attendance on prisoners, and for private or family devotion. And in addition to the Psalmody, there is a small collection of Hymns allowed to be used. I was surprised in looking over the latter to observe one or two of Dr. Watts's. How must this stagger some of our high Churchmen, who regard the compositions of Dissenters with as much mistrust, as the Chinese the innovations of foreigners.

I

suppose that some latitude is given either to the Clergyman or his congregation, in the use of vestments, as in some Churches the surplice is laid aside, and in others the cassock. I was at a funeral at Baltimore one winter's day when the weather was severe, on which occasion the Clergyman was not in any way distinguished from the attendants, he having like them, a comfortable cloak over him. The service consisted of only a few sentences, lasting about five minutes, he thinking, I suppose, that more hurt might be taken by remaining long in the cold, than good from hearing the exhortations. The whole service is considerably abridged from the English.

In none of the Churches in America is there such a person as parish clerk. The responses are made by the congregation at large; a mode

far more impressive than that of hearing them repeated by a clerk in a drawling tone of voice. Another part of worship in which they differ from the English Church is in their style of preaching. The English clergy preach sermons which are often but imperfectly understood by the illiterate; while the American clergy, so far as I could form an opinion from those I heard, are unambitious of conciliating the pride of learning by elaborate, argumentative discourses, and strive rather to be practical and simple than speculative and complex. The orderly, religious part of the poor in England have become greatly alienated from the Establishment owing to the false notions of the clergy. The Episcopal Church in America seems to be as much in their affections as can reasonably be expected. I once heard part of a sermon preached to a number of poor weavers in London, the style of which was so remote from common apprehension, that I had a difficulty in understanding the preacher. He compared the glory of the future state of being to the prismatic colours; but to one unacquainted with Sir Isaac Newton's optical discoveries, the comparison no more illustrated his positions than black reflects white. Such an egregious departure from common propriety I never witnessed in America, nor indeed any ap

proach to it. No Protestant church in America could long preserve itself from decay, if such a course were commonly pursued by its clergy.

It is said that the Episcopalians number in their body a greater proportion of the fashionable than the Presbyterians; the reason for which is stated to be, that they are less particu. lar as to dress, and other similar matters. Probably the organs in the Churches of the former allure some. I do not know that the Presbyterians absolutely proscribe them, but I do not recollect having seen one in any of their Churches. On the contrary, the Episcopal Churches are generally furnished with them, where the congregations are sufficiently rich to purchase them. Another cause may be, that concealed and avowed Deists, though for what reason I cannot state, seem generally to prefer the Episcopalians to any other body of Christians. This is well known to be the case in England, and excites no wonder, as it is natural that they should lean to that body which is supported by the most distinguished persons in the land. But in America, where no Church has any legal pre-eminence, and where a Methodist or a Baptist is regarded with as much respect as any other professor, we might suppose that a Deist would as

readily filiate himself with one denomination as another, except where extravagancies in conduct or language take the place of moderation. The friends of the Episcopal Church will probably urge this deistical preference as a proof of its adaptation to its purposes, since persons hostile to Christianity relinquish their opposition when they enter within its walls its enemies on the contrary will represent the same preference, as indicating that its doctrines and discipline are so little consonant to the strictness of Christianity, that those make alliance with it who would scornfully spurn a purer system. Whatever may be the cause, the fact is I believe undisputed and indisputable.

CHAPTER XIV.

THE CATHOLICS.

THE State of Maryland being first settled by Catholics, it has a larger proportion of them than most of the other States. Taking the whole country into consideration, their numbers are probably not a tenth of the population. But in no part are they viewed with any jealousy. The people have no more fear of losing their liberties by admitting them to places of profit and trust in the judicial or administrative departments of the government, or by electing them to seats in the legislature, than from an invading army packed and paid by the Pope himself. The American Catholics are as warm friends to rational liberty, and as averse to persecution as the Presbyterians or Episcopalians; and it is as unjust to charge them with the crimes of their ancestors, as either of the other bodies. It is well known that the Presbyterians who fled from persecution in England, became themselves persecutors in America. In consequence of this, and from some charges of a similar kind that can be brought against them in Scotland, Holland and Switzerland, a recent