semi-Arminians in Massachusetts. They are now said to be in a successful train of amalgamation, and that many of the most strong and offensive features of the Hopkinsians are softening; and among others that which exhibits a willingnesss to be damned for the glory of God, as the most decisive evidence of conversion. Still it is common in the revivals, to demand this "unconditional submission," as they are pleased to call it, to the will of God.

The clergy of Connecticut have made an honorable stand against the Arians and Socinians, whom they immediately degrade from their pastoral charges, as soon as they can establish their heresy. The consequence is, that there is probably not one of those heretics in the whole of Connecticut. The opinions of the ministers are generally in harmony with each other. They all believe in the trinity, the divinity of Christ, the divine decrees, Messiah's atonement, a particular election, the agency of the Holy Spirit in conversion, and other cardinal doctrines of the system of grace. On the subject of natural ability, they agree with the Hopkinsians in saying that man by nature labours under a total, but not a universal depravity, meaning a total depravity of the will alone; and that he possesses natural but not moral power to do all those moral actions that God enjoins. He wants the will they say, to choose the way of holiness, which he cannot do, but by the agency of the Holy Spirit. This defect in the will, they style "moral inability," and thereby do not seem to rank the will among the natural faculties. They maintain Bellamy's opinion relative to general atonement, and particular redemption, and may be called semi-Arminians.

Nearly all the congregational clergy of this state have been educated at Yale College, in the city of New-Haven, an ancient and very respectable seminary, which was founded about the beginning of the last century. It has always been an excellent institution, justly celebrated for its discipline, the talents of its professors, and the industry and morality of its students. Though it is not so rich as Harvard, yet it has been well supported. It was many

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years under the care of the late Dr. Timothy Dwight, a most amiable and excellent man, who during the four years' course of study for each class, delivered a course of lectures on theology to all the students. In this course he taught the doctrines of the Calvinistic school, except on the two points, mentioned above; and of course the doctrine of the imputation of Adam's sin, and of Christ's righteousness, could not have such a prominent place in his system, as in that of the Genevan doctors. His influence was deservedly great in the northern churches, and his reputation high, not only in America; but in Europe. He was a vigorous opposer of the Boston heresies, from which he had great influence in preserving the church in Connecticut, and in the west of Massachusetts. If the church in those parts did not retrace any of its steps during the time of his presidency, it may be safely affirmed, that it did not recede farther from the truth, into the paths of delusion. The college under his administration generally had nearly three hundred students, an unusually large proportion of whom, devoted themselves to the ministry, and preached the doctrines which he had taught them. What influence this school will have hereafter upon the state of the church in New England, will depend much on the character and opinions of its next principal. The people of Boston call this a Calvinistic school and New-Haven a Calvinistic city, on which account many of them make it an object of ridicule, and would wish to see its character sink.

While there are many points about which the congregational clergy of New England, who are opposed to the Socinians, cannot agree, they have all united in the support of a theological seminary at Andover, in Massachusetts. This school was opened in 1808, and as to numbers and influence, has flourished probably beyond the expectation of its founders. In the village, where it is located, there had been long established a literary institution, called Phillips' academy, one of the most respectable of its grade in the state. In order to found a divinity school Samuel Abbot,

Esq. gave a donation of 20,000 dollars, and Mrs. Phillips, and her son, John Phillips, Esq. gave the money for erecting the buildings. Great additions have since been made to its funds by the extraordinary liberality of other private donations, rendering it rich and powerful. Mr. Bartlett of Newburyport, was a great benefactor; Mr. Moses Brown, of the same town, presented it with 10,000 dollars; Mr. William Brown, with 20,000 dollars, and Mr. Norris with 30,000 dollars, for the support of several professors. Such acts are highly honourable to the donors, and worthy of imitation by every friend of genuine orthodoxy. The direction of this theological establishment, is under the trustees of Phillips' academy, of which it is a branch. Its library consists of nearly three thousand volumes. The Rev. Dr. Griffin, the Rev. Messrs. Stuart, Woods and Porter, have been their professors. The number of pupils is upwards of sixty; among all of whom, professors and pupils, there is probably not one who does not maintain the doctrine of general atonement, natural ability, unconditional submission, and other Hopkinsian peculiarities. In relation to doctrine, it may be considered an American Saumur, except, that the doctrine of Christ's eternal sonship, is said not to be among the articles of faith, taught at Andover. A desire to spread Hopkinsianism, it would seem, is nearly always present in the minds of the professors and pupils of Andover.

Their peculiar tenets have a prominent place in the correspondence of the young men, while prosecuting their studies; and when they commence preaching, in their pulpit exhibitions. The spirit of proselytism, is a most striking feature of their character, and leads them to lay greater stress on the errors which they have imbibed, than on the great and consolatory doctrines of the Christian faith. It seems to be nearly impossible for them to compose a sermon without interweaving them into the fabric; so intimately are they connected with every principle, which they maintain, or so zealous are the preachers to propagate them. Their success too is as great as extraordinary zeal in either a good or bad cause will generally secure. While their piety seems to be,

and we hope is great, it is tinctured with all their aberrations from the glory of the gospel.

Some have thought, that this seminary would form a barrier against the spread of the Boston heresies, which it opposes with great zeal. The Unitarians, do not themselves seem to think so, for while they write against the Andove rians in the General Repository, for maintaining the divinity of Christ, and the atonement, they at the same time compliment them as much nigher to themselves, than the old Calvinists, and have no doubt penetration enough to see, that the tenets taught in this great centre of operations for the New-England churches, do, in their nature and necessary consequences, lead to the Socinian ground. That this will be the result, as it has been in France, a few years will shew, unless the head of the church purify this fountain by casting into it the salt of truth. Several of the Anti-Trinitarians of Massachussetts we well know were but lately Hopkinsians.

We now invite the attention of the reader to New-York. In this city, the Dutch Reformed church established itself soon after the commencement of the colony by the Hollanders, and taught the same doctrines relative to the atonement, with those which were held by the church in Holland, from which it was descended. Though there were, in this branch of the church, which planted colonies of Reformers along the banks of the Hudson, and in New-Jersey, divisions arising out of local considerations, yet all embraced the Heidelburgh Catechism as the standard of faith, and explained that part of it which relates to the extent of the atonement, in strict conformity with the tenets of the Genevan school. It was a standing custom among the Dutch clergy to deliver courses of lectures on this catechism, and in these lectures, they uniformly taught and enforced the doctrine of the divine decrees, particular election, definite atonement, the efficacy and necessity of the agency of the Holy Spirit in regeneration and sanctification, the imputation of Adam's sin, the total and universal depravity of human nature, and the imputation of Christ's righteousness received by faith,

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as the only ground of our justification before God. Through the exertions of the Rev. John H. Livingston, D. D. whose ancestors at an early period, emigrated to New-York from Holland, and who completed his theological education in the land of his forefathers, the divisions, which had existed, were healed, and a tone of considerable energy imparted to this ecclesiastical body. Though the clergy were not profoundly versed in human literature, yet they were intelligent, upright, pious and industrious; and this church embraced many members of great respectability, whose influence was exerted on the side of orthodoxy. New-York was the centre of their operations. The presbyterian church, now called the General Assembly of Presbyterians, had become a powerful and respectable body in this city, before the commencement of the present century. The most distinguished of the ministers of this body, was the Rev. John Rogers, D. D. who for upwards of fifty years, was employed in ministering at the altar, and for all that time maintained an unblemished reputation, and was exemplary for piety and dignity, becoming the ministerial character. He was rigidly orthodox. He might be called the father of the presbyterian church in New-York.

The Antiburgher Seceders, had a congregation organised in New-York, under the pastoral care of the Rev. Mr. Hamilton. In their creed they were orthodox; and except on the doctrine relative to the power of the civil magistrate in relation to ecclesiastical affairs, embraced the Westminster Confession of Faith.

Here too, the Associate Reformed Presbyterians, had erected their standard. This body was formed by a union between the Reformed Presbyterians, or Covenanters, who had emigrated to America, and the Seceders, in the year 1782, when its first synod met at Greencastle, a small town in the interior of Pennsylvania, and consisted of about twelve ministers. One of the principal agents in effecting this union, was the Rev. Dr. Mason, of New-York, who had emigrated from Scotland. Like the anti-burgher Seceders, they adopted the Westminster Confession, excepting that part which