an Churches were formed under circumstances too remarkable and interesting to pass unnoticed.

"About the year 1730, there resided in the great Northern Neck, between the Rappahannoc and Pottomac rivers, a certain John Organ, a pious schoolmaster, from Scotland. Soon after his establishment in that country, finding there was no place of public worship in his immediate neighbourhood, and that a large portion of the people wholly disregarded the ordinances of religion, and were sunk in carelessnes and profligacy, his spirit was stirred within him to attempt something for the spiritual advantage of his neighbours. Accordingly, he collected, in private houses, such of them as were tolerably decent and sober, and had any sense of religion, and read to them the Scriptures and other pious writings, accompanied with prayer and singing. These exercises were much blessed, to the awakening and conversion of a number of souls. For several years nothing more was attempted; especially as the frowns of the government were soon directed towards this little flock, and the laws against dissenters rigorously enforced against them. In a short time, however, after the formation of the Synod of Philadelphia, the poople of Organ's neighbourhood made an application to that body for supplies. This request was granted; and the Rev. Mr. Anderson, who had before resided in NewYork, but was then settled in Pennsylvania, was sent by the Synod to preach among them, to organize a church, and to intercede with the government on their behalf Mr. Anderson succeeded in attaining all these objects.

He preached with great acceptance and with much impression; and formed a church which has continued to the present day.

"While these things were going on in one neighbourhood, events of a similar kind, but still more extraordi“ nary, were taking place in another.

"In Hanover, and the adjacent counties, the aspect of religion and morals had long been extremely low and discouraging. The established clergy were many of them notoriously profligate in their lives, and very few of them preached, or appeared to understand, the Gospel of Christ. It was under these circumstances that some pious books, or fragments of books, which fell into the hands of a few individuals, were made the means of awakening them to a concern for their eternal interest, and of commencing a work of grace, which was afterwards most powerfully and happily extended.

"Boston's Fourfold State was one of these books. A few leaves of this inestimable work, which had belonged to a pious Scotch woman, feel into the hands of a wealthy planter. Being pleased and surprised at what he read, and finding the title-page among the leaves, he sent a commission, with his next cargo of tobacco, to procure for him a copy of the book, He obtained it; and the more he read, the more he found himself interested in its contents; until he was brought, as there was every reason to believe, to a saving acquaintance with the truth as it is in Jesus. Another wealthy planter, Mr. Samuel Morris, of Hanover, having providentially fallen in with an old copy of Luther on the

Galatians, perused it with eagerness and astonishment. He there found representations of Gospel truth, such as he had never met with before, and widely different from what he had received from the pulpit.* Deeply

* It will be considered, by many, not a little remarkable, that those who loved and admired Boston's Fourfold State, (a strongly Calvinistic work,) should equally relish Luther on the Galatians; and should consider themselves as finding the same precious system o. truth in both. An impression seems to have been received by multitudes, that Luther and Calvin differed materially on important points, particularly on the subject of the divine Decrees, or the doctrine of sovereign Election. Nothing can be more erroneous than this impression. Excepting in the single article of Christ's presence in the Eucharist, there was the most entire harmony of opinion between these two great Reformers. Those who wish to see what Luther believed on the doctrines of Predestination and Grace, would do well to consult his book De Servo Arbitrio, in which they will find as high-toned Calvinism as ever was penned. Indeed, all the eminent Reformers, both in Great-Britain, and on the continent of Europe, were agreed on these points. The leading men among them were all doctrinal Calvinists. It is notorious, that, for a number of years, during the reigns of Queen Elizabeth and James I. Calvin's Institutes was the great standard book put by authority into the hands of the students of divinity in the British Universities, and considered as the foundation of their studies. This is acknowledged by Heylin and others in terms of the bitterest regret. Nay, by a convocation held at Oxford, that book was recommended to the general study of the nation. Let those who deny the Calvinism of the early Reformers and standards of the Church of England, impartially consult Cranmer, Ridley, Latimer, the Lambeth Articles, (drawn and signed by Archbishop Whitgift, and declared by him to be true, and corresponding with the doctrines professed in the Church of England,) the writings of Hall, Davenant, and Horsely, and they will perceive and be ashamed of their mistake. But to return; it is certain that Luther was not only a strong doctrinal Calvinist, but also a Presbyterian; that is to say, he early and uniformly main

affected with the view of human nature, and of the way of salvation, which this work exhibits, he never ceased to read, to inquire, and to pray, until he found consolation in Christ, as the Lord his righteousness and strength. Nor was this all. It is one of the glorious distinctions of the genuine Gospel of the grace of God, that wherever its power is felt in the heart, and in proportion to the degree in which that power is felt, there will always be manifested a tender love to the souls of men, and an ardent zeal for spreading the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Not the warmth of mere party zeal; not the strange fire of bigotry and contention for modes and forms; but an affectionate desire that men men may be saved, and that Christ in all things may be glorified. Such was the spirit excited in this remarkable convert. He no sooner had obtained a comfortable hope for himself, than he was filled with concern for the spiritual welfare of his neighbours. He invited them to come to his house, and to hear him read passages from the book which had been so much blessed to his own soul. They attended, particularly on the sabbath, for this purpose. At first, and indeed for a considerable time afterwards, no other exercise than that of reading was attempted. Extemporary prayer was a thing so unknown among them, that none durst attempt it. Their whole time, when together, was employed in reading; and Mr.

tained the parity of ministers by divine right, and the scriptural authority of Presbyters to ordain. He himself, though only a Presbyter, freely ordained, at an early period of his Protestant ministry, and he did the same only a few days before his death.

Morris, being an excellent reader, was enabled, to a very unusual degree, too keep up their attention. And the spirit of God visibly attended the exercise. A number of persons were seriously impressed, and some hopefully converted. In 1743, a young Scotch gentleman, having received from his friends at home a volume of Whitefield's Sermons, published a short time before, put them into the hands of Mr. Morris, who perused them himself with much profit, and soon began to read them to his assembled neighbours. The plainness and fervour of these discourses were blessed to the awakening and hopeful conversion of several persons. The curiosity of some, and the serious impressions of others, increas ing, the people began to meet on week-days for this exercise, as well as on the sabbath. In a short time Mr. Morris' house became too small to accommodate those who attended; on which he and his neighbours determined to erect a building expressly for their accommodation at these religious meetings. This building was commonly called "Morris' reading-house," and was generally crowded with hearers. The knowledge of these circumstances spreading, Mr. Morris was invited to attend, at several distant places, for the purpose of reading the books, and especially Whitefield's sermons, which had been so acceptable and useful in his immediate neighbourhood. He complied with these invitations; and thus the religious awakening and anxiety became considerably extended.

"About this time Mr. Morris and his friends attracted the notice of government. Their absenting themselves from their parish churches, contrary, as was alleged, to