The Reformed Presbyterians (Covenant- | siastical institutions, and 180 clerical stuers) have a theological school at Allegha- dents. At present there are 261. ny-town, and the Moravians have one at Nazareth, in Pennsylvania; the former has two professors and 14 or 15 students, the latter one professor and 5 or 6 students. I shall conclude by stating that the entire number of theological schools and faculties belonging to the orthodox Protestant Churches is thirty-eight,* with about 105 The reader will remark that the number professors, and nearly, if not quite, 1800 of students in the theological seminaries students at the present time. The greatcontained in the preceding table is that forer number of these institutions are in their the year 1840, which is the latest complete infancy. Where they are connected with statement I have seen. It must not be colleges, the theological professor generconsidered as a present census of these ally gives lectures in the literary departinstitutions. With the exception of the ment also, on moral philosophy, metaSeminary at Andover, and, perhaps, two or physics, logic, &c. Many of the profesthree others, the number of students at sors in the new and smaller seminaries present (the commencement of 1844) is are pastors of churches in the neighbourmuch greater than it was in 1840. In some hood, and all that are not preach much in seminaries it is almost twice as great as it vacant churches, or on extraordinary ocwas then. The whole number of students casions, such as before benevolent or litin these seminaries may fairly be put down erary societies and bodies, ecclesiastical as greater by one fourth part at present assemblies, &c. Many of them, too, are than it was when the above-given list was expected to employ their leisure moments made. in giving instruction through the press. Though the number of professors seems large when compared with that of the students, I can assure the reader that few men have more to do, or, in point of fact, do more for the cause of Christ. There are to be found among them many of the first ministers of the churches to which they respectively belong. If not quite equal in point of science to some of the great professors in the Old World, they are all, God be praised, believed to be converted, and are devoted, faithful men. Their grand object is to train up a pious as well as a learned ministry. I am not aware that there is one of them that does not open every meeting of his class with earnest prayer, in which he is joined by his pupils a striking contrast to what one The above enumeration comprises the orthodox evangelical denominations of Protestants only. The Unitarians have a theological department at Harvard University, which had two professors and twenty-seven students in 1840. The Roman Catholic theological seminaries, according to the Catholic Almanac, stood as follows in 1840: That at Philadelphia had Baltimore... Emmetsburg.... Frederick.. Charleston, South Carolina.... Parish of Assumption in Louisiana... Cincinnati Vincennes.............. Barrens Missouri.... Bardstown and St. Rose, in Kentucky St. Louis... 22 students. 16 20 20 6 9 9 12 In all, twelve institutions and 114 students. But this list was probably incomplete, as we learn from the same authority that in 1842 there were twenty-one eccle Connecticut, theological lectures are given to a class in divinity, and possibly this is done also in some of the other Methodist colleges. * At the Wesleyan University at Middletown, are still spared to labour for its good. Both they and their younger colleagues rank high among the American divines, and have great weight in the Church to which they belong. The General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church opened a theological institution at New-York in 1817, which, though removed next year to New-Haven, was soon after re-established at New-York. It originated in the efforts of the late John Henry Hobart, long bishop of the diocess of New-York, and has five professors, who are eminent and influential men, both in their own church and in the community at large. Its prosperity has been almost uninterrupted. The number of students is usually about seventy-five or eighty. In 1822, the diocesses of Virginia and Maryland established another Episcopal seminary in Fairfax county, Virginia, à few miles from the city of Alexandria, in the District of Columbia. This seminary has four valuable professors, and from forty to fifty students. It has been a great blessing to the Episcopal Church and to the country. ment upward of thirty, under four professors, who give instructions in the other department also. A Lutheran theological seminary was established in 1826 at Gettysburg, in Pennsylvania, very much through the exertions of the Rev. S. S. Schmucker, D.D., who is its professor of theology. It has three professors, with from thirty to forty students in all, and has proved a rich blessing to the Lutheran Church. Dr. Schmucker is well known in the churches of the United States by his various writings, and his praiseworthy endeavours to bring about a union of feeling and action among the several branches of the Protestant denominations. The Reformed Dutch Church has an able theological faculty in its seminary at NewBrunswick, in the State of New-Jersey. The foundation dates from 1784, but it was for a long time unoccupied. It now has three professors and about forty students. Such are the utmost details that the limits of this work will permit. Let me simply add, that, since the opening of the Rev. A Baptist theological seminary, estab- Dr. Mason's theological school, about the lished at Newton, a town about six miles beginning of the century, these institutions from Boston, in 1825, has been a source have amazingly increased. Most of them, of much good, and has sent forth a consid- like those at Andover and Princeton, are erable number of excellent preachers. It quite distinct from any college or univerhas three able professors, and usually from sity; some, under the title of Theological thirty to forty students. The Baptists Departments, are connected with literary also established a Literary and Theologi- institutions, but have their own professors, cal Institute at Hamilton, in the State of and, in reality, are very distinct. The folNew-York, in 1820. It has above 150 stu-lowing table, presenting a summary of the dents in all, and in the theological depart- whole, will probably be found interesting. Old School ans. New School ans. Episcopali ans. rope 2. Bangor 3. Gilmanton 4. Theological Department of Yale College 5. Theological Institute of Connecticut, at East Windsor 2. Western Theological Seminary at Alleghany town, 3. Union Theological Seminary. 4. Southern Theological Seminary at Columbia 1. New-York Theological Seminary, in New-York city 3. Theological Department of Western Reserve College 5. Southwestern Theological Seminary at Maryville. 2. Theological Seminary, Fairfax county public lectures as well as by their writings. The younger professors are the Rev. Dr. Hodge and the Rev. J. A. Alexander, the former well known in Eufor his excellent work on the Epistle to the Romans, and the latter author of many articles in the Biblical Repertory and Princeton Review, an able quarterly publication which has been conducted for twenty years by the professors of the seminary, and of the College of New-Jersey, both situated in the village of Princeton. Massachusetts. New-Hampshire. 1835 3 * I give the number of students for 1840, from the American Quarterly Register for that year. The list is understated, the number being that at a given epoch in the year, not that of all who attended during the course of it. For instance, were the number of students in the Princeton Seminary taken in the winter of 1839-40, it might have been 120, yet by adding the students who joined in the summer session, the number for the academic year might have been 130. The Reformed Presbyterians (Covenant- | siastical institutions, and 180 clerical stuers) have a theological school at Allegha- dents. At present there are 261. ny-town, and the Moravians have one at Nazareth, in Pennsylvania; the former has two professors and 14 or 15 students, the latter one professor and 5 or 6 students. The reader will remark that the number of students in the theological seminaries contained in the preceding table is that for the year 1840, which is the latest complete statement I have seen. It must not be considered as a present census of these institutions. With the exception of the Seminary at Andover, and, perhaps, two or three others, the number of students at present (the commencement of 1844) is much greater than it was in 1840. In some seminaries it is almost twice as great as it was then. The whole number of students in these seminaries may fairly be put down as greater by one fourth part at present than it was when the above-given list was made. The above enumeration comprises the orthodox evangelical denominations of Protestants only. The Unitarians have a theological department at Harvard University, which had two professors and twenty-seven students in 1840. The Roman Catholic theological seminaries, according to the Catholic Almanac, stood as follows in 1840: I shall conclude by stating that the entire number of theological schools and faculties belonging to the orthodox Protestant Churches is thirty-eight,* with about 105 professors, and nearly, if not quite, 1800 students at the present time. The greater number of these institutions are in their infancy. Where they are connected with colleges, the theological professor generally gives lectures in the literary department also, on moral philosophy, metaphysics, logic, &c. Many of the professors in the new and smaller seminaries are pastors of churches in the neighbourhood, and all that are not preach much in vacant churches, or on extraordinary occasions, such as before benevolent or literary societies and bodies, ecclesiastical assemblies, &c. Many of them, too, are expected to employ their leisure moments in giving instruction through the press. Though the number of professors seems large when compared with that of the students, I can assure the reader that few men have more to do, or, in point of fact, do more for the cause of Christ. There are to be found among them many of the first ministers of the churches to which they respectively belong. If not quite equal in point of science to some of the great professors in the Old World, they are all, God be praised, believed to be converted, and are devoted, faithful men. Their grand object is to train up a pious as well as a learned ministry. I am not aware that there is one of them that does not open every meeting of his class with earnest prayer, in which he is joined by his pupils a striking contrast to what one Connecticut, theological lectures are given to a class * At the Wesleyan University at Middletown, in divinity, and possibly this is done also in some of the other Methodist colleges. sees, alas! at too many of the theological | other seaports, to supply foreign emigrants lectures in the universities of Europe. CHAPTER XIX. EFFORTS TO DIFFUSE THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. as they arrive on our shores. It is a remarkable fact that what has been done by Bible societies seems not to have interfered with the business of the booksellers; for these sell more copies of the Holy Scriptures than they did before the Bible societies existed. The more the Bible is known, the more it is appreciated; in MUCH has been done in the United States many a family the entrance of a single copy to place the Sacred Scriptures in the begets a desire to possess several; besides hands of all who can read them, and in which, the Bible Society distributions greatthis endeavour there is a delightful co-op-ly augment the demand for Biblical comeration of good men of every name. Even mentaries and expositions, and thus augstatesmen, though they may not be deci- ment the trade of the booksellers, who pubdedly religious, or, by outward profession, lish and put into circulation immense edimembers of any church, lend their aid in tions of such works. There is a great dethis endeavour; and it is not uncommon mand for the Scriptures, also, both in weekto hear men of the first rank in the political day and Sabbath-schools, and great numcircles, some occupying high places in the bers of these are furnished by the book-trade. council of the nation, advocate at Bible Society anniversaries the claims of the Word of God. The impression prevails among our statesmen that the Bible is emphatically the foundation of our hopes as a people. Nothing but the Bible can make men the willing subjects of law; they must first acquiesce with submission in the gov-earth. " The receipts of the society for ernment of God, before they can yield a willing obedience to the requirements of human governments, however just these may be. It is the religion of the Bible only The society has published the New Testhat can render the population of any coun-tament and some parts of the Old in "raised try honest, industrious, peaceable, quiet, characters," for the use of the blind, and contented, happy. is now engaged in printing the remainder for that unfortunate class of the population. It is twenty-six years since the American Bible Society was instituted, and it now has branches in all parts of the country. It has sent out, in all, 3,269,678 copies of the Bible, or of the New Testament, from its depository.* Last year alone 216,605 copies went forth to bless the nation. In the years 1829 and 1830, great and systematic efforts were made to place a Bible in every family that was without one throughout the whole land. Much was accomplished, yet so rapid is the increase of the population, that these efforts must be repeated from year to year; and the work can only be done by dividing the country into small districts, and engaging active and zealous persons to visit every house from time to time, ascertain what families are destitute of the Scriptures, and supply them by selling or giving away copies, according to circumstances. Great efforts are also made at New-York, and Nor does the American Bible Society confine its efforts to the United States. It has for many years associated itself with those societies which, by prosecuting the same work in foreign lands, are labouring to hasten the coming of that day when "the knowledge of the Lord shall fill the the last year amounted to 126,348 dollars, of which 15,516 were appropriated to the work abroad. In the year 1837, a Bible society was formed among the members of the Baptist churches, entitled the "American and Foreign Bible Society." It was formed with special reference to the circulation of translations in the course of being made by that body of Christians. Some, at least, of these translations the American Bible Society thought it could not, consistently with its constitution, aid in publishing, because the original words baptize and baptism have been translated into words equivalent to immerse and immersion. However much it may be regretted that these words, about the meaning of which there has been so much philological disputation, are not permitted to remain untranslated, so that all denominations might be put upon the same footing, and be enabled to continue united in the work of Bible circulation, the issue will, it is likely, prove that in this, as in many similar cases, God is about to make an apparent obstacle mightily subserve the advancement of his kingdom. The new society has taken up the work of foreign publication with great zeal, and doubtless it will serve to develop the energies of the large and powerful body of Christians who sustain it, to an extent to which they never would have gone but for its formation. The receipts last year, being the sixth of its existence, were 20,691 dollars; the expenditure 21,068 dollars. Meanwhile, the resources of the American Bible Society have increased instead of having diminished. CHAPTER XX. gelical Family Library, of fifteen volumes each, and of the Christian Library, of forty-five volumes each. Many thousands of separate volumes, also, of these sets were sold, and 77,000 copies of the Christian Almanac for the United States. From 100,000 to 150,000 of some of the smaller tracts were distributed; and the total sent into circulation during eighteen years has been ASSOCIATIONS For the publicaTION AND CIR- 1,300,896,847 pages, or about 80,806,460 of CULATION OF RELIGIOUS TRACTS AND BOOKS. No branch of religious enterprise has been more vigorously prosecuted in the United States than that of preparing, publishing, and circulating moral and religious writings in various forms. The wide diffusion of education, at least among the white part of the population, makes it obvious that powerful advantage may be taken of the press in promoting the truth. Associations of various kinds are engaged in this good work. We have seen that the Sunday-school societies are doing much for supplying the youth of the country with moral and religious reading; we have now to speak of other societies which aim at benefiting adults, not, however, to the exclusion of the young. tracts and volumes. The receipts for the year 1843 amounted to 42,433 dollars from donations, and 49,904 from sales; in all, 96,240 dollars. Fifteen thousand dollars were sent to foreign countries in aid of the tract cause abroad. The Society is assisted by auxiliary associations in all parts of the United States, both in the collection of funds, and in disseminating its publications. Some of these local societies, such as those at New-York, Boston, and Philadelphia, are large and efficient. The Society is zealously prosecuting two grand measures, into which I shall enter the more fully, inasmuch as they are of the utmost importance to the religious well-being of the country, and also more or less practicable in other lands. First among these associations may be The first of these is the publication of volranked the American Tract Society, which, umes of approved excellence, such as Bunlike most others of a general and national yan's Pilgrim's Progress, and Doddridge's character, has its seat in the city of New-Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul, York. It was instituted in 1825, and hence and their distribution throughout the counhas been eighteen years in existence. It try. It proposes to place not only one is founded on the broad principle of uniting in its support Christians of all evangelical denominations of Protestants, so far as they may be disposed to co-operate in its objects; its Committee of Publication is composed of ministers of the Gospel of the different orthodox communions; and its publications themselves convey those great truths and doctrines in which all of these communions can agree. volume at least, as was resolved some years ago, but even a whole copy of its Evangelical Family Library, of fifteen volumes, or its Christian Library, of fortyfive volumes, in as many households as are willing to buy them; and in seeking to accomplish this end, it employs able men, ministers of the Gospel and laymen, as agents. These visit towns and cities, preach in the churches, raise funds to supThe operations of no society in Ameri- ply the poor with books, organize commitca seem to have been prosecuted with tees who are to visit all the families in greater vigour or more wisdom. Its Re- their respective districts, and engage all port for 1843 states that, since its com-who are able to buy one book or more, mencement, it has sent forth 1069 different and to supply such as are too poor to purpublications, of which 131 form volumes chase. Another set of agents consists of of various sizes by themselves, and the remainder are, with few exceptions, what are called tracts, each consisting of four pages and upward, but requiring more than one to make a volume. It has published some broad-sheets and hand bills for posting up in public places or otherwise. And besides these 1069 publications issued at home, it has aided in the publication of 1850 in foreign lands. The copies of its publications printed last year amounted to 4,156,500, of which 174,500 were volumes. During the same period 4,155,806, including 157,478 volumes, actually issued from its depository. Among the volumes were several thousand sets of the Evan plain, but sensible, pious, and zealous colporteurs, or hawkers, generally laymen, who are sent into the "Far West" to carry books and tracts to the frontier people, engaged in felling the forests on their everonward course towards the setting sun, as well as into the mountainous districts, and the thinly-settled belt of sandy country which stretches along the ocean in the Middle and Southern States. The number of these colporteurs is at present sixty. Though in operation but a few years, this enterprise had in 1842 placed 1,800,000 volumes in the hands of families, comprising at least 4,000,000 of souls. Who can calculate the amount of good which such |