church are more encouraging than they || From Rev. I. B. Rickets, Oseola, Mo. have been. The congregation the last time I preached there, was very large, attentive, and solemn.

Varieties of formalism.

families with them. It was a memorable Sabbath, both to them and to me, for I had come away not knowing whither I should go, and they had been patiently waiting upon God to send them one to break the bread of life. The Lord was there, and there we worshipped God as delightfully as if we had been in a great congregation.

Popery, in its own dress, asks to be heard; and Popery, under the garb of Puseyism, asserts its claims, and would make all the world believe that its assumptions must not be disputed. In a village, two miles from my residence, the Catholic and the Puseyite Churches stand near each other, the former with- My next Sabbath was spent at Union out the cross upon it, the latter with it. Ridge, or the Monroe church. There Strangers, and even Catholics them- too it was not deemed best to go selves, mistake the Puseyite church for to the school-house, but back in the timthe Catholic. Such facts need no com-ber (the woods). The school-house is ment. One of their ministers was call-small and stands on the open prairie, ed upon, a short time since, to preach while a private house was quite as comthe funeral sermon of a young lady who modious and much more comfortable in died. On arriving at the place, he in- cold weather. quired if the young lady had ever been baptized. On being answered in the negative, he said he could not officiate. But, on inquiring, he found that she was under 16 years of age. And what then? Why, he found he could call her an infant, and finally concluded to preach on the occasion!

ILLINOIS.

From Rev. J. V. Downs, missionary to destitute churches in the vicinity of Chicago.

The churches in charge of Mr. D. are the Congregational churches at North Branch, the Monroe church at Union Ridge, and the church at Flag Creek.

Next, I went to Flagg Creek, where they have just finished a school-house of good size, and centrally located. This was also a very interesting day. They had been nearly seven weeks without preaching of their own order, therefore they were very glad to see

me.

Having the fourth Sabbath at my disposal, I concluded to go to a district, known as Blue Island, about sixteen miles south of Chicago, where I learned they had no preaching at all.

I went down on Friday, visited two settlements on Saturday, and preached twice at Portland, one of these neighboring settlements; and once in the evening at the Calumet settlement, four miles distant from Portland. I had supplied myself with tracts, and wherever I stopped I left some, which were not only not refused, but in almost I first went to the North Branch every case eagerly sought for. I there church, and arrived about sunset. No called at every house and conversed previous notice had been given of preach-with each and all, as I had opportunity. ing on the coming Sabbath, and the tra- They were very accessible, except in velling was very bad, on account of rain one case. and mud. But on Sabbath morning, notice was early circulated for a meeting at eleven o'clock, and about thirty-five persons assembled-a greater number than was expected, all the circumstances considered. It was a new scene to me, having come from the East, where large and commodious houses of worship are at hand. Here, we were assembled in a log cabin-chairs, and benches, and boards for seats-a stand for the pulpit, and a few followers of Jesus, in some cases bringing all their

Fanaticism and Formalism.

These seem every where to be the extremes towards which corrupt human nature tends. The phases under which they appear in the West, are thus described by a missionary.

The field in which I labor, is overrun by preachers of almost every theological

grade and complexion. And while they may be commended for their zeal; and charity may hope their aim is to save souls; yet such is the character of their preaching, that in my estimation, it tends more to the making of proselytes to religious sects than conversions to God. There are two extremes, into which they have fallen in their public teaching.

The one consists in such fanatical views of divine influence, as makes all piety to depend on impulses, impressions, and suggestions, immediately made on the mind, by the agency of the Holy Spirit, separate and apart from the revealed truths of the Bible. Consequently, little or no reliance is placed on such truths, for purposes of conviction, conversion, comfort and sanctification. The practical result of which is, that the religion of their converts is made up chiefly of sympathetic and animal excitements; and having no natural and necessary connection with the truths of the Bible, and being produced by a foreign influence, unexplained and uncontrolled by any known law in nature or revelation, it ebbs and flows with all the violence of the tides, though not with the same regularity. And when they are interrogated for the reason of the hope that is in them, they can refer to no intelligible and rational testimony of God's word, but can only say, "We feel so." And so active and powerful is that principle which is found to exist in our nature, called the love of excitement, and so prone is man to associate marvels with all religion, it is not wonderful, that preachers of this order should be successful, especially among the ignorant and uninformed.

The other extreme consists in making all personal religion to depend on outward forms and observances. The advocates of this theory contend, that though a man may have genuine repentance toward God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, yet he is not justified, pardoned, sanctified, and saved, till he is baptized-baptism being the Gospel institution for the remission of sins. The operation of this scheme makes the cross of Christ, virtually, of no effect in the production of peace, comfort, and sanctification on the sinner's mind; inasmuch as it directs the mind away

from Christ, to a personal act of outward obedience, for the attainment of these results. Neither is it surprising, when we consider the propensity of human nature to rely on the merits of personal efforts for salvation, that superficial readers of the Bible should readily fall in with this system.

Now, which of these two systems most effectually excludes the doctrines of Christ crucified from the high office of immediately imparting love, joy, peace, &c., a guilty and destroyed soul, it is difficult to decide. For, notwithwithstanding all that may be said and demonstrated from the scriptures concerning the love of God to sinners, as manifested in the gift of his Son, and the propriety of faith in the Lord Jesus, the one system tells the sinner to wait for his religion to come like an electric shock immediately from heaven; while the other for the attainment of his religion, takes him to the liquid stream. The one system removes all religious experience as far from the preached Gospel, and the exercise of faith in the same, as the other; for under the one system, the sinner shouts Glory, only on occasions of independent and extraneous impulses; and under the other, only on coming out of the water. It has therefore occurred to my mind, that if the revealed truths of the Bible, contained the only intelligible cause, designed under the Spirit of God, to operate, through faith, in the production of religion in the soul, (and on this hypothesis alone, depends their utility and that of preaching,) then the character of the above preaching tends more to the making of proselytes to certain religious sects, than to genuine conversions to God.

Lecturing in course.

I have adopted the plan of lecturing in course on particular books of the New Testament, connected with Bible classes, into which I endeavored to gather both aged and young, professors and non-professors, irrespective of denominations. And from the increased interest manifested in this method of instruction, I am persuaded it possesses facilities for imparting religious instruction far greater than sermonising.

From Rev. Lewis Benedict, Pecatonic, From Rev. W. Chamberlain, Missionary Winnebago Co., Ill. to destitute places in Alton Presbytery, Ill.

This missionary is one of the graduates of the Auburn Theological Seminary, who went to the West last autumn, under the patronage of the Society.

Refreshing.

In my last report I expressed some fears that the Lord had withdrawn his Spirit from this region of country. But he has come down the past season with great power, and visited most of our churches with the joys of his salvation. The work commenced at Nine Mile Prairie, in Perry county. I was one of a committee of Presbytery to instal brother Wood over that church. Our

Having had a pleasant and prosperous journey, I arrived at this place Oct. 26th. I find the Rock River valley a beautiful and highly interesting region of country. On this river there are frequent villages, and many of them, even now, places of considerable business and importance. They will, doubt-labors there were blessed, and we left less, soon vie with any in the eastern states in these respects.

them enjoying a revival of religion. Since that time every extra exertion within our bounds has been crowned with success.

I am somewhat disappointed in several particulars, respecting the character and condition of the people in this secAt Troy, where I spend half of the tion. There is decidedly more intelli- time, there has been no special revival, gence and fewer errorists than I expect- although for a few weeks back the prosed to find. The impression I had re-pect has been encouraging. The house ceived of the West would have been more fully realized, I doubt not, almost any where else. The Man of Sin has, in this immediate vicinity, but few adherents. The most common "refuge of lies," resorted to here, is Universalism. But, during the revival here last season, its ranks were broken, and those who now cling to that doctrine, feel that they are shorn of their strength.

The church in this place, up to the time of my arrival, numbered about 120. According to previous understanding, 18 or 20 have since taken letters and formed themselves into a church at Roscoe, a small village about four miles south of this.

This place is situated at the junction of the Pecatonic and Rock Rivers, and

we have formerly met in, has been rented, and is now occupied as a store, consequently we have been obliged to meet in a small room, and our congregation has been necessarily greatly diminished. The people, however, are building a meeting-house. If the weather continues moderate, I think they will have the house prepared for use in a few weeks. The remaining half of my time has been occupied in assisting my brethren, or in looking up new preaching places.

The Progress of the "West,"

for the want of bridges, these rivers must From an address by a Minister in Illi

be forded, or crossed by ferry; and since I have been here it has been difficult, much of the time, to cross in any way. Such, we hope, will not be the state of things much longer. One bridge has recently been completed, and we expect soon to have two more-then the occasion of the absence of many from church on the Sabbath, will be taken away.

nois.

The object of the Home Missionary Socie

y is to aid us in casting the purifying salt of

divine grace into that tide of immigration which is setting with such rapidity and majesty towards the Rocky Mountains. How wonderful its progress! Fifteen years ago, you were on the very frontier. You were even then driven from your homes by Indian hostilities; and your neighbors just out yonder were slain by the tomahawk and scalp