Plied in the affirmative. He lastly entered into the particulars of the life of Christ, the character of his mission, and the design of his death. He told her that Jesus himself was without sin, but that he gave himself up to suffer death for our sins, and to bear the punishment that we deserved to suffer. 'Then, Sir,' said she, I think he acted very wrong!!!' Disconcerted at her gross ignorance, he besought her to make some enquiries upon the subject of religion; and observed, that as a sensible woman, she would at least act wisely in giving a thought to that eternal state, on which we must all speedily enter.

Generally speaking, the education which is now given to all ranks must tend to dissipate the grossness of ignorance in the nation at large, and though some will be blind supporters of a blind system, others will make useful enquiries, in spite of the interdictions and menaces of the priesthood, and will gratify that love of reading, which was acquired at the charitable seminaries of their arrondissement, or the genteeler boarding-school. They for the most part willingly accept of such copies of the divine writings, or theological tracts, as the more religious and active of the English, Swiss, and Germans, distribute in different parts of the kingdom, and who, in God's good time, will see the effect of their bread thus cast upon the waters. The ultras and jesuits are exceedingly afraid that the rising generation will acquire a taste for the lively oracles, and endeavour to prevent the children of Romanists from being placed under the tuition of protestant schoolmasters.

The united effect of infidelity and ignorance is very striking in what are called military masses. Whereever a regiment is quartered, it is required to attend worship in a cathedral or some great church at a particular hour. At the different parts of the service, the drums in the nave answer to the little tinkling

bell at the altar; and at the important moment when the host is elevated, and the consecrated wafer is presented to Jehovah as a preparatory offering, the sound of the instruments is deafening, and the soldiers, in the same mechanical manner in which they perform their various evolutions, prostrate themselves in an instant upon the pavement. Previous to this movement, they are yawning with ennui, lost in reverie, or staring at those who come to stare at them; while the officers are discoursing in an undertone, or enjoying some passing joke.

The third class is the trifling. Alas, how numerous is this division! Some of these go to early mass on the Sunday, and devote the whole of the remainder of the day to the vainest and silliest amusements. They cannot imagine how serious protestants can think it necessary to make such a dull thing of religion, as to keep holy the sabbath day. If two persons have an affair to settle in the way of business, they see no harm in transacting it at this sacred season; and the mason and carpenter will go on with the building in which he is engaged, if anxious for its accomplishment. The same men, however, would deem it an intolerable hardship, under any circumstances, to be required to work on the feast of All Souls, or All Saints, the Ascension, and some other particular days, in which the sacrament is carried in procession, or there is some spectacle to amuse the public. In villages, the peasantry dance and play on the Sunday; in the provincial towns, the shop keepers and private citizens croud the public walks; and in the capital, the Champs Elysées are filled with tens of thousands, indulging in various games, lounging in seats at coffee houses, or amusing themselves with listening to low actors, harpers, or fiddlers, looking at tumblers, and laughing at the tricks of a dog or a monkey!

While such is the state of things, who can wonder at the abounding of iniquity? Exceptions there are to all rules; but assuredly, if the prophet Jeremiah were to witness the demoralization of this portion of the European continent, he would once more exclaim, in the bitterness of his soul, "Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of this people!" Their condition is, indeed, such as must excite the compassion of every reflecting and pious mind. I must confine my

self to the mention of a few of their national transgressions. It becomes not a Christian to bring railing accusation, and I am pained to bring such charges against so many of my fellow-creatures. The want of a sense of honour and honesty is among their principal deficiencies. Brothers in blood, and friends in affection, depend not on each other's word: promises and engagements are reckoned for nought, unless written and signed. It is well known, that during our long hostilities with France, an officer was not considered as losing grade, or forfeiting his claim to general respect, who broke his parole of honour; and the same disregard to sincerity, or talent at overreaching another, which such conduct involves, pervades all ranks. Owing to that spirit of misrepresentation, or romantic exaggeration, aided frequently by precipitancy of conclusion, which they cultivate from their earliest years, they lose a relish for the simplicity of truth, and can scarcely repeat the most trifling occurrence with exactitude. They seem as if they should think meanly of their own power of invention, if they aimed at correctness of communication. The unerring word has assured us of the unregenerate, that “ as soon as they are born, they go astray, and speak lies;" and the adroitness and command of countenance which

distinguish juvenile deceivers in this land of hypocrisy, whether engaged in the more serious occupation of traffic, or indulging in pastime, or petty gambling, is a striking comment on this declaration. Among adults, in affairs of ordinary dealing, the individual who is deceived is the person considered as deserving of censure, while he who practiced the deception holds himself ready to be duped by another, who is his superior in the art of imposition.

Licentiousness is another great national characteristic. The turn of their conversation; their disregard of all which the English consider as due to decency and delicacy of feeling, to say nothing of apostolical injunction; the exhibition of naked statues and indecent pictures, which perpetually meet the eye; all these causes, combined with the force of original corruption, produce a pruriency of imagination, which grows with the growth and strengthens with the strength, and too generally issues in different degrees of sensual depravity. The conjugal tie, even among persons who bear a respectable appearance in society, is too often secretly spurned as a sacred obligation; and among the middling and lower orders in Paris, the frequency with which the seventh commandment is violated, may be in some measure estimated, by the assurance given by a medical friend of mine of known piety and integrity, that of the female subjects which come under the notice of anatomical students, one out of five occasioned their own deaths by attempting to procure miscarriage. But I hasten to dismiss this disgusting part of the subject of my communication, passing on to observe, that

Selfishness and self-conceit are most prominent features in their composition. The world does not produce a greater moral contrast than a Frenchman's profession and

The

conduct. The former is all devotedness; the latter all selfishness. As a people they are cruel and unfeeling, and self-love is with them so predominant a principle, that one is not at all surprised that Rochefacault, from the specimens daily before his eyes, should have made it the invariable source of human action. With all the affection of sentiment and sensibility, no community in Christendom can be more destitute of these qualities in their best acceptation. Well did Jones of Nayland describe them as a composition of the monkey and the tiger. Cunning and ridiculous with the one, they are unrelenting and ferocious with the other. same individual who plays with his dog with much apparent kindness, would treat his horse with the coarsest barbarity; the selfish principle governing him in both cases, the former ministering to his amusement, the latter to his gain. As to their self-conceit, it is so notorious, that I shall be spared the necessity of saying much on this head. The discriminating Burke, with that mode of illustra tion so peculiar to himself, described most of their writers as the jays and magpies of philosophy," and the founder and professor of the philosophy of vanity." The same self-complacent feeling applies to their statesmen, artists, &c. down to their common labourers; and whatever may be

called Rousseau 66

66

said of the varieties of national character, influence of education and example, and such like causes, the grand fundamental evil is a want of acquaintance with that wisdom which cometh down from above, and teacheth men to esteem others better than themselves, and every individual not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly.

The frequent repetition of God's holy name is the last particular I shall notice. This is a most crying sin. If in England the third commandment be broken by the hour, in France, it is by the minute. If there it denotes admiration or asseveration, here it is joined to every degree of comparison, and is used when the feelings are quiescent, from the prattling child to the hoary-headed sire!

Have I not said enough, sir, to excite pity, and awaken a spirit of prayer in behalf of your continental neighbours? If they continue to support the empire of the beast, they must drink of the plagues of divine wrath in more senses than one. May the Lord kindle the embers, and keep alive the flame of protestantism among them! The condition of the reformed church will be the topic of my next communication. I remain, meanwhile,

Yours truly,

PAREPIDEMOS.

IF human kindness meets return,
And owns the grateful tie;
If tender thoughts" within us burn,"
When earthly friends are nigh;
Oh! shall not warmer accents tell

The gratitude we owe

To HIM who died our fears to quell, Our more than orphan woe?

While yet his anguished soul surveyed
Those pangs he would not flee,
What love his latest words displayed,-
"Meet and remember Me !"

REMEMBER THEE! thy death! thy shame!
Our hearts' sad load to bear!
Oh! Memory, leave no other name
But His recorded there!

ARVENDEL.

SIR,-Allow me through the medium of your truly orthodox publication, to direct the attention of your readers to a circumstance which must grieve the heart of every truly pious and orthodox churchman; I mean the attempt making in certain quarters to avert the stream of Christian charity, by the prohibition of collections in our churches for certain religious institutions. I say, the attempt making to do this; for, happily, there exists no law to enforce the prohibition. The very attempt, however, is in itself a GRIEVOUS symptom of the disposition which exists; and ought to excite us to FERVENT PRAYER for those individuals in authority who are making it, that they may be convinced of their error, and brought to a BETTER state of mind.

An attempt, Mr. Editor, is now making in one particular quarter, and legal measures have been held out IN TERROREM against one or two very orthodox and pious clergymen, in furtherance of it, to prevent those clergymen from advocating certain religious Societies in their pulpits, and making collections for them in their churches. That these respectable clergymen I will suffer themselves to be intimidated by any such threats, I do not believe; there is no law, canon or ecclesiastic, against the practice attempted to be put an end to; and it is, therefore, hoped that the excellent clergymen alluded to, as well as every other incumbent will, in a Christian spirit, defend their rights against those, however high in authority, who would attempt to encroach upon them. No clergyman is bound, by his ordination vows, to obey the absolute commands of his diocesan: were this the case, then indeed the absolute power of the bishop would supply the absence of all law against the practice. The power of the bishop,

Sad, however, must be the state of things with that ruler of the church, who supposing himself in the possession of power which does not really belong to him, attempts to dry up the sources of Christian charity; especially of that charity which has for its object the salvation of souls; and who thinks proper to exercise that supposed power in order to suppress what the church, of which he is a minister, has not herself prohibited !-May such rulers imbibe more of the spirit of our truly apostolical church! May the mantles of some of our Elijahs fall upon them! And, above all, instead of seeking to find occasion against their pious brethren in the church, for their advocacy of Bible and Missionary Societies, may their attention be more directed to REAL abuses and irregularities. An important service would thus be rendered to the church, and many would rise up "to call them blessed." Whereas attempts like the present are calculated to embarrass the friends, and embolden the enemies of the establishment, by communicating to the public at large the most unfavourable impressions of its TYRANNY and INTOLERANCE.-I am, Sir,

Your obedient Servant,

A CANONICAL CLERGYMAN.

P. S. It has been said that a collection made in a church without the authority of a king's letter is illegal; but this is a mistake. The king's letter is not to authorize but to compel the collection. In other cases, the CHURCH has left the clergy to do as they please.

THE expediency of encouraging or circulating publications like these before us has often been questioned by the serious part of mankind. In some quarters fictitious narratives, religious novels, histories founded on fact, &c. have been entirely proscribed; and language has been frequently used, which, if strictly interpreted would censure the adop.. tion of parables, metaphors, and various illustrations of sacred as well as profane literature. The tide, however, appears now to set in a contrary direction. Judging from the vast increase of these publications, and their incessant influx, we should conclude that they are no longer regarded as dangerous, but that all parties had agreed as to the fallacy of former objections, and were fully convinced of the perfect innocence, if not the great utility of this species of literature. We are not indeed either prepared or disposed to enter at length on this question. It is perfectly obvious that many are induced to read publications of this nature, who would shrink from the perusal of works professedly religious: and it is reasonable to conclude that amongst such persons instances will occasionally be met with of benefit produced by the serious observations AUGUST 1826.

which are introduced, and the examples, warnings, and instructions exhibited to their view. But, on the other hand, it may be very fairly doubted whether any considerable number of persons will ever be amused or cheated either into religion or literature-whether the larger class of readers do not omit or skim over in a very cursory manner the serious reflections which are introduced; and whether the pictures which are presented to their contemplation are not rather calculated to excite delusory imaginations, and stimulate and strengthen rather than mortify and subdue corrupt and improper affections. We certainly have known cases, where the perusal of even religious novels has indisposed the mind for serious study, and materially interfered with the sacred duties of the closet and the family. Like other cordials and stimulants, they may occasionally cheer and refresh; but when habitually resorted to, as is too often the case, will be found to deprave the appetite, and most materially injure the vital powers. Ardent devotion will seldom be found among those who are very warmly attached to works of imagination; and an intimate acquaintance with tales and novels is not very frequently conjoined with any considerable proficiency in either science or history. We would not altogether proscribe, but would certainly restrain within narrow limits, the perusal of such publications.

From these general remarks, we proceed to notice the works before

us.

1. The Visit to the Rectory of Passy is the production, we understand, of the Rev. J. Peers, who long presided over the seminary at Thorp Arch, in Yorkshire, and who states that the characters as well as the scenery are copied from nature; though for obvious reasons, some

2 R