IN CHURCH HISTORY. 1 33 



and a belief in an inner illumination by the Spirit, 

 which they claim supercedes the employment of 

 external aids. 



There are many other religious societies besides 

 those above descrihed, and they abound largely in 

 this country. 



The position of this country is peculiar. My- 

 riads from all portions of the old world having" 

 flocked here, bringing with them their peculiar re- 

 ligious beliefs, and encouragement having been 

 given to the holding of opinions freely, we behold a 

 country in which nearly every form of faith is held, 

 from the most orthodox beliefs down to those which 

 can in any sense barely be called Christian. We 

 behold, also, great zeal in propagating opinions, 

 and even the smallest societies are active in adding to 

 their adherents, and building up their strength. It 

 would be difficult to form any estimate of the 

 amount of money expended year by year in main- 

 taining religious worship and in sustaining these 

 different forms of Christianity. It would be infi- 

 nitely more difficult, too, to forecast the happy re- 

 sults which would flow to this land if there were, 

 instead of these disunited efforts, a union of all 

 those who bear the name of Christ, and a concen- 

 tration of their zeal and their efforts against irre« 

 ligion and vice. 



