In a word, the simplicity which we inculcate, is at war with all philosophical abstractions and refinements. With such, our holy and heavendescended religion holds no communion. If it embraces certain truths which are profound and mysterious, still they are truths which reason and science have never yet illustrated, and never will. An honest, pious heart, with the aid of humility and prayer, has penetrated further into these depths in an hour, than philosophy, with all its proud and empty boastings, in a century. As to those religious truths which are most practically interesting, most intimately connected with the comfort and sanctification of the soul, they are plain. And it is much to be regretted, that they should be involved in so needless obscurity. To agitate a plain subject, till it begin to be encompassed with a mist, is one of the least enviable achievements of reason and philosophy. To discuss and illustrate points in which all are agreed, till many begin to doubt, or to disbelieve; and discord and collision take the place of peace and love; is to inflict one of the greatest possible evils upon the Christian church. The subject is fruitful; and will be resumed in a future number.

PREPARATIONS FOR HEARING THE GOSPEL.

1. Cultivate, day by day, a simplicity of heart and humility, and proper regard for the precious word of God.

2. Compose your mind on Saturday evening, or night, for the solemn exercises of the holy Sabbath.

3. On Sabbath morning rise early. Let secret prayer and meditation be your first exercise.

4. Keep in a still and uniform frame all the Sabbath. Read little except the Bible: relish and digest what you read. But,

5. Take care that this is all done in a sweet and easy way. Make no toil or task of the service of God. Do all freely and cheerfully, without violent effort.

6. Keep your heart with all diligence as you go to the house of God; look not hither and thither unnecessarily, lest your mind be distracted and your devotion lost. Much less look about in the sanctuary,—for this is a mark of disregard.

7. Ask, either at home or in the sanctuary, for God's blessing upon yourself, the preacher, and all the hearers.

8. When you retire, after service, remember your obligation to God for having heard his Word, and your responsibility for its improvement. Remember the perishing heathen, and ask that the gospel may speedily be preached unto every creature.

9. During the Sabbath, refrain from remarks of any kind on the preaching; and from censorious remarks refrain always, except when and where duty may call for them.

10. Digest what you hear, and do that which will be the best preparation for the next Sabbath, if you should live to see it.—Schauffler,

HISTORICAL SKETCH OF PRESBYTERIANISM IN THE STATE OF MAINE, WITH SOME ACCOUNT OF PRESBYTERIANISM IN NEW ENGLAND.

By the Rev. Charles Freeman of Limerick, Me.*

Until 1820, there were still existing in Maine, some meeting houses adapted to Presbyterian, or to ancient Congregational principles and modes. The pulpit with its appendages occupied a considerable space. The house was divided into square pews; and the pulpit with its appurtenances, occupied the depth of two rows of pews against the back wall. As you entered the pulpit you came first to the deacons' seat, elevated like the pews, about six inches from the floor of the aisles or passages. In the deacons' narrow slip, I sometimes saw in my youth, two venerable men, one at each end. Back of the deacons' seat, and elevated six or twelve inches higher, was the pew of the Ruling Elders, larger than that of the deacons, and about square. But though my recollection reaches back about forty years, I never saw but once any person sit in an elders' pew as an elder; and he was the only person I ever heard called elder on account of this office. Back of the elders' pew, and a foot or two higher, and against the wall, was the pulpit. Whether this arrangement grew out of pure Congregationalism, or out of Presbyterianism, I am not able to say. I could judge better of this matter, had I been less confined to my native State, and had I been better acquainted with the more Puritan parts of New England. The Congregational Platform provides for Ruling Elders in each church, as does "The Form of Government of the Presbyterian Church in the United States." But Ruling Elders have never been common in Congregational churches. Prof. Upham, in his Ratio Disciplinæ, says on this subject, "Ruling Elders are fully recognized in the Cambridge Platform, and the duties, pertaining to them, are particularly pointed out. But it was questioned by some even from the beginning, as no other passage of evident weight was brought forward, whether the office was JURE DIVINO, that is, appointed and required by the Scriptures. It was early objected, that the last clause of the passage in Timothy, [1 Tim. v. 17.,] Inight

For many of the facts, and much of the language, of this article, we are indebted to Greenleaf's" Sketches of the Ecclesiastical History of the State of Maine."

be rendered thus; Especially they laboring in word and doctrine; or in this way, Espeically as they labor in word and doctrine; which gives very essentially a new turn to the passage. At any rate, the office, and the reasons, by which it was supported, were not generally satisfactory. That there were great doubts in regard to it, and that it was never at any period fully sanctioned and approved by the churches, is fully evident from the ecclesiastical history of the country."

The Presbyterianism, therefore, that existed in Maine, might have introduced this construction of the pulpit. It is not trifling to attend to the arrangements in meeting houses, and the forms of dress. They are material forms of human society, and exhibit to us the minds, the morals and the manners of mankind. The ancient pulpit was a type of the existing social state. "Distinctions of rank among different classes of the community,—a part of the old system,-prevailed very much before the Revolution, and were preserved in the dress as well as in the forms of society."+ "In the circle of our little town, [Portland,] the lines were drawn with much strictness. The higher classes were called the quality, and were composed of persons not engaged in mechanic employments."+

The envied marks of distinction were the cocked hat, the bush wig and the red cloak. This will explain the portraits of some eminent divines of the period under review. These bush wigs that amplified their heads, seemed to be put on to make them look grave and venerable, and becoming their serious office; but they were in fact mere tokens of fashion and respectability, as much as a rich gold seal, or an ivory headed cane now. All the people of quality, the genteel and fashionable wore them. Meeting houses were constructed to suit, in some degree, the existing state of society. Presbyterianism corresponded with this state of society; and Congregationalism conformed to it also in some degree, as in the principle of having Ruling Elders.

The Presbyterianism that existed once in Maine, came in part from the North of Ireland and Scotland, and in part from other states in New England. We may first look at that which came from the North of Ireland and Scotland. Robert Temple says, that he contracted for a passage for himself and family to come to this country from Ireland, September, 1717. On his arrival, he first went to Connecticut, to look out a farm; and on his return, he went to Kennebec, with Col. Winthrop, Dr. Noyes, and Col. Minot. He liked the country, and concluded to settle

* Ratio Disciplinæ, or the Constitution of the Congregational Church. + History of Portland by William Willis, Esq.

there. The same year, he was concerned in the charter of two large ships, and the next year, three more, to bring families from Ireland; in consequence of which several hundred people were landed at Kennebec, some of whom or their descendants, are there to this day; but the greatest part removed to Pennsylvania, and a considerable part to Londonderry* for fear of the Indians.†

"In the autumn of 1718, a vessel arrived in the harbor of Falmouth, now Portland, with twenty families of emigrants from Ireland. They were descendants of a colony which went from Argyleshire in Scotland, and settled in the North of Ireland, about the middle of the 17th century. They were rigid Presbyterians, and fled from Scotland, to avoid the persecutions of Charles I. They suffered severely during the winter here; their provisions failed, and our inhabitants had neither shelter nor food sufficient for so large an accession to the population. In December, the inhabitants petitioned the General Court at Boston, for relief; they stated their grievances as follows: That there are now in the town about 300 souls, most of whom are arrived from Ireland, of which not one half have provisions enough to live upon over winter, and so poor that they are not able to buy any, and none of the first inhabitants so well furnished as that they are able to supply them;" and they prayed that the Court would consider their desolate circumstances by reason of the great company of poor strangers arrived among them, and take speedy and effectual care of their supply. On this application, the Court ordered, " that 100 bushels of Indian meal be allowed and paid for out of the treasury for the poor Irish people mentioned in the petition."

In the spring, most of these people embarked, sailed for Newburyport, and reached Haverhill, April 2nd. They soon established themselves at the place to which they gave the name of Londonderry. Several families, however, remained here, [Portland,] and became valuable inhabitants."

Lincoln county received nearly all the Scottish Irish emigrants, who settled in Maine. We have seen that about 1718, some of these emigrants settled near the mouth of Kennebec river. In 1734, Georgetown, which lay at the mouth of this river, had Presbyterian preaching. Part of the people were Presbyterians and part were Congregational

• James McKean, the grand-father of the first president of Bowdoin College, was of this company, and the agent who selected the land on which they set

tled.

+ Willis's History of Portland.

ists; but about the year 1765, the church became Congregational. This township originally included Bath and Phippsburg.

Thomaston was early supplied with Presbyterian preaching. The Rev. Robert Rutherford, whose name indicates his Scottish origin, took up his abode in the settlement around the fort in Thomaston; but it does not appear that he had a pastoral charge there, or that any church was gathered there during his life. He died there in 1756, aged 68 years, and was buried near the seat of the late Gen. Knox.

ment in Thomaston, was made about 1741.

The settle

In 1736, about thirty Irish and Scottish Presbyterian families, who had emigrated from the North of Ireland, to different parts of America, collected and entered into a contract to settle in Warren, on condition of having land given them, a meeting-house built, a road made, and three lots appropriated for the ministry and a free school. In 1753, this town had an accession of seventy emigrants from Sterling in Scotland, who settled in a cluster toward the western part of the township.

In 1763, the families in Warren, had increased to between 40 and 50. The Rev. John Urquhart, who had been licensed to preach by the Presbytery of Allon in North Britain, came first to this country in 1774, and was soon employed to preach at Warren. He was considered the minister of the town for nearly eight years; and was at last regularly removed by the Presbytery, convened at Salem, Ms., in September, 1783. It is not certainly known whether Mr. Urquhart gathered a church at Warren. From some circumstances it is most probable, that he did, but no record of the transaction is now to be found, and if such an event took place, the church was scattered as soon as he left the town. In 1795, a Congregational church was gathered; and the Rev. Jonathan Huse was ordained.

In Brunswick, the first minister settled was the Rev. Robert Dunlap, a native of the Province of Ulster, Ireland, and educated at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. He was ordained in Boston, Ms., by a Presbytery there, as pastor of the church in Brunswick. Of this church Mr. Greenleaf says, "It was originally established on Presbyterian principles, and so continued during the ministry of Mr. Dunlap. After the settlement of Mr. Miller, [1762,] it assumed a mixed character for about seven years. The number of church members were then about seventy, among whom were seven deacons. In the year 1769, Mr. Miller declared himself a Congregationalist. Some few difficulties

arose in the church on this account, but they were soon amicably adjusted, and it appears that the church consented to the alteration without a formal vote."