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English nation, and of our secession from their enemy the Church of Rome. And in return, I requested they would give me some account of their History.-My communications with the Syrians are rendered very easy, by means of an Interpreter whom I brought with me all the way from the Tanjore country. He is a Hindoo by descent, but is an intelligent Christian, and was a pupil and Catechist of the late Mr. Swartz. The Rev. Mr. Kolhoff recommended him to me. He formerly lived in Travancore, and is well acquainted with the vernacular tongue. He also reads and writes English pretty well, and is as much interested in favour of the Syrian Christians as I myself. Besides Mr. Swartz's catechist, there are two natives of Travancore here, who speak the Hindoostanee Language, which is familiar to me. My knowledge of the Syriac is sufficient to refer to texts of Scripture; but I do not well understand the pronunciation of the Syrians. I hope to be better acquainted with their language before I leave the country."

"Ranniel, a Syrian Church, Nov. 12th, 1806.

This Church is built upon a rocky hill on the banks of the river; and is the most remote of all the Churches in this quarter. The two Kasheeshas here are Lucas and Mattai (Luke and Matthew.) The chief Lay members are Abraham, Georgius, Thoma, and Philippus. Some of the Priests accompany me from Church to Church. I have now visited eight Churches, and scarcely believe that I am in the land of the Hindoos; only that I now and then see a Hindoo temple on the

tower.

banks of the river. I observed that the bells of most of the churches are within the building, and not in a The reason they said was this. When a Hin doo temple happens to be hear a church, the Hindoos do not like the bell to sound loud, "because it frightens their God."-I perceive that the Syrian Christians as similate much to the Hindoos in the practice of fre quent ablutions for health and cleanliness, and in the use of vegetables and light food.

"I attended divine service on the Sunday. Their Liturgy is that which was formerly used in the Churches of the Patriarch of Antioch. During the prayers, prayers, there were intervals of silence: the priest praying in a low voice, and every man praying for himself. These silent intervals add much to the solemnity and appearance of devotion. They use incense in the Churches, it grows in the woods around them; and contributes much, they say, to health, and to the warmth and comfort of the Church, during the cold and rainy season of the year. At the conclusion of the service, a ceremony takes place which pleased me much. The Priest, (or Bishop, if he be present) comes forward, and all the people pass by him as they go out, receiving his benediction individually. If any man has been guilty of any immorality, he does not receive the blessing; and this, in their primitive and patriarchal state, is accounted a severe punishment. Instruction by preaching is little in use among them now. Many of the old men lamented the decay of piety and religious knowledge; and spoke with pleasure of the record of ancient times.-They have some ceremonies nearly allied to those of the Greek Church. Here, as in all Churches in a state of decline, there is too much for

mality in the worship. But they have the Bible and a scriptural Liturgy; and these will save a Church in the worst of times. These may preserve the spark and life of religion, though the flame be out. And as there were but few copies of the Bible among the Syrians, (for every copy was transcribed with the pen) it is highly probable that, if they had not enjoyed the advantage of the daily prayers, and daily portions of Scripture in their Liturgy, there would have been, in the revolution of ages, no vestige of Christianity left among them.*

* In a nation like ours, overflowing with knowledge, men are not always in circumstances to perceive the value of a scriptural Liturgy. When Christians are well taught, they think they want something better. But the young and the ignorant, who form a great proportion of the community, are edified by a little plain instruction frequently repeated. A small Church or Sect may do without a form for a while. But a national Liturgy is that which preserves a relic of the true faith among the people in a large empire, when the Priests leave their ARTICLES and their CONFESSIONS of FAITH. Woe to the declining Church which hath no Scriptural Liturgy For when the Bible is gone, or when reading the scriptures to the people ceases, what is there left? Witness the Presbyterians in the West of England, and some other sects, who are said to have become Arians and Socinians to a man. Eight chapters of Scripture, on an average, including the Psalms, are read to the people in the course of every Sabbath day, in the Church of England. Four chapters are recommended to be read on every Sabbath day in the " Direc"tory for public worship" of the Kirk of Scotland, viz. "one chapter of each Testament at every meeting." But, in consequence of its not being positively ordained, not one chapter is now read. When therefore a minister of that Church chuses to deviate from the doctrines of the "Confes

The doctrines of the Syrian Christians are few in number, but pure, and agree in essential points with

"sion of Faith" (which will sometimes happen) what, we would ask, is there left for the people? *

The Puritans of a former age in England did not live long enough to see the use of an evangelical Formulary. By them, the experiment of a pure church devoid of form, was made under the most favourable auspices; I know not what was wanting of human and local circumstance, to give peculiar doctrines perpetuity: according to their principles, for they assumed that an establishment and human ordinance are of no service in supporting or perpetuating the spiritual church of Christ. But yet, with the first generation of men, (who had their education in Halls and Colleges) the spiritual fervor seemed to pass away. Instead of increasing, it decreased and declined in most places, till little more than the name was left. For when the spirit is gone, (in a church having no form) nothing is left. In the mean time, primitive Christianity revived in England (not amongst them, but in Halls and Colleges, and in the midst of rational forms and evangelical articles:) FOR SO IT SEEMED GOOD UNTO GOD;" and from that source is derived the greater part of pure religion now professed in this land, under whatever form it may exist.

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These observations are not made in a spirit of disrespect for any mode of Christian worship: every form, we know, is

• The Kirk of Scotland is, we believe, the only National Church in the world in which the Holy Scriptures are not read. When its ministers are asked why they do not conform to the authorised Directory for the public Worship of the nation, and read the Scriptures to the people, they answer, that "the people do not like it." But if it be true that the people do not like to hear the Scriptures read in the house of God, this extraordinary fact is the strongest argument that can be adduced for reading them; and for beginning to read them without delay. How can it be expected that the blessing of God should continue to accompany the ministrations of any Church, where his holy word ceases to be read in a 501 lemn manner to the people?

those of the Church of England: so that, although the body of the Church appears to be ignorant, and formal, and dead, there are individuals who are alive to righteousness, who are distinguished from the rest by their purity of life, and are sometimes censured for too rigid a piety.

The following are the chief doctrines of this ancient Church:

1. They hold the doctrine of a vicarious ATONEMENT for the sins of men, by the blood and merits of Christ, and of the justification of the soul before God, "by faith alone," in that atonement.

2. They maintain the REGENERATION, or new birth of the Soul to righteousness, by the influence of the

human and, therefore, imperfect: nor is perfection required; that form being best for the time, which is best administered. Christ left no form: (though he approved of the forms which he found) because Churches in different climates, must have different forms. There are differences of "administrations,

saith the Apostle, but the same Lord." 1 Cor. i. 12. "One man esteemeth one day above another. He that re

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gardeth the day, (as Easter and Pentecost) regardeth it "unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the "Lord he doth not regard it." Rom. xiv. 6. We are not to despise" a weak brother, for whom Christ died,” (1 Cor. viii. 11.) though he be destitute of learning, and think he possesses all that is necessary for forming a new Church, when he has got the leaves of the New Testament; when the truth is, that a knowledge of cotemporary history and languages is as necessary to understand certain facts of the New Testament, as the facts of any other book. But the above remarks have been made with this view; to qualify the contempt, which ignorant persons in small sects frequently express for the established worship of a CHRISTIAN EMPIRE.

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