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not why that should be deemed a more portentous evil, or why it should be considered as more disgraceful for Christianity and the Bible, to lose ground before the Prophet and the Koran, than before the Man of Sin and his priests. We are disposed to regard the non-occurrence of secessions from the Church of Rome in this country, as one of the most alarming features of the times. In Ireland, converts are made by education and the Bible, but'not among the priests. We may petition the Legislature against Popery, but it will not vield to such weapons. This kind goeth not forth but by prayer" and " the * sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

But what is Continental Protestantism ?

"Alás !' says Mr. Wilson, • I see deism, infidelity, indifference, a secret contempt of religion, too widely prevailing even here. I observe a cold celebration of a few great festivals ; but the Sabbath desecrated-holiness of life too little exemplified the principles of grace, from which only it can spring, forgotten-the Reformation, with its glorious truths, corrupted and obscured. I see persecution itself, the most odious part of Popery, transplanted to Protestant bodies, and an open defection from the Gospel avowed in the city which was once the praise of the churches. Thank God, things are in many places greatly improving both among Catholics and Protestants; and the opened Bible, the spirit of free inquiry after truth, the power of conscience, the intercourse of different Protestant States, the operations of various religious societies, the judgements of God which have been abroad in the earth, and above all, the Di. vine mercy visiting and subduing the heart, have produced a wonderful change. And in some quarters, the purity of the Gospel has Aourished without interruption or decay. But taking a view of the present state of the Continent generally, in its two great families of Catholics and Protestants, the Christian Traveller cannot but be affected even to depression with the prevailing degeneracy.'

At Lausanne, the spirit of intolerance has lately assumed the shape of the most determined persecution. As soon as any person gives offence to the clergy, the magistratés' make no scruple of banishing him at once. They allow no dissidents • from the Establishment, not a soul : 'a minister who is sus

pended cannot preach at all. Mr. Wilson has given a copy of an Arrété which has recently been published at Lausanne, drawn up in the precise language which persecutors have uniformly adopted since Louis XIV. r'evoked the Edict of Nantes. It is directed against the new sect called the Momiers; that is, in fact, pious, evangelical nonconformists, who are acknowledged, says Mr. Wilson, on all hands, to be peaceable members of the Republic, unexceptionable in their moral conduct, and pious, devoted Christians. This edict forbids all private Vol. XXI. N.S.

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religious meetings, and directs magistrates to dissolve such meetings by force. Every person found guilty of being present at these meetings, is to be punished with fines, imprisonments, &c. Thus is the Inquisition of Spain transferred to Protes⚫tant Switzerland, and the noblest gift of the Reformation, liberty of public worship, openly violated."

And is it in Switzerland,' exclaims Mr. Wilson, Switzerland, the nurse of the Reformation, the country of Zuingle, and Ecolampadius, and Beza; Switzerland, the last refuge of religious liberty in Europe, that this has taken place? O, who can too strongly express his detestation of such intolerant and unchristian measures.... But so it is. The clergy, when they refuse to accept of Divine grace, have always been the worst of enemies to real spiritual religion. All experience declares this, and especially the history of the sufferings of Christ our Lord.'

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The open persecution at Lausanne is not, however, so afflictive a circumstance as the open denial of the Reformed Faith by the Church of Geneva. Mr. Wilson has devoted a note in reply to the laboured apology for the Pastors, contained in M. Simond's work on Switzerland, who, while he regrets. the issuing of the reglement' of May, 1817, is disposed to regard it as necessary to preserve the peace of the church. But the real question is,' remarks Mr. W., whether any body of "ministers have a right to alter, conceal, or check the full and fair development of the great truths of Revelation, on the 'plea of preserving peace.' We shall probably have occasion to advert again to this subject in our next Number, and must, therefore, only add, that Mr. Wilson bears his testimony to the existence of much sincere and simple devotion among many individuals at Geneva, notwithstanding the general state of that fallen Church.

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Mr. Wilson was much charmed with Lyon, which has been regularly increasing in population and commerce since the peace of 1815. Out of a population of 175,000 souls, five or six thousand are Protestants; yet, they have only one church, and but one service in that church. There is a Bible Society here, but it is not flourishing. The Government now is not favourable to the Protestants. But this is not so bad a state of things as at Paris, where Mr. Wilson found only one public service on the Sunday, for a population of nearly 30,000 Protestants. In fact, speaking generally, he says, the Sabbath is utterly lost on the Continent: it is no longer the Lord's day, but the day of the god of this world. When it is spoken of, it is called a fete or holiday, indiscriminately with the Nativity or Assumption of the Virgin Mary. Nay, the

newspapers, the theatres, &c. are actually suspended on St. Francis's day, or the Feast of the Virgin, but, on the Sunday, are regularly carried on, and more eagerly followed than ever. The Sunday is, in short, the day for shows, amusements, dissipation, and vicious pleasures of every kind. And what is worse than all, these things are countenanced by Englishmen.

Upon the whole, there is much that is lamentable and affecting, but not a little that is animating, in Mr. Wilson's account of the present state of the Continent. His work has deeply interested us, and we strongly recommend the perusal of it to our readers. We have unavoidably passed over much that is attractive and entertaining in the Author's descriptions of the exquisite scenery through which he travelled, on the banks of the Rhine, and in the recesses of the Alps; the volumes abound too with much valuable information of a general nature. Our object has led us to fix on the graver features of the work, from which we might otherwise have made more amusing selections. It is such travellers as Mr. Wilson, that we would have go forth as the representatives of English Christians it is with such sentiments and feelings as breathe through these volumes, that we could wish,-were it not a vain hope, that Englishmen might return. The prejudices against the Protestant doctrine and evangelical truth, which the ill conduct of Englishmen abroad have implanted or confirmed, are, Mr. Wilson says, deplorable. On the other hand, what incalculable good might English travellers diffuse, who should learn from these volumes to connect with their own health and gratification, the promotion of higher objects, and the recommendation of the religion they profess!

Art. X. Warreniana; with Notes, critical and explanatory, by the Editor of a Quarterly Review. f.cap 8vo. London, 1824.

WE enjoy humour, but we detest vulgarity and profaneness; and if we cannot have one without the other, must forego the human prerogative of laughter altogether. If our readers are of the same opinion, they will not waste their money on this book, which is only the old joke of travestie over again. In the "Rejected Addresses," it was amusing enough; but it is now stale and quite unprofitable. The subject of the poems is Warren's Blacking, and of course the wit is only a thin vein, running through a thick stratum of absurdity. The mine does not pay for the working.

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Art. XI. 1. The Tract Magazine, or Christian Miscellany. Nos. 1 to 4. 12mo Price 1d. London. 1824.

2. The Gospel Tract Society Nos. 1 to 10. 12mo. Price 1d. each, or 4s. per hundred. London, 1823, 4.

3. The Teacher's Offering, or Sunday School Monthly Visitor. Edited by the Rev. John Campbell. No. XVI. April, 1824.

Price 1d.

4. The Children's Friend. Edited by the Rev. W. Carus Wilson, A.M. Vicar of Tunstall. No. IV. April, 1824. Price Id.

5. The Child's Companion, or Sunday Scholar's Reward. No. IV. 32mo. Price 1d. (Frinted for the Religious Tract Society.) 6. The Child's Magazine. Edited by Mrs. Sherwood. No. IV.

32mo. Price 1d.

THE HE present generation certainly bids fair to be penny : wise' we hope there is no danger of its turning out 'pound foolish.' The prodigious improvements made in the moral machinery of society, the diffusion of education among all classes by means of Sunday Schools, and the consequent over-stimulated activity of the press,-cannot be more strikingly shewn than by the multiplication of publications like these. We might have added to the list, three-penny and four-penny periodicals almost without end. We cannot but rejoice in the immense increase of that class of readers among whom such works find purchasers and readers. Knowledge cannot be made too cheap: we entertain no jealousies respecting its widest and most unrestricted diffusion. Whatever evils cau arise from knowledge, find in knowledge their only antidote. If the element becomes vitiated, it is only through being compressed and confined: give it vent, and it will become pure. Religion, objectively considered, (to use a favourite phrase with our old divines,) is itself only knowledge of the highest kind, and knowledge homogeneous with every other kind. But though we are not jealous of the diffusion of knowledge, we may have reason to watch with some solicitude, the channels by which it finds its way to the mind,-the tunnels and pipes by which it is distributed. Are not we Reviewers constituted by public consent, commissioners for watching, paving, and lighting as it were the high road to knowledge? Here is, however, a new case for which the Act does not provide,—a modern improvement, sprung up like the Gas lights, which seems to bid defiance to our vigilance, and to evade onr cognizance altogether. This Penny, and Two-peany literature, this small retail of knowledge by the stick and the pottle, does

not bring the dealer under the denomination of regular traders and shop-keepers; and we know not how to proceed against them in case of misbehaviour, unless we can swear to them as a nuisance, or indite them under the Vagrant act. Some of these parties write great names over their stalls, as if in defiance of the beadle or magistrate. Thus, one penny magazine puts up the popular name of Mrs. Sherwood; another, that of a much esteemed clergyman; a third, that of John Campbell, whose book about Africa every one has read; and a fourth, that of the Religious Tract Society. Why, who would enter the lists with the whole Tract Society? And then, just in front of their stall, here is Dr. Hawker opening an opposition Gospel Tract Society,'-a sly intimation that the Tract Society do not deserve that appellation, do not favour, by their publications, the gospel according to Dr. Hawker. It begins, surely, to be time that these matters were looked into, and that neither hawkers, nor pedlars, nor tract companies, should be suffered to trade without a licence.

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One word with regard to the Tract Society, whose apparent invasion of the province of the Trade has subjected them, it seems, to some severe animadversions. It may be thought high presumption in us, to offer any objection to plans repeatedly discussed and fully considered; but, without casting the slightest imputation on the motives of the Committee, we must express our regret that a measure, not unanimously approved by their own body, and involving the Society in all the responsibilities of authorship,-a measure, too, which has so invidious and trading a character,should have been engaged in. The very tone of apology which the Committee have found it needful to adopt, proves that the step was an unwise one. The apology for the Tract Magazine, is, that nearly all the religious societies of any magnitude publish some periodical account of their proceedings. But out of twelve pages in each of the last three numbers, three only relate to the proceedings of the Tract Society, and many of the extracts are not of very high importance. We should have imagined that if quarterly extracts were thought necessary, it would have been better to lay the charge of a penny upon them. Other religions societies publish reports of their proceedings and extracts from correspondence; but, with the exception of the Home Missionary Society, we recollect no other that has had the indiscretion to commit itself by a miscellaneous magazine. The Missionary Register, connected with the Church Missionary Society, is strictly confined to articles of intelligence. The London Missionary Society is by no means responsible for the Evangelical Magazine. But, in the present instance, we have

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