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: PRAYING MACHINES.

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PERHAPS no better use can be made of the follies, extravagancies and delusions of the people of other nations and other religions, than to employ them for the discovery and correction of similar inconsistences among ourselves. I was lately reading an Edinburgh Review of 1 ravels" among the Calmucksin which an extraordinary and ludicrous account is given of praying machines. It is stated that "prayer is one of the principal duties enjoined by Lamaism;" and after remarking on the inventions of this age, particularly of steam engines, as a substitute for human labour, the Reviewer says " The followers of the Grand Lama have done more-they have invented praying-jennies, which do the work to perfection. It is a doetrine amongst them, that as of ten as the paper, or ether substance upon which the prayer is written, is set in motion, this movement of the written prayer is as meritorious as its oral re

petition. The Kurada, or praying machine is therefore constructed upon this principle; it consists of two cylinders, or drums. filled withinside with rolls of paper covered with prayers and ejaculations, written in Tangotian, or sacred language. The drums are hung in a neat frame and are kept on the whirl with great facility by the simple connivance of a string and erank; and every turn of the cylinder is perfectly equivalent to the repetition of all the prayers contained in it. The turning of the Kurada is an agreeable

pastime in the long evenings of the winter; but the Tartar ingenuity has discovered a method of dispensing even with the slight degree of exertion which the compendious substitute requires. We make swift trochais' roast our meat-they employ the smoke-jack to say their prayers for them; and the Kurada which spins over the fire in the midst of their hut, transfers all its devotional mer-

it to the owner. The Monguls are yet more wisely economical of individual responsibility. Amongst them, the inhabitants of a district construct a Kurada at their joint expense, which is placed in a mill-house by the side of a running stream, and this subscription Kurada is made so large, that it holds prayers enough to serve for all the parish; and consequently, except in seasons of uncommon drought, when the water is too low to turn the mill which grinds prayers for the parishioners, they are completely exonerated from the obligations of wasting their time in the Churule, or temple."

Much of the amusement of this account is probably to be attributed to the Reviewer, who tells the story; but the facts may be as he has stated them. our business is not to amuse our readers with the follies and delusions of other people, but to lead them to consider whether as great inconsistences are not to be found among professed Christians, as those which are reported of the Calmucks and Monguis.

Christians have the gospel in their hands which solemnly enjoins and graciously encourages the duty of prayer. It also teaches us, that God is a spirit, and that those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth -implying that such worship God requires, and that such on Ay he accepts Yet are there not multitudes even in this country, and some in every parish who invent methods to satisfy their consciences in the neglect of a duty which is enjoined by Him who is called their Saviour? Or do they not invent methods of performing prayer which are as unacceptable to God as that of employing machines ?

Are there not too many who are fond of having a minister, and pretty regular in attending public worship, who refer the whole duty of prayer to him? and who are as heedless and indevout in time of prayer, as the Calmuck is while his forms of prayer are moved by a machine? Are there not many in this Christian land who never pray, except it be by a substitute?

So far as this is the case, it is of very little consequence to them, whether the substitute be a machine or a minister of religion.

It is a great privilege indeed to have a good minister, who possesses the spirit of prayer, and who has gifts to lead in public or social worship. But, like all other privileges, this may be abused; and it is ever abused when it is made a substitute for personal devotion. In regard to prayer, ministers can perform no more than their own duty; others must do their

own praying or it will never be done. They may be assisted by his gifts, if their hearts are truly engaged; otherwise no part of their duty is performed by his praying with them or for them. They may as reasonably rely on their ministers to perform for them all the duties of justice and benevolence, as to perform for them their duty of cailing upon God:

Let Christians then be careful, that while they censure the Calmucks for employing a machine to save the labour of devotion, they do not leave room for God "Out of thine own mouth

to say,

will I judge thee, thou slothful

servant

But the neglect of prayer and praying by proxy, are not the only exceptionable things in relation to this duty. The gospel does more than merely to enjoin the duty of prayer; it requires us to pray with a benevolent, forgiving spirit towards our fellow creatures; and it assures us that this temper is essential to our obtaining the approbation and forgiveness of God. What then shall be said of those prayers in which Christians of different sects have indulged towards each other a spirit of censure, reproach and reviling--and in which people of different nations, in time of war, have prayed for the destruction of one another! If such things must be continued in our churches, will it not be less offensive to God and less injurious to men, to have prayers performed by a Calmuck machine, than by the ministers of the Christian religion?

MRS. ANN HUTCHINSON.

"THERE came over with Mr. Cotton, or about the same time, Mr. Hutchinson and his family. His wife, as Mr. Cotton says, was well beloved, and all the faithful embraced her conference and blessed God for her faithful discourses.' After she came to New England she was treated with great respect, and much notice was taken of her by Mr. Cotton and other principal persons, and particularly by Mr. Vane the governor.-Countenanced and encouraged by Mr. Vane and Mr. Cotton she advanced doctrines and opinions which involved the colony in disputes and contentions, and being improved to civil as well as religious purposes had like to have produced ruin both to church and state.-Mr. Wheelright a zealous minister, of character and learning, was her brother-in-law and firmly attached to her and finally suffered

with her.

"Mrs. Hutchinson thought fit to set up a meeting of the sisters where she repeated the sermons preached the Lord's day before, adding her remarks and expositions. Her lectures made much noise, and sixty or eighty of the principal women attend ed. At first they were generally approved of. After some time it appeared she had distinguished the ministers and churches through the country, a small part of them under a covenant of grace, the rest under a covenant of works. The whole colony was soon divided into two parties, and however distant one party was from the other in

principle, they were still more so in affection.

"The two capital errors with which she was charged were these That the Holy Ghost dwells personally in a justified person; and that nothing of sanctification can help to evidence to believers their justification. The ministers of the several parts of the country, alarmed with these things, came to Boston whilst the general court was sitting. They conferred with Mr. Cotton and Mr Wheelright upon those two points. The last they both disclaimed, so far as to acknowledge that sanctification did help to evidence justification. The other they qualified at least by other words; they held the indwelling of the person of the Holy Ghost, but not strictly a personal union, or as they express it, not a communication of personal properties.

&

"The governor not only held with Mr. Cotton but went farther, or was more express, and maintained a personal union. Mr. Winthrop, the deputy governor, denied both, and Mr. Wilson the other minister of Boston and many ministers of the country joined with him. A conference or disputation was determined on, which they agreed should be managed in writing, as most likely to tend to peace in the church. When they could not find that the scriptures nor the primitive church for three hundred years ever used the term PERSON of the Holy Ghost, they generally thought it was best it should

be forborn as of human invention. "Upon the other question Mr. Cotton in a sermon, the day the court met, had acknowledged that evident sanctification is a ground of justification.

"The town and country were distracted with these subtleties, and every man and woman, who had brains enough to form some imperfect conceptions of 'them, inferred and maintained some other points, such as these-A man is justified be fore he believes; faith is no cause of justification; and if faith be before justification it is only a passive faith, an empty vessel, &c. And assurance is by immediate revelation only. The fear of God and love of our neighbour seemed to be laid by and out of the question. All the church of Boston except four or five joined Mr. Cotton. 'Mr. Wilson the other minister and most of the ministers in the country opposed him."

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"A synod was appointed to be held at Newtown the 30th of August, where were present, not only the minister and messengers of churches, but the magistrates also. Three weeks were spent in disputing pro and con, and at length above fourscore points or opinions, said to have been maintained by some or other in the country, were condemned as erroneous.

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truth in that honourable way as were to be desired. My ground is this. They will be chief agents in the synod who are chief parties in the cause; and for them only who are prejudiced in the controversy to pass sentence against cause or person, how improper! how unprofitable."

"Mrs. Hutchinson was next* called to her trial before all the court and many of the elders.Her sentence upon record stands thus Mrs. Hutchinson the wife of William Hutchinson being convented for traducing the ministers and their ministry in this country-She declared voluntarily her revelations and that she should be delivered and the court ruined with their posterity, and thereupon was banished, and in the mean while was committed to Mr. Joseph Weld until the court shall dis

pose of her."- -Hutchinson's History of Mass. Bay.

The historian also informs that after these troubles, the husband of Ann Hutchinson sold his estate and removed to Rhode Island with his wife and family, that he died about the year 1642; that she with her family removed from Rhode Island to the "Dutch country beyond NewHaven," and the next year she and all her family which were with her, being sixteen children, were killed by the Indians except one daughter whom they carried into captivity."-"Some writers mention the manner of her death as being a remarkable judgement of God for her heresies. Her partizans charged the guilt of her murder upon the colony."

"Mr. Hooker at first disapproved determining the points in controversy by a synod. He writes thus to Mr. Shepard of Newtown. "For your general synod I cannot yet see either how reasonable or how salutable it will be for your turn, for the settling or establishing the Mr. Wheelwright had been previously "disfranchised and banished."

THE GIFT OF THE SPIRIT.

WHAT is dearer to God the Father than his only Son? And what diviner blessing has he to bestow upon men than his holy Spirit? Yet has he given his Son for us, and by the hands of his Son he confers his blessed Spirit on us. Jesus having received of the Father the promise of the Spirit, shed at forth on men. Acts ii. 33.

How the wondrous doctrine of the blessed Trinity shines through the whole of our religion, and sheds a glory upon every part of it! Here is God the Father, a King of infinite riches and glory, has constituted his belovSon the High-treasurer of heaven, and the holy Spirit is the divine and inestimable treasure. What amazing doctrines of saered love are written in our Bibles! What mysteries of mercy, what miracles of glory are these! Our boldest desires and most raised hopes, durst never aim at such blessings there is nothing in all nature that can lead us to a thought of such grace.

The Spirit was given by the Father to the Son for men; for rebellious and sinful men, to make favourites and saints of them this was the noble gift the Son received when he ascended on high; and he distributed it to grace his triumph.

Was it not a divine honour which Jesus our Lord displayed on that day, when the tongues of fire sat on his twelve apostles; when he sent his ambassadors to every nation to address them in their own language, to notify his accession to the throne of heaven, and to demand subjection to his

government? When he conferred power upon his envoys to reverse the laws of nature and imitate creation? To give eyes to the blind, and to raise the dead ? All this was done by the Spirit which he sent down upon them in the days of Pentecost.

But is the Spirit given to none but his apostles and the prime ministers of his kingdom?

as that rich treasure exhausted in the first ages of the gospel, and none left for us? God forbid! Every one of his subjects have the same favour bestowed on them, though not in the same degree: every humble and holy soul in our day, every true Christian is possessed of the Spirit, for he that has not the Spirit of Christ is none of his. And wherever the Spirit is, it works miracles too; .it newcreates his nature; it raises the dead to life, and teaches Egypt and Assyria and the British isles to speak the language of Canaan. It is the gift of the Spirit

W

hich the Son sends down to us continually from the Father, that is the original and spring of all these strange blessings.

The Father has a heart of large bounty to the poor ruined race of Adam; the Son has a hand fit to be Almoner to the King of Glory; and the Spirit is the rich alms. This blessed donation has enriched ten thousand souls already, and there remains enough to enrich ten thousand worlds.

The Father, what a glorious giver! the Son, what a glorious medium of communication! and the Spirit, what a glorious gift!

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