obligation on the parties, or their children.*

the greek faith. The mar- this imposes no subsequent riages, even of strangers, must always be performed according to the Russian mode; but

SCOTLAND.

THE established religion is the presbyterian, which was introduced in the year 1561, by John Knox, a disciple of Calvin. While the celebrated Scotch historians acknowledge that there were many faults in the character of this reformer, he is allowed to have possessed ardent piety, indefatigable activity, an integrity which was superior to corruption, and a courage which could not be shaken by dangers or death.f

The declared principles of the national church of Scotland are contained in the Westminster confession of faith.

The highest ecclesiastical authority in Scotland is the general assembly, which we may call the ecclesiastical parliament of Scotland. It consists of commissioners, some of whom are laymen, under the title of ruling elders, from presbyteries, royal burghs, and universities.

Appeals are brought from all the other ecclesiastical

courts in Scotland to the general assembly, and no appeal lies from its determinations in religious matters. Provincial synods, which are composed of a number of the adjacent presbyteries, are next in authority to the general assembly. Subordinate to the synods are presbyteries, sixtynine of which are in Scotland, each consisting of a number of contiguous parishes. A kirk session is the lowest ecclesiastical judicatory in Scotland, and its authority does not extend beyond its own parish. The members consist of the ministers, elders, and deacons.-A vast number of seceding congregations are to be found in the Lowlands.‡

Episcopacy, from the time of the restoration in 1660, to that of the revolution in 1688, was the established church of Scotland. But the bishops refused to recognize King William's title, which involved them in various difficulties. In 1788 the Scotch bishops

Monthly Magazine for 1799, p. 19. Took's View of the Russian Empire. ↑ See Robertson's and Stuart's Histories of Scotland. Guthrie, p. 169.

unanimously agreed to submit to the government of George the third. The English bishops supply Scotland with clergy, qualified according to law. The prejudices which gave occasion to the penal laws are now no more. A religious dissenting from the establishment is not considered as inconsistent with the safety of government.*

There are in Scotland a few Quakers, many Papists, and other professions, who are denominated from their preachers. At Montrose there

a society of Unitarians, among whom are several Antipedobaptists; every member

having it at his option to baptize his children when young, or to defer that ceremony till they arrive at the years of discretion. They admit alike Arians and Sociņians; but they are all fixed concerning the divine unity, and the supreme Godhead of the Father.†

A number of ministers, in and about Edinburgh, of different denominations, have lately formed themselves into a missionary society, to act in concert with another of the same kind established in Glasgow, and also to maintain a correspondence with the missionary society in London.

ENGLAND.

THE established religion of this kingdom is that of a protestant episcopacy. The sovereigns of England, ever since the reign of Henry the eighth, have been styled the Supreme Heads of the Church; but this title conveys no spiritual meaning, as it only denotes the legal power to prevent any ecclesiastical differences; or, in other words, to substitute the king in place of the pope before the reformation, with regard to tem

poralities, and the internal
economy of the church. The
kings of England never inter-
meddle in ecclesiastical dis-
putes, unless by preventing the
convocation from sitting to
agitate them, and are
tented to give a sanction to
the regal rights of the clergy..

The church of England, under this description of the monarchical power over it, is governed by-two archbishops and twenty-four bishops. The two archbishops are those of

* Skinner's Ecclesiastical History of Scotland, vol, xi. p. 688. + Lindsey's View of the Unitarian Doctrine, &c., p. 559. It is an article in the ecclesiastical establishment of England, that the king has the right to the nomination of bishops,

Canterbury and York, who The ecclesiastical govern

are both dignified with the address of your grace. The former is first peer of the realm, as well as metropolitan of the English church. He is enabled to hold ecclesiastical courts upon all affairs which were formerly cognizable in the court of Rome, when not repugnant to the law of God, or the king's prerogative. The bishops are addressed by the appellation of your lordships, styled right reverend fathers in God, and take the precedence of all temporal barons. They are to examine and ordain priests and deacons, to consecrate churches and burying places, and to administer the rite of confirmation.

The dignitaries of the church of England, such as deans, prebends, and the like, have generally large incomes. England contains about sixty archdeacons, whose business it is to visit the churches twice or thrice every year. Subordinate to them are the rural deans, formerly styled arch-presbyters, who signify the bishop's pleasure to his clergy, the lower class of which consists of priests and deacons.

ment of England is lodged in the convocation, which is a national representative, or synod, and answers pretty nearly to the ideas we have of a parliament.*

The first principle of the church of England is, that the scriptures are the sole ground of faith. The articles of this church embrace the leading ideas of Calvinism. They assert the doctrine of a divine trinity in the unity of the Godhead, and also adopt all the other articles of faith which are set forth in the Athanasian, the Nicene, and Apostles' creed.

The test-laws are still in force, and deprive of eligibility to civil and military offices all who cannot conform to the established worship.† The dissenters have made several unsuccessful applications for the repeal of this act. It is said that the refusal of government to repeal the test and corporation acts has increased the number of dissenters. At present the proportion of the non-conformists to the members of the church of England is supposed to be as one to five.‡

The moderate clergy of the

* Guthrie, p. 22.

↑ See Dr. Price's Sermon on the Love of our Country,
Evans's Sketch of Religious Denominations,

The baptists, in England, are divided into General and Particular Baptists; viz. Arminians and Calvinists, the latter of whom formed a missionary society in 1792, for evangelizing the heathen.

ehurch of England treat the church-government, differ litprotestant dissenters with af- tle from the independents, or fection and friendship; and congregationalists, who hold though the hierarchy of their the independency of congrechurch, and the character of gational churches, without bishops, are capital points in any respect to doctrine; and their religion, they consider in this sense, almost all the their differences with the pres- dissenters in England are now byterians, and even with the become independents. As to baptists, as not being very doctrine, the presbyterians material to salvation. Nor, are generally Arminians, and indeed, do many of the esta- many of them Arians, or Soblished church think that they cinians. The independents are are strictly and conscientiously generally Calvinists. bound to believe the doctrinal parts of the thirty-nine articles, which they are obliged to subscibe before they can enter into holy orders. Several of them have of late contended in their writings, that all subscriptions to religious systems are repugnant to the spirit of christianity. Some doctrines, which were for merly generally considered as too sacred to be opposed, or even examined, are now publicly controverted, particularly the doctrine of the trinity. Places of worship have been established in which that doctrine has been openly renounced; and several clergymen have thrown up valuable livings in the church, assigning their disbelief of that doctrine as the motive of their conduct.*

The modern English presbyterians, in their ideas of

* Guthrie, p. 221.

даа

The Methodists still frequent the places of worship erected by Mr. Whitfield, and profess a great respect for his memory. Mr. Wesley lately erected a very large place of public worship near Moorfields; and had under him a considerable number of subordinate preachers, who propagate his opinions, and make proselytes throughout the kingdom with great industry.† It is computed, that in the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland, there are eighty thousand Methodists.

The body of Arminian Methodists, who derive their ↑ Guthrie, p. 222.