To the editor of the Christian Observer. I BEG leave to present you with an account of an association formed at Keynsham, near Bristol, about a year ago, for the more general and exten. sive reading of the scriptures. I established twenty six different stations, at eligible distances, by reading at regular periods, every evening, at three or four houses, half an hour each. This was accomplished in about a week or ten days. The regulations subjoined I caused to be affixed in the most conspicuous places in the several apartments where the readings were conducted. Some of these have from thirty to near fifty names annexed, amounting in all to about 450 persons, of different denominations of christians, who attend these readings. On the 9th of Sept. 1811, I commenced the scriptural readings; and the success which resulted abundantly proved the blessing with which it was attended. The devout silence and respect which have almost uniformly followed the impressive reading of the Bible, have been highly encouraging, appear to insure the success of any similar attempt, and largely compen. sate for the exertion bestowed. The increase of the companies in some in. stances was very rapid; and in commodious apartments from 40 to 50 and even 70 perhaps, or upwards, havé assembled. The number of readers soon increased to seven, and the minister read occasionally. The good effects, which have been noticed, (though, in some cases, only the remote cause) have been, a more general spirit of piety and scriptural research; a greater fear and shame of open vice; a more numerous attendance at public worship, and an accession of about 15 to 20 communicants. Many persons, embracing those constant opportunities with much gladness,and almost daily advancing in the knowledge of the scriptures, discovered all such testimonies of joy as prove most gratifying to a christian. It is humbly hoped, that the advantages of this plan will stimulate the similar exertions of many pious christians. I am, &c. The pleasing accounts of "Sunday schools" and "reading societies" in Britain, are introduced into this work, with a hope that some in this country will be induced to "go and do likewise." Such institutions and exertions promise a rich harvest of divine bles sings. While they tend to promote christian knowledge, they also tend to eradicate the unhappy prejudices which exist in the minds of different sects of christians, one towards another; and to promote that love and friendship by which the disciples of Jesus are to be distinguished from the world. Ordination. Ordained at Lynn Rev. Isaac Hurd, September 15, 1813. Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. Sept. 15, 1813. A sermon was delivered in Boston before the Massachusetts Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, by the Rev. Dr. Prentiss of Medfield. Sept. 16, 1813. Foreign Missions. A sermon was delivered in Boston, before the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, by the Rev. President Dwight. Contributions on the occasion, for translations and foreign missions, amounted to 526 dollars. Candidate for the ministry, recently approbated. No. 7. THE CRISTIAN DISCIPLE. NOVEMBER, 1813. VOL. I. A SKETCH OF THE REV. THOMAS HOOKER: MR. THOMAS HOOKER, the first minister of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and one of the founders of the colony of Connecticut, was born in Leicestershire, England, in 1586, and was educated at Emanuel college. After preaching for some time in London he was chosen lecturer and assistant to Mr. Mitchel at Chelmsford in 1626. On account of his nonconformity he was obliged to flee to Holland about the year 1630, and he preached sometimes at Delft, and sometimes at Rotterdam, being an assistant to the celebrated Dr. Ames. In 1633 he came to New England, and was settled at Cambridge, or Newtown, on the eleventh of October. In June 1636, he removed to Hartford in Connecticut. He died of an epidemical fever July 7, 1647, in the sixty second year of his age. As he was dying, he said, "I am going to receive mercy;" and then closed his own eyes, and expired with a smile on his countenance. Mr. Hooker was a remarkably animated and interesting preacher. He appeared with such majesty in the pulpit, that it was pleasantly said of him, that "he could put a king in his pocket." He has been called the Luther, and Mr. Cotton the Melancthon of New England. It was his custom to preach without_notes. On a visit to Massachusetts in May, 1639, he preached on the sabbath at Cambridge, and governor Winthrop went from Boston to hear him. Having named his text in the afternoon, he proceeded about a quarter of an hour with great loudness of voice and vehemence of manner, when suddenly he found himself at a loss what to say. After several ineffectual attempts to proceed, he observed to the assembly, that what he intended to have spoken, was taken from him, and requesting them to sing a psalm, withdrew for half an hour. He then returned and preached about two hours, with wonderful pertinency and vivacity. After the sermon he said to some of his friends, "we daily confess, that we can do nothing without Christ, and what if Christ should prove this to be the fact before the whole congregation?" Dr. Ames declared, that he never met with Mr. Hooker's equal either in preaching or disputation. While living in England he was invited to preach at the great church of Leicester, and one of the burgesses set a fiddler in the church-yard to disturb the worship. Mr. Hooker elevated his voice, and spoke with such animation as to rouse the curiosity of the man, and attract him to the church door. There he heard such solemn truths, as by the blessing of God were the means of his salvation. Though naturally irascible in his temper, he acquired a remarkable command of his passions. He was condescending, benevolent, and charitable. His benevolence was united with piety. In his family he exhibited a lively devotion, and all who resided under his roof were instructed and edified by him. In giving the sketch of Mr. Howe, we had occasion to notice, that an intolerant spirit in England occasioned many worthy men to be driven into exile. By the same spirit, Mr. Hooker was compelled to leave his native country. But as the persecution of the christians in Jerusalem, occasioned a more extensive spread of the gospel, so it has been in many other cases. It is indeed a comforting consid eration, that God is able to overrule such evil conduct, and make it subservient to the interests of truth and religion. Thus he has often done in time past; and his sufficiency is unchangeable. But while those who suffer, have this consolation, the guilty are not to be excused; they mean not so, neither do their hearts think so. The happy consequences which resulted from Mr. Hooker's coming to this country, are not to be imputed to the good will of those by whose oppressive conduct he was constrained to leave the land of his nativity. The case of Mr. Hooker is but one of a vast multitude, in which excellent men have been treated as heretics, by an assuming, self-sufficient and domineering elergy. Those of the present age, who are disposed to indulge an intolerant spirit, might profit by such admonitions, were it not that the misguided zeal, by which they are lurried on, closes their eyes and ears against every thing of an admonitory nature, and is very fruitful in furnishing excuses for the most flagrant improprieties. Thus it ever has been, and thus we may expect it ever will be, so long as such a temper is suffered to exist among christians. A blinding self-confidence is a neverfailing concomitant of a persecuting spirit. Men of humble and candid reflection see too many innocent occasions of error, and too much ground to suspect themselves to feel at liberty to destroy others on account of their opinions. TESTS OF RELIGIOUS SINCERITY. HAVING in my former communication mentioned several imperfections, with which religious sincerity may be united, I proceed, according to promise, to give some of the most essential marks or tests of this temper. My christian friends, this is a subject of primary importance in religion. Without sincerity, our pretended obedience is sin; our religion but vanity and guilt. We cannot deceive God; we may deceive, perhaps we have deceived, ourselves. Examine yourselves then, whether you be in the faith; prove your own selves. 1. In the first place, you have great reason to doubt of your religious sincerity, if you make no progress in holiness. Every principle of real virtue is an active and a progressive principle. It cannot leave a man satisfied with his present attainments, and if you have thought yourselves long stationary in your religious characters, the probability is, that you have been long retrograding. The path of the just is as the shining light, shining more and more unto the perfect day. He, who carefully examines himself, cannot avoid discovering his imperfections, and he, who is afraid to discover or is negligent in the search, has no sincere disposition to correct them. Whatever you may choose to call the ruling principle of a. religious life, whether the fear or the love of God, whether it be gratitude, or humility, or ambition of intellectual improvement, all, all urge us forward to greater attainments. Is it love? Real love is never tired with pleasing its object, never at ease when it has a suspicion of offending it. Is it gratitude? Gratitude never thinks it has done enough; humility never feels itself secure, and love intellectual always grasps at something higher. If then, my friends, you find in your selves a disposition to circumscribe the limits of your duty, if you find that you endeavour to steal as much as you can from your obligations, and give as much as you can well spare to the world and its pleasures; if you are continually comparing yourselves with others, and think you have done enough, when you have done more than they, you have great reason to doubt the sincerity of your religion. 2 In the second place, if your most secret and private actions are not as pure and correct as your public ones, depend upon it you have no claim to the praise of religious sincerity. I ask you then, if your intercourse with God in private is devout, or if your public reverence of religious institutions is only the result of your deference to the habits of the community.. I ask you, if you prefer to give your alms in private, where no eye but God's discerns it, to giving them in public, where spectators will allow you the credit of the alms; or whether you are not uneasy, till by some means, your benefactions are known to others? I ask you, if in your most trivial nego tiations you are as scrupulous and honest, as in your large and notorious transactions; and whether the absolute security from detection would not tempt you into any thing like injus tice? I ask you, if your conduct in your families, and with those over whom you have control, or with whom you are intimate, is as carefully regulated by the laws of christian benevolence, as you would lead us to believe from your public conduct; or are you christian in church, and a tyrant at home? In short, is your religion a spirit which animates you, and not a countenance which you assume? Would it be the guide of your life, if there were no one to observe you, but he, "who seeth not as man seeth?" Do 3. Is your obedience universal and unlimited? This is a most essential test of our religious sincerity. you make no exceptions in favor of particular vices, and continue to live in some habits, which your conscience tells you are not precisely right? The meaning of that passage in James, which was before explained, includes this test of our religious obedience. • Christian Disciple No. 2, page 49. "Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, is guilty of all." Why? Because if he deliberately and habitually make an exception in favor of some passion, lust, or habit, he discovers that he really has no sincere respect to the authority which established the whole law. There are several cases in human life which may illustrate the nature of this principle of religious obedience. What should we think, for instance, of the sincerity of that man's friendship, who should make all the professions of attachment, and appear through the greater part of his life devoted to a friend, who yet should deliberately desert him in his time of need, or betray, when tempted, one only of his most important secrets? Thus no religious obedience has any claim to the praise of sincerity, which is not unlimited and without reserve. A religious man will not say, I am not guilty of this or that sin, but I hope God will pardon me for a particular habit which I find it difficult to relinquish. Neither will he say, I am sensible of the guilt of a particular course of conduct, and if God spare my life, I will break it off at such a future time. O no! my dear friends! this is the most shocking hypocrisy. It is such trifling as nothing can atone for, The man of this partial obedience, and the man who is continually deferring the day of his repentance, is yet in the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity. Lastly-What appears to you the governing motive of your conduct? In those portions of your character where your zeal is most engaged, and your exertions most strenuous, what is your object? The promotion of your own interests and the interests of your party, or the benefit of mankind, the glory of God, and the cause of virtue? How far is your sense of your duty to God predominant in your life? Does it lead you to sacrifice your property, and your reputation, and whatever you hold most dear; or have you contrived to conceal, even from your self, the real motives of your behavior; and to serve yourself of the name of religion, and of God's honor, when you have nothing of them but the name. In short, is not your reverence for God, your sense of religious obligation affected by the changes of the age, and the character of your contemporaries! Are you on the Lord's side, even if you stand alone? My friends, this subject of sincerity is of infinite importance to us. It is the foundation, the grand preliminary of a religious character. It is indispensable to the acceptance of any of our services. Without it, our religion is our condemnation, our observances of its rites are the records of our sin. Without this, it is impossible to have any satisfaction in duty; religion will be our burden, God our terror, conscience a sting, and death will overwhelm us with inconceivable dismay. With this only can we assure our hearts before God. For if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts, and knoweth all things. But, beloved, if our hearts condem us not, then have we confidence toward God. TERMS OF ADMISSION TO CHRISTIAN PRIVILEGES, To the Editor of the Christian Disciple. I was highly gratified by a communication in one of your late numbers on the terms of ehristian communion. You intimated at the close of that piece, that you hoped to make this the subject of future discussion. I st, this promise will not be forgotten. No subject perhaps is more simple, and yet on one do we find greater or more frequent misconception. The church of Christ is shut on many, whom, as we have reason to think, Jesus would have received with affection; and the consequence is, |