New England and Her Institutions Author:Jacob Abbott Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. THE CHURCH. One of the most striking peculiarities of New England, in respect to her religious institutions, is the great distinctness of t... more »he line of demarkation, which separates those who profess to be under the practical influence of piety, from the mass of the community. Nearly all of the various denominations of Christians here maintain, that piety does not consist merely in those general feelings of awe and reverence for the Supreme Being, and that indefinite fear of his future displeasure, which exist, in a greater or less degree, in all human bosoms ; but that a radical change of heart and character is necessary, and that in this change originates the first feelings of genuine personal affection for the Deity, and of true penitence for sin. There are various views taken of the precise nature of this change, and various measures taken to produce it; and a few religious teachers deny its existence altogether. A large community, however, is perhaps seldom more fully united in respect to any moral sentiment of such a nature, than are the people of New England jn the opinion THE CHURCH DISTINGUISHED. 63 that a man " must be born again" or he " cannot see the kingdom of God." This principle is taught distinctly in almost all our pulpits, and it is, besides, the basis of most of the religious instructions which are given there; and though many shake off the conviction of it, by the influence of worldliness or sin, yet it still lurks secretly in the bosom, and comes up to life and action in hours of sickness and solitude, and upon a dying bed. At any rate, this conviction, existing so generally in the public mind, has a very great influence in respect to all our religious arrangements, and it lies at the foundation of very many of our religious opinions....« less