DEATHS. QUARTERLY LIST. MANSFIELD BRUCE, Wilmington, Vt., Feb. 6, aged 61. WILLIAM COLLIER, Boston, Mass., March 19, HIRAM GEAR, Marietta, O., Feb. 10, aged 39. JABEZ HAM, Callaway Co., Mo. Dec. 10,aged 50. CHARLES MARSHALL, Mammoth Cave, Ky., JEREMY PACKER, Hinsdale, N. H., April 28, JOHN RICE, Mercer Co., Ky., March 19, DAVID SHORT, Deerfield, Tioga Co., Pa., ORDINATIONS. March 30, SEYMOUR W. ADAMS, Durhamville, Oneida Co., N. Y., Feb. 9. TIMOTHY BAILEY, Oxford, Me., March 15. LEWIS BARROWs, Woolwich, Me., April 4. CHARLES P. BARTLETT, Friendship, Me., A pril. E. G. BLOUNT, French Creek, Jefferson Co., N. Y., Feb. 14. B. F. BOLCOM, Campbell, N. Y., March 9. JAMES FULLER BROWN, Gainsville, Ala., March. WILLIAM T. BUNKER, Lockport, Pa., Mar. 1. WILLIAM CURTIS, Columbia, S. C. B. P. DRAKE, Fayette Co., Ky., Dec. 24. JAMES FRENCH, Lima, Allen Co., O., March 15. DANIEL MCGEOR, New-York, N. Y., April 9. LUCIUS H. GIBBS, Poughkeepsie, N. Y., Feb. 16 LEWIS GRANGER, Shelbyville, Ky., March 16. ISSACHAR GRASSCUP, Bristol, Ontario Co., N. Y.. March 12. JAMES HALL, Jackson, Mich., March 8. WILLIAM M. JESSEE, Andrian Co., Mo., July 31. A. J. JOSLYN, Warrenville Ill., Nov. 3. LEWIS LAWTON, Otsetic, Chenango Co., N. Y., March 9. DAVID LOGAN, Piermont, Rockland Co., N. Y.. Feb. 16. ABNER MASON, Dunbarton, N. H., March 22. WILLIAM MILLER, Newburg, Me., March 16. RICHARD MORRIS, Freedom, Cataraugus Co., N. Y., March 16. CHARLES R. NICHOLS, Canaan, N. H., Jan. 19. JONAS PALMITER, Yorkshire, Cataraugus Co., N. Y., Jan. 31. JOHN B PARRIS, Carver, Mass., March 1. JESSE M. PERRY, Buffalo, Fairfield District, S. C., Feb. 26. WILLIAM G. RAYMOND, Wheeler, Tioga Co., N. Y., Feb. 27. HUMPHREY RICHARDS, Springfield, Mass., May 10. GEORGE SAPP, Clermont Co., O., March 25. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN SHAW, China, Me., March 16. DEAN W. SMITH, Peterboro', Madison Co., N. Y., March 9. SAMUEL W. STEEL, Plymouth, Mich., Jan. 6. WILLIAM STORKS, Cherry Valley, Otsego Co., N. Y., March 8. L. S. TRIPP, Cape Neddock, York, Me, May 17. SAMUEL S. WYMAN, Peru, Me., March 15. EPHRAIM WARD, Raynham, Mass., Feb. 22. CHAUNCEY WARDNER, Rushford, Alleghany Co., N. Y., March 30. STEPHEN WATKINS, Milton, Wayne Co., O., March 1. NILES WHITING, Avon, Con., Jan. 25. HENRY G. WESTON, Frankfort, Ky., May 4. CHURCHES CONSTITUTED. George's Road, Middlesex Co., N. J., Jan. 25. French Creek, Jefferson Co., N. Y., Feb. 14. Jackson, Franklin Co, O., March 4. Johnstown. Barry Co., Mich.. March 23. Indian Creek, Ill., Dec. 8. St. Louis, African chh, Feb. 15. CONTENTS OF A Plea for Voluntary Societies; and a Defence of the Decisions of the General Assembly of 1836, against the Strictures of the Princeton Reviewers, and others. By a Member of the Assembly. Travels in Egypt, Arabia Petræa and the Holy Land. History of Europe, from the commencement of the French Revo- lution, to the Restoration of the Bourbons in 1815. By ARCHI- THE PSALMIST: A new collection of Hymns for the use of the THE CHRISTIAN REVIEW. NO. XXXI. SEPTEMBER, 1843. ARTICLE I. VOLUNTARY SOCIETIES. A Plea for Voluntary Societies; and a Defence of the Decisions of the General Assembly of 1836, against the Strictures of the Princeton Reviewers, and others. By a Member of the Assembly. New York: John S. Taylor. pp. 187. THE volume, the title of which stands at the head of this article, grew out of the recent disputes in the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States. Among the topics agitated in that body, and the agitation of which resulted in its dismemberment, was the lawfulness of voluntary societies for religious purposes; one party contending, with our author, in favor of such societies, and the other insisting, that they were positively unlawful; it being the duty of the church, in its organized capacity, to conduct all those religious charitable operations, in which it is proper for its members to engage. The discussion of this question was not confined to the Presbyterian Church, but was introduced extensively into the churches of New England. Several able articles, pro and con, written, for the most part, we believe, by Congregationalists, appeared in the Literary and Theological Review, and in the American Biblical Repository. The ardor of the VOL. VIII.-NO. XXXI. 41 debate seems to have somewhat subsided; but the principles involved in it are as important as ever. They seem to us to be of great and general importance; and we have thought, that the present might be a favorable opportunity for bringing the subject to the notice of our readers. This we shall attempt to do, under several particulars. And waiving, for the present, the high privilege of reviewers and editors,-that of employing the pluralis excellentiae, we shall take the liberty of speaking, through the remainder of this article, at least, so often as shall be convenient, in the first person singular. 1. The Voluntary Principle defined. By "the voluntary principle," in the widest acceptation of the phrase, is meant the principle of free-agency, or that mental faculty commonly denominated "the will." This is a most important faculty, and one continually exercised in the duties of religion. Every thing, which we do in religion acceptably, must be done voluntarily. We act voluntarily in first entering the school of Christ; and the whole service, which Christ requires of his followers, is a voluntary service. To exclude "the voluntary principle," in this sense of the phrase, would be to render man incapable of any religious duty or service whatever. The phrase under consideration is sometimes used in reference to a particular mode of supporting religious institutions. It was once a question in some parts of the United States, as it still is in Great Britain, whether religion should be supported by a compulsory civil process, or by the voluntary exertions of its friends. Those in favor of the latter mode are known as advocates of "the voluntary principle;" and in our country, these have triumphed, theoretically and practically, over all opposition. Whatever is done here, at the present day, for the support of religious institutions, is done voluntarily. The members of incorporated religious societies may, indeed, be compelled to pay their proportion of moneys raised; but no person can be compelled to belong to any religious society, or to remain in one against his will. There is still another use of the phrase under consideration, -that indicated by the title of the work before us; and it is to this that attention will be chiefly directed in the following pages. Ought the efforts made to propagate the gospel,-to establish its institutions, and extend its influence throughout the earth, to be sustained by ecclesiastical authority, directly |