inconsistent must it be for those, between whom such ties exist, to fall out by the way, and denounce each other as enemies of the gospel, and deny to each other the name and the fellowship of Christians. And all this in a spirit which shows but too plainly, that they would be glad to exclude each other from heaven too; and for no better reason, than that they cannot agree as to the import of certain instructions which their common Master has left, alike for the edification of all; and which it was his intention, that each should interpret for himself.

4. Again, all the disciples of Christ are brethren, as they have common rights. This is a circumstance which commonly belongs to children of the same family. As they have, or are supposed to have, the same love, obedience, and respect to their common parent, so they have the same claim to his protection, advice, and guidance; the same ground to expect his aid and affection; and each has a similar right to kind treatment from the rest. What then are the common rights of the disciples of Christ? I shall not pretend to enumerate them all; but one, surely, of the most important, is the right of Christian liberty. By this, I mean the privilege of examining and deciding for themselves in matters of faith and duty. This right belongs equally to every individual; and it extends to all subjects pertaining to the will of their common Father, or to the instructions of their common Master. It implies, that if there is only a faith in Jesus Christ as the Messiah, and the authorised messenger of God, each shall be left at perfect liberty, with the aids he may obtain, to form his own opinion as to the great subjects of his faith and

hope. It includes, with this, a right to utter with freedom whatever he believes; freely to communicate, as he has freely received, and by comparing his own, with the views of others, to discover what is the whole will of God.

There have been periods in the Christian church, when this right has been denied. Our Lord himself was no stranger to the enmity which came from uttering views which did not accord with the prevailing opinions of the times. His Apostles also, and the eminent reformers of after times, in almost every period of the world, have been called in this way to endure the contradiction of those, who were unwilling that any truths should be uttered which they did not themselves receive. The persecutions, which have been endured in the Christian church, may be traced to the unwillingness of men to allow to others the exercise of Christian freedom. And when this spirit cannot break forth in violent persecution, when it can manifest itself only in harsh sayings, in sentences of exclusion, or in denunciations of future wrath, we see how difficult it is for some to learn that others are their brethren; how backward they are to allow the same rights, which they boldly assume.

5. Lastly, the disciples of Christ are brethren, as they are accountable to the same Master and Judge. They are not responsible to each other for the opinions which they hold, for the doctrines they disseminate, for the forms of worship which they adopt, or for the religious duties which they perform or omit. So long as they behave peacefully, and do not disturb others in the enjoyment of their rights, they are not to be brought

before a human tribunal for any supposed error of faith or practice. They may reject doctrines which others regard as very important; they may embrace views which others consider as exceedingly false and erroneous; they may omit ceremonies and practices which others believe to be intimately connected with the prosperity of religion. But notwithstanding all this, they may be good men, they may be acceptable to our common Master. At least, they are our Christian brethren, and it is not our province to condemn them. They may be in an error, but so also may we; and it is the height of presumption for us to act as if we were infallible, and to treat them as though they were our servants instead of our brethren. Who art thou,' says

the Apostle, that judgest another? To his own Master he standeth or falleth. And we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. We should therefore be kindly affectioned one towards another, in honor preferring each other. We should put away all malice, and all uncharitableness; forgiving one another, even as God in Christ hath forgiven us.

W. B.

FATAL CONSEQUENCES OF RECENT MEASURES.

We quote the following paragraph from the Evening Gazette of February 18th, a respectable newspaper published in this city.

'By a communication in the Patriot, signed by eight individuals of Brookline, in N. Hampshire, it appears that Mr Ebenezer Lund of that town, after being much affected by attend

ing a three days' meeting, put a period to his existence by hanging himself. They also state that a young lady has been crazy ever since her attendance on the same meeting.

'We are assured that in Cornville, a small town in Somerset county, Me. where there has been a revival following 'protracted' operations of late, four persons, two males and two females, have been made crazy by it, and are now laboring under mental derangement.

'Three in Holland, Mass. one in Southbridge, and one in Brookline, N. H. are deranged from the effects of religious frenzy.

'Mrs Colburn, wife of a mechanic in Millbury, Mass. committed suicide a week or two ago, under the influence of despair, arising from the belief that she had committed the unpardonable sin: she hung herself in the garret of her house with a handkerchief.'

These statements appear to be pretty well authenticated. We have not taken pains to inquire into the circumstances and authorities of the cases, any farther than we find them stated in the above paragraph. It is well known to the whole community that such instances are by no means unfrequent. It is well known that excessive fervor, miscalled religious fervor, is one of the most fruitful sources of insanity, and not rarely leads to self-destruction.

Now we should think that a knowledge of such facts, (and surely they cannot be unacquainted with them,) would lead the conductors of these excitements to pause a moment, and consider what they are doing, and 'what manner of spirit they are of.' Has not their zeal hurried them into a system of measures, having some tendencies repugnant alike to right reason, and the spirit of our Master and of his Gospel? We have been accustomed to believe, and are unwilling to give up the belief, that they are conscientious in these extraordinary proceedings, and sincerely desirous to do God service.

But can they deliberately justify themselves in prosecuting measures, so apt to produce in weak minds that alienation which is regarded as one of the greatest of earthly afflictions to the subjects of it, and to their families and friends, and which sometimes drive them to that act, which, of all others, we look upon with most commiseration and horror? They undoubtedly lament these effects as much as we do, but probably satisfy themselves with the idea that it is a small evil, and only an incidental one, which must be borne for the sake of an infinitely greater good. Their theology leads them to think that the excitement they labor to produce, is essential to make men Christians, so that no accompanying evil should check their zeal in seeking the great end. They believe that without such operations the community would settle down into a state of coldness and apathy utterly incompatible with the prevalence of a vital and saving religion. They think it better that some should be crazed, than that all should be chilled, as they hold that they would be without protracted meetings and revivals. We should probably differ from them as to what should be called religious apathy; but we agree with them, that of all things, it is most to be deprecated, and that it is our most pressing duty to do whatever may properly be done, to counteract it. But however desirable the end, we are solemnly responsible for the character of the means we employ. There may be great sin in these. It is not enough that we employ them conscientiously, unless we have anxiously considered whether they be consistent with God's moral law, and the spirit of the religion we would propagate. And now can those means be