soon considered as praying Indians. On this island and Chappaquiddick, were 300 families; on the latter, sixty, of whom fifty nine were praying families. On Nantucket was a church, and many praying families. In 1694, there were on this island three churches and five assemblies of praying Indians. In 1685, the praying Indians in Plymouth colony were 1439, beside children under 12 years of age. At one time, in different parts, were 24 congregations. In Connecticut and Rhode Island, but little success attended the gospel among the Indians. The sachems of Narraganset and Mohegan violently opposed their people's hearing the gospel. The Rev. Mr. Fitch of Norwich, took great pains, gave some of the Mohegans lands of his own, that they, who were disposed to hear the gospel, might be nearer him, and also freed from the revilings of their companions; at one time he had about 30 under his care.

The legislatures of the several colonies enacted salutary laws for restraining the evil conduct of the natives; means were also furnished for their receiving presents or rewards for distinguishing themselves in what was laudable. In Connecticut, the legislature in 1655, having appointed a governor over the Pequots, gave him the following laws, to which the people were to subject themselves. They shall not blaspheme the name of God, nor profane the sabbath. They shall not commit murder, nor practice witchcraft, on pain of death. They shall not commit adultery, on pain of severe punishment. Whoever is drunk shall pay ten shillings, or receive ten stripes. He that steals shall pay double damages.'"-Morse's and Parish's Hist.

RELIGIOUS CUSTOMS, HISTORY, &c.

The following account of some of the religious usages of the first New England churches is copied from Gov. Hutchinson's History, vol. I.

"Most of the churches, not all, had one or more ruling elder. In matters of offence, the ruling elder, after the hearing, asked the church if they were satisfied; if they were not, he left it to the pastor or teacher to denounce the sentence of excommunication, suspension or admonition, according as the church had determined. Matters of offence, regularly, were first brought to the ruling elder in private, and might not otherwise be told to the church. It was the practice for the ruling elders to give public notice of such persons as desired to enter into church fellowship

with them, and of the time proposed for admitting them, if no sufficient objection was offered; and when the time came, to require all persons who knew any just grounds of objections to signify them. Objections were frequently made, and until they were heard and determined, the ruling elder seems to have moderated in the church, but the churches consent to the admission was asked by the pastor or teacher, who also rehearsed and proposed the church covenant and declared them members. When a minister preached to any other than his own church, the ruling elder of the church, after the psalm sung, said publicly, if this present brother hath any word of exhortation for the people at this time, in the name of God let him say on.' The ruling elder always read the psalm. When the member of one church desired to receive the sacrament at another, he came to the ruling elder who proposed his name to the church for their consent. At the communion they sat with the minister. I find nothing further relating to this officer in their public assemblies. They were considered, without doors, as men for advice and counsel in religious matters, they visited the sick, and had a general inspection and oversight of the conduct of their brethren. Every thing which I have mentioned as the peculiar province of the ruling elder, so far as it is in itself necessary or proper, may with propriety enough be performed by the minister. It is not strange therefore that this office in a course of years sunk into almost an entire desuetude in the churches. Indeed the multiplying unnecessary and mere nominal officers, or officers whose duties and privileges are not with certainty agreed upon and determined, seems rather to have a natural tendency to discord and contention than to harmony and peace.

We meet with nothing peculiar, in the beginning of the churches, relative to the office of deacons. Mention is made of the duty of deaconesses or widows, who were 'to shew mercy with cheerfulness, and to minister to the sick and poor brethren,' but I find no instance of any specially chosen or appointed to this

service.

The ministers of the several churches in the town of Boston have ever been supported by a free weekly contribution. I have seen a letter from one of the principal ministers of the colony expressing some doubts of the lawfulness of receiving a support in any other way. In the country towns, compulsory laws were found necessary; and in the year 1654 the county courts were impowered to assess upon the inhabitants of the several towns which neglected the support of the ministry a sum sufficient to make up the defect.

In Boston, after prayer and before singing, it was the practice for several years for the minister to read and expound a chapter.

Whether it was because this carried the service to too great a length, or any other reason could be given for it, in a few years it was laid aside, except when it came in place of a sermon.* Exceptions, may we not say cavils, have been made, by some learned serious ministers, against reading the scriptures as part of the divine service without an exposition. The other parts of religious public worship, and the manner of administering the sacraments, not differing from what is at this day the practice of the churches of New England and of the churches of Scotland, it is unnecessary to take any notice of them.

From a sacred regard to the religion of the Christian sabbath, a scruple arose of the lawfulness of calling the first day of the week Sunday, and they always, upon any occasion, whether in a civil or religious relation to it, stiled it either the Lord's-day or the Sabbath. As the exception to the word Sunday was founded upon its superstitious idolatrous origin, the same scruple naturally followed with respect to the names of all the other days of the week, and of most of the months, which had the same origin; accordingly, they changed Monday, Tuesday, &c. into the second and third days of the week, and instead of March and April, used the first and second month, and instead of the third Tuesday in May, the language was, the third day of the third month, and so of the rest. All their records and other writings are dated in the common form, which they brought from England with them, until the year 1636, when Mr. Vane was governor, but after that, the alteration seems to have been very strictly observed in all public and private writings and discourse for many years together. In the interregnum it much obtained in England, but the scruple there went off at once, upon the restoration, here, it abated, and it continues scarce any where at this day, except among the people called Quakers. Perhaps the great dislike to some other peculiarities of that people caused the decline of that custom in the colony, and made them consider the singularity in the same light with some others of the same nature, which they condemned. That every thing approaching to an acknowledgment of the authority of the pope and his power of canonization might be avoided, they never used the addition of saint when they spake

To preach a sermon which was not composed by the preacher himself, was looked upon, if not criminal, yet highly disreputable. One Mr. Bond having taken this liberty, and being discovered, presently after removed to Barbados. MS.

This was a scruple of the Brownists.

They began the Sabbath the evening of the last day of the week. It was some time before this custom was settled. Mr. Hooker, in a letter without date, but wrote about the year 1640, says, 'The question touching the beginning of the sabbath is now on foot among us, hath once been spoken to, and we are to give in our arguments each to the other, so that we may ripen our thoughts touching that truth, and if the Lord will it may more fully appear. And in another letter, March, 1640, Mr. Huit hath not answered our arguments against the beginning the sabbath at morning.'

of the apostles and the ancient fathers of the christian church, and even the usual names of places were made to conform. The Island of Saint Christophers was always wrote Christophers, and by the same rule all other places to which saint had been prefixed. If any exception was made, an answer was ready: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had as good right to this appellation as Peter, James and John.

They laid aside the fasts and feasts of the church of England, and appointed frequently, as occasion required, days of fasting and thanksgiving, but, besides these occasional fasts and thanksgivings, they constantly, every spring, appointed a day for fasting and prayer to implore the divine blessings upon their affairs in the ensuing year; and in the fall a day of thanksgiving and public acknowledgment of the favors conferred upon them in the year past. If they more readily fell into this practice from the example of the people of God of old, yet they might well have been justified without any example. It has continued without interruption, I suppose, in any one instance, down to this day. This is a custom to which no devout person of any sect will take exception. By a law of the colony, every person absenting himself from the public worship, on these days, without sufficient excuse, was liable to five shillings fine. It would have been as well, perhaps, if this provision had been omitted.

These were the principal of the special ecclesiastical or religious customs. There were some attempts to introduce singularities into some of the churches, particularly Mr. Davenport of New-Haven, who afterwards removed to Boston, required all his congregation to stand up whilst the text was naming; the principal reason which was given for it being, that it was the word of God and deserved peculiar honor; and Mr. Williams of Salem required all the women of his congregation to wear veils; but neither of these customs spread, or were of any long continuance."

Synods, Cambridge and Saybrook Platforms.-The first synod held in America was convened at Newtown in 1637, on account of the prevalence of the sentiments of Ann Hutchinson which were generally termed familistic and Antinomian. This synod was composed of all the teaching elders of the country, and messengers of the several churches: "the magistrates were also present, and were not hearers only, but speakers also, as they saw fit. This body, which held a session of three weeks condemned eighty-two opinions which then prevailed as erroneous.

At Quinnipyack (New-Haven) Mr. Davenport preached in the forenoon that men must be uncovered and stand up at the reading the text, and in the afternoon the assembly jointly practised it.'—Mr. Hooker to Shepard, March 20, 1640.

In 1646 a Synod was convened at Cambridge by the general court of Massachusetts, for the purpose of settling a uniform scheme of ecclesiastical discipline. Most of the New England churches were represented in this body. The Synod continued its sessions by adjournments for two years, when it adopted the platform of church discipline called the Cambridge platform, and recommended it, with the Westminster Confession of Faith, to the General Court and to the churches. The New England churches in general complied with the recommendation; and the "Cambridge Platform," with the ecclesiastical laws formed the religious constitution of the New England Colonies, for more than thirty years.

In 1679, by the desire of the General Court a Synod was holden at Boston called the "Reforming Synod." At this period evils of various kinds prevailed, and this Synod "enquired what were the provoking sins of the times, and what duties to be done to recover the divine favor. They unanimously approved of the Cambridge Platform, "desiring that the churches may continue stedfast in the order of the gospel, according to what is therein declared by the word of God."

"The next year, May 12, 1680, another synod met in Boston, to adopt a confession of faith. Mr. Increase Mather was chosen moderator. The confession of faith consented to by the congregational churches of England,' which was nearly the same which was agreed to by the reverend assembly at Westminster, and afterward by the general assembly of Scotland, was approved, with a few variations, as the faith of New-England. The synod chose to use the confessions of faith adopted in Europe, 'that so they might, not only with one heart, but with one mouth, glorify God and our Lord Jesus Christ.'t

The fathers of the Plymouth colony had adopted the articles of the church of England, and the confession of faith, professed by the French reformed churches; or, in other words Calvinism, as the articles of their faith, or the substance of their creed. In the synod of

"The synod voted, that the provoking sins of New England were a great decay of the power of godliness; also, pride, manifested in violating order, and a spirit of contention; that the rising generation were not mindful of the obligations resulting from their baptism; that a profanation of God's name, sabbath breaking, want of family religion, in daily prayer, and reading the scriptures; intemperance, and uncleanness,temptations to which are common in naked arms, and necks, and naked breasts," violation of promises, and inordinate zeal for the world, shown in individuals, by forsaking their churches for greater farms, or more valuable merchandize, who ought to remember, that when Lot left Canaan and the church for better accommodations in Sodom, "God fired him out of all;" opposing the work of reformation; selfishness; and undervaluing the gospel of Christ, are matters of the Lord's controversy." That as several of them were sins not punished by human laws, therefore there were special reasons to expect, that God himself would punish them.-Morse and Parish's Hist. + Mather.

+ Hazard.