carried away captive into Prussia, that they might be restored, by second baptism, to the bosom of the Church.

But notwithstanding all this, they were found again in Germany, and particularly in Thuringia and Lower Saxony, in the very next century. But they had become more orderly, though they condemned as useless most of the ceremonies required by the Romish Church, ́nd founded all their hopes of salvation on faith and flagellation.

Something of this practice has lately been revived in the State of New York, and for aught we know, may be continued at the present time; though it was there resorted to for a different purpose. People did not flagellate themselves, in this case, but parents practiced whipping their children, as a religious duty, to make them, (as they termed it,) "submit themselves to God." It prevailed in Oneida county, in that State, in 1832, though I cannot believe to any considerable extent. It was several times alluded to about that period, in the "Journal and Telegraph," a Calvinistic religious paper published at Albany, the editors of which paper, state that "the fact is susceptible of ample proof." The chief details I have seen respecting the practice, are contained in a letter from the venerable and Rev. Henry Davis, D. D., late President of Hamilton College, in the western part of the State of New York. The letter was published in the Journal and Telegraph of June 1st, 1833.

Dr. Davis states that it is true that such a practice has prevailed in Oneida county. He refers to a pious lady who said "she had used this method (whipping) with all (or some) of her own children, and had brought them in," (meaning hereby that she had converted them,) -and "that one of them she whipped three times be

fore she succeeded in doing it." One other pious lady, stated that she whipped her daughter, then 13 years of age, with a corset board, for this purpose; and that to this course she was urged by another pious woman, who lent her the instrument of flagellation. It should be added in justice to these pious women, that according to Dr. Davis, their efforts were successful, and the girl, after this treatment, "promised to submit to God." (q)

Dr. Davis says further in his letter, that a Reverend clergyman of the Oneida Presbytery-" a man who has been regarded as possessing more than ordinary talents with unquestionable piety and discretion, and whose praise is in all the churches, was asked by a lady, in his presence," What do you think, sir, of the practice of whipping children, to induce them to promise to give themselves to God?" He replied "I think there is much to be said in favor of it. We whip our children, to induce them to submit to our authority. They are rendered kind, affectionate and obedient by it. Submission to God, is the same in kind. Both are of a moral nature. Why not use the same means in both cases to produce the same effect? Solomon says 'foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.'”

How considerable may have been the influence and effect of such arguments and observations, from clergy

(q) "A missionary at Maopongo having met one of the queens, and finding her mind inaccessible to all his instructions, determined to use sharper remedies, and, seizing a whip, began to apply it to her majesty's person. The effect he describes as most auspicious; every successive blow opened her eyes more and more to the truth, and she at length declared herself wholly unable to resist such affecting arguments in favor of the Catholic doctrine."-[Narative of Discovery and Adventure in Africa," by Hugh Murray, Esq.]

men of "unquestionable piety and discretion," in continuing and extending the very reprehensible practice of whipping children until they "promise to submit to God," I do not know. I am pleased, however, to see from Dr. Davis's account, that some women hesitated about resorting to it. He mentions one woman who, on being urged to adopt this new process of conversion, replied that " she must have more light before she could do so." (r)

This subject gives me occasion again to remark on the extreme importance of guarding against the first introduction of any fanatical proceedings. Thus when it is announced as it is now days, that varied and new methods are to be tried to convert men, and that all are to study to devise some new means for this purpose, and when it is considered abundant proof of the utility of such measures that people become excited and profess or really believe that they have been converted by these new means and become regenerate, then extreme caution must be used-then must enlightened reason be consulted, and the plain precepts of Christianity be observ

(r) It would have been curious to know what this woman would have considered "light," sufficient to have induced her to resort to this method. Would it have sufficed, for her to have been assured, that in numerous cases, where it was tried, children, after or during the operation, had promised to "submit to God?" I fear it would. On this subject, it may not be improper to state that flagellation often has very singular effects. The Abbe Boileau, in his "Histoire des Flagellans," says it is not exempt from the charge of producing disorder of manners One effect of flagellation is to increase the sensibility of the skin, and an increased sensibility in some parts of the body, by sympathetic communications may arouse sensibility in another part, where it ought to remain dormant. This fact seems to have been known to Jean Henri Meibomius, who wrote a learned work, de flagrarum usu in re venerea, published in 1648, with this motto

"Delicias pariunt Veneri crudelia flagra;

Dum nocet, illa juvat; jum juvat, ecce nocet.

ed, or there will be danger of an overwhelming influx of delusion and fanaticism.

Of wounding the body by cutting instruments.

Wounding or cutting the body, has been often resorted to as a religious exercise. This was the custom of the prophets of Baal; as we read—1st Kings, xviii. 28,

"They cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them." It is probable that something like this was practised by the Hebrews, as in Leviticus, xix. 28, it is written "Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you.”

Plutarch, in his book "De Superstitione," tells us that the priests of Bellona, when they sacrificed to that goddess, were wont to besmear the victim with their own blood. The Persian magi, according to Herodotus, used to appease tempests and allay the winds, by making incisions in their flesh. They who carried about the Syrian goddess, as Apudius relates, among other mad pranks, were ever now and then cutting and slashing themselves with knives, till the blood gushed out; and even to this day, in Turkey, Persia and in several parts of India, there are certain fanatics, who think they do a very meritorious service, and highly acceptable to the Deity, by cutting and mangling their own flesh. So also certain of the Dervises, under the excitement produced by their religious ceremonies, slash most unmercifully their sides, arms and legs, with swords, cutlasses and other instruments. The custom in this instance, however, seems to have been recently abolished. Commodore Porter, in his "Letters from Constantinople," after

describing the ceremony of circumcision which he witnessed there, says he saw at the mosque of the jumping Dervishes," around and about the altar, a multitude of instruments of torture, such as whips, scourges of iron, chains, sharp iron spikes, rusty daggers, knives, swords, axes and hatchets, with which they formerly tortured themselves as well as one another, but latterly the Sultan has forbidden the practice." This is one of the many improvements effected by that extraordinary man, Sultan Mahmoud.

Strabo alludes to the practice of the Etruscian priests tearing their own flesh, and cutting themselves in different parts of the body, and of walking on fire.

Under this head also, I should place the practices of the Hindoos, and particularly those in honor of Shivu, the destroyer. These are falling on iron spikes, piercing the tongue and the sides, swinging by hooks fastened into their flesh, &c. The following picture, from Ward,

will suffice.

"This god (Shivur) is represented in various ways; sometimes as a silver colored man, with five faces; sometimes with three eyes, and one face. Another image of this deity, is the lingu, which is nothing more than a smooth black stone, in the form of a sugar loaf. This is often made of clay, for extemporaneous use.

"An abominable festival in honor of this god is celebrated; when many Hindoos, assuming the name of sunyasees, inflict on themselves, the greatest cruelties. On the first day of the festival, these sunyasees, cast themselves from a bamboo stage, with three resting places, the highest about twenty feet from the ground. From this height these persons cast themselves on iron spikes, stuck in bags of straw. These spikes are laid in