of which she seemed very desirous ; but when she went REVIVALS. 213 to bed on the Sabbath day night, she took up a resolu- tion that she Avould, the next morning, go to the minis- ter, hoping to find some relief there. As she awaked on Monday morning a little before day, she A\7ondered within herself at the easiness and calmness she felt in her mind, which was of that kind which she never felt before ; as she thought of this, such Avords as these were in her mind ; the Avords of the Lord are pure Avoids, health to the soul, and marrow to the bones; and then these Avords came to her mind—the blood of Christ clean- ses from all sin ; Avhich were accompanied Avith a lively sense of the excellency of Christ, and his sufficiency to satisfy for the sins of the Avhole Avorld. She then thought of that expression—it is a plea-ant thing for the eyes to behold the sun, Avhich Avords then seemed to her to be very applicable to Jesus Christ. By these things her mind was led into such contemplations and views of Christ, as filled her exceeding full of joy. She told her brother in the morning that she had seen [i. e. in real- izing views of faith] Christ the last night, and that she had really thought that she had not knoAvledge enough to be converted ; but, said she, God can make it quite easy ! On Monday she felt all day a constant sweet- ness in her soul. "She had a repetition of the same dis- coveries of Christ three mornings together, that she had on Monday morning, and much the same manner, at each time, waking a little before day, but brighter and brighter every time. "At the last time, on Wednesday morning, Avhile in the enjoyment of a spiritual view of Christ's glory and fullness, her soul was filled Avith distress for Christless persons, to consider Avhat a miserable condition they were in ; and she felt in herself a strong inclination im- 214 REVIVALS. mediately to go forth to warn sinners, and proposed it the next day to her brother to assist her in going from house to house. " She had many extraordinary discoveries of the glory of God and Christ; sometimes in some particular attri- butes, and sometimes in many. She gave an account, that once, as those four words passed through her mind, wisdom, justick, goodness and truth, her soul was filled witli a sense of the glory of each of these divine attributes, but especially of the last. * * * She once expressed herself to one of her sisters to this purpose, that she had continued whole days and Avhole nights, in a constant ravishing vieAv of the glory of God and Christ, having enjoyed as much as her life could bear. Once as her brother was speaking of the dying love of Christ, she told him that she had such a sense of it, that the mere mentioning of it Avas ready to overcome her. " Once, when she came to me, she told hoAv that at such and such a time she thought she saAV as much of God, and had as much joy and pleasure as was possible in this life, and that yet afterwards God discovered him- self yet far more abundantly, and she saAV the same things that she had seen before, yet more clearly, and in another and far more excellent and delightful man- ner, and Avas filled Avith a more exceeding SAveetness. She likewise gave me such an account of the sense she once had from day to day of the glory of Christ, and of God, in his various attributes, that it seemed to ine she dwelt for days together, in a kind of beatific vision of God, and seemed to have, as I thought, as immediate an intercourse Avith him, as a child with a father." The similarity between the feelings, visions, ravishing views, &c. of this lady, and those experienced by Wes- REVIVALS. 215 ley's converts,—by St. Teresa, Lady Guion, and numer- ous other religious enthusiasts, is worthy of notice. Whitfield says—" God filled me with such unspeaka- ble raptures, particularly once in St. John's church, that I was carried out beyond myself." " I was so filled with the Spirit," says Seward,—" that I was carried beyond myself, and had such things revealed to me, as I never had before." Wesley tells us—" the Lord revealed him- self to a girl of about seven years old, in an amazing manner; and for some hours she was so wrapt up in his Spirit, that we knew not Avhere she was,—sinking to nothing in the discovery of his majesty and glory." Such Avere more common to popish saints, in times past. " Magdalen of Pazzi's life was almost one con- tinued ecstacy. St. Gertrude, Avho consecrated her virginity to Christ, when only five years old, was illu- minated by many revelations, and visions. St. Alcan- tara, at six years of age, Avas so contemplative, that frequently he was wholly absorbed in God, and carried into raptures." Edwards's convert had great longings to die, and so had St. Teresa, and numerous other semi-crazy papists and enthusiasts. " Finally," says Dr. E., "it began to be very sensible that the Spirit of God Avas gradually Avithdrawing from us, and after this time Satan seemed to be more let loose, and raged in a dreadful manner. The first in- stance Avherein it appeared, was a person's putting an end to his OAvn life by cutting his throat." This man was of a melancholy temperament, became " exceed- ingly concerned about the state of his soul, grew dis- couraged, and the devil took the advantage, and drove him to despairing thoughts." This suicide seemed 216 REVIVALS. likely to become contagious. " After this," says Dr. E., " multitudes in this and other towns seemed to have it strongly suggested to them, and pressed upon them, to do as this person had done. And many that seemed to be under no melancholy, some pious persons, that had no special darkness, or doubts about the goodness of their state, nor were under any special trouble or con- cern of mind about any thing spiritual or temporal, yet had it urged upon them, as if somebody had spoken to them, ' Cut your throat, now is a good opportunity. Now! Now!'" Others Avere "led away Avith strange enthusiastic delusions," claiming to be divinely instructed, &c. After this, he says, "there Avere some turns, Avherein God's Avork seemed something to revive, and Ave were ready to hope that all Avas going to be reneA\red again ; yet, in the main, there was a gradual decline of that general, engaged, lively spirit in religion, Avhich had been before. Several things have happened since, that have diverted people's minds, and turned their conver- sation more to other affairs ; as, particularly, his Excel- lency the Governor's coming up, and the Committee of the General Court, on the treaty Avith the Indians ; and afterwards, the Springfield controversy ; and since that, our people in this toAvn have been engaged in the build- ing of a neAV meeting-house; and some other occur- rences might be mentioned, that have seemed to have this effect." This account, by Dr. E., should be A\7ell studied,—I think it of great importance to a right understanding of the subject of revivals in this country,—as, in my opinion, it has been a source of much of the fanaticism and disorderly conduct which has since been witnessed REVIVALS. 217 in the United States, during times of religious excite* ment. Dr. EdAvards was considered a man of much ability, especially as a reasoner. His other writings gave him great celebrity, and he therefore became high and almost undoubted authority on most subjects. His account, therefore, of the "surprising conversions at Northampton, and thoughts on the revival in New England," has been credited, quoted, and perused, by all of the same religious views, and is considered stand- ard authority on the subject. It is curious to notice that his account is quoted and credited by those Avho very greatly disagree respecting the method of conducting and promoting revivals. Both appeal to him as authority not to be questioned. Those Avho dislike " new measures"—who wish to '• walk in the old paths"—Avho condemn " excitement of the passions," and " bodily agitation,"—Avho advo- cate calmness and order during a revival,—quote him, to justify their views; Avhile those who appear to think that extreme agony, and distress, and outcries, and bodily agitation, are great evidences of the presence of the Spirit of God, refer to him also. And well they may, for he thus approves of their views. " Extraordinary views of divine things, and religious affections, being frequently attended with very great effects on the body, nature often sinking under the weight of divine discoveries, the strength of the body taken away, so as to deprive of all ability to stand or speak; sometimes the hands clinched, and the flesh cold, but senses still remaining; animal nature often in a great emotion and agitation, and the soul very often, of late, so overcome with great admiration, and a kind of omnipotent joy, as to cause the person (wholly 19 218 REVIVALS. unavoidably) to leap with all the might, with joy and mighty exultation of the soul; the soul at the same time being so strongly drawn towards God and Christ in heaven, that it seemed to the person as though soul and body would, as it were of themselves, of necessity mount up, leave the earth and ascend thither. These effects on the body did not begin now in this wonderful season, that they should be owing to the influence of the ex- ample of the times, but about seven years ago; and began in a much higher degree, and greater frequency, near three years ago, w7hen there was no such en- thusiastical season, as many account this, but it was a very dead time through the land. They arose from no distemper catched from Mr. Whitefield, or Mr. Tennent. because they began before either of them came into the country ; they began as I said near three years ago, in a great increase, upon an extraordinary self dedication, and renunciation of the world, and resignation of all to God, made in a great view of God's excellency, and high exercise of love to him, and rest and joy in him : since which time they have been very frequent; and began in a yet higher degree, and greater frequency, about a year and a half ago, upon another new resignation of all to God, with a yet greater fervency and delight of soul; since which time the body has been very often fainting, with the love of Christ; and began in a much higher degree still, the last winter, upon another resigna- tion and acceptance of God, as the only portion and happiness of the soul, wherein the whole world, Avith the dearest enjoyments in it, were renounced as dirt and dung, and all that is pleasant and glorious, and all that is terrible in this world, seemed perfectly to vanish into nothing, and nothing to be left but God, in whom the REVIVALS. 219 soul was perfectly swallowed up, as in an infinite ocean of blessedness. Since which time there have often been great agitations of body, and an unavoidable leaping for joy; and the soul as it were dwelling almost without interruption, in a kind of paradise ; and very often, in high transports, disposed to speak of those great and glorious things of God and Christ, and the eternal world, that are in view, to others that are present, in a most earnest manner, and Avith a loud voice, so that it is next to impossible to avoid it. These effects on the body not arising from any bodily distemper or weakness, because the greatest of all have been in a good state of health." These things in his day Avere complained of as " new" but he justifies them, and refers to previous in- stances in Avhich " the pangs of the new birth were such as to cause senselessness, paleness, and appearance of death." Again—referring to cryings out, falling down, two classes, the converted and unconverted : and by so dividing them, to infer the necessity of conversion to every person whatever. In proposing the subject under this form, we state the distinction, in my opinion, too absolute- ly and draw from it a conclusion too universal: because there is a class and description of Christians, who having been previously educated, and having ^severed in those pious courses into which they were first brought, are no conTcioul to themselves of ever having been without the influence of religion, of ever having lost lost sight of its sanctions, of ever having re- nounced the.n."-See his Sermon on the Doctrine of Conversion. •23 266 REVIVALS. chapter, the incorrectness of the opinion, that they are owing to the special influence of the Holy Spirit; and that this opinion has heretofore and is still likely to pro- duce fanatical conduct injurious to the health and physi- cal welfare of the inhabitants of this country. CHAPTER VII. INJURY OF THE BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM, FROM FREQUENT MEETINGS AND RELIGIOUS EXCITE- MENTS AND DOCTRINES. DANGER OF AN INCREASE OF INSANITY, APOPLEXY, PALSY, EPILEPSY, CON- VULSIONS, HYDROCEPHALUS, TIC DOLOREUX, AND ALL NERVOUS DISEASES FROM THE ABOVE CAUSES.-- PARTICULARLY INJURIOUS TO FEMALES.--CAU- TIONS AND ADVICE TO CLERGYMEN. An intimate connexion between the mind and the body has always been admitted; though metaphysicians and physiologists have disagreed respecting the particu- lar organs by which the mind acts, or in which it is seated. There seems, hoAvever, now to be no question but that the nervous system is more particularly than any other, concerned in all the mental operations, and is the medium of communication between the intellectual and corporeal powers. We are, hoAvever, as yet, very far from understanding thoroughly, this intimate con- nexion and sympathy, though from modern researches, and the accumulations of physiological and pathological observations, AAre now know much more respecting it than Avas known fifty years since, or in the time of Wesley and Edwards. The following appear now to be well established truths on this subject :— 268 INJURY TO THE HEALTH I. The brain, or that nervous mass contained Avithin the skull, is the material organ of all the mental facul- ties—the instrument by Avhich all psychological actions are performed. This is now so generally acknowledged, that 1 need not, perhaps, spend any time in attempting to prove it. It is, hoAvever, a fact of exceedingly great and practical importance; though it seems to be but very little regard- ed, especially by the instructors of youth and religious teachers. They are extremely anxious not to injure the stomach, by too greatly taxing its digestive poAvers, and are very desirous to learn Avhat course of diet w ill injure it, in order that they may avoid that course ; but at the same time, they are utterly regardless of injuring the brain, by too greatly exciting the mind. If they do acknowledge, in words, that the brain is the organ by which the mind is manifested, they do not appear to consider or to realise, what of course is true, if such is the office of the brain ; that all mental emotions must excite the brain, increase its action, and tax its powers ; and if severe or long continued, will as assuredly injure it, as too much or too stimulating food will injure the stomach. They do not appear to realize that the " sor- row and agony,"—the "joy and rapture," mentioned as occurring in modern revivals, will produce commotion in the brain and nervous system, and disturb their ac- tion as certainly as poAverful stimulants will thus affect the stomach if taken into it; and if long continued, \\ ill injure the brain as certainly as the repetition of stimu- lants will the stomach. But, in fact, there is far more danger in the former case than in the latter, because the brain is a more im- portant and ruling organ in the system, and being con- FROM RELIGIOUS EXCITEMENTS. 269 nected with every part of the body by the nerves, what- ever exhausts or injures the brain, must necessarily af- fect the whole system. If, therefore, a number of peo- ple be kept for a long time in a state of great terror and mental anxiety, no matter whether from vivid descrip- tions of hell, and fears of " dropping immediately into it," or from any other cause, the brain and nervous sys- tem of such a people is as liable to be injured, as the stomach and digestive organs are from the frequent use, during the same length of time, of very stimulating food and drink. In both cases, the majority Avould not probably be visibly injured or affected, or but for a short time ; but every one knoAvs that the body is injured by revelry and debauch, though not more certainly than by long continued terror and anxiety of mind.(a) Now all this must be true, if it be true that the brain is the organ by which the mind acts ; and this is a fact, as I have said, generally acknowledged, and is support- ed by as much proof as can be brought to support almost any thing Ave believe in regard to the causes of disease. This was the opinion of Galen, who called the brain " the grand organ of the intellect." Galen was received as good authority by the Greeks and Arabians, down to the 15th century. This was also the opinion of New- ton, Locke, Boerhaave, Haller, Morgagni, Soemering, Cullen, Hunter and Rush ; and is believed by all dis- tinguished philosophers and physiologists, among Avhom are Richerand, Magendi, Rudolphi, Cuvier, Tissot, Riel, (a) Some contend that alcoholic drinks are not injurious, because their neighbors and many of their acquaintances have been in the use of them for years, and have enjoyed good health. But that such drinks do injure the system, especially if taken frequently, and so as to excite the system.is generally admitted. But there is no better proof of it, than that great and long continued mental excitement affects the brain. 270 INJURY TO THE HEALTH Fontana, Home, Bell, Le Gallois, Whytt, Greding, Lo- der, Flourens, Desmouliens, Louis, Series, Elliotson, Lallemand, Broussais, Meckel, Haslam, Prichard, Bur- rows, Blumenbach, Pinel, Georget, Esquirol, Foville, Andral, and innumerable others, who found their belief on numerous physiological and pathological observa- tions. (6) II. It is also Avell established that all excitement of the mind increases the action of the brain. This is suscep- tible of positive proof. Sometimes when the mental excitement is very great, instant death is produced from the rupture of a blood vessel in the brain, causing apoplexy. Sudden death from the " violence of passion," often mentioned by po- ets and novelists (c) is not a fiction. This Ave can easily believe, Avhen we see the greatly increased rush of blood to the head in anger, causing the Avhole countenance to become flushed. Brichetau relates the case of a young officer, who on receiving the insult of a blow in public, became immediately crazy, and died in convulsions. Sometimes sudden joy causes death. This is recorded of a Roman lady on meeting her son as he returned (5) A writer in the Christian Spectator also admits this fact, and refers for illustration of it, to the work of the author on the " Influence of Men- tal Cultivation upon Health." See Christian Spectator, for Sept. 1833. (c) See death of Sir Brian du Bois Gilbert, in the second volume of Ivan- hoe, by Sir Walter Scott. Also death of Haidee, in fourth canto of Lord Byron's Don Juan, and the note illustrative of it. I am here tempted to remark, that Scott and Byron, of all fictitious writers whose works I have read, are physiologically most correct. I have noticed that many other writers, far less popular, are also very incorrect, physiologically. To be sure they are not like Shakspeare, Scott and Byron, accurate and minute obser- vers, but had they studied physiology, they could not have made the mis- takes they have. Why is not this important science taught in all our schools and colleges ? FROM RELIGIOUS EXCITEMENTS. 271 from the battle of Cannae, in which she had supposed he was killed. It is said that Diagoras, Chilo, and So- phocles, died of joy. The door-keeper of Congress ex- pired on hearing of the surrender of Cornwallis. Such cases are exceedingly numerous, and arise from the in- creased action of the heart and circulating system, by Avhich more blood is sent to the head than can be sus- tained. Sometimes, hoAvever, as Bichat remarks, " the influence of the passions upon the organs of circulation is so violent, as to stop the play of those organs." Grief also often causes sudden death. Philip V. died suddenly on hearing of the defeat of his army. The Doge Francis Foscari, expired on hearing of his de- position, and the appointment of his successor. Recent- ly a man by the name of Hills was apprehended in NeAV York for theft. He was taken before the police in per- fect health, but mental agony caused the blood to gush from his nose, and being carried out, he died. Many cases of sudden death, caused by grief and fright, espe- cially of children, are mentioned in Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy, and in medical works. Sir Astley Cooper, in his surgical lectures, after stating that grief, anger and fear, have great influence in producing disease and in retarding recovery from Avounds and injuries, re- lates instances of death from these affections of the mind. One of them I subjoin. " A child, for some trifling offence, Avas put, by her schoolmistress, into a dark cellar : the child Avas dread- fully frightened at the idea of being put there, and cried violently during the hour that she was confined. When she returned to her parents in the evening, she burst into tears, and begged that she might not be put into the cellar; the parents thought this extremely odd, and as- 272 INJURY TO THE HEALTH sured her that there was no danger of their being guilty of so great an act of cruelty ; but it was difficult to paci- fy her, and when put to bed she passed a restless night. On the folloAving day she had fever, during Avhich she frequently exclaimed—" Do not put me in the cellar." The fourth day after, she was brought to my house in Broad-street, in a high state of fever, Avith delirium, fre-, quently muttering—" Pray do not put me in the cellar !" and when I inquired the reason, I found that the parents had learnt the punishment to which she had been sub- jected. I ordered what I conceived likely to relieve the fever, but the child died in a Aveek after this unfeeling conduct." No doubt great mental exertion, even when the pas- sions are not greatly excited, may cause sudden death, by determining the blood to the head so as to produce apoplexy. Thus Ave account for the numerous instances of sudden death among eminent public speakers during their bursts of eloquence. Medical books contain innumerable instances of the danger to be apprehended from violent or long continued mental excitement, all serving to establish the fact that whatever excites the mind, excites and stimulates the brain. But still more positive proof has been furnished by Sir A stley Cooper, who says—" A young gentleman Avas brought to me from the north of England, Avhohad lost a portion of his skull just above the eyebroAV. On examining the head, I distinctly saw the pulsations of the brain, which Avere regular and slow; but at this time he was agitated by some opposition to his wishes, and directly the pulsations of the brain were increased, and became more violent, and more blood rushed to the brain. If, therefore, you omit to keep the mind free from FROM RELIGIOUS EXCITEMENTS. 273 agitation, your other means will be unavailing in inju- ries of the head.* The same author mentions another similar case; that of a young man, who had an opening in his skull from a wound, through Avhich he could see an increased ac- tion in the brain, whenever any thing occurred, even in conversation, to agitate the mind of the patient. The following case is related by M. Broussais. M. Thavernier, a captain in the----regiment, forty-tAvo years of age, moderately stout, but AAell formed, re- ceived in the middle of the Palais Royal, in May, 1815, ninety days before his death, a letter containing bad news. Whilst perusing it, he remained motionless, as if thunderstruck, and the left side of his face became paralysed, and drawn to the opposite side. He Avas taken to Val de Grace, and attended to. At this time he had complete paralysis of the arm, thigh, and leg of the right side, and was unable to speak. After using various remedies for more than two months, he began to improve, and became so much better as to be able to stand up, and to speak, although Avith difficulty. In this state of improvement, M. Thavernier received another letter, said to be from his Avife : he read it, and instantly there occurred loss of speech, general immobili- ty, abolition of sense, and complete apoplexy. He died in three days after this attack, and, on examining the head, there was found engorgement of blood in the sinuses, and several abscesses Avere observed in the sub- stance of the brain, and other marks of organic disease. M. Broussais considers this a case of chronic inflamma- tion of the brain induced by a moral cause."t ♦Lectures on Surgery, &c. tHistory of Chronic Phlegmasiae, by F. J. V. Broussais, Vol. 1. 274 INJURY TO THE HEALTH Evidence of the same fact, that all excitement of the mind increases the action of the brain, is furnished by Blumenbach, who relates the case of a person avIio had been trepanned, and Avhose brain Avas observed to sink when he was asleep and sAvell out Avhen he was aAvake. III. In the same manner, mental excitement, by in- creasing the momentum of blood to the brain, causes insanity, epilepsy, convulsions, organic affections of the heart, and many of the most dangerous diseases. Insanity is not, as some may suppose, merely a derange- ment of mind, a disease of the immortal spirit itself, but it is a disease of the brain. The immortal and im- material mind is, surely, incapable of disease, of decay and derangement; but being allied to a material organ, upon Avhich it is entirely dependent for its manifesta- tions upon earth, these manifestations are suspended or disordered Avhen this organ is diseased. The phrase derangement of mind, conveys an er- roneous idea; for such derangement is only a symptom of disease in the head, and is not the primary affection. It is true, that moral and mental causes may produce insanity, but they produce it by first occasioning either functional or organic disease of the brain. On examin- ing the heads of those Avho die insane, some disease of the brain or its appendages is generally found. I have examined the heads of several individuals who had been insane, and in every instance some disease of the brain was very apparent. Doctor Haslam says, that insanity is always con- nected with organic alterations of the brain. Greding has noticed thickening of the skull in one hundred and sixty-seven cases out of two hundred and sixteen, be- sides other organic diseases. Spurzheim says he always FROM RELIGIOUS EXCITEMENTS. 275 found changes of structure in the heads of insane peo- ple. M. Georget dissected a great number of brains, and his experience is conformable to that of the authors above mentioned. Many others who have had frequent opportunities of examining the heads of those Avho die insane, confirm the preceding, and establish this impor- tant truth, that the brain, the material organ of the mind, must become diseased before the manifesta- tions of the mind can be pronounced deranged. The causes of this disease are generally moral com- motions. "Those causes (says Mr. Georget) which tend to derange the brain by the very exercise of its own functions, are the most frequent, nay, almost the only causes capable of producing mental alienation, (d) No other disease, probably, is increasing faster in our country than insanity, and from investigations recently made in several of the northern states, there is reason to fear that it already prevails here to a greater extent than in any other country, (e) This, however, is not strange, for insanity is a disease that ahvays prevails most in countries Avhere the people enjoy civil and religious free- dom, and where all are induced, or are at liberty to engage in the strife for wealth, and for the highest honors and distinctions of society. We need therefore to be exceed- ingly careful not to add other causes to those already ex- isting, of this most deplorable disease. And in nothing should we be more careful, in order to avoid inducing insanity, than in powerfully exciting the minds of the young, and particularly of females, and especially on religion. In all ages, this has been one of the most fruitful sources of this disease. Dr. Burrows, on this id) "De La Folie," &c. by M. Georget, M. D. &c. Paris, 1820. \e) On this subject, see my appendix to Spurzheim on insanity. 276 IXJURY TO THE HEALTH subject, says—" Were I to allege one cause, Avhich I thought was operating with more force than another, to increase the victims of insanity, I should pronounce, that it was the overweaning zeal Avith which it is attempted to impress on youth the subtle distinctions of theology and an unrelenting deA7otion to a dubious doctrine. I have seen so many melancholy cases of young and ex- cellently disposed persons, of respectable families, de- ranged, from either ill-suited or ill-timed religious com- munication, that I cannot avoid impugning such con- duct as an infatuation, Avhich, as long as persevered in, will be a fruitful source of moral evil. The old Romans knew human nature better; they had a law Avhich for- bade any person entering upon the sacerdotal office be- fore the age of fifty. This Avas to prevent theological discussions before an age Avas attained when a bad effect was not to be apprehended." Other writers on this dis- ease confirm the above statement. M. Georget says,— " Excess of religious ideas produce different shapes of madness, according to the individual's character. Su- perstition united with ambition, and the desire of em- pire, give birth to intolerant and persecuting fanaticism, to the desire of ruling in God's name, and of making converts. With the subdued spirit, outree religion pro- duces panophobia, fear of divine chastisement, and de- monomania. Finally, its singular union with amorous passions, excites ecstatic love of God, the Virgin, or some saint." " Strong emotions," says Dr. Prichard, " excited by vehement preaching, produce continually, in females and very sensitive persons, fits of hysteria, and in those who are predisposed to mania there can be no doubt that similar causes give rise to attacks of madness. Cases FROM RELIGIOUS EXCITEMENTS. 277 indeed, are of continued occurrence which establish the fact."—[Cyclopaedia of Practical Medicine.] Epilepsy and Convulsions. These diseases of the nervous system are also quite prevalent, and are evi- dently increasing. Doct. Baillie of London, speaking of Epilepsy, says—" it has become much more frequent within the last tAventy years than formerly." They are also produced by mental agitation, as is ev- ident from the testimony of innumerable authors who have Avritten upon this subject. Of all the passions of the mind which produce these, probably no one is so powerful as terror. A celebrated German physician, (Locker,) says, that in six out of ten cases of epilepsy under his care, at the Hospital of St. Mark, at Vienna, the disease Avas occasioned by terror, (a) Convulsions from terror, alarm and grief, are quite common. Such cases are so numerous in medical Avorks, that I scarcely need refer particularly to them. They will be found in most writers on nervous diseases, and numerous cases are recorded in the periodical works. But as minute details of cases are more impressive than general references, I will transcribe one from M. Pinel on diseases of the Medulla Spinalis. " Case 2. Felicia Lepoigny, of sanguineous tempera- ment, enjoyed good health till her 15th year. At this time, being frightened by the entrance of the Russian soldiers into the village, and the rude conduct of one of them towards her, she Avas seized Avith a paroxysm of epilepsy, which returned, Avith shortening intervals, until (a) See " Cooke on Nervous diseases," for numerous cases of Epilepsy produced by the same cause. 24 278 INJURY TO THE HEALTH her intellectual faculties gave way, and she was con- ducted to the Salpetriere in 1816, in a state of complete idiotism, complicated with epilepsy, attacking her every four or five days. In this state she continued, without any material alteration, for four years. In January, 1820, a succession of dreadful paroxysms of epilepsy and convulsions terminated her Avretched existence. uAutopsia. Dura mater strongly adherent to the skull, especially in the right parietal fossa, tunica arach- noidea healthy, but rather injected—substance of the brain unaffected—excepting turgescence of its vessels. The cerebellum Avas rather soft but sound. The spinal brain being laid open its a\ hole length, presented a great turgescence of its nervous system. Towards the dorsal region a disorganization Avas found in the medullary substance, extending from the plexus of nerves going to the arms, as far as the lumbar region. The thorax and abdomen presented no organic lesion." The same author relates other cases, having similar terminations, exhibiting similar appearances after death, and produced by mental agitation, (b) It must have been noticed by every practitioner of medicine, and it is also evident from the increased num- ber of publications on the subject, that diseases, arising from irritation of the Medulla Spinalis, have greatly multiplied of late. From the Avorks just cited, and from other pathological observations, there is great reason to fear that this disease is frequently produced by moral (6) See Recherches sur 1'Inflammation De l'Arachnoide, Cerebrale, et Spinale; par Parent-Duchatelet et L. Martinet; for many cases exhib- iting the powerful effect of moral causes in producing disorder of the brain and nervous system. See similar cases in "Medical and* Philosophical commentaries, by a society in Edinburgh." vols. 1 and 3. FROM RELIGIOUS EXCITEMENTS. 279 causes;—by agitation and anxiety of mind, not severe enough to produce the fatal disorders alluded to, but suf- ficient to cause irritation of this important portion of the uervous system, and to give rise to the distressing symp- toms Ave notice in that disease. Diseases of the heart, have also multiplied of late, and are frequently caused by terror, alarm and mental excitement, as Corvisart, Testa and other writers on these diseases inform us. But on this subject the reader is referred to my work on the " Influence of Mental Cul- tivation upon Health," second edition, p. 85. IV. Long continued or great mental anxiety, though it does not always cause the above violent and often fatal diseases, may produce irritation of the brain and nervous system, and give rise to melancholy, hypocon- driasis, tic-doloreux, and other nervous affections. The irritation of the brain, caused by mental emotion, often acts on other organs, and gives rise to diseases of the stomach, and increases all local diseases. " Those local complaints which appear to originate spontaneously, or in some cases Avhere a slight Avound has been inflicted, I believe to be only symptomatic of a general irritability of the brain and nervous .system. The almost constant failure of topical remedies, and of the di- vision of the affected nerve, must lead to the conclusion that the cause of the local diseased action, or primary affection, must reside in some other part of the body; and if Ave inquire into the causes of the local active af- fections of the nerves, it will be found that the atonic state of the body, or whatever tends to render the brain and nervous system irritable, will generally be found the most frequent." (c) (c) " A Dissertation on the Treatment of Morbid Local Affections of Nerves; to which the Jacksonian Prize was adjudged by the Royal Col- lege of Surgeons, by Joseph Swan;" 1820. 280 INJURY TO THE HEALTH I have had abundant proof of the truth of the forego- ing statement. 1 have known several instances of slight local disease in young ladies, which disease was greatly increased by any mental excitement. One young lady at a boarding school, Avhose hand had been slightly in- jured, assured me that Avhen the time arrived for her to furnish a composition, the pain of the hand Avas greatly increased. Another, with a like injury, assured me that the excitement of lectures and evening meetings so greatly increased the pain, that she Avas obliged, though reluctantly, to avoid them. This tendency to nervousness, as it is often called, has greatly increased of late years in this country, and to such an extent that it is often mentioned by those not belonging to the medical profession. A writer, Avho is understood to be a clergyman and professor in one of the colleges in New-England, in an " Essay on the In- fluence of Nervous Disorders upon Religious Experi- ence," in the Christian Spectator for 1827, observes— " The ravages which nervous maladies are making at this day, in the civilized world, are appalling and im- mense. They are changing, and threaten still more to change, the general character of society. * The church of God in our land deeply feels the inroads of these complaints, in prostrating the energies, and pre- maturely destroying the usefulness of many of her most valuable ministers. They lurk, too, around our Theo- logical Seminaries, our Colleges, and even our prepara- tory schools; and there seize as their victims, many of the most devoted and talented of our youth, who had consecrated themselves to Christ and the Church." Now all medical men agree that these diseases arise from increased impetus of blood to the brain, as has been FROM RELIGIOUS EXCITEMENTS. 281 admirably illustrated by the celebrated Parry. Dr. Dar- wall remarks respecting stomach affections,—" when in- digestion and its accompanying evils of nervous irrita- bility, severely affect any individual, the brain and spi- nal cord, one or both, are suffering, as well as the stomach. But I Avish to go farther than this point, and to regard the nervous system not as merely influenced by affections of the kind above alluded to, but as actual- ly being the source from which they proceed." On the subject we are considering, Dr. Parry says—■ " Another state of disorder, Avhich is simple depression of spirits, unconnected with any adequate afflictive cause, and usually called Hypocondriasis, is, in fact, only one effect of that morbid sensibility, which has been noted as the characteristic of the nervous temperament, and from its being a usual concomitant of the symptoms which denote that temperament, we might legitimately infer that it arose from the same cause, excessive deter- mination of the blood to the brain."(d) Tic-Doloreu.v, or Neuralgia.—This very painful nervous affection has been wondefully increased in this country of late years, and probably in other countries. The experienced Dr. Baillie remarks— " Tic-doloreux seems to me to have become more common of late years." Doct. Johnson remarks— " the great number of cases of this dreadful disease which have been published of late years, prove that the complaint is on the increase, along Aviththe host of oth- er nervous affections. The general spread of intellec- (d)" Elements of Pathology and Therapeutics," by Caleb Hillier Parry. 24* 282 INJURY TO THE HEALTH tual excitement among all classes of society, in modern times, much deteriorate the grosser functions of the body —and this deterioration inevitably re-acts on the nervous system with a severe retaliation." V. The Brain and Nervous System of children and young persons, is extremely delicate, easily excited, and very liable to be injured by excitement. The brain of a new-born infant weighs about ten ounces ; (e) that of an adult, generally, three pounds and a half, apotheca- ries' weight, frequently a little less. During childhood it is " very soft, and even almost liquid under the fin- ger, and its different parts cannot be clearly distinguish- ed.'^/) Still at this time it is supplied with more blood, in proportion to its size, than at any subsequent period. It then grows most rapidly, and more rapidly than any other organ : its weight is nearly doubled at the end of the first six months; and hence the nervous system, be- ing connected Avith the brain, is early developed, and be- comes the predominating system in youth.(g) But this great and early developement very much increases the liability to disease : it gives a tendency to convul- sions, and to inflammation and dropsy of the brain, and to other diseases of the nervous system, which are most common and fatal in childhood. (e) Meckel's Anatomy, vol. ii. (/) Bichat's General Anatomy, vol. i. (g) This most important organ,—the local habitation of the mind in this world, undergoes but little change during middle life ; but it becomes less in old age, and then the mental faculties are observed to fail. According to the researches of M. Desmoulins, the specific gravity of the brain in persons who have passed seventy years, is from twenty to fifteen less than in adults. There are, however, some diseases which greatly waste the body but do not cause any diminution of the brain, and in these diseases the powers of the mind are retained. FROM RELIGIOUS EXCITEMENTS. 283 Whoever will take the trouble to examine the sub- ject, will find that such diseases, especially dropsy of the head and convulsions, have greatly increased among children in modern times. Doct. Johnson, in a Review of several late works on dropsy of the head, observes— '' the present plan of education, in which the intellectu- al powers are prematurely exercised, may be considered as one of the causes of the more frequent recurrence of this disease."(A) Another distinguished Avriter observes, " We should operate upon the tender intellect of a child, by the gentlest progression. By premature efforts to im- prove the powers of the intellect, the organ in which they reside is exhausted. The injurious effects arising from the folly and false vanity of parents, who are am- bitious of holding forth their children as specimens of extraordinary talent, are constantly presenting them- selves to our view, in a train of nervous symptoms, and of susceptibility to ordinary impressions, which frequent- ly pave the way to decided paroxysms of convul- sions."^) Similar observations have been made by many other medical writers Avithin a few years. The nervous system of women is also more excitable than that of men, and they are therefore much more likely to be injured by long continued or strong mental excitement. In them, the nervous system naturally predominates ; they are endowed with quicker sensibil- ity, and far more active imagination, than men ; their emotions are more intense, and their senses alive to more delicate impressions.(/) The truth of this, the writings (li) Medico-Chirurgical Review, 1826 (i) " Practical Observations on the Convulsions of Infants," by John North. (;) See " Dictionaire des Sciences A^edicale," vols. XIV.—XV.—LIII.— articles__Femme, Fille, and Sujet d' Hy.eine. Also Histoire Naturelle de la Femme. Par Jacq. L. Moreau (De la Sarthe.) 284 INJURY TO THE HEALTH of physiologists, our own observation, and all history, confirms. Hence Dr. Johnson observes—" AAomen, being far more susceptible of moral impressions than men, have in all ages been the ' chosen vessels' for en- thusiasm, and the most approved subjects for delusion." Another medical Avriter correctly observes, they are " highly excitable, easily elevated by the contemplation of those objects Avhich set their imagination afloat, rea- son loses its empire, enthusiasm and ecstacy seem to car- ry them beyond the limits of existence, and the agita- tion of their body is not less powerful than that of their mind. Of this, the great jugglers of church and state have been perfectly aAvare in all ages. For proofs of this assertion we need not unveil the secrets of the tem- ple of Apollo and the Sybil, nor have recourse to the ef- fects of the workings of the spirit on the daughters of the Romish church. The same religious pantomimes have been acted times out of number, in our OAvn coun- try, and with symptoms of devotion not less violent than those Avhich shook the heathen priestess."—Edinburgh Med. and Surg. Journal, vol. 4th.(A") From the foregoing facts and observations, the follow- ing appear to be legitimate conclusions : — I. All long continued or violent excitement of the mind is dangerous, because it is likely to injure the brain and nervous system. NoAvifthis is incorrect, then all history may be referred to, to disprove it. But on inquiry we find that all great excitements have ever (k) The sagacious John Selden, in his " Table Talk," remarks of the con- duct of the Priests of Rome,—" When the priests come into a family, they do as a man that would set fire on a house; he does not put fire to the brick wall, but thrusts it into the thatch. They work upon the women, and let the men alone." FROM RELIGIOUS EXCITEMENTS. 285 caused an increase of insanity, and other affections of the brain. The excitement produced among the spec- ulators of England and France some years since by the memorable South Sea scheme—or bubble, as it has been called,—produced much insanity. Our Revolution and the excitement of the war increased insanity in this country; and during the first Revolution in France, cases of this disease were frightfully multiplied. In all ages and countries, insanity has prevailed most in times of great moral and mental commotion. The Crusades, and the spirit of chivalry that followed them, the Re- formation of Luther, the civil and religious discords of Europe, greatly multiplied cases of insanity.(/) So true is it, that moral and mental causes excite this dis- ease, that Esquirol says, he " could give the history of the Revolution, from the taking of the Bastile until the last appearance of Bonaparte, by that of some lunatics, whose insanity relates to the events which have distin- guished this long period." Religious excitement, therefore, like all mental excite- ment, by affecting the brain, may cause insanity and other diseases. I wish, however, here, to state my be- lief, that pure religion—Christianity—has no such ef- fect ;—but the abuse of it has. The religion of Christ condemns that excitement, terror and fanatacism Avhich leads to such effects; " For God hath not given us the spirit of fear ; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." 2 Tim. i. 7. It should, however, never be forgotten, that of all the sentiments imparted to man, the religious, is the most powerful. An accurate observer has remarked, that it [0 Esquirol, Rush, Voison. 286 INJURY TO THE HEATH has had more influence on mankind than all their pas- sions combined. And as each passion or feeling may be excited to excess, so as to cause mental derangement and suicide, so may the religious feelings, and very readily, in many instances, be so strongly excited as to produce like consequences. To exhibit the effect of this sentiment in causing alienation of mind, in all ages of the Avorld, I am in- duced to abridge from the admirable article of M. Es- quirol on demonomania, in the eighth volume of the Dictionaire des Sciences Medicale, the following sketch. After remarking that religious melancholy had prevailed to some extent in all ages, and that the sacred books of all nations furnished examples of it, he observes : " Then, when men abandoned the Avorship of the true God, and became Avorshippers of idols and false gods, they at first adored the stars, (NeAvton's Chronolo- gy,) for these objects struck their senses most powerfully. Religions melancholy Avas therefore regarded as depen- dent upon the course of the planets, and its periodical re- turns fortified this belief. After a while, when the doctrine of spirits came to be combined Avith former theo- logical ideas, nervous diseases, and especially those con- nected Avith disordered mind, being considered sacred diseases, Avere of course attributed to spii-its. Among these maniacs some were gay, bold and daring, and said they were inspired ;—these were believed to be happy, and enjoying the friendship of God,—they presented themselves or were presented to the people, as envoys from heaven, and delivered oracles for themselves or for the priests. Other maniacs, on the contrary, were sor- rowful, timid and fearful—filled Avith imaginary terrors. They considered themselves as damned, and they were FROM RELIGIOUS EXCITEMENTS. 287 treated as objects deserving the Avrath of heaven, and devoted to the infernal poAvers. (Edipus, Orestus and many other great criminals, were said to be pursued by the furies. They Avere however afflicted but Avith true religious melancholy. Anxiety, fear and great terror affected all minds—all strove to deliver themselves from expected evil, and to turn away the vengeance of heaven. Every one Avished to discover in the future, that which they ought to fear or to hope for. Thus after having consulted the stars and the oracles, they in- voked and interrogated the souls of the dead. "Hence arose the science of evocation, and witch- craft, and other mysterious practices. Sorcery entered into and became a part of religious Avorship. Astrology, magic, sorcery, all children of Fear, so engaged and in- flamed the imaginations of men, that it is not astonish- ing, says Pliny, that their influence confined so long, and extended to all ages, all places, and all people. " But when Christianity appeared, it directed the minds of men to the unity of God, silenced the oracles by enlightening men, and consecrated and extended the opinion of Plato and Socrates, as to the existence of spirits. It thus produced a great revolution in the minds of men, and filled all heads with new ideas. The poAV- er of spirits over the body was now too greatly exagge- rated, and the fear of yielding to the instigations of the devil, created universal tenor. People generally be- lieved themselves in the power of demons, consequently demonomania Avas at this period increased. "From this belief arose the practice of exorcising, Avhich prevailed in the primitive church. Recourse Avas had to A'arious ceremonies to restore those possessed of the devil. But they did not burn them. In some cities, 238 INJURY TO THE HEALTH the people held solemn festivals, in order to cure the possessed. All those whose minds were disordered, that were from the same country, were assembled in one church. The concourse of people from all parts Avas immense, and this, witli the presence of the Bishop— the pomp—the appearance of solemnity—and all that was able to strongly affect the imagination, concurred to give confidence to the diseased, and occasionally to cure them. Then, every one cried out that a miracle had been Avrought; and this prepared neAV cases and new cures for the folloAving year. "Afterwards, Avhen Luther undertook to reform the church, religious conversation and discussion became common, and the points in dispute AA7ere made the sub- ject of all preaching, and most political movements were made with reference to the religious quarrels of the times. The different paitisans reciprocally menaced each other with damnation eternal. Fanaticism in all forms was revived, and to the other evils of the times was added a great increase of cases of religious melan- choly. " Calvin appeared soon after, and he served to increase them still more. Every where could be seen the ex- communicated—the damned—and the Avitches. The people of course became terrified. Tribunals were created, and the devil was summoned to appear in a court of justice. Those supposed to he possessed of the devil, Avere brought to judgment—scaffolds were erected, and funeral piles Avere kindled. The demonomaniacs, under the name of Avitches and the possessed—double victims of the reigning errors—were burned, after hav- ing been put to the torture, to make them renounce their supposed pacte or league with the devil. FROM RELIGIOUS EXCITEMENTS. 289 " In these unhappy times, such was the mania or rage to attribute every thing to the devil, that Peter d'Ancre could not comprehend how a rock, situated near a vil- lage in Asia, moved when it was touched with the fingers only, Avhile the greatest efforts failed to remove it. Peter, I say, attributed this phenomenon to the pow- er of a demon. I have in my possession, a Collegium Casuale, printed in 1500, in Avhich the most grave diseases are considered to be works of the devil. "But since Christianity has enlightened the world, the demons have become silent; (Fontenelle, Histoire des Oracles,) they have ceased to struggle with men, since men have ceased to fear them. Since mankind have ceased to burn witches, the imagination has reposed, and no longer gives birth to them. In modern times, how- ever, in France, religion has lost much of its power and influence on the ideas and conduct of men. Govern- ments have therefore had recourse (in Europe) to other means to insure the docility of the people, and to pro- duce obedience. These governments do not report but to themselves, and the police therefore becomes a safe- guard for the tranquillity of the people. As its power is not only great but secret, it thus entangles the disturbers of society, and criminals, by means unknown to the people or criminals themselves. The more secret its action, the more strongly it affects the minds of the timid and those of a fearful spirit. Many people now fear the police, who, in former times, would have feared the stars and the demons. If we add to this influence, that which the police acquires in times of trouble, and civil dissensions, we shall not be astonished if in the hospitals for the insane, the demonomaniacs, or those who feared demons, have given place to those who 25 290 INJURY TO THE HEALTH have fear of the police, and of the jwison, and punish- ments. " It is always cowardice, inquietude and fear which agitate these unfortunate beings; and these were the true causes of the maladies of those possessed of demons. There are many individuals now sent to the Lunatic Hospitals, because they have fear of the police, who, in former times would have been burned, because they feared the devil." " We ought to consider as a variety of demonomania, that state of some insane, Avho, struck Avith the terrors of hell, believe they are damned. They are fearful, superstitious, and imagine they have committed great crimes, the punishment of Avhich they are not able to avoid. They are therefore desperate, and though they are not like demonomaniacs actually in the poAver of the devil, yet they fear damnation, and are convinced they shall go to hell. They impose on themselves mortifica- cations more or less extravagant, in order to prevent their cruel destiny. The history of all religion presents instances of men, who, fearful of the future, submit their bodies to the most cruel and inconceivable tortures." This last mentioned variety of demonomania, is not unfrequent in this country. I have seen several cases within the last year. Of all kinds of insanity, it is the most deplorable, and as Esquirol and others have ob- served, it is very apt to lead to suicide. Many in this country believe they have committed " the unpardona- ble sin," and abandon themselves to despair; while others become so on being told from the pulpit (as is fre- quently done by some clergymen in this region,) that if they have ever had their minds much excited on religious subjects,—or " awakened" as they express it,—and have FROM RELIGIOUS EXCITEMENTS. 291 not encouraged these feelings, and obtained a " hope," then in all probability, their day of salvation is passed. These become religious melancholies, and not only often attempt to destroy themselves, but also their friends and dearest kindred. Pinel says—" one went away, after hearing a sermon that convinced him he was damned, and killed his children to spare them the same fate." " A young woman," says Esquirol—" after having ex- perienced some domestic trouble, beheved herself damned ; and for six months she Avas tormented by a desire to kill her children, to save them from the tor- ments of another life." Many similar instances might be cited from medical books, but there are few people in this part of the United States, who have not witnessed such in their own neighborhoods. I have the particu- lars of above ninety cases of suicide from religious mel- ancholy, Avhich have occurred in six of the northern states (the New England states and New York,) with- in the last twenty years, and most of them have occurred within a very few years ; and also, of thirty cases in the same states, of this disease leading the unhappy suffer- ers to kill or to attempt to kill their children or dearest relatives, believing they should thereby ensure the future happiness of those they destroyed. I have heard of many more cases of a like character, and have seen ac- counts of others in the public papers, and have no doubt that if all which have occurred in the northern states within the last twenty years, could be known, together Avith those cases of insanity from similar causes, but not attended with the propensity to self-destruction or to the destruction of others, the great number would as much surprise and grieve the friends of humani- ty, as did the first published accounts of the ravages 292 INJURY TO THE HEALTH of intemperance in this country. The difficulty, and I might say the impossibility of obtaining correct accounts of all such cases at the present time, and the impropriety of being more particular in regard to those that are known, I need not point out. Now whoever will carefully and without prejudice examine this subject, and call to mind the immense amount of machinery in operation in this country, to excite the minds of men, women and children, and to keep them excited, by numerous meetings,—by exciting and alarming discourses, respecting " sinning away the day of grace," "committing the unpardonable sin," "dropping into hell immediately," &c. &c— by pro- tracted meetings for young and old, night meetings, sunday schools, anxious and inquiry meetings, &c. &c. will not be surprised at the number of the insane being so great, but rather that it should be so small- Our political excitements, which, as all know, are very violent, undoubtedly are often injurious to the health, and so are those arising from the strife for w7ealth: but they are so to a trifling degree in comparison with the religious excitements alluded to ; and for this very obvious reason,—that women and children are not af- fected by the former, while they are by the latter. Be- sides, our political excitements are short, Avhile numer- ous religious meetings, &c. keep up a constant excite- ment, especially among those who are most likely to be injured by great mental agitation. Young people, especially young women, and females in general, who have not much else to greatly interest them, having become excited at these night and pro- tracted meetings, &c. acquire a passionate love of the FROM RELIGIOUS EXCITEMENTS. 293 excitement; for who does not know that a desire for mental excitement, may soon become a passion 7 We see it in the theatre-seeker, and in the warrior, the sailor and the gambler. We see it also in lunatic hospitals. Insanity is often periodical, or returns in paroxysms. These cause an increased flow of blood to the head, create new trains of thought, and are attended with pleasurable sensations. A madman, that was cured by the celebrated Dr. Willis, has given us the following account of his own case:— " I always expected with impatience the accession of the paroxysms ; since I enjoyed during their presence. a high degree of pleasure. They lasted ten or twelve hours. Every thing appeared easy to me. No obsta- cles presented themselves either in theory or practice. My memory acquired all of a sudden a singular degree of perfection. Long passages of Latin authors recurred to my mind. In general, I have great difficulty in find- ing rhythmical terminations ; but then I could write in verse with as much facility as in prose. I was cunning, malicious, and fertile in all kinds of expedients." So it also happened in the Convulsionnaires de St. Me- dard, and in those who were magnetised. They ex- perienced so great delight during their agitations, that they exceedingly desired a return of them. Mademoi- selle Fourcroy, whose convulsions were very severe, expressed herself after them, as enjoying the most intense delight;—that during their continuance there was " poured into her soul rivers of delight, which filled her with a sensible but indescribable happiness."—[Demonst. Miracles, Mademoiselle Fourcroy.] So it appears to 25* 294 INJURY TO THE HEALTH have been with St. Teresa, St. Catharine of Sienna, Wesley's converts, &c. (m) (m) The similarity between the agitations of the Methodists, and Animal Magnetism, was noticed by Coleridge. In Southey's Life of Wesley, a work he prized very highly, he wrote—" I'he coincidence throughout all these Methodist cases, with those of the Magnetists, makes me wish for a solution that would apply to all."—Table Talk, vol. 1. In the present state of science, a full and satisfactory solution cannot perhaps be given. We know enough however, to be aware that in neither case is there any thing supernatural. The following facts and hints may aid the inquirer. The brain is composed of two very different substances. The one is of a gray or ash color, and forms the surface of the brain. When this portion is dis- eased, delirium and disorder of the intellectual faculties ensues. From such facts this portion has been considered the seat of the mental faculties. The other ordeep seated portion is of a white color, and fibrous, and appears to be of the same nature as the nervous cords that proceed from it to all parts of the body. This portion may be greatly diseased without producing delirium or any derangement of mind, though it frequently causes Palsy and Convulsions. If the gray substance is touched or irritated, no pain or motion is perceived, but if the white portion in the medulla oblongata or spinal column is irritated, either pain or convulsive motion of the muscles is produced. Both portions of the-brain receive blood from the same vessels- Therefore mental excitement causing an unusual quantity of blood to go to the brain, increases the action of the gray or ash colored part, and often adds surprising vigor to some of the mental faculties. Wesley in his Journal relates instances where great religious excitement caused unusual ability to sing, preach, &c.—Some have visions, hear strange voices, music, &c. The same occurs in Somnambulism and from Animal Magnetism. This increased rush of blood to the brain, from the excitement of the mind, often irritates the white portion of the brain also, and produces spasmodic affections, convulsions, epilepsy, catalepsy, and other singular nervous af" fections. Still further, under such circumstances the faculty of imitation becomes excited, (especially in young people in whom it is very active,) and acts independently of the will, and thus the sight of one in convulsions will often cause it in others, especially if their minds are much agitated, and even the recollection of convulsions will sometimes produce them. " Tou- tes les passions, telles que la joie, la colere, la jalousie, la terreur, le besoin de la vengeance; toutes les affections morales, telles quel'ennui.latristesse, de meme que les travaux intellectuels trop soutenus,'ou les veilles trap pro- longees, peuvent donner lieu aux convulsions. Enfin, le cerveau, qui est sans contredit, l'organe le plus eminemment doue de la faculte de reproduire les memes actes, sous la seule influence de limitation, peut etre tellement affecte soit dela vue actuelle des convul- FROM RELIGIOUS EXCITEMENTS. 295 When this love of excitement is created,—besides other and worse effects,—quiet study and reading at home, especially of large and valuable works on unex- citing subjects, becomes dull and irksome. Hence we find this class of persons very ignorant and superficial; though from having heard much on some of the small but exciting topics of the present time, and read some of the tracts and newspapers on the same subjects, they are apt to think themselves learned. But the impressions which are sometimes made on children at such meetings are very dangerous. De- scriptions of the terrors of hell, accounts of the devil or satan, &c, often cling to them through life, Avith a per- nicious potency and influence. Esquirol, and other writers on insanity, relate instances where fright in early life led to insanity in after years. Well has Edgeworth remarked, " it is very dangerous to work on the young imagination with descriptions of the torments of hell. This is not the method to educate children to be pious; it is the way to render weak minds superstitious, and strong minds incredulous."(w) Now I would ask in concluding this subject, and in view of the facts stated, if there is no danger to be ap- prehended from religious excitements in this country 7 Is it surprising that the evils alluded to, should have re- sions, soit du souvenir de celles qu'il a eprouvees, ou dont il a ete temoin, qu'il concoive lui-meme dans les organes de la locomotion les memes phe- nomenes dont il a conserve l'impression, sans toutefois etre lui-meme affecte d'aucune lesion proprement dite."—Dictionnaire de Medicine et de Chirur- gie Pratiques. Tome Cinquieme. (n) " Essays on Professional Education," by R. L. Edgeworth, Esq. See particularly, the Essay on Clerical Education, in which he censures the practice of saying to children—" God will punish you, my dear, if you tell a lie, or do wrong, eternally, in another world." 296 INJURY TO THE HEALTH suited from the course pursued 7 Is it surprising that numerous instances of insanity, should be caused by these excitements 7 I believe no person who examines the subject will say it is. But it should be borne in mind, that all the evils re- sulting to the health of people from these excitements, are not developed in acknowledged insanity ; but in nu- merous other complaints, and in producing a tenden- cy to insanity, which other causes may finally devel- ope. Thus, persons may be greatly excited on religious subjects, and not at the time become insane ; but after- wards, on a reverse of fortune, loss of friends, or ill health, be affected with religious melancholy, though the latter causes would not probably have produced it if the predisposition had not been created by the previous excitement. I have knoAvn several cases of insanity which appeared to have thus originated. But a still greater evil is to be feared, and that is, in the effect which the present excitement will have upon a succeed- ing generation, the offspring of excited and nervous parents. I shall treat of this in the succeeding section, but 1 will not now withhold the expression of an opinion, in which I believe all medical men will agree, that those Avho are instrumental in thus keeping up great excite- ments, in the way they are kept up, especially among women and children, are inflicting unutterable misery upon their fellow creatures, and incalculable injury up- on our country. Great Mental Excitement, particularly danger- ous to females.—I have already stated that the ner- vous system of females is more delicate and exciteable FROM RELIGIOUS EXCITEMENTS. 297 than that of men, and more liable to be injured by men- tal excitement. At present, however, I Avish to call attention to a more important fact, though connected with the above state- ment. It is, that females, whose minds have been for a considerable time greatly excited, may, in consequence, transmit to their offspring a tendency to nervous disease and to insanity. Every one knows that insanity is he- reditary ; but this is not more true, than that lesser de- grees of nervous disease are so. The children of a ner- vous female,—one who is often and easily excited—are generally nervous also, and easily thrown into convul- sions.^) It is also true that great mental agitation, not amounting to insanity in the mother, may entail this terrible disease upon her offspring. Esquirol says, that many women, strongly affected by the events of the Revolution, bore children whom the slightest cause rendered insane. He is supported by others in this opinion, that strong mental emotion of the mother pre- disposes the offspring to insanity. Dr. James John- son observes—" the primary cause of insanity, is often stamped on the tender fabric of the body in utero, or during lactation." The effects of maternal excitement on the health of infants, has often, especially of late, attracted the atten- tion of medical men. Mr. Wardrop, a distinguished surgeon of London, in a lecture on surgical operations. refers to many cases of the mental excitement of moth- (m) Convulsions are nearly allied to insanity. Both arise from disorders of the nervous system. Van Sweiten and others have remarked, that near- ly all insane persons had convulsions when young. From the bills of mor- tality of our large cities, it will be seen that this disease is now a very fre- quent and fatal one, and has greatly increased among children, of late years. 298 ADA7ICE TO CLERGYMEN. ers, producing convulsions and death of their infants, by the effect Avhich this excitement had upon their milk. Others are destnwed in utero by great mental agita- tion of the mother. Such excitement is also frequently dangerous to moth- ers themselves. Dr. Johnson remarks, in a revieAV of Esquirol on Puerperal Mania—" In all ages, the influ- ence of mental emotions on parturient females, has been duly appreciated. Tn ancient Rome, a crown Avas sus- pended over the door Avhere Avomen Avere confined, to intimate that the house was a sacred asylum for the time. A nearly similar custom exists at Haerlem to this day. The panic of 1814, when the allies entered France, was a prolific cause of puerperal mania. Eleven out of thirteen that entered the Salpetriere that year, Avere attributable to this cause. The same happened in IS 15, Avhen Napoleon recommenced the scene of war- fare and desolation." I trust I have said enough to aAvaken the attention of females, and particularly of mothers, to this subject ; a subject of immense importance to the welfare of them- selves, their offspring, and their country. Recommendations and Cautions to Clergymen. That the clergy, very generally, are actuated by a sincere desire to do good to their fellow men, I do not intend to question. From my own observation, I be- lieve this is the case. But, " so essential is knowledge if not to virtue, at least to all the ends of virtue, that, without it, benevolence itself, Avhen accompanied by power, may be as destructive and desolating as inten- tional tyranny."(o) (o) Dr. Brown's Lectures on the Philosophy of the Human Mind. ADVICE TO CLERGYMEN. 299 Owing, therefore, to a Avant of knowledge of the brain and nervous system, and of their intimate connexion Avith all the operations of the mind, the clergy have of- ten done great harm ; though I believe they have been actuated by the very best intentions—with an ardent desire to do good to their fellow men. They do not ap- pear to have known, or to any practical extent believed, that Avhen they strongly excite the feelings of their hear- ers, they excite and increase the action of one of the most delicate and important organs of the body,—one on which all the manifestations of mind are depend- ent,—and one exceedingly liable to be injured by excite- ment. I cannot believe,—Avhen I have witnessed the anxiety which they have exhibited about the evils which intemperance in eating and drinking may entail upon the body,—they were conscious that they themselves were often exciting, stimulating and exposing to injury, the brain,—the very organ of the intellect, and one of extreme delicacy. I cannot believe, Avhen they publish to the world accounts of revivals, and describe the men- tal distress, the intense sorroAv, the groans and tears of their hearers at such times, and tell us that the " agony they then witnessed can never be told,"—-that they are conscious of furnishing evidence of a dangerous excite- ment of the organic systems of their hearers, and one that may cause the most pitiable suffering for life, and be transmitted to succeeding generations. But such is the fact. The brain acts as really when impressions are transmitted to it, as the stom- ach does when aliments are received into it. (a) And as the natural action of the stomach is increased (j>) See Londe—Gymnastique Medicale,—a very valuable work. 300 ADVICE TO CLERGYMEN. by stimulants, so is that of the brain, by the excitement of the feelings and passions. Why then should not cler- gymen make anatomy and physiology a part of their study 7 Why should they not well understand the na- ture of the organ they act upon and excite, and its lia- bility to be injured by their efforts 7 I have long thought that anatomy and physiology, were studies they were bound in duty to their fellow men to pursue. But hoAv few of them have ever paid any attention to these studies ! While the libraries of the more learned among them have been filled Avith con- troversial theology of ancient and modern times, they contain little or nothing that treats of the influence of the organization upon the intellect and feelings, and of the intimate connexion between the mind and the body,—and the liability of the affections of the one, be- ing transmitted to the other. I hope this Avork will serve to awaken attention to those studies among the clergy. Certainly in their attempts to improve the mor- al and religious condition of mankind, they should call to their aid all the assistance which the study of history, and modern science, and particularly that which physi- ology will afford. With these lights they will see that no good can possibly result, but on the contrary evil most certainly will, from every infringement of the laws of nature.* Now it is a law of animal nature, that no organ can be long and powerfully excited and to an un- usual degree, without injury. They may also learn from the study of the science of organization and the functions of animal life, why the benevolent plans of past times, to Christianize the heath- * See Combe, on the Constitution of Man. ADVICE TO CLERGYMEN. 301 en, and particularly the Indians of this country, failed. They will see they failed not for want of the exertions of good men ; for Christian missionaries went to them, and toiled and suffered and died to effect their conver- sion.^) But they were unsuccessful because the phys- ical organization of those they addressed unfitted them for the immediate and full reception and appreciation of our pure and spiritual religion.t They will also learn that no improvement equal to what the whites have made or are capable of making, is to be expected from the dark colored races, unless their physical organization is improved. From physiology, or the study of the or- ganization and the functions of organs, we learn that it is as futile to expect the intellectual and moral endow- ments of the dark races of men, with the anterior and superior portions of the head depressed, to be equal to the better organized whites, as it is to expect the bodily strength of the most puny race to be equal to that of the largest. That these unfortunate varieties are capable of im- provement, however, and of great improvement, there can be no doubt, and that it is the duty of the more favored varieties to endeavour to effect it, appears to me reasona- ble. But we must expect their improvement to be slow. (q) During the 17th century, greater exertions were made to civilize and christianize the Indians than have been within the last fifty years. These exertions for a while appeared successful,—thousands of Indians were to a considerable degree improved,—but not a nation or tribe have transmitted these improvements to succeeding generations. t Can any one doubt this ? Can any one believe that if the Indians, generally, of this country, had the organ of the mind similarly formed to the whites, they would have thus resisted all efforts to civilize and chris- tianize them ? See the able Lectures of Lawrence on the Physiology, Zoology and the Natural History of man. 302 ADVICE TO CLERGYMEN. But very little in this respect can be accompUshed in one generation or one century: for they must be weaned from the pursuit and indulgence of mere animal gratifi- cation. Their intellectual and moral faculties must be called into action, and improved and strengthened by exercise, and this course continued for successive gene- rations, will cause an improvement in their physical or- ganization, and one that will be transmitted to their posterity. With the hope of aiding the clergy in this useful and important study, I take the liberty to recommend the following works to their attention, which I think should constitute a part of every clergyman's library. I men- tion but a few works, and those which can easily be pro- cured, and without much expense. Those persons who wish to prosecute the same studies farther, will be di- rected to other and larger works on the same subjects, by those I refer to. 1st. Horner's Special and General Anatomy, 2 vols. 2d. Dunglison's Human Physiology, 2 vols., and Blumenback's Physiology with Elliotson's notes, 1 vol. 3d. Jackson's Principles of Medicine, 1 vol., and Par- ry's Elements of Pathology, 1 vol. 4th. Gall, sur le functions de cerveau, &c. 6 vols, (a) 5th. Du Magnetisme Animal en France, par Ber- trand, I vol. (b) {a) I rejoice to learn that a gentleman in Boston is now translating this work, and that it will soon be published. I regard it as one of the most valuable and instructive works of this or any other age, and agree with Elliotson that it " deserves to be read, not only by every medical man, but by every moralist, naturalist, legislator and metaphysician. It is exceed- ingly eloquent, and full of new and splendid truths and illustrations." (b) I know of no one work, which will furnish more useful facts and hints for clergymen, of the present day, than this. ADVICE TO CLERGYMEN. 303 6th. Voison on the Moral and Physical causes of Mental Maladies, &c. 1 vol. 7th. Observations on Mental Derangement, by An- drew Combe, M. D. 1 vol. Other works on Insanity may be consulted with profit. I also advise clergymen to peruse the works of Dr. now Sir James Johnson. In all of them will be found much useful information, conveyed in a vigorous and impressive style. In addition to the above works, I would also recom- mend them to take some good Medical Journal. The " Medico-Chirurgical Review," conducted princi- pally by the above named gentlemen, published quar- terly in London, and re-published in New York, is one of the most valuable. The " American Journal of the Medical Sciences," published at Philadelphia, is another very valuable medical periodical. By procuring and reading the volumes I have men- tioned, clergymen will be enabled to learn what is now known, relating to human Physiology, and the influence of mind upon the body, and of the effect of a diseased body upon the mind and moral faculties ; and by taking either of the medical journals mentioned, they will be early put in possession of the new and important truths on these subjects, which the researches of modern phys- iologists and pathologists furnish from time to time. If clergymen will direct their attention to this study, I have no doubt they will see that they have often been led into error, especially of late, for want of the knowl- edge which the works alluded to will furnish them; and they will be enabled to avoid similar errors in future, and thus become more useful to their fellow men, in the high stations they occupy. 304 ADVICE TO CLERGYMEN. One good effect which will result from the pursuit of such studies by the clergy, will be the improvement of the religious neAvspapers and periodicals of the coun- try, which are mostly under their control. Hitherto many of them seem to have been conducted with refer- ence to the gratification of the taste and prejudices of the most ignorant and credulous ; and I fear have contri- buted largely to increase and perpetuate the love of the marvellous and mysterious, among this class of people. Thus we find them to contain surprising accounts of the conversion of infant children, of remarkable effects from reading a tract;—of the fulfilment of the dreams of pious people; immediate ansAvers to prayers, and many other accounts far more wonderful, (n) Long accounts of nervous diseases are published and attri- buted to the influence of the Holy Spirit. Instances of this kind in religious newspapers of the present day are innumerable. I will refer but to one or tAvo. The following account of occurrences at a camp-meeting at Asbury, Tennessee, is from the West. Methodist, but has been copied into other religious newspapers. I take it from the New York Evangelist, conducted by the Rev. Joshua Leavitt, of Sept. 20th, 1834. " It was no longer a question with the sinner whether he should come to the altar or not; he was arrested where he stood ; and some fell as dead men ; one in (c) These objections apply to some of the Tracts published by the Amer- ican Tract Society. Some of them contain statements, that if true of them- selves,—yet the inference which many of their readers will draw from them, and which the publishers probably intended they should draw, are not true. Many of the pictures on them are disgraceful—they are much of a piece with measures which the Roman Catholics have resorted to, to make impressions on weak minds. This is not the way that Christianity should be taught in an enlightened age. See the Tracts on "Sabbath Oc- cupations," and " Fashionable Amusements," Nos. 73 and 116. ADVICE TO CLERGYMEN. 305 particular, suddenly while standing, fell all along upon the ground as if dead: he was cold and stiff as if in death. A lady sitting in her chair was suddenly turned into a marble-like, cold and motionless statue ; her eyes Avere fixed in her head, and many thought her to be dying; but all these Avere only dying unto sin, for soon they were made alive unto God." If the reader will turn to almost any Treatise on Diseases, he will see that these were attacks of Cata- lepsy, which consists in a sudden and temporary sus- pension of consciousness and volition—the body remain- ing in the precise position it was when the attack came on, the eyes and countenance fixed and motionless. The attack of this disease varies from a few minutes to a much longer time; and often passes off suddenly, when the patient is instantly restored to the full possession of all his faculties. The following is from the Norfolk Beacon, of Aug. 19, 1824. This has also been copied into other religious papers without any doubt expressed as to its being pro- duced " by the Spirit of God." I take it from Zion's Herald. " A singular display of the goodness and power of Almighty God, at a Camp-Meeting held at Tan- gier Island. " Miss Narcissa Crippin, a highly respectable young lady, 19 years of age, and a zealous christian, was, on the evening of the 15th instant, so operated upon by the Spirit of God, that her face became too bright and shining for mortal eyes to gaze upon, without producing the most awful feelings to the beholders. It resembled the reflection of the sun upon a bright cloud. The ap- pearance of her face for the space of forty minutes was 306 ADVICE TO CLERGYMEN. truly angelic, during Avhich time she was silent, after which she spoke and expressed her happy and heavenly feelings, when her dazzling countenance gradually faded, and her face resumed its natural appearance. The writer of this paragraph was an eye witness of the circumstance above stated—such a sight he never ex- pected to behold with mortal eyes, and to give a true de- scription of which would be beyond the ability of mortal man. While she remained in the situation above de- scribed, she was seen by more than two hundred persons, a few of whom have subscribed their names hereto. Wm. Lee, (Rev.) Wm. E. Wise, John Bayly. Every one at all conversant with nervous diseases, or who has read any thing on the subject, will recognize nothing in the above account, but the details of a ner- vous affection. But it is grievous to see such published in religious newspapers, and at the present age attribu- ted to the influence of the Holy Spirit. The works of the Papists of past times abound Avith similar marvellous accounts. Their saints were often thus affected, (a) (a) The similarity of some of the small periodicals published by the Ro- man Catholics, especially those conducted by the Jesuits ; and many of the orthodox newspapers of this country, is very striking. Both contain marvel- lous or miraculous accounts of the "special" agency of God in the affairs of men,—both urge their readers to greater devotion, to more frequent at- tendance at church, and to trifling ritual observances, and both denounce in severe terms, balls, parties, theatres, &c. and those who frequent them. I made a memorandum of this similarity several years since, on reading a small periodical published in Paris in the reign of Charles X. called the Conser- vateur of the Restoration and of the King, and hommes de bien. Lady Morgan alludes to the fact of the Roman Catholic clergy preaching against balls from the pulpit, and punishing attendance on them at the con- fessional. In truth they have always been as much opposed to what are called fashionable amusements as any of the rigidly pious of any other sect. ADVICE TO CLERGYMEN. 307 In the life of M. Magdalen of Pazzi, who was canonised April 28th, 1669, it is stated that, "The spirit of God threw her upon the ground in an ecstacy, when her coun- tenance was shining like that of an incarnate Sera- phim" &fC. As I have said, if clergymen and the conductors of re- ligious newspapers, would but pay a little attentionto the studies I have mentioned, they would not insult hereaf- ter the understanding of their more intelligent hearers and readers, and delude the ignorant and credulous with such like circumstances, and attribute them to the special influence of the Almighty. On the contrary they Avould rebuke those who offered such for publication, and then such occurrences would cease. I ought to notice in connexion with this subject, the very slight proof on which the conductors of religious newspapers, send forth to the world extravagant and marvellous accounts respecting revivals of religion and the special effects of the Holy Spirit. On the authority of a single letter, or the verbal account of a traveller, they give credit and circulation to statements that are of them- selves very incredible, statements that no intelligent person can, or ought to believe, unless supported by an immensity of testimony. The illustrious Laplace, and there can be no higher authority on such a subject, ob- serves, " the more extraordinary the facts professed to have been witnessed, the greater is the probability that This we may learn fromthe immortal Tartuffe of Moliere. Madame Pernelle expressed what has been repeated by the extremely devout from that time to the present. " Ces visites, ces bals, ces conversations, Sont du malinesprit toutes inventions. La, jamais ou n'entend de pieuses paroles." Le Tartuffe, Act 1, Scene 1. 308 ADVICE TO CLERGYMEN. the witnesses were mistaken or intended to deceive. But that Avhich diminishes the faith of enlightened men often increases that of the ignorant, Avho are disposed to believe in marvellous occurrences. An absurd statement admitted unanimously in the age it was first promulga- ted, is in the ages folloAving, only regarded as a new proof of the great influence of general opinion, on even the best minds. Thus Racine and Pascal stated that a young man avIio had been afflicted for three years and a half Avith a fistula Lachrymalis, was cured miracu- lously, after having touched his eye with a relic that was said to be a thorn of the crown of our Saviour." (L'essai philosophique sur le calcul des probabilities.) I need not remark how entirely this advice is dis regarded by the conductors of many religious periodicals. The reader has only to examiue a few of them to see that the marvellous accounts of the ignorant are given to the public as undoubted truth, without any other proof than their oavo statement. Even in many of the stand- ard works on religious subjects, remarks are hazarded that sIioav great carelessness if not great error. How immense ought to be the testimony to enable an intelli- gent person to believe things stated by Wesley, Whit- field, SeAvard, and others. Or to credit the statements of. Mr. Finney, especially in his Lecture on the prayer of faith. I have already alluded to careless statements made by Dr. Sprague in his work on Revivals. Anoth- er in point, is that the " result of revivals is to elevate the intellectual condition of man." " I should expect," says he, 'Svith great confidence, that of two individuals, one of Avhom had been a sharer in the blessed effects of a revival, and the other was a stranger to the power of religion, other things being equal, the former would be ADVICE TO CLERGYMEN. 309 far more successful in acquiring any branch of useful knowledge than the latter." That excitement of mind on any subject awakens the intellect, no one will deny. But this cannot be all that Dr. S. intends to be understood from his state- ment, and yet we presume it is all that he has any facts to substantiate. But if his remark is true to any further extent, it could easily be proved by reference to individ- uals who have been sharers in revivals. According to my observation, his remark will not be supported by this method of proof. Again, if it is true, Ave should find the inhabitants of the town of Lee in Massachusetts, and generally of Berkshire county, very intellectual. According to the testimony of Dr. Hyde's letter ap- pended to Sprague on Revivals, the town of Lee had been very often " refreshed by the presence of the Lord," and was frequently "favored Avith special tokens of God's presence," that there the " spirit of God came down upon the people like a rushing mighty Avind," &c. Noav has the result been such as Ave should expect from Dr. Sprague's statement? Let Dr. Sprague inquire and answer. The following facts shoAV a very different re- sult. Just before the death of Dr. Hyde, what are called new measures to promote revivals were introduced into his vicinity. His people who had so often been favored with Avhat Drs. Hyde and Sprague call genuine revivals of religion, and Avhom we should suppose would be stable minded and cautious, and not easily misled, became according to Dr. Hyde's own statement, suddenly fanati- cal. "1 never Avitnessed," said he, "a state of feeling in the church so ominous of evil as at present." " I was never more solicitous for my people." " I never before witnessed such infatuation." " For a time / had to 310 ADVICE TO CLERGYMEN. stand alone; but some of the people are coming to their senses." (See Memoirs of Dr. H.) Poor man ! truly does the author of the " portrait of new measures,"