but also to preach to adults. And in this way it is calculated that employment and support may be afforded to many young Presbyterian ministers who may be sent out from the Theological Seminaries, as well as to some older ones, who perhaps have no other special CALL, at least till they can be enabled to collect, or rather find congregations in which they may become settled. For all this there must be funds. Hence the board of the American Sunday School Union say, they have resolved that the sums paid by SOCIETIES, when becoming auxiliary shall be appropriated to the MISSIONARY FUND." Besides this, a Primer, with the stereotype platesfrom which it is printed, has also been presented by a member of the board, on condition that 25 cents on every hundred copies sold, be appropriated to the missionary fund." And there is not a particle of security, to prevent a similar revenue being hereafter set apart for the benefit of the same fund, from the extensive sales of other publications of the Union; and I will venture to predict, that such will be the case in a few years. For they have become somewhat independent, by having recently raised thirty-two thousand dollars, for the buildings, &c. of the establishment in Philadelphia. Now all this property, together with the books, stereotype plates, money, &c, of this institution, are wholly at the will and pleasure, at the annual option, not to say the caprice, of its ballotting members!

In concluding this chapter, allow me to say, that if this institution will so amend its constitution, as to secure an equal number of representatives, from the different denominations, in its board of managers, its standing committees, and among its officers, agents, and hired missionaries, it will then give full proof of its catholic intentions, and remove many of the prejudices which exist against it-strong and well grounded prejudices.

CHAPTER IV.

THE BOOKS OF THE AMERICAN SUNDAY SCHOOL UNION, SEC

TARIAN.

MANY of the books issued from the Depository of this institution, are of a light and fictitious character; and this circumstance of itself, affords a solid objection to the Institution. Now, I am sufficiently conversant with most of the

publications of the Union to judge correctly on this subject; and I do know, that I am not mistaken on this point. Too many fictitious stories, and some of them containing few lessons of moral or religious instruction, have been put into circulation by the Union. The tendency of this is to vitiate the taste of the rising generation, so that while they are greedy after fiction, they will have no appetite for solid, instructive reading. In a word, all light and fictitious writings, have in the main, a bad tendency, and are incompatible with the simplicity and sincerity of the christian religion. But I confess, that to my mind, there is a more weighty objection to the books of the Union, than even the above. It is this. Many of them abound with the peculiarities of Calvinism; and the reading of them, together with the lectures and explanations of Calvinistic teachers, must not only prove dangerous to children, but absolutely ruinous. True, a Sunday School teacher who seeks wisdom from on high, and draws his instructions from this pure fountain, will not be likely to be misled, or to mislead others, in any matter of importance; but who will avow, that the thousands of Calvinistic teachers in connexion with the Union, draw their rations from above? Therefore, it behooves all Arminian preachers, to see to it, that nothing is inculcated on the youth under their charge, which is inconsistent with that form of doctrine which they themselves esteem and teach to be truth.

The Presbyterian, for January, 1832, then edited by Dr. Ely, and the official organ of the Church whose name it bears, after expressing its partialities and hearty wishes for the prosperity of the American Sunday School Union, thus announces its views in respect to the principle of general amalgamation, so as to destroy all sectarian and denominational distinctions:-"But we do not rank ourselves among those indiscriminating enthusiasts who would have all our institutions of a religious nature, to be national and American, and who therefore pass a sentence of condemnation to incurable narrow-mindedness and bigotry, upon all who approve of the establishment of Sunday School Unions of a restricted character. Nay, we commend the good sense and sound policy of the Episcopalians, Methodists, and Baptists, for having their own respective Sunday School Unions, through the instrumentality of which they can furnish books for the instruction of their children in those PECULIARITIES which however disapproved of by us, are precious to them. And we frankly own our surprise at the conduct of Presbyterians, who, having EQUAL LIBERTY with their brethren of

other denominations, UNWISELY, we think, neglect to employ it to their owN ADVANTAGE.

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Again: A writer in the Presbyterian, for 1829, which paper I now have before me, after frankly acknowledging, that the Presbyterians as a body, "belong to the grand Union," adds: The Episcopalians have theirs; the Baptists theirs; the Methodists theirs; and the Catholics theirs; and these respective denominations are thus engaged to make known and propagate their peculiarities."

Now, if the Baptists, Episcopalians, Methodists, Catholics and others, have established separate Sunday School Unions,, (and I admit the truth of it) "for the purpose" of propagating "their peculiarities," I ask, who are the proper owners of the "grand union" if the Presbyterians are not?

In addition to this, the Minutes of the Presbyterian General Assembly, for 1832, which document is also before me, in speaking of the prosperity of the national societies, the American Sunday School Union among the rest, says "OUR benevolent societies!!" Lastly: It is a well known fact that the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, as well as its Synods, Presbyteries, &c. have voted again and again to patronize the American Sunday School Union; and by this act, as well also as their language on those occasions, they have recognized it as their Union. So have various congregational ecclesiastical bodies, as well as other Calvinistic churches. But alas! no Arminian church has ever done this. Is there nothing in all this? The true question then is, whether the Calvinistic interest does not predominate in the Union; and whether many of its books are not strictly Calvinistic? Indeed many of its books have been furnished by Presbyterian clergymen; others as above stated, are light and fictitious; while I scruple not to say, that others are rare and choice little volumes.

In an advertisement recently published by the Union, and which is circulating throughout the United States, and perhaps farther still, it is said, "that ALL the books published by the Union, have been examined and approved by the committee of publication, composed of an equal number of Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, and Episcopal CHURCHES." The impression given by this paragraph is, that the Sabbath School books published by the Union are sanctioned by all the denominations named above. But this impression is basely false: they are not sanctioned by these denominations -and the most that can be contended for is, that they are sanctioned by two irresponsible individuals belonging to

those churches. The impression given to the public has been from the beginning, that the objectionable features of Calvinism should not be advanced in the books published— and that they never would be sanctioned by the committee. Still the truth is, that many of their books given into the hands of our unsuspecting children, are decidedly Calvinistic -enough so for the maturest mind; and where this boldness is not exhibited, still the impression left upon the mind of the child, who reads, is the same, and his thoughts have, perhaps, a Calvinistic turn through life. I might select many instances in proof of this position, but I will give but two, and the first is from a little work called the "Two Arrows."

"And now," added the father, "what are those sticks in your hands?" "They are our arrows, father," said the little boys-"we have broke our bows, and we have taken the weights out of the heads of our arrows, and we thought you would not be angry at our carrying these little sticks."

"Let me look at them," said the father: and he took them in his hand, and then returned them to the children.

"They are willow sticks," said Francis, "and quite dead and dry.” "They seem to be dead," replied the father, and good for nothing;" and he directed his two little sons to lay them on the earth, in a retired place, near a brook, by which they were walking; so his little boys did as they were required to do, and the father and his children walked on.

About three months after this, when the winter was gone, and every hedge and tall tree was clothed with leaves and blossoms, and every field was covered with fresh grass and springing corn, the father and his sons took another pleasant walk, and coming to the brook, to which a man was driving two cows to drink, the little boys remembered their sticks, and asked their father if they might see if they were where they had left them, "though I dare say," added Francis, "that they are all rotten and fallen to pieces by this time."

"Perhaps not," said the father, "for the time has been too short even for the driest stick to go to dust; but you may look for them, and let me know the state in which you find them." So the little boys began to grope among the willow bushes which grew by the brook till they found the exact spot where they had laid their arrows; and when they found it they cried "O! father, father, here are our sticks just where we left them, and one is green and fresh, and covered with a new rind, smooth and shining, and it has put forth leaves and little buds; but the other is dry and bare, and will soon fall to pieces. Come, father, come and

The kind father came, and he looked at the two arrows, and one was indeed become a blooming little tree, while the other was fast tending to decay: and these were the remarks which he made, as he stood looking upon them:~~

"My little boys," he said, "here is the finger of God, and here in this book of nature he makes known the mysteries of his providence. These little branches, both of which appeared at one time dead and past hope, are holy emblems of the two sorts of men: the dead branch is the type of the unregenerate man, him in whom there is no spiritual life, whose heart has remained unchanged, who has been left in his natural corruption

D

for such, nothing is prepared but inevitable destruction; while the living branch is the type of the true christian, of him who has received a new nature and a clean heart, and in whom dwelleth the root of immortal life.

"No difference appeared in these little sticks when you laid them down in this place, and so for a while there often seems to be an exact similitude between the children of God and the children of the evil one. Both of these arrows were bare, and without root or branch, and appeared to be cast away; and in like manner, those little children who have received a new nature, sometimes appear to be parted from Christ, and without hope from the strength of sin. But there is life in them, and they are again restored to holiness; they bud and blossom afresh, and spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water brooks,' Isa. xliv, 4-while the wicked are cast out of their graves like an abominable branch,' ," Isa. xiv, 19."

I must therefore caution the members and friends of my church, against purchasing these books, under the impression that they are all approved of by Methodists. No Methodist has sanctioned the doctrines above as evangelical, unless he has sacrificed his views to others. And none but milk and water Methodists would remain silent, and see such dogmas pass the committee of publication. I have no doubt but what the American Sunday School Union is doing some good; but it is not by the false impressions to which it is giving currency, but by its industry in circulating truths, which with the blessing of God affect the heart; and herein I rejoice greatly; but my joy is not full, and will not be till the Union officially corrects these impressions.

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That the reader may see that I have not been hasty in my judgment of the publications of the Union, I will add a paragraph from a work, called "The Shepherd and his Flock." The design of this volume is to teach the doctrine that God's "elect" cannot finally fall so as to perish everlastingly. The frontispiece teaches this. It represents the way to heaven by a "narrow iron rail way" within which "The Shepherd and his Flock" walk. On the left are a number of "swine,' representing the "children of this world," which in distinction from "his elect" are "reprobates. See page 28. the right are "The Man in Black," and his "dogs," representing the "devil" and the "persecutors of the saints," who dart out furiously at the "flock, or "his elect," "but from the height and closeness of the rails, it seems IMPOSSIBLE for them really to injure the sheep!" See also page 28. Reader, impartial reader, is there no Calvinism here? Are not the doctrines of election and reprobation, and of the final perseverance of the saints all taught here? Not content to print or write, the doctrines of Calvinism, they have repre